Final Fantasy XI (2002)

The Red Mage is probably one of the most over looked jobs at the start. People see it and say, yeah its nice that you can melee and cast spells. But they see nothing that important about it and decide to go either Sword or Magic. But then you reach level 41 and see all of sudden the Red Mage is the most important job to have in a party. Everyone wants a Red Mage and you find yourself suddenly being plus aside for this halfway melee magic user that cannot make up its mind on which to be. And you hear your friend laughing about how they are getting invites left and right now and you are smacking yourself saying I should have known.

Now a Red Mage is not for everyone, nor would we want a full party of Red Mages, things just would never get done. They have no strength in melee, they can fight, but not damage deal and their Magic will never be the best as a Black Mage. Though they can do some serious magic damage, they will find themselves outlast their enemies though. Why is this, because of a little spell called "Refresh" the most redeeming quality and most highly covenanted spell of the Red Mage and makes them the most popular and demanded job in the game. Red Mages' Refresh allows for the MP to be regenerated at 3 MP per sec, meaning that Paladin's can tank longer, Black Mages do not have to rest as much and White Mages have more than enough MP to heal the party. Its important and the Red Mage is one of the important jobs to any successful party past 41.

Attribute	Hume	Elvaan	Tarutaru	Mithra	Galka
HP	28	30	24	28	33
MP	20	18	26	20	14
Strength	6	7	5	6	7
Dexterity	6	6	6	8	6
Vitality	6	7	6	6	8
Agility	6	5	7	7	6
Intelligence	7	6	9	7	7
Mind	7	8	7	7	7
Charisma	6	6	6	5	5

 

Job Traits

Trait	Level	Description
Trait	Level	Description
Resist Petrify	10	Gives resistance to Petrification
Fast Cast	15	Quickens Casting
Magic Attack Bonus	20	Increases Magic Attack
Magic Defense Bonus	25	Increases Magic Defense
Resist Petrify	30	Gives resistance to Petrification
Clear Mind	31	Increases amount of MP recovered during healing
Fast Cast	35	Quickens Casting
Magic Attack Bonus	40	Increases Magic Attack
Magic Defense Bonus	45	Increases Magic Defense
Resist Petrify	50	Gives resistance to Petrification
Clear Mind	53	Increases amount of MP recovered during healing
Fast Cast	55	Quickens Casting
Resist Petrify	70	Gives resistance to Petrification
Clear Mind	75	Increases amount of MP recovered during healing

Job Abilities

Ability	Level	Wait to Recast	Duration	Target	Description
Chainspell	1	2 hours	30 sec	Self	Reduces casting to almost zero
Convert	40	10 min	N/A	Self	Exchanges MP for HP

 

