Bakslash
06-16-2004, 10:40 AM
Note: This is just a draft. Hopefully I'll have time to fill out more information about the SAM class at a future date, but I'm not making any promises!
Flag Quest
The samurai is an advanced job and was introduced in the Zilart expansion pack (included free with the NA version of FFXI). In order to receive the samurai quest the character must be at least level 30 and have the gotten Kazham Airship pass. This pass can be gotten through a quest or bought for 140,000 gil. It is also a good idea to buy a map of the Elshimo region before you leave Jeuno since maps are not sold in Kazham. The map can be bought from the commerce department in Lower Jeuno.
Once the airship pass is obtained, take the airship from Port Jeuno to Kazham and then take a chocobo to Norg. Don't forget to bring with a couple of silent oils because there is an area where chocobo won't enter and it is necessary to travel by foot. Ride out of Kazham and head south toward the outpost (G-11). Near the outpost is a hole to drop down which will take you to the waterfalls. Follow the tunnel behind the waterfall until the chocobo refuses to go any further. Dismount, rest and enter the Sea Serpent's Grotto. All the mobs in the Grotto agro so silent oils are very useful. One bottle should last all the way to Norg, but it doesn't hurt to have two for safety. Simply follow the right wall all the way to Norg. There is one gate that you have to open, and Norg is only a short distance beyond it.
Inside Norg, head up the main stairs to speak with Jaucribaix (K-8). All samurai will get pretty familiar with Jaucribaix. Jaucribaix will have you speak with Ranemaud (I-7) and Aeka (I-8) to get two rare/ex items: sacred sprig and oriental steel.
There are two NMs to defeat to complete the samurai quest. The bomb NM is located in the Konschat Highlands at (D-7) inside a shallow cave. Trade the oriental steel to the ??? and spawn the NM. The NM has to be defeated for each player who wants to complete the samurai quest. When the NM is killed, an item will go into the treasure lot so make sure the correct player lot for it. There is about a 3 minute respawn time so take the time to rest and recharge.
The other NM is located in the Sanctuary of Zi'tah. A map of this area can be purchased in Mhaura although the NM is actually located at (L-10) which is off the map. Bring a hatchet (2 to be safe) to cut the branch of the large tree. The NM only needs to be killed once for all the characters to get the item. Once you arrive at the tree, cut the branch and trade the sacred sprig to the ???. The NM will spawn once the first player trades it. After defeating the NM, each player should touch the ??? once again to get the item.
Trade the items to Jaucribaix and he will spend 3 game days (3 real life hours) making the great katana, Mumeito, for you. Once received, the samurai job is granted. Remember to hold on to the Great Katana because it is needed for the AF1 quest. If the GK is ever lost, it can be bought back from Norg for 30,000 gils.
Congratulations, the path of the bushido is now open!
Food
As a Samurai, you have some choices in foods. There are the usual kabobs, crabs, etc. for attack bonus and def bonus, but Samurai also have the option of Riceballs especially with their AF gloves. Here are the rice balls to consider:
31 Cooking: Rice Ball HP+10 DEX-1 VIT+2 HP recovery +1 (for 30 minutes)
(w/ sam AF gloves Def +31/+50)
Ingredients: Fire Tarutaru Rice x1, Pamtam Kelp x1, Rock Salt x1, Distilled Water x1
41 Cooking: Salmon Rice Ball HP+10 DEX+2 VIT+2 MND-1 HP recovery +2 (for 60 minutes)
(w/ Sam AF Gloves Attack +50 Def +31)
Ingredients: Fire Smoked Salmon x1, Tarutaru Rice x1, Pamtam Kelp x1, Rock Salt x1, Distilled Water x1
94 Cooking: Tonosama Riceball HP+15 DEX+3 VIT+3 CHR+3 (for 30 minutes)
(w/ Sam AF gloves equipment attack +50 Def +32/+45* double attack +1)
Ingredients: Fire Tarutaru Rice x1, Pamtam Kelp x1, Rock Salt x1, Distilled Water x1, Flint Caviar x1
There is a new level 73 head band, Roshijinpachi, that also has "enhances effects of riceballs" and I've verified that the effects does stack with the AF gloves. These two combined might possibly the be best all purpose combination for a Samurai as it offers big bonuses in attack and defense (attack nearly as great as with the Kote but a lot higher defense). Combined with riceballs, one can get a bonus of 90 attack and 70 defense wearing these two, so weigh this against the Kote's +20 attack with the Kabobs +20% atk.
* The Dec. 2004 update made a lot changes to food. Riceballs (w/ ehance food effects i.e. AF Kote) gave better stats then before and is a fixed size bonus (i.e. not % bonus), so this makes riceballs even better.
* Additional changes has been added with regard to food that gives a lot more options such as sushi and different meats. Rather then listing foods, here are some charts:
Comprehensive Food List from Dec. 8 patch. (http://home.comcast.net/~firebirdjim/ffxi/food.htm)
Attack Foods (http://www5.sppd.ne.jp/grenda/FF11/food.htm)
Great Katana
The primary weapon of the Samurai comes in two types. Those with a shorter delay (420) are usually NIN/SAM while the higher delay ones are SAM-only.
Samurai have a limited number of weapons which they can use, but no weapon beats the flexibility of the Great Katana. GKs provide very good dmg/delay ratio and is the only weapon has every element type of the skill chain available to it.
Great Katana Weapon Skills
Tachi:Enpi (1x dmg @ 100TP) level 3, weapon skill 10, 2x hit , transfixion, scission
Tachi:Hobaku (1x dmg @ 100TP) level 9, weapon skill 30, stuns, induration
Tachi:Goten (1.5x dmg @ 100TP) level 23, weapon skill 70, lightning-based, transfixion, impaction
Tachi:Kagero (1.5x dmg @100TP) level 33, weapon skill 100, fire-based, liquidfaction
Tachi:Jinpu (1.5x dmg @ 100TP) level 49 weapon skill 150, 2x hit, wind-based, scission, detonation
Tachi:Koki (1.5 dmg @ 100TP) level 55, weapon skill 175, light-based, reverberation, impaction
Tachi:Yukikaze (dmg based on TP regardless of enemy defense) level 60, weapon skill 200, blind, induration, detonation
Tachi:Gekko (???) level 65,weapon skill 225, silence, distortion*, reverbaration
Tachi:Kasha (???) level 71, weapon skill 250 paralyze, fusion*, compression
* level 2 element
Tachi: Kaiten - Special WS only available when equiping Tosukanotsurugi (when in Dynamis) or Amanourakumo.
