Ninjutsu Review!

[Ariel_Valmont]

Sarcasm aside, I don’t see why every DOT needs to be a maintain me throughout the fight type of deal, it would be nice to see some more powerful dots that you use occasionally, or that interact with other abilities.

[ItMe]

Sarcasm aside, I don’t see why every DOT needs to be a maintain me throughout the fight type of deal, it would be nice to see some more powerful dots that you use occasionally, or that interact with other abilities.

I agree wholeheartedly.
More than one approach to DoTs can be successful.

[wereotter]

Sarcasm aside, I don’t see why every DOT needs to be a maintain me throughout the fight type of deal, it would be nice to see some more powerful dots that you use occasionally, or that interact with other abilities.

That's what ninja has now, and I am with you on this one. I like that better. If you're smart, you'll use it while you have trick attack up. This is a smart way to implement a DOT

[Ryd]

I suppose we should just homogenize NIN and bring it in line with every other dot job and make them mindlessly maintain it... that will fix it!

It's what we used to do - hell, we used to have two - and going back would be a welcome change to the current design philosophy of dumping everything into TA windows and then just pounding 1-2-3 until it's time for another TA, with the ephemeral bliss of every second Bunshin that falls outside a TA window, or if you're about to cap Ninki and it's not time for TA yet.

[ItMe]

and going back would be a welcome change to the current design philosophy of dumping everything into TA windows and then just pounding 1-2-3 until it's time for another TA,

Or... what if it's Trick Attack that should go if it's leading to such degenerate rotations.

[Equitable_Remedy]

It's what we used to do - hell, we used to have two - and going back would be a welcome change to the current design philosophy of dumping everything into TA windows and then just pounding 1-2-3 until it's time for another TA, with the ephemeral bliss of every second Bunshin that falls outside a TA window, or if you're about to cap Ninki and it's not time for TA yet.

Some people, myself included, specifically like this pace. The nice thing about a game with multiple classes is that people who don't like this pacing can play another class.

[Kabooa]

Some people, myself included, specifically like this pace. The nice thing about a game with multiple classes is that people who don't like this pacing can play another class.

I was talking with someone about this, actually.

Ninja's TA Window is fine. It encourages a quick and frantic burst window. however, outside of the TA window it needs something more to do. Not every job needs to be reduced to a 10/15s window out of 60/90 for its excitement.

As an example, we add a new weaponskill called Double Strike.

Double Strike
Weaponskill
2.5s Recast
Effect: Strikes twice for 150 potency. Reduces Huton Duration by 30s.

Combined with Bunshin, Double Strike deals 150 x 2 + 200 x 2, as Bunshin mimics the attack at 200 flat potency.

This means every Bunshin Window has an optimal set up of Double -> 1 / 2 / Armor Crush -> Double.

This is just an example. Given that TA is a finite window to fit in a ton of stuff, maxing the use of Bunshin within TA (1000 potency currently, 1400 with this) and TA priority probably won't change from unloading every possible mudra as the PPS of those GCDs is just higher.

So this is primarily an off-TA Bunshin gameplay focus, though I'm sure you can fit in at least 1 Double Strike into TA and not miss the mudrastorm.

[Vyrerus]

Not a lot on Ninja feels very subtle or shadowy, so I rather like the ice shurikens for its current ultimate attack. It's more satisfying the farther away from the target you are, which is kind of sad, but I still like the overall animation nonetheless. It's like watching a femme fatale in motion every time.

Fuma's "utility" went away when they put mudras on the GCD to baby people. Seems like they take something I love about NIN from NIN every expansion. Stormblood took Dancing Edge, Mutilate, and Sneak Attack, instead of putting Sneak Attack on a separate cooldown. They also put venoms into a trait, taking away the ability to swap from having stun to having silence. SHB puts Mudras on the GCD @_@ blows up Jugulate, and pared Shadow Fang out of combo.

Katon is my favorite Ninjutsu, and I like the Kassatsu form for it.

Hyoton does have some solo utility as it stands. You can bind monsters in POTD or HoH that are susceptible to it, if you need to get a breather real quick and get some tic ups from your regen potions.

Raton is never not cool, though I do second the more blues/whites in its color makeup.

All in all though, I'm on Ninja less now than ever before. It doesn't feel like the job I fell in love with.

[Equitable_Remedy]

however, outside of the TA window it needs something more to do.

I disagree with this assertion. Again, I'm not strictly opposed to it, but I don't agree that it's necessary.

The other way to look at it is over all melee classes—maybe NIN is at one end with the highest peak/lowest valley in terms of APM over the course of the rotation and the new melee class is at the other end with completely flat APM over the course of the rotation. I don't think that it's a bad thing to have that range rather than trending all classes toward the median.

[Equitable_Remedy]

I didn’t include any ninjutsu-adjacent abilities, like Ten Chi Jin, though maybe I’ll throw them in a follow-up post.

And here's that follow-up post! I hope that this doesn't come across as a necro—I'm following up on the same topic as I suggested I might do. Also, for discussion purposes, I think that it's nice to have this all in one thread.

In any case, let's get back into it:

Kassastu

• Animation: Kassatsu’s animation fits it’s role very well. The petal design surrounded by ninja symbols, the power up aura with bits of lightning, and the character gestures all work together to suggest an shonen protagonist yelling “Secret Technique!” If I had one critique, it would be that the soft red color might not be my favorite, but I don’t hate it.
• Function: Secret Technique: Goka Mekkyaku! Obviously, Kassatsu enables our biggest ninjutsu, Goka Mekkyaku and Hyosho Ranryu, and providing extra mudra charges in a pinch. With a one-minute cooldown, it adds flexibility to the ninjutsu system without needing to add buttons or combinations while capturing that anime vibe of setting up the big attack.
• Suggestions: My main suggestion would be to add another Kassatsu-enabled ninjutsu or two, but the skill itself is great.
• Grade: S

Ten Chi Jin

• Animation: The animation is very cool, if a bit long. The quick series of mudra before doing a quick flip and laying down the square with ninjutsu symbols and purple flames definitely announces that you’re about to do something big. Much cooler than ley lines; BLMs don’t @ me.
• Function:
  
  + Ten Chi Jin
  - Ten Chi Jin
  Seriously though, this is a very interesting ability, locking you in place and allowing you to fire off three ninjutsu back-to-back. As a practical matter, there are only two sequences—one for multitarget and one for single. As someone who loves gish characters (do zoomers even know that term?), TCJ helps get me there, but it is a finicky ability. As I will discuss below, Meisui feels like it exists only because the single-target TCJ sequence ends with Suiton, which isn’t enough justification for a button, in my opinion.
• Suggestions:This is a bit of a tough one—I’d like this to have more flexibility than single-/multi-target, but I’m not sure how to achieve that within the rest of the ninjutsu system. (I’m also not sure that more flexibility is needed.) Some way to address losing TCJ if you use it right after letting go of a movement key would be nice.
• Grade: A