But it's a sword.

[Duelle]

What i really wish to see is to be able to fill up the gauge more often (every 10 seconds?) So that you really use 50% spells and swords.

Of course we need to cut the potency of each spell

Assuming we want to keep the current systems (mana, dual cast), this would be a step in the right direction. I'd take it a step further by increasing weaponskill damage, and giving the combo a bonus to spellcasting speed (instant cast if you finish the combo with Redoublement). So your rotation would be Riposte => Zwerchhau => Redoublement => instant spell (and follow procs as they come) when in melee, and Jolt => instant spells (follow procs as they come) when at range.

I've also toyed with the idea of making Spellblade into a toggle, and add a ranged counterpart called Chainspell. Spellblade would require 30/30 mana to activate and is consumed when you use your combo. Chainspell would require 50/50 mana to activate, and for the duration all spells cast have no cast time (you'd get 1-second duration per 10/10 mana upon activation).

[Seferex]

All we can ask now, is for small fixes...

So the idea is to make the whole "combo" cost 30 (15+10+5?) mana, and each Redoublement will grant you a stack of "say a stack name".
When you reach 3 stacks you can cast flare/holy

Then if you make flare/holy aoe(with reduced damage as the real flare and holy), you can add the effect to Mulinel that gives the same stack as Redoublement. So that when you use 3 mulinel you can finish with flare/holy.

In ending, need to increase the CD of the ingage/disendage skills by 15 seconds (since a whole melee rotation is 5 seconds and you will need to build 10 more mana).
In this way, during the rotation, you will cast for about 40 seconds and will melee for 15 seconds. Still better than now that is 35 seconds cast and 5 seconds melee.
Offcourse will need to reduce a little the spell's potency to compensate the usage of 2 more combos in melee.

With these very small fix, i think we can make the rdm more fun for all. Since it is not going to change at all the mechanics.

[Shurrikhan]

It's a step above this, but not by much. And yes, that guy doesn't use his sword for anything at all.

Wand-swords, yo.

On topic:

I AA between casts. If your ping is low, there's no gap for the AA to go off between the cast and the following instant. The damage bonus is less than neglible, however; I just tend to be in AA range in preparation for Displacement. Unless there's a specific reasons not to, I use both Displacement and Corps-a-corps as on-cooldown bonus damage like Blunt Arrow and Repelling Shot; I find the paired casts to be plenty of mobility in themselves.

So far (at level 60) RDM has about the complexity you'd expect from getting a third- or halfway to level cap. The burst is crunchy, and the mild versatility comes in quite handy in 4-DPS PotD runs. I'm enjoying it more than my gutted HW mains, but that's not saying much.

[Isala]

Having played RDM is pretty much every single Final Fantasy... This is definitely one of the better ways they could have done RDM. People keep throwing around the "Not proficient in melee in FFXIV." Take a look at I, III, and V. RDM there could stab a guy. He could do it fairly well. But his magical nukes were still more powerful, especially if you exploited the elemental weaknesses. Here, no elements. Ergo, no weakness. So, yeah, we have more of a focus on magic, to build up to said melee. That's not to say you still can't stab a guy. It's not optimal, no. But neither was spamming the Fight command during any of the older FFs outside of trash anyway. As soon as a boss appeared, you started slinging spells. Why is that suddenly an issue that RDM here is doing what RDMs have been doing for 30 years? We even have a bloody heal spell that can be dualcasted, and it doesn't completely suck. And, we can spam it so much more than a PLD can use Clemency. How, I ask, are any of these things a "terrible affront to all things Red Mage"?

[Duelle]

People keep throwing around the "Not proficient in melee in FFXIV." Take a look at I, III, and V. RDM there could stab a guy. He could do it fairly well. But his magical nukes were still more powerful, especially if you exploited the elemental weaknesses. Here, no elements. Ergo, no weakness. So, yeah, we have more of a focus on magic, to build up to said melee. That's not to say you still can't stab a guy. It's not optimal, no. But neither was spamming the Fight command during any of the older FFs outside of trash anyway. As soon as a boss appeared, you started slinging spells. Why is that suddenly an issue that RDM here is doing what RDMs have been doing for 30 years?

