Red Mage Leveling Guide

Updated for 7.0

Introduction

The purpose of this guide is to help players understand the core mechanics of Red Mage. This guide will cover the basics of the job and its abilities as you progress through each set of levels. Once you hit level 100, it is strongly encouraged to check out the RDM guide to familiarize yourself with more advanced topics as you begin to enter endgame content. This guide was written as of patch 7.0. Unless anything major changes, you can expect this guide to remain relevant throughout Dawntrail.

Red Mage 7.0 Lvl 100 Guide (prelim Pre-Savage version)

Unlocking Red Mage

To unlock Red Mage, you must own Stormblood and have at least one combat job at level 50. Complete the quest “Taking the Red” by speaking to the Distraught Lass in Ul’dah, Steps of Thal (X:14.1, Y: 11.7).

Terminology

CD - COOLDOWN

Cooldown refers to how long it takes for an ability to be available again after being used. Using an ability on cooldown means using it as soon as it is available.

GCD - GLOBAL COOLDOWN

Global cooldown refers to the default 2.5 second cooldown shared by all spells and weaponskills. This is not the same as cast time. After initiating a use of one spell or weaponskill, you will be able to use your next GCD in 2.5s. The global cooldown can be reduced with spellspeed, but certain abilities can also have shorter, unique cooldowns.

oGCD - OFF-GLOBAL COOLDOWN

Off-Global Cooldowns are abilities that are not a part of the Global Cooldown. These abilities have their own cooldown that is separate from all other cooldowns unless otherwise stated, and can be used when the Global Cooldown is not yet available.

AOE - AREA OF EFFECT

Area of Effect abilities are abilities that will hit multiple targets in a given range rather than one single target.

WEAVING

Weaving refers to the act of using your off-Global Cooldown abilities in between your Global Cooldowns. For example, if a Red Mage were to instant cast a spell and then press Fleche and Engagement before their next Global Cooldown was available, this would be called a double weave, as they have used two off-Global Cooldowns. It is common to double weave for many spells, but there are also faster Global Cooldowns in the game that only allow you to single weave.

CLIPPING

Clipping refers to the forced delay on a Global Cooldown caused by attempting to weave too many off-Global Cooldowns at once, or by using an off-Global Cooldown too late into the Global Cooldown. This is generally something to avoid. Clipping can also be affected by a player’s ping, where the animation lock tied to certain off-Global Cooldowns may not allow players at higher pings to double weave certain abilities.

Job Basics

For a comprehensive breakdown of Red Mage’s spells and abilities, please see Red Mage 7.0 Lvl 100 Guide (prelim Pre-Savage version). This section is just to familiarize you with the basic flow of the job, as well as guide you through abilities as you unlock them.

Dualcast

Red Mage’s core job mechanic is Dualcast. Whenever you cast any spell that has a cast time, your next spell will have no cast time. Understanding how this concept works is pivotal to understanding Red Mage. 

Mana

Red Mage’s job gauge consists of two bars (White Mana | Black Mana) that are generated from casting their respective origin spells. Below is the list of spells and how much of each Mana they generate.

The mana gauge enchants our melee weaponskills (Moulinet, Reprise, Riposte, Zwerchhau, and Redoublement). And we spend the gauge when we have enough Mana to complete an enchanted melee combo. Note that you should never use these weaponskills when they are unenchanted.

General Spell Rotation

The goal of Red Mage is to use our spells with a short cast time in order to gain Dualcast to spend on long cast time spells.

Single target:

Jolt (or Verfire/Verstone) into Verthunder/Veraero

AOE:

2 Targets: Jolt (or Verfire/Verstone) into Impact or Verthunder/Veraero

3+ Targets: Verthunder II/Veraero II into Scatter (Impact)

Melee Weaponskills:

1-2 Targets: E. Riposte > E. Zwerchhau > E. Redoublement

3+ Targets: E. Moulinet > E. Moulinet Deux > E. Moulinet Trois

1-2 Targets: E. Reprise (an extremely situational GCD)

(“E.” is short for Enchanted. While we specify enchanted, you are never using the unenchanted versions of these weaponskills.)

Say it with me again, we are never using unenchanted weaponskills.

Caster Role Actions

The following actions are available to all casters, and are extremely useful abilities that should not be considered optional.

Addle

Reduces target’s magical damage dealt by 10%, and physical damage dealt by 5%.

