In addition to the typical class system found in role-playing games, Final Fantasy XIV Online features a job system that unlocks additional skills and specialized job gauges which allow you to further customize your play style.
But what job to pick? Let FANDOM be your guide with these helpful character comparisons.
Fans of Honor: Paladin
Fans of nobility will find plenty to like in the paladin, who charge fearlessly into battle with sword and shield and seek to protect their charges at all costs. To be a paladin is to protect, and those who choose this job will be integral to their party’s defense, especially with the Last Bastion limit break, which reduces all damage taken by party members by 50% for 12 seconds. The paladin’s skills enhance their tanking abilities, allowing them to self-heal or temporarily render themselves impervious to most attacks, and they gain the Oath Gauge, which can be used to execute powerful abilities.
Class Prerequisite: Gladiator
Fans of Fearsomeness: Warrior
Those who prefer brute force fighting should check out the warrior, whose unbridled savagery strikes fear in any foe. These fearsome combatants carry greataxes and, like the paladin, possess a limit break that allows them to reduce all damage taken by party members. Compared to the paladin, warriors are more aggressive attackers, forgoing any party heal effect in favor of pure damage output, often toeing the line between life and death. They gain the Beast Gauge, which can be used to increase critical hit or parry rates and unleash brutal attacks.
Class Prerequisite: Marauder
Fans of Vigilantes: Dark Knight
If you admire a vigilante approach to justice, look to the dark knight, who defend the downtrodden outside of the rule of law. The dark knight is a tank job, like the warrior and the paladin, but they use magic to infuse their fearsome claymores and strike down foes with the power of darkness, making them excellent at crowd control. Their Dark Force limit break also reduces damage taken by party members for a short period of time, and their Blood Gauge notes when Grit is active, which reduces damage taken but also reduces damage dealt and increases the likelihood enemies will attack you.
Class Prerequisite: None
Fans of Kung Fu: Monk
If punches and kicks are more your style, go for the monk, who are also capable of extraordinary physical feats. They are nimble hand-to-hand fighters who unleash a flurry of kicks and punches against their enemies from all sides. Their limit break is Final Heaven, which executes a devastating single target attack. Becoming a monk unlocks two new gauges: the Lightning Gauge, tracking the remaining duration of Greased Lightning, which stacks to increase potency and attack speed, and the Chakra Gauge, which tracks how many Chakra have been opened so that the monk can deliver the insanely powerful Forbidden Chakra attack.
Class Prerequisite: Pugilist
Fans of Dragons: Dragoon
If you enjoy attacking from the skies, try the dragoon, who wield a lance and use nimble attacks as they attempt to take down dragons. These knights favor aerial combat, with a focus on precise penetrative attacks. They also have the added benefit of providing utility for party members, while dishing out lethal damage in dungeons and raids with strong jumping attacks and diving attacks with their polearms. They leverage the Dragonsong Dive limit break, which like the monk’s delivers a massive single target attack, and their special Dragon Gauge tracks the duration of their Blood of the Dragon buff, which increases the potency of their jump attacks and allows them to unlock their devastating Nastrond attack.
Class Prerequisite: Lancer
Fans of Ninjas: Ninja
If you enjoy striking silently from the shadows, check out the ninja, who manipulate the vital energies of the land, the air, and living beings to quickly strike their enemies with daggers. Ninjas are all about stealth and subterfuge, and they can improve the overall party damage in dungeons and raids by quietly debilitating foes and buffing party members. Their limit break is the Chimatsuri, which unleashes a powerful attack that can bend the tide of battle to your will. They unlock the Huton Gauge, which tracks the duration of their Huton ability, a buff that allows them to attack with greater speed, and the Ninki Gauge, which can be powered up to unleash devastating attacks.
Class Prerequisite: Rogue
Fans of Katanas: Samurai
Fans of sharp blades and honor codes should gravitate to the samurai, noble swordsmen whose convictions have strengthened them for centuries. The samurai were introduced in the Stormblood expansion with the red mage, and like the real-life samurai of legend, they wield katanas for brutal close-range attacks. They are highly mobile, able to deploy a flurry of combos against single-target enemies or hit for massive area-of-effect damage. Their limit break is the Doom of the Living, an intensely powerful single target attack, and they use the Sen Gauge, which tracks the number of Sen they have available for the Iaijutsu quick-draw weaponskills.
