Equipment Dilemma for a low level RDM

[Clever Ninja]

My RDM is getting very close to 30, I can prolly hit 27 or 28 today if the jungles aren't too pack. I was real excited about 29 until I noticed one thing; RDM can't wear Seers ;_;. I have this set aside already for when I level WHM, BLM and in the Future SMN, so I didn't notice it. So basically I'm curious as to what I should use for the 30's now. My general ideas for a few peices are as follows;

Weapon: Have a Yew Wand +1 at the moment for healing/nuking, will probably buy a Centurion's sword on my Galka with CP for when I start soloing at 33.
Neck: Justice Badge, not in a rush to upgrade to Holy Phial.
Body: Hume RSE Body
Hands: Zealot/Devotee's Mitt for healing, and I swap in Battle Gloves for int based spells.
Waist: Friar's Rope atm
Pants: Hume RSE Pants
Feet: Hume RSE Boots
Rings: +2MND or +2INT rings
Earrings: Nothing

The Hume RSE stuff is actually great for mages so it's not an issue, but I'm using the RSE Body by default. My biggest issue is the earrings slot since they've been empty forever, and I'm not sure if there's anything better than the Hume RSE Body since when I get it I'm just gonna use it since it's better than most of the common pieces.

[Karinya]

Re: Equipment Dilemma for a low level RDM

The first really useful earring for RDM (IMO) is the cunning earring at 29, from a quest in San d'Oria (requires CoP expansion, but no particular mission progress as far as I know). Morion earring is ok if it's affordable on your server, but if it's expensive it won't really hurt to skip it. Subjob and ENM skill earrings are probably going to be out of your price range. So there isn't much you can practically do with the ear slots until 47, the rare/ex Moldavite Earring (you'll need some friends to help you kill Mysticmaker Profblix).

As for body, I think I was using centurion's scale; there isn't anything with useful magic stats (aside from seer's) until tactician magician's coat at 50, IIRC.

You might want to look into picking up a Pilgrim's Wand for resting if you don't have one already. Faster MP recovery is very nice, and it's a low level NM that isn't camped much (since the drop is rare/ex).

[Murphie]

Re: Equipment Dilemma for a low level RDM

Most of your gear is just fine, really. There isn't a lot for a RDM in that level range, so you have to catch as catch can most of the time.

I wouldn't bother with the Centurian Scale Mail. It provides no real benefit to a RDM in a party situation. Your RSE should be fine for any MND based spells. It does have a -1 to INT, so if you wanted to, you could macro it out for those spells. At level 35 you could upgrade to a Bishop's Robe, or wait until 38 for a Mage's Robe.

[Clever Ninja]

Re: Equipment Dilemma for a low level RDM

Hmm, wasn't aware of the Cunning Earring thing. I'll have to pick the quest up when I go to Ghelbsa Outpost for part of my Bastok 2-3 Mission and just make a quick stop at the fort to save time. Morions run around 60k on Hades, so while I DO have the funds to buy it(got like 300k between my two characters), I don't feel that 60k at this level for +1 INT is a big deal.

[Saren]

Re: Equipment Dilemma for a low level RDM

http://ffxi.somepage.com/itemdb/advanced.php

This page is great, you can filter for level range, job, slot, rare, ex, effect (you can put stats you want boosting from the equipment in that box too) etc, very helpful if you are looking for gear and want to know all your options. I don't know anything about CoP because I haven't touched it yet but those skill + earrings at 35 look really nice for enfeebling and nuking if you can get them.

[Murphie]

Re: Equipment Dilemma for a low level RDM

http://ffxi.somepage.com/itemdb/advanced.php

This page is great, you can filter for level range, job, slot, rare, ex, effect (you can put stats you want boosting from the equipment in that box too) etc, very helpful if you are looking for gear and want to know all your options. I don't know anything about CoP because I haven't touched it yet but those skill + earrings at 35 look really nice for enfeebling and nuking if you can get them.

Based on what he's said of his financial situation, those are likely a bit out of his price range.

Heck, they are out of my price range, and I'm doing pretty ok financially.

[Sabaron]

Re: Equipment Dilemma for a low level RDM

The earrings are "meh". Those are purely luxury items. +3 points isn't going to make you Ubergod the RDM. Secondly, they're very expensive as Murphie says. Third, your chances of you getting one on a party run are slim to none. Would you like it if a 3 million gil item dropped and someone said "Oh, well... I want that, so I'm going to lot it and keep it for myself instead of sharing it's 3 million dollar worth". It's luxury--forget that it exists until you are extraordinarily wealthy.

