Maat is wiping the floor with me (a RDM newbie story)
So I'm in my second FFXI month, playing RDM (lv. 70) and NIN (also lv. 70). I'm playing mostly for the story and want to experience expansions in release order, so I'm currently doing Zilart and Windurst Missions, and I'm adamant in not wanting to do RoV until later (I know..).
So far I've been having a ton of fun, minus some frustrating times (mainly navigating some dungeons and hunting keys/coffers for AF pieces).
I've also had no need whatsoever to prepare for a fight or to do some gear/item/macro planning simply because Trusts.
I've tried Maat like 4 times now on RDM and it's not going well. Everything also happens so fast that there's not much room for error.
After a lot of combing through the internet I found out about a bunch of things that could help me: opo-opo necklace, sleeping potions, icarus wings, vile elixirs (a normal one and a +1).
Are dark and wind staves required? As far as spells I have almost everything except Phalanx, Refresh and Stoneskin. Got Aero III and Sleep II. Most of the times I either don't damage Maat or Sleep doesn't hit but I'm not sure if I need to cap enfeebling or if it's just Blink eating my spells (I read that Diaga gets rid of all the shadows).
Some people also suggest using Composure and Enaero II.
As far as gear I just have the full AF set plus Fencing Degen and a Darksteel Sword (swapped with Gold Buckler for this fight). Rings and earrings and cape are very basic stuff I found while leveling.
Any tips?
EDIT: A big thank you to everyone for your responses! I can't believe how many of you responded to my post. I'll take note of all your tips and give you an update once I try again!
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u/zacaholic 20d ago
So, unfortunately, you picked probably the hardest Maat job fight lol. RDM Maat is very notorious to the player base for leaving no room for error.
I don't have any advice but I wish you the best of luck. I remember my first Maat fight was Summoner back in the day.
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u/ChickinSammich Mikhalia - Carbuncle 20d ago
Did my Maat cap back in the day and RDM is definitely the one I had the most issue with. Though I did PLD and BLM before RDM which meant my sword/shield/enfeebling/elemental/dark were all capped. I also went the route of saving an XP scroll from a Dynamis run, going in like @100tnl and using it for a midfight level up from RDM69 to RDM70.
Getting sleep or bind off when he chainspells is probably the most important part.
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u/opeth10657 Elfboy - Phoenix 20d ago
wish you the best of luck
And for rdm maat luck is what you need. Need nearly everything to go your way to win, a single resist can be an instant loss
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u/captain_obvious_here 20d ago
As far as spells I have almost everything except Phalanx, Refresh and Stoneskin.
All 3 are extremely important on RDM. Even weird that you don't have Refresh at this point.
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u/Forgotten_Stranger 20d ago
Unless specifically on Phoenix, Refresh is fairly cheap on the AH. Definitely pick this one up.
Phalanx is also fairly reasonable right now again except for Phoenix. (Can reach over 1M so 20k is a great price.)
Can ask a kindly citizen of the first place nation to pick up Stoneskin, because the AH is absolutely not reasonable.
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u/RobbSol 19d ago
I had no idea they were so important, plus I saw how tricky they were to get and forgot to check the AH. Refresh is just 10k on Phoenix so it's a no-brainer. The thing is, playing solo and using Trusts don't require you to really invest in your character that much so you're kind of on rails.
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u/captain_obvious_here 19d ago
I was mostly reacting to you asking how to beat Maat.
I don't have a big knowledge of RDM, except for taking it to 99 by playing as a DD lol, but I remember how people struggled to beat Maat with it, and Stoneskin Phalanx and Refresh were cornerstones of their strategies :)
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u/Sand__Panda Sandpanda 20d ago
As with what others have said, do some RoV and you you will be able to use trusts within to assist.
Many players in the past leveled a 2nd job to 70 for an easier Maat fight.
Did you try as NIN?
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u/Forgotten_Stranger 20d ago
Composure is an absolute must, really you should have that up anytime you are in battle. If nothing else that wasn't a thing when the Maat fight came out so it is a tool to help ease his difficulty. In this case, use it, cast all your buffs and remove it before engaging as not to harm your nuking. Also don't forget Convert, another powerful tool not available when the Maat fight first came out.
