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The Sealed Dagger: A Ninja Guide
Odin.Slore
Server: Odin
Game: FFXI
Posts: 1,350
By Odin.Slore 2018-05-13 11:46:00
Just trying to find max dmg for weaponskill. Everyone points to ten
Odin.Slore
Server: Odin
Game: FFXI
Posts: 1,350
By Odin.Slore 2018-05-13 11:46:29
Because every set in every guide assumes 2 bolstered geos perfect 11 cor rolls and 8 SV Nitro songs for everything.
Ahhh
Cerberus.Darkvlade
Server: Cerberus
Game: FFXI
Posts: 205
By Cerberus.Darkvlade 2018-05-13 11:48:16
Thanks everyone, sabermethod was best, other one gave me double darkness
Siren.Kyte
Server: Siren
Game: FFXI
Posts: 3,338
By Siren.Kyte 2018-05-13 12:07:17
Asura.Ladyofhonor said: »Cerberus.Darkvlade said: »Hello everyone, can someone post how to make umbra sc if its possible with heishi? thanks.
Have AM up:
Rin > Retsu > Ten > Hi
97% sure it's not worth it, though.
You can use Blade: Ku instead of Rin. Hi's probably better than Ten if your ratio is meh.
Quote: Thanks everyone, sabermethod was best, other one gave me double darkness
Then you didn't do what he said.
Asura.Sechs
Server: Asura
Game: FFXI
Posts: 10,612
By Asura.Sechs 2018-05-13 12:18:56
Ten requires a lot of att to truly shine.
If you're not in that position Shun will likely perform better.
Should I stack more att vs wsd? I see relic set has alot of att but besides legs theres not much for wsd. Trying to go according to guide. If you ask me no you shouldn't remove WSD; you should simply use a different WS unless you have a lot of att buffs.
Don't really need to be attack capped for Ten to shine, but you need to be somewhat close to there.
Shun instead is a WS that gives an attack multiplier, so it tipically performs better than other WSs when you're starving for attack.
Quetzalcoatl.Langly
Server: Quetzalcoatl
Game: FFXI
Posts: 691
By Quetzalcoatl.Langly 2018-05-13 13:38:51
Lol, the guide assumes capped pDIF and capped accuracy.
If you think it takes that much support to get there, then "lol" again.
If you want 'tiers' for 3.0 pDIF, 2.0 pDIF, 1.0 pDIF, 50% acc, 75% acc, 90% acc, negative fSTR, capped fSTR, then you're looking in the wrong spot. That's all going to be derivative. I cannot and will not create sets for every person/playstyle/setup you may have. Sorry. *shrugs*
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Asura.Eiryl
By Asura.Eiryl 2018-05-13 13:40:15
Quetzalcoatl.Langly said: »Lol, the guide assumes capped pDIF and capped accuracy.
If you think it takes that much support to get there, then "lol" again.
If you assume it's not hyberbolic then lol even harder
Quetzalcoatl.Langly
Server: Quetzalcoatl
Game: FFXI
Posts: 691
By Quetzalcoatl.Langly 2018-05-13 13:41:23
With you, I never know what to assume.
Asura.Eiryl
By Asura.Eiryl 2018-05-13 13:42:46
> 2 Geo
But no, for real, you guys assume you cap attack on literally everything in the game 100% of the time.
Regular players don't understand this and/or know this. They assume attack is worthless all the time.
Ramuh.Austar
Server: Ramuh
Game: FFXI
Posts: 10,481
By Ramuh.Austar 2018-05-13 13:45:25
I personally think it's silly to assume capped buffs on a job like ninja, and you can get all defensive about it if you want.
Quetzalcoatl.Langly
Server: Quetzalcoatl
Game: FFXI
Posts: 691
By Quetzalcoatl.Langly 2018-05-13 15:12:11
I personally think it's silly to assume capped buffs on a job like ninja, and you can get all defensive about it if you want.
What would you consider is the 'norm' for creating gearsets?
Ramuh.Austar
Server: Ramuh
Game: FFXI
Posts: 10,481
By Ramuh.Austar 2018-05-13 15:18:27
realistic situations you'd use nin in, which tends to be more focused on smaller group compositions. outside of CP mobs, don't think I've ever been capped on attack on ninja.
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Quetzalcoatl.Langly
Server: Quetzalcoatl
Game: FFXI
Posts: 691
By Quetzalcoatl.Langly 2018-05-13 15:25:46
Would you agree that everyone's 'realistic situations' may differ?
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Carbuncle.Lunatone
Server: Carbuncle
Game: FFXI
Posts: 291
By Carbuncle.Lunatone 2018-05-13 15:38:38
Just trying to find max dmg for weaponskill. Everyone points to ten
If I can find the parse SS High buffs (High being Chaos/2-3mins+honor/fury/frailty/diaIII
Metsu:18-26k
Shun:13-18k
Ten: 14-27k
Kamu:99,999
Low Buffs(low being 2mins or dunna900 fury +/- Soy Ramen)
Metsu: 8-12k
Shun:8-13k
Ten:14-16k
All Tens are being done at 1800-2500TP, Metsu @1000TP Shun @ w/e tp
Ten will be the best one if youre using it w/ Aeonic at 1250-2kTP ish I guess but its all going to depend on what rema if youre using a rema. Metsu chains w/ itself and shun so always getting extra damage Vs just doing Ten after x TP wall
Shun like Lang said is baller at low attack buffs, but these are just my personal numbers, my Shuns are all over the place sometimes whereas I find Metsu to be consistant all the time.
