One of most frequently asked questions is: What is an example of a good opener?

While they form only fraction of total fight time, for Summoner the opener is very important to set the scene for all of our timings.

This wager free spins bonus is open to new Piggy Bang Best In Slot Summoner Ffxiv Casino customers only. A minimum deposit of $/€20 is required. A minimum deposit of $/€20 is required. One free spin will be awarded for every $/€1 deposited with a maximum of 55 free spins available. If you are new to Final Fantasy XIV or just want to know if White mage, Astrologian or Scholar are made for you, this is the right place! In this guide, we will cover the basics of each healing classes and how good they are currently with a tier list for Patch 5.35 of FF14 on PC and PS4. These three sets are interchangeable for your best in slot needs. The latter two (2.45 and 2.38) can actually both be built on one character and freely swapped between. The way I’ve organized the melds is very particular in that they meld the exact same materia into every piece they share, so you’ll just need to swap which pieces you have. SMN Best-in-Slot List – Patch 4.2 by The Moogle Post Apr 1, 2018 i370 Min Speed (2.48 GCD) i370 High Crit Low Speed (2.45 GCD) i370 Max Crit (2.39 GCD) Food = Crimson Cider Substat priority: CRIT DH = DET SpS Ultimate notCoil: For now use any of the above with Vit VI melds in all accessory slots Substat. FINAL FANTASY XIV Online; 2010. BEST Ways to LEVEL UP in FFXIV - Duration. FFXIV: Black Mage vs Summoner vs Red Mage (Shadowbringers Edition) - Duration: 24:58.

In this section we’ll cover:

• our preferred opener methods
• the reasoning & importance for various timings

All of the openers are intended for single target & use Ifrit.

• Place Ifrit-Egi beside the boss. This will not aggro the boss.
• Prepull Ruin III (hardcast) @ roughly -2.5s. Adjust with ping in mind.
• Sic (pet stance) @ roughly -0.7s. Adjust with ping in mind.
• GCD 1 Egi Assault + Energy Drain + Tri-disaster
• GCD 2 Egi Assault II + Tincture
• GCD 3 Egi Assault + Aetherpact + Dreadwyrm Trance
• GCD 4 Egi Assault II + Lucid Dreaming + Enkindle
• GCD 5 Ruin III (instant) + Fester + Tri-disaster
• GCD 6 Ruin III (instant) + Deathflare + Summon Bahamut
• GCD 7 Ruin IV + Enkindle Bahamut + Fester
• GCD 8 Ruin IV
• GCD 9 Ruin III (hardcast)
• GCD 10 Ruin III (hardcast)
• GCD 11 Ruin IV + Enkindle Bahamut
• GCD 12 Ruin III (hardcast)
• GCD 13 Ruin IV + Energy Drain + Swiftcast
• GCD 14 Ruin III (instant) + Fester

The 3rd GCD DWT Opener is our standard 2 min alignment opener for Further Ruin & pet action consistency by providing a sufficient time buffer to ensure ghosts do not happen.

1st GCD DWT Opener

Image + Video example coming soon(tm)

• Place Ifrit-Egi beside the boss. This will not aggro the boss.
• Prepull Ruin III (hardcast) @ roughly -2.5s. Adjust with ping in mind.
• Sic (pet stance) @ roughly -0.7s. Adjust with ping in mind.
• GCD 1 Egi Assault + Tri-disaster + Dreadwyrm Trance
• GCD 2 Egi Assault II + Energy Drain + Aetherpact
• GCD 3 Ruin III (instant) + Tincture
• GCD 4 Egi Assault + Lucid Dreaming + Enkindle
• GCD 5 Egi Assault II + Fester
• GCD 6 Ruin III (instant) + Deathflare + Summon Bahamut
• GCD 7 Ruin IV + Enkindle Bahamut + Fester
• GCD 8 Ruin IV
• GCD 9 Ruin III (hardcast)
• GCD 10 Ruin III (hardcast)
• GCD 11 Ruin IV + Enkindle Bahamut
• GCD 12 Ruin III (hardcast)
• GCD 13 Ruin IV + Tri-disaster + Swiftcast
• GCD 14 Ruin III (instant) + Energy Drain + Fester

The 1st GCD DWT Opener is our go to when encounters favour Trance rushing (using them on cooldown).

