Ninja Masterclass

This guide is a work in progress and was last worked on October 18, 2025. --Merric

Preface

The Ninja is perhaps one of the most versatile jobs available but is usually limited to being the sub for other jobs due to the defensive shadows and dual wield mechanics. Those who take Ninja past the 37 sub job level really realize how engaging, powerful and versatile it really is. Aside from a few seconds after a PLD using spike hate abilities, you will be the best tank in the game for most content (at a reasonable price), deal damage that will rival other damage dealers and solo better than most jobs. Ninja can be complex as you can make it and depending on how you tailor the job, it may surprise you how well it can perform.

This guide is intended to be for those who either are overwhelmed playing Ninja, have only limited it to 37 because they wanted it for a Warrior sub (but thought it was fun enough to maybe play it more) or those who have already taken the journey and want to go one step further to make themselves a bit more useful than just a provoke with shadows. You won't find a deep dive into which head piece will give the highest DPS or how to tweak every single piece of gear to get some BiS nonsense. You're going to find a guide that tells you exactly how to play the job at each leveling phase as well as the most important part: end game tanking.

Thank you to those who have helped by either giving content or feedback. If you have any questions, comments or feedback please feel free to reach out to me via /tell in game or DM through Discord. Please enjoy the work that was put into this Ninja Masterclass.

--Merric

A very special thank you to Zote, Vijali, Azagarth, Sabre and Maskvid (and countless others) for helping contribute to this guide and helping me along the way to being a better Ninja as well as the rest of the Ninja fanatics in the Horizon discord. It really is a wonderful job that is more than just a sub job for others.

A few notes about the guide:
I try to touch on all of the gearset types needed at certain levels and occasionally put gear sets. It's nearly impossible for me to put every gear pieces for which set at each levels so just consider them examples at certain levels. I will be including detailed gearsets at 75.

Ninja Capability

Strangely enough, a lot of people underestimate or misunderstand the role that Ninja can play from Dunes experience party through to end game. Yes, it's a tank that has overshadowed Paladin in experience point parties later in the game, but Ninja is also very capable in end game content. While Paladin is usually chosen as the best option for tanks, Ninja mitigates physical damage very well, especially in end game content with support from jobs such as Bard or Red Mage. Paladin excels when they are on their own but with RDM and BRD support Ninja is be far superior. While I'm sure some Paladins may disagree, Ninja is a much more fast-paced and active job that requires constant attention and skill. In most situations it requires paying careful attention and spamming different abilities or spells in a certain order to help enfeeble, magic burst, increase enmity or deal some of the highest damage in the game.

While Paladin are very effective at certain situations, the tanking and damage abilities of the Ninja cannot be understated. I can confidently say that choosing Ninja as a main job will allow you to be the best endgame tank with proper support and at the same time one of the best DD jobs in the game. With a vast selection of sub jobs such as Warrior, Red Mage, Dark Knight and even Paladin you can tailor your Ninja to any situation that you encounter. If you want to inflict good melee damage, choose Warrior. If you want to inflict good magic damage, choose Red Mage. If you want to be a strong tank that can hold incredible amounts of hate while feeding no TP to the enemy, choose Dark Knight. The choices are many and not only are you choosing a versatile job you are also choosing one that is exciting and engaging.

Iron Rules of Ninja

The following are very important rules for Ninja and are almost universally accepted as the best practices in the Ninja Community.

1. Find a good source of income. The gear sets and possibilities are extensive as well as expensive in addition to the constant need to use tools as consumables. Clamming, fishing, logging or mining are all good choices.
   
2. Ninja is very gear dependent. You don't need "BiS" but expect to have more than NPC purchased gear to be successful. If you can't afford more than bare bones I'd recommend another job to allow a better income source. It will make Ninja that much more enjoyable.
   
3. Gear like a DD when using a Warrior Subjob. Your hate comes from your melee attacks so buff them as much as possible. Evasion gear is situational.
   
4. Don't use Yonin full time as /WAR. Use it full time on /RDM, /DRK and /PLD. More importantly, don't ever use Yonin and Berserk full time. It doesn't cancel out the bad parts of Yonin, it just makes you a paper doll who can hold hate slightly better.
   
5. Know your capabilities. There's no reason not to ask a WAR/NIN or other NIN to co-tank and make the healer's life easier.
   
6. Don't blame yourself if you lose hate. If someone pulls hate with a big weapon skill, especially early in the fight, that's a "them problem". They need to know how Ninja tanks operate and what they can/cannot do.
   
7. Don't choose just one sub job. 51+ NIN/RDM is incredible as well as 60+ NIN/WAR. 75 NIN/DRK is the best tank in the game for most content.
   

The Efficient Ninja

I need to say this first before diving into much else because it's perhaps one of the best ways to be an efficient Ninja with gear swaps and getting the most out of the very expensive gear: Use a Lua. Opposed to manual gear swaps or ones that rely on macros, your lua will automatically swap gear when you use abilities or cast spells. While this is not a lua guide, I'd reach out to those in the Ninja discord to help get one set up if you're having troubles. It will make all the difference and really cut down on a lot of frustration and increase performance.

Please check out Rag's lua for a good starting point. He's done tremendous work and helped out a lot of players.
https://github.com/yzyii/luashitacast

Sub Job Overview

Ninja has three cores sub jobs and a few others, albeit they're situational and not a priority. I'd recommend getting all three to 37 in this order in order to be as effective as possible. Maybe one day I'll add something about /THF, /BST, /PLD, /RNG, /SAM or others but we'll save that for a rainy day.

/WAR

Role: Melee tank that utilizes melee damage, magic bursts and Warrior job abilities to keep hate.

Warrior is the first sub job to get to 37 because it is the cheapest to level, offers the basic functionality of tanking early on through end game and is a lot of fun to play. It checks every box for what Ninja needs to tank: Enmity generating abilities as well as damage output. Abilities like Provoke, Berserk and Warcry should all be used on cooldown (use them as soon as available) to allow maximum enmity generation.

