Equipment Dilemma for a low level RDM

[ItazuraNhomango]

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.

A well geared, capped skilled RDM can out DD most NIN tanks up to the Yhoator Jungles on mandies, if smartly using en-spells and MB, as well as tossing in a few choice nukes (pay attention to weather and day of the week) when MP allows.

That said, in most parties, the best thing a lowbie RDM can do for his comrades is to make sure he has enough MP, and make sure his spells are as effective as possible.

Melee'ing on mandies is a thing of last resort for a RDM--if at all possible, we should be waking people, not getting slept. -_-;

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.

The question is when is melee'ing really appropriate?

Lv.15 Mithra RDM/WHM has base MP of 122. Let's say with gear/food, it's 150.

Dia (7) + Blind (5) + Slow (15) + Poison (5) = 32MP

That is, if everything lands. (Rather uncommon, in my experience.)

Battles typically last a lot longer than the enfeebs at those levels, so let's say two applications, which make for 64MP. Now, I don't really bother with enfeebs if the monsters are low on HP, so lets cut that down to 50MP per battle.

What about backup healing? Let's say one Cure II (24) and two Cure I (8 x2), which makes for 40 MP. The total per battle is around 90MP, for a full enfeebling RDM doing backup healing.

That 90MP is 60% of the pool. Can this RDM really recover enough between fights to continue the next fight safely? How many fights can be continued while only /heal on for MP during pulls?

* * *

Another issue is the monster being fought. Low level crabs' AoE aren't too bad, but what about lizards? Goblins? Worms? Giants? "Dream Flower" mandies? Pugils?

It just seems inefficient to have RDM's melee those instead of staying the in backline.

Any melee up front has to justify the damage he takes with the damage he makes. A melee RDM not only has to do that, but also have to prove the MP lost from not resting when not casting is worth the damage output.

Rice dumpling provides +2mph and it provides melee support. If you are meleeing, I prefer it to any other food on the RDM list.

While hMP+2 from Rice Dumpling isn't bad, it just doesn't offer anything else for Mages. Sweet Rice cake has the same hMP+2, plus MP+17, INT+3, and MND+1, and so is better overall IMO.

With so many food options available, the only time a RDM should eat Rice Dumpling is when he should melee substantially instead of resting, and I just don't see that as the optimal option in most parties.

RDMs in support role at lower level who are juicing do not need to sit continually

That really depends on how many juices you have vs. how many fights, how long the fights, and how much time between fights. I guess I should agree that massive juice inventory + Rice Dumpling + melee and casting gears macroed can be better than a backline RDM with massive juice inventory and no melee gear--while the juice lasts.

[Yellow Mage]

Re: Equipment Dilemma for a low level RDM

But if I want to be a Melee Mage in parties I'll level BLU

An Unfortunate {True Strike}.

[Clever Ninja]

Re: Equipment Dilemma for a low level RDM

Just an update to see if I'm going in the right direction and might have MISSED anything important. RDM hit 43 last night(Refreshing 4 people = not fun btw >_>)

Weapon: Solid Wand
Neck: Justice Badge
Body: Hume RSE Body
Hands: Devotee's Mitt/Battle Gloves for int based spells.
Waist: Friar's Rope/Qiqirn Sash
Back: White/Black Cape
Pants: Hume RSE Pants
Feet: Hume RSE Boots
Rings: +2MND/+2INT rings/2x Electrum Rings
Earrings: 2x Cunning Earring(plan on getting the MND ones when they go down in price. Not woth 50k each to me atm <_<)

I'm actually happy I went and took time and got help for some of the Hume RSE, the peices really own for RDM, especially the pants and boots. I plan on keeping them on until I get my AF(only getting Hat, Chest and Legs right away. I'll solo the rest later at a higher level). So besides the Elemental Staves at 51(BCNM'd a Utsusemi Ni scroll and sold it to save up for that) any important upgrades I should know about that I didn't catch on FFXIclopedia?

Also exactly WHICH Elemental Staves will I need? I know I'll need Light and Dark by default, possibly also Earth for solo purposes, but for enfeebling which do I need? Thanks in advance whoever answers <_<

[Murphie]

Re: Equipment Dilemma for a low level RDM

Ice (paralyze) is pretty much essential. Wind is also handy (Silence/Gravity).

[ItazuraNhomango]

Re: Equipment Dilemma for a low level RDM

Also exactly WHICH Elemental Staves will I need? I know I'll need Light and Dark by default, possibly also Earth for solo purposes, but for enfeebling which do I need? Thanks in advance whoever answers <_<

Congrats on RDM43, first of all. ^_^

Light for cure, Dark for Blind, /heal on, Drain, Aspir, and Sleep. Wind for Silence and Gravity, Earth for Slow, and Ice for Paralyze. I'm a big fan of DoT, so I'd say add Water for Poison II.

Really, I'd just gather NQ elemental staves--they are cheap enough, and if you're ever lucky enough to MB, the corresponding staves are helpful. If you're RDM/BLM, and skilling up with elemental enfeebs, having corresponding staves again would be useful. (I just pack them all.)