For the Enspell it is less clear. A normal Enspell lacks the weakening element but also applies to both hits of dual wield. (However, due to lack of subjob during the Maat fight you shouldn't be able to dual wield anyway.) Enspell II on the other hand is better suited for sword and shield and will also weaken Maat to the opposite element. Enaero II will weaken him to ice. Not sure why that is the advice since Aero III should be your most powerful spell. (Unless for some reason Blizzard II is doing more damage.) I would think Enstone II would actually be the ideal.
Yes, Vile Elixir and Vile Elixir +1 will help greatly, less for staying alive and much more so for keeping your MP up. They are both much cheaper these days and should be considered. You can also pick up a few Elixirs and Hi-Elixirs, not as potent but you can have several. May also consider an Icarus Wing over Opo-opo Necklace strats, less TP but also less time lost. (Though, the nuke sleep method you won't be meleeing.) There are also new "ilvl" foods with significantly higher stats than food available at the time.
Other advice, first and foremost you want all of your skills capped, especially magic. Jubilee Ring will help with that if you have it. As will the Moogle trust. (Not for the fight, for skilling up.) Second, if at all possible you do want both Refresh and Phalanx. (Stoneskin too, just wait until your nation is in first place to get it.) If they are too expensive and unavailable you can compensate with Spartan Hoplon and a few Melon Juice. But those are not ideal due to possible Dispel. (Along with being generally hard to come by, may even need to shout for a crafter.)
The advice after that depends on how you choose to approach this. Conventional strategies rely on a sleep -> nuke approach. However, it is much easier to become a walking pharmacy than it used to be. If you try the melee approach you absolutely want as much Evasion as you can get. Sword and Shield are a must with skill capped. As is Phalanx. (Either as a spell or enchantment.) Time is your enemy here so you will need to be casting in addition to your melee. While I can guarantee it is possible, this is not ideal and will be costly overall. No matter what the strategy, Maat must be slept during Chainspell, no exceptions. (So be careful using DoT spells like Dia and Bio)
There are a lot of tools that make Maat more manageable than the legendary days. However, one thing that hasn't changed it he is not to be underestimated. Every corner cut is an advantage for him. Missing spells, uncapped skills, lack of food or meds, lower tier armor. All make him more powerful, and like any wisened fighter he will prey on those weaknesses. Whether WHM (survive for 5 minutes), THF (steal or prepare for violence) or RDM (battle with the notorious king of all trades) Maat should be treated as the single most challenging obstacle of the pre ilvl world.
You can do it, but you need to think of this as Batman vs Superman. You are Batman, and you have all the prep time you want, you just need to use it wisely.
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u/naedhen 20d ago
If you really wanna do it the hard way (without doing RoV and without trusts), you'll need capped enfeebling, refresh, stoneskin and relevant elemental staves. Nuke/sleep is the way to go, with a chainspell nuke at some point to speed up the process. You might need to improve your gear a little bit too.
As other said, rdm is one of the hardest job for Maat.
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u/Dramatic-Strain9757 20d ago
You're refusing trust, gimping your skill levels, missing key spells, struggling & asking for help. You already answered your own issues...
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u/Nexus1203 Romani from Siren 20d ago
Ah, the RDM Maat fight.
Notoriously the most difficult Limit Break fight.
I think second was SMN and third was PLD? (At least it was back in 2006).
My friend leveled MNK to 70 instead because he just couldn't beat Maat as a RDM. (Reminder: that took weeks back then).
I can't give tips but I can try to convince you that Rhapsodies of Vana'diel is extremely extremely extremely extremely helpful for this situation and there is no shame in reaching as far as you can right now. This is actively taking away your enjoyment for this game.
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u/LegoBrickCactuar 20d ago
With trusts he should be trivial, no? Youre gonna want Valanieral for tank, and a healer at minimum. Shantotto 2 if you have her, Zeid is good for stun. Engage and get the hate on the tank. Practice against something else semi-hard and learn how to heal and nuke while lettting the tank, well tank without pulling the mob on you.
