PLD/RDM

[Siralin]

Search was being a pain when I tried to find a thread on this subject and I couldn't see anything in the first 4-5 pages so here we go.

I had been dragging my feet about getting this sub leveled but just got it done last night after a week of grinding it out. Currently I'm skilling enhancing and have about 90 skill left until cap. I'd like to hear a bit from the PLDs that have experience using this sub as it's fairly foreign to me.

From what I've seen/read, I'll be spamming Bind, Sleep, Blind, and flash while keeping up phalanx, recasting stoneskin when possible. Gearing with a bit of a mix between /war and /nin focusing on Shield skill and haste in idle and enmity/haste in casting. Does this sound about right? I'll most likely be idling in something like this unless someone has a better suggestion with what I have available in my other item sets.

Outside of the norm, are there any pieces of gear specific to /rdm that I should try to pick up? I have both apo/tem items and plan on upgrading the legs this week for a Phalanx/Stoneskin macro.

Obviously things are situational, so I'd like some ideas, tips, tricks, gear suggestions, discussion, etc.

[Valisk]

/rdm requires an good amount of refresh to maintain (double ballad + refresh or evoker's roll is good enough) I usually don't do anything /rdm unless I have brd+rdm or brd+cor. Ofcourse 2 brds + rdm is pure sex for /rdm.

[ninjafox]

I'm no PLD, but I don't think you'll be recasting stoneskin so much as the other spells being that it has such a long casting time.

[[Cookies]]

Jelly Ring is important, along with idling in as much shield skill and -damage as possible (hauteclaire, d.ring, valhalla).

Try and get a decent MND set for Stoneskin but keep a good amount of shield skill when casting Stoneskin. As much Enhancing as possible for Phalanx, you need 20 (I think) to break each tier.

You can use it for anything you would have subbed WAR to previously. You don't really need to macro in gear for blind/dispel as the recasts are low enough already and you won't want to lose your shield skill & -damage gear.

Obviously stack as much haste/enmity as possible for Flash, time it between attacks to prevent as much damage as possible.

As for spells just spam Blind & Dispel, the recasts should be low enough for you to not have time for Bind/Sleep, if you're tanking anything that hits for a reasonably high amount then don't even bother recasting Stoneskin, it isn't worth it. If you're taking around ~50 damage per hit and you have enough MND to cap out Stoneskin then I could see it being more valuable.

[SubzeroDiabolos]

Hmmmmm not so sure about jelly ring, depends what you're fighting I guess.
My /RDM is geared about 90% like yours.

My only advice for you is something not rly needed, but a nice bonus indeed.

Stone Gorget
Stone Mufflers

[Tsuko_Asura]

Let someone more suitable Phalanx you, unless of course you're alone.

Err, also, Jelly Ring is a no-brainer, really. Unless you're getting hit with magic more often than you're getting hit physically, the positives will outweigh the negatives.

[Ferien]

Don't use that stupid turban.

[Siralin]

Don't use that stupid turban.

And what to you propose that I use in it's place on a sub that's mostly used for soloing? I don't currently own a koenig helm so that's out of the question. I'd hardly call 5% haste for atonement spam stupid.

Thanks for the replys so far guys. I had completely forgotten about my Jelly ring, so I pulled that out. I got enhancing to 196 last night so I'll finally get to play around with the sub soon.

More specific question:

How noticeable is the damage reduction from phalanx with say...+10 from legs, +7 from neck, and +4 from merits when compared to phalanx with no enhancing swapped in? I don't really want to spend 200k on a +3 earring atm, but 2 merits wouldn't be out of the question. This would put me at 231 enhance and -21 DR instead of -19 DR. Is the -2 damage really that big of a change or would I really only notice it if I upped enhancing to 240+?

[Tsuko_Asura]

And what to you propose that I use in it's place on a sub that's mostly used for soloing? I don't currently own a koenig helm so that's out of the question. I'd hardly call 5% haste for atonement spam stupid.

Thanks for the replys so far guys. I had completely forgotten about my Jelly ring, so I pulled that out. I got enhancing to 196 last night so I'll finally get to play around with the sub soon.