Magic Spells

Spell Name	Level	Magic Skill	MP	Cast Time (sec)	Wait to Recast (sec)	Description
Dia	1	Enfeebling	7	1	5	Deals light damage and lowers defense and slowly takes HP
Cure	3	Healing	8	2	5	Restores HP
Stone	4	Elemental	9	1.5	6.5	Deals earth elemental damage
Barstone	5	Enhancing	6	.5	10	Increases earth resistance
Poison	5	Enfeebling	5	1	5	Slowly takes HP
Paralyze	6	Enfeebling	6	3	10	Paralyzes enemy sometimes
Protect	7	Enhancing	9	1	5	Increases Defense
Barsleep	7	Enhancing	7	2.5	10	Increases resistance to sleep
Blind	8	Enfeebling	5	2	10	Lowers enemy's accuracy
Barwater	9	Enhancing	6	.5	10	Increases water resistance
Water	9	Elemental	13	1.75	7.75	Deals water elemental damage
Barpoison	10	Enhancing	9	2.5	10	Increases resistance to poison
Bio	10	Dark	22	1.5	5	Weakens enemy's attack and slowly takes HP
Bind	11	Enfeebling	8	2	40	Binds enemy to spot
Aquaveil	12	Enhancing	12	5	10	Reduces chances of spell interruption
Barparalyze	12	Enhancing	11	2.5	10	Increases resistance to paralyze
Slow	13	Enfeebling	15	2	20	Reduces attack speed of enemy
Baraero	13	Enhancing	6	.5	10	Increases wind elemental resistance
Cure II	14	Healing	24	2.25	5.5	Restores HP
Aero	14	Elemental	18	2	9	Deals wind elemental damage
Diaga	15	Enfeebling	12	1.5	6	Deals light damage to area, lowers defense and slowly takes HP
Deodorize	15	Enhancing	10	2	8	Become undetectable by smell
Enthunder	16	Enhancing	12	3	10	Enhances weapon with thunder element
Shell	17	Enhancing	18	1	5	Increases Magic Defense
Barfire	17	Enhancing	6	.5	10	Increases fire elemental resistance
Silence	18	Enfeebling	16	3	10	Mutes enemy to be unable to cast spells
Barblind	18	Enhancing	13	2.5	10	Increases resistance to blind
Enstone	18	Enhancing	12	3	10	Enhances weapon with earth element
Fire	19	Elemental	24	2.25	10.25	Deals fire elemental damage
Enaero	20	Enhancing	12	3	10	Enhances weapon with wind element
Sneak	20	Enhancing	12	3	10	Become undetectable by sound
Blaze Spikes	20	Enhancing	8	3	10	Fire elemental protection that deals damage when hit
Barblizzard	21	Enhancing	6	.5	10	Increases ice elemental resistance
Regen	21	Enhancing	15	4	12	Slowly restores HP (5HP)
Gravity	21	Enfeebling	24	1.5	60	Slows enemy movement
Enblizzard	22	Enhancing	12	3	10	Enhances weapon with ice element
Blink	23	Enhancing	20	6	10	Uses shadows to take damage for you
Barsilence	23	Enhancing	15	2.5	10	Increases resistance to silence
Barthunder	25	Enhancing	6	.5	10	Increases thunder elemental resistance
Invisible	25	Enhancing	15	3	10	Become undetectable by sight
Sleep	25	Enfeebling	19	2.5	30	Puts enemy to sleep
Cure III	26	Healing	46	2.5	6	Restores HP
Protect II	27	Enhancing	28	1.25	5.25	Increases defense
Enwater	27	Enhancing	12	3	10	Enhances weapon with water element
Thunder	29	Elemental	37	3	13	Deals lightning damage
Dia II	31	Enfeebling	59	1.5	6	Deals light elemental damage, lowers defense and slowly takes HP
Enfire	24	Enhancing	12	3	10	Enhances weapon with fire element
Blizzard	24	Elemental	30	2.5	11.5	Deals ice elemental damage
Dispel	32	Enfeebling	25	3	10	Removes one status enhancement from enemy
Phalanx	33	Enhancing	21	3	10	Gives resistance to damage
Stoneskin	34	Enhancing	29	7	30	Reduces damage you take
Stone II	35	Elemental	43	3.25	14.5	Deals earth elemental damage
Bio II	36	Dark	66	1.5	5	Weakens enemy's attack and slowly takes HP
Shell II	37	Enhancing	37	1.25	5.25	Increases magic defense
Flash	37	Divine	25	.5	45	Temporarily blinds enemy
Raise	38	Healing	150	15	60	Revives character from KO
Barvirus	39	Enhancing	25	2.5	10	Increases resistance to disease
Water II	40	Elemental	51	3.5	15.75	Deals water elemental damage
Ice Spikes	40	Enhancing	16	3	10	Ice elemental protect that deal damage when hit
Refresh	41	Enhancing	40	5	18	Regenerates MP (3MP)
Barpetrify	43	Enhancing	20	2.5	10	Increases resistance to petrification
Diaga II	45	Enfeebling	60	1.75	6.25	Deals light elemental damage to area, lowers defense and slowly takes HP
Aero II	45	Elemental	59	3.75	17	Deals wind elemental damage
Poison II	46	Enfeebling	38	1	5	Slowly takes HP
Sleep II	46	Enfeebling	29	3	30	Puts enemy to sleep
Protect III	47	Enhancing	46	1.5	5.5	Increases defense
Cure IV	48	Healing	88	2.5	8	Restores HP
Haste	48	Enhancing	40	3	20	Increases attack speed
Fire II	50	Elemental	68	4.25	18.5	Deals fire elemental damage
Blizzard II	55	Elemental	77	4.5	19.75	Deals ice elemental damage
Shell III	57	Enhancing	56	1.5	5.5	Increases magic defense
Thunder II	60	Elemental	86	4.75	21	Deals lightning elemental damage
Shock Spikes	60	Enhancing	24	3	10	Lightning elemental protect that deal damages when hit
Dia III	61	Enfeebling	112	2	7	Deals light elemental damage, lowers defense and slowly takes HP
Protect IV	63	Enhancing	65	1.75	5.75	Increases defense
Stone III	65	Elemental	92	5.25	22.5	Deals earth elemental damage
Water III	67	Elemental	98	5.5	24	Deals water elemental damage
Shell IV	68	Enhancing	75	1.75	5.75	Increases magic defense
Aero III	69	Elemental	106	5.75	25.25	Deals wind elemental damage
Cure V	73	Healing	135	2.5	10	Restores HP