The following chart shows how attributes contributes to WS dmg:
WS DMG (http://www.iluvitar.com/sections/ffxi/skill/jpwstranslated.html)
Specifically...
Tachi: Yukikaze 1.50 2.00 2.50 1x STR_75%
Tachi: Gekko 1.50 2.00 2.50 1x STR_75%
Tachi: Kasha 1.50 2.00 2.50 1x STR_75%
Store TP
Samurai have the ability to increase the amount of TP gained through its Store TP job traits. TP calculation is as follows:
(from The Bilingual Website for FFXI (http://davidbowie.dyndns.tv/eriwilde/ffxi/))
~180 : 5 TP
180-480 : ( (DLY-180)/256 ) * 6 + 5
480-780 : ( (DLY-480)/1024 ) * 13 + 12
780 : (DLY-780) / 80 + 16
Alternatively, there is this calculation:
Delay 000 - 180: Fixed at 5
Delay 180 - 480: [(Delay - 180) / 256] * 6 + 5
Delay 480 - 900: (Delay + 480) / 80
Store TP I: TP * 1.10
Store TP II: TP * 1.15
Store TP III: TP * 1.20
Store TP IV: TP * 1.25
There are now numerous items that give Store TP. I'm not certain of the calculation of TP from these items.
GK Weapon Skills and Sneak Attack
(I have not spent any time to verify this with all WS since I normally do not sub thief.)
There are two types of weapon skills. One is a physical attack weapon skill and the other is a pure elemental weapon skill. The GK weapons skills all seems to be physical with some having elemental properties. Thus, all GK weapon skills stack with Sneak Attack for increase damange.
Job Traits
Resist Blind (5, 25,45,65)
Store TP (10,30,50,70)
Demon Killer (40)
Job Abilities
Meikyo Shisui (1)
Warding Circle (5)
Third Eye (15)
Meditate (30)
Zanshin (60)
Artifact I Quest
Artifact gear are special items designed for each class. They are all rare/ex and cannot be bought but are either quested for or found from coffers. There are 3 artifact "quests" and 3 artifact "coffers".
AF1 - Magoroku (Great Katana) [Lv42 DMG56 DLY450 STR+1 AGI+1]
The AF1 quest can be accepted at level 40, but the sword itself is not usuable until level 42. You start the quest by taking to Jaucribaix who will request the Mumeito and "Crystal Scales" that is dropped off the fish NM in the Sanctuary of Zi'tah (E-8). "Fish bait" is required to spawn the NM which is dropped by Goblin Robbers. Go to Zi'tah to hunt the robbers until one drops the fish bait and then head to the NM spawn location. Do not go there at night since skeletons will spawn and wipe out the party. Instead, stay on the chocobo until daytime and then clear the area of mobs before fighting the NM. Trade the fish bait to the ???, kill the NM and touch the ??? to get the key item. Return to Norg and trade the Mumeito to Jaucribaix and he will begin making the Magoroku. It takes a long time before the sword is ready...
AF2 - Myochin Sune-Ate (boots) [Lv52 DEF13 HP+20 Fire+10 Enmity+5 Evasion Skill+5]
Here we begin the first of many painful quests for samurai AFs. It is painful because compared to other classes' AF, it is like having to do 2 quests to get one item. Start by talking to Jaucribaix at level 50+. He will want a "Yomutsu Feature" from the Ubume, a NM located in the Labryrinth of Onzozo. To lure the bird out, get the key item "Washu's Tasty Wurst" from Washu (located in the room near Jaucribaix). Trade Wash a hecteye eye, frost turnip, giant sheep meat and bastore sardine to receive the key item. Head to (F-8) in the Labrynth of Onzozo which is located at the eastern beach of the Buburimu. The entrance is hidden so go into the water and head north until you see the cave entrace. Once inside, follow the left wall (sneak/invis) until you see a giant bird hut and clear the area of mobs. Ubume casts area sleep which is the primary reason high levels might be killed, so bring a WHM who can cure and have the whm take some poison before the fight. Poison will keep the WHM from sleeping if he/she is too close to the NM. Kill the NM and touch the ??? to get the feature. Every SAM doing this can get the item at once.
I wish I can offer a congratulations, but the quest is not done yet. Trade the feather to Jaucribaix and be prepared to wait a long time (some say 1 hour, some say 1 RL day) to get the key item Yomutsu Hirasaki. This must be taking to the secret beach at the Valkurm Dunes (B-7) at night (18:00-4:00) and be prepared to fight 2 undead NMs simultaneously. Looking out towards the water, the ??? is on the right hand side of the beach near the water's edge. The two NMs are a Doman (Ka) and Onryo (ghost). Defeat the NMs and touch the ??? again to get the key item "Faded Yomusu Hirasaki". Return to Norg and get the boots from Jaucribaix.
[My personal grief is that because of the long delay between the first NM and the second one, it is like doing two seperate quest because obviously the first party is not going to stay around for 24 hours or however long the wait is.]
AF3 - Myochin Kabuto (helm) [Lv60 DEF20 HP+10 MND+5 Enhances "Warding Circle" and "Meditate"]
Ahh, the magical helm of the samurai that allows meditate to return 120-140 TP. The fight itself is very cool, but again the quest has restrictions that the other classes' AFs do not. Here, samurai encounter a BCNM-type fight. The good news is that only 5 other people needs to be gathered, but the bad news is that they better be a good team of 5 others!
