Red Mage: Endgame Melee Equipment Guide by Tashan p3

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== NOTE: HAS SOME OUT OF ERA INFO ==
==Neck==
Another low level item worth keeping til 75. Great for both Sword and Dagger weaponskills. Be sure to macro this out for any spellcasting.
Before the Ancient Torque was introduced, this was the accuracy you could get from the neck slot. This item becomes very nice to have in later levels when you can equip an Optical Hat and a Scorpion Harness for an immense increase to your accuracy. Obtained from defeating Argus or BCNM Under Observation respectively.
The first is a very cheap way to increase your accuracy from the neck slot. The second is worth having around to save yourself that little extra EXP from death. Fine items indeed.
The third highest amount of accuracy in the neck slot; this item is great value for the money. Good for TP and Multi-Hit weaponskills, you can't go too wrong here.
The ever popular "Chiv Chain". A standard TP build item for most Damage Dealers, it offers the same benefits for a Red Mage, especially Sword lovers.
Another item for an increase to Parrying. Beneficial if you have, or plan to have, a tanking job.
A reward available to purchase for your time spent in Einherjar. However, considering both Spike Necklace and the other items you can obtain from this event, this is not recommended.
An incredibly fun, and useful item - If you can find someone to synthesise it for you. The Brisingamen has 9 different hidden effects, each with potential use for a Red Mage.
*Daytime - HP +10 - Use: HP Build for Spirit's Within.
*Nighttime - MP +10
*Firesday - STR +5 - Sword Weaponskills: Savage Blade and Vorpal Blade.
*Earthsday - VIT +5 - Defense Build.
*Windsday - AGI +5
*Watersday - MND +5 - Enfeebling, Stoneskin.
*Iceday - INT +5 - Enfeebling, Nuking.
*Lightningsday - DEX +5 - Dagger Weaponskills, Accuracy.
*Lightsday - CHR +5 - Support job options such as /BST, /BRD and /DNC.
If you want to add something unique and original to your playstyle, here's a good place to start.
One of the rewards from the quest In the Name of Science, this does exactly as it says. Beneficial for the following Weaponskills:
*Evisceration
*Savage Blade
*Vorpal Blade
For that extra punch, consider getting one of these.
Obtained from defeating their respective Sea bosses, these each have their own unique benefits. Love Torque is the best item to have for Evisceration and TP Build when using Daggers; Fortitude Torque is good for both defensive players and sword wielders; and Justice Torque is step up in Sword Weaponskill damage. 
As always, the one which is best is the one which is you.
A new item from the Wings of the Goddess expansion, this neck-piece offers a whopping 12 points of accuracy for a Red Mage, along with some DEX. Good luck trying to get this.
For our Spirits Within, Tanking, and Soloist fans, a Regen build is a nice option to work for. It's possible for a Red Mage to have a 10 HP/Tick with the following:
*Regen - 5HP/Tick
*Auto Regen - 1HP/Tick ( /BLU, /WHM )
*Orochi Nodowa - 1HP/Tick
*Presidential Hairpin - 1HP/Tick (Conquest Areas only)
*Crimson Mask - 1HP/Tick
*Dusk Jerkin - 1HP/Tick
*Arco De Velocidad - 1HP/Tick (Daytime Only)
Unfortunantly, the last 3 items are generally very expensive. Even without them however, it's very possible to create a setup which will make you just that much harder to defeat.
==Earrings==
Get these. Whatever your level, whatever your job, a level 70 NPC is one of the best things any player could have. Whether you want an extra bit of defense, damage, or versatility, nothing will beat having an Adventuring Fellow, outside of a party.
File:Wyvernearring.JPG
This latent effect triggers when you are /DRG, a very fun support job for Red Mage. Whilst having 5% Haste in the ear slot is reason enough, subbing Dragoon will offer you:
*Jump - An instant attack which delivers more damage than a melee hit.
*Attack Bonus - Attack +10
*Dragon Killer
*Accuracy Bonus - Accuracy +10
*High Jump - The same as Jump, but with a 33% loss in Enmity.
For those who like to try fun and original playstyles, /DRG is very rewarding.
