low level redmage tips/advice please?

[Effedup]

I've been playing RDM lately in my static, got it up to 26 a couple days ago and will be taking it out again tonight for a while, and I've got some questions concerning playing rdm...

First of all, I'm finding I'm main healing most of the time, due mainly to the fact that there is hardly any whm's out there lfg when I'm on. Now, I know that this isn't really RDM's "job", but realistically speaking, should I just assume I'm going to be main healing for a while? Of course, I have no problem picking up the slack as far as that goes even if there IS a whm in the party (be kinda dick-headed to just watch a whm struggle when things get ugly), but it does kinda suck to not be able to use my mp for things other than cure2.

As far as gear goes, what would y'all suggest? I've been pretty much splitting it down the middle, wearing some Beetle +1 stuff for the def and a few pieces here and there for MP, like Zealot's mitts, energy earrings and such. Is it better to just carry 2 complete sets of gear (mp gear and attack gear), or to mix and match like I've been doing?

Been fighting Mandy's in the jungles lately, and is it just me, or is barsleepra completely useless? I waste mp casting it over and over and it seems like we all just get slept anyways. My enhancing magic is in the 60's (can't remember exact level), so it's not terribly gimped or anything...

As for food, I've been eating Melon Pies +1 for the max MP boost; is there something out there that would better suit me as a rdm at these levels?

Thanks for any suggestions! ^^

[Kailea]

I would go all mage gear, and there is a RDM forum btw, you would get better responses in there.

[Mhurron]

If you're primarily healing, go /whm and wear what would be considered straight mage gear, you can use the MP.

Barsleepra does not prevent sleep from landing, it shortens it's duration.

And ya, this is going to get moved to the RDM forum.

[Murphie]

First of all, I'm finding I'm main healing most of the time, due mainly to the fact that there is hardly any whm's out there lfg when I'm on. Now, I know that this isn't really RDM's "job", but realistically speaking, should I just assume I'm going to be main healing for a while? Of course, I have no problem picking up the slack as far as that goes even if there IS a whm in the party (be kinda dick-headed to just watch a whm struggle when things get ugly), but it does kinda suck to not be able to use my mp for things other than cure2. You're going to receive mixed advice here. Personally, I feel that whatever niche the party needs you to fill is one you should be prepared for. But some RDM prefer not to main heal, or prefer to only main heal, or prefer to melee, etc. It's ultimately your call to make.

As far as gear goes, what would y'all suggest? I've been pretty much splitting it down the middle, wearing some Beetle +1 stuff for the def and a few pieces here and there for MP, like Zealot's mitts, energy earrings and such. Is it better to just carry 2 complete sets of gear (mp gear and attack gear), or to mix and match like I've been doing?I wore straight mage gear from 20 on, since I was pretty much always in a party at that point. If I was doing a bit of soloing, I had a set of melee gear waiting in my moghouse, but room was already sparse in my inventory due to my attempt to squeeze as much MND and INT into each individual cast (not to mention MP gear for resting and the start of fights). But some people carry melee gear all the time. Play around with things, and see what feels best for you.

Been fighting Mandy's in the jungles lately, and is it just me, or is barsleepra completely useless? I waste mp casting it over and over and it seems like we all just get slept anyways. My enhancing magic is in the 60's (can't remember exact level), so it's not terribly gimped or anything...Mhurron already answered this.

As for food, I've been eating Melon Pies +1 for the max MP boost; is there something out there that would better suit me as a rdm at these levels?What is your race? Personally, I ate Sweet Rice Cakes (http://ffxi.somepage.com/itemdb/3979) or Cookies almost exclusively most of my RDM career. You may prefer to stick to cookies for HMP, or use pie for the bonus MP and boost to INT, or heck, even mushrooms for the boost to MND. A lot of that is dependent upon your race, and what stats you're trying to boost with food. But Sweet Rice Cakes are a nice all around RDM food.

[Callisto]

You're going to received mixed advice here. Personally, I feel that whatever niche the party needs you to fill is one you should be prepared for. But some RDM prefer not to main heal, or prefer to only main heal, or prefer to melee, etc. It's ultimately your call to make.

Probably the best line to take away from all of this.

As far as gear goes, what would y'all suggest? I've been pretty much splitting it down the middle, wearing some Beetle +1 stuff for the def and a few pieces here and there for MP, like Zealot's mitts, energy earrings and such. Is it better to just carry 2 complete sets of gear (mp gear and attack gear), or to mix and match like I've been doing?

