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The Sealed Dagger: A Ninja Guide
By SimonSes 2019-12-16 13:49:41
Offhand TP bonus shouldn't work also :[
Why? Tp bonus offhand require a lot of sacrifices (white dps, accuracy etc.) to work. Nothing wrong about it.
Lakshmi.Buukki
Server: Lakshmi
Game: FFXI
By Lakshmi.Buukki 2019-12-16 14:03:25
offhand envy xD
The fix is to just buff NIN, but they don't wanna do that cuz then you have a really strong DD that can rarely be hit (but then again RUN exists so idk)
Ramuh.Austar
Server: Ramuh
Game: FFXI
Posts: 10,481
By Ramuh.Austar 2019-12-16 14:21:02
Offhand TP bonus shouldn't work also :[
Why? Tp bonus offhand require a lot of sacrifices (white dps, accuracy etc.) to work. Nothing wrong about it. so idiots stop using it because it's "bis" when nobody these days understands what situational means.
Quetzalcoatl.Langly
Server: Quetzalcoatl
Game: FFXI
Posts: 691
By Quetzalcoatl.Langly 2019-12-16 14:34:32
Capuchin, Langly, WRU?!
Come subdue my doubts!
I don't know what you want me to say. :(
By SimonSes 2019-12-16 14:51:31
so idiots stop using it because it's "bis" when nobody these days understands what situational means.
I understand where are you coming from, but thats still not a solution. Gtfo from my Thibron and Cento (I know its a nin thread, but that change would be general, not a katana specific :P)
By fonewear 2019-12-16 16:50:42
Is Ninja great yet ?
It is kinda sad though I really like ninja but have almost zero reason to play it.
Server: Asura
Game: FFXI
Posts: 3,185
By Asura.Geriond 2019-12-16 16:54:57
Offhand TP bonus shouldn't work also :[
Why? Tp bonus offhand require a lot of sacrifices (white dps, accuracy etc.) to work. Nothing wrong about it. I assume he meant the TP bonus gun, since the topic was on Savage Blade COR.
Getting a free 1000 TP Bonus for almost no sacrifice when ranged attacks aren't needed/useful is pretty crazy, and part of why COR can melee far above its job design.
[+]
By fonewear 2019-12-16 16:57:51
nin kinda sucks right now. I was upset after I got the aeonic and did stuff with it. I mean i like the job tho. I'm not sure what i'm trying to say.
Agreed but it is fun to throw shurkiens at things !
[+]
Lakshmi.Buukki
Server: Lakshmi
Game: FFXI
By Lakshmi.Buukki 2019-12-16 17:38:33
If they made ninja like Ginjirou from Guardian Heroes it would be amazing... dude’s ninjutsu and move set was elite
Matter of fact, I just got nostalgic. Who can I pay to make me ninja AF recolored like the above, or how can I do it myself? I’m feeling like being a nerd for a few hours
Phoenix.Capuchin
Server: Phoenix
Game: FFXI
Posts: 3,824
By Phoenix.Capuchin 2019-12-16 17:52:36
Just to be clear...
For NIN, TP bonus offhand katana (Hitaki) isn't really worth making IMHO. Even in situations with capped accuracy and using a WS that benefits from TP Bonus (Blade: Ten), it's no better than a slightly worse option to the standard ilevel options like Kanaria, Gokotai, Fudo Masamune, Tauret, etc. It's not BAD and can reach sidegrade-ish territory in those situations that most favor it, but it also isn't the best.
And that's just for Blade: Ten with minimal acc concerns. TP Bonus offhand falls WAY behind with any other WS, or on targets where acc matters.
Given that it's never significantly better, and often significantly worse... don't bother.
