Samurai is a class that reads like an epic poem: a small number of precise strokes, each one meaningful, each one shaping the stanza. Where many DPS jobs are built as long chains of mixed cooldowns and filler, Samurai distills combat into the control of two resources and the perfect timing of an ultimate counterstrike.
In the Patch 7.3 era, Samurai remains a high-ceiling job that rewards timing, awareness and the discipline of not always pressing the next button. This guide shows you how to play SAM effectively in current PvE content — from the basic identity of the job and the most important patch changes, to single-target openers, AoE approaches, stat priorities, gear choices, and the mental model you need to turn raw rotations into adaptable performance.
What defines Samurai in 7.3 — core feel and resources
At its heart, Samurai is about converting controlled combos into high-value finishers. Two overlapping resources drive that conversion: the Sen system (three types: Setsu, Getsu, Ka) and Kenki. Sen are earned by finishing specific combo lines and are the currency for executing Kaeshi/Iaijutsu finishers; Kenki is accumulated through normal actions and spent on Kenki-consuming abilities like Hissatsu: Shinten and Meditate interactions.
A third conceptual mechanic — Meikyo Shisui — grants a temporary automation of Kaeshi windowing (in practice, it creates the “Tsubame-gaeshi Ready” state or allows you to Kaeshi certain skills), letting you convert Sen into instant burst windows when the encounter requires it. Understanding how these systems interact — build Sen, manage Kenki so you don’t cap or starve, and time Meikyo windows for maximum return — is the foundation of every strong Samurai player. For ability tooltips and the canonical description of Sen/Kenki/Meikyo, refer to the official job guide.
Patch 7.3 did not change Samurai into an entirely new job; instead, it refined some values and clarified certain interactions, while community resources updated openers and BiS for the new item sets. The job’s identity — three Sen, Kenki economy, Iaijutsu execution — remains intact, so modern SAM players will recognize the classic choreography even as exact potencies and small cooldown numbers have been tuned in 7.3. For the exact action adjustments introduced this patch, consult the official patch notes, which list job action changes and potency tweaks.
The tactical goal — what you are trying to do in each encounter
Every Samurai combat decision reduces to a handful of tactical micro-goals: avoid unnecessary Kenki overcap, chain your Sen collections to get Iaijutsu or Hagakure windows aligned with party buffs, and use Meikyo and your cooldowns to convert a prepared deck into the highest possible burst at the right fight phase.
On single-target fights this looks like smoothing your rotation so that your big finishers land inside high-damage windows; on AoE fights it looks like juggling Kenki and using AoE-friendly skills to maximize multi-target potency while ensuring key DoT or bleed effects (like Higanbana) are maintained where relevant. The proper mental model is less “execute this fixed macro” and more “steer the flow of Sen and Kenki to sync with the team”. TheBalance and Icy Veins both maintain practical rotations and openers that embody this philosophy and have been updated for 7.3.
Stat priority and gearing in 7.3 — what to chase first
Stat priority matters differently depending on whether you want maximum peak numbers or cleaner rotation uptime. In the current 7.3 meta the community consensus (as reflected in updated BiS and stat guides) is to prioritize Skill Speed to the required tier if it gives you a smoother GCD rhythm, then Critical and then a mix of Determination/Direct Hit as your next priorities, with slight variations depending on the exact speed tier you run.
Practically, most players follow a “Skill Speed (to breakpoint) > Crit > Det ≈ Direct Hit” pattern when melding and selecting gear, because reaching the right GCD alignment simplifies rotation timing, and Crit provides the largest average DPS increase after GCD tuning. Best-in-slot lists and meld recommendations have been updated for the 7.3 ilvls; use The Balance’s BiS page when deciding which pieces to chase first.
Gear progression should follow a sensible order: item level first (higher weapon and armor pieces trump substats), priority tripods and relics for raid content second, then melding to hit the agreed stat priorities for your group. When you have to choose between raw item level and marginally better substats, pick item level — the top guides and log-based leaders consistently show ilvl matters most until you are at end-tier.
Single-target opener and core rotation (the modern flow)
The Samurai opener and rotation revolve around building Sen quickly, timing Meikyo for a double finish or a Kaeshi window, and spending Kenki efficiently. A commonly used standard opener updated by community theorycrafters and guide sites for the 7.3 era begins with Meikyo to create your burst window, then chains your Sen collection combos into a strong Iaijutsu/Hagakure finish.
In practice, this sequence looks like an elegant rhythm: build with Hakaze→Shifu→Kasha and Hakaze→Jinpu→Gekko sequences to collect Sen; slot Meikyo when you have two or three Sen and the raid buff is available; detonate with Midare Setsugekka or Hagakure/Iaijutsu following the Meikyo window. TheBalance’s openers page lays out common starters and their reasoning for timing choices in modern encounters, and Icy Veins retains a practical single-target rotation primer that matches high-performing logs for 7.3.
After your opener the rotation is less a rigid loop than it used to be: watch Sen and Kenki, align Hagakure/Iaijutsu uses with party buffs, and be prepared to adjust to movement or mechanics. If you have a full Meikyo window timed with raid buffs you will usually convert two Kaeshi hits or a Midare into explosive single-target output; if you miss that timing, default to Kenki spenders and smooth Sen generation until the next window.
A key practical rule: avoid spending Kenki frivolously early — saving single Kenki spends for mid-window burst often produces better average damage than early waste. Trusted community resources provide concrete opener timings and rotation adaptations for movement phases and staggered buffs.
