Just a Questions

[Vaigrant]

Well to start off Im a 51 Rdm with 34 Blm Sub. For the most part I know exactly what I'm doing(Unless I got a really bossy PT that likes to interfere with my Rhythm ><). But I just have simple question.

Is it absolutely nessecary to be a good Rdm and have to carry around a bunch of Equipment to change through. Personally I never have alot of Gil to spend on UBER gear, and frankly I dont like burning my Gil on it anyways. I also just like to stick with one set of gear, cause I like to get a decent number of drops(Again it might help my Gil situation).

Im not out to be this Bomb/Uber ect. Rdm. But will I be looked down on as a Rdm if I dont buy all this equipment to switch around, or possibly be passed over because of it.

Ive only had one complaint in my entire time as a Rdm, which was in the Crawlers Nest. . .PT leader had NO idea what I was around for and gave out orders like. . .

Stop Enfeebling
Stop Healing
Stop Nuking
Cast Dia
Stop Enfeebling
ect.

And eventually kicked me from the PT(AT the time it was close to NA release so I was one of few Rdm wiht Dispel wich of course, not having a replacement lead to his fast and amusing demise =D)

Other than that Ive been a successful Rdm, although I could use a bit of cleaning up my macros lol. But yeah again getting back to my question. Is it a necessity to have all that equipment or no?

[Icemage]

Essential gear for 51+ RDM:

Earth Staff, Ice Staff, Dark Staff, Wind Staff, Light Staff. While not absolutely 100% required, each of these staves greatly increases the potency or accuracy of one or more of your most important spells (Slow, Paralyze, Silence, Cure, and Sleep II respectively).

Warlock's Tabard @ 58: The most potent piece of RDM AF1 armor. 15 points of Enfeebling Magic makes you perform like a RDM about 4 levels higher than you are.

Warlock's Chapeau @ 60: A lot of RDMs swear by the extra Fast Cast given by the Chapeau. Personally, I don't use mine much except for nuking, but the MP on it is nice too.

You can get by without all of the above, but be aware that your effectiveness will suffer and people will notice. It probably won't get you kicked from a party, but it might get you a bad reputation for being a player who just doesn't care about what they're doing.

This becomes especially important once you reach level 75 and start looking for end-game activities to do. End-game linkshells and players actively try to avoid people who have not invested time and energy into their character's effectiveness; the general idea being that anyone too lazy to do so is also going to be too lazy to learn how to do their job effectively. While I don't necessarily agree with this view, it does apply to many such players depressingly often.


Icemage

[Rodin]

Yes, you should have certain equipment. Basically, you'll want a few of the staves. They will help tremendously. I believe you want (starting off) Ice Staff (Paralyze), Water Staff (Poison), Earth Staff (Slow), Wind Staff (Silence, Gravity), Dark Staff (Blind, Dispel, Sleep, Drain, Aspir), and Light Staff (Dia, Curing).

Honeslty, the best RDM food is Goblin Musphot. It gives MND+10. They last 3 hours a piece, and are bought in Jeuno for like 1,100 gil. I'd say the only race that shouldn't use them are Elvaans, which have a high MND anyways. Melon Pies will be better for them IMO. BUT, for parties past 72, I'd recommend Marron Glace actually. Most RDMs will disagree with me on this. But from partying on my set-party's RDM for a night at 75, I'd say that honestly, it doesn't make a difference. At that level, you have incredible MND and INT from Errant gear.

Enfeebling/Elemental Torques = Get. I didn't know exactly how much +7 Elemental Magic skill would help, until I tried it on my BLM. They work wonders. I haven't been able to use an Enfeebling Torque on my RDM yet, cause it's low level, but I'll get it there.

Here's an Aveage RDM setup at level 75:

Weapon: Elemental Staves

Throwing: Phantom Tathlum

Head: Warlock's Chapeau

Body: Errant Houpellande for Resting/Nuking, Warlock's Tabard for Enfeebling.

Hands: RSE2 depending on Race, or Errant Cuffs. (Either work, Errant Cuffs are cheaper).

Legs: Errant Slops

Feet: RSE2 Depending on Race/Errant Pigaches. (Either work, Errant Pigaches are cheaper.)

Back: Rainbow Cape (Very good cape might I add.)

Neck: Enfeebling Torque for Enfeebling, Elemental Torque for Nuking.

Rings: This is widely varied. Many use Astrals. A lot use INT+ and MND+ Rings. Personally, when my RDM is 75, I will be using Tamas with my Ether Ring. For a total of +5 MND +5 INT +60MP.

Earrings: Standard seems to be Moldavite Earring with a Phantom Earring or Abyssal Earring, the RSE earrings you get from the ENMs are very good as well. The one for Hume I think gives MP+10 MND +1 INT+1. And the one for Elvaan gives INT+2 MP+15. Not sure about the rest.

[Vaigrant]

Well Rdm Af is a must for me, I mean whats the point of playing a job if your not gonna get the AF for it.

Ive been playing since NA release. . .I know I lvl slow(Ive taken several Hiatus's and quit twice now lol) But I have, what I like to believe, a good systematic way to play Rdm.

In all honesty I dont have plans to ever join any of the End-Game LS's if I can avoid it. From what Ive come to understand about most of them(At least on my Server) is that theres alot of Game Drama. . .which is what has lead me to quit the first two times lol.

