SAM buffs warranted? Genuine question

[Alex1337]

Not sure that’s the full story; SAM and BLM tend to be underplayed in ultimates and I can see why. Being a SAM main I swap to NIN for ultimates because SAM struggles to adjust when lots of downtime phases occur. Especially long ones, it can be awkward to the optimal rotation when u have 3 sen and the downtime is greater than 40 sec for example. Also I think it’s a bit cope to assume that buffing a job will make it more popular, BLM is underplayed because it’s alot harder to play well than the other casters, buffing it won’t fix that. SAM I genuinely feel like they may have thought RPR after it’s recent buffs was getting a little too close to it much like on endwalker release.

[Taranok]

Not sure that’s the full story; SAM and BLM tend to be underplayed in ultimates and I can see why. Being a SAM main I swap to NIN for ultimates because SAM struggles to adjust when lots of downtime phases occur. Especially long ones, it can be awkward to the optimal rotation when u have 3 sen and the downtime is greater than 40 sec for example. Also I think it’s a bit cope to assume that buffing a job will make it more popular, BLM is underplayed because it’s alot harder to play well than the other casters, buffing it won’t fix that. SAM I genuinely feel like they may have thought RPR after it’s recent buffs was getting a little too close to it much like on endwalker release.

Eh, you can always just Hagakure to dump sen. Doesn't feel good but works. SAM also just does really bad damage in a lot of ults. Back in SB, it was rather popular for E.G. UCOB. It's just hard to justify a selfish DPS that does bad damage. Especially when it's more of a sustained DPS in a burst meta. Thordan in DSR doesn't even stay up long enough, at all, in phase 2 to justify throwing your DoT up, which says all that needs to be said there about how mismatched SAM is for the fight.

A quick look at fflogs really underscores this point, that SAM simply doesn't do enough damage to justify its existence (in DSR.)

[Alex1337]

Eh, you can always just Hagakure to dump sen. Doesn't feel good but works. SAM also just does really bad damage in a lot of ults. Back in SB, it was rather popular for E.G. UCOB. It's just hard to justify a selfish DPS that does bad damage. Especially when it's more of a sustained DPS in a burst meta. Thordan in DSR doesn't even stay up long enough, at all, in phase 2 to justify throwing your DoT up, which says all that needs to be said there about how mismatched SAM is for the fight.

A quick look at fflogs really underscores this point, that SAM simply doesn't do enough damage to justify its existence (in DSR.)

That's my point though, using haga to sack 3 sen means u gain a 1 250 Potency oGCD and another 5 kenki for another at the expense of 8 gcds, where as if the boss hadn't jumped away for a cutscene u could midare for 640, there's more to it such as the calculation between an unbuffed midare and reduced when the boss does become hittable again but having to hagakure for downtime is intrinsically bad when other jobs like NIN can rebuff and get all their mudras back before downtime is over (in that particular 40+ sec downtime example) and, for example BLM can just hold on Xenos indefinitely and umbral soul to remain buffed assuming no cutscene, a point which becomes apparent when u look at aDPS, which SAM tends to lead on when there is sustained uptime and is generally the 1 good thing SAM is good for.

DSR - You can see BLM destroys SAM at the top end due to the aforementioned point of them being able to remained "buffed" and SAM needing a target to do so. Yes for the most part most SAMs will outperform BLM on aDPS but look at the gap for absolute best.






P6S




increasing damage wont increase uptake if the job is awkward to play in a piece of content, people who aren't die hards of the job will just go to a more fluid job.

[Taranok]

That's my point though, using haga to sack 3 sen means u gain a 1 250 Potency oGCD and another 5 kenki for another at the expense of 8 gcds, where as if the boss hadn't jumped away for a cutscene u could midare for 640, there's more to it such as the calculation between an unbuffed midare and reduced when the boss does become hittable again but having to hagakure for downtime is intrinsically bad when other jobs like NIN can rebuff and get all their mudras back before downtime is over (in that particular 40+ sec downtime example) and, for example BLM can just hold on Xenos indefinitely and umbral soul to remain buffed assuming no cutscene, a point which becomes apparent when u look at aDPS, which SAM tends to lead on when there is sustained uptime and is generally the 1 good thing SAM is good for.

DSR - You can see BLM destroys SAM at the top end due to the aforementioned point of them being able to remained "buffed" and SAM needing a target to do so. Yes for the most part most SAMs will outperform BLM on aDPS but look at the gap for absolute best.






P6S




increasing damage wont increase uptake if the job is awkward to play in a piece of content, people who aren't die hards of the job will just go to a more fluid job.

Not quite how opportunity cost works. You're gaining 300 potency worth of kenki (since everything is 10:1, even dashes,) and it's not costing you 8 GCDs. It's costing you your average per-gcd damage and the difference between that 300 potency and your midare at 640+crit+direct hit. Which comes out to, if I did the math correctly, 900 or less, assuming a good 58% crit damage increase, which should be achievable (also depends if that 300 kenki crit/dhits or not, which can reduce it to as little as 600 in theory, but that's still a lot.)

Personally, I'd rather just remove the buffs from SAM's combo. It literally is permanent uptime except on mandatory downtime on e.g. boss cutscenes, and it doesn't meaningfully change your combo most of the time as to render needing to keep the buff rolling as kind of moot. Removing those buffs that are already meaningless and just making them traits wouldn't meaningfully impact the skill floor or ceiling of the class while making the entire affair a lot less impactful. It should also make it less awkward on bad transitions.

I know people complain about over-simplification, but as a non-SAM main taking it into extremes and such, I don't think I've ever been in a single situation where I've felt the need to specifically work around the buffs.

Also, I do agree. As a BLM main, making fights that aren't fun to play BLM in is the number one reason I don't play BLM anymore. It's just not worth it.