Red Mage use Casting gear!!

[Kazrah]

Historically red mage wore heavier armor similar to what the Dragoon is wearing.

When was the last time you ever saw a fencer in mail like a dragoon? The correct answer is you haven't because the art of using a rapier requires being mobile, which armor that dragoon wears just wouldn't offer. Also some slight humor that you use the word "historically" when these jobs are paying more homage to actual history, hence why red mage also has that crystal in their back hand.

They retained most of that in FFXI but tended to focus more on casting in the end game due to game design.

That's what I love about this game: it's not FFXI, plus it's also because of game design that it's not going to be as watered down in terms of skills compared to other jobs.

I'm not a fan of pigeon holing this class into being a caster and wearing caster gear. It shouldn't be just a caster. This class really does need it's own set of gear to be what it should be. Barring that they could either find a way to increase the armor value for red mages in cloth gear or find a way to give them int and mnd from the dragoon gear. Some sort of cleric stance like ability would probably work.

Lack of armory space says "HEEEEEEEEEEEEY!!!!!!"