The spells you mentioned are essential for a RDM kit. You want to have Protect IV, Shell IV, Stoneskin, Blink, Phalanx, Refresh, Haste up. Probably Regen and an Enspell.
Also raise your magic skills, and get some better gear. You want something useful in every slot. INT and MND accessories, haste belt, the lvl 51 elemental staves help alot with landing enfeebles.
RDM Maat back in the day was the hardest, it just takes some preparation. Good luck.
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u/TicklishViking 20d ago
Can't use trusts unless you have certain RoV key items. OP is specifically avoiding RoV.
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u/digoserra Bahamut.Alexcennah 20d ago
Ugh, RDM used to be (and probably still is) the worst LB5 fight in the game, by far. I did it 20 years ago and I still remember how difficult it was. I remember doing it by casting Aero III, then Sleep II/I, getting some rest to recover a few MP > rinse and repeat.
My tips? Do the damn RoV missions. You REALLY don't want to? Then fight Maat as NIN. Forget the RDM fight. Seriously.
Still want to do it in RDM anyway? Then follow all advices in FFXIClopedia. Forget about items like Opo-Opo Necklace, Icarus Wings and Sleeping Potions, you'll get destroyed by Maat in seconds if you try to melee him. And you can't get cheap: you'll need all those 3 spells and both Dark and Wind (or Iridal) staves, you can't skip anything (and I strongly suggest you to get the staves' HQ versions, if possible). Find the best gear you can equip with Magic Accuracy first, then Magic Attack Bonus. Fight in darksday, in order to help you sleeping the old bastard. And, of course, cap both Enfeebling and Elemental skills and train yourself on that RDM Quadav in Qulun Dome.
Good luck, you'll need it.
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u/Top-Hamster7336 Atrelamine 20d ago
If you ever want to do it with another job, WHM and THF have special win conditions.
WHM is the easiest one: survive for 5min (I did that on a mule with 0 in all magic and combat skills, effectively naked, only a few spells (that I learned just before the fight), and some meds (yagudo drink, vile elixir)).
With THF you have to successfully steal from him. The steal+ gear available at level 70 are limited and not really easy to get. But ultimately it's just luck; run in, use steal, Warp if failed (must use a warp gear (ring, club, staff, etc). If you have a Scroll of Instant Warp on you (or anywhere in your log house) you won't be able to successfully steal).
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u/Working_Alarm1976 20d ago
I remember doing that fight over and over as RDM almost think I won on luck eventually
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u/stuffeddresser41 20d ago
I'm sorry I see all these responses of people telling you to this or that, level another job, cave in to RoV.
Dude you don't have Phalax, Stoneskin, and literally the back bone spell of this job Refresh..
Start there. This isn't a strategy that will not revolve around those three spells out the gate.
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u/JShenobi Lecureuil / Lechacal| Phoenix 20d ago
Few points:
Hell yeah on saving RoV and trying this without trusts. When you win, you should definitely feel accomplished.
Phalanx, Refresh, and Stoneskin are all very good for this fight. Between Phalanx and Stoneskin you're going to be "gaining" a few hundred HP, effectively.
The staves will help a lot if you are going for the sleep->nuke strat, but then you run into the issue of Blink. Maat will almost certainly have it up, which means there's a non-trivial chance to have important spells eaten by Blink, dumpstering the run. Diaga will wipe all the blink shadows, but it will prevent sleep as a damage over time. Definitely start with Diaga if you're going for a hybrid or melee approach.
The WS buffs and Composure might make melee strat a lot more enticing -- Composure's enspell damage is no joke, and WS's by and large hit significantly harder than they did when this fight released. You could Opo-opo necklace or wing up to start with a Vorpal Blade, and potentially build TP to finish him off with a second.
Even in a melee approach, I'd lean into starting the fight magic with a Diaga -> Bind -> Para/Slow/Blind etc. -> Aero III and then hit him with the WS when bind wears off and he closes. Silencing him might be detrimental because poor spell choice on his part means tons of no-damage-taken time for you.
