FF14 Best Classes - [Strongest and Weakest Classes Revealed]

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Updated:

12 Sep 2022

Players in Final Fantasy XIV can choose from a variety of battle jobs, including DPS, Tanks, and Healers. There are a total of 20 battle jobs available to players, with 19 of them available at level 90 and Blue Mage available at level 70 as of right now.

Among the 19 battle jobs, players can easily switch from one to another by changing the weapon they are currently wearing to the respective weapon of each battle job, or by saving each battle job to the Gear Set list. In short, players do not need multiple characters to play all of the game's battle jobs.

With the new savage tier just released this patch, players are attempting to beat the new tier as quickly as possible in order to obtain new gear and weapons. As a result, this article will rank all battle jobs that are best for defeating high-end tier enemies.

19. Machinist

Machinist with their trusted guns and glam.

Machinist is the first battle job to be ranked in this article. It is a Physical Ranged DPS battle job introduced in the Heavensward expansion.

Machinist Strengths:

Machinist is a good battle job that can cause a lot of damage with their abilities. Drilling and chainsawing are two examples.
It's also a lot of fun to play because it has bullet speed attacks that take little to no time to shoot from one another to their enemies.
Machinists have their own summon, the Automaton Queen, that is unique to their battle job. The Queen will deal a lot of damage on its own and will also explode to deal massive damage to enemies before being removed from the battlefield.

Machinist Weaknesses:

Machinist provides little to no team utility when compared to the other two Physical Ranged DPS, as Bard and Dancer can provide a lot of damage boost as well as some heals.
As a result, many teams and players prefer to have either a Bard or a Dancer as the Physical Ranged DPS in their party so that they can benefit from the buffs provided by the two battle jobs.

Pick Machinist if:

You prefer to play a Physical Ranged DPS, which means you don't have to constantly cast spells or stay in melee range.
You want to play a battle job that can deal out quick skills that don't take long to execute, giving the impression that you're very active on the battlefield.
You want to play with a gun and machina as your attack skills, with a lot of technology and rapid-fire shoots.

Machinist details.

Machinist usefulness score: 78 /100

18. Dark Knight

Dark Knight with their shiny weapon of darkness.

Dark Knight is the first Tank Role to be featured in this article. It is a battle job introduced in the Heavensward expansion.

Dark Knight Strengths:

Dark Knight is a good Tank who can deal a lot of damage to enemies while also tanking their teammates' attacks.
Dark Knight also has good mitigation skills, such as TheBlackest Night, that can help them protect themselves as well as other party members and gain extra damage if their shield is broken.
Dark Knight can also use the Living Shadow skill to summon a clone of a beloved NPC from their job quest on the battlefield, which can deal damage to the enemy and execute the Shadowbringer skill.

Dark Knight Weaknesses:

The main weakness of the Dark Knight is their invulnerability skill, which is the weakest of the four Tanks.
This is due to the fact that their invulnerability skill may instead kill them if they lose 1 HP while under Living Dead and become Walking Dead, and are not healed to full HP before the duration expires.

Pick Dark Knight if:

You are a Tank player who usually leads the party, especially in a Dungeon.
Even as a Tank, you want to play a battle job that deals a lot of damage.
You want to play a battle job with interesting skills that are infused with darkness.

Dark Knight details.

Dark Knight usefulness score: 80/100

17. Scholar

Scholar with the faerie on their side.

Scholars are the first shield healer available in the game since the early days of A Realm Reborn. Players can start out as an Arcanist when starting the game or taking the quest in Limsa Lominsa before finally becoming a Scholar at level 30.

Scholar Strengths:

Scholars have powerful shield healing abilities that can protect their allies from being harmed by enemies, preventing them from taking too much damage that could kill them.
Because the fairies mostly perform Scholar's healing and shield spells, many of their spells are abilities that can be weaved in between Scholar's GCD attacks, allowing Scholars to deal damage while healing easily.
Scholars also have a lot of spells that can be used immediately without having to cast them, giving them some mobility to dodge attacks while still dealing damage or healing allies.

Scholar Weaknesses:

When it comes to dealing with emergency situations, scholars are not the best healers. This is due to the fact that a shield healer does not have many healing spells that can grant regeneration.
Many of Scholar's most powerful healing spells have a long cooldown, so Scholars must use their resources wisely to avoid running out of healing spells when they are most needed.

