As you are aware, FFXIV is launching a new 2.0 version of itself called Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn (FFXIV). Some of you may have questions about some of the terms that are used in the game. I know that Square Enix does a fairly decent job describing things, but some people are still wondering exactly what FFXIV Classes and FFXIV Jobs are.
So, I thought I’d spend a few minutes and help you out. This post will just cover the basics. I will go into more detail later in later posts describing each in separate posts later. But for now, lets get a handle on exactly what the differences in FFXIV classes and jobs are. Each day this week, I will be adding a new topic or detailed ffxiv guide explaining in full detail the types of play that the new game is trying to achieve. As always if you have questions or comments, post them below.
FFXIV Classes and Jobs
So, first, lets go into eactly what is a class and a job. Usually these are the same thing in most mmorpg games. And you would be right in thinking so.. There was even a time where the FFXIV Live team wanted to get rid of both and put it all in the same category, but the man himself Yoshi-P put out a letter detailing that the distinction would remain. And I for one am glad he did.
There are four different classes in FFXIV.
- Disciples of War – These are the masters of weapons and combat
- Disciples of Magic – These are the magic users, casters, etc.
- Disciples of the Hand – These are the cafters
- Disciples of the Land – These are the gatherers.
With this in mind the FFXIV classes available so far are:
Disciple of War include:
Disciples of Magic include:
- Arcanist
- Conjurer
- Thaumaturge
I wont list them all right now as we will be going over them in full detail in the coming days but this gives you a good idea of what to expect. Keep in mind also, that you are NOT locked into one class. You can change at any time, just by switching your weapon of choice. Now, once you do swap a weapon you start out at level 1 in that new class and you have to level up that class as you would any other. But hey, no more creating 10 different characters just to level them all up. Here its one character for everything. Rather nice no?
Here is where things start to get interesting. Some of the abilities from one class can meld over to another. For instance, if you are leveling up both a archer and a conjurer, you can mix and match some of their skills and abilities even while adventuring in a different class! Again, we’ll go into much more detail later, but for now, remember this post called FFXIV Classes and Jobs.
Moving on to Jobs. A job is a specific version so to speak of a class. At release there will only be 1 job for 1 class, but Yoshi-P has alluded that they plan to add multiple jobs for each class in the near future as they add in more content.
So lets take a closer look at a job. Mystra loves Bards. Can she play one? Yes. She starts out as a Archer but after a few levels she will get the option to upgrade to the Bard job. But what does that mean? We’ll get into the specifics later, but for now it means that she will get access to Bard specific spells and abilities but will limit here interaction with other classes. She might not be able to use some of here conjurer spells like she used too. Keep in mind that this is entirely optional. She does not HAVE to become a Bard. She can continue leveling as a archer with some conjurer abilities. This is usually better when soloing, but as you get into raiding and dungeons your group will start calling for some very job specific needs.
Just remember you can always switch back just by swapping weapons you change back to different classes.
Is it starting to make sense?
It is strange until you start playing a little, then these things will become more familiar. Keep checking back over the next few days and I will go over all of the ffxiv classes and jobs that you will be able to play.
If you know what class you will be starting out as, please post in the comments below. I’d like to hear why you like that class!
Tags: ffxiv, ffxiv classes, ffxiv jobs, Final Fantasy XIV
I have added links to the specific classes. Whatever you will be playing, read up on the class descriptions for the FFXIV Classes and Jobs and leave us some comments!