I am a Red Mage and I am DAMN proud of it. I know that I probably didn’t *need* to say that, but hell, I just like saying it. Now recently I have been seeing a lot of complaining about Scholars. I am not huge fan of the job, but then again that kind of mage job bores me to tears.
The main argument is that Scholar ruined Red Mage, however I just don’t see it. Scholar may have some of the same abilities as the Red Mage but they are more “Cute School Girl you can take home to mom” where Red Mages are more “After school special” or bad 1950’s Health Class movie.
The thing is my dear children that there are some fundamental differences between the two jobs that make each stand out in it’s own way. I will not stoop to the argument of who is better, since truly there is no clear winner.
Finding your place in the world.
Our sweet little school girl is happy in their place in the back line. Whether their art be Light or Dark they are happy to stand back in the trenches supporting there comrades and dispatching their foe from a good safe distance. The melee skill of the Scholar has no practical use in any standard setup and much like a White Mage or Black Mage is reserved for Solo situations at best. Think of it more like a debutant showing up for cotillion in a pure white dress and no underwear. Mostly good with a little Dark Arts for flavor.
Now Red Mage is more like a child who switched their Ritalin with sweet-tarts and washed it down with a Mountain Dew. Their role in a situation is largely decided by the situation itself. The job holds a versatility that is not found anywhere else in the game. There are few situations that the Red Mage is unable to handle. Thou much like the Scholar’s dependency on stratagems the Red Mage is dependant on gear setups. Red Mages wear their reputations like a badge of honor. They are one of “those” people and proud of it.
Book Smarts vs. Street Smarts.
Remember that kid, the one that always had their hand up. Knew every answer in the book but seemed to fail on little things like tying their shoes? Ever wonder why Scholars wear loafers? One of the glaring disadvantages to the Scholar job is the Arts system. Your spell casting ability is limited by the current Art you are in and this is further complicated by Addendums. This is combined with that fact that you limited by your ability to switch between those by the number of stratagem changes you have at a given level… Ow.. I think I just broke a vessel… It is not all that hard to figure out but it puts a severe limitation on what you can be doing at any given point in time. One of the greatest arguments I hear is the the Scholar has a broader spell list. On the surface that is true, but they cannot cast spells freely. Just like you can’t ask that kid a Biology question in Geometry. If it’s not in the book, they don’t know nothing about it.
Remember that other kid? You know that one that sat in the back of the class. Never looked like they paid attention, but still passed all the test. Think of that kid in a Warlock’s Chapeau and you got Red Mage. Yes, the spell list of a Red Mage may not be as big, but at least they don’t need an instruction manual on how to use it. (yes, I know I have seen the ones that don’t know what dispel is but that is whole other manual). The spell list of a Red Mage is only limited by one thing, Support Job. Other than that whatever spell they want to cast they cast no matter if it is Black or White magic. This even gives Red Mages a bit of an advantage in some places since the it is harder for a Scholar to take on the role of main healer and debuffer due to stratagems, but being a jack-of-all-trades has it’s downsides too. See that kid passed all the test, they didn’t ace them. The balance between know what the teacher is talking about and looking good takes a toll. You know what you are doing but, you won’t excel at it.
You, Me, or Everyone.
Across Vana’diel Red Mages raised signs screaming “Scholar Stole my Phalanx II!” Altana be damned I am tired of hearing that. Yes, our sweet little schoolgirl does have the ability to share buffs with several of their closest surround party pals. Yes, with Red Mage sub job this does allow them to “Share” Phalanx with everyone, but hey guess what so can a Summoner but you don’t see anyone wanting to roast them on a spit do you? Thou slow-roasted Scholar might be tasty, especially if it is a dry-rubbed tarutar… back on topic. As nice as the ability to AoE buff and enfeebles may be it does not eliminate the need for a nicely merited Phalanx II.
It all comes down to skill. Scholar can have B rating in certain skills under the correct Art for that skill. This can still be modified by stat increasing gear. Which I will admit does make for a nice absorption rate for Phalanx since Phalanx is bases solely off Enhancing Magic Skill. This however to does not wipe version two of the table. Properly done Phalanx II from a Red Mage will be stronger and longer than Phalanx from a Scholar. This includes the number of merits and the amount of enhancing gear that is available. Another advantage is the lack of a Job Ability required. A Scholar can only care about everyone some of the time. Due to the unique way that the Scholar job is setup, they are highly limited in there spell sharing abilites and must pick and choose wisely on what spell they share at what time.
Honors Credit vs. AP Credit
I remember them, oh do I remember them well. “Oh, your only taking Honors English, that’s too bad. I am taking AP English….” That was usually about the time I slapped them in the mouth so I am not really sure what came after that. We all know them thou, the “I am better than you because I take AP Classes.” crowd. Sadly this same argument is happing through out Vana’diel. SE decided so graciously that Scholars would have access to Tier IV nukes.
In the school of elemental magic it works like this:
Black Mages are the college kids. They have the best, have been doing it longer and will always do it best. The only problem is there are too busy looking at porn, youtube and Adult Swim to actually bother showing up to an event.
Scholars are AP kids. They think they can hang with the big kids, have the brains to do it, but generally are too busy doing someone else homework.
Red Mages are the Honors Class. Not trying to be the college kids, too busy to take AP classes, but yet always there in a pinch and ready to roll.
Dark knights are, well, the freshman. Too busy behind the gym smoking cloves and discussing how the pressures modern life are “eating their souls” and how there is no “white knight” to “cover” their wounds to actually pay enough attention enough to learn how to use it. (yea, I couldn’t resist and “Emo Knight” joke.)
Puppetmasters: The AV Geek who builds a robot to try to date the hot Red Mage chick in Study Hall?
By giving Scholar tier IV nukes does not make them better or more usable than a Red Mage for nuking since the Red Mage’s claim to fame is overall survivability. Red Mages have access to Magic Attack Bonus II regardless of support job. This allows them to increase survivability with a wider range of Support Jobs without having to sacrifice potential damage output.
Tier IV nukes from a Scholar may allow for larger base damage numbers while under Dark Arts, but without the right sub job can lack the required punch. Tier III nukes from a Red Mage will lack the big numbers, but have the better options for consistency in damage. It brings the argument down the option of getting a B in an AP Class or an A in Honors class.
So What have we learned here today?
Those to crave the satisfaction of a clear winner would argue for their side and say that it reigns supreme. I am sure that career Scholars and Red Mages will agree and disagree on what has been said here today. When presented with the two jobs you see someone who is the ideal of innocence and virtue going up against those people your mother warned you about.
Some would say that the clear winner here would be the Red Mage since gear has limitless possibilities and stratagems are limited by the level you have obtained and how quickly you use them, but it is truly in how you use it. Since both fit very well in the back line. Scholars are just better suited for staying there.
Some would say that Scholar wins since they have so much more to offer than a Red Mage and that the Arts system will allow them to outperform the so-so skills of the Red Mage.
This was not meant to be a battle, but a venting of my own personal observations. In the beginning I was not impressed with the Scholar job and shared some of the options of the masses regarding the similarities between the jobs, however once I got past my first impressions I found a job that has some advantages and disadvantages just like every other job. Will you find a Scholar soloing Genbu anytime soon, probably not but then again I don’t think you will see a Red Mage out soloing puddings anytime soon.