Plus Kikoku giving 60 attack then +10% attack from AM
I just realized I didnt put Blade:Hi, but its roughly the same as Shun for me, with lower buffs it seems to be the weakest to me
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Ramuh.Austar
Server: Ramuh
Game: FFXI
Posts: 10,481
By Ramuh.Austar 2018-05-13 15:41:36
Quetzalcoatl.Langly said: »Would you agree that everyone's 'realistic situations' may differ? sure, but most people aren't going to use NIN in an ideal scenario with multiple buffers when they can use a stronger job.
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Quetzalcoatl.Langly
Server: Quetzalcoatl
Game: FFXI
Posts: 691
By Quetzalcoatl.Langly 2018-05-13 15:48:58
Quetzalcoatl.Langly said: »Would you agree that everyone's 'realistic situations' may differ? sure, but most people aren't going to use NIN in an ideal scenario with multiple buffers when they can use a stronger job.
I get that job switching is a thing. I'm just attempting to explain my perspective on the choices I present in the guide. The guide is probably not a good guide for a ninja who only takes it to CP'ing.
If there are better ways to present ninja gear choices, without getting extremely granular, I'm all for adjusting the listing.
As for now, I guess the guide only targets those who would want to bring Ninja to an event with support and hope to keep up with others.
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Asura.Sechs
Server: Asura
Game: FFXI
Posts: 10,612
By Asura.Sechs 2018-05-13 15:57:44
I kinda agree with Langly in not taking into consideration Accuracy.
That's the first thing that usually gets capped, rightfully so.
For attack it's a bit different. It comes after Acc in a tier list of importance, and sometimes you're simply nowhere close to being attack capped.
I wouldn't claim to say this is such a "rare" scenario.
To be fair, unless you're zerging with mules buffing then dropping and/or using Bolster Idris GEO, you're not gonna be attack capped on the majority of content that matters.
So again while I agree in keeping Accuracy out of the equation, Attack should play a role when creating sets.
Still, Langly cannot realistically create 2000 different sets for each different WS, that's just not plausible.
We could simplify things into 3 representative levels though:
1) No buffs at all
2) Midbuffs (you got some buffs, att included) but you're at best around midway through the road to get attcapped
3) Att capped.
I bet given this perspective a lot of WS sets would be much different.
Asura.Sechs
Server: Asura
Game: FFXI
Posts: 10,612
By Asura.Sechs 2018-05-13 15:59:29
I mean it's not really much different to what we do with Haste and Dual Wield. Most guides have 3-4 different sets according to the Haste levels.
I propose 2 or max 3 sets for WS.
Quetzalcoatl.Langly
Server: Quetzalcoatl
Game: FFXI
Posts: 691
By Quetzalcoatl.Langly 2018-05-13 16:12:51
I appreciate the input Sechs.
I went down this road multiple times in the beginning. What target? Something defensive but EM iLevel? What kind of target? A THF mob? A PLD mob?
I never found anything that I could leave there and be happy with it. So I avoided the two things that are very external. Attack and accuracy. With so many ways to apply defense down and buff acc/debuff evasion, I merely tended toward the upper end of the spectrum. I don't want anyone to misunderstand me, I'm not being defensive. I'm just trying my best to explain where I'm coming from.
By hushmunkey 2018-05-13 17:15:42
I've tanked several "tough" NM's as NIN too. PUP is vastly different from NIN and each has their own strengths, weaknesses, and viability; though as you said they both struggle with super-tanking. I'm not quite sure where you're going with that. if you have ideas, or even more specified questions we can happily get after them. I'm talking about T4 level of NMs here.
PUP was used from day 1.
Are you claiming you did the same on your NIN?
Doing it today, while still quite a feat, is not the same as what I'm hinting at.
And no I had no intention to deny your statement, that is quite undeniable one of NIN's issue with being a proper tank on par with PLD and RUN. I was just staying that also quite undeniably there's more than just that.
In the end, as others have pointed out, it's not even a matter of "possible". It's more a matter of how efficient it is to rely on that.
I absolutely agree with you about possibility vs. efficiency. probably 98% of mobs are more efficiently and more importantly RELIABLY done with a non-ninja tank.
Personally I have not tanked any tier four (HELM) mobs in Jima. I have tanked some HELMs in Zitah and Ruann. NIN can solo at least one AA and is a particularly good tank for Genbu. I probably wouldn't even want to attempt most of the Jima HELMS. T3's ehhhhh ok (b/c I've done at least one off the top of my head)... but not the HELMS. Most of them have a ***ton of adds, and yes I've been in groups where a PUP tank was used. I've even been in a group where a BLM super-tanked the Albumen fight. If I had to try one as NIN it'd probably be Vinipata, but only if one was just trying to get more out of the game.
Speaking of getting more out of the game. Low-manning and unconventional groups of talented players trying to accomplish things without the traditional and ideal setups were one of the most fun aspects of the game. I was main tank for most of Omen from the get-go and it was a blast.
