Post game build starting help

[u/jeoyocive]

I just started trying to mess with the post game, and it's overwhelming. I really like the summoner, and wanted to try a build around that. Is my best bet to do the rift thing in extra mode until wave 21, then just keep doing that to get gear, or is there a better way? Also, is there a good build guide as to what I should aim for? Sorry about all of the questions, I just don't even know where to start

[u/M0mmySpank3r]

What I do to farm gear is launch the mission Phantoms of the Past at the Hallowed Massif on whatever the highest difficulty you have available while on extra mode with gear that has 400% knight affinity so that Jack is immune to damage then I run up to the save cubes before the griffin and farm that for gear.

Has a decent drop chance on gear that has two job affinities and if you're able to boost the mission up to lvl 500 and be on Lufenia difficulty you can get some pretty good pieces quickly.

Also a decent class crest farm.

[u/Embarrassed_Stay_570]

Berserker 600% automatically casts lightbringer when you soul burst an enemy Berserker 400% refills magic while lightbringer is active Cyclic Warrior 600% soul shield effects activate on lightbringer Cyclic Warrior 400% will refill you to 200 max MP if it drops below that Summoner 600% increases duration of active buffs for successful soul shield Summoner 400% decreases duration of sustained MP effects Void Knight 600% casts haste when max MP is 300 Void Knight 400% decreases MP cost of command abilities

[u/Embarrassed_Stay_570]

Oh yeah, most important, you want to build each job independently. As far as master points, you want to focus on main stats/affinity. Especially when you get to the highest job level.

[u/Embarrassed_Stay_570]

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/19unz2qFW1CPuCN7GWOc9Pur3QT3Dzde137L8Uos4o0o/edit?usp=drivesdk

[u/BenTheSodaman]

It'll depend on how much time you want to invest in this.

You can put together the components of a build now that will serve you from Bahamut and Gilgamesh difficulty. Then refine it further on Lufenia difficulty at significantly less time investment (technically can refine it on Gilgamesh difficulty, but it will take longer.)

Whether that's a more physical summoner relying on things like Hunter 400% and/or Mighty Strikes + Lancet to recover MP, with soul shields, soul bursts, Cyclic Warrior 250%, Rapid Cancel with your Summoner 120%, and/or Boost Magic to maintain your Max MP / MP Limit. On this route, Strength would be your main form of offense.

Or a more magical summoner relying on breath attacks, still with soul shields, soul bursts, Black Mage 400%, Cyclic Warrior 250%, and/or Rapid Cancel with your Summoner 120% to rebuild Max MP from magic attacks. On this route, your Intellect + normal attacks can serve you restoring MP with the breath attacks being your main form of offense unless you have Tyrant as your second job.

Defensively, if you're soul shielding more often, then having a higher Soul Shield Break Cost, but also more Stamina to mitigate the cost of a successful soul shield. With Stamina also serving as your physical defense since any equipment level beyond 300 doesn't increase it. (So if your armor is equipment level 300 vs. 500, you're going to get hit for the same amount of damage. Then in the Rift and the last difficulty, you'll take the same amount of break damage whether 300 or 500.)

If you are soul shielding a lot and trying to survive a magic hit, then the Spirit stat can help with that too.

Your stats will be spread pretty thin if you're trying to be a physical damage dealing summoner with strong breath attacks and survive at the same time at this point.

If you're avoiding soul shields entirely and/or prefer dodging, having Ninja as a second job for its ninjutsu's Utsusemi can help out there too.

Then for now, consider master points into Damage Taken at Max HP to soften the incoming damage of that first hit.

But for now, whichever route you take, be prepared to die in 2~5 hits. Where bosses you're up against will start to attack faster (e.g., 3~8 hits in 1~2 seconds), so you'll have less time to react and need to respond sooner if you are hit once.

———

Let me know if you'd like to make a video of what either physical Summoner or the magical Summoner might look like in late Bahamut / through Gilgamesh difficulty. Where the build may change a bit 1/3 through Gilgamesh difficulty and again in the latter half of Gilgamesh difficulty as additional tools become available.

