What are the best summons to use with Echo?

[Nobear]

I have a ranged chanter and a cipher in my party. The cipher just got Ectoplasmic Echo. What I'd like to do is cast summons behind the enemy, then use Ectoplasmic Echo to burn those in the crossfire.

 

So I'm interested primarily in hardy summons that will survive a while when cast behind the enemy. For rank 1 I find the Phantom to be hardier than the skeletons (and he hits pretty hard and stuns too). For rank 3 I'm guessing the ogres? Wow I'd love to summon a drake, but are the ogres going to survive better?

 

Then what about rank 2? Wurms and Will-o-Wisps both seem pretty frail. I'd guess Wurms are probably a bit hardier than Will-o-Wisps, but I don't know. Are either going to be better than the Phantom for this purpose, or should I keep using Phantom until I get ogres, and take a rank 2 summon for an alternate purpose?

 

Thanks.

[AshenPlanet]

Phantom > skellies.

Wurm > will-o-wisp

Ogre > drake

 

Just to add:

Anything summoned by a wizard or druid > chanter summon.

Unless your party is extremely weak, most battles are over before you can do a chanter summon, even on potd.

Edited June 26, 2015 by AshenPlanet

[MalVeauX]

I have a ranged chanter and a cipher in my party. The cipher just got Ectoplasmic Echo. What I'd like to do is cast summons behind the enemy, then use Ectoplasmic Echo to burn those in the crossfire.

 

So I'm interested primarily in hardy summons that will survive a while when cast behind the enemy. For rank 1 I find the Phantom to be hardier than the skeletons (and he hits pretty hard and stuns too). For rank 3 I'm guessing the ogres? Wow I'd love to summon a drake, but are the ogres going to survive better?

 

Then what about rank 2? Wurms and Will-o-Wisps both seem pretty frail. I'd guess Wurms are probably a bit hardier than Will-o-Wisps, but I don't know. Are either going to be better than the Phantom for this purpose, or should I keep using Phantom until I get ogres, and take a rank 2 summon for an alternate purpose?

 

Thanks.

 

Heya,

 

The Phantom is infinitely better in every way than the Skeletons. The Phantom lives longer, hits harder, does more. The Skeletons, I find, just die and fall down and do nothing. I still used the Phantom in the end game content. They're that good still. They still help you take down ugly stuff and tank a little. Skeletons do nothing but get in the way, then die.

 

Later, Wurms are your next best summon in terms of damage. They shoot little firebolts at range, so they can do great damage on a target. But, they're easy to kill. They die real fast when they start getting attacked, so they're not going to tank or take much from you, but they are great when you drop them and start focus-firing on a specific enemy to dispatch something (think priests, vessels, etc).

 

After that, the Ogre. Takes a lot, deals a lot.

 

Chanters are great summoners. They're not a pure summoner. You have to put it into context. Your summons are actually quite powerful, if you consider that you're chanting for free, the whole time you're dealing damage or tanking, and then you get a summon to add to that. You get 2 songs at one time for up to 4 effects, followed by your own attacks (or tanking), and a summon, all together in one character. It's a very good support DPS or off-Tank.

 

Depending on how you start fights, your summons come quickly if you cycle first and second phrase chants. I often dropped my summons (again I use Phantoms even in late game, they're still good!). Definitely not post-fight. If you only sing your highest level songs and produce your highest level summon, then yes, it will be late fight. But if you manage your early phrases and early summons that are still good, you will be happy.

 

I found I was super happy with the Phantom the whole game, and the Paralyzed for my 2nd level Invocation. Those two things, with a Chanter that does ranged DPS, or is the Off-Tank is fantastic.

 

Very best,

[Raven Darkholme]

It's also to note that summoning and resummoning Phantoms is faster than the other summons.

Don't wanna cast echo when the fight is over.

[Nobear]

Thanks for the advice. So it sounds like with the rank 2 summons I could take it or leave it if I'm building for the Echo strategy, that only the ogres are going to be better tanks than the phantom; so I should probably summon the phantom first even in late game, then replace him with ogres mid-fight for the long and hard fights.

 

Edit: And yes this is PoTD. I find fights with tons of Shades/Spectres (like the lighthouse in Ondra's Gift) and high DR enemies (like Adra Animats), or lots of well-armored kith with paladins can last plenty long enough to make good use of summons.

Edited June 26, 2015 by Nobear