Buff/Tweak RDM

[Valence]

The problem is that SE has a lot of trouble balancing around crowd control utility, which is king and has always been in the mode. If a job is chokeful of CC abilities like RDM, WAR, BRD are, especially if they are AoE or on demand, this gives them a seriously oppressive presence on the field already. With that in mind, and baring potential issues of job design that introduces the conflicts you mentioned, RDM functions relatively fine in my opinion in terms of balance there, and the problem is that it competes with jobs that are absolutely busted like PCT, sharing a similar niche. On top of it, RDM is also more weighted toward melee in the matchmaking algorithm and this makes you like for DNC fill for melees a lot more, which can frankly feel like crap at times.

[aereniil]

The problem is that SE has a lot of trouble balancing around crowd control utility, which is king and has always been in the mode. If a job is chokeful of CC abilities like RDM, WAR, BRD are, especially if they are AoE or on demand, this gives them a seriously oppressive presence on the field already. With that in mind, and baring potential issues of job design that introduces the conflicts you mentioned, RDM functions relatively fine in my opinion in terms of balance there, and the problem is that it competes with jobs that are absolutely busted like PCT, sharing a similar niche. On top of it, RDM is also more weighted toward melee in the matchmaking algorithm and this makes you like for DNC fill for melees a lot more, which can frankly feel like crap at times.

But again, aside from the Crowd Control abilities which are very welcome, I feel like there is too much of a "delaying application design" on the offensive toolkit of RDM, even on casts deemed "Instant" (even the Limit Break takes a few seconds to be applied, letting a player with good instinct or reflexes place its Guard up and avoid any damage).
This delay may be a good challenge for those who like difficulties in mastering jobs (by properly managing cds and effects duration), it's very commendable, but I think it can be improved for RDM to make so that it has more offensive impact without even changing any potency value here.

[Valence]

But again, aside from the Crowd Control abilities which are very welcome, I feel like there is too much of a "delaying application design" on the offensive toolkit of RDM, even on casts deemed "Instant" (even the Limit Break takes a few seconds to be applied, letting a player with good instinct or reflexes place its Guard up and avoid any damage).
This delay may be a good challenge for those who like difficulties in mastering jobs (by properly managing cds and effects duration), it's very commendable, but I think it can be improved for RDM to make so that it has more offensive impact without even changing any potency value here.

I don't disagree, I'm not a RDM enjoyer/main, but I've definitely heard people complain that the melee combo and the ranged options feel constrained and don't follow well on what you're trying to achieve when playing both. It forces you to go melee when you want to access your damage ranged spells and melee is used for other things like peeling through guards and/or tanking a bit. Which further cements the strongest points of RDM into its CC (Resolution/Thorns). My comment was more aimed at the fact that I think super heavy CC support jobs like RDM should be balanced within the whole picture more like RDM is.

[aereniil]

I don't disagree, I'm not a RDM enjoyer/main, but I've definitely heard people complain that the melee combo and the ranged options feel constrained and don't follow well on what you're trying to achieve when playing both. It forces you to go melee when you want to access your damage ranged spells and melee is used for other things like peeling through guards and/or tanking a bit. Which further cements the strongest points of RDM into its CC (Resolution/Thorns). My comment was more aimed at the fact that I think super heavy CC support jobs like RDM should be balanced within the whole picture more like RDM is.

I'm curious about what other jobs would play like RDM in PvP, because unfortunately I'm so bad at PvP that I only managed to only success in playing RDM on a not very bad, no good level until now (and I tried PCT, SMN, BLM, VPR, but it was always even worse than the first time I played RDM xD).

Also, I agree that as a support job with a good kit of CC and occasionnal AoE-heals, RDM does some pretty good job.
It just feels bad that to get where I got and even beyond, there seems to need more work around timing and delays (albeit it's rewarding when you success) than needed (I don't know about the other jobs, if the reqjuirements are the same elsewhere). But again, maybe it's just that I'm so bad at PvP, it's only my skill issue.
How I dream of (even seeing/witnessing) more RDMs that outweigh large group (>3) of people more often ! (I can always dream, no ? xD)

[Freelili]

This is why I'd rather see parts of the kit moved around and changed rather than receiving a bunch of raw number buffs. Things like Scorch being a regular neutral ranged option with a CD, Corps helping with movement speed, Displacement no longer being tied to damage, southern cross shape change etc. I think the damage and clunkiness is moreso a symptom of the kit's current design fighting against how you want to play the job rather than just the numbers attached to it. There's a lot of ways they could do it, like instead of having Scorch be a regular button like Slipstream it could remain where it is as a melee finisher and instead have a single Holy/Flare on a CD as a neutral cleave option instead with heal/ dot damage focus, sort of like PCT (even though PCT literally stole that from RDM, I'll never forgive the recency bias). Or they could do the reversal and tack the Holy/Flare as the finisher and have Scorch as the standalone button. Something less interesting but also helpful would be some kind of instant cast 8k filler proc you get from displacement so that you get another ranged option from good usage of displacement, helping with your chases and allowing you to poke at range and be forced into meleeing for scorch procs less often. Just examples from my fried mind but there's a lot of options available. I'm not a great RDM but it's what I'm most familiar with and it's what I've had the most success climbing with in Ranked, a good RDM or player in general will make the job work very well but it sticks out as smth that makes you work a lot more for not anything game tilting as it stands imo.

[aereniil]

This is why I'd rather see parts of the kit moved around and changed rather than receiving a bunch of raw number buffs. Things like Scorch being a regular neutral ranged option with a CD, Corps helping with movement speed, Displacement no longer being tied to damage, southern cross shape change etc. I think the damage and clunkiness is moreso a symptom of the kit's current design fighting against how you want to play the job rather than just the numbers attached to it. There's a lot of ways they could do it, like instead of having Scorch be a regular button like Slipstream it could remain where it is as a melee finisher and instead have a single Holy/Flare on a CD as a neutral cleave option instead with heal/ dot damage focus, sort of like PCT (even though PCT literally stole that from RDM, I'll never forgive the recency bias). Or they could do the reversal and tack the Holy/Flare as the finisher and have Scorch as the standalone button. Something less interesting but also helpful would be some kind of instant cast 8k filler proc you get from displacement so that you get another ranged option from good usage of displacement, helping with your chases and allowing you to poke at range and be forced into meleeing for scorch procs less often. Just examples from my fried mind but there's a lot of options available. I'm not a great RDM but it's what I'm most familiar with and it's what I've had the most success climbing with in Ranked, a good RDM or player in general will make the job work very well but it sticks out as smth that makes you work a lot more for not anything game tilting as it stands imo.

SE should really definitely listen more to this kind of feedback, and not just from jobs' feedback tools. I know it would be infeasible with so many informations at any given time, and that it may be more complicated than anything I could conceive. But when I see people describe such possibilities and ideas, I can't help but dream of what it would concretely look like and feel in our hands.