Quote Originally Posted by SwarleyMcSwarls View Post
Red Mage has a spot in all content at the moment.
https://www.fflogs.com/statistics/19#aggregate=amount&dataset=100

Not really looking at the damage per second, but parse totals.

11 summoners have killed Ultimate. Compared to 1 Red Mage, and 0 Black Mages. Worth mentioning at least, I feel.

The only place it is pushed out is when pushing dps in speed kill groups. The ease of execution of the kit as well as its amazing raise utility make it a perfect progression job. And its personal damage is not so underpowered that it is a hindrance to groups in any sort of content.
It's viable. And if the only desire for it is for progression, that's a stupid way to balance a job. Again it's worth noting that RDM has one...ONE clear in Ultimate, versus SMN's 11. Even in ultimate, RDM is only taken to learn the fight and replaced with summoner who brings not only raise, but more damage than Black Mage.

I will admit that there are balancing issues in the game for 8 man content, but damage utility and personal damage output are not the only factors for a job's utility.
Take verraise away. It's a stupid utility, and it's a stupid thing to balance a job around.
They are just the easiest and most tangible metric to look at. So yes, red mage is a little behind some jobs in personal damage
A little? Some? We're bottom rung if not fighting BRD for bottom rung in every fight. The only RDM to clear Ultimate did beat the 12 ninjas who cleared, so there's that I guess.
and damage utility, but pointing out that it's a few percent damage behind other utility jobs isn't taking in the whole picture.
What's the rest of the picture I need to take in? Once nobody is dying, verraise is meaningless.
Plus, it's only a few hundred damage behind black mage in every savage fight. And black mage contributes no unique utility to a party.
Black Mage needs a buff: it needs to surpass SMN and MNK.

Red Mage, with only embolden, is at or around bard, if not less in most fights.