new to game, picked RDM

[Tsingtao]

Re: new to game, picked RDM

The reason many players (particularly tanks) don't like low damage jobs melling is it gives the mobs TP. So you may speed up the kill slighty but you'll defintely add to the curing burden as the mob repeatedly TP moves your tank.

As people have said Pre 30 RDM damage is ok not amazing but ok. When you first gain enspells this picks up for a while then tails off dramatically after 30. What I always remember is a quote from one RDM I knew (now retired), it say red MAGE not red WARRIOR what do you think you're supposed to do?

[ItazuraNhomango]

Re: new to game, picked RDM

If the party is really lacking on damage, RDM melee'ing with appropriate gear and weapon and en- spell can probably still make a significant contribution in the 30's. (You'll have to worry about both accuracy and attack, of course.) Keep in mind two things though:

1. A party which needs significant damage from its RDM is usually a badly set up and unbalanced party. It may be better to politely extract yourself from such situations than swing your sword for long battles and little experience points.

2. Instead of using precious inventory space for lot's of melee gear, you're better off in 99% of conventional parties carrying MP and MND/INT gear to macro swap around. Any left over space can be devoted to juices (and ingredients for juices, if you have the cooking skill) before Convert and Refresh.

In the end it's all about balance and trade off's; it's not just about what you gain, but what you lose for the gain. Think carefully before you decide whether you want to melee or not.

• Use Battle Gloves for accuracy, and you may lose out on RSE's for MP or gloves with MND.
• Republic Sword for attack and accuracy and you lose out on wands with MND and INT.
• Eat attack food and then you lose out on MP boost food, healing MP food, and/or MND/INT boost food.
• Attacking mobs up front means you can get hit with AoE damage/sleep/stun attacks while giving monsters more TP to do those attacks, and may lose time to cast important spells or worse--become an MP sponge.

Red Mages have choices, but in conventional parties, melee'ing is usually the wrong choice--not because it's we're completely hopeless in damage department (up to Lv.30's anyway), but because there are usually better choices--stand back and enfeeb, heal, and MB damage or more enfeebling spells, resting for MP, etc.

If you're solo'ing, of course, by all means deck out yourself however you see fit, and swing that sword whenever you wish.

[tdh]

Re: new to game, picked RDM

You're kidding right? Has the perspective on a rdm's meleeing ability become so skewed that they're expected to put their swords down as soon as they start to party?

A rdm can easily continue to melee into the 30s without any difficulty casting spells, just don't waste mp on pointless things (poison on crabs/fish, nuking other than MBs, unneeded barspells* etc.). I don't want to start the whole rdm meleeing in parties debate again but seriously, pre-30 there is barely any difference in melee jobs stats and a rdm can hit just as hard as most jobs. Just remember to rest when you need mp rather than saving tp.

*I'm not saying don't buy the spells just only use them if the situation requires it.

As you see in my post, I said that RDMs ~can~ melee. I didn't say anything suggesting that they should never melee again past Lv.10. But there will be parties that will tell you to stop meleeing, and they should be prepared for that.

Sword with Enthunder can do decent damage, but they're also feeding more and more TP into mobs. Fighting Crabs this could mean a fight that includes a Stoneskin, Def UP, and AoE STR Down in the same fight. How about Pugils? How many Screwdrivers can a tank take at these levels? Mandy's do a damn Dream Flower when there are only 3 people feeding the mob TP, add another 10%TP a hit from a RDM's Sword now sleeps one of the people charged with waking up everybody.

I would have liked to melee a lot more in my career, but in the 20's is where they're most likely going to put their Sword away, and spend down time /healing.

I meleed up to Lv.28 back when RDMs meleeing wasn't quite as uncommon, and wasn't so frowned upon yet. I stopped because I was too busy doing other things, and all my equipment swaps just didn't make it worth it any more. That added to there are people who maintain that a RDM should never melee in their party careers ever.

[Icemage]

Re: new to game, picked RDM

I started playing RDM/BRD around level 12 and still found some time to melee up until Kazham, at which point neither Mandragora or Goblins are good to melee (Dream Flower, Scream, Bomb Toss).

My melee damage, on the occasions when I landed hits, wasn't bad, but Enspell damage was pretty iffy against IT enemies even with capped Enhancing Magic (from my WHM75 job). Something like 5-6 damage on a good day with a bit of luck, tending towards 2 or 3 average. I didn't find Enspells to add significantly to my contribution, so eventually just saved the MP for Regens instead and saved the casting time to use Madrigal or Paeon.


Icemage

[nazlfrag]

Re: new to game, picked RDM

Just on the equipment topic..

Yew Wand +1? Is that +1 INT/MND really worth the difference in gil?
(Yew Wand - about 3000 gil. Yew Wand +1 - about 50,000 gil. <No thanks!>)

If you plan to stick with a mage job, this weapon is great from 18-31 for whm, blm, rdm and smn. You will get a lot of use from it for your investment, but only if you plan to take one of these jobs past 60. I will always keep mine even if just for any level 20 or 30 caps.