Easy Leveling???

[Arcticie]

Is it easy to lvl wit RDM?

[Jei]

easy to get group yes. But playing Rdm requires quite a lot of concentration if you want to play good.

attacking jobs are considered easier to play. Altho they are harder to get into group.

[Arcticie]

so can i be a red mage and a samurai???

[Jei]

you can change job anytime you like in your mog house. So don't worry about getting stuck with 1 jobs. Once you get the game you can try as many jobs as you like.

[Ellipses]

Only if you give back some of those question marks you stole off some poor, unsuspection questions somewhere. Now they're out there, shivering in the cold, hoping someone will answer them even though they look more like statements.

If you're asking whether you can be a RDM/SAM or SAM/RDM (as in job/subjob), sure you can but not very many people are going to want to party with you past level 20 or so. If you're asking if you can be a RDM, and also level SAM separately, of course. There are no restrictions on what jobs you level.

Edit: I really need to proofread better when I reword sentences.

[Kirsteena]

Generally accepted sub jobs for rdm in party situations are blm and whm. Most rdm will eventually have smn, nin, drk and maybe brd levelled to be used as needed. Rdm/sam will not get you many parties once you get past 20 or so, as has been noted before.

[Arcticie]

o iight thanx

[IfritnoItazura]

At the hours I can play, there is a severe lack of tanks. (I "camp" PLD's, WAR's, and NIN's every time I want to party on RDM.) I suspect your invite rate will be determined in large by how many tanks compared to how many other Red Mages and/or White Mages and/or Summoners seeking, like myself.

Around Lv.41, invite rate should pick up, as you role as support player in party will be consider nearly as indispensable as a tank, but you'll still competing with Bards and Corsairs. Of course, if there's no tank, there's still no party...

Red Mage is a very busy job, and its workload only increases as you level. I don't recommend it as a beginner's first mage job; Black Mage is much better for that. If you want to play Red Mage, though, learn how to use macros ASAP if you haven't. For example, I have many macros like:

For curing party members; press this, then hit F1-F5 to select members, or use D-pad (up) (down)
/echo >> Cure -stpc- <<
/ma "Cure" <stpc>

For sleeping links and monsters too tough for party (so you can run away); sleep will wear off immediately if someone hits the monster to wake it, so you need to warn people you're casting it.
/p [Casting spell] [Sleep] -> <<stnpc>> <call8>
/ma "Sleep" <lastst>
/p [Disengage] [Please] -- [Sleep] -> <<lastst>> <call8>


I think most RDM's have tons of macros; I know I can't function at all without mine. By the way, since you'll be casting a lot of spells, don't put party chat in your macros except for stuff like Sleep; they'll just fill up the chat logs of everyone for no reason. No one in party needs to be informed everytime you're casting "Cure", "Paralyze", and etc.

[Icemage]

I think most RDM's have tons of macros; I know I can't function at all without mine. By the way, since you'll be casting a lot of spells, don't put party chat in your macros except for stuff like Sleep; they'll just fill up the chat logs of everyone for no reason. No one in party needs to be informed everytime you're casting "Cure", "Paralyze", and etc.

Oh, and for the sake of all that's good and holy, please, please, please don't put a /p or /emote command in your Refresh macro. People know when you're doing it right when they see the {MP} symbol on their status effect list when they need it, not by how many times they see {Refresh} -> Someplayer.


Icemage

[Jei]

/p refreshing <lastst>!!!
an old school macro xD everyone used to do that, including me.

[Aeni]

LOL

I personally use the ...

/recast "Refresh"
/ma "Refresh" <st>
/wait 1
/echo Casting Refresh on <lastst>
/wait 20
/echo Refresh ready to be used.

I think the last /echo isn't so important, but sometimes when there's down time, it saves me having to keep checking to see if Refresh is ready or not. Notice the /echo lines which will allow me to see the message, but no one else. Why I put that first /echo after casting the spell? Cause, <lastst> is not reliable at the beginning due to the fact that the last thing you targetted will be named (So having the "Refreshing Orcish Dragqueen" message is kinda annoying)

[Murphie]

LOL

I personally use the ...

