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On RDM/PLD in parties at 74+
Backstory: When PLD got buffed last year with Auto Refresh and Shield Mastery, I thought "Hey, cool, this could be useful for my RDM, I should level PLD for a subjob!" I got it to level 14, then took a long break from the game. Upon returning, in merit parties on my RDM, I occasionally found myself partying with a WHM, in burn parties. Since mobs don't generally last long enough for enfeebles other than Dia to be worth it, I found myself bored and in need of something to do in the party besides Refresh and Dia. So, I started pulling. And in my first party pulling, managed to bring in a chain 14, the highest EXP chain I had seen, ever, at the time. Better chains came later in a THFburn in Mire, but that's another story.
Anyways. I leveled PLD to 37, and convinced a party to let me try RDM/PLD to pull. The setup was RDM, WHM, PLD, RNG, MNK, SAM. The RNG was glad to let me pull, since he wears Dusk pants.
At this point, you may be asking, why sub PLD to pull instead of BLM, NIN, or even DRK?
1) NIN sub really doesn't help my casting, and Stoneskin suffices most of the time, I've found
2) Auto Refresh > Conserve MP unless I'm spamming spells, which I'm not
3) In a busy camp, Flash with its 0.5 second base casting time, modified by Fast Cast, is pretty damn fast. It's much faster than anything else I can get my hands on, except Stun, which it ties with
4) DRK sub gives nothing to continue my MP, except Aspir, which BLM provides alongside Conserve MP
Additionally, the Paladin JAs have the potential to be useful. Stoneskin + Sentinel + Cover could save a life, while DRK JAs do nothing for a RDM who is not in melee.
But LoneGamer, RDM don't have Divine skill, so Flash will never stick! Wrong! I started this party with Divine skill 51. Every Flash stuck, and I gained 7 levels of skill in the process.
What about your aggro? With Enmity -11 from Errant body, legs, feet and Penitent's Rope, the PLD was able to Provoke off me, even after Sleep.
What about buff cycles? I was able to keep up three Refreshes and Phalanx II without difficulty, though there was the odd time a buff wore off mid-pull so someone was without for a few seconds.
Now, this party was in Nyzul Isle. On Colibri. So, I was less effective than I could have been, because the Colibri liked to Sleep me back. The odd time, however, Resist Sleep fired. Other times, the WHM had to Cure me awake. Being Flashed really didn't affect me at all.
Near the end of the party, I asked how people felt I was doing, and I was told I'm an "Impossible to gauge" puller. I'm not sure how to interpret this. Did I do awesome as a puller, period? Or did I merely break the RDM mold and show that we can competently do another task?
Now, of course this is entirely situational. A main healer is needed, and enemies do need to go down fast enough that enfeebles aren't worthwhile. However, the party did kill the occasional Wivre, since there was another party in that section of Nyzul. I was able to maintain enfeebles on that fine.
What are your thoughts?
Anyways. I leveled PLD to 37, and convinced a party to let me try RDM/PLD to pull. The setup was RDM, WHM, PLD, RNG, MNK, SAM. The RNG was glad to let me pull, since he wears Dusk pants.
At this point, you may be asking, why sub PLD to pull instead of BLM, NIN, or even DRK?
1) NIN sub really doesn't help my casting, and Stoneskin suffices most of the time, I've found
2) Auto Refresh > Conserve MP unless I'm spamming spells, which I'm not
3) In a busy camp, Flash with its 0.5 second base casting time, modified by Fast Cast, is pretty damn fast. It's much faster than anything else I can get my hands on, except Stun, which it ties with
4) DRK sub gives nothing to continue my MP, except Aspir, which BLM provides alongside Conserve MP
Additionally, the Paladin JAs have the potential to be useful. Stoneskin + Sentinel + Cover could save a life, while DRK JAs do nothing for a RDM who is not in melee.
But LoneGamer, RDM don't have Divine skill, so Flash will never stick! Wrong! I started this party with Divine skill 51. Every Flash stuck, and I gained 7 levels of skill in the process.
What about your aggro? With Enmity -11 from Errant body, legs, feet and Penitent's Rope, the PLD was able to Provoke off me, even after Sleep.
What about buff cycles? I was able to keep up three Refreshes and Phalanx II without difficulty, though there was the odd time a buff wore off mid-pull so someone was without for a few seconds.
Now, this party was in Nyzul Isle. On Colibri. So, I was less effective than I could have been, because the Colibri liked to Sleep me back. The odd time, however, Resist Sleep fired. Other times, the WHM had to Cure me awake. Being Flashed really didn't affect me at all.
Near the end of the party, I asked how people felt I was doing, and I was told I'm an "Impossible to gauge" puller. I'm not sure how to interpret this. Did I do awesome as a puller, period? Or did I merely break the RDM mold and show that we can competently do another task?
Now, of course this is entirely situational. A main healer is needed, and enemies do need to go down fast enough that enfeebles aren't worthwhile. However, the party did kill the occasional Wivre, since there was another party in that section of Nyzul. I was able to maintain enfeebles on that fine.
What are your thoughts?
and /PLD is one of the best subs for pulling. Auto-Refresh, Flash and some defensive JA's just in case; /PLD is a pretty nice sub for RDM. 
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