[Jei]

k for the first time of my FFXI experience I'm PTing right now with a 47Rdm who isn't doing a good job refreshing. I send him some tell suggesting how to keep refresh cycle easier by starting from himself, he then synthing melon juice and give it out to other mages and paladin... and never refresh ever again

I thought it was funny.... and being a rdm myself, stupid - -''

[tdh]

That is funny, but sad, as I'm a RDM too.

The thing with advice in the game is it's hard to give, and recieve for some reason. You're playing a job, and somebody else in the party sends you a /tell on how to better do their job, "because I'm a <job> Lv.60+." Talking about strangers in this instance.

I know I've given advice to lowe level people when leveling a sub, but I've also had those know it all people who are pretty snide about how they give the advice.

I was once chided when leveling my BLM from one of the melees about how to play BLM. He told me I should listen to him because he's a Lv.70 BLM, and he knows what he's talking about. Meanwhile he should have been telling the tank how to Provoke. I wasn't over nuking, the tank just wasn't even trying to keep hate.

So him busting out Melon juice for everybody was his way of saying leave me alone. But we also know Jei, there are a lot of pretty bad RDMs out there. I was Lv.58 the other day and got an invite to a Lv.60-62 party. They were just that hard up for a RDM. I stepped in and impressed them, and they told me that their last 3 or 4 RDMs just stunk it up! The bad apples are starting to taint the whole barrel in some places.

[Icemage]

Words simply don't describe the amount of laughter I'm holding in right now. That's pretty pathetic, Jei. What next, are we going to see WHMs synthing potions and handing them out so they can cast Banish with their MP instead?


Icemage

[Blood Red Poet]

If he asks for a cure, give him a hi-potion.

[Tryce]

Ah, I hope you're just making a thread out of boredom, because if that's true (which wouldn't surprise me), there's no wonder people say it's hard to find a good RDM nowadays. It's been awhile since I played (can't get the damn thing to work now >.<), but back in my day RDM were a dime a dozen, but they pretty much knew what they were doing and what they were supposed to be doing.

[Gobo]

wow, just wow

[TheGrandMom]

It never ceases to amaze me at the depth one will go so they don't have to conform to something. A rdm refreshes....simple fact and something this nub has to learn!

[JeanRC]

being a really good rdm is pretty hard.
i been more then 2 years in the trade of red mage.
u got quite a lot of things u need to do and plan well to avoid missing any important things.
in a normal pt of 6 person 3 mage 1 tank 2 dd, u need to cast refresh on 3-4 person depending is the tank a pld. then u need to haste or help haste the dd. u also need to cast weakerning spells like paralyze, slow, dia2, poison2, blind and maybe others if needed on the monster. and sometimes u need to help cure too. actually if a red mage can do all the above well beside curing, he does not have to cure much or at all.
since by doing all the above well, he wount be having much spare time to cure unless critically hit and almost dead tank.
its not easy to find a good red mage who know what to do and do it right and do it with a good order. so treasure one when you see it ;p

[Jei]

i think the hardest thing is when you're a good rdm and play other job. It really get into my nerve when the other RDM in PT isn't doing what they're suppose to do ; ;

Trying to teach them is kinda out of question. Every bad players I came across will just not listen and bitch back how they can play their game their way... Well, to be a good RDM you really have to have good attitude to begin with, since our job is to support other people's need more than ourselves.

[ln14jr]

Originally Posted by Jei

since our job is to support other people's need more than ourselves.

I believe RDMs function in the party is mainly support. They make sure WHM can keep the pt HEALED and BUFFED up. They help BLM enfeeble and nuke. They make sure other DDs that depend on mp have mp to to deal their damage.

When I pt with other RDMS, I make sure I ask them what they plan to do. I then compliment what they do with what they forget to do or do not do. For instance, if they want to use BLM enfeebles, I compliment them by using WHM enfeebles. If they forget to refresh some of the non-essential DD mp users (like DRK), you got it, I refresh them. And this goes the same with haste. Sometimes we just take turns doing everything. Helps keep up a healthy exp chain.

I think it's the most busiest job out there. You pratically have the most responsibility in the pt. I think RDM is not meant for the meek and lazy. I have met some of them. I even pt with bad RDMs. I have to pick up their slack. I have to tell them that they should'nt try to do too much. RDM is only as good as his mp. But do they listen, no.

I pted with an RDM who had the nerve to say that you are not doing a lot. He was refreshing the pt except tank (PLD). I noticed that after 2-fights. So I decided to refresh only tank and use my cures when WHM wasn't able to keep up. I also use buffs on pt members that the WHM missed. I was basically enfeebling and nuking every battle because the other RDM did not. He even did not join in the mbs. Then after about 4 or 5 battles this RDM had the nerve to say you aren't doing your part. He then decided to drop out. Everyone in the pt knew I was doing more than my fair share than the other RDM who was just refreshing and casting haste. This is because they would say that he was nagging and that I was doing a great job. He was the slacker. We picked a Ranger after that and Exp flowed even faster.

