When it comes to tanking, Paladins like to do it the good old way - by using Swords, Shields, and sets of heavy Plate Armor. They have access to strong damage mitigation skills, insanely powerful 10-second invulnerability Cooldown in the form of the Hallowed Ground ability (its power is balanced by long, 7 minutes Cooldown, however), and use robust but long two-part (physical and magical damage) DPS rotation. Physical damage rotation focuses on building up MP that are then spent during the Magical damage rotation. Paladins also offer the most group utility of all Tank Jobs, which makes them great as off-Tanks that focus on babysitting other party members (for example, their Cover ability allows them to divert all damage taken by an ally to themselves for 12 seconds). In Shadowbringers expansion, Paladins did not change too much, but still, they feel more streamlined, and even more solid as Tanks and off-Tanks. Their damage mitigation remains very strong and they received a much-needed charge ability (they were the only tank Job without one, and now they get it at level 74).

Note: Just like in other MMORPGs, Tanks have a much easier time finding a group because of how rare they are. This rarity, however, is not accidental - playing as a Tank is quite challenging and requires good knowledge of the game mechanics and boss encounters.

• Requires level 30 Gladiator with all Class Quests completed
• "Paladin's Pledge" Quest, Ul'dah; Steps of Thal (9, 11)

Job's Strengths and Weaknesses

•  Very strong damage mitigation abilities, including party-wide  defensive cooldowns
•  Jack-of-all-trades, easy-to-play Job (for a Tank)
•  Paladin's gameplay can become a bit dull after a while

• Requires level 30 Marauder with all Class Quests completed
• "Pride and Duty (Will Take You...)" Quest, Limsa Lominsa Upper Decks (11, 6)

Job's Strengths and Weaknesses

•  Solid defensive abilities and great self-sustain
•  Strong DPS combos and aggressive, dynamic gameplay
•  Lack of group utility

Wicked-looking and heavy-armored, Dark Knights embrace the darkness and use it as a weapon to fight for good (where is light, there is also a shadow and all that). In the past, Dark Knights were in a peculiar spot... close to death, but never dying, always starving for MP, but never wanting to hold off on offensively spending it. They were all about resource management, which made them both simple and deceptively tricky to play. This made them too unhandy and too complex for the majority of players. Luckily for Dark Knights, the Shadowbringers expansion gave them a comprehensive rework. It altered their playstyle, bolstered their defenses, and overhauled their kit.

Dark Knight's rotation still revolves around good old builder-spender relation, but it got streamlined and now allows him to bolster both his offense and defense instead of forcing him to choose just one. As all Tanks, Dark Knight supports impressive damage mitigation toolkit. He excels at nullifying enemy's magic attacks (which is somewhat niche) but lacks strong health-sustain abilities. Moreover, his invulnerability skill - Living Dead forces him to rely on Healers to keep him alive. All in all, Dark Knight is solid, but not ideal and rather complex Tank with an interesting, shadowy flavor.

• Requires level 50 Desciple of Magic or Desciple of War
• "Our End" Quest, The Pillars (13, 8)

Job's Strengths and Weaknesses

•  Can completely mitigate even the hardest of hits 
•  Excels at nullifying magic damage
•  Lacks strong Health-Sustain abilities
•  Experiences sustain problems if his resources are not managed properly

Guns are fun, but swords are cool too... why not combine them? The Gunblade, a strange, but powerful amalgamation of melee and a ranged weapon, now utilized by Final Fantasy XIV's newest Tank Job, is most likely a result of someone asking the foregoing question. Gunbreaker uses this peculiar weapon to deliver a deadly combination of melee swings and point-blank gunfire to his enemies. His main gameplay mechanic, based on loading cartridges into his Gunblade so he can unleash its devastating power on enemies, ensures engaging and dynamic playstyle more akin to a DPS Job. In addition, Gunbreaker has access to a range of Tank-specific defensive abilities. Thanks to this dynamic system, Gunbreaker is a well-rounded Tank with acceptable defense and a very potent offense, but there is a price to pay. He lacks Health-sustain abilities, so he is forced to rely on the rest of his toolkit to stay alive and maintain his health level. If you are looking for offense-focused Tank who can also shrug off surprising amounts of punishment while delivering devastating combos, Gunbreaker is a way to go.

