Random Qs for you older RDMs

[Dahc]

Well here it is now Feb and I finally got to lvl 55. I am wearing some of my AF armor and Ifinally got my Hat today. WOO HOO. All I am lacking is the Tabard. So I find myself in a great ToAU prt today where as once again I am main healer, Which I don't mind one bit as long as peple don't complain of not getting dispel sometimes. Well anyway We had an awesome pty. went from 4 exp into lvl 55 to 9500 exp in less than like 4 hours which to me I found good. I was able to keep refresh, haste, enfeebles and found time to MB a few times. To me an overall sucessful day for me. Anyways during to course of the day I got to thinking of a few Questions I was asking myself as to if there was anything that would make this job better.

The few Things I came up with:

Where is the EnLight and EnDark spells? Wouldn't these be great to have?

Where are the other Spike spells? Ice , Fire and Shock spells are cool but what about the rest of the elemental spikes??

Now I am not sure about this one cause on one side I am greatful for this spell but on the other side I find it doesn't last long enough. Maybe it is what equip I have that causes it to not last as long. I am talking of Stoneskin. I love this spell and always keep it up on me. I just feel that the duration of the buff could be better, Possibly a 2nd teir of this would be sweet . Is there a 2nd teir merit of this??

Anyway, I love playing RDM, and IMO I am quite comfortable with the RDM/WHM role. Yes I have been playing this game for a while (Since 2004) but still in all I find it a fun and fillling role. Maybe you guys may think of me as a noob or bad RDM , but I like playing this role. My only thing is that cause of the combo I find myself helping alot of lower level ppl more often than actual lvling. Which in turn I don't mind, but one thing I never do and I totaly dispise is PLing. I never PL. When I help someone it is either I switch jobs to the lvl they are at or I am doing something for them that needs a higher lvl job. But anyways what is your take on these Qs.

[Feba]

I can't remember exactly why Enlight and Endark aren't available, but the other spike spells are there. Aquaviel, Stoneskin, and Blink. There aren't light/dark defensive armor spells either, though, so it might just be that SE doesn't think we need a light and dark everything (we also don't really have light/dark elemental spells; Banish and Holy doesn't really fit that, and the closest thing to dark would be Drain)

[IfritnoItazura]

There aren't light/dark defensive armor spells either, though, so it might just be that SE doesn't think we need a light and dark everything (we also don't really have light/dark elemental spells; Banish and Holy doesn't really fit that, and the closest thing to dark would be Drain)
Native to RDM,

Defensive:
- Light: Protect, Shell, Phalanx, Barsleep, Barblind
- Dark: (None that I can think of.)

Offensive:
- Light: Dia, Diaga
- Dark: Dispel, Blind, Bio, Sleep

[Saren]

Pretty sure he means barlightra and bardarkra and some light/dark elemental skill based nukes. I would love the first two actually, I could laugh in the face of cursed sphere and the Carby Mitts NM.

[Dahc]

For the purpose of just having then I think that ENlight and ENdark would be cool addition and somewhat more useful than some of the other enspells we have. I understand there are othe spells that may fill these roles, I guess for me just the fact of having them would be cool

I still would love to have like a Stoneskin II

[Saren]

I still would love to have like a Stoneskin II

Rdm doesn't need Stoneskin II >< It would either not be better hp for mp wise and people would complain about getting a junk spell or it would be better and you just buffed the endurance and indestructibility of a job that's arguably one of the most powerful if not the most powerful already in both areas.

[IfritnoItazura]

RDM really doesn't need a thing; for the most part it's welcomed in exp parties, loved in endgame and special fights, and able to solo tough monsters enough to impress even the developers of the game.

Making it better would be making it broken--if it's not already so.

[Dahc]

I do agree that RDM is definately a powerhouse job and very well rounded. Although I have not full delved into the other sub job possibilities Ihave seen them used and look to get into them before going much further. I only wish that I could keep up stoneskin longer and not use up as much MP as I could find better uses for the MP. now at lvl 55 RDM My MP pool is sitting at 445. I am sure it could be alot higher, but Ifind that I am rather effective with what I have. I did see a 75 Rdm just yesterday with only 550 MP pool( needless to say he had crap gear on) so idon't feel to bad for my MP pool. but personally feel that stoneskin could be better. When I do cast it I always use my macro which has my staff equip and grip equip before I cast.

Maybe, as I said before, I need better equipment to help it last longer, but to that posses the question of what else do I need to make it better?