But the AF gear mentioned is somethings Ive already had my eyes set upon getting. The staffs though. . .hmmm just how important to rep. are then to have?

Double Post Edited:
Well for the Clothcraft Gear, Ill probably try to avoid buying the materials/items themselves and farm for the materials to creat it myself. Im already a lvl 50 Cloth and Ive barely put time into it lol. . .except for the huge binge I did for 2 days strait to get that far. . oh my poor gil how I wish I had you back now lol.

But on average how much would a full set of staves cost?

[Rodin]

In all honesty I dont have plans to ever join any of the End-Game LS's if I can avoid it. From what Ive come to understand about most of them(At least on my Server) is that theres alot of Game Drama.

But the AF gear mentioned is somethings Ive already had my eyes set upon getting. The staffs though. . .hmmm just how important to rep. are then to have?

Okay, people who say there's too much drama, and all HNMLSs suck, usually didn't get accepted into the LS they wanted to get into. I've been in an HNMLS for close to a year now, and I have only experienced 2 episodes of drama. 1) Where HNMLS A didn't escape and /random outside of Fafnir, but proceeded to stay in Dragon's Aery, and steal Fafnir from LS B. 2) Last week, when an LS that will remain un-named, stole Mother Globe from my LS, then told us to stop being so fucking emo, we "wiped" to it anyways. (Not true, when you have 5 people out of 10 alive, that's not a wipe. Also, when the other 5 wiped due to the other LS being asshats and training 5-6 detectors in on us. Which they proceeded to lag us, and have the Dolls use Typhoon.)

There's a RDM I partied with about 2 days ago. He would keep a refresh cycle going, but would melee and not use his staves. (At level 66 -_-). Anyways, we told him to stop meleeing, and start enfeebling, and do what a RDM should do. The fucker had the nerve to fake d/c on us, and go whining to his linkshell. Our RDM ended up telling one of his friends, who came bitching to me, we ended up getting into an argument, when the RDM's friend said, "WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU TO TELL HIM HOW TO PLAY THE GAME, HE PAYS FOR IT MONTHLY!!!" To which I replied, "Well, I pay for it each month as well, who the hell is your friend to not only gimp his XP/Reputation, but the XP of 5 other people who were depending on him to do his job the right way?" I didn't get much of a reply after that, just a "....". Anyways, yes, elemental staves are to be used, with equipment switch macros. They will help immensely.

[Vaigrant]

Well good to know that information. Id probably buy them anyways. I gave up on Melee a long time ago, although Ill do it now and again just so I can skill up Sword for farming. I only do so when its a PT lag do to an afk and just grabbing T's and VT's to keep some XP flowing lol.

Personally Ive had a bad run with LS's, they either collapse or end up as drama magnets, none of them were HNM LS's, Im too low a level to join any that I know of(Req.65+ Job). But its definately to hear truth to rumors. . lord knows theres alot of them out there.

ANd one Question on JSE, Ive never seen Rdm JSE and never really heard about it. I have heard of other Jobs having JSE but not Rdm. Im just kind of Curious on the whole JSE thing in general, any and all information would be indeed greatful.

[Rodin]

I didn't say JSE. JSE would be Job Specific Equipment, There is some for RDM, however it's really only good for soloing, IMO.

http://ffxi.somepage.com/itemdb/6469

http://ffxi.somepage.com/itemdb/6463

http://ffxi.somepage.com/itemdb/6467

http://ffxi.somepage.com/itemdb/6471

http://ffxi.somepage.com/itemdb/6465

What I was refering to was RSE 2 (High Level RSE). Race Specific Gear, it's designed to cater to your race's shortcomings. (Note, this is the high level RSE, there are lower level versions.)

Hume:
http://ffxi.somepage.com/itemdb/2607 (Belt)

http://ffxi.somepage.com/itemdb/2557 (Male Gloves, Female has same stats, but look different, same for each race. These are VERY good for a Hume RDM, but moderately expensive.)

http://ffxi.somepage.com/itemdb/4473 (Male boots, GREAT for melee jobs, and tank jobs, not so good for RDM.)

Elvaan:
http://ffxi.somepage.com/itemdb/2606 (Elvaan Belt)

http://ffxi.somepage.com/itemdb/2555 (Elvaan Male Gloves)

http://ffxi.somepage.com/itemdb/4475 (Elvaan Male Feet)

Taru:
http://ffxi.somepage.com/itemdb/2605 (Taru Belt)

The taru gear is more catered towards Melee, the exception is the rope. XD

Mithra:
http://ffxi.somepage.com/itemdb/2604 (Mithra Rope)

http://ffxi.somepage.com/itemdb/4478 (Mithra Feet)

Galka:
http://ffxi.somepage.com/itemdb/2603 (Galka Belt)

http://ffxi.somepage.com/itemdb/2550 (Galka Gloves)

http://ffxi.somepage.com/itemdb/4477 (Galka Feet)

[Vaigrant]

Oh I know, I was just curious about JSE and was wondering about it. I do realize thats now specifically what you were talking about lol. Sorry if there was a misunderstanding on my part.

I do have an odd question that just accured to me though. Seeing as some certain Bar spells add to your Elemental Status(Specifics dont come to mine kinda sleepy lol) but would that in turn add to your prowess in using spells of that element? Id assume not and that its just affecting your resistance adn what not but, thought it was an interesting question none the less lol.

