How can i improve my SAM dps?

[Relhon]

Hey guys, I'm trying to become more efficient with SAM, and need some tips on where I can improve. I'm using this opener http://ffxivrotations.com/rm4

And this rotation https://m.imgur.com/1atVAsO

On the SSS dummy I can get about 5.8k but in actual battle I can only hit about 4k. Maybe I'll post up a video if it helps.

I have a crafted 380 weapon, an Alphascape belt, a Diamond ring, and the rest is upgraded Mendacity gear. Average of 372.

[Powercow]

I'm no Samurai expert, but I can analyze stuff. So just poking around on some logs, I think the problem is the same one that plagues most people:

You are simply not pressing buttons fast enough. The most recent log I could find was a Tsukiyomi kill, and comparing you to one of the top Samurai's logs...

Your fight was 11:23 and you had a total of 283 casts. His fight was 10:54 and he had 434. This means the other guy was using actions almost 50% more frequently than you -- way beyond any Skillspeed differences.

This means the problem is likely one of two things: either a lack of confidence in your rotation, or a lack of uptime on the boss. You had 187 autoattacks on the boss, the other guy had 222 -- this implies that melee uptime might very well be an issue, but it wouldn't cover all of it. Also, Higanbana, Jinpu and Shifu's uptimes are all kind of low (Shifu in particular has a much lower uptime for you -- about 60% to his 86%.)

And yes you died once but you were only down for ~3% of the fight, so that's not going to cover the huge difference in actions used.

My suggestion would be to practice the crap out of your rotation on a dummy until you can literally do it blind. In fact, I would recommend putting a book or piece of paper or something over the part of your UI thathas your actionbars while practicing so you're not tempted to stare at them. This will allow you to keep hitting those buttons while mostly looking at mechanics when you're in a real fight, as it looks like you might be hesitating on your rotation because dangerous mechanics are going off around you.

[Ryaz]

Well remember, the dummies have no mechanics. Just doing those will bring DPS down significantly in a real fight. The best way to maximize dps outside of your rotation and tweaking stats is the get as much uptime on the boss as possible.

For example, if during Tsuku Ex the tank pulls her to one safe spot and you run to the other side instead, you're going to lose a lot of uptime on her. So it's best to discuss tactics ahead of time in situations like that.

[Relhon]

That's perfect, that's the particular fight I was referring to. Yes, I'm still a bit unfamiliar with the rotation because I recently switched, so I found myself focusing on the hotbars note than I should and messed up a few times, and I did run to the wrong safe spot a couple times.

So it sounds like I'm on the right track at least, just need more practice and uptime?

[Rongway]

Well remember, the dummies have no mechanics. Just doing those will bring DPS down significantly in a real fight.

But the point isn't that a dummy is representative of a fight; the point is that if a player can't perform a rotation 100% perfectly on a dummy, there's no way that same player will be able to put out anything close to 100% once mechanics become a thing. Beating up a dummy is still an important tool.

[Relhon]

So here's my video. I still need to clean it up a bit. It seems as though I'm wasting Guren and Meikyo Shisui after my opener though. How can I weave them in without messing up my rotation?

https://youtu.be/KiHYlbamooI

[Kabooa]

You waited around 6-7 seconds during the prior Hagakure use.

When Hagakure is available to use, you can bottom out your Kenki and use it immediately isntead of timing it before a Sen hit.

That 6-7 seconds would have made Hagakure available a few seconds before Guren was available again.

Other than that, Kenki management is just a head game. Know when your stuff is coming up, set aside Kenki for it.

[Ryaz]

But the point isn't that a dummy is representative of a fight; the point is that if a player can't perform a rotation 100% perfectly on a dummy, there's no way that same player will be able to put out anything close to 100% once mechanics become a thing. Beating up a dummy is still an important tool.

Perhaps I worded it wrong. I meant that mechanics will lower his DPS significantly, so he shouldn't be surprised by a discrepancy between dummy dps and actual fight dps, which he was concerned about.

And OP, I can't stress enough how much practice can make a difference. Learning the right mechanics thoroughly goes a LONG way towards keeping your rotation smooth and maintaining uptime. When you're comfortable with the mechanics, you can focus more on perfecting your rotation.

On Suzaku Ex, the explosion phase requires a lot of my attention as I'm still fairly new to it and I have to worry about the latency problems the game has at times. So while I'm figuring out which plate to stand on and focusing on when to dodge, I will sometimes find myself using the wrong sen combobto start or using Midare when I could have attacked a couple of times and had Hagakure instead.

Learning the fight also lets you know when best to use Third Eye for the extra damage and when you can use meditate to it's fullest. I've been in so many fights with other Samurai where they don't use meditate at all.

[valho]

First thing I notice is that when your Hagakure is almost off CD your Kenki was at 50, you did not use it on Shinten the whole time, you could have spam it all on Shinten and then 3 Sen Hagakure to get Kenki back. Guren also sits there for quite long when it's off CD and you have enough Kenki to use. You did not reapply slashing debuff for a few seconds as well. Jinpu drop off for a few seconds at the start.

General rules of thumb, keep buff and dots up at all time, use Guren and Hagakure off CD, spam excess Kenki on Shinten unless you need to save it for Guren that will come off CD soon. Float your kenki around 20, that's how much you need for Kaiten.

[Relhon]

I see what you guys mean. Looking back I'm wasting 10-20 Kenki by the time I hit Hagakure again. Seems I can weave in a Guren or a few extra Shintens with that. Thanks for all the tips! I'll make some adjustments and keep practicing it!