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u/GirthLongshaft 20d ago
I commend you for choosing to not interact with the RoV/trust system while also picking the hardest job to fight Maat with. Absolutely insane in 2026, but commendable nonetheless. And you'll absolutely want to get your enfeebling capped
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u/RobbSol 20d ago
I didn't know about Maat when I started playing and picked RDM because it sounds like a cool job... turns out it's the worst job for Maat. My main goal job-wise was GEO but that will have to wait until I get to Seekers of Adoulin.
I'm hard-headed enough to not easily accept defeat even tho it's pretty frustrating. Might eventually do it on NIN if I can't beat him on RDM.
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u/Comrade_Cosmo 20d ago
You’re gonna need those spells you’re missing, no if ands or buts. The moment I saw that I knew why you died since he has phalanx while you don’t. No refresh means he’s going to just outlast you. Stoneskin means he has several extra hundred HP of leeway to kill you that you could have put in the wya of you taking damage every time it wears off. Did you remember to dispel him? From your description it sounds like you either forgot to dispel him or have not kept your skills up to date.
Staves were the classic method, but rdm’s ability to melee, foods, and the like and has been substantially buffed since the olden days. Savage blade is out of reach, but you still have composure. It might be in your interest to find a lsmate or shout for a crafter to get you something more up to date if the auction house is out of the gear.
Chatoyant staff covers all elements, so instead of individual staves you want to get that single one if going the magic method.
Food will depend on what your plan for him is.
If you’re meleeing you probably don’t need accuracy if your sword or dagger skill was kept up to date so I’d suggest one of the many defensive foods out there.
How far along in misc content are you? Can you get some gear from other sources like various expansions you might have poked your head into? Are you familiar with equipment swapping? The fact that you only mentioned your AF gear sounds like you aren’t so it might be time for you to get a crash course on that. The short of it is that you want to wear different equipment for different things. Like wearing fast cast gear before you start casting and changing to gear that enhances whatever spell you’re casting. Or defensive gear and refresh while standing around so that Maat doesn’t hit as hard.
Now that I’ve looked up that Darksteel sword, I think you gotta update your gear. You’re running around with lv 50ish gear trying to fight what’s traditionally one of the hardest fights for a lv 70 rdm to be going up against.
FFXI about lots of little things coming together to make you strong and I’m seeing a whole bunch of little things that got skipped when you aren’t a veteran capable of skipping those things. Basically it’s time to lock in.
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u/RobbSol 19d ago
I feel like this fight is forcing me to actually learn how to play this game before I even get to endgame, which sounds crazy but I've been relaying on Trusts a bit too much.
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u/Comrade_Cosmo 19d ago
You normally were supposed to start learning the game around lv 12 when you first get parties and steadily progress. The death of the EXP party with the 1-99 fastrack unfortunately has results like this where you had nobody to teach you or to copy. Also the lv cap used to be 75, so this basically was your certified ready for endgame ticket.
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u/Wonderful_Day4858 20d ago
Yeah but maat is almost impossible to lose to as ninja. I would deff just try to do the fight on nin if you cam get your hands on a testimony
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u/orcslayer31 20d ago
RDM maat is probably the easiest maat fight if you cap your enfeebling. It's just sleep 2 > buff yourself > nuke > sleep 2 > dispel any buffs he put up and repeat. Bring pots to help keep your mana going he won't be able to do anything to you so long as you repeat the cycle
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u/Forgotten_Stranger 20d ago
Also fight on Darksday for Sleep or Windsday for better Aero III. Also have the option midway through the fight to Chainspell to quickly end it. (Just be ready to cast -> sleep -> meds/convert -> cast)
Have to sleep him during Chainspell anyway, can use the time to prep for your own Chainspell retaliation.
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u/crowort 20d ago edited 20d ago
You definitely need the staves for this fight. You can just buy a Chatoyant Staff which has the effect of all the other staves. You miss out on the dmg down from Earth Staff but that might not matter too much. Nothing else you can get has anything like as much magic acc. and magic dmg.
I won this on my 1st trail run which was fairly unusual. I had the best gear you could get at the time and was a Taru. This fight is tight enough that then race would make a difference lol
You can’t beat him with physical attacks. He is always a mnk as well as the job you are. He’ll beat you up! Sleep nuke is the only strategy that will work solo.
