Samurai Gear Guide: By Ashmada

Samurai : a gear discussion

0. Why this guide ?

- Because over and over again, I see Samurai making poor gear choices.
- Because, although there are many gear guides around, most are based on opinions more than facts.
In this guide, I will try to back up all my statements by maths (which I'll produce on the talk page if asked).
- Because some guides have a very limited scope.
- Because most guides tell you either to "use this" or "not use this", but with little detail. This does not mesh well with all the situational gear we have.
- Because it's pretty fun for some of us, to look at gear stats and map out the possible uses :P.

1. Subjobs.

Although this is strictly a gear guide (your playstyle's entirely up to you), I need to have a quick word about subjobs, as some require SJ-specific gear. I'll be brief, and I won't include ability lists with comments about each ; I loathe those and you don't need my help to know, for instance, that /NIN is mainly about Utsusemi, not Stealth.

This section is, by nature, partly opinionated.

1.1 SAM/WAR.

An old staple, /WAR is useful from level 30 all the way to 75.
At 75, /DRG should usually be used with GKs, /WAR with Polearms; although there are exceptions to that rule.

No SJ-specific gear.

1.2 SAM/DRG.

/DRG is useful from level 20 all the way to 75. At some levels it falls behind /WAR.
As I said above, by the time you're 75 and meritted, this is the main GK sub.

SJ-specific gear : Wyvern Earring.

1.3 SAM/NIN.

This sub is frankly overused.
It's very useful to absorbs nasty AoEs from some endgame NMs, but it's a common mistake to use it in :
- EXP (/WAR or /DRG)
- merits (/WAR, spam Penta)
- Nyzul (/WAR, spam Penta, have a Fanatic's Drink for the boss)
- The Puk ISNM (Utsusemi won't buy you much time against that many Puks : if you don't trust your BRD to be quick enough go /PLD for Sentinel; otherwise /WAR+Penta again)

SJ-specific gear : none.

1.4 SAM/THF.

Mostly obsolete, /THF is still used for some specific endgame fights, depending on LSes.

SJ-specific gear : none.

1.5 SAM/DNC.

Mainly a solo/Campaign sub, /DNC grants great survivability.

SJ-specific gear : Soboro grants more TP to cure with, better returns from Drain Samba. Also getting some VIT gear to macro for Curing Waltz can extend the mileage you get from them. Don't expect great returns, though.

1.6 SAM/RNG.

The core principle is using Soboro for quick TP gain and a high D bow+Sidewinder for strong weaponskills.
The sub is mostly obsolete now because you can easily reproduce that with a 5-hit Polearm build, /WAR and Penta Thrust.

SJ-specific gear : Soboro, Shigeto Bow, tons of STR/Racc/Ratk gear for Sidewinder.

2. Lexicon.

Let's all speak the same language, these are a few common abbreviations I use:

- DoT : I use this exclusively to refer to the part of your damage that comes from TPing. WS and instant-effect JAs (Jumps, Chi Blast...) are not included.
- WS frequency/WS freq : how often you can theoritically use a weaponskill.
- WS damage/WS dmg : the damage your individual weaponskills do.
- DPS : D/Dly*60.
- Haidate : Byakko's Haidate. None other.
- Abjuration gear : first letter of the abjuration+slot it goes in : Shura Haidate is Dlegs, Crimson Finger Gauntlets is Whands, Armada Hauberk is Ebody+1,...
- Overal damage : self-explanatory, equal to DoT+WSfreq*WSdmg+JAfreq*JAdamage.

3.1. Great Katana.

Low-level Great Katana are dependent on availlability. Don't wait for a specific weapon to become availlable at low levels, it's not too bad to use the next best thing.

The "TP Gain" columns are the time it takes to generate 100 (or more) TP, in seconds, for that weapon. The first one without any Store TP gear (but with level-appropriate traits), the second one with traits+Rajas, the third one with sufficient Store TP to make a standard 450 Delay GK 6-hit build (not always resulting in a 6-hit!).
Speed of TP gain is very important to a 2-handed DD. For this reason, some HQ weapons can be worse than their NQ counterpart.

The "Wrank" column is mainly useful at higher levels, it determines the fSTR cap.

Because of the symbolic nature of the GK for SAM, I'll list them all, except event ones and incomplete Relic/Magian stages.

