The Problem with Red Mage . . .

[Tamarsamar]

I'm going to bump this thread with some more food for thought:

When was the last time that somebody, in trying to low-man whatever event, considered the versatile Red Mage in their group to conserve party slots?

Now when was the last time a similar such group considered Red Mage as a waste of a party slot?

For a job marketed on versatility, the latter happening more frequently than the former is a sign that it is fundamentally broken.

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Also, I want to take this moment to voice my concern for RDMs new SP Ability, which the devs have so far been far too silent about. I want them to know that we refuse to be complacent on this matter! Encomium was better than this "nerfed Elemental Seal on a 1-hour timer" that is, for all we know, shockingly still being considered now. If we can receive an ability more along the lines of Encomium, but with increased effectiveness and/or applications, that would be much preferred.

[saevel]

When was the last time that somebody, in trying to low-man whatever event, considered the versatile Red Mage in their group to conserve party slots?

We do, the jobs name is Scholar an Blue Mage. SCH beats RDM so completely and utterly in the "versatile support mage" department that it's not possible for it to be unintentional. For "versatile support melee" BLU crush's RDM in a similar fashion, it even gets light AND dark based aoe sleeps instead of the single target dark sleeps that RDM gets.

As long as those two jobs exist in the game RDM is effectively dead.

[Rustic]

We do, the jobs name is Scholar an Blue Mage. SCH beats RDM so completely and utterly in the "versatile support mage" department that it's not possible for it to be unintentional. For "versatile support melee" BLU crush's RDM in a similar fashion, it even gets light AND dark based aoe sleeps instead of the single target dark sleeps that RDM gets.

As long as those two jobs exist in the game RDM is effectively dead.

I disagree- but the only way to change it is to give RDM tools that allow it to do at least some of what BLU or SCH does in a superior fashion without replacing either.

At that point, RDM is effectively a "sidegrade", and you see RDM/BLU/SCH getting considered for similar spots.