The Sealed Dagger: A Ninja Guide

Head - 6/10
the DW+7 ruins this. Fine I suppose for non-trust/uncapped haste scenarios, but how often is that? Felt like they either should have made this STP+7 or simply removed it entirely. The DT+DA combo is fine as it is, so you can suffer a little bit from the DW and still use this for TP/Hybrid set when not using Malignance/Kendatsuba +1.

Body - 3/10
I'm a little divided on this piece, because the Migawari bonus doesn't seem to fit with the critical hit rate (I know it was on the previuos versions, i'll get to that in a second). The critical hit rate was cool for Blade: Hi, and DT is cool as a stat in general, but I wish they would have taken the WSD+8% from the feet and put it here to make a much better Blade: Hi piece (a WS that needs all the help it can get. (As a separate anecdote, Ninja's AF+3 body also has Critical Hit Rate +8%, which would have been an even MORE worthy of the AF's WSD+10% stat, but I digress)).

I suppose you can tank in this piece for full-time Migawari bonus, for whatever that's worth. Tanking on NIN isn't a major in-demand opportunity, and more often than not, the thing you're tanking constantly wipes your shadows. If you are even using NIN to hold it, Ashera, Nyame, or Malignance is sufficient, Ashera having a lot more HP, and Nyame having way more defensively going for it than Empyrean+2. Even Malignance still has a good use in a hybrid set. I feel like too many bosses spam damaging moves too quickly for you to constantly maintain Migawari, so you don't get the necessary protection around the clock because the spell is suddenly on cooldown. Overall, unsatisfied with this piece and I likely won't shift out of the other 3 options I mentioned.

Hands - 2/10
Just a major disappointment. Biggest miff of the year was not including MAB +(~40, but i'll even take low af+3 feet value, something, anything!) on these hands. Just why would you not do that. The burst damage is fine, but it essentially changes nothing. Similar to the Hachiya Kyahan +3, the burst damage is hefty, but sadly competes with another better spot (we get minimal use out of af+3 feet cuz relic+3 feet are so much better with merits @.@). Only useful for Futae apparently? Man, just DUMB decision here. I have nothing else to say.

Legs - 9/10
I would say hands down this is our best piece, and ironically, it's for...tanking >.>
As previously mentioned, everything wipes shadows, so if you're lowman soloing something or just tanking and are in Yonin getting physical hits, you benefit from the Counters when your shadows are down. Actually, I can see this going in a midcast set when reapplying shadows with Yonin up or having the mob's attention, since it gives you a decent chance to block the attack and complete the spell (which is what I might make it for, FC leg options suck for NIN, more on that later). Should also see a boost to counter rate during Tactical Parries/Issekigan, so you can even counter through shadows if Utsusemi is active. You get the best of both worlds. High Accuracy and Attack as well when adding in the Katana skill, so great offensive stats included. Moderate HP as well, and good meva compared to Mpaca. My only commentary on this vs Mpaca for a Hybrid or Tanking slot item is that Mpaca has Subtle Blow II, where if you're solo or whatever, competes for importance in a slot. Mpaca doesn't have the defensive stats that Hakama +2 have, nor the Ranged accuracy, so they serve different purposes. Overall, I'm pleased and would upgrade this piece first. It's not even close, this is the best piece in the set not including the +2 earring.

Feet - 1/10
My rage boils over looking at this piece, even moreso than the hands. Just...why..would you put WSD+8% on a midcast piece? I always thought the tactical parry on this was awkward to begin with, but whatever. But let's talk about it. Tactical Parry is a tanking/defensive stat. So why don't these feet have a complimentary tanking stat. If you look at it as a casting piece, then why aren't you adding casting stats to supplement it. None of this makes any sense in any area. We only swap into this piece to cast Utsusemi, so tying WSD to this was baffling, annoying, and unbelievably ignorant, to say the least. This screams Hachiya Hatsuburi +3 all over again, where they put WSD ON A PIECE WITH NO OFFENSIVE STATS >.>

I just hate this piece in the worst way. Like, what the hell is going on here? They could have put DT here instead of the head, it would have made more sense to pair with Tactical Parry. I would have even taken FC, as it would have been an all-in-one precast-midcast piece as well. NIN is starved for FC gear as it is, it would have made perfect sense to put FC on these feet. As an annoying anecdote, NIN is one of the few native casters that has not ever received a FC+% or Magic Skill equavalent casting -% piece (they gave us relic body, but thats specific to utsusemi casting, and doesn't improve recast). They even gave Bard FC on their new feet, and even DRK has a FC JSE. Not only that, but PLD and RUN both got another FC piece from the recent set. Seems the only caster/tank job not getting FC is NIN.


Overall, I am not pleased with this set at all. It looks like a flimsy, thrown together fustercluck of mess, and many of the combination of stats make little sense. That's also how I've felt about the Artifact and Relic sets as well. There were too many headscratcher pieces, not even going to list them all.

What I do find remarkably annoying about NIN JSE in particular, though, is that they have literally gone out of their way to put WSD stat on JSE on the worst possible slots:

AF head, no acc/att as mentioned
Relic legs, competes with Hiza legs WSD+7%, so we missed out on using the ambu legs for a bit (unlike other jobs that could use JSE+ambu pieces)
Empyrean +2 feet, wsd on a casting piece

I didn't even ask for a Hybrid WS piece or anything breaking the mold of what the armor already has going for it. Just sensible decisions. Just wow.