Flyn's Summoner Guide

I believe there is more to building a character than upgrading armor and having an uber weapon. These obviously help, and their lack can obviously hurt, but they are not the end-all and be-all of playing your character. With that in mind, I wish to explain some of my activities in building my character. 

A guildmate of mine recently pointed out that a summoner is both a wizard and a warrior. In a way, we are also priests (in that we can heal our pet). Skill comes into play because we are mediocre warriors, mediocre wizards, and lousy priests. That's okay, because our strength lies in that very diversity of skills. 

I chose a summoner as my first character because of my experience in other MMORPGs. I wanted a character who would be welcome in groups, yet could solo when a group wasn't available. When I reached level 16, I joined Reborn. One of the requirements of belonging to Reborn is participation in Territory Wars (TW). The problem was, I hated pvp. But, as it was announced when I joined, I felt obligated to participate. At that point, my character build design changed its orientation.

Summoning:

I kept my original wererabbit pet until I reached level 9. 

There are essentially 3 classes of pet, all of them the same, regardless of the type of pet. Those classes are caster, warrior and ranged. A warrior pet only fights hand-to-hand,  caster only stands back and shoots magic, and a ranged shoots/throws at the target until close, and then switches to hand-to-hand. Each has their use. A warrior has more HP and can "tank" whatever you're fighting, better. A caster is a great damage dealer, but can't tank. A ranged is somewhere in-between, but has the advantage that it's ranged damage is usually physical, which can get through high magic resist targets.

There are extremely minor differences in different types of pets, but they are just that; minor. Eventually, at level 20, I got myself a Pantar Scout.

Where my puma was strictly melee, and my fire spirit was strictly a caster, the pantar scout would fire arrows when far away, and melee up close. More importantly, its damage was physical rather than magic, even at range.

With my puma, I would have my pet fight the monster while I cast on it. With my fire spirit, I would fight while my pet cast. With the pantar, I would have it pull with an arrow, and we both would shoot at the monster, usually causing it to die by the time it reached us. If it did live longer, the pet could tank it if necessary.

Eventually, I got my skill pets; the Spirit of Goddess and Black Satan. Along with my level 26 AoE skill, this again changed my techniques. However, I had no skill points to buy them with. Therefore, I gave up most of mydebuff skills in order to get both pets. Using the Spirit for xping, I gather up 2-or-more monsters (depending on comparative levels), have pet freeze them, cast my AoE skill, followed by my menacing crystal to give them something else to hit, and if I'm taking too much damage, I cast my protection crystal. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

Battle:

Whereas I had originally focused on diversity in my spells, with the intent of controlling a situation involving combat with single, or groups of npcs, now my focus had to change to dealing with the needs of fighting other players. 

At level 16-30, I couldn't be expected to contribute much in the way of damage dealing in TW. But what I did have was a nice selection of debuff skills I had learned. These debuffs would make no difference at all in PVPagainst Defugel who were level 50-60. But, TW is NOT PVP. TW adds a dimension to regular PVP, which makes it an entirely different experience. In TW, the diverse skills of those fighting alongside you change the entire battlescape.

My level 16-30 debuffs would not bring a higher level down to a place where I could stand a chance fighting him, but they could make a difference in a fight for my guildmates who were themselves higher level.  Also, while I remained alive and able to debuff, I was an annoyance and potential danger to the enemy. So part of my building involved learning to stay alive as long as possible against overwhelming opposition.

Once I got my skill pets, I began summoning my Black Satan for combat. While its stun is single-target and makes it not as useful as the AoE freeze of the Spirit of Goddess, its higher HP makes it preferable when most of the enemy were higher level than I was.

There are a number of techniques I needed to practice. The temptation to stop and summon my pet when rezzing must, at times, be overcome. Using the terrain to my advantage was another lesson. I also learned toanticipate the likely initial actions of the various classes, giving me a better chance to react. 

While I seldom use my natural pets, I've adopted an Earth Guardian pet. A ranged pet, he has the advantage of being small and hard for the enemy to target.

Now that I have more skill points to spend, I've focused on buffs for my pets, but I may soon find my debuffs useful once again. 

Character:

At risk of sounding arrogant, I finally reach the meat of the matter; character building. The other meaning of "character". 

I have built Flyn's character with some diligence. I know that there are Reborn who will follow me into combat, because they have seen time and again when I have not merely taken on the enemy's superior power and numbers, but done so while looking after and communicating with those under my charge.  I know my fellow Reborn will not abandon me, because I have demonstrated to them that Flyn will not knowingly leave a comrade behind, no matter the odds. I have built Flyn's character, setting his example to others, so that thereby his fellows multiply his strengths, and they bolster his weaknesses as well.

In trying to be an asset to my guild, I believe I have made Flyn into a "character", someone who is more than just a collection of stats and skills. Because, in the end, a multiplayer game's greatest source of entertainment lies in interacting with others, and experiencing the persons they wish to be in the 4Story world. From my well known battlecry, "I gotta go potty!", to my frequent cries of, "Wait up! Short legs, 'member?",Flyn has evolved into quite a character.

TW is a team sport, and I have built Flyn, a summoner, an independent by design, into a team player. His character is built as a reflection of those who have encouraged his development by both their effort and example, from CreamPuff's steady leadership, to Naruto's boundless optimism. From SeMp's mad lust for combat,  to edtxszjr1′s steadfast determination. Thanks to these, and many others, Flyn is, daily… Reborn.

