Was anyone else disappointed in RDM? anyone?

[Alise]

Everyone will play the same job and it gonna be so bad for party finding competition... I don't like this..

[EdwinLi]

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I understand you are in a state of disappointment that the Mage using a Sword does not use the Sword as a Melee Weapon but maybe it is best to first step back from seeing Sword as something that should only be used for Melee combat.

As you stated here

Since people are bringing up their grievances or mentioning their lack of affinity for RDM, I'll start with the most glaring problem: it's a ranged caster with a sword. Their decision to implement it as such is mind-boggling when you take into account how other MMOs have done battle-mages/melee-casters/hybrids (because FFXIV supposedly looked to its contemporaries for ideas and inspiration) in addition to 5 years of suggestions and feedback.

which as common it is to use something such as Sword as a Melee Weapon there is movement away from treating certain weapons as their generic use people expect them to be due to how they were treated in the past.

Guild Wars 2 is the most common exception we see today that has begun to treated weapons in unique ways originally not seen in past RPGs such as how Mesmer, a mage type class, use a Greatsword for Range combat weapon treating the Greatsword as a focus for their Range Magic attacks. The Staff is also being used more as a melee weapon now when it is most commonly a weapon used by Mages though commonly only see by Martial Art Classes they are expanding beyond just Martial Art classes for use. There is even the use of Axe for the Necromancer as a mid-range weapon as well that slash the enemy with magic spells.

For me I expect the RDM to be a Range type using the sword for Range Magic attacks such as Magic Slash waves with the off-hand that did not use the sword to be where the RDM casted the basic magic spells not related to the sword. However, that concept was not what we got.

What i am mostly saying is expectation for what Red Mage "should have been" can damage what the actual experience of the Job itself at a personal level and not a community level. You wanted a pure melee magic attack user with only small amount of range attacks and I wanted a pure Range user that uses the Sword in a unqiue way by using the sword as the focus for Range Magic attacks but neither of us got what we wanted because we are not the one developing the content. However, this does not have to ruin the experience of the gameplay itself and sometimes things may not be as bad as we think it may be just because it did not meet our own expectations.

[Duelle]

but maybe it is best to first step back from seeing Sword as something that should only be used for Melee combat.

This...makes very little sense. A sword is used for close-range combat. That's basically what they're there for.

which as common it is to use something such as Sword as a Melee Weapon there is movement away from treating certain weapons as their generic use people expect them to be due to how they were treated in the past.

Call me a traditionalist, but melee weapons are there to be used to hit the enemy. If you're not using them as such (see: Revelation Online's Swordmage), you're just wasting code and assets on what is essentially an accessory.

You also seem to be trying to push the notion of uniqueness for its own sake, which is a flawed viewpoint because in the end, a design can be as unique as can be while still being shitsubpar.

You wanted a pure melee magic attack user with only small amount of range attacks and I wanted a pure Range user that uses the Sword in a unqiue way by using the sword as the focus for Range Magic attacks but neither of us got what we wanted because we are not the one developing the content.

Fair enough. As I've said before, though, I reserve the right to criticize what gets implemented and the right to voice my displeasure.

[Singularity]

Thematically appropriate self-target buffs with the classic names - Haste, Temper, Bravery, Refresh.

To add to Momomi's response, RDM has a buff called "Embolden" - raises own magic damage dealt by 20% and nearby party members' physical damage dealt by 10% for 20 seconds, effect fades by 20% every 4s (so 20%/10% for 4s, then 16%/8% for 4s and so on) confirmed by translated tooltip from the live letter.

I dislike that this melee phase appears to be such a minor part of the process.

The melee phase seems to be the "payoff" part of your rotation - you spend some time casting spells to charge up and then jump in to execute this combo for your burst phase (kinda like what SMN does with Dreadwyrm Trance). In addition, it's speculated that performing the melee phase correctly is what unlocks the ability to use your two ultimate spells (The "Holy" and "Multiflare" final actions from the job action trailer and the original RDM trailer respectively)

[Xlantaa]

I like the Zorro Z, good easter egg.

[Inuk9]

It's okay, but no healing spell? C'mon square

[YokeM]

It's okay, but no healing spell? C'mon square

Yoshi has something on his hotbar, which looks like a cure. Nothing is for certain yet, but I hold me breath for a caster which can also be an emergency healer.

Also soloing with this would be really fun for me.

[saber_alter]

A resource based class that builds up those resources with ranged attacks that can be casted instantly using a proc system, and then goes in and expends them with melee attacks.

I'm all for the idea, but i'm pretty sure it's going to be below-par at release just like all of the heavensward jobs were.

[Kaurie]

I am disappointed that I have to wait 3 more weeks before I can play it! ='(