Final Fantasy: 7 Most Underused Jobs In The Series

Part of the appeal of a classic Final Fantasy game is its cast. These characters tend to have diverse personalities, looks, and, of course, jobs. Jobs give each character a specialty and role in battle. Some of the more recognizable jobs include the warrior, the black mage, and the summoner. With such a long history, Final Fantasy has produced jobs that are a little odd and out of place even for a fantasy world.

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However, some jobs seen through the series have been simultaneously thematically or mechanically cool and, sadly, rarely used. While the last mainline Final Fantasy game, Final Fantasy 16, did not use the traditional party system (or, indeed, a set party at all), there will always be a new Final Fantasy game on the horizon, and with it, the hope of returning to a classic, party-based design. Failing that, these jobs could always find a place in the omni-collage of Final Fantasy 14, if they haven’t been already.

The Brooding Dark Knight

First Seen In: Final Fantasy 2

Although the archetype of the edgy, grimdark knight-gone-bad enjoys undying love among fantasy fans, its inclusion in the Final Fantasy series has been somewhat scarce considering its popularity. Dark knights tend to appear as anti-heroes or optional jobs that job-fluid characters can switch to, such as Lightning in FF13: Lightning Returns or the Gullwing girls in FF10-2.

Dark knights sacrifice their own health to deal more damage against foes. Perhaps because Final Fantasy tends to portray their fantasy worlds as bright and optimistic, this type of job would seem out of place if included too often. That being said, the dark world of Final Fantasy 16, Valisthea, would probably suit it just fine.

The Nature-Communing Geomancer

First Seen In: Final Fantasy 3

The geomancer job sounds like an earth-elemental mage, but its capabilities reach far beyond simple rock and soil. Geomancer shape and manipulate their terrain at zero MP cost. In other words, their abilities change depending on where they are in the natural world. This job has plenty of potential as players “unearth” their unique abilities as the party travels across different landscapes.

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For example, the geomancer might whip up a dust storm out in the desert, or conjure spears of molten rock while traveling across a volcano’s rim. Final Fantasy has always had something of an environmental message, and the geomancer would be perfect for exploring themes of natural preservation.

The Mix And Match Chemist

First Seen In: Final Fantasy Tactics

The chemist, who can combine different items together for unique effects, has only been seen in one mainline Final Fantasy title, Final Fantasy 5, and Tactics. However, the similarly named, similarly themed, similarly rare alchemist shares many of this job’s properties. Final Fantasy 10‘s Rikku had its primary ability as her overdrive.

Implementing a chemist or alchemist sounds like a lot of work in creating combination tables. However, since crafting is so popular in modern RPGs, it is surprising that a job centered around collecting items and experimenting with different recipes for powerful items hasn’t seen more use. Of course, it is a learnable Disciple of the Hand job in FF14.

The Untamable Ranger (Or Beastmaster)

First Seen In: Final Fantasy 3

Granted, there are a few overlaps between the ranger job and the archer, which has enjoyed some representation, although in many cases, outside the mainline series. However, the ranger is more than a bow. Their affinity with wild pets and wilderness survival abilities, a specialty that the beastmaster job shares, are sorely missing in most of the series.

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Rangers or beastmasters could mechanically behave in a similar way to summoners, bringing all the beasties they have made friends with on their adventure to battle. Being able to tame and improve a pet or wild ally’s abilities in battle could be a fun gameplay loop by itself.

The Studious Scholar

First Seen In: Final Fantasy: Tactics

The scholar is a job focused on intellect, knowledge, and analysis. In Final Fantasy Tactics, scholars had the unique ability to study enemy weaknesses and use area-of-effect spells to exploit them. Their ability to read and interpret battle conditions and enemy weaknesses is a job mechanic that may be niche but adds a much-needed level of strategy.

Unfortunately, scholars are often overshadowed by flashier magic users, such as summoners or black mages. Final Fantasy 14 gave this job a fresh spin by introducing it as a healing job that uses faerie companions to aid their party. While it is more of an aesthetic nod to the original job, it is still nice to see its inclusion.

The Soul-Stealing Necromancer

Last Seen In: Final Fantasy 5 Advanced

This job has probably made the most infrequent appearances in a series about light-imbued heroes battling the forces of darkness thanks to its grizzly nature. Despite being a playable staple in many other RPGs, Necromancers are more likely to be an enemy type than a playable role. In fact, the job only appeared in the GameBoy Advanced version of Final Fantasy 5, and while they were set to be a job in Final Fantasy 11‘s “Treasures of Aht Urhgan” expansion, they were deemed “inappropriate” and reworked into the puppetmaster.

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However, their status as inherently undead and their ability to turn living creatures is still compelling. Perhaps if the series continues its dark streak, fans will be able to control a party member with the ability to manipulate their enemy’s corpses, turning the tide of battle with a small squad of grotesque goons.

Gun Mage – Final Fantasy 10-2

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Some combinations seem fated to be, such as the marriage between science fiction and fantasy. It seems preposterous that an archetype that mixes the sharp fit of a gunslinger with the mystical mastery of a mage should be apart so often. Only Final Fantasy 10-2 demonstrated the potential of this potent pairing.

Equipping the gun mage dressphere gives its user the ability to deal extra damage to foes providing they have the right ammunition type and even learn abilities from their prey. There’s definitely some overlap here with the enemy-skill copying blue mage, but this archetype is cool enough to warrant expansion. For example, the gun mage could work similarly to the black mage job but under Vancian Magic (or D&D spellslot) rules, meaning they can only use magic as long as they still have magical ammo).