White Mage / Summoner?

[Yorak]

I've been wondering about this combo.

My original plan for a character was to have Black Mage as my primary job, so my focus was more on what subclasses Black Mage should have, and everyone said that White Mage was better than Summoner, because you have the added utility of healing spells, and you're not getting back that much more mana.

However, I've been thinking about switching over and making White Mage my primary class, as I had more fun with it than with Black Mage...and the Summoner sub idea came up again. While backup heals are great, how often are White Mages used as backup nukers (and if they are called to that role, don't they have the Banish line)? Since they'll primarily be using White Magic and nothing else, that extra mana and regen'll be all the more valuable...

...Or am I wrong?

[Pilsbane]

From what I have seen WHM/BLM use more of the utility-type spells from their black-magic line up. Spells like bind, sleep, warp, etc.

I haven't had too much experience with summoners but I know the summoners I've seen with all their summons have been Japanese so far. When you first complete the summoner quest you only get Carbunkle. Carbunkle is a bit lame.

You have to get the other summons later. I'm told you should be around level 60 to handle the fights required to obtain the other summons, but I have no idea firsthand.

Nylia loves her whitemage and wants to play her all the way up to 70. She is currently leveling her blackmage with my paladin so her subjob will be up-to-date. She's also working on her Summoner quest, just a couple weather effects to go. Her plan is to use Blackmage as her subjob until we can get higher level and get her some of the other summons, like Garuda.

[Vaiyo]

Since we're on the topic of WHM/summoner, how does it work, anyway?

I haven't start playing FFXI yet, but I'm doing all the research I can. Will WHM mains be able to summon avatars with summoner subbed? And how fast does the avatar drain mana, anyway? I plan on being a WHM main, and if summoning avatars will rape my mana, I'd rather not go summoner heavy and go BLM instead.

Anyone have insights about that?

[Pilsbane]

Yes, you can still summon the avatars if you have summoner as a subjob. They'll be much less powerful if only used as a subjob though.

[stigger]

basicaly i believe you'd be able to do more damage using Light Magic attacks.

Summons will drain your mana like crazy and leave you MP-less... which for a white mage... leaves you near useless.

Im not too sure, but i'd have to say Summoner would have to be a "main only" type of class.

[Navia]

Summoner subbed is mainly for a bigger max mana pool really.
A summon half you level wont be worth keeping out to have it melee, it will miss all the time or deal pathetic damage.
You can't heal to regain mp while the summon is out, and the slow cast plus activation time on summon abilities would make their use during a fight very dangerous since you may have to heal someone quickly at a moments notice.

The summon abilities available when you sub summoner aren't worth it even in downtime situations.
For example Carbuncle burns at least 15mp to bring him out,tell him to cast healing ruby on someone and unsummon him - for a 25pt heal which takes 10 seconds roughly to do.
A 48whm/24smn would be better off casting protect2/shell2 than use carbuncle's protect/shell ability.
You only seem to get useful summon abilities when you get to 50whm/25smn with garuda's aerial armor (blinkga).

Black mage sub really brings alot more to the table as far as useful and faster casting spells. By the time you get 40whm/20blm you have 2 spike spells and a few -ga spells useful for solo farming, the ability to warp and cast sleep/bind for controlling a linked mob when partying or escaping. Elemental seal might let you do a fair magic burst.

When i go back to WHM as main job to get my summons I would probably pick blm sub again.
Most parties tend to just look for monsters they can fight at a constant pace that the healers mp regen can keep up with which is why the extra mp boost from SMN sub seems wasted at times.

[insanepierrot]

Actually the WHM/SMN is very useful @ Lv 50. If you have done your work and have gotten all of your SMNs you could see that you can give your entire party blink and Thunder Weapon enchantment. But, again this isn't to Lv 50. Still I have had SMN sub ever since i got the job and all of the times that I needed that little MP boost ,to heal a person before they die, was always there. And anyways I barely ever SMNed anything from 20~55