Issues enjoying RDM

[Chimeric]

I've very much appreciated most of the changes Shadowbringers brought to the table for casting classes; BLM received changes to Freeze that finally give it a use, an extension on the duration of AF/UI, a way to finally spend the remainder of your mana when attacking single targets, and a single-target foul as an instant; SMN became busy enough that I don't honestly think I can play it optimally, but also received new things to do during the normal rotation and a new summon that chains off of demi-Bahamut.

RDM, on the other hand, feels a little....lackluster in comparison, considering. Aside from aoe versions of aero and thunder to throw in for large pulls, very little about this class feels noticeably different from its original kit in Stormblood. The mana build-up still feels slow on aoe pulls without anything to do once it's full but spam moulinet, reprise sort of acts as a filler attack if you're worried you might cap mana without getting to proc verfire or verstone, engagement feels like a punishment for not having the spacing to use displacement, and the only big change to its regular single-target rotation when everything is properly lined up is an additional finisher tacked on to the end of verholy/verflare that I more than occasionally forget to use as muscle memory takes me back to the verfire/verstone proc that just popped to start the rotation again.

I'm not sure if I'm alone in this; it was honestly a little demoralizing to look at my upcoming skills from 70 onward and realize that I wouldn't really be playing the class any differently than I was in Stormblood until the very end, and that it'd only add an extra attack to the chain, at that. Anyone else feel the same way?

[TheMightyMollusk]

My big issue is that the devs still seem to think that Verraise is a great enough utility to justify lower DPS. In an environment without mana shift or refresh, Verraise eats too much mana to be weighed that heavily.

[Nalien]

My big issue is that the devs still seem to think that Verraise is a great enough utility to justify lower DPS.

Give Raise to all the casters;

Red Mage gets Verraise and Dualcast, for rapid Raise.
Summoner gets Flames of Rebirth, which Raises the target and does moderate Fire AoE damage around them, for not entirely DPS loss Raise.
Black Mage gets Walking Dead, which Raises players with the Walking Dead status effect, and needs to be dispelled the same as on Dark Knight (Necromancer theme was the only way I can think of making Raise work on Black Mage).
Blue Mage gets Reraise from Lost City (Hard).

Done. Now Raise isn't special utility for Red Mage which holds the Job back in other aspects, it's effectively a Healer/Caster role skill. Except it isn't a lame role skill, it's something that provides some level of class identity, which this game is increasingly desperately lacking.

I'm not sure if I'm alone in this; it was honestly a little demoralizing to look at my upcoming skills from 70 onward and realize that I wouldn't really be playing the class any differently than I was in Stormblood until the very end, and that it'd only add an extra attack to the chain, at that. Anyone else feel the same way?

The moment Red Mages Shadowbringer kit was announced I was incredibly disappointed. It really is a lackluster kit... I really want two things form Red Mage going forward;

A bit of an emphasis on the sword side of things. Reprise and Engagement almost provided that, but Reprise and Engagement are also things you really don't want to use all that much... A rework for the crystal swords gimmick would be nice too, I actually think that could have a gauge element applied to it. It's a fairly cool concept that's just wasted on a oGCD IMO, I'd rather have it as something to manage, perhaps with a visual element to it given Red Mage is one of the only Jobs with no visual "stance". Certainly the only caster, Black Mage has Umbral/Astral, Summoner has its pets, even Blue Mage has Moon Flute... Dragoon has Blood of the Dragon, Monk Greased Lightning, Ninja gets a shadowclone, Dark Knight has Fray and Darkside... All great visual effects for part of their Jobs rotations, and Red Mage has nadda... Spin some crystal swords around me like this is FFXV, that visual was perhaps the only good thing about that game after all...

A different way to look at the existing gauge. Right now it's fairly boring... There is an aspect they could expand on though, and that's the unbalancing of the gauge. Right now that's solely a punishment mechanic, but I think it would be interesting if it was something you intend to do for part of the Jobs rotation. A DoT, for example. Something you don't spam but need to reapply all the same. Make it a sword skill like Reprise that uses up Mana gauge, if you have too much White Mana, it applies Verwater, if you have too much Black Mana, it applies Verblizzard, with it costing a specific Mana to rebalance you (so if you apply Verwater, it costs White Mana to bring that down to rebalance). Then we have the exact same gauge, but we're using it in a new way.

[Berteaux_Braumegain]

The AOE side of Red Mage could use some sprucing up, certainly. Building up Mana when you're made to use Scatter takes so long.

[SaberMaxwell]

If one were to give raise to BLM it should just be raise. It doesn't need a fancy gimmick. If anything BLM's advantage over RDM's dualcast raise (besides triplecast raise if it's really that bad) is their infinite mana store that RDM can't match.

[Cetek14]

You simply can't improve perfection. RDM only got some situational QoL stuff.
RDM works fine, we simply need 4th caster for more variety.

[Fynlar]

RDM and SAM saw little change because they were the newest jobs. Don't expect to see massive changes to GNB or DNC in 6.0, either.

[TwiibieTwuu]

I really wish RED was more melee focused. We have a sword but bearly use it..
Mostly just casting until we can use the enhanced versions of our sword attacks.

I personally think it would be neat if you had to weave white and black magic in-between slashes and strikes.

[Aeducan]

Give Raise to all the casters;

Black Mage gets Walking Dead, which Raises players with the Walking Dead status effect, and needs to be dispelled the same as on Dark Knight (Necromancer theme was the only way I can think of making Raise work on Black Mage).

This has been said multiple times in the past but... BLM does NOT need Raise ability. If anything, SMN should loses its raise so casters dmg can be balanced properly and solidify RDM as the only DPS who can raise. I'd reckon RDM dmg will plummet in comparison to the other 2, I honestly have no idea how to balance Vercure/Raise properly because these are useless spells in normal/optimal situations but extremely useful in others, potentially saving the run. No other DPS has the capability to salvage a run as good as RDM, but that requires said run to be bad to begin with, which we don't want.

My issue with RDM is how the job plays. Plays basically the same throughout the journey with frosting at lv 70(68) Verholy/flare and cherry on top at 80. Not to mention multiple duplicate spells that do the same thing except type of mana generation that (again) plays the same from 50-80. The job itself flows well enough I suppose, a lot better than Tornado Kick and SSS at least. Personally though, there are better DPS for me to play regardless of dmg.

[hynaku]

Why does the summoner get total work over buffs and red mage doesn't hardly ever get anything. Doesn't the summoner have raise and a healing spell. Black mage doesn't does not need raise. There endless mana pool makes up for it and more.