Final Fantasy XIV Shadowbringer is coming in less than a month, and if for some reason you are still not playing the best title of the recent Square Enix and you do not know what class to play, today we will see the various roles in the game. This guide is addressed not only to those who want to start their journey in Eorzea, but also to those who want to play with the mentality of getting to face the complex endgame of the game. Optimizing a Final Fantasy XIV class is a long process, which requires a lot of practice both in using the class itself and in applying skills to the various battles; therefore starting with an idea of one's role in a party can help to regulate one's behavior… o to choose your class based on the behavior you want to have in battle.
- TANK:
The role of the Tank in Final Fantasy XIV is rather particular compared to a classic MMO. In fact, the tanks will be required to contribute strongly to the team's dps, and not just to defend their lives from enemy attacks. A "Full Party" contains 2 Tanks, one of which will assume the role of "Main", while the other will "Off". The difference between the two lies in the use of defensive skills. The Main Tank will focus solely on protecting itself, as well as keeping the boss's aggro up, while the Off tank will have to support the team and take part in particular mechanics to defend the Party. Both are forced to inflict heavy damage on the boss, acting here as "added dps", even if limited by a lower overall potency.
To play Main Tank the recommended class is the Warrior, while for the OFF Tank it is recommended to use the Paladin. The Dark Knight is usable in both roles, but it is less effective than the two classes mentioned previously in their roles of belonging. However, each Tank class is viable in any role, without any problem other than the different skill levels that each class requires
- HEALER:
The role of the Healer in Final Fantasy XIV, like that of the Tank, is divided into two sub-roles: Main Healer and OFF Healer. The difference between the two classes, however, is more marked than the tanks. In fact it is not based on which of the two classes should heal more, but on the effects that are applied. The Main Healer must ensure to continuously apply and renew the regen on the entire party, while the OFF healer provides to put shields to mitigate the damage. The division of care is not specified, both classes must help keep the party alive, in the ideal case they should manage their resources by communicating during the battle.
The Main Healer is a role that can be played by both White Mage and Astrologian. Currently the White Mage is recommended for "safe" runs, having very powerful and easy to use cures. However, the Astrologian is the community's favorite healer for this role, as, even with less powerful heals and regen, it offers powerful attack and critical buffs, which make it easier to achieve the dps needed to win Savage and Extreme battles. The OFF healer, on the other hand, is a role for which the Scholar is strongly recommended, equipped with very powerful shields, able to give enormous support, especially to tanks. Unlike the Tanks, not all Healers are able to fill the two roles. The only one who can do both roles is the Astrologian
- RANGED DPS
Ranged DPS is a hybrid of physical DPS and pure support. These are classes mainly forwarded to party support, which is required to do a higher dps than tank and healer, but which usually does not exceed the other DPS classes. A ranged DPS for Party is practically mandatory. This role is able to support healers by donating mana and helping to mitigate damage, to tanks by enhancing their physical defenses, and to dps by increasing crit.
In Final Fantasy XIV this role can be covered by two classes: Machinist and Bard. Bard is currently the community's favorite for its simple use for maximum effectiveness.
- RANGED MAGIC DPS
Magic DPS is a role required to keep their DPS as high as possible, providing support to Healers as needed. These casters have a resurrection with which to help Healers in the event of the death of a party mate, but they can also donate their MPs to Healers if needed. As for the part addressed to pure DPS, these classes have skills that can enhance the attacks of the entire Party, but these are less relevant buffs than those offered by ranged DPS or Melee DPS. The advantage of Ranged Magic DPS is that they can keep their distance from the boss and don't need to use positional moves.
This role can be filled by either Red Mage or Summoner, with the Summoner currently preferred for the highest DPS and the Red Mage favored for the greatest availability of healing skills.
- MELEE DPS
I Final Fantasy XIV's Melee DPS usually represent the second class with the highest dps in the Party. However, they are not "selfish" classes, but rather they are able to give very important buffs to the dps of the companions. The disadvantage of this role, compared to the Ranged Magic DPS is the need to use "directional" moves, and having to always be attached to the boss. This implies a greater ability to exploit the full potential of the role. Additionally, Melee DPS have no defensive support to use to aid Healers, although they do have a skill to reduce damage dealt by enemies that can be useful to Tanks.
This role can be filled by Dragoon, Monk and Ninja. None of the 3 classes are preferred in general, although the Monk is highly regarded as he currently resides in limbo between Melee DPS and Top DPS, bringing both strong buffs and high dps to the team
- TOP DPS
The "Top DPS" is a term coined by the community for the best DPS of the party. This role is not officially listed in the game, but it is made up of the two classes with the greatest damage contribution. This is also because these two classes have no support skills. These are selfish classes aimed purely at keeping the dps as high as possible, regardless of their team.
There is a magical and a physical top DPS. The top magical DPS is the Black Mage, while the physical one is the Samurai. Currently they are in equilibrium, the Black Mage can do a higher dps, but better exploited the Samurai can overcome it.
► Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn is an Adventure-RPG game published by Square Enix for PC, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4, the video game was released on 27/08/2013 The version for PlayStation 4 came out on 05/04/2014
