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Re: RDM Advice Needed!!
Regarding using whm sub: http://www.ffxionline.com/forums/sho...327#post473327
Regarding using whm sub: http://www.ffxionline.com/forums/sho...327#post473327
Originally posted by Taskmage
A broken year of play later, here's what I've learned. Vets probably won't get anything out of this, but new rdms can take this as a mini-guide on what to sub when and why.
I used whm as my sub as I planned up until level 34. From 10-23 I feel it is definately the superior choice. I did a lot of my early leveling in the Maze of Shakhrami hunting worms, so naturally having Barstonra in the party was a must. In the Dunes, a 12rdm/6whm can make a party possible if no white mage is available, since Poisona is such a must against lizards, but the whm sub really shines at 14 when rdm gets Cure II naturally and the sub gives Protectra. From this point forward a rdm/whm can fully replace a whm against most exp mobs. The first exceptions you'll find are Damselflies and Gobs. These guys have nasty AoE attacks that seriously extend your downtime without the convenience of Divine Seal+Curaga. If you're unlucky enough to see 3 or more Cursed Sphere or Bomb Toss in the same fight ... rdm has no tools to ensure the safety of everyone else in the party in that unfortunate situation.
In the mid-20s things get less clear cut. Level 24 presents the first real reason you might want to start subbing blm: Drain. Drain is a pretty MP efficient damage spell with the added benefit of healing you for the amount of damage it does and raising your probably neglected dark magic skill. Especially at later levels this is an immensely powerful soloing tool, so you might as well start training it now.
At 25 all the white mages around you will get Raise, which will drop your desirability as a main healer considerably, but you can still work as one quite effectively as long as you don't let anyone die. You weren't going to do that anyway, right? Protectra is as good as it gets right now and Barwatera will occasionally dull the death-dealing capacity of the dreaded Screwdriver. Since you're still probably fighting on the front lines at this point, there's no reason you can't save the whm the trouble of running up and casting those spells.
At 27 a full-fledged whm will get Protectra II, while only Protect II will be available to you. This is really just enough of a disadvantage to be a nuisance. If your party has 2 members that regularly get hate, it's still easy enough to keep them Protected but it'll cost you twice as much MP and a little more attention. If your party isn't that good at controlling hate and more people regularly get hit, well ... sucks for you.
26-33 in Elshimo presents few new choices. At 32 you will finally gain the ability to do DS+Curaga, just after whms get Curaga II. Generally the former is still adequate and the latter is a waste of MP at this point. Goblin Smithy are another exception to rdms being just as good main healers as whms, since whms will have Barfira in addition to DS+Curaga, and you won't get either until you're about ready to leave the jungle.
From 34 on I used blm sub almost exclusively. Why? Warp. This spell is just too convenient. Against beetles, which will likely be over half of your leveling fodder for at least the next 20 levels, the status curing, group healing, and element shielding abilities that whm sub affords are useless, so go with your personal preference. Nowadays there are alternatives to subbing blm for Warp, but why pay 1k per charge of a Warp Cudgel when you can get it for free without impairing your party?
Frost at 44 is worth noting. If you're subbing blm and don't have a blm in your party (or don't have one that knows to use it), it'll be your job to keep this on the mob. Frost does slip damage and lowers agility, meaning the mob will dodge less and your pt members will hit more consistently. Better accuracy means better damage and also faster tp, which translates into more skillchains and more opportunities to MB for you. Of the elemental debuffs, this is widely regarded as the most useful in terms of boosting party effectiveness.
Some exceptions:
If you get a rare party that fights Gazers in Eldieme, bring whm sub. Three reasons. 1) It's vitally important to keep these mobs Silenced at all times. The extra bit of MND you get from /whm will help that some. 2) Inevitably Silence will get resisted at a bad time at least once, and something nasty like Thundaga will sneak through. When that happens, DS+Curaga is a chain saver. 3) About 50% of the time, they will use the WS Hex Eye. This inflicts extremely strong paralysis. It's very hard for a tank to maintain hate when thier vokes and Cures keep getting interrupted by para, so heal it asap.
Crawler poison is a terrible annoyance. If nobody else in your pt has whm sub, bring it for Poisona. CN is a short walk from Jeuno anyway.
When you get up to fighting Antica, use whm sub. Like the Gazers, these guys need to be kept Silenced and have nasty AoE. Their WSes are even worse than the Gazers' because they do nasty AoE damage AND a nasty status effect (Blind or Silence).
