Final Fantasy 5 is one of the few main games in the series that uses a customizable Job system. It’s wild to consider this since the Final Fantasy franchise has one of the gold standards for Job/Class systems in RPGs. Players will begin the game with the basic Freelancer Job.
Every time a Crystal is found, new Jobs, like Red Mages and Knights, will unlock. Leveling up these Jobs will then unlock abilities. These abilities can be equipped to a secondary slot even after changing Jobs so that players can mix and match powers. There are a lot of abilities to go through, so players should keep these in mind for the first third of Final Fantasy 5.
8 White/Black Magic
A White Mage and a Black Mage should be made in the party as soon as possible. These Jobs are classics in the Final Fantasy franchise. One focuses on healing allies while the other is there to inflict as much magical damage on enemies as possible.
Both of these Jobs have six levels of spells under their belt before a wilder final ability can unlock. Spells can be bought in shops, which unlock as the story progresses. So, even if players get their Black Magic ability to level six, they can’t use Firaga until it can be bought.
7 Dualcast
Dualcast is the final unlock for Red Mages at level four and is one of the best abilities in the game hands down. It allows players to cast two spells on the same turn and it can be combined with all types of magic in the game. Like White Mages and Black Mages, Red Mages have leveled spells as well.
Players can unlock their magic in three levels which also correspond to the levels of those other Jobs. So, at max, Red Mages can learn and use level three White and Black Magic such as Cure and Blizzard.
6 MP +30%
MP +30% is the final ability that Black Mages learn at level seven. The ability is passive and will increase how much MP the character has. White Mages can increase their MP as well, but only by 10%.
So, it makes sense to stop leveling up White Mages after level six unless players are trying to go for the completionist route. That can be half the fun in replaying the classic entries in the Final Fantasy series, so take that advice at your leisure.
5 Two-Handed
Two-Handed is a great ability for the Knight Job, which is acquired at level three. Knights are another essential Job for early parties in Final Fantasy 5 just like the various Mages. They have strong attack power and great defense stats as well. That’s also the reason why the level one ability, Cover, is good.
Cover will activate whenever an ally is about to die from HP loss. Knights will step in to take the brunt of the damage in their stead. Two-Handed is the better ability overall for Knights though as the extra grip on weapons like swords gives players a massive damage boost.
4 Barehanded
Barehanded is another amazing way to boost attack power in the game. This ability can be learned at level two for Monks. This class is all about minimalistic battle strategies as they can’t equip a lot from armor to weapons. They make up for this lack of equipment with extreme strength.
They can attack twice naturally as Monks and Barehanded will allow other classes to have just as strong punches. Even a weak Job like the White Mage can rock this ability, which is funny to see in classic turn-based combat.
3 HP +30%
HP +30% works just like the Black Mage’s MP +30% ability except that it increases the health of characters. It’s another ability for Monks and can’t be acquired until level seven. There are other abilities to increase HP before this such as HP +10% and HP +20%.
The higher the number, the more health players can gain in Final Fantasy 5. It’s as simple as that but this ability should not be disregarded as HP is obviously important in any RPG.
2 Mug
Mug is a level 6 ability for the Thief Job in the game. Thieves will naturally be able to steal from enemies, with Steal, at their start. It’s a fine ability in any entry within the Final Fantasy series, but fans know Mug is the better ability. It will also attack enemies and do damage besides stealing items from them.
It’s a great combo and makes Thieves more useful in combat. This Job is the most effective in Final Fantasy 1 though as it can eventually turn into a Ninja.
1 Dual-Wield
Ninjas in Final Fantasy 5 are a separate class, unlike the aforementioned first game. They allow players to naturally equip two weapons at a time without suffering stat penalties. It follows the classic tradition of ninjas in other media wherein they often use two weapons such as knives.
It’s a good natural ability for the Ninja Job and players can gain this ability via Dual-Wield at level five. Throw is also a decent ability for Ninjas as it will allow players to throw unwanted weapons at enemies for sometimes huge amounts of damage, but Dual-Wield is still the best.
Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster was re-released for consoles on April 19, 2023, and is available on PS4 and Switch.