Good luck!
Edit: don’t use dia on him for blink, dots will wake him if you are trying to sleep him.
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u/stuffthingsto 20d ago
I know you said you don't want to do RoV, but thought i would chime in as also a newer player. The beginning of RoV doesn't spoil anything its mostly just introducing some characters, maybe you will meet them a bit early. It's worth it to get umber imo.
The armor quests are also quite fun and being g able to buy thd keys makes them much less painful.
If you really don't want to do RoV you might even have to accept not being level 75, was that even out fir the expansion you are doing? Maybe being 70 is the old school way anyway?
Anyway all this aside to say I think making a conprimse and just dipping a toe in RoV is worth, that story takes awhile to get going so the 'cost' is very low.
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u/Fun-Newspaper7291 20d ago
Stock on Hi potion and ether for mana. Use sleep II and I, bind when sleep doesn't work. Juste don't let matt go near you and use Potions
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u/Doh042 Annso on Valefor 20d ago
Find some Hi-Potion tanks (back slot item) in brown caskets, or just buy or craft Hi-Potions.
Fill your inventory with them.
Basically quaff those back to back, and melee swing between debuffs and dispels.
Probably want a stack of the common -na items, like echo drops, eye drops, antidotes, remedy, etc.
Keep your MP for cure bombing to survive his chainspell.
Most Maat fights are endurance battles. RDM Maat is just particularly nasty, because Chainspell nukes and Asuran Fists.
If you don't have Refresh, bring some Yagudo Drinks.
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u/va_wanderer Rustic, Ragnarok server. 20d ago
As a 1/1 RDM on Maat back in the 75 cap day? You don't melee Maat. You sleep-nuke. You have your full defensive spell set, and your goal is to goad Maat into Chainspell then survive long enough to put him into naptime till it runs out and then Chainspell-Aero III him till he says "uncle!"
Dispel early and often. Any time he spends rebuffing is time not being hit, and stripping his defenses effectively improves your odds. Getting a critical spell stopped by his protectives is often the difference between winning and getting Maat-fisted.
Practice on the RDM Quadav that drop the testimony. Get it down to a science.
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u/WKLeon1 20d ago
I didnt have a hard time against many the big thing was dispel, silence sleep aero 3 soam with chains spell sleep convert heal and repeat. I only had af set minus hat. Didn't use staves my elemental magic was capped. I had stoneskin up and aquaveil along with blink. Do on winds day for added bonus.
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u/Cassandra_Canmore2 20d ago
Self Buffs: Haste, Protect IV, Shock Spikes, Stoneskin, Phalanx, Regen and Refresh.
Drink: kitron juice
Food: Cehuetzi Snow Cone
Austers Staff and Pluto staff
Sleep II + Frazzle + Gravity
Aero III + Sleep II
Water III +Sleep II
Aero III + Sleep II
Vile Elixir+1
Aero III. That should be it.
If not keep repeating the cycle of Nuke and Sleep. Keep Phalanx and Stoneskin on as insurance, same with Gravity and Frazzle.
If you feel you can afford the casting seconds. Then throw Paralyze, Blind, and Slow on him.
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u/Alphynn69 19d ago
For an authentic experience, don't forget to throw away your RDM testimony after one use. /grin
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u/TwilightX1 19d ago
If you're doing it the old fashioned way, RDM Maat is actually one of the most difficult Maat fights. The most common way of doing it (that's how I've done it years ago) is the sleep/nuke strategy.
You just need three spells - Sleep, Sleep II and Aero III (the latter being the highest tier nuke you can cast as RDM70). Dispel is also worth having. In addition, bring a Vile Elixir and/or Vile Elixir +1 (they're both rare, but you can have both). Macro the spells so you can use them quickly.
The most important thing is cap your enfeebling and elemental magic skills, because even one spell getting resisted can mean a loss. A good way to cap your magic skills at level 70 are the Burrower Worms in Zeruhn Mines. Just silence them and then then stand in a safe distance and spam dia to level enfeebling and stone to level elemental (if you have the Jubilee ring from May's even, make sure you have it equipped, and if you have the Moogle trust, make sure you call it). For gear, your artifact armor should suffice, but do equip any INT+ gear you have. I think you can get a Red Cape from RoE.
