SAMURAI SHOWDOWN

[Krissey]

The only way I would want to see Samurai being a tank is if they followed some alternate form of mitigation such as a heavy emphasis on dodging, parrying, blocking, etc... rather than straight up taking damage. Whether active, passive or a mix in-between. But more of the same is just boring.

[Aaliyahrose]

The only way I would want to see Samurai being a tank is if they followed some alternate form of mitigation such as a heavy emphasis on dodging, parrying, blocking, etc... rather than straight up taking damage. Whether active, passive or a mix in-between. But more of the same is just boring.

Samurai does have enough abilities in it's skill set from previous games to become a tank. However, Samurai is a high mobility job. Some abilities include increasing evasion, and countering abilities.
It can easily be argued to have Samurai be an Off Tank, simply because it has possible counter potential similar to DRK Reprisal. There is always several new abilities that can be added to a SAM, just like what they did to DRK by adding Grit.
Many people thought DRK should be a DPS until Grit was added to the job.

[Krissey]

I loved Druid tanks in World of Wacraft and also Death Knights which chose to stack heavy mitigation stats over just "HP" because they didn't have the defensive stats of the paladin and warriors which had shields. There-fore it was fun going several attacks in a row never taking a true hit of damage because it was dodged or parried or even blocked. I found that fun and disliked when they, and consequently this game, has gone to homogenized "active" mitigation. Everyone has their -20% incoming damage for x duration, -30% incoming damage for x duration, +to Healing Received...+% Increase to Block damage...yawn. They all play roughly the same.

I think a tank that focuses on taking as few hits as possible rather than just reducing the damage but still taking every hit is way more interesting and fun. Fancy foot-work, dodging, countering and parrying are all more fun to me than pressing whatever -20% incoming damage ability. In this way Samurai would actually make sense as a tank to me. I just don't see them as takers of massive, heavy punishment. So either an evasion tank or a DPS.

[Jhett_Magnum]

He means two completely separate jobs not even called Samurai (Shogun and Ronin) where one is a Tank and one is a DPS probably branching from a similar base class or even two completely different classes becoming two completely separate roles.

Hmm no can't say I agree, we should stick to one role for each job and regardless wether it's a tank or DPS just something we gotta live with.

I will say though yoshi p did mention hybrid job role (support/debuffer) and what better time to implement it than 4.0. Think about it..RDM and SAM have arguebly ambiguous roles so why not let those jobs be firsts? But that's getting off topic I think.

[DWolfwood]

Hmm no can't say I agree, we should stick to one role for each job and regardless wether it's a tank or DPS just something we gotta live with.

I will say though yoshi p did mention hybrid job role (support/debuffer) and what better time to implement it than 4.0. Think about it..RDM and SAM have arguebly ambiguous roles so why not let those jobs be firsts? But that's getting off topic I think.

Well, I wouldn't oppose this lol. Honestly, it's a better idea, but I just feel like it's more to ask.

I actually do envision it would be perfect for RDM, because you could have a "swordmage" type of class that branches off into RDM and BLU. RDM being the healer branch, and BLU being the dps.

[Krissey]

I actually really miss "passive" evasion tanking. The reason being: Once tanks get "active" mitigation they all basically get the same buttons...I prefer tanks to have a unique identity which may include just stacking as much dodge, parry and block as possible to reduce over-all incoming damage. Then of course cooldowns and abilities to supplement this identity. Samurai may be a good fit for this.

However overall I still thing the common media portrayal is that of a damage dealer rather than damage soaker or taker.

[FinalWolf]

People been watching too much anime if they think all samurai wear light clothes.

[Alacran]

Samurai were part of a ruling class of nobility, not unlike Knights. Those that had no armor or were poor were not Samurai they were Ashigaru.
Warrior peasants who were conscripted to bolster a Samurai's army. The idea of the traveling Ronin or master less Samurai was more akin to the Dark Knight who served no one and only fought if and when they wanted to. The wearing of a Daishō or paired sword's, was a symbol of rank and status for the Samurai. As they Samurai often practiced the way of Bushido their valuers were simple, straight forward and unyielding.

(Source: Wikipedia- Samurai https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samurai#Philosophy)

In 1412 AD, Imagawa Sadayo wrote a letter of admonishment to his brother stressing the importance of duty to one's master. Imagawa was admired for his balance of military and administrative skills during his lifetime and his writings became widespread. The letters became central to Tokugawa-era laws and were a required study for traditional Japanese until World War II:[citation needed]
"First of all, a samurai who dislikes battle and has not put his heart in the right place even though he has been born in the house of the warrior, should not be reckoned among one's retainers....It is forbidden to forget the great debt of kindness one owes to his master and ancestors and thereby make light of the virtues of loyalty and filial piety....It is forbidden that one should...attach little importance to his duties to his master...There is a primary need to distinguish loyalty from disloyalty and to establish rewards and punishments."[13]
Similarly, the feudal lord Takeda Nobushige (1525–1561 AD) stated: "In matters both great and small, one should not turn his back on his master's commands...One should not ask for gifts or enfiefments from the master...No matter how unreasonably the master may treat a man, he should not feel disgruntled...An underling does not pass judgments on a superior"[14]
Nobushige's brother Takeda Shingen (1521–1573 AD) also made similar observations: "One who was born in the house of a warrior, regardless of his rank or class, first acquaints himself with a man of military feats and achievements in loyalty....Everyone knows that if a man doesn't hold filial piety toward his own parents he would also neglect his duties toward his lord. Such a neglect means a disloyalty toward humanity. Therefore such a man doesn't deserve to be called 'samurai'."[15]
The feudal lord Asakura Yoshikage (1428–1481 AD) wrote: "In the fief of the Asakura, one should not determine hereditary chief retainers. A man should be assigned according to his ability and loyalty." Asakura also observed that the successes of his father were obtained by the kind treatment of the warriors and common people living in domain. By his civility, "all were willing to sacrifice their lives for him and become his allies."[16]
Katō Kiyomasa was one of the most powerful and well-known lords of the Sengoku Era. He commanded most of Japan's major clans during the invasion of Korea (1592–1598). In a handbook he addressed to "all samurai, regardless of rank" he told his followers that a warrior's only duty in life was to "...grasp the long and the short swords and to die". He also ordered his followers to put forth great effort in studying the military classics, especially those related to loyalty and filial piety. He is best known for his quote:[17] "If a man does not investigate into the matter of Bushido daily, it will be difficult for him to die a brave and manly death. Thus it is essential to engrave this business of the warrior into one's mind well."
Nabeshima Naoshige (1538–1618 AD) was another Sengoku Daimyo who fought alongside Kato Kiyomasa in Korea. He stated that it was shameful for any man to have not risked his life at least once in the line of duty, regardless of his rank. Nabeshima's sayings would be passed down to his son and grandson and would become the basis for Tsunetomo Yamamoto's Hagakure. He is best known for his saying "The way of the Samurai is in desperateness. Ten men or more cannot kill such a man."[18][19]

I simply do not understand how people can so love a subject, but be so willfully ignorant it's origin, purpose, identity. If you truly care then you want it to be as close to the real thing as possible right?

[Evangela]

Yes, screw the armors.

[MagiusNecros]

Meh all the armor.