As far as PUP goes - as I said even though they struggle with groups, it's for different reasons. NIN and PUP are completely different jobs. For starters, if your Puppet goes down the PUP is still alive. You can heal the puppet. The puppet can take damage pretty well and is immune to most traditional statuses and triggers on/from bosses. Ninja is not these things. Ninja does not do these things. Even with PDT or MDT Ninja does not take damage well. Ninja is a glass-cannon DWer with low HP. To make it worse, once you get hit, you're likely to keep getting hit for substantial dmg for a minute. You need a quality healer WHO PAYS ATTENTION (sadly a rarity these days)...and that's IF you brought a healer for your NIN-tank. On Genbu we typically just abandoned a WHM completely. IMO opinion PUP struggles on multiple mobs b/c they're limited w/enmity generation. NIN isn't as hard-luck when it comes to enmity (though certainly not as gifted as PLD or RUN), but the issue is just taking (or trying to avoid) DMG from multiple sources. It's easy to get overwhelmed, and particularly on high-end mobs like the Jima HELMs, it's not worth the risk.
P.S. I did pick up the hate on Erinys once when our RUN went down. We didn't win b/c our RUN died due to heal fails in the first place, but looking back it doesn't seem impossible.
By hushmunkey 2018-05-13 17:29:26
I mean it's not really much different to what we do with Haste and Dual Wield. Most guides have 3-4 different sets according to the Haste levels.
I propose 2 or max 3 sets for WS.
I'm not really sure multiple WS sets are really necessary.
1. The guide is largely for ideal and common situations anyway.
2. I DID bring ninja to everything I could b/c I liked it - ideal setup or not
3. I think more importantly WS's (at least for NIN) depend on your gear and knowing your situation. Obviously Heishi or no, spamming SHUN may not be so hot regardless of your pdif/attack if you need darkness or umbra. Unless light SC's were the goal, I found Ten (w/Heishi) or Hi were my strongest performers. Especially if you're not attack capped, Hi can really shine (particularly over time). Naturally if you have Kikoku you'll want to lean more toward Metsu, and that of course favors a more SHUN like build.
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Odin.Slore
Server: Odin
Game: FFXI
Posts: 1,350
By Odin.Slore 2018-05-13 17:58:57
This changes things a bunch. Also, sorry I did not want to cause a argument I am just trying to get top performance from my nin. My tens are only hitting about 10k with that set on dyna mobs. Granted I only have brd for buffs in party. Would I see a stellar performance increase from the sup3 pieces that are in the guide before I drop 100mil on my server?
BTW I am using aeonic I have not made the relic but am thinking about it.
Asura.Eiryl
By Asura.Eiryl 2018-05-13 18:05:26
This changes things a bunch. Also, sorry I did not want to cause a argument I am just trying to get top performance from my nin. My tens are only hitting about 10k with that set on dyna mobs. Granted I only have brd for buffs in party. Would I see a stellar performance increase from the sup3 pieces that are in the guide before I drop 100mil on my server?
BTW I am using aeonic I have not made the relic but am thinking about it.
"Stellar" No. Again those sets are attack capped. You are not capping attack. and going form what ever you're using to BIS is never "stellar" it's mediocre at best, you have to be willing to pay for mediocre improvements.
The game consists of <1% gains, put 14(no main and ranged) of them together and you might see something slightly better than mediocre.
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Carbuncle.Lunatone
Server: Carbuncle
Game: FFXI
Posts: 291
By Carbuncle.Lunatone 2018-05-13 18:12:17
This changes things a bunch. Also, sorry I did not want to cause a argument I am just trying to get top performance from my nin. My tens are only hitting about 10k with that set on dyna mobs. Granted I only have brd for buffs in party. Would I see a stellar performance increase from the sup3 pieces that are in the guide before I drop 100mil on my server?
BTW I am using aeonic I have not made the relic but am thinking about it.
To be honest it sounds like you'd be better off just doing Blade: Shun. Again I dont really see numbers that warrant its use over metsu for me w/ kikoku unless i have every buff in the game.
And it would do good to have those for shun but have to think of why those pieces are good to begin with for blade shun or metsu or w/e. Once you get generally why this type of gear is better for this ws you can actually make good choices based on your needs for what buffs you normally have
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Lakshmi.Buukki
Server: Lakshmi
Game: FFXI
By Lakshmi.Buukki 2018-05-13 18:54:58
Sorry I don't use gearswap. Is this supposed to be written like this, or is it supposed to say 250?
Quote: right_ear={ name="Moonshade Earring", augments={'Attack+4','TP Bonus +25',}},
The TP heavily modifies the ws, so if this is spelled incorrectly, you're cheating yourself of the earring's bonus. If not, disregard.
Also, I don't seriously see a problem with your gear or Tens. I have pretty much what your set shows, and it's probably within that range when I'm not buffed a bunch, give or take some. What TP are you using the WS at? I feel like NIN ws are always going to be on the weaker side when not optimal buffs, when compared to something like THF or WAR or SAM. Certainly a chaos roll and geo would help out a ton. I normally try to not come NIN to anything where I know I will not be supported buff wise, since it will already fall behind a bit even when buffed.
