[spira]

Part II of our job adjustments and additions preview invites to center stage beastmasters and summoners, Vana'diel's wielders of animalistic and avatarial might!

Press onward for the details.

[spira]

Part II of our job adjustments and additions preview invites to center stage beastmasters and summoners, Vana'diel's wielders of animalistic and avatarial might!

Summoner
A new ability will be added for summoners, and with it, a brand new way for these masters of forbidden magic to lend their powers to party battles.

Avatar's Favor (Lv.55 Recast Time: 5 minutes Duration: 2 hours)
Channels the avatar's power towards a beneficial status effect for party members within range. Reduces perpetuation cost while active.




By summoning an avatar while this ability is active, a corresponding beneficial effect from above table will be granted to all party members within range of the avatar. The effect's potency will gradually increase until the avatar is released, and at its peak, can be expected to reach levels equal to those granted by the corsair's lucky number roll.
While multiple favors of the same variety will not be stackable, a single party can benefit from as many types as there are summoners. Furthermore, enhancements received through this ability can be used in conjunction with those received via magic spells, songs, the Phantom Roll ability, and so forth.

Beastmaster
Adjustments and additions have been scheduled that will greatly enhance the effectiveness of pets called forth via the "Call Beast" ability.

- New Pet Command: "Ready"
When in control of a pet called forth via the "Call Beast" ability, the pet command "Sic" will be replaced with "Ready." By fulfilling the following conditions, "Ready" will allow you to select a specific ability for the pet to use from its arsenal.
* The pet's TP is at 100% or more.
* Sufficient charges have accumulated for the ability you wish to use.

- Charges
Regardless of the beastmaster's level, one charge will accumulate for every two minutes after a pet has been called, up to a maximum of three. The amount of charges required will vary depending on ability.

Example: Funguar Familiar




We will continue to observe the beastmaster job following the release of the November version update, and as necessary, make adjustments to special abilities and calling items for each pet.

[spira]

omg SMN is now a buff job

[Griss]

totally did not see that coming. i wonder how much the perp cost down will be.

[Katchoo]

Wow those SMN buff look really nice. Seem well balanced too (so far) look a little more situational rather than just trying to make them the new "Buffing job".

I can see SMN with Titan in a Tank party will give an awesome extra kick now.

Looking forward to seeing how this plays out.

[firefeng]

Katchoo, on 21 October 2009 - 04:39 AM, said:

I can see SMN with Diabolos/Ifrit in a Tank party will give an awesome extra kick now.

Fixed. LOL-defense.

[HavianofShiva]

hmm interesting.

[Velhart]

SMN, very nice, BST...meh

[Deathjackal]

In b4 "We cant get a BRD or COR to merit with us....fuck it Im getting a SMN!"

[fillerbunny9]

..... That's it? Really? Gee, thanks Squeanix, I couldn't be more underwhelmed with this new Beastmaster ability.

Congratulations to the Summoners out there, this certainly looks like something that should help net some non-Astral burn invites.

[Corrderio]

BST ability isn't too bad, though it doesn't change the fact they're still at the bottom for most wanted DD.

SMN can have potential, it depends on how much it reduces the prep. cost to let an avatar stay out to attack.

[wigglestyx]

Corrderio, on 21 October 2009 - 09:48 AM, said:

SMN can have potential, it depends on how much it reduces the prep. cost to let an avatar stay out to attack.

Doubt it, people hardly invite SMN they way it is, they're the "oh we can't find a healer, but there's a SMN seeking" and no one in there right mind is gona be like "well, there isn't any BRD or CORs but I can get a SMN".

This might help SMN get into more mana burn partys.

[fillerbunny9]

Corrderio, on 21 October 2009 - 08:48 AM, said:

BST ability isn't too bad, though it doesn't change the fact they're still at the bottom for most wanted DD.

SMN can have potential, it depends on how much it reduces the prep. cost to let an avatar stay out to attack.

The Beastmaster ability might be worthwhile if instead of this "charges" nonsense, it merely let you select what ability your pet uses. Waiting six minutes to select a "3 charge" ability is a crock. I'll stick to Sic and its two minute timer. It may be random, but a chance at the good ability now is better than having to wait 2-4 mobs down the line for the selected one.

[Velhart]

Yea, I havn't seen how well the buffs perform yet, but I would still pick a BRD or COR before a SMN for a burn party, since pulling is another factor to me. Not only that, both can have multiple buffs out unlike SMN which you can only have one, not including the existing enchancement spells that avatars use. But like someone said, they would probably be more popular in mana burn parties. Plus, I was wondering if any new avatars, guess not.

Beastmaster doesn't phase me either, SE should just be using methods to make them more in the frontline DD position. But this game will perma crash before that happens apparently. I would like to say one day while making a burn party that we should get the BST.

[Aleera]

"We will continue to observe the beastmaster job following the release of the November version update, and as necessary, make adjustments to special abilities and calling items for each pet."


In other words, "We never tested this, so we'll throw some crap out there for BSTs and fix it when the real players discover what's wrong with it, 'cause we're too lazy to."