This action is our bread and butter mitigation tool. Most raidwides are magic damage, making this an extremely valuable tool.

Lucid Dreaming

Restores MP over time.

Use this when below 8000 MP or after reviving a party member.

Swiftcast

Your next spell that has a cast time can be cast instantly.

Use this to maintain uptime or gain extra damage

Surecast

Nullifies most knockback effects, and prevents the interrupting of spells from taking damage

Use this to prevent knockbacks and cast interruption.

Sleep (this one is actually optional)

Puts target and all enemies nearby to sleep. 

This action is seldom used in the overworld, and never used in any raid scenario as everything has sleep immunity. 

Levels 1-50

Though Red Mage starts at level 50, this section is for synced dungeons.

Levels 18-25

Single Target GCDs

Use Jolt to dualcast Verthunder or Veraero. Alternate between Thunder/Aero to keep mana relatively balanced. 

Use Enchanted Riposte when at or above 20|20 Mana.

AOE (3+ Targets) GCDs

Use Verthunder II or Veraero II to dualcast Scatter. Again alternating between Thunder II and Aero II.

Damage oGCDs

Use Corps-a-corps on enemies when available for free damage. You can also use this tool to keep up with the tank in dungeon pulls. Do not think of this as a gap closer that should be saved. Think of it as a damage ability that just so happens to gapclose.

Levels 26-50

Levels 26 and 30

At level 26 we unlock Verfire, and at 30 we unlock Verstone. These spells have a 50% chance to proc when using Verthunder/Veraero respectively. When you have these procs available, use them in place of Jolt in single target situations.

Level 35

At level 35 we unlock Zwerchhau which is a combo action to Riposte. When at 35|35 Mana, you can use Enchanted Riposte > Enchanted Zwerchhau in single target situations.

Level 40

At level 40 we unlock Engagement and Displacement. These are damage oGCDs that should be weaved whenever possible. These two abilities share the same cooldown. Prioritize using Engagement over Displacement in general. It’s worth noting that like Corps-a-corps, we can use Displacement to “backflip ourselves forward” to keep up with the tank in dungeon pulls. 

Level 45

At level 45, we unlock Fleche, a standard damage oGCD. Make sure to use it every time it is available. Fleche is a very potent oGCD.

Level 50

At level 50, we unlock Redoublement (completing our melee combo) and Acceleration. When at 50|50 Mana or above, use E. Riposte > E. Zwerchhau > E. Redoublement. This sequence is known and referred to as our melee combo. 

Acceleration makes our next Verthunder, Veraero or Scatter (Impact) instant. It also guarantees the respective procs from Thunder and Aero, as well as boosting the potency of Scatter (Impact). Simply add in Acceleration to either your single target or AOE rotations when available.

Levels 51-60

Damage GCDs

At level 52, we unlock Moulinet. This is our AOE melee weaponskill. It becomes E. Moulinet when at or above 20|20 Mana.

In 7.0, using E. Moulinet now upgrades it into E. Moulinet Deux (requires 15|15 Mana). Using E. Moulinet Deux upgrades it to E. Moulinet Trois (requires 15|15 Mana). 

TL;DR: We now have an AOE alternative to our melee combo that can be used at 50|50 Mana or above. Simply use E. Moulinet > E. Moulinet Deux > E. Moulinet Trois. It can also be thought of as just pressing E. Moulinet three times.

Utility GCDs

At level 54, we unlock Vercure. This is a great utility tool that we primarily use to generate dualcast when we can’t target anything. Vercure is also an emergency survival tool to keep us (or a party member) alive, but it should generally not be used for sustained healing. As a DPS in dungeons, clearing mobs faster is a better way to help tanks survive and ease the healer’s burden.

Damage oGCDs

At level 56, we unlock Contre Sixte. An AOE oGCD that should be pressed off cooldown. 

Utility oGCDs

At level 58, we get our party buff, Embolden. It increases our magic damage dealt by 5%, and our party members damage (all types) by 5% for 20 seconds. Press it off cooldown.

At level 60, and by completing the level 60 job quest, we get Manafication.

TL;DR: Manafication grants us a free zero cost melee combo. It is worth noting that this will break all combos. Only use it before or after any melee combo.

Pressing Manafication gives us one buff (for now). Magicked Swordplay gives us three free melee GCDs. This can be used either on our single target combo, or on the E. Moulinet combo.