Pick Scholar if:

Choose Scholar if you want to play as a healer who uses shields to protect their allies.
Choose Scholar if you enjoy playing with a cute fairy who can assist you in healing your allies.

Scholar details.

Scholar usefulness score: 81/100

16. Summoner

Summoner with their Carbuncle partner.

Summoner Strengths:

Summoner has a large number of summons that can be summoned into the battlefield to assist in dealing damage to enemies. The Carbuncles are among them, as are the primal spirits of Ifrit, Garuda, Titan, Bahamut, and Phoinix.
Summoners have a lot of spells that can be cast instantly and do not need to be casted because of summons. This makes Summoner a very good caster with excellent mobility and the ability to move quickly despite being a caster.
Summoner has good single-target and AoE spells, making them versatile for any level of content.

Summoner Weaknesses:

Summoner DPS may be inferior to that of the Black Mage, the other caster in the game. Furthermore, their resurrection spells fall short of Red Mage's ability to instantly resurrect everyone. As a result, some groups may prefer to have a Red Mage or a Black Mage on the battlefield.
Some Summoner summon spells, such as Titan's Earthen Fury, can blind the entire party, which can lead to dangerous situations where players are unable to see AoE puddles and are hit.

Pick Summoner if:

You prefer to play as a Summoner with a plethora of pets and summons to aid you in battle.
You want to play a Caster with good mobility on the battlefield and the ability to easily avoid AoEs.

Summoner details.

Summoner usefulness score: 83/100

15. Ninja

Ninja with their shiny dual blades or daggers.

Ninja is a Melee DPS that was introduced in the late A Realm Reborn era. Players can start out as a Rogue at level 1 before switching to become a Ninja at level 30.

Ninja Strengths:

Ninja is a good Melee DPS with a lot of interesting Ninjutsu that has a lot of different variations and combos, which makes Ninja an interesting job with multiple combos and rotations.
Ninja's gameplay is fast and enjoyable, making it a job in which players will be heavily involved and making it appear to be a very involved battle job on the battlefield.
Ninja also has support skills, such as Trick Attack, that can assist the party in dealing more damage.

Ninja Weaknesses:

Ninja's fast gameplay can be both a strength and a weakness, especially for players with slow internet connections, as it can make Ninja's gameplay subpar.
Ninja's DPS may be inferior to other Melee DPS battle jobs such as Reaper and Samurai.

Pick Ninja if:

You enjoy playing Melee DPS with Ninjutsu that has numerous variations and combos that you can experiment with.
You enjoy playing a fast Melee DPS battle job where you must be quick and precise with your button presses.

Ninja details.

Ninja usefulness score: 84/100

14. White Mage

White Mage with their wing of protection.

White Mage is the first regen healer in the game and is the only healer that player can start out with as a Conjurer at level 1, before switching to become a White Mage at level 30.

White Mage Strengths:

White Mage is a pure healer with powerful regeneration healing spells. They have a large number of powerful healing spells that can help players quickly recover their HP.
White Mage is a good healer who can help the party recover quickly from emergencies, from large raidwides to powerful tank busters, thanks to their strong regen and instant healing spells.
White Mage is also a strong offensive healer with multiple offensive spells in addition to their usual DoT and one spell button, such as Afflatus Misery and Assize.

White Mage Weaknesses:

White Mage's MP management can be difficult, especially at lower levels, requiring players to carefully manage their spells to avoid running out of MP.
In comparison to other healers, White Mage has fewer instant spells that they can cast or weave, making mobility more difficult and OGCds healing more rare.

Pick White Mage if:

You prefer to play a pure healer who is simple to learn, such as White Mage, who can recover from emergencies quickly and has simple combos that can be learned quickly.
You want to be a healer who can also deal a lot of damage to your opponents.

White Mage details.

White Mage usefulness score: 86/100

13. Paladin

The Warrior of Light with their sword and shield on the moon.

Paladin is one of the two Tanks that players can start out with when they start the game for the first time. Players will start out as a Gladiator at level 1 before finally becoming a Paladin at level 30.

Paladin Strengths:

Paladin is a powerful tank with a variety of mitigation skills that allow them to protect themselves as well as the rest of the party. The Paladin also has the most mitigation skills for the party, making them an excellent protector not only for themselves but also for the rest of the party.
Paladin is also a strong Tank with an interesting combo rotation that switches between skills and spells, making it a unique Tank among the others.
Paladin also has the best invulnerability skill, Hallowed Ground, which allows them to stay at full HP for a few seconds without being hurt.

