There are a total of 15 jobs in Final Fantasy XIV, two of which will be added in Stormblood on June 16th. Although you can play all of them on a single character, you’re going to need to decide on one to main, and that isn’t easy.
In preparation of the release of Stormblood, we’re going to go over every job in the game to give you an idea of what they’re about. Be sure to let us know which jobs you’re most interested in by posting in the comment section below.
Keep in mind that you will either need to complete all A Realm Reborn and Heavensward main scenario quests in order to advance to Stormblood, or pay $25 on the Mog Station for a potion to shortcut this requirement. Also, all images below are of AF3 armor, which will be a very attractive armor set to obtain toward the beginning of the expansion.
Astrologian
Role: Support
Weapon: Star Globe
What makes it unique: The Astrologian is able to select randomly from a deck of six cards, each with a buff that can be used on the Astrologian or a comrade. These buffs are potent, requiring knowledge and quick decision making skills from the player. In addition, the job can switch between two stances when out of combat, allowing it to perform as a direct healer like the White Mage, or a preventive healer like the Scholar.
- Combust and Malefic will be upgraded to level 3 with new spell effects and higher potency.
- Earthly Star (New Skill): Astrologian can place an effect on the ground that can be detonated to heal allies and damage enemies in the affected area. It has higher potency after being placed for more than 10 seconds.
- Minor Arcana (New Skill): Astrologian will be able to transform a card into one of two new cards: the Lord of Crowns (single-target damage) and Lady of Crowns (single-target heal).
- Sleeve Draw (New Skill): Astrologian will be able to execute Draw, Royal Road, Spread, and Minor Arcana using a single cooldown.
- Undraw (New Skill): Astrologian can remove a card from the hand (good for controller users).
You should play this job if: You enjoy playing as Support, but want a thick layer of tactical gameplay to make healing as interesting and challenging as possible.
Bard
Role: Ranged DPS
Weapon: Bow
What makes it unique: The Bard is the most mobile ranged damage dealer in the game, capable of punishing foes with an array of ranged attacks while on the move. It is also capable of playing songs to buff teammates nearby, making it a vital component of any serious party.
- A flute will be used for some songs (visual change).
- Wanderer’s Minuet will no longer create cast times when enabled.
- Caustic Bite (New Skill): Bard has access to a new ranged poison.
- Nature’s Minne (New Skill): Bard will be able to increase incoming healing for a single friendly target.
- Troubadour (New Skill): Bard will be able to add an additional effect to the song currently being sung.
You should play this job if: You enjoy playing an agile ranged damage dealer that offers utility to groups.
Black Mage
Role: Ranged DPS
Weapon: Rod
What makes it unique: The Black Mage is the heavy-hitting magic user of the game. It cycles through a rotation of thunder, ice, and fire based spells that slow enemies and deliver huge burst damage. It is the best job at delivering area of effect (AoE) damage, making it a critical component of any party that wants to clear groups of enemies quickly.
- Enochian will be much easier to manage.
- Between the Lines (New Skill): Black Mage will be able to move instantly to a Ley Lines location.
- Foul (New Skill): Black Mage has a new massive AoE attack that is unlocked as a combo finisher.
- Umbral Hearts (New Mechanic): Black Mage will be able to obtain combo points that reduce MP cost of fire spells. Obtaining three allows the use of Foul.
You should play this job if: You enjoy playing caster classes that are immobile but deal incredible damage.
Dark Knight
Role: Tank
Weapon: Great Sword
What makes it unique: The Dark Knight uses MP to sustain itself and deal damage to acquire and hold the attention of foes. The class has to balance the usage of MP, which is drained when using its damage increasing Darkside ability, and is able to regenerate a small amount of health. It also has an option to become a zombie on death, and if healed to 100% health in this form the Dark Knight will come back to life.
- Dark Knight is being balanced to be the highest damage dealing tank in the game.
- Blood Gauge (New Mechanic): Dark Knight now has a new bar to fill.
- Bloodspiller (New Skill): Dark Knight has a new heavy-hitting attack.
- Delirium (New Skill): Dark Knight can now receive several beneficial effects, including MP restoration.
- Quietus (New Skill): Dark Knight has a new AoE attack.
