The Ninja in Final Fantasy XIV (Shadowbringers baseline, still relevant as of 10 June 2025) is a fast, timing-heavy melee DPS that rewards practice. I’ve played this job for years and I’ll tell you plainly: learn Mudras, manage Ninki, and keep Huton up. That’s the foundation.
🥷 Core ideas — quick
Mudra combos create Ninjutsu. Ninki fills from weaponskills and powers big hits. Huton raises attack and speed. Keep them balanced. Honestly, letting Huton drop will cost you more than a missed opener—trust me.
How Mudra and Ninki work
Ten, Chi, Jin — those are your hand signs. Sequences make different Ninjutsu. Single signs give small effects; two-signs give mid-level options; three-signs give the most important tools (Suiton, Huton, Doton). Why practice? Because timing failures break your rotation and waste Kassatsu buffs (Kassatsu boosts the next Ninjutsu potency).
| Mudra | Ninjutsu | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Ten | Fuma Shuriken | Ranged poke |
| Chi → Ten | Katon | AoE |
| Ten → Chi | Raiton | Single-target |
| Ten → Chi → Jin | Suiton | Trick Attack setup |
| Jin → Chi → Ten | Huton | Speed buff |
Practice patterns until they’re reflex. (I still practice before raids sometimes.) We found that queuing inputs slightly early helps on high latency.
Rotation basics — what to do and why
Start fights with Huton pre-pull when you can. Use Hide + Suiton to open Trick Attack cleanly. The opener stacks your damage and Ninki so your first burn actually matters. Why? Because Trick Attack gives a 10% vulnerability for 15 seconds, which amplifies party damage—so timing it with party cooldowns is where you shine.
Short sequence example:
Pre-pull Huton → Hide → Suiton → Trick Attack + burst
During steady phases, alternate your Aeolian Edge/Aeolian combo for raw DPS and Armor Crush when Huton needs refreshing. Save Bhavacakra and Kassatsu-enhanced Ninjutsu for your highest windows. This depends on the fight (there are exceptions).
Advanced play — timing and movement
Double-weaving and animation-canceling are useful. They’ll raise your numbers but they also raise pressure. Use Shukuchi to minimize downtime during movement mechanics. Positional hits matter less than some jobs, but flank and rear still give meaningful gains.
Advice: clip less when using Mudra; its animations can ruin a clean weave if you’re not careful.
Controversial? Yes: I think some speedrunners overvalue absolute GCD uptime at the cost of messy positioning. Others will disagree loudly. Either way, adapt to your party.
Gear and melding (simple)
Priority: Critical Hit first, Direct Hit second, Determination after. Skill Speed is a utility stat—don’t stack it blindly. As of 2025, best pieces are still raid-centric (Eden’s and current endgame), but crafted pentamelds can beat raid items for one or two slots if you need specific breakpoints.
| Slot | Top Pick | Meld Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Weapon | Augmented raid daggers | Crit → DH |
| Body | Eden’s-ish armor | Crit → DH |
Why that order? Crit gives bigger spikes, which works well with burst windows. Direct Hit smooths out damage. Determination is smaller incremental gain; it won’t outrank Crit when you’re trying to hit breakpoints.
Content tips: dungeons, trials, raids
For dungeons: use your AoE early on groups, save Ninki for big pulls. For trials: map phase transitions so your Trick Attack aligns with party cooldowns. For raiding: pre-plan Trick Attack windows with your fellow DPS (voice or chat).
- Use Doton on stationary packs.
- Save Shade Shift for predictable big hits.
- Shukuchi = gap closer and escape; don’t hoard it
Is perfect rotation worth a wipe? No. Stay alive first—your raid needs a breathing Ninja who’s alive, not a corpse with perfect stats.
Small hacks and real-talk
I’ve noticed players panic to spend Ninki immediately. Don’t. Hold for Kassatsu or a real burst. Surprisingly, the timing beats raw frequency in most fights. To be fair, some encounters punish holding too long (depends on your niche), so watch encounter timers.
- Practice Mudra muscle memory daily.
- Record a pull to watch your Huton uptime.
- Ask your party when they plan big cooldowns.
Here’s a tiny code-like cheat: use a macro or keybind chain for Ten → Chi → Jin (not automated inputs; just one key for the sequence helps muscle memory!).
One counterintuitive insight
Less burst attempts can sometimes raise your average DPS because you avoid wasted Kassatsu windows and poor positioning. Sounds weird, but I’ve seen sustained, calmer players out-DPS frantic ones on 12 March 2024 logs. So pace yourself.
Quick quote from my raid leader: “Timing beats panic.” He was right.
Final note (short): stick with practice. Small, repeated improvements matter. Keep asking questions, try different gear mixes, and don’t be afraid to fail during progression—fail fast, learn faster. — Mira
