RDM and the Utility Tax

[Archwizard]

As many of us have long been aware, several DPS jobs trade peak performance for some form of utility, often damage boosts in the case of jobs like DNC and NIN. Despite not being unique in its ability to cast Raise (hi SMN), RDM is infamous for paying this "utility tax" due to its ability to chain instant Verraise effects on its allies.

Today I pose the question: Why?

Presently, RDM mains will agree one of its most pressing issues is that it has a tighter MP economy than ever in Shadowbringers, living CD-to-CD on Lucid Dreaming; this is largely due to the increased costs on the majority of our skills, and the introduction of a new high-cost finisher. Previous math and tests have shown that even with Lucid Dreaming, simply by performing its primary rotation and using LD as frequently as possible -- doing everything right! -- RDM will naturally run out of MP entirely within 15 minutes.

"Oh, but 15 minutes is plenty of time! No boss encounter lasts that long, you'll hit enrage and wipe long before then!"

This is true, but you have to bear two things in mind:
One, this proves we are expending MP faster than we can recover it, which puts us in a difficult position if we ever end up being Raised ourselves since that permanently cuts a significant amount of that MP away and only allows us to regain so much.
Two, and most relevant to this immediate discussion, that 15 minute battery life runs almost 4 minutes shorter with each cast of Verraise. With Shadowbringers, we aren't close to the "raise up to 4 times in a row then pop LD" RDMs of Stormblood; we're limited to 2 to 3 Verraises per fight, period.
Yet in spite of this, SMN still isn't penalized for Raising as heavily as we are.

"Okay, well Dualcast-Verraise is a powerful utility! We should be taxed for having it!"

I'm not disagreeing that we should be taxed for it, but again: The strict MP cost (on top of being a GCD) means we suffer a great personal DPS loss each time we use it, on top of the low damage-ceiling we face just for having it.
No other utilitarian DPS is double-taxed like this, especially when most of such utilities like Trick Attack or Shield Samba are off-GCD.

If the devs wanted to, they could have put Verraise on a charge system, 2 charges with a 5 minute recovery, and removed the cost and GCD. Same number of uses per fight, same value of use, except we don't face a personal damage loss for each cast. Then they could justify having us be a DNC-level support DPS.

But I would also invite you to consider: Raises are not universally applicable, unlike group-wide heals, mitigation effects, or damage-buffs. You will always be facing some form of enemy damage and always have an opportunity to fire off a damage buff, giving those types of utilities a baseline value at all times, but Raises are only used on the occasion someone actually dies, and have a value of nil until then. As progression continues, this becomes less and less valuable as more people learn the mechanics and fewer people die, which is why RDM gradually drops off the map in favor of BLMs.
Meaning, our utility is the rare type that has a diminishing value, rather than fixed or even growing. We use our utility less and less, and our damage cap... still doesn't go up. Pair it with only Embolden -- already one of the weaker damage boosts -- and we're simply phased out for other casters.

So while we can agree that Raises are so powerful they should be taxed, the question is, should the DPS jobs that have them be heavily taxed at all times just for having them, even when they're not in use?
Or, should we be personally penalized for each Verraise cast in-the-moment, but have an at least middling DPS potential otherwise?

[Kiteless]

One problem with the DPS that come with raise-based utility is that if nobody dies, that utility still gets paid for. Past progression, it obviously ends up with these jobs being left to the wayside.

I'd propose some sort of 'life link' trait or ability for DPS that gain part of their value from resurrection skills. Essentially, so long as no member of the party dies, they should provide a small buff to either personal or raid DPS. Once someone dies, the buff is lost. Fluff it as being able to channel everyone's concentrated aether or something.

That, or think up some other form of raid utility that raise-capable DPS can provide when things aren't strictly going pear shaped.

[Kabooa]

I feel like I've been screaming to the void for 2 years.

Move it to the caster Role Menu and give it a long ass cooldown. Buff Red Mage accordingly.

[SaberMaxwell]

I feel like I've been screaming to the void for 2 years.

I think we all feel this.

And I think we'll be screaming for two more years.

Personally I think 60s oGCD cross-role would be the best way to handle it moving forward.

[Tobalito]

I was actually mentioning this on the balance discord. There seems to be a double standard.

Rezzing is accounted for when it comes to RDM and SMN, but mantra and tactician is often completely overlooked as utility.

You either count all non dps raising utility, or you count none of them. It's unfair for RDM to get hit and other jobs not.

[Duskane]

I'd rather the rez stay off SMN and RDM

Especially if its holding red mage back

[dinnertime]

I agree it's quite unfair. Also I think Vercure is also part of the problem when it's also pretty niche. I wouldn't mind RDM's pretty low damage if its utilities weren't so situational and compensates through raid damage like DNC.

Though part of me says SMN/RDM Raise should be reworked to cost more or be more limited in use or whatever, since I've had moments where it has saved several runs.

[Alym]

Adding my voice to this. I've felt this way for a long time and have posted about it at least twice in the past couple weeks. So many casters seem to think we need that raise utility, but honestly it's holding us back a ton. The tax needs to be massively lowered or it needs to just be gone.

SMN and RDM are the only two DPS classes with depleting resources. This means we get hit the hardest with death (mp loss) have more skill bloat for Lucid Dreaming, and can come to a standstill if we use enough of the Raise we're taxed for to begin with. I'm sure someone will come in here and tell us why we should always have raise and the dps tax is fair. The cycle will continue.

As an aside, when they removed TP, I thought every class would use MP as a resource. Now that I know that's not true and every other dps just gets to do things for free, it's even worse for us to keep mp as a resource just because of Raise. It feels like Raise punishes us to unfair levels now: Resource depletion, dps tax, dps loss to use, diminishing returns the farther on we are into a tier, the only role with prog and farm classes our statics want us to level and play optimally, etc. The list just keeps getting longer.

[Duskane]

I don't see Vercure ever going and well its fine considering this is the only job that can solo PotD and HoH to max level
And its good for dual cast procs.

This job has so much potential to be NIN or DNC of caster and I understand they kept rdm simple because a lot of players enjoyed RDM being simple but have jobs like Bard and DRG who are also extremely easy to play and bring multiple types of utility and just miles ahead of RDM in dps.

[dinnertime]

Yeah, they totally missed the mark there. I'd like to see RDM become an actual support caster with good utility but instead they decide to punish SMN into a similar place which ends up making the gap from the caster roles so large with BLM at the very top and both SMN and RDM at the bottom with nothing in between.