The quest begins with a long search for the location of the man who stole the helm from Norg. Speak with (who else) Jaucribaix to get the quest then go to the Port Jeuno Duty Free shop to speak with Sanosuke. Next, head to Mhaura and speak to Phoochuchu, a Jujitsu Gi wearing taru at the foot of the stairs, then head to Bastok Mines and the door at (J-6). From the mines, head to Waughroon Shrine in the Palborough Mines. Finally, return to Norg to get the "Banishing Charm". Return to the Waughroon Shrine and trade the charm to the burning circle. There are 3 demon NMs and a pet that must be defeated. The NMs are Gaki (blm), Rasetsu (drk), Onki (smn), and Onibi (elemental).
There are different strategies for this fight, but the most common is to fight the NMs from right to left (Gaki, Rasetsu, Onki). Ignore the elemental since it will die when Onki dies. The BLM is the most deadly with its spells so try to kill him quickly. The DRK does dmg but does not have great DEF or HP. The SMN also does not have great HP but can launch a big attack when its HP gets low.
Once the NMs are defeated, return to Norg with the charred heml received from the battle and Gold Thread. With these two together, Jaucribaix will make a new helm. Again, be prepared to wait awhile.
Congratulations! The 3 AF quests are now completed.
Coffer 1 - 3
The coffer parts are often referred to as AF4-AF6. Once AF2 has been accepted, players can being the coffer hunt. For samurai, AF coffer are found in the Quicksand Caves, Kuftal Tunnel, and Temple of Uggalepih. The first two location are normal exp'ing locations so getting a PT to hunt keys is not too difficult. The last location, Temple of Uggalepih, can be a nightmare!
Myochin Haidate (legs) [Lv54 DEF30 HP+15 STR+3 Earth+10 Parrying Skill+5] - Quicksand Caves
Myochin Kote (hands) [Lv56 DEF15 HP+15 DEX+4 Enmity+2 Enhances effects of consuming 'Rice Balls'] - Kuftal Tunnel
Myochin Domaru (body) [Lv58 DEF41 HP+10 VIT+3 Dark+15 Occasionally increases TP gain when damaged] - Temple of Uggalepih
Link to maps and mobs that drop coffers keys: http://www.speakeasy.org/~sticks/ffxi/
Genkai 5 - The Maat Fight
The final genkai is a one-on-one fight against Maat at level 66+ and a Samurai testimony is traded to Maat. The testimony can be gotten from Blood and Gore Demons in Bailey's, and the Yagudo Templar in Oztroja.
No subjob is allowed and Maat will have the same ability as a SAM except that he uses hand-to-hand instead of a Great Katana. When fighting Maat, expect him to use Meikyo Shishui and possibly Assuran Fist (although one person said Maat did 3 consecutive Assuran Fists, I don't think this is supported by any proof).
A few things to know about the Maat fight. First, Maat won't attack you until you hit him, so you'll always get the first swing in. Second, no one is sure if there's any special condition that will get Maat to quit (i.e. Thf needs to steal).
Maat will also use Meikyo Shishui very early in the fight. He often uses Combo, Shoulder Tackle and Spinning Rush.
-- How I fought Maat --
I chose a more defensive route to fighting Maat. I went in at level 70 with 2 Phalanx Rings, full AF, Amemet Mantle, Life Belt, RK Collar, Opo-opo necklace, 2x Coral Earrings, and Kazaridachi (level 67 Great Katana). This is pretty normal equiment for SAMs (except for the normal 2x sniper rings) although I realize a lot of SAM might chose to wear Ochiudo's Kote, Haurbegeon, etc. I was wearing pretty average SAM gear.
For extras, I brought 1 shogun rice ball, 5 hi-potions, 1 vile elixer, 1 icarus wing (unused), and 12 sleep potions (used 5).
First, macro the items so they can be used quickly. Set up the weapon skill macros in a way that is familiar.
My strategy is as follows: Absorb Maat's attack, interrupt his skill chain and then maximize the number of skill chains.
I entered the Burning Circle, ate the shogun riceball (for the possibility of a double attack), meditated, put on Opo-opo necklace and slept myself until my meditate timer was almost up. I did this for max TP without wasting too much time. I used Third Eye before the Meditate timer was up so I could absorb one blow and still have another third eye available soon.
Then I proceeded to fight Maat. I got my first hit in, absorbed his normal attack and once I saw him use 2 hours, I used "Tachi: Hobaku" hoping that the TP accumulated was enough to stun his WS from forming a skillchain. Then I used Third Eye to try to absorb his second WS. In the end, my hobaku did disrupt his first skill chain, but my third eye only absorbed a regular attack. I was able to weather his attacks without him being able to form any type of skill chain for extra damage. I used my hi-potions to catch up on my health, then proceeded to attack. I used Meikyo Shisui and did "Tachi: Yukikaze" > "Tachi: Gekko" > "Tachi: Gekko" (1st major mistake: forgot to meditate after yukikaze"). This formed 2 skill chains: fragmentation and distortion. This is enough damage to almost make Maat quit. Now, it is a one-on-one fight. I saw I was behind Maat in HP, so I used my vile elixir, but the fight was still close. I thought if I used Meditate now, it'd be too late given my low HP, so as I was about to use the Ecarus Wing to try to finish him with one last WS, my normal hits defeated him.
This was a pretty defensive strategy and somewhat different then how other people did it, but it was enough to give me the record time in defeating Maat. ^^
Whether you chose this method or another, here is what I learned from the fight:
1. Play the way you are comfortable with. What got you to 66-70 is what will get you past Maat. Changing stuff for the fight will add confusion.
2. Expect to be nervous, but try to remain calm. The number one reason for failure is when someone panics.
3. Third Eye is very important. Maat hit me for 100-140 damage, so even absorbing a regular attack is good.
4. Skill chain is the key! It is what lets SAMs do damage so three WS without skill chains won't be enough to win. Try to avoid being stunned between your WS (Maat uses Shoulder Tackle for stunning).
