Original Post — Direct link
Have the devs given an idea on what the core design principle is behind the summoner is? Based on information available from the wiki and interviews, it seems like they want it to be the jack of all trades class that can fill in for more specialized classes, comparable to how a world of warcraft druid can essentially fulfill every role (ranged dps, melee dps, tanking, and healing), but how far do the developers intend to allow summoners to go in fulfilling these roles?

For example, suppose I had a summoner primary and became a Brood Warden (tank secondary) and focused all my skill points and gear and whatever other moving parts I have on augmenting my tanky summon to make it the best I possibly could. Can I replace a tank primary in high end raids? If a percentage were to be put to it, where 100% means I can fully replace a class in all circumstances, 50% means I can fulfill the role in "casual" content but not in any "hardcore," "difficult," or "serious" content, and 0% means I lack the basic tools to possibly fulfill a role in the trinity system at all (trying to be a healer, but lacking any heal spells whatsoever for example), roughly what percentage of the trinity roles can a default summoner fulfill? What about a summoner that tries to specialize?
almost 4 years ago - LieutenantToast - Direct link
How a summoner best fits into a balanced party and what skills make the most sense for those purposes will definitely be something we look for your feedback on as we dive into upcoming testing that involves that archetype <3

In the meantime, would love to hear more on what summoner aspects you all have enjoyed or disliked previously!