While /WAR may be considered inferior to the NIN/RDM fanatics, it is cheaper to play, is very capable as a melee tank and will be near the top of the parser at higher levels. Berserk, Aggressor, good foor and gear will make /WAR a blast to play and will make you start to question if you even want to level another "melee DD" job. It will do less damage overall than NIN/RDM but will still offer plenty of utility, hate control, fun and utility (not to mention you won't be spending 50k/hr+ on tools).

/RDM

Role: Mage tank/DD that utilizes high magic damage from the 6 elemental ninjutsu spells cast in a circle or wheel to take advantage of their additional effect of weakness to the next element, fast cast and defensive spells from Red Mage to hold hate and out DPS most DD.

Due to the lack of effectiveness in the early levels, I'd recommend leveling this second and have to ready by the time your Ninja hits level 40. It will allow you to utilize the full strength of your elemental Ninjutsu and throw out some incredibly high damage. Keep in mind this is also very expensive to use in experience point parties so you can use it in certain situations if needed and use the cheaper and equally fun Warrior sub job.

NIN/RDM is the king of survivability, especially paired with a Blue Cotehardie to give Refresh. In addition, a decently-geared NIN/RDM will be the top slot DPS in any party. I say that with 0 hesitation, especically with March x2 and Haste. The reduced recast paired with a spell doing 300-400 damage ever 2-3 seconds is insane and no DD can even get close to keeping up. It is incredible for low-man content where you need to not just tank but throw in a lot of damage as well. Remember the price tag though, not just in tool costs but gear costs as well such as HQ elemental staff or Novio Earring.

/DRK

Role: End game tank (Lvl 75 only) that does little to no damage to monsters but uses Dark Knight spells and abilities to hold high amounts of hate all while feeding 0 TP to the enemy.

Dark Knight is perhaps the most useful sub job for Ninja tanking end game, but it only viable at NIN75/DRK/37 due to Stun. A strange combo that suggests maybe using the Dark Knight's job abilities to increase melee damage, the strategy is far from the truth, relying on the enfeebles, job abilities and 0% accuracy using a Terra's Staff to feed 0 TP to the monster and hold incredible amounts of hate. It is entirely reliant on a strong refresh source so you cannot use this to solo.

Job Abilities

I didn't include some like Defender or Arcane circle because I don't find them to be a main aspect in mainline tanking as NIN. You may be able to find a use for them but they tend to be niche compared tot he core abilities or strategies.

Ninja Abilities

Mikage

• Mikage is a Ninja's Two Hour Ability.
• This is a HorizonXI custom ability, replacing Mijin Gakure.
• Immediately grants the player 4 Utsusemi shadows.
• Also grants a 30 second buff. While under the effect of this buff, all elemental damage based Ninjutsu spells receive a damage multiplier. This multiplier is based off the amount of shadows remaining.

Mikage is a bit lackluster as a Two Hour but has certain uses. The idea is that it immediately gives you 4 shadows and makes your next cast duplicate by the amount of shadows you have and reduce 1 total. The next spell cast will be duplicated by 3 and reduce the shadow count by 1 to 2 and so on and so forth. The burst damage is pretty incredible since it doesn't increase the spell damage by 5x or 5x but it casts the spell that many times. This is great for fights like the Tonberry HENM where you need to have a certain amount of magic bursts per fight phase.

While this sounds like a great Two Hour ability, the downside is that in Horizon Subtle Blow does not work on Nukes. So when you're casting 3 spells that duplicate to 9, the monster is immediately using a TP move because of the TP that you just fed it. In some cases it's fine and worth it but other times it could spell disaster for the party, especially if it's something like Jailer of Love that is already rough on the tanks.

Yonin

• Increases enmity by 10 and reduces Utsusemi cooldown, but impairs Attack by 15%. Reduces enemy Critical Hit Rate against the player.
• While up the ability lowers cooldowns of Utsusemi Spells. This reduction is a static flat amount that does not grant any haste or fastcast effect, instead changing the recast of ichi/ni to 35/50 respectively. then, haste and fast cast is figured into the equation.

Yonin serves a special purpose for the Ninja but you need to be careful how you use it. Depending on your sub job there are three ways that you can utilize this hate building tool. It is important to remember exactly what it does in order for it to actually be effective.

You can use Yonin the following ways:

1. Keep Yonin on constantly. While it will reduce your melee effectiveness, the 10% bonus to enmity will work perfect with non-Melee damage sources. This should never be used this way for Warrior sub jobs but is ideal for Red Mage and Dark Knight subs.
2. Use Yonin to gain Utsusemi cooldown reduction then take it off. Use Yonin, cast Utsusemi Ichi/Ni to gain the benefit of the cooldown reduction then take it off to allow you to get the most benefit from the melee attacks.
3. Use Yonin as a mini-Provoke. Use Yonin then immediately take it off. While Yonin may not generate as much enmity as Provoke, it still will allow you to turn a monster that is attacking a healer or damage dealer and keep them focused on you while getting the most benefit from your melee attacks.

/WAR Abilites

Provoke
Pretty straightforward. Use on cooldown when main tanking. Don't use it when the monster is almost dead so you can use it when the puller brings the next one to camp.

Berserk

• When active, the user's attack is increased by 25% and defense is decreased by 25%.
• This ability also increases ranged attack.

You need to be careful early on (pre-37)when using this but it will greatly increase your ability to keep hate by boosting your attack. However, the defense down could be dangerous especially with monsters that may additionally decrease defense with their own TP moves (Dhalmels). Use it responsibly before level 37 but once you get Utsusemi: Ni it's entirely safe, and highly recommended to use it on cooldown. If you have a co-tank like another Ninja or a Warrior go ahead and use it freely, just get a read on your healer.

Warcry

• This ability raises the attack of all party members within the area of effect by an amount dependent on the WAR's level. Testing is required to find out the amount of attack gained per level.
• Enmity added to the user varies depending on how many people the effect lands on.
• Adds a significant amount of enmity to the user should it land on all 6 party members.

Use alongside berserk to add some enmity and damage boost at level 70. Not a whole lot to say as there are no ill side effects like berserk.

