FFXI Red Mage

Information by Scholar of the Red Mage Job, Drashogar

"These fighter-mages can utilize both black and white magic, as well as the arts of the sword."

Considered the jack-of-all-trades, the Red Mage dabbles in a little of all jobs, from fighting skills available to warrior jobs to a few spells from each white and black magics. However, pursuer of many skills, they are masters of none, never having the devastating melee power of true warriors or intensive magic of white or black mage. There specialty lies more in enfeeblement and enhancement magic, which in the beginning is geared more towards enhancing themselves and minor debilitating spells on enemies. Later on, however, that specialty develops into some indispensable abilities, such as regenerative health and defense spells, as well as expedited spell casting for all other magics. In addition to this, their abilities to 'buff' themselves can make them fearsome opponents.

As the Hume is a race known to be a jack-of-all-trades, they are quite well made to be a Red Mage. While there are no special perks to a Hume, there are no hinderances, making humes near perfect for the job.

While lacking in magic, an Elvaan makes a good Red Mage, albiet typically a farely combat oriented one. While lack in magic will hurt the Elvaan early on in their career, they begin to excel later on in levels.

Though much less combat oriented, a Taru as with any magic using job can make their presence felt with a vast reservoir of MP and enlightened spell casting abilities. Taru make good Red Mage, though often more magic oriented ones.

Nearly as well-rounded as the Humes, Mithra also make good choice for Red MAge. Their natural reflexes and combat abilities typically make them, along with the Red Mage magics, a force to be reckoned with.

More hindered in the Red MAge job than most any other, a Galka is not really a good choice for a Red Mage. Though they may be stronger and live longer, their penalties to magic casting can make the job truly difficult to play.

Getting the Job

Red Mage is one of the base jobs for characters in Vanadiel. As such, a player may change to the Red Mage job at any time after creating a character. Optionally, a player may chose to begin the game as a Red Mage. When doing so, the character's starting equipment will include a full set of level 1 RSE as normal, but in addition a Red Mage will begin with an Onion Sword and a non-tradable Scroll of Dia. Dia is a level 1 Enfeebling Spell, predetermined to be a Red Mage's natural first spell.

Though starting nation should more be determined by race, the other piece of starting equipment that would be helpful would be either a Bastokan Ring or a Windurstian Ring, but to obtain one, one would have to play Hume or Galka to be from Bastok, or play Tarutaru or Mithra to be from Windurst. A Nation Ring starting the game is only helpful however, and should not be a deciding factor in character selection. Choose your character for enjoyment first.

Red Mage Spells

Job Traits
Trait Name	Level Gained	Description
Resist Petrify	10	Grants the character slight resistance towards petrification spells and abilities
Fast Cast	15	Slightly reduces the casting time of Magic Spells
Magic Attack Bonus	20	Slightly improves the magic attack power of offensive spells
Magic Defense Bonus	25	Grants the character slight resistance towards magical spells and abilities
Resist Petrify	30	Grants the character slight resistance towards petrification spells and abilities
Clear Mind	31	Increases the amount of Magic regenrated when resting
Magic Attack Bonus	40	Slightly improves the magic attack power of offensive spells
Resist Petrify	50	Grants the character slight resistance towards petrification spells and abilities
Fast Cast	55	Slightly reduces the casting time of Magic Spells
Magic Attack Bonus	60	Slightly improves the magic attack power of offensive spells
Clear Mind	75	Increases the amount of Magic regenrated when resting

Job Abilities
Ability Name	Level Gained	Duration of Use	Duration of Recharge	Description
"Chainspell"	1	0:00:30	2:00:00	Allows rapid fire casting, drastically shortening cast time, eliminating recast time, and eliminating recast recoil.
	/ja "Chainspell" <me>
"Convert"	1	0:00:00	0:10:00	Instantly exchanges the current totals of Hit Points and Magic Points. In essence, it's used to refill MP bar when HP bar is full, but caution should be used because HP bar will drastically decrease.
	/ja "Convert" <me>

Skill Cap Rankings

Rank

C-

B+

A+

C+

Primary Weapon: Sword

Skill
Level

Weapon Skill

Job
Level

Elements

Description

Damage

Macro

Fast Blade

Double Attack

1.00 1.50 2.00 x2 STR_20%, DEX_20%

/ws "Fast Blade" <t>

Burning Blade

Fire Based Attack

1.00 2.00 2.50 Fire STR_20%, INT_20%

/ws "Burning Blade" <t>

Red Lotus Blade
(subjob WAR/PLD/DRK only)