Asura.Chiaia
VIP
Server: Asura
Game: FFXI
Posts: 1,662
By Asura.Chiaia 2018-05-13 20:05:55
right_ear={ name="Moonshade Earring", augments={'Attack+4','TP Bonus +25',}},
"+25" is correct.
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Siren.Kyte
Server: Siren
Game: FFXI
Posts: 3,338
By Siren.Kyte 2018-05-13 20:13:17
I personally think it's silly to assume capped buffs on a job like ninja, and you can get all defensive about it if you want.
The thing is though, for NIN in particular, your strategy should generally be to change WS choice rather than to change your gear to account for uncapped attack.
Asura.Saevel
Server: Asura
Game: FFXI
Posts: 10,282
By Asura.Saevel 2018-05-13 22:00:47
Carbuncle.Lunatone said: »Just trying to find max dmg for weaponskill. Everyone points to ten
If I can find the parse SS High buffs (High being Chaos/2-3mins+honor/fury/frailty/diaIII
Metsu:18-26k
Shun:13-18k
Ten: 14-27k
Kamu:99,999
Low Buffs(low being 2mins or dunna900 fury +/- Soy Ramen)
Metsu: 8-12k
Shun:8-13k
Ten:14-16k
All Tens are being done at 1800-2500TP, Metsu @1000TP Shun @ w/e tp
Ten will be the best one if youre using it w/ Aeonic at 1250-2kTP ish I guess but its all going to depend on what rema if youre using a rema. Metsu chains w/ itself and shun so always getting extra damage Vs just doing Ten after x TP wall
Shun like Lang said is baller at low attack buffs, but these are just my personal numbers, my Shuns are all over the place sometimes whereas I find Metsu to be consistant all the time.
Plus Kikoku giving 60 attack then +10% attack from AM
I just realized I didnt put Blade:Hi, but its roughly the same as Shun for me, with lower buffs it seems to be the weakest to me
Blade: To
Blade: Tekki
Blade: Chi
Got all of them to do 25~40K damage consistently, their the Jinpu's of Ninja and super broken.
By hushmunkey 2018-05-13 22:59:58
Quote: Blade: To
Blade: Tekki
Blade: Chi
Got all of them to do 25~40K damage consistently, their the Jinpu's of Ninja and super broken.
Tp bonus, wsd, mab in that order?
Phoenix.Capuchin
Server: Phoenix
Game: FFXI
Posts: 3,831
By Phoenix.Capuchin 2018-05-13 23:55:43
Carbuncle.Lunatone said: »I just realized I didnt put Blade:Hi, but its roughly the same as Shun for me, with lower buffs it seems to be the weakest to me
For Hi, Innin also becomes a really important consideration that is not relevant for the other significant WS. Hi will differ by weapon too:
Heishi: Hi is not likely going to beat Ten with Heishi regardless of buffs.
Kannagi: Hi is almost always the best WS unless you just need a different SC property.
Everything else: Hi is WAY better than it was not all that long ago thanks to gear, and I think it actually warrants a bit of a closer look with a more modern set. I was screwing around the other day with Kikoku and had Hi BEATING my Metsu/Shun/Ten.
A current high end Hi set looks something like:
ItemSet 356506
Note: Can swap body for Mummu+2 if no Ken+1 body
I've also been finding Kannagi/Hi often spreadsheeting as the best overall NIN DPS option (over the "default" Heishi/Ten assumption) for a wide range of not all that unlikely buff/target scenarios - especially if not super-buffed, as is often the case in practice for NIN.
It does somewhat rely on being able to use Innin, but that's not exactly a crazy assumption. Hi is less of a WS liability now than it has been in the semi-recent past, and all the killer crit gear we have is well suited to focusing on Kannagi AM3 crit procs to stomp everything else from a white damage perspective.
EDIT 5/14: included Ternion+1
Low delay offhands work best: Taka (ideal), Ternion Dagger +1 (almost as good as Taka unless you need a lot of acc), and Achiuchikapu are nice offhand choices.
While Taka is ideal, Ternion +1 is also really good and will come extremely close as long as the ~50 lower offhand accuracy isn't a problem. Tern+1 should outperform Achiu and come very close to Taka - Achiu prob won't beat it unless you're extremely acc deficient, at which point it's likely a Shigi would beat both anyway.
I had kinda dismissed Achiu in the past, as it seems to be somewhat limited to this scenario, but it's still one of the top choices to pair with Kannagi and I've found it beating all manner of high end Kanaria, capped Ochus, etc.
My current default Kannagi TP set (which I think is pretty much the best in most buff scenarios) looks like this:
ItemSet 358979
(I actually lack the Taka for now, so using Ternion+1 as what I've found to be the next best option - but including Taka for the people who might just glance at the set to find "best" Kannagi TP gear)
I was a bit inspired to take a harder look at this from a combination of finding Empy crit builds on other jobs fun and effective, and more accessible HQ Kendatsuba gear finally showing up on my server as we've gained players with the crafting shields.
Carbuncle.Lunatone said: »To be honest it sounds like you'd be better off just doing Blade: Shun. Again I dont really see numbers that warrant its use over metsu for me w/ kikoku unless i have every buff in the game.
Plus, without Shun having Aeonic SC properties, it tends to be the case for me that Metsu fits way better into most SC situations and results in better overall DPS when you account for the extra SC damage.
