Hello, since I am a melee class I have never had the opportunity to face a summoner in pvp as a nuker.
How do summoners do against nukers and archers? Can the pet live long enough to kill somebody? I realize in siege situations the pet probably gets shot by everybody (i like to hit them too, yea :P)
In a small pvp the summon is ok, you can heal it so it don't dies fast, if you have a good lvl it is really fast and hits hard. On mass pvp usualy summoners don't use the fighting summons but the buffing ones. on mass pvp warlock will always be in some archer party with queen of cat, es will be with the unicorn that restore mpon some mages party and ps will be with his healing summon (as good as any healing class).
Plenty PSs still use their main servitors in PvP, as the Nightshade is NOT as good as an EE or bishop. Then again, it is probably still better than less healing.
summoners own very small scale pvp
the summon is basically imposible for a single person to kill so unless you have equal lvl ppl assisting on it (or really high damage output opponents) you will do ok
in mass pvp you are a buffer or a healer, erase is just too effective for you to be much else
Summoners are most effective in small-scale PvP because the whole point of summoning is to create an unbalenced situation where it is two people facing one. The more people involved in a PvP match, the less of an effect having an additional person on your side makes.
When taking on nukers, a summoner can usually heal the summon well enough to keep it alive until the nuker is dead. However, spellhowlers and necros can silence the summoner, effectivly keeping them out of the battle unless they are equiped with a damage dealing weapon. (ex: bow duels).
When fighting nukers, the cubics come to play a large roll. If a binding cubic or a stunning cubic nails the nuker, it is basically game-over.