[Saren]

Stoneskin (http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Stoneskin)

Short answer, probably more mind. Caps at 350 damage absorbed which should be enough with the amount of enfeebles you can stick on the mob.

[Dahc]

Ok so I got another Q for you guys. I have rarely revisited the Idea of upgrading my Sword. Currnetly I have the AF Sword Fencing Degen. I only ever use this when I am solo which in and of itself is a rare thing. So just while I am here at work and thinking of it ( can't access Wiki at work) What are some good weapon choices for RDM 55+

[Feba]

Elemental Staffs.

For fun, go with whatever melee weapon you like (at that level, I'd try to pick up a hornetneedle or whatever the hell that 150 Delay dagger is called).

[Dahc]

I definately understand the Elem staffs as I currently have all but Fire and water. But my big Q was for What sword would be good at this lvl.

[Murphie]

Wise Wizard Anelace is pretty much the standard sword for that level range.

[Dahc]

kk ty Murphie

[IfritnoItazura]

While I used Wise Wizard Anelace on PLD, I was very fond of my Royal Guard's Fleuret (http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Royal_Guard%27s_Fleuret) on RDM, for some reason.

Didn't upgrade until Mensur Epee, but that was mostly due to laziness. (Couldn't possibly afford Enhancing Sword... 2 mil on Ifrit. Yeesh.)

[Murphie]

I just don't like epee type weapons. But I suppose it's a perfectly fine choice.

[Mhurron]

Ya, I never liked Epee's either, but the Mensur Epee is too nice to pass up.

[Icemage]

Well here it is now Feb and I finally got to lvl 55. I am wearing some of my AF armor and Ifinally got my Hat today. WOO HOO. All I am lacking is the Tabard. So I find myself in a great ToAU prt today where as once again I am main healer, Which I don't mind one bit as long as peple don't complain of not getting dispel sometimes. Well anyway We had an awesome pty. went from 4 exp into lvl 55 to 9500 exp in less than like 4 hours which to me I found good. I was able to keep refresh, haste, enfeebles and found time to MB a few times. To me an overall sucessful day for me. Anyways during to course of the day I got to thinking of a few Questions I was asking myself as to if there was anything that would make this job better.

9500 XP in four hours is good? Please tell me you at least made it to level 56 and are 9500 XP in. Please? Otherwise, <2500 XP in an hour while partied is abysmal, at any level.

Where is the EnLight and EnDark spells? Wouldn't these be great to have?

Where are the other Spike spells? Ice , Fire and Shock spells are cool but what about the rest of the elemental spikes??

Now I am not sure about this one cause on one side I am greatful for this spell but on the other side I find it doesn't last long enough. Maybe it is what equip I have that causes it to not last as long. I am talking of Stoneskin. I love this spell and always keep it up on me. I just feel that the duration of the buff could be better, Possibly a 2nd teir of this would be sweet . Is there a 2nd teir merit of this??

Anyway, I love playing RDM, and IMO I am quite comfortable with the RDM/WHM role. Yes I have been playing this game for a while (Since 2004) but still in all I find it a fun and fillling role. Maybe you guys may think of me as a noob or bad RDM , but I like playing this role. My only thing is that cause of the combo I find myself helping alot of lower level ppl more often than actual lvling. Which in turn I don't mind, but one thing I never do and I totaly dispise is PLing. I never PL. When I help someone it is either I switch jobs to the lvl they are at or I am doing something for them that needs a higher lvl job. But anyways what is your take on these Qs.
RDM is already on the cusp of "almost too good".

You wouldn't really want any of these things to be added, because Square-Enix would undoubtedly take something else away from RDM to compensate.

Incidentally, to make your Stoneskin last longer, you can use damage-reduction gear like a decent shield (Genbu espeically), Jelly Ring, Cheviot/Umbra Cape as well as the spell Phalanx.


Icemage

[Dahc]

Sorry for the confusion on the lvl yes I got from lvl 55 with 4 exp into lvl 56 9600. we where chaining like crazy. SC and MB were flying. IT was a nice setup we had. We where fighitng lesser colibri that day and pretty much everyone used their Empress band.

[Fynlar]

The RG Fleuret is great if you choose to melee colibri, since it does piercing damage. Otherwise yeah, in most cases, I'd probably use the WW Anelace.

[MrMageo]

If your curious about RDM melee id suggest all the ACC you can muster. Chances are @ lvl 55 your sword or dagger isnt capped, and since you have just come from i assume Kuftal or the like chances are you sword is even less leveled.

