Why Change Class?
Unlike most MMORPGs, Final Fantasy 14 allows players to pick up several different classes and switch between them at their leisure. This creates a wider range of gameplay experience for players that can be customized to their liking and keeps the game from feeling stale. Overall, FF14 is made for you to play several different classes and, in fact, encourages it. The main reason to invest in multiple different classes is that it will help you become a better player and understand the ins and outs of the class types. If you typically main tank, it would be good to pick up a healing class in order to pick out any bad habits you may have while tanking. The same goes for healing and DPS. Gear sets also save your gear for each class individually, making it easy to switch from one class to another. Additionally, a leveling buff on your lowest ranking classes will help you level up your side classes in no time.
Types of Classes
Before picking up a new class, it’s important to know what options are available to you. Of the three types, tanks have a high defense in order to agro attacks off other party members, healers keep up party HP and mitigate damage, while DPS tear through enemies’ HP. Since there are so many DPS classes, they’re divided into three categories: Melee, Physical Ranged, and Magical Ranged. Melee DPS fight up close and personal with physical ranged using physical projectiles and magical ranged using damaging spells. What type of classes you decide to pick up depends on your personal taste, and with all the options there’s no reason not to dabble in several.
Basic Requirements for picking up a new class
You can pick up additional classes or switch to a different one fairly early on in the game. You need to have reached level 10 of your starting class and completed its level 10 job quest. After that, look out for quest markers in other class guilds as they’ll allow you to pick up that guild’s class. Keep in mind that since some classes are located in different cities than your home city, it may be more difficult to access them if you haven’t unlocked chocobos or airship travel. The requirements for classes added in the Heavensward, Stormblood, and Shadowbringers expansions are different than these basic ones, so we’ll touch on those later.
What classes are there and where to find them
Tank options include: Gladiator in Ul’dah and Marauder in Limsa Lominsa. For DPS, Arcanist and Rogue are found in Limsa Lominsa, Archer and Lancer in Gridania, and Pugalist and Thaumaturge in Ul’dah. Conjurer is the only healing class you can pick up this early in the game (although Arcanist can level up into the healing class Scholar) and its guild is in Gridania. If you’re curious about what jobs each of these classes upgrade into, check out this quick guide.
Heavensward Classes
The Heavensward expansion introduced three new classes: Astrologian, Dark Knight, and Machinist which are a healing, tanking, and DPS class respectively. To pick up these classes, you must be level 50 in one class and have finished up the main story quests for the base game A Realm Reborn. Then, you’ll find the job quest notifications in Ishgard. All these classes begin at level 30 so there’s less need for level grinding.
Stormblood Classes
Samurai and Red Mage were introduced in Stormblood and are both DPS classes that can be picked up in Ul’dah. You have to own the Stormblood expansion and be level 50 in at least one class in order to unlock these jobs. These classes begin at level 50.
Shadowbringers Classes
Lastly, we have Gunbreaker, a tanking class, and Dancer, a DPS. Gunbreaker can be picked up in Gridania and Dancer in Limsa Lominsa once you have reached level 60 in a class and own the Shadowbringers expansion. These classes begin at level 60.
