Is the sam/xxx a pve tank?

[crowly]

Re: Is the sam/xxx a pve tank?

Summoner can tank too, but like samurai tanking, it's not worth mentioning.

Even paladin, the designated blood tank gets crap for invites because blood tanking is not very efficient against anything but Faust later on. No reason to get a job that's even worse at it to do it.

[Icemage]

Re: Is the sam/xxx a pve tank?

Not every combination works, but sometimes you do get stuff that doesn't fit the classic model and works out.

I've had parties where the SAM tanked. It does work. A lot of Samurai carry around stuff like Tonosama Rice Balls, which is a surprisingly good tank food for them with AF. I even built a party this way once while levelling Bard - SAM, SMN, BRD, WHM, BLM, WAR. The WAR didn't have NIN sub (only had /THF), so I had the SAM sub WAR and we bounced hate with Aerial Armor to reduce damage. Wasn't the most spectacular party in the world, but as I recall we did just fine (chain 4-5) for a couple of hours.

Sure, parties like the above take a lot more skill, but you can still pull it off if people know what they're doing and communicate.


Icemage

[Nodachi]

Re: Is the sam/xxx a pve tank?

I'm speaking for levels 60 plus on this.

SAM cannot tank. Nuff said. Unless you're packing defending ring, shadow mantle, earth staff, jelly ring, jse phys down, and manage to somehow hold hate with all that on, SAM cannot tank. On paper we look grand. Lots of VIT both natural and through equips. Enmity out the yinyang through equips. A mighty impressive parry skill. But no, we cannot tank.

I could give a list of many situations/scenarios where it would 'work', but it is so rare, and so much effort for the outcome, I'll just go ahead and say, they cannot tank.

[Tsikuro]

Re: Is the sam/xxx a pve tank?

Endgame SAM can easily tank some stuff like T-VT mobs in Sky no problem, but you're only gonna be tanking if you pull hate off tanks with those continuous 1100dmg+ Tachi: Gekko/Kasha, especially at the start of fights.

But I don't think you can tank IT mobs, so you're not really gonna be that reliable in party situations...

Maybe for like a few seconds, since you have Third Eye.

[Malinn]

Re: Is the sam/xxx a pve tank?

Just pointing out, a good freind of mine can tank VT-IT mobs as a 75 SAM with Evasion and Parrying gear. Infact, I'd venture to say that of all the melee DD jobs besides WAR (maybe even including WAR) SAM can tank the best if you know what you're doing. Our Evasion isnt too shabby, it's enough to be worthwhile. We get some nice Enmity gear, and we can still do damage.

A forgotten element of Samurai is that our Weapon skills can debuff as well, which is actually very nice. Hobaku makes for a nice emergency stun when you need to recast shadows (assuming you go SAM/NIN) and Third Eye also helps with utsesumi. Even then, we get loads of defensive gear, and are tied with Ninja for the best parrying in the game. Two handed weapons also parry better.

So, SAM isnt as much of a tank as PLD or NIN, but we can definately step up when needed.

[ClydeArrowny]

Re: Is the sam/xxx a pve tank?

Properly geared, (and with skilled parry) a sam can tank as well as a war/mnk imo. The problem is, most sams keep DD gear on them as they are nice DDs. You wont see a pld with snipers, hauby and battle gloves on =P

Though, even properly geared, good luck getting invites as a sam tank :/

[Mobius the Ronin's Muse]

Re: Is the sam/xxx a pve tank?

I believe you are all misreading the question here... the op is not asking if sam is a meat shield, but a destructive powerhouse (you know, like a tank )

My answer is yes, in Brenner (the other form of PvP) Sam can bust-a-move with the best of them, sam/rdm can diaga, diaga, diaga, silence, ws and take down damn near anyone after a certain point. As for Balista I honestly don't know as I've only tried with Rng.

As for the question of Sam tanking (meat shield style), yeah, we can do it. I've done it several times when the puller has not noticed tank is afk, when tank DC's and generally when we've only got 5mmbrs and no tanks are looking to fill in downtime. All it took was changing hand armour to AF gloves, food to tsonoma rice balls (and seriously if you don't carry those 2 56+ you are not a sam) and defender instead of berserk. AF Body was also kinda handy seeing as hauby has that -20 eva on it. It's not something I make a habit of, but I certainly wouldn't go so far as to say that it takes millions in gear & a specific party setup to achieve.

[Itatchi]

Re: Is the sam/xxx a pve tank?

I took notice someone mentioned sam/nin? With defensive foods, how exactly are we gunna keep hate without provoke? Sure we WS for 300-500 twice a fight, sometimes 3, but with everything else going on, other DD, spells being cast... it would make extremely difficult hate control.

[Jei]

Re: Is the sam/xxx a pve tank?

sam/nin is for burn PT, utsusemi seves only as safe guard from a occasion aggro you'll get. I don't think you'll able to be a proper tank with it tho.