Red Mage Gear - DoM or DoW?

[Mhaeric]

Redmage must be DoM (Mage).

Classes using STR:

• Monk
• Dragoon
• Samurai (?)

Classes using INT:

• Blackmage
• Summoner
• Redmage

Classes using DEX:

• Bard
• Machinist
• Ninja

For stats, yes, that is very likely what the case will be and is nicely balanced. But that list breaks down when used as an argument for equippable gear which is what the question is about. The STR and DEX gear sets both already have 2 separate sets each.
1. DRG (maiming)
2. MNK/SAM? (striking)
3. NIN (scouting)
4. BRD/MCH (aiming)
5. BLM/SMN (casting)

I suspect that RDM will get its own "6. RDM (fencing)" rather than become part of a "5. BLM/SMN/RDM (casting)" set. Caveat: low level gear, and thus low level glamour items, will be more general, obviously.

[Radacci]

For stats, yes, that is very likely what the case will be and is nicely balanced. But that list breaks down when used as an argument for equippable gear which is what the question is about. The STR and DEX gear sets both already have 2 separate sets each.
1. DRG (maiming)
2. MNK/SAM? (striking)
3. NIN (scouting)
4. BRD/MCH (aiming)
5. BLM/SMN (casting)

I suspect that RDM will get its own "6. RDM (fencing)" rather than become part of a "5. BLM/SMN/RDM (casting)" set. Caveat: low level gear, and thus low level glamour items, will be more general, obviously.

there's specific reasons for them having different sets.
DRG has it's own set, cause it has more plate-oriented sets, unlike other melee jobs.
NIN is dex based, unlike other melee jobs.
since RDM should obviously be int, there's 0 reason for them to not share gear with BLM/SMN. actually there's a good reason for them to share caster gear....loot bloat...we DO NOT NEED MORE SETS TO ROLL ON IN DUNGEONS AND RAIDS - are we supposed to get a new set for every new job? i pointed out DRK as an example earlier...there's just 2 sets that fit them, so should they get a "darkness" line of gear for that too?

[Mhaeric]

there's specific reasons for them having different sets.
DRG has it's own set, cause it has more plate-oriented sets, unlike other melee jobs.
NIN is dex based, unlike other melee jobs.
since RDM should obviously be int, there's 0 reason for them to not share gear with BLM/SMN.

You just argued in favour of RDM having their own look for gear. Red Mages in every incarnation from the main series wear leather and chain type armor unlike other casting jobs.

loot bloat...we DO NOT NEED MORE SETS TO ROLL ON IN DUNGEONS AND RAIDS - are we supposed to get a new set for every new job?

This is a more valid argument in favour of stacking armor types. The other side of that argument, however, is loot meaningfulness. Are we supposed to easily gear multiple jobs with a single drop? E.g. Blue Mage will very likely be coming at some point (even possibly instead of SAM - that's still not 100% settled) and that would easily share a set with RDM. Having 4 mage jobs rolled into the caster set would make gearing all 4 simultaneously very easy. And really, we are talking at this point about only 7 current distinct set lines counting fending and healing too. The addition of one to make it 8 isn't exactly what I would call a bloated loot situation given that there will soon be 15 jobs.

[Mhaeric]

E.g. Blue Mage will very likely be coming at some point (even possibly instead of SAM - that's still not 100% settled) and that would easily share a set with RDM.

I just had a thought that maybe this is why they specifically declined to talk about Red Mage gear. I.e. It is to be a gear set shared with Blue Mage, and they didn't want to give out any accidental information or hints about the Blue Mage job being the second job in Stormblood.

[FeliAiko]

You just argued in favour of RDM having their own look for gear. Red Mages in every incarnation from the main series wear leather and chain type armor unlike other casting jobs.


This is a more valid argument in favour of stacking armor types. The other side of that argument, however, is loot meaningfulness. Are we supposed to easily gear multiple jobs with a single drop?

