Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker tends to make my beloved Red Mage even greater

I had the chance to play some of Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker ahead of its November 23 release thanks to a media preview occasion. While I was excited to attempt out the MMO expansion’s two new job classes, Reaper and Sage, I also had to check out the updates to my preferred: Red Mage.

The Red Mage is a ranged, magic-based harm-dealer. The job debuted in FFXIV’s second expansion, Stormblood (Endwalker is the fourth). FFXIV lets you play a number of job classes on the exact same character, so I’ve been in a position to attempt a bunch of them. Red Mage stood out since it is some thing I normally appreciate in RPGs: a battle mage. But even then, it is a one of a kind take on the idea. The Red Mage has a rapier that can also act as a employees. In practice, it is like if Zorro knew how to cast spells. So, in other words, it is great.

And Endwalker is creating Red Mage even more great.

Before I was in a position to play, Final Fantasy XIV director and producer Naoki Yoshida greeted members of the media and noted that he wished to thank all COVID responders and members of the health-related neighborhood for their efforts through the pandemic, and he expressed a wish for us in the media to do the exact same as element of our coverage. So I’m carrying out that now. Thank you, absolutely everyone! Yoshida also wanted us to note that we played an in-development construct of the game, so specifics are topic to adjust.

Redder mage

So what tends to make the Red Mage so unique in Endwalker? Well, in some methods, not a complete lot. Unlike some jobs, like Summoner, Red Mage didn’t get a main rework. The job nevertheless revolves about you producing mana although casting spells till you are in a position to close in and carry out a potent melee combo.

There are, nonetheless, a handful of new skills. Magick Barrier is one of these. This will assist cut down the magic harm that nearby allies take although rising the quantity of healing they get. Ever due to the fact the original Final Fantasy, Red Mages have stood out with their versatility. This tradition has carried more than to FFXIV, with Square Enix providing the job a fantastic quantity of assistance skills, such as ones that let them heal allies and even resurrect dead players. Magick Barrier adds to that “jack-of-all-trades” flavor that tends to make Red Mages unique.

If you’d rather just deal large harm, nonetheless, look at Resolution. This is the new finisher to the Red Mage combo, and it is a flashy attack that shoots out a spiraling laser in front of you.

But it is the smaller sized, high-quality-of-life adjustments that make Red Mage really feel so significantly greater in Endwalker. For instance, you can now carry out that potent magic combo immediately after your single-target melee combo — like you could ahead of — or you can do so immediately after working with 3 Enchanted Moulinets, which hits a number of enemies. And that magic combo now offers AoE (region of impact) harm as an alternative of just hitting a single enemy. This tends to make fighting a number of foes significantly more intriguing.

Endwalker also provides a pivotal Red Mage spell, Acceleration, an further charge. This suggests you can bank two makes use of of the capacity, which assists adds stability to your mana producing attacks. It’s a pivotal ability for Red Mages, and now we can use it more typically.

Speaking of mana, Endwalker retools that method a bit or rather tends to make it more practical. You see, in order to start out your melee combo or attack with Enchanted Moulinet, you need to have a particular quantity of Black and White Mana. You used to need to have at least 80 of each and every to start out the melee combo, with each and every resource capping out at one hundred. Now you just need to have 50 of each and every. Granted, the game adjustments the quantity of mana each and every capacity generates to match this, but you are now much less most likely to cap out on Black and White Mana ahead of you can use these sources.

Also, the capacity Manafication used to double your Black and White Mana. Now it just provides you a flat 50 of each and every when you use it. This just tends to make the capacity significantly easier to use effectively. Press this button, and you can launch ideal into the melee combo.

I can get into even more, like how Displacement and Engagement now deal the exact same quantity of harm, so you no longer have to threat backflipping off the arena to your death just to get a tiny further energy in. Oh, and like with Acceleration, you now get two charges of Displacement, Engagement, and Corps-a-corps, so you ought to be a tiny more mobile through battles.

Always bet on red

I’m impressed with these adjustments. Red Mage was currently a well-known and potent job class. The FFXIV group didn’t need to have to do also significantly to it for Endwalker, but it nevertheless located methods to make Red Mage really feel like an enhanced, more potent evolution of its Shadowbringers iteration.

I feel Red Mage is going to stay my preferred Final Fantasy XIV job via at least a fantastic chunk of this new expansion.

Originally appeared on: TheSpuzz