And after looking at the JSE, I think Ill just abandon that stuff lol. I have no interest in Leathercraft<Id rather make it myself than buy it lol>

[Rodin]

Bar spells don't affect casting at all, only your defense against that element. That's why everyone screams Barfira when fighting gobs. Also, Barblizzara with the occasional IT snoll in Uleguerand. ;>.>

Anyways, if you want a craft that's solely for RDM, do either Clothcraft or Alchemy. Clothcraft is great because when you get it high you can synth Errant/Mahatma gear (HQ errant). The downside to Clothcraft (especially on my server) is that it's overdone, many will have it 95+ and the market tends to be flooded, so it can be hard making money. Alchemy on the other hand, is cheap to get to 100+3. You can also make Cursed Gear for your RDM, which you can turn into Crimson/Blood gear with abjurations dropped from Gods/HNMs. Also, you can make quick gil by HQing Prism Powders and Silent Oils. While you don't make as much bulk money, you make just as much gil over time as clothcraft, if not more, since there are less and less Alchemists.

[Vaigrant]

My server doesnt seem to have a lot of Clothers, at least not that I notice. But alchemy has been an interest for me lately. I dont have alot of skill in it really but, I have noticed some of the stuff sells fairly well and quickly.

But anyways, back to the spell functions. Since I seem to have gained the attention of people who really know whats going on ^_^, I figured Id ask more into how certain spells actually function.

Ive usually just used spells and that was that, I knew what they did and all that but not how they really worked.

Like Stoneskin, HTF does that work, all I know its like an extra bit of HP really that buffers damage. How much you get I have no idea, what its based on, Id guess Enhancing.

Same with Phalanx, I know it lowers damage. . .sometimes, but how often or how great I dont really quite get.

And what is up with the crappyness of Invis and Sneak, honestly Ive cast it with capped Enhance at 50 and had it last last 0 seconds, had to recast as soon as I just cast it ><.

But back to the craft again lol. Which is more useful that Cursed Gear stuff or the Errant Gear for a Rdm, based on that Ill probalby choose which craft Ill go to Full out with and another to just Dabble in. I know at 70 Cloth I "Could" make V-Cloaks, but seeing as one materials pretty hard for me to get its not really worth making IMHO.

Oh and more about equipment, since Ive asked this much why not more right lol. If IM gonna play RDM with skill why not add in some good Equipment too right. So what're some good rings, ear rings, belts, capes and other misc equipment I should look into from now to End Game.

I know that some was listed up at the top but thas just End Game right, what about Pre-End Game. I move rather slow lvling(Cause IM trying to do alot of otherstuff as well lol) and it'll probably be a while before I hit End Game.

[Rodin]

Stoneskin reduces DMG taken to 0. As long as it holds up, which it will block a certain HP's worth of DMG. I know Icemage has the formula for that. It is based off of enhancing skill. If its crucial that you convert mid-battle, you'll ALWAYS want to have this up first, so you don't get that nasty AoE that kills you 3 seconds after you convert.

Phalanx will block a certain percent of damage taken. It stacks with Stoneskin, and it's based on ehnhancing magic skill.

Sneak/Invis always sucks for some reason. How it's always been.

Errant/Mahatma more for Partying. Crimson/Blood is good for soloing/Spirits within.

[Vaigrant]

Oh I always put up Stoneskin if I have to Mid Battle Convert. I usually use the Phalanx/Stoneskin combo for soloing. I had a basic idea to thier functionality and what they do, just not the formulation on how they work.

Yep Sneak and Invis suck. . .I wish they were based off Enhance like they probably should be. . one of many thigns SE could do to make it a much better game experiance ><.

Spirits Within? Whats that. . .I have a good idea about Rdm stuff, and I function well in a Party but its the more indepth information and endgame stuff Im missing. But what is Spirits?

[Icemage]

Like Stoneskin, HTF does that work, all I know its like an extra bit of HP really that buffers damage. How much you get I have no idea, what its based on, Id guess Enhancing.


Stoneskin test:
http://www.ffxionline.com/forums/red.mage/46585-stoneskin.test.html?highlight=stoneskin+test


Same with Phalanx, I know it lowers damage. . .sometimes, but how often or how great I dont really quite get.


Phalanx reduces damage by Enhancing Magic / 10 per hit, rounded down. Basically take your Enhancing Magic, drop the last digit, and that's how strong your Phalanx is (for instance, I have 240 Enhancing Magic as a WHM75, so when I sub RDM for Phalanx, mine reduces it by 24 points per hit).


And what is up with the crappyness of Invis and Sneak, honestly Ive cast it with capped Enhance at 50 and had it last last 0 seconds, had to recast as soon as I just cast it ><.

Sneak and Invisible are always random. There is one way to make them somewhat more consistent however: Skulker's Cape
http://ffxi.somepage.com/itemdb/6210


But back to the craft again lol. Which is more useful that Cursed Gear stuff or the Errant Gear for a Rdm, based on that Ill probalby choose which craft Ill go to Full out with and another to just Dabble in. I know at 70 Cloth I "Could" make V-Cloaks, but seeing as one materials pretty hard for me to get its not really worth making IMHO.
If you're not doing end-game, Alchemy isn't much use to you aside from being income. No end-game = no way to get abjurations. No abjurations = no way to uncurse your Crimson -1 gear.

Also note that at Clothcraft 50, you're not "halfway" to 100. More like 10%. Maybe less. The cost to gain skill in cloth craft goes up exponentially as you level, and the skillups come somewhat less frequently as well.


