RDM, Resume Play!

[Altae]

So, has anyone been finding it difficult to resume playing RDM as they once had before? Say you've been playing another job to 75 and have been mainly using that job for just about everything. BCNM/KSNM, Dynamis, quests, Ballista, Besieged, etc. You know everything there is inside and out to this other job. Then you go back to RDM because there's a need for it. KSNM kiting, replenishing MP, whatever.

It may sound silly or ridiculous but it seems to be happening to me. I mean come on, RDM had practically been my life when I played earlier. But I had been playing MNK and WHM for quite a while straying far from my once awesome RDM. I tried getting merit points by using my RDM's lv75 status. It turns out I don't know how to manage my mp anymore... In fact, I was so thankful for the convert recast merits I had invested points into some year ago. But overall, I had forgotten that info on what level of effectiveness my debuffs are at, why I need errants or whatever to successfully deal near maximum elemental damage on a pull, etc, etc. It was kinda saddening and disappointing.

Have any of you famed RDMs also been experiencing this?

[Drive]

Re: RDM, Resume Play!

I am not a red mage but I do know where you are coming from. It happens when you stray away from any job or that is atleast what I believe. I once went to level my SAM/WAR, forgot I had mediate and berserk. Same with DRG and Jumps, etc. So all I can tell you is to spend some time alone with your RDM and you'll get back into the groove.

[Raydeus]

Re: RDM, Resume Play!

I don't think there's anything wrong with enjoying other jobs as much or more as you enjoy your main (in this case RDM).

But I gotta say, even though sometimes it takes some time for me to adjust back to my RDM playstyle and macros, everytime I'm wearing my Chapeau I just feel right at home.

[Sabaron]

Re: RDM, Resume Play!

You might want to try to "stay fresh" with it if you are called upon to use RDM occasionally to do certain tasks that I would consider higher difficulty. Being out of practice and attempting something tricky might result in a lackluster performance (as you've said) that impacts the outcome of your mission. I would say that when you, for instance, go do something like coffer key farming or maybe the occasional NM hunt that you dust off your RDM gear and take that out every month or two weeks or so just to keep in the groove.

[Altae]

Re: RDM, Resume Play!

I wasn't initially seeking advice on how to regain control over the job... But I guess it'll help someone else. I was merely sharing the experience and interested in knowing how others cope with such a case.

[BurningPanther]

Re: RDM, Resume Play!

If you feel out of touch with the role, spend some time soloing and just wearing the clothes--so to speak--before re-engaging in group play.

I suffered the same disorientation after coming back to RDM after about five months away from the game. It's a... busy one, the role of a RDM, and truly does takes some re-familiarization after being away, even for experts at the job.

[tdh]

Re: RDM, Resume Play!

I've run into this before. I took a year off from the game at one point, and when I left I was in full time DRK mode. I came back and decided it was time to take up my main job and get back to work. Suddenly I'm finding I have to rework my macros and relearn where everything is.

OR, as you said, I spend a lot of time leveling melee jobs where I auto attack and that's about it. Suddenly I'm all outta whack with my Refresh cycle, or not remember which mobs I have to Silence. Fortunately it's always been my main, and I'm a RDM at heart, so I get back into the loop quickly after I get started.

RDM is a lotta work! So you go from a job that's auto attack, hit your TP macro, keep your job abilities up and WS to the massive amount of work that is RDM. Refresh, Haste, Heal, MB, Crowd control, Enfeebles, Dispels, and buffs. So it's like going on vacation for two weeks and then coming back to all the work you missed while away.

[Shinhiryu_Kage]

Re: RDM, Resume Play!

RDM can definitely be alot of work if you're newly experienced to the job, or coming back and feeling "rusty."

You'll be perfectly fine if you just start a new party and pick back up from there. It would just take a period of adjusting and oil all the machine parts of your playstyle, so to speak.

Otherwise, I agree. If you need a little refresher (no pun intended,) I'd go solo w/RDM or help someone farm coffer keys or participate in a mission/dyn/hnm/farming, etc.

Those situations will easily get you back up to par. lol

[Altae]

Re: RDM, Resume Play!

When I tried to play my RDM again (ever since the whole merit PT experience..), it definitely wasn't too hard readjusting. I did a whole run of Copycat fights with another PT. The first three battles were iffy, but the next three ran smoothly. Got the whole sleep order down, management of MP and hasting self got better as well. (Hasting self for stun recast timer). And even binding the PLD wasn't too big of a hassle either, especially since I don't have bind macro'd and it's at the other end of the Magic spell list. (PLD kept resisting sleep when he got charmed). 2 of the last three battles even had the NM copy our WHM's benediction ability. But we didn't wipe or run out of MP.

So, it definitely isn't too hard to readjust back to playing this job a few times. In fact, it's probably expected to be able to naturally pick it up again and get used to the mechanics. But there is that momentary pause where you stand there and stare blankly dazed thinking, "What was I going to do, again?" Just running into that sort of mental block is what I intended to talk about in this topic.

[SharMarali]

Re: RDM, Resume Play!

Heh I've run into that repeatedly with many different jobs. RDM was my first job, but I basically abandoned it when I raised SMN to 75. For awhile, I had a variety of friends and acquaintances who didn't even know that I *was* a 75 RDM. Then one day, for some KSNM or something, I was asked to take RDM back out again. It was weird. I still had all the macros and equipment (though my equipment REALLY sucked at the time, as opposed to just KIND of sucking like it does now haha) but I didn't have the mindset. Hadn't played the job in, probably, 6 months.

While I was playing, I was getting tells from people who knew me, but hadn't known me for all that long. "Since when are you a 75 RDM?!" I definately didn't feel like one. But after that, I felt more comfortable taking the job out occassionally when it was needed, and it took about a year, but I finally consider myself both a SMN *and* a RDM.

I also ran across that brain fog several other times. I had raised WAR for awhile after my RDM was 75 but before I picked up SMN. I ended up taking it to 61 and quitting, back when 61 was the level when exp jumped up to 30k per level. Then the exp update left me 61@1, so I soloed an EP to get it to 62. I sold all my WAR equipment when I decided I was really serious about SMN. Much, much, much later, I came upon a pair of WAR AF2 hands that was completely unwanted in Dynamis-Jeuno. They inspired me to start playing WAR again, and I gotta say, it was weird putting on the job at level 62 without having played it in so long. But a couple of battles and I remembered the flow as if I'd never quit. Unfortunately, I don't have the time to make enough gil to have kept playing the job. I got to a point where I was going to have to make some serious equipment upgrades and I had to retire my WAR again at 72, but it was nice to have acheived my goal of equipping those AF2 hands... heh.