Greetings, This is Oldoff, Player behind Xavier De'Vante in YEW. Huah! So without further ado here is my first guide.
The summoner build is constantly asked about, and after doing research and mainly playing a summoner for a while now. I decided to write out a short guide on them.
Contents:
1. Common builds
2. Unique Builds
3. Aspect Rating
4. Tips
1. Common Builds
There are a few commonly used summoner builds that work very well. Most of them are variations of a Mage PvE DPS summoner. A note as a general rule of thumb in regards to summons. You are not a tamer, your going to do more damage than the summon.
Eldritch Summoner 720 Cap
Eldritch Aspect
120 Spirit Speak
120 Inscription
100 Magery
100 Evaluating Intelligence
100 Meditation
100 Taste Identification
80 Tracking/Camping
Pros: This build takes advantage of Eldritch aspects skill bonus to Inscription and Spirit speak as well as the mana bonus. This is a top tier build that performs very well for grinding.
Cons: Like most PvE summoners they melt fast to PK's so avoidance and old fashioned running away are key when PK's show up.
Void Summoner 720 Cap
Void Aspect
120 Spirit Speak
120 Taste Identification
100 Magery
100 Meditation
100 Evaluating Intelligence
100 Tracking
80 Camping
Pros: This build takes advantage of Void aspects mana regen. It can get insane at higher tier aspect, allowing for a lot more flame strikes. Tracking helps increase your damamge and gives an alert when red pk's show up nearby. As well, camping gives you a 550 stone limit to really haul in the gold and loot.
Cons: Like the Eldritch summoner you melt fast in PvP dont even try to fight, just run.
Provo Bard 720 Cap
Lyric Aspect
120 Music
120 Provocation
100 Magery
100 Evaluating Intelligence
100 Meditation
100 Tracking
80 Spirit Speak
Pros: This build does well in grinding and takes advantage of not needing a tank summon. Early warning from the Tracking helps to avoid PK's as well as a boost to your provocation.
Cons: Melts very fast if confronted with a PK. Again do not fight just run.
Survival/PvP Summoner 720 Build
Void aspect
120 Spirit Speak
120 Taste Identification
100 Magery
100 Evaluating Intelligence
100 Meditation
100 Wrestle
80 Magic Resist
Pros: You gain survivability and could compete in town struggles are handle PK's that show up.
Cons: You trade your mana regeneration and PvM DPS potential for survivability. Your summons are typically slower moving than players, so you will need to be more proactive in blocking off opponents with terrain or wall of stone.
Bloody Summoner 720 Cap
Blood Aspect
Stats: Strength 90, Dexterity 75, Intelligence 50
120 Taste ID
100 Mace Fighting
100 Tactics
100 Magery
100 Tracking
80 Sprit Speak
80 Arms Lore
40 Camping or Alchemy
Pros: This build uses the Water elemental or Earth elemental as a tank while you beat stuff down with your mace. The blood aspect armors boost to your stats make up for your base stats, and at higher tiers you can have ridiculous high strength. This build performs well
Cons: This build is extremely dependent on the aspect. In PvP combat you lose everything that makes this build work. So avoid it at all costs.
Nox Summoner 720 Cap
Straight Poison Aspect for both Book/Armor or Fire Aspect Armor/ Poison Aspect Book
120 Poisoning
120 Taste Identification
100 Magery
100 Meditation
100 s=
100 Tracking
80 Spirit Speak
Pros: Poison aspect both armor and book offers decent bonuses to your poisoning. Where as with fire armor your goal is to get as many ticks of damage going as possible, because your trying to get the fire armors flame strike procs. Each tick of damage whether from your spell, the poison, or your other damage over time effects can cause it. For the same reasons this build does really well in ship content.
Cons: Do not be fooled by the inclusion of poisoning although you could do damage in PvP you are still squishy with no defensive skills like wrestling and resist.
Trapper Summoner
Fire Aspect
120 Tinkering
120 Detect Hidden
100 Magery
100 Meditation
100 Sprit Speak
100 Tracking
80 Camping
Pros: The AoE damage on this build at high tiers is second to none. You want to run Earth Elemental and Water elemental to hold agro from the mobs. And pull as much as possible. Your goal is to create as many opportunities to get fire armors flamestrike proc.
Cons: The build is not user friendly and requires micro management between numerous mobs, traps, summons health, mana regen, etc.
2. Unique builds
These builds are usually focused on a singular type of play or utilize the Aspect system to create a unique blend that works.
