Quote Originally Posted by Gemina View Post
Clearly you can't. You need to understand that RDM is a caster before a melee fighter. Always has been. The strongest of their abilities, in any incarnation of the franchise, has always been what they can dish out magically.
That's debatable, since turn-based combat becomes about using what's most efficient per turn. Hence why something like enspells would never work with turn-based combat, specially when you have the option of using that turn for nukes or heals (which unarguably get you more bang for your buck). The base concept of the job is a guy with a sword that uses magic. Using a sword involves being in melee range. We wouldn't even be having this discussion if they had shown us the RDM in melee range doing their thing with Lunge (gap closer) and not-Repelling Shot acting as mere mobility tools. As I've said, it's almost like they ignored the feedback from the melee threads.
Play XI then come back. If you think this is an afterthought, you would dread at what they did with RDM melee capability in that game.
One has nothing to do with the other. XI's RDM was a disservice to everyone who liked the idea of a magic swordsman, but this seeming token use of melee attacks is not a positive on its own.
I am not sure why your are discounting ogcds. The stance changes likely are, as is the instant magic attack shown in the video, but it is all contributed to damage. Shit man, at least you got some kind of melee damage even if you want to look at it as only two gcds used.
Again, melee mage. Magic swordsman. Do you realize how nonsensical it sounds to force a guy with a short-range melee weapon to have to get away from their target? At this point the only difference between this and the FFXI version is that at least the RDM gets to keep their sword on instead of dropping the sword entirely for a staff. Given the trick weapon the job was given, even that is only a half-truth.
How about those of us who like the healing aspect of rdm?
You mean the ternary element of the job's concept that is not enough to design a job around? Not even getting into shit like pink mage nor how iconoclastic it is for the guy with a sword and magic to become a heal bot.