Why samurai is much more possible as a dps than you think

[Shippuu]

In a Interview he said he sees Samurai more as a DPS than a Tank. IF he had to pick between them personally he would make it a DPS.

Except there's more context to it. The reason he says it makes more sense as a dps is because the type of samurai he is picturing in his mind is that of a kinagashi(robe) wearing iaido master. He has specifically stated this. As a result that no-armor wearing variety makes little sense as a tank. And so he pictures a samurai in armor as being a tank, and samurai in every Final Fantasy has been in armor. So if they're going to do a samurai in armor, it's gonna be a tank if we go by what Yoshida has said in the past.

[Alacran]

If SAM was a tank, they would have to work really hard to differentiate it from DRK (at the start of development DRK was SAM, but then NIN happened and they changed it), The idea of having two jobs that are both two handed sword tanks feels like a wasted opportunity, whereas on the other hand, we have NO sword wielding DPS, let alone a DPS that focuses on heavy attacks.

I want a tank that is completely different, and while on paper SAM seems like a tank, it is such a boring and safe choice that is also very appealing in the DPS role.

List of other jobs that could potentially be a tank in the future:
Viking/Berserker (changed to differentiate from WAR)
Mystic Knight/Rune Fencer
Necromancer
Illusionist (my favourite)
Geomancer
Beast master
Skyseer/Netherseer
Hunter

or... something completely original

I some times feel you people don't bother knowing the lore of these games or these represented cultures at all... The Fantasy of using a sword is merged with the fantasy of being the hero who Faces the enemy, not back stabs him... You claim to want SAM as a DPS and that it being a Tank would be to similar to DRK... In the same post you say Viking/ Berserker for Tank even though we already have a Warrior job and MRD class... Guess what sunshine WAR already has a skill called Berserk...

Necromancer as a Tank... seriously? What part of the fact that the current Tank population needs to be kept don't you understand? Yes SAM is a popular job, yes many would level it regardless of it's role, but with out incentivising the player base of one of the most underplayed Roles across all MMORPG's you lose those already admittingly far to few Tanks... there is a reason why even now the "adventurer in need is primarily Tank...

We have three options only three, where as DPS has seven, it's not to much a stretch to believe that 4.0 will gave us another DPS so then it will be eight to three... encase you'er not wanting to follow that's a fairly large disparity, it's no wonder why que times can be so murderously long.

More recently we had a character many believe to be hinting at a new job for the future, pit their limit break like "Aether Blade of Light" against another characters DPS limit break... idk, that seems telling... DPS LB vs DPS LB (for the dense)

Lets break this down real simple like... the Bushido code demands death before dishonor, the Samurai itself is basically the Knight of the far east it's tenets so mirroring Chivalry that one can say they are nearly one and the same. We don't Need a sword DPS because iconically swords are not depicted as weapons of subterfuge, assassins, or for that matter for use by someone who would not challenge another face to face, blade to blade. Will we get a sword DPS? Yes more likely than not very soon. Will it be Samurai? I truly hope not, but if we do remember as you call out your little bird to Tank for you, when can't solo a damn thing, hanging out in the back row, jockeying for positional behind the enemy while DRK's, PLD's and WAR's take hits for you. That question of who would win in a fight Knight vs Samurai? Congrats, in Eorzea you know your answer.

[Kiteless]

Most sword wielders are known for parrying, evading, and countering blows throughout history, usually with some defensive shield with them. The samurai was the Japanese equivalent of the European Knights, the difference being they tended to two-hand their sword, so there was no shield to fall back on. Plus the idea of a counter tank sounds pretty awesome.

Except the katana, in addition to being a very poor sword in the first place, was not the primary weapon of the samurai, it was a last-resort tool when bow and spear were not available. We already have a two-handed sword tank that uses counters (Reprisal). And DRK already gets enough flack for being a gussied up PLD as it is. If SAM is indeed in 4.0, and is intended to be developed as a tank, they'd have to put a lot of work into diversifying its functionality and aesthetic from what we have already, because things are already very homogenous as it is.

[Derio]

Sam as tank heavy armour. Sam as dps in scouting armour

[Alacran]

How about a game? lets try to find nice iconic pictures of sword depictions in battle. Cinematic, animated, fan art, ect... whatever you feel best encapsulates the the iconography of a sword and those who use them.





Of special interest would be any renditions of Samurai attacking someone from behind. (stick figure art welcome...)

[SaitoHajime]

Sam tank thanks

[ADVSS]

Im not going to say it has to be one or the other, but the arguments sing pretty strong to me that a tank would make the most sense. One comment about war/sam comps is some concern i do feel would be the outcome, because i feel like it will be designed to compete as a dps tank, but i feel like it would do samurai tank justice to make it a high dps tank, with rewarding crit proc skills like bloodletter etc, I can even see a plunge-like gap closer thats like flash stepping instantly through an enemy and appearing behind it to face its back to the party. And that iconic anime air slash, iado move as its version of shield lob to grab enemies from afar(sort of like log horizons SAM tank)

[Welsper59]

Of special interest would be any renditions of Samurai attacking someone from behind. (stick figure art welcome...)

I hope you know that your very skewed vision of Samurai isn't very applicable. As you know, Samurai are soldiers. They were also used in war situations (this happened IRL and with games). A samurai (or knight) is not going to let their friends die on the battlefield because they're afraid of killing an enemy soldier from behind. They're not afraid of the code by attacking the enemy from behind on the battlefield. Watching an ally struggle and die because you chose not to kill your enemy that is about to kill your friend, since you'd be striking them down from the back, isn't exactly a great view of samurai with both fiction and reality. The battlefield is not the same as a duel. Honor has little meaning there.

If Samurai (the job) wouldn't make sense as DPS because of the fact DPS mainly attack from behind is what makes it illogical, then how does it make sense to even allow Samurai to attack from behind at all? Doesn't the fact that we would be able to do that contradict the very core of your argument? Say if the SAM was OT for a raid with no adds at the time. Chances are, the SAM would be attacking from behind lol. As I mentioned with the battlefield comment, what exactly do you think raid situations or dungeons are? I don't think anyone who plays this game could call them honorable duels.

Not saying that SAM can't be tank, I'd welcome either roles with open arms... hell, even it as a healer if they could lol. I'm just attacking your argument on justifying it being only possible as a tank and not a DPS, even by fictional and IRL standards.

[Zensho]

Give SAM ability to wield long bow as well as 2H GK, that would surely spice things up! And while were at it, give other jobs the ability to use a versatile array of different weapons for diff situations. We need moar spice ppl!

[MyaValentine]

as a main tank, I honestly don't want samurai to be a tank, but given how we are going to have 3 jobs instead of 4 like we where supposed to, I don't see them been a dps.

RED MAGE is obviously going to be the next dps

meaning, the next 2 jobs have to be either tank or healer, dancer at this point is pretty much confirmed with all sort of clues and stuff (funny if it turned out not to be one tho) but clearly samurai wont be a healer.

unfortunately this is how I see it it will happen, which is disappointing because I'm tired of sword wielding tanks, I've mained tanks since ps4 release and I love playing and mastering all 3 of them, but darknight and palading already feel very similar (not identical) and warrior only feels different "a bit" which is not much, we need something new and exiting to break of the typical tank formula that already feels stale as they are very simple compared to any other job in the game...

honestly the idea of blue mage tank really exited me and I was hoping for a more magic base tank, but I guess another sword it is.