Level	Name	Damage	Delay	DPS	TP gain	TP gain (Rajas)	TP gain (6-hit)	Stats	Wrank	Notes
1	Mumeito Template:Rare2Template:Exclusive2	12	420	1.71	70	N/A	N/A		1	Not much choice but to use what's been given to you.
8	Tachi	21	450	2.8	67.5	N/A	N/A		2	Upgrade ASAP.
8	Tachi +1	22	437	3.02	72.83	N/A	N/A		2	The first example of an HQ you shouldn't use.
10	Katayama Ichimonji	28	450	3.73	60	N/A	N/A	STR+1 DEX+1	3	Very nice for the level.
12	Uchigatana	24	420	3.43	63	N/A	N/A		2
12	Uchigatana +1	25	407	3.69	61.05	N/A	N/A		2	If you have Katayama, skip this, otherwise get this. Not the NQ!
16	Nodachi	30	450	4	60	N/A	N/A		3	Marginally better than Katayama.
16	Nodachi +1	31	437	4.26	65.55	N/A	N/A		3	Once again, say NO to HQ.
20	Gunromaru	33	450	4.4	60	N/A	N/A		3	Basic damage upgrade.
23	Okanehira	38	450	5.07	60	N/A	N/A		4	Another basic damage upgrade.
26	Kanesada	36	420	5.14	63	N/A	N/A		4	Keep Okanehira. The slight DPS increase is not worth the slower TP gain and lesser D.
27	Kotetsu	40	450	5.33	60	N/A	N/A		4	Another small damage upgrade.
30	Mokusa	39	420	5.57	63	56	N/A	Add : Wind.	4	If you have Rajas, yes. Otherwise, keep Kotetsu.
34	Homura	47	463	6.09	61.73	54.02	N/A	Add : Fire.	5	Rajas : NQ (or Koen), no Rajas : HQ.
34	Koen	47	463	6.09	61.73	54.02	N/A	Add : Fire. Enchant : Fire.	5
34	Homura +1	48	450	6.4	60	60	N/A	Add : Fire.	5
36	Ashura	45	420	6.43	63	56	N/A		5	No.
36	Ashura +1	46	407	6.78	61.05	61.05	N/A		5	Just keep using Homura/Homura +1 for one more level.
37	Hosodachi	51	428	7.15	57.07	57.07	N/A		5	In this case, Rajas makes HQ better, while absence of Rajas makes NQ better.
37	Tsurugitachi	51	428	7.15	57.07	57.07	N/A	Enchant : TP+10	5	No one ever bothered to make this, at least on Lakshmi
37	Hosodachi +1	52	414	7.54	62.1	55.2	N/A		5
40	Kagehide	54	420	7.71	63	56	N/A	VIT+2	6	If you have Rajas, this is a slight upgrade, if you don't hang on to your Hosodachi for 2 more levels.
42	Magoroku	56	450	7.47	60	60	N/A		6	AF Weapon, and a pretty decent one at that, too bad it's so short-lived.
44	Mikazuki	58	450	7.73	60	60	N/A		6	Slightly better than AF, I highly recommend going with the HQ on this.
44	Mikazuki +1	59	437	8.1	58.27	58.27	N/A		6	Yes, you read that TP gain number right : between level 30 and 70, 437 delay Great Katana are faster than 450 delay ones, due to StoreTPII.
48	Odenta	63	450	8.4	60	60	N/A		7	Mikazuki+1 and this are pretty close in performance, and if memory serves me well, this is somewhat expensive. Not to mention that 2 great options open up at 50.
50	Koryukagemitsu	67	450	8.93	60	52.5	N/A	STR+1 Acc+2	7	Do I really need to tell you to get this ?
50	Soboro Sukehiro	40	450	5.33	60	52.5	N/A	"Occasionally attacks 2-3 times."	4	It's viable at 75, at 50 it smashes all opposition. Keep a higher D GK on you for 2HR.
50	Kiku-Ichimonji	66	450	8.8	60	52.5	N/A		7	I'll never understand why this used to sell. Damage just under Koryukagemitsu, no stats and more expensive.
54	Jindachi	69	450	9.2	60	52.5	N/A		7	Slight upgrade from Koryukagemitsu.
54	Jindachi +1	70	437	9.61	58.27	58.27	N/A	No.	7
55	Dotanuki	65	420	9.29	56	56	N/A	Add: impairs evasion	7	For those deprived of a Rajas Ring only.
56	Raikiri	69	437	9.47	58.27	58.27	N/A	Acc+3 Thunder weather: Atk+10 Decreases movement speed	7	Rajas users, keep your Jindachi. Others, keep your Dotanuki.
57	Amakura	71	450	9.47	58.27	58.27	N/A	Latent effect: Store TP+10	7	Slight damage upgrade over Jindachi. Non-Rajas : Keep Dotanuki.
59	Daihannya	72	450	9.6	60	52.5	N/A	STR+3	8	Get.
60	Omokage	66	420	9.43	56	56	N/A	DEX+4 Store TP+2	7	NO!
60	Gold Musketeer's Uchigatana	66	399	9.92	59.85	53.2	N/A	Acc+4 Atk+4 Add: earth.	7	This is very nice, but short-lived.