• Requires level 60 Desciple of Magic or Desciple of War
• "The Makings of a Gunbreaker" Quest, New Gridania (11, 11). NPC Gods' Quiver bow

Job's Strengths and Weaknesses

•  Plays similarly to a DPS Job, which makes him very dynamic
•  Impressive single-target Damage output and competitive AoE
•  Strong party synergies
•  Not as durable as other Tank Jobs

• Requires level 30 Arcanist with all Class Quests completed
• "Forgotten but Not Gone" Quest, Limsa Lominsa Lower Decks (4, 11)

Job's Strengths and Weaknesses

•  Excels at shielding allies, preventing incoming damage
•  A Fairy pet
•  Pet requires micromanagement

• Requires level 30 Conjurer with all Class Quests completed
• "Seer Folly" Quest, Old Gridania (6, 10)

Job's Strengths and Weaknesses

•  Strong AoE Heals and Heal over Time spells
•  Surprisingly hard-hitting AoE spells and solid Raid DPS
•  Lacks shields and focuses on raw Healing output which makes him the most reactive of three healing Jobs (you can't front-load Heals, but you can front-load Shields)
•  Limited utility

Astrologian is a Healing Job that utilizes an interesting, but somewhat RNG-dependant mechanic - a Card System. Basically, he has a Deck of cards that he can Draw random Cards from and Play them for various buffs. This mechanic, while a bit random, keeps the gameplay engaging. On top of that, Astrologian can select one of two stances - Diurnal (adds regen effect to some of your healing spells) and Nocturnal (allows you to shield your allies from incoming Damage).

Shadowbringers expansion has left Astrologian in a sad spot. The Job felt underpowered and players were forced to work hard to achieve the same outcome, as other healer Jobs could without breaking a sweat. Thankfully, patch 5.05 brought a range of buffs that revitalized Astrologian, allowing him to dish out competitive Raid DPS while keeping the heals up. As of right now, Astrologian is a flexible, competitive Healer with a lot of potential, and piloting him feels smooth and rewarding.

• Requires level 50 Desciple of Magic or Desciple of War
• "Stairway to the Heavens" Quest, The Pillars (15, 10)

Job's Strengths and Weaknesses

•  Good mix of Shields and Healing Spells
•  Very strong damage buffs and great group utility
•  Can Heal off global cooldown without losing DPS (unlike other two Healing Jobs)
•  Aastrologian's Heals are weaker than White Mage's, and his Shields are weaker than Scholar's
•  Lack of Burst-Healing spells

Samurai is the pure DPS Class of the Final Fantasy XIV, and the word "pure" translates to "selfish". While most other DPS Jobs bring at least some group utility to the table, Samurai focuses exclusively on slashing his enemies to very small bits with his deadly Katana. This results in a Job with potential to top DPS meters throughout all content while not aiding the group in any way except damage.

Shadowbringers expansion didn't change much when it comes to Samurai's gameplay. He still remains powerful, well designed, melee DPS with an explosive resource building/spending rotation. Samurai feels smooth during combat and his resources are generated organically while he performs his combo, which makes the gameplay dynamic and enjoyable. If you are looking for a straightforward, but engaging and enjoyable Job focused on one thing, and excelling at that one thing - look no further, Samurai is the best choice.

Note: Samurai, like a Job based on Japanese culture should, has his abilities named after real Samurai sword techniques (Iaijutsu, for example)... in Japanese, which can be confusing and hard to remember for some players. 

• Requires level 50 Desciple of Magic or Desciple of War
• "The Way of the Samurai" Quest, Ul'dah; Steps of Nald (9, 9)

Job's Strengths and Weaknesses

•  The "pure" DPS Job with very enjoyable gameplay
•  Very high Damage output
•  No group Utility
•  Finding a party may be difficult, as there is often just one spot open for a Samurai in any given group

Despite having quite severe DPS problems, Ninja was one of the most sought after Damage Dealers in the Final Fantasy XIV. He owes this popularity in Raid groups to a single ability from his wide utility kit - the Trick Attack. Trick Attack is a straightforward melee ability... that also applies a 10-second debuff that increases Target's damage taken by 10%, making it one of the most powerful group-utility abilities in the entire game (it has 60s Cooldown). However, having one of the best group-utility abilities in the game is often not enough to secure a Raid spot and Ninjas have to work hard to squeeze every last point of DPS out of their class to be competitive.

