


Managing your mana points (MP) and gauging which heals to use how and when is the hallmark of a good healer, and the classes of FFXIV offer a good variety for getting stuck in. Various types of damage can hit your party in combat, ranging from unavoidable passive area of effect (AoE) damage to direct hits that can rip chunks out of your tank's health pool. Healers are responsible for keeping the group alive. Using a unique gunblade, rapid technical attacks make quick work of enemies. Gunbreaker: One of the newer classes, the Gunbreaker is inspired by Squall of Final Fantasy VII.Dark magic coupled with the ability to steal health from enemies keeps you alive against threats that would vanquish others. Dark Knight: The opposite of a Paladin, a Dark Knight labors for justice using their inner torment as a weapon.Guardian/Paladin: Wielding a sword and shield, the Paladin is a more magical variant of the Warrior, using holy magic to augment your strength and prowess.Rocking a two-handed axe, you'll charge into battle first while defending your allies with powerful attacks. Marauder/Warrior: Starting as the Marauder, the Warrior class is the quintessential MMO staple.Tanks also deal moderately good damage too, contributing to the overall damage output of the group. By generating high "enmity," you ensure that enemies target you first, rather than the less defensive damage dealing and healing classes, who can't really take many hits (if any) from larger enemies.

If you pick a tank, you're a defender and lead the groups by keeping the monster's attention firmly on you. We have a full guide on every job in FFXIV here, but here's an overview of the main roles you can undertake in FFXIV. Some jobs are also restricted to certain expansions, and can only be unlocked after progressing through the story to that point. Unlike previous MMO Final Fantasy XI, your chose race is purely cosmetic in FFXIV, and has no bearing on your capabilities in battle. For example, to play as the classic Dragoon or Black Mage jobs of other Final Fantasy games, you must start as a Lancer or a Thaumaturge respectively. Some jobs start as a basic version, and through story progression graduate into more advanced jobs. In FFXIV, classes are known as jobs," inspired by classic Final Fantasy games, and come in a variety of roles and playstyles. Final Fantasy XIV differs from some other MMOs out there by letting you train multiple character classes at once.
