starting rdm

[xXx]

planning to start a rdm..need tips.
well i play a rng now using lotsa money on ammo etc but i can farm out the money for spell...from what i've seen all rdm do in high lv party(60+) is refresh..debuff heal and maybe nuke a few time..but what do you do during low lv? do you melee(most people call melee rdm stupid but i've seen ok dmg coming from them with en-yada) so any tip of lving this class would be good =) i dont like the feel of being a refresh whore all day long in pt...get me interested in the class please!

[neighbortaru]

Re: starting rdm

if you're gonna insist on meleeing like a half-wit, then stop before you start.

as for what you do low levels, pretty much the same thing minus refresh.

[Jei]

Re: starting rdm

From a PT leader point of view.
Before 32, I invite Rdm for cure. 32, add dispel to the list. 40-41 refresh.
enfeeble's always there.

some more detailed posts here
http://www.ffxionline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49021

[xXx]

Re: starting rdm

i ask if anyone melee...well i didnt think i said it clearly enough..but what i ment was do you melee during low lv to make up for when your not refreshing at later lv? like 10-25 or so?

Double Post Edited:
doh i didnt see that jei..thx tho!

[Jei]

Re: starting rdm

for meleeing, it's really situational. You have to use your own judgement when you can melee without slowing down your group. Seeing you're 60+, you might have a good idea how a bad Rdm plays as oppose to the good ones already.

Keep in mind tho, no PT invite Rdm for their melee. PT invites Rdm for their spell. Being able to use sword is like a luxury toy that if not played right, will only spoil you.

[Taskmage]

Re: starting rdm

I melee unless a) the mob has a nasty AoE I want to avoid, b) there is a bard in the party, c) I'm the main healer, or d) the party has a prejudice against rdm meleeing. Between those 4 conditions I almost never melee in exp parties.

At lower levels your damage isn't bad. As you level up your damage and hit rate will drop off and you'll gain new spells and roles in the party which will give you less time to take swings.

To answer the original post, rdm basically do everything as you mentioned. Refresh or dispel may be the primary reason you get invited to parties, but that's far from the extent of your capabilities. Rdm enfeebles, refreshes, and spends the rest of the time taking care of whatever the party needs. If the healer is falling behind, throw in some cures. If the pt's damage is weak, nuke more. If need be a rdm can take over the role of a whm or blm. Basically it will be your job to use your wide range of capabilities to make sure the pt is as efficient as possible.

[TheGrandMom]

Re: starting rdm

On my mithra, elvaan, and hume rdm's I melee'd from 1-40 in MOST pt's. There were pt's where I did not because I was needed as main healer or there was a nasty aoe. But on my taru, I never melee'd. 80% of the time I was the main healer, so it really wasn't a good idea. But when it comes to melee'ing in a pt in the lower lvls, ask your pt if they mind, find out if your going to be main healer, and know if the mob does nasty aoe's.

Post refresh, you'll be far too busy casting to be melee'ing. Don't bother lvling rdm if you absolutely need to melee till lvl 75. You'll get a lot more grief from people than its worth.

[neighbortaru]

Re: starting rdm

Post refresh, you'll be far too busy casting to be melee'ing. Don't bother lvling rdm if you absolutely need to melee till lvl 75. You'll cause other people a lot more grief than its worth.

fixed it for ya

[:+:Pal[A]diN:+:]

Re: starting rdm

I know that growing up as a young RDM I probably would melee alot , toss on En- Thunder and whack away, but after you get Refresh you become a little bit more busy and your melee attacks are hardly noticable per battle. Later post Refresh you end up switching between so much different gear to better the spells you are casting, where macros get kind of complicated by switching your equipment setup to the corosponding element you are casting. There is nothing wrong with melee if you can do everything else you are supposed to do - enfeeble, dispel, refresh, all that other good stuff and keep up with it, and a key point here - DON'T melee when you fight mobs that have nasty AOE spells and or attacks or that you would give them unnessesary TP to aid the monsters attacks that could be fatal to you or the party and that can cause unnesesary downtime from more damage that is recieved by the group. I personally stopped melee after I got refresh just for the sole reason you get so busy, always switching out different elemental weapons you can't just hack and slash with your sword you would be switching therefore losing TP, so melee for a RDM is questionable but doable if you can keep up the party EXP.

[Taskmage]

Re: starting rdm

The issue of mob tp is unclear. People have come back with data both proving and disproving the idea that mobs will do more or worse skills if a rdm is adding melee attacks. If you believe it then don't ever melee because Hell Bats are about the only mob whose special attacks don't have that much impact on a pt's ability to chain.

[Hyrist]

Re: starting rdm

Earlier levels, up till about 40's its ok to melee. After that your preformance really tapers off damage wise, and its much, much easier and politically correct to just stand back at that point and cast.

If you really are die hard about rdm meleeing, remember your casting comes first, and do your homework, its a long , slow and hard road to do it right, which is why most people will tell you dont bother. Because, quite simply, it is very rare for a meleeing rdm to get it right.

[tdh]

Re: starting rdm

I melee'd up to about Lv.30. But I wasn't really that serious about it once I entered the Jungles. At that point I was doing a lot of equipment swapping and was losing TP every two seconds. I drew my weapon, but in some instances never really got a chance to hit the mob. And I never had TP to use.

I hear how people think RDMs meleeing are just idiotic, and a number of other opinions. I think up to about Lv.32 you can still Melee and do your Enfeebling and back up Cure Monkey work, but you should not allow your Meleeing to effect your other more important duties.

In Valkrum Dunes, I meleed because there were hardly enough people to build a decent party, so all the damange delt was damage needed.

[Sepukku]

Re: starting rdm

1. Do not melee after Mandagora Jungle. ><;;
2. Do not melee after Mandagora Jungle. ><;;
3. Do not melee after Mandagora Jungle. ><;;
4. Do not melee after Mandagora Jungle. ><;;
5. Do not melee after Mandagora Jungle. ><;;
6. Do not melee after Mandagora Jungle. ><;;
7. Do not melee after Mandagora Jungle. ><;;
8. Do not melee after Mandagora Jungle. ><;;
9. Don't skimp out on buying Dispel or your elemental staffs (I know thats the incorrect plural)
10. Do not melee after Mandagora Jungle. ><;;

And one last thing: DO NOT MELEE AFTER MANDAGORA JUNGLE.
Oh, and while XPing on Goblins (Valkrum 10-13, Valkrum 16-19, Lower Delkfutts Tower 22-24, Yuthunga Jungle 26-27, Yhoator Jungle 29-32) DO NOT MELEE. Come to think of it, dont melee at all, considering the other mobs you XP on also has AoEs you need to avoid (Damselflys = AoE Wind Damage, Lizards = AoE Fire, Pugils = AoE Water, Sheep = AoE Sleep, Mandagoras = AoE Sleep....And no your barspells wont help on IT mobs).