Quote Originally Posted by Nalien View Post
Personally I'd prefer a complete elemental wheel to go to a new job (if not Geomancer, Elementalist or something, IDK) since I'd rather see more swordplay on Red Mage going forward,
Gonna have to stop ya right there.

Red Mages are not a melee job. We are not Rune Fencers or Mystic Knights or Spellblades. "Mage" is literally in the job title; we're primarily back-line fighters who occasionally enchant our weapons and dip into fencing, not the other way around.
I would argue the swordplay is more incidental and aesthetic.

I agree that the aetherial blade spam has visual appeal -- I've personally suggested summoning a barrier of crystal swords for a counter-based personal mitigation tool many times before, citing Noctis' Armiger and Sora's Ultima Form, "En Garde" is a perfect name -- but let's not get carried away. The Red Mage archetype has always been primarily about blending the opposing forces of White and Black magic, with a splash of better physical stats to make up for its lower potential as a caster, not about tossing out swords as a primary mechanic.