Studying The Blade- The SAM DPS Guide

[Red_Panda]

Really don't like Hagakure I feel like it has almost zero use unless you need to drop your sen for whatever reason and using it instead of Midare feels like giving up a core part of the class. But everything I have read claims it is a dps increase so I am trying to adapt. That being said I have only been using it when I have 3 sen. However doing this it replaces 2/3 of my Midares, is this what I should be doing? Or should I be using it on cooldown even if I only have one or two Sen?

[Sawamura]

snip

Well basicly is 900 potency+ WS damage vs 1080 potency 3 sec casting bar. If you do the simple math you will see why hagakure is better to put in good use.

[Tsilyi]

3 sec casting bar.

O.o

even so it is better to use hagakure with 3 sen than midare.

[Allyrion]

Really don't like Hagakure I feel like it has almost zero use unless you need to drop your sen for whatever reason and using it instead of Midare feels like giving up a core part of the class. But everything I have read claims it is a dps increase so I am trying to adapt. That being said I have only been using it when I have 3 sen. However doing this it replaces 2/3 of my Midares, is this what I should be doing? Or should I be using it on cooldown even if I only have one or two Sen?

I felt like that at first, but I do not think you're giving up any part of the Job. It's more like embracing more parts to make up the core. With Hagakure, you still get one Midare off while it's on CD so you basically alternate between the two for 3 Sen.

What becomes the core is balancing that resource management between Sen and Kenki. You keep enough for Kaiten, dump enough so you don't cap when Hagakure comes up but even more importantly you have versatility in bursting when raid cooldowns are up. Meikyo Shisui then adds an extra 3 Sen fairly often which can be consumed or used for an extra Midare depending on the timing and buffs up.

With all this put together, Midare Setsugekka is still such a core part of the rotation. It's part of a bigger more intricate resource system that has a lot of flexibility and requires constant management and balance. Midare is one of the outputs of this management and holds a central place but
the really dynamic core of SAM is working your Sen and Kenki finding a balance between them that works in your favor in a given moment.

At least that's how I feel now. I though Hagakure would take away from Iaijutsu's place in the rotation but it expanded my vision of the Job design as a whole instead.


To answer your question, you should try to consume 3 Sen everytime and if you have good uptime on the boss and the right opener, Hagakure will always align with have 3 Sen up as it comes off CD.
When this changes, you should use your best judgement. The more Sen consumed over the fight the better, so if could've gotten more by using the cd earlier and gotten an extra set that you would miss you waited, then it's worth doing early.

But in most cases, you should not be at 0 Sen and just starting your combo when Hagakure comes up. That's the worst case scenario and pretty much the only time I'd use Hagakure without 3 Sen. I'd consume a Yukikaze and the Sen whose combo buff has the least amount of time. In that specific scenario, which is also assuming Meikyo Shisui isn't coming off CD soon (since it syncs with every 3rd Hagakure).