[Fae]

How To Samurai v2.0 (formerly known as Samurai Guide v1.1)
LAST UPDATED: 21 JUNE 2010
DISCLAIMER: FOR ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES, THIS GUIDE TEACHES THE NEW AND/OR STRUGGLING SAMURAI HOW TO UTILIZE THEIR JOB CORRECTLY AND EFFECTIVELY. PLEASE REFER TO OTHER GUIDES, FAQs, AND EXPERIENCED PLAYERS TO HELP FURTHER SHAPE AND GROW YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT IT IS TO BE SAMURAI IN FFXI.

Table of Contents
» 1 › Introduction
» 2 › Sub Jobs
. . . . . . Monk
. . . . . . Dragoon
. . . . . . Warrior
. . . . . . Thief
. . . . . . Ranger
» 3 › Party Strategy
» 4 › Macros
» A › Appendix
. . . . . . Meikyo Shisui
. . . . . . Polearms and Great Katanas



1 › Introduction
よろしくです。わたしの戦略ガイドに歓迎する。

Samurai is a job that few have experienced as a member of their party and is sometimes mistaken as a tank. Much like Dragoons, we do not have the vitality or defense to prevent a large quantity of damage. Our role as a damage dealing job relies on our strongest offensive capability: TP efficiency.

It is more important for us Samurai to hit our target than it is to deal damage. As long as we can rapidly generate TP, we can aid our party in dealing more damage: the melee can do more skillchains and--most importantly--the mages can land more Magic Bursts. To help you accomplish this, your equipment needs to focus on Accuracy and Dexterity.

If you do not already know, DEX+2 = Accuracy+1 (not a concrete fact but rather a logical assumption understood by many). Always try to favor wearing Accuracy Bonus items over Dexterity items; it is not too important for us to make critical hits. While you do not have this choice early on, think about it as you progress in levels.

When you first start your Samurai, you'll quickly notice how much damage you do on your own. Our Great Katanas deal more damage than Great Swords of near-equal level, so you can expect to rival Great Sword wielders without having the Strength modifiers. However, your ability to take hits will decrease the closer you get to Level 30 without the help of sub-jobbing Warrior.



2 › Sub-Jobs
One fact that you should know about sub-jobs: the base stat bonuses you get (not from Job Traits) should not be the biggest reason in deciding on which sub-job to choose. What you should be considering first are the Job Traits (JT) and Job Abilities (JA) you inherit from a sub-job. Amongst all these sub-jobs as an option for you, you really get next to nothing with Monk and Dragoon as your sub-job in the long run.

Monk (excluding Martial Arts)
-- 05 [JA] Boost
-- 10 [JT] Counter
-- 15 [JA] Dodge
-- 15 [JT] Max HP Boost
-- 25 [JA] Focus
-- 35 [JA] Chakra
-- 35 [JT] Max HP Boost
Samurai/Monk, in my not-so-humble opinion, is absolutely ridiculous. Boost enhances Attack for one hit. I can Counter attacks (assuming I'm getting attacked, which rarely happens). Dodge increases my Evasion (again, assuming I'm getting attacked). Oh, but wow... Focus is a Job Ability that increases my Accuracy... every 5 minutes. Let's move on to sub-jobs that make sense.

Dragoon
-- 05 [JA] Ancient Circle
-- 10 [JA] Jump
-- 10 [JT] Attack Bonus
-- 25 [JT] Dragon Killer
-- 30 [JT] Accuracy Bonus
-- 35 [JA] High Jump
Samurai/Dragoon does sound like an doable combination. The Attack Bonus will allow you to deal a bit more damage. The ability to Jump is a neat way to help build up your TP gauge, and when your Samurai reaches Lv70, you'll be able to also High Jump (Dragoon Lv35). As Lv50+ SAM, however, the fact is Jump has a 1.5 minute duration whereas Warrior's Double Attack can occur several times within that same timeframe. Jump gives 10-12% TP a hit (depending on the delay of your Polearm), but an extra Great Katana hit with Double Attack will give 12-15% TP a hit (depending on the delay of the Great Katana). Although, I believe Dragoons as a sub-job also gives a base DEX bonus, but I don't think even the Accuracy Bonus that DRG as sub-job can give as Lv60+ SAM isn't going to be worthwhile considering the DEX and Accuracy bonuses that can be gained from equipment at that level. Bottom-line: I think Dragoon as a sub-job would only be good until Lv30.