Another item from the Lv.30 Support Job based Earrings. The latent effect on this earring is triggered whilst you are /DRK. Whilst most Red Mage's only sub Dark Knight for Stun, it does have some benefits to meleeing:
*Last Resort - Increases Attack and Decreases Defence by ~15%
*Attack Bonus II - Attack + 20
*Arcana Killer
*Souleater - Consumes 10% HP (per hit) to increase damage by the same amount (Very Risky)
*Aspir
*Vorpal Blade
All in all, /DRK is viable support job for an all-out offense. However, this earring is made redundant by Coral Earring's.
Triggered when subbing THF. Seeing a RDM/THF is as rare as seeing a Monk main healing. Mostly put down to a support job for farming, it does have some melee uses:
*Sneak Attack - Deals critical damage when striking from behind.
*Trick Attack - Transfers all enmity gained from your next strike to the person in front of you.
*Flee - Increases movement speed by 100%.
Sneak Attack is best used with weaponskills. However, only the first hit of a multi-hit weaponskill will be a critial, making it less effective for sword ws' like Savage Blade. 
This, however, is not the case for Evisceration, and all 5-Hits will recieve the critical damage bonus, making this item great (and cheap) for maxing out the damage on your weaponskill.
Triggered when Beastmaster is set as your support job. 
If you are playing Red Mage, it's unlikely you'll be subbing Beastmaster.
If you are subbing Beastmaster, it's even more unlikely you're planning to melee too.
However, if by chance you are planning to a) sub Beastmaster and b) Melee, then Trimmer's Earring offers the most accuracy available in the Ear slot and for a very cheap price on Auction Houses across servers.
More RSE items, this time obtained from the ENM Automaton Assault.
*For Taru's - 2 great items for Spirits Within and Sword weaponskills.
*For Elvaan's - A nice item to have for Dagger weaponskills.
*For Humes's - Daggers and Defense.
The standard option for many DD's; these earrings offer not only a nice increase for damage, but resistance to magical attacks. The price of Merman's Earrings varies greatly between servers, so get the HQ version if you can, but not if its expensive.
A very nice reward to collect for defeating the "Avatar of Dreams". Whilst there aren't too many places for Dark Weather, some examples are Caedarva Mire and Dynamis.
An great increase to attack for the ear slot, when active. A reward for defeating Fenrir Prime.
A very situational item. The latent effect is only active when HP < 25% and TP < 100%. 
The rewards from Divine Might. Whilst the Bushinomi is nice for Weaponskills, Suppanomi is easily the better option. A great increase to accuracy and a nice bit of Haste for Dual Wield.
Rewards for completing Apocalypse Nigh. As far as RDM melee goes, deciding between these two is very difficult and depends entirely on your personal playstyle.
Etheral Earring
*Advantages - HP for Spirits Within and Tanking; Attack for Melee and Weaponskills. Very good to have if you have levelled Paladin; Dark Knight; Dragoon; Blue Mage or any other frontline job that can benefit from MP. 
*Disadvantages - Most RDM's try to avoid taking damage whether its Stoneskin, Phalanx, Utsusemi or Cocoon and won't see much MP from this.
Hollow Earring
*Advantages - Dexterity for Dagger Weaponskills and Accuracy in one slot is great. One of the few ways to increase Enspell damage, which is very worthwhile.
*Disavantages - Unless you're partying with a Scholar, the only job which can truly benefit from Enspells is Red Mage. 
As always, the choice is yours.
The Joyeuse of the Ear Slot. This item will grant the Double Attack trait to any job even without subbing Warrior. If you want to see your DoT get better, work for this.
==Rings==
If there's any reason for completing the Chains of Promathia Missions this is it. Whilst the Tamas Ring is a brilliant option for Red Mages, these two items serve individual purposes. Whilst Sattva is great for Spirits Within and tanking, the Rajas Ring is unmatchable. Significant increases to STR, DEX, and Store TP makes this ring one of the best items in the game.
For the sake of not sounding repetitive, here are the most common of accuracy items talked about for the ring slot. Red Mages can equip any of these, and whichever you decide to go for is up to you.
One of the crowned jewels of RDM Melee items. Enspells are an incredible, if not the best, way to increasing your RDM's DoT. Doing exactly as it says, the Fencer's Ring provides a guranteed boost to your damage most Melee's won't see without stacking up large amounts of STR or Attack. A relatively cheap item on most servers, the Fencer's Ring is a great way to start your Enspell Setup.
A huge increase to HP, this ring is brilliant for tanking and Spirits Within. The Red Mage can nullify the -75 fire resistance easily with barfire with his high enhancing magic. Drops from Bomb Queen.