Basically, I won the Maat fight by using all the abilities of Samurai: Meditate, Third Eye, and skill chains. ^^
[ Tachi: Kasha ]
The final weapon skill is Tachi: Kasha (Fusion, compression, paralysis). Just like the other final WSs, this one has to be quested. To obtain the quest, a Samurai must be level 71 and has Great Katana skill at 250.
Talk to Jaucribaix in Norg and receive the "Tachi of Trials", a level 70 Great Katana. It's not a pretty looking weapon, but very serviceable to use in experience parties. Like all trial weapons, there is a latent effect on it. As soon as it is equiped, HP should rise by 20, Ice and Dark will increase by 10. When the trial is completed, the latent effect disappears and the bonuses will be lost even when equiped. For Samurai, this is a very easy quest since we do so many skillchains per fight. It took me a little more than a normal exp'ing session to finish.
Once the latent effect disappears, return to Jaucribais and he will take back the weapon in exchange for another key item which spawns the WSNM that needs to be fought. After doing a few WSNM, I have to say that this WSNM is not at all difficult. It is easy to get to, and not too difficult to defeat with 1.5 PT of level 70-71s. Finally, SAMs get a break!
Head to Kuftal Tunnels and go to L-7. It is located in a small circular room and the ??? is in the middle. Touch to spawn Kettenkaefer, a beetle NM. Once defeated, touch ??? again to get the "Annals of Truth". Return to Jaucribaix and receive "Tachi: Kasha".
With Tachi: Kasha, the Samurai now posseses every element of the skillchain chart and 2 level 2 skillchain elements (one of dark, one of light). Only the Great Katana and Samurai is capable of being so flexible with 1 weapon.
Samurai JSE (level 70)
The March/April 2005 patch saw the first introduction of the Samurai JSE.
Hachiman Jinpachi (head) DEF26, STR+3, WS ACC +4, Latent: Dbl Atk + 2%
Hachiman Domaru (body) DEF47, STR+8, Store TP +6, WS ACC +8
Hachiman Kote (hands) DEF19, STR+4, Store TP +8, Latent: Atk+10
Hachiman Hakama (legs) DEF36, Store TP +3, WS ACC +6, Latent: Rng Atk +7
Hachiman Sune-Ate (feet) DEF18, STR+2, Store TP+5, WS ACC +2
(these are crafted with +1 versions available)
Artifact II
The next set of artifact armor (level 71-75) can be attained in Dynamis. They resemble the first set but with more detail and gold trimmings. The stats are as follows:
(relic) Ito (Great Katana) [LV75, DMG 1, DLY 999] Dynamis - Bastok
Requires:
Relic Steel (L. Jadeshell X 24)
Siren's Macrame
Tama-Hagane
M. Silverpiece x3
(stage 1) Hayatemaru (Great Katana) [LV75, DMG 1, DLY 450, WND+7]
Requires:
Ito
Relic Steel (M. Silverpiece x6 or Relic Iron x2 + Fire [smth97])
Siren's Macrame
Tama-Hagane
M. Silverpiece x3
(stage 2) Oboromaru (Great Katana) [LV75, DMG76, DLY 450, WND+9]
Requires:
Hayatemaru
Tachi
Mikazuki
Kazaridachi
L. Jadeshell x15
(stage 3 - Shadow NM drop in Dynamis - Beaucedine) Tosukanotsurugi (Great Katana) [LV75, DMG88, DLY 450]
Requires:
Attestation of Decisiveness
(stage 4 - Castle Zvahl Baileys) Amanomurakumo (Great Katana) [LV75, DMG88, DLY 437] Accuracy+20 "Tachi: Kaiten" Additional effect: Weakens attacks
Saotome Kabuto (head) [LV75 DEF25 HP+20 Accuracy+10 Ranged Accuracy+5 Enmity+1] Dynamis - Xarcabard
Saotome Domaru (body) [LV74 DEF50 HP+34 VIT+6 StoreTP+3 Enmity+1] Dynamis - Beaucedine
Saotome Kote (hands) [LV73 DEF21 HP+10 Attack+10 Enmity+1 Enhances "Meditate" effect] Dynamis - Bastok
Saotome Haidate (legs) [LV72 DEF40 HP+18 AGI+3 Enmity+1 Enhances "Third Eye ability" effect] Dynamis - Windurst
Saotome Sune-Ate (feet) [LV71 DEF18 HP+23 DEX+5 Attack+8 Enmity+1] Dynamis - Jeuno
100 O. Bronzepiece = 1 M.Silverpiece
100 x Byne Bill = Hundred Byne Bill
100 T. Whiteshell = 1 L. Jadeshell
Merits
At level 75, merit points can be obtained instead of experience points to enhances various attributes. Additionally, the following SAM skills can also be enhanced:
-Third Eye Recast
-Warding Circle Recast
-Store TP Effect
-Meditate Recast
-Zanshin Attack Rate
----------------------------------------------------------------------
[ Ochiudo's Kote vs Myochin Kote ]
This is just my personal thoughts on this issue. When people ask me if they should buy Ochiudo's, my response has been "It's nice, but more a luxury then necessity." Pre-40s, I was wearing royal squires and meat mithkakobs for accuracy/attack and then went to the Myochin and riceballs for def/dex/atk/vit/chr (double attack if I use tonosama).
Many people responded that I was in denial since I didn't own one, and making excuses. My answer was based on my good experience leveling up and the responsibilities I had in my parties (backup tank, skillchain,etc.), and I don't regret my choice. I felt Myochin+riceball was more balanced and flexible.
But to give a convincing argument, I should have personal experience with both, so I got the Ochiudo (mainly 'cause I wanted to farm faster and don't want to waste food for that). The conclusion after using it for awhile? I stand by my original answer. Yes, I love my Ochiudo and use it all the time when I farm and do non-exp'ing events where accuracy is not an issue and am asked to be a damage dealer. However, I use my AF gloves whenever I am exp'ing for the better def and the effect of riceballs.
In the end, I would still say, "Get it if you can/want, but it's not necessary. Have fun and don't worry about it so much."