FYI, while I've messed around with it for fun, it's also not really that much of a viable alternative to do Naegling mainhand (using Savage Blade) and TP bonus offhand, like a COR or BLU or something could do. NIN already has its katana WS with slightly better TP mods than Savage:
SB: 4.0/10.25/13.75
Ten: 4.5/11.5/15.5
Savage does has somewhat more potent stat mods in 50%STR/50%MND (eww MND, but still) versus Ten's 30%STR/30%DEX, plus Naegling's innate 15% boost to all hits of Savage. And that CAN situationally be slightly better DPS than Katana with Ten spam if comparing to a non-Aeonic katana... but the downsides are:
1) If you're spamming a TP Bonus-centric WS on NIN, ideally you're using a Heishi mainhand in the first place... which gets another 500 TP Bonus for Ten, crushing the perks of Naegling and SB.
2) Sword loses 51 skill versus Katana, which is a potential acc issue for Naegling versus even non-Aeonic katanas.
Quetzalcoatl.Langly said: »Capuchin, Langly, WRU?!
Come subdue my doubts!
I don't know what you want me to say. :(
I mean, yeah, me either! NIN is obviously not in as good a position damage-wise as other melees at this point. What it really adds is that (dreaded) defensive "utility" of having tons of shadows and Migawari for great evasion of OHKOs, top of the line offensive gear having a lot of Meva (Kendatsuba +1, which I often 5/5), and the ability to switch to a legitimate tank stance on the fly with Yonin (assuming fighting something that doesn't AoE wipe all shadows frequently).
It's not THAT bad offensively though. We have a couple good NINs who come to Dyna and are pretty competitive on the parse. They shouldn't beat a similarly buffed SAM DRG DRK whatever... but a good NIN shouldn't be embarrassing from a DD perspetive. Now, if SE revisits katana WS and give them a bit of a buff a la H2H (and, to a lesser extent, Scythe), or access to DRG's WS Damage Boost trait or something similar... honestly, NIN would be back in business from a DPS perspective.
Along with MNK and THF, NIN also does very good white damage relative to some jobs that are much more heavily skewed toward WS on the WS/TP split. That's one of the reasons I tend to use Kannagi a lot as a most practical choice for a lot of situations where I'm NIN. If I wanted an all out WS>TP split like the common current DPS meta, I'd be better off on another job altogether - not on NIN trying to be a -1 version of other DDs by using Blade: Ten or Shun. And I sometimes run into real world situations where, while it isn't OPTIMAL DPS, playing toward the white damage strength can help when I'm doing something like dual-boxing and giving frequent attention to the other character (so, not necessarily hitting all my NIN WS right at the optimal time). That's in addition to stuff where there's some reason to hold TP (Amnesia, holding WS to allow others to SC, etc.). Of course, same approach also works with Empy MNK THF DNC, so this isn't necessarily a NIN-only application (I just kinda like NIN more than those jobs).
Otherwise, I NIN:
- for the defensive benefits, situationally
- for the ease of self light/dark SC (especially with Kikoku)
- cuz it's cool, man (this is the REAL ANSWER)
One day NIN will rise again for more mainstream use, and I'll be ready.
Asura.Sechs
Server: Asura
Game: FFXI
Posts: 10,584
By Asura.Sechs 2019-12-16 23:53:25
Nouuu! I was talking about this post.
Basically Gokotai vs Aug Shigi for situations where you want lots of acc.
At first I was all for Gokotai, but with a closer look I think I like Shigi more.
I dunno, I want more opinions!
Go Langly/Capu, go! XD
Phoenix.Capuchin
Server: Phoenix
Game: FFXI
Posts: 3,824
By Phoenix.Capuchin 2019-12-17 05:28:34
I'm gonna be contrarian and say neither, Fudo Masamune is my heavy acc offhand of choice ;)
But I'm also needing to go to sleep now, so I'll probably come back later and expand on that.
Quetzalcoatl.Langly
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By Quetzalcoatl.Langly 2019-12-17 17:10:53
Your options probably won't come down to what offhand you should be using, since you'll usually outdamage your Gokotai by using a Tauret.
Can you alter your food/buffs/gear to get the requisite acc?
At this point, your question may be closer to a game of inches, in a race governed by miles.
:)
[+]
By Gasho 2019-12-17 21:31:17
hello
what is the best Katana now?
i see a lot of players getting relic is it the best now?
i have aeonic katana, what can be a good off hand for it?