Another ring with a huge HP boost. Offers the same benefits as the Bomb Queen Ring, but much easier to get your hands on. Obtained from defeating Bloodsucker (NM).
A simply great item to have on all the time for making your Stoneskin last a little longer. Perfect for soloing.
These two rewards from defeating Prime Avatars boast unmatchable effects - when they are active. Great to have for maximising your melee capabilities.
Two very good items to have for your magic resistance macro. Having a pair of these, along with the many other aforementioned items should see your survivability againsts nukes get that much better.
Incredible, but difficult to get. This item is great for any defense build, especially since it reduces any type of damage.
If you don't have a Rajas Ring, here's your best bet; These rings are great for their respective weaponskills.
Obtained from trading a Sin of Insolence to Meret, this item requires nothing less than beating the almighty Absolute Virtue. A rewarding item for a hard challenge.
Obtained by defeating Dynamis Lord. Whether this item is worth the effort is solely dependant on how often it actually nulls damage. Not a must have item, but nice nonetheless.
==Waist==
This popular DD item is another solid increase to attack for Red Mages.
The most accuracy you can obtain for the Waist slot. This item seems to be very affordable across servers and is worth every gil. A good item to start with for players new to melee.
More Haste, complimented by a little accuracy makes this a great piece for a TP build. Obtained by killing one of the many fomor NM's in Sacrarium.
Alternative options for a Haste TP Build, these items are often argued as inferior to the Swift Belt due to lack of accuracy.
This belt serves as an all-in-one item for building TP and weaponskills (Sword). A bit more expensive than the Life Belt, but very much worth it. Can also be bought with Leujaoam Sanctum assault points.
These RSE2 belts are good for both Spirit's Within and weaponskills alike, but they aren't the greatest.
An amazing item; this thing is near-enough a Rajas Ring on your waist. Great for Weaponskills, the Warwolf Belt is amazingly cheap and very reliable.
==Back==
A very beneficial item to have. Whether you need something for a TP build or weaponskills the Amemet Mantle/+1 is hard to beat for effect and cost. So much so, that you don't genuinely need anything else for the job.
A great item for a defensive setup. These capes have a hidden effect which double's the amount of damage reduced during night-time. With items such as Genbu's Shield, Jelly's Ring and these items, monsters will have a hard time ripping down your Stoneskin.
The Psilos Mantle is arguably just as good as the Amemet items. Which you should buy is purely down to personal taste.
File:Lamia mantle +1.PNG
Another item for your Magic Resistance macro; this back piece does nicely for a Convert Macro.
Another item available with a huge HP increase. Great for Spirits Within and tanking, you can create an impressive HP build for your Red Mage.
An incredible item for Red Mages. If you've spent your time gaining mercenary rank promotions this makes it all worth while. The Enchantment restores ~33% of your max HP and MP making it as good as having 100+ Vile Elixir's in your inventory.
A very good item, but not genuinely worth the cost. This only presents +1 STR more than the Amemet Mantle +1 and can come up to more than twice the price on Auction Houses across servers. If you must have that feeling of completeness then go ahead, but it is not recommended.
This second item from the Dynamis Lord depends on how often the effect triggers to make it worth pursuing. Hopefully it's at least ~20% which would make it an incredible item to wear all the time on Red Mage.
==Ranged==
Whilst Red Mages have a low skill in both Archery and Throwing, there are a few items which may be worth equipping for their effects.
These items provide a small increase to melee accuracy and are greatly beneficial for Dagger-Type weaponskills.
This item dropped from Cactrot Rapido provides a 1 HP/Tick Auto-Regen effect, making it great for survival.
Another item for your magic resistance macro.
==Ammo==
If by some chance you're a Red Mage with Archery levelled, and have found someway to increase your accuracy enough to land hits, then using Demon Arrows is a very good idea.
These RSE item offer small increases to melee stats. The items are obtained by killing a "Aroma" NM during your race week, in the correct area.
File:Smart Grenade.JPG
This item from WotG has a hidden effect of Attack +4 and is relatively easy to obtain. A solid item considering the alternatives for the slot.
A very nice item for the ammo slot. Not a neccesity, but a viable option.
 
A great item for a defense setup and for fighting against Aquan-type enemies. Also easily obtained through quests.