Red Mage use Casting gear!!

[Jerbob]

SMN is mechanically fine and fun to play as a class, as I am sure RDM will be, it's just that SE seems to slap a job theme on the mechanical classes fairly arbitrarily in some cases. I find that really frustrating because I like to see the playstyle and the established theme as a package - that's part of the appeal of FF repeatedly using the same jobs over and over. When you have a job like XIV's SMN that pretty much ignores summoning as a theme then I find it really frustrating as I'm not getting what the package advertises, no matter if the job is good / fun / well-designed mechanically.


Same goes for RDM. If I'm going to be nuking the whole time with the occasional diving in for an ineffectual sword slash then I'm not getting the flexible hybrid class that RDM thematically should be. SE stating that RDM will use "INT gear like BLM and SMN" demonstrates that they could potentially ignore several of what I consider to be RDM's most important attributes, even if the job is mechanically functional - hence my concern.

[Feidam]

Same goes for RDM. If I'm going to be nuking the whole time with the occasional diving in for an ineffectual sword slash then I'm not getting the flexible hybrid class that RDM thematically should be. SE stating that RDM will use "INT gear like BLM and SMN" demonstrates that they could potentially ignore several of what I consider to be RDM's most important attributes, even if the job is mechanically functional - hence my concern.

I don't think that was ever going to be possible for the Red Mage in 14 though. The role system is just not set up to handle true hybrids.

[Jerbob]

I don't think that was ever going to be possible for the Red Mage in 14 though. The role system is just not set up to handle true hybrids.

Sadly I completely agree, but if they're not willing to modify the role system then why are they adding a job that is practically defined by its hybrid nature? I just don't understand, and it's so frustrating.

[Feidam]

Sadly I completely agree, but if they're not willing to modify the role system then why are they adding a job that is practically defined by its hybrid nature? I just don't understand, and it's so frustrating.

Because people like me still want to be the Red Mage! Favorite class in the final fantasy universe. It could still be quite heavy on utility though like ninja due to having white magic as part of the "red magic". So you think of support in that sense. Only time will tell.

[Duelle]

I don't think that was ever going to be possible for the Red Mage in 14 though. The role system is just not set up to handle true hybrids.

This depends on the scope of what you want RDM to do. RDM could have easily been built stand in the front lines so that meleeing enhances spell output (procs that make spells instant-cast) while still having the option of using spells from range when they can't reach their target due to gaps, AoE telegraphs and so on (hard-casting spells). The sticking point is off-healing, but I can easily point to PLD and Clemency to show how that can be implemented without interfering with the job's primary role of DPS.

We thus have sword, heals and nukes rolled into one job, and I didn't even need to invent a gimmick to make it work.

[Vexander]

I'll be curious to see what Red Mage's tool kit of abilities will be to be honest. There are a lot of iconic spells that could fit in for it.

Defensive: Phalanx (damage absorb) Blink (damage dodge)
Healing: Self Heals
MP Restore: Refresh
Damage Buff: Enspells (Saw a suggestion for Enastral/Enumbral that seemed to consolidate things nicely)
Group Utility: Haste/Hastaga

[Feidam]

As for the red Mage using int gear I'm ok with it, but I wonder why they didn't go for a dex stat set and then give the Redmage a trait that buffs their int to equal the dex. This way it at least give the illusion of being a hybrid in stat looks and armor variations.

[Ogulbuk]

As for the red Mage using int gear I'm ok with it, but I wonder why they didn't go for a dex stat set and then give the Redmage a trait that buffs their int to equal the dex. This way it at least give the illusion of being a hybrid in stat looks and armor variations.

They have opted to describe the job as Ranged DPS, and their ranged abilities are not coming from physical damage as it does for Bards and Machinists, so I am guessing in their eyes the RDM is a Magic DPS job first and foremost, and likely they have a stance switch that maybe flips Int to Dex and Dex to Int, making it inefficient to use magic while on the Melee stance.

[Feidam]

I doubt we will see a stance since the class is about rapid positioning as seen in the reveal. Having the abilities be int based still works in my thought. My guess is it was just easy to code for caster gear.

[Ogulbuk]

I doubt we will see a stance since the class is about rapid positioning as seen in the reveal. Having the abilities be int based still works in my thought. My guess is it was just easy to code for caster gear.

I think the trailer pretty much noted we WILL have a stance, even if by a different name. There is a stance where the sword is, well, a sword, while you hold that crystal in your off-hand, and then a stance where you tie the crystal to the hilt of the sword and it becomes a magic staff of sorts. Maybe the stance switching wont have a cooldown, maybe it will require some combo to actually trigger the change. I am curious what approach they are taking to that.