Fire Based Attack

1.00 2.375 3.00 Fire STR_30%, INT_20%

/ws "Red Lotus Blade" <t>

Flat Blade

Stun Attack

1.00 x1 STR_30%

/ws "Flat Blade" <t>

100

Shining Blade

Light Based Damage

1.00 2.00 2.50 Light MND

/ws "Shining Blade" <t>

125

Seraph Blade
(subjob WAR/PLD/DRK only)

Light Based Damage

1.00 2.50 3.00 Light STR, MND

/ws "Seraph Blade" <t>

150

Circle Blade

Area of Effect Damage

1.00 x1 STR_35%

/ws "Circle Blade" <t>

175

Spirits Within

Current Hit Point Based Damage

4/32 6/32 15/32 x1 Current HPx

/ws "Spirits Within" <t>

200

Vorpal Blade
(subjob WAR/PLD/DRK only)

Quadruple Hit

1.00 x4 STR_30%

/ws "Vorpal Blade" <t>

240

Savage Blade

Double Attack

1.00 1.75 3.50 x2 STR_30%, MND_50%

/ws "Savage Blade" <t>

Primary Weapon: Dagger

Skill
Level

Weapon Skill

Job
Level

Elements

Description

Damage

Macro

Wasp Sting

Poison Attack

1.00 x1

/ws "Wasp Sting" <t>

Gust Slash

Wind Based Attack

1.00 2.00 2.50 Wind DEX, INT

/ws "Gust Slash" <t>

Shadowstitch

Bind Attack

1.00 x1 CHR_30%

/ws "Shadowstitch" <t>

100

Viper Bite

Critical Attack with Poison

1.00 x1 ATKx2

/ws "Viper Bite" <t>

125

Cyclone

Wind Based Area Attack

1.00 2.50 3.00 Wind DEX, INT

/ws "Cyclone" <t>

150

Energy Steal

Attacks Steal Magic Points

/ws "Energy Steal" <t>

175

Energy Drain

Attacks Steal Magic Points

/ws "Energy Drain" <t>

230

Evisceration

Quintuple Attack

1.00 1.50 2.00 x5 DEX_30%

/ws "Evisceration" <t>

Job Specific Equipment (JSE) 50
Libra	To obtain this item, the character must defeat Bard Fomor in Phomiuna Aqueducts or the Sacrarium.
Scorpius	To obtain this item, the character must defeat Red Mage Fomor in Phomiuna Aqueducts or the Sacrarium.
Cerise Doublet	To obtain this item, the character must complete the "Brigid the Stylist Returns" Quest in Bastok Markets. To obtain the quest, the player must speak with Brygid wearing full Artifact Armor. Select the armor of choice, and Brygid will request you meet her wearing a specific set of clothing, the list of which will include the JSE Subligar obtained from Phomiuna Aqueducts as well as in the Sacrarium, which is rare/ex so must be obtained on your own. The Subligaria required to complete the RDM JSE is the Libra Subligar, found as a drop off of Bard Fomor.
Glamor Jupon	To obtain this item, the character must complete the "Brigid the Stylist Returns" Quest in Bastok Markets. To obtain the quest, the player must speak with Brygid wearing full Artifact Armor. Select the armor of choice, and Brygid will request you meet her wearing a specific set of clothing, the list of which will include the JSE Subligar obtained from Phomiuna Aqueducts as well as in the Sacrarium, which is rare/ex so must be obtained on your own. The Subligaria required to complete the RDM JSE is the Scorpius Subligar, found as a drop off of Red Mage Fomor.

