Thought about RDM's utility

[Duelle]

Maybe it’s just me, but I’ve been wondering if they really need to change Verraise for Red Mage to get personal DPS increases.

I’d understand if it gave some kind of damage increase, but isn’t the MP cost and DPS loss from not using Dualcast for damage already enough of a ‘tax’? If Red Mage had Vercure / Verraise exactly as they do now, but their personal DPS was higher than say, Dancer and Bard (which from what I understand would be the two lowest DPS if Red Mage and Ninja we’re properly balanced?), would it really make them too overpowered? It would be a bit strange to me if they just deleted Vercure/Verraise and shot Red Mage up to like, Monk/Black Mage/Dragoon levels (though their DPS levels are a whole different debate lol)

I personally don't think anyone here would have an issue with just a potency increase or a DPS output buff while leaving everything else intact. The problem is that to my knowledge, the devs have said that RDM damage is tuned the way it currently is because of utility like Verraise. That's largely why the response from some has been "okay, nerf/change/remove Verraise then".

Here's the thing though: Mechanically, you've just designed a melee job. Not "a caster DPS who also uses melee in near-equal shares", literally a melee job that punctuates combos with spells.

What I presented is simply one element of a bigger design. There is room to add ranged options, though the last time I suggested something along those lines I was told it made the design unfocused.

Sure, maybe every other attack or so is arbitrarily designed to have a range, but the same could be said of NIN mudras, DRG dives or any tank's MP skills

A NIN or DRG is not going to be able to cast cures or offer utility in a pinch. The closest thing we have right now is PLD with Clemency, and even that required a trait that removed spell interruptions from the table. That's where RDM's versatility would shine, and why I would push for melee strikes allowing instant spells. The player would have the choice between spending their instant spells on heals or nukes.

nothing is actually compelling you to back up when a spell comes up in the rotation, and you would functionally never want to back off unless compelled by encounter mechanics, making the act of giving the spells a range niche at best and largely flavor at worst.

You shouldn't be compelled to back away from a mob unless you absolutely have to. This is why I say that the current use of Corps and Displacement are wasteful. They were thrown in partly for "style" (except that resulted in the job jumping around the battlefield like an idiot), partly to fill space between GCDs.

On a personal note, I find the idea of hitting an enemy with a sword, followed by throwing a fireball at them at point blank range very satisfying.

Ultimately you're not only at the greatest advantage when dug into melee range, but literally unable to use most of your spells in the first place without being close enough to charge them with your melee.

Not necessarily. Spell use facilitated through melee is very different from spell use being allowed through melee. If you're at range for any reason (long telegraph, boss flies out of melee range), you could just hard cast spells or introduce a secondary mechanic that involves casting spells back to back. You'd do way more damage than a DRG (lolPiercing Talon) or NIN (assuming the NIN is waiting on a mudra cooldown) at range.

It's a core melee job in Int gear (and even that would be a point of contention).

I'll agree with you here. My earlier RDM write-ups had it as a DEX DPS, though that's largely because a ton of DEX gear was given aesthetics that suit RDM (Amon's hat comes to mind). I'm willing to be flexible on this, though.

I wouldn't say it's unlikely at all, just unlikely to happen overnight exactly the way you dictated. I could see many of these being taken as directions for advancements of the job in future expansions, and in fact we've already seen a slow creep in that direction even with what little we gained in Shadowbringers. Mana generation rates and melee skill emphasis were increased with the introduction of Scorch, while Reprise and the buff to Manafication made us more liberal with Mana spending outside of the 80/80 combo.

I don't celebrate the existence of Reprise, as that skill is basically Scathe 2.0 in how it relates to the rest of the kit. Unless Manafication was recently changed, a 110s cooldown (still way too long) and a buff to magical damage dealt doesn't really lean in the direction of more sword use.

Besides, ShB literally overhauled WHM, AST and BRD. Never say never, particularly with statements made a half decade ago.

I can only hope you're right.

I commend your willingness to actually discuss this stuff. As such, I'm gonna leave this here as well, in case you're curious as to what one of my completed ideas look like. Far from perfect, but a direction I would have wanted for the job.