Typically in the Rush timeline Tri-disaster is not clipped under buffs and is saved to be used during the DoT refresh towards the tail end of the Bahamut window of the opener.

Clipping TriD In The 120s Opener

In the majority of situations when using the 2 minute cycle opener and timings, the Tri-disaster reset should be used to clip & snapshot our DoTs into the full suite of raid buffs not only for the tremendous initial gains in the opener but also to set a consistent timeline with our DoTs in relation to future raid buff timings, where every minute we will have a Tri-disaster under buffs.

Only in specific circumstances, such as e3s (Leviathan), should you consider otherwise in order to reduce potency losses with regards to downtime, especially if you can skip a hardcast DoT set.

As an example to show how important the damage difference is for DoTs, consider this before & after comparison from before 5.10 with no DoTs then the addition of Chain Stratagem, Battle Litany, Trick Attack (at 10%), Bole, Divination, Technical Finish, Dragon Sight, our own Devotion & a Grade 2 Tincture:

As of 5.30 Tri-disaster has 150p on hit damage, further emphasising the importance of catching what is effectively a 1050 potency OGCD under raid synergy which is Summoner’s highest total potency from a single action.

1st GCD: ED -> TriD (120s)

Having Energy Drain as the first weaved OGCD is to ensure suitable alignment down the line for future recast timings in particular those during Demi-Summons.

While there is a small chance of losing a DoT tick initially, the odds of this are low enough to not require Tri-disaster first.

3rd GCD: Aetherpact -> DWT (120s)

Aetherpact in the early weave slot is to ensure a proper 3rd GCD Devotion timing. This will keep Devotion on a timeline in concert with other 15s raid buffs such as Chain Stratagem, Technical Step & Trick Attack, while maintaining alignment that is best for most raid compositions.

4th GCD: Early Lucid Dreaming (Both)

Lucid Dreaming is not required for potency nor MP sake, however, having it as an early weave ensures the timing of the subsequent Enkindle to be a late weave for raid buffs as mentioned above.

If you find yourself prone to clipping on double weaves, you can omit the Lucid Dreaming & time the late Enkindle weave manually.

4th GCD: Late Enkindle (Both)

It is better to late weave Enkindle in the 4th GCD to ensure consistency with snapshotting specific raid buffs that may be cast late such as DNC’s Devilment & AST’s Divination.

6th GCD Summon Bahamut (Both)

The 6th GCD Summon Bahamut timing is to ensure pet actions resolve and do not ghost.

Ruin IV after the 1st Akh Morn (Both)

By replacing a Ruin III with Ruin IV this optimises a 100 potency base gain into raid buffs (300p vs 200p).

This does require a SwiftcastRuin III at the tail end of the Demi-Summon rotation. If in progression you find yourself needing to save Swiftcast for the first minute of an encouter, instead hardcast Ruin III & save the last Further Ruin stack for the last instant GCD in the Bahamut window.

If movement in an encounter requires an instant GCD to replace a hardcast at a different timing you can shuffle the GCDs to a degree, however, be mindful as to how this can impact Wyrmwave timings.

Also keep in mind that one big goal is to reduce unnecessary Ruin II casts. Consider what sequence lets you achieve that given the situation unfolding.

Due to the instability of the opener in practice and how prone it is to ghosting for players across all regions it has since been shelved.

Closing Thoughts

Hopefully these openers provide a framework to think about when certain approaches are the more sensible choice for dealing DPS.

As with any encounter, think about how your cooldowns play out as a fight progresses.

Allow me to start this off with an apology. I’m sorry that I didn’t pick your favorite class as the best one ever. There, on to more important matters. I’ve been playing a lot of FFXIV lately, and unlike my first few years playing the game where I only played Dragoon, I’ve diversified quite a bit this time around. And in my ongoing quest to alienate just about everyone who follows me, I’ve decided to create a ranked list of all of the Final Fantasy XIV classes. The criteria are simple. Is it fun? Is it effective? Does it feel like its own job? Here we go!