Oh and more about equipment, since Ive asked this much why not more right lol. If IM gonna play RDM with skill why not add in some good Equipment too right. So what're some good rings, ear rings, belts, capes and other misc equipment I should look into from now to End Game.

I know that some was listed up at the top but thas just End Game right, what about Pre-End Game. I move rather slow lvling(Cause IM trying to do alot of otherstuff as well lol) and it'll probably be a while before I hit End Game.

Stuff that's useful at end-game is the best available in its class for the most part. Get what you can off that list as it becomes available (start with your elemental staves - that'll keep you plenty busy for a while if you haven't got them already).


Icemage

[Rodin]

What level range in armor are you looking at? I'll try and come up with a very functional set for it.

[Vaigrant]

Ugh only 10% into Cloth, and here I thought I was making decent progress lol. OH well the truth is a hard fact to take into consideration for stuff like this.

But Ill probalby go with Clothcraft, since as noted that the Gear crafted from that is more Party related, and I would like to participate in teh Party End-Game stuff sooner or later.

And thanks for the information on Stoneskin and Phalanx Ice, I loved the little comment in the Stoneskin post about Red Mages being big on Research lol. Of course I could disagree with that and say only people who take Red Mage seriously or who want to be good/exceptional at it research, which is true for any Job I suppose lol.

But I really do think SE needs to do something more than make a Cape to combat the complete lameness of the Sneak/Invis lasting times.

But you two have been a wealth of knowledge to me and I thank you for that, I thought I was a well learned Red Mage but, it goes to show theres always something else to learn. . .and of course taking hiatus's as much as I do doesnt help any lol.

Unless theres some general advice beyond the norm that all Rdm's should at my lvl know by heart lol, Ill end my questions till I come up with some more lol.

Double Post Edited:
What level range in armor are you looking at? I'll try and come up with a very functional set for it.

Didnt see that as I was posting lol. But Around the 50-60 Range, I know my AF's in there but I might have to wait till higher to attempt some of that stuff.

[Rodin]

We don't know shit compared to ApplePie. You should check out some of his videos.

[Vaigrant]

We don't know shit compared to ApplePie. You should check out some of his videos.

Making me know less than shit ; ;, I feel completely useless as a Rdm now. . .my overconfident god complex has been shattered NOOOO lol. But damn, well I suppose one has to experiance End-Game to have gained a certain degree of knowledge right lol.

[Rodin]

At level 60, you will want:

Weapon: Elemental Staves

Ammo/Ranged: Morion Tathlum

Head: Warlock's Chapeau

Body: Warlock's Tabard

Hands: AF Hands are acceptable, but you can use RSE, or Baron's Cuffs (MND +1 INT+1), depending on your race.

Legs: Warlock's Tights

Feet: Again, the AF is acceptable, but depending on your race, you can use RSE.

Back: Red Cape +1 (This will last you from 43 to 71, get the +1, it's not that expensive).

Neck: I'd say go with a Promise Badge, it's free from a quest, you'll need a high level friend or friends to do it with, but if not, it's relatively cheap on the AH. MND+5 HP+10.

Rings: INT or MND rings are good. You can also use Astrals or an Astral + Ether, or an Ether + one INT or MND ring.

Earrings: Phantom Earring is good. Geist Earrings are also nice. Use one of those, and a Moldavite Earring, if you can get a friend to help you camp Mysticmaker Profblix. If not, another Phantom earring is good.

[Vaigrant]

Well if it helps narrow some of them down Im a Hume Rdm. But yeah, I got some Rings that sap HP and give MP right now, and some INT and MND rings, nothing flash cause at the time I went for something cheap and somewhat effective.

And unfortunately over half my FL is no longer active, and I dont have a LS save the one I made. . .with me alone for now lol. I dont know high lvls and I really dont like asking for help, mostly cause to get soemthing sometimes you have to give in return lol.

Last time I quit I gave away all my stuff ; ;, really dumb thing of me to do. . .at least I didnt delete my character I suppose lol. So Ill be farming for a while to get my Gear up to snuff.

[Icemage]

Ammo/Ranged: Morion Tathlum

Hands: AF Hands are acceptable, but you can use RSE, or Baron's Cuffs (MND +1 INT+1), depending on your race.

Back: Red Cape +1 (This will last you from 43 to 71, get the +1, it's not that expensive).

Neck: I'd say go with a Promise Badge, it's free from a quest, you'll need a high level friend or friends to do it with, but if not, it's relatively cheap on the AH. MND+5 HP+10.

Rings: INT or MND rings are good. You can also use Astrals or an Astral + Ether, or an Ether + one INT or MND ring.

Earrings: Phantom Earring is good. Geist Earrings are also nice. Use one of those, and a Moldavite Earring, if you can get a friend to help you camp Mysticmaker Profblix. If not, another Phantom earring is good.

Ammo: Fortune Egg is a reasonable substitute for Morion/Phantom Tathlum

Hands: Devotee's Mitts(+1) are amazing when casting any white magic.

Back: I like Gramary Cape over Red Cape+1. Cheaper, easier to get, roughly equivalent overall performance.

Neck: If you quest the Promise Badge, don't forget to complete the next quest, which yields the Rare/Exclusive Star Necklace that converts 15HP to MP. Very useful for Convert macro sets.

Rings: Astral/Ether Rings are fine, but you can get by with Electrums if money is tight (I'd much rather see someone buy a full set of elemental staves than spend that money on one Astral Ring).