First off, as far as earrings: The only one's I would consider at this point are the following:

1. Energy Earring: Low cost, low effect

2. Morion Earring: These are nice, and at least on Asura, have become relatively affordable.

3. Cunning Earring: This was mentioned above. You may have to deliver some Corn/Moss to Selbina to get fame for it, but the quest is relatively simple as long as you can kill orcs in Yughott Grotto--take a friend or two, it should be cake.

4. Wizard's Earring: For about a 1/15th of the cost of an Elemental Earring, you can have this little gem. +5 Elemental skill, not +3. The only caveat is that you must sub Black Mage, but if your plan is to be nuking, why wouldn't you be subbing it anyway except under special/solo circumstances?

5. Pigeon Earring: When you are soloing especially an extra 20, 40, 25, 50hp can be a life saver. These are cheap. I wore one for 30 levels.

6. Geist Earring: This is the other side of the stat earring coin, and it gives you +MND. Pick one up when you get in range.

Things to remember about earrings: These are all luxury items. The bonuses that most earrings give are very small. Most players will not fault you for having lower-grade earrings--they aren't that important.

For other gear, your looking at Baron (remember, no hat for the Baron's Gear--just get a nice Sage's Circlet or hairpin depending on your needs), Mage's is a bit cheaper mage gear, or whatever mid-range melees of your level are wearing (usually bonecrafted "harness/subligar" sets) and the occasional Rare or Rare/Ex piece. There are no spectacular pieces of RDM gear at lower level--you wear "the uniform" for most of your low-level career. Definitely switch up to RSE when you get it, but put the tunic on mothballs and even consider leaving the gloves at home too in favor of something more RDM appropriate like Battle Gloves.

Don't put down your sword unless you're doing some devoted activity like nuking or main healing and eat a food that complements it (Rice Dumpling) until you get Convert and Refresh--your real job doesn't even start until 42nd level. It's important to keep your melee skills up even though you won't be using them much in party past 40. In some situations where mobs are using AoE moves that are going to make you an mp sink for the main healer or turn you into a TP battery for the monster, you can always whip out a Ceremonial Dagger and use pure Enspell damage vs. the monster, but you shouldn't need to do that--your damage should be "adequate" especially if you diligently apply your Enspell. You can also nuke if front line is not appropriate.

Basically, a low-level RDM's duties are 1) Apply debuffs/dispel as necessary 2) Back-up the main healer 3) Deal some damage. You'll choose how best to apply said damage, but duties 1 and 2 can be easily replaced by any number of jobs. RDM pre-40 can do adequate damage (he can continue to do so after, but at expense of his primary function which is MP-conservation) which, in conjunction with his rather versatile cache of spells, justifies his inclusion in a party. Your only competition at this point are BRD and COR. You're competing for a support slot--just remember, BRD can't deal damage himself, per se (he can fight with a sword for as long as you will be, but he's not nearly as good), and his low-level song support is rather lackluster (I didn't say bad, just forgettable) with the exception of Ballad. COR can deal damage and it doesn't cost mp, but he has no debuffs and can't heal (If someone mentions COR/WHM, I'm going to have to smack you).

[bikkebakke]

Re: Equipment Dilemma for a low level RDM

Ok... so I'm level 13 now and don't really know what I should do equipment wise... should I wear melee type gear or mage type gear? Right now I'm wearing scale set, traveler's mantle, traveler's hat, bee spatha +1, aspi, and fortune egg. I have 1 +2 mnd and +2 int ring for when I hit 14 along with a friar's rope. Where should I go from here? Just use the bone +1 set I have in my MH? Thanks for the help guys.

Oh yeah... I'm pretty broke... down to like 67k right now.

[Murphie]

Re: Equipment Dilemma for a low level RDM

You should, at the very least, have a wand for casting. Those few extra points of MND and INT certainly can't hurt at your level.

[bikkebakke]

Re: Equipment Dilemma for a low level RDM

I must have forget to mention I have wand >.<;

But mainly, do most people focus on more melee style gear like the bone sets or magey type stuff?

[Murphie]

Re: Equipment Dilemma for a low level RDM

It depends, really. Most of the armor (robes, doublets, scale mail, etc) during that range provides no stat bonuses, so it makes more sense to wear melee gear just in case. But around the time you hit 20 or so, you start to encounter a lot of gear that has some useful casting bonuses. At that point, you may want to start to switch over to the softer stuff.

