Job Feedback: RDM

[Volene]

Perhaps I can bring a new perspective to the table as a Bard player, seeing as in a 4v4 Feast match, we occupy the same slot and would be meant to perform a similar role.

Obviously we're in a great spot right now. Removing BOTH the cast times and the damage falloff from long range made us straight-up OP in Frontlines, there's no other way to put it. Still, the game isn't balanced around Frontlines, so I'll focus more on 4v4, which I've played plenty of before queues died in 4.05.

As it feels now, I agree that RDM is very weak, both from observation and from actual numbers. I'm pretty sure my class out-performs them in literally every way, and obviously that shouldn't be a thing because proper balance makes it more fun for everyone. As a Bard, I have better sustained damage, a (dare I say it?) better burst, better CC, better mobility, and with it, better survivability. But let's look at actual numbers.

Yes, a Red Mage only gets 2750 at a time at range before 'risking' melee range, that's more than enough poke to execute someone before they turn the corner though, because the full of that burst happens at the 2.18s mark, not the 4.36s.

First of all, I don't think that's fair - Jolt II -> Impact costs 3000 MP to use, and it's therefore not sustainable. If you try to use it as your bread and butter for pressure, you'll be MP starved for basically the whole match. In reality, you'll still rely a lot on Stone/Fire -> Aero/Thunder, which is actually 2250 potency. But still, for the sake of the argument, let's assume you're right.

As a Bard, my sustained damage consists of the basic Heavy Shot -> Straight Shot combo with the occasional Empyreal Arrow as TP allows (I personally run the TP trait which allows me to use it almost on cooldown, so every 5s, or every second combo, thanks to very few Repelling Shot uses), and with 2 DoTs ticking on my target (I won't consider the DoTs' initial potency as I only reapply them every 15-18s or so, so I don't think that should count in the "sustained damage" argument). Heavy Shot + Straight Shot + Empyreal Arrow + DoTs tick = 500 + 1000 + 1000 + 450 = 2950 potency. This is not even factoring the 20% bonus from Repertoire stacks from Army's Paeon if I'm in it, or Pitch Perfect which is 2000 potency that I can use every 3rd GCD if I'm in Minuet instead. Still, this conservative estimate of 2950 potency (most likely actually higher) is also delivered in just 2 GCDs, is also frontloaded because it requires no cast times whereas RDM requires at least one, and despite all that, is still higher than the (generous) 2750 potency from Red Mage from their unsustainable combo, and a lot higher than their actual spammable moves which are 2250.

So yes, it's two global cooldowns, but only one of which is required to be frontloaded by the Red Mage, who can spend the other dipping in cover or following up with an off global cooldown skill (such as a heal, bolt, shifting targets with monomachy etc.

Having a frontloaded follow-up GCD is an advantage over BLM for sure, but BLM spells deal more damage to compensate. And as a Bard, well, both my GCDs are frontloaded, I can always use OGCDs or move into cover as I want.

Let's talk about burst now.

And a person who tries to close in on RDM to attack them, risks getting burst 9650 in less than seven seconds ( CaC > 1.5 >1.5 > 2.3 Displacement > Finish) and that includes a free retreat before the finish.

That's not bad, though I have to agree with Praesul that 7 seconds is no burst. The window to get a heal is extremely generous. Now, let's compare to Bard. My burst happens as Minuet is about to expire, during the transition to Army's Paeon. Basically, I will reapply fresh DoTs, prep 3 stacks of Repertoire and use Heavy Shot to have Straight Shot ready to go. Then, the burst is Pitch Perfect -> Straight Shot -> Army's Paeon -> Barrage Emp Arrow -> Sidewinder. If they're really low, I'll throw a Repelling Shot on top of it, but only if I think it'll kill because otherwise it'll murder my TP for a meager 500 potency gain and I won't be able to Emp Arrow as much for a bit. The potency on that burst, in order, is 2000 + 1000 + 500 + (3 X 1000) + 1250, with no Repelling Shot. That's 7750 without Repelling Shot, 8250 with it. But here's the thing: you'll notice that Straight Shot is literally the only GCD skill in the entire burst. Aside from that, it's delivered with only OGCDs, and from experience it takes around 3 seconds to go off, depending on your latency, which matches a ~2 GCD window. I don't know if you've ever played much serious Feast, but I can guarantee you that a 7750 potency burst delivered in 3 seconds through OGCDs is a lot better than a 9650 one if it takes 7 seconds to go off (realistically, as Praesul said, RDM burst is more the 5750 potency from the last melee step + finisher in two GCDs, meaning Bard burst would be both more potent and doesn't require going into melee range).

Meanwhile, each step in RDM's burst combo is instant, you could stun, sleep, and silence him sequentially and unless you were perfect in your CC timing or outright killed him, he'd still get the full combo off.

I wanna talk about this for a bit. The way CC works in 4.0 makes it a lot harder to outright stop a burst combo, you're right. Most likely, any job can get its burst combo off in its entirety. But the thing is that it's not really the point. Getting a burst off is good for damage, but the only thing that counts is getting a kill, and that depends a lot on getting a burst off in time. I could have a 15,000 potency burst in 2 GCDs - if I hit a 10,000 HP target with my first 7,500 potency GCD, get stunned for 3 seconds, then hit my second 7,500 potency move, I did indeed get my full burst off - but I most likely missed the kill because their healer had time to react. Yes, a RDM can and will get their melee combo off through a stun - but getting stunned in-between Redoublement and their Ver-finisher will make any attempt at bursting basically worthless.

And this is where something else comes into play that can't really be explained with numbers: RDM burst is one of the most obvious, easily predictable in the game. With 4.0, most job features that allow them to burst are hidden from the buff/debuff bars, which effectively made most of them harder to predict. You can't see a SAM's kenki or sen gauge, nor whether a BLM's Foul is ready, or a DRG's Nastrond. If you want to predict Bard burst, you have to note when you get hit by Wanderer's Minuet, then calculate ~25-30 seconds from there. If it wasn't used on you, then good luck seeing it coming. For RDM? Seeing them rush in with Corps à corps and start their melee combo is ridiculously easy, and then you know to expect the burst more or less immediately, within 5-10 seconds. If you missed that, the animation for Zwerchhau is really hard to miss (that big Z can be seen from across the map). The best RDM will try to trick the enemy healer by starting off the melee combo on someone, then gap-closing to someone else for the last step and the Holy/Flare - but then, good healers will just look at whoever Monomachy is on. I do it and I'm a terrible healer outside of unranked/bronze matches, so I can't imagine Platinum+ healers ever getting fooled by this. So then, even as a Bard, if I see a RDM start their melee combo (and I will), I will keep track of them and Blunt Arrow them just after Redoublement. It's not hard to do. Then, the 2s silence delays the Holy/Flare by an entire GCD, meaning both burst skills will hit ~4-5s apart, and there goes any hope of a kill.

All in all, RDM is in a pretty terrible state right now as far as competitive Feast goes, if you compare them to Bard, another job with which they compete for a ranged slot. Their sustained damage is lesser. Their burst is lesser, more predictable and requires going into melee range. They are less mobile. They have cast times. Their CC consists of a melee range, expensive Heavy instead of a free, ranged Silence. Really, I can't think of a single reason to take a RDM over a BRD right now - and that's not the sign of a proper balance. RDM needs help.