Main hand katana choice- level 75

[Tifa]

I have a question to those guys that use the Unji + Unsho pair. I only have Unji at the moment and I'm having a hard time comprehending why having Unsho also is better than keeping one main hand katana that has a 38 or 39 base DMG. It seems like WS damage in particular, but also normal swings would suffer so much by taking base dmg down. I cannot see how ~20 less delay and a few stat bonuses are worth more than that. Could an unji/unsho owner explain why exactly they use those katanas together?

For reference I currently use:
Main- Senjuinrikio: DMG38 Delay227 Critical hits +6%
Sub- Unji: DMG32 Delay201 STR+2 DEX+4 AGI-1 Subtle Blow+1

I'm also a mithra.

[little ninja]

i read on a forum some time back ( sorry i dont know where it was, or what the topic was on ) when some stated they believed that when both were dual weilded, that it had some hidden effects? what that was nobody was to sure of.

[Russta]

Using Unji and Unsho combined is very much a niche thing in my opinion. The only defence I could give for using both in an EXP situation is arguing that STR and DEX might outweigh extra D on weapon skills as Jin, Ku and Ten all have it as a modifier. Perhaps it's just the "rare factor" of Unsho or the "cool factor" of having two weapons that are meant as a pair together? Don't underate their Subtle Blow either as it makes soloing things that aren't really possible slightly easier (though Mamushito's are better for it...).

[Tifa]

The subtle blow is indeed fantastic- in a solo situation I wouldn't think twice about wearing something else. However in exp, I actually care about my ws damage so I want to be sure I'm not getting shanked. Time to save up those kindred seals and try to get that unsho.

[kuu]

I like the stun katana, but it depends what you're doing.

Stun is very useful, and goes off at a decent rate, especially if dual wielded.

[Jarigue]

Stun+1 and Shinrui(sp?), i tried Unji and its pretty good, but only Subtle Blow+1 is nice for soloing like the fellow NINs said.

[Kite322]

Currently using Senjuinrikio and Unji for most things. I like critical hits and Unji is a great offhand katana for its speed and stats.

[vudoodoodoo]

I use Senjuinrikio and Rai Kunimitsu. 11% critical rate up from those katana combined w/ 3% from merip points is really nice. I crit alot.
I think any combo of Fudo/Senjuinriko/Rai Kunimitsu is good.

[Melkor]

Re: Main hand katana choice- level 75

I never used either of these katans, just read alot about them from what others said.

I heard about the hidden effect too but I don't think its true, they have nice stat bonuses and low delay which is the main reason to use both. Your WS Dmg will be a bit lower, but the delay is alot lower(402 -without- dual wield bonus) so you will be putting out more WS's in the end for more Dmg, same with Criticals, no direct crit+ stats but, nice dex boost and lower delay for more chance of getting a crit.

I'd like to get a pair myself to test and parse in an exp PT against Fudo + Senju, which is what I currently use.
Mamush+1 or Shin seem pretty useless for Exp, but I love the Mamush+1 for soloing.

[kisada]

Re: Main hand katana choice- level 75

I have both katanas, but I haven't had a chance to test them within an exp setting. I farm occasionally, and it seems as if the stun katanas do more dmg overall, but this is just subjective observation, nothing anybody really can rely on lol

I'd also have to say that the 2 subtle blow bonus is almost a negligible difference, at least for me. I already have my subtle blow merits maxed out at 5, and switching between stun katanas and the u-combo (from 5 to 7) seems to make no difference. Most monsters that I solo will only use one TP attack on me the entire fight, usually at the same HP. It's one of two things (or maybe both) I think. One, I'm guessing that there is some type of diminishing return, and that once you extend past a certain number, you can't really gain any great effect. Suppose you could somehow gain +50 subtle blow, would the monster never gain TP at all? I don't think the designers would allow for such a thing, so they'd probably prevent it with a cap or something else. Another thing that may be a possibility is that it does indeed hold the same effect, but since more swings are taken to deal the same amount of damage, the monster will release TP at the same HP% as if you were using higher dmg katanas. Either way, I wouldn't use them for soloing myself. They would be beneficial to those who don't have the merits though.

The next time I go into a deco weapon party, I'll try out the u-combo, and try to get a nice parse.

*edited for a bit of clarity*

[Tifa]

Re: Main hand katana choice- level 75

That would be most triumphant kisada.

Thanks for your observations on Subtle Blow. While I don't yet have any merit upgrades to that, it has been something I've been preparing to do after I get some other merit stuff done first.

The subtle blow on the U katanas is not really the icing on the cake- it's the low delay and bonuses to STR and DEX. (I'm a sucker for really fast attacking :D ) It is nice to know that +2 to SB is not a big deal, though.

I'm dying to get my hands on an Unsho still, going to put together a BC99 run on the behemoth for it sometime in the near future. I hope to be able to test this thingy myself!

[kazuri]

Re: Main hand katana choice- level 75

Actually, if you're able to cap your Subtle Blow bonus on Ninja Merits, the difference is quite noticeable. I don't have parsed results but you can take my word.

[Sanou]

Re: Main hand katana choice- level 75

Haven't had a chance to play with the Unji+Unsho combo yet, soon hopefully. For EXP Fudo/Senjuinrikio seems to be the best. The +9% crit bonus is definately noticable for normal attacks and blade: jin especially. For small HNM 2x Mamushito+1, the stun proc isn't as often as some may like it to be, but these definately have their moments where they shine.

[Hanzzo]

Re: Main hand katana choice- level 75

I thought Subtle Blow made your TP per hit less? Is that right, or is it something different?
Also for exp I'd go Senjuinriko/Shiranui or Fudo/Sen and for solo or other stuff like that use unji and unsho or the stun katana

[Gisele]

Re: Main hand katana choice- level 75

What Kisada hinted at above regarding the Subtle Blow effect on Unji and Unsho is almost undoubtedly true. Since the pair is attacking faster than the slower, harder-hitting katanas, without the Subtle Blow +1 effects they would in fact be giving the mob MORE tp than the more conventional katana pairs. The Subtle Blow effects of the U's almost certainly does nothing other than bringing the mobs TP gain back down to roughly match a slower pair such as Fudo/Senju.

-Gisele