AoE and cleave — how Samurai behaves when enemies multiply
Samurai’s AoE toolkit historically leans on cone and frontal attacks and the judicious use of Iaijutsu/AoE finishers. In multi-target encounters, the immediate change is to prefer skills that apply broad, reliable potency across targets while conserving Kenki for single-target finishers when needed. If a fight requires consistent AoE output rather than single-target windows, Samurai players will use AoE combos like Fuga→Hissatsu: Gyoten (or the current Kenki AoE spenders depending on 7.3 action tuning) and maintain Higanbana where it is valuable.
Meikyo remains useful for AoE when it aligns with an expected burst phase against grouped enemies. The general idea: switch your mental model from “bank and explode” to “sustain multi-target pressure” when you expect long multi-target phases, then revert to banked burst for priority single targets. Community guides give practical example rotations for 3+ target scenarios updated to 7.3 potencies.
Cooldowns, utility and when to use them
Samurai’s cooldowns are deliberate and powerful: Kaiten (damage reduction), Higanbana (bleed maintenance), Meikyo Shisui (burst windows), and Kenki spenders like Hissatsu: Shinten. Use Kaiten defensively during predictable raid damage and offensively in clutch windows where survivability lets you stay in phase. Meikyo is your most precious offensive tool: time it to overlap with raid windows, set up two Kaeshi hits if possible, or use it to guarantee a Midare/Setugekka when a critical stage of a boss opens.
Higanbana should be refreshed close to expiry, but avoid clipping it unnecessarily — if mechanics force movement, better to reapply at lower priority than to blow your Meikyo window on suboptimal uptime. The official job guide lists cooldown tooltips and explains exact recast/potency numbers for precise planing; use it alongside community rotation videos to internalize the feel.
Positioning, movement, and the human elements of performance
Samurai’s kit rewards players who think several actions ahead. Because many of your finishers are directional (rear/flank potency on some combo steps), positioning while building Sen pays real dividends. Learn common dungeon/raid boss scripts to pre-position before your Sen completes so you don’t waste a Kaeshi on a badly placed Midare. Movement choreography — stepping into a flank between two GCDs, or prebuffering a Meikyo into a reposition — separates good Samurai from great Samurai. In practice, this means watching boss telegraphs, communicating with healers about clutch uptime, and sometimes delaying a button for a single GCD to reorient for a stronger finish.
techniques — micro adjustments that raise parses
At higher levels of play you will introduce micro-delays, intentional Kenki overcap management, and Meikyo double-casting sequencing into your repertoire. Micro-delays are not accidental: holding a GCD for a fraction of a second to catch a raid buff or a better card window increases expected damage over time.
Kenki overcap can sometimes be useful if you can spend it at the very start of a major window, but generally avoid letting Kenki clip unless the immediate burst will net more than the wasted Kenki’s opportunity cost. Advanced players also learn to weave their off-GCDs and movement inside job latency constraints so that Meikyo double conversions (Kaeshi + Midare) are reliably executed in live raid conditions. Watch high-percentile logs (FFLogs) and recorded best-in-slot players to see the timing and to model your execution rhythm.
Consumables, Materia and role synergy
Bring consumables that increase Critical and Direct Hit for short windows, and meld toward the stat priority that matches your speed tier. Food that boosts primary substats for a job window is standard; potions that increase direct damage during raid burst windows are useful for maximized parses.
Samurai plays well with party setups that can create large, predictable damage windows (e.g., raid buffs from other DPS and healer support), so coordinate Meikyo timing with party cooldowns. If you are planning to pursue top parses, share your openers and windows with your group and practice the timing in mock pulls until it becomes second nature. For specific meld sets and consumable choices, follow the BiS pages updated for 7.3 to ensure you are mapping melds to current stat weights.
Common mistakes and how to fix them
Newer Samurai often make the same mistakes: overcapping Kenki, using Meikyo off-sync with raid buffs, or treating Sen as a “press as soon as you get it” resource rather than a timing tool. The fix is simple but behavioral: train yourself to think two actions ahead, ask whether spending Sen now is better than saving for a larger window, and deliberately time Meikyo for coordinated damage phases. Practice openers in a training dummy, then in low-pressure content where missteps are forgiven, and finally in higher-pressure fights as your timing solidifies. Community guides repeatedly emphasize this learning path because the job’s ceiling rewards calm, iterative practice.
Putting it together — a sample fight timeline
Imagine a raid phase where the party announces a 12-second guaranteed burst window. You approach that phase by building two-three Sen in the run-up, keeping Kenki from capping but above a usable threshold, and pre-casting Meikyo so the Kaeshi and Midare hits will land inside the buff.
At the window’s start you invoke Meikyo, convert your built Sen into Kaeshi hits, unload a Midare, and use a Kenki spender immediately after to keep pressure high while the buff decays.
After the window you fall back to a clean rebuild rotation, refreshing Higanbana if necessary and aligning your next Meikyo for the next guaranteed burst. This human choreography is the true skill of Samurai — timing more than raw keystrokes. Use practice pulls and log reviews to tune the timeline until it becomes muscle memory.
Samurai is a job that teaches patience through its mechanics: you must resist the urge to mash and instead sculpt each phase so the most meaningful strike lands where it will matter most. In Patch 7.3 the core of the job is unchanged, but the community’s approach to openers, stat priorities, and small potency tweaks means learning sources and BiS lists have been refreshed to reflect the new environment. If you practice the timing, respect the resources, and view each pull as a sequence of intentional choices rather than a checklist, Samurai will reward you with some of the most satisfying performance in the game — elegant, sharp, and decisive.
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