Phantom Summoner: Player Guide
What a Phantom Summoner is and how to cook one
A player guide to the Phantom Summoner, the Dark Elf summoner of shades. The data reflects Chronicle 4 (the author mentions Summon Nightshade and Mass Summon Phantom Cubic, both added in C4). Below: skills, armor, weapons and tattoos, leveling tips, PvP and sieges.
Summoners are one of the most unique and rare classes in Lineage 2. At level 40 many Dark Wizards ask themselves: become the Spellhowler, the strongest damage mage, or some strange and obscure Phantom Summoner? Be useful at raid bosses, in parties and in sieges - or be independent and still useful everywhere? In the author's opinion, summoners got their bad reputation from the six-hour cooldown of Shadow and Silhouette, but after the class change it lasts only 15 seconds.
Skills
The Phantom Summoner (PS) does not boast a wide variety of skills, but what matters is not quantity but usefulness in different situations.
Summons and cubics
| Skill | Description |
|---|---|
| Summon Shadow | A shadow for D-grade crystals. Takes 30% of experience and periodically eats a few D crystals (the number depends on skill level). Has passive vampirism. The main summon for leveling: a mini-tank and a decent damage dealer. Up to level 56 it gives 100% safe nonstop leveling |
| Summon Silhouette | A silhouette for D-grade crystals. Takes 90% of experience and periodically eats D crystals. Why have it? For PvP and mass PvP: it is cheaper than the shadow, their stats are the same, and the silhouette also has a Drain-like spell |
| Summon Soulless | For C-grade crystals, takes 15% of experience and periodically eats C crystals. Reflects part of the damage it takes back to the attacker, can eat its master's MP and recover HP faster, and has mass poison and corpse explosion magic. Best used in a party when leveling on mob packs: low HP is offset by high melee damage |
| Summon Nightshade | For C-grade crystals, takes 5% of experience and periodically eats C crystals. Added only in C4, it has healing magic and is quite strong compared with the Soulless and Shadow |
| Summon Phantom Cubic | A universal cubic (the Shillien Knight has one too): randomly applies one of three debuffs - by the author's tests, lower armor, lower damage or lower attack speed. Summoned with D crystals; the PS's cheapest cubic |
| Summon Spark Cubic | A very useful cubic: puts the enemy into shock (like a stun). Triggers often but does not land well, and the effect sometimes lasts a fraction of a second. Before C4 it was considered one of the PS's signature features |
| Mass Summon Phantom Cubic | A mass Phantom Cubic: every party member gets the cubic. Added in C4, it became the PS's signature skill, and many consider it the most useful. If the summoner leaves the party, the others keep their cubics |
Active spells
| Spell | Description |
|---|---|
| Servitor Heal | Heals your summon. The beauty is that you do not need to target it - press and heal |
| Servitor Recharge | Like the elders' Recharge, but for your pet; also needs no target |
| Servitor Cure | Removes bleeding and poison from the summon |
| Servitor Blessing | Removes sleep, paralysis, hold and slow from the summon |
| Mighty Servitor | Raises the summon's physical damage; only the PS has this buff |
| Servitor Physical Shield | Raises the summon's physical defense |
| Servitor Haste | Raises the summon's physical attack speed |
| Servitor Magic Shield | Raises the summon's magic defense |
| Transfer Pain | Part of the damage you take is transferred to the summon - very handy in surprise situations. It constantly consumes MP; the author did not notice a constant drain, but MP regeneration slows down noticeably |
Passive skills
- Anti Magic - raises magic defense.
- Weapon Mastery - raises physical and magic attack.
- Fast Spell Casting - speeds up casting.
- Light Armor Mastery - in light armor raises physical defense, physical attack, physical and magic attack speed, and MP recovery.
- Robe Mastery - raises physical defense in a robe.
- Boost Mana - raises max MP.
- Cubic Mastery - increases the number of cubics you can have at once; the maximum is 3, counting other summoners' mass cubics.
- Fast HP Recovery - speeds up HP regeneration.
- Fast Mana Recovery - speeds up MP regeneration.
- Quick Recovery - shortens spell cooldowns.
Armor
Robe or light armor?
Levels 40-52: Theca Leather Set (+5.24% P.Def). Pluses:
- Easy to get: the top and bottom are sold in Luxor; only the boots must be found separately.
- Fairly cheap (cheaper than the Drake Leather Set) and looks decent.
- +5.24% P.Def is significant, and with Transfer Pain on you can tank one mob of your level.
The only minus is no bonuses to magic stats, but that is not a problem. Some wear the Plate Leather Set, but the author advises against it: a summoner has no use for STR, and the CON penalty is fatal - HP is low as it is, and stuns always land. It is also hard to get, being crafted entirely.
Levels 52-61: Blue Wolf Light Set (+5.24% P.Def, +15% casting speed; +3 MEN, -2 INT, -1 WIT). Pluses: high defense, a casting speed bonus, and the WIT loss is offset by +15% casting speed. The only minus - "why can't summoners wear heavy armor?".
