Pictomancer is not the issue.

[Infindox]

The theme of Red Mage is, historically, to be able to cast both White and Black magic, but not to the same depth as White Mage and Black Mage, Raise is typically a fairly low level spell, with a more powerful higher tier version, occasionally named "Arise", that raises targets at full health(there IS an issue here with Healers never getting an upgraded rez spell, because such a spell doesn't gel with how FFXIV plays), so Red Mage has access to the low level version, with Dualcast being an extra ability to reflect their duality and give them something to make them stand out more than just "jack of all trades" so it can hold up to endgame, it's a balance patch more than anything, just a very logical one that makes sense with how the job flows.

Having Verraise(and by extension Vercure) is objectively the theme of the job, or more accurately, it is included in the broad umbrella that is its primary theme.

I put that in my "no thanks" text because someone on here point that out and one time, and yes you are correct.

[Supersnow845]

If you are comparing PCT to the ranged jobs then yes, they all have their issues. But PCT is still beyond broken and unless they are willing to change the game around the job, the job needs to get changed. And I don't mean just numbers on all the jobs. Fight designs, job identities for other jobs. In this current patch, in this current state.. PCT is a big issue. Maybe not for the normal content, but the high-end content, it is a glaring and extreme issue. Never have I seen a role restricting to one job. I've seen people restrict jobs to one role, but never have I seen a whole role being restricted to one job. And if nothing changes, it will remain that way and it sucks. Especially as someone who had to flex to PCT for FRU prog when I really didn't care for the job. I literally first timed PCT in ultimate, did more damage than my main job (Which is Monk btw, so not a weak job) and I instantly began to hate it because how the hell am I doing more damage on a job I've never touched before, barely know anything about it than something that I've practiced for months prior?

If you scope your issue down to just the role, then I agree, RDM and SMN both need a look into, but that does not mean PCT shouldn't be looked into either. PCT needs a nerf... Period. If you played the job for it's design and it's aesthetic then you shouldn't care if it gets nerfed. If you played it for the numbers, then you can just hop on the next job that does the most damage. There should be no defense for PCT being in the state that it is in, and everyone can go on and on what is the best way, I don't care, as long as I don't have a feeling that I need to bring PCT into content anymore and have people around me play what they want to play instead of feeling forced to play what is best.

We need more fix machinist threads tbh.

And you also have to understand that I couldn’t give a single solitary f……. About ultimate balance when compared to PCT’s mechanical design and even amongst other high end players that isn’t an unpopular opinion

PCT is overpowered in FRU because of its mechanical design (whether you (general you) think PCT is still too high in savage or not is irrelevant as there is no version of PCT in current full uptime that blocks the other casters) and that problem of mechanical design only affects ultimate (same as NIN and SCH’s advantage in CAR is unique to CAR)

If a mechanical design that is even as slightly different as PCT’s is compared to the baseline breaks ultimate balance then its content design that’s the problem at this point. Jobs shouldn’t hate downtime I still don’t understand why ultimate balance breaks down to basically how little or how much does your job hate downtime.

An incredibly well received job that has a somewhat unique mechanical design that inheritantly biases it in ultimate shouldn’t be fundamentally changed because of ultimate alone, it simply isn’t worth it

At this point content design vs job design is so fundamentally broken in favour of bloated flavourless jobs the easiest way to balance PCT in ultimate is to just ban it from ultimates till they can actually retool the rest of the jobs to not hate downtime more than fucking WHM of all jobs

[Drimn]

It's the fact that ALL physical ranged and SMN & RDM jobs hit like a wet noodle.
What they should do is remove the ranged tax for physical ranged, and also remove the ress from SMN & RDM, and just buff all of them to be on par with PCT.

It's silly that in 2025 things like "ranged tax" and "utility tax" still is part of the game, when it haven't been relevant for several years at this point.

At the moment it feels very unappealing to play and/or bring physical ranged or SMN/RDM to content, even though they're viable options, you'd much rather take something else.

My point is, PCT isn't really the real issue, but rahter everything else is just too weak, so buff everything else instead.

You'll take my res from me with my cold, dead hands. Seriously, a major reason I love RDM is the utility. I don't want to play Diet Black Mage.

[aCrowe]

At this point content design vs job design is so fundamentally broken in favour of bloated flavourless jobs the easiest way to balance PCT in ultimate is to just ban it from ultimates till they can actually retool the rest of the jobs to not hate downtime more than fucking WHM of all jobs

Did I just read suggesting to ban a job from content over nerfing it? Limiting players to play what they want.. That's a fat xd from me and a first.