I do still regularly use Shun with Kikoku for a self-Light though (Shun -> Metsu)
Blade: To
Blade: Tekki
Blade: Chi
Got all of them to do 25~40K damage consistently, their the Jinpu's of Ninja and super broken.
There's something to this, especially if you can take advantage of Heishi TP Bonus and any magical buffs. I was doing a 3-step SC the other day with Chi and magic buffs for a MB, and it really was pretty damn impressive. And my hybrid/MAB WS set is solid (with several COR/RNG WSD+MAB pieces) but far from perfect.
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Last Update: 05/05/2020
Last Gearset Update: 5/01/2020 | By: Langly |
Year: 2021 - This style of guide seems to have outlived it's usefulness. It will not receive any further constructive updates. Please get a hold of me if you would like any information from this node. I do not know if anyone else with access is still available on this site. - Langly
The Ninja guide is a community driven resource, if there are errors or improvements please discuss them in the thread. The spreadsheet repository hosted by Logical can be found here: Ninja Spreadsheets
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Thank You's
I would like to lead off with a few important thank yous. First, to those who came before us, like Kincard, thank you. Second, those who research and test the mechanics of the world we call Vanadiel, Hotsoups and Bahadir, thank you. Third, and finally, anyone who contributes through discussion, thank you. And to everyone else I've not named, you can be sure you have contributed somehow to the culmination of this guide.
Comment on Playstyles
Before you tell me that it's your 12.95 and you're allowed to play how you want, know that I won't argue. Should you find that your playstyle is vastly different from mine you may not receive much insight from this guide. The information on abilities and gearsets contained within are that of an attentive player wishing to mix/max their capacity within FFXI.
Intention of this Guide
The prime intention of this guide is to outline the tools this job has available. To keep up to date on available gearsets. As well as to encourage this authors style of play. Should you find gaps of information missing, I hope I have done my part in giving you the tools to deduce the answers.
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Resources
For those of you new to FFXI, welcome. Let me be the first to say that Ninja is the best job in the entirety of FFXI. With that out of the way, let's get down to bringing you up to speed.
There is a wealth of online resources available to you including this one (ffxiah.com). The first I wish to point out is the Returning to Vana'diel article on BG-Wiki.
This article will cover changes you may not be familiar with to jobs, mechanics, zones, and environments. As well as give you access to diving into the current state of level 99 activities.
The next article is the Quickstart 1-119 guide on BG-Wiki.
This article covers your characters trek from level 1 to the current iLvl world of today.
Gearsets and Considerations
While there are many levels other than level 99, this guide focuses on level 99. You won't see this more than within the Equipment section. Don't worry, as I will include gearsets for those of you who may be returning or may be fresh 99's.
Each equipset shown will have 3 grades presented. I have arbitrarily chosen these 3 grades based on access to end-game events and gear.
The first grade should be accessible by anyone with minimal effort.
The second grade should be accessible by anyone with the ability to clear some Escha content and moderate RoV completion.
The third grade is designed with no limitations present. All gear is considered.
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Katanas
When it comes to deciding on which Katana you'd like to use, you are going to need to decide what style of play fits you and your group best. Each of the D.R.E.M.A. weapons have their own particular uses and will often urge you into a specific weaponskill and playstyle.
Heishi Shorinken
Befitting it's visage, it is perhaps the gold standard of Ninja damage dealing as of today. The aeonic weapons, which come from completing the entirety of Gaeas Fete content in Escha, all come with Store TP +10 and TP Bonus +500. If there's anything we've learned from the past with TP Bonus Magian weapons and weapons like the familiar Hagun, it's that TP Bonus can add a lot of damage to weaponskills whose damage multiplication rises quickly in conjuction with TP above 1000. This katana will see you mostly using Blade: Ten as it has incredible fTP scaling. Though you may find yourself straying to Blade: Shun for gaining this weapons aftermath, and other WS's in order to create the Ultimate Skillchain Radiance.
Kikoku
Our tried and true relic. It's gotten Ninjas through many years of clawing their way to being counted among the top DD's in merit parties and end game. While acquiring the base version of this is very quick, you will have many magian trials to complete and fetch quests to let it ascend to it's 119 version. Should you be able to complete the Dynamis Divergence zones and open access to augmenting this weapon, it's augment will increase it's base dmg as well as give it an additional 20% damage on top of the 119's 40% bump to Metsu. Metsu by itself is a weaponskill with great skillchain properties, a good DEX mod, and a fair fTP . When using Metsu with the 119 version, you will also gain a 10% attack bonus. In cases where your acc may be fine, you might wish to throw this weapon into your main slot to make up some of your attack deficiency.
Kannagi
The weapon any Abyssea born Ninja should be familiar with. It gave us access to one of our coolest looking weaponskills. The 119 version's aftermath has also changed from the abyssea era, moving from an Occasionally Deals Double Damage to Occasionally Deals Triple. This weapon serves a lot of damage any time you find your white damage contributing more to your overall damage ratio. Whether you are amnesia'd, holding TP for other party members weaponskills, or just have a seriously inflated crit rate and crit damage you will be very happy with this old friend. You will certainly be using Blade: Hi to enable the 3000 TP aftermath, but after that you may find you'll stray from Hi in order to accommodate other party members skillchains or even your own.