- The Blackest Knight (New Skill): Dark Knight ha a new defensive cooldown.
You should play this job if: You enjoy using dark magic, having access to strong damage output despite being a tank, and enjoy a challenge.
Dragoon
Role: Melee DPS
Weapon: Lance
What makes it unique: The Dragoon is the slow but hard hitting melee DPS of the game. It is also able to pounce on enemies using Jump.
- Fang and Claw and Wheeling Thrust no longer have RNG mechanics, and instead complete the end of the four-tier combo after Full Thrust and Chaos Thrust.
- Dragon Gauge (New Mechanic): Dragoon can build up to four Dragon Eyes to transform Blood of the Dragon into Life of the Dragon.
- Dragon Sight (New Skill): Dragoon can buff his or her own damage while nearby a targeted party member, and increase their damage as well.
- Life of the Dragon (New Mechanic): Dragoon will upgrade Geirskogul to Nastrond.
- Mirage Dive (New Skill): Dragoon will be able to provide additional burst after a jump.
- Nastrond (New Skill): Dragoon can upgrade Geirskogul to this to deal increased damage.
- Sonic Thrust (New Skill): Dragoon can deal front conal AoE, comboing off Doom Spike.
You should play this job if: You enjoy dealing melee damage with slow, heavy-hitting attacks while wearing heavy armor.
Machinist
Role: Ranged DPS
Weapon: Gun
What makes it unique: The Machinist is able to alter its weapon mid-combat using attachments. For example, it can equip a Gauss Barrel to boost damage, but increase charge time of its attacks. It can also deploy turrets that can’t move and provide damage assist. Lastly, it uses an Ammunition mechanic to buff attacks.
- Gauss Barrel will no longer change attacks to have cast times.
- Barrel Stabilizer (New Skill): Machinist will instantly be able to set the Heat Gauge to 50.
- Flamethrower (New Skill): Machinist will have access to a new conal AoE.
- Heat Gauge (New Mechanic): Machinist will build up Heat Gauge during combat, which can be used to deal improved damage on certain skills.
- Rook Overdrive (New Skill): Machinist will have a new cooldown that buffs his or her Rook turret.
You should play this job if: You like to be a strategic ranged damage dealer who controls the battlefield.
Monk
Role: Melee DPS
Weapon: Fists
What makes it unique: The Monk has three stances that each unlock their own abilities. This job alternates between the different stances as he or she punches the tar out of enemies with methodical and fast-paced actions.
- Brotherhood (New Skill): Monk can improve the damage dealt of nearby party members.
- Riddle of Earth (New Skill): Monk can reduce his or her damage taken and extend Greased Lightning.
- Riddle of Fire (New Skill): Monk can increase damage dealt at the cost of increased weaponskill cast times.
You should play this job if: You like punching things.
Ninja
Role: Melee DPS
Weapon: Daggers
What makes it unique: The Ninja is equipped with Mudras, an interesting mechanic where you enter combos of up to three button presses every 20 seconds in order to buff yourself and use attacks. It also employs a variety of skills that control enmity for you and your group, which is particularly useful for raids. Lastly, it is highly mobile, second to Samurai.
- Hide will now also reset ninjutsu cast timers.
- Sneak Attack has been removed.
- Bhavacakra (New Skill): Ninja can cast a high damage single target attack at the cost of Ninki.
- Hellfrog Medium (New Skill): Ninja can cast a high damage ranged AoE fire attack at the cost of Ninki.
- Ninki (New Mechanic): Ninja will gain Ninki by auto attacking, which can be spent on several skills.
- Ten Chi Jin (New Skill): Ninja can effectively cast three Mudra in a row using a cooldown.
You should play this job if: You enjoy attacking enemies quickly and dealing combos.
Paladin
Role: Tank
Weapon: Sword and Shield
What makes it unique: The Paladin is a very resilient job capable of living through massive damage using an array of defensive abilities.
- Royal Authority now combos off Riot Blade.
- Shields can now also block magical attacks.
- Holy Spirit (New Skill): Paladin can now cast a powerful magic spell at the cost of MP.
- Intervention (New Skills): Paladin can reduce damage taken for a single target party member.