(I had to wait till 75 to have a decent opportunity to cap my sword and dagger. The abillity to /NIN and solo crabs for skill ups is great, main hand a dagger and youl never run out of MP)

As much as it hurts me to say this (you dont know how much), you are best off /BLM or /SCH or /WHM and standing on the backline. At these levels you really have nothing to offer via melee, WS skills are laughable at best and lag behind in terms of skill chain partners. Also you will be needing to keep magic skills capped, the lack of your +Skill from AF hurts, and the reliance on the ele.staves is to great.

Once you get Savage Blade and/or Evisceration you offer more to the melee table. Opening a Light or Dark SC then MB'ing off it is a very nice boost to our overall damage. (If parsers could count it). Also by the time you hit this level you wont require staves as much with the amount off M.ACC gear available, and @75 when you begin to merit you will need them less and less outside of certain endgame situations, ie. Gods. At 75 you can begin focusing on meleeing more as you can merit your downfalls in MACC, Sword/Dagger skills, becoming even more well rounded and versatile.

Long story short
1-30- Melee/backline
30-75- Backline it (Hurts to say but its more effective for you then melee time)
75- Melee,Backline,Tank,Kite- whatever situation arises you can effectivley preform it

[Dahc]

Ok so I got a new Q for you guys, I hit lvl 59 RDM today and should be 60 come this weekend. My question is , until I get acess to dynamis should I stick to my AF armor or should I be looking to upgrade right after I get 60?

Right now this is my load out:

Sword: Wise Wizard Analace
Shield: Hard Shield
Staffs: all NQ elemental staffs
Ammo: Morion Thalum
Neck: Beak necklace
Waist: powerful rope
Earring: Insomnia Earring
Earring: Antivenom Earring
Ring: Electrum ring
Ring: Ether Ring
full AF armor ( hat I have in inventory currently no Head slot equipped)

Wondering if what I got would sustain me through lvl 65 or so until I get to upgrading to Duelist gear

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Entry requirement is 65 for Dynamis, if I recall correctly. In most cases, people prefer you do Dynamis as a 75 job, though some exceptions are made for mages.

Best stuff in the 60s is mostly accessories. Enfeebling and Elemental Torques are particularly good. 70s errant set serves most mages well for entry-level endgame gear.

[Dahc]

hmm ok that's good info to know, I hear about it all the time but never really got solid info on dynamis

[MrMageo]

personally I still wear my AF at 75 over the rest of the stuff available (usually just macro'd in for spells). Its a nice rounded set to go with a nicely rounded job. AFv2 from dyna takes a while to get. Most shells run of point system for lots and each peice you recive reset you the bottom of the list to keep things fair. I have been doing dyna for a while now and still have not received my full set.

The AF set will fit you comortably till you retire from the game, IMO it is one of the best AF sets in the game stat wise for any job. The other gear available to you is just Icing on the cake, not 100% required but good to have. The Hands and Feet are a little lacking but they offer fair MP boosts as well as shield and parry skill which is nice to have since we lack in those skills.

Gear is personal prefrence really after AF, there is always something that will be better for a certain situation, But overall AF is a very strong choice in terms of gear.

[IfritnoItazura]

Don't try to enter Dynamis at Lv.65.

You won't be able to sleep things consistently at that level, if at all. (Crowd control is my first and most important duty in Dynamis as a RDM, which is 90% about sleeping monsters.) You'd likely to get clobbered by any AoE, too, and run out of MP fast if you attempt to main cure any party inside.

* * *

For exp'ing at Lv.60-ish (assuming back line RDM):

Warlock's Chapeau: Full-time, unless looking to up Convert's MP return with a hairpin or something. (Probably not worth the trouble/macro space.)

Warlock's Tabard: Full-time, unless it's swapped out for Glamor Jupon for Dark Magic or Enhancing Magic skill. Optional swaps for Convert: Lv.59 Black Cotehardie (is this even worth the trouble?), Lv.69 Blue Cotehardie. The real must have addition is at Lv.72, Errant Houppelande, for hMP and MND (mostly Stoneskin use).

Warlock's Gloves: Probably can leave this in the Mog House; check your RSE's stats. Whatever you end up using, should add Errant Cuffs at Lv.72.

Warlock's Tights: Macro piece for Bar- spells and MND spells. RSE probably has better MP for Convert, and for offensive INT spells there's the affordable Magic Cuisses. Magic Cuisses gets replaced at Lv.72 by Errant Slops.