With the new Roshijinpachi, a level 73 head gear, the argument might lean in favor of the AF glove (see above).
[ more details to follow ]
Flag Quest
The samurai is an advanced job and was introduced in the Zilart expansion pack (included free with the NA version of FFXI). In order to receive the samurai quest the character must be at least level 30 and have the gotten Kazham Airship pass. This pass can be gotten through a quest or bought for 140,000 gil. It is also a good idea to buy a map of the Elshimo region before you leave Jeuno since maps are not sold in Kazham. The map can be bought from the commerce department in Lower Jeuno.
Once the airship pass is obtained, take the airship from Port Jeuno to Kazham and then take a chocobo to Norg. Don't forget to bring with a couple of silent oils because there is an area where chocobo won't enter and it is necessary to travel by foot. Ride out of Kazham and head south toward the outpost (G-11). Near the outpost is a hole to drop down which will take you to the waterfalls. Follow the tunnel behind the waterfall until the chocobo refuses to go any further. Dismount, rest and enter the Sea Serpent's Grotto. All the mobs in the Grotto agro so silent oils are very useful. One bottle should last all the way to Norg, but it doesn't hurt to have two for safety. Simply follow the right wall all the way to Norg. There is one gate that you have to open, and Norg is only a short distance beyond it.
Inside Norg, head up the main stairs to speak with Jaucribaix (K-8). All samurai will get pretty familiar with Jaucribaix. Jaucribaix will have you speak with Ranemaud (I-7) and Aeka (I-8) to get two rare/ex items: sacred sprig and oriental steel.
There are two NMs to defeat to complete the samurai quest. The bomb NM is located in the Konschat Highlands at (D-7) inside a shallow cave. Trade the oriental steel to the ??? and spawn the NM. The NM has to be defeated for each player who wants to complete the samurai quest. When the NM is killed, an item will go into the treasure lot so make sure the correct player lot for it. There is about a 3 minute respawn time so take the time to rest and recharge.
The other NM is located in the Sanctuary of Zi'tah. A map of this area can be purchased in Mhaura although the NM is actually located at (L-10) which is off the map. Bring a hatchet (2 to be safe) to cut the branch of the large tree. The NM only needs to be killed once for all the characters to get the item. Once you arrive at the tree, cut the branch and trade the sacred sprig to the ???. The NM will spawn once the first player trades it. After defeating the NM, each player should touch the ??? once again to get the item.
Trade the items to Jaucribaix and he will spend 3 game days (3 real life hours) making the great katana, Mumeito, for you. Once received, the samurai job is granted. Remember to hold on to the Great Katana because it is needed for the AF1 quest. If the GK is ever lost, it can be bought back from Norg for 30,000 gils.
Congratulations, the path of the bushido is now open!
Food
As a Samurai, you have some choices in foods. There are the usual kabobs, crabs, etc. for attack bonus and def bonus, but Samurai also have the option of Riceballs especially with their AF gloves. Here are the rice balls to consider:
31 Cooking: Rice Ball HP+10 DEX-1 VIT+2 HP recovery +1 (for 30 minutes)
(w/ sam AF gloves Def +31/+50)
Ingredients: Fire Tarutaru Rice x1, Pamtam Kelp x1, Rock Salt x1, Distilled Water x1
41 Cooking: Salmon Rice Ball HP+10 DEX+2 VIT+2 MND-1 HP recovery +2 (for 60 minutes)
(w/ Sam AF Gloves Attack +50 Def +31)
Ingredients: Fire Smoked Salmon x1, Tarutaru Rice x1, Pamtam Kelp x1, Rock Salt x1, Distilled Water x1
94 Cooking: Tonosama Riceball HP+15 DEX+3 VIT+3 CHR+3 (for 30 minutes)
(w/ Sam AF gloves equipment attack +50 Def +32/+45* double attack +1)
Ingredients: Fire Tarutaru Rice x1, Pamtam Kelp x1, Rock Salt x1, Distilled Water x1, Flint Caviar x1
There is a new level 73 head band, Roshijinpachi, that also has "enhances effects of riceballs" and I've verified that the effects does stack with the AF gloves. These two combined might possibly the be best all purpose combination for a Samurai as it offers big bonuses in attack and defense (attack nearly as great as with the Kote but a lot higher defense). Combined with riceballs, one can get a bonus of 90 attack and 70 defense wearing these two, so weigh this against the Kote's +20 attack with the Kabobs +20% atk.
* The Dec. 2004 update made a lot changes to food. Riceballs (w/ ehance food effects i.e. AF Kote) gave better stats then before and is a fixed size bonus (i.e. not % bonus), so this makes riceballs even better.
* Additional changes has been added with regard to food that gives a lot more options such as sushi and different meats. Rather then listing foods, here are some charts:
Comprehensive Food List from Dec. 8 patch. (http://home.comcast.net/~firebirdjim/ffxi/food.htm)
Attack Foods (http://www5.sppd.ne.jp/grenda/FF11/food.htm)
Great Katana
The primary weapon of the Samurai comes in two types. Those with a shorter delay (420) are usually NIN/SAM while the higher delay ones are SAM-only.
Samurai have a limited number of weapons which they can use, but no weapon beats the flexibility of the Great Katana. GKs provide very good dmg/delay ratio and is the only weapon has every element type of the skill chain available to it.
Great Katana Weapon Skills
Tachi:Enpi (1x dmg @ 100TP) level 3, weapon skill 10, 2x hit , transfixion, scission
Tachi:Hobaku (1x dmg @ 100TP) level 9, weapon skill 30, stuns, induration
Tachi:Goten (1.5x dmg @ 100TP) level 23, weapon skill 70, lightning-based, transfixion, impaction
Tachi:Kagero (1.5x dmg @100TP) level 33, weapon skill 100, fire-based, liquidfaction
Tachi:Jinpu (1.5x dmg @ 100TP) level 49 weapon skill 150, 2x hit, wind-based, scission, detonation
Tachi:Koki (1.5 dmg @ 100TP) level 55, weapon skill 175, light-based, reverberation, impaction
Tachi:Yukikaze (dmg based on TP regardless of enemy defense) level 60, weapon skill 200, blind, induration, detonation
Tachi:Gekko (???) level 65,weapon skill 225, silence, distortion*, reverbaration
Tachi:Kasha (???) level 71, weapon skill 250 paralyze, fusion*, compression
* level 2 element
Tachi: Kaiten - Special WS only available when equiping Tosukanotsurugi (when in Dynamis) or Amanourakumo.
