Quote Originally Posted by Nyarlko View Post
So, I was talking with an ls member yesterday about RDM. He's a recent returnee who used to love RDM, but is struggling to find any reason for groups to take RDM over anyone else nowadays. RDM just doesn't seem to have any unique niche that demands a RDM in a group slot. Came up with a few adjustments and additions that might be able to create one.

* Temper needs to be changed to party-targetable. This would help raise RDM players' worth over that of RDM Trusts for smaller group content, and potentially push it up high enough to be desirable for alliance content in at least the melee party.

* Add a job trait which reduces the rate that targets build resistance to debuffs, starting at lv50+. One of RDM's core themes since the beginning has been their mastery of debuffs, but at the rate that targets build resistance combined with how often many endgame targets clear their own debuffs reduces their effectiveness too rapidly. A RDM should not have to struggle to land debuffs just as much as anyone /RDM.

* Frazzle needs to be given some sort of innate magic accuracy bonus so that it is more useful in endgame content. It gets fully resisted far too often, and has felt like that since the GEO bugfix awhile back. I don't think there's a problem with designing encounters to heavily favor physical damage over magical (or vv.) but that design should never be a blanket effect over an entire type of content. (Omen Caturae, I'm looking at you. ~_~) It would be perfectly fine if this only applied to Frazzle II/III, in order to make it a uniquely RDM thing.

* I'm not sure that it's possible on a technical level, but a new debuff spell that increases readying time for TP moves (similar to how Addle works with spell casting time,) would go a long way towards RDM reclaiming their niche. Even a mere 1~2 sec increase would be enough leeway to actually allow players to react at least. This would also be a huge boon for high-lag situations and those of us players who seem to be on slower connections or low-end computers. I've personally had instances where the effect of a move in Omen showed up in the log before the readying message... <,<;;

RDM players, chime in! Do RDM mains think that these suggestions would be enough to be desirable in most group content? These come from my conversations with those who've gotten frustrated with the state of the job, as I do not have enough inventory space to give RDM a serious shot personally...
I've been a RDM main for years, and I agree with a lot that you said.

When RDM was first touted to players, the whole idea was that you used your magic to buff yourself and weaken your opponents. Fine, I can get behind that. When you're early level, that's what you do: cast Protect on yourself, Blind, Poison, and Dia on the mob, then start swinging (or spam a nuke). When you join up into parties, the appeal of those debuffs become more apparent, as an enemy who has lower accuracy can't hit you as much, sure, but they can't hit the tank either, or the main healer of the party (which may be you at points). However, as you grow in level, your overall abilities don't expand, as much as grow. Your Cures get stronger, your Protects get stronger, your Refreshes get stronger...but that's it. If you're lucky, you unlock a newer facet of your job (e.g. Enspells, Haste, Spike spells, Raise, Sneak/Invis/Deo, even different enfeebs like Frazzle and Distract, which are still RELATIVELY new), but it's still "I cast on myself to make myself stronger, and I cast on my opponents to weaken them". Luckily some of our buffs can be cast on other people, or else RDM would have fallen to the wayside long ago, I'd fear.

You would think that after leveling to 99 and even acquiring a Master designation, RDM would have figured out how to look outward toward their teammates through their spells and abilities to a greater degree. With the understanding that a RDM is cunning and clever to outsmart their foes through quick spell casting and debuffs, it's unfortunate that we have had a wave of enemies whose every single attack is a TP attack and the proverbial RDM hasn't thought of a solution to how to handle that, other than spamming Cures when people take damage, reapplying buffs, and spamming Dispel.

Anyway, enough ranting. To your points:

Temper should be targetable to other party members. I'm not a fan of spamming the cycle, but everyone who swings could take advantage of it. Heck, add a Double Shot affect to it for ranged DDs (and Triple Shot for Temper II). I won't even say it should be Accessionable; it should be a flat AoE. Up its MP cost if need be, but at its core, it's a RDM specific spell that does zero benefit to RDM when they are relocated to the backline, and no one else can benefit from it.

