Thread: 6.1 SAM Changes: A Discussion/Response

I think it's important to note that "BIG NUMBER" is not necessarily a positive in the face of the potency nerfs. Midare/Namikiri used to feel like huge abilities because they were, they had significantly higher potencies than the combos that set them up to be used. Since they've flattened out the damage spikes in the rotation, the "finishing moves" (Midare/Namikiri/Shoha/Guren/Senei) no longer feel meaningful or give you something to look forward to at the apex of your rotation, aside from flashy animations. If the flashiest attack animations in your kit aren't putting up the biggest spikes of damage, they feel superfluous. I've had my ST combos end on a direct crit that did roughly equal or greater damage than the guaranteed crit on a single Midare.

Originally Posted by Theodric_Thorne

I think it's important to note that "BIG NUMBER" is not necessarily a positive in the face of the potency nerfs. Midare/Namikiri used to feel like huge abilities because they were, they had significantly higher potencies than the combos that set them up to be used. Since they've flattened out the damage spikes in the rotation, the "finishing moves" (Midare/Namikiri/Shoha/Guren/Senei) no longer feel meaningful or give you something to look forward to at the apex of your rotation, aside from flashy animations. If the flashiest attack animations in your kit aren't putting up the biggest spikes of damage, they feel superfluous. I've had my ST combos end on a direct crit that did roughly equal or greater damage than the guaranteed crit on a single Midare.

Yes, this is important to remember. The BIG NUMBER is smaller than the old number, even when the old number didn't crit. It's misleading to say there's a big number every time, or the big attacks always hit hard now. They don't hit as hard as they used to, even in a worst case scenario. The only damage that went up is the combo, and we get to use more Shinten (yay...)

Other than that I agree with most of the OP. My only other suggestion would be regarding Senei and Guren. While I'm in favor of combining the buttons, my preferred solution would be to have Ikishoten also turn Shinten/Kyuten into Senei/Guren for one use. That saves two buttons instead of one, prevents cooldown drift, and we get to keep both skills intact. Edweena has a great thread with a visual aid: https://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/...uren-and-Senei