AF1-AF1		The AF1 quest can be accepted at level 40, and the sword itself is usuable at level 40. You start the quest by talking to ??? in ??? at (?-?) The Crimson Trial ???
AF1-AF2		AF2 quest can be accepted at level 51, but the beret itself is not usuable until level 52. You start the quest by talking to ??? in ??? at (?-?) Enveloped in Darkness ???
AF1-AF3		AF2 quest can be accepted once completing the AF2 Quest, but the chapeau itself is not usuable until level 60. You start the quest by talking to ??? in ??? at (?-?) Unbridled Passion ???
AF1-AF4		The player is charged with obtaining a coffer key and opening a coffer in Eldeime Necropolis. On opening the coffer in Eldeime, the player will obtain a key item, a pair of Old Gauntlets. The Old Gauntlets are taken to Port Jeuno, where in the Auction House area is an Old Crate. Examining the Old Crate will bring forth the ghost of Bolghertz, who offers to repair his handiwork, but to do so he must have the Shadow Flame. To obtain the Shadow Flame, travel to Castle Zvahl Baileys in Xarcabard. At F-8 in Castle Zvahl Baileys, you come to find a sealed gate, set with 4 Flame Torches. Examining any one of the Flame Torches brings forth the spirit of Dark Spark, a NM Bomb type mob. The party defeats Dark Spark, then examining the Torch again the player obtains the Shadow Flame. Dark Spark need only be defeated once for any member in the party needing the Shadow Flame. Returning to Port Jeuno and examining the crate again, the Spirit of Bolghertz takes the Shadow Flame and with it recrafts the artifact hands.
AF1-AF5		The player is charged with obtaining a coffer key and opening a coffer in Garlaige Citadel.
AF1-AF6		The player is charged with obtaining a coffer key and opening a coffer in Castle Oztroja.

Genkai 5 - Limit Break Fight Level 70 (The Maat Fight)

The final genkai is a one-on-one fight against Maat at level 66+ and a Red Mage testimony is traded to Maat. The testimony can be obtained from Ruby Quadav in Qulun Dome (Beadeaux), and most Higher Level Magic Pot type mobs, such as those in Temple of Uggalepih, Delkfutt's Tower Upper, Ve'Lugannon Palace, Ru'Aun Gardens, and Shrine of Ru'Avitau.

No subjob is allowed and Maat will have the same ability as a RDM except that he uses hand-to-hand instead of a melee weapon such as Dagger or Sword. When fighting Maat, expect him to use Asuran Fist almost repeatedly, and though it is possible to win without seeing a devastating Chainspell, it is rare.

A few things to know about the Maat fight. First, Maat won´t attack you until you hit him, so you´ll always get the first swing in. Second, no one is sure if there´s any special condition that will get Maat to quit (i.e. Thf needs to steal).

Maat will also use Chainspell very early in the fight. He often uses Combo, Shoulder Tackle and Spinning Rush.

-- How I fought Maat --

I had a flawless Maat fight on first try >.>, and since I know Maat is a toughie for many RDM's, so while I was probably just lucky, I'll outline what I did.

Things to know/do IMHO:

* Get level 70, cap elemental and enfeebling magic skills before you even begin to think about this fight.

1) If you're windurstian, get the 40,000CP rank 8 Master Caster's Bracelets. +7 enfeeb and +7 elemental is just incredible in this fight, and it's guaranteed to work since Palborough Mines (where your Maat fight is) is pretty much never under Windy control.

2) Pluto's Staff -- unless you're going the risky chainspell nuke/ss/blink approach from the get-go, being able to Sleep Maat is critical to success.

3) Use Marron Glace for food for the extra MP (+85). Not having subjob really hurts your MP pool.

4) Splurge on Vile Elixer (and maybe a +1 -- you can always sell it back if you don't use it). Since MP is very valuable in this fight, when you Convert, a Cure IV -> Cure III -> Vile Elixer is enough to top both your HP/MP off as a Hume.

5) Go into the BC with only MP+ gear on. Rumor is, you go into the fight with less stats, Maat matches it and thus isn't as powerful. But don't take off that MP gear or you'll lose the benefit of having that extra MP at the beginning of the fight. Right after entering BC, start running up to the arena while equipping your gear back on -- make macros for this since you have no time to waste. You have no time to waste because you don't want Maat to Blink himself or put other nasty buffs on. He will probably have time to put up 1 or 2 buffs by the time you get to him.

6) Since MP is valuable, always stick to Sleep 1, not Sleep II. Use Sleep II and Bind as backups in case of resists. Sleep 1 will stick just as often as Sleep II it seemed. Sleep II simply lasts longer (like 3x longer, upwards of 90 seconds, vs 30 seconds with Sleep 1).

7) Spider Torque or Enfeebling Torque. (+5 and +7 enfeeb respectively, I did it with the +5).