You know when you are good when the pt tells you: "You are a godly RDM." In occasion, I have been called that. I became good at my job because I listen to pt members and other RDMs who knew better. I have always treasured good advice from other players, especially from veteran RDMs.

Sorry for saying so much, I am that passionate about this job. I hope to reach lvl 75 someday with relic gear, hopefully.

[Jei]

I think RDM is not meant for the meek and lazy. <<-- well said.

[Balfree]

I am laughing.

[Karinya]

Originally Posted by Jei

i think the hardest thing is when you're a good rdm and play other job. It really get into my nerve when the other RDM in PT isn't doing what they're suppose to do ; ;

Trying to teach them is kinda out of question. Every bad players I came across will just not listen and bitch back how they can play their game their way... Well, to be a good RDM you really have to have good attitude to begin with, since our job is to support other people's need more than ourselves.

Very true. Incompetent or unaware RDMs really get on my nerves when I level my PLD. I'm currently in a partial static (we lost several members to a schedule conflict) of PLD, MNK, MNK, WHM, so we nearly always go to King Ranperre's Tomb.

Half the monsters there are BLM and nearly always arrive at the fight with ice spikes on, so Silence and Dispel are very important in these fights. It makes me wince when I see a RDM with vermilion cloak and dark staff get up and try to silence without changing into his AF body and wind staff. (Vermilion costs so much gil, it must be the best equipment ever, for every possible purpose, right?) Then I check my Shield Bash timer, because I'm going to need it. <.<

One particularly bad time there, our regular WHM couldn't make it and we had to get a replacement WHM, ending up with PLD, MNK x3, RDM, WHM. Neither the RDM nor the WHM would haste me, they were too busy hasting all the monks... Did you know that skeletons have a single target slow WS that doesn't affect hasted players? I told them that and asked for haste, but still didn't get it (at most, the WHM would Erase me once in a while). So there I am slowed 80% of the time trying to hold hate off three hasted monks fighting bones... Well, they managed not to die, but I wonder how many MP were wasted on extra cures because a berserk monk got hit instead of me. I bet it was a lot more than the cost of Haste. Now of course the WHM and RDM have to share the blame for this one, but if the RDM won't haste the tank even when no one else is *and* the tank specifically asks for it, I bet you can guess how quick he was with silence, dispel and recasting silence when it wore off.

I guess the main point I'm trying to make here is, refresh is great, but it's not your only responsibility as a RDM. RDM, even more so than most jobs, need to be aware of everything that is going on in battle and what they can do to make it go better for the party - whether that is enfeebling, enhancing, healing, nuking (usually but not always in MB) or melee (mostly at low to mid levels). A "Refresh bot" (if one could be created using those illegal 3rd party programs) would be a terrible RDM - even worse than the one in my horror story above, at least he would silence and dispel *sometimes*.


What you say about putting the party's needs ahead of your own should go for everyone, though. Imagine a WHM not getting up to heal because he wants to keep his mp... or the DRK who routinely stacks berserk/last resort/souleater to do the most damage possible, I bet you don't even have to imagine that one. Or the DD that doesn't want to provoke to set up SATA because he'll get hit (or refuses to sub WAR to do so in the first place, because he'd rather SA+WS no matter what it does to hate control or the THF's positioning problems). BLM that won't control their hate (or deny that it's their own responsibility to do so). Etc.

[Pounce]

#1 most important thing for a RDM is mentality.

RDM can do a lot of things. But just because you can do it doesn't mean you should so it.

75% of RDM I've partied with this year make melee their priority and can't even keep a half-assed attempt at a refresh cycle going. Other spells are rarely if ever cast, obviously. Except Enthunder.

[TheGrandMom]

Originally Posted by Jei

i think the hardest thing is when you're a good rdm and play other job. It really get into my nerve when the other RDM in PT isn't doing what they're suppose to do ; ;

I have played many jobs in FFXI and rdms are the ones I'm the most critical of. I <3 rdm, it is the job that I've loved from the start. I've lvled multiple rdms just to see the differences between the races. But when I'm on another job and I'm pt'd with a rdm, this is the most difficult for me! LOL I've gotten better recently but only for the sake of my husband and son who had to listen to my ranting! It is a busy job, it does take a certain type of person to do it right, and anyone that can't do it right shouldn't be a rdm. I've only blown up at 2 rdms in my years of playing FFXI but, trust me, it was well deserved. Otherwise I just rant out loud at home and my family just tunes me out! LOL