WAR/SAM has failed me, need advice please ^^

[Kamehameha]

Hello fellow warriors, Im playing WAR to lv75 for the second time, first time galka, this time as mithra for fun, but I really need your advice.

When I xpd warrior to 75 back in 2003-2005, I usually subbed /NIN or /MNK since /SAM didnt offer much besides meditate. This time however, Im currently 63WAR and last night I tried /SAM for the first time with my ls perma party and I was very dissapointed.

Party set up was NIN, WHM, SAM/WAR, DRG/WAR, PUP , & me as WAR/SAM. We were level synced to 63, I just leveled so my Gaxe was a few levels under cap, and we were camping by the SW Watchtower in Bhaf. thickets. I was not eating food. I was using great axe, always had Hasso up, and Zerkgressor when available. My problem is that my Raging Rushes usually averaged 170-290 with a full tp return of 17. Once in a while Id hit 450-470 with a 18 tp return so I guess double attack kicked in. I did hit 750ish dmg twice in the two hours that we partied, but about 90% of my Raging Rushes hit under 300 dmg. Is that normal? It seems pretty sad to me, lol. The SAM usually was hitting 450-600 dmg Yukkikazis and the DRG hit 500-800 most of the time. I know colibris are weak to piercing weapons, but I really felt like retiring /SAM after last night. ; ; Do I need more attack? STR? My accuracy seems to be pretty good at the moment.

Id love some advice from veteran warriors on any changes I can make to up my damage? I have about 600k gil from a KS99 I did on another character, and would like to know what AH items I could use to upgrade my mithra. I am not very far in CoP so most of those rare/ex items will not be available to me for a while. Any advice would be appreciated, thanks


Mithra Warrior gear, /SAM

Weapon : Heavy Darksteel axe
grip : Polestrap
Ranged : Bomb Core
Head : Empress hairpin
neck : Chivalrous chain
Earrings : 2x Spike earrings
Body : Scorpion Harness (my girlfriend was using my Hauby as sam in pt)
Hands : 4th division gauntlets
rings : 2x Snipers rings
back : Amemet mantle+1
Waist : Life Belt
Legs : Royal knights breeches
Feet : Bounding Boots

[isladar]

I was not eating food.

You're swamped on accuracy. Ditch the hairpin, never exp with Scorpion Harness again, eat meat.

[Kikaru]

Gf or not shouldn't have went without the haub, has and always will be a huge difference over SH, would also possibly suggest sipahi turban and maybe at least buying meat jerky, its only 1k a stack from npcs there really isn't a reason as a dd to at least eat some food.

[Callisto]

It's Attack that is lacking, and yes, the food is an issue. Spam cheapkabobs at the least, if they get eaten they only run a few k for a stack.

Edit: For the head I'd reccomend Sipahi Turban. Try AF feet. And never XP without your Hauby again.

[Skeetaru]

I think all my thunder has been stolen by previous posters, The emp pin and SH are AWFUL choices. hauby, sip turban, af feet and food will yield you some pretty good results.

IIRC /sam is pretty underpowered until 72? 74? I forget where you get those last JA.

[Callisto]

You don't get Seigan until 70, but offensively /SAM is the best you'll do from 60+.

[S N K]

Lack of a Haub is one of the things killing your damage but then again people here have already said this.

[ringthree]

I think you are also "eye-balling" your averages there. 170-290 from Raging Rush on a full TP return would be very rare if not impossible, and definitely not an average, even with the gear you are using. Were you severely overcamping?

I suggest picking up a parser, there are two good ones out there, and see what your actual damage is and then we can give better advice on adjustments you can make.

[Furionstormrage]

You felt like retiring /SAM, but it's your best offensive subjob.
Going to /NIN or /MNK or anything isn't going to make you do more damage, it'll do the opposite.

Everything else has already been said.

[zantes]

I suggest picking up a parser, there are two good ones out there, and see what your actual damage is and then we can give better advice on adjustments you can make.

