I may not have ten paragraphs of discussion to contribute, but I just want to say, THANK YOU for this thread. I haven't been playing that long, to be honest - on and off for a few years, but altogether, only a few months - and I'm a low level RDM. But ever since I started the game, that was exactly what I wanted when I chose red mage. I absolutely love the class, but even at level 30, I find it hard to get a party when I'm playing melee. I don't want a staff so I can stand around in the back. I want to charge in with the shiny sword that my class is always pictured with, throwing out magic here and there and generally being awesome.