The following chart shows how attributes contributes to WS dmg:
WS DMG (http://www.iluvitar.com/sections/ffxi/skill/jpwstranslated.html)
Specifically...
Tachi: Yukikaze 1.50 2.00 2.50 1x STR_75%
Tachi: Gekko 1.50 2.00 2.50 1x STR_75%
Tachi: Kasha 1.50 2.00 2.50 1x STR_75%
Store TP
Samurai have the ability to increase the amount of TP gained through its Store TP job traits. TP calculation is as follows:
(from The Bilingual Website for FFXI (http://davidbowie.dyndns.tv/eriwilde/ffxi/))
~180 : 5 TP
180-480 : ( (DLY-180)/256 ) * 6 + 5
480-780 : ( (DLY-480)/1024 ) * 13 + 12
780 : (DLY-780) / 80 + 16
Alternatively, there is this calculation:
Delay 000 - 180: Fixed at 5
Delay 180 - 480: [(Delay - 180) / 256] * 6 + 5
Delay 480 - 900: (Delay + 480) / 80
Store TP I: TP * 1.10
Store TP II: TP * 1.15
Store TP III: TP * 1.20
Store TP IV: TP * 1.25
There are now numerous items that give Store TP. I'm not certain of the calculation of TP from these items.
GK Weapon Skills and Sneak Attack
(I have not spent any time to verify this with all WS since I normally do not sub thief.)
There are two types of weapon skills. One is a physical attack weapon skill and the other is a pure elemental weapon skill. The GK weapons skills all seems to be physical with some having elemental properties. Thus, all GK weapon skills stack with Sneak Attack for increase damange.
Job Traits
Resist Blind (5, 25,45,65)
Store TP (10,30,50,70)
Demon Killer (40)
Job Abilities
Meikyo Shisui (1)
Warding Circle (5)
Third Eye (15)
Meditate (30)
Zanshin (60)
Artifact I Quest
Artifact gear are special items designed for each class. They are all rare/ex and cannot be bought but are either quested for or found from coffers. There are 3 artifact "quests" and 3 artifact "coffers".
AF1 - Magoroku (Great Katana) [Lv42 DMG56 DLY450 STR+1 AGI+1]
The AF1 quest can be accepted at level 40, but the sword itself is not usuable until level 42. You start the quest by taking to Jaucribaix who will request the Mumeito and "Crystal Scales" that is dropped off the fish NM in the Sanctuary of Zi'tah (E-8). "Fish bait" is required to spawn the NM which is dropped by Goblin Robbers. Go to Zi'tah to hunt the robbers until one drops the fish bait and then head to the NM spawn location. Do not go there at night since skeletons will spawn and wipe out the party. Instead, stay on the chocobo until daytime and then clear the area of mobs before fighting the NM. Trade the fish bait to the ???, kill the NM and touch the ??? to get the key item. Return to Norg and trade the Mumeito to Jaucribaix and he will begin making the Magoroku. It takes a long time before the sword is ready...
AF2 - Myochin Sune-Ate (boots) [Lv52 DEF13 HP+20 Fire+10 Enmity+5 Evasion Skill+5]
Here we begin the first of many painful quests for samurai AFs. It is painful because compared to other classes' AF, it is like having to do 2 quests to get one item. Start by talking to Jaucribaix at level 50+. He will want a "Yomutsu Feature" from the Ubume, a NM located in the Labryrinth of Onzozo. To lure the bird out, get the key item "Washu's Tasty Wurst" from Washu (located in the room near Jaucribaix). Trade Wash a hecteye eye, frost turnip, giant sheep meat and bastore sardine to receive the key item. Head to (F-8) in the Labrynth of Onzozo which is located at the eastern beach of the Buburimu. The entrance is hidden so go into the water and head north until you see the cave entrace. Once inside, follow the left wall (sneak/invis) until you see a giant bird hut and clear the area of mobs. Ubume casts area sleep which is the primary reason high levels might be killed, so bring a WHM who can cure and have the whm take some poison before the fight. Poison will keep the WHM from sleeping if he/she is too close to the NM. Kill the NM and touch the ??? to get the feature. Every SAM doing this can get the item at once.
I wish I can offer a congratulations, but the quest is not done yet. Trade the feather to Jaucribaix and be prepared to wait a long time (some say 1 hour, some say 1 RL day) to get the key item Yomutsu Hirasaki. This must be taking to the secret beach at the Valkurm Dunes (B-7) at night (18:00-4:00) and be prepared to fight 2 undead NMs simultaneously. Looking out towards the water, the ??? is on the right hand side of the beach near the water's edge. The two NMs are a Doman (Ka) and Onryo (ghost). Defeat the NMs and touch the ??? again to get the key item "Faded Yomusu Hirasaki". Return to Norg and get the boots from Jaucribaix.
[My personal grief is that because of the long delay between the first NM and the second one, it is like doing two seperate quest because obviously the first party is not going to stay around for 24 hours or however long the wait is.]
AF3 - Myochin Kabuto (helm) [Lv60 DEF20 HP+10 MND+5 Enhances "Warding Circle" and "Meditate"]
Ahh, the magical helm of the samurai that allows meditate to return 120-140 TP. The fight itself is very cool, but again the quest has restrictions that the other classes' AFs do not. Here, samurai encounter a BCNM-type fight. The good news is that only 5 other people needs to be gathered, but the bad news is that they better be a good team of 5 others!
