Samurai 6.0 hopes, dreams, speculation, sky pie.

[Tsiron]

My favourite change was AOEs buffing you now also

Even though I've been playing Samurai for ages now I still can't remember any of its skills by name lmao... that said, I can't think of anything it was "missing" it's in a pretty good spot if you ask me

[Shurrikhan]

Agreed on almost all of these, but I'll offer my $.02 on these few points:

3. Kaiten - I realize this is the only reason there is any friction at all in the samurai kit up until Tsubame, but what does it really add? It's just a matter of being able to remember, "Don't spend kenki unless you have >30 of it" which is not complicated. I feel like it is an unintuitive ability to newbies and it also just makes everything from levels 52 to 62 feel terrible because you don't generate enough kenki to kaiten for higenbana and midare in your opener. I think they need to find a more interesting way to add friction to the kenki gauge than this.

I don't hate Kaiten, and even somewhat enjoy the little apm tax/boost it puts on our play, but I wouldn't mind seeing it go, either. That said, I think this sort of near-mindless play around/about the Kenki system is by no means limited to Kaiten, and nearly any warrant by which we might make light of its mechanical impact could also be leveled upon, say, Guren/Senei or Ikishouten.

As such, I don't know if I'd necessarily want to lose it in favor of just more Shinten or less Kenki generation (and potency buffs elsewhere).

That said, there... could... be some interesting trait upgrades to it that might be seemingly more worthwhile. For instance, what it instead allowed us some setup. Say, maybe we get Hissatsu: Zankyou in its place, and that allows for the combo skill on which it's expended to skip a combo step, wherein Yukikaze becomes the optimal recipient when you can multi-DoT and Gekko/Kasha otherwise, with their respective (Jinpu/Shifu) buffs then coming into compensatory play. That's just a spitball idea, of course, but I'd much rather see something that requires at least a modicum of thought beyond gauge-margining, which is itself already far more than what we see from Shinten.

Or heck, maybe we could have a spender that let's us briefly generate a further element-related buff or has interplay with Shinten, Kyuten, and/or Seigan. Whatever. So long as it has depth and makes for a fun rhythm of play.

Honorable mention: Shoha. I think the ability is fine, and it's got a sick animation, but I am holding a grudge because it required kasha and gekko potency nerfs and I think I would rather have that potency back to be honest instead of this button that is no thought, just muscle memory.

I just want to see Shoha become a variable spender, usable (with accordingly varied animations) at anywhere from 1 to 5 stacks and/or no longer get stacks from Tsubame-Gaeshi, since that interaction can presently time out quite clunkily.

Enpi no longer breaks melee combo. This is such a no brainer that I can only assume it doesn't do this because if it did it went melt the server or something.

I... would actually rather that Enpi were stronger but we actually had to pre-plan our rotations so that we end a combo just as our melee-downtime would start. I like that skill-gap element and SAM is more than modular enough to support it. If every ranged ability goes in that direction, though, then of course SAM should likewise benefit.

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As for Third Eye and Merciful Eyes, I'd just combine them. Seigan, too. Third Eye would absorb X% of the next instance of damage taken. Thereafter, it would leave a further 200-potency shield for 10 seconds and convert to Hissatsu: Seigan. So, you hit the button again to consume the remaining shield, adding that potency on to a base Seigan's 100 potency, or you just leave the shield to time out. Once it does, it heals for the 200 HP. Voila; there's no actual loss to your options or capacity despite taking only a third as many buttons.

[Hokies]

AOE combos providing Shifu and Jinpu is great, but I would have also loved to see Meditate refresh and/or pause your timers on Shifu and Jinpu. This would make it easier to maintain your buffs when the boss transitions or becomes untargetable.

[Kahnom]

Its good that they fix the “Tsubame line-up” bullshit.
Now SAM finally feel like SAM again.Not BLM.

[Liam_Harper]

10 Kenki for Third Eye is a lot, by far a bigger potency gain than using Seigan. 8 successful Third Eye would be over 1000 bonus potency worth. Thus it's questionable they'd remove Seigan for raw Kenki.

Overall it looks great though. Very solid QoL changes and an even bigger Midare. What more could you want.

[Shurrikhan]

Its good that they fix the “Tsubame line-up” bullshit.
Now SAM finally feel like SAM again.Not BLM.