The Shadowbringers expansion has left Ninja in a rather bad spot. His damage output is often too low to secure him a spot in most groups, even if the Trick Attack's Damage bonus is taken into account. However, patch 5.1 might shake things around and increase the Ninja's power level enough to make him a viable Job again (fingers crossed).

• Requires level 30 Rogue with all Class Quests completed (Rogue himself requires level 10 DoM/DoW and a Class Quest to unlock)
• "Peasants by Day, Ninjas by Night" Quest, Limsa Lominsa Lower Decks (8, 16)

Job's Strengths and Weaknesses

•  Great group utility, including party-wide damage buffs
•  Poor Damage output, especially for a DPS class
•  Competition for a group spot might be fierce

Unlike other Jobs, Monk does not use weapons, as weapons are for people who can't effectively fight without them, instead, his whole body is a Weapon. He is a straightforward, easy-to-learn, but also hard-to-master melee DPS that supports very engaging gameplay. Many of the Monk's abilities have positional requirements and force him to be on the move almost constantly. Thanks to this, He is one of the most dynamic Jobs in the game. Playing as a Monk revolves around maintaining the Greased Lightning buff (10% attack Damage bonus + 5% attack speed bonus, stacks up to 3 times, or up to 4 while under the effect of the Fist of Wind ability). Monk is not all about dealing damage, however. He also brings some quite good group utility to the table.

Shadowbringers expansion introduced some well-received quality of life changes to a Monk, making Greased Lightning uptime manipulation much easier while also providing tools that enable the preservation of stacks even between encounters.

Overall, Monk is a very strong DPS Job, well-suited for Players who are looking for a dynamic experience and like to stay engaged for the whole duration of an encounter.

• Requires level 30 Pugilist with all Class Quests completed
• "Brother from Another Mother" Quest, Ul'dah; Steps of Nald (9, 10)

Job's Strengths and Weaknesses

•  Very dynamic Job that forces you to be on toes
•  Very high DPS
•  While easy-to-play on a decent level, Monk is surprisingly hard to master

Have you ever seen an action fantasy Korean movie? Dragoon plays (and looks) like a character taken straight from one. He uses Armor designed to make him look like a dragon and fights with a giant polearm. His playstyle revolves around jumping around (a lot) and executing some of the longest combos, with positional requirements, in the game which is very satisfying, dynamic, and spectacularly flashy. Dragoon's trademark, jumps, are also one of his main drawbacks in some situations, as they lock him in place, making badly timed jump attack sometimes result in death to boss's AoE attack. His long combos, while more complicated than most other, feel very impactful when executed correctly, especially if you get all positional requirements right.

Shadowbringers expansion brought some quality-of-life changes to the Job (mainly, the rotation got streamlined and feels a lot smoother) and added a new Jump, for the new total of five. Dragoon also received a three-part AoE combo that fits his theme of having long combos perfectly. All in all, the expansion didn't change Dragoon much but made him a lot smoother and fixed some of his main rotation problems.

• Requires level 30 Lancer with all Class Quests completed
• "Eye of the Dragon" Quest, Old Gridania (14, 5)

Job's Strengths and Weaknesses

•  Jump attacks feel very satisfying
•  Good utility
•  Jump animations lock you in place

Dancer is a new Ranged Physical DPS Job introduced in the Shadowbringers expansion. He uses Chakrams and supports an interesting combo mechanic, where his main moves (both single-target and AoE, which means that Dancer has two flourishing rotations) have a 50% chance to flourish, triggering one of two combo abilities that in turn have a chance to give you a Dancer-specific resource, the fourfold feather, that stacks up to 4 and can be used to trigger special abilities called fan darts (there are two; a single-target and AoE, and both of them can flourish into  third one). This system, while a bit confusing at first, is quite simple to learn and pleasant to use, but also RNG-based. On top of that, Dancer has access to some interesting buffs that make him, and a selected teammate (so-called "dance partner"), more effective in combat. Although the Dancer's DPS is not the highest, His Raid contribution more than compensates for it.

