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.
Updated on August 12th, 2021 at 4pm by Arron Kluz: The article has been adjusted to reflect more accurate information.
S-Tier
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 while having a high skill ceiling and the highest damage in the game.
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 and all of the flexibility it offers.
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 and is extremely self-sustaining in its current iteration. This makes the Warrior extremely strong and is able to keep itself standing despite not offering quite as high of damage as the Paladin.
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 by being able to resurrect players, while putting out a lot of damage and being very flexible.
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. The job is also extremely straightforward and a great starting place for new players to the game. The job does not put out as much damage as other healers, but its simplicity makes it an S-rank job in Final Fantasy 14.
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 and makes it deal more damage than any other ranged DPS in the game, especially when players get its movement down.
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 and is also the strongest ranged DPS in the game while providing some solid support.
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. The job also has a lot of versatility, and is exceptionally good at staying alive, and is an especially good choice for off-tank spots.
A-Tier
Dragoon - Dragoons utilize a variety of polearm weapons to leap into the air and come crashing down on top of their enemies. Their DPS values have slipped beneath other classes in the most recent patches to Final Fantasy 14, but the class still remains a strong melee option and is still a great job to have when exploring the beautiful world of Final Fantasy 14.
Ninja - The Ninja class currently has some very strong abilities in Final Fantasy 14. The class has some very strong buff abilities that greatly strengthen its fellow party members while also being able to sneak attack and scout ahead for parties.
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 one of the most adaptable tanks 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.
Scholar - The Scholar in Final Fantasy 14 is a great healer that offers a number of utility skills to buff other players while also dishing out solid healing and a lot of damage. However, the class plays extremely differently from anything else in the game and can be very difficult to play well, so it does go just a bit lower than the two other healing jobs. The class working so uniquely, however, does make it a great option for Final Fantasy 14 players who don't enjoy healing to check out.
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 had its skill floor made more approachable while having its sill ceiling raised for players who want to master it.
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 soaking up damage from other players while also being able to put out solid damage. However, it just slightly performs lower than other tank jobs, leaving it a solid option in the A rank.
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 with some solid damage accompanied by being able to resurrect other players. This makes the Red Mage a really good DPS job that brings some great flexibility to the battlefield.
B-Tier
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 defensive buffs and abilities. However, the class does compromise heavily on its damage output, putting it below some of the other DPS jobs.
Machinist - The Machinist is another ranged DPS class, but it does lag behind other DPS jobs in raw damage output. The job also does not offer any support or defensive options, leaving it behind the DPS classes that offer more damage in addition to other utility features. However, the job is a blast to play and can hold its own thanks to the game's solid balancing of all jobs.
Blue Mage
Blue Mage - The Blue Mage is a unique job in that players can level it up completely independently from level 1 to 70. The job also takes its moves from enemies across the game and is an extremely fun class to play. However, the job is unable to perform in certain game activities such as Daily Roulettes and the game's main scenario. This puts the Blue Mage in a tier of its own, as it cannot participate in all activities with other jobs.
Final Fantasy 14 is available now on PC, PS4, and PS5.