Paladin Weaknesses:

When compared to the other tanks, Paladin can be quite weak as a Main Tank because most of their mitigation skills are for the party as a whole and they are quite lacking in mitigation skills for themselves.
Without Requiescat, which allows them to instacast spells, Paladins can be quite painful to play at low levels, as they must cast their spells at their spell rotation.

Pick Paladin if:

You want to play a traditional sword and shield Tank who excels at shielding their allies from harm.
You want to play a Tank with an interesting rotation of physical and magical skills and spells.

Paladin details.

Paladin usefulness score: 87 /100

12. Dragoon

The Dragoon with their lance.

Dragoon is also another Melee DPS battle job that is introduced from the early days of A Realm Reborn, but truly shines during the Heavensward era.

Dragoon Strengths:

Dragoon is a very interesting Melee DPS battle job that has a lot of abilities that are related to dragon power, allowing them to use dragon power on the battlefield.
Dragoons also have a lot of jumping attacks that allow them to quickly enter and exit the battlefield, making it a very active Melee DPS to play.
Dragoons can also buff the party by linking to a party member with Dragon Sight or by giving a buff in the form of Battle Litany.

Dragoon Weaknesses:

Dragoon's jumping attack makes it a very active battle job, but it can also be dangerous, as Dragoon can jump directly into an AoE puddle or out of the battlefield and die.
Dragoon is also difficult to learn for beginners because players must time their jump attacks correctly to avoid death or injury.

Pick Dragoon if:

If you enjoy channeling the power of dragons into your battlefield attacks.
You enjoy moving around and being active on the battlefield rather than staying in one place.

Dragoon details.

Dragoon usefulness score: 88/100

11. Sage

Sage casting Kardia on an allied party member.

Sage is the latest shield healer introduced in the Endwalker expansion. It will start at level 70 upon unlocking it.

Sage Strengths:

Sage begins at level 70, making it an easy battle job to level to 90 because it skips 70 levels from 1 to 90.
Sage is a powerful shield healer with a large number of oGCD heals, allowing them to cast heals without having to stop dealing DPS.
They also have some regen on top of shields, making it simple to regenerate players' health.

Sage Weaknesses:

As a shield healer, their ability to recover from emergencies is significantly lower than that of a regen healer, making recovery from emergencies more difficult.
When teamed up with another Sage or Scholar, their shields clash and overlap, making cooperation difficult, especially with strangers.

Pick Sage if:

You prefer to play a shield healer who can both shield and heal your teammates with regeneration.
You prefer to play a healer with a high oGCD heal so that you can deal damage and heal at the same time.

Sage details.

Sage usefulness score: 89 /100

10. Reaper

The reaper of soul, with the power of the abyss.

Reaper is the newest Melee DPS introduced in the Endwalker expansion. Like the sage, it will also start at level 70.

Reaper Strengths:

Similar to the sage, by playing Reaper, players will be able to skip 70 levels straight, allowing them to level up to 90 faster and easier.
When compared to other Melee DPS battle jobs, Reaper is quite simple and easy to learn, making it a beginner-friendly job.
Reapers can also deal a lot of damage to their enemies by attacking them and invoking the power of the abyss through themselves to summon the reaper's soul.

Reaper Weaknesses:

Reaper requires the most recent expansion, which requires the player to have the Endwalker expansion and a level 70 battle job.
Reaper's simplicity can also be a disadvantage, as players can become bored with its standard rotation, which is much simpler compared to the other Melee DPS.

Pick Reaper if:

You want to play a simple battle job that does not necessitate a complicated rotation.
You want to deal a lot of damage, but your internet isn't powerful enough to handle some of the Melee DPS fast rotation.

Reaper details.

Reaper usefulness score: 89/100

9. Monk

The battle job that has their fists and kicks as their weapon.

Monk is another Melee DPS battle job that has been available since the early days of A Realm Reborn. You will start out as a Pugilist at level 1 before becoming a Monk at level 30.

Monk Strengths:

Monk is a fast Melee DPS battle job that will throw punches and kicks at enemies at breakneck speed, making the battle job's gameplay very aggressive and involved.
Monks have a lot of interesting skills that can help their DPS, such as Chakra and Forms.
Monk also brings several utilities to the party, such as Mantra, which allows healers to heal more HP for party members.

