Need some advice on samurai subjobs

[Vyuru]

I've been thinking of taking up samurai (armor looks HAWT on kitties! :D )

I've been looking around, but I haven't found a good comparison between Thf, War, and Rng subjobs, or any other subjob options.

The Sam/thf vs Sam/war thread was interesting and I *think* it has lead me to think that sam/thf may not be as ideal as sam/war, but I'd like to get some more info.


So, as I see it:

Sam/thf:

Sick WS damage with SA + WS, later SATA + WS. However the Soboro seems to be the GK of choice once you can get it. It also looks like the TP gain of the Soboro + Sam traits is so high that you can actually pump out 2-3 WS inbetween SATA, making SATA nice, but not as useful if you're doing more WS than SATA + WS.

Sam/war:

With the two handed update I'm not expecting accuracy to be an issue, so meat food + Hasso + Berserk = win! WS damage should be average, but per hit damage should be high.

Sam/rng:

Sounds like you need 30+ equip swap macros for this one, but ah well. From what I hear, you want to use Sidewinder at 150% TP for better hit rate, and toss on all the +Racc stuff you can get, I'm not sure but it also sounds like you may need to eat sushi for the +Racc, if so no meat dishes make me a sad kitty ; ; On the flip side, Barrage + Meditate + Soboro sounds sick in terms of TP gain, like really sick. So seems like the main thing for sam/rng is sidewinder/other WS spammage.


Now, several questions.

Are my above assesments correct? Anything I'm missing?

My samurai is lvl 37 right now, what subjob/s would you recommend for exp parties up to lvl 75 and possibly merits? When is Sam/rng feasible?

I see ALOT of samurai using the Soboro, all the way up to 71+, is this wise? The TP gain is high for sure, but what about using a higher damage rating GK? Where is the cutoff?

[ItazuraNhomango]

Re: Need some advice on samurai subjobs

SAM/DRG for a little more Haste and Attack (and Accuracy later)? Probably better with higher damage-delay weapon than Soboro Sukehiro, though. I tend to think of Jump as a mini on-demand TP source, like Meditate, except it does damage.

[Malacite]

Re: Need some advice on samurai subjobs

/DRG is mostly for the haste earring (best with a full haste set up and soboro) and using jums in conjunction with meditate for self light chains.


THF sub is only really good at 60+, and even then it's not always that great. It's best for end game activities I find with hagun for insane WS numbers. Other than that, I'd only really use it from 60+ (if tank has trouble holding hate) and for soloing for the added evasion. keep in mind SAM has a B+ evasion rating!


WAR sub is all about the DoT. The reason soboro is so good (especially post update) is because of the sheer number of weaponskills. It's the premier weapon for SAM IMO, even out parsing Hagun now thanks to the update. Never, ever use Soboro for /THF though. Oh, and your plan is pretty much on the ball. Eat meat and give the enemy a beating they won't soon forget ~.^


With RNG sub you absolutely need to pile on the ranged accuracy and Squid Sushi is a must (it's also fairly cheap. about 10k for a stack of +1 on my server ^^) melee damage will suck and you will need 2 sets of gear that you can swap on the fly. One for building TP with Soboro, and another for firing ranged attacks.

Since the update though, RNG sub has really lost it's appeal I find. Sidewinder damage is nice and all against flyers, but great katana just does so much damage now it hardly seems worth it. It's still very good for situations where you need to stand outside of AoE and what not.

Here's what I'd do. Since you're already 37, I'll start from there.

37-60: WAR sub will own all.
60-75: WAR, THF or RNG on occasion, and DRG if you have a good haste build.


Try to keep polearm skill up too, as SAM has a B+ rating in it and penta thrust is nasty on puks and colibri.