Samurai Skillchain Question

do those actually chain?

this helped me alot and was the best ive found as a career sam

well i can't test either, but i don't see why it would be any different. you're looking at light/frag and light/distortion. my guess is that the fact that spamming one of them doesn't work is because light -> light only works once, but you're still doing light -> light with kaiten to namas.

actually i guess i could test, but i'd need help.

This is the most I managed to find when I was looking at long SC's a while back.

With the Amano its possible to endlessly chain Tier 2's as such can open with any of the WS's but this is just the example I use Gekko > Kasha Fusion > Rana Gravitation > Kaiten Fragmentation > Gekko Distortion > Kasha Fusion (and so forth endlessly assuming someone doesn't miss a WS)

the most I've ever achieved was in campaign which was a 6 step darkness (without the use of a TP wing) Yuki > Gekko Fragmentation > Gekko Distortion > Kasha Fusion > Rana Gravitation > Gekko Darkness (this was back during the 75 cap I have yet to test it with Sengi and Fudo... although I doubt many mobs have that much HP.)

Also I'm fairly sure it cannot be chained multiple times off of light traits as I did some testing w/ other Light affinity relics and Fudo from the Masamune which is also Light affinity.

According to the video description, you could get a 9-step with someone Shikikoyo'ing you, I assume with more meds (maybe possible inside abyssea only?), you'd be able to pull off a 8~9-step without "outside help".

After browsing the skillchain chart, I think in theory you can create an endless skillchain for Samurai.
Without Kaiten it can only be built up of level 1 skillchains:
Gekko > Yuki (Induration/ice) > Kasha (Compression/dark) > Jinpu or Yukikaze (Detonation/wind) > Jinpu (Scission/earth) > Gekko (Reverberation/water) > Yuki... (see the begining)

(Edit: Of course, after the Yukikaze (Induration) part, you can go gekko (Fragmentation) > Kasha (Light) to close your chain, for example to have a 9 step light)

With Kaiten it's easier as you have access all level2 skillchain properties, just need to follow the pattern to create lv2 instead of lv3. For example:

Rana > Kaiten (Fragmentation) > Gekko (Distortion) > Kasha (Fusion) > Rana (Gravitation) > Kaiten... etc

Of course you can start with any of them, as long as you keep the order.

I'm hoping to get Fudo soon so I've been looking at what new SCs I can make as well as; how long can I make a good SC. I learnt some basic rules for long skillchains:

• Level3 SCs do good damage but will end your SC streak.

• Level1 + Level1 attributes can be used to easily make Level1 SCs.(see Cerberus.Luminiel's post above)

• A Level1 + Level2 will make Level2 SCs but once you make a Level2 SC, you can't go back to Level1, you have to use more Level2 WSs to keep the SC at Level2 or end it with a Level3.

• Fortunately, the 4 Tier2 attributes make a one-way circle(or square :P)

• Unfortunately, you need Tachi: Kaiten to achieve this,...

...so as SAM with Kaiten and Rana, you want to aim for the Level 2 circle for most damage and this is already described by Sylph.Zenairis:

Fragmentation	> Distortion	> Fusion	> Gravitation	> Fragmentation	> etc...
Kaiten	> Gekko	> Kasha	> Rana	> Kaiten	> etc...

By using level 2 SC attributes you can cycle around like this for as long as you want(can) and then end with a Kaiten after Fusion to make a Light(or 2?).


Other than that, without Kaiten or Fudo the best I've got so far is a 6xWS SC I just did trying to zerg NMs in Abyssea using the previous idea but swapping the initial Fragmentation for Yuki>Gekko and the final one for Gekko to make Darkness, so as SAM/DNC it goes like this: (Or replace Gekko with Fudo)

...(Sekkanoki+Meditate)
YUKI+GEKKO => Fragmentation
...(Reverse Flourish)
+GEKKO => Distortion
...(Meikyo Shisui)
+KASHA => Fusion
...(Sengikori)
+RANA => Gravitation
+GEKKO (~1.5k) => Darkness (4.7k - 5.7k)

Total: 22,396 - 23,540
(SAM/DNC DMG:102 Other_Gear:Too_weak)
(Atma: VV, Smiting Blow, Griffon's Claw, Food)
(Mob: Lachrymater/Flame Skimmer)
It's easy to mess up, so,...

