I'm just not getting the Samurai hype, what am I missing?

[KrenianKandos]

Simply put, each kenki you have has a specific potency to it. Five kenki is 60 potency. Multiply that times 4, and that means to plus on Kaiten, you need to gain at least 240 potency worth of damage. Both Gekko +Kasha, when Kaiten'd, only do 200 extra potency. Shinten, while 300 potency for 25 kenki, is still cashing in each kenki for, at worst, a break even effect. This is also why proccing Seigan via 3rd Eye is typically a DPS gain, because you're trading 180 potency worth of Kenki for a 200 pot attack.

Kaiten is only a gain if you can use it for a GCD that gains more than 240 potency, or to put it another way, it only does more damage when used with Iaijutsu; Higan, Midare, and Tekka.

Thanks for the breakdown; I didn't consider Kenki having potency. Interesting theory to it for sure. Perhaps I'll forego using Kaiten so much with my endskill and just oGCD it.

[Esoterikk]

That being said at a high level of play SAM becomes more difficult than some of these posts seem to suggest. .

I've noticed at 62+ it speeds up a bit but I havent hit 68 yet, its extremely slow and methodic before this but Im noticing it speeding up a bit, the GCD is still huge.

[Jim_Berry]

My SAM is Lv68 now after being Lv67 for a while, and I get bored with it quick. I guess I have gotten used to NIN's speed that SAM seem slow. I DO envy players who main SAM, though.

*EDIT*
I will admit that the positionals from SAM DOES make it push dps.

[Janhyua]

Having been sam clearing V1S and V2S my weeaboo has been doubled and my hype just when hyper drive after getting the weapon tomb

It's so much fun everything worked out for me

The job is not too hard yet challenging enough do note that this is my first time been a dps in a raid scene

[Esoterikk]

Having been sam clearing V1S and V2S my weeaboo has been doubled and my hype just when hyper drive after getting the weapon tomb

It's so much fun everything worked out for me

The job is not too hard yet challenging enough do note that this is my first time been a dps in a raid scene

So after playing with it at 70 you found the job became enjoyable?

[Talec]

Its the big numbers. Easy minds tend to get flow away by big crits. Thats science since 20 years of MMORPG-History.

[Janhyua]

So after playing with it at 70 you found the job became enjoyable?

I just love the job in general from start to end I have never been at a point where I feel samurai is boring or dreadful

Every single moment of my game play on samurai has been hyperdrive fun mode for me

The flow of the rotation felt so good and I can just switch off my attention off my hot bar and and just pay attention to the fight

It feels like I am dancing on the battle field for me, it's the only job I felt like that

[Chrallmal]

Like most jobs, it doesn't really come into its own until 70. Really, 68. Guren is not that big of a game changer in the way the job plays because it's on such a long cooldown, and its a weave move. Hagakure, however, is a huge game changer in the way you handle your rotations.

The appeal, for me, is that I'm not responsible for anything but damage. Even MNK has Mantra to consider. As SAM, if things go sideways, what are you going to do? I'm just a SAM (Cross-role withstanding). I went into SAM fresh off of the heels of being a WHM and AST, so I was a little tired of being blamed for problems. It was a good change of pace.

The numbers help, but it's not why I'm there. The numbers simply justify why I have no utility.

It has honestly become my north star for jobs. I may stray into other paths, but I always invariably wind up back on SAM.

[Esoterikk]

Its the big numbers. Easy minds tend to get flow away by big crits. Thats science since 20 years of MMORPG-History.

The numbers on my screen are so small in battle I rarely see how much damage I'm doing, am I missing something there?

[Thunda_Cat_SMASH]

The numbers on my screen are so small in battle I rarely see how much damage I'm doing, am I missing something there?

You're probably doing something wrong. I score 35k midare direct crits without any outside buffs or help at all. My normal Midare's are at a 25k base average without buffs/help, and this is using a measly 310 weapon because I'm too lazy to farm Susano.