If you're already comfortable making equipment swap macros, then yes I'd recommend carrying around 2 sets of gear, 1 for casting and one for melee. If you want to get really fancy you could make separate INT and MND sets for the spells that they affect, but that's slightly overkilling it at this level. Especially with the newer Signet bonus you won't lose TP while resting, so it won't hurt to much to get in a few hacks here and there for skillups as long as you put your primary duties of healing and enfeebling first.
As for food, I've been eating Melon Pies +1 for the max MP boost; is there something out there that would better suit me as a rdm at these levels?


As Murphie said, this can depend on race. If you're Elvaan or Galka, I have to say go with Rolanberry Pies, they're nice and cheap, and offer a larger MP boost than melon+1, and still a slight INT boost. Hume or Mithra the Sweet Rice Cakes he mentioned are great, and for Tarus I usually recomend witchkabobs or other mushroom foods for the MND boost.

[DakAttack]

Do not stand directly behind the enemy. An awesome Thief might TA you.

[Effedup]

Thanks for all the advice everyone. I'm digging the whole meleeing mage thing, which is funny, because when I started playing I honestly thought I'd hate the job and never touched it until recently, but it's starting to grow on me. Guess I shouldn't judge a job by it's description...

I figured that there is a lot of opinions about RDM's actual role in a party, since it's such a versatile job, but no one in my ls has done anything with it really. I think I now have the highest RDM in the shell at 26 so I'll prolly be posting more questions here in the future ^^

there is a RDM forum btw, you would get better responses in there.

Yeah, sorry, I posted this right after I woke up this morning and honestly my eyes were like half open at the time. If anyone wants to move, be my guest ^^

[Aksannyi]

I was a melee RDM from 1-51 (when those damn staves took over my inventory) and I also was slow on the uptake as far as gear swapping went. I really didn't start any of that until the staves came in. RDM was my first job though and I didn't really know about the usefulness of it all.

I was wearing melee gear - including the Brigandine in the mid 40's - 58 when my Tabard came into play - almost always, with mage rings, earrings, headgear, etc. I used swords, and I never swapped them out. I found that my enfeebling didn't start taking a nosedive until right around the levels before I got that +15 from my Tabard.

Ultimately, how you play RDM is your own choice to make, but at least use a mage sub (unlike me) even from early levels. If I were to do it again (oh snap, I am! on Kujata!), I'd start the equip changing macros sooner and bring more versatile gear so that I really *could* fill any role.

Your food choice sounds fine, but if you want to upgrade and get something slightly more expensive for a bit more of a MP boost, that'd be good, too. You'll find when you get Refresh and you get really good at managing your MP that you won't really even need that extra MP boost from food.

[Effedup]

I was a melee RDM from 1-51 (when those damn staves took over my inventory) and I also was slow on the uptake as far as gear swapping went. I really didn't start any of that until the staves came in. RDM was my first job though and I didn't really know about the usefulness of it all.

I was wearing melee gear - including the Brigandine in the mid 40's - 58 when my Tabard came into play - almost always, with mage rings, earrings, headgear, etc. I used swords, and I never swapped them out. I found that my enfeebling didn't start taking a nosedive until right around the levels before I got that +15 from my Tabard.

Ultimately, how you play RDM is your own choice to make, but at least use a mage sub (unlike me) even from early levels. If I were to do it again (oh snap, I am! on Kujata!), I'd start the equip changing macros sooner and bring more versatile gear so that I really *could* fill any role.

Your food choice sounds fine, but if you want to upgrade and get something slightly more expensive for a bit more of a MP boost, that'd be good, too. You'll find when you get Refresh and you get really good at managing your MP that you won't really even need that extra MP boost from food.

I've had some equip macros set up in the past for mnk (swapping in +hp while healing gear, for instance) but honestly never thought about gear swaps for spells and such. I'll have to take a look and see what I could do there. I usually bring a staff with me for +mp in case I AM main healing, but normally I'm out with my sword and shield. I'm really really digging the En- spells, I dunno, it's just cool to hit something with a sword and electrocute it ^^

Side question...is there an easy way to skill up light and dark magic skills? I got my enhancing skill up by protecting people outside of my mog house for hours, but the offensive based skills are hard for me, because I usually end up spamming Cure2 all night ^^

[Aksannyi]

Take it from me, skilling up is a pain in the ass. You will have no trouble with Enhancing once you get Refresh and Haste, and Enfeebling should never be a problem.