Dancer feels like a complete Job. His kit is well-designed and makes him fit into a group setting almost perfectly. Overall, He is a good Support DPS Job with fun and solid, but also quite random mechanics.

• Requires level 60 Desciple of Magic or Desciple of War
• "Shall We Dance" Quest, Limsa Lominsa Lower Decks (9, 12), NPC Eager Lominsan

Job's Strengths and Weaknesses

•  Random procs keep you engaged and force you to pay attention (Dancer is definitely not a boring Job)
•  Good utility
•  Quite complex, RNG-based rotation
•  Rather low personal DPS

Machinist is a Ranged Physical DPS Job that uses Guns and various technological inventions, like Turrets and Automatons. He is very dynamic and action-packed, especially for a job that is supposed to keep a distance and spam ranged abilities at a target.

Machinist is one of the Jobs that received the most complex rework treatment in Shadowbringers. First of all, His rotation was freed from the RNG elements, and he can now freely spam his Split Shot ⇒ Slug Shot ⇒ Clean Shot combination. His Ammunition resource was removed completely and replaced with a double resource system focused on building up Heat and Battery resources by using abilities. The Battery can be used to summon machines (Turret or an Automaton Queen) that aid in combat, while Heat can provide the "Overheated" buff that boosts weapon skill potency and unlocks two very powerful special abilities. The newest expansion has left Machinist in almost a perfect spot, his DPS is high, his rotations feel polished, and there is nothing "wrong" with the current iteration of the Job.

• Requires level 50 Desciple of Magic or Desciple of War
• "Savior of Skysteel" Quest, Foundation (8, 10)

Job's Strengths and Weaknesses

•  Very dynamic and fast-paced, especially for a ranged DPS
•  Good DPS
•  Difficult to learn and even more difficult to master
•  Gets punished by bad internet connection
• Lack of utility

Bard is a proc-based Physical Ranged DPS with a lot of buffing potential, which makes him a good teammate in a group. One of his main features is dynamic playstyle. Bard is able to execute his combos while on the move thanks to his instant-cast abilities. This makes him great at dodging incoming AoE while keeping up his DPS and managing buffs. As a true battle-singer should, Bard can utilize his Song mechanic to apply buffs to himself and his teammates.

Shadowbringers brought some impactful changes to Bards. They lost their Crit buff, but their raw damage output was significantly increased, making them less Crit-reliant and much more consistent. Their Song system was also revamped and they received a new resource, called Soul Voice that charges when they play Songs and can be used to empower their new special attack, Apex Arrow. This new Attack deals massive Damage to enemies in a straight line and makes Bard's toolkit feel more complete. There is nothing more satisfying than a powerful BANG at the end of one's performance, after all.

• Requires level 30 Archer with all Class Quests completed
• "A Song of Bards and Bowmen" Quest, New Gridania (15, 11)

Job's Strengths and Weaknesses

•  Mobile and dynamic Ranged DPS
•  Good utility toolkit
•  Damage output depends on RNG-based procs

Red Mage is a combat caster Job that combines magic and martial arts. This battle mage fights by casting spells and building up his resources, Black and White Mana, that are then used for devastating Rapier (Red Mage's weapon of choice) attacks. Red Mage is also one of few Final Fantasy XIV Jobs capable of resurrecting players and although he is a DPS, he has access to some healing abilities. As a Job, Red Mage is rather simple to play, because of quite straightforward mechanics that just require him to follow combo prompts and unleash his melee combo when he collects enough resources.

Red Mage remains mostly unchanged in Shadowbringers. He received some quality-of-life improvements, some of his Damage/Cast Time values were tinkered with, and he gained access to a brand-new AoE rotation. Patch 5.05 adjusted Red Mage's ability costs (a lot of his abilities now cost 100 less MP than they used to) and the Enchanted Reprise got buffed. Overall, He still remains one of the most versatile jobs, because of the utility and support that he provides.

