FF14 Ninja Guide Shadowbringers

Among the DPS classes of Final Fantasy 14, few are as desirable or daunting as the Ninja. This subtle killer lacks big, flashy damage numbers. But it makes up for that shortcoming with big, flashy raid utility. It's never abad idea to have a Ninja on your team — especially when clearing new content for the first time. They're offensive debuff, Trick Attack, makes troublesome bosses melt under group-wide pressure. Unfortunately, the Ninja itself can be troublesome to play (not to mention unlock). Let's go over why that is and more in our FF14 Job guide to the Ninja!

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FF14 Jobs are all going through some major changes in Shadowbringers. The new expansion includes major reworks across the board, as well as two entirely new classes: Dancer and Gunbreaker. Between these additions and another massive payload of story content, Shadowbringers almost makes FF14 feel like an entirely new game. And that's exactly why you might need help picking your new main Job or Jobs this time around. We're here to help with another FF14 Job guide — this time for the nefarious Ninja.

FF14 Ninja Guide Shadowbringers

Ninja Role – FF14 Shadowbringers Guide

The Ninja is a melee support damage class in FF14. Much like the Dancer, it provide "utility" in the form of group-wide buffs. It stands in contrast to classes like the Samurai, which focus on selfishly hitting hard. That pays off in the form of fantastic overall team damage — making the Ninja one of the most sought-after DPS Jobs among raid players. The trade-off is that you don't hit incredibly hard yourself.

Less directly, the Ninja suffers from just how common DPS players are in FF14. Ninjas rarely benefit from the "Hero in Need" XP and gil bonuses by participating in daily roulettes — except sometimes in Alliance Raids. This makes the Ninja (and any other DPS class for that matter) somewhat harder to level up than healer Jobs and even tanks in Final Fantasy 14. On the upside, they are a bit simpler to play than the other FF14 Jobs. Although… The Ninja in particular doesn't even really get that. They are a very complex and daunting class for newcomers.

Ninja Rework – FF14 Shadowbringers Guide

The heart of the Ninja remains intact with patch 5.0 and Shadowbringers in FF14. They are a strange Job based around fussy combos that you more-or-less have to remember on your own. This is your Ninjutsu: actually several attacks all rolled into one, and executed with different fighting game-esque combos that you have to input on your own. Their rework is basically designed to make themlessfussy with quality-of-life changes.

Thankfully, Square Enix mostly succeeded! Playing Ninja feels smoother than ever — even if it doesn't quite have that satisfying "flow chart" feeling that other classes incorporate. You still always have to think about what Ninjutsu you want to use next, and which button combos will activate them.

However, weaponskills seem more important than ever. You now generate Ninki, an important Ninja resource, when using weaponskills instead of every time you auto-attack. And level 80 unlocks a "shadow clone" that attacks for you whenever you cast a weaponskill — further generating even more Ninki ever time. So you're not as totally reliant on Ninjutsu as before.

When you do whip out the Ninjutsu, however, it's also more powerful than ever. The skill Kassatsu (which resets the recast timer on your Ninjutsu) now has multiple charges and buffs the next Ninjutsu you use by 30 percent. Whereas previously it just gave you a free critical hit. If that weren't enough, Kassatsu also temporarily unlocks more powerful versions of damage-dealing attacks.

But one of the subtlest, most important changes is that Suiton now lasts twice as long. This isthepremiere Ninja skill. Or rather, it's one of two. Suiton allows players to use the skill Trick Attack at any time. Whereas you normally need to be in stealth, before combat begins, to use the latter skill. Trick Attack itself, meanwhile, causes its target to take 10 percent increased damage — from every single player. Oh, and it does more damage on its own now, which is a nice bonus. And the increased duration of Suiton makes Trick Attack much easier to use effectively.

You can check out a full account of every Ninja ability in Shadowbringers right here.

FF14 Ninja Guide Shadowbringers

Ninja Tips – FF14 Shadowbringers Guide

  • All that matters is the ending. While Ninjutsu combos may seem complicated, Square Enix throws players a bone when it comes to constructing your combos. Every combo is composed of three parts: Ten, Chi, and Jin. But the only part of the combo that's actually set in stone is the final symbol. Suiton, for instance, can be cast using Ten→Chi→Jin or Chi→Ten→Jin. You really just need to memorize how many Mudra (symbols) go into each combo, and which one they need to end on, in order to remember every Ninjutsu.
  • Trick Attack is life.I'm not going to say Trick Attack is the only useful Ninja skill. But if you only memorize one Ninjutsu, it should be Suiton, so that you can always cast Trick Attack. It's just too good to ignore — especially in higher level content. Use it on bosses as frequently as possible to blitz through group content!
  • Keep the Huton flowing. The other major "pillar" of Ninja play is Huton. This is a Ninjutsu cast with Chi→Jin→Ten or Jin→Chi→Ten. It lasts for ages (70 seconds at the start). But you basically want to avoid ever having to cast it again, once Huton is up. There are more important Ninjutsu to cast and keep your DPS high. That's because Huton can be extended with one of two skills. BothHakke Mujinsatsu and Armor Crushwill add more Huton time, while dealing damage. As for Huton itself? The skill reduces weaponskilland auto-attack time by 15 percent, making the Ninja a blazing fast damage-dealer.

How to Unlock the Ninja Job – FF14 Shadowbringers Guide

Unlike most Jobs in FF14, the Ninja isn't accessible at the outset. Instead you need to play through the game as any normal combat Job for a while. Once you reach level 10, however, the Ninja becomes available in Limsa Lominsa – Lower Decks. Just accept the quest "My First Daggers." Finishing "My First Daggers" will unlock the Rogue class in FF14. Once you reach level 30 as a Rogue, you can unlock the Ninja Job.

That's all for now, folks! Thanks for taking the time to read our guide to the Ninja in FF14: Shadowbringers. We hope it helps you master this versatile DPS Job to the best of your ability. Until then, good luck learning the new reworks, abilities, and intricacies of the Ninja going forward.

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