Nagi
Were you looking for Kikoku or Kannagi or Heishi Shorinken?
All jokes aside, while this may have once been an interesting weapon it certainly underperforms as a katana for damage dealing purposes. Tying it's aftermath to a weaponskill that has not aged well definitely hasn't helped this katana at all. Square-Enix has had a history of introducing changes to the Ninja repertoire that seems to see each small niche of this weapon shrink even further. If you were looking for an Enmity Katana, please look at the next one.
Fudo Masamune
Touting unparalleled accuracy, this Katana is crafted using materials found in and outside of the newest Dynamis adventure, Dynamis Divergence. This is a leathercraft synth open only to those leathercrafters who have completed their crafting Escutcheon. This is also the only 'ultimate' katanas that can be bought off of the Auction House should you have the gil. It is an Su5 piece of gear, meaning you will have to be a Job Master Ninja with your stars over your head before you can equip it. Each Divergence weapon is able to be augmented with three different paths. One that mimics an empyrean, one that somewhat mimics a mythics multi-attack, and a third path that will give you access to more enmity than you would have ever found even on the Nagi. This weapon has a lot of flexibility depending on your capacity to acquire the previously mentioned katanas. It can function as a Mainhand katana for you, or as an offhand for a large jump in overall accuracy and white damage.
Shigi
The Shigi is a very convenient and accessible offhand to anyone who has cleared a HTMB or similar tier content. Purchased by trading materials to Oboro in Port Jeuno, it too can be augmented further with more accuracy and DT-. If you're looking for a quick fix to your offhand choices, this is going to be number one on your list due to it's sheer simple availability.
Ochu
Picked up from Sinister Reign, this katana tries it's best to be our empyrean we never had. Best used as an offhand anytime you're looking for more punch on your weaponskills or nuking, this is one of the easiest offhands to acceptably use in almost any scenario. Provided you have the capped augments on the katana, it will outperform most anything else unless they too are sporting their maximum augments. It also gives you a bit of everything from accuracy, ranged accuracy, pure stats, as well as nuking oomph.
Kanaria
If you're feeling particularly lucky, or rather masochistic, you can subject yourself to Oseem and his augment system. This katana comes from Reisenjima Gaeas Fete and is further augmented by Oseem's random system using stones also found from the same zone. This katana can become incredibly powerful as an offhand for nearly any main hand. Or if you're hurting for a main hand it can serve as your mainhand as well. Easy enough to find a few falling to the ground in Reisenjima if a lot of groups are killing NM's. You'll be looking to get augments similar to: DMG18+, DEX8+, Acc/Attk 20+, and Triple Attack 3%.
Malevolence
I would be remiss to not include a few daggers in the list of weapons even though they are not katanas. You will get more mileage out of a couple capped Malevolences than any Katana for nuking Ni and San nukes. Again received from Sinister Reign, like the aforementioned Ochu, at capped augments it will have more Magic Attack Bonus and INT than you'll know what to do with. Dual wield these and nuke the world.
Ternion Dagger +1
If you're looking for a physical focused dagger, you'll find that the Ternion Dagger +1 clocks in at a fairly moderate dmg base with a blazingly fast delay. Accompanied with Triple Attack and added Agility for ranged crit rate, lower tp feed, or a stronger Blade: Hi. You will need to farm a Unity NM for this dagger, but it is one of those items you can get in a single outing depending on your playgroup.

Ambuscade Items
Ambuscade is an event that has brought a lot of accessibility to newly returning players as well as an outlet for veterens to snag some easy loot. There are two gearsets from Ambuscade you will want to look into picking up. Equally important for new players, there is access to a iLvl 119 katana from Ambuscade that will stop-gap you into better things. The penultimate reward of course are the augmentable capes.
Andartia's Mantle
You will find this cape listed in a LOT of sets down below. The ambuscade augment system will give you access to a cape that can be many things. Which do you make first? It's a difficult choice depending on your playstyle and weapon choices, but below are the ones I'd tend to get before any others. You will find some in the gearlists that are not listed here. They could be capes you never make or capes you make first, I'll leave that decision to you.
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#1 The Double Action |
• DEX+20, Accuracy/Attack +30, DA+10
• Easy choice for TP and Blade: Shun |
#2 Your First WS Cape |
• DEX+30, Accuracy/Attack +20, WSD+10
• Drives single hit WS like Blade: Metsu
• Choose STR for Blade: Ten
• Choose AGI for Blade: Hi |
#3 Cast Quicker and be Safe |
• HP+60, Fast Cast +10, Evasion/MEva +20, MEva +10, MEva +15
• Delicious fast cast and MEva for avoiding enemy magic. |
#4 Cast Harder |
• INT+20, MAttkBonus +10, MAcc/MDmg +20, MAcc+10
• A magic damage focused cape for Ni and San nukes. |

Melee TP Gearsets
As stated previously, there are three tiers to the Melee TP gearsets pertaining to availability. These gearsets focus on reducing cycle time as well as rounds-to-ws pushing you to your next WS faster. The gearsets are further broken down into haste recieved sets. You will want to leverage something like a lua script in order to equip these sets automatically based on in-game variables. Or you may wish to find your own solution through the use of EquipSets.

