User:Gregedor/GuideWeaponskills

Weaponskills and You
In today's diatribe...Weaponskills! Before you read further if you don't know what a weaponskill is and how to chain them, you better learn. Samurai is the job for weaponskills. So get used to gear swaps and macro mashing because your wrists are in for a world of hurt.

The Big Three
If you don't know the big three, they're going to be come close friends with you over the coming months as Samurai. Tachi: Kasha, Tachi: Gekko, Tachi: Yukikaze are the Samurai's pain train. They do more though. I think it's fair to say that most people in the job class know they add status effects, but I know plenty of people never picking up Samurai that do not.

Tachi: Kasha adds paralyze to the mob, Tachi: Gekko does silence and Tachi: Yukikaze does blind. This isn't 100% (what is in this game?) but I would say it's close to 50% on run-of-the-mill mobs. You can't tell when it's inflicted, except for paralyze because you get the nice message when the mob is unable to act. You do, however, get a message when it wears off. Usually that isn't too long, especially for silence it seems. Since all three weaponskills are nearly equal (there's debate on if Gekko is maybe just a tad more damage, nothing major), I like to use the one suited to the mob I'm fighting. If you're fighting a mage mob, break out the Gekko, if you're doing other type mobs, use a Kasha. If you have Kasha on a mob, maybe put a Yukikaze on it next.

For merit parties, this probably doesn't make or break the experience points. Things generally are dying too fast for you to care. If you're in the troll camps at Mount Z though, those last a bit longer and you might want to think about that as you tank it up following a WS. "Do I really want to let him keep casting tier 3 magic on me?" I will say that if you're soloing mobs, using these WS to their fullest will extend your life. Know and love the big three. 

Stun Gun Ho!
Let's get this straight first off...the damage on Tachi: Hobaku stinks. It stunk when you got it and it still stinks at 75. Yeah, yeah, I've had my fun little 500 damage hit before, but it's not a 1k+ Gekko. You're not using this weaponskill to score points in the e-peen contests. You're using this weaponskill to save your bacon.

Of all the stun weaponskills, Tachi: Hobaku is probably the most reliable. Use this to help stop Ancient Magic or -aga spells. If your timers are down on the mages, you're a decent shot. Certainly beats taking it in the face. While solo, you are the only hope.

The stun gun reference is I've seen strategies where you basically do a stun lock with Samurai. If you have TP ready, 2hr ready and meditate ready you have five stuns at your disposal you can fire fairly quickly. Chain a few Samurai together and you've got yourself a stun lock. This is definitely not foolproof. Some aren't going to work, some might miss, someone might be slow, face it you're going to have something go through. It is useful though and works in a pinch for mage power. 

Tachi: Jinpu
Other than being fun to say, Tachi: Jinpu is a pretty decent skill. For it's level it's the most powerful until you get the big three. At later levels though it can still perform. The trouble with Tachi: Jinpu is the same trouble with multi-hit weaponskill in general. Landing seven hits on an Asuran Fists is relatively easy, but that last hit the game can make you struggle. Same seems to be true (for me) with Penta Thrust, Guillotine and other multi-hit skills. Well Tachi: Jinpu is only two lame hits, so it's nowhere near as hard, but it does have a nasty habit of giving you that lackluster hit whenever you use it.

The upswing though is you can get four hits out of it. What? Yes four hits. Double attack can go off on both of the hits in the weaponskill and give you a four hit weaponskill. The proof is all my best merit party weaponskills in my screenshot collection are Jinpus. I even have one that is near 6k damage. Now it was a special mob in an assault, skewing the numbers, but that's just awesome. So don't use this all the time, but consider it from time to time if for nothing other than having fun. 

The Forgotten
Unfortunately for them, the other four weaponskill sit there collecting dust when you're past level 60. There's just no reason for them. Even if you want them to make a certain magic chain, it's not worth it unless we're talking something like a flood of BLMs are going to magic burst on it. Otherwise you do far more damage soloing a higher level skill than you do out of the chain plus burst damage on the weaker skill. Use them at level capped events, stow them for uncapped events. 

Polearm Skills
There's really only two options here, Penta Thrust and Impulse Drive. Often called Gimpulse Drive for how much it stinks, it can still put up some numbers and make a darkness chain. Penta Thrust, however, rocks! Penta Thrusts in the 2000 range have been rampant since the two hand update.

Archery Skills
Do I need this secion? I guess for completeness... Only really one skill to speak of for Samurai: Sidewinder. Well, I guess Namas Arrow if you had a relic weapon, but let's assume you don't. Use Sharpshot and/or have 150% or more TP to ensure hits. If you have enough accuracy gear though you should be ok at 100%. Spamming them as near 100% TP as possible is the goal afterall.

Sword Skills?
Some of us have sword skills! I capped it a long time ago for fun and for Spirits Within. Since a lot of the changes, especially the recent two hand update, Spirits Within is not longer needed. Overall sword is really not all that bad, but it's a 230 skill so you're not going to use this in any serious capacity. If you use it for fun though, the highlight is SAM/WAR and breaking out Vorpal Blade. 1000+ damage on a Vorpal Blade is entirely achieveable so go out and mess around.