For Dark, my advice is sub blm, and spam Drain and Aspir when you can. I like to use Drain after I Convert.

For Divine, I just go to Besieged and spam Banish and Banish II. Slow and painful but it's working.

For Elemental, MB when you can, and nuke when you've got the MP to (safely) do so, it will help. They will cap over time.

[IfritnoItazura]

Now, I know that this isn't really RDM's "job", but realistically speaking, should I just assume I'm going to be main healing for a while?
I wouldn't assume "main healing only", but a RDM should always have /WHM available when needed. ^_^b

but it does kinda suck to not be able to use my mp for things other than cure2.
Nah. No matter what, you should be tossing out Dia if no one else does it. (And, make other people stop using Bio!) Paralyze and Slow, too, both help to save you from casting as many Cures. Regen is very good, especially if you are main healing.

Sounds a bit harsh, but if you're only casting Cure II, you are not being an effective main healer as RDM.

As far as gear goes, what would y'all suggest? I've been pretty much splitting it down the middle, wearing some Beetle +1 stuff for the def and a few pieces here and there for MP, like Zealot's mitts, energy earrings and such. Is it better to just carry 2 complete sets of gear (mp gear and attack gear), or to mix and match like I've been doing?
MND and hMP, should be your main focus. You should have MND+ wand, rings, and neck piece.

Highly recommend Pilgrim's Wand (http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Pilgrim%27s_Wand) and Mohbwa Sash +1 (http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Mohbwa_Sash_Plus_1) (if you can afford it; NQ version if you can't) to macro in for resting, for hMP. Macro in a Yew Wand +1 (http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Yew_Wand_Plus_1) instead when you cast any debuff or nuke spell.

Been fighting Mandy's in the jungles lately, and is it just me, or is barsleepra completely useless?
Don't melee mandies; you should be way in the back, waking people, and not getting slept yourself. ^_-

As for food, I've been eating Melon Pies +1 for the max MP boost; is there something out there that would better suit me as a rdm at these levels?
Ginger Cookie (http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Ginger_Cookie), Sweet Rice Cake (http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Sweet_Rice_Cake), or Goblin Mushpot (http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Goblin_Mushpot). Use Ginger Cookie if you don't have hMP gears, and Goblin Mushpot if you have all the hMP you can get and landed in a good party. Sweet Rice Cake is for everything else.

[Murphie]

I'm not sure why "Focus on MND" would be stressed over "Focus on a healthy balance of stats so that you can do all of the things that a RDM does well."

The great thing about FFXI (and RDM especially) is that if you gear yourself properly, you can focus on both.

[Mhurron]

I'm not sure why "Focus on MND" would be stressed over "Focus on a healthy balance of stats so that you can do all of the things that a RDM does well."
The great thing about FFXI (and RDM especially) is that if you gear yourself properly, you can focus on both.
Because most of RDM important spells are MND based, though through the miracle of gear swaps you can focus on all your important stats when you need them. If you find yourself mostly being invited to main heal then starting with pumping up your MND first can go a long way.

A good slow and paralyze make a healers job easier.
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Just noticed this hasn't been moved yet, mods have been slacking :shocked:

[Murphie]

Because most of RDM important spells are MND based, though through the miracle of gear swaps you can focus on all your important stats when you need them. If you find yourself mostly being invited to main heal then starting with pumping up your MND first can go a long way.

A good slow and paralyze make a healers job easier.
Well, yes. I'm sure you realize that I already know this. But, as I pointed out in my first post in this thread, and you just reiterated, you can swap in gear as needed.

I'm hardly advocating skimping on the MND gear. I just think it's preferable to advise being prepared for all situations (or at least as many as possible).

[Aksannyi]

Yeah, that's about the long and short of it. I'm an INT whore myself, as I really do enjoy impressing people with my "lolrdmnukes" from time to time. But I do know when to use MND effectively, I just generally set myself up with INT for the sheer fun of it. And soloing.

[Icemage]

Moved to Red Mage Discussion

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For XP parties, at level 40+, gears that equalize your HP vs. MP total take precedence over nearly everything else. More MP from Convert means more effect you have on the party - an extra 40MP means an extra Haste you can cast every 10 minutes.