Earrings: Enhancing Earring is a useful +5 HP and +5 MP for almost no money.

Otherwise agree with the above list.


Icemage

[Vaigrant]

THATS it Electrum Rings, thats what I got right now. . .I think lol. Hard to remember what I got on my Rdm, I also have a -12hp +30 MP head thingy I think. I figure if I can get a good deal of MP on my guy its good, since have about 3-400 HP over my MP bar anyways, sacrificing a bit of it wont hurt.

Also I got the Druids Rope, is there any better Waist item I should invest in or is this good for now and for how long?

[Rodin]

Ammo: Fortune Egg is a reasonable substitute for Morion/Phantom Tathlum

Hands: Devotee's Mitts(+1) are amazing when casting any white magic.

Back: I like Gramary Cape over Red Cape+1. Cheaper, easier to get, roughly equivalent overall performance.

Neck: If you quest the Promise Badge, don't forget to complete the next quest, which yields the Rare/Exclusive Star Necklace that converts 15HP to MP. Very useful for Convert macro sets.

Rings: Astral/Ether Rings are fine, but you can get by with Electrums if money is tight (I'd much rather see someone buy a full set of elemental staves than spend that money on one Astral Ring).

Earrings: Enhancing Earring is a useful +5 HP and +5 MP for almost no money.

Otherwise agree with the above list.


Icemage

Lists I make are usually for the avid farmer . ;) I also mainly jot down what I'm going to have on my RDM. I have 3 jobs that I'm taking to 75, WHM which is at 75, BLM which is at 66, and RDM which is at 32 (leveling now). I already have many of the things on that list. Also, it seems to be what many people use. I already ahve a job 75, so when I farm, I can farm quickly, and make lots of gil. I already have HQ staves, but when my WHM was 60, I was using AF, had electrums, and NQ staves. If you feel like farming a lot, and having exceptionally nice gear for your level, the list I posted is pretty much the best, without going crazy.

Double Post Edited:
THATS it Electrum Rings, thats what I got right now. . .I think lol. Hard to remember what I got on my Rdm, I also have a -12hp +30 MP head thingy I think. I figure if I can get a good deal of MP on my guy its good, since have about 3-400 HP over my MP bar anyways, sacrificing a bit of it wont hurt.

Also I got the Druids Rope, is there any better Waist item I should invest in or is this good for now and for how long?

Druids is pretty good. If you want some Alternatives, a Reverend's Sash (MND+2 INT+2 CHR+2 MP healed while resting +1) or a Royal Knights Belt (All stats +2 I believe) are very good for RDM. At 60, you can use a Penitent's Rope, but that's just an eye-candy equip, It's good, but expensive. From 60-70 you'll be leveling very quickly as RDM, so at 70, you'll want to invest into the RSE ropes, which give more MP, and are also very good. At the sacrifice of +5 off of one stat.

If you're going to take it slow, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, do your CoP missons. I know MANY level 75 people who are only done with the promies. Sea is one of the funnest places to have. Not only can you solo for nice XP there on RDM, but you'll want to do Limbus, among other things. Also, need I remind you about a Tamas Ring, it's the best ring for RDM at any given level, IMO.

Tamas Ring! (http://ffxi.somepage.com/itemdb/7093)

The ring levels up as you do. It will gain a stat every 15 levels I'm told.

At level 30: MND+2 INT+2 Enmity -3
At level 45: MND+3 INT+3 Enmity -3
At level 60: MND+4 INT+4 Enmity -3
At level 75: MND+5 INT+5 Enmity -3

You'll gain one MP every 3 levels as well.

Trust me, you'll thank yourself for getting Sea without being 75 the whole time, then going through a mad rush to get it. Also, many are level capped, so you'll end up having to mule a bunch, or buy a lot of stuff off of the Auction House. Sea will also help you get into HNMLSs faster. Seeing as how many are going from Sky to Sea now.

[Vaigrant]

Yeah Ive been trying to do my CoP's and well trying to defeat Shadow Lord still . . . stupid party needs lol. I dont know much about Sky or Sea or Limbus and all that, all I know its some great End Game areas and that its almost a MUST to be able to access.

[Rodin]

Limbus is Awesome. I already have some of the rare/ex RDM AF+1 items, as well as enough coins to get my Warlock's Chapeau +1 when I get RDM to 74. I also have a few BLM items for AF+1. My current setup on WHM is a lot better than AF+1 IMO.

<3 my Tamas Ring. It clears up a few inventory spaces. :P

[Vaigrant]

Lol, yeah I definately love to travel and explore so thats what eats up most of my Lvl time. Plus doesnt help Im currently working an overnight job so Im super tired most of the time. . .too tired to do more than farm.

But thankfully Im on my last 3 days of Overnight and then changing jobs lol. So Ill get to play more YAY.

[Rodin]

Lol, I've scheduled my FFXI life around my job. I usually work from 3-9PM EST on weekdays. And I work a whopping 11 hours on Saturdays. I found a group of Japanese/Singaporean/PST people to do Limbus with. The runs are usually 9-10AM to 1-2PM EST. Also, by the time I get home, I'll be about an hour late, but I'll still catch the majority of a trigger run by my HNMLS. So that works out for me. I'm actually trying to find a laptop to buy so I can play at work. Yes, I'm allowed to play video games at work. My boss lets me :3. He can attribute at least 70% of his income to my salesmanship. :P Also, he does it while he's at work as well. XD

[Vaigrant]

Ok I'm back wiht more lol. Ive basically grown tired of PTs, so I was wondering whats a good set up for me to Solo Rdm from 50 to say 55 or so. Like what kind of equipment, a good Subjob(OTHER THAN NIN, I dont have the gil to afford that crap), what kind of Mobs are good to solo against.

