Final Fantasy 14 is an MMO that just keeps getting bigger. There are a number of classes, known as jobs, that players can unlock and learn throughout their time with the game, with each character even being able to unlock and level all of them up independently. Final Fantasy 14 has also impressively managed to keep its jobs very well balanced over the years. Of course, patches and updates make their rankings fluctuate slightly every now and then, but there are really no jobs that dominate or slack behind the others.
This means that players can truthfully play any job that they are interested in, or that they prefer the play style of. However, there are enough differences between the jobs that they can still be tiered, even if those differences are pretty small in the greater scheme of the game. Of course, tier lists will change with the release of the game's newest expansion releases, adding new jobs like the Sage to Final Fantasy 14, but here is how the jobs rank currently.
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Samurai – The Samurai job was originally introduced to Final Fantasy 14 as part of its Stormblood expansion. As such, it starts at level 50 and has no class that players have to level up beforehand. The Samurai is a melee DPS job that focuses on managing two separate gauges, named Kenki and Sen. Using the gauges, Samurai build up power with certain attacks and skills to then unleash that power on more powerful moves for incredible amounts of damage while not being overly complicated to play.
Monk – The Monk job is unlocked after players level up the Pugilist class that is available when first making their characters. Also a melee DPS, the Monk allows players to equip a variety of fist weapons to pummel their enemies with. The Monk job also has two job gauges to utilize, which allows it to release a flurry of strikes while players use the job's high mobility to avoid incoming damage.
Gunbreaker – Gunbreaker was released with the Shadowbringers expansion, which just happens to be one of the best expansions in Final Fantasy 14. Of course, the Gunbreaker is a classic part of Final Fantasy, but in Final Fantasy 14 the job takes on the role of a Tank. As of right now, the Gunbreaker is the strongest tank in the game thanks to how much damage it can deal while also offering competent defensive abilities and even some healing and barriers. However, the class can be extremely complicated because of how many options it offers the player, so new players may want to opt for a different tank at first.
Astrologian – Going by numbers, the Astrologian is currently the strongest healer in Final Fantasy 14. The job can switch between both raw healing and barriers, while also buffing its party members up considerably. However, the class was included with the Heavensward expansion, so players will have to level up quite a bit before they can get their hands on it.
Dragoon – Dragoons utilize a variety of polearm weapons to leap into the air and come crashing down on top of their enemies. Their DPS play revolves around keeping their Dragon gauge full, which increases the power of their abilities. While the Dragoon can't reach the DPS values of some other classes in the game, it is still a great job to have when exploring the beautiful world of Final Fantasy 14.
Ninja – The Ninja class is currently Final Fantasy 14's best DPS for crowd control. The class features a variety of skills and abilities that allow it to manage the legions of enemies that players will come across in dungeons and raids, making it a welcome addition to any party.
Paladin – Paladins saw a large overhaul in the Shadowbringers expansion that made the class as pure of a tank as players could hope for. Nearly all of the job's skills are defense-focused, making it an incredibly useful tank. However, this does limit the job's flexibility and could get boring for some players who don't love just soaking up damage.
Scholar – The Scholar in Final Fantasy 14 is a great healer that offers a number of great utility skills to buff other players while also dishing out some solid healing. However, the class plays extremely differently from anything else in the game, so many Final Fantasy 14 players may want to check out the Scholar even if they don't normally enjoy healing.
Summoner – Players can unlock the Summoner by leveling up the Arcanist class, and the job offers players a great magical DPS option. The Summoner focuses on summoning minions as well as buffing their attacks with supernatural energy. The Summoner is one of the more complicated jobs in Final Fantasy 14, but can be very rewarding for players who stick with it.
Black Mage – Black Mages are a more straightforward ranged magic DPS class that focuses on having skills with a wide range of elemental types. This allows the job to react to any situation or encounter throughout the game but can make it a bit repetitive to play for some players.
Dark Knight – Dark Knight can be started by any player after hitting level 30. Wielding one of Final Fantasy 14's greatswords, the class focuses on building up red and black blood gauges that dictate which abilities the class can use. The job utilizes some damage skills but is mostly focused on defensive abilities.
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Red Mage – Red Mage can get picked up at level 50 and is a very well-rounded ranged DPS. The class has a little bit of everything in the game, including damage, healing, and even some melee-oriented skills. This can make it a lot of fun for players to play, but does leave it not excelling too much at any particular thing.
Dancer – The Dancer is a melee physical ranged DPS that focuses on performing a variety of dances to buff themselves and party members while throwing chakrams to deal damage. The job is good for DPS players who want to help their fellow team members, but it doesn't deal as much damage as many others. However, there have been hints that the class plays somewhat similarly to Final Fantasy 14's upcoming Reaper job.
White Mage – White Mage is the best starting healer job in Final Fantasy 14. The job can deal out a fair amount of damage and heals and is the game's only pure healer job. However, this makes the job fairly straightforward, which can make it repetitive for players and keeps it from being very flexible.
Bard – The Bard is a physical ranged DPS that equips a range of bows in Final Fantasy 14. The job allows players to deal damage as well as provide some support, like removing debuffs or negative effects from players. However, its support options are not particularly strong, and the job's damage numbers pale in comparison to other DPS jobs.
Machinist – The Machinist is another ranged DPS class, but it features a gauge that indicates its weapons overheating. Overheating prevents the job from using a number of its skills for a period of time, which can tend to be more of an annoyance than anything else.
Warrior – The Warrior is a tank that is completely focused on dealing damage. The job deals big bursts of damage to attract enemies to it before healing itself back up so that it doesn't die. The job can be a lot of fun, but is all about timing, as missing a window to deal high damage can be devastating for the Warrior's party.
Final Fantasy 14 is available now on PC, PS4, and PS5.
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