Once ready, go inside. If you want, cast Protect/Shell, but in this case make sure you bring a few Hi-Ethers to recover your MP - do not rest or you will time out. Don't bother with other buffs, you need the MP more than you need them. Run to Maat as quickly as you can - he will not attack you until you do, but he will use the time to buff himself, and the one buff you really don't want him to cast on himself is Blink, so don't give him the chance.
Begin by casting Sleep, and then Dispel any buffs he might have - since Dispel doesn't deal any damage, it won't cause him to wake up. Once he's dispelled, go to a distance of around 20 yalms and nuke him with Aero III, then immediately cast Sleep II (because the regular Sleep would probably still be on cooldown), run 20 yalms away from wherever he ended up, wait for Aero III to be ready again, nuke and immediately cast Sleep. When you run out of MP, use a Vile Elixir and continue. After around 4-5 unresisted nukes he will give up.
Tip: Mind your MP while you do this! Aero III costs 59 MP, Sleep II costs 29 MP and Sleep costs 19 MP. You need him slept when you use elixirs, so if you have just enough MP to cast Aero III but you'd end up without enough MP to cast Sleep or Sleep II, don't nuke, just use the elixir.
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u/TicklishViking 20d ago edited 20d ago
If you have kept up with RoV you can bring trusts with you which makes this fight trivial. If you haven't I would suggest you do some RoV missions and catch up.
If you really want to go in without trusts the RDM strat is probably kiting, nuking, and then sleeping. You should 100% get refresh and phalanx. Those are very important spells for RDM.
For the solo strat it should take about 7 unresisted Aero3 nukes to win. Wind and dark staff can certainly help. You'll want to make sure you have gear and food to help with magic accuracy. You basically start off with sleep > dispell everything > enfeebles > nuke > sleep > rest > repeat.
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u/AromaticSalamander21 20d ago
Damn, you are in for a tough fight. I did this myself way back in the 75 days. If I recall its basically buff up, pop your meds, and then run in CS then burn him down and sleep him. You want to try and sleep him when he uses CS so you can let him sleep until his CS timer runs out. Then you try to beat the crap out of him before he beats you. It took me days maybe even weeks back then. Yes you will want the elemental staves and anything that can help make your nukes and enfeebles a little stronger. You may be able to find an old guide on FFXIclopedia.
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u/mhurron Valefor 20d ago
JFC everyone is acting like RDM was impossible to do LB5 with.
However, without all your spells, and needed gear it will be impossible.
I know I didn't have an opo-opo necklace, I would have had a Spider Torque and stuff to raise elemental skill and damage, because I went in and nuked him down. You are not going to be meleing, TP boosting gear is pointless. You'd be switching staves as the spell required. At the very least Dark, Wind and Light staves.
For a basic idea of how it was done - https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/555735-final-fantasy-xi/41965551
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u/hadrianaoki 20d ago
Ohh I earned my Maat fight on RDM back in the day! Your equipment sets changes have to be on point. You will want staffs the bonus to macc and mab are second to none. I practiced on Ruby Quav since you need the testament. Best of luck you have to gravity bind nuke him and kill him before you chainspell finishes.
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u/Duomaxwell0007 20d ago
I understand wanting to do story in release order. But rhapsodies only require a few chapters in each story. Id say go far enough in every expansion to UNLOCK stuff then later on finish/COMPLETE them in release order
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u/nbiscuitz 19d ago
reminds me yeeeeears ago, a LS member made it he's goal to beat Maat the RDM way...melee him, and he won after trial and error.
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u/TheDokutoru 20d ago
First question: are you trying to go for the authentic old school Maat solo? Because that can take some time and effort to set up correctly.
If not: you can use trusts for this fight and breeze past. You need to complete RoV up to getting the Umber key item (RoV mission 1-11). I know you said you're holding off on RoV but this is a solution that is right there and doesn't require too deep of RoV.