Level 60 Rotations

Single Target

• Cast Jolt into Verthunder/Veraero to build mana
• Use Verfire/Verstone in place of Jolt when available
• Spend mana (50|50) on your melee combo

Use Acceleration and Swiftcast on Verthunder/Veraero as needed/off cooldown

Use Fleche, Contre Sixte, Engagement, and Corps-a-corps off cooldown

AOE (3+ Targets) 

• Cast Verthunder II / Veraero II into Scatter
• Spend mana (50|50) on 3x E. Moulinet combo

Use Acceleration and Swiftcast on Scatter off cooldown

Use Contre Sixte, Fleche, Engagement, and Corps-a-corps off cooldown

Levels 61-70

Upgraded Damage GCDs

At level 62, Jolt upgrades to Jolt II, dealing more damage. Use it just like you always have.

At level 66, Scatter upgrades to Impact, dealing more damage. Use it just like you always have.

Damage GCDs

At levels 68 and 70, we get Verflare and Verholy (lv. 70 job quest reward), respectively.

These are powerful finisher GCDs that can only be used when we have three mana gems. As mentioned before, we obtain three mana gems from a full single target melee combo (E. Riposte > E. Zwer. > E. Redoub.) or full AOE combo (3x E. Moulinet) These finishers are also AOE, making them useful for both single target and AOE.

When available, Verflare replaces Verthunder/Verthunder II, while Verholy replaces Veraero/Veraero II on your hotbar.

Note: these finishers will also guarantee us a respective proc if that mana is lower at the time of use (Example: if black mana is less than white mana and we use Verflare, we are guaranteed to get a Verfire proc). As these finishers are the exact same potency, try to use the lower mana version if you don’t have that proc available.

Utility GCDs

At level 64, we get our infamous yet powerful Verraise. It is a GCD that will revive dead party members. This comes at a base 10 second cast time. As such, never hardcast Verraise, use Dualcast or Swiftcast. Remember that we get Dualcast from any spell with a cast time. 

A common misconception is to use Vercure > Verraise, but we can use any casted GCD to dualcast Verraise. (preferably Jolt or a proc)

Level 70 Rotations

Single Target

• Cast Jolt II into Verthunder/Veraero to build mana
• Use Verfire/Verstone in place of Jolt II when available
• Spend mana (50|50) on your melee combo > Verholy/Verflare
• • Use the spell of your lower mana

Use Acceleration and Swiftcast on Verthunder/Veraero as needed/off cooldown

Use Fleche, Contre Sixte, Engagement, and Corps-a-corps off cooldown

AOE (3+ Targets) 

• Cast Verthunder II/Veraero II into Impact
• Spend mana (50|50) on 3x E. Moulinet combo > Verholy/Verflare
• • Use the spell of your lower mana

Use Acceleration and Swiftcast on Impact off cooldown

Use Contre Sixte, Fleche, Engagement, and Corps-a-corps off cooldown

Levels 71-80

Damage GCDs

At level 76, we get Reprise. This becomes E. Reprise at 5|5 Mana. While Reprise is a melee range weaponskill, E. Reprise is a ranged weaponskill that costs 5|5 mana.

While this seems great, this ends up being a last resort uptime tool. If you’re setting hotbars up, this can go to a “rarely pressed” bind. 

At level 80, we get a second finisher, Scorch. This is a combo from either Verflare or Verholy. This simply adds to both of our melee combos. Similarly to holy and flare, Scorch replaces Jolt/Impact when it is available.

Notable Upgraded oGCDs

At level 74, Contre Sixte’s cooldown is reduced to 35 seconds.

At level 78, Manafication’s cooldown is reduced to 110 seconds, as well as gaining a new buff: up to six stacks of Manafication, increasing the damage of the next up to six GCDs (any GCD) by 5%.

Level 80 Rotations

Single Target

• Cast Jolt II into Verthunder/Veraero to build mana
• Use Verfire/Verstone in place of Jolt II when available
• Spend mana (50|50) on your melee combo > finishers
• • Use the spell of your lower mana

Use Acceleration and Swiftcast on Verthunder/Veraero as needed/off cooldown

Use Fleche, Contre Sixte, Engagement, and Corps-a-corps off cooldown

AOE (3+ Targets) 

• Cast Verthunder II/Veraero II into Impact
• Spend mana (50|50) on 3x E. Moulinet combo > finishers
• • Use the spell of your lower mana

Use Acceleration and Swiftcast on Impact off cooldown

Use Contre Sixte, Fleche, Engagement, and Corps-a-corps off cooldown

Levels 81-90

Utility oGCDs

At level 86, we get Magick Barrier. This is a defensive party-wide utility oGCD that reduces magic damage taken by 10%, and increases healing received (by all healing sources) by 5%. 

