Advice On Gear Anyone?

Recently came back to this game and have been playing a lot of catchup lately. I didn't get to experience hardly any abyssea content when I left so I've been plenty busy.

First off just lemme say this; I know my gear isn't the best, or maybe some things might be in a strange spot, but that's why I'm here. You guys have given me great advice in the past. That said, here's what I use;

TP (Note: I think this set is pretty self explanatory. I was under the impression that Ninja chainmail +1 was the best TP body overall, but I've seen countless NIN who use the +2, so I'm beginning to wonder. Are the stats actually worth the trade off?


WS (Note: Here's where I get very confused. It's the one I'm most uncomfortable with. I used to be a STR/DEX ***** before abyssea, but I've been told by other NINs several times that STR/DEX wasn't as powerful for Jin as ATT was, and that the real power came from using it almost like it was Asuran fists or some such. Not sure if there really was a difference, or if it was a placebo, but after trying more ATT gear my WS did seem to do a bit more damage than normal even if ever so slightly.


Anyway so that's all for now... I'm working on getting +2 legs, head, feet and body as I write. Aside from that I know the obvious improvements... Like 7 stat rings etc... So anyone have the patience to help me out? Thanks for reading.

I'm kind of in the same boat as you. First to answer your question about Body af+1 vs af3+2. I don't know the exact correct answer, But personally I use the +2 body. I know I'm not at cap with dual wield, But I find the difference to be minimal if anything at all. If your using other +2 pieces you gain more bonus of extra attacks to dual wield as well as all that acc/att crit hit rate etc. I personally use my NIN for a lot of red proc's, so with some weapons I need all the ACC I can get anyway.

Tp Set: Aside from the obvious finish upgrading to +2 your stuff, Either +1 the dusk gloves and augment your byakko's haidate (I think this is the "best" option, someone correct me if im wrong) and get +2 feet/head Either way. Personally I'm using Ocelot gloves and rest +2 af. Also I found a nice/notable improvement with getting the Iga neck piece. Weapons I think is your personal choice. (I have Sekka +3 Evasion Path)

WS Set: I think there's a lot of conflicting opinions here, One thing i know for sure. The "better" option is going to vary based on many things, inside abyssea/outside abyssea and what atma's you use, how many furtherance abyssites you have from cruor buffs etc. For example RR/VV/GH you have capped dDex on most mobs so byakko's not doing much at that point, your better off with something else etc.(This is why people say STR/DEX not what they used to be, But don't forget outside Abyssea your no longer capped on as many things) So I'm not going to go into much detail there as I think its a lot opinion and how you use your NIN/What situations you find yourself in, but I would look into Rancor Collar/Anguinis belt See if they might be better for you. I also personally have better luck with +2 body over Loki's as well.

Eponas ring for WS over spiral

Elemental gorget or rancor collar for WS

Elemental belt/anguinus belt/cuchulain's belt for WS

Af+1 body is the best for tp speed. AF3+2 is overly situational.

Af3+1/2 feet for tp

Also, for WS, dDEX had its cap increased/removed recently, so that old principle doesnt hold true anymore. Also, jin has a 30% dex mod, so 15 DEX is the best for the slot aside from a 10/11 str leg. Get 4% crit on those haidate and nothing comes close.

Swap those katana around, highest damage mainhand.

Af3 neck over agasayas in abys or when blink tanking, agasayas when you need the subtle blow.

Af3 feet for jin WS.

Ocelot gloves are nice for tp, with 3/5 +2 and af+1 body.


For a couple of your questions....

Usually when someone tps in af3+2 body, they are trying to LOOK good, when in fact they are gimping their overall damage output.

You will certainly want multiple WS sets and multiple TP sets.

A pure haste/hit speed tp set for lower grade targets, a hybrid haste/eva set for NMs, etc.

A WS set that assumes near capped attack - for lower grade mobs again - build str/dex over attack.

A WS set that assumes high def on the target - build attack > str/dex, etc.

Always cap fSTR.

dDEX is the same, only the overall crit rate cap was raised.



Usukane is better than base Byakko's- but ya, augmented Byakko's should be best.


Depending on your setup, Usukane feet can be pretty good too.

Ah cheers for the dDEX ky.

I intentionally left usuksane out of my suggestions, as the OPs gear suggested that it would be out of his reach at this point, whereas luck on a shura haidate aug, or farming 10m for hachi would be possible.

Thanks everyone for the replies.

Just as a heads up, I only ever play NIN inside abyssea. So I'm not too worried about inside versus outside sets at the moment. Also, I'm not sure why, but FFXIAH always reverses my ears/rings and weapons. So the Kamome is in my offhand always.

For the most part, I never have problems with ACC. Katana merits help a lot I think. The only 2 mobs I can remember I've ever had trouble on were Flame Skimmer and Bennu, and I try to adjust accordingly. As far as atmas go, I have all important DD types available to me. I usually sit on Apoc/GH/RR.

I took your advice on WS gear and changed the neck to Rancor collar, belt to Cuchulain's, and ring to Epona's. For the moment, that's the best I can do. But I'm working as hard as I can on getting the rest of the things I need, such as ocelot and +2. Keeping in mind I'm mostly only on NIN inside abyssea, would you say shooting for these sets in the end would be acceptable? If there's anything you might change, feel free to let me know. I'm basing these sets on the advice you have given so far.

TP (+2 legs and Ocelot until augmented Byakko's and Dusk+1)


WS (Gonna try for Hachiryu before aug. Byakko's)


I know there are probably better choices, but those sets would be realistic for me to get. Also, I have one question. Would empyrean earring actually out damage brutal in my case? Assuming in regular TP gear that is. Or is it still the top?

TP: That looks like an excellent gear set to shoot for (very similar to mine). I would suggest at least an Ichi-an +1 (very affordable on my server) or Magian katana (AGI is handy to have around for a few things, STR you can never go wrong with for pure DD, Kannagi (Tobi) as an obvious final goal).

WS: Looks great also! I use TP bonus/atk Moonshade in place of the Centaurus, or Aesir Ear Pendant (pretty much a sidegrade but inv+1) if Moonshade is tied up on another job.

Emp Earring (Iga Mimikazari I assume you mean?) loses to Brutal for DD purposes. I guess you could sneak it into your eva set, but I haven't found a mob where swapping out Brutal/Suppa for eva earrings is a smart or worthwhile choice.

Sort of unrelated note, but I wouldn't bother using Hachiryu Haidate over augmented Byakko's on NIN. Anyone with Synergy at a decent level can augment your Byakko's for you. I would sooner spend the gil on Byakko seals/scraps, or selling Hachiryu if you get them, to fund you augmented Byakko's.