Fortune Summoner 720 Build
Fortune Aspect
120 Lock Picking
120 Remove Trap
100 Magery
100 Evaluating Intelligence
100 Meditation
100 Tracking
80 Sprit Speak
Pro: This build can solo Treasure maps until you get to the higher level maps. As well can run dungeon chests while grinding in a dungeon. This is the type of build that can do higher level maps.
Cons: Like most Summoner builds, very squishy.
Fisher Summoner 720 Build
Void or Eldritch Aspect
120 Spirit Speak
120 Fishing
100 Magery
100 Evaluating Intelligence
100 Meditation
100 Tracking
80 Taste Identification
Pros: Handles ship content well.
Cons: Squishy so you may need an alt on board with you to handle pirate players.
There are other builds, these are just some of the more common that are used, as well as variations of the builds listed above. It all comes down to playstyle and what works for me may not work for you. You are not locked into any of these builds and can modify them as you see fit. Only exception is Spirit speak, You must be atleast 80 spirit speak to use a summoners tome, and you need 100 Magery.
3. Aspect Rating
A Tier Aspects: These aspects work by themselves as both book and armor.
Void Aspect
Eldritch Aspect
Fortune
B Tier Aspects: These aspects are good replacements for the Book slot but would not perform well in the armor slot.
Blood Aspect - Great DPS addition to an eldritch or void summoner
Fire Aspect - If paired with the right build fire aspect quickly goes into A Teir. As well it can be used on its own successfully.
C Tier Aspects: These aspects rely on certain builds to perform
Blood Aspect (I know listed again for the Bloody Summoner)
Poison Aspect - Great as a book option for a nox summoner
Lyric Aspect - Great for bard summoners.
D Tier Aspects: These can be used early game play until a better option is affordable
Air Aspect- Some mana regen bonus's but nothing that Void or Eldritch doesn't offer but better.
F Tier Aspects: These do not offer any real benefit for a summoner.
Command Aspect - Your not a tamer, too expensive
Water Aspect - You shouldn't be healing your summons
Artisan - Your not a crafter either
Earth - Your not a dex tank either
Shadow - Your not sneaking around anywhere if you have two to three summons that aren't stealthed following you.
4. Wizards Grimoire
Summoners were a top tier farming build. Grimoires made them better. So i got some tips to make it seem less confusing and what upgrades you should be taking.
Create Food - Max this one out first as your leveling your grimiore. It will offer the most benifit at your upgrade points.
Mana Vampire - Max this guy out next, This is your bread and butter and how to get those flame strikes over and over. Seriously its ridiculous. Thank me later.
Mass Curse- Makes your spells do more damage. Cant go wrong there.
Flame strike - Offers a nice DoT to your flame strike.
Energy Bolt - Makes your next spell do more damage.
Those are your main spells you'll be casting. after that focus on your defensive spells like greater heal, cure, bless, etc
5. Spell Rotation
In end game content and mobs with high HP (bosses, Daemons, etc)
Mana Vampire, Mass Curse, Energy Bolt, Flame Strike (continue flame striking for 60 seconds then start over)
Leave out energy bolt until it is upgraded.
6. Tips
Know the dungeon lay out ahead of time and know where your exits are.
If you pull a high priced item, Bank it immediately. You dont have the survivability to hold onto it if PK's show up.
When starting your hunt, kill a few mobs in level 2 on your way to level 3. You'll need the spirit stone to get your going
Do not heal your summons, just resummon them. Only exception is mid fight, cast cure to help it survive the fight. And obviously if your running a Daemon at 25% health.
When just starting out use water elemental and earth elemental both are situational and tank certain mobs better. This is your bread and butter summon. When you have enough upgrade points to get the ability that increases aggro.
For your DPS summons I prefer fire elemental over daemons. But Daemons do have the highest DPS potential of all the summons. If you take the upgrade that makes them stronger the longer they are alive, and the upgrade that makes them stronger with low life they do well. You will have to keep them around 25% health. So this is the one exception to the general rule of thumb to not heal summons. You want to heal him if he drops to low. Fire Elementals are great if upgraded for max DPS and Ranged. You cant really go wrong with either one, its to personal taste (or which ever one you have unlocked in a cool hue)
Use summon creature for your 5th slot. Youd be surprised how often a little guy has saved me. And the added DPS although minimal is still added dps. I read this as I was updating this guide and I cant stress enough how important that summon creature is. Especially when you upgrade to get possible teir 3 or teir 4 mobs. Ive had them hold some tough mobs after an unlucky dispel on my tank summon.
Finally, if you upgraded create food in your grimiore. Have 10-15 of them on you. Especially for boss fights. You will use them, and you want to use the mana casting them, while your not fighting a mob. So if you get low, cast them while you wait for your next mob.