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Entry Level |
Intermediate |
Advanced Sets |
• 0 Magical/JA Haste Recieved (~39DW In Gear To Reach Cap) |
ItemSet 363537
• 25% Total Dual Wield
• Upgraded Relic/Artifact/Empy.
• AH-able or questable. |
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ItemSet 344568
• Andartia: DEX/Acc/Attk/DA
• Ryuo: Path A
• Adhemar: Path A |
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ItemSet 344567
• Andartia: DEX/Acc/Attk/DA
• Ryuo: Path A
• Adhemar: Path A
• Base TP Rnds: 3.01
• Base TP Time: 393.44 |
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• 15% Magical/JA Haste Recieved (~32DW In Gear To Reach Cap) |
ItemSet 363537
• 25% Total Dual Wield
• Upgraded Relic/Artifact/Empy.
• AH-able or questable. |
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ItemSet 344574
• Andartia: DEX/Acc/Attk/DA
• Ryuo: Path A
• Adhemar: Path A |
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ItemSet 344573
• Andartia: DEX/Acc/Attk/DA
• Ryuo: Path A
• Adhemar: Path A
• Base TP Rnds: 2.91
• Base TP Time: 390.31 |
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• 30% Magical/JA Haste Recieved (~21DW In Gear To Reach Cap) |
ItemSet 363537
• 25% Total Dual Wield
• Upgraded Relic/Artifact/Empy.
• AH-able or questable. |
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ItemSet 344571
• Andartia: DEX/Acc/Attk/DA
• Ryuo: Path A
• Adhemar: Path A
• Herculean: DEX/Acc/Attk/TA |
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ItemSet 344572
• Andartia: DEX/Acc/Attk/DA
• Ryuo: Path A
• Adhemar: Path A
• Base TP Rnds: 2.64
• Base TP Time: 359.97 |
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• 35 Magical/JA Haste Recieved (~12DW In Gear To Reach Cap) |
ItemSet 363538
• Mostly Ambuscade Voucher Gear
• Upgraded Relic. |
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ItemSet 344570
• Andartia: DEX/Acc/Attk/DA
• Adhemar: Path A
• Herculean: DEX/Acc/Attk/TA |
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ItemSet 344569
• Andartia: DEX/Acc/Attk/DA
• Adhemar: Path A
• Herc: DEX/Acc/Attk/TA Max
• Base TP Rnds: 2.6
• Base TP Time: 356.05 |
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• Capped Magical/JA Haste Recieved (~1DW In Gear To Reach Cap) |
ItemSet 363539
• Mostly Ambuscade Voucher Gear |
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ItemSet 344566
• Andartia: DEX/Acc/Attk/DA
• Adhemar: Path A
• Herculean: DEX/Acc/Attk/TA |
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ItemSet 344565
• Andartia: DEX/Acc/Attk/STP
• Adhemar: Path B
• Herc: DEX/Acc/Attk/TA Max
• Base TP Rnds: 2.5
• Base TP Time: 350.4 |
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Physical WS Gearsets
Along with the gearset the specifics for the weaponskill will be given. Use the information to decide if your gearset works for you and your targets. Remember these sets focus mostly on the mod of the weaponskill while taking in little consideration to accuracy or attack needs. I encourage you to discuss your own changes and swaps depending on your attack to defense ratio. Please don't forget to include the ratio (or other environment variables) when bringing a discussion forward about alternates.
Blade: Ten |
ItemSet 344074 |
Stat Mod: STR30/DEX30
TP Mod: 1000 - 4.5fTP, 2000 - 11.5fTP, 3000 - 15.5fTP
Skillchain: Gravitation
Herculean Gear: STR10+, Acc/Attk, WSD4~5%
Andartia: STR30, Acc/Attk, WSD10%
Moonshade: TPBonus +250
Alternates: Ishvara Earring
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Blade: Hi |
ItemSet 344601 |
Stat Mod: AGI80
TP Mod: 1000 - 15%Crit, 2000 - 20%Crit, 3000 - 25%Crit
Skillchain: Darkness / Gravitation
Andartia: AGI30, Acc/Attk, WSD10%
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Blade: Metsu |
ItemSet 344599 |
Stat Mod: DEX80
TP Mod: 1000 - SB+, 2000 - SB+, 3000 - SB+
Skillchain: Darkness / Gravitation
Herculean Gear: DEX10+, Acc/Attk, WSD4~5%
Andartia: DEX30, Acc/Attk, WSD10%
Alternates: Ishvara Earring Brutal Earring
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Magical WS Gearsets
Purely magical weaponskills rely heavily on your magic attack bonus. If you find yourself 'cleaving' with a dagger and using Aeolian Edge, or using a katana ws like Blade: Ei or Blade: Yu, focus first on your MAB, then the other supporting stats.
Magical WS |
ItemSet 344236 |
Sets tend to focus on MAB + Stat Mod
Aeolian Edge: 40DEX/40INT
Blade: Yu: 40DEX/40INT
Andartia: DEX30, MAcc/MDmg, WSD10%
Save space and use your Nuking Cape!
