If you want to soak it all up, and be in the thick of the action all the time, then this is the job for you. A FFXI Red Mage is something between a necromancer, with black as well as white magic, and a melee fighter who has the ability to handle close combat effectively. So basically with a Final Fantasy XI Red Mage, there is never a dull day at the office!
The jack of all trades. The FFXI Red Mage is a great starter class, because you get the feel of every other class in the jobs section as well. Your Mage is a decent melee fighter, and he will be able to cast white as well as black magic, so who can top that?
If you prefer to be a loner, and you'd rather go solo than put up with annoying mates, then this vocation might be interesting to you. Even at high levels, or should I say, especially at high levels, the FFXI Red Mage can survive well as a solo character and hold his own doing that. (That is not to say that they are not in demand, they are in high demand.)
Their combat skills match those of the thief, good but not great. They can use most of the weapons, unlike the White and Black Mages.
They can carry most of the armor in the game, and they boast both the defense options of shield and parry.
Master of none! When you talk about the diversity of abilities on a FFXI Red Mage, it is important to remember that you may have melee skills, black and white magic but you are not going to specialize in any of those things.
Though the FFXI Red Mage can use both white and black magic, his own specialized magic isn't available until much later than it is for the White and Black Mages. And even then, buying it is a pretty heavy blow to the Mage's purse!
Final Fantasy XI Red Mages are diverse in their abilities. They can fit in a party as the melee fighters, as backup to the primary healers or as magicians casting spells against the enemy. The role really depends on the needs of the party, so a Red Mage can be a real team player mage. But there can be times when parties would prefer specialists over then, but no worries since they are good even when solo.
The demand for a FFXI Red Mage really increases significantly when you pass 40, that's the time when people want to cash in on your 'refresh' and 'convert abilities'. At this level you may have much more say in the team than before, because early on the Mage has to play as a healer, a lot more than he might prefer, especially when you don't have a White Mage in the party.
A Red Mage/Black Mage combination will add to your MP and the black magic spells can always be useful, not to mention the elemental seal.
Another strong option is the White Mage sub job. Though this won't give you the sort of MP boost black magic gives, but still it would add a new dimension to your character making you more of a healer, when needed.
However, if you'd rather go for the melee option then forget about the Monk sub job. The Warrior can do better, with provoke and attack/defense boosts this would be a better option. But really, the melee sub jobs would make you more of a solo player, because you can't work as a tank in a team and be a Mage. There usually are specialists there for the job. So melee sub jobs would make you more of a solo player, but party play earns levels quicker through skill chains, so why try melee?
With their all round abilities the Hume fit the all rounder Red mages like a well fitted glove. The Mithra race has almost the same stats, so they can be perfect exponents of the FFXI Red Mage's skills as well.
Trutaru are excellent at all Mage jobs but their low HP may make some Taru Red Mages hold back on melee confrontations.
| Race/Specs | HP | MP | STR | DEX | VIT | AGI | INT | MND | CHR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hume | 28 | 20 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6 |
| Elvaan | 30 | 18 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 6 |
| Galka | 32 | 14 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 5 |
| Mithra | 28 | 20 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 |
| Tarutaru | 24 | 26 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 6 |
Job abilities mean special strengths which are unlocked after the required number of levels are completed. These can be reused after a specific amount of real-life time has passed (re-use time for each ability is different).
| Ability | Level | Re-use Time(min) | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chain Spell | 1 | 2 | Rapid spell casting ability, continual casting |
| Convert | 40 | 10 | Converts the character's HP into MP |