---
I've only gotten to level 48rdm, so this is as far as I can advise based on experience. Based on my time as blm and whm, I'd say the utility of Aspir and Escape will probably keep me using /blm in the majority of experience parties, though I could see switching to /whm against certain mobs for Cursna, Erase, and other status cures.
I used whm as my sub as I planned up until level 34. From 10-23 I feel it is definately the superior choice. I did a lot of my early leveling in the Maze of Shakhrami hunting worms, so naturally having Barstonra in the party was a must. In the Dunes, a 12rdm/6whm can make a party possible if no white mage is available, since Poisona is such a must against lizards, but the whm sub really shines at 14 when rdm gets Cure II naturally and the sub gives Protectra. From this point forward a rdm/whm can fully replace a whm against most exp mobs. The first exceptions you'll find are Damselflies and Gobs. These guys have nasty AoE attacks that seriously extend your downtime without the convenience of Divine Seal+Curaga. If you're unlucky enough to see 3 or more Cursed Sphere or Bomb Toss in the same fight ... rdm has no tools to ensure the safety of everyone else in the party in that unfortunate situation.
In the mid-20s things get less clear cut. Level 24 presents the first real reason you might want to start subbing blm: Drain. Drain is a pretty MP efficient damage spell with the added benefit of healing you for the amount of damage it does and raising your probably neglected dark magic skill. Especially at later levels this is an immensely powerful soloing tool, so you might as well start training it now.
At 25 all the white mages around you will get Raise, which will drop your desirability as a main healer considerably, but you can still work as one quite effectively as long as you don't let anyone die. You weren't going to do that anyway, right? Protectra is as good as it gets right now and Barwatera will occasionally dull the death-dealing capacity of the dreaded Screwdriver. Since you're still probably fighting on the front lines at this point, there's no reason you can't save the whm the trouble of running up and casting those spells.
At 27 a full-fledged whm will get Protectra II, while only Protect II will be available to you. This is really just enough of a disadvantage to be a nuisance. If your party has 2 members that regularly get hate, it's still easy enough to keep them Protected but it'll cost you twice as much MP and a little more attention. If your party isn't that good at controlling hate and more people regularly get hit, well ... sucks for you.
26-33 in Elshimo presents few new choices. At 32 you will finally gain the ability to do DS+Curaga, just after whms get Curaga II. Generally the former is still adequate and the latter is a waste of MP at this point. Goblin Smithy are another exception to rdms being just as good main healers as whms, since whms will have Barfira in addition to DS+Curaga, and you won't get either until you're about ready to leave the jungle.
From 34 on I used blm sub almost exclusively. Why? Warp. This spell is just too convenient. Against beetles, which will likely be over half of your leveling fodder for at least the next 20 levels, the status curing, group healing, and element shielding abilities that whm sub affords are useless, so go with your personal preference. Nowadays there are alternatives to subbing blm for Warp, but why pay 1k per charge of a Warp Cudgel when you can get it for free without impairing your party?
Frost at 44 is worth noting. If you're subbing blm and don't have a blm in your party (or don't have one that knows to use it), it'll be your job to keep this on the mob. Frost does slip damage and lowers agility, meaning the mob will dodge less and your pt members will hit more consistently. Better accuracy means better damage and also faster tp, which translates into more skillchains and more opportunities to MB for you. Of the elemental debuffs, this is widely regarded as the most useful in terms of boosting party effectiveness.
Some exceptions:
If you get a rare party that fights Gazers in Eldieme, bring whm sub. Three reasons. 1) It's vitally important to keep these mobs Silenced at all times. The extra bit of MND you get from /whm will help that some. 2) Inevitably Silence will get resisted at a bad time at least once, and something nasty like Thundaga will sneak through. When that happens, DS+Curaga is a chain saver. 3) About 50% of the time, they will use the WS Hex Eye. This inflicts extremely strong paralysis. It's very hard for a tank to maintain hate when thier vokes and Cures keep getting interrupted by para, so heal it asap.
Crawler poison is a terrible annoyance. If nobody else in your pt has whm sub, bring it for Poisona. CN is a short walk from Jeuno anyway.
When you get up to fighting Antica, use whm sub. Like the Gazers, these guys need to be kept Silenced and have nasty AoE. Their WSes are even worse than the Gazers' because they do nasty AoE damage AND a nasty status effect (Blind or Silence).
---
I've only gotten to level 48rdm, so this is as far as I can advise based on experience. Based on my time as blm and whm, I'd say the utility of Aspir and Escape will probably keep me using /blm in the majority of experience parties, though I could see switching to /whm against certain mobs for Cursna, Erase, and other status cures.
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