Debating between RDM or BRD. Need opinions of hardcore mages

[Angelsin]

I like BRd personally because it was great lvling and never waiting more than 10min for a party invite. 8)

This type of question of what job to lvl next is something your going to have to figure out on your own imo. Everyone can come on here and tell you _____ job is awesome etc etc. I'm assuming you've played each job to some point where you're liking each of them. Just play what you want to play. Both jobs are good for end game stuff, both will get fast PT invites, and both are fun. You really can't go wrong with either of those jobs either.

[layoneil]

1) BRD
2) whichever your LS doesn't have enough of
3) RDM not counting Relic Horn.

[LastHope]

1) BRD - I think I'm probably one of the few who actually enjoys BRD >.> It's a pure support job, and for some reason just seems a bit more fun than RDM (except when Solo/Duo).

2) BRD - BRD is more useful than RDM end-game, but like people have said, once you level BRD, you're going to be expected to come as BRD *a lot* so make sure you really enjoy it (See #1).

3) RDM - Better soloer, and access to more "pimp" gear. BRD really does lack in the "uber gear" department to be honest.

[Septimus]

So basically I've been a melee whore my entire FFXI careerlol and I'm getting really sick of it. I narrowed it down to either RDM or BRD for my next 75 job. Let's say that I'll have no problems getting the best non-rare/ex items available to each job, which would be a better choice for someone who's never touched a mage/support job?

For anyone that has both RDM and BRD or any hardcore mage players:
1.Which job do you enjoy more?
2.Which one is more useful to an end-game linkshell?
3.Which job is able to become the bigger epeen?

1. Solo play, I love Red Mage. I love being nigh-indestructible, I love being able to solo things that would rip apart most any other job, I love being able to skill up anything without needing help, and I love watching Joyeuse/Justice Sword swing away nonstop. Party play/HNMs I hate Red Mage. I hate watching my enfeebles get resisted even with the best merits and gear available, I hate keeping up a refresh/haste cycle, I hate playing nursemaid, and I hate the fact the Blue Mage is everything that Red Mage was supposed to be. Bard is just bard, you play your horn and wait to play it again. Maybe toss out a few cure here and there.

2. BRD hands down. You can have too much refresh, and putting a RDM in a melee party is wasting a spot a WHM could be in. It is almost impossible to have too much Ballad, Madrigal, March, and Minuet.

3. BRD is bigger e-peen for sure. Turn off /anon and watch what happens on your BRD at nearly any level. Sure, you'll get party invitations on RDM when you aren't seeking, but nothing nearly like you will on BRD.

Honestly, you are in for a bit of a shock if you have never played support before. Neither job is very fun in parties.

[Credos]

I personally think that everyone should level BRD and BLM; but that's just my opinion.

As far as invites go, I'd say that BRD wins out. How many times do you see 3-5 RDM looking for PT at merit level, and 0 BRD? I personally leveled BRD in two months, and RDM took about 3. What I will say is that in my opinion RDM merits are a ton more important than BRD merits, so you'll definitely need to put a lot more work into RDM once you get it to 75 (And I'm assuming you're going to be serious about RDM), so there is always that to consider.

I personally don't think that either job is -better- than the other, they are as comparable as NIN and PLD.

[klvino]

For anyone that has both RDM and BRD or any hardcore mage players:
1.Which job do you enjoy more?
2.Which one is more useful to an end-game linkshell?
3.Which job is able to become the bigger epeen?

1- BRD
2- Depends on what you mean by "end-game"
3- RDM

BRD is hands down more fun. "I do my job, leave me the fuck alone" A good BRD will know which songs to sing depending on the situation, the party makeup, the mobs fighting, the desired goal, etc. It's much less stressful than RDM, but they're both equally busy if the person is playing the job right. And you'll always have a good chuckle when some that doesn't know the job gives you pointers on what you should be doing.

RDM is more stressful. You focus heavily on mp and plan out how you're going to make the most of your mp in any given situation. In meripo, it's figuring best way to organize your Refresh/Haste cycle. In "end-game" your job focus can change rapidly sometimes from fluffer to debuffer to nuker to healer to stunner and back again, with the added "fun" of worrying about resists. Even with RDM's baggage, you'd probably enjoy it more than BRD with your background as a melee. BRD melee is like fucking with a flacid penis, all you can do is slap it around, you won't be able to do any real damage.

Choose RDM.

[Skjie]

RDM - BRD puts me to sleep during events.
BRD - always too many RDMs, never enough BRDs.
RDM - Duelist's Chapeau > all.

[Celebrindor]

to above posters- yes, yes, and yes.

Both will level faster than any job you've yet played, hands down. There only bump in the road is RDM up to 32 for smart party makers, and RDM up to 41 for dumb ones. RDM is going to require (to be played at its highest levels) more subjobs, but I'd wager you already have DRK leveled up for NIN/DRK possibly, which helps.

RDM gear though.....dear lord I've been playing RDM for almost 3 years now, its my first and still only level 75 job (BLM soloing at 71 currently), and I have focused my entire endgame experience towards pimping out my RDM and RDM alone. I'm 5/5 Duelist's, 2nd in line for that lovely -1 chapeau, but I will likely never see an auto-refresh body piece. To fully pimp a RDM out takes a ton of effort, time, luck, and cash. These days less than either a Dalmatica/Morrigan's, AF2 Hat, Crimson Legs and you're just another RDM. Hey, I'm sitting on 2 of those (AF2 hat and crimson legs), and I still feel horrendously incomplete. Then you start adding in the multiple needs of RDM- toss in some dusk gear for recasts while /nin tanking, nashira/duelist's/zenith/crimson and now morrigan's/yigit/golliard, and you're really talking about a LONG time to truly max out a RDM- only to still see your enfeebles resisted in Sky/Sea/Kings and be reduced to a glorified Haste/Cure/Refreshbot at most large scale endgame events. Dynamis, Limbus, and other events though- RDM is a joy to play. Do a little of everything, and most of the time be effective at it. Not to mention of course the solo capabilities of the job.