/recast "Refresh"
/ma "Refresh" <st>
/wait 1
/echo Casting Refresh on <lastst>
/wait 20
/echo Refresh ready to be used.

I think the last /echo isn't so important, but sometimes when there's down time, it saves me having to keep checking to see if Refresh is ready or not. Notice the /echo lines which will allow me to see the message, but no one else. Why I put that first /echo after casting the spell? Cause, <lastst> is not reliable at the beginning due to the fact that the last thing you targetted will be named (So having the "Refreshing Orcish Dragqueen" message is kinda annoying)

There is a disturbing lack of Orcish Drag Queens in the game, unfortunately.

But thank you so much for extolling the virtues of /echo. More mages need to take that to heart.

[Esoa]

I don't use echo much because the way /wait is cancelled when using another macro. This makes a Refresh macro with a reminder of when it's available somewhat useless.

[Murphie]

I don't use echo much because the way /wait is cancelled when using another macro. This makes a Refresh macro with a reminder of when it's available somewhat useless.

I'd still rather it was in echo rather than /p. It's going to get interrupted regardless, but at least I don't have to hear about it every time the RDM uses the spell.

[Esoa]

I'd still rather it was in echo rather than /p. It's going to get interrupted regardless, but at least I don't have to hear about it every time the RDM uses the spell.

Yea of course. It just seems that the best use of echo is to remind me of something, but if the /wait doesn't work then it's not worth using. I don't think I have echo in any of my macros, and /p only in a couple where it's worthwhile for the PT to know something (like sleeping or weaponskills).

[Murphie]

I have the occasional /recast, but that's about it. That or I quickly open up my magic menu to check if needs be.

[Standablaze]

easy to get group yes. But playing Rdm requires quite a lot of concentration if you want to play good.

attacking jobs are considered easier to play. Altho they are harder to get into group.
I find my drk much harder to play then RDM to be honest.


But to answer the question, yes its easy to level as in its easy to get a party; weither or not you are good will hamper who invites you, since there is usually at least another rdm or your competitors; cor and brdm, lfping

[Murphie]

I find my drk much harder to play then RDM to be honest.

How far have you taken RDM? I mean, yeah a RDM can get by doing the bare minimum, but those that push themselves are ridiculously busy. Not to say that DRKs aren't ever busy, but I just can't see how their level of activity could possibly compare to what a RDM has to deal with.

[klvino]

I have the occasional /recast, but that's about it. That or I quickly open up my magic menu to check if needs be.

For spells I know that I may need to spam or need to be ready asap, I use /recast. Examples would be Finale, Stun, Bind, Aspir, etc.

You can set the /recast in the macro without worrying of casting if you use <st> instead of <t>, that way you must confirm the casting of spell and you don't accidentally fire off the Stun too early while you're checking recast.

Almost off topic, but still talking about /wait in macros. Too many times I see a silly bard set a /wait 12 in their macros when they only need /wait 1. If you set /wait 12 the macro will trigger the second song unless you interrupt it, but then you'd have interrupted your casting and now you have to wait on it. With /wait 1, a bard learns their song-to-macro timing more and can sing both song without putting down the instrument. Go, practice it. As well, it lets them mix between tier2 madrigal, mambo, etc instead of having to put both madrigals on or both mambos on. Sometimes it's better to skip the tier 1 of those songs and just use tier 2 from each song. Example? Charybdis

[Standablaze]

How far have you taken RDM? I mean, yeah a RDM can get by doing the bare minimum, but those that push themselves are ridiculously busy. Not to say that DRKs aren't ever busy, but I just can't see how their level of activity could possibly compare to what a RDM has to deal with.
I brought it to 48 and my DRK is currently 54, so there isnt a huge gap between them. DRKs are just as busy as RDMs at time. We pull, use magic, cant rest because of TP and are constantly checking with other melee for skillchains, and sometimes we bother to magic burst with our own skillchains with a few other stuff in between. But both are very different jobs in the end.:wasted:

[Hamlet]

I brought it to 48 and my DRK is currently 54, so there isnt a huge gap between them. DRKs are just as busy as RDMs at time. We pull, use magic, cant rest because of TP and are constantly checking with other melee for skillchains, and sometimes we bother to magic burst with our own skillchains with a few other stuff in between. But both are very different jobs in the end.:wasted:

Man, you only had to deal with 7 lvls of refresh-monkeying. Try 34 lvls and then get back to us and tell us which is easier.

