Quote Originally Posted by Punainen View Post
In summation, nowhere were you allowed to use melee as a RDM in FFXI, aside from solo.
Exactly my point.

Red mage may have been in the series from the start, in fact, it is one of the original 3 "jobs" presented in the series, but it was never what some people think it to be.

In fact, this wiki entry pretty much nails what Red mage is, and that vision was very clearly interpreted and portrayed in FFXI.

"However, being unable to wield or use the highest level magic or equipment, the Red Mage is generally relegated to a support position. They are a jack of all trades, but a master of none."

If Red mage ever did appear in XIV, it would very likely be much more relevant in its swordplay than say, XI. It wouldn't make much sense for that one aspect to overshadow the other aspects of the job (black magic, white magic, debuffs, buffs, etc). When all these things are combined, you get a very powerful class and so obviously it needs to be toned down and that's where the tears will come.