This tool can also help your tanks during dungeon pulls as well as cover boss raidwides. As you venture into Savage and Ultimate raids, use of this becomes more organized (not covered here).

Damage GCDs

At level 90, we get the final finisher combo, Resolution. This GCD is a line AOE that combos from Scorch. 

Just like Scorch, this replaces Jolt III/Impact on your hotbar when available.

Upgraded Damage GCDs

At level 82, Verthunder and Veraero are upgraded to Verthunder III and Veraero III, dealing more damage.

At level 84, Jolt II is upgraded to Jolt III, dealing more damage.

An advanced note on Jolt III: Due to trait silliness, Jolt III deals more damage than Verfire/Verstone (until level 94), however, Verfire/Verstone generates more total mana. Continue to prioritize procs over Jolt unless you are in high-end optimization.

Upgraded Abilities

At level 88, we gain a second charge of Acceleration, helping us keep uptime during movement as well as some advanced applications.

Level 90 Rotations

Single Target

• Cast Jolt III into Verthunder III/Veraero III to build mana

• Use Verfire/Verstone in place of Jolt III when available

• Spend mana (50|50) on your melee combo > finishers

  • Use the spell of your lower mana

Use Acceleration and Swiftcast on Verthunder III/Veraero III as needed/off cooldown

Use Fleche, Contre Sixte, Engagement, and Corps-a-corps off cooldown

AOE (3+ Targets) 

• Cast Verthunder II/Veraero II into Impact

• Spend mana (50|50) on 3x E. Moulinet combo > finishers

  • Use the spell of your lower mana

Use Acceleration and Swiftcast on Impact off cooldown

Use Contre Sixte, Fleche, Engagement, and Corps-a-corps off cooldown

Levels 91-100

These levels slightly change our gameplay at the higher end. At a basic level, not much changes.

If you would like to read how our changes in Dawntrail affect our rotation (most notably Grand Impact), please visit the Red Mage 7.0 Lvl 100 Guide (prelim Pre-Savage version)

Upgraded Abilities

At level 92, we get Vice of Thorns. When you use Embolden, it changes into Vice of Thorns. It is simply an AOE damage oGCD that we press during buff windows.

You are able to bind this ability separately, however, thanks to the new Action Change settings in 7.0, you can have Embolden change into Vice of Thorns, saving you hotbar space. To do this, open your Job Actions, find Vice of Thorns, and click the “Action Change Settings” box underneath the ability.

Damage GCDs

At level 96, we get Grand Impact. This is a very strong instant cast AOE GCD that overwrites Jolt/Impact when available. This GCD cannot be bound. Instead, we are able to use it with the upgrade to Acceleration. 

Acceleration now has an additional effect! It now:

• Makes the next Verthunder, Veraero, or Impact instant.
• Guarantees the proc from Verthunder/Veraero, or increases the potency of your next Impact.
• NEW: Grants Grand Impact Ready, allowing one use of Grand Impact.

This means we now get two instant casts from Acceleration: The instant Verthunder/Veraero/Impact, PLUS the Grand Impact. Note that you can only have one stack of Grand Impact Ready. If you use Acceleration again while Grand Impact is available, you will not get two Grand Impacts.

At level 100, we learn Prefulgence. Upon consuming all six stacks of Manafication, it changes to Prefulgence, our strongest oGCD that does damage to all targets. Just like Vice of Thorns, we aim to fit this into buff windows. 

As Prefulgence Ready lasts 30 seconds, you should still be using Manafication off cooldown, and holding Prefulgence for your buff window.

Thank you for taking the time to read this guide! If you have any questions, please ask in the #rdm_questions channel in The Balance!

Now that you have a grasp of what Red Mage does, check out our guide to learn about some more advanced topics not covered in this guide. Red Mage 7.0 Lvl 100 Guide (prelim Pre-Savage version)

Credits

The Balance RDM team