Personally, I always looked for gear that provided the greatest benefit to my casting first.

[ItazuraNhomango]

Re: Equipment Dilemma for a low level RDM

Don't put down your sword unless you're doing some devoted activity like nuking or main healing and eat a food that complements it (Rice Dumpling) until you get Convert and Refresh--your real job doesn't even start until 42nd level.

I don't like these ideas. >_>

a Red Mage is just as real at Lv.12 as Lv.42--just have slightly different roles, and has fewer tools. Defeebling helps out the tank and the party a great deal, and a RDM at any level has to make sure his spells lands and be as effective as possible--this mostly means add on MND at lower levels, something which swords do not provide.

Moreover, even low level RDM's often are main healers as well, that role shifts the emphasis even more to MP pool and MP recovery. (It's quite easy in Valkrum Dunes for main healer RDM to run out of MP in one battle at low levels just from enfeebling and keeping the tank out of orange HP bar.)

Use the (free!) Pilgrim's Wand for resting, sword when (have time to be) swinging at the monster, and INT/MND wand when casting. Macro switch that weapon slot--blink like the x-mas sale lights--if a low level RDM is not casting, he should probably be resting for MP--there's no point in saving TP.

Low level food should be Ginger Cookies (or Imperial Coffee if can't stand the constant re-application) if the MP pool large enough, or some cheap MP pie (or the superior but pricey Mushroom Stew) or if lasting a single battle is still a concern.

Although not as good as the Mushroom Stew, the Sweet Rice Cake is a cheap but still decent compromise food between hMP and MP and duration, and there's always Goblin Mushpot when one really wants more MND.

Rice Dumpling is not the way to go, unless you're being PL'ed and rather be melee'ing than casting.

Edit:
Bring Pineapple Juice/ingredients to parties. I considered those bottles of Pineapple (and later Melon) juices just as much a part of my equipment set as my MND and INT rings before Refresh. In good parties, they help you chain higher; in so-so parties, help your party live through links and TP move spamming monsters. ^_^;

[Murphie]

Re: Equipment Dilemma for a low level RDM

Yeah, I was going to touch on Sabaron's melee RDM ideas, but I got distracted. I'm not saying you can't melee as a RDM, especially at those levels, but you have other priorities that come before that. Melee should be the last thing on your list of things you're doing while in a party.

Most of the time in parties pre-Convert/Refresh, I was main healer. That was on top of enfeebling the mob, which was my primary focus, always. My enfeebles helped out the entire party a lot better than my sword swings would have.

[Sabaron]

Re: Equipment Dilemma for a low level RDM

I didn't say that you wouldn't be main healing. Most of the time during my low-levels, I never main healed--I had only a handful of such parties. In most parties I was added as a support character. Melee/Nuking only applies in support situations and it depends on how you set yourself up and what you're fighting.

You should use your sword when it is appropriate. As a support character, you won't be main healing and you can most definitely back-up heal while engaged.

Rice dumpling provides +2mph and it provides melee support. If you are meleeing, I prefer it to any other food on the RDM list. I should've mentioned juice, but after so many posts hammering it in, it's just gotten put on the back burner.

RDM Melee does not suck, necessarily, at low level and there is no reason for you not to melee when it's an option. If you're a Galka or Elvaan RDM especially, you're going to weigh in favor of melee over nuking during support. If you're Tarutaru, you'll be favoring nuking. Obviously, any race can do either and Hume and Mithra characters who sit on the fence can do either one as the situation warrants.

RDMs in support role at lower level who are juicing do not need to sit continually, so you should be up and doing stuff. If your mp pool gets a bit low, you can sit a round out. There's not reason not to be versatile--you're in one of the more versatile jobs in the game. Use all of your viable resources to maximize your contribution.

RDM should melee or nuke at lower level when appropriate.

[Clever Ninja]

Re: Equipment Dilemma for a low level RDM

Only time I actually use a sword, not counting soloing or farming, is if its a mob with weak defense like a Worm or Bat and such. My damage otherwise is pretty bad. Granted of course this is me meleeing in my Caster gear, the only melee oriented armor I own are Battle Gloves, which I swap in to swap out my Zealot Mitt's. If i actually geared for attack like Spike Necklace, Beetle Earrings, etc etc then I'd probably hit for a respectable amount. But if I want to be a Melee Mage in parties I'll level BLU :O