Class Prerequisite: None
Fans of the Darkness: Black Mage
If you’re mesmerized by the darkness, try out the black mage, agents of devastation wielding unparalleled power. Adventurers who take the black will become capable of annihilating those who oppose them through little more than the force of their will. They are spellcasting powerhouses wielding the powers of the elements. Their limit break is Meteor, which brings down a nasty area-of-effect attack on your enemies. Black mages gain access to the Elemental Gauge, which notes whether they are currently under the influence of Astral Fire or Umbral Ice and their associated buffs.
Prerequisite: Thaumaturge
Fans of Flashy Attacks: Summoner
If you wish you could call forth massive creatures to fight for you, aim for the summoner, who can bind lesser beings to their will. Summoners can transmute the essence of a primal or summon the primals themselves, like the massively awesome Demi-Bahamut. Their two unique gauges, Aetherflow and Trance, both work to power up a Bahamut summon. And the limit break they utilize is the Teraflare, which targets a group of enemies with a massive attack.
Class Prerequisite: Arcanist
Fans of Looking Classy: Red Mage
Those who enjoy giving their friends a second chance and look good while doing so will find lots to like in the red mage, who seek to fight back against the rising tides of destruction. Introduced with the samurai in the Stormblood expansion, the red mages deal massive damage by linking multiple spells with Dualcast and following them up with melee attacks. They also provide key party buffs by wielding both black and white magic and have the power to revive other players. Their limit break Vermillion Scourge deals significant damage in an AOE attack, similar to the summoner and the black mage, and they gain access to the Balance Gauge, which tracks the accumulation of black and white magic.
Class Prerequisite: None
Fans of Music: Bard
Bards in Final Fantasy XIV Online wield a bow better than they wield an instrument, making them the perfect job for those who love to hum a tune. They descend from the bowmen of old times, who sang in the heat of battle to fortify the spirits of their companions and grant peace to those who were approaching death. Their limit break is Sagittarius Arrow, which deals damage to a line of enemies in front of you, and they unlock the Song Gauge and accompanying songs, which increase critical hit rate for party members while buffing up the bard as well.
Class Prerequisite: Archer
Fans of Ammo: Machinist
If you’re more familiar with FPS games than fantasy games, you’ll like the machinist, a mobile, ranged job that uses guns as their main weapon. Unlike the bard, they are more focused on pure DPS. They deal damage through both their firearms and by deploying mechanical turrets on the battlefield. Their limit break is Satellite Beam, which like the bard’s targets enemies in a line for significant damage. Machinists unlock the Ammunition Gauge, which displays the amount of special ammunition available, and the Heat Gauge, which tracks the temperature of their weapons and provides a brief damage boost when overheated.
Class Prerequisite: None
Fans of Healing: White Mage
Those who enjoy healing classes should try the white mage, who work tirelessly to save companions. Those who choose white the mage job will be master healers, able to deliver companions from even the more dire of afflictions. But they can also dish out heavy damage by channeling “purer” magics like Holy, Aero, and Earth. Their limit break is Pulse of Life, which revives any KO’d party members and restores all HP and MP of nearby party members, and their unique Healing Gauge tracks the number of lilies available, used to reduce recast time.
Class Prerequisite: Conjurer
Fans of Knowledge: Scholar
Scholars derive power from knowledge, making this a worthwhile job for those who wish to fight with more than swords alone. Like the white mage, they’re a healing class, excelling in damage mitigation for party members. They still hold their own on the battlefield, however, commanding spell-weaving faeries to heal the wounded and bolster the strength of your allies. They leverage the Angel Feathers limit break, which fully heals any party members surrounding you, and the Aetherflow and Faerie gauges, which build up in order to execute powerful actions like Energy Drain and Excogitation, which when cast on a party member restores HP when their total HP drops below 50%.
Class Prerequisite: Arcanist
Fans of the Stars: Astrologian
Those who enjoy regularly reading their horoscope will enjoy playing the astrologian, who are masters of foresight and work best as support on the battlefield, drawing cards to buff damage and heal or protect allies. Like the machinist, the astrologian was introduced with the Heavensward expansion. Their limit break is Astral Stasis, which like the limit breaks of the white mage and scholar dramatically heals nearby party members, and their unique Arcana Gauge tracks which card buff is currently in effect.
Class Prerequisite: None
Be sure to check out FANDOM’s other Final Fantasy XIV Online videos to learn more about jobs and classes. You can start your free Final Fantasy XIV Online trial now on PlayStation 4 and PC.