And if you want an easy to remember SC that you can use well with a brew, I refer you to a piece of info I found on the wiki:

"You can use Tachi: Jinpu to create a continuous level 1 skillchain which goes back and forth between Detonation first and then Scission (followed by Detonation, etc). --lirmont 08:32, November 1, 2010 (UTC)" --Wiki

(Sorry, this post got too long)

Use that one with butterflies.

Yep, yuki-gekko-gekko-kasha-rana-gekko(fudo) is the usual 6 step darkness for massive damage.

However, you could still extend that, pulling off 8 WS (like Joshi did), if you add jinpu > gekko as starter WS.

So I think, damage-wise, the best combo so far (without Amano) is a 8 step dark:

jinpu > kasha > yuki > gekko > gekko > kasha > rana > gekko (or fudo)
(Note: You can't use fudos in place of the 2 gekkos mid-chain, as the Gekko's secondary reverberation property is needed to make Fragmentation, and if you used Fudo instead of 2nd gekko, it would make light with Fragmentation instead)

Of course, regarding the self-light property of fudo, you might be better off using this 4 step WS twice:
"yuki > gekko > kasha > fudo" for "frag > light > light"

@Joshi:
If I recall relic WS-es (or any WS with LV3 property) can only continue one "step", e.g. can only do one light after a light, and after that the chain restarts.

Edit:
@Eckeward:
Also, it is possible to pull off the 6 step darkness without the reverse flourish of /dnc:
-You need to have meditate up, and to have 200 TP at start
-You use:
> Sekka
> Yuki > Gekko
> Meikyo Shisui
> Gekko
> Meditate
> Kasha > Rana > Gekko

The trick here is to wait for the full 3 sec window between the last 3 WS after Meditate so it have time to get you 100TP (as you dont get TP from WS during meikyo shisui)

You're right, the first Gekko has to stay as a Gekko but I think the other 2 can swap to Fudo. I don't know for sure as I don't have a Level3 WS but from what I've read the Level3 attribute on WSs will only proc after a Level3 SC not after a Level2 WS/SC.
So you can't: Level2 + Level3 = Level3 like Kasha > Fudo = Light. You can only Light > Fudo = Light
http://www.ffxiah.com/forum/topic/20515/fudo-skillchain/

I read this on the wiki too, I think an endless Light or endless Dark isn't possible. :(

But I've never had much skill with Meikyo Shisui + Meditate, although I do like SAM/DNC so perhaps I should try
Sekkanoki>2hr>Meditate>ReverseFlourish
for 7 WSs, bleh, or just use the dusty wings from the Bastion Prefects, I think they're 200TP, then that would make 8 :)

^this

As far as I have noticed on doubling light's and darkness' etc, you can only do so once, think of it as the 1st light made is the LVL3 half of the SC and the second half (in theory) as a LVL4 which cannot be chained from. i've tried a few times with fudo and never been able to get past 2 lights, however if it was possible, you wouldn't need a 2nd relic surely? Just 2hr and try yourself, Seeing as how anything that can double light has the same 2nd SC element? If you can't get past a 2nd light then its not possible.

Correct me if I'm wrong~

Any decent SC's for those that have a fudo, but no access to namas or kaiten? Seeing some nice kaiten ones here but very little for fudo.

a fudo sam and I have been debating how one would work. Once he gets back in the game we intend to try to make a 6 hit build with fudo open and close.

We do however think that it works like kasha (possibly death blossom) but we have yet to do any testing. (currently the fudo sam is on a break from game)