/DRK Abilities

Last Resort

• When active, user's attack is increased by 14.84375% (38/256) and defense is decreased by the same amount.
  • This ability also increases Ranged Attack.
• This ability generates a considerable amount of enmity, and can effectively be used as a makeshift provoke to take hate from another player.

As /DRK you're not using it as a source of melee damage but purely as an enmity generating spell like Provoke. Pop it when you need to reclaim hate or keep it glued to you. Pair it with Souleater to make it super sticky.

Weapon Bash

• This ability requires a two-handed weapon to use.
• Deals a very small amount of Blunt damage to the target.
• The chance of it stunning the target is very high. The actual amount needs
• Unlike Stun it goes through shadows.
• Generates enmity

Weapon bash is your emergency stun and a way of saving your bacon against things that would kill you and the black mage is not paying attention. and you need to stop its attack. It is also a great source of enmity.

Souleater

• When activated by a Dark Knight, each successful attack that lands (even for zero damage) will cause the user to lose 10% of his/her current HP and converts that amount directly into damage. This additional damage is added to the damage of the hit, not separately as with En-Spells.
• When activated by a character with Dark Knight Support Job, each successful attack that lands will cause the user to lose 10% of his/her current HP and converts half that amount directly into damage.
• While active, this ability increases the user's accuracy by 25. - source
• Using the ability generates a significant amount of enmity. The actual amount needs to be verified.

Like Last Resort, Souleater is purely used as an enmity generation tool. Pop it then immediately take it off, you're not using it to add to melee damage (you should be meleeing with an Earth Staff anyway).

Spells

Elemental Ninjutsu: Elemental Wheel and Magic Bursts

The elemental wheel is simple: each spell that is cast deals a cerain type of damage and reduced the monster's resistance to the next element. This continues for all six elemental Ninjutsu spells until the cycle repeats, always in the same order.

Hyoton > Katon > Suiton > Raiton > Doton > Huton >

Regardless of your sub job, you should be Magic Bursting whenever possible from level 15+. Yes, the Ichi level spells are slower and less powerful than the Ni levels but it is free damage and is boosted on Horizon. If you are /RDM it may be tough to cast the right spell when you have an elemental wheel rotation but you should always make the effort.

The most impactful stats for these are Intelligence and Magic Attack Bonus but will also benefit from Ninjutsu Skill. You an find more info for the formula at Ninjutsu.

Note: If you have a lua, make sure you /locktp if you are meleeing or you will lose all TP when you cast a spell.

Enfeebling Ninjutsu

Enfeebling Ninjutsu is great for making you stay alive as well as for generating enmity. The spells have a flat reduction unlike regular enfeebling magic so if the spell lands, you can know exactly what effect it has. Therefore, your gear sets for enfeebling Ninjutsu should prioritize Ninjutsu Skill opposed to Intelligence or Magic Attack Bonus.

My priority list for which make the most impact. Yes, Paralyze is great but Jubaku only has Ichi level so it has a very slow cast time and will take time out of your melee attacks or nukes. Only use if there is no RDM/WHM to spend 6 MP on Paralyze. I didn't include Dokumori for a reason.

1. Hojo
2. Kurayami
3. Jubaku

/RDM Spells

Spells for Enmity Generation: Dispel, Silence, Bind, Sleep, Gravity, Blind.
Spells for Survival: Stoneskin, Phalanx, Aquaveil, Cures.

/DRK Spells

Spells for Enmity Generation: Stun, Sleep, Bind.
Spells for Survival: Stun, Aspir, Drain, Absorb-Vit/Agi.

Weapon Choices

• Melee (Katana, Sword, Dagger)

Okay I need to preface this by saying when it came to me leveling Ninja I used the rule of cool, Katanas in both hands from 10-75. However, it's worth noting that from a pure DPS standpoint, Katana are not it. If you want to min/max Ninja, Sword or daggers are it. There are daggers that will add a -Defense down like Acid Bolts or Yoto +1 so will end up doing the most damage. Use which you like, there is nothing wrong with Katana of course but for those looking for the highest DPS possible, swords are it.

1 - 45: Whatever does the most weapon damage. You can easily use AF weapons from 40 through 45 and then switch to the beloved Yoto +1.

46 - 70: Yoto+1 x2 - The +1 here is mandatory. Do not cheap out on these. The -20% defense down debuff on these are unreal for your damage dealers. If they complain about you not keeping hate tell them to /NIN and enjoy the boost to their damage. Granted your own damage will be neutered but the party damage is more important than your own. Yes, you will be using these until 70 but consider it making up for the amount of gil you spend on tools.

70-71: Fudo x2 - These are great weapons that really boost your damage at 70. Rock these until 72.

72-75: You have two options here outside of relic. Take your pick.

1. Senjuinrikio + Fudo: +9% Critical Hit Rate (6% for Senjuinrikio only).
2. Senjuinrikio + Unji: +6% Critical Hit Rate for Senjuinrikio + STR, DEX, Subtle blow on the Unji.

There are some other options like Mamushito +1 but the go to are the Senjuinrikio and an offhand.

• Staff

Staff are necessary for two things: casting nukes and reducing Physical Damage taken. Keep in mind, these start at 51 and while the HQ staff are not mandatory, they certainly help with resists and damage. Personally I'd recommend in this order:

Ice Staff, Earth Staff, Wind Staff followed by the remaining in any order. We want to prioritize damage boosts for Hyoton first since you're most likely to start an elemental wheel with that. The earth staff will help with -20% PDT as well as accuracy boost to Hojo. Wind will be used for an evasion.

• Ranged Weapons

Shuriken and Throwing has its place in the lower levels especially. Until NIN/RDM 40+ throwing will get you the highest DPS. I personally did not do this when I leveled Ninja but what I will say is that you will do a ton of damage those closer you are to the shuriken's level (18,28) and they'll hold hate very, very well. My experience is limited on these but anything with a weakness to piercing is a great target.

