Lets Talk - Red Mage

[Haibel]

I don't think it would be too much of a issue being Acc materia fundamentally share different slots from INT and MND, however I overlooked that MND and INT share the head slot so that might cause fundamental issues long term. So perhaps substituting INT in favor of maybe PIE like other mages might be more beneficial.

Correct me if I'm just dead wrong here. I would figure that RDM would have a quicker
avg attack rate at say 1.8 - 2.0 delay over Gla/Pld's 2.2 - 2.6 delay. So should the focus
be Dex and Pie for higher Melee and magic ACC. Well at least if it's magic based dmg on WS's
like i'm wanting it to be.

[SwordCoheir]

Correct me if I'm just dead wrong here. I would figure that RDM would have a quicker
avg attack rate at say 1.8 - 2.0 delay over Gla/Pld's 2.2 - 2.6 delay. So should the focus
be Dex and Pie for higher Melee and magic ACC. Well at least if it's magic based dmg on WS's
like i'm wanting it to be.

It is magic based WS damage, but when they redid the classes they changed it where MND gives magic accuracy, and regulated PIE to mostly pertain to Enfeeblement potency and MP so it would be more like DEX and MND in that instance.

[Punainen]

Maybe if SMN is gonna be the enfeeble master, maybe RDM should be master of buffs.

[Scy]

I think the RDM being a real hybrid focusing on quick attacks in the front line with some type spells being worked into the mix and having both MP and TP playing a part in the combos (assuming combos remain the way they are) would be great! Maybe something along the lines of having the WS elemental/enfeeble based and costing TP+MP like what some of you are saying. Some interesting stuff, would be nice to see it brought about. Either way I am in full support of RDM being front line and not back line support and having a sad sad panda on the other side of the screen wanting nothing more than you fight the mob with everyone else.

[strallaalaa]

as long as it's not a stupid healer that dps's i hate when people say i'm a dps'er and don't heal when they have heals. they gets no loves from me, or invites, to anything. warhammer online has made me a huge huge hatter of mages that think they are dps, or nukers when they are made better healers. your money you can play how you want but not in my parties you just can go make your own. rdm i loved but if we got some rdm in front saying i won't heal or i can heal just as good in front line then SE better make it so for sure. you cann't have it both ways i think, you shout for a healer and some stupid dps buffed healer joins you and you can't finish a dungeon till you realize this and when he is out in field though he sure as hell ain't healing in pvp, so witch is it? right whatever you want. lol... again death to all dps healers.

[Hiruke]

Frankly, there are too few ability slots to actually go into an all out hybrid mage like they did in FFXI, so even on the most conceptual level FFXI or classic RDM in general is plain impossible without making it severely under/over powered or going back into FFXI's classic Backline/Frontline arguements.

When you say "ability slots", do you mean the Action Bar, or literally how many abilities you can learn on a class? If the latter, I think it's a huge mistake to think anything, much less everything, about 1.0 is going to be the same in 2.0. Especially with regard to how many abilities are available.

[SwordCoheir]

A bit of both actually, even with the extended action bar (based off ARR screenshots) there will be only so many abilities/spells we can learn, to me that's a bit too restricting with a versatile class like RDM because some put too much emphasis on giving RDM just a little bit of everything, but it tends to not give enough umph to make it viable or if SE does give it enough umph the versatility will make it too overpowered. However, if they were too just give RDM one or two main focuses, a sub-focus, maybe combine some of the aspects, it won't a half-baked job where half of it's abilities never finding a use.

[Duelle]

Maybe if SMN is gonna be the enfeeble master, maybe RDM should be master of buffs.

Bite your tongue.

However, if they were to just give RDM one or two main focuses, a sub-focus, maybe combine some of the aspects, it won't a half-baked job where half of it's abilities never finding a use.

Agreed. Something like front line attacker (combination of auto-attacks, fencing skills, enspells and attack magic where possible), lesser enfeebling (attached to weapon skills, stacks with what Arcanist/SMN can put on the mob), minor utility (situational off-heal, group-wide buff or cooldown).

[Ashel]

I loved RDM solo, wasn't great at it in FFXI. I still loved the job, I didn't love cycling the refresh and haste cycles. That didn't stop me from loving the job when soloing. I know the game is not all about solo, but we all have times that we might like to solo for a bit. I agree RDM would make a nice addition to the game.

[Yrusama]

One possibility is if they make classes branch into multiple jobs. Have GLA branch into RDM and let it use CNJ and THM abilities. Give it an enhanced Outmaneuver or something for more MP bonus, and maybe give it triple cast or an ability to switch all melee hits into non-elemental magic damage for certain monsters. They could make it into a solo job, as fencing is predominately a duelist's art. Problem with this is I'd prefer RDM to have more of its own class traits. As its own class, they could give it its own spellblade skills for added debuffs and light/dark elements to melee attacks.
Just a few thoughts - no hardcore feelings on the matter. I'd love to see RDM and THF in the game, though.