8) Go on Windsday once you've got all the appropriate enfeebling gear -- that'll let you get some +10% bonuses on your Aero III sticking and potency. I didn't have Elemental Torque, which ended up being ok, I didn't have any resists at all.

9) Practice your approach and macros on ~Even Match mobs such as Ruby Quadav @ Qulun Dome.

10) Fencer's Earring (level 70), -30% magic damage taken, was about 1k on AH.

11) Check out what race-specific waist-gear you can get that boosts MP. Hume gets Ocean Rope which is +45 MP and has some +INT also.

12) Defeat Maat between 5 and 6 minutes into the fight if you can. After 7 minutes, Maat will start making your life miserable with the Asuran Fist spam and whatnot.

Job Specific Equipment (JSE) 72
	Crafted on Fire Crystal
	Crafted on Earth Crystal
	Crafted on Fire Crystal
	Crafted on Fire Crystal
	Crafted on Wind Crystal

Weapon Skill Notorius Monster - WSNM Sword

[ Savage Blade ]

The final weapon skill is Savage Blade (Light, Fragmentation, Scission). Just like the other final weaponskills, this one has to be quested. To obtain the quest, a Red Mage must be level 73 and have Sword skill at 240 or more.

Speak to Curilla in Chateau d’Oraguille and receive the "Sapara of Trials", a level 71 Sword. It's not a spectacular weapon, but very perfectly usable in experience parties. Like all trial weapons, there is a latent effect on it. As soon as it is equipped, Maximum HP will increase by 20, and Fire and Wind Resistance will increase by 10.

To break the latent, a player must use Weaponskills on Easy Prey or tougher enemies. The Weapon starts with 300 points on the Latent. A player accumulates points at the rate of 1 point for using a Weaponskill, 2 points for closing a first level Weaponskill (i.e. Transfixion, Scission, Reverberation), 3 points for closing a level 2 Weaponskill (i.e. Fusion, Fragmentation, Distortion), and 5 points for closing a level 3 Weaponskill (i.e. Light, Darkness).

When the trial is completed, though the weapon description still shows the Latent Effect attributes, the effect of the latent effect disappears and the bonuses will be lost even when equipped. For Red Mage, this is not a difficult quest except that at this level, a Red Mage seldom gets a chance to melee

Once the latent effect disappears, return to Curilla and trade back the weapon in exchange for another key item called “Map to the Annals of Truth” which spawns the WSNM that needs to be fought. Head to the Quicksand Caves with a competent party and go to I-6 of the I-6 Western Altepa entrance, which can only be reached when all 4 Gem Columns have been activiated. To activate a Gem Column (Ruby Column, Sapphire Column, Emerald Column, etc), Quicksand Caves must be entered from various different locations and an alternate exit in particular must be found that leads to each column individually. Activating the columns is an endeavor that itself will require teamwork. Once activating all 4 columns, the Altepa Gate will open and allow entrance to the required section of Quicksand Caves. The ??? is near the east wall of a mini-cliff inside an open cavern, lying north through a three-way split. Examining the ??? will spawn Girtablulu, a scorpion NM. Once defeated, examine the ??? again to get the "Annals of Truth". Return to Chateau d’Oraguille and speak to Curilla and receive " Savage Blade ".

Savage Blade is usually weaker than its predecessor Swift Blade, but only a Paladin may obtain Swift Blade, so this easily becomes one of the strongest weaponskills available in a Red Mage’s arsenal.

Weapon Skill Notorius Monster - WSNM Dagger

[ Evisceration ]

The final weapon skill is Evisceration (Light, Fragmentation, Transfixion). Just like the other final weaponskills, this one has to be quested. To obtain the quest, a Red Mage must be level 71 and have Dagger skill at 230 or more.

Speak to Jakoh Wahcondalo in Kazham and receive the "Dagger of Trials", a level 71 Dagger. It's not a spectacular weapon, but very perfectly usable in experience parties. Like all trial weapons, there is a latent effect on it. As soon as it is equipped, Maximum HP will increase by 20, and Earth and Ice Resistance will increase by 10.

To break the latent, a player must use Weaponskills on Easy Prey or tougher enemies. The Weapon starts with 300 points on the Latent. A player accumulates points at the rate of 1 point for using a Weaponskill, 2 points for closing a first level Weaponskill (i.e. Transfixion, Scission, Reverberation), 3 points for closing a level 2 Weaponskill (i.e. Fusion, Fragmentation, Distortion), and 5 points for closing a level 3 Weaponskill (i.e. Light, Darkness).