Tanking Strategy

/WAR

NIN/WAR tanking is as easy as it gets so I don't want to spend a ton of time on the subject. Provoke on cooldown, aim to do as much melee damage as possible and gear like a damage dealer. You can refer to each of the level-specific sections below as I touch on the introduction of new job abilities but the strategy is pretty straightforward.
For gearsets for /WAR you want to focus on TP set that prioritizes haste, attack and accuracy, a WS set that focuses on STR and accuracy and defensive sets such as evasion and sets that reduce damage taken. A good INT set is also great for Magic Bursts but not as critical as it is for /RDM.

/RDM

NIN/RDM is the best tank for mobs up until level 85. Utilization of offensive and defensive spells from /RDM and powerful elemental Ninjutsu nukes make holding hate and survivability easy.
Please keep in mind, there are two types of NIN/RDM tanking: TP feed vs No TP feed. Elemental Ninjutsu spells are notoriously high in TP feed and do not benefit from Subtle Blow. In situations where you may need to reduce TP feed, you are able to cast spell such as blind and dispel to help generate enmity while limiting TP feed.
While you do not have Provoke as a snap hate tool to start a battle with, your nukes are very capable of pulling hate in the same manner. Memorize the elemental wheel and throw out as much damage as possible.

Tip: If you find yourself having a waiting period between your six elemental nukes, cast an ichi level. It may not do as much damage but is better than 0 damage sitting there waiting for Ni recast timers.

As for defensive spells from /RDM, Stoneskin and Phalanx are great additions for mitigation. These will mostly be used in end game and soloing and are not necessary for experience parties unless you have some down time.

/DRK

Okay /DRK is a weird one but my favorite and what I use in 90% of my end game content. You have Dark Knight as a sub job and use it's abilities that increase melee attacks but don't actually melee attack since you're using a staff for some reason but you still manage to hold hate somehow. That's just it: Ninja/Dark Knight is used for only one thing: holding incredible amounts of enmity all while feeding 0 TP to the enemy.

NIN/DRK does not use Katanas. You will use a Terra's Staff 99% of the time because of its Physical Damage Taken -20% and you will use Yonin 100% of the time. To gain hate, /DRK uses abilities such as Souleater, Last Resort and Weapon Bash along with non-damaging enfeebles like Sleep, Stun and Bind to create tremendous amounts of hate. Along with your Ninja enfeebles that you can cast you will have your own rotation of Stun > Sleep > Bind to get more and more enmity. Pairing this with haste, you are getting much more enmity than a Paladin in the long term. They have great snap hate tools to get a lot very quickly, but those have longer recast timers and you will catch up fast.

Since /DRK does no damage (unless you choose to cast your elemental NIN spells) you will be idling in a -PDT, -MDT or Evasion set to make the most of your defensive abilities.

*Note: NIN/DRK is useless without a form of refresh. Without double Ballad, Refresh or SMN refresh you will not be able to cast spells and hold hate. Drill into your linkshells' heads that if they want to stay alive you need refresh. No exceptions.

Gearsets

TP Build (High/Low Accuracy)

Earlier I mentioned that in order to hold hate, NIN/WAR must gear like a DD. Attack, Accuracy, Haste are all important. I don't want to get into "is a better than b" sort of questions but when it comes to gear sets at 75 we will be able to look at different pieces and choose one over the other based on party composition (specifically BRD or SMN), specifically the body pieces, earrings and rings. Now, we can get into the situations where you've hit the haste cap and can sub in other things to increase Dual Wield but I'm going to keep it simple. Sorry, not going into every slot available but just a few that are key choices.

Body

Haubergeon: This should be used when you need that accuracy boost when TPing. Remember, our damage comes from auto attacks primarily so if you're whiffing, throw your Hauby on. Yes, it's -20 evasion but we already discussed how that's not an issue.

Ninja Chainmail: This should be used if you have enough accuracy as the 5% Dual Wield really gives you that extra edge as long as you an connect. Your DPS should really improve with this.

Scorpion Harness: Only 57-58 when you can't wear Haubergeon.

Byrnie: Yes, NIN is attack starved but don't forgo your accuracy and stick to Haubergeon.

Earrings We have two great options and not terribly unreasonable to get once CoP is done.

Brutal Earring: 5% Double Attack is amazing. Store TP +1 is fine.

Stealth Earring: This is a Horizon exclusive since the Dual Wield shifted from Suppanomimi to this. It also helps with Ninjutsu skill which is a second great use.

Rings

Toreador's Ring: +7 Accuracy is huge for Ninja. Wear two of these unless you choose the Rajas and/or can proc your Shinobi.

Rajas Ring: If you like the stabby-stabby flavor of Ninja go for it. If you don't then go for two Toreador's. It's entirely your preference.

Shinobi Ring: +4% Haste is amazing. The downside is you need to have 75% HP or less for the latent effect to activate. I'd recommend getting an HP down set in order to proc it whenever you want. Recommend a lua for this one to equip it after you use your proc set. This makes it very easy for Ninja to get 23% haste.

+1 versions if possible of course but can be quite the investment for some, no shame in having NQ.

WS

There are two options for your WS set and you need to pick one avenue: STR or DEX. Both are viable options since Blade: Jin has a 30% DEX and 30% STR modifier. I can't speak on whether one or the other performs best but regardless of whichever you choose, go all out in that stat.

A few noteworth mentions:

Haubergeon: This will always be your WS piece. Splurge for the +1 if possible but the attack, STR and acc on here is exactly what you need considering overall Ninja's is both accuracy and attack starved. Dont' WS in a Kirin's Osode; you want the attack and acc.

Brutal Earring: 5% Double Attack is amazing and can proc on weapon skills.

Haste

Haste is incredibly important since it covers attack speed (enmity generation) and Utsusemi cooldown and gear with this stat should be a priority. It's very easy for NIN to get 21%+ Haste without a 15M belt. Here's a dirt-cheap, NQ haste set that requires like 300-400k (mostly for Fumas), sky and dyna access. Luckily there isn't a huge line for NIN relic from Dyna. Yes, there are better pieces available but this is a cheap way to get 21% Haste.

