RDM underperforming by the way of neglect

[SaberMaxwell]

For the purposes of discussing damage rankings in rDPS, talking about damage buffs (which DNC brings far more of than RDM, by the way) is a bit of a non-starter since those are factored into a job's rDPS ranking in the first place.

Curing Waltz is an off-global cooldown heal that can hit 600 potency on one group or 300 potency on two groups during a spread mechanic. What's more, it's available once per minute. Is it amazing? No, but Vercure is a single target 350 potency heal that's on the global cooldown. That means that, yes you can spam it, but to use it means you're not doing damage--if healers avoid using GCD heals at all costs as part of their gameplay, with far more potent GCD heals and AoE GCD heals, why would a RDM's vercure be particularly valued? Especially compared to Curing Waltz. If you can dismiss CW's situational usefulness, you can dismiss Vercure's in the same breath is the point here.

Shield Samba is best compared to Addle since they're both the role action even if SS is for some reason allowed to remain its own thing while every other role has their action identity stripped away, but I digress. Every 90 seconds, DNC can reduce all incoming damage for 15 seconds, while Red Mage can reduce magic damage by 10% and physical damage by 5% for 10 seconds. This makes SS better by default but for a few foibles; SS cannot be used during a dance and although Addle cannot be used during a cast Red Mage can get to a phase where it can addle far more quickly than a DNC can get to using SS. In a scenario where cooldowns are planned, thus maximized however, this is a non-factor because the window to use these abilities will be found or made.

Though not directly comparable, DNC's 2 minute mitigation is Improv which Magick Barrier does beat out handily. Improv is much harder to find openings for, although if you wanted to be cheeky and just flash Improv as an oGCD you'd drop a 5% HP barrier on the party which can be helpful. Kind of like how AST sometimes used to (still does?) flash Collective Unconscious. I don't know if Improv's regen lasts after the flash, however, but if it can, hey 100 pot regen for 5 ticks so why not. If not, eh. EDIT: My DNC just got back to me; the regen lasts, but the barrier requires the press of Improvised Finish which makes trying to weave it janky to do. MB provides a Magic Damage reduction of 10% (important to remember, it does nothing for physical damage) and a 5% healing action strength increase.

So all that said, what you really want to say is "RDM should do less DPS than DNC because it can spam raise." Which...it can, with caveats. To dualcast a raise costs 5 seconds; 2.5 for the prepcast, and although instant, verraise does still roll the GCD. 5 seconds with one of those actions being an attack with a 1.8s cast time is definitely an advantage, but it isn't exactly "grab the whole party up instantly." To swiftcast a raise costs 2.5 seconds, by contrast, so Red Mage's big strength is being able to get two raises out in 7.5 seconds compared to anyone else getting one raise out in 7.5 seconds without swift. That is, however, once per minute just like everyone else's swiftcast. That's not to mention that roughly every 40-60 seconds, Red Mage is locked in a melee combo that they lose a ridiculous amount of damage to drop for a raise--that doesn't matter in prog though does it? Unless you're going for a kill against a very tight enrage, in which case the Red Mage not only would not raise--they should not.

This tier, I have been out-sped to the raise by my healers practically every single time unless I saw the death coming and pre-empted it with, not a dualcast raise, but a swiftcast raise. The times they would have needed me to raise most, ie during burst windows, I was paradoxically not able to stop to raise due to the immense loss of damage that would have caused.

The point of my anecdote is: boy is raise a hard utility to quantify. Depending who you ask, it's worthless even in prog or it's God's Gift to FFXIV. As it is, another poster already pointed out that RDM has been straight dropped in later fights of this tier because it just cannot keep up; SMN offers the same basic safety net, but on top of that is insanely mobile and does more damage than some physical ranged. This is why my stance is "restrict verraise to a 1 minute cooldown or remove raise from casters entirely" and I am admittedly a bit of a hardliner on "If you want the fantasy of resurrecting, healing, and carrying your party, go play a healer not a DPS" which plenty of the flavor people disagree with me heavily on.