+ i have empy items ready, was going to make almace,
how is Kannagi doing now,
~~
can anyone share nin ws sets please
thx xD
Phoenix.Capuchin
Server: Phoenix
Game: FFXI
Posts: 3,824
By Phoenix.Capuchin 2019-12-18 03:09:31
Quetzalcoatl.Langly said: »Your options probably won't come down to what offhand you should be using, since you'll usually outdamage your Gokotai by using a Tauret.
Can you alter your food/buffs/gear to get the requisite acc
I pretty much agree with this as the most practical answer. If you're struggling that badly with accuracy (especially considering NIN's generally pretty high acc gear), good performance is probably more a matter of fixing buffs than swapping offhands.
Honestly, I use Tauret offhand the vast majority of the time across all situations ( and somewhat of an aside, I see no real point in Gokotai for anyone with RMEA katanas, other than completionism - especially since not only is Tauret a little better and similar use cases, but Tauret is also useful for lots of other jobs while Gokotai is NIN only).
If I did need mega super acc, I'd go Fudo Masamune offhand - especially since if you need that much acc, it's a pretty safe bet you're also not capping atk (and thus will get a lot of benefit from the up to Atk+105 on Fudo/7 shadows). So Fudo prob wins that scenario. But more often than not, I'll just use Fudo as a situational tanking mainhand when the need arises. It's still pretty good as an offhand though, so at the very least it's not a real liability in Dynamis[D] if you're working on upgrading one.
Phoenix.Capuchin
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By Phoenix.Capuchin 2019-12-23 03:07:24
Shower thoughts: what about this for a NIN job adjustment in 2020...
Assumptions:
- SE is reluctant to just let NIN be totally on par with other DPS jobs from a pure physical/melee damage standpoint while also retaining the additional benefits of Utsusemi/Migawari (and to a lesser extent, elemental ninjutsu... LOL). They got burned by unexpected NIN tanking in the past, and ever since then they have never fully trusted buffing NIN's offense in fear of inadvertently making it too "game breaking".
- They also aren't gonna do major system mechanics changes, so we're more or less tweaking and re-purposing existing game logic, changing numbers/modifiers in existing calculations (like the recent buffs to H2H and Scythe WS), granting new or higher levels of job traits, etc.
- They seem to want to do SOMETHING with ninjutsu to give NIN a niche, despite utterly failing to do so with their halfhearted recent attempts via merit changes (and the related disappointment of the augments via reforged relic armor).
- They aren't against further updates to jobs that they've already touched. This is pretty apparent from BST getting a new adjustment in January after one a couple months ago, recent DRG adjustments, multiple PUP adjustments since Jan 2019, etc.
NIN Changes:
Make Innin, Yonin, and Futae into THREE mutually exclusive and un-dispellable stances (timers such that you can keep any of them up fulltime, same 3min recast as now seems fine). Remove the dumb positional requirements and decay over time from Innin/Yonin and just give them flat values for:
Innin
Enm-, Acc+/Eva-, Crit rate+ and crit dmg+ [new], WS Damage Boost [new] (like the recently added DRG job trait). Basically, the melee DPS stance. Beefs up current melee ability a bit by adding crit dmg+ and WS Damage Boost to the mix, but otherwise more or less used for the same purposes. Balanced to close the gap on offense between NIN and top melee DDs, but not with a goal of giving NIN total parity with purely DD-focused (your SAM WAR DRK DRG MNK etc.)
Yonin
Enm+, Eva+/Acc-, Magic Evasion/MDB+ [new], maybe some DT or PDT- II [new]. Again, same idea that it gives the same types of buffs currently granted by Yonin, but beefed up a bit with some defensive perks like Meva/MDB/xDT-. Enmity is actually pretty good already (and Yonin should retain its current additional enmity generation from casting Utsesemi), but if you wanna adjust that to give NIN even more enm+, fine! Obviously the tank stance.
