My RDM Style - right or wrong?

[Zempten]

Hello, I'm just wanting to ask this questions because I'm constantly wondering if I'm doing my job as a RDM correctly. I'm a RDM 33 / BLM 16 - 539 HP / 239 MP ( I am working on getting my MP )

In a party, I usually start off doing most of the enfeebling spells
( paralyze, slow, gravity, bio, blind, shock and silence if it's caster type ) and give a regen to the main tank. Then I just sit down and let the main healer Cure while I heal. From that point on I act as a backup healer and then help do a magic burst. Then they pull again and I repeat the process againt.

This usually keeps me in the mid range of my MP, but someone said as a RDM I should be at 0 MP before I heal. I usually reply I save that 100 MP for emergencies like when things get really messy.

1:
So am I doing something wrong? I hope I'm not ruining the RDM name.

2:
Also I have a question. What exactly does elemental seal do? It says it increases the accuracy of my next spell....so what does this mean?

3:
Also with equipment - i was thinking about getting the custom elvaan armor because it gives some MP. But I see this item called Elder's Guantlet ( or something like spelled like that - i think is 36 MP? ) that gives more MP then then the elvaan custom guantlet armor but the custom armor gives some other stats as well. So which one is better?

4:
I am using sword because I rember reading somewhere that RDM shoudl use sword. But as I look at armor I see that staff or club have +MP , +int, +mnd, or other stats like that. So should RDM use club since we do not meele much after then 30+ levels? If so what club should I get to best help my RDM?

Thank you for all your help. You guys are very very nice to share information with us. See you later!

[Gman]

Originally posted by Zempten

1:
So am I doing something wrong? I hope I'm not ruining the RDM name.

2:
Also I have a question. What exactly does elemental seal do? It says it increases the accuracy of my next spell....so what does this mean?

3:
Also with equipment - i was thinking about getting the custom elvaan armor because it gives some MP. But I see this item called Elder's Guantlet ( or something like spelled like that - i think is 36 MP? ) that gives more MP then then the elvaan custom guantlet armor but the custom armor gives some other stats as well. So which one is better?

4:
I am using sword because I rember reading somewhere that RDM shoudl use sword. But as I look at armor I see that staff or club have +MP , +int, +mnd, or other stats like that. So should RDM use club since we do not meele much after then 30+ levels? If so what club should I get to best help my RDM?

Thank you for all your help. You guys are very very nice to share information with us. See you later!

1) No, what you're doing is pretty smart, as it saves on downtime. If you are putting your party in danger by disengaging from battle, then obviously, don't do that, but otherwise, you have a good strategy.

2) Elemental seal strengthens the next spell. Whether it's elemental or enfeeble, it doesn't matter. Say you are fighting a boss NM and it is magic based, and you want to GUARANTEE your silence works, use elemental seal first. This won't guarantee it 100%, but it's pretty safe. Also, elemental attacks will do more damage (I think 2x)

3) RSE is very useful, especially for Elvaan mages. It gives 60MP bonus for all 4 pieces. At level 40, you should have over 320 MP with RSE gear. It also gives other bonuses useful to Elvaan like DEX and INT increases. GET IT!

4) I used sword until 40. I like it. There are clubs that will give an INT boost or MND boost (not really needed for Elvaans) but I like the RDM AF sword the "Fence Degen".. it gives bonus to MP and DEX. Swords also allow melee damage to be more effective. If you melee at all in fights, I would wait until level 40-50 to change to club.

[Coinspinner]

Originally posted by Zempten
2:
Also I have a question. What exactly does elemental seal do? It says it increases the accuracy of my next spell....so what does this mean?

3:
Also with equipment - i was thinking about getting the custom elvaan armor because it gives some MP. But I see this item called Elder's Guantlet ( or something like spelled like that - i think is 36 MP? ) that gives more MP then then the elvaan custom guantlet armor but the custom armor gives some other stats as well. So which one is better?

4:
I am using sword because I rember reading somewhere that RDM shoudl use sword. But as I look at armor I see that staff or club have +MP , +int, +mnd, or other stats like that. So should RDM use club since we do not meele much after then 30+ levels? If so what club should I get to best help my RDM?