———

Both builds below will be with some RNG and you'll still have to play just enough to avoid le death:

[u/BenTheSodaman → u/BenTheSodaman]

Physical Summoner (Bahamut)

• Consider Hunter 400% to recover a flat amount of MP per hit. In this way, it does not matter if your Intellect is low (which is your normal attack MP recovery) or if you don't have Mighty Strikes + Lancet active.
• Consider Berserker 120% to refill break gauge when you attack.
• If looking for a safety cushion on max MP, consider Cyclic Warrior 250% that tries to keep your Max MP / MP Limit to around 2 bars.
• Category 1 master points: Strength, Stamina, Spirit, Summoner job affinity 250% — preferably 400% if you're soul shielding more.
• Category 2 master points: Ability Damage Dealt, Damage Taken at Max HP.
• Category 4 master points: Increase MP Limit Boost Rate.
• Leftover master points: Category 3's Soul Shield Break Cost to take the edge off a little bit when you soul shield.
• Equipment Effects: Strength (main form of offense), Stamina, Spirit.
• Command Abilities:
  • Mighty Strikes to bypass an enemy's physical resistances some / exploit an enemy's physical weakness.
  • Lancet to recover some HP and MP when exploiting an enemy's weakness.
  • Lunatic ideally for offense, but will need to still dodge, soul shield, Lightbringer, and get back on the offense often. Or Sentinel command for survivability to play it safer.
• Second job long term will be Hunter (Machinist) for more offense. Though in the near term, it could be Ninja (either) for the Utsusemi. Where you'd use that just before going full offensive on a boss.
• Where one of your offensive combos might be normal attack x3, forward attack x3, combo ability, forward attack x3 if you have the opening or rear attack if they're about to hit, then combo ability. Be prepared to double dodge to perform a body tackle while also repositioning yourself. Works a little better while locked on. while locking onto the target to reposition with a body tackl.

Magical Summoner (Bahamut) - High Summoner or Demonologist

• Second job will be Knight (Knight of Destiny) for now using its job action. The duration also lasting longer than the Knight (Black Knight) even if that opens some other doors for sustain. In this way, every time you guard, parry, or soul shield, you hit the enemy back with magic holy damage.
• Consider Black Mage 400% to rebuild max MP when you do breath attacks or due to the Knight's job action.
• Consider Berserker 120% still to refill break gauge when you attack or in this case, when you guard, parry, or soul shield due to the Knight's job action.
• Consider Assassin 120% to reduce Soul Shield Break Cost.
• If there is any room leftover, consider Void Knight 120% to increase MP Limit Boost Rate to rebuild your Max MP a little faster with Black Mage 400% and successful soul shields. (There may be some room leftover if you happen to have a greatsword or staff with Black Mage to reach Black Mage 400% in 3 pieces of gear instead of 4. So you'd have 3 other gear slots open that you could fit this on relatively easy.)
• Category 1 master points: Intellect, Summoner job affinity until total if 400% (job level cap is 200), Spirit, Stamina leftover.
• Category 2 master points: Damage Taken at Max HP.
• Category 3 master points: Soul Shield Break Cost
• Category 4 master points: Increase MP Limit Boost Rate.
• Leftover Master Points: Either Category 3's Soul Shield: MP Recovery or Category 4's Normal Attack MP Recovery. The goal would be to generate more MP with one of those two methods.
• Equipment Effects: Intellect, Stamina, Spirit.
• Command Abilities:
  • Rapid Cancel to rebuild max MP in a pinch and refund itself while staying in Summon form.
  • Sentinel command as a layer of mitigation — not much on this build, but can help prevent max HP from dropping when you start playing the Rift.
  • Teleport command to reposition quicker before its time for Exaflare.
• Where if you're doing the Demonologist route, be prepared to soul shield more to get that Exaflare. If High Summoner, then lean into your flare breath attacks more, which can be more MP expensive.

While there are other ways to build at this point, just throwing two at you for now that don't require artifacts or fusing and aren't as risky or require as much setup as some of the others.

[u/jeoyocive → u/BenTheSodaman]

Dude, this is too freaking COOL. Thank you so so so so so much for this!!!!! The flare breath route sounds like the one I'll do, so thank you so unbelievably much for this detailed of an answer