So, after I had the experimental glamour in place for Samurai from the last post, I decided I was just going to have to drop the Amatsu stuff entirely. It just wasn’t going to work with what I had available at level 50. While I imagine I’ll come back to it once we have Stormblood gear, I figured it would probably be a better idea to really think about what I would have worn back in ARR as a level 50 Samurai. I’d already done a lot of experimenting with some old staples from that time period, but there was something else bugging me.

The aesthetic that Alahra’s developed over the course of Heavensward, that core look she’s converged on for both Ninja and Monk, was heavy on my mind too. I thought I’d probably be happier if I tried to do something in that same vein for Samurai, and both trains of thought were pushing me toward the same conclusion. I needed to use the Allagan Cuirass of Striking. It’s one of the few body pieces from that time period that allows for a similar profile to the one provided by the more modern Shire Jackets. I had avoided it before since it doesn’t work with the Amatsu Attire very well, but with that put back into the Armoire for the time being…

Glamour Components
Head: Elegant Rimless Glasses (Ul Brown) | Body: Replica Allagan Cuirass of Striking (Metallic Silver) | Hands: Replica Allagan Gauntlets of Striking (Jet Black) | Legs: Common Makai Manhandler’s Quartertights | Feet: Saurian Boots of Striking (Jet Black)

I thought pretty seriously about using the Cuirass and Gauntlets in their original, “Allagan Bronze” color, but in the end, I’m still attached to the Metallic Silver look on the body piece that’s shown up a couple times in the past. It’s a more fitting color for Alahra in cases where Pure White won’t do (and it decidedly does not work for post-2.0 metallic items), even if it means losing the bits of green on the base pattern, which I have always kind of liked.

While I tend to favor the Scion Healer’s Highboots for everything these days, the Saurian Boots were my go-to back at 50 for Monk and Ninja, and they work really well alongside the Cuirass, thanks to the gold knee plating that keys off the gold in the body piece. Since I don’t have the Eikon Leather Thighboots of Scouting to work with this time, I went with Jet Black for the Gauntlets to match the boots. The glasses, of course, are dyed to match the gold accents as you might expect, and the non-dyeable (but level 1!) Gold Saucer version of the Quartertights work just fine since I wouldn’t have needed to dye them anyway.

Knowing myself, I won’t say I’m definitely going to stick with this one until Stormblood’s launch. I still have a strong desire to make the Arachne Shirt of Striking work somehow, so I’ll probably continue to experiment here and there as we approach the expansion. But I can say that if this glamour is what I start Samurai with, I should be satisfied.