This is not to say that MND gear isn't important (it is), but there's only so much that MND will do for you, and it's one of the easiest stats to stack... Saintly Rings(+1), Justice/Promise Badge/Holy Phial, Devotee's Mitts(+1), plus wands make it very easy to get lots of +MND for stronger Silences, Paralyzes and Slows.

After that, the effect of INT is negligible (fistful of damage per nuke, miniscule effect on Blind and Gravity).


Icemage

[Karinya]

I wouldn't assume "main healing only", but a RDM should always have /WHM available when needed. ^_^b
Nah. No matter what, you should be tossing out Dia if no one else does it. (And, make other people stop using Bio!) Paralyze and Slow, too, both help to save you from casting as many Cures. Regen is very good, especially if you are main healing.
Sounds a bit harsh, but if you're only casting Cure II, you are not being an effective main healer as RDM.
Blind, too. It doesn't display in the log when it works, but blind is so cheap that even if it only stops 1-2 hits per fight... you save a lot more MP than you spend by enfeebling, unless the fights are extremely short (which at your level they probably aren't). Poison is often worthwhile (although again, it doesn't display in the log, it's very MP efficient except in ultra-short fights). Shortening a fight with Poison - even if it's only by 1-2 attack rounds - also reduces the damage the party takes, so again, you're often saving more MP than you're spending.

Once you reach 32, you'll also need to stay on top of Dispel (this is also where you start to get a more defined role of your own - every crawler-hunting party needs a dispeller in order to not suck), and if you're subbing WHM, look for times when you can use Curaga to your advantage. It's much more MP efficient than normal cures, if several people are hurt.

Oh, and if you're main healing with /WHM then of course you have to stay on top of poisona, blindna, etc. too, if fighting monsters that cause those problems. Erase too, but only at a higher level when you actually get it. And whatever barspells are useful for the monsters you're fighting.

Then after 41 and 48 you have buffs to keep up... There will be a lot more to RDM/WHM main healing than just casting cure over and over (and that's only one of the roles available to RDM).

Don't worry that much about the specifics of gear at this point - it doesn't really have that big an impact. The first gear that *really* matters isn't until level 51. hMP gear and food is nice, though - wish it had existed when I was leveling.

[Mhurron]

Well, yes. I'm sure you realize that I already know this. But, as I pointed out in my first post in this thread, and you just reiterated, you can swap in gear as needed.
I'm hardly advocating skimping on the MND gear. I just think it's preferable to advise being prepared for all situations (or at least as many as possible).
Not saying that you do, but a help thread is kind of useless if most things are just left unsaid because it was assumed everyone knows.

[Murphie]

But it wasn't left unsaid at all. I mean, maybe we didn't all write a novel for an answer, but everyone has provided some answers.

[Raydeus]

But it wasn't left unsaid at all. I mean, maybe we didn't all write a novel for an answer, but everyone has provided some answers.

Doooo it.

Write a novel about it that is. :thumbsup:



Also, the appropiate answer to Murphie's post was something on the lines of:

I'm not sure why "Focus on MND" would be stressed over "Focus on a healthy balance of stats so that you can do all of the things that a RDM does well."

The great thing about FFXI (and RDM especially) is that if you gear yourself properly, you can focus on both.

"Because equip macros are too complicated to explain so it's easier to tell em to just focus on MND. I mean having 3 sets of gear is too complicated for a new lvl 26 RDM, and they willl NEVER EVER use equip macros before lvl 51 lolz. Just be glad they even know what MND is. o.O"


Aaaand stuff like that. :rofl:

[Murphie]

Fair enough. But I have a little bit more faith in the OP than that.

[Raydeus]

I was being 100% sarcastic though, I also think even if the guy is gonna use mostly MND based spells and +hMP gear at that lvl they should know everything about gear swaping and INT, MND, and MP (plus melee and other situational) sets of gear as early as possible. :thumbsup:

So, Murphie write that novel, I'd help ya but... you know I have stuff to do and all that... yeah...