Head: Panther Mask +2%
Hands: Dusk Gloves +3%
Ring1: Shinobi Ring +4%
Waist: Koga Sarashi +4%
Legs: Byakko's Haidate +5%
Feet: Fuma Sune-Ate +3%

Evasion

Evasion can play two roles: A mid-cast set early on to help getting interrupted when casting Utsusemi and an overall evasion set. In general I recommend getting a decent evasion set. Don't go crazy getting +1 or BiS if you don't have to because there are better options for your mid-cast set and evasion will eventually be limited to (in most cases) solo-level enemies.

Early on Evasion comes in handy for equipping when shadows are down. Yes, I said you should not full time in evasion gear but this is one of those times when you should use it.

While I don't recommend THF as a viable sub for NIN, it is a great solo combo especially paired with evasion/tp sets.

With a half-way decent Ninja can evasion tank things like Byakko that have very high accuracy but it's not the safest way to do it and other sets should be used. It's possible but not the best known method to do it.

Physical/Magical Damage Taken(-PDT, -MDT)

These should be your go to tanking sets and an early on investment for end game tanking. -PDT will be a flat reduction in Physical Damage taken. Yes, you can evasion tank some things but your PDT and MDT are your bread and butter. If at at possible get the HQ pieces as they will pay in dividends. If you have the Sattva Ring you can swap some things around and hit the 50% cap.

PDT (-47%)

Main = Terra's Staff ---- -20% PDT
Ammo = Happy Egg ---- +HP
Head = Arhat's Jinpachi +1 ---- -6% PDT
Neck = Parrying Torque
Ear1 = Pigeon Earring ---- +HP
Ear2 = Pigeon Earring ---- +HP
Body = Arhat's Gi +1 ---- -9% PDT
Hands = Darksteel Mittens +1 ---- -2% PDT
Ring1 = Jelly Ring ---- -5% PDT
Ring2 = Bomb Queen Ring ---- +HP
Back = Boxer's Mantle
Waist = Warwolf Belt
Legs = Darksteel Subligar +1 ---- -3% PDT
Feet = Darksteel Leggings +1 ---- -2% PDT

Enmity

If you're using a lua this will be extremely helpful in any tanking situation, especially with trigger happy DD. Here's a basic hate set that I use that's pretty affordable and should have some cross over with your SIRD sets. The Eris earrings are a bit pricey at 200k a pop but the rest you should already have for other sets at maybe 150-200k tops. Again, multiple use pieces minus the earrings and if you have the Sattva Ring go ahead and use that here too. I'm sure there may be some more pieces but no reason to break the bank of overthink this set.

Ammo = Nokizaru Shuriken (+2)
Head = Yasha Jinpachi (+2)
Neck = Harmonia's Torque (+3)
Ear1 = Eris' Earring (+2)
Ear2 = Eris' Earring (+2)
Body = Yasha Samue (+4)
Hands = Yasha Tekko (+2)
Waist = Warwolf Belt (+3)
Legs = Yasha Hakama (+2)
Feet = Yasha Sune-Ate (+2)

I equip this when I use provoke, warcry, berserk, souleater, last resort, etc, etc. Any job ability you use should have this lua'd in for that little bit extra "oomph". I definitely notice a difference when I'm tanking end game content. However, this set won't come into play when you hit the hate cap so keep that in mind if people are pulling hate that's why.

Refresh

The only piece worth mentioning here is the Blue Cotehardie which has a hidden effect of 1/tick refresh <41MP. You can splurge for the +1 that raises that limit to <51MP. Don't tank anything beefy in it but great for solo stuff or /RDM. It'll be enough to keep stuff like Regen, aquaveil and stoneskin up full time.

Regen

Again, just one piece worth mentioning which is the Shinobi Gi that gives you a 1/tick regen. Not a ton but adds up in the long run and great for an idle set.

Leveling Guide & Job Roles

Premium Items

Occasionally I get questions like "Is X item worth it? Should I get the +1 version?" Yes, it's worth it to get most but here are some common ones.

This is entirely my opinion to if these are recommended but not necessary to succeed:
Emperor Hairpin: Yes. It lasts a long time, is not terribly expensive and is a fantastic evasion piece.
Horomusha Kote: Yes.
Ochiudo's Kote: Yes, better than Horomusha even with evasion down.
Jujitsu Gi: Not necessary but Ninja needs as much accuracy as possible.
Fuma Kyahan: No. You don't have enough Haste to matter. Save for Fuma Sune-Ate.
HQ Elemental Staffs: Yes, 100 times over.

12-20: Shadows, Magic Bursting and Rice Dumplings

Goals	Master basics of Ninja which include blink tanking and holding hate.
Techniques	Holding hate and Magic Bursting.
New Gearsets	TP build, Weapon skill, Nuking.
Sub Jobs	Warrior
Food	Rice Dumpling

Level Range Summary

With a combination of DD gear that favors attack and accuracy over evasion as well as rice dumplings as a an attack/accuracy food, you should deal some decent melee damage which will help you hold hate along with hitting magic bursts and enfeebles with you ninjutsu.

Goals

Not that Ninja is useless pre-Lv.12 but the mechanics are really learned once you gained your primary defensive spell Utsusemi: Ichi. In this level range (typically Valkurm Dunes) your goal should be to learn the basics of Ninja in regards to techniques as well as how you should be gearing. Aim to learn to hold hate, enfeeble and follow up skill chains with a magic burst.

Technique: Holding Hate

At these levels Ninja will have three main ways of holding hate: Provoke, Ninjutsu (starting at level 15) and "white" (auto attack) melee damage. The basic progression while you're fighting a monster with a Warrior sub job (which I recommend 10-20) from now until 75 should go like this:

• Enfeeble the monster as the puller is coming back to camp. I prefer Hojo: Ichi but pre-23 you can use Kurayami: Ichi at 19 and before that you can skip this step entirely. Dokumori is not really worth it as the poison effect is not significant enough to warrant the tool cost. If you'd like you can also throw a shuriken but this may be an additional cost you're not willing to pay which is fine.
  

• Provoke the monster as soon as it comes to camp and every 30 seconds afterwards until the monster has ~25% health remaining. By the time the monster dies and the puller brings the next monster to camp Provoke will be ready to use again.
  

