With folks at Square Enix revealing the likes of Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth and Ever Crisis to further expand the already-intensive lore of Final Fantasy 7, it makes sense for some fans to go back to basics and explore the origins of the first Final Fantasy game. Thanks to Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, fans don’t necessarily have to replay the first Final Fantasy title and rather join Jack Garland and his companions on a journey to save the world.
However, for players just starting Final Fantasy Origin, it helps to understand that some of the Jobs that Jack Garland and his friends could become have particular skillsets that make them rather formidable in the battlefield. And in the case of Passive Abilities, some skills do stand out among the rest.
10 Instant Ability: Rarely Increases 18.7% (Thief)
In classic Final Fantasy games, the Thief Job is capable of stealing items from enemies, giving players the chance to obtain some of the rarest items in any given game. However, Stranger of Paradise amplifies this further, courtesy of the Steal Job Action, which allows players to dash forward and steal an ability from the enemy, which they can then use later on within the next few attacks.
As such, it makes sense for players to rely on a nifty Passive that allows them to steal more than one instance of these rare attacks to improve their repertoire outside their weapon specialties. This is something Instant Ability: Rarely Increases 18.7% does for the Thief, which allows them to experiment with how various enemy attacks can damage other enemy types in the vicinity.
9 Chainspell Mastery (Red Mage)
One of the most iconic Jobs in Final Fantasy includes the Red Mage, which is a master of both physical combat and magical casting. In Stranger of Paradise, this is a Job unlocked by mastering both the Mage and the Swordfighter Classes, and is quite a beginner-friendly role. Thanks to their Chainspell Job Action, the Red Mage can cast another spell as soon as they cast one spell, provided the second spell is either a Black Magic or a White Magic Spell.
Given this Job Action, it makes sense for players to want a Passive that further boosts the Red Mage’s ability to do such a feat. This comes in the form of Chainspell Mastery, wherein the Red Mage can now cast a second spell consecutively, but this time of a power level and duration of a third-ranked spell.
8 Meikyo-Shisui Mastery (Samurai)
Unlocked by mastering the Ronin, players who become the Samurai Job in Stranger of Paradise become more specialized in rendering enemy attacks useless through peerless parrying. This is especially useful against bosses like Tiamat, one of the first tough fights in the game. Through their Meikyo-Shisui Job Action, the Samurai can boost the MP they gain from normal attacks, and may even gain MP whenever they parry foes. This is a great Job to pair with Spellcasters due to this efficient MP-recovery method.
The Affinity Bonuses associated with this Final Fantasy Job include reduced MP costs of abilities, as well as stats that further boost their capabilities in combat. In turn, an ideal Passive to match the Samurai’s combat competence should have to do with improving their ability to parry opponents. This comes in the form of Meikyo-Shisui Mastery, affording Samurai the opportunity to parry enemy attacks much easier, giving them more benefits.
7 Soul Of Chaos Mastery (Cyclic Warrior)
Endgame content is often a reason to aspire finishing a game, and the Cyclic Warrior Job in Stranger of Paradise is a culmination of a player’s efforts in finishing this Final Fantasy retelling. This makes the Cyclic Warrior one of the most unique Job offerings in a Final Fantasy title. A master of the elements, the Cyclic Warrior can combine the magic-reliance of the Black Mage and the strength of the Warrior to unleash Soul of Chaos, one of four elemental attacks.
Given the sheer firepower the Cyclic Warrior offers, it makes sense that its Soul Of Chaos Mastery becomes an ideal Passive to acquire. At its core, this Passive will temporarily increase the player’s Max MP based on the damage they deal with this Job Action. This ties into the MP-heavy damage output of the Cyclic Warrior which, when combined with a MP-refilling Job, can transform players into an unstoppable juggernaut.
6 Near Death: Damage Dealt +7.7% (Dark Knight)
Players who want to add a bit of a risk element to make more satisfying plays will love the Dark Knight Job of this Final Fantasy game. Acquired by mastering the Berserker, Warrior, and Black Mage Jobs, the Dark Knight trades in HP in order to boost their attacks through their Souleater Job Action. When combined with Affinity Bonuses that boost both their stats and latent damage, the Dark Knight becomes a force to reckon with even with normal attacks. This is quite unlike the Void Knight Class in Stranger of Paradise that is more in line with magic.
