Big fan of FFXIV and WoW classic, but wanting to dip my toes into retail for the new expansion. I have never done serious hardcore raiding in WoW retail but I absolutely would love to! A problem I am having is, committing to a class in retail. A lot of the classes that I’ve tried just don’t hit right, I often end up getting bored of them, so I wanted to ask a question for those who have played both FFXIV and retail.
Is there a class similar to that of the FFXIV Samurai? By that I specifically mean, a class that doesn’t rely or use procs but rather builds up resources and focuses on uptime management and rotation timings. The FFXIV Samurai rotation does not include a single proc, for example, but it is completely mapped out for even and odd minutes, gaining your resource (sen) while building up to a finisher (midare) and uptiming your buffs (dmg/atk speed) and your dot (higanbana). This gameplay loop I enjoy greatly as it doesn’t rely so much on procs and flashy buttons, but rather consistency and uptime.
If possible, I would prefer a melee class too, but am open to suggestions. I am a fan of high risk - high reward gameplay also. Class optimisation is of great interest to me, so if the class plays simply then I will probably not enjoy it.
Thanks for reading and I look forward to seeing your replies!
I would say there isn’t a class super similar to SAM, but I would try ret pala or fury war as they build resources to spend like on a more powerful finisher.
So, I made a ranking on how well the class fits your description:
Rogue (any spec)
Windwalker Monk
Retribution Paladin
If you hate procs, do not play Outlaw Rogue though. If you really wanna avoid proc based gameplay, maybe go with Windwalker Monk. It still has Procs, but it’s very controllable mostly (I play it in pvp).
Unfortunately there is nothing even remotely similar to FFXIV Samurai, neither thematically or gameplay-wise. I think the closest thing you can get are Unholy Death Knight or Retribution Paladin.
Unholy has 1 random proc (which doesn’t change the rotation at all) but overall the rotation is very strict, you have to follow X sequence and set up everything for big damage, and it’s very satisfying when it’s done correctly because your damage skyrockets and you go from last to first on the DPS metter.
Paladin is more free on ability rotation, also more consistent because it has a better damage profile, you press button and you do big damage, whereas DK needs more setup, so if you want EZPZ go Paladin if you like more elaborated rotation go DK.
Thematically DK if you preffer to be warrior of darkness or Paladin if you wanna be the warrior of light (pun intended).
I think almost any class that builds up resources to spend them like retri pal, unholy dk or warlock classes fit.
I unironically think that demonology warlock’s build up for tyrant window is kind of similiar to building up sen on SAM, and your tyrant is your midare.
Come to think of it i now kind of understand why i liked playing SAM so much in FFXIV. Apart from my love for kenjutsu.
Well yeah there is problem with that, ffxiv does very strict lengthy rotations while wow likes less amount of buttons but less strict and faster in pace.
IMO i think you need to find class that suits you well in wow’s environment instead of trying to find ffxiv class here, have you tried demon hunter? There is nothing like dh in ffxiv
WW is the closest thing I found to Samurai.
Maybe Fury Warrior but that’s a stretch, Rampage isn’t a proc even though it has an animation thingy, it’s just visual clarification that you have enough rage to spend on it.
Nearly every class in WoW has some level of procs. I can only suggest that you keep trying different ones until you find one that fits.
I’m not sure if this is only available to max level chars or if you have used it already but there is an option to create a level 60 trial character. Whilst not everything is unlocked on them, they give you a really good idea of how a higher level of that specific class can work.
As others have said, there’s really no class that plays similar to a SAM. Or any Job for that matter.
I’m so used to WoWs combat loop that after having leveled most Jobs to around 60, most of them play very similarly and slower. But they are way, way more flashy and satisfying when you finish those combos. Most classes have a handful of procs (not as bad as you might think) while FF14s are more or less “set in stone”.
Every class/spec in WoW plays very differently and it’s just a trial and error until you find yours. It can be grueling. It took a friend more than half of the specs until he found that Destruction Warlock was right for him.
The only interesting class I found in FFXIV was Black Mage - at least you could have some skill expression with having to factor in movement.
Plus the only content is 4 raid bosses every 6 months, plus an ultimate if you’re lucky. The rest you have to ERP.
And you can only use your full toolkit on those new raids and new ultimate and few dungeons - all other content you get downscaled and spells are removed, and you have to know different rotations for the different downscaled levels…
