RDM's ~ a new outlook on Enspell, enfeeblement, and melee'

[Alukat]

Enstun proc rate is determined by mobs ressistance. procs much less on NMs as on normal mobs.

[Covenant]

I just had a thought, even though RDM's melee accuracy and damage is crap(without better gear) we do have few things going for us. Magic attack traits, fast cast, enhancing skill, and a fair range of weapons.

What if a new Enspell was introduced called, "en~"formless strikes"? Much like a Monk's "Formless Strike", RDM's could bypass the normally heavy evasion and defense of some of the higher mobs and do magic damage. Conceptionaly, let's say a redmage when can land against a tough-IT/NM mob does 50damage/50 Enspell damage. This new Enspell would create a a 100pt damage "mini nuke". Since we do have the highest enfeeble/enhance skill, we would not need to rely on elemental nukes(and low skill and tiers). Yes, magical resistance would drop the damage, but there are plenty if ways to boost magical accuracy and MaB.

[Supersun]

Formless Strikes isn't magic damage.

[Defiledsickness]

fyi Rdm is not suppose to melee, they are suppose to enfeeble (A+ enfeebling skill). the tools Rdm has to melee are just so you CAN melee. its like saying a smn is suppose to melee because they gave it weaponskills.

i do enjoy being able to tank a mob when gravity doesnt stick, but rdm need more tools to assist DD jobs not to make it a better DD. we would be even worse off if they gave us more balance rather then increasing our effectiveness in a group. adding TP to mobs that can whipe a whole ally is not exactly a good idea at this point of the game.

[Swords]

Most wouldn't be freely meleeing on those types of mobs anyways, and really TP arguments are pretty moot if you have more than 2 people on the mob.

In any case, out of all the jobs in this game RDM has been the only one that's undergone an entire redesign. Originally it had been designed to be a backup tank like a mini-PLD, but it did not have any distinguishing characteristics and it's melee skill was just pitiful (Like D dagger, and C+ sword skill). When RoZ came out and jobs with more specialized positions became available outside of the original six, SE redesigned RDM to have a greater position and viability in the group (back when parties were actually balanced). In doing so they increased our dagger and sword skill to B, took away our flash and regen II, brought our enhancing and enfeebling up and gave us a slew of new buffs/debuffs to work with. So I do think SE had intended for RDM to be a position filler where it could fit in the front or backlines.

However, SE had continued to release and buff specialized jobs, and I honestly think SE tried too hard to keep RDM as a designated enfeebler for fear of overpowering it and letting it specialize in more than one utility. Now they've done the one thing they said they'd never do and raised the level cap, breached the level 37 subjob and allowed any job to reach into RDM's repetuar and utilize almost everything it has to offer. Essentially, the raised level cap, let jobs become more specialized in more than one thing (even if its somewhat limited), and RDM's lack of specialization outside of debuffs basically landed it on the backburner as a subjob that can cast a few more enfeebles and weaker BLM nukes.

[wildsprite]

fyi Rdm is not suppose to melee, they are suppose to enfeeble (A+ enfeebling skill). the tools Rdm has to melee are just so you CAN melee. its like saying a smn is suppose to melee because they gave it weaponskills.

i do enjoy being able to tank a mob when gravity doesnt stick, but rdm need more tools to assist DD jobs not to make it a better DD. we would be even worse off if they gave us more balance rather then increasing our effectiveness in a group. adding TP to mobs that can whipe a whole ally is not exactly a good idea at this point of the game.

this is a typical old way of thinking, and most likely the reason RDM has been gimped in the tank department which they were good at, and yes before you try to argue it, I know more than one RDM that used to be able to out tank the best tanks till SE gimped it, as for your TP arguement, well that is a good reason for the en-spells, to give damage without adding TP to the mobs, but most RDMs overlook the enspells

[Eeek]

BRD and /BRD was once able to tank thanks to the massive hate from Mazurka spam, but like RDM, SE did not envision either job tanking and dealt out the nerfs (although it did take SE longer to nerf RDM tanking).

