[Eorzea]

The verdict is in. Final Fantasy XIV will have 18 classes at launch!

Five Disciples of War.
Two Disciples of Magic.
Three Disciples of the Land.
Eight Disciples of the Hand.

5 + 2 + 3 + 8 = 18

The lack of combat classes may seem disappointing at the moment, but you can bet that Square Enix will release additional classes in the future. Remember, Final Fantasy XI also started with a modest number of classes, but that number continued to grow through the release of numerous expansion packs.

Not only that, but with FFXIV allowing players to customize their character with skills accumulated from all classes, there are a large number of possibilities! And that's not even considering the impact of elemental affinities.

That being said, let's take a look at the final lineup!


DISCIPLES OF WAR

• Archer
  
• Gladiator
  
• Lancer
  
• Marauder
  
• Pugilist

DISCIPLES OF MAGIC

• Conjurer
  
• Thaumaturge

DISCIPLES OF THE LAND

• Botanist
  
• Fisher
  
• Miner

DISCIPLES OF THE HAND

• Alchemist
  
• Armorer
  
• Blacksmith
  
• Carpenter
  
• Culinarian
  
• Goldsmith
  
• Leatherworker
  
• Weaver

This official lineup (as confirmed by the official site) also confirms the correct spelling/translation for some of the classes we weren't quite sure about:

• "Botanist" was translated as "Harvester" on many Japanese sites.
  
• No one could decide if it would be "Fisher" or "Fisherman."
  
• "Armorer" used the "Armourer" spelling for a while.
  
• "Leatherworker" was known as "Tanner" for quite some time.
  
• Some thought "Carpenter" would be known as "Woodworker."

It's great to finally have things set in stone!



Should you wish to see "new" (though previously released) renders for each class, check out 4Gamer (or the "previously released" link posted within this same sentence ).

[Eorzea]

On a more personal note, I think the seven combat classes will keep people busy/interested/engaged for a while, but I'm not sure how long Square Enix can get away with having so few choices before people start to complain. Crafting and gathering materials is fun, yes, but those things will never trump the excitement of combat for most people.

Anyway, my laptop will likely barely run FFXIV as it is, so perhaps I will spend the first six months simply exploring/crafting/etc. while I wait for the PS3 release.

[Hugbees]

I figured there would only be 5 War classes, but seriously only 2 Magic classes? It's like they aren't even trying anymore

[Bewoulf]

I was hoping for a more designated healing class at least. That's my only complaint. FFXIV is having more combat capable roles at launch than FFXI had, and I was busy for a solid year on those alone.

I don't know, I think I'm more interested in crafting this time around. I did a lot of crafting in FFXI but it was really limited to 2. I think I want to try them all just to play around with the system!

[Vagabond Sam]

It's been so long since a triple A title released I think everyone has forgotton how many classes games usually release with. WoW only has 9 classes excluding the heroic class and when it released two of those were exclusive a particular side. Not even accounting for the fact FFXIV will allow you to customise based on skills from other jobs.

Lotro features 7 classes, 2 more were released in the Moria expansion.

DDO has a roster of 9 with 2 added by expansions and no crafting options.

12 Classes in AoC with no customisation available

Even the WAR Online roster of 24 (4 classess per army) all 4 confirm to the basic roles in a party and do not offer the diversity of gameplay FFXIV is offerring us.

The last two games also, being the most recent comparable additions to the MMO Fantasy world, had huge balancing issues. Cyclone of Steel on Barbarians was monumental and got nerfed seriously.

A few places where this news has been posted it has been met with the sneers of people who aren;t contemplating the alternative, unbalanced classes, or have not stopped to think about what customisation that game will offer with using skills subbed from other jobs. Not to mention the Elemental affinities which may affect everything.

Relax and don't write it off as 'Not enough' until you know what each class contains for us to discover and the opportnity for the community to find out how all the classess behave and combine.

