Entertainment Final Fantasy 14 classes: your guide to every role
Final Fantasy 14 classes: your guide to every role
Our Final Fantasy 14 classes guide will help you decide exactly what kind of hero your Warrior of Light will become. From the bold Warrior to the edgy Reaper, Final Fantasy 14 offers a wide range of classes for you to choose from.
Since the release of the incredibly successful Endwalker expansion, Final Fantasy 14 has been going from strength to strength. Thanks to the free trial, there’s never been a better time to get stuck into the critically acclaimed MMO.
However, Final Fantasy 14 isn’t all Moogles, socializing, and nightclubs; it’s the rich combat that keeps players coming back for more. From the casual content to Endwalker’s endgame, there’s something for everyone. As with most JRPGs, you’ll need to pick a class; a school of combat for your character to dedicate themselves to. Fortunately, characters in Final Fantasy 14 can switch between classes with the press of a button, so you don’t have to worry about committing to a single discipline like in World of Warcraft.
Though most classes are unavailable at the start of the main story, as you gain levels and explore Eorzea, you’ll find 19 combat jobs available to you over the course of your playthrough. Some require leveling a base class to level 30, while others can be unlocked through side quests around major cities. All in all, Final Fantasy 14’s classes are easy to unlock but difficult to master. With that in mind, here’s our handy guide to help you wrap your head around all the different classes on offer.
Final Fantasy 14 Classes guide
Final Fantasy 14 Classes Guide: Tanks
Tough as nails, these stalwart protectors keep enemies occupied while dishing out some respectable damage.
Warrior
Unlocked by completing the Marauder base class’s level 30 Role quest, Warriors are renowned for their self-healing and health regeneration. Their basic combo fills out their Beast Gauge which can be spent on fearsome melee attacks like Fell Cleave and Inner Chaos. It’s time to unleash the beast!
Dark Knight
Dark Knights channel the power of the Abyss to protect themselves from attacks, using their Mana and Blood Gague to wind up more powerful (and sinister) attacks. Though they lack any self–healing, they make up for it by dealing a very impressive amount of damage and with their Blackest Night ability, which allows them to regularly spend mana to surround themselves with a barrier of pure darkness.
Paladin
The Paladin is a defensive powerhouse. Unlocked by completing the Gladiator base class’s level 30 Role quest, Paladins boast strong defensive and support capabilities including healing, damage reduction, and barriers for the entire party. These warriors are the kings and queens of party utility and defense.
Gunbreaker
These gunblade–toting tanks offer fast-paced action for any Warrior of Light who might take up the mantle of the Gunbreaker. This job builds up Cartridge charges with its basic combo before letting rip with a flurry of extremely fast, rapid-fire attacks. To make things even more interesting, Gunbreakers have impressive utility and are able to shield themselves and their allies from harm.
Final Fantasy 14 Classes Guide: Melee DPS
These fighters like to get up close and personal with the enemy. Final Fantasy 14’s Melee DPS classes deal absurd amounts of damage right in the middle of the action.
Ninja
Unlocked by completing the Rogue’s level 30 Class Quest, the Ninja is an extremely technical job with a high skill ceiling. By combining Ninjitsu arts called Mudra in different sequences, Ninjas are able to manifest an array of strange and potent abilities, including icy shurikens and fiery explosions. In addition, Ninjas can use Mug and Trick Attack to make enemies extra vulnerable to damage, making them very appealing in raids and dungeons.
Dragoon
Blessed with the power of dragons, these agile warriors execute long sequences of combos, best executed from the flank or rear of the enemy depending on which ones you’re using. Unlocked by completing the Lancer’s level 30 Class Quest, Dragoons build up Gaze of the Dragon by executing their combos, which they unleash in the form of Nastrond: a brutal and very flashy jump attack.
Monk
Another technical class, Monk doesn’t use set combos per se, rather it asks you to adapt on the fly, shifting through combat stances to dish out as much damage as possible while maintaining your damage buffs. Monk’s finishing moves are all about sequencing, too. Pull it off, however, and you’ll be a flurry of deadly fists.
Samurai
The Samurai is known as the “selfish” DPS class since it sacrifices all possible utility for the largest damage output possible. The class has three distinct combos, each of which builds up a different form of Sen. Depending on how many Sen you’ve acquired, your finishing attack will be different. Whatever form it takes, though, Samurai finishers are always guaranteed to critically hit, so get ready for big numbers.
