The Inevitable Implementation of Red Mage

[Kiote]

After Reading about the next "Player Survey" I find myself even more concerned than before about the prospects of a Well Balanced and Fully functional Red Mage in this game.

Caster class (Ranged DD and Debuff)

If, as it seems, this means that Yoshida's intention is to create a Debuffing Mage who uses a Ranged Weapon I fear the loss of one of the most beloved classes in Final Fantasy history.

For Starters, these are the things that come to mind when I think of Red Mage:

Proficient in Melee Combat(I think Sword, but Red Mages have always been good with a variety of melee weapons)
Proficient in Magic Casting(A Blend of White and Black Magic Containing the full spectrum of Magic Types including Healing, Damage, Buffs and Debuffs)
Front-line Mage(Red Mages have always been able to take a hit because unlike the other pure mages they have been proficient with Medium Armour)

Th problems I see with implementing Red Mage in this game with Yoshida's new Class structures is that the Armoury System does not allow for multiple Jobs to use the same Weapons or learn the same Skills and Spells.

This creates a few obvious problems:

Gladiators already have a claim on swords which means Red Mages would have to use a different weapon or the Swords category would have to be subdivided.

and

Conjurer and Thaumaturge already have a lock on the elemental and healing magics, so Red Mage would likely be Restricted to Buffs and Debuffs.

Now, there is the little known fact that Red Mages have always been proficient with Ranged Weapons. If Yoshida were to give Red Mages a Ranged Weapon it would not necessarily be a huge leap. In my honest opinion, however, it would be detrimental to the over all satisfaction of the class type. Casting from the front line brings a whole new style of game play to the players. Having to use a Ranged attack from the back line would be the combat equivalent of a spell with no induction. The variety is lost.

Being a half Melee half Mage is what made Red Mage as popular as it is. To take that away would be a slap in the face of Final Fantasy fans. The class has already lost it's ability to be a blend of Black and White magic, there is no reason to take away its melee too.

Final Fantasy XI only really ran into one problem when it came to implementing Red Mage as a Melee Mage. Melee Damage output was not equal to TP generated by the enemy. A Problem that is very easily fixed.

If it were up to me, Red Mage would have the following Basic Framework:

Medium Melee Damage/Speed - Maintains Balance of Power between melee and nukes.

Medium Nuke Damage - Maintains Balance of Power between melee and nukes.

Subtle Blow style TP Trait or Skill - Melee damage will be low(for a melee) to compensate for spells, this will require a means for the player to not simply feed the enemy TP.

Short Spell Inductions - Close Combat requires Fast Casting to allow for users to react to enemy movements and attacks.

Longer Recast - Balances Short Inductions.

Long Duration Buffs/Debuffs - Allows for Paced Combat, Balances short Inductions and prevents users from being forced into an unending spell rotation.

Long Spell Recasts - Balances Debuff duration and Spell Potency.

Melee > Spell Solo Combos - A unique mechanic best suited for a melee mage.

I implore the Development Team, if you must make a Ranged Attacking Mage, please do not make it Red Mage. This is a Class that is beloved for it's role as a Melee/Mage Half Breed. Its users have always aspired to be on the front line of combat. Do not rob them of that joy for another Ten years. Do not repeat the mistakes of Final Fantasy XI.

[NadienKirisame]

Red Mage would not be a class it would be a job. There was hinting at a fencer class to come in and also the breaking out of the sword types from GLD which was to give the scout/thief class the daggers and allow them to use two at a time.

If a fencer class is added and a new mage type class is added(arcanist/caller/evoker/what have you) then they could mix the fencer with the new mage and pop out the red mage job.

the cat is bemused =-.-=

[Firon]

So many wrong things posted about RDM don't even feel like pointing them all out. They can still use rapier's as swords( I believe those are in the dat files for an class). Also RDM only used bow in XI only mage class that usually uses bow is WHM. RDM has also never been a big Debuffer either something else XI slapped onto the job.


Taken from Final fantasy wiki:

Red Mages (赤魔道士 Akamadōshi?) are members of a hybrid class, able to cast spells associated with either Black or White Mages, as well as wield swords. Unfortunately, the jack-of-all-trades quality of their profession makes them less powerful at each individual skill than the classes which specialize in them. In general, they are only able to cast low-mid level spells,[4] but make up for this deficiency by casting more quickly. For example, in later appearances, they are often associated with the ability to cast two spells in a single combat round (called Dualcast or Doublecast).[30] Final Fantasy XI, while not turn-based, continues this tradition by granting players who play as Red Mages a "Fast Cast" job trait, significantly shortening the period of time required to cast any magic spell. They are also able to access the special ability "Chainspell," which allows the player to both cast and recast spells instantly for a short period of time. In dress, Red Mages are usually recognizable by a distinctive red hat tipped with a white feather.

That pretty much sums what an RDM is

[Orophin]

I think they might actually go the route of Arcanist as far as that description goes. If you've seen them in the various quests, they have these staff things they carry around that looks like you could shoot magic out of them or something. Pair that with debuffing and they could fit that mold well.

I don't think SE would want to butcher an iconic class liked Red Mage by limiting it to a ranged class only. Even though that's how I primarily played it in FF11, that's just one style of play, and I know many others who played it just as well while fighting in the front and doing their magic stuffs.

[PrettyPrincess]

No one sed it was going to be a red mage. they mentioned red mage being a JOB not a class. This description is likely Arcanist. (cause you know...it has a ranged weapon and uses magic) But thanks for wasting everyone's time with your useless wall of text as always.

[Cyan]

I..what?
I think you made far too many assumptions here.
There are certainly a plethora of class/jobs that could fit the ranged/debuff position.(I mean, if we wanna look back at FFXI*gasp*, then a Musketeer/Corsair would fit nearly perfectly) But even that is just a shot in the dark guess.

I'm sure like others have stated, that Red Mage is most likely to come with the Fencer class.

[Rubicon]

If you are a sword-RDM in FFXI while in a party you are doing it wrong.

[PrettyPrincess]

I..what?
I think you made far too many assumptions here.

That's all he ever does. I.E. "class reforms have ruined the game"

[Babydoll]

If they do bring RDM lets hope they don't mess it up like they did in XI. RDM in the oldschool FF was always a pretty decent DD with some spells. It's as if they got RDM and BLU mixed up...BLU was always light armor and back line...and RDM was heavy armor / front line.

[redmage]

A subject near and dear to my heart. But yeah, no worries OP, this new class definitely seems to be leaning towards the Arcanist job they've had planned for a while.

Fencer is a very good bet for the starting class to unlock Red Mage, as it's been done that way at least once back in FFTA : http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/F...ctics_Advance)

I do so hope that one major change from XI is that XIV's RDM is now frontline. I like the idea of a rapier-wielding spellsword.