Futae
(a) Increases MAB, Magic Burst Bonus (or MBB II), and Ninja Tool Expertise. Gives a WS Damage Penalty (idea being to penalize traditional physical melee DPS and make the NIN forego that in favor of significant buffs to a magic-oriented damage);
(b) Adds a Cascade-like effect to all elemental Ninjutsu (every elemental Ninjutsu cast consumes all current TP in exchange for a magic damage boost); not necessarily the same multipliers as as BLM's Cascade, but same basic mechanics; and
(c) elemental ninjutsu ignores the "nuke wall", if not entirely, at least something like Rayke's reduction to the consecutive same-element nuke penalty
Impact:
- Innin and Yonin close the gap a bit with more dedicated DD/tank jobs, but don't eclipse them (fair, since NIN has additional benefits).
- Futae adds a new niche for a melee-oriented magical DD; this would have some synergy with parties composed of stuff like COR, RNG, backline nuking jobs and their related nuke-oriented buffs/debuffs (e.g., Acumen/Malaise, Wizard's Roll, etc.). Buffs should allow for strong sustained magical damage on par with other top end magical-oriented DPS jobs.
- Buffs the magical aspect of NIN that SE seems to really want to do something with, but they are struggling with what exactly that should be. Pushes the NIN to keep meleeing, but instead of fighting the unwinnable arms race with WS damage as compared to other physical DDs, gives NIN some room to differentiate as a master of turning your TP into magical damage.
- It even gives Nagi a niche! Mythic aftermath would be tremendously useful for TP generation to convert that TP into powered-up nukes (even though the weapon is connected to a relatively poor WS for physical damage), plus Macc+40 on the weapon is helpful. Since Nagi has been left in the dust by the other RMEA for melee DPS, and has lost its spot as the best tanking mainhand to Fudo Masamune, this gives it a purpose other than as a Mijin Gakure macro piece.
Potential issues:
- TP Bonus shouldn't apply to the Cascade-like effect of Futae. Could be too much of a balance issue (especially with Heishi and TP Bonus magian weapons existing).
- Some people might not feel that Futae NIN would be worth bringing over a COR, since COR has similar ability to convert TP to magical damage through Leaden (and Wildfire) but ALSO has powerful buffs. However, may still be workable since (1) NIN has more flexibility in element, (2) NIN gets better defensive tools in Utsu/Miga, and (3) there are only so many great buffs for a magic damage-oriented party (counter-point, can still use at least 2 CORs for Wizard's/Warlock's and Samurai/Tactician's... other stuff like Fighter's/Hunter's has some use, but there are diminishing returns to cramming a bajillion CORs in one party)
Am I crazy, or does that sound like a somewhat reasonable proposal to give NIN a boost without being totally out of whack in terms of job balance?
Asura.Sechs
Server: Asura
Game: FFXI
Posts: 10,584
By Asura.Sechs 2019-12-23 03:31:22
You forgot swapping Feet and Head relic augments! But sure, I'll second your request <3
Don't see changes of that magnitude ever coming into reality alas, but it's nice to dream.
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By Butcherb0y 2019-12-23 04:00:36
Been thinking bout this. What if they make Futae synergy with either yonin or innin. Example with just futae outside of yonin or innin, it's your traditional futae, but let's say futae while under innin, you dispense more tools for more dmg like for example.
[+]
Phoenix.Capuchin
Server: Phoenix
Game: FFXI
Posts: 3,824
By Phoenix.Capuchin 2019-12-23 04:19:18
Yeah, I'd love them to do SOMETHING better with Futae. Got to thinking about it tonight doing Dyna... Futae nukes are kinda nice sometimes, but man, that 3min timer ( and it hurts my soul when I'm about to MB my once-every-3min good nuke and someone slips in there and breaks the SC)...
Either need to make the timer shorter, or do something like my stance idea, or make each Futae more meaningful than just turning a "not worth the time to cast" non-Futae nuke into merely "respectable". That's just not good enough. Especially considering the seeming desire from the devs to tweak elemental ninjutsu, this seems so obvious...
You forgot swapping Feet and Head relic augments!
Yes, that too!