BRD gear honestly falls into three categories (in the humble opinion of someone who will never level BRD)- 1. gear that I convinced my shell that I should get to lot on b/c I'm the BRD and I'll use on my next melee job up (hi2u Haidate/Hecatomb) 2. AH gear that allows me to do 100% of my job at endgame just fine and 3. Relic Horn.

Which to play? The world needs good, concientious BRDs. Without them, this game would be a helluva lot harder. The world needs RDMs who did more than enjoy the free ride and don't show up to events in full wise gear wielding a crimson blade. So in that sense, I always enjoy good players and people go after the support jobs and try to push them to the extremes of perfection. In the end, a lot will be based on what you expect to get out of the job, and for most players, RDM is going to fill that role more than BRD. But thank God that for some BRD fills that desire.

[Stolin]

1. RDM
2. RDM
3. RDM

[Holsety]

1. RDM
2. Depends on your LS, for us its usually RDMs
3. RDM (AF2 Hat, Dalmatica, C.Legs, Nashira, Morrigan, etc.)

[OmegaKnight]

1. BRD, refresh/haste spam drives me insane at times
2. My LS gets a hard on when a BRD shows up to an event, so I'm gonna say BRD
3. BRD, Relic Horn will make people treat you like a god.

[Xiona]

leveling brd was the most boring job i did. if you want to use your melee at stuff dont level a mage, or brd (especially WHM). BRD requires less gear than rdm though i believe.

[Septimus]

1. BRD, refresh/haste spam drives me insane at times
2. My LS gets a hard on when a BRD shows up to an event, so I'm gonna say BRD
3. BRD, Showing up, even wearing a subligar and an NQ Maple Harp will make people treat you like a god.

Fixed.

leveling brd was the most boring job i did. if you want to use your melee at stuff dont level a mage, or brd (especially WHM). BRD requires less gear than rdm though i believe.

To function, maybe. But a good BRD is going to have a lot of space taken up by instruments. You can slide by with just a Cornette +1 and Faerie Piccolo to function at your bare minimum as a Bard, but you can also slide wearing all wise gear and get by on haste and refresh as a RDM.

[ZarakiKujata]

BRD gear honestly falls into three categories (in the humble opinion of someone who will never level BRD)- 1. gear that I convinced my shell that I should get to lot on b/c I'm the BRD and I'll use on my next melee job up (hi2u Haidate/Hecatomb) 2. AH gear that allows me to do 100% of my job at endgame just fine and 3. Relic Horn.

you forgot osode

[Tajin]

1. BRD, refresh/haste spam drives me insane at times
2. My LS gets a hard on when a BRD shows up to an event, so I'm gonna say BRD
3. BRD, Showing up, even wearing a subligar and an NQ Maple Harp will make people treat you like a god.

Fixed.

While we are at it, what would be the bare minimum incredibly gimp road of BRD from 1-75? Song wise and equipment wise.

Because sure, i know BRD has a lot of songs, but only use minuet, march, ballad, elegy, lullaby, finale and paeon. Maybe threnody but that's about it. Hell i have yet to see a BRD use Goddess Hymnus, when shit is hitting the fan .


If i were to level BRD, i want it to be so gimp that my LS does not want it for events.


not like my LS wants my other gimp main jobs though >.>;

[SephYuyX]

While we are at it, what would be the bare minimum incredibly gimp road of BRD from 1-75? Song wise and equipment wise.

I leveled to 37 with nothing but lvl1 RSE and a lvl1 instrument.
Im a firm believer I could get to 75 naked with no instrument. I know im right, but ill be damned if I level that horrible job again.

[Septimus]

1. BRD, refresh/haste spam drives me insane at times
2. My LS gets a hard on when a BRD shows up to an event, so I'm gonna say BRD
3. BRD, Showing up, even wearing a subligar and an NQ Maple Harp will make people treat you like a god.

Fixed.

While we are at it, what would be the bare minimum incredibly gimp road of BRD from 1-75? Song wise and equipment wise.

Because sure, i know BRD has a lot of songs, but only use minuet, march, ballad, elegy, lullaby, finale and paeon. Maybe threnody but that's about it. Hell i have yet to see a BRD use Goddess Hymnus, when shit is hitting the fan .


If i were to level BRD, i want it to be so gimp that my LS does not want it for events.


not like my LS wants my other gimp main jobs though >.>;

As long as you have ballads your LS will make you go to events on it.

[Tajin]

there goes my fool proof plan.

[Septimus]

there goes my fool proof plan.

Moral of the story, never level a job that you don't want to play.

[shukuffxi]

Honestly, with RDM and BRD, I would play both til like 40-50 at least, and see which one you enjoy more, because either way, you're going to be playing that job alot most likely for events, and it sucks to go to events as the same job 95% of the time if you don't even like the job.

I've been RDM75 for a long time now, and it's still my job of preference the majority of the time, but sometimes you just want to play something different. Or you could be foolish like me, and get RDM75, COR75, and BRD... is 60 for now But i'll remedy that soon enough, now just need a new support job in WotG!