Yes, you are, because that's the whole point of this games Armory System, as part of it's selling point (i.e how you can play/switch between multiple Jobs on one character).

E.g. Blue Mage will very likely be coming at some point (even possibly instead of SAM - that's still not 100% settled) and that would easily share a set with RDM.

So the Job (SAM) that was in serious contention with DRK as the 3.0 flagship tank is less likely to appear in XIV over the Job (BLU) that Yoshi has stated on 2 occasions as not being suitable for XIV's environment? Yeah, that makes a lot of sense.

Having 4 mage jobs rolled into the caster set would make gearing all 4 simultaneously very easy.

So what. This is already a thing with the current Tanks and Healers, as well as NIN/BRD/MCH (right side loot). Also, again being able to gear multiple Jobs of the same role is part of this game's design. If anything, making RDM share Caster loot would not only encourage existing Casters towards picking it up, but also the reverse with new players that pick up RDM and later on become curious on how the other Caster Jobs play.

[Velhart]

For stats, yes, that is very likely what the case will be and is nicely balanced. But that list breaks down when used as an argument for equippable gear which is what the question is about. The STR and DEX gear sets both already have 2 separate sets each.
1. DRG (maiming)
2. MNK/SAM? (striking)
3. NIN (scouting)
4. BRD/MCH (aiming)
5. BLM/SMN (casting)

I suspect that RDM will get its own "6. RDM (fencing)" rather than become part of a "5. BLM/SMN/RDM (casting)" set. Caveat: low level gear, and thus low level glamour items, will be more general, obviously.

It very likely is not going to happen, sorry to disappoint you. They already got a ton of flack for bloating the loot table with Scouting gear. Also by your logic, why doesn't DRK use their own set? Or MCH? Or AST? Where is my Jacket of Shooting?

People can do mental gymnastics all you want in attempts to justify it having it's own set, but it is confirmed as a ranged caster. It is a DoM. Common sense says they are put into Casting gear.

Also for future jobs, how is SE going to accommodate more gear sets for other new jobs in the future? You have to think what is actually practical over what seems cool in your head.

[Beckett]

They already got a ton of flack for bloating the loot table with Scouting gear.

I swear to Halone, Return to Ishgard had better have a token system.

[Mhaeric]

I've already listed several practical considerations if you go back and read. E.g. RDM and BLU. SAM has a place to share with either MNK ot DRG depending on whether they prefer the eastern look or the tankier plate look for it.

As for DRK (and AST) not getting its own look... that can probably be explained by the relative populations of tank and healer archetypes. Putting all the tanks (and healers) into one loot group of 3+ jobs favours playing more than one or two of those archetypes because you'll have several of them well geared by virtue of gearing one. Limiting dps to one or two per gear set encourages playing different archetypes since you won't automatically have a bunch of dps jobs well geared because you geared one of them. In short, it's a subtle way of nudging players to be more likely to play the less popular tank and healer archetypes.

[Velhart]

I've already listed several practical considerations if you go back and read. E.g. RDM and BLU. SAM has a place to share with either MNK ot DRG depending on whether they prefer the eastern look or the tankier plate look for it.

As for DRK (and AST) not getting its own look... that can probably be explained by the relative populations of tank and healer archetypes. Putting all the tanks (and healers) into one loot group of 3+ jobs favours playing more than one or two of those archetypes because you'll have several of them well geared by virtue of gearing one. Limiting dps to one or two per gear set encourages playing different archetypes since you won't automatically have a bunch of dps jobs well geared because you geared one of them. In short, it's a subtle way of nudging players to be more likely to play the less popular tank and healer archetypes.

The categories exist to begin with so the system isn't bloated. The reason Scouting even exists is because the developers believe that a DEX based melee can be it's own category that multiple jobs in the future can branch off of. How many jobs do you plan on putting in Fencing gear? Why not just have job specific gear? I am sure that wouldn't be a huge damper on their resources.