18. Blue Mage

Yes, this feels like a bit of a cop out. Does FFXIV’s attempt at Blue Mage play like a Blue Mage of old? Kind of. You do learn abilities from enemies, kinda. You do customize yourself to suit the situation, kinda. And Blue Mage is a for realsies job in FFXIV, kinda. Being Square Enix’s first attempt at a so-called limited job, the class feels more like an afterthought than anything else. If you want to try something kinda cheesy, give it a go, but in general you can skip Blue Mage.

17. Astrologian

Woof, where to start with Astrologian. Obviously, power levels of classes rise and fall with the patch, so I’m trying not to use their strength as a big judge of where they rank. That said, Astrologian is not in a great place right now and that might be influencing my perception a bit. Astrologian was Square-Enix’s first attempt at introducing a new healer, and it probably explains why we haven’t gotten another one since. There’s only so many interesting ways to flavor “restore HP to allies.” The divination theme is nice, but it ends up just being a lot of prep work before each fight to accomplish the same thing White Mages do.

16. Summoner

Summoner checks in at number 16 not because it’s weak. In fact, it’s one of the stronger DPS in the game right now. The problem with Summoner is what it always has been. It really doesn’t feel like a Summoner. Going all the way back to Final Fantasy III, Summoner (called Sages and Evokers back then) has had a pretty simple concept. Summon a big beefy dude to deal a bunch of damage to your opponents. Flavor wise, it’s technically not a big leap from Black Mage. Expend lots of MP to deal lots of damage. Early days Summoner in FFXIV was awful, and while adding in Bahamut has definitely helped with the feel, the class still feels more akin to a Beastmaster.

15. Paladin

The first tank on our list is Paladin. I like that it can throw a heal every now and then with Clemency. I like the Shelltron ability, even though it always makes me feel like they just wasted the limit break for a moment. My problem with Paladin is that it feels dull, but to be fair, so does Paladin in most games. It’s a meat-shield that can do some light curing. And that’s what it is in XIV as well. Effective, what I expect, but not fun.

14. Bard

Just… what? Bard was the first true victim of the holy trinity. Bard has been a pure support class in just about every Final Fantasy game it appeared in. So what do you do with it in a game that requires all jobs to be Healers, DPS, or Tanks? Spoiler: You don’t make it a freakin DPS. When I think about playing a Bard, I don’t think about archery. I picture singing songs to inspire my team forward.

13. Warrior

This might be some of my personal bias here, but I hate Warrior. I hated it in XI, and I hate it in XIV. It’s dull. It’s bland. And it’s all the minutiae of Paladin without being able to toss the occasional cure. They’ve had eras of being incredibly powerful with Fell Cleave, and in fact, there was a time when 6 Warriors and 2 healers was a pretty broken combination. Maybe I’ve still got bad memories of that era. Sorry Warrior, you’re a great class in the game, but #13 on my list.

12. Ninja

So as we move out of the lower third, we’re now squarely in the classes that are acceptable. And when I think of Ninja, that’s what springs to mind. If you want to live out your Naruto fantasies, Ninja is the class you’re looking for. It’s a difficult job to learn, and you’re rewarded with good, but not great damage. They have decent utility, and can be fun to play. Overall though, I still rank them pretty low as far as the DPS classes go.

11. Monk

Monk is a job that SE understands in theory, but can never seem to get right. They certainly didn’t benefit from being the ‘star’ of Stormblood like Dragoon did from Heavensward. Monk has always felt a little off-balance, which is ironic given the theme of the job. The good thing Monk has going for it is when you’re playing it right, the constant flow of punches and kicks makes you feel powerful. There’s very little downtime in the class, and that feels good.

10. Scholar

Scholar is fine.

9. Samurai

My roommate is a Samurai main who described it as “the weeaboo fantasy for idiots who can’t figure out Ninja.” Now that said, Samurai is also the DPS power-trip fantasy. It lacks utility, but it has a simple rotation that puts big pretty numbers up on the screen. More importantly, it does feel like Samurai should feel. It’s straightforward, and it bonks. What more could you want from your DPS?

8. Machinist

I think Machinist stands as Square-Enix’s best attempt at a pet class in Final Fantasy XIV. Let it be know that it wasn’t always that way. At launch, Machinist probably would have placed lower on the list. These days, the job has really begun to come into its own. Machinist was one of the first other DPS I tinkered around with, and I found myself really enjoying the rotation. It also benefits from me not having a lot of context for what a Machinist should be in the Final Fantasy universe. It gets to create its own path forward.

