[Nishida]

Title. I'm interested in NIN a lot. It's currently 48, and I've been debating whether or not to continue the time/gil investment in getting it to 75 because I'm afraid I'll be outsourced by a bunch of PLDs and never get a chance to do anything. So..what are your experiences?

[Aliadim]

Personally? I'm not sure yet. Just dinged 73. However, in my position I already have some very top-notch HNM gear for my NIN. As well, I already know a lot of people that are personally willing to allow me to do some end-game tanking for them. I was in a position to use NIN for end-game before I ever finished it. Ironically, I don't care much for this. I have other plans.

That being said, my situation is very uncommon.

outsourced by a bunch of PLDs

This is what is likely to happen. :\

[Rhayve]

For really big fights, you will definitely need to level DRK to 37 and go as NIN/DRK (using Yonin). NIN/WAR just doesn't keep up in the hate department, sadly. And NIN/DRK needs a fairly different setup than NIN/WAR does with DD tanking, but if you have proper gear and play that job combination well, you can easily outtank any typical PLD/NIN.
However, many people still have the PLD onry mentality, so it's probably going to take you a lot of effort to convince your LS leader to let you tank.

[Sinder]

My LS prefers PLD over NIN any day/time but I use my ninja for just about anything. But I still try to make em let me go NIN to HNM's. Other then that farming, sky, sea, assault etc. One thing I hate going ninja to is Dyna so that never happens.
Just like Rhayve said NIN/DRK does take a dif approach then NIN/WAR does. Good luck hope you enjoy the job!

[_Vivik_]

Nin/War usually, for merit!
Nin/Drk Tanking (I'll go in further detail latter)*
Nin/Dnc Solo killing anything Even-VT*
Nin/Rdm Not used much but still has some meaning
Nin/Whm Solo (before Dnc was introduced)
Nin/Blm BC40 Under Obser.
Nin/Thf Farm decent and lower!

How often!
I usually use Nin/Drk extremely often in sky, sea. The catch is the you need respectable enmity set up and good haste. Not sure about others but i cast stun with enmity in ever possible slot then revert to mix of enmity, phys dmg- , and haste for taking hit's. For Utsu full haste! Am not the best but one of my accomplishments is holding byakko for 15min with support from a weakened rdm!
Nin/Dnc it's my ideal choice for camp, farming anything that needs killing even-vt monsters, ideal set up is eva+ and haste, for tp, then regular stuff in for ws! accomplishments duo Behemoth, Adaman with a second nin/dnc, duo charibds, ungur, rutter boots nm, and a lot more. Do to eva bonus and ability to heal it's a strong combo!
The rest it's ether self explanatory or to difficult to even try!

[draugo]

I think with the new JA's you will see NIN endgame become as prominant as it was back in the day, with that said you are still going to have to overcome the PLD-onry mentality in your shell.

Anything PLD can tank NIN can too, if you are prepared and skilled.

[Konda]

I solo and lowman a lot of stuff on NIN. /DNC is pretty broken in some respects

I can solo pretty much anything that isnt a NM, and a fair few NMs to boot. I solo Temnos N for AF+1 for NIN/COR and can take down the two WARs and a RDM before I time out. I dont know many other jobs that an do this.

NIN/DRK is huge fun, but as mentioned, so many people have a PLD onry mentality and it can be difficult to talk LS leaders into letting you tank.
As long as a NIN is paying attention and hase the appropriate gear sets, they ccan generally out-tank a PLD with support. Sometimes the ability to heal yourself is too valuable, and is often essential for lowman things.