The quest begins with a long search for the location of the man who stole the helm from Norg. Speak with (who else) Jaucribaix to get the quest then go to the Port Jeuno Duty Free shop to speak with Sanosuke. Next, head to Mhaura and speak to Phoochuchu, a Jujitsu Gi wearing taru at the foot of the stairs, then head to Bastok Mines and the door at (J-6). From the mines, head to Waughroon Shrine in the Palborough Mines. Finally, return to Norg to get the "Banishing Charm". Return to the Waughroon Shrine and trade the charm to the burning circle. There are 3 demon NMs and a pet that must be defeated. The NMs are Gaki (blm), Rasetsu (drk), Onki (smn), and Onibi (elemental).
There are different strategies for this fight, but the most common is to fight the NMs from right to left (Gaki, Rasetsu, Onki). Ignore the elemental since it will die when Onki dies. The BLM is the most deadly with its spells so try to kill him quickly. The DRK does dmg but does not have great DEF or HP. The SMN also does not have great HP but can launch a big attack when its HP gets low.
Once the NMs are defeated, return to Norg with the charred heml received from the battle and Gold Thread. With these two together, Jaucribaix will make a new helm. Again, be prepared to wait awhile.
Congratulations! The 3 AF quests are now completed.
Coffer 1 - 3
The coffer parts are often referred to as AF4-AF6. Once AF2 has been accepted, players can being the coffer hunt. For samurai, AF coffer are found in the Quicksand Caves, Kuftal Tunnel, and Temple of Uggalepih. The first two location are normal exp'ing locations so getting a PT to hunt keys is not too difficult. The last location, Temple of Uggalepih, can be a nightmare!
Myochin Haidate (legs) [Lv54 DEF30 HP+15 STR+3 Earth+10 Parrying Skill+5] - Quicksand Caves
Myochin Kote (hands) [Lv56 DEF15 HP+15 DEX+4 Enmity+2 Enhances effects of consuming 'Rice Balls'] - Kuftal Tunnel
Myochin Domaru (body) [Lv58 DEF41 HP+10 VIT+3 Dark+15 Occasionally increases TP gain when damaged] - Temple of Uggalepih
Link to maps and mobs that drop coffers keys: http://www.speakeasy.org/~sticks/ffxi/
Genkai 5 - The Maat Fight
The final genkai is a one-on-one fight against Maat at level 66+ and a Samurai testimony is traded to Maat. The testimony can be gotten from Blood and Gore Demons in Bailey's, and the Yagudo Templar in Oztroja.
No subjob is allowed and Maat will have the same ability as a SAM except that he uses hand-to-hand instead of a Great Katana. When fighting Maat, expect him to use Meikyo Shishui and possibly Assuran Fist (although one person said Maat did 3 consecutive Assuran Fists, I don't think this is supported by any proof).
A few things to know about the Maat fight. First, Maat won't attack you until you hit him, so you'll always get the first swing in. Second, no one is sure if there's any special condition that will get Maat to quit (i.e. Thf needs to steal).
Maat will also use Meikyo Shishui very early in the fight. He often uses Combo, Shoulder Tackle and Spinning Rush.
-- How I fought Maat --
I chose a more defensive route to fighting Maat. I went in at level 70 with 2 Phalanx Rings, full AF, Amemet Mantle, Life Belt, RK Collar, Opo-opo necklace, 2x Coral Earrings, and Kazaridachi (level 67 Great Katana). This is pretty normal equiment for SAMs (except for the normal 2x sniper rings) although I realize a lot of SAM might chose to wear Ochiudo's Kote, Haurbegeon, etc. I was wearing pretty average SAM gear.
For extras, I brought 1 shogun rice ball, 5 hi-potions, 1 vile elixer, 1 icarus wing (unused), and 12 sleep potions (used 5).
First, macro the items so they can be used quickly. Set up the weapon skill macros in a way that is familiar.
My strategy is as follows: Absorb Maat's attack, interrupt his skill chain and then maximize the number of skill chains.
I entered the Burning Circle, ate the shogun riceball (for the possibility of a double attack), meditated, put on Opo-opo necklace and slept myself until my meditate timer was almost up. I did this for max TP without wasting too much time. I used Third Eye before the Meditate timer was up so I could absorb one blow and still have another third eye available soon.
Then I proceeded to fight Maat. I got my first hit in, absorbed his normal attack and once I saw him use 2 hours, I used "Tachi: Hobaku" hoping that the TP accumulated was enough to stun his WS from forming a skillchain. Then I used Third Eye to try to absorb his second WS. In the end, my hobaku did disrupt his first skill chain, but my third eye only absorbed a regular attack. I was able to weather his attacks without him being able to form any type of skill chain for extra damage. I used my hi-potions to catch up on my health, then proceeded to attack. I used Meikyo Shisui and did "Tachi: Yukikaze" > "Tachi: Gekko" > "Tachi: Gekko" (1st major mistake: forgot to meditate after yukikaze"). This formed 2 skill chains: fragmentation and distortion. This is enough damage to almost make Maat quit. Now, it is a one-on-one fight. I saw I was behind Maat in HP, so I used my vile elixir, but the fight was still close. I thought if I used Meditate now, it'd be too late given my low HP, so as I was about to use the Ecarus Wing to try to finish him with one last WS, my normal hits defeated him.
This was a pretty defensive strategy and somewhat different then how other people did it, but it was enough to give me the record time in defeating Maat. ^^
Whether you chose this method or another, here is what I learned from the fight:
1. Play the way you are comfortable with. What got you to 66-70 is what will get you past Maat. Changing stuff for the fight will add confusion.
2. Expect to be nervous, but try to remain calm. The number one reason for failure is when someone panics.
3. Third Eye is very important. Maat hit me for 100-140 damage, so even absorbing a regular attack is good.
4. Skill chain is the key! It is what lets SAMs do damage so three WS without skill chains won't be enough to win. Try to avoid being stunned between your WS (Maat uses Shoulder Tackle for stunning).
Basically, I won the Maat fight by using all the abilities of Samurai: Meditate, Third Eye, and skill chains. ^^
[ Tachi: Kasha ]
The final weapon skill is Tachi: Kasha (Fusion, compression, paralysis). Just like the other final WSs, this one has to be quested. To obtain the quest, a Samurai must be level 71 and has Great Katana skill at 250.
