RDM Tips Plz

Okay, I have had Red Mage 75 for a good while now and have always accepted it as my gimp 75. Now, I am having to use it quite a bit for different scenarios in my linkshell and I need to make it better. If any experienced RDM could give me some gear tips and even some skill tips it would be appreciated. For gear I mean as in anything, any sets of gear I would need to be successful and skills of any sort.

wear only your hat

Not sure what the question is could you emphasize more?

I am not a RDM, so pretty much everything I do is based more on being a WHM and BLM, using my friends 75 RDM at NM's and such.

For healing, I completely disregard Healing Magic and MND+ sets, I find very little difference in using those and MP+ gear, so I stick with general MP+ to main heal with (Vermillion Cloak also, unless you have Dalmatica).

For Enfeeb's, I toss up AF Body, Enfeeb Torque, pretty much all Enfeeb+ gear and MND/INT in other slots, though I generally don't use blind because most of the NM's I kill are with NIN and they prefer Kurayami over Blind (I'm assuming for Hate and so they know when it wears).

As for general gear, the only recommendations I'd really shoot for is, Aquilo's Staff, Auter's Staff, Pluto's Staff, but then again, I can't remember all the gear I use as RDM atm XD

What are you wanting to do in terms of rdm??
solo/hnm/yadda yadda? coulda asked me im our LS RDMwhore etc

Depending on what you're doing...

Merits. 8/8 Enfeeb, 5/5 Para II, 4/5 Slow II, 1/5 Phalanx II.

Use AF tabard + AF head or Elite Beret/+1 + Enfeebling/Spider Torque for Enfeebs.

MND Set - Paralyze/II, Slow/II: Sapphire Ring x2, Errant/Mahatma Slops, Devotee's Mitts/+1, Errant/Mahatma Pigaches, Rainbow Cape, Al Zahbi Sash/Penitent's Rope/Witch Sash. Just to name a few. Theres better stuff, but they cost more. ^^

INT Set - Gravity, Dispel, Poison, Bio I-III, Bind: Diamond Ring x2, Errant/Mahatma Slops, Errant/Mahatma Gloves, Errant/Mahatma Pigaches, Rainbow Cape, Al Zahbi Sash/Penitent's Rope/Witch Sash...

MND+ helps Para and Slow land more plus increases potency - particularly noticeable with Para.

INT+ helps Gravity, Dispel, Poison, Bio, Bind and other elemental/dark-based enfeebs/DoT's land.

MP Set - Intensifying Cape, Hierarch Belt, Serket Ring, Ether Ring, LV62 & LV70 RSE (in some cases), Astal/Insomnia/Antivenom Earrings, Hedgehog Bomb, Staff Strap, and so on.

Enfeebling Torque by far has to be the best investment I made in RDM. +Skill really helps, but in the long run you're gonna want to use Torque, AF bod, and Elite Beret/Duelist's Chapeau at maximum for +skill. +Stat for everywhere else.

Meripo or healing situations, focus on MP+ and maybe a healing Torque, along with Errant/Mahatma Bod + legs.

Wise head, pants and gloves may be beneficial in some circumstances, but personally I don't use them.

During Events, if you're /WHM, focus on healing, Slow, Para (switich between MP & MND sets as appropriate) refresh/phalanx II if you're in BLM PT... - unless they actually give you something in particular to do that differs from that. Slow II and Para II help a lot.

/BLM is most likely gonna be for things like Dynamis, maybe Einherjar... Sleepga, Sleep II, Sleep takes priority, other than that, enfeeb mobs, refresh/phalanx II if you're in BLM PT...

If you're in a DD PT, Haste, Refresh(if DRK, BLU, PLD etc) all members...heals, bar-ra spells as needed and so on. >_>

I can go on to DD and tanking sets if you want. >_>

Aledacia pretty much hit it on the head, but just adding in that if you have the means, look into a Fast Cast/Haste/Conserve MP setup for non-stat dependent spells, such as Refresh, Haste, Protectra, Status Cures, etc etc.

Thanks Aledacia, I'm also interested in the soloing type gear. Need a few tips on that if anyone knows. Im a tarutaru if that helps~

I agree with Aledacia on all but the bolded points.