2: Your next elemental or enfeebling spell will meet no resistance. You can use it to Magic Busrt with a spell the enemy has high resistance to, or to make certain an Enfeeble spell is not resisted. Excelent with Sleep and Sleepga.

3: Elder's Guantlet is the custom gauntlet for Galka, just as the Magna Guantlet/Glove is the custom Elvaan handwear. These peices are called RSE, Race Specific Equipment.

4: Get a wand to aid your casting (these give +int and +mnd), and a sword for when you need to attack something. You don't need to level up club to get the stat benefit of wands.

Showing up with a wand equiped assures the party you intend to cast spells...many newbie RDM seem to ignore the word "Mage" in the name of their class and think they're invited to a PT as a fighter with emergency healing.

[Patchinko]

Were you not Elvaan, but Hume or Taru, I would say your playing style is a little bit over-reserved. However, because your MP is so low (my lvl24 has more :sweat: ), I'd say your healing during the fight is beneficial so that you can be ready for the next fight in the EXP chain with high MP. However, I also think that if your PT is starting up a Renkei, a well timed magic burst of the right element is always a requirement of a good RDM/BLM. Also, buying a good wand is worth it if you're not ever partaking in melee, if it has good MND/INT/MP-up stats on it.

[Bamce Sylph]

"paralyze, slow, gravity, bio, blind, shock and silence "

i would change your order a little bit more, would suggest slow first because it has a long recast time in the event you bounce it, gravity imo isn't usefull for grouping since no monster i've come across trys to run. so maybe slow, blind, paralyze, then whatever after that. and people who tell you to burn all your mp's need to learn what mana conservation is, far to long have i seen blm's nuke with everything they have only to drag the entire group down with downtime.

[Zempten]

Thank you so so much for your nuggest of knowledge! I really appreciate it.

BTW, does anyone know any good wands? I'm using a willow wand +1 atm.

The order I cast spells isn't like that. I usually cast Gravity ( I thought gravity also lowered evasion, at least that is what another RDM told me in game) first because that way mobs run slowly to party and not hit puller. Then I cast slow, which usually hits before it hits tank because it has gravity on it. Then I go shock, paralyze, blind, and bio. Now if it was a caster - I go straight off with silence and then gravity and then on and on and on. I also use gravity because it gives RNG or other classes with bow to land in a few hits but I do it mainly for RNG since they do some nice hits with bows.

Well, thanks a lot guys. I really appreicate your help. Hope to see you guys sometime later for more questions ^^

BTW, on the RSE it is quest from goblin in LOwer Jueno correct? How would I go about finding the treasure chest? Thanks for all help once more.

[Patchinko]

Gravity just slows a mob down. It's most useful for soloing, you can cast it, run a bit, cast another spell, etc. In a group situation it's practially useless, AFAIK. Typically I open with blind or slow, depending on the SPD/STR of the mob. :)

[Berithon]

actually ive heard form several lvl 70+ rdms on my server the Gravity also causes a Evade Down effect cna anyone confirm this?

[Maxim]

Wow. Whoever said you need to be at 0 MP at the end of the fight doesn't know what s/he's talking about. If you are at 0 MP at the end of one fight then you are either a Galka wearing MP>HP equipment or playing really poorly (or just in a bad group).

And, let's see... Gravity used to only slow the monster's walking speed but the RDM upgrade patch gave Gravity an added bonus of evasion decrease. The POL update site said Gravity decreases evasion but it didn't say by how much. Word on the street many month ago was that it decreases evasion by 5%.

For RSE you want to talk to get enough fame and accept the quest from the gob in Lower Jeuno. You have to wait for your race/gender's RSE day and the Gob will tell you to go to one of three places: Shakrami, Ordelles, or Gusgen. Prepare a key before going so you don't spend the entire RSE day searching for one.

[Patchinko]

Originally posted by Maxim
And, let's see... Gravity used to only slow the monster's walking speed but the RDM upgrade patch gave Gravity an added bonus of evasion decrease. The POL update site said Gravity decreases evasion but it didn't say by how much. Word on the street many month ago was that it decreases evasion by 5%.
Well, that certainly makes me feel like I didn't completely waste my money on it, though it still wouldn't be a top priority cast, especially considering the MP cost heavily outweighs an evasion decrease of only 5%!

