Red Mage could use some help.

[Tzain]

Sort of makes me think of what I originally thought RDM would be doing: using the melee combo as a generator and the spells as spenders. I think a big cause of RDM's current depth is the fact we have one spender, and everything else is a generator.

Man, I thought I was the only one who wondered about that!
I mean, if you look at the ability progression and the lore it reinforces the idea of going 'melee -> Caster -> melee' rather than 'caster -> melee -> Caster'.
I still think that SE's way of 'balancing' red mage dps is going to be related to the frequency with which we do our melee combo ('Burst type damage playstyle'). Increased Frequency = more damage, decreased frequency = less damage. Right now, given that the job is so young, It's my honest belief that they are opting to keep it on the 'low side' so that any 'balancing' will be embraced as a buff.

That being said, having us as melee->caster would put another body in melee range, which is a bit crowded. So I'm ok with our default being a spell slinger from a mechanics/balance perspective. It just feels unbalanced because you spend too much time in 'slinger' mode compared to the 'sword' phase.
In my overly simplistic view, Corps-a-Corps is the limiting factor at 40 seconds. In theory we should be able to generate enough W/B to do the full melee combo (Corps, melee combo, displacement,ver-finisher) each time corps comes off cooldown.
Also, I'd like to see Embolden's mechanic get inverted, so that it becomes more powerful during it's duration instead of less powerful since the burst damage combo is so 'back-loaded'.

[Shurrikhan]

Man, I thought I was the only one who wondered about that!
I mean, if you look at the ability progression and the lore it reinforces the idea of going 'melee -> Caster -> melee' rather than 'caster -> melee -> Caster'.
I still think that SE's way of 'balancing' red mage dps is going to be related to the frequency with which we do our melee combo ('Burst type damage playstyle'). Increased Frequency = more damage, decreased frequency = less damage. Right now, given that the job is so young, It's my honest belief that they are opting to keep it on the 'low side' so that any 'balancing' will be embraced as a buff.

That being said, having us as melee->caster would put another body in melee range, which is a bit crowded. So I'm ok with our default being a spell slinger from a mechanics/balance perspective. It just feels unbalanced because you spend too much time in 'slinger' mode compared to the 'sword' phase.
In my overly simplistic view, Corps-a-Corps is the limiting factor at 40 seconds. In theory we should be able to generate enough W/B to do the full melee combo (Corps, melee combo, displacement,ver-finisher) each time corps comes off cooldown.
Also, I'd like to see Embolden's mechanic get inverted, so that it becomes more powerful during it's duration instead of less powerful since the burst damage combo is so 'back-loaded'.

Personally, I usually just Corps-a-Corps and Displacement on CD for the free oGCD damage, and try to ensure they've just been used before Manafication's refresh to each, so they've never really struck me as necessary book-ends to the melee combo. The main oddity to me is just that it feels like it might as well all just be Flare or any other ranged finisher, except that we're spending 1.8 GCDs prior via instant melee range skills prior. As both resource generation and spenders, especially, are so one-dimensional, nothing about it feels different or even like it needs the sword, even when slashing people with it. It just feels ornamental.

[Tzain]

Personally, I usually just Corps-a-Corps and Displacement on CD for the free oGCD damage, and try to ensure they've just been used before Manafication's refresh to each, so they've never really struck me as necessary book-ends to the melee combo. The main oddity to me is just that it feels like it might as well all just be Flare or any other ranged finisher, except that we're spending 1.8 GCDs prior via instant melee range skills prior. As both resource generation and spenders, especially, are so one-dimensional, nothing about it feels different or even like it needs the sword, even when slashing people with it. It just feels ornamental.

Yeah, I was just using the Corps-a-corps as a sort of 'simplistic short hand' for a combo that I figured we all understood. Although Displacement into the Ver-finisher just feels sooooo gooood.

I do see what you mean there, but there's only so many ways you can do 'damage' before they become redundant. Having a melee combo powered by ranged spell slinging is at least somewhat unique. Also take a look at my other comment to Firestar, I do mention in there why I think the melee combo is so linear and simplistic.

[Shurrikhan]

Yeah, I was just using the Corps-a-corps as a sort of 'simplistic short hand' for a combo that I figured we all understood. Although Displacement into the Ver-finisher just feels sooooo gooood.

I do see what you mean there, but there's only so many ways you can do 'damage' before they become redundant. Having a melee combo powered by ranged spell slinging is at least somewhat unique. Also take a look at my other comment to Firestar, I do mention in there why I think the melee combo is so linear and simplistic.

Oh, I didn't mean to connote contrary views in posting as I did. My intent was more one of piggie-backing off your text than running counter to it, but as there was that first bit of difference, I lost my shorthand "This!" to denote that fact. My apologies.

Side-note: I had a huge pipedream RDM idea written out before RDM was mentioned as an upcoming job, and it played hugely into the idea of a macrorotationally nuanced spell-sword. I'll have to dig it up sometime and see what I can salvage of it, which may be little since it was built on an idea that Additional Skills would be replaced with, well, something far more integral than Role Skills.