/em goes back to Crunchy <.<

[Effedup]

Again, thanks for the advice everyone. I guess I've just been torn as to how to actually "play" the job, since it's not as clear cut as say, NIN or WHM. It stems a lot from not wanting to look like a complete ass in party; even though we are a 3/6 static (and my ls is pretty forgiving when it comes to mistakes), I still want to try and excel. The first job I focused on when I started playing was MNK, and that was a lot easier for me for obvious reasons; it's kinda hard to screw up punching something and throwing out the occasional Shoulder Tackle and Combo to sc. It wasn't until recently that I started doing mage stuff in a full party (someone had to do it if we ever hoped of getting anywhere and our ls leader is already 75 whm so he was out, and the other guy in our static is still new to the game so we let him be a straight DD and occasionally backup tank while he gets a better handle on playing)

As far as stats go, I think my mnd is ok (I'm elvaan) and I always cure for the full amount (I've been switching between rdm and whm in our static depending on what we all feel like playing at that moment). I don't have access to FFXI at the moment, but as far as gear goes I've got the following (that I can remember off the top of my head):

Weapon: Longsword +1
Shield: Decurion's Shield
Head: Silver Hairpin
Neck: Justice Badge
Earrings: Energy Earring X2
Body: Beetle Harness +1
Hands: Magna Gloves
Rings: Astral Ring (borrowed from ls-mate) and Saintly Ring
Back: Cotton Cape +1
Waist: Mohbwa Sash
Legs: Beetle Subligar +1
Feet: Mages Sandles

I just dinged 27 with it last night and switched to whm for the rest of our party, so I haven't looked to see what may be available to me yet, but if anyone see's anything that might be improved upon gear-wise I'd be grateful (be reasonable, I'm pretty poor ^^). It's fortunate that at that moment I am focusing on RDM and WHM with our static, so a lot of gear can be used for both.

Let's see, outside of that I eat Melon Pies +1 usually, but with astral ring I was thinking of eating cookies instead because, while I have a good amount of MP (imho) when the shit hits the fan and I'm depleted by the end of the fight, I find that it takes me FOREVER to gain back full mp, and I'm going through yag drinks like mad to speed things up (dropping 10k a night on 'em is killing me financially).

As for how I play, pre-pull I hit myself up with an En- spell (usually Enthunder) then when the mob is in range I usually hit it with Slow, Dia, Blind, and Paralyze right off the bat, start meleeing, then either Bio or Poison (they do stack with Dia, right? No ones said anything to me in party but if I'm wasting mp PLEASE tell me). At that point I usually just ride out the fight, casting the occasional fire to mb and I throw a Banish in there towards the end to get my Light Skill up. Of course, I throw Regen at the tank(s) and puller as applicable, and throw cure's/poisona around as needed.

When I have to main heal, I'm more conservative with MP (obviously), and focus on just Regen, Cure 1-3, Poisona, and bar-spells from time to time, and I don't melee. I'll switch to my Elm Staff +1, but otherwise my gear is pretty much the same. I could probably do more as main heal, but I've been in a few fights now where I'm spent mp-wise and the mob just refuses to die, so I try to be as conservative as possible. Could be just because I've only played it to 27, and I'm assuming MP will be less of an issue as I get a little higher level. It's better for me now that it used to be in the dunes and quiffum, where I was nearly always going for broke when main healing.

Ok, so given that info, what would be some good improvements for my strategy in playing RDM? Sorry if it seems like I'm beating a dead horse with this, but people tend to be tight-lipped with criticism in our parties (not a bad thing), but I don't want to be "that guy" that's getting bitched about in ls chat.

[Icemage]

First word of advice for RDM: Get used to being a full-time caster.

At 27, you're closing in on the hard limit at which RDM stop being anything resembling effective in melee. By level 33, you're close to worthless in the melee department (and the only reason the theoretical effectiveness extends that long is because of Centurion Sword at level 30). In any case, the damage you deal in melee becomes marginal at best.

That means sitting your rear and down and /heal when there's not a lot of action going on instead of mixing it up in melee so that you have more MP to extend a chain; even if there's a WHM available for support, having extra insurance is never a bad thing.

It also means that you should be casting Slow/Paralyze/Dia at the start of every fight (and Silence as the opening salvo, if your target is a spellcaster type).


Icemage

[Effedup]

First word of advice for RDM: Get used to being a full-time caster.

At 27, you're closing in on the hard limit at which RDM stop being anything resembling effective in melee. By level 33, you're close to worthless in the melee department (and the only reason the theoretical effectiveness extends that long is because of Centurion Sword at level 30). In any case, the damage you deal in melee becomes marginal at best.