Ever since they made Hagakure less of a potency loss (which previously felt like we had to step on a landmine once per minute just to follow the path set for us), I haven't actually minded Tsubame.

I'd be fine seeing it made a bit more lenient, since I can get noticeable packet loss over the hours my broadband sees the most use, but I actually like having that sort of rotational landmark.

Heck, it's BLM, almost uniquely, that lacks any set CD-based pacing. Pre-Tsubame SAM was more alike to BLM than is post-Tsubame.

Very solid QoL changes and an even bigger Midare. What more could you want.

...Depth?

[Kahnom]

Ever since they made Hagakure less of a potency loss (which previously felt like we had to step on a landmine once per minute just to follow the path set for us), I haven't actually minded Tsubame.

I'd be fine seeing it made a bit more lenient, since I can get noticeable packet loss over the hours my broadband sees the most use, but I actually like having that sort of rotational landmark.

Heck, it's BLM, almost uniquely, that lacks any set CD-based pacing. Pre-Tsubame SAM was more alike to BLM than is post-Tsubame.

When I mentioned BLM, I meant “Planning ahead”.
I don’t know how others played their SAM or BLM but when I played BLM, I’ve always plan ahead about the next few gcds, like playing chess or card games.
I planned my move ahead of times and came up with a few possibilities in case something wrong might happened but I never had to do that on SAM pre-lvl 80.
Now lets get back to Tsubame real quick.The harsh truth is we can’t afford to hold Tsubame at all.It must be executed immediately as soon its up or its a DPS loss.
That’s why I need to make the timer as close as perfect as possible and that required “Planning ahead”.I’m not gonna get too deep into how I do it but now you get the “planning ahead” part which I think its make SAM less flexibility.
The new Tsubame charge in 6.0 is a great improvement, not only cut off the line up part but we can also hold it a bit, waiting for the right moment to use it (Trick attack, Battle Litany, Brotherhood).

[Shurrikhan]

When I mentioned BLM, I meant “Planning ahead”.
Now lets get back to Tsubame real quick. The harsh truth is we can’t afford to hold Tsubame at all. It must be executed immediately as soon its up or its a DPS loss.

Sure, but that's true for every CD (and, in terms of movement, for any Ranged or Caster in, say, HW).

I'd argue that Tsubame goes far further, actually, but that's largely the point of having a rotationally set-up capstone CD. And that's generally how a job actually, well, evolves. (Or, now, devolves.)

[Kahnom]

Sure, but that's true for every CD (and, in terms of movement, for any Ranged or Caster in, say, HW).

I'd argue that Tsubame goes far further, actually, but that's largely the point of having a rotationally set-up capstone CD. And that's generally how a job actually, well, evolves. (Or, now, devolves.)

Double Midare itself is a good direction for SAM but the line up CD timer is bad.
And why its bad ? because, unlike other GCD that can execute imediately, SAM need to have exact 3 sens ready the moment Tsubame is up and use it immediately regardless of raid buffs.
This Strictness forced you to plan ahead, basically do math during the fight, which SAM pre-lvl 80 doesn't need to, Lvl 80 MNK and DRG don't need to.Dunno about Nin though.

[Shurrikhan]

Double Midare itself is a good direction for SAM but the line up CD timer is bad.
And why its bad ? because, unlike other GCD that can execute imediately, SAM need to have exact 3 sens ready the moment Tsubame is up and use it immediately regardless of raid buffs.

We're just going to have to agree to disagree. I thought it was a good skill for exactly those reasons.

This Strictness forced you to plan ahead, basically do math during the fight, which SAM pre-lvl 80 doesn't need to, Lvl 80 MNK and DRG don't need to. Dunno about Nin though.

Optimal play for MNK (unless at the perfect Skill Speed and under perfect uptime) and 5.0 NIN took similarly tight tracking. DRG, though through oGCD spending instead, was nearly as demanding, too.

Regardless, Tsubame's cognitive demands were by no means high and if stacking enough Skill Speed following the Shoha changes, ad hoc play could become optimal anyways, allowing you to bypass those complexities (i.e., Hagakure usage) in favor of more Meditation stacks per minute (since those were each worth 133.3 potency).