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Role-playing games have many interesting mechanics to enhance the player's immersion as well as pen up the floodgates for possible other abilities. A fascinating mechanic that has been used in a variety of titles is the use of a job system.
Final Fantasy is well known for its use of this as all player characters start off as a blank slate that can then pursue a job class of their liking as well as unlock new ones. Many other RPG titles have taken inspiration from this or created their own job systems which makes these games very exciting to play.
10 Yakuza: Like A Dragon
Shying away from the franchise's beat 'em up mechanics for a real-time turn-based RPG, Yakuza: Like A Dragon received positive feedback from its players when it first released in 2020. Players take on the role of Ichiban Kasuga as he attempts to become the hero after being imprisoned for eighteen years, but he can't do this alone.
Ichiban must recruit the aid of others if he hopes to succeed. Then him and his companions can be assigned a wide variety of jobs, some of which are locked behind genders, that can have specific benefits for the party from being a Homeless Guy to the questionable Night Queen job.
9 Lost Odyssey
Players that want a game with a somewhat complex job system need to look no further than Last Odyssey. Players have two different types of characters at hand, mortals and immortals, Immortals have no way of earning skills unless they link up with a mortal who does.
By leveling up a mortal's job they are able to earn skills. However, with only a few set skill slots available players will only be able to have a couple of skills on at a time unless they are able to expand them using items.
8 Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Although many of the students in Fire Emblem: Three Houses have their own set class, through the power of seals and passing their class exam, all the characters can be changed to better fit what the party needs.
Some units have unique roles that other characters can't fulfill while the others are free to be re-classed into anything a player desires as long as they have the stats to do it. This can also mean characters can earn specific skills that they can then use for a different job role.
7 Crystal Project
Exploring the non-linear world of Crystal Project doesn't only give players the freedom to choose their own adventure but also create a party of mini pixel heroes that best fits their play style. Between the tactical battles while players are platforming across the world they will come across crystals that unlock more classes for the player to use.
This gives players the freedom to create unique team compositions as they combine their main classes with interesting subclasses as well as having a wide range of passive skills to equip their characters with also.
6 Code Vein
Code Vein may not have the typical job system as seen with Final Fantasy, but this doesn’t stop it from having an intriguing approach to skills that shares a similarity with the classic job mechanic.
Although a character may start with one of three Blood Codes, consisting of the usual Fighter, Caster, and Ranger, as players progress through the story they will begin to unlock more. These Blood Codes allow a player to quickly swap between them to change the tide of battle as well as try other weapons and armors.
5 Dragon Quest 9: Sentinels Of The Starry Skies
A cult classic of the RPG genre as well as being praised just as highly as Final Fantasy is by players, Dragon Quest is another title that flawlessly uses the job system to help players build their party of heroes.
Dragon Quest 9 in particular has a large amount of customization for players to tuck into as they don't only design their main character but can also design each member of their party from physical appearance to their vocation. As they continue the story more vocations can be unlocked to swap out party members with.
4 Fantasy Life
Another adorable adventure that gives players the freedom to choose whatever life they wish is the well-named Fantasy Life. Players can decide between the twelve lives available, some of which involve fighting such as the mercenary or magician, while others see the player working hard as a cook or miner.
These lives can freely be swapped out between story missions to better pursue their skills in that vocation as well as improving their own gear. For example, to do better as a Paladin a player may need to take on the life of a Blacksmith to make better armor but first become a miner to get the resources.
3 Bravely Second: End Layer
Being confined to one class can become boring and that's why Bravely Second takes inspiration from other job systems to allow the four characters of the game to acquire several job classes. With over twenty that can be swapped between players will want to test them all out to see which jobs combined work best.
Many of the jobs can only be unlocked through defeating certain bosses as well as obtaining the specific Asterisk needed to become the job. These jobs can only be leveled up through require job points which players can only earn by defeating enemies.
2 Golden Sun: Dark Dawn
In similar fashion to classical RPGs, Golden Sun is another title that doesn't rely on set classes for its characters. Instead, it gives players the freedom to develop their skills through a variety of jobs that can be freely swapped between in an eight-character party.
As the third game in the franchise Golden Sun: Dark Dawn takes inspiration from Final Fantasy as well as its older games as it includes not only classic classes that have been revamped for the newest title but also new dual-element classes.
1 Octopath Traveler
By far one of the best job systems in gaming can be found while playing Octopath Traveler. It may not have as many jobs available as some of these RPGs, but that doesn't stop it from being an interesting way of approaching classes.
Players start with eight beginner classes with four more advanced classes to unlock later into the game. Apart from having the freedom to change into any of these jobs, a character can also be equipped with a secondary job out of those available. They can use that job's weapons and skills which therefore makes for some exciting job combinations.