Lets not forget our one Avi can do it all so 7 classess plus the crafting is so much more to do then any other game with one character.

[Eorzea]

Some good points, Sam. I added a few pieces to the main article.

I think that although there are 18 classes, many people only consider the combat classes to be true classes. In Final Fantasy XI, for example, activities such as crafting and gathering materials were simply extras and not classified as a "jobs," so why should they be classified as "classes" in FFXIV? I think that's where some of the disappointment is stemming from.

If you take away the crafting/gathering classes, that leaves seven combat classes (which is fairly standard).

For me, personally, I'm sure that these classes will keep me busy for a LONG time! I will be playing very casually, so the lack of combat classes doesn't bother me much. I would like to see some more magic classes, though.

[Nuri]

So...Hmm, when is the first expansion coming out?

[Nestorm]

There is still a chance that SE will "release" more classes on launch but they wont be playable right from the start. In FFXI there were only 6 starting classes i think but there were a few more that could be unlocked once you reached level 30. Hopefully they will do something similar again.

[karari]

I may just be in denial, but I don't see where SE says those are the only classes available at launch? I still think those are the only playable classes at launch, with some advanced classes unlocked at later levels. Of course, that information probably wouldn't be released yet. Still... 7 "true" classes is kind of weak. =/

[Dodge]

I'm not too worried about the comparative lack of classes as I've seen countless times what someone else mentioned earlier in the thread where if you have too many classes and you happen to like one of the considered junk classes then your stuffed until they buff it (anyone remember dragoon in FFXI before they buffed it? no one would party with you after 30 as it was considered such a joke.)

I'd rather they spend their time getting these balanced and maybe even fun to play (five usable abilities ouch) than releasing a slew straight away. That being said I'm really looking forward to seeing what sort of impact square enix will be allowing skills you've learned in other jobs impact on the play of your current job, if at all!

[Saeryne]

I think I will look at this in the way that by the time new classes come out, I will have leveled what I have chosen from the initial choice and be ready for new ones!

[Hugbees]

My issue right now is that there is only one healing class, the Conjurer. Looking at the beta footage, healing in groups will be very important as most enemies can hit quite hard. Considering there are a lot more melee classes, even some that can act as tanks the demand for healers will be quite high but the supply will be very low which MMOs like WoW have enough problems with even when there are 4 out of 10 classes that can heal.

The only way I see this working out is if crafting classes like Chef or Alchemist can lend a healing hand in battle, but I haven't heard much or seen any thing showing off the crafting classes able to have active combat roles and if it turns out they can't, then in my opinion there are only 7 classes in the game.

I want to have high hopes for this game, but it just seems they are rushing their game out the door for unknown reasons. As it stands only Limsa Lominsa is the only city state you can choose in beta. 2 months from release and only one starting area has been tested? SE better know what they are doing

[Val]

Where the hell is my gun class! Theres been images floating around of it for ages and even a guild, but it won't be there on release? I hopw what Nestorm said is correct and that it will be there, you just have to train up another class to a curtain level before it's playable. I'm kind of happy know that I won't be playing till 6 months later now so I will know how to get it when I start, if I can.

Apart from Ranger, Weaver and maybe Blacksmith... nothing else really interests me.

depending on how job search goes, I may not even be getting this game~~

[Siali]

Val, on Jul 23, 2010 - 6:48 AM, said:

Apart from Ranger, Weaver and maybe Blacksmith... nothing else really interests me.

Well that alone should keep you busy for a bit.
The thing with the mages is that they got away from the white, black and red mages, now you have two classes that if trained right I imagine can fill those roles. I don't see it as just 7 fighting classes but 7 base classes you can customize. With the amount of versatility it would be a bad idea to release too many classes at the same time.

As for healing, you retain your skills, I don't know for sure but what if we can all have a healing skill if we choose to level conjurer to a certain level?

[Saeryne]

Well although anyone can level healing up, I would LIKE to think that you cant heal and fight at the same time, effectively at least.