Innate debuff resistances and building resistances have always been a blight toward RDM, since it limits how effectively RDM can be effective. If you're fighting something undead, you will have a harder time landing dark-based spells (Sleep for crowd control, which can be an issue once HP starts dropping, Frazzle/II/III for MEva, and Blind for giggles) which would help you tackle those foes. I hate to suggest that RDM keeps getting a Magic Accuracy buff, but I'd almost want some sort of Job Trait that effectively bypasses a target's building debuff resistance entirely. A clutch situation isn't the time for a debuff to be resisted...a RDM is counted on to keep a mob locked down, and Magic Accuracy only goes so far.

This could also work in favor of the RDM by giving them a spell that is guaranteed to be the first to go if they are hit with a Dispel effect, so that you don't have to roll the dice and hope that everyone doesn't lose Haste. They would lose the other spell first, guaranteed. Make it AoE too, since it may be a clutch situation in which it is used.

I'm glad they are finally giving us a "Dispel +1" option in some gear. As of this post, it's the only thing we have (I hoped it would be in reforged Empyrean armor +2/+3, maybe I'll be surprised). Spamming Dispel, even with FC, is ridiculous when mobs give themselves buffs quickly, either through spells, TP abilities, or just absorbing them from players. I had hoped that Dispel's effectiveness could be boosted, either through higher Enfeebling skill or Enfeebling Potency gear (which would also make it RDM specific most of the time). One thing I'm curious of: if you have "Dispel +1" gear and you cast Dispel, are two checks performed, with a chance to remove 1 or 2 debuffs, or is it an "all or nothing" approach?

To my earlier point about TP moves, I'm surprised they haven't provided a "TP move readying delay" spell for RDM. They had thrown out the name "Ardor" in the past, and while it became Inundation, I think Ardor could be interesting. By definition, ardor is a great feeling of warmth or passion, so I'd just be reminded of that old school Boost macro that was a ton of lines...I'd imagine the mob effected with Ardor would be doing that and getting all excited about performing a Bomb Toss or something (translation: they would just spend more time winding it up, as it were).

I know I complained about it earlier, but if there aren't plans to help RDM by giving them some AoE options, spell and ability growth could be made special with RDM by giving them a 50+ Job Trait that helped break the rules on how their spells are handled. Blink would be able to confer more than 2 shadows (or it would have a higher chance of eating a hit); Stoneskin's max damage would be increased, or it could feature a Schurzen effect; Blind could be percentage-based and not a flat number, so real results could be viewed; Barspells could be a teensy bit more feasible; Haste could scale with Enhancing skill (yeah, I said it)

Or at the very least, RDM needs some Enhancing Potency gear.

Inundation should just be a flat damage increase. If players want to all spam CDC or create intricate skillchains, they should have the freedom to do so, without Inundation's effectiveness being thrown out the window.

Enspell II damage calculations shouldn't be on swing. Make it on cast.

Same with Spike spell damage. People aren't going to idle in Vitiation Tights +3 just to dole out spike damage

We're higher level than most mobs that can use it, so could we have Poison III?

Also, I'll add my tally to the "Merit 2 spells should be innately learned, with the category giving boosts to their potencies and facets". Or at least let us merit them all 5/5. Please?

Stymie should last for more than one spell. Heck, add casts to it based on adding the player's Superiority level (Master could cast 6 spells), so that getting JP would mean more to a RDM in the longer run.

All wishful thinking, of course, with probably too much work involved to make it happen, but it would be cool if they could help give RDM a leg up.

Really, for me, my issue is that RDM, after a while, only grows up, not out, so we become stuck in the rut of "you're just stronger now". Some of what I said could probably be implemented without too much blood, sweat, and tears, since it's just copying and modifying code (e.g. Poison III damage over time). We haven't been able to evolve much by becoming more adaptive as the game has evolved; we haven't evolved at the same pace.