Reason 1: Find out who's your main RDM in your shell (if endgame and events) and ask them what their merits are. Whatever your main RDM has, don't merit it for the shell. If you don't have an endgame shell, then merit whatever you want. Go 6/6 spells if you feel like it.

Reason 2 (both parts in the same sentence): In merit and healing situations, healing magic skill doesn't really help at all. You will be hitting cap if your MND is up there anyway (and if your healing magic is below 120 when you dinged 75, wtf have you been doing in your parties anyway?) Don't just work on MP+ though. Work on Enmity - also, so that emergancy cure bomb won't land you on the ground face first.

Reason 3: No matter what, your sleepga in any situation will suck. If you are in a BLM party, you are not going to sleep ***, except maybe something with a Sleep II (if somebody is stupid enough to have /autoattack on still in events like that). Sleepga II > all. Einherjar = BLMs use ES + Sleepga. Even when I was the only BLM in this one run for Einherjar (which was a pain in the ***, I had to D2 30 people afterwards) I still had a great sleep rate over RDMs and SCHs in the same group. Without ES also (using ES ment that they slept for a lot longer, which ment that they didn't rape me when they woke up afterwards). The time for RDMs to sleep ***is over. BLMs > all.

Oh, and another thing. Who ever uses Phalanx II on a BLM? Any BLM worth his/her salt would have /RDM. Let the BLM cast his own Phalanx (saves you MP, and helps them survive on their own).

Soloing gear there's a few things to look into.

1. -% DMG Gear
2. +%Haste/Fast Cast Gear for Utsusemi casts
3. -% Magic DMG Gear
4. The Enfeeb/MND/INT sets depending on DoT or Nuke kiting.

1. Cheviot/Umbra Cape, Jelly Ring, Darksteel Subligar, Darksteel Harness, Earth/Terra Staff.
2. Dusk Gloves, Dusk Ledelsens, Swift/Speed/Velocious Belt, Goliard Saio/Duelist's Tabard, Loq. Earring.
3. Lamia Mantle +1, Lamian Kamen +1, Coral Cuisses, Merman's Ring x2, Fencer's Earring (possible.
4. See my last post. >.>

Enhancing, Enfeebling magic merits help. HP/MP Merits, RDM group II and Wind/Ice/Earth potency merits help too.

Spell Interuption rate down equip and merits help a lot too.

Alright, thanks a lot for the help. I really appreciate it :p

@Reason #3, I've never had a problem with my sleepgas, but that could be due to 314 Enfeebling Magic & lots of +INT... I've rarely done Dynamis where the BLM's are the ones doing sleepga (or are good at it). =/

@Phalanx thingy - almost always the BLM's I've done events with are /WHM because they're too cheap to buy reraise items.

