Learning How To Be A Ninja

[Malicewolf]

next level you'll get shadow fang. When you do, use that as your main DoT. Mutilate is also good to have on, but shadow fang is better. I will opt out of mutilate unless it's a boss or an enemy with lots of hp (then I'll put both on). Remember, a DoT that doesn't finish before your enemy dies usually means you'd of been better off using a combo move for more attack potency. Mutiliate lasts for a while, but low dmg. Most mobs won't last long enough to benefit from it fully (hopefully).

Doton is your friend when you have large mobs. Katon is also. Doton is better for prolonged killing, katon is better if you know the trash will die quickly. Kassatsu will be your best friend for large mobs later on. Launch katon, then a doton after for the crits. Or the other way around if you'd rather the crits on the katon. Preference really and still dependent on how long you think the mob will last.

Hyoton is awesome for PVP. I use it all the time to stop running enemies and bind them. But in PvE, much less use. I did use it in my job quest for NIN in the lvl 60 one though. You get chased by a fairly strong enemy. I had to run around in circles and let my DoTs do some work... it was sad, but worked :P

Suiton - this is your new best friend. No need to hide anymore. Although, it is best to save your ninjitsu and use hide if you plan to use sneak attack or trick attack on mob enemies. Bosses will see you and your hide will disappear though, so suiton becomes amazing for these. Use Trick attack when you get it over sneak. The potency is less, but the vulnerability you get on the target for 10 seconds will greatly exceed the extra potency majority of the time. Just get the positional correct. Nothing worse than missing the positional with trick attack =(

Huton - Should be kept up at all times if possible. MUCH easier when you get armor crush at level 54. Usually it will stay up through a mob fight without needing a refresh until after.

You already seem to know about Raiton and Fuma and using them appropriately.

You should be weaving your ninjitsu's in between your combos if possible. I have them memorized now, so I can get them through fairly quickly without messing up my rotation. When you get very good, getting your ninjitsu in between combo's will usually only slow your combo down by maybe a second.

Try to make sure you take advantage of all your perks! Many don't. Use wasp when your jugulate is available (unless you WANT to silence). Use viper when mug is available. By no means is the hp back from mug going to be life saving, but it's still helpful. Also, I tend to stay out of wasp when fighting boss's. But that is because I main tank and nothing is more annoying than going to stun a boss from using a cast to find he's now resistant and I don't have enough time to get out. It's situational, but do be cognizant if you are stunning without the need to as it builds resistance. I notice most NIN's don't stance dance much, but you can if you truly want to maximize. Otherwise, just stay in one or the other based on need/preference. I will also say, with trick attack available, I usually save both jugulate and mug until after I hit my target and get the vulnerability debuff up. Maximize the damage in that time and they are both OGCD's that can be weaved in easily. Also good to make sure slashing debuff from dancing edge is up prior to getting your trick attack off. And lastly, try to make it so your first attack will be aeolian edge once trick attack goes off. If all timing is right, you'll hit with your strongest combo (aeolian) 2 times. 10 seconds goes by VERY quickly. Maximize the damage in this time frame!

When you reach 60, you will have a LOT of moves at your disposal. But at the moment, your combo that you are using is appropriate for your level. Keep the debuff on using dancing edge, otherwise upkeep your dots and use positional's with aeolian edge. It's not a big change by any means, but you may want to do dancing edge combo first, then use mutilate. only because you'll get a slightly stronger hit with the initial mutilate hit. But hardly a big deal.