As such, it makes sense for an ideal Dark Knight Passive to involve boosting their chances of regaining HP at all costs. In Stranger of Paradise, this buff comes in the form of Near Death: Damage Dealt +7.7%, which incentivizes dangerous builds. After all, this essentially means that the boosted damage potency Dark Knights already get with Souleater is further enhanced near-death, giving players more damage benefits while ensuring that heals given to the Dark Knight won’t be put to waste.
5 Buff Duration +6.3% (Liberator)
When players master the sheer destructive power of the Warrior Job and the combat efficiency of the Dragoon, they can unlock the weapon specialist in Strange of Paradise known as the Liberator. This makes the Liberator quite an efficient Job combination in Stranger of Paradise. Serving as a protector through and through, their Mighty Guard Job Action allows them to extend an aura of protection that gives mild damage reduction to allies while slowly recharging their HP.
Due to the defensive nature of the Liberator, it makes sense for them to become frontline tanks in the Final Fantasy game. In turn, a Passive like the Buff Duration +6.3% becomes an asset to boost their survivability in the game. This works well with the Affinity Bonuses associated with them, especially since Hero’s Guidance can share potion effects with allies, effectively giving them boosted healing if Liberators possess boosted HP heals.
4 Potion Recovery Amount +16.9% (Sage)
It’s one thing for fans to be able to access both damaging Black Magic Spells and healing White Magic Spells to maximize their Final Fantasy Spellcasting especially for allies. However, it’s much more awesome to be able to cast spells much quicker than their Spellcasting opponents. This is exactly what the Sage Job does in Stranger of Paradise, which players can unlock by mastering the Black Mage and White Mage.
Thanks to the Magic Sigil Job Action, players can accumulate “emblems” of the color magic they cast, allowing them to spend these emblems to cast much faster spells. Affinities related to these involve boosting MP recovery, which in turn means a Passive amplifying these effects can make Spellcasting more efficient. Such a Passive is Potion Recovery Amount +16.9%, which not only boosts survivability in the context of HP healing. Rather, using this Passive after players unlock the additional MP healing of Ancient Knowledge (Affinity Bonus) can maximize their spells cast by giving players access to more MP.
3 Afflicted Enemy: Damage Dealt +4.7% (Tyrant)
Players who fell in love with the unique elemental-based damage system of Final Fantasy magic will appreciate the Tyrant Job in Stranger of Paradise. Acquired when mastering both the Monk and the Red Mage, the Tyrant in the Final Fantasy game is capable of imbuing their weapon with various elements, allowing them to adjust their elemental capabilities on the fly.
Thanks to their Affinity Bonuses, the Tyrant is capable of not only boosting their stats, but even boosting the chances of enemies getting status ailments and restoring HP based on damage dealt based on weaknesses. In turn, it makes sense to get a Passive that boosts these buffs further, and Afflicted Enemy: Damage Dealt +4.7% is the best Passive to fit the bill. At its core, this ensures that players deal more damage to enemies they’ve afflicted with status ailments, incentivizing playing into the switching-elements nature of the Job.
2 All Damage -4.9% (Paladin)
Contrary to the usual association with the tanky Paladin Job in Final Fantasy, its iteration in Stranger of Paradise transforms them into mighty holy avengers. At its core, their Holy Fang Job Action allows them to recover HP while landing hits, and at the same time boost the damage of their attacks for as long as their HP stays at maximum capacity. This makes the Paladin quite a desirable Job to grow into from other starter Jobs.
Considering how the Paladin’s Affinity Bonuses allow them to recover or boost their HP on the get-go, it makes sense for an ideal Passive to reduce the chances of reducing damage. In the game, this takes the form of All Damage -4.9%. Despite its rather small number, this buff will become a bigger deal cumulative-wies, especially since this protection also extends to various elemental attacks.
1 Extend Evade Invincibility +16.7% (Assassin)
Anyone who played a stealth class in an RPG knows how annoying overall DPS can be with these players, and the Assassin of Stranger of Paradise fulfills this archetype for Final Fantasy Jobs. Acquired through mastering the Monk and Thief Jobs, the Assassin has the Assassinate Job Action that deals additional damage based on the number of Marks on an enemy, which is acquired by dealing critical damage to them.
At its core, the Affinity Bonuses further improve the stats of the Assassin, giving them access to stronger attacks and higher odds to crit. As such, the best Passive to pair with these bonuses is boosting the chances of Assassins evading counters - something Extend Evade Invincibility +16.7% does. Since evasion already grants limited invincibility, boosting the duration of such an effect can allow Assassins to reposition themselves more efficiently to counter enemies.
Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin was released last March 2022 for the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S, and the PC.