Reaper
Added in the Endwalker expansion, these edgy customers wield a combination of scythe skills and Void Magic to startling effect. Channeling the power of their Void Avatars, high-level Repairs are able to enter Shroud mode, merging with their Avatars to unleash a terrifying flurry of attacks.
Final Fantasy 14 Classes Guide: Physical Ranged DPS
If you like to keep your enemies at arm’s length, then these highly mobile, support-oriented DPS classes may well be right for you.
Bard
Complete the level 30 Archer Class Quest, and you’ll unlock the Bard. The Bard is a mobile ranged DPS class that weaves songs and trick shots to support allies and hinder enemies. These buffs affect the entire party and can mean the difference between life and death. Bards can also play their instruments out of combat, too, and can be found plying their trade across Eorzea’s major cities.
Machinist
Guns, robots, and more guns make up the Machinist’s repertoire. Machinists build up Heat and Battery gauges as they attack. Heat can be spent on a rapid–fire series of attacks, while the Battery gauge can be spent to summon an automated turret or, at high levels, an Automaton Queen. Like Bards, Machinists are extremely mobile and rarely stay in one place for too long.
Dancer
Dancers are mobile damage dealers which offer a high level of utility and support to party members. Dancers can declare one other party member to be their Dance Partner. When they do this, their partner benefits from dancing–based buffs brought about by the Standard Step ability. Both Standard Step and Technical Step require you to string together a combination of different dance moves in the middle of combat. Pull these off, however, and your party will thank you for the powerful damage buffs you’ll be throwing out.
Final Fantasy 14 Classes Guide: Ranged Magical DPS
No Final Fantasy game is complete without powerful magic users, and Final Fantasy 14 is no exception. Why get your hands dirty when you can engulf your enemies in a sorcerous inferno?
Black Mage
The Black Mage is the powerhouse of Final Fantasy 14’s spellcasters. Unlocked by completing the Thaumaturge’s level 30 Class Quest, Black Mages are renowned for their high skill ceiling and devastating damage potential. With their long cast times, Black Mages are at their best when they plant their feet and blast their enemies from range. Black Mages weave Ice and Fire magic together, using the former to gain mana while spending their mana for the latter. Master this duality, and you’ll master the Black Mage.
Summoner
Summoners are a unique part of Final Fantasy. Unlocked by completing the relevant Arcanist Class Quest at level 30, these iconic magic users rotate between fan favorite summons like Ifrit, Garuda, Titan, and Bahamut. Each summon gives the Summoner access to a different repertoire of spells, offering refreshing variety.
Red Mage
The Red Mage is a jack of all trades. It has powerful magical attacks which crescendo in an elegant melee combo. Most importantly, the second spell every Red Mage casts goes off instantly. This means that Red Mages can cleverly chain spells together to increase their damage output. On top of that, Red Mages can revive fallen allies which, when combined with their ability to do instant casts, makes them resurrection machines.
Final Fantasy 14 Classes Guide: Healers
Last, but not least, we have the Healers. Don’t be fooled, however. Though these jobs are excellent at keeping their allies alive, all four Healing jobs offer dynamic gameplay opportunities as well as respectable damage outputs.
White Mage
The White Mage is, in many ways, the classic Final Fantasy Healer. They are masters of raw healing output, as well as healing over time. In addition, their Lily Gauge, which builds up as they heal others, can eventually be used to unleash Afflatus Misery, a powerful, instant cast damage spell. White Mages also have access to Holy, a powerful AoE damaging spell that stuns enemies, a significant asset during large pulls in dungeons.
Astrologian
Another Heal Over Time specialist, the Astrologian uses a unique card draw mechanic to buff allies. Draw the right cards in sequence, and you’ll get a powerful buff that scales depending on the last three cards you played. They also have access to Divination, a powerful party–wide damage buff that they can use every two minutes.
Scholar
Unlocked by completing the relevant level 30 Arcanist Class Quest, Scholars are a unique Healing Job, combining protective barriers and the assistance of a Fairy. Scholars can recharge their Aetherflow once a minute to access powerful instant cast heals and buffs. They also have access to Expedience, a party–wide defensive buff that also increases your allies’ speed.
Sage
New to Endwalker, the Sage is a barrier healer with a unique mechanic that ties their damage and healing together. By using Kardia, you select one party member to receive a burst of healing whenever you use a damage spell. On top of that, they gain access to Toxicon, a powerful instant–cast AoE damage spell by using their single–target barrier spell. The Sage is an iconic combination of healing and deadly lasers.
Armed with this knowledge, you are now ready to choose a path for your Warrior of Light that’s right for you. Eorzea won’t know what hit it.
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