• Go full blender mode and try to do as much melee damage as possible with you katanas. You warrior sub job should help you get a decent amount of melee damage in. We're not touching on the Elemental Wheel at this point but that will come later. Paired with the Rice Dumplings you should have some good melee damage output.
  

• If another party members gets hate before Provoke is ready, there's not a whole to do at this level except a quick Hyoton: Ichi or other elemental Ninjutsu.

Technique: Magic Burst

One of the big tools that you have are finishing magic bursts with one of the six elemental Ninjutsu that you have. While below level 40 you don't have a super effective elemental wheel you can still get good damage by magic bursting at the end of a skill chain. Follow up a distortion with a Hyoton for a cheap and powerful magic burst. At these levels most enemies in Valkurm Dunes and Qufim Island will be weak to ice and tsurara are the cheapest of the ninja tools. It's best to practice magic bursts now to make it muscle memory to hit them in higher levels for a lot of damage. I'd recommend getting the chains addon to let you know how to time these bursts. Remember, most of your hate comes from doing damage so the more you can sneak in, the more the monster will be glued to you.

Gearsets

If the mob truly wants to hit you, it will. They are usually 6-10 levels higher than you when EXP'ing so their acc will beat our eva 9/10 times. So just play like a DD and count shadows, and look for pockets where you can breathe when other people take hate (momentarily).

Ninjas tank by shadows that help avoid damage from the enemy so it makes sense to add gear like evasion and agility that help dodging attacks and mitigating damage right? If there's one thing I can recommend when gearing Ninja is that evasion should never be your main set as Ninja if it causes you to forgo attack, accuracy or strength gear. Gaining a 5-10% chance to doge an attack is not worth 1 20-30% damage reduction.

Never sacrifice a good equipment piece that helps boost melee damage for the sake of evasion. Remember I said that Ninja primarily hold hate by doing damage? You TP building set should include things that help you do as much damage as possible since at these levels when you are subbing warrior you are meleeing. Yes, you may not evade attacks as much and go through shadows quicker but your party will kill the enemy faster, you will hold hate more and the healer will not waste as much MP healing the DD. Only after your shadows are down should you change to an evasion set since you will just be taking attacks to the face. Shadows up: TP set. Shadows down: Evasion set. Get used to this pattern and switching back and forth as you will need to swap sets as you do mid to end game content.

Below is a good set that will last you until 21. Most of this gear is in the 14-16 range. The +1 is of course not required, get what you can afford.

• Main: Mokuto +1
• Sub: Mokuto +1
• Ammo: Happy Egg
• Head: Bone Mask +1
• Neck: Wing Pendant
• Ear1: Bone Earring +1
• Ear2: Bone Earring +1
• Body: Power Gi
• Hands: Ryl.Ftm. Gloves
• Ring1: Balance Ring
• Ring2: Balance Ring
• Back: Rabbit Mantle +1
• Waist: Warrior's Belt +1
• Legs: Bone Subligar +1
• Feet: Bone Leggings +1

*In the later levels you will start to use sets other than evasion for between shadows but for now you can stick to evasion.

Food

The logical food for a job that wants to avoid attacks and has poor accuracy is not a food that improves evasion and accuracy like Jack-o-lantern.

Okay, at these levels you'll see how bad Ninja's accuracy is. Compared to the jobs that use 2H weapons you will be much lower in accuracy. In short: Rice Dumpling may not offer as much accuracy as Sole Sushi but what it lacks for accuracy it more than makes up for in damage. Your accuracy will not be as high but those attacks will hurt and do far more damage, especially to high defense monsters like crabs and beetles. These can take you to ~35 or so at which point you can switch to Sole Sushi or Dorado Sushi.

21-40: Damage, Shadows and Enfeebling Magic

Level Range Summary

Goals	Learn how new NIN abilities help Ninja performance.
Techniques	Job Abilities & Spells, Shadows, Enfeebling Magic.
New Gearsets	TP build, Weapon skill, Nuking.
Sub Jobs	Warrior
Food	Rice Dumpling

Goals

There are a lot of new abilities that start to add depth to Ninja. Remember the techniques we reviewed in the last section but depending on your playstyle and party capabilities sprinkle in the new abilities and spells you learn. You should be able to hold hate better as you level up as you have more tools in your arsenal. Keep focusing on doing as much damage as possible.

Technique: Job Abilities & Spells

Yonin (NIN20): The first ability you will get when you hit 20 is Yonin. The consensus of using Yonin at the lower levels (lv. 36 or lower) is mixed. Yes, it will give you enmity increases but will absolutely butcher your attack. It's a toss up on whether to use it at these levels but I'd recommend trying it without. If you're stressing the healer out then go ahead and use it.

Hojo: Ichi (NIN23): The start of your good debuffs. Pairing this with Kurayami (Lv. 19) will both blind and slow the target. However, the Ichi version tends to take a while to cast so either only cast on a pull when the monster is coming to camp or let the RDM/WHM do it entirely.

Dual Wield II (NIN25): Another 5% delay reduction for your katanas! Enjoy and happy blendering.

Jubaku: Ichi (NIN30): Paralyze debuff. Same as above. I tend to rank this as after Hojo in priority. Let the RDM/WHM spend 6MP on Paralyze.

Berserk (NIN30/WAR15): You need to be careful when using this but it will greatly increase your ability to keep hate by boosting your attack. However, the defense down could be dangerous especially with monsters that may additionally decrease defense with their own TP moves (Dhalmels). Use it responsibly before level 37 but once you get Utsusemi: Ni it's entirely safe, and highly recommended to use it on cooldown. If you have a co-tank like another Ninja or a Warrior go ahead and use it freely, just get a read on your healer.

Tonko: Ichi (NIN34): Great way to save on powder costs and is super cheap.

Utsusemi: Ni (NIN37): Your second and superior shadow spell. While it does have a longer recast time, it offers 4 shadows instead of 3 and has a very fast cast time. Ni can overwrite Ichi but Ichi can overwrite Ni so you need to plan your shadows accordingly. At this point you should be able to run Berserk full time, not need a backup tank and be able get the idea of NIN main tanking. Welcome to the big leagues.