Talk to Jaucribaix in Norg and receive the "Tachi of Trials", a level 70 Great Katana. It's not a pretty looking weapon, but very serviceable to use in experience parties. Like all trial weapons, there is a latent effect on it. As soon as it is equiped, HP should rise by 20, Ice and Dark will increase by 10. When the trial is completed, the latent effect disappears and the bonuses will be lost even when equiped. For Samurai, this is a very easy quest since we do so many skillchains per fight. It took me a little more than a normal exp'ing session to finish.
Once the latent effect disappears, return to Jaucribais and he will take back the weapon in exchange for another key item which spawns the WSNM that needs to be fought. After doing a few WSNM, I have to say that this WSNM is not at all difficult. It is easy to get to, and not too difficult to defeat with 1.5 PT of level 70-71s. Finally, SAMs get a break!
Head to Kuftal Tunnels and go to L-7. It is located in a small circular room and the ??? is in the middle. Touch to spawn Kettenkaefer, a beetle NM. Once defeated, touch ??? again to get the "Annals of Truth". Return to Jaucribaix and receive "Tachi: Kasha".
With Tachi: Kasha, the Samurai now posseses every element of the skillchain chart and 2 level 2 skillchain elements (one of dark, one of light). Only the Great Katana and Samurai is capable of being so flexible with 1 weapon.
Samurai JSE (level 70)
The March/April 2005 patch saw the first introduction of the Samurai JSE.
Hachiman Jinpachi (head) DEF26, STR+3, WS ACC +4, Latent: Dbl Atk + 2%
Hachiman Domaru (body) DEF47, STR+8, Store TP +6, WS ACC +8
Hachiman Kote (hands) DEF19, STR+4, Store TP +8, Latent: Atk+10
Hachiman Hakama (legs) DEF36, Store TP +3, WS ACC +6, Latent: Rng Atk +7
Hachiman Sune-Ate (feet) DEF18, STR+2, Store TP+5, WS ACC +2
(these are crafted with +1 versions available)
Artifact II
The next set of artifact armor (level 71-75) can be attained in Dynamis. They resemble the first set but with more detail and gold trimmings. The stats are as follows:
(relic) Ito (Great Katana) [LV75, DMG 1, DLY 999] Dynamis - Bastok
Requires:
Relic Steel (L. Jadeshell X 24)
Siren's Macrame
Tama-Hagane
M. Silverpiece x3
(stage 1) Hayatemaru (Great Katana) [LV75, DMG 1, DLY 450, WND+7]
Requires:
Ito
Relic Steel (M. Silverpiece x6 or Relic Iron x2 + Fire [smth97])
Siren's Macrame
Tama-Hagane
M. Silverpiece x3
(stage 2) Oboromaru (Great Katana) [LV75, DMG76, DLY 450, WND+9]
Requires:
Hayatemaru
Tachi
Mikazuki
Kazaridachi
L. Jadeshell x15
(stage 3 - Shadow NM drop in Dynamis - Beaucedine) Tosukanotsurugi (Great Katana) [LV75, DMG88, DLY 450]
Requires:
Attestation of Decisiveness
(stage 4 - Castle Zvahl Baileys) Amanomurakumo (Great Katana) [LV75, DMG88, DLY 437] Accuracy+20 "Tachi: Kaiten" Additional effect: Weakens attacks
Saotome Kabuto (head) [LV75 DEF25 HP+20 Accuracy+10 Ranged Accuracy+5 Enmity+1] Dynamis - Xarcabard
Saotome Domaru (body) [LV74 DEF50 HP+34 VIT+6 StoreTP+3 Enmity+1] Dynamis - Beaucedine
Saotome Kote (hands) [LV73 DEF21 HP+10 Attack+10 Enmity+1 Enhances "Meditate" effect] Dynamis - Bastok
Saotome Haidate (legs) [LV72 DEF40 HP+18 AGI+3 Enmity+1 Enhances "Third Eye ability" effect] Dynamis - Windurst
Saotome Sune-Ate (feet) [LV71 DEF18 HP+23 DEX+5 Attack+8 Enmity+1] Dynamis - Jeuno
100 O. Bronzepiece = 1 M.Silverpiece
100 x Byne Bill = Hundred Byne Bill
100 T. Whiteshell = 1 L. Jadeshell
Merits
At level 75, merit points can be obtained instead of experience points to enhances various attributes. Additionally, the following SAM skills can also be enhanced:
-Third Eye Recast
-Warding Circle Recast
-Store TP Effect
-Meditate Recast
-Zanshin Attack Rate
----------------------------------------------------------------------
[ Ochiudo's Kote vs Myochin Kote ]
This is just my personal thoughts on this issue. When people ask me if they should buy Ochiudo's, my response has been "It's nice, but more a luxury then necessity." Pre-40s, I was wearing royal squires and meat mithkakobs for accuracy/attack and then went to the Myochin and riceballs for def/dex/atk/vit/chr (double attack if I use tonosama).
Many people responded that I was in denial since I didn't own one, and making excuses. My answer was based on my good experience leveling up and the responsibilities I had in my parties (backup tank, skillchain,etc.), and I don't regret my choice. I felt Myochin+riceball was more balanced and flexible.
But to give a convincing argument, I should have personal experience with both, so I got the Ochiudo (mainly 'cause I wanted to farm faster and don't want to waste food for that). The conclusion after using it for awhile? I stand by my original answer. Yes, I love my Ochiudo and use it all the time when I farm and do non-exp'ing events where accuracy is not an issue and am asked to be a damage dealer. However, I use my AF gloves whenever I am exp'ing for the better def and the effect of riceballs.
In the end, I would still say, "Get it if you can/want, but it's not necessary. Have fun and don't worry about it so much."
With the new Roshijinpachi, a level 73 head gear, the argument might lean in favor of the AF glove (see above).
[ more details to follow ]