Final Fantasy XIV Guide

Final Fantasy XIV has a very robust class and job system. Your character can be every single job and class at once - no more do you need to make a completely new character and grind through the main story to get them endgame ready.

But which class to pick? There's so many, after all. Unfortunately (and luckily, if it's overwhelming you), the trial version has a ton of classes locked off to you. Fortunately, there's still enough to maybe decide which one you like the most.

Tank Classes:

The tank classes you have access to in the trials are the Marauder and Gladiator, which turn into the Warrior and Paladin respectively at level 30 as their advanced class.

Warrior is the more offensive of the two, focusing on the Beast Gauge and building up Wrath to execute a ton of job specific actions that will increase its aggro gain while also dealing a ton of damage - especially for a tank class. A trade-off is that it isn't as supportive of its team as the Paladin is - it's a more selfish tank, if that makes sense.

The Paladin, on the other hand, tanks through damage reduction, reducing the damage your party members take, and dealing damage based on how much health you're missing. It's job mechanic is the Oath gauge, which will increase the aggro you draw the more you attack as well as being expended to cast certain actions.

DPS Classes:

The DPS classes you have access to in the trial are the Lancer, Rogue, Pugilist, Archer, Thaumaturge, and Arcanist. These classes will turn in to the Dragoon, Ninja, Monk, Bard, Black Mage, and Summoner respectively. The Arcanist can also turn into a healer class called the Scholar if you so choose to.

The Dragoon has some very good utility and some of the longest combos in the game. If you position correctly and finish a full combo up, this is one of the most satisfying classes in the game. However, its main feature is also its main downside - its various jumps will lock you into place and leave you vulnerable to AOE attacks.

The Ninja has the best group utility in the game due to its Trick Attack, which will amplify all damage the target takes for 10 seconds. It is also incredibly adaptable, as it has a ton of different sign combos that have unique attacks. Its main downside is that all the sign combos - or Mutras as they're called - need memorization and that it has some of the lowest personal DPS in the role.

The Monk specializes in buffing itself and constantly moving around thee enemy to abuse its positional effects. It's a very dynamic job with a ton of personal DPS. Its main downside is that it's actually surprisingly difficult to master despite being easy to pick up.

The Bard specializes in quick, instant cast combos and executing them on the move while also applying buffs to the party with its various songs. This leads it to have great utility and survivability. Its main downside is that its DPS is dependant on RNG.

The Black Mage specializes in incredibly powerful spells that can lead to it having the highest DPS against both bosses and mobs. Its main downside is that all its spells have cast times, leading it to have significantly lower DPS if forced to cancel them.

The Summoner revolves around its powerful pets and, unusually for the DPS slot, is able to revive teammates, making it just one of two jobs in the whole game that can do that. Its main downside is how complicated it is, needing to micromanage pets, DOTs, resources, and job specific mechanics.

Healer Classes:

You have access to the Conjurer, which turns into the White mage, and the Scholar which transforms from an Arcanist.

The White Mage, contrary to its name, has the highest damage output among the healing classes. It's also incredibly straightforward. It's main downside is that raw heals are less effective than shields, making it the most reactive of the healers, and it has lower utility than all the other healing classes.

The Arcanist focuses on shielding the team and keeping them alive through mitigation rather than flat healing, as well as utilizing its pets. Its downside is that it's complicated to use, as you need to micromanage pets.

I hope this overview has helped you pick which class to try out in the trials. If you like the game, there's a ton of classes available after you buy the game and its expansions!