Elemental Ni Spells (NIN40): Welcome to the big leagues of damage dealing. Once you get your level 40 Ni spells you are entirely free to switch to NIN/RDM at this point if you haven't already and get ready to do a ton of damage from here on out. Seriously, expact to not only be the tank but the number one damage dealer in your party. Keep in mind, it does get very expensive (~50k/hour in tool costs) but is worth it.

Technique: Utsusemi Ichi/Ni

Okay at 37 you will get your second shadow spells which makes a world of difference tanking. Play around with keeping both sets of shadows up and timing them but keep in mind, Ni overwrites both Ni and Ichi so with things that double attack you can overwrite when you have 1 shadow left to play it safe but it is a waste of a shadow. Later on once your DDs start to grow into their roles the fights will be so fast you need either Ichi or Ni in a fight and not both. Also, remember to use Yonin for free recast reductions if /WAR or keep it on full time if you are /RDM.

Technique: Enfeebling Magic

People usually think of Red Mage when they think of enfeebling magic but Ninja's Ninjutsu (specifically kurayami, hojo and jubaku work very well in the absence of a Red Mage or White Mage (more so the former). Learn to throw out a Kurayami (lv.19) and a Hojo (lv.23) right at the start to not only give you some hate but to save shadows by blinding and slowing the enemy. If you have a healer, they can spend the 6 MP to case paralyze and let you get another round of melee attacks in instead of casting Jubaku.

If the party contains a red mage let them do their job and skip right to meleeing the monster. Overall your melee attacks will draw more hate than the enfeebles. If you're /RDM go straight into elemental wheel.

If the party does not have a red mage, cast them at the start of battle and move straight to melee even if they are resisted. It's just not worth your time to keep trying to cast them. Take a skillup point for your Ninjutsu and start meleeing.

Gearsets

At this point you will want the following:

1. TP set which includes accuracy/attack gear in as many spots as you can find and evasion in any of the other spots that don't have acc/attack.
2. Weapon skill set with as much Strength, attack and accuracy you can fit.
3. Basic INT set at least if you are /WAR for hitting Magic Burst and a comprehensive INT set if you are /RDM. Don't worry too much at this point because once you get Ele Staff at 51 you will really start blowing things up.
4. Evasion set to sit either swap in when shadows are down /WAR or full time idle set as /RDM.
5. A note on some items that are very expensive. I personally saved up for Emperor Hairpin, Horomusha Kote and Jujitsu Gi. These are expensive items while not mandatory will really increase your capabilities and yes, the Okotes/HKotes are worth it.

Level 25 TP/Evasion Set

• Main: Hibari +1
• Sub: Hibari +1
• Ammo: Happy Egg
• Head: Emperor Hairpin
• Neck: Spike Necklace
• Ear1: Beetle Earring +1
• Ear2: Beetle Earring +1
• Body: Federation Gi
• Hands: Federation Tekko
• Ring1: Balance Ring
• Ring2: Balance Ring
• Back: Nomad's Mantle
• Waist: Warrior's Belt +1
• Legs: Fed. Sitabaki
• Feet: Fed. Kyahan

Level 40 TP Set
Weapon pictures in the image are reversed. Go with the chart below.

• Main: Zushio
• Sub: Anju
• Ammo: Happy Egg
• Head: Emperor Hairpin
• Neck: Spike Necklace
• Ear1: Beetle Earring +1
• Ear2: Beetle Earring +1
• Body: Jujitsu Gi
• Hands: Ochiudo's Kote
• Ring1: Sniper's Ring
• Ring2: Sniper's Ring
• Back: Nomad's Mantle or High Breath Mantle
• Waist: Warrior's Belt +1
• Legs: Ryl.Sqr. Breeches
• Feet: Fed. Kyahan

Sub Jobs

Priority to /WAR like the last section. Yes, it's entirely possible to go /RDM before level 40. Personally I'd hold off since you want to get as much damage as possible if you are spending money on tools so go ahead and ride /WAR until 40. The money you save can go towards some of the gear needed later on.

Food

Up until level 40 you should be able to get a read on your accuracy. You can use Rice Dumplings still if you have a bard and have no problems with accuracy but I think I personally switched to Dorado Sushi at 30 and then to Sole Sushi at 40. The price is about the same at ~22k/stack and they will give roughly the same effect; Dorado gives more enmity but Sole gives more melee damage. Pick whichever is cheapest.

Depending on your sub job choice at 40 when you get Ni spells you can keep using Sole Sushi if you are staying /WAR or can switch to Melon Pie +1 if you decide to go /RDM.

40-63: The Wheels on the NIN Go Round and Round

Goals	Learn NIN/RDM tanking and DDing with elemental wheel and TP Burn mechanics. Start to build end game gearsets.
Techniques	Elemental Ninjutsu
New Gearsets	Nuking, PDT.
Sub Jobs	Warrior, Red Mage
Food	Sole Sushi, Dorado Sushi, Melon Pie +1

Level Range Summary

Okay so NIN at this level should start to show its damage potential and start to get better at holding hate from your DD (don't worry, it won't last long). You should have started either building a good TP/WS set for your NIN/WAR or started to collect INT gear for your /RDM. Again, either sub job is fine to play in parties, but the /RDM will be much more expensive. However, you will be throwing out the most damage in the party including WAR, MNK and RNG. In you're /RDM, read carefully and if you're /WAR still pick up on how to use the "Ele Wheel" and have this in your NIN toolkit. Yes, this is a big level range but it's a big stretch leading up to sky and merit tanking.

Goals

The primary goal here is simple: learn how to tank as /RDM. If you're /WAR you can save your Ni level spells for some really nice hate-building tools for magic bursts as well.

Technique: Elemental Wheel

This is one technique that you will use from 40 to 75 (arguably earlier if you use the Ichi level nukes). You cast the six elemental Ninjutsu in this specific order, the last one weakening the monster to the next one:

Hyoton > Katon > Suiton > Raiton > Doton > Huton

Yes, you can technically start with any of these and continue the cycle but Hyoton uses Tsurara which are the cheapest tools to buy. Let's be frugal here and try to save some of that gil for later on.