61	Zanbato	73	464	9.44	54.13	54.13	N/A		8	Rajas users : HQ, others : NQ.
61	Zanbato +1	74	450	9.87	60	52.5	N/A		8
63	Kanesada +1	68	450	9.71	56	56	N/A		7	No.
63	Shinkanesada	69	407	10.17	61.05	52.27	N/A		7	No.
65	Onikiri	74	450	9.87	60	52.5	N/A	Vs demons: crit+5%	8	Unless you're fighting demons, it's a Zanbato +1.
66	Sukesada	69	399	10.38	59.85	53.2	N/A	Atk+7 DA+1%	7	Slightly better than Onikiri, slightly worse than Kazaridachi.
67	Kazaridachi	76	450	10.13	60	52.5	N/A	CHR+2	8	Rajas : get NQ. Others : get HQ.
67	Messhikimaru	76	450	10.13	60	52.5	N/A	CHR+2 Enchant : Arcana Killer.	8	Kazaridachi's CHR wasn't pointless enough for SE, they had to add a pointless enchantment.
67	Kazaridachi +1	77	437	10.57	58.27	58.27	N/A	CHR+3	8
67	Kazaridachi +1	77	437	10.57	58.27	58.27	N/A	CHR+3	8
69	Mukademaru	74	420	10.57	56	56	N/A	Subtle Blow+2 Brillant Earring	8	No.
69	Namioyogi	80	450	10.67	60	52.5	N/A	Enmity+5 Supremacy Earring	8	Good for a few levels, but the 2 RARE/EX options below are better.
70	Kamewari	79	450	10.53	60	52.5	N/A	Acc+5 Vs Arcana : crit+7%	8	Get if you can.
70	Kumokirimaru	80	450	10.67	60	52.5	N/A	Enhances Zanshin Crit+5% Vs Vermin : crit+8%	8	Very low appraising rates.
70	Honebami	68	420	9.71	56	56	N/A	Does Blunt damage.	7	VERY situational. If you need non-Slashing damage, it's usually better to just switch to a Polearm, so this is only for when you specifically need Blunt damage (Temperance comes to mind).
70	Kotetsusaemonji	76	420	10.86	56	56	45	StoreTP+2 Assault: D79	8	Nice DPS, but the akward 6-hit kills this.
70	Murasame	72	420	10.29	56	56	N/A	HP-5% VsFire+15 Add: Water	8	Junk.
71	Tachi of Trials	76	450	10.13	52.5	52.5	45	Latent Effect: HP +20 VsIce+10 VsDark+20	8	I don't need to tell you what this is for.
71	Hotarumaru	78	420	11.14	56	56	N/A	Depending On Day: Increases Elemental Weapon Skill Damage	8	Great DPS, but the akward 6-hit kills this.
71	Shirogatana	72	420	10.29	56	56	N/A	STR+2 INT+2	8	Junk.
71	Shirogatana +1	73	407	10.76	61.05	54.27	N/A	STR+3 INT+3	8	Junk +1.
72	Hagun	75	450	10	52.5	52.5	45	TP Bonus	8	There's a reason for the pricetag on this : Yukikaze, Gekko and Kasha are a lot stronger at 200TP.
72	Kotetsu +1	78	450	10.4	52.5	52.5	45		8	Junk.
72	Shinkotetsu	79	436	10.87	58.13	50.87	N/A		8	Even worse than NQ.
72	Shinsoku	80	450	10.67	52.5	52.5	45	STR+5 AGI+1 INT-1 Add: TP Drain	8	NO!
72	Michishiba	65	420	9.29	56	56	45	Latent : D78 Crit+6%	7	Yet again, no.
72	Nanatsusaya	77	420	11	56	56	45	STR+7 DEX+7 Enhances "Zanshin" effect	8	Supposedly makes Zanshin 100% proc. More on this later.
72	Nanatsusaya	77	420	11	56	56	45	STR+7 DEX+7 Enhances "Zanshin" effect	8	Supposedly makes Zanshin 100% proc. More on this later.
73	Onimaru	77	450	11	52.5	52.5	45	Latent: D83 Hidden: Acc+5 Atk+18	8	Decent and cheap.
73	Ushikirimaru	82	450	10.93	52.5	52.5	45	HP+15 STR+2 Enmity+2 VsBeast : Acc+7	9	Decent and easy to obtain.
73	Butachi	80	450	10.67	52.5	52.5	45	HP+10 DEX+2 VIT+2 VsFire+8	8	Junk.
73	Kagiroi	80	450	10.67	52.5	52.5	45	HP+10 DEX+2 VIT+2 VsFire+8 Enchant : Fire	8	Enchanted junk.
73	Butachi +1	81	437	11.12	58.27	50.98	N/A	HP+11 DEX+3 VIT+3 VsFire+9	9	Junk +1.
73	Nukemaru	77	450	10.27	52.5	52.5	45	STR+2 Firesday: D87 VsFire+15	8	On firesday, very strong. Rest of the time, very weak.
73	Namikirimaru	60	420	8.57	56	56	N/A	Add : TP Drain	6	This must have some sort of hidden effect we don't know yet about. Seriously. Everything about this sucks. It would've sucked at lv50 already.
73	Unshomaru	81	450	10.27	52.5	52.5	45		9	The strength of this depends entirely on whether the rumored TP Bonus is confirmed or infirmed.
74	Hacchonenbutsu Dangozash	70	378	11.11	50.4	44.1	N/A	Acc+4	7	Junk.