Warlock's Boots: Unimpressive, but wearable; MP+11 isn't exactly a bad thing. Is there anything great and easy to get for this slot? Mithra has the not-exactly-inexpensive Lv.62 River Gaiters, but not sure what the others get. The Lv.72 Errant Pigaches may or may not be an upgrade to get.

In summary:
Red Mage should be using Head, Body, and Legs from the Artifact set forever, though Legs is really macro only. Will want some of the Errant pieces at Lv.72, but they argument, not replace the AF set. Look at RSEs (both low and mid levels sets) as inspiration for Hands and Feet slots.

Don't overlook opportunities to increase the MP return from Convert, but don't go too crazy, either.

[Murphie]

I used Mannequin Pumps (http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Mannequin_Pumps) as a Taru. Just a small upgrade from Warlock's Boots, but it worked for me. But you might prefer the Wood M Ledelsens (http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Wood_M_Ledelsens) mentioned above.

[Mhurron]

Red Mage should be using Head, Body, and Legs from the Artifact set forever, though Legs is really macro only
As is the body, eventually. Around lvl73, (with current ToAU mobs) you probably won't 'need' the +15 enfeebling skill on the body to land enfeebles. In those cases you would want to use errant almost full time, which is what I personally do.

Now if you go and EXP/Merit or generally go killing IT mobs again, well, you might be wearing the Tabard a lot more in those parties.

[Pteryx]

As is the body, eventually. Around lvl73, (with current ToAU mobs) you probably won't 'need' the +15 enfeebling skill on the body to land enfeebles. In those cases you would want to use errant almost full time, which is what I personally do.

I'd have to disagree here. Imps are a pain and a half to land anything on (not that you'll be trying to land much). It took me an Enfeebling merit and a wind acc merit before I could land Silence on them at a halfway decent rate even with my Tabard and MND gear.

For colibri, though, you may have a point. Who in their right mind debuffs non-lesser colibri? -- Pteryx

[IfritnoItazura]

Who in their right mind debuffs non-lesser colibri? -- Pteryx

Me! And, I'm in the right mind, I think.

Not too useful for merit parties (besides Dia II), but when the tank is still only Lv.72 or so, a little bit of enfeebling magic is good even when fighting Greater Colibri.

- Dia II: always nice. Just Erase if it lands on anyone but the RDM. (If lands on RDM, Stoneskin will take care of it.)
- Slow I: perfectly safe, if both yourself and the tank have Haste.
- Paralyze: NIN tank only, and do it fast before they lose Copy Images, since this will take one. (Paralyna RDM if get hit through Blink.)
- Blind: NIN have Utsusemi to take care of it, and PLDs would barely notice it if it lands on them, and easy enough for a RDM/WHM to fix. If it bounce back to RDM? Who cares?

Generally speaking, if enfeebling, don't do more than two with NIN tanks since each may take a copy image from them, and no Paralyze with PLD tanks just to play it safe.

[MrMageo]

ya i generally only go dia,slow, and a blind 2 ocassionally in the colibri parties. But i prefer to go /BLM and occaisionally /DNC, (no real reason its just what ive always done). I can over right slow with haste and usually only dia the mobs to wake them up before the party moves to kill them, so it hits me 95% of the time first.

[IfritnoItazura]

usually only dia the mobs to wake them up before the party moves to kill them, so it hits me 95% of the time first.
Don't need a RDM to wake up critters, if it's a full throttle merit party on Greater Colibri.

The first provoker would disengage before critter is dead after the DDs start WS'ing, and start working on the next Colibri--that will wake it up. The rest of DDs would point themselves in the right direction so they auto-target the next bird after the current one is done, and run to it with weapons still drawn.

Just land the Dia II after the tank provokes and engages, but before the DD's start flailing away, and it's fine.

* * *

Dia before Provoke and the bird will probably go chase after the poor BRD--you don't want your BRD to call GM on you for MPK, do you? :rofl:

[MrMageo]

I always sleep the Birds regardless of puller, I feel safer with sleep 2, so if he comes at anyone its me >.>, another saftey net for myself easier to worry about me then a BRD who may be off pulling.

[Vevau]

I went for the Royal Guard's Fleuret, but then my sword skill was fairly behind at that level and I was going to Kuftal with one of my shell's PLD so I needed all the cheap Accuracy I could get.