In this world, one can take on several different 'jobs' and the job I most identify with is the multi-tasking Red Mage. The non-focused nature of the job appeals greatly to that state that lingers in the back of my mind since it is capable of becoming many different things at the drop of a feathered hat.
As of late, I've been slightly disillusioned with the job as the game environment has shifted towards tightly controlled efficiency instead of reactive adaptation. It just so happens that a Red Mage is the master of efficiency for various reasons, but to make a longish rant short the job is so efficient that it can be pared down to barely a handful of tasks.
Do those tasks repeatedly for hours on end and even the most flexible mind will shatter.
So upon the advice and encouragement of my partner in adventuring, I'm trying my hand at another job, the Paladin. It's about half of my Red Mage's level and I haven't touched it in months.
All my Paladin gear was stowed in various lockers around the world, my macro commands were in complete disarray, I didn't even know where to hang out to make my Paladin services available to forming adventuring parties.
Two hours of waiting, I finally get invited. We make our way out to our fighting ground and with a deep breath I draw the attention of the first enemy.
It's amazing how well monster blood seems to remove the rust from plate armor. It's also amazing how much Red Mage style play translates into other jobs. I've worked with some paladins who I thought were pretty good, but I definitely don't remember them holding control of the fight as well as I did. For two hours straight until the group disbanded I held monsters without letting one wander to an overzealous mage. Not bad for someone who hasn't touched the job since sometime last summer.
Of course, I can't pat myself on the back for everything. We had a Thief who helped by using me as a shield for his antics. And I couldn't do anything about the other Red-Mage-in-Training who couldn't take care of crowd control or MP management.
How many times did I try to hit my own Red Mage macros when the situation started getting dire.... I have years of Red Mage experience over what this kid had, so it was difficult to not shout at him to sleep links or go easy on the cures or for gawds sake land Paralyze.
In the end by most standards it was a failed party, as I only barely got one Paladin level out of the group due to the six times I fell due to lack of control from the Red Mage. But then again it's sort of the Paladin's job to stay behind and get sacrificed so that the rest of the team can escape to safety when things go wrong.
I got to teach that kid the merits of running away too, after he got himself killed twice trying to deal with the adds.
Even though I didn't get the levels I was hoping for, realizing that I can pick up Paladin again as if I never left it was probably the biggest gain I had. I'm probably even better at it than I was before since I've had more time to learn efficiency as a Red Mage. I'll take small victories where I can.
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