I have early lvl Solo Experiance, I basically avoided PTing till 20 with some jobs lol, 15 with all others(The less Im in the Dunes the more I enjoy my life =p). But with the Mid to High lvls Im clueless. With a Rdm/Blm Mage Equipment Set Up I can take a Decent pretty well but theres gotta be a better way to get by. Plus when I get to my Coffer Hunting(Which I might Put off till I can Solo the Given Mobs) I'd prefer to do it with my own power.

Plus any kind of tips or anything for the Solo Redmage would be nice as well. PTs are fine but, Im not much of a people person lol. . .not to mention some people on my server in particular I wind up PTing with often are SUPER BOSSY about EVERYTHING and they arent Even PT leader or that good to really be telling everyone how to play.

[Vaigrant]

Not to mention the idea of Soloing is pretty interesting, its something alot of people(At least from my persepctive) dont really bother to try and Im sure it would be an interesting experiance. I love to try something away from the "Tried and True" methods that frankly bore me. . .same old lvl spots. . .same old tactics. . .nothing changing BAH BAH to that I say lol.

[Icemage]

Be honest and answer this question: Are you trying to be a rebel without a cause?

(1) Parties are the fastest and most effective way for any job to gain levels beyond level 10 or so. You can argue this point until you are blue in the face, but when you hit that 20,000+ XP to next level, you'll understand why people don't solo in FFXI much (except for beastmasters).

(2) Red mages cannot kill monsters effectively for XP solo. Not even with the best gear, not even with the most creative subjob. You can't make more than perhaps 600 XP per hour as a solo RDM at your level, and your risk of dying increases with each additional level. By comparison, I spent 3 hours last night XPing and made 22.5K experience points (7.5K/hr average) on my red mage to hit level 69.

(3) Tactics schmactics. You can be creative without being a rebel. I usually XP as RDM/BRD. Other players don't understand until they see the effect of 4MP/tick on the power level of the party (plus my 100% independence from the /heal command).

You cannot do everything in FFXI by yourself. You'll hate the game if you try. It's designed specifically to require you to need the assistance of other players to accomplish goals; rebelling against that is going to make you extremely miserable, so unless you think you've got something tangible to gain from being "unique", there's really no plusses to the path you've outlined.


Icemage

[nanatsu]

Basically Icemage said it all. Mobs scale up in difficulty the higher you get in level. Decent Challenge to you at 55 might as well be IT if you're going to take it on by yourself. Killing something as a rdm is a lengthy and costly battle in terms of mp and time. At high levels, RDM simply cannot dish out enough damage in a short enough amount of time to take advantage of their survivability. No matter what weapon you choose, what sub you use, or what gear you wear, exp by yourself will never be more than a slow trickle at best once you start getting up there. For comparison I soloed thf to 25 and levels 20-25 were the most painful levels I could ever imagine.

[BurningPanther]

Yeah, while you hear of the wunderkind that RDM is at soloing in endgame, you don't hear of RDM doing that soloing for XP. If you ever want to reach 75 in this lifetime, you'll realize that it's much faster in exp parties. There's also ENMs, Eco-Warrior, and Escort quests, which augment regular experience teams.

[swingfly]

The only way to properly solo for exp as a Rdm is to first level Bst to 75 and then go at it as Rdm/Bst :P

[Hamlet]

Earth Staff, Ice Staff, Dark Staff, Wind Staff, Light Staff. While not absolutely 100% required, each of these staves greatly increases the potency or accuracy of one or more of your most important spells (Slow, Paralyze, Silence, Cure, and Sleep II respectively).

I didn't have any staves until about 60 (because they weren't in the game yet when I hit 60) and my enfeebling was fine. From what I remember, resist rates don't go up very much until 60.

But since they are available, I would definately get a dark staff just to help with downtime.

At you're level, rdm can get by without really great equipment. Things will start getting expensive around 60 though when you'll have to spend a good bit of money just to do your job as well as your doing it now.

[Jei]

The NQ staffs are getting really cheap. There's no reason not to get them ^^
earth staff is already down to 20k on my server.

Before staffs, I couldn't land any enfeebles reliably enough with out the AF body piece. Level 58 was a huge obvious jump in resist rate.

[Hamlet]

20k for earth is awesome. I think it's still around 200k on Midgar because it's useful to tanks.

If they are cheap enough, I definately recommend them- just saying they don't make or break you. I still don't have earth staff and I land slow consistantly (but I do have enfeebling torque and marine M gloves)

[Vaigrant]

Well Ive always had a huge probelem with a stead income of Gil. I dunno if its just me but there seems to be alot of Gil Sellers on my Server. . .and honestly I dont even know where the Idea of solo came into my head last night. . .course being up for 36 hours strait ruins your though process lol.

Im not too sure what Staff prices are on my server, I dont they they're too bad but Ill have to take a look before I can really tell.

Im not out to be any kind of great Rdm, just one that operates well, Im more so in it for the adventure and what not. . .which there isnt alot of right now, do tell me that soon Ill have access to new and more exciting PT possiblities and leveling areas(Soon meaning in the next 4 lvls lol).