For RSE, this site will tell you when your race/gender combo is available: http://www3.big.or.jp/~wanpaku/FFXI/race.html :)

[Silverquick]

Well as for the Zero MP,

That depends on how active your White and or Black Mages are. Some Whms like to be very conservative with their MPs even if they have a ton of them. Usually in groups like this because watching the tank's hit points dropping and hovering around the middle I'l pick up the slack and put him at 75-100% since I really don't mind taking a hit or two from the mob. Plus once I'm at zero I can engage in melee at that point and no longer worry about whether I've actually done my job as red mage caster prior to entering melee. If I have to debuff the next round and then just go straight to medding I't not going to bother anyone as the Whm is still pretty full anyway.

On the Flipped side I'll nuke a few times if the mobs are ITs or Vts and have a load a HPs just to bring them down a bit... because again I can take a hit or two, the Black Mage can't. So If I draw agro it's not going to bother me or anyone else really and the Whm and Blm can save their MP for emergiencies where I will be in melee by that point and assisting there.

on the other hand, If your Whms and Blms are pretty active and expending their mana freely, then I'll conserve mine for back up.

So really it just depends on your group.

EDIT: Yes, Gravity is worth the money and the MP to cast, it is a noticable difference in your front liners being able to hit.... and even moreso when solo.

[Patchinko]

No, it's not really noticeable at all, actually, as I've used it numerous times and not noticed a difference. :sweat:

As for the rest of the last post... I highly disagree. If that's working for you, fine, but I don't let my MP run out until the third or fourth EXP chain for obvious reasons.

[Apple Pie]

It isn't noticable in lower level because we don't miss so much even though we fight with VT or IT mobs.

Imagine they have 100 ivasion (around LV30, right?). Gravity only decrease 5 ivasion and that doesn't make a difference.

However, after LV55, it is getting harder for attackers to hit their swords. Sometimes even a worrior isn't able to land Shield Break on them. Also, 5% of 200 ivasion (around LV60) is now 10. That's doesn't make a big difference but it will be more noticable especially in conjunction with Frost and Absorb AGI.

Cast all of them on Incredibly Tough++ mobs and you will see they sometimes become Incredibly Tough+.

[Patchinko]

Then I suppose a good piece of advice may be to simply hold off buying Gravity until either PTs start to miss at a noticeable level or one has plenty of excess cash at lower levels. I fell under the latter category, but it still feels like it was a waste up till now, considering I haven't upgraded armor since lvl17. :sweat:

It's really nice that the game changes in such ways as the levels progress, thus providing a deal of variety. :thumbsup:

[kirbys_dead]

personaly as a rdm find a sword to be more useful than a club
1. sword lets u solo effectively
2. looks cooler :p

for the mp 0 remark

i find being a hume rdm that my mp really isnt an issue. when i am in a pt i cast my enfeebling spells i jump into battle and start slashing away at the monster. while in the fight i make sure that no one's hp is below 50% and that our whm still has mp, and if the whm does run out of mp then i disengage and use what ever mp i have left to keep the pt healthy.

ive been using this tactic in many parties and i hvnt heard one complaint out of anyone. u just have to remember that as a rdm ur more of a mage than anything else.


NOT ONE PERSON DOESN'T LOOKS AT LIFE AS A PROBLEM

[Icemage]

In my experience Gravity appears to have 3 effects:

(1) Reduces monster movement speed
(2) Reduces evasion slightly (small, but noticeable if you're looking for it - I can tell as WHM because my TP bar when engaged in melee is usually about 10-20% higher at the end of a fight when Gravity lands)
(3) Acts as a Slow for melee attacks(stackable with Slow). Slow + Gravity on an enemy seems to make their attacks even slower. I don't know if it affects things like spellcasting or ranged attacks, but it definitely seems to hinder their attack speed(even their attack animations seem to be slower, unless my eyes are fooling me).


Icemage

[Apple Pie]

(1) Reduces monster movement speed
Yes, this must be the main reason we use Gravity. For example, some NMs use Hundred Fists but when they use it, RDM casts gravity and the tank simply running around until it goes off. This is called, "Gravity Marathon" among JPN people.

