But it's a sword.

[Ashua]

If you want a more sword oriented option the paladin with the shieldless glamour is a viable alternative. It has enough casting of mini holy and its self heals to probably give you the flare you want.

[AlexSag]

This game makes a very clear distinction between melee dps and caster dps, there was no way RDM was going to be a job that perfectly straddled that line. We were either going to get a melee dps that had some sort of gated casting mechanic, or what we currently have, a caster dps with gated melee abilities. I actually prefer it this way. I also enjoy the fact that the way the melee ability works sort of mirrors actual fencing. You keep your distance until you see an opening and then instantly strike. The idea that they wouldn't put the job in just because they couldn't do it exactly the way it had been in previous iterations also seems silly to me. Plenty of people are enjoying it and if one is offended by the current RDM build, one can just not play the job.

[Fyce]

-snip-

A lot of jobs are actually like that. You build up ressources that you burn on some combo or powerful ability.
If you don't like this kind of gameplay, then don't play these jobs.

Regarding your desire to play slashy-slashy with a sword... Damn, that's a great idea. If only Stormblood came with such a job.

[Thunda_Cat_SMASH]

Regarding your desire to play slashy-slashy with a sword... Damn, that's a great idea. If only Stormblood came with such a job.

Because clearly what I mean when I say I want a job that meshes steel and spell seamlessly I of course mean I want pure swordcraft. Clearly your capability to acknowledge such minute details is flawless.

[Fyce]

Because clearly what I mean when I say I want a job that meshes steel and spell seamlessly I of course mean I want pure swordcraft. Clearly your capability to acknowledge such minute details is flawless.

RDM casts spells, and then do some sword play. If it was Spell>Sword>Spell>Sword..., then it'd have been a melee caster, alone in its own category. It's not. Too bad for you.
Again, you like slashing more than casting. Well, FFXIV's RDM is more casting and less fencing. Deal with it, because it's stay like this at least until the next expansion.

[PogueX]

I kinda feel bad that their are so many jobs that use the sword cause i was so hoping that the gunblade would eventually be a job weapon for a upcoming job, but because so many jobs use a blade i doubt it will happen now

[Neela]

I kinda feel bad that their are so many jobs that use the sword cause i was so hoping that the gunblade would eventually be a job weapon for a upcoming job, but because so many jobs use a blade i doubt it will happen now

Oh yay... i cant stop thinking about a gunblade as well since i saw the 275 Anima of Mchs the first time - which absolutly reminds me of Squalls Griever : /

[Mnemosynia]

For all the people who are saying red mages are casters and deal with it, note that red mages in lore used both equally are proficient at both equally just not in ff14.

[Duelle]

Hybrid doesn't mean having a strict 50/50% rate in using swordsman and caster skills.

Hybrid also doesn't mean having things solely for the sake of having them (like a sword that is barely used).

But that would make RDM a "Melee caster DPS", and completly turn the use of Corps-a-corps and Displacement around, almost making them useless.

Which wouldn't be a bad thing, seeing that rotational mobility is a bad idea in a game that has things like telegraphs and ground-targeted effects to deal with in combat. It looks cool, but it's not a good element of gameplay. Not being forced to always use Displacement and Corps would simply mean the job has mobility to be used when appropriate, making those skills no different than Elusive Jump/Spineshatter Dive/Repelling Shot/Shoulder Tackle/Plunge.

FFXIV's Red Mage is primarily a caster, jumping in for a token melee combo that is useless without black and white mana.

Fixed it for you. The system in place is clearly built for a caster, and the melee is an afterthought that reeks of being added at the last minute. You could take out Riposte, Zwerchhau and Redoublement, replace them with a ranged mana dump ability and see next to no difference in gameplay.

I get that some people may want more melee action from the RDM. But not everyone does.

Much like some are happy being a turret that sometimes gets to jump around, but not everyone is.

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".

[Seferex]

I dont mind at all the rdm's mechanics. I find it fun to play.

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.

Offcourse we need to cut the potency of each spell