- Oath Gauge (New Mechanic): Paladin gains Oath Gauage by auto-attacking in Sword Oath or blocking in Shield Oath. Allows use of Shelltron.
- Requiescat (New Skill): Paladin can deal moderate damage and increase his or her own damage multiplier if MP is over a certain threshold.
- Total Eclipse (New Skill): Paladin now has a spammable AoE attack.
You should play this job if: You want the best defensive capabilities possible.
Red Mage
Role: Ranged and Melee DPS
Weapon: Rapier
What makes it unique: Red Mage will be the only job in the game that is both capable of dealing substantial melee and ranged damage. It will utilize a Chainspell system to follow up longer cast time magic with instant follow-ups. It is also considered a visually vibrant job, with some of the coolest exclusive armor in the game.
A word on difficulty: Red Mage is being considered a simple job that will be new-player friendly.
You should play this job if: You want to be as flashy in battle as possible.
Samurai
Role: Melee DPS
Weapon: Great Katana
What makes it unique: Samurai effectively has three tiers of combos, and an incredible focus on damage dealing. In-fact, it has virtually no utility, and instead will be the premier melee damage dealer of the game. What might surprise you is that it will also be the most mobile melee class in the game with short, high mobility cooldowns.
A word on difficulty: Samurai will be easy to pick up, but one of the hardest jobs in the game to master.
You should play this job if: You are addicted to dealing the highest amount of melee damage possible.
Scholar
Role: Support
Weapon: Grimoire
What makes it unique: The Scholar is the shield-based healer of the group. It is capable of keeping teammates alive with not only its own heals, but those of its pet fairy. Its heals add a shield that can soak future damage.
- A new gauge for the fairy has been added.
- Broil II has been added to the game.
- Actions that use Aetherflow have a low proc rate that can reduce Aetherflow’s recast time.
- Aetherpact (New Skill): Scholar can now order his or her Fairy to AoE healing over time nearby party members.
- Chain Strategem (New Skill): Scholar can now reduce the chance that a target can be hit by critical attacks.
You should play this job if: You enjoy playing a preventive healer.
Summoner
Role: Ranged DPS
Weapon: Grimoire
What makes it unique: The Summoner is damage over time (DoT) based, requiring great timing to keep abilities layered on foes. It has flexibility with several summon options that can provide ranged damage support (Garuda), or even tank (Titan) in solo situations.
- Aetherpact (New Skill): Summoner will have a new cooldown that has his or her pet buff all party members.
- Ruin IV (New Skill): Summoner will be able to cast a new high damage Ruin. This will be available only on a proc based on Ruin and Ruin III casts.
- Summon Bahamut (New Skill): Summoner will be able to make Bahamut appear to do incredible damage.
You should play this job if: You like playing a damage over time class with a pet.
Warrior
Role: Tank
Weapon: Great Axe
What makes it unique: The Warrior is great at gaining the attention of groups of enemies. It is capable of dealing good damage despite being a tank, making it a happy medium between Tank and DPS, relying on a massive health pool to survive critical blows.
- Onslaught (New Skill): Warrior can gain a large amount of enmity and deal some damage at the cost of Beast Gauge and quickly rush to the enemy.
- Inner Release (New Skill): Warrior has access to a powerful cooldown that halves Beast Gauge cost and makes him or her immune to several status effects.
- Shake It Off (New Skill): Warrior can break free of detrimental effects using a cooldown.
- Upheaval (New Skill): Warrior can deliver a high damage attack that requires Beast Gauge.
You should play this job if: You like playing as a tank with a huge health pool, but don’t want to give up being able to do damage.
White Mage
Role: Support
Weapon: Staff
What makes it unique: The White Mage is the best direct healer in the game. Equipped with powerful heals, it is the backbone of any successful group.
- White Mage now has access to Stone IV and Aero IV.
- Divine Benison (New Skill): White Mage now has access to a barrier on a large cooldown.
- Lily (New Mechanic): White Mage now gains reduction to Asylum and Assize recast times off a proc on Cure and Cure II.
- Planetary Indulgence (New Skill): White Mage has access to a new AoE heal.
- Thin Air (New Skill): White Mage has a new MP cost reduction cooldown.
You should play this job if: You enjoy direct healing.