Warrior
-- 05 [JA] Provoke
-- 10 [JT] Defense Bonus
-- 15 [JA] Berserk
-- 15 [JT] Resist Virus
-- 25 [JA] Defender
-- 25 [JT] Double Attack
-- 30 [JT] Attack Bonus
-- 35 [JA] War Cry
Samurai/Warrior is one of the obvious, best choices to make. At Lv30+, it also makes sense to have the Warrior sub-job for its offensive capabilities such as Berserk and eventually Double Attack (a nice way to increase TP gains at Lv50+). Defender is also nice to have if you find yourself pulling agro or forced into taking the place of the group's tank (either your tank died or your PT lacks a better tank--may Altana help you should it come to that).

Thief
-- 05 [JA] Steal
-- 05 [JT] Gil Finder
-- 10 [JT] Evasion Bonus
-- 15 [JA] Sneak Attack
-- 15 [JT] Treasure Hunter
-- 20 [JT] Resist Gravity
-- 25 [JA] Flee
-- 30 [JA] Trick Attack
-- 30 [JT] Evasion Bonus
-- 35 [JA] Mug
Samurai/Thief is also one of the best job combinations due to its Dexterity and Agility sub-job bonuses and ability to Sneak Attack and, much later, Trick Attack. At Lv30+, it seems this can work out to be a better subjob since you can stack Sneak Attack with a weaponskill for added damage to work into your skillchains, and at Lv50+, Flee can also help when you're the puller. I do NOT recommend using Sneak Attack without using a weaponskill; it will cause a large delay in your attack as a drawback for using THF as a sub-job.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Despite that most of the Great Katana weaponskills have elemental alignments to them, they are not considered elemental weaponskills. Therefore, all Great Katana weaponskills can stack with Sneak Attack and Trick Attack. Do not let anyone tell you otherwise.

Ranger
-- 01 [JA] Sharpshot
-- 05 [JT] Alertness
-- 10 [JA] Scavange
-- 10 [JT] Accuracy Bonus
-- 15 [JT] Rapid Shot
-- 20 [JA] Camoflauge
-- 20 [JT] Resist Poison
-- 30 [JA] Barrage
-- 30 [JT] Accuracy Bonus
Samurai/Ranger is another interesting possibility. Ranger as a sub-job would work pretty well if your Archery skill is capped, and I know that's very rare amongst Samurai--being one myself and observant in my server's Samurai community. If you actually have your Ranged Attack skill capped, this can possibily be a much faster way to gain TP. Accuracy Bonuses... nice. Barrage... also nice to get a good chunk into the TP bar. Let's not forget the fun, additional Weapon Skills we get for having RNG as sub-job. Hmm... however, I don't think I can recommend this as a sub-job until SAM60+ for Barrage. Otherwise, THF or WAR would be a better choice. I cannot confirm this myself to be a good combination, but it would definitely make for a fun sub-job. Please turn to any experienced SAM/RNG for advice.



3 › Party Strategy
Before I begin, I must reiterate this point. As much as it is argued that you should always focus on your race's strongest ability, I still firmly believe--as a Samurai--that it is more important to land a hit than anything else. Otherwise, you will have a harder time utilizing the Samurai's greatest and most useful strength: TP efficiency.

Our role is to provide bountiful amounts of TP to allow maximum Skillchain (れんけい "renkei" in Japanese) possibilities. This is greatly useful for Black and Red Mages to land more Magic Bursts that can allow for much more damage if you manage to pull off two Skillchains. In order to do this, it'll require a great deal of patience, integrity, and knowledge on your part.