Monk Weaknesses:

Depending on the player, Monk's quick gameplay can also be a disadvantage. It is not a good DPS battle job for players with poor internet connections due to their speed.
Monk also has a lot of different oGCDs and rotations, which can be difficult to learn for new players.

Pick Monk if:

You enjoy playing a fast Melee DPS battle job that can deal lightning-fast damage to your opponents.
You prefer to play a Melee DPS battle job who prefers to use their hands and legs as weapons.

Monk details.

Monk usefulness score: 90/100

8. Black Mage

Black Mage with their purple staff.

Black Mage is one of the two casters that players can choose at the start of the game. Players will start out as Thaumaturge at level 1 then switch to a Black Mage at level 30.

Black Mage Strengths:

The Black Mage is the most powerful Caster in terms of raw DPS, as they have explosive spells that deal insane damage to enemies.
Black Mage is also a Caster who has many beautiful fireworks spells in the form of the elements of fire, ice, and lightning.
Black Mages are also masters of Ley Lines, allowing them to empower their own spells through combos and proper rotations, making it a very fun caster to play that grows in power.

Black Mage Weaknesses:

Black Mage has powerful spells, but they take a long time to cast. While they have spells that can help with this, such as Triplecast, Black Mage will always be at a disadvantage in fights that require a lot of movement.
Aside from raw damage, Black Mage provides no party utility.

Pick Black Mage if:

You enjoy playing a Caster DPS who can deal massive amounts of damage.
You want to play a Caster DPS with a unique rotation and spells that resemble explosive fireworks.

Black Mage details.

Black Mage usefulness score: 91 /100

7. Bard

Bard is the ranged physical DPS that plays their songs grandly.

Bard is the only physical ranged DPS available at the start of the game in A Realm Reborn. Players will start out as an Archer at level 1 before becoming a Bard at level 30.

Bard Strengths:

The bard is a good physical ranged DPS who can provide many buffs to their party members by playing their songs. Each song will have its own buffs, and there will be three songs in total.
Bard also has a lot of skills and abilities that they can use on the battlefield, making it a very good and involved battle job with a lot of button presses and active gameplay.
Aside from their songs, Bard has a variety of party utilities. They have abilities such as Radiant Finale and Battle Voice, which provide buffs to the party members.

Bard Weaknesses:

Bards are weaker at lower levels because they have fewer skills and songs. It makes leveling Bards more difficult because they don't have many skills at lower levels and can only spam the same skills over and over.
Bard's fast gameplay at level 90 can also be a stumbling block for players with poor internet connections, as they will be unable to play Bard optimally.

Pick Bard if:

You want to play a Physical Ranged DPS with a lot of abilities and button presses.
You want to play a DPS with a lot of party utility who can help your teammates by buffing them.

Bard details.

Bard usefulness score: 92/100

6. Gunbreaker

The powerful Gunbreaker with their Gun and Sword as a weapon.

Gunbreaker is the latest Tank introduced in the game, which are added into the game through the Shadowbringers expansion.

Gunbreaker Strengths:

Gunbreaker will begin at level 60, allowing players to skip 60 total levels of leveling grind, making Gunbreaker's leveling process faster and less painful.
Gunbreaker has a lot of mitigation and regen skills that they can use to protect themselves, making them an ideal Main Tank for the party.
Some of Gunbreaker's mitigation skills can be passed on to party members, and they have their own party-wide mitigations, making them powerful enough to protect their groups.
As a Tank, they also have high DPS because they have a strong offensive rotation that they can use against the enemies.

Gunbreaker Weaknesses:

The invulnerability skill of Gunbreaker clashes violently with the Benediction spell of White Mage.
Gunbreaker has fast rotation skills, making it difficult for players with poor internet connections to play.

Pick Gunbreaker if:

You prefer to play a Tank with a high mitigation skill set to protect yourself or your party.
You want to be a Tank that can deal a lot of damage to your opponents.

Gunbreaker details.

Gunbreaker usefulness score: 93 /100

5. Dancer

The graceful Dancer going into the battlefield.

The Dancer is the latest Physical Ranged DPS introduced in the game through the Shadowbringers expansion.

Dancer Strengths:

Dancer, like the Gunbreaker, will start at level 60, allowing players to skip 60 levels and speed up the leveling process.
Dancers also have a lot of utility skills that can help a party member or the entire party and increase their damage dealt. These include Dance Partner, Devilment, Standard Step, Technical Step, and many more.
They can also help heal the party members by using Curing Waltz or Improvement.

