RDM is a somewhat underpowered job in CC currently, with low damage output and potential, a clunky kit and a lot of extra work required to get any reward out of it.
Scorch
On paper this spell is fine, 16k cleaving dot with half the damage frontloaded and the next half occuring over 2 ticks, the issue with this is that it's locked behind your melee combo. Red Mage already has very limited ranged options and Scorch being locked behind the melee combo makes it rather unintutive to use since the melee combo is extremely weak against unguarded targets and is not something that is good to use early in burst or even really in neutral as well as forcing melee range on a caster. This spell is very slow, heavily telegraphed and not that strong compared to other cleaving dots, so there's really no reason it shouldn't be more accessible in the rotation. The finisher of the melee combo can be replaced with something weaker if needs be (holy/flare) since the job is already sorely lacking damage.
Displacement
Displacement is a backstep that also buffs the potency of the next spell by 15%, on paper this is fine but again, in practice it is very clunky. Buffing a spell via displacement is clunky due to the fact it moves you AWAY from your target and you would only ever use the buff on Scorch/Prefulgence. It's very easy to move out of range of retreating target trying to buff a spell and lose pressure completely or be forced to use up a charge of corps a corps, limiting your future chase and movement. The backstep also limits its usefuless when holding point is required, when most jobs can output their highest damage for no drawback. Ideally displacement should be a movement tool and not tied to damage buffing.
Corps a Corps
This ability is mostly fine in practice it just needs to provide a 25% buff in movement speed or something, chasing on Red Mage isn't great due to the fact you have so few instants that are worth popping on a single target (and just a lack of accessible instant ranged options in general) and the melee combo is your best option, yet it's hard to actually use the melee combo on a retreating target due to the lack of movement speed buff.
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Scorch
On paper this spell is fine, 16k cleaving dot with half the damage frontloaded and the next half occuring over 2 ticks, the issue with this is that it's locked behind your melee combo. Red Mage already has very limited ranged options and Scorch being locked behind the melee combo makes it rather unintutive to use since the melee combo is extremely weak against unguarded targets and is not something that is good to use early in burst or even really in neutral as well as forcing melee range on a caster. This spell is very slow, heavily telegraphed and not that strong compared to other cleaving dots, so there's really no reason it shouldn't be more accessible in the rotation. The finisher of the melee combo can be replaced with something weaker if needs be (holy/flare) since the job is already sorely lacking damage.
Displacement
Displacement is a backstep that also buffs the potency of the next spell by 15%, on paper this is fine but again, in practice it is very clunky. Buffing a spell via displacement is clunky due to the fact it moves you AWAY from your target and you would only ever use the buff on Scorch/Prefulgence. It's very easy to move out of range of retreating target trying to buff a spell and lose pressure completely or be forced to use up a charge of corps a corps, limiting your future chase and movement. The backstep also limits its usefuless when holding point is required, when most jobs can output their highest damage for no drawback. Ideally displacement should be a movement tool and not tied to damage buffing.
Corps a Corps
This ability is mostly fine in practice it just needs to provide a 25% buff in movement speed or something, chasing on Red Mage isn't great due to the fact you have so few instants that are worth popping on a single target (and just a lack of accessible instant ranged options in general) and the melee combo is your best option, yet it's hard to actually use the melee combo on a retreating target due to the lack of movement speed buff.
Continue reading...