Pre-Lv30, you should be able to juggle two seperate skillchains due to your ability to hit more frequently than others. With Store TP, you'll get an extra hit's worth of TP to help push you into 100%. However, handling two skillchains might prove to be difficult because of the common player's ineptitude in your group and the lack of Meditate. All I can suggest is finding out if you can generate TP twice as fast as your other two fighters. Otherwise, just work with one long skillchain.

Lv30+ is where the fun begins! You'll acquire the Job Ability Meditate which will allow you to gain 100% TP within 10 seconds (20% TP every 2 seconds). Now you can most definitely juggle two seperate skillchians at once, and that will greatly aid the group in killing things faster.

As Samurai, you need to be the Skillchain organizer; it's important to take this initiative and control of this responsibility. When your Great Katana reaches 100th Level (about Job Level 33 or 34), you can practically start ANY skillchain with anyone else's weaponskill. Make sure you start each skillchain to efficienty gather TP, and I'll explain to you why this is important.

The best way to handle two skillchains is to not use your Meditate unless you're not at 100+% TP and someone is ready to use their weaponskill. I cannot stress this enough. Only use your Meditate when you are not ready and someone else is ready. The reason behind this is beautifully realized:

example
Your group's skillchains are...
Skillchain [ A ]: Tachi: Enpi(Fae) >> Seraph Blade(Harmonic) = Distortion(water/ice)
Skillchain [ B ]: Tachi: Kagero(Fae) >> Raging Fists(Shein) = Fusion(fire/light)

Shein says her TP is 103% and you're only at 68%. Shein is ready, so Meditate and immediately call Skillchain B.

First tick will put you at 88%. You miss with your weapon, but another tick puts you at 108%. The VERY moment you get 100+% TP, do your skillchain.

POW, you hit for 100 damage with Tachi: Kagero and instantly get 12-13% TP, and Shein will follow up with Raging Fists for the Fusion Skillchain. Guess what? You still have 3 more ticks of Meditate left still filling your TP gauge while Shein performs her weaponskill. By the time your Meditate finishes, you should have at least 72% TP, and this does not include possible weapon hits to give you 12-13% TP each! It's very possible to already have 100+% TP to be ready to do a skillchain with Harmonic!

As said earlier, without taking the initiative in organizing the party’s skillchains, you may not have this kind of control. Having a good macro set can help you communicate to your party and keep you in control.

Side note:
Be careful when you put yourself as the 2nd person in the skillchain. If you have to Meditate as the 2nd person, you run the risk of wasting a tick or more of Meditate TP or completely miss the skillchain window by not having enough TP on time.



4 › Macros
How you organize and use your macros is up to you, but--as a Samurai--understand that it’s our greatest tool in communicating to our party. I recommend using clear and definite macros for your weaponskills to help your party members know exactly what you are doing. Also, I recommend having separate macros for announcing the start of a skillchain. It also might be a good idea to separate your macros to have status, skillchains, and weaponskills on one side and job abilities on the other side.

For example, here is what I use for my macro set (understand that I use a controller—much quicker response and easier to use than a keyboard):
If you’re interested in my complete macro set, you can find it here.
L1 /p .:[ (Samurai) ]:. HP[ <hp>(<hpp>) ]:. TP[ <tp> ]:.
L2 /p <call0> .:[ (Ready!) ]::[ « A » ]::[ (Distortion) ]::.:..
L3 /p <call1> .:[ (Ready!) ]::[ • B • ]::[ (Fragmentation) ]::.:..
L4 /ws “Tachi: Enpi” <t>
L4 /p .:[ (Samurai) ]::[ <tp> (Tachi: Enpi) ››› <t> ]::.:..
L5 to L0 (additional weaponskills)

