Is Elvaan Red Mage a good job and race?

[SlayerX]

is this a good starting character?

[Sairah]

I love my elvaan red mage so far but she's only lvl 13

[Beener]

Honestly, I don't think so.

My redmage is a hume, and sometimes i sweat over low MP and Humes have the second best MP in the game.

Elvaan have more MP than only Galka, and most Elvaan mages I've partied with in general have run out of MP in the middle of a fight more often than I like to see.

Also, the higher your redmage gets, the worse their melee skills get, so the one pro of elf redmage is negated (high str).

[tonka]

If you're going to be an Elvaan mage, i think redmage is best. The elvaan benefits of high HP, STR, and MND benefit the red mage most.

If you just want the best red mage i think taru or mithra/hume are better for more MP.

[Discordian]

Yes the Hume and tar races do make the better rdm. However the mithra rdm has a little bit of a stat boost as well. I have plans to get my bow skill up when I start working up ranger. That way I can use a bow as well. If a mithra runs out of spells then you are left with melee, how about a bowto use with that better dex? I've noticed that my melee isn't going as far anymore. Since level 33 its been sliding fast, it could be the difficulty of creatures that we've been fighting but its still there.

I have read that mithra get stuck in a stereotype loop where they only make good thieves or rangers. I don't know about that. Really, they are almost the same as hume, just a couple stats are offset a bit. Better looking too

Back to the original topic. Elvaan will be easier to level until about level 32, then I think the sword starts to lose value quickly since you start throwing attack spells because you can't hit very often with the sword. I'll try equiping a bunch of dex enhancers but I think that in the end, the sword is in vain.

[BlueFire]

I really wish I wouldn't have picked an Elvaan for my RDM. The MP disadvantage is horrid. I was new, and had no idea of the MP disadvantages. But, I guess I'll have to see it through to the end, since there is no way I would start a new character and delete my hard work.

[Jei]

The NPC Redmage you follow his story for your AF quest, is an Elvaan :E that tells something eh *wink wink*

they looks cool and do fine. no worry

[Plenum]

i think tarutarus are so cute and so cool! tarutarus are the best mages but you gotta watch out casue you'll have tiny bits of life. but thats okay ina good team the whm will heal you and the warrios will provke !

[Discordian]

I'm not a fan of the tantaru or the galka and my reason is that if pretty much over specialize yourself into being a mage or a warrior. If you want to suddenly go place something else, you have already gimped yourself in a couple aspects making it harder for you to advance in some jobs.

[vulcan4d]

I'm an Elvaan RDM. Even though I'm still early on in the game I havn't had any problems. Being able to attack and cure at the same time is great for times you can't get into groups. You'd appreciate the extra HP you get being an Elvaan when playing solo. RDM already get less HP then any melee only job like WAR, so being an Elvaan RDM makes sense.

It all comes down to enjoying the game pretty much. Just ask any Taru with a melee job like WAR .

[Patchinko]

Taru WAR is horrible. Being one has only made me MORE prejudiced against having them in my PTs. :p

As for Elvaan mages in general... they're a possibility, but you can do a lot better. If you are dead set against being a Taru (prejudiced ), Hume is by far your best choice. I've been in one too many parties where the Elvaan WHM runs out of MP and I have to cover for him or her.

However, the scenario may be different for Elvaan RDM, which is perhaps why they're more common than Elvaan WHM, since the RDM can be relatively effective at melee for about 20 levels, and Elvaan exceed at just that. I would imagine it's a rocky ten or twenty levels after that, but after a certain point the MP would be high enough to make up for it.

I can't speak from experience, but there's a fair number of higher level Elvaan RDM who can vouch that's it a very viable combination. Also, if you think you're going to be interested in melee classes later on, it'd be a good choice to go Elvaan. If you're hardcore for RDM, though, Hume or Taru are the way to go.

Also, you won't be soloing enough for the extra HP you have as an Elvaan to matter. The key to mage classes is MP, not HP, RDM included.

Just don't be a Galka. There's an infamous Galka WHM on Ragnarok who couldn't cast raise after he bought it because his maximum MP wasn't high enough.

[Discordian]

The Taru WAR argument is the one that I use when I tell someone.
Me: "Sure, play a Galka mage. Its game. Have fun"

Them: Then come the comments about lack of MP ect ect.

Me: "So what about that Taru DRK?"

Them: "He's cool, as long as he doesn't get hit he's fine. He's doing his job but if the galka runs out then he's not doing his"

Me: "Invalid argument, I've raised him twice!"

Anyway the way I see it you have five races.

Galka, Elvaan, Hume, Mithra, Tantaru
Melee x x x x NO
Mage NO x x x x

That little thought process make the middle three classes very preffereable for whatever job/subjob combo you come up with.

[Patchinko]

Actually, I can't agree, since you used DRK as the example. DRK isn't supposed to be taking hits anyhow, and his base defense is so pathetic anyhow, race hardly matters. A Taru DRK can take about one hit less than an Elvaan DRK (speaking from experience :spin: ) against ITs. It's not ideal, but it's not out of the question like a Galka WHM who doesn't even have enough MP at lvl25 to cast Raise once!

However, because taking hate and hits are the most important part of WAR and especially PLD, these two jobs are all but forbidden. A Taru PLD is comparable to a Galka WHM. :spin: A Taru WAR is a pipe dream since he deals damage well and is fast, but can't take damage well enough to make him a good enough tank.

[Zempten]

I'm a 33 RDM/ 16 BLM

I don't find MP a problem and this is before I even have Refresh.

Here is my view on it (not saying it is superior or anything just the way I see things): MP is not a problem because your not the main healer - your doing a variety of stuff : backup healing , enfeebling, nuking for MB....etc. Currently I'm at 239 MP but this is with some crappy armor. I know I can boast that to up to 260+ by getting some more armor if I wanted my MP that bad. THe downside about this is you have to work hard for the gil for the items ( They range from 50k to 60k a piece ). Later on you get Refresh, Convert ( use Regen to help get the HP back converted to MP), Clear Mind, and 20 BLM ability to have spells cost less to cast. So there isn't really a problem with having your RDM be a elvaan or anything if you ask me.

This is how i see it - perhaps it is flawed? Possibly - but I'm loving my RDM and I'll stick with it

[Rekiem]

I would think that Elvaan can make great RDM past level 41. Reason is because of Refresh and the use of MP.

I mean, think about it, whats the point of having alot of MP like Taru? It just take more time to recover anyway.

Another thing is Refresh. This spell is gold. Combined with Bard Mage Ballad song, its almost like having infinite MP so theres no point in having all those MP. Had Convert with this and MP shouldn't be a problem.

So, in the end, why would a Taru be a better RDM than an Elvaan?