Quote Originally Posted by Lago View Post
I have to agree with Shiyo on one thing, which is that I had a lot of fun as a backline mage in pre-ToAU days. Keeping up with the interlocking cycles of refresh and haste was like conducting an orchestra, magic bursting on skillchains (lol remember skillchains?) was a fun little skill test every fight or two when I could slip it in between cures and buffs, and my enfeebles actually landed and felt useful. I loved the way my job changed depending on the party composition, especially on the rare occasions I was backing up a whm and got to cast more offensively.

I also had a lot of fun in the pre-50 range, before staves gave us such a strong incentive to abandon swords and dual buff cycles ate up all the time we could have spent swinging. I never had illusions of being a "top tier" DD and it didn't matter. I wasn't just meleeing, I was debuffing and throwing out backup cures after TP moves, and taking turns opening Fusion for the mnk that just got Raging Fists. I loved feeling like I was contributing to the party a little bit in many different ways.

I think both styles are perfectly reasonable ways to want rdm to play. They both embody what I always felt was the strength and spirit of the rdm job, which was being able to fill the gaps in any party setup; to step into any niche and perform—maybe not as well as a specialist but well enough to get the job done. If I had my wish for rdm we'd go back to those days, when in my opinion rdm was most fun and balanced. To be honest, though, I can't imagine what SE could do to the job to put the genie back in the bottle. It's not just rdm that's changed, it's how we build parties, the way we level, the types of mobs we choose to fight. Forgive the drama, but I worry that the Vana'diel that my ideal red mage could exist in might be long gone. I just keep waiting for SE to pull a rabbit out of a hat somehow, and I keep being disappointed.
this was pretty much my experience as well. i've never wanted to JUST melee on rdm. i got to 75 back in those old setups and legitimately enjoyed it. i had no problem enfeebling and doing short cycles of refresh/haste (i would typically share haste with the whm) with the occasional "oh sh*t" cure or sleep.

back then it felt like i was legitimately doing something nobody else could. obviously refresh was huge for keeping a party running, but this was also back when fights took long enough to justify paralyze, blind, and slow. even gravity sometimes. nowadays.. it's MAYBE worthwhile to dia something as it gets pulled.. but one strong DD in an xp alliance can almost 1shot xp mobs ANYWAY..

not to mention back in the time of skillchains and magic bursts, the tank was usually left out, casting load has always hurt rdm's tp gain, but it also hurt tanks. i would often do a secondary skillchain with the tank, or sometimes even a sam who had blatently outrun his sc partner.

for a while rdm really was a role filler, you could stand in at any slot. i even tanked a few gods with my ls just for shits and giggles..


but at some point it turned into "be a whm or we all hate you" and it honestly just made me bitter. fuck that, if i wanted to be a whm i'd have been a whm. after toau came along i got most of my merits solo or on warrior.



on the upside, at least PART of why rdm got so pidgeonholed was a lack of healers. now that whm is a bandwagon job, i feel there IS room for rdm to stretch it's legs again. i am legitimately hopefull.