More specific question:

How noticeable is the damage reduction from phalanx with say...+10 from legs, +7 from neck, and +4 from merits when compared to phalanx with no enhancing swapped in? I don't really want to spend 200k on a +3 earring atm, but 2 merits wouldn't be out of the question. This would put me at 231 enhance and -21 DR instead of -19 DR. Is the -2 damage really that big of a change or would I really only notice it if I upped enhancing to 240+?

Let someone else Phalanx you.

[Hosom]

Let someone else Phalanx you.

Sometimes I don't do this because a lot of red mages don't have more than one merit into Phalanx II and at 300 skill you're looking at only -16 dmg from Phalanx II. (If I remember right Phalanx II goes in tiers of 25 so mentioning anything higher doesn't really matter.) Fully merited Phalanx II has a duration of 4 mins and has a damage reduction of 28 with 300+ skill though, so by all means at that point let the rdm Phalanx you.

As for OP, were you mainly looking for suggestions on soloing or tanking /rdm?

As far as whether or not you should get an enhancing set, that's entirely up to you.

My opinion is...

Damage absorbed per hit is equal to (Enhancing magic skill / 10) - 2

So... unless you can add 10 more skill the point is moot.

Ex: 210 capped skill on pld, you buy an Augmenting earring but use nothing else, wasted unless you get another 7 skill to bump you up to 220...

if I remember correctly, the highest a Pld can get is... 251 with full merits...

Base Skill: 210
Augmenting Earring: +3
Merciful Cape: +5
Gallant Breeches +1: +10
Enhancing Torque: +3
Enhancing Magic Skill Merits x8: +16

Total Skill: 251

Honestly you'll have to answer it to yourself if it is worth it or not, but with this set up you'd have a 23 dmg Phalanx, making the only things better a 300+ skill Phalanx II with 4-5 merits (25 dmg for 4 merits, 28 dmg for 5 merits.)

[SubzeroDiabolos]

Ah! So there IS some sort of mod for phalanx. Everyone I ask says there's none >_> Yay Diabolos. Would anyone care to explain to me?

[Hosom]

Phalanx is modded through Enhancing Magic Skill,
Phalanx is Damage absorbed per hit is equal to (Enhancing magic skill / 10) - 2

So base Pld would be (210/10) - 2 = 19 Dmg absorbed by Phalanx

Phalanx II is a bit more complicated.

Damage prevented Formula for this spell is [(enhancing magic/25) +1 + (3 x MeritLv)]

So, 256 base for Red Mage, [(256)/25) + 1 + (3 x 1)] = 14

Always round down.

Make sense?

[SubzeroDiabolos]

Makes sense: Yes
Makes me happy: No

I have to request PLD legs and get more PLD+1 mats. Fuck

EDIT: Sorry for asking that question I just noticed a post of you above explaining it I guess I just hovered over it. My bad.

[Hosom]

Oh, also, (if anyone is interested) Noctoshield absorbs up to 13 dmg at 75 iirc.

[willriker]

spartan hoplon also has a phalanx enchantment, but it works differant than the spell as i believe is is always a straight 17 damage reduction on a size 2 shield. Not bad for level 50, and since level sync does not kill enchantment items every time someone levels, ive started to recommend these to the level 50 guys. or 50 cap missions.

dont know what that adds to the discuission here, as i think your already 75. but perhaps someone lower level would find it interesting to check out.

[Max™]

Wonder if it stacks with Phalanx.

I'll be Pld/Rdm'ing the fuck out of things myself, so this is relevant to my interests, and I did NOT know about mufflers, only gorget.

[KoD]

For JoLove, I use Fast cast, MDB, Parade gorget, Eminty!
Melee Mobs i Suggest use'ing Shield Skill, Fast cast, Dmg reducation,

Def Spells: Stoneskin, Phalanx, Blink, Barspells, Aquaveil.
Eminty Spells: Flash, Sleep, Dispel, Bind, Blind
Ofensive spells: Enspells, Bio

Note:
Aquaveil Not very imporant at all!
Barspells Do not use it When a WHM or RDM in your Party
Bio Only really used when Solo'ing and isnt very important! Dnt use it if rdm blm in pt/ally