When the trial is completed, though the weapon description still shows the Latent Effect attributes, the effect of the latent effect disappears and the bonuses will be lost even when equipped. For Thief, this is not a difficult quest as that the favored weaponskill for accuracy and damage at this point is Shark Bite, which most often will skillchain Light or Fragmentation.

Once the latent effect disappears, return to Jakoh Wahcondalo and trade back the weapon in exchange for another key item called “Map to the Annals of Truth” which spawns the WSNM that needs to be fought. Head to the Gustav Tunnel with a competent party and go to J-8 of the second map, most easily reached by taking following the right hand wall with sneak on through the aggressive monsters, and the area will definitely need to be cleared before the fight as most monsters attack on various different agro types, including low HP agro. The ??? is near the north wall just after a bottle neck divide between rooms. Examining the ??? will spawn Baronial Bat, a large bat NM. Once defeated, examine the ??? again to get the "Annals of Truth". Return to Kazham and speak to Jakoh Wahcondalo and receive "Evisceration".

Though Evisceration is usually weaker than its predecessor Shark Bite, only a Thief may obtain Shark Bite, so Evisceration is the most powerful dagger weaponskill that will be available.

AF2-AF1		Dynamis - San d'Oria
AF2-AF2		Dynamis - Bastok
AF2-AF3		Dynamis - Jueno
AF2-AF4		Dynamis - Beaucedine
AF2-AF5		Dynamis - Xarcabard

Relic Weapon
	Dynamis - Windurst
Malefic Dagger (Dagger) [ Lv.75 RDM/THF/BRD DMG:1 Delay:200 In Dynamis: D23 Dly200 [DKN]+7]	100 Byne Bill x4 Cantarella Orichalcum Ingot Deodorizer
Dynamis Dagger (Dagger) [ Lv.75 RDM/THF/BRD DMG:23 Delay:200 In Dynamis: D26 Dly200 [DKN]+9]	M.Silverpiece x14 Brass Dagger Poison Dagger Misericorde
Batardeau (Dagger) [ Lv.75 RDM/THF/BRD DMG:32 Delay:200 In Dynamis: Weaponskill "Mercy Stroke"]	L. Jadeshell x61 Attestation of Celerity
Mandau (Dagger) [ Lv.75 RDM/THF/BRD DMG:32 Delay:176 Attack+20 Additional Effect: Poison Weaponskill "Mercy Stroke"]	R.Goldpiece x1 Ornate Fragment at The Sanctuary of ZiTah : L-7
Relic Weapon
	Dynamis – Windurst
Glyptic Sword (Sword) [ Lv.75 RDM/PLD DMG:1 Delay:240 In Dynamis : D40 Dly240 [LTG]+7]	M. Silverpiece x4 Koh-I-Noor Orichalcum Chain Cermet Chunk
Dynamis Sword (Sword) [ Lv.75 RDM/PLD DMG:40 Delay:240 In Dynamis: D48 Dly240 [LTG]+9]	100 Byne Bill x14 Bronze Sword Mythril Sword Wing Sword
Caliburn (Sword) [ Lv.75 RDM/PLD DMG:49 Delay:240 In Dynamis Weaponskill "Knights of Round"]	L. Jadeshell x61 Attestation of Glory
Excalibur (Sword) [ Lv.75 RDM/PLD DMG:49 Delay:233 Attack+20 Additional Effect:Additional Damage According to Current HP Weaponskill "Knights of Round"]	10,000 Coin x1 Holy Fragment at Dragons Aery : Pond

Merits - Red Mage Exclusive
Convert Recast	This Merit incrementally reduces the recast time of the "Convert" Ability
Fire Magic Accuracy	This Merit incrementally increases the accuracy of all "Fire" Spells
Ice Magic Accuracy	This Merit incrementally increases the accuracy of all "Ice" Spells
Wind Magic Accuracy	This Merit incrementally increases the accuracy of all "Wind" Spells
Earth Magic Accuracy	This Merit incrementally increases the accuracy of all "Earth" Spells
Water Magic Accuracy	This Merit incrementally increases the accuracy of all "Water" Spells
Thunder Magic Accuracy	This Merit incrementally increases the accuracy of all "Thunder" Spells