And I realize this is kind of pie in the sky dreaming, but hey - I don't think it's totally unrealistic. Perhaps I was inspired by the really clever PLD changes this past update, I really dig what they did with Majesty from a design perspective. Pretty inspired stuff!
Maybe I'll revisit the official forum to post something in the next few days... The recent screenshot contest (Byakko hat!) reminded me I do still have a login...
Asura.Sechs
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Game: FFXI
Posts: 10,584
By Asura.Sechs 2019-12-23 04:41:02
In all honesty it's more plausible they gonna swap the augs on feet/head (we have something like that happening for RDM a few months ago after all) than all the sexy stuff we're dreaming about in this thread :-P
But w/e, I'll take anything they'll throw at us. Supposing they even intend to throw SOMETHING at us and don't consider the NIN Job adjustments "done" with the merits thing they did a couple of months ago...
By Butcherb0y 2019-12-26 15:14:33
Do you all use this for hybrid WS and ninjutsu spells?
Orpheus's Sash
Asura.Cicion
Server: Asura
Game: FFXI
Posts: 211
By Asura.Cicion 2019-12-26 17:00:09
In a perfect world for me they would swap the yonin aug with the mab aug on feet. I kinda like the 5% Weaponskill bonus for blade: Chi with innin 5/5 when i ever use it with relic head. While the mab aug is pretty big 25% Ninjutsu dmg. How many people would merit it? I mean i used it for sure when I Job pointed in MB pts on nin a year ago with Ice nukes before the merit update to nin. It was great popin 99k Futea ice nukes occ with good setups. Hell if they combined ninjistu mab and macc into one merit that would of been something of a stronger option.
Ya i use Orpheus for Hybrids WS and Ninjutsu nukes.
While i do loathe this Naegling savage spam seems to be the best WS for most things i ever get to bring nin for. Esp if you make tp bonus offhand katana and can make it work. Doing dyna bastok recently wave one as nin/war bergressor when its up eating red curry bun good att buffs from 4song bard and cor, geo frail on mobs wave one. Blade ten doing 23-28k (Not useing tp bonus offhand as i find its a waste with sam roll and i always get over 1250 tp a round before i WS usually)with r15 aeonic. Swap to naegling savage with tp bonus offhand i'm hittin 38-42k.
Leviathan.Draugo
Server: Leviathan
Game: FFXI
Posts: 2,868
By Leviathan.Draugo 2020-01-10 15:53:37
Mochizuki Kyahan augments in game say:
Enh. Ninj. Mag. Acc/Cast Time Red.
Which implies that they are a fast cast type of feet for ninjutsu,
whereas BGwiki says:
Augmented with Adds "Increases Ninjutsu Magic Accuracy and Magic Attack Bonus"
Increases Ninjutsu Magic Accuracy by +3 per merit for a maximum of +15.
Increases Ninjutsu Magic Attack Bonus by +5% Ninjutsu damage per merit level, for a maximum of +25%. This is a separate multiplier than Magic Attack Bonus.
Anyone care to clarify?
Asura.Chiaia
VIP
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Posts: 1,662
By Asura.Chiaia 2020-01-10 16:58:46
Mochizuki Kyahan augments in game say:
Enh. Ninj. Mag. Acc/Cast Time Red.
Which implies that they are a fast cast type of feet for ninjutsu,
whereas BGwiki says:
Augmented with Adds "Increases Ninjutsu Magic Accuracy and Magic Attack Bonus"
Increases Ninjutsu Magic Accuracy by +3 per merit for a maximum of +15.
Increases Ninjutsu Magic Attack Bonus by +5% Ninjutsu damage per merit level, for a maximum of +25%. This is a separate multiplier than Magic Attack Bonus.
Anyone care to clarify? Yea, for the last 6 months SE has never corrected their translation error. What the wiki has is correct.
[923] = {id=923,en="Enh. Ninj. Mag. Acc/Cast Time Red.",ja="忍術の魔命アップ\n忍術の魔攻アップ"},
忍術の魔命アップ <--Nin Macc
忍術の魔攻アップ <--Nin MAB
You only get the bonus if you have merits into those categories.
