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) Openers
3rd GCD DWT
Opener

3rd GCD DWT Opener
- 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.
110s Alignment Rush Openers
1st GCD DWT
Opener

1st GCD DWT Opener
- 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.
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:


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 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.
These openers will provide you with 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.