[Murphie]

Re: Equipment Dilemma for a low level RDM

Seriously, the NQ staves are so cheap these days that getting an entire set will hardly dent your wallet.

[Clever Ninja]

Re: Equipment Dilemma for a low level RDM

The NQ staffs run around only 50k-65k on Hades, and although not expensive, I had maybe 100k to my name at the time. I was sitting on 2 Utsusemi Ni Scrolls at the time(one on Cleverness, another at Gaist that I was holding for someone), but the price for Ni has dropped form like 600k to 400k in around 2 weeks time, so I decided to just get rid of them and buy them back if and when they reach 200-250k.

I actually don't have BLM sub leveled atm <_<. I've been spending most of my non-static time trying to get WHM capped. I static with a PLD and she's forcing me to do it in my free time ;_;

[Srxjo]

Re: Equipment Dilemma for a low level RDM

get BLM and WHM to 37 is a must to get RDM to 75 and i suguest all the NQ lvl 51 elemental staffs as if you nuke you will want the staff to the spell for the 10% MACC and the debuffs you use will use like 3-5 staffs depends on how many you cast a fight but all in all get all the staff and if you decide to take BLM to 75 you have all the staffs waiting then ^^ and congralutions on 43 ^^

[Murphie]

Re: Equipment Dilemma for a low level RDM

I leveled WHM and BLM first, before even touching RDM. It worked out better that way. I benefited from the capped skills, and the knowledge that I never had to return to those subs again.

Too bad for me that I still have DRK, NIN, BRD, and BLU (plus assorted other less important subs) to level. :/ But hey! No WHM or BLM.

[Mhurron]

Re: Equipment Dilemma for a low level RDM

Too bad for me that I still have DRK, NIN, BRD, and BLU (plus assorted other less important subs) to level. :/ But hey! No WHM or BLM.

After leveling WHM, BLM and RDM, DRK was a nice change of pace. I'm considering doing BRD now myself after getting Savage Blade, but I don't know.

[ItazuraNhomango]

Re: Equipment Dilemma for a low level RDM

I actually don't have BLM sub leveled atm <_<. I've been spending most of my non-static time trying to get WHM capped. I static with a PLD and she's forcing me to do it in my free time ;_;

RDM69 at the moment, and while I have /BLM and /WHM ready, I've never had an exp party where I say to myself "Wow, this party can only work with RDM/BLM." However, two out of three of the time when I went as RDM/BLM, I ended up wishing I was RDM/WHM instead.

IMO, to reach Lv.75 in exp parties, /WHM is all it takes. You can level other support jobs for RDM afterwards--and you should, since they come in quite handy for various BCNM's, Dynamis, missions, and quests. Aside from /WHM, I'd think /BLM and /DRK are especially not to be missed.

[Murphie]

Re: Equipment Dilemma for a low level RDM

RDM69 at the moment, and while I have /BLM and /WHM ready, I've never had an exp party where I say to myself "Wow, this party can only work with RDM/BLM." However, two out of three of the time when I go as RDM/BLM, I ended up wishing I was RDM/WHM instead.

IMO, to reach Lv.75 in exp parties, /WHM is all it takes. You can level other support jobs for RDM afterwards--and you should, since they come in quite handy for various BCNM's, Dynamis, missions, and quests. Aside from /WHM, I'd think /BLM and /DRK are especially not to be missed.

I agree here. If you're going to pick only one sub (which I wouldn't recommend, but if you are), then WHM is a far better choice than BLM. Not that I didn't use BLM pretty often, especially when I was lucky enough to have a WHM main healer in the party. But /WHM is going to provide you and your party with far more general functionality.

And yeah, Mhurron, DRK hasn't been so bad. True, it's only 20 (17 more levels to go!), but so far it hasn't been so bad. Then again, I've done all that solo. I've leveled BRD before, so that won't be rough, but BLU is going to be a challenge, spell-wise.

[Draconi]

Re: Equipment Dilemma for a low level RDM

Maybe I'm the exception, but I have subbed BLM much more often than WHM. I will sub WHM when I am main healer, but otherwise, it's usually BLM.

A few of the benefits of BLM sub are:
* More MP than with WHM sub.
* Elemental Seal for hard-to-land enfeebles, and emergency sleep situations
* Drain & Aspir is nice once you get to the level where the gain overcomes the MP cost
* Elemental Debuffs (these are under-estimated and under-utilized, IMO)
* Clear Mind (faster MP healing)
* Conserve MP (less MP used)
* Escape (I use this more on missions than in EXP parties)

[Murphie]

Re: Equipment Dilemma for a low level RDM

Exactly. But you end up being main healer most of the time unless you're incredibly lucky.

[BurningPanther]

Re: Equipment Dilemma for a low level RDM

Exactly. But you end up being main healer most of the time unless you're incredibly lucky.

Or incredibly stubborn, like me.