I do agree with asking your shell's main RDM about their merits. I'm my shell's main RDM at the moment so I didn't even think of that. @_@ Personally I <3 my Phalanx 2, Slow 2, Para 2 and Blind 2 merits...taking out Dia 3 and Bio 3 so I can enhance my enfeebs.

~~~

Earth 2/5, Ice 2/5, Wind 1/5 potencey and 5/5 Convert merits are the way to go if you're doing a wide span of events and soloing.

Taru RDM... may wanna do 4/8 HP and 4/8 MP merits. 8/8 Enfeeb, 8/8 Enhancing. 4/8 Spell Interuption Rate will help too.

Not so much worried about events at the moment. I can usually cover up most things with Scholar and White mage. For solo should I have Bio 3?

Bio III lasts for a very, very short time unless you merit it farther than 1/5. =/ You're better off using a pairing of Bio II and Poison II. (this is what RDM's do on Bune)

I see. Well I'm gonna get started on meriting then and then try to scrape gil for equipment XD

Good luck! :D

ENM, KSNM (Royale Ramble is great), along with Lady Bugs and soloing Avatars is probably the best way to go. for money. >..>

/clock Macro'd into Refresh and Haste helps me to keep my entire party buffed as necessary. If you use windower, timestamp does the same thing. I don't, though, so I use /clock. My macros look like this:

/recast "Refresh"
/clock
/ma "Refresh" <t>

I find it really, really helps, especially when Refresh and Haste are necessary in most end-game events for tanks and the such.

ISNM is another great way to make money. Costs nothing except a little time and IS, which, if you're a RDM you should have ton of; and if you dont, you'll have no trouble finding a merit party to get some. Usually when I go, we get 1-2 between the 6 of us, and they sell for ~300k depending on server.

But like I said, the best part is that even if you go and dont get the drop, you've lost no seals. Just a handful of Imperial Standing.

This thread is missing Magic Accuracy! Notable Pieces: Morrigan's Cuffs, Omega Ring, Balarhan's Ring, Shadow Trews. And most importantly, don't forget about the elemental macc grips.

My current enfeebling set up:
Head - Duelist Chapeau
Body - Warlock's Tabard +1
Hands - Morrigan's Cuffs
Legs - Shadow Trews (Need Nashira Seraweels)
Feet - Avocat Pigaches
Neck - Enfeebling Torque
Earring - Magnetic/Loq. (Need Enfeebling Earring)
Ring - Balarhan/Omega
Waist - Penitents Rope (Need Wise Sash)
Back - Prism Cape (Need Altruistic Cape)

Enfeebling +40 (332 Total)
MACC +16

IMO: This is an ideal set-up for any spells not MND based (Slow and Para). If you can't land your Slow and Para with your MND Set-up, switch to these gears and try again. MACC is a necessity for any enfeebling set. In reality...: I've been working on my RDM for 4 years, these gears might be a bit out of reach for you for now. Use this more as a guide than anything. I love MACC and I just can't get enough of it.

Yeah... I didn't add Magic Accuracy because most items are extreme expensive, hard to get, or not worth it compared to other things you can get.

Here is all Magic Accuracy equip RDM can wear, though. Buyable and otherwise.

EDIT: While I'm at it...

Magic Accuracy

Haste

Damage Taken

Magic DMG Taken

MND

INT

Fast Cast

Well, I'm going to pop Tinnin within the next few days and by chance if i get an Alkalurops is it worth keeping or sell for other gear pieces?

My guess is keep Alkalurops. If it doesn't help, you can always sell it. =D

I added links to RDM-equipable Haste, DMG Taken, Magic DMG Taken, MND, INT, and Fast cast gear to my previous post, btw.

Well damn, didn't think i would get so much helpful information when i posted :p
thanks for taking time to help me out, gonna bookmark this and use it as i go

Just my opinion, but while the Alky is a GREAT Staff for RDM enfeebs, I would sell it. Pimp out your other slots first and then in a few months if you get another staff, keep it. Would you rather have 10m worth of gear spread out on all your slots, or NQ gear everywhere with just the 1 nice staff.

I am RDM main but I just stack int and MP since I am elvaan

I'm Elvaan as well, but once you get into soloing higher level monsters and Endgame events, MP+ just doesn't cut it anymore. =/

Strange that your BLMs can't sleep ***. I have my usual setup (i.e. really cheap gear) of Iqira or however you spell it head/legs + AF body just for enfeebs (no torque) and 1/8 enfeeb merits (working on Elemental merits atm, then will do Enfeeb, but....) and I rarely get resists on anything, dynamis/ein-wise.

You should yell at your BLMs to buy a RR earring (or not die) and sub RDM. It works wonders... Really cheap gear still gives you about 90% accuracy rate on enfeebs, and merits takes care of the rest.

Yeah its kind of sad actually. A lot of the time at least one of the following things happens, at least in Dynamis shells I've been in;

A. BLM's don't have Sleepga II, usually because they sold it upon getting it.
B. BLM's can't land Sleeps of any kind...
C. BLM's refuse to Sleepga, and say let the RDM's do it, because they don't want to die. (Even if there are off-tanks.)
D. Don't know how to sleep/target something that isn't being pulled. (Gogogo Sleepga 1 the front of the Sandy AH while we're pulling from the East Ronfaure gate. -.-)

I've been in maybe two-three shells where BLM's actually Sleepga -> nuke. Generally, everyone relies on the RDM's to do it.

Thus, I'm thinking of getting Hermes Sandals so I can pull on COR, instead of playing RDM and wanting to /wrists every run. =D

Other sets to look at

Max enfeebling
Unreal DD gear
Max mp
Max HP
Max STR

Going to transfer these to a new thread, so we don't derail this too much.