My take is that Sorc1 struggles in two areas: mobility and strategic placement. If the content you’re going for doesn’t constantly demand either of these, you can get by without c2.
What you get:
-most but not all bosses are simple enough to fight without needing Hold or Attack Ground.
-small to medium groups of enemies don’t require repositioning your summon often. Especially with swashbuckling, links, or other major control skills around.
-all summon servant buffs + quick buff attribute; no additional benefits from c2
-same basic farming capability as c2
-an extra rank to spend elsewhere
What you miss out on:
-very large groups of enemies. You normally move around a lot in this kind of scenario, whether it be pvp or pve. The summon’s leash really becomes a pain here when you have to reposition your character without pausing your summons dps output.
-dangerous ranged enemies. Nobody wants to worry about the summon leash and leading your summon when you have some blue archer freaks ready to spiral arrow you to death.
-strategic placement. Allows proper positioning when you fight intelligent enemies. This also makes your summon a more effective damage sponge as suddenly you can throw it in front of you instead of leading it around with a short leash.
-riding. Very fun to use yet underwhelming in pve. Not sure how useful riding is in pvp as a damage mitigator.
-minor gains from summoning level
-more bats (pvp)