Noob question? Maybe so.

[Kurenaii]

I'm coming back to FFXI for.. probably the 5th time now. I remember started a SAM before I quit the last time and I would love to go back to her. I've gone through THF and DRK my previous times quitting [I'm obviously a sucker for damage].. and would like to know a few things about SAM before I get started on Monday.




What are some of my [widely accepted] subjob options?
I've seen people sub so many things with SAM, I don't know exactly what I want.


And what has been changed in SAM the past year or so? Anything important or anything I should know about?

[VZX]

WAR THF NIN DRG
I usually use DNC sub for campaign along with soboro

Search for "2handed weapons update" for major change

[Kurenaii]

^ I really want to sub THF. Which out of those 4 has the most damage output?

[Nataka]

Depends if you want spike damage or DoT. I think /war is the best DoT, but thief can do some impressive spike damage.

[Kurenaii]

Depends if you want spike damage or DoT. I think /war is the best DoT, but thief can do some impressive spike damage.

I'm going for spike damage mos'def.

[IfritnoItazura]

SAM/RNG at Lv.57+ for Sidewinder. With Soboro Sukehiro.

Lot's and lot's of spike damage right there, if geared right. (Good way to MPK yourself, too.)

[Lmnop]

I'm going for spike damage mos'def.

Remember that this usually isn't the most efficient choice in FFXI. You can do just as much damage via quicker, smaller increments. But of course, that doesn't make you crap yourself.

Then again, I recently got to try tanking for a SAM/war with 18% Haste gear (+Hasso +Haste spell, no BRD which was probably lucky for me), a 6 hit build (so his WS landing gave him enough tp that he only needed 5 more swings), and a Soboro. 500 WS damage every 10 seconds adds up fast.

[Armando]

What Lmnop said.

Different jobs achieve their maximum damage with varying amounts of "DoT" (normal hits) and "spike damage" (spells, WS, JAs like Sneak Attack/Trick Attack/Jump) but within the same job, you really don't have much of an option of preferring one or the other. Usually only one approach yields the best results for a given situation.

Don't think about DoT and spike damage. Think about how to do the most damage within reasonable limits (i.e. holding the party back because you're taking too much damage as a result.)

In reality they're trivial concepts for EXP parties anyways because you're looking to get as much damage as possible throughout a long period of time no matter how you look at it. Talking about "spike damage" only really makes sense in situations where you're fighting ONE thing that NEEDS to be killed in an exceptionally short period of time, no matter what.

'Nyways, enough preaching. /WAR will almost always fare better in EXP parties. /THF is useful for incredibly high level mobs due to the fact that Sneak Attack ignores accuracy, and critical hits improve your damage far more when you're hitting for very little than when you're hitting for a lot (in a way they add a fixed amount of damage to your attack.) /NIN will come in handy at 74+ because of Utsusemi. Both subs become "useable" at Lv.30 (at which you gain Berserk or Sneak Attack from sub.)

/RNG and /DRG can also be used efficiently at certain level ranges. You'll probably want these subs at some point or another, but they're pretty low priority. Likewise, /DNC allows any melee to support others through TP-based cures rather than MP. This gives it a very wide appeal, though not necessarily for EXP.

As for SAM changes, you might also want to look into Hasso and Seigan. I can't remember how long ago they were implemented so I don't know if they were already in the game before you quit. The level to gain Zanshin was also lowered a lot in the same update.

[Kurenaii]

What Lmnop said.

Different jobs achieve their maximum damage with varying amounts of "DoT" (normal hits) and "spike damage" (spells, WS, JAs like Sneak Attack/Trick Attack/Jump) but within the same job, you really don't have much of an option of preferring one or the other. Usually only one approach yields the best results for a given situation.

Don't think about DoT and spike damage. Think about how to do the most damage within reasonable limits (i.e. holding the party back because you're taking too much damage as a result.)

In reality they're trivial concepts for EXP parties anyways because you're looking to get as much damage as possible throughout a long period of time no matter how you look at it. Talking about "spike damage" only really makes sense in situations where you're fighting ONE thing that NEEDS to be killed in an exceptionally short period of time, no matter what.

'Nyways, enough preaching. /WAR will almost always fare better in EXP parties. /THF is useful for incredibly high level mobs due to the fact that Sneak Attack ignores accuracy, and critical hits improve your damage far more when you're hitting for very little than when you're hitting for a lot (in a way they add a fixed amount of damage to your attack.) /NIN will come in handy at 74+ because of Utsusemi. Both subs become "useable" at Lv.30 (at which you gain Berserk or Sneak Attack from sub.)

/RNG and /DRG can also be used efficiently at certain level ranges. You'll probably want these subs at some point or another, but they're pretty low priority. Likewise, /DNC allows any melee to support others through TP-based cures rather than MP. This gives it a very wide appeal, though not necessarily for EXP.

As for SAM changes, you might also want to look into Hasso and Seigan. I can't remember how long ago they were implemented so I don't know if they were already in the game before you quit. The level to gain Zanshin was also lowered a lot in the same update.

So /WAR is a better option over all?

[Celeal]

The subjob is situational. Different subjob gives you different tools. You would get better performance if you use proper tool to handle the task. Besides, multiple subjob option allows you to have more than one way to enjoy playing SAM too.

[Wise Donkey]

So /WAR is a better option over all?

In general, yes, /WAR is best.

[VZX]

/WAR is the best, but often whether it'll be the best or not is not you who to decide. A tank that couldn't hold hate from SAM/WAR = dead SAM = worst case you can have.