I'm fine with the Enfeebling/Enhancing focus for RDM, but RDMs will need an expanded repertoire to find future success in that role. Also, SE needs to make some sort of adjustment to the high-level NMs so that RDM's top-notch enfeebling talents actually matter on fights that matter.

[Hyrist]

I'm fine with the Enfeebling/Enhancing focus for RDM, but RDMs will need an expanded repertoire to find future success in that role. Also, SE needs to make some sort of adjustment to the high-level NMs so that RDM's top-notch enfeebling talents actually matter on fights that matter.

This.

Call it dated, but I refer to my Red Mage the same in XI the way I do in all it's previous games. Casting duties are usually reserved for the situations that call for them especially. For cannon fodder, it's usually better to just break out the swords, save the MP for when it's needed, and slaughter away. (The adaptation for FFXI for that of course is haste and refresh.)

Bosses, that's when our casting really comes into play. The problem is the outright resist rates and immunities. And they tied our two ways of breaking down our enemies magic resistance to our melee. When something's that resistant, I'm not going to break out my sword on the mob JUST to get a very slightly higher percentage of landing.

When I call for more utility, it's to bring RDM back up to par against lower end, non boss notorious monsters. 'Boss' Mobs and HNM content is usually a no go even for me. (With the exception of certain mission bosses depending entirely on the mission.)

However, people who spend all of their time in Endgame/Boss content. See arguments for enhancing melee performance get up in arms waaaay too easily.

[Covenant]

Exactly my point Hyrist. I'm not saying, he'll just cause I can melee let me tank X HN! Big boss. I'm actually thinking more in the solo terms. I'm perfectly happy to stay back away from deadly AoE and helping the party out. As far as enfeebs...what are they? Bio or dia, poison, blind, slow, paralyze, addle? That's what 5 secs of casting? Enhancing are incredibly slower to cast.

I see RDM as casting a quick cycle of enfeebs at start of fight, enhancments in-between fights, and melee after enfeebs. There's a lot of magian trials that drops a mobs resistance, yet if you were to tally the lists you always see the damage weapon in top slots followed by the MaB choices. The enfeeb branch is rare. I've made my redmage 2 swords. 1 is the magical evasion down and magic defense down to help party and my own nuking.

I usually see bluemages with the opposite, which is their own magic accuracy and MaB for some reason. I also intend to get these for solo purpose, but as a RDM I prefer the above one. Now, since I wanna melee to give my party those effects, what should I do when people say. Don't melee? This is especially so, when people complain that I can't land an enfeebs. SE has given us the tools to land this spells we just can't get out of the "old" mentalities of straight damage only.

As for the "en-formless strike" I understand what formless strike is...once again when I use quote, I'm admitting NOT ha ing a better name for something. I just use a concept people already understand as filler. What is the complaint of redmages melee? Accuracy, mob defense, weapon strength, and TP feeding.
If SE somehow exchanges straight melee, we can eliminate the need for high ATT and skill of normal melee attacks in exchange for magical damage. RDM's are supposed to be good at enspells, enhance and enfeeb magics? If so this is another reportoire, that makes up for their Enspell 2 "lack of damage".

[Defiledsickness]

the people who disagreed with my post didnt read all of it! i said i love that i can tank/solo when i need to! rdm is perfectly great at that. yes they did take out the Enmity rdm spells used to have in order to conform it to the back line, but you can still tank. just dont have better dd's attacking your mob! its the same as XP parties used to be (yanno, where the people worked together not just zerged EP mobs).

MITIGATE HATE and use actual strategy. When a blu thought he was a big boy the mob would smack him back down to red HP or death. then he would be more careful and LET the tank, Tank. you shouldn't be able to keep hate over a dd spamming DMG who doesnt get hit while you take the beating.

rdm is perfectly capable of soloing hard ass nms. they dont need more Enspells or dmg spike abilities, they need new enfeebles and enhancements. this will make them better dd's as well! rdm has almace, they dont get berserk next.