But yeah, Id rather be as Unknown as a Player as I can be on my Server. I dont like alot of attention be it good or bad lol(Where if I solo'd more the less reputation Im sure to generate). Although Rdm/Brd sounds really interesting its really not my style of play(Im more the /Blm type lol).

Of course my first job choice was Thf but. . .well that was short lived to say the least lol.

Double Post Edited:
And just for the hell of it Id like to just add I really hate my server ><. Promise Badge is anything BUT cheap, I dont have half a mil to throw around on equipment hell I dont even have 1/4 mil period. . .

And the Staves, if only I could buy for the price thats most common, but Nope. . .Even going 5k over the Normal Price isnt high enough, greedy bitchs. . .

[BurningPanther]

If you're having trouble making gil, may I suggest taking a break from leveling to take up a craft? In a sense, it's no different from the the level grind, in that you spend long hours skilling up your trade in order to make better stuff, but the more time oyu spend on it, the better returns you get. In my opinion, fishing is the simplest to take up, and people will always need fish to make sushis. I've taken up cooking as it dosen't require a sub-craft, and even decent players will always keep a stack of whatever food they need onhand.
As far as leveling and new camp sites, every new one you go to will seem refreshing, but in the end, the level grind is just that: a grind. It'll always wear on you at some point, but what keeps you going is whether or not you enjoy playing your job. If you don't enjoy it you should find a job you will get a kick out of.
If you were looking not to draw attention to yourself, you picked the wrooong job. By virtue of Refresh alone, RDM is a hot commodity, and whenever there aren't any WHM or SMN around, it's all eyes on you to heal. With all the roles RDM performs, whether or not you decide to play it well will be a blessing and a curse. If you only aspire to mediocrity, you're sort of in luck, since most players will be so desperate for a refresher or healer that they don't care who they take. But everyone will always recognize that you're hardly the best, which will make you last pick in most cases. The best and smartest players would sooner not party at all than to pick a mediocre RDM. If you aspire to anonymity, I'd suggest taking a melee job, there are so many, you can pick one, play normally(not excelling or falling behind in DD capability), and be no worse off.

[Vaigrant]

Ive taken up a craft and I can make gil when I decide to farm up the materials. Otherwise its not very profitable if I dont farm it up. RIght now IM gathering what I need to make Velvet Cloth, sells for 15k for Individual Cloths on my server and I can get Cotton and Silk very easy in the right areas. . .at least with low population times or its a battle like no other ugh ; ;.

Just as a side note I did get all my Elemental Staves(Well the ones that Icemage and Rodin listed =p). . .forgot which ones to get while buying them though lol and bought the right ones by accident lmao.

[Patchinko]

While the EXP will be lower than you'd get in a PT, a properly subbed, equipped and played RDM can effectively solo XP. I have soloed Even Match and Tough mobs while waiting for invites. There are certain mobs that aren't RDM fodder, but others are perfect for soloing by us, and give decent EXP (especially now with the Empress Band on). Crabs are an excellent example.

It isn't what I would consider a reasonable way to level up, but RDM can certainly kill monsters worth decent EXP solo, and it's a better use of time than sitting in Jeuno and staring at the Auction House, in my opinion.

[Vaigrant]

Yeha my server seems to have a particularly high Rdm population, so sometimes I can go hours and hours LFP and nothing, and then of course when Im not LFP and I have my anon off doing something else THEN the invites come lol.

[Gwynn]

Yes, definately get the Devotee's Mitts (+1), they are amazing for Paralyze and Slow specifically. For your feet, I'd try to get the Custom M Boots, the boots from Hume Male RSE1. They give +3 INT, which is a nice bonus. However, they also give -1 MND, so you'll want to macro them out for any white magic. Same goes for the Devotee's Mitts, they lower INT so you'll want to macro them out for Black Magic. You can make your spells very effective with a minimal amount of cost if you know which pieces of equipment to go for. And even though its been said many times before, I'll say it again. Get the Ice, Wind, Earth, Dark, and Light staves definately. The prices may seem slighty hefty (depending on how much you farm), but you should definately get them. No single piece of equipment will affect your spell performance as much as your Elemental Staves, and they will last you for the rest of your career (until you get HQ Staves, of course).

[Rodin]

Yeha my server seems to have a particularly high Rdm population, so sometimes I can go hours and hours LFP and nothing, and then of course when Im not LFP and I have my anon off doing something else THEN the invites come lol.

The fastest way to get to 75 isn't always having your flag up. It's about having your flag up at the right times. Now, during NA primetime you will probalby have a lot more people LFG. And that means more parties. Each of those parties will need a RDM/BRD/COR for Refreshing. Now, a lot depends on how you fill out your search comment, I like to do mine like this:

@3,500 JP/NA: O All {Area}: O
{Main}{Healing}: X Subs: BLM WHM
{Long Time}{Party}{Please}

I seem to get a lot of invites in the 30s, even though I don't have refresh, AND, I refuse to main heal. The thing is, I LFG mostly during JP primetime, because I get off work during then. Not many RDMs LFG during JP primetime, and I know first-hand, from spending hours looking for a RDM to party with my BLM >_<.

[Vaigrant]

Yeah I also dont like to main heal, I havent lvl'd up my Whm since lvl 19 so its pretty weak in comparison to my Blm. I have respect for Whms who do nothing but main heal, to me its just a really boring job, given your always needed lol, but I hate it.

