BLM/WHM or BLM/RDM?

[omera]

I've played a redmage/warrior taru taru before, and I was wondering if I should sub BLM/WHM or BLM/RDM? I know if I was BLM?WHM I would have to be the healer every now and than. If I chose BLM/WHM will people bitch and moan about me not being a very good healer? I've never played healers that much, and I want to get into them. Is it hard to do with FFXI's interface?

[kosuke101]

I've Heard BLM/WHM is really good for soloing and in small parties and /RDM is for more dmg spells and the occasional heal

[Ellipses]

Anyone complaining about a BLM not making a good main healer isn't worth your time. You may get called on to do it on occasion, but anyone asking you to do so should realize it's not going to be optimal anyway.

If you're talking about taking BLM to 75, you're going to be taking WHM and/or RDM to 37 anyway, so you'll get in a good amount of time as a healer. It's really not that hard to find your groove as healer if you pay attention. It's all about figuring out a targeting/macro scheme that works for you. There are several options, you just need to make sure you can cast the right spells on the right party/alliance members, and the right spells on the right mob, quickly. Once you find something that works for you, it's all habit.

If you only want to level one sub, I'd go with WHM. Far more useful and versatile as a subjob than RDM. But really, leveling them both ain't gonna kill you (very often).

[Kirsteena]

As with everything - shit is situational. /rdm, imo, is the better soloer, /whm is better for party dynamics. If you have to level one, level whm to 37, and you will get the groove for healing. Most people realise blm is not a main healer, but they do very well as a support heal - cures as the whm is resting, helping out with status effect etc.

[Icemage]

BLM/WHM is better than BLM/RDM for many levels in a party setting. You really get nothing tangible out of /RDM until BLM64/RDM32 when you get access to Dispel - and even that's situational based on whether you'll actually need someone to Dispel in a party. I really don't feel there's any good reason to sub RDM prior to that point.


Icemage

[Necropolis]

Like others said, you'll want both subs available.

/WHM is mainly for party dynamics. You get -na spells and eventually erase and raise.

/RDM is your DD/Solo sub. You get Fast Cast, Gravity, Dispel as well as more INT.

In the event you're invited to a party, I would assume /whm. If you're soloing or manaburning with other BLMs then sub rdm.

Another sub to consider is /nin. If you plan to solo at all (and you'll pretty much have to if you want to level past 55) the NIN sub is helpful. No fast cast, no more MP, but you get a guaranteed 3 shadows. Great for mobs that hit hard and would take stoneskin down fast. Also nice if you kill elementals in sky. Can use the ninjitsu to pull them and not link 500 magic aggro mobs.

[Theyaden]

Usually if someone shows up to xp with /rdm in low to mid level on their blackmage it's usually accepted, but gets a few questions ranging from forgot to switch subs? or wow you must realy hate whm. It does have better intelegence, but lower mana and you lose the ability to use area of effect buffs like barfira when the gobbomb is about to fire, protectra, shellra. Of course the party whm should be handling these things, but it's nice to be a backup.
I experimented with /sum as a sub for my rdm in static with a whm and found it drove me crazy not being able to insulate against gob-bombs so I switched back despite the higher int and mana. /whm is the best utility use mage job you will find special situations worth bringing the other 2 subs out for just very rarely for party.

[Olorin401]

I used to be a huge fan of BLM/RDM when I first got my RDM levelled high enough. It's a big help because I'm Elvaan and the INT boost rocks, plus access to Gravity and Dispel are key. I stopped using it though because I feel more comfortable in endgame situations having access to status cures, party-wide barspells (esp. with my WHM merits on them) and Reraise without paying 25k for an earring.

If I'm asked to bring BLM/RDM though, I'll do it.

[Necropolis]

party-wide barspells (esp. with my WHM merits on them)

Job merits don't apply on another job that can use the spell.

[Pteryx]

BLM/RDM is a marginally stronger and slightly quicker nuker, and has access to Dispel and Gravity, the latter of which is great for solo play. BLM/WHM will get cures faster and has status cures, and thus tends to be marginally better from a "team player" perspective. Both are good for XP parties.

However, on Midgardsormr at least, people assume nowadays that /RDM is now The One True Sub for BLM, and that if you come to a party as /WHM without being asked you must actually love healing. If you try to explain that no, you levelled WHM back when it was The One True Sub for BLM and you actually hate healing and can't bring yourself to level another main healer job to 37, you're decried as just being "too lazy" to do something that'd take "a week".

...At least, that's my BLM partner's experience. We just can't merit in the current environment without people snarking either openly or behind his back in /tell to me about his not using /RDM. -- Pteryx

[Icemage]

BLM/RDM is a marginally stronger and slightly quicker nuker, and has access to Dispel and Gravity, the latter of which is great for solo play. BLM/WHM will get cures faster and has status cures, and thus tends to be marginally better from a "team player" perspective. Both are good for XP parties.

However, on Midgardsormr at least, people assume nowadays that /RDM is now The One True Sub for BLM, and that if you come to a party as /WHM without being asked you must actually love healing. If you try to explain that no, you levelled WHM back when it was The One True Sub for BLM and you actually hate healing and can't bring yourself to level another main healer job to 37, you're decried as just being "too lazy" to do something that'd take "a week".

...At least, that's my BLM partner's experience. We just can't merit in the current environment without people snarking either openly or behind his back in /tell to me about his not using /RDM. -- Pteryx

Who are these clowns who think BLM/RDM is so much better? In a merit party manaburn, yes, BLM/RDM is better, but not so much better that anyone could or should care. The only time I think BLM/RDM is clearly better is maybe in a duo or trio situation where Gravity isn't optional.


Icemage

[Pteryx]

Who are these clowns who think BLM/RDM is so much better? In a merit party manaburn, yes, BLM/RDM is better, but not so much better that anyone could or should care. The only time I think BLM/RDM is clearly better is maybe in a duo or trio situation where Gravity isn't optional.

Strangely, people willing to entertain the notion of merit-level traditional parties. (As a BLM and a RDM, that's all we can get if we don't just duo instead.) -- Pteryx

[Icemage]

Strangely, people willing to entertain the notion of merit-level traditional parties. (As a BLM and a RDM, that's all we can get if we don't just duo instead.) -- Pteryx

RDM COR BLM BLM BLM BLM. Manaburn configuration. Screw the hopeless traditional XP parties.


Icemage

[Shadowneko]

If you're talking major subs /rdm has some big disadvantges over /whm...the biggest one is that it's slower to get spells....so if you need to backup hael you'd get cure 2 at lvl 22 with /whm...where as /rdm would take you longer to be able to use that spell...

[Kirsteena]

How I use subs.

Endgame/normal xp parties (lol) blm/whm.

Solo/duo/group of blm onry/ blm/rdm.

Omega blm/nin.

If you have to level one sub, level whm to 37.