Job Feedback: RDM

[Praesul]

RDM is, in my opinion, one of the worst pvp jobs in the game currently. It's horrendous in frontline, and mediocre in feast, and I hope the devs take note and give it some significant buffs in the future.

I think their biggest problems are:
1. They're GCD locked. They have no source of significant off GCD damage, all of their damage comes from GCD spells/weaponskills. This wouldn't really be that big of a problem, BLM is similar in that respect, but the difference in BLM spells hit like a truck and they can pump out Fire IVs consistently. RDM just doesn't have the damage to justify having no off GCD damage source.

2. They need to go into melee range to deal max damage. Ranged jobs have the lowest HP and generally weakest defenses out of all roles, so going into melee range is almost a guaranteed death sentence. This is easily seen in Frontline, where RDM are easy pickin'. You can kind of play around this by preparing the first 2 parts of your melee combo, and then only gap closing onto your target to use the finisher + verflare/verholy and jump back, but that means you're basically wasting the first part of your combo. For a ranged job that's required to go into melee range, I feel like their melee combo should either deal more damage, or come out significantly faster, because currently it's just not worth the risk.

They have other problems too but they're not as big as the first two.

3. They have the worst self sustain. I find this one kind of funny because RDM is a job that has an actual, really good curative spell in their PVE arsenal, whereas BLM has none and SMN has a significantly "meh" one. Of course pve should have no bearing on pvp balance, but the other two casters have ways to heal themselves. Yes, even BLM does for those that don't know. Convert restores 25% of their max HP and MP, at the cost of dropping Enochian. SMN has Energy Drain of course. So now we have a caster job with no way of healing themselves, throwing theirself into the enemy team. I think some form of heal wouldn't be too much to ask for. It could have a cost in the same way SMN and BLM trade damage for self-sustain.

4. They have the worst CC of all ranged jobs. Their only form of cc is heavy, and it's aoe. That's actually not too bad on the surface, but once you take into account the fact that it's on the GCD and requires you to be in melee range to use it....Yeah. The least they could do is make Flunge off GCD so that when they jump in it's harder for their target to get away, I think it's only fair considering the risk that RDMs put themselves in.


Some quick fixes I can think of is just increase RDM damage overall if they want to keep them GCD locked. Maybe a slight increase on jolt/impact on their Ver spells, and a significant damage increase to their melee combo to make up for the risk. I think Flunge should also be off GCD, too.

[NorthernLadMSP]

The only thing I agree with is the self heal point. I definitely think it's strange that of the three casters they have the most powerful heal in PVE, but literally nothing in PVP.

As for other buffs, I do not agree. I frequently see RDMs with Battle High/Battle Fever so they're obviously capable of good damage/kills. They're OP in PVE, they don't need to be OP in PVP as well.

[Praesul]

The only thing I agree with is the self heal point. I definitely think it's strange that of the three casters they have the most powerful heal in PVE, but literally nothing in PVP.

As for other buffs, I do not agree. I frequently see RDMs with Battle High/Battle Fever so they're obviously capable of good damage/kills. They're OP in PVE, they don't need to be OP in PVP as well.

You can get battle fever as a healer. Getting fever shouldn't be the benchmark for whether or not a job is good, plenty of people have done alright on bad pvp jobs in the past but that doesn't mean they're okay from a balance perspective. Why play a bad job just to put in more effort and in the end only get worse or similar results AT BEST?

[NorthernLadMSP]

Yep, I'm aware anyone can get BH/BF. My point was more that they are just fine in PVP minus the no self heal. You might not think they're as powerful as they should be, but that doesn't mean they're bad.

They're on par with SMN (IMO) and probably a bit better than BLM

[Praesul]

Yep, I'm aware anyone can get BH/BF. My point was more that they are just fine in PVP minus the no self heal. You might not think they're as powerful as they should be, but that doesn't mean they're bad.

They're on par with SMN (IMO) and probably a bit better than BLM

How are they fine when they have to THROW THEMSELVES AT THE ENEMY to deal damage? All the other ranged jobs do it with safety and have off GCDs to actually burst (BLM being the exception of course). All the other ranged jobs also have pretty good sustained damage. When a BLM isn't using foul/flare they have Fire IV and Thunder. SMN has aetherflow abilities, dots, wyrmwave, and being able to move on the go. BRD has dots and mobility along with off GCD burst. MCH is the one I'm least familiar with so I can't comment on that.

May as well play a melee job.

[NorthernLadMSP]

The combo/finisher already does a combined potency of 6,500 and you want it stronger? Yeah, that would be insanely broken.

[Praesul]

The combo/finisher already does a combined potency of 6,500 and you want it stronger? Yeah, that would be insanely broken.

BLM does 7250 potency in two GCDs. From range.

[NorthernLadMSP]

BLM does 7250 potency in two GCDs. From range.

Yes and they have long cast times as well as more time consuming requirements to even have access (Foul). You can often easily avoid them by simply moving out of range.

[NorthernLadMSP]

Foul is also not even an option if you're in Astral Fire as it changes to Flare which is only 3,000.

So, you're never going to be able to cast Fire IV and then immediately follow up with Foul (I'm assuming that is where you're getting the 7,250 potency).

[Praesul]

Yes and they have long cast times as well as more time consuming requirements to even have access (Foul). You can often easily avoid them by simply moving out of range

RDM also has a time consuming aspect before they have access to their melee combo: Black/White mana. And yet BLM can do their burst from range, fire IV is only a 2.18 sec cast time and Foul can be instantly casted right after. RDM can't skip to the end of their combo, and their damage outside of it sucks. RDM sustained damage is using jolt/impact (which cost MP) or verspells which hit for wet noodle damage. While BLM is waiting for Polyglot, they're throwing out Fire IVs and thunder, and sleeping people.

Foul is also not even an option if you're in Astral Fire as it changes to Flare which is only 3,000.

So, you're never going to be able to cast Fire IV and then immediately follow up with Foul (I'm assuming that is where you're getting the 7,250 potency).

Convert drops Astral/Umbral.

Although, my point isn't to make RDM and BLM identical copies of each other. I'm just drawing comparisons to show what other jobs can do at less risk to themselves. I think the concept of RDM is cool, I just think it needs some help. Maybe not every fix I listed would be right, but SOMETHING has to be done and I feel like their melee combo doing more damage, OR their ranged spells dealing more damage (so as to give them the option of applying pressure from range) would be a good start.