Andartia: INT, MAcc/MDmg, MAB10
Herculean: INT/DEX, MAB+Macc, WSDMG%
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Hybrid WS Gearsets
Hybrid weaponskills are a somewhat funky animal. They have two parts to their calculations, the first being a physical damage component. The second being an 'added effect' whose damage is calculated based on a function of the damage done in the physical part. One thing to note is that weaponskill damage is applied in both steps so it's doubly important for us. You may surprise yourself that in the right scenario your hybrid weaponskill might just outperform your other more favorite weaponskill!
Hybrid WS |
ItemSet 363513 |
Sets tend to focus on WSD/MAB/Attack/Stat
Blade: Chi: 30STR/30INT (Two-Hit)
Blade: To: 40STR/40INT (One-Hit)
Andartia: STR30, MAcc/MDmg, WSD10%
Herculean: STR/INT, MAB+Macc, WSDMG%
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Utility Gearsets
Utility gearsets are things you will probably look to build after you've fleshed out your melee TP and chosen weaponskill set. These sets are defensive in nature and can prove to be useful in stemming your premature death in difficult content.
Hybrid DT/TP Gain |
ItemSet 344016 |
The Andartia's mantle is augmented with DT/PDT/or MDT.
The goal is to substitute a small amount of gear to decrease our damage taken enough to not be a liability to the mages.
In total the suggested changes shown can net you near 47% DT- without sacrificing ~too much~.
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DT Options |
ItemSet 344598 |
I've excluded any Herculean Gear, but do know that they can net DT-4~5%.
Keep in mind that Physical or Magical damage taken for players caps at 50%.
A Shadow Mantle, while not having pdt specifically, will nullify physical damage 6% of the time outside of the -50% Damage Taken cap.
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Magic Evasion |
ItemSet 347612 |
A lot of the most debilitating actions taken against your player can and will be magic based.
Switching to a magic evasion set before being hit with a crippling move or spell is a smart way to give yourself the upper hand.
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Enmity Options |
ItemSet 344185 |
Should you feel the need to push Ninja's tanking role you will want to find as much Enmity gear as possible.
The options shown at the right are the largest enmity pieces for the time being ignoring Dark Matter Augments.
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Casting Gearsets
Casting equipment can get pretty intense. There are a lot of pieces dedicated to casting faster and lowering your interrupts. Do note that you will get 20% casting time reduction from completion of a job point category. This is additive to the fast cast you may already have(need confirmation). Shown below are the precasts and midcasts for the three main types of casting you may end up doing on Ninja.
Precast (Fast Cast) |
ItemSet 344605 |
Herculean gear can be augmented with 6% Fast Cast using a Fern Stone.
The Taeon Tabard can net 5% Fast Cast on an augment, bringing the body's total to 9%.
Depending on the type of spell you're casting, you may find pieces like Magoraga Beads or Mochizuki Chainmail can aid you in lowering the casting time of Utsusemi.
It is also smart to precast your Utsusemi with Iga Kyahan +2 or it's iLvl equivilant. If you have any amount of quickcast, you will want to be sure that you gain your extra shadow!
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Midcast with Magic Accuracy |
ItemSet 344604 |
This set focuses on magic accuracy to land our ninjutsu debuffs.
The stikini rings +1 may be a bit pricey for your taste, but there are other available magic accuracy pieces available. A good example is the Weatherspoon Ring, a questable item.
The Andartia Mantle is augmented with as much magic accuracy as you can cram on it!
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Midcast with Magic Attack Bonus |
ItemSet 344602 |
When landing Ni or San nukes you will want to push your Magic Attack Bonus while not ignoring your magic accuracy so much as to get resists.
The Herculean Gear shown is expected to have INT/MAB/Macc/Magic Burst Damage.
You may find you need to equip two Ambuscade weapons to gain the large punch you're needing for hitting Omen objectives.
If you are bursting your ninjutsu, there are a few pieces that may aid your damage as shown below.
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Midcast with Magic Attack Bonus Conditional |
ItemSet 344603 |
Two Ambuscade weapons can carry your damage quite a ways.
A Donar Gun will give you Lightning Elemental specific MAB which will multiply your dmg by a separate term!
When bursting, you can use the Samnuha Coat, Locus Ring, Mujin Band, and Hachiya Kyahan +3 to increase your burst dmg.
And don't forget to include your Hattori Tekko when using Futae to multiply your magic damage even further.
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Lua/Windower Resources
-To be written.-
Discussion
The more we discuss the more we learn. We should all hope to find the absolute truth in regards to the games idiosyncrasies. I welcome anyone to join in the discussion and bring your ideas and playstyles forward. Please do so without judgement of other players and their playstyles. Keep arguments factual, attack ideas, not people.
DPS Spreadsheet
The DPS spreadsheet is now a community project and maintained by Quetzalcoatl.Langly many of us, credit originally goes to Motenten. Put simply, it does a lot of the already understood math for you instead of you needing to figure out every last bit of minutae. Is it 100% accurate in modeling in game damage output? No, it isn't perfect, but there is a lot of good information to be gleaned from the spreadsheet. Fields like cycle time, base tp rounds, avg weaponskill damage, and average cRatio's can get you a long way in understanding your damage ouput in a vacuum. If there are any issues with the spreadsheets or you have found errors, please make a post and discuss what you believe to be an error. I will move to fix the error as fast as possible.
You've made it this far, you truly do love Ninja!
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