I believe there is more to building a character than upgrading armor and having an uber weapon. These obviously help, and their lack can obviously hurt, but they are not the end-all and be-all of playing your character. With that in mind, I wish to explain some of my activities in building my character. 

A guildmate of mine recently pointed out that a summoner is both a wizard and a warrior. In a way, we are also priests (in that we can heal our pet). Skill comes into play because we are mediocre warriors, mediocre wizards, and lousy priests. That's okay, because our strength lies in that very diversity of skills. 

I chose a summoner as my first character because of my experience in other MMORPGs. I wanted a character who would be welcome in groups, yet could solo when a group wasn't available. When I reached level 16, I joined Reborn. One of the requirements of belonging to Reborn is participation in Territory Wars (TW). The problem was, I hated pvp. But, as it was announced when I joined, I felt obligated to participate. At that point, my character build design changed its orientation.

Summoning:

I kept my original wererabbit pet until I reached level 9. 

There are essentially 3 classes of pet, all of them the same, regardless of the type of pet. Those classes are caster, warrior and ranged. A warrior pet only fights hand-to-hand,  caster only stands back and shoots magic, and a ranged shoots/throws at the target until close, and then switches to hand-to-hand. Each has their use. A warrior has more HP and can "tank" whatever you're fighting, better. A caster is a great damage dealer, but can't tank. A ranged is somewhere in-between, but has the advantage that it's ranged damage is usually physical, which can get through high magic resist targets.

There are extremely minor differences in different types of pets, but they are just that; minor. Eventually, at level 20, I got myself a Pantar Scout.

Where my puma was strictly melee, and my fire spirit was strictly a caster, the pantar scout would fire arrows when far away, and melee up close. More importantly, its damage was physical rather than magic, even at range.

With my puma, I would have my pet fight the monster while I cast on it. With my fire spirit, I would fight while my pet cast. With the pantar, I would have it pull with an arrow, and we both would shoot at the monster, usually causing it to die by the time it reached us. If it did live longer, the pet could tank it if necessary.

Eventually, I got my skill pets; the Spirit of Goddess and Black Satan. Along with my level 26 AoE skill, this again changed my techniques. However, I had no skill points to buy them with. Therefore, I gave up most of mydebuff skills in order to get both pets. Using the Spirit for xping, I gather up 2-or-more monsters (depending on comparative levels), have pet freeze them, cast my AoE skill, followed by my menacing crystal to give them something else to hit, and if I'm taking too much damage, I cast my protection crystal. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

Battle:

Whereas I had originally focused on diversity in my spells, with the intent of controlling a situation involving combat with single, or groups of npcs, now my focus had to change to dealing with the needs of fighting other players. 

At level 16-30, I couldn't be expected to contribute much in the way of damage dealing in TW. But what I did have was a nice selection of debuff skills I had learned. These debuffs would make no difference at all in PVPagainst Defugel who were level 50-60. But, TW is NOT PVP. TW adds a dimension to regular PVP, which makes it an entirely different experience. In TW, the diverse skills of those fighting alongside you change the entire battlescape.

My level 16-30 debuffs would not bring a higher level down to a place where I could stand a chance fighting him, but they could make a difference in a fight for my guildmates who were themselves higher level.  Also, while I remained alive and able to debuff, I was an annoyance and potential danger to the enemy. So part of my building involved learning to stay alive as long as possible against overwhelming opposition.

Once I got my skill pets, I began summoning my Black Satan for combat. While its stun is single-target and makes it not as useful as the AoE freeze of the Spirit of Goddess, its higher HP makes it preferable when most of the enemy were higher level than I was.

There are a number of techniques I needed to practice. The temptation to stop and summon my pet when rezzing must, at times, be overcome. Using the terrain to my advantage was another lesson. I also learned toanticipate the likely initial actions of the various classes, giving me a better chance to react. 

While I seldom use my natural pets, I've adopted an Earth Guardian pet. A ranged pet, he has the advantage of being small and hard for the enemy to target.

Now that I have more skill points to spend, I've focused on buffs for my pets, but I may soon find my debuffs useful once again. 

Character:

At risk of sounding arrogant, I finally reach the meat of the matter; character building. The other meaning of "character". 

I have built Flyn's character with some diligence. I know that there are Reborn who will follow me into combat, because they have seen time and again when I have not merely taken on the enemy's superior power and numbers, but done so while looking after and communicating with those under my charge.  I know my fellow Reborn will not abandon me, because I have demonstrated to them that Flyn will not knowingly leave a comrade behind, no matter the odds. I have built Flyn's character, setting his example to others, so that thereby his fellows multiply his strengths, and they bolster his weaknesses as well.

In trying to be an asset to my guild, I believe I have made Flyn into a "character", someone who is more than just a collection of stats and skills. Because, in the end, a multiplayer game's greatest source of entertainment lies in interacting with others, and experiencing the persons they wish to be in the 4Story world. From my well known battlecry, "I gotta go potty!", to my frequent cries of, "Wait up! Short legs, 'member?",Flyn has evolved into quite a character.

TW is a team sport, and I have built Flyn, a summoner, an independent by design, into a team player. His character is built as a reflection of those who have encouraged his development by both their effort and example, from CreamPuff's steady leadership, to Naruto's boundless optimism. From SeMp's mad lust for combat,  to edtxszjr1′s steadfast determination. Thanks to these, and many others, Flyn is, daily… Reborn.