Class and job systems can be some of the most fun mechanics in a game. You’re not tied to just one playstyle, and every person in your party can really stand out and be a valuable asset if you play your cards right. There are plenty of typical classes, like White and Black Mages or Fighters, but Summoners bring something different to the table.
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The Summoner class is often overlooked, and part of the reason is that it has so much room for customization that it doesn’t always go right. But when it does, Summoners are one of the most satisfying classes to play.
10Bravely Default
Bravely Defaulthas over 20 different jobs to choose from, and Summoner is one of them. Naturally, their lack of physical prowess is made up for by their magic skills. Every being they summon is related to mythology, such as Susano-o and Hresvelgr, and deals a type of elemental damage to all enemies. This makes the job quite useful for targeting enemies' weaknesses.
The last summon to learn deals non-elemental damage to all enemies, so your Summoner won’t be stuck unable to act if their opponents resist elemental attacks. The downside is that the Summoner job is solely offense-focused, so you’d have toleave healing and support to another job.
9The Elder Scrolls Online
The Sorcerer class in the base game ofThe Elder Scrolls Onlinelets you summon two pets who’ll stay at your side without any time limits. You only have to resummon them if they happen to die. Sorcerers also have access to Daedric Summoning skills which allow them to summon many different types of entities during combat.
Daedric familiars like Storm Atronachs are available for you to summon. you may level up most of these summoning abilities to make the entities you summon more powerful. For example, your Winged Twilight summons can become Twilight Tormentors and Twilight Matriarchs if you level up the skill enough. You also have a slew of passive abilities that are based on your summoning skills, encouraging you to use them more.
8Grim Dawn
Grim Dawn puts an interesting spin on the class system. Instead of being restricted to just one class, you have dual classes, so you get to experience the best of both worlds. This allows you to customize your builds more, and it can result in a lot of powerful builds related to summoning.
The Shaman, Occultist, and Necromancer classes specialize in summoning pets, so choosing any two of the three to put together lets you summon allies. Based on what two classes you choose, you’ll be able to summon different things. Partially being a Necromancer naturally gives you the ability to summon skeletons, while the Occultist lets you summon ghosts and ghouls. Shaman focuses on more canine and avian pets. You can imagine the interesting results when putting together any two of the three classes.
7Diablo Series
There are few things as cool as having the ability to raise the dead to do your bidding, andthe Necromancer classinDiabloallows you to do just that. Necromancers can summon groups of skeletons to fight for them, overwhelming their foes with both quantity and fear. They can also summon giant golems to attack, which are notably stronger than skeletons. However, unlike the skeletons, only one can be summoned at a time.
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If corpses aren’t your style, Diablo also has the Druid class. Druids use their bond with nature to summon animals and forest spirits to aid them in battle. Their summons can attack for them, but they can also support their Druids by reflecting attacks or restoring health and mana.
6Pillars Of Eternity Series
In thePillars of Eternitygames, Chanters excel at support. They’re primarily skilled at conjuring and invocations. This includes the ability to summon pets during combat. Playing a Chanter doesn’t limit you to specific creatures to summon.
As a Chanter, you’re able to summon skeletons, ogres, drakes, phantoms, wisps, and even animated weapons. Some of these entities are better at tanking hits, while others are good at dealing damage to enemies. This is on top of the Chanter’s other abilities, which can buff allies and debuff foes. That’s what makes them great supports, and knowing what to use and when can give you an easy win.
5Path Of Exile
Your class inPath of Exileis determined by how much you want to lean into one of three attributes: strength, dexterity, and intelligence. Going for pure intelligence puts you in the Witch class, which has a knack for spells and summons. The Witch has a Summoner subclass you can focus on to get the most out of your summons.
It also has three ascendancy subclasses, two of which - the Occultist and especially the Necromancer - encourage you to use summoned minions. You can decide whether you want your minions to be aggressive or defensive, but each one works in its own way. There are zombies, spiders, spirits, golems, and more for you to conjure up and use to attack or distract the enemy.
4Geneforge Series
It’s pretty easy to choose which class you want to play as in the Geneforge games, because each one has a defined strength and weakness when it comes to physical and magical skills. The Shaper class is all about summoning things to attack for you. You shape various creatures in this class, and they’re your primary method of attacking and tanking.
Shapers are otherwise fragile, so summoning and throwing some magic spells at enemies gives them the biggest chance of winning battles. you’re able to shape a lot of creatures, from weird reptiles and bugs to totally otherworldly beings.
3Pathfinder: Kingmaker
Pathfinder: Kingmakerhas a unique take on summoning. There isn’t a specific Summoner class, but you have a lot of freedom to choose what and how you summon, depending on the class you do go with. Being a Druid lets you summon fey and elementals, as well as have an animal companion at your side.
Related:The Best Pathfinder: Kingmaker Classes, Ranked
The Inquisitor class gives you the option to be a Monster Tactician, letting you summon different types of monsters to help you in battle. As a Cleric, you can become a Herald Caller, summoning outsiders to fight for you. Pretty much any class that uses magic can be turned into a unique Summoner class with different strengths and weaknesses.
2Tales Of Maj’Eyal
Tales of Maj’Eyal doesn’t have you create summoner builds out of other classes; it straight up has a Summoner class. The types of minions you’re able to summon range from big to small and mundane to special. You can conjure up spiders and turtles, but you can also summon things like jellies, minotaurs, and even hydras.
Since summoning is what the class is all about, you can create some summons that do things other than attack. For example, turtles are sturdy and are used to distract your enemies rather than fight them. As well,spiders deal damage to your foesthrough poison rather than melee attacks. How you strategize your summons is key to victory.
1Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup
Classes are called backgrounds in Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup, and there are a lot to choose from. One of them is the Summoner. Since you’re able to choose what species you want to play as well as your class, being a Summoner is a perfect fit for a species that dies to direct hits more easily.
As a Summoner, your creatures will take hits and deal damage for you, as well as make space between you and your enemies so that you’re less likely to take damage. Of course, you start off with weaker summons such as rats and bats. But the more you progress, the stronger your summons become, and soon you can call upon golems and lightning spires to aid you.
