Samurai Buff Speculation

[Sunako]

Midare Setsugekka 100% direct crit.

[MatJack]

samurai becomes a tank, problem solved

[Shurrikhan]

samurai becomes a tank, problem solved

And with that "fix", identity overlap, non-viability on magic-heavy fights, subpar OT dps, and a slew of other issues. Hurray?

[AlphaDragoon]

I'm gonna be that person and say that the best buff for SAM is deletion :P

samurai becomes a tank, problem solved

How about no to both of these.

On the actual topic, potency buffs are a given I think but they would have to be careful to break the balance of the current SAM rotation which has you using most of your toolkit. Like, buffing Midare to obscene levels would be fun but then you would likely always use it in favor of Hagakure + Shintens and that might be too dull.

[whiteblade89]

It'd be nice if they took off the kenki cost of the gap-closer and gap-creator (how would you say that?). That's my take for now. I think it'd be a good start because samurai is all about up-time, but in most situations (from what I've heard) you want to avoid using those abilities to conserve kenki for Shinten or abilities. It would be a nice QoL change. Just keep the cooldowns they have but take away the kenki cost.

[Dzian]

It'd be nice if they took off the kenki cost of the gap-closer and gap-creator (how would you say that?). That's my take for now. I think it'd be a good start because samurai is all about up-time, but in most situations (from what I've heard) you want to avoid using those abilities to conserve kenki for Shinten or abilities. It would be a nice QoL change. Just keep the cooldowns they have but take away the kenki cost.

They're not that bad. Shintenis a 300 potency ogcd. But if you use the disengage plus gap closer and enhanced enpi it's 500 potency in a single gcd.

As long as you don't break your combo using enpi its not to bad. But the enhanced enpi buff is 15 seconds so plenty of time to use the gap closer finish your combo and squeeze an enpi in before your next combo.

[Shurrikhan]

They're not that bad. Shintenis a 300 potency ogcd. But if you use the disengage plus gap closer and enhanced enpi it's 500 potency in a single gcd.

As long as you don't break your combo using enpi its not to bad. But the enhanced enpi buff is 15 seconds so plenty of time to use the gap closer finish your combo and squeeze an enpi in before your next combo.

This. If, say, Yaten provided a double-Empi instead of a triple-damage Empi, you could fill out an overclocked GCD from your rotation with a 400-potency GCD at zero Kenki cost. Yaten out at 100 potency for 10 Kenki, Empix2 for 20 Kenki and 200 potency, Gyoten back for 100 potency for 10 Kenki, and you'd arrive at the same Kenki value you started at.

As Shinten gives 300 potency for just 25 Kenki, that 10 Kenki spared is worth at least more 20% than the 100 potency.

Now, maybe for the sake of fluidity that minor buff could be warranted, but all I mean to point out here is that Yaten's already decently strong for its expense, and it wouldn't take much to make it a use-on-CD ability, which I think most would rather avoid.

[mosaicex]

QoL/lowering skill floor:
-Enpi does not break combo.
-Merciful Eye duration 3 > 4 seconds (though I'm fine with current duration)
-Outright TP cost reduction to all skills. I played all melee DPS and SAM is the only job that can still bottomed up TP at high skill speed (1400-1600) MNK does not have this problem despite having even lower GCD

Buff/raising skil ceiling:
-Seigan potency increased to 350, Kenki cost: 25 (buff from 13.33 pot/kenki to 14) making it more rewarding to pull off
-Guren potency buff to help with initial burst. One of SAM weakness is that the nature of their DPS flow does not really fit well with many buffs/debuffs window. MNK was in this kind of position but inclusion of Riddle of Fire completely fixed that, now their burst are ridiculous, which puts them ahead of SAM.

These are what I wanted to see.

[Shurrikhan]

-Outright TP cost reduction to all skills. I played all melee DPS and SAM is the only job that can still bottomed up TP at high skill speed (1400-1600) MNK does not have this problem despite having even lower GCD

This, if only for equality in the current "TP is a joke (except if having used Invig just before dying)" world of Stormblood. Although it still took around 2 minutes to get within a GCD of TP starvation even at 2400 SkS (below a 2-second GCD), I've hit as low as a 1.6 GCD on Monk when my AST gave me an empowered Arrow in O6S, and it still didn't feel like I was losing anything. At that same SkS, I can sustain Monk infinitely off Invigorate alone.

Seigan potency increased to 350, Kenki cost: 25 (buff from 13.33 pot/kenki to 14) making it more rewarding to pull off

I like the idea of the oomph behind that, but also kind of like that we have costs available at 10, 15, 20, and 25.

Guren potency buff to help with initial burst. One of SAM weakness is that the nature of their DPS flow does not really fit well with many buffs/debuffs window. MNK was in this kind of position but inclusion of Riddle of Fire completely fixed that, now their burst are ridiculous, which puts them ahead of SAM.

With a 2s GCD, I feel like we're actually pretty solid in this regard. I can get Higanbana, my 3 Meikyo finishers, Guren, Shintenx2, and Midare all into Trick Attack. For me the biggest scare is just how long the Guren, Hagakure, and Meikyo animation locks can be.

Though, I'm also a speedaholic on account of having mained Monk prior, and can't really play Samurai except at the Hagakure-perfect 2.45 GCD or at 2.00 and below...

[gizmo355gdas]

SAM gets deleted ....that is the BUFF lol