I mean, that's really it. You cast six spells and then repeat. It's really that boring simple.

Someone is bound to ask "After I weaken it to earth can I cast Hojo?" From what I gather it does not affect enfeebles and only other elemental spells.

Technique: TP Burn Tanking

The traditional party setup is the monster dies, the puller pulls a second one, the mages heal the party and try to get some MP then the puller comes back to camp. At these levels start to get familiar with both having little down time (thanks to BRDs) as well as having hate start to shift.

You will see from here to 75 that you need to constantly fight mob and mob and you will not get time to heal. Get used to it and deal with it. If the healers have problems they can talk to the puller but if a mob is coming, pull it in and kill it.

While some sub jobs hold hate better than others, it's entirely normal for DD to start to pull hate away from you. You're going to notice this in the 30's and 50's. Don't fight it and don't equate the amount of time the mob is attacking you for how good you are as a tank. DD are growing into their own and at these levels you don't have a whole lot of gear (or merits) to keep up. Instead, when a DD pulls hate, just go with it. Try to get it back if you can but they will all probably start having Ninja as a sub job to give shadows anyway.

I'm going to repeat that again: "Don't equate the amount of time the mob is attacking you for how good you are as a tank."

Consider yourself the primary tank when the mob comes to camp. When a DD uses a huge WS that's on them and not your fault.

Gearsets

Yoto +1 TP Build & WS Sets

When you reach level 46 you will use two Yoto +1. Consider this non-negotiable and these will last you until 70. Do not get katana with higher damage. Do not get Katana that drain HP. The sign of a good NIN is one that knows that sacrificing some of their own damage to apply a -20% DEF debuff on the mob and let the DD throw some big numbers is what is best for the party.

You heard it right. A -20% DEF debuff. This removes defense up spells that crabs and crawlers use and all huge bonuses to the DD's weapon skills. If they complain that you can't hold hate explain this to them and remember: Don't equate the amount of time the mob is attacking you for how good you are as a tank.

Please see below for some solid examples of TP sets for ~43+. This is a very affordable set overall but you can cut corners on the Jujitsu Gi and HKote with the Alumine set. However, HKote are a fantastic piece that you can use at 75. Yes, OKotes are ideal if you can afford them.

If you have a PCA go ahead and use that for TP build set. The sets are almost identical minus the belt and rings; This is a very strong level range for Ninja and is able to utilize some decent gear even without the high cost pieces.

TP Set (Swap rings for WS set)

• Main: Yoto +1
• Sub: Yoto +1
• Ammo: Happy Egg
• Head: Walkure Mask
• Neck: Spike Necklace
• Ear1: Beetle Earring +1
• Ear2: Beetle Earring +1
• Body: Jujitsu Gi
• Hands: Horomusha Kote
• Ring1: Sniper's Ring
• Ring2: Sniper's Ring
• Back: High Breath Mantle
• Waist: Swift Belt
• Legs: Royal Squire's Breeches
• Feet: Fed. Kyahan

Nuking

As for the nuking set, you can stick with the previous lesson of stacking INT but you can also add Magic Attack Bonus where it applies (Moldavite Earring). Other than that, INT and Ninjutsu Skill are what you should be aiming towards for your equip slots.

NIN/RDM do not use katanas which may feel weird of course but you will equip each of the 6 elemental staff (HQ if possible) when you are casting nukes and "idling" in your Earth/Terra staff for the -20% Physical Damage taken. If you are NIN/WAR you can use you katana full time and don't swap to staff when casting nukes for Magc Bursts; It's not worth erasing your TP.

Food

It may seem weird as a Ninja to use pies, but Melon Pie +1 offer the most INT out of any food and is preferable for /RDM. NQ are fine if you don't have the money for +1.

As for our /WAR friends, we're moving on from our trusty Rice Dumplings and moving to sushi. Pick whichever is cheapest: Dorado Sushi or Sole Sushi.

63-75: The Final Stretch

Gearsets

TP Set

• Main: Yoto +1
• Sub: Yoto +1
• Ammo: Bomb Core
• Head: Walkure Mask
• Neck: Spike Necklace
• Ear1: Spike Earring
• Ear2: Spike Earring
• Body: Haubergeon
• Hands: Horomusha Kote
• Ring1: Toreador's Ring
• Ring2: Toreador's Ring
• Back: Amemet Mantle +1
• Waist: Swift Belt
• Legs: Royal Knight's Breeches
• Feet: Fed. Kyahan

TP & WS

WS Set

• Main: Yoto +1
• Sub: Yoto +1
• Ammo: Bomb Core
• Head: Walkure Mask
• Neck: Spike Necklace
• Ear1: Spike Earring
• Ear2: Spike Earring
• Body: Haubergeon
• Hands: Horomusha Kote
• Ring1: Victory Ring
• Ring2: Victory Ring
• Back: Amemet Mantle +1
• Waist: Life Belt
• Legs: Royal Knight's Breeches
• Feet: Fed. Kyahan

PDT

PDT (Or -Physical Damage Taken) is perhaps your most important interim and idling set later on, especially as /RDM and /DRK. With a cap of 50% reduction, when shadows are down and your idle set is not contributing to auto attacks, that is a whopper of a defensive ability. There are two main sets you want to look out for: The Darksteel and the Arhat (Arhat at level 64). Paired with your Earth Staff you can easily get -34% Physical Damage Taken and that's just with NQ. With HQ you can get to -42% and with other items you can get to -47% or -50%.

The question that always is asked is "Why would I use -50% PDT if I can stack evasion and reduce it entirely?" It's best to have a flat reduction that a chance to get hit by 100%. It is predictable and healers know how to adjust and keep you alive better if the damage is the same every time opposed to a mixture of 0% and 100% attacks.

What I'll say is that if it's something that is your level or below, Evasion 10 times out of 10. If it is T or higher, use your discretion. Please keep in mind there is more leeway at 75 when you have more gear.