Rdm gets alot of invites, but it's a real pain in the ass to play until you get used to it.

We pull Pulling is a pain in the ass, and rdms get a rest here, but pay for it while fighting. I haven't pted with many drks that have pulled, so I don't think this is a regular thing, which refreshing definately is. EVERY SINGLE PARTY.

use magic ...?

cant rest because of TP .........?!


and are constantly checking with other melee for skillchains The difference between exchanging tp calls which are written in pretty blue text and scanning for "refresh wears off" is extreme. Not to mention you're only doing it when a SC is coming up and rdms are doing it constantly. This is really the one thing that melees have to do that's annoying, and compartively to refresh/haste, it's cake.

and sometimes we bother to magic burst with our own skillchains with a few other stuff in between

occasionally mbing doesn't make you busier, it's just fun. "A few other stuff" doesn't compare to the many things rdm is expected to do.

The one thing you neglect to mention is the main thing you should be doing with your magic, and that's watching for mob specials and trying to stun them.

[Ange]

I really have to agree with Hamlet on this one.... Red Mage is the harder job to play so-to-speak in parties, because of all of the things we have to do, Refreshing, Hasteing, Main healing ( if the pty asks rdm to), Enfeebling.... Red Mage does lotsa things 8D

[Aeni]

Yea of course. It just seems that the best use of echo is to remind me of something, but if the /wait doesn't work then it's not worth using. I don't think I have echo in any of my macros, and /p only in a couple where it's worthwhile for the PT to know something (like sleeping or weaponskills).

It's for downtime. When nothing else is going on. Refresh is pretty much the only activity I'm doing as I switch in my VC while I wait for the recast. Melees already got their regen on AFAIC and/or the PLD is helping me with heals (<3 the PLDs that do this) and the other 3 mp pools need my attention.

[Zaleshea]

I have to say that RDM is very hard with refresh. I knew it was gonna be hard but not this hard. I found myself literally limiting myself to what I normally did pre-refresh so I don't run out of MP before convert. As for invites, before convert..getting parties was hell I swear. I'm SO thankful it's over and I welcome these non LFP invites I'm getting with warm arms @_@.

[Omni]

I find my drk much harder to play then RDM to be honest.




you've got to be kidding...
i am trying to refrain from setting this whole post ablaze (hey, sorta a pun there) but really i find that hard to believe.


i like to reinforce what hamlet has said...?!...?!!!?

no you dont pull full time. and really pulling isnt considered hard, just annoying.
use magic? honestly, the only magic thats worth using for a drk is stun.
dont rest? why do you need to rest?? mages heal you and refresh you, i dont understand.

/refrains... >< ...

ok to each his own perhaps... i still find that hard to believe.

[Icemage]

DRK is just as hard to play as RDM? Haha, pull the other one.

My party last night in King Ranperre's Tomb:

BLM71/RDM35
BLM72/RDM36
BLM72/WHM36
BLM73/WHM36
BLM71/WHM35
RDM73/BRD36

If a DRK gets to whine about pulling, do I get to whine about pulling while singing Mage's Ballad and casting 6 Refreshes while keeping myself alive in a zone full of undead? :P


Icemage

[Aeni]

Look at my 2 mains: 1 account DRK 70+ and another account RDM 60+

I say, RDM is infinitely more difficult to play than DRK. When I'm on my DRK, it feels like I'm playing as MNK and can watch TV and still stun on cue whenever Whirl of Rage starts up.

If you think DRK is a difficult job, then you're not going to like playing any mage jobs period.

:wasted: