Level up your Red MAGE (RDM) ASAP! Setting up – Early Rotations – Gear Checks and more!
If you’ve found yourself here, you’re likely leveling up a Red Mage. You’ve found the right place. Hopefully, our Red Mage Leveling Guide helps you out – especially with setting up and the early L50+ rotation!
Red Mage Leveling Guide Navigation:
Page 1: Unlocking, L50 Skills & Rotation, L50 Gear, Class Quest List
Page 2: Leveling RDM 50 to 60 (Basic info for now)
Page 3: Leveling RDM 60 to 70 (Basic info for now)
For those who jumped right into this page, we will add a little blurb about unlocking Red Mage, if you haven’t already.
Unlocking Red Mage (RDM) Job
Quest Name: Taking the Red
Quest Location: Ul’dah – Steps of Thal (Merchant Strip) (X:14, Y:12)
NPC Name: Distraught Lass
You will be rewarded with the Soul of the Red Mage, your main hand weapon (Mythrite Rapier), and a free coffer of 115 left side gear (Red Attire Coffer)! Equip them as soon you have them!
Since Red Mage starts at level 50, there are a few things you have to “catch up to”… Namely, your Skills, Rotation, and to a lesser extent, Gear.
Fresh Level 50 Red Mage Rotation & Skills
RDM Rotation Summary
Red Mage is all about generating Black and White mana “equally”, then subsequently dumping it using our melee combo. We use Dualcast on every “long spell”, which is Verthunder or Veraero.
It’s also HEAVILY influenced by procs.
In the next tab we go into the nitty gritty, and talk about EVERY SKILL you’ve unlocked just now.
L50 RDM Single Target Rotation
L50 RDM Basic Single Target Rotation
Gaining Mana Phase
Jolt (L2) (DUALCAST ON).
Verthunder (L4) or Veraero (L10), use what boosts your LOWER mana (DUALCAST OFF).
===
Proc triggered? Verfire (L26) or Verstone (L30), Use that (DUALCAST ON).
No Proc? Jolt (DUALCAST ON).
===
Verthunder (L4) or Veraero (L10), Use what boosts your LOWER mana (DUALCAST OFF).
Repeat from here (Either Jolt, or Proc Triggered)
It may seem a little odd reading it – but try it out first, it makes a lot of sense after a few cycles. After the gaining mana phase, it’s melee time.
80+ Black and White Mana? Melee Phase
Corps-a-corps (L6) (optional – to dash close to them)
Riposte (L1) (Melee Combo A)
Zwerchau (L35) (Melee Combo B)
Redoublement (L50) (Melee Combo C)
Displacement (L40) (Optional – backflips out)
(Go back to gaining mana phase)
Also, use Fleche (L45) whenever able.
L50 RDM Basic AoE Rotation
L50 RDM Basic AoE Rotation
For 2 Enemies: Use Single target rotation on one of them.
For 3 Enemies: Scatter (L18) spam is “ok”, but generates colored mana slowly. I would replace all Jolts with Scatter, and try to use as many Dualcasts on Veraero and Verthunder. Any procs gained should be saved for when 1/2 guys remain.
For 4+ Enemies: Scatter spamming seems best. While mana charges slowly, you’ll do far more damage.
At 52 (might as well give you an idea now), Moulinet is an AoE melee attack which uses your Black and White mana – so don’t worry, you have an AoE rotation for both ends.
L50 RDM Misc (Cooldowns, Utility)
L50 RDM Misc skills (Cooldowns, Utility)
Acceleration (L50): ENSURES that the next spell you cast will trigger its proc. Obvious uses, use as often as possible.
Fleche (L45): An off-GCD nuke to be used as often as possible.
Tether (L15): Binds enemies, largely useless.
L50 RDM Role Actions
TL;DR – for general usage:
Lucid Dreaming > Diversion > Swiftcast at 32
Caster role actions are pretty slim pickings…
For a more detailed write-up check out our Caster DPS Role Actions Guide.
Fresh level 50 Red Mage: Gear Check
The free gear you get from completing the Red Mage quest is item level 115. All things considered this ain’t so bad. HOWEVER, it is missing the right-side accessories, and belt.
Ignore this section if you plan to sully yourself in PotD forever.
I want better than 115 item level!
There are only 2 possible item level upgrades from 115, and 4 possible sources:
- 120 gear from World of Darkness (hassle if you don’t have it already)
- 120 Ironworks gear from “old tomestone” (not too bad to obtain!)
- 130 Dreadwyrm gear from Final Coil (hassle if you don’t have it already)
- 130 Augmented Ironworks gear (needs Carbontwine and Carboncoat…)
While I imagine many people have these lying around – I can only faithfully vouch for only ONE of these tiers – 120 Ironworks from older tomestone gear is easy to obtain, and can be fairly worth it as they’re shared between many classes.
And, if you happen to get Carboncoat and Carbontwine from WoD (queue up that Alliance Raid!), great!
If you read the clicky above, you can FILL UP THE BLANKS with the left table, or TRYHARD AND UPGRADE with the right table. I will not be listing Dreadwyrm or WoD gear in these tables, due to their difficulty to obtain for people who weren’t there at the time.
L50 RDM Basic GearL50 RDM Better Gear
| L50 Red Mage Gear – Basic of the Basic (i115) |
| Weapon | Mythrite Rapier | FREE from coffer |
| Head | Red Hat | FREE from coffer |
| Chest | Red Bilaud | FREE from coffer |
| Hands | Red Gloves | FREE from coffer |
| Belt | HQ Rainbow of Casting | Crafting / Market |
| Legs | Red Gaskins | FREE from coffer |
| Boots | Red Boots | FREE from coffer |
| Earring | HQ Mythrite Earrings of Casting | Crafting / Market |
| Neck | HQ Rainbow Ribbon of Casting | Crafting / Market |
| Wrist | HQ Mythrite Bangle of Casting | Crafting / Market |
| Ring | HQ Agate Ring of Casting | Crafting / Market |
| Ring | HQ Agate Ring of Casting | Crafting / Market |
| L50 Red Mage Gear – Tomestone (i120+) |
| Weapon | Ironworks Magitek Degen | Tomestone |
| Head | Ironworks Hood of Casting | Tomestone |
| Chest | Ironworks Doublet of Casting | Tomestone |
| Hands | Ironworks Gloves of Casting | Tomestone |
| Belt | Ironworks Belt of Casting | Tomestone |
| Legs | Ironworks Breeches of Casting | Tomestone |
| Boots | Ironworks Boots of Casting | Tomestone |
| Earring | Ironworks Earrings of Casting | Tomestone |
| Neck | Ironworks Choker of Casting | Tomestone |
| Wrist | Ironworks Bracelet of Casting | Tomestone |
| Ring | Ironworks Ring of Casting | Tomestone |
| Ring | (Cannot use 2 of the same!) | – |
Purchased from Auriana – Mor Dhona (X: 22.7, Y: 6.6)
For the other ring, use one from the other tab, Dreadwyrm, or Augmented Ironworks.
Red Mage Class Quests: Where!?
It happens to everyone, don’t worry. We will be listing the relevant chunks per tier on the respective page of this leveling guide as well, for easy reference.
Red Mage Job Quests 50 to 60
LVL | QUEST | LOCATION | COORDS | ISSUER | REWARDS |
| X | Y |
| 50 | Taking the Red | Ul’dah -Steps of Thal – Merchant Strip | 14 | 12 | Distraught Lass | Soul of the Red Mage; Mythrite Rapier, Red Attire Coffer |
| 50 | The Crimson Duelist | Central Thanalan | 20 | 21 | X’rhun Tia | |
| 52 | A Rewarding Struggle | Eastern Thanalan | 12 | 22 | X’rhun Tia | |
| 54 | Tracking the Cabal | Western Thanalan | 12 | 13 | X’rhun Tia | |
| 56 | A Vermillion Vendetta | Western La Noscea | 28 | 28 | X’rhun Tia | |
| 58 | On Lambard’s Trail | Western La Noscea | 28 | 26 | X’rhun Tia | |
| 60 | Stained in Scarlet | Northern Thanalan | 20 | 21 | X’rhun Tia | Manafication |
Red Mage Job Quests 60 to 70
LVL | QUEST | LOCATION | COORDS | ISSUER | REWARDS |
| X | Y |
| 60 | The Color of Her Hair | Mor Dhona | 23 | 8 | X’rhun Tia | |
| 63 | Traced in Blood | Idyllshire | 6 | 5 | X’rhun Tia | |
| 65 | Nightkin | Idyllshire | 6 | 5 | X’rhun Tia | |
| 68 | Child of Lilith | Idyllshire | 6 | 5 | X’rhun Tia | |
| 70 | With Heart and Steel | The Pillars | 11 | 11 | X’rhun Tia | Verholy, Duelist’s Attire Coffer |
Red Mage Leveling Guide Navigation:
Page 1: Unlocking, L50 Skills & Rotation, L50 Gear, Class Quest List
Page 2: Leveling RDM 50 to 60 (Basic info for now)
Page 3: Leveling RDM 60 to 70 (Basic info for now)
I’m sure you’re itching to level up – and I hope you took the above preparations to heart! Just continue onwards with the links just above!
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