Question regarding RDM stats and weapon choice.

Hi, so I've read everywhere that RDM top stats is currently crit dh, with ss in last position.
I'm not here to deny theory craft but I don't really understand why. Everytime I've read SS was bad, it was justified by the job having a lot of ogcd which SS doesn't boost. Makes sens.

When I look at BLM who is virtually 100% gcd, it's best Stat is SS so I don't understand how RDM can be so different. Is it only because of arrow and contre six ?

Finally, is the crafted RDM really better than byakku's one? I've always considered weapon dmg to be of the greatest value and I find odd that just missing crit overshadow the weapon dmg gain. (it's not like ss actively reduces your dps)

Ty

The actual main stat for an RDM is Intelligence. Unlike a melee RDM weapons attacks are infused with magic, higher your magic better your damage. Its also a good idea to add Strength Materia for your auto hit in between the casting. It won't be much but an extra 2-300 hit will add up.
RDMs naturally crid hit so you don't need to really worry about that, i've only not crid hit maybe once or twice a week.

Spell speed isn’t very worth it for RDM because half of their total casts are instant - and spell speed does nothing to buff those instant casts. It can also make it difficult to double weave oGCDs. RDMs will get much more mileage out of crit, direct hit and det because these stats apply to all of their spells.

Also, melding strength is not enough of a DPS increase to be worth it.

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Originally Posted by Elleia

Spell speed isn’t very worth it for RDM because half of their total casts are instant - and spell speed does nothing to buff those instant casts.

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That is incorrect - it reduces the GCD even for dualcast spells

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Originally Posted by Elleia

It can also make it difficult to double weave oGCDs. RDMs will get much more mileage out of crit, direct hit and det because these stats apply to all of their spells.

Also, melding strength is not enough of a DPS increase to be worth it.

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This is true, although mainly you avoid spellspeed because it doesn't affect OGCD damage or your Melee combo.

SS is good for BLM because there is a BLM specific mechanic that favors spell speed.

BLM needs to stack Astral Fire to do more Dmg. His strongest Attack (Fire 4) does NOT create Astral Fire. Astral Fire has a fix duration of 13s. So with more spell speed there is at some time a break even point where it is possible to cast one more Fire 4 without losing Astral Fire. And THAT is the reason why Spellspeed is a good stat for BLM.

RDM does not have such a mechanic. He does not profit from Spellspeed in that way. The opposite is true: Spellspeed is BAD for Redmage. Faster casting = more casts = more mana needed in the same time. If you could gain enough Spellspeed, you would go out of mana.

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Originally Posted by TelosNox

SS is good for BLM because there is a BLM specific mechanic that favors spell speed.

BLM needs to stack Astral Fire to do more Dmg. His strongest Attack (Fire 4) does NOT create Astral Fire. Astral Fire has a fix duration of 13s. So with more spell speed there is at some time a break even point where it is possible to cast one more Fire 4 without losing Astral Fire. And THAT is the reason why Spellspeed is a good stat for BLM.

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Actually, that isn't the reason BLM likes Spellspeed and it isn't the case currently. The reason BLM likes spellspeed is that all the damage for BLM comes from casts.

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Originally Posted by TelosNox

RDM does not have such a mechanic. He does not profit from Spellspeed in that way. The opposite is true: Spellspeed is BAD for Redmage. Faster casting = more casts = more mana needed in the same time. If you could gain enough Spellspeed, you would go out of mana.

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Technically, RDM does have a mechanic - White and Black Mana generation is quicker underspellspeed. However it doesn't actually gain you extra melee combo's over the course of the fight, and Spellspeed also doesn't affect your melee combo recast time as well as your OGCD recast time or damage - which is a large portion of RDM damage, which is why it is avoided.

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Originally Posted by HaroldSaxon

Actually, that isn't the reason BLM likes Spellspeed and it isn't the case currently. The reason BLM likes spellspeed is that all the damage for BLM comes from casts

Technically, RDM does have a mechanic - White and Black Mana generation is quicker underspellspeed. However it doesn't actually gain you extra melee combo's over the course of the fight, and Spellspeed also doesn't affect your melee combo recast time as well as your OGCD recast time or damage - which is a large portion of RDM damage, which is why it is avoided.

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Ah so it would be melee combo that doesn't scale up that well. I thought it was odd that only fleche and Contre-sixte would be enough make the state that bad.