Life as a Red Mage

As a Red Mage you will more than likely be just a career job rather than a sub job. The job of Red Mage is such that it is only really made to be a main job and not a sub job. The spells of the Red Mage are not useful as sub job because of the overlap that in both White Mage and Black Mage areas, but lacks the full potency of either. Also the spells that become important to a Red Mage can not be obtained as a sub job. Thus Red Mage is a career job or main job at the very least.

Being a Red Mage you will be expected to be a part White Mage and part Black Mage, and even melee even on. You will more than not enfeeble to start off your fight and then go in for melee early on in levels. Though as you advance your ability to fight physical will become diminished as well as your importance in the party structure change. Being able to heal on demand will be important as well, but knowing what the party lacks and trying make up for those gaps will be your job. If there is no White Mage in your early parties you will be the healer, no Black Mage you will be a Black Mage, but past level 20 the requiring of a White Mage will be important so the gaps most often filled would be Black Mage. Otherwise you shall be doing your own job adding to increase the strengths of the party.

By level 41 you will have the ability Convert and spell Refresh which will become staples of your everyday life as a Red Mage. Your job shifts greatly from offensive to more supportive. You will be casting Refresh on the mages and paladins, trying to cast a few enfeebling spells between cast times and making sure the party remains alive. The importance of your job as maintaining the party's efficiency and lowering downtime will be critical. This will be demanded of you thorough the rest of the time you are a Red Mage and will be the most important job, which sometimes can be forgotten about in the heat of battle. Always remember Refresh will be needed without it the mages will run out of MP.

Leveling early on will be a simple job for you because you have the power of the White Mage, Black Mage and a touch of Warrior all wrapped up inside you. The ability to hold swords and wear heavier armor will be an advantage the other mage jobs do not have as is the ability to cast spells an ability the other melee jobs do not have. This hybrid of jobs will allow you to continue to fight for longer period of time and do more damage to monsters. You might not have to the full power of a warrior, but you will not be physically weak as a White Mage or Black Mage. This allows for soloing to be very easy and you can advance far on your own with a party. Though even still, by level 15 you will no doubt want to level in a party because it will be faster experience points.

Being a Red Mage you will need the stats of Mind and Intelligence if you are to be a White Mage and Black Mage hybrid. Strength and Defense will not be a major concern as you will not be on the frontlines as you rise in levels. The type of equipment that you will have will start out as a warrior and then turn to mage equipment as you become more magic focused.

Picking a sub job for your Red Mage will become important in deciding how you plan to fight. In a more party oriented situation the best picks for a sub job are White Mage or Black Mage because of the extra MP and stats more than anything else, the relevance of the spells are pointless and most you will already have. Most Red Mage often pick Black Mage since a Red Mage's focus is often shifted towards enfeebling and offensive magic rather than defensive and healing magic. Though soloing for a Red Mage a more melee class is picked, more often it is Ninja, which at level 75 becomes very advantageous because of the Utsusemi spell combined with Blink, Stoneskin and Phalanx a Red Mage can become virtually untouchable the only thing stopping them is MP (which Convert solves).

Things to remember as a Red Mage is that you are not a melee job after level 41. Fighting is not important as using Refresh. Refresh is the one and only reason you are in the party, you want experience points, then you much reduced downtime. Refresh is that key, never forget that and remember your casting when it runs out. Without the refresh your mages will come to a stop.