Top Ten Best Standard Job Classes in Final Fantasy Tactics
With several job classes in-game to utilize in Final Fantasy Tactics, there's lots of ways to customize standard units, so let's look at some really good ones. Note that I stated "standard" in the title because we're not including special job classes that special recruits have. So don't expect Holy Swordsman, Holy Knight, Divine Knight, or Dragoner here. We're looking at the normal classes in this game.Ninjas have been one of my favorite classes throughout every Final Fantasy game, and Tactics isn't an exception to the rule. Able to dual-wield and throw, plus their great speed, Ninjas can do everything they're known for. They also have a Vanish reaction ability, which is really handy.