Dancer Weaknesses:

Dancer may be too simple to play for some players, as they have fewer skills to press than Bard or even Machinist.
Dancers' abilities are also heavily reliant on RNG, which determines whether or not they can proc their stronger abilities.

Pick Dancer if:

You enjoy playing as a graceful dancer who can assist your teammates by increasing their damage or healing them.
You prefer to play a simple DPS that is simple to learn and suitable for players with poor internet connections.

Dancer details.

Dancer usefulness score: 94 /100

4. Red Mage

Red Mage with their rapier on hand.

Red Mage is the latest Caster DPS introduced in the game through the Stormblood expansion.

Red Mage Strengths:

Because of their Dualcast ability, Red Mage is a very versatile caster who can instacast every two spells.
Dualcast will give them greater mobility on the field while also allowing them to resurrect a large number of people quickly.
Red Mage also has a Melee Combo, making them an intriguing mix of Caster and Melee DPS.

Red Mage Weaknesses:

Red Mage has a lower damage output than the other two casters.

Pick Red Mage if:

You prefer to use a Caster with a lot of mobility on the field.
You want to play a Caster who doesn't always cast but also has some Melee Combo in their rotation.

Red Mage details.

Red Mage usefulness score: 95/100

3. Samurai

Samurai, with their Katana on the ready.

Samurai is a Melee DPS battle job introduced in the Stormblood expansion. They are the star of the Stormblood expansion.

Samurai Strengths:

Samurai can deal a lot of damage to their enemies with their skills because they have a lot of powerful combos and have a lot of damage potency.
Their combos have a lot of variety and buttons for players to experiment with, making it a very enjoyable job to play and combo through.
They also have a variety of resources, ranging from their Iaijutsu to their Kenki Gauge, giving them a wide range of skills to choose from.

Samurai Weaknesses:

Samurai provide no party utility other than their high damage to enemies.
Samurai's many buttons and difficult rotation can also be a weakness for new players who may feel overwhelmed by the job.

Pick Samurai if:

You want to play a Melee DPS battle job with a lot of buttons and different rotations to experiment with.
You want to take on a Melee DPS battle job that can deal a lot of damage to your opponents.

Samurai details.

Samurai usefulness score: 96/100

2. Warrior

Warrior executing Inner Release.

Warrior is one of the two Tanks available for players to choose at the start of the game in A Realm Reborn. Players will start out as a Marauder at level 1 before finally becoming a Warrior at level 30.

Warrior Strengths:

Warrior is a powerful Tank with a simple learning curve when compared to other Tanks due to their slower rotation but high damage output.
Warrior is also a beginner-friendly class due to their ability to regenerate their own HP via Bloodwhetting or grant the same regeneration to another party member via Nascent Flash.
In addition, Warrior has the shortest cooldown for their invulnerability skill when compared to other Tanks, allowing them to use it more frequently and soak in more Tank Busters.

Warrior Weaknesses:

Many players may overestimate the Warrior's ability to recover HP and fail to use any mitigation skills, resulting in their own death.
Warrior's simple combo is a good starting point for beginners, but some may find it too simple to play.

Pick Warrior if:

You prefer to play a Tank with a straightforward offensive skill combo.
You want to play a Tank with strong regeneration abilities and the ability to heal themselves completely with a few skills.

Warrior details.

Warrior usefulness score: 97/100

1. Astrologian

Astrologian with their cards and divination.

Astrologian is the second regen healer available in the game. It is introduced through the Heavenward expansion.

Astrologian Strengths:

Astrologian has strong healing abilities and is a healer who can recover quickly from emergencies. They have powerful regeneration abilities as well as instant healing abilities.
They also have shields that can help mitigate damage taken by their allies. This takes the form of AoE as well as some unique shields that are beneficial to Tanks.
Astrologian is an expert in buffs and party utility. They will be able to increase the damage of their allies by dealing their cards to the chosen allies. Divination will also temporarily increase the damage dealt by all of their allies.

Astrologian Weaknesses:

Astrologians deal less damage than the other healers.
Astrologers have a lot of buttons to push, such as weaving and selecting the right ally to play the card for. For beginners, it can be a very intimidating healer to play.

Pick Astrologian if:

You enjoy playing Healers who not only heal or deal damage, but also play cards to buff your allies.
You want to play a healer with beautiful spell animations and the ability to recover quickly from emergencies.

Astrologian details.

Astrologian usefulness score: 98 /100