R1 /ja “Provoke” <stnpc>
R1 /p .:[ (Samurai) ]::[ (Provoke) ››› <lastst> ]::.:..
R2 /ja “Third Eye” <me>
R3 /ja “Meditate” <me>
R4 /ja “Berserk” <me>
R5 /ja “Defender” <me>
… and so on

As you may have noticed, I seem redundant when mentioning “Samurai” in my macros. I just believe in giving as much information as I can, and you can see that in each of the macros. The purpose of me using L2 and L3 to call the skillchain separately from using a weaponskill is to let everyone know the skillchain’s designation and the effect of that skillchain, and this accomplishes several things:
- lets the person involved with the designated skillchain to prepare him/herself
- lets the mages know in advance which Magic Burst to get ready to do
- gives me a chance to use Meditate if needed (especially if I end the skillchain)
- allows me to change my mind should the situation suddenly change (assuming I start the called skillchain)

L2 and L3 are modular, which means I can change what skillchain effect that particular skillchain does (using the Auto-Translator) without wasting much time in doing so. However, my weaponskill macros are not modular. Since I am controlling which skillchain to initiate at any available time, I feel it isn’t necessary to show which skillchain my TP is building up for. Therefore, my TP macro is generic and weaponskill macros are static. Everyone will already know which skillchain is occurring and what to prepare for when I use L2 or L3 to call the start of that skillchain.

This is just my style of how I play Samurai. It’s up to you on how you organize and use your macros, but I still recommend that you follow my guidelines to help forge your own style. Communication and staying in control is key.



A › Appendix
Meikyo Shisui
Meikyo Shisui is the Samurai's 2-hour ability which allows you to instantly gain 300% TP and forces your weaponskills to only cost 100%TP for a duration of 30 seconds. However, you will not be able to accumulate any additional TP from weapon hits and taking damage while using this special ability (but you can still use Meditate). Although, there is a way to take advantage of Meikyo Shisui to use 400% TP or even 500% TP.

To get 400% TP, start with 100% TP. With this TP, use a weaponskill. Once that weaponskill's animation is complete, fire up Meikyo Shisui and immediately break into a Skillchain with another weaponskill and proceed with Skillchaining with the remainder 200% TP.

To get 500% TP, it's the same as getting 400% TP except with Meditate. Start with 100% TP and use a weaponskill. Once that weaponskill's animation is complete, fire up Meikyo Shisui and immediately break into a Skillchain with another weaponskill. As soon as possible, use Meditate. You might need to space out the weaponskills a bit, but you should have 300% to play with for a total of 5 weaponskills and 4 skillchains. However, I recommend saving your Meditate for when a fighter in your PT is ready to do a skillchain. There's more potential damage in doing that instead, but play by ear--especially when the situation is dire.

Until you get Tachi: Kagero, you're pretty much stuck doing two separate skillchains with the 400% TP at your disposal. With Tachi: Kagero, you're open to these early possibilities:
Hobaku >> Goten >> Kagero >> Enpi
Hobaku >> Goten >> Kagero >> Goten
Goten >> Kagero >> Enpi >> Kagero
Kagero >> Enpi >> Kagero >> Goten
Kagero >> Enpi >> Kagero >> Enpi
Enpi >> Kagero >> Enpi >> Kagero

Probably the most damaging (and prettiest) Skillchain is:
Kagero >> Enpi >> Kagero >> Goten
Although, it would really depend on what type of creature you are fighting.

Once you reach a Great Katana weaponskill level of 150 and 175, you can practically come up with many possible combinations of unleashing 100% TP + Meikyo Shisui.

If possible, remember to inform your mages which weaponskills you will be performing to allow them the opportunity for more Magic Bursts.