I second this. I use a parser to examine all aspects of what I do in a party and to a lesser extent what everyone else is doing in the party. Anyone who has access to a parser should get one if they want to improve their job.

[Kamehameha]

Thanks for the advice everyone. Yeah , Im going to have to buy another Hauby since my Gf has stolen it for her sam now lol. Ive been considering the Spiked finger gauntlets, but 300k seems a little pricey unless you all think they're worth it? I will start spamming meat kabobs on colibris, not sushi, and I will be purchasing a Sipahi turban now. Should I full time the turban, or just macro it in for ws, and TP with a valk/walk mask?

Oh by the way, I'd LOVE a parser, but I play on a PS2, and I made sure to check the chat logs for my WS damage every time and wrote them down in a notepad during our party. About 90% of the Raging Rushes hit under 300 damage with full 17 tp return. I really dont understand it. I dont believe we were overcamping at 63, since Ive xp'd my SAM, PLD, NIN, MNK there in the past year at 63-64.

[Callisto]

I see most WARs at that level fulltiming the turban, I was going to mention Walkure but it's not likely to make a large enough impact on anything to be worthwhile. And I would keep the 4th Gauntlets for TP still even if you go with Spiked for WS.

[Tricen]

Swift belt QQ.

[Callisto]

Swift belt QQ.

Even after getting mine I still fully believe they don't exist.

[ringthree]

Thanks for the advice everyone. Yeah , Im going to have to buy another Hauby since my Gf has stolen it for her sam now lol. Ive been considering the Spiked finger gauntlets, but 300k seems a little pricey unless you all think they're worth it? I will start spamming meat kabobs on colibris, not sushi, and I will be purchasing a Sipahi turban now. Should I full time the turban, or just macro it in for ws, and TP with a valk/walk mask?

Oh by the way, I'd LOVE a parser, but I play on a PS2, and I made sure to check the chat logs for my WS damage every time and wrote them down in a notepad during our party. About 90% of the Raging Rushes hit under 300 damage with full 17 tp return. I really dont understand it. I dont believe we were overcamping at 63, since Ive xp'd my SAM, PLD, NIN, MNK there in the past year at 63-64.

If I remember right (too lazy to check again, LOL) you are in an LS static? Just have someone else parse it and e-mail you the results.

Honestly, after leveling a couple of different melee jobs, I can conclude that pimping out your gear for a mid-level job just doesn't make any sense to me. It's not going to change your results all that much, and something better will replace it in a few levels that is better or cheaper or both. The exception of course would be something that doesn't have a replacement, like a Haub, Swift Belt, etc.

[Furionstormrage]

I TPed in Walk Mask, used the Sipahi for Rampage (This was pre-2h update), but the difference is probably small enough that it's not that big of a deal to just use one piece for both things.

[nekura]

You're swamped on accuracy. Ditch the hairpin, never exp with Scorpion Harness again, eat meat.

Just to add to this, it doesn't even have to be expensive meat, and probably shouldn't be on birds unless you have a lot of spare money. Meat Mithkabobs will have a very noticeable effect over no food at all, and they go for 4K a stack on my server so you won't feel guilty burning through three stacks.

On a related note, I wish I could /SAM before 70 but not having Seigan seems like a good way to lose EXP in most pickup parties. Static (Can I have it?) ;;

[Skeetaru]

Voyager Sallet is ftw if you can find one

[Necros]

From what I've seen, WAR/SAM is the most damaging combination War has at its disposal, only trumped maybe by /nin with ridill etc so forth. Eat food, wear your hauby, and pray you have a good whitemage or tank.

[isladar]

only trumped maybe by /nin with ridill etc so forth.

I wouldn't say trumped so much as matched; merited with a beautifully-decked out Ridill WAR a few months ago and it was one of the few times I was able to go balls out. His gear was absolutely top-notch, I'm Hauby +1'd / Swiftbelted to his ebody/speed/dusk +1. We both required an outside WHM however.