Leviathan.Draugo
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Game: FFXI
Posts: 2,868
By Leviathan.Draugo 2020-01-10 23:33:43
thanks
Leviathan.Katriina
Server: Leviathan
Game: FFXI
Posts: 860
By Leviathan.Katriina 2020-01-11 01:52:38
I see no real point in Gokotai for anyone with RMEA katanas, other than completionism - especially since not only is Tauret a little better and similar use cases, but Tauret is also useful for lots of other jobs while Gokotai is NIN only
While you do have a point in regards of Tauret being more useful to other jobs, but I have to state that "Blade: Ku" shouldn't be taken lightly and building Gokotai might be a good idea after all.
At 1k TP in capped "zerg" situations you can get up to 50-55k DMG on AVG provided you have a good set and the spikes of 70k spamming Blade: Ku subbing DRG.
I usually Gokotai/Tauret in Zerg situations and Kikoku/Tauret or Heshi/Tauret in multi-step situations, even in solo situations I started to appreciate Gokotai more than the rest due to its fast TP from regain.
Lets see what SE has in store for NIN..
[+]
Bismarck.Ringoko
Server: Bismarck
Game: FFXI
By Bismarck.Ringoko 2020-01-11 02:24:22
Leviathan.Katriina said: »I see no real point in Gokotai for anyone with RMEA katanas, other than completionism - especially since not only is Tauret a little better and similar use cases, but Tauret is also useful for lots of other jobs while Gokotai is NIN only
While you do have a point in regards of Tauret being more useful to other jobs, but I have to state that "Blade: Ku" shouldn't be taken lightly and building Gokotai might be a good idea after all.
At 1k TP in capped "zerg" situations you can get up to 50-55k DMG on AVG provided you have a good set and the spikes of 70k spamming Blade: Ku subbing DRG.
I usually Gokotai/Tauret in Zerg situations and Kikoku/Tauret or Heshi/Tauret in multi-step situations, even in solo situations I started to appreciate Gokotai more than the rest due to its fast TP from regain.
Lets see what SE has in store for NIN..
Would you mind posting your Ku set?
Leviathan.Katriina
Server: Leviathan
Game: FFXI
Posts: 860
By Leviathan.Katriina 2020-01-11 04:05:53
I use this one at the moment, you can play around based on availability:
ItemSet 370670
Ammo:Seething Bomblet+1, Focal Orb or NQ (Aurgelmir Orbinstead)instead of HQ
Body: Adhemar Body Replaced by Ken +1
Legs: Legs replaced by Ken+1 or Malignance
Earrings: can use Lugra Earring +1 from dusk to dawn but eh..
Neck: Nodowa +1 or Fotia works too
Cape with STR+30 DA +10
All Adhemar are Path B.
[+]
Leviathan.Zelllo
Server: Leviathan
Game: FFXI
Posts: 64
By Leviathan.Zelllo 2020-01-14 11:47:50
I'm going to have to toss my hat in the ring in support behind gokotai as well. It's a great option for mag acc/MAB. Although I was not able to see the same kinds of numbers Kat posted (most likely due to not knowing which target those numbers were coming from), Ku is formidable with gokotai.
Here's a video with what I'm seeing with gokotai as well as some other things that are interesting:
Lakshmi.Buukki
Server: Lakshmi
Game: FFXI
By Lakshmi.Buukki 2020-01-14 12:02:32
Leviathan.Katriina said: »At 1k TP in capped "zerg" situations you can get up to 50-55k DMG on AVG provided you have a good set and the spikes of 70k spamming Blade: Ku subbing DRG.
I have NEVER been able to see anything close to these kinds of numbers with buffs using Gokotai/Ku, and my Ku set is 100% identical to the one posted (minus HQ orb). Can you provide some context? Buffs, Target, or just a video etc? Ku almost always hit less than Ten for me (which is between 28k-34k), so unless you're rolling with some major fighter's rolls or whatever, idk what could make your damage be almost double. Please share :3
The numbers in the video above is the average I would see with trust buffs. 50k range is higher than Savage Blade damage...
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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