Good Openers

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.

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.

120s (2 Minute Cycle) Alignment Openers

6th GCD Summon Bahamut

The 6th GCD Summon Bahamut 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.

110s Alignment Rush Openers

1st GCD DWT 6th GCD Bahamut

Image + Video example coming soon(tm)

The 1st GCD DWT 6th GCD Summon opener is our go to when encounters favour Trance rushing (using them on cooldown). It retains the 6th GCD Summon Bahamut timing to ensure pet actions resolve and do not ghost.

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.

Reasons Why Things Are Done

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:

With 5.10 adding 300p on hit damage to Tri-disaster, this further emphasises the importance of catching what is effectively a 1200 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.

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 Swiftcast Ruin 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.

Where did the 5th GCD Opener Go?

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.

Final 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 map out as a fight progresses.