samurai versatility

as many of you know, i've been leveling SAM for a bit now and i've come to regard it as my favorite job in the game thus far, even going so far as to push BLU on the backburner for a bit until i get SAM to 75.

a lot of people think SAMs are just straight up DD ... go in, kick some ass, get xp. while this is true in most respects, the SAM is actually a pretty versatile job ranging from puller to DD to tank.

SAM as a puller
if there is a THF, RNG or COR in a party, i would prefer them to pull that way i can preserve any HP i may lose bringing the mob back to camp. however, one can't always be that lucky and oftentimes i am told--or asked--to pull, so i always make sure i carry a bow and several stacks of arrows (i get the cheap wooden ones from sandy).

when pulling, it's always a good idea to throw up seigan and thirdeye. if you are unfamiliar with either of these job abilities, i will explain in the next section (SAM as a tank). hopefully once you've pulled the mob into the camp, the tank or backup voke with provoke it off you so you can throw up hasso and begin thrashing the beast.

SAM as a tank
two of the SAMs greatest job abilities are seigan and third eye. if you are unfamiliar with either of these, i will explain:

• third eye ~ basically a single shadow to avoid the next attack from a mob.
  
• seigan ~ enhances the effect of third eye and also counters attacks at times.

while 'third eye' doesn't sound that good, i assure you that when coupled with seigan, it has many times outlasted a NINs shadows. without seigan, third eye will usually drop after one hit. however, with seigan, i've tanked colibri for minutes without it dropping, even deflecting 'pecking flurry' a couple times. it's very effective at times, but i think it's also pretty random in that sometimes with seigan up, third eye won't last too long. it also helps to have evasion capped or close to it.

i've found that a macro setup initializing seigan first and then third eye is the way to go. previously, when i was still learning the job, i would have third eye up first then seigan and many, many times the mob would drop my thirdeye before seigan could activate, thus rendering it all but useless.

• my macro syntax:
  /ja " Seigan " <me>
  /wait 1
  /ja " Third Eye " <me>

while fighting as a SAM, you will generate pretty decent amounts of hate and this macro will save your life at times.

as a tank, it's a good idea to sub WAR so you can provoke the mob away from mages or other players who may be taking damage. subbing WAR will also give you access to the job ability 'defender' once you reach a high enough level, which will reduce your attack power, but will boost your defense if you need it.

SAM as a DD
what is there to say? SAM packs quite a punch and depending on gear and abilities used, is able to put out some serious and impressive damage. SAMs greatest gift is their amazing TP gain and even the worst SAMs should be able to get off 2-3 WSs each battle, depending on the length of the battle, of course. the 'store TP' job trait is gained fairly early in levels and increases several times in the SAMs climb toward 75. certain pieces of equipment can also enhance this job trait as well as food (generally sushi).

there are several subjobs that work well with SAM and while i've only tried a couple, i will list the ones i know about:

• /WAR ~ hasso + berserk = damage. plain and simple. berserk will boost your attack power while hasso adds a bit more, plus enhances your accuracy. as stated before, TP is a SAMs greatest weapon and good accuracy = good TP gain.
  
• /THF ~ i've yet to use this job in a party setting, however i can imagine that SATA + non-elemental WS would wreak havok on a mob as well as being very useful for hate management onto the tank as SAM generates quite a bit. i believe, if i am not mistaken, that THF get an accuracy bonus as well, which would help with TP gain.
  
• /RNG ~ my RNG is level 10, so i've not used this yet. i've heard that this combination will put out impressive number, though as of yet, i'm not entirely sure how. if anyone reading this has any information regarding the combination of SAM/RNG and the pros and cons of this combo, please post a reply.

another job combination i've been seeing a lot lately is: SAM/DNC, though i'm not sure if this is more advantageous as a solo job or if this has practical uses in a party setting.

if anyone also has other subjobs that are good for SAM, please post a reply. this post is just personal opinion/experience on my part.

After watching Gunner play sam with the various subs. I see great uses in all of them.

/RNG is great for keeping the Damage output high. A samurai hits hard with their bow to begin with. Add RNG to it and they get nasty.. just be ready for the attention you will get. This combo puts out massive hate.

/THF is great for the TH. Yeah yeah SATA is great but can get screwed up VERY easily. Gunner used THF for most of his Lvls on SAM. It definately improves SAM's spike damage. i.e. Weaponskill

/WAR is a good sub to use. Double attack is nice once you reach higher lvls. Gunner has been main tank with war sub many times. Sam stands up well to hits.. atleast as an Elvaan he does. He hasn't used /WAR as often in exp as other subs but it is much more useful for us during duo.

It's a good idea to have all subs available for use to make you a more versatile player. Depending on your PT set up you can change to suit.
Next time Gunner lvls SAM.. he says he plans to use /RNG if he has the choice.
Personally I think he likes having the option of so many WS. If you lvl SAM I'd make the suggestion to lvl your Polearm as well. There are times (fighting crabs and other slashing resistant mobs) that having the ability to change weapons will save your damage.
Gunner ALWAYS brings arrows as SAM. There is a long wait between swings with a GK. Between hits you can gain alot more tp by tossing out an arrow.. enabling you to WS even more often.

thank you for the added information, luna. i know that most jobs are versatile with subjobs, but there are many job combinations that i've not used so i am therefore unfamiliar with them.

i should level RNG, this i know, but i don't have the fundage for it right now. lol. one day.