[Maltothoris]

Well not to worry because guess what? We got more buffs coming along the way! Source http://blog.livedoor.jp/umadori0726/.../62052668.html Translation from the reddit server

Q13: Are upper adjustments on BLM under consideration?
Answer: There will still be buff adjustments for BLM. We were too careful about the job, sorry!

It just is hilarious they seem so allergic to any sort of nerf at this point, uncaring of what this will do to the earlier content.

[mallleable]

Well not to worry because guess what? We got more buffs coming along the way! Source http://blog.livedoor.jp/umadori0726/.../62052668.html Translation from the reddit server



It just is hilarious they seem so allergic to any sort of nerf at this point, uncaring of what this will do to the earlier content.

They're still gonna have to buff, and make changes to the rest of the jobs even if they nerf PCT.

[Nasigno]

They could ger rid of PCT, and the argument would still exist. I'm sorry, but every other job has something to compete against. BLM has to take the L sometimes in being the top dmg caster job.

Likewise, the sheer foaming at the mouth over FRU is amusing, something that even by their own report has a low % of actual usage and it somehow defines the "overpowered" nature of a job, till you look at Savage, and EX's and then suddenly that argument dies near immediately. "It has support, it should not be do so much damage" Meanwhile ignoring that DRG has support items that put it above SAM and VPR in some fights. Oh right, this is only a unique problem cause 1 job has a design that isn't the norm?

Maybe stop doom scrolling PCT is going to ruin the game, especially for when in the majority of content is proven otherwise. Think that would help a ton of people more than some potency change.

[sindriiisgaming]

It's the fact that ALL physical ranged and SMN & RDM jobs hit like a wet noodle.
What they should do is remove the ranged tax for physical ranged, and also remove the ress from SMN & RDM, and just buff all of them to be on par with PCT.

It's silly that in 2025 things like "ranged tax" and "utility tax" still is part of the game, when it haven't been relevant for several years at this point.

At the moment it feels very unappealing to play and/or bring physical ranged or SMN/RDM to content, even though they're viable options, you'd much rather take something else.

My point is, PCT isn't really the real issue, but rahter everything else is just too weak, so buff everything else instead.

I am not understanding what makes people think there is a ranged tax when Picto, BLM, EW SUMMONER, SHB MCH were all obscenely overpowered jobs at point in their life. it is not the ranged tax at this point. they just cant balance.

[OMGJesuis66]

Jobs shouldn’t hate downtime I still don’t understand why ultimate balance breaks down to basically how little or how much does your job hate downtime.

Isn't the reason behind that simply that combat design and job design in this game are set upon VERY static rotations?
Given that you "need" to press spell A at minute 2:23 of the fight, or else you have downtime, GCDs are being lost and crippling even your raid buff timer usage, making it a huge loss for everyone... Doesn't it mean that pushing forced downtime in fights due to all boss's spectacular flair of animations, would cripple the concept?
I do not do content like Ultimates or Savage, so take it as a genuine question.
Because every time I had some brief experience with such content, eventually repetition became a point where I knew that I would always use the spell A when the boss was using a certain thing, or else I couldn't do anything else. Such a thing was even applied in Normal content, like the Proto-Carbuncle having a full 20 seconds cutscene for phase transition, 3 seconds after the Raid Buff resets in the fight.

Downtime always felt bad, for any class, Picto just has something to take advantage of it, technically. And these days, fights have more downtime, and classes have a more and more strict rotation if you are trying to play it optimally.

[LibitIncarne]

The theme of Red Mage is, historically, to be able to cast both White and Black magic, but not to the same depth as White Mage and Black Mage, Raise is typically a fairly low level spell, with a more powerful higher tier version, occasionally named "Arise", that raises targets at full health(there IS an issue here with Healers never getting an upgraded rez spell, because such a spell doesn't gel with how FFXIV plays), so Red Mage has access to the low level version, with Dualcast being an extra ability to reflect their duality and give them something to make them stand out more than just "jack of all trades" so it can hold up to endgame, it's a balance patch more than anything, just a very logical one that makes sense with how the job flows.

Having Verraise(and by extension Vercure) is objectively the theme of the job, or more accurately, it is included in the broad umbrella that is its primary theme.

I don't see any issues with getting Arise at level 66 or somewhere around there (and preferably with a 1 minute recast for balancing reasons), it'll prevent the stupid deaths that come from someone using an action immediately after being revived but before being healed up a bit and so dying to a raidwide.