Samurai starter guide
Samurai starter route: role identity, unlock notes, gear basics, and source links for current Final Fantasy XIV job information.
On This Page
- Samurai at a glance
- Unlock and early route
- Gear and equipment
- Role basics
- Current-patch caution
Samurai at a glance
Samurai (SAM) is a Disciple of War job introduced in Stormblood (4.0) expansion and unlockable at level 50. It is a Melee DPS jobs and does not have a base class.
- Role: Melee DPS
- First Appearance: *Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood* (Patch 4.0)
- Unlock Level: 50
- Weapon: Katana
- Armor: Striking
Unlock and early route
Unlock: Prerequisite: The player must have reached level 50 as a Disciple of War or Disciple of Magic. Unlock: Quest: Speak to Ul'dahn Citizen in Ul'dah - Steps of Nald (x9.2,y9.1) to obtain the quest The Way of the Samurai.
- Keep the job quest tracker current while leveling.
- Use the official job guide for the current action list.
- Do not treat opener or rotation advice as final unless it is current-patch reviewed.
Gear and equipment
The samurai is a disciple of war and wears armor "of Striking" (shared with Monk) while using accessories "of Slaying" (shared with Dragoon, Reaper, and Monk). They use katana as weapons.
- Prioritize item level while leveling.
- At endgame, check role gear names and materia priorities against current resources.
Role basics
Samurai belongs to the Melee DPS role. Learn the role responsibility first, then refine job-specific optimization after you understand encounter movement and cooldown timing.
- Tanks lead pulls, position enemies, and plan mitigation before incoming damage.
- Healers balance recovery, mitigation, and damage uptime.
- DPS jobs focus on uptime, burst windows, party buffs, and avoiding avoidable damage.
Current-patch caution
Job Gauge: Sen & Kenki Gauge Job Gauge: Meditation Gauge Gyofu (PvE action) -> Jinpu -> Gekko: Increases damage dealt while also granting Getsu and increasing the Kenki Gauge. Gyofu (PvE action) -> Shifu -> Kasha: Reduces weaponskill cast time and recast time while also granting Ka and increasing the Kenki Gauge. Gyofu (PvE action) -> Yukikaze: Significantly increases the Kenki Gauge and grants Setsu. Fuko -> Mangetsu: Hits multiple enemies and increases damage dealt while also granting Getsu and increasing the Kenki Gauge. Fuko -> Oka: Hits multiple...
- Use the official job guide for live action names, levels, and tooltips.
- Use expert community resources for high-end rotations only after checking their patch date.
- Treat this page as a starter guide and source hub, not a Savage optimization sheet.
Related on TJPedia
Sources
Auto-draft eligible, human review required for volatile guide updates.