I usually have my comment similarly though but it always seems I get the most invites when Im trying to do a Promy or helping someone with something, or doing a quest or something like that lol. When is Japanese Prime Time anyways?

[Rodin]

Usually, if you find WHM boring, you're not really playing it right. Now, here's a thought: Have you ever tried becoming a master WHM? Now, what i mean by that is have you tried to play WHM down to a freaking T. I mean, total job perfection? Haste Cycles if no RDM? Is a status effect like Paralyze staying on the tank for more than 3 seconds? Is regen always up? Are you using short heal, and long healing macros? By that I mean are you switching out the right gears depending on how long you will be resting MP? Do you flash when shadows drop? Do you keep Protectra, and Shellra up? Do you make sure the RDM always has enough MP to completely fill up his MP bar each convert? Are you keeping track of your enmity as not to screw up the skillchain by making the mob move?

These are a lot of things I do when I play my WHM. Anyone can take a job from 1-75 and be proficient at it, but I'm talking about toal job mastery. Many in my HNMLS are on their way to full merits. Just so they can be THAT much better at their job. You have to know what the mob is doing, what the tank is doing, what the DDs are doing, what even people outside your party are doing, because you need to make sure you're using the right spells at the appropriate time. You also need to know what every mob's TP moves do. Like Bomb Toss does AoE damage with a possible Mijin Gakure effect. Yes, Bomb Toss DMG when suicided is proportional to the Gobs HP. Do you know which spell to use immediately after a Coeurl uses Blaster? WHM isn't "boring" trust me. Doing all that and having to conserve MP is going to make your head explode the first few days you try it.

If you find WHM boring, I suggest you play it more, and try to master it. WHM is one of the most challenging jobs in the game if you play it right. It's not "boring" at all. Yes, you're ALWAYS needed for everything, but that can be a good thing sometimes.

[Vaigrant]

Ive never really gotten into any of the more intense Whm moments. The idea of healing people doesnt appeal to me as much as I dunno hindering stuff or killing it lol. I have more of a Blm Personality, Blm Ive had alot of fun with and once I finish Rdm Ill probably move onto that.

Merits? I never did learn alot about Merits since they dont really apply to me at my lvl, I usually learn as I go rather than figure out stuff I wont see for a while right away lol.

[Jei]

I have so much more joy being a good Whm as oppose to good Blm ^^; I enjoy feeling important in PT, being the one who keeps everyone alive.

But anyway I decided to level up BLM instead ._. for BCNM and all the cool things they can do. I don't enjoy it too much tho especially BLM is having hell of a time getting PT in the new zone. 60+ in ToA has been so slow.

Making money is unavoidable. Everyone have to do it at somepoint ^^;
When I played my second char, back when refresh was still 400k, I spent a whole week farming crawlers for it lol. It took me forever for my first 1million gil.

Making money is all about finding that... thing... I don't know, a thing that works for you. Took me 3 years of playing before I found one that works for myself ^^ which is fishing+cooking

[Rodin]

At 75, you can merit. You can boost certain attribues. The non Job based ones like HP/MP, Enmity, Spell Interruption Rate, Critical Hit Rate, Weapon Skill Levels, Magic Skill levels, and a few others will be able to show up on your jobs that aren't 75.

Job based merits will only show up on that job if you're 75 in it. Like RDM you can merit Convert Recast time, which fully merited (There's stages) will reduce your Convert Recast time to 9:40 (I think) instead of 10:00.

You earn merits by obtaining 10,000 Limit Points (obtained same way as XP) at 75, which you'll have the ability to switch over to once you talk to the Nomad Moogle next to Maat when you hit 75.

[Vaigrant]

Merits sound pretty cool. So can you max out all of those "Limit"s/Merits or is there a limitation on the number you can use overall?

And yeah I havent found my nitch in making gil yet. Converting Yag. Necklaces to Thread is a cheap and effective means to get me some fast gil, although not alot. Im experimenting with Drop Rates of Silk and Cotton(ALthough I mmostly just Harvest in Gid durring low Pop.Times, so I can get Red Moko Too) which Ill then later convert into Velvet Cloth(Which I can still skill off of right now).

Its more so for the skill up than the Gil for the Velvet Cloths, if I really wanted to spend the time farming I could try to make Tabi's, but sometiems they dont sell well and on my Server prices flux often.

[swingfly]

....

Job based merits will only show up on that job if you're 75 in it. Like RDM you can merit Convert Recast time, which fully merited (There's stages) will reduce your Convert Recast time to 9:40 (I think) instead of 10:00.

....

Actually it's 8:20 (20 seconds off per upgrade, up to a max of 5 upgrades) which is pretty neat.

Vaigrant: As Rodin said, there's different categories in which you can spend your merits, each category can be upgraded a certain number of times. For example, HP/MP is one category. Each upgrade here will add 10 points to your total HP or MP and you can upgrade a total of 8 times (4 HP/4 MP or 8 HP or 1 HP/7 MP and so on).

As the categories have a set number of times you can upgrade them there is a cap as such to how many merits you can get. It will take a lot of exping and then some to do it though. If anyone think they're done with exping when they hit 75 they're sadly mistaken, getting for example 8 upgrades to HP will cost you 300.000 exp (1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 5 + 5 + 5 = 30 merits = 300k exp) :P