Polearms and Great Katanas
Great Katana: A+
Polearm: B-

At Lv51 with your Polearm skill at 150, you'll learn the weaponskill Penta Thrust. Does this make Polearms more powerful than Great Katanas? No. Due to the patch update on April 21st, 2004, the TP you regain from any weaponskill (except a couple Club skills) has been reduced to the normal amount of TP you would gain from a normal hit plus 1% TP for each additional hit. If you get 12% TP for each hit with a Polearm, this means you'll now only get 1-16% TP back from using Penta Thrust (if you miss the first hit, you’ll still only get 1% TP for each additional hit). It makes more sense to just use your Great Katana, which is a weapon you're most proficient in and can also gain a lot more TP from using it. However, you may still want to keep your skill level capped for Polearms in case this change gets lifted or adjusted or to have more skillchain possibilities.



Good Luck!
If your party is uninitiated to the ways of a Samurai, then it's your duty to educate them. The more people know what a Samurai can do for them, the better your chances are at becoming a successful Samurai.



Please amend any comments, questions, and suggestions!



..:.:: VERSION HISTORY ::.:..
v2.0
- I decided to change the name of the guide. Darkwill's guide is excellent and makes more sense to be the "Samurai Guide". Considering this has always been a way to teach new Samurai how to play Samurai (correctly), I feel the new guide's title is a better fit.

v1.2
- fixed the editing tags in the guide. I guess Killing Ifrit made a non-atomic change to its forums, hey?
- changed the organization of Sub-Jobs information and reiterated a point in Party Strategy.
- various formatting changes to make the guide easier to read.

v1.1
- just a minor update to the sub-jobs section. Now that I have had THF as a LV30 sub-job, I can comfortably say how I feel about THF as a sub-job.
- added a note to answer the question of "which weaponskills stack with Sneak Attack?"
- made some necessary changes to help lower cholesterol.

v1.0
- added a note about "DEX+2 = Accuracy+1" in the Introduction section. Thanks Valkyrie Samurai. (ˆ—ˆ
- rearranged the Sub Job section for more transitional reading.
- edited my choice of words for describing Mithrans and Elvaans in terms of base Dexterity at the end of the Sub Job section. The words "best" and "worst" might imply race superiority--which was not intended. Sorry! (¯—¯;
- added a Macros section.
- added a Table of Contents and changed the headings of each section a bit.
- spellchecked lol

v0.9
- updated the Sub Job section with more facts and things to look at and consider when choosing your sub-job. Also, I've updated my thoughts on some sub-jobs and added my thoughts on having MNK as a sub-job.

v0.8
- updated Meikyo Shisui section. I've been informed that Meditate is possible while Meikyo Shisui is in effect. Thanks again, Emurei. (ˆ—ˆ

v0.7
- added how to use 500% TP. Thanks, Emurei. (ˆ—ˆ;

v0.6
- introduction of this guide to Killing Ifrit.

[mongoose]

didn't feel like reading a lot of that
but GJ on the stuff i did read

[Emurei]

GJ ^^

One addition to the 400% TP for Meikyo Shisui, you can make it 500% TP ^^ same as yours but toss a Meditate in after the second Weapon Skill

100% TP Goten > Meikyo Shisui, Kagero > Meditate, Jinpu > Kagero > Jinpu

*personal favorite*

Jinpu >> Jinpu >> Jinpu >> Jinpu >> Jinpu

^^ enjoy (^.^)v

[Fae]

Thanks! (° u °

Well, you can't gain TP while using Meikyo Shisui. (ˆ—ˆ; It's a double-edged sword; it gives you 300% TP with the cost of 100% TP per weaponskill, but you cannot gain TP while it's still in effect.

The best bet for 500% TP is to use Meditate at 80% TP, use a weaponskill almost immediately, then hope you can land enough hits in time to self-skillchain before using Meikyo Shisui. (ˆ—ˆ

[Emurei]

Yes you can ^^ try it when you're bored and about to logout and leave a pt ^^

[Fae]

OK(ˆ—ˆ

It's better to be wrong and make things right. I'll see to it. (¯—¯

[ValkyrieSamurai]

Does 1 Accuracy = 2 Dexterity? I hear this often, but I'm not completely convinced...

...is there proof on this somewhere? Did SE state this? Would like to know...

