What is RDM all about?

[Daniel_Hatcher]

As a note, scholar existed in ff3, it was crap, and it was used primarily for the Hein fight in the desert to dispel his elemental barrier.

Not too fond of SCH in this game either, all they did was give it everything that should have gone to either RDM WHM or BLM, Same with DNC really. They only added them so they could release another EP.

[saevel]

As a note, scholar existed in ff3, it was crap, and it was used primarily for the Hein fight in the desert to dispel his elemental barrier.

The Scholar job in FFIII is not the one in FFXI, they don't even share the same equipment style. FFIII's Scholar equipped books but couldn't cast any magic, all they could do is read the enemies weakness.

Scholar is FFXI is a completely new job, it just happens to share the same name.

[Greatguardian]

The Scholar job in FFIII is not the one in FFXI.

Apply this to every god damn job in XI and we can end this thread.

[Crimson_Slasher]

Actually in FF3 sch can cast up to lv 3 magic, but i agree, it also had an item potency boost (50%? Or double, dont recall.) But it still was a double-sided mage i think, unless it was just lv 3 white magic

[Seriha]

SCH wound up mish-mashing Geomancer and Sage, really. Not exactly the end of the world unless someone out there was really craving an axe-wielding nuker (Though I guess that'd make Farsha more appealing?). Actual Geomancer mechanics would be a nightmare in FFXI as they'd then have to go through and map all standing areas with location mechanic, and frankly, how often are you going to find water-based mobs in a lightning-friendly environment?

Far as RDM goes in its multiple iterations, it's 1 part Warrior, 1 part White Mage, 1 part Black Mage. Anything built on that is gravy like enhancing and enfeebling (You know, SE starting to be imaginative 'n all...). Take away the melee and you get Sage or XI's SCH. Take away the Black Mage and you get Paladin. Take away the White Mage and you get Dark Knight. It's a job meant to work hand-in-hand with all of those parts. I used the baseball analogy because its core concept of a ball being pitched to a batter who tries to hit it and thus round the bases without striking/tagged out is what makes it baseball. It then proceeds to vary in the speed and type of pitching, distance between bases, and how big the field is. When you start changing stuff to be more broad like "guy with a stick hits something" then you start stepping into hockey, polo, tennis, lacrosse, and whatever variant most definitely not baseball.

Unfortunately, FFXI hasn't been very friendly toward RDM's hybrid needs, and applying that word doesn't mean it can't carry its own specialty in the process. And to imply it can't be done is again folly and demonstrative of your own lacking imagination.

[Cowardlybabooon]

Doomguardian said it all on the first page. Nothing else to be said lol.

[Glamdring]

one ray of hope if you still want to rdm, the new end-game content is moving away from aby, rdm may gain relevance again as it comes out. Refresh 2 is awesome when there is no atma, etc. on the table, other stuff is the same. current design hints seem to be that you'll level in aby (and maybe skill), but do your new (90+) end-game elsewhere, seemingly voidwatch and WoE if they keep expanding those. if relic armor +2 happens dynamis may turn into something big again. Note, this is all an "if"; it's possible rdm may turn back into as strong a role as it was in the bird-camp meripo days or may stay as excluded as it is now in todays bandwagon environment, can't really say. The only thing certain, some job will gain ascendancy, other jobs will be marginalized. It's just the way things have worked since the game was made.

[saevel]

Actually in FF3 sch can cast up to lv 3 magic, but i agree, it also had an item potency boost (50%? Or double, dont recall.) But it still was a double-sided mage i think, unless it was just lv 3 white magic

No item potency boost that I can remember, I think your thinking of chemist. SCH only had Peep for checking stats until the remake, then SE gave them up to level 3 magic. As I never used the job much I completely forgot they remade them with a little magic. Still SCH in the older games was a throwaway job used for a specific story event, in FFXI it's master of both Black and White magic and use's abilities to modify and change those magic. In AD&D we called it metamagic. Of course SE has to be a prick and lock a bunch of spells out of being accessionable. ALL enhancing magic should be accessionable no matter what.

Honestly RDM is in a good position, it just needs a couple of mechanical fix's to work. Put it on the light melee gear again (DNC / BLU / NIN stuff), unlock the EX WS's, stop making NM's resistant / immune to enfeebles, change tier 2 merits into "enhances" categories and release them as lv 75 venderable scrolls. Now create Tier III's of the current enfeebles and create stat specific reduction enfeebles. *Bam* job fixed. SE has just pretty much stated it has no intention of allowing SCH or RDM to main heal, SCH got the super regen idea I had wanted for RDM so obviously SE isn't going in that direction for us. Not much else we can do, SE doesn't want us as party support then we won't be party support.

[Solonuke]

A scholar from FF3 in this game would be a scholar that wielded a book and a shield that knew only to cast cure II and stone II with an ability that checks a monster's weakness every 30th second.

[Daniel_Hatcher]

Apply this to every god damn job in XI

and you'll be lying.