[Kleiner]

Quote

The Beastmaster ability might be worthwhile if instead of this "charges" nonsense, it merely let you select what ability your pet uses. Waiting six minutes to select a "3 charge" ability is a crock. I'll stick to Sic and its two minute timer. It may be random, but a chance at the good ability now is better than having to wait 2-4 mobs down the line for the selected one.

Quote

- New Pet Command: "Ready"
When in control of a pet called forth via the "Call Beast" ability, the pet command "Sic" will be replaced with "Ready." By fulfilling the following conditions, "Ready" will allow you to select a specific ability for the pet to use from its arsenal.

So, when using a Jug Pet, you wont even HAVE the "Sic" command anymore; only the Ready command.

I dunno. Depending on the TP modifiers of these pet abilities, a 6 minute Dark Spore could be worth it. after 6 minutes your pet is definitely gonna have 300 TP instead of just 100-150

BSTs have been begging for an ability to use a pet's WS on command but really.. think about it. Amigo Sabotender able to use 1k needles every 2 minutes on command? not anything SE could allow to happen. I think this is SEs' attempt to give BSTs what they want without breaking it. I think the charge duration should be made 1:30, however. Full Sic recasts will likely affect the charge timer for Ready too, making it 1:40. Dark spore is Funguar's best move, but it's not exactly broken.. maybe SE will monitor the results, then reduce the charge numbers for heavy hitters like dark spore, but not for !k needles (which is probably like 5 charges already)

The SMN update.. heck yes. Stacks with rolls? Honestly SE is just screaming "GO MELEE BURN MORE!". 13 MP tic for the average avatar, -3 staff, -2 Body armor, -1 hands, -1 feet, -1 ring, possible -1 for yellow HP, possible -3 for weather.. some avatars are already possile to have for virtually nothing. even -1 MP/tic from this ability could result in avatars that last for good. Add in refresh from other players and a SMN could easily let a single avatar melee and build TP for their devastating blood pacts while buffing parties.. Refresh, M.ACC, M.AB, Crit, D.A... these could be potentially gamebreaking.

All i say is.. wow.

[octoberasian]

wigglestyx, on 21 October 2009 - 07:44 AM, said:

Doubt it, people hardly invite SMN they way it is, they're the "oh we can't find a healer, but there's a SMN seeking" and no one in there right mind is gona be like "well, there isn't any BRD or CORs but I can get a SMN".

This might help SMN get into more mana burn partys.

That's the thing with Summoner, it's too ingrained in player's minds that they're mostly a backup healer job before a buffing a job and before a DD job last.

I stopped leveling it at 30 because it played more like a White Mage and less of a Summoner from the old Final Fantasy games. When the job becomes an actual Summoner job more akin to older Final Fantasy games, then I'll take it up again. But, for right now, it'll be nothing more than a Promyvion-only job when other people need help with the CoP mission.

It's not too much of a high expectation for the job. If it played maybe similarly to Final Fantasy 8's Guardian Forces whereby it replaced the player in battle would be a nice welcome change too, or Final Fantasy X's Summoner system. Or, increase their damage, fix their MP costs, et cetera, et cetera. There were several suggestions in our Summoner Job Forum that sounded like welcome fixes and adjustments for the job that I'd like to see, but I know and we know will never happen.

These Favor abilities now point the job towards more of a buffing job first and foremost before being a backup healer, putting it as a DD last. But, like wiggles said, people hardly invite Summoners as how they are now. You know where I see 75 SMN most other than Korrolokka Tunnel? Campaign battles.

This is a job that really needs more than just Favor to "fix" it as many Summoners in our Job Forum tend to cry about, speculate and demand changes. I can count on two hands the number of Avatar speculation threads we've had over the years.

As for Beastmaster, it's nice to finally see them able to select the abilities of their pet now, even if it's only from a Jug pet. Didn't BSTs ask for that a few years back? Again, SE is late to the game with this "too little, too late" attitude they have lately.

[yourran]

BST will get the best update ever ---________________________---

[Tacit]

So what I am getting from this is that depending on how your party is set up you would use different avatars. Like what COR and BRD already do. I have always wanted SMN to be used in this way because we always needed another buff job. so now if you have a NIN tank you bring out Garuda for Hastega & Evasion bonus. if you have a PLD bring out Diabolos for Noctoshield and Refresh bonus. TP Burn maybe Ramuh with Rolling Thunder and Critical hit+ or Ifrit with Crimson Howl and Double attack bonus. Manaburn would probably like having Shiva Nuking with her Magic Attack Bonus or Diabolos again with his Dreamshroud and Refresh. This is going to be amazing. SMN's could still be back up healers or they could worry about boosting their Avatar's DD aspect. SMN/SCH in Light Arts with autorefesh Diabolos Refresh and autorefresh gear would be amazing I can imagine though. Just my 2 cents anyway. ^^;

[pathwriter]

Problem with Avatar's Favor, depending on how it will ultimately work, is that if I do have a Summoner in the group to apply Hastega or Ecliptic Howl or Earthen Ward, they'll have to dismiss Ifrit or Ramuh or whomever. If anything, this becomes more of a limiter than people might believe.