Got a Trick Attack Question!

My overall damage on NIN seem to have increased recently, but that's because I started applying Trick Attack early (for my own personal gain).

However, I'm getting different opinions on when/where to apply Trick Attack. The thing is, those "opinions" seem to be having me around the 2.8k mark versus my 3k mark. I can beat the last tiers of SSS with 15 or so seconds remaining, but applying Trick from the "opinions", I get very close to failing.
I attempted to retire NIN in Heavensward due to lack of high dps, but now that I can get it high MY way, people are saying I'm doing it wrong.

I'd like some legit sources or pointed in the right direction, as I've gained some morale back into playing NIN again (I sadly spent Creation and Omega pages on SAM/DRK/PLD).

After using it on your opener trick should be used on cool down and only held for specific things like the boss going invulnerable before the duration is up, or if another party member needs a cpl more seconds to line up another buff (battle litany, embolden, ect...). You can also hold it for a few seconds if you are about to lb and pop it right before. Also about the dps, ninja puts out good personal dps but it will always be lower than sam/monk/drg due to the fact that we bring a lot of party utility to the table. the benifits of increased party damage along with the aggro tools ( i'm not counting the slashing debuff because everyone and their mother has one) far outweigh the slightly lower personal damage ninja does

What the hell is the "2K8 mark" or "3K mark" ? Are you talking about your personnal DPS at instant T ? That's not how things work, you DPS is highly RNG especially in early stages of fights. What you need to do is setup your whole Trick attack by having the most of your hard hitters avaliable and weaved during the duration. TA will allow you around ~4 GCD so it's usually a used before a third combo finisher, up to the next third combo finisher with all the time : jugulate, dream within a dream, one every two trick attack : Kassatsu (done before using trick attack and after Suiton), Duality, Bkhakavacra.

Usually most buffs/debuffs are used around the 5gcd mark of the opening (depending of duration) , meaning for your, just before your second 3rd combo finisher (usually an aeolian edge).

I have no issues double weaving in my opener as luckily my ping is great. Essentially your opener wants to be something like this:

http://ffxivrotations.com/14tx

In that opener everything that follows the TA fits under the TA window if you're weaving properly and don't have to drop off boss (in savage this opener works in every fight)

*There is a different opener using TCJ. You need to learn both as they are situational.

As someone else said you want 2 combo finishers under TA preferably both Aolean Edge, with one of those under duality too. 5th GCD TA is the most consistent imo and using TA earlier will not benefit you at all.

Unless you are raiding I really wouldn't worry about it. If you are part of a static you might want to discuss with your tem when to TA, so that it aligns with abilities like Embolden, Battle Litany etc.

If you just do stuff with DF just focus on your own DPS, people appreciate that little orange debuff as long as it appears.

I would think most pple would prefer Trick Attack at the beginning (with the way how Hide works now, there isn't really a reason not to) because that is when everyone attempts their burst/opener rotation. But after that I personally just throw it up whenever it is available. I do hold it a bit for a Shadow Fang reapplication though.

https://puu.sh/xNpNx/da56b5ed48.png

If you can suiton prepull without losing an Auto-attack do the second one, otherwise the first one.
(Probably gonna be TCJ Suiton with next patch though)
With my actual Ninki mapping I mostly do a bhavacakra opener so just replace TCJ with bhava.

Actually if you were to use trick attack properly you can fit 5 GCDs under the vulnerability, remember that you shouldn't use trick attack right after using a GCD or you'll lose ~1sec.
Trick attack has a pretty fast animation, yet it requires around 1sc to apply the vulnerability, just use it mid-GCD so it applies right before your next GCD and will ensure you 5 buffed GCD.

In a raid environement you don't want to wait for a special timing within your rotation, most of the time it's gonna be on CD.
If you were to seek for personal DPS then you'd need to use it before Gust Slash, this will give you 3rd combo x2 - Gut slash x2 - Spinning edge x1.
This is the best you can get, using it before a 3rd combo would be a potency loss.
Before Spinning edge is even worse.

It depends of the fight and your teammates really, when you want to apply TA, some prefer after 5th GCD, some SAM after the 6th (with the 3 sen opener). If you personally lose 200 total dps on parse but your team gains 100 each it's worth sacrificing your own, again if you are in a static or raiding situation.
Also, if you use raiton, try to use fuma except under kassatsu or if you need to reset shukushi, in order to not clip your GCDs to much.

APPLY TA after the 5th GCD, a gust slash. It shouldn't particularly lower your dps if at all, but even if it does I can assure you it's much better for the group