[Leathlord]

Excellent guide but I have a question or two. when you use:

Tachi: Enpi > Tachi: Enpi it does do a skillchain right? Atleast I heard. There is no element properties for it so you cannot do a MB. If you use Tachi: errr forgot what it is it's the lvl 70 skill chain that does lightning could a mage do lightning after you do the ws? Or does it have to be in a skillchain for MB's?

[Fae]

Tachi: Enpi > Tachi: Enpi = Distortion (water/ice)

Magic Bursts involve the element of the Skillchain, not the element of the Weapon Skills. (ˆ—ˆ

[Fae]

ValkyrieSamurai :
Does 1 Accuracy = 2 Dexterity? I hear this often, but I'm not completely convinced...

...is there proof on this somewhere? Did SE state this? Would like to know...

There is no proof, but there is a pattern. (ˆ—ˆ

STR+2 = Attack+1
VIT+2 = Defense+1

hmm... but AGI+2 does not equal Evasion+1, but it might be Ranged Accuracy+1.

Thus, DEX+2 might equal Accuracy+1.

From experience, I feel more accurate with +Accuracy items than with +DEX items. I like to believe DEX+2 = Accuracy+1 (¯—¯

[ValkyrieSamurai]

Fae :

ValkyrieSamurai :
Does 1 Accuracy = 2 Dexterity? I hear this often, but I'm not completely convinced...

...is there proof on this somewhere? Did SE state this? Would like to know...

There is no proof, but there is a pattern. (ˆ—ˆ

STR+2 = Attack+1
VIT+2 = Defense+1

hmm... but AGI+2 does not equal Evasion+1, but it might be Ranged Accuracy+1.

Thus, DEX+2 might equal Accuracy+1.

From experience, I feel more accurate with +Accuracy items than with +DEX items. I like to believe DEX+2 = Accuracy+1 (¯—¯

Haha yes I agree that improving one's Accuracy is much better than improving Dexterity. But I see your reasoning. Although there is no concrete proof, you make a very good point^^

[Dashwolf]

there was proof of this already
valkyrie: just search the forums for recent squareenix interviews, i've already posted the url in the thief forums for at least a dozen "show me the proof!" dudes. do a search yourself instead of asking for it

[mongoose]

for all we know it could be 1 accuracy=5 dex O_O
who knows?
who cares?
just use it!

[ValkyrieSamurai]

Dashwolf :
there was proof of this already
valkyrie: just search the forums for recent squareenix interviews, i've already posted the url in the thief forums for at least a dozen "show me the proof!" dudes. do a search yourself instead of asking for it

What's wrong with asking for it? It's a simple question to Fae. I checked for interviews and I found this:

http://ffxi.crgaming.com/interviews/viewinterview.asp?Id=209

The developers didn't say ACC=2DEX..

[Fae]

Tried and true; I stand corrected. Thanks, Emurei. Making those changes now. (ˆ—ˆ

[Carnifex]

speaking for myself, i find it to be very important to setup lvl 2 skillchains unless there is an elemental weakness that the set of weapons in the pt cannot take advantage of or you can do a lvl 3 skillchain =D. that way there's always two options for MB and so the blm doesn't have to save a potent spell waiting for tp.

[Leathlord]

Keep thread alive till stickied

[Lokki]

Truly one of the best sam guides I have read. Thanks for writing it Fae

[Yunachan]

very good guide which writer has completely understand the role of sam. i have something to add when wearing af helm or af2 glove u can do this
jinpu meditate meikyoshisui > gekko > yukikaze > gekko > kasha many ppl dont know this just to list out the point
and 1 more is samurai at higher level should go for attack rather then acc coz A+ in weaponskill make lots of difference. i am wearing harbegeon amemit ochiudos 2x 4str ring and other + attack stuff and a life belt. i really dont think i miss mroe then 2/10. so 20+ acc is enough in my view. i hit much harder and gain tp almost as fast as pure acc samurais who have 40acc.