Limitations of turn-based combat. The rules change when you go into any form of live combat, because turn-based combat has no way to mechanically tie melee and magic (which is why in the console FFs RDM was mediocre, since the lack of hybrid mechanics left spells and sword segregated from one another). Using Fight one turn did not do anything for your spells the next turn. Likewise, using spells didn't have any effects on the Fight command. Overall, there's mechanics that come into play in live combat that turn-based combat do not have.

To help illustrate this, here's some examples:

- Melee skills reduce or negate cast times
- Melee skills allow the next spell to deal higher damage
- Melee skills alter the effect/behavior of the next spell cast
- Stacking effect/buff from melee attacks that reduces the amount of MP spent by the next spell cast
- Attack spells weakening the target to melee strikes
- Attack spells placing lingering buffs that enhance melee strikes for a set duration

All of these are sword & spell hybrid mechanics, but none can be used in a game like FFI, III or V, as turn-based combat does not support them. Which is why you got the most bang for your buck by having the RDM cast spells in those games. The console FFs and MMOs are two completely different animals and cannot be approached the same way.

As a side note, what makes this that much more grating to witness is that FFXIV has a built-in combo system that was ripe for any of the above-mentioned mechanics.

[Klongol]

I don't know about you, but I'm measuring what the devs gave us against other MMO hybrids, some of which have a much better handle from both design and gameplay than our "wannabe BLM with a sword that needlessly hops around". As I've mentioned before, I had hoped the devs would learn from those other hybrids instead of essentially going "lolno".

Egads, you're negative.

You keep claiming other games did hybrids better, but never source anything.

In EQ hybrid classes were generally deemed 75% one class (Warrior mostly), and 25% another - they were wildly successful even though casting WASNT their primary role. It's pretty close to what RDM is in here, Just reversed. Hell, even in DND your hybrid folks tend to lean one way instead of the other. going truly 50/50 just gimps your character a large number of levels.

The notion that the melee abilities were just shoehorned in is ridiculous. They also serve the purpose of being gap closers / creators, adding to their usefulness. While in Melee they included a high DPS combo to execute. How nice! I personally find the melee combo's inclusion to be super fun and rewarding. It also encourages me to try to find the fastest way to build mana so I can do it again!

We all understand that there are people here that wanted something different than what's been presented here for RDM. The fact is it's impossible to please everyone and this is what they came up with. The Vitriol about this game's incarnation of RDM won't lead anywhere except for the production of excess salt stores. It certainly won't change the class.

I'll echo what others have said: "Sorry you don't like RDM, why not try something else to see if you like that instead?"

[Lygas]

ITT: People who cite previous implementations of RDM as support for their ideal FFXIV implementation (despite the implementation differing each and every time), except when other previous implementations don't support their ideal FFXIV implementation. Those are no good because reasons.

[Kuukii]

I'll echo what others have said: "Sorry you don't like RDM, why not try something else to see if you like that instead?"

Unfortunately for me the red mage wields a rapier which fits my characters lore but the way it plays does not. I honestly wanted a pure fencer job like the one in Bravely Second but that's not going to happen now with fancy pants in the game now. The best thing I can do as well as anybody else who wants some sort of change is to make the devs aware. I'm not asking much I just want melee skills to be more integrated with the job not some combo you use at the end.

[EdwinLi]

I still think they should have added more use for the sword by allowing it to create magic slash waves as range attacks like how Ramza inflused his Rapier with magic energy.

[Areonus]

Honestly, where is everyone pulling this 50% caster 50% swordsman crap from? A RDM is actually 33% WHM 33% BLM and 33% Fighter. And if you look at the numbers and (damage and usage) it feels like we're hitting about that percentage with our attacks. I'm sorry If it doesn't match YOUR personal perfect idea of what a RDM should be according to whatever idea you've concocted. But this is what we get for RDM and it's fine as is. If you you want a 50/50 split, start asking for a Rune Fencer/Mystic Knight.