Which is better: two red mages or a black mage and a white mage?

[Momiji]

Or a red mage + white mage, or red + black.

Basically, I like to balance my FFI party with 2 physical characters and 2 magic-based characters. However, I think using 2 red mages as the magic characters works better than having a white and black mage, since red mages actually have the potential to do damage without consuming magic power-- not to mention with two of them, you can have a variety of spells as well. The other two spots can have any combination of physical fighter. :D

What do you think?

[Raistlin]

It's pretty much general consensus (http://ffclassic.net/parties) that the best party is Fighter/?/White Mage/Black Mage, where the "?" is either Fighter, Thief, or Red Mage. And I agree with that consensus (I'd also put a second Fighter in the extra spot).

White and Black Mages have access to the higher-level magics that Red Mages just don't have.

[Momiji]

Yeah, but they only get a couple shots with it. I'd rather have unlimited pummelings, even if it's a touch weaker.

[Raistlin]

Physical attacks don't fare as well against large groups of enemies. Additionally, that party (say, Fighter/Fighter/RM/RM) would be exorbitantly expensive to equip. You're buying all the magic early on that you'd be buying for a party with WM/BM, and spending as much on equipment as you would with four Fighters.

[VeloZer0]

I found Black Mages fairly useless. The only spells that were really uber-useful were Fire2 and Haste, which a Red Mage can do just as well.

I found Red + White to be much better than anything else. And I only really include White over Red for the last spot because of Exit (or w/e it is called in FFI)

[Jiro]

White Mages are incredibly useful, but the second spot could be filled by a Red Mage as opposed to a Black Mage. Reds hit harder and still get decent Black Magic, as well as the ability to use White Magic. Pretty good deal if you ask me.

My first play through was tough because I only had single target healing spells; White Mages have a target-all healing spell

[Goldenboko]

I'd go with the White Mage and Black Mage. Flare (NUKE) and Holy are awesome, and they're magic starts are must better than that of the Red Mage. The offensive stat isn't worth having a Red Mage as the pure Fighters, Thieves, or Monks are so much better than having a Red Mage anyway. The bright side to the Red Mages? They're badass looking.

[VeloZer0]

Magic stat means nothing in FFI. All spells do the same damage, regardless of who casts them. That bug is one of the major reasons Black Mages are so weak in comparison, imo.

And I would rate a Red Mage > Thief in offensive and defensive ability.

[~*~Celes~*~]

I would rather have two red simply because if your black mage is down, your white mage isn't going to be able to use black magic, and vice-versa. This way, all your bases are covered.

[Lawr]

I've done Fighter Fighter Red Red quite a lot mainly because I like attacking with all characters during random encounters and when half my team is doing 300 total damage and the other half is doing 3 total damage I get really bothered. If I had to have a Black or White I'd have White for reasons like Exit and a designated healer.

[Xaven]

Having two reds instead of a white and a black may be more financially expensive, and higher range magic may be cut off, but I'm usually so cheap when it comes to magic use that it'd be completely worth it to have their physical attacks available to me.

I did post in another thread that I like playing with different party dynamics, and that sense of adventure applies here: having two fighters, one dedicated to white, and one dedicated to black is too standard, too bland.

[Depression Moon]

Square needs to do a full on-remake of the first Final Fantasy man with top quality graphics and expanded customization so I can have an enthralling first love experience.

[Book]

If I remembered it correctly the red mage doesn't have access to the dia spells or other useful high level white magic which I find quite handy to have. The black mage is not overly useful within dungeons as their better spell chrages tend to run out quickly. But they are good at grinding and this game involves allot of gridning. I'd still pick a white mage and a red mage myself though. The red mage can cover the essencial buffing and still be a useful fighter deep within dungeons without having to use magic charges for his main offense.

[Momiji]

Square needs to do a full on-remake of the first Final Fantasy man with top quality graphics and expanded customization so I can have an enthralling first love experience.

If you tweak the customization, it just wouldn't be the same.

Aside from that, it was fully remade for PSP.

[qwertysaur]

1 white 1 black. Some spells are not learnable by red mages and they are really good spells, like Heal.

[theundeadhero]

I highly recommend Red and White.

The White for healing spells, exit, and the rare harm (dia) spells.
Red for extra healing, the rarely needed black magic spell, and the extra physical backup.

With the limited amount of magic casting available in the NES version of this game it's worth more to have a strong physical party, using the Red's black magic ability in the rare occasions where it's worth it such as against undead in the Marsh Cave or Ice Cavern or the Frost Dragons in the Ice Cavern. By mid-game the higher black magic a Red can't learn isn't needed at all.