Brd + SmnFollow

Hi, my friend and I were planning on partying as bard and summoner full time from ~14 to 75. My question is, are there going to be any foreseeable problems with this duo in a party situation? Sorry I was not sure whether to ask here or the smn forum, but since I am the bard, I chose you guys.

I don't see how you would specifically suggest a party with SMN/SCH/BRD.

Anyways, OP, it's not terrible.
Pretty much any EXP party with a SMN is going to be subpar unless the tank is really good and the damage dealers are killing really, which is going to be difficult to get together sometimes - if all your DDs and tanks are randomly LFG. Feel free to debate me PUP-huggers, but it's true.
SMN sucks more than almost anything else 1-75 in party play!

Next you'll tell the BRD to go /WHM and let the SMN Carbuncle pull!

(Debating with myself before an actual argument starts hurrdurr)

BRD is good in any EXP party setup, so you're basically asking if SMN is good, which is why I answered that way.

Edited, Sep 8th 2009 12:19pm by Poubelle

Probably the latter setup, depending on what you fight.

In before Pourbelle says something like:
"Drop the summoner because friendship is lame"

In all seriousness, your better off with a hole in the head then asking for party advice on these fourms. I'd sooner suggest you get out there and try setups for yourself.

Good Luck.

/waits to be crusified

Edited, Sep 8th 2009 1:21pm by Teiei

Wow, has SMN really fallen that far to say such things? Sure, I do see a lot of SMNs thinking that they can actually DD with their avatars (which they sort of can, but nowhere near the levels of the specialized DDs).

However, there have been many many many cases on my trek to 75SMN where if I was given a BRD in a party, one solid Ballad II is all I need to solo main-heal the party while still providing avatar buffs (Hastega, Ecliptic Howl, and the occasional AoE Curaga from either myself or an avatar), and this was way before Elemental Siphon or /SCH was introduced. With a decently skilled or higher party setup, main healing on SMN should be a non-issue and it is very possible to go BRD+SMN+4DDs. However, if the SMN has the attitude of "But I want to be a true SMN, having my avatars do battle and do damage and not be used for my healing magic", then that SMN will fail very hard and only spread the belief that Poubelle has in SMNs.

SMNs are very great healers and supporters. They can Haste the entire party (Hastega) which NIN and /NIN tanks (and every melee for that matter) will love, cast AoE Stoneskin (once again, a fave for NIN and /NIN tanks), cast Aerial Armor (Party Blink) for those non-/NIN types, increase Accuracy/Evasion (Ecliptic Howl, which can stack with Accuracy buffs from BRD or COR), and have all sorts of other buffs to match various situations at their disposal.

Not to mention that SMNs have some of the best ways of recovering MP just on their main job alone, such as learning higher Clear Mind Traits (Up to V) faster than any other mage job, having Auto-Refresh at 25+, and having Elemental Siphon at 50. Adding a BRD into the mix only makes MP management even better (and CORs really love the +Refresh on their rolls from having a SMN in the party). With good knowledge of knowing when to rest and when you can push the envelope on MP, a SMN can be very efficient and main heal + buff with ease.

Oh, and in before "I like to see you try main-healing without Cure IV or Cure V"! I've main-healed many many MANY times with just /WHM as the solo healer (way before Elemental Siphon, too). Alternating between Cure III and Cure II can fill up an HP bar fast and throwing out Healing Ruby IIs mid-fight work like a hateless Curaga II (and if I am really desperate and short of time, Divine Seal + Curaga I/II works too). Heck, I was in a merit party that I main-healed with BRD support. At chain 60, my stray Divine Seal + Curaga II (to save the party) made me eat dirt. I immediately Reraised and resume main-healing (as I still had 450MP max, despite being weakened). All in all (though my chain started over from the death), the party continued and hit Chain 150+, despite being KOed and reraised mid-chain.

All in all, as long as your SMN buddy learns that it is not all about him and learns how to work in a group and use group buffs and group heals (and keeps up on those avatars), you'll be fine. If the SMN buddy decides to go "DD SMN", tell him to go solo, where he can do that to his heart's content, because in a party, it just will be very subpar (and will require another healer in the party, making the DDs wonder what purpose your SMN buddy has in the party).

Edited, Sep 8th 2009 3:54pm by Altairs

SMN can cast cure as well as any curebot and that's all you need in today's dumbed down easy EXP parties - someone to toss out a few cures every now and again. Plus SMN have some ok buffs too.

Nothing wrong with a SMN in a party.

I have leveled both SMN and DNC to 75, and i'm currently working on BRD atm, and I can tell you a SMN + DNC combo is something to be feared and respected. Have the SMN Hastega and toss out DD pacts, and with that Hastega, the DNC will be able to basically heal the entire party, perhaps with some help from said SMN. DNC + SMN is a match made in heaven - 20% melee Haste and surely enough heals to keep everyone alive. I've leveled SMN, so I feel like it's ok to say this (anyone else feel free to flame), but SMN is simply not useful in exp parties - unless you have a DNC to cover your healing for you. DNC + SMN = DD/healer x 2 which basically gives you a DD + a healer + 20% Haste for your DDs.

i've lvled brd with a smn friend too.

what we did was have both our pty flags up and state in our searchcomment that we are linked. we also said the smn was not a mainhealer. This way people would know what to expect when we got invited.
We had no trouble at all getting parties and most of the time they were pretty good too. Smn can be a nice addition as a buffer using fenrir and keeping him out.
I know smn can mainheal pretty well spamming cure II on the tank, but than again, ffxi is a game and games should be fun. Otherwise it's no longer a game. :-/

I always subbed /whm as a brd, wearing vermy to help out on curaga's and -na spells when not singing songs. Unless you're doing mobs with enhanced movement speed (colibri's puks...), /nin isn't usefull on brd.