Gravity doesn't last long, usually less than 30 seconds. Also, it takes 60 seconds to recast it. Therefore, we only have one chance to use it in each battle.

BTW, I sometimes asked to cast it before attackers use multi-hit WS like Raging Fists and Guillotine.

Anyway, I recommend we use it along with Frost and if we have DRK in our PT, ask her/him to cast Absorb AGI.

I know RDM costs us a lot and it isn't easy to make money until LV33. By then, we should put our first priority on necessary magic spells because we're basically a mage.

[Wafflesrevenge]

I bought gravity and have not regretted it to this day. I've escaped numerous monsters/giants/banshees with it. Just cast and book it :)

[Silverquick]

Originally posted by Icemage

(2) Reduces evasion slightly (small, but noticeable if you're looking for it - I can tell as WHM because my TP bar when engaged in melee is usually about 10-20% higher at the end of a fight when Gravity lands)

Icemage

Yes, that is exactly what I noticed...

Which is why I say to this day it is worth every penny I spent on it, and it's worth it for the party.

[Zempten]

Thanks for all the great info!

[Patchinko]

Definately. :thumbsup: It's good to know it does more than simply decrease the mob's speed and that it's actually having some effect!

[Discordian]

/em grunts at the thread.

/nod


bump.

[alpha1471]

Originally posted by Apple Pie

For example, some NMs use Hundred Fists but when they use it, RDM casts gravity and the tank simply running around until it goes off. This is called, "Gravity Marathon" among JPN people.


I've had experience of using Gravity Marathon when two monsters are pulled on accident. It was fun to run it around while the rest of the party killed the other one. Sleep and Bind can be used as a buffer for that 30 second time period when waiting for Gravity to be available again.

We used this tactic for the Ninja AF1 Quest as well, where you have to fight the two NM spiders.

[Cantor]

I bought gravity at like level 7 when I saw it for around 400. figured it was worth the cost.

[Certar]

I love Gravity, I play a BLM usually and it slows the monster down a TON. If aggro shifts to me, it gives the warriors LOTS of extra time to provoke it back onto them.

[Zempten]

hehehe, I know this thread is old but I just wanted to add in one more thing before I let it die if it's okay wiht you guys.

I've just recieved refresh - it's a great spell. I've noticed that I can start to actually spend a bit of time meeleing with my sword to try to get it capped just for those times when I need to solo. I was wondering if this is okay since I usually get my MP back now with refresh - or should I continue the healing thing?

When I do use my sword I usually only use it till I'm capped and then back to my mage self again. DOn't get me wrong though, I still cast all the spells I'm suppose to be casting

[Discordian]

It it doesn't involve chain deaths, low health for all members, enfeebles not being cast, and low MP on your party. You are doing the right thing that works for you.

[ingus]

you might want to bring up your dagger skills as well. dagger's L150 skill and L175 skill are both mana draining attacks. depending on the type of mob you use it on, this is like a free 30-90 pt of MP each fight. also daggers are pretty fast, so your En- line spells are a little more useful.

Gravity is very useful on things that are IT and has high evade. that, and Dia2 will make IT HE mobs much more managable.

elvaan RDMs typically have mana problems, so look into getting gold hairpin and electrum rings ASAP. as for fighting style, try to have at least half of your MP aviailbe at all times, for emergencies such as when you need to 2hr Escape out, or take over healing when the WHM gets killed. In a LV up pt, RDM really shouldn't be fighting - elvaan RDMs even less so.

on the rare occasions when you have a bard in your party, that's when you work up your melee skills. sub a Nin, then use a dagger and a sword to lvl up both weapon skills at once! ^^

[Zempten]

Thanks guys, that explains and clears up a lot to me

Could someone please suggest a few daggers for me though please? I'm still gil hunting for dispell hehehehe. 24k atm ^^

Yes, I understand my MP is low but oh well I'm using a few items to help booast my MP ( which includes pumpkin pie? or something like that - I think it adds like 30 to MP so I'm around 370 MP atm hehehe still way behind the taru's 500 some MP ^^ ). I love my Elvaan RDM and I'll keep playing him forever and ever ^^ RDM so so much fun hehehehehe.

Yes, I could use one of those hairpins - going to work on getting that as well.