• Requires level 50 Desciple of Magic or Desciple of War
• "Taking the Red" Quest, Ul'dah; Steps of Thal (14, 11)

Job's Strengths and Weaknesses

•  An interesting mix of melee combat and spell-casting
•  Great utility
•  Rather simple to learn
•  "Simple" may turn to "Boring" if you like your gameplay to be challenging

Summoner is a Final Fantasy XIV's pet Class (Job). He can choose from three different (AoE and ST DPSs and a Tank) normal pets and has access to the powerful, time-limited special summons. In combat, he relies not only on  His companions but also on powerful Damage over Time abilities and spells that synergize with them. Moreover, he has access to a powerful utility spell, resurrection, that makes him one of just two Jobs that can revive fallen comrades. Micromanaging Summoner's DoTs, Pets, Resources, and Job-specific mechanics all at the same time is complicated, making him one of the most difficult to learn Jobs in the game.

Luckily for aspiring Summoners, Shadowbringers expansion brought a range of welcome changes to the Job. Pets are no more targetable, which makes micromanaging them much easier, moreover, Pet-specific actions were moved to summoner's action bars, simplifying pet gameplay even further. There is also a new super-summon, the Demi-Phoenix that distributes party-wide, 20-second Heal over Time when activated and then functions similarly to the Demi-Bahamut. His DoTs now have a duration of 30 seconds, making them easier to maintain, which is good, because they are now more important than ever, as Ruin spell deals bonus Damage to targets affected by Summoner's DoTs. All in all, Summoner remains a very complicated, but also very rewarding Job, suited well for players who like a challenge.

• Requires level 30 Arcanist with all Class Quests completed
• "Austerities of Flame" Quest, Limsa Lominsa Lower Decks (4, 11)

Job's Strengths and Weaknesses

•  Summons powerful Pets
•  Able to resurrect fallen comrades
•  Complicated gameplay with many different things to keep track of

Black Mage is a master of elemental magic able to scorch his enemies with fire, just to freeze and shatter them with potent Ice-based spells seconds later. As most other casters, he suffers from mobility problems caused by cast times and is less mobile than ranged physical Jobs. This, combined with a lack of defenses, forces Black Mage players to pay close attention to surroundings in order to not get caught in Bosse's AoE mid cast (moving around as a Black Mage creates Downtime and Downtime significantly reduces DPS, keep this in mind and learn your encounters well to avoid unnecessary movement).

Square Enix must have decided that Black Mage was in a good spot before Shadowbringers because they left him almost unchanged. The most notable change is the addition of Aspect Mastery that allows Black Mage to switch between Astral Fire and Umbral Ice for free as long as he is stacked up. If you are looking for an explosive (and chilly, at the same time) Caster DPS, Black Mage will do the job.

• Requires level 30 Thaumaturge with all Class Quests completed
• "Taking the Black" Quest, Ul'dah; Steps of Nald (7, 12)

Job's Strengths and Weaknesses

•  Rather simple to learn
•  Very flashy spells make you feel powerful
•  Experiences downtime if forced to relocate during an encounter

Blue Mage*

*This is a Limited Job focused on story and skill-based solo gameplay experience that has some limitations imposed on it.

Blue Mage can mimic the abilities of his enemies, effectively defeating them with their own weapons. In theory, the more powerful the enemy, the more powerful the Blue Mage and his arsenal, but... As a limited Job, he suffers from a range of crippling limitations, including inaccessibility of PvP and most of the group content. On top of that, he can't reach max level. The main focus of the Job is the Blue Mage-specific content, the "Masked Carnivale" that is comprised of a collection of combat challenges that force players to use Job's mechanics to their full advantage.

At some point during Shadowbringers, Blue Mage's level cap will, most likely, be raised but not to the max.

• Requires level 50 Desciple of Magic or Desciple of War
• "Out of the Blue" Quest, Limsa Lominsa Lower Decks (10, 11)

Job's Strengths and Weaknesses

•  Versatile and adaptive
•  Unique, Job-specific content
•  Can't reach the max level
•  Crippling Job limitations

END NOTE

Picking up the Right Job is a difficult task, especially in a game as complex as the FFXIVV. We hope that this overview will help you make the right choice and contribute to your fun and progressive in-game experience.

We hope that you have found this guide useful and informative.  If we have missed a piece of information that is important to you, please let us know! 

Please do note that this is an early version of our guide, and we will be happy to receive constructive criticism, that will help us improve it, so leave your suggestions in the comments section below.