7. Dancer

Coming off of Dancer’s strange hybrid support/DPS role in FFXI, I had no idea what to expect from Dancer. I was certainly not expecting what I got. I’ll be the first to tell you that after months of playing a DPS role, your rotation starts to become boring and repetitive. Dancer’s almost mini-game like gameplay prevents you from just memorizing the best chain of abilities and instead forces you to be reactive. It’s engaging, but also can get a bit annoying when you just want to get through your 8 millionth leveling roulette.

6. Dark Knight

Square-Enix’s first new attempt at a tank went a lot better than their first new attempt at a healer. And color me surprised. Coming from a Final Fantasy XI background, I certainly did not expect Dark Knight to be a tank. I also struggled with how they were going to accomplish the ‘spend HP to deal damage’ theming of Dark Knights. They settled on running a more high-risk, high-reward gameplay style. The bad news about Dark Knight is you’re king of the edgelords. The good news about Dark Knight is you’re king of the edgelords.

5. Gunbreaker

If you had told me in 2015 that Gunbreaker would be in the game eventually, I’d have called you a liar. I had no idea what to expect for how this class would play, but I love what I ended up getting. A tank that focuses less on buffs and more on chaining together DPS combos? Yes please. The class is only okay at level 60, but once you hit level 70 and get the Continuation ability, it really kicks into high gear. Fast paced and fun, Gunbreaker takes our first slot in the top 5.

4. Black Mage

Ff14 Smn Best In Slot Machine

When you think about Black Mage, you expect a magic based job that does big nukes and makes your opponents turn to dust. And by and large, that’s what you get with Black Mage in FFXIV. The system focuses on switching between Astral Fire and Umbral Ice, one which deals the damage, and one which helps you restore MP quickly with which to do more damage. The Enochian ability is simultaneously what makes the job fun and challenging, but also endlessly frustrating. Still, you’ll never be bored playing Black Mage.

Ff14 Smn Best In Slot Games

3. Dragoon

Full disclosure, I’m a Dragoon main. I wouldn’t main the job if I didn’t think it deserved to be fairly high on this list. I had to long ago accept that Dragoon in XIV wasn’t going to be like Dragoon in XI. Gone is the pet class, and here is a Dragoon that draws inspiration from its FF4 and FF5 counterparts. Jumps and lance tactics are the flavor of the day, with tons of Off-Global-Cooldown abilities to weave into your rotation. It never stops moving and jumping across the battlefield, and has kept me entertained for years.

2. White Mage

Ahh yes, White Mage. So to be clear, this list assumes you can find fun in all three roles. If you detest healing, obviously this class would be worse than number 2 for you. However, there is no greater example of a class being exactly what you expect it to be. I want my White Mage to be a healer, who can’t do much damage and keeps my allies alive. And the White Mage delivers exactly that. The AoE stun with Holy is a welcome addition to any dungeon, and gives White Mage the edge over the other healers. Incidentally, I have no idea how they’ll make Apothecary work if that is indeed what happens next.

1. Red Mage

I said no class is more representative of what it should be than White Mage, and that might be true except for Red Mage. Square-Enix had their work cut out for them with Red Mage. It needs to DPS, but also heal, and use a sword. But it also has to fit into the holy trinity. Somehow, they managed to pull it off. Red Mage can nuke, it can heal, it can toss a raise, and then it also dives into the front line and melees with its sword as well. Red Mage is often defined as a jack of all trades, and Square-Enix managed to make that concept work even here. Congrats Red Mage, you take the number 1 slot.

And there you have it. All of the Final Fantasy XIV classes ranked. I’m sure you’ll have your own opinions, and I’m sure most people are going to absolutely hate this list. Which is fine! I invite you all to share your questions, comments, criticisms, critiques, qualms, queries, and conundrums with us over on Twitter.

Ff14 Smn Best In Slot Wins

What’s New At CheckpointXP?

Other Articles from Kali Sloan
Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers is an MMO Story Done Right
10 Best Moments From Avatar: The Last Airbender

Ffxiv Smn Best In Slot

Lead Image courtesy of Square Enix