That means sitting your rear and down and /heal when there's not a lot of action going on instead of mixing it up in melee so that you have more MP to extend a chain; even if there's a WHM available for support, having extra insurance is never a bad thing.

It also means that you should be casting Slow/Paralyze/Dia at the start of every fight (and Silence as the opening salvo, if your target is a spellcaster type).

Ok, thank you; so here's a dumb question: what should I be casting after I run through my enfeebles? Should I go at it from a dd perspective and throw elemental spells out there, or should I just kinda hang back and do more regen and such?

[Murphie]

I usually hit it with Slow, Dia, Blind, and Paralyze right off the bat, start meleeing, then either Bio or Poison (they do stack with Dia, right?Bio does not stack with Dia. It overwrites it. Dia is far more beneficial to your party, so cast it, not Bio.

The higher grades overwrite each other, so Bio III > Dia III > Bio II > Dia II > Bio > Dia (where > means that the one on the left is stronger, and will overwrite the one on the left of the >).

When I have to main heal, I'm more conservative with MP (obviously), and focus on just Regen, Cure 1-3, Poisona, and bar-spells from time to time, and I don't melee. I'll switch to my Elm Staff +1, but otherwise my gear is pretty much the same.I'd suggest ditching the Staff, and going for a Wand of the appropriate level. Wands provide you with the best stat boosts to both MND and INT, and will be your spellcasting weapon of choice until 51 when you switch to Elemental Staves.
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Ok, thank you; so here's a dumb question: what should I be casting after I run through my enfeebles? Should I go at it from a dd perspective and throw elemental spells out there, or should I just kinda hang back and do more regen and such?Dia, Slow, Paralyze and Blind are all important. You should try and cast those every fight. By the time you're done with those spells, you'll probably have to toss out a few cures. Gravity can be useful, and I always tried to cast it regularly, but sometimes there isn't time. If you're subbing WHM and/or acting as main healer, this should be enough to keep you busy. If you're subbing BLM or not acting as main healer, you could try tossing out a few nukes, or Elemental Enfeebles (there are several threads in the BLM forums about the Elemental Enfeebles and how they work together), but that's hardly essential.

Personally, I feel that until you master your core spellcasting, you shouldn't branch out too much.

[Aksannyi]

Ok, thank you; so here's a dumb question: what should I be casting after I run through my enfeebles? Should I go at it from a dd perspective and throw elemental spells out there, or should I just kinda hang back and do more regen and such?
You can do both, if you feel your MP is up to it. A lot is going to depend on your party setup, especially what mages you have. You might just want to hang back and wait for the MB (if there is one) and throw a nuke out that way.

[IfritnoItazura]

If this (http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Talk:Slow) is to believed, for all intents and purposes, you can't have too much MND when facing exp level monsters: http://img165.imageshack.us/my.php?image=slowoj8.jpg

MND will always give your Slow a little more oomph. Cast MND based spells with wand, not sword. =b

[Murphie]

So, are people just repeating the advice of others in the thread for fun, or...?

[Mhurron]

Ya, I find it's a blast to repeat others.

theI couldn't agree more.

[Murphie]

Ya,

/feels the rush

[Aksannyi]

rush

Took the words right out of my mouth.

(BTW was it me you were talking about in the pet peeve thread? I can be clueless sometimes.)

[Murphie]

It was totally Mhurron.

[Nuriko]

Take it from me, skilling up is a pain in the ass. You will have no trouble with Enhancing once you get Refresh and Haste, and Enfeebling should never be a problem.

For Dark, my advice is sub blm, and spam Drain and Aspir when you can. I like to use Drain after I Convert.

For Divine, I just go to Besieged and spam Banish and Banish II. Slow and painful but it's working.

For Elemental, MB when you can, and nuke when you've got the MP to (safely) do so, it will help. They will cap over time.

To catch up in Dark, you can also go bother worms by casting Bio on them over and over (anything really, I just like worms because they won't melee you and you can just run away to rest). If you choose the right worms, you can skill up fast with no danger to you ... to a point.

Divine is far more useful for WHM or PLD, I think, don't worry overmuch about it. You have better ways than Banish to hurt something, and if you ever skill those up far enough to get Flash, you'll be surprised at how fast the skill rises.