[Skorn]

Anytime i go somewhere with a group of 5 or or less i'm NIN/DNC 90% of the time. I do enjoy going NIN/DRK to sky for a few reasons. (AF boots stacking with sprinter shoes is like sex for checking on NM's) They've also gotten to where if we're doing Kirin it's Me a rdm and a pld trio kiting it till the mini's are dead. With Yonnin out and a decent enmity build it's fun watching the pld try everything they have to get hate back I also use my nin for just about all the 'running around' parts of the game from Quests and missions ( A Moogle Kupo d'Etat Beau/Xarc part ftl -.-) to farming. My other 75 job is WAR and it's pretty well geared so i go on it to alot of events or 6man bcnm's where DD's are needed.

[draugo]

I never did get the reason why people refuse to give NIN the same exact basic support as a PLD. But they will still expect you to tank as well, getting even a basic haste/refresh package from brd/rdm/cor is worse than pulling teeth to get them to keep it up on you.

[Follow]

NOT ALOT, AND FOR FUN.

[Amastacia]

I...

1) Campaign to recap XP when necessary (but points suck compared to SAM/DNC with Soboro).
2) Solo/small man stuff on a very ad hoc basis.
3) Show up to Dynamis /anon and see how long it takes anyone to notice I'm not on SAM.
4) Complain about how annoying it is that other than solo/small man there's very little NIN can do that someone else can't do better.

5) Tank a lot of shit because I'm good at it and my current little shell is short on reliable tanks (read: not many people with PLD leveled or geared).
6) Am asked to come NIN on an unpredictable basis because my crappy NIN is better than most peoples' not-as-crappy other jobs, and my rather conservative shellmates are more comfortable with me having hate on NIN rather than me having hate on SAM (for things like Limbus and whatnot).

[Ashokan]

...because I'm afraid I'll be outsourced by a bunch of PLDs and never get a chance to do anything.

It's probably best to ask your linkshell leader if they would use your ninja. If you aren't part of a linkshell yet, chances are PLDs will tank instead of you, but it's difficult to tell.

Less than a year ago, I was going to sky twice a week as ninja and going to limbus one or two times a week as ninja. It was a lot of fun for me and it worked out great for the linkshell. However, right now, I don't see myself using ninja in any linkshell event for the foreseeable future. It really just depends on the events you are participating in and the linkshell leadership's opinions.

...debating whether or not to continue the time/gil investment in getting it to 75...

My personal advice is, if you're serious on reward over time and gil, then NIN probably isn't the best investment. However, if you already have a useful set of jobs and you think you'll love NIN @ 75, then level NIN.

On the rare occasion I use NIN, I enjoy it. If I was to begin this game again with knowledge I have now, I wouldn't level NIN first, but I would still level it.

I think with the new JA's you will see NIN endgame become as prominant as it was back in the day...

I wish that would happen. However, I personally don't think that will happen until NIN finds a way to compete with Paladin's survivability abilities and spells.

[richardd]

i havent used nin since January


such a uesless job

[Nattack]

dont go breaking my heart, I look up to your ninjaness D:

even if it is locked in eternal slumber,

[rambus]

just leveled it to finish a quest, its 75 and have not used it since then

[CrosisReturns]

I use it for solo only pretty much

[Nattack]

force mine into some events, sometimes. go to dynamis or einherjar. znm's, its slowly becoming better than my drk... just not by much .-.

[MrReinhardt]

I use it to feel sexy then begin rubbing my nipples. Oh wait thats what porn's for.

[Nattack]

ninja porn?

[richardd]

dont go breaking my heart, I look up to your ninjaness D:

even if it is locked in eternal slumber,

me huh? well i look up to you for being a sexy taru lol

i was actually sticking up for nin on a recent BG thread, but i decided debates like that will never have a true conclusion and i proved my point already, which the other debaters respected me for. so in the end its all good. one of them sent me a PM saying he hates me because i motivated him to gear up his nin along with his aegis. which i think is mad cool. i know plenty of aegis plds who still go nin and rdm to other events because its better in certain areas. but its still cool to see that one of the sexiest jobs is still around and kickin'! wish you guys the best of luck. i know you all will surpass me sooner or later but unless you're an elvaan, my butt is still king baby! subligar p0wn3rz