HaroldSaxon, regarding the weapon, do you know if the crafted one is actually the best or not?
Again, I'm dubious about secondary state being stronger than 1 or 2 weapon damage.

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Originally Posted by Sylvain

Ah so it would be melee combo that doesn't scale up that well. I thought it was odd that only fleche and Contre-sixte would be enough make the state that bad.

HaroldSaxon, regarding the weapon, do you know if the crafted one is actually the best or not?
Again, I'm dubious about secondary state being stronger than 1 or 2 weapon damage.

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No its not - the WD is better. Maybe if Spellspeed was a completely 0 gain, but it still is a DPS increase for RDM. Just not as much as the other stats.

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Originally Posted by HaroldSaxon

No its not - the WD is better. Maybe if Spellspeed was a completely 0 gain, but it still is a DPS increase for RDM. Just not as much as the other stats.

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Do you have any source so I can support the claim? I would like to convince a RDM friend to not waste money on the weapon.

It may reduce gcd but spell speed is still not a very good stat for Red Mage, you benefit far more with DH or Crit. Only reason i have some SS melded on my gear is i play both Red Mage and blm. (God i wish we had seperate gear)
Good ol SE did the same thing with weapons again like they did a SB launch give Rm stats moreso for blm (ss) and the blm stats ... ugh
Myself i went with the crafted weapon on Red (despite both Primal and tome weapon having slightly higher WD) it is not a waste of money, the tome weapon would be a waste tomes as you can probably clear sigmascape and then have the best weapon

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Originally Posted by Sylvain

Do you have any source so I can support the claim? I would like to convince a RDM friend to not waste money on the weapon.

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Nemekh from the Theoryjerks has said this on The Balance:

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Main BiS for getting into raiding is pick the highest ilvl pieces, meld vit6 on right side and make sure to meld non spell speed dps6 melds into the remaining slots. Optimising on the micro level isn't really worth it when you're going to end up replacing and upgrading
Now with the Byakko vs crafted, the differences between are going to be very minor keeping into account the crit and dh on + overmelded stats vs the byakko stats, extra int and weapon damage
Keeping it simple, there's more wd, int and vit on the byakko. While RDM wants to minimise sps it is not a 0 value dps stat so people shouldn't treat it like the plague unless they are stacking so much their mana is barely lasting 5 minutes
Given that you already have the byakko, unless you have a ton of gil which I'd doubt given your being a newer player, don't worry too much about investing in a crafted rapier which will be more of a sidegrade
other crafted pieces like legs are solid but again gil and overmeld materia constraint consideration
Sigma normal gear is perfectly viable
The helm and hands are pretty much strict upgrades over their genji counterparts

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Originally Posted by Maero

It may reduce gcd but spell speed is still not a very good stat for Red Mage, you benefit far more with DH or Crit. Only reason i have some SS melded on my gear is i play both Red Mage and blm. (God i wish we had seperate gear)
Good ol SE did the same thing with weapons again like they did a SB launch give Rm stats moreso for blm (ss) and the blm stats ... ugh
Myself i went with the crafted weapon on Red (despite both Primal and tome weapon having slightly higher WD) it is not a waste of money, the tome weapon would be a waste tomes as you can probably clear sigmascape and then have the best weapon

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I never said Spellspeed was good. I was just clarifying why Spellspeed isn't good on BLM, but its also not completely useless.

And i was just stating that spell speed is not good at all on Red Mage and although not useless it is almost to the point of being so

Spell speeds are like others said not a main concern. An RDM's Jolt alone is faster casting then any magic, its like 1.something, it would be better to use a different Materia then waste space on spell speed.

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Originally Posted by Vorx

An RDM's Jolt alone is faster casting then any magic, its like 1.something

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RDM's jolt is 2s cast 2.5s recast, like all of its other short-cast spells. And the 2.5s recast, which is what spell speed is most relevant for, is shared among all RDM spells.

To expand, though, on the real reason that spell speed is bad for red mage, it's very simple. Ogcd abilities and weaponskills are both unaffected by spell speed. Those put together make up about 30-35% of a red mage's damage. Therefore, 30-35% of red mage's damage simply doesn't benefit from spell speed. Whereas every other stat buffs 100% of red mage's damage. This is what puts spell speed in last place for red mage. Make note that spell speed is not a zero-sum or a negative stat for red mage, but it IS lowest value.