Levels 61-75. Opinions differ here: some recommend robes, others light armor.
| Set | Bonuses | Pluses | Minuses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Majestic Magic Set (robe) | +8% MP regeneration, +240 MP, +15% casting speed, -50% stun chance; +1 MEN, -1 INT | Faster casting, lower stun chance (very important for Dark Elves), faster regeneration and lots of MP | Low defense |
| Dark Crystal Magic Set (robe) | +8% P.Def, +15% casting speed, +7 run speed, slightly lower chance of cast interruption when hit, +50% paralysis resistance; +2 WIT, -2 MEN | Much faster casting, the run speed gives a chance to escape, higher defense and paralysis resistance | Does not lower stun chance; defense is still low compared with Majestic |
| Majestic Light Set (light) | +8% bow and crossbow P.Atk, +240 MP, +5759 weight limit, -50% stun chance; +1 DEX, -1 CON | More weight capacity, a little mana, lower stun chance that offsets -1 CON | Takes CON, gives no magic bonuses, the bow bonus is useless for a summoner |
Verdict on robes: the Majestic Magic Set is best for PvP against stunners and for sieges, the Dark Crystal Magic Set for leveling. In A-grade the choice depends on your play style. Some summoners prefer the Nightmare Light Set, but the author finds it not very useful because of -1 CON.
Weapons
A Phantom Summoner definitely fights with duals enchanted for +HP: this raises your chances of survival. Do not chase your own damage - you are weak anyway, and after tattoos you will be weaker still. For a PS, duals are a pretty thing and a way to trigger cubics, nothing more.
Tattoos
The best set for a PS: -4 STR / +4 CON; -4 INT / +4 WIT; -4 INT / +4 MEN.
- The PS is not a fighter: base STR is 23 and there are no damage skills - why chase it? The shadow does all the damage, while you heal it, buff it and help with cubics.
- CON: Dark Elves hate stuns, and the higher CON is, the lower the stun chance. HP and weight capacity also grow.
- INT: the PS is not a nuker, and summon healing does not depend on INT.
- WIT speeds up casting - in emergencies you need to resummon or heal your summon quickly. MEN raises magic defense.
Leveling
The author gives only a few tips so that young summoners come up with strategies themselves. Up to level 40 level like a wizard, then like a summoner. There are two ways to level: solo and in a party on mob packs.
Solo. Look for spots with lone, preferably non-social mobs with double HP - a summoner has no trouble killing those one on one.
- If you want to earn money, forget about Soulshots and Spiritshots for yourself for a long time - you do not need them. Buy shots only for your summon at the Pet Manager. The summoner is well suited for farming - all it takes is patience and work.
- In emergencies turn on Transfer Pain.
- Better not to use the Spark Cubic solo - it is pricey; even the Phantom Cubic should not be summoned too often.
- The tactic is simple: send the shadow at the mob, then join in yourself.
- Watch the mob density: if there are packs nearby, track their movement.
- Watch your summon's remaining time - it is summoned for only 15 minutes.
Party. In a party you can even go without the shadow: the mass cubic and Spark Cubic already make you useful. The main thing is a competent party.
Raid bosses. A summoner has a role at raid bosses too - with the mass cubic and the Soulless. In the author's experience the mass Phantom Cubic did land on a raid boss, though not often.
PvP
There are many strategies, and a lot depends on luck. The Phantom Summoner is very good against melee fighters. Two tactics work 90% of the time (the other 10% is when the opponent is higher level):
- If the opponent attacks your summon, get close and hit him. An opponent of your level will take a long time to kill the summon - it has plenty of life and good defense. Heal your pet now and then and wait until the enemy drops or gets paralyzed.
- If the opponent runs screaming straight at you, act like a brave hero - run. While you wear the opponent out, your pet does all the dirty work. If the opponent is faster, you cannot escape and must fight: the summoner often dies, but the pet finishes the enemy.
Each profession has its own quirks, but the essence is the same. Against archers and mages it is very hard: you cannot catch archers and they hit hard, so you have to stand and heal while your summon hits the sniper with magic - there is a chance to win. Mages can put you to sleep: your summon can wake you, but it hurts and takes good mouse and keyboard skills. You can send the summon in and back off, waking it with a bow shot. The key is to reach the mage and interrupt his casting with quick hits - then he goes down.
Outside the arena surprise often helps: many underestimate the PS, and that is how you catch them. People tell stories of a PS calmly taking down three players who picked on him.
Mass PvP and sieges
In sieges the summoner's main job is destroying supports and any careless players, and giving the cubic to allies. Keep a low profile, do not charge into the thick of battle yourself - only with your shadow, watch the enemy so you do not get killed needlessly, and check that your cubic has not vanished. Look for a careless player or support and take them out quickly - this works well in an anti-support party. Always keep Transfer Pain on - it raises your chances of survival.
Summary
If you like a class that is flexible in any situation and want to stand out from the crowd, the Phantom Summoner is your character. The class may seem dry, but with a little creativity you can make it completely your own.