Defender Text: Rannas Guide to Summons

AFTER THE DESTRUCTION OF THE LIBRARY DEFENDERS HAVE BEEN RUSHING TO RECOVER TEXTS FROM THE PAST. SOME HAVE EVEN SPENT TIME TO WRITE NEW ENTRIES INTO THE LIBRARY.

BELOW ARE TEXTS ADDED DURING THE LAST FEW DAYS. THESE DEFENDER TEXTS ARE ALL WRITTEN FROM ONE PERSON’S POINT OF VIEW AND BELIEF…

Clerics have the ability to summon constructs and natives to fight by their side, and even can specialize in this summoning ability within the Conjurer discipline.

But using a summon is no easy task. Each summon has their own unique quirks that make their use situational, and not understanding how your summons will act will only lead to frustration and failed objectives. So let’s first talk about the four stances a summon can appear in:

Defensive

A Defensive summon will attack enemies within a certain radius around itself, and will answer the summoner’s attack command up to 50 yards from its position. Once the enemy dies, the summon will return to the spot where the summoner stood when she gave the command. These summons are useful for holding against a warpath, providing chip damage that can assist the main combatants.

Example: Phantom Sword

Offensive

An Offensive summon will follow the summoner around, hovering and nyooming around her in a certain radius. If anything comes within the summon’s aggro range, the summon will leave the summoner’s side to attack it. Upon the enemy’s death, if there are no additional enemies within the summon’s current aggro range, the summon will return to her side. Offensive summons will also answer attack commands..

Example: Firegon, Elemental

Rage

An enraged summon is one that does not follow its typical stance. It will attack anything, even the summoner or another summon (this is the most observed case), and will continue to do so until its target dies or leaves the region.

Example: Phantom Sword, Firegon, Elemental

Stationary

A summon that does not move upon materializing. These summons typically provide some sort of area of effect.

Example: Bonfire, Salamander Flame, Clery Flame

Tricks for effective summoning

Stationary summons often have a calming effect upon mobile summons. Upon the death of an enemy, an Offensive or Defensive summon will linger in the vicinity of a stationary summon for a set amount of time, ignoring attack commands until the stationary summon disappears, the mobile summon comes to its senses, or the mobile summon is killed. If you want a few seconds to buff an Offensive or Defensive summon before having it go into battle, place a Stationary summon like a bonfire in the field first.

In addition, with the aid of a Patrol class Defender, the Salamander and Clery flames can be exceptional tools against a war path. A Patrolling Defender can identify the brief idle points along the war path, and in these locations a cleric can place their debuffing flames. The single second when the warpath rests in these spots, the flames can provide a destabilizing effect, weakening the enemy before they fall upon the main combat force.

A Defensive summon will, upon finishing combat, either return to its spawn point, or to where the summoner stood when she gave the attack command. If you want a Defensive summon to follow you as you progress through a map, you must continue to give attack commands that will move the summon forward.

In a party, an Offensive summon will follow the person closest to it. In order to ensure that person is the summoner, it’s most effective for the summoner to be the southernmost person in the formation when their Offensive summon is on the field. For some reason natives prefer to be in a more southerly position. Failure to do so will result in a summon wandering off on its own, due to the summon following a person not familiar with how these creatures operate.

In addition, when working with a party, you will often be navigating maps full of enemies. If your summon aggros onto something in the map, your party should stop progressing and help your summon kill its enemy, so that your summon doesn’t die prematurely.

Moving with an Offensive summon is tricky, given their wide aggro range and energetic movements. It’s not always best to have a summon present when moving through a map, as having to stop often to kill an aggrod enemy will slow the objective and annoy your allies. Become aware of the ideal time and place for calling a native summon to your side.

Summons provide combat support – helping burn down enemies that might flank your party, or kill a tanky enemy your knight is engaged with. They can also help y our party recover energy and strength quickly, or make your enemies more vulnerable to attack.

And most importantly

Summons entering a rage and turning against another summon or the summoner is more likely in the presence of a Twilight Flame, or if the summoner has little experience against an enemy, attacks it too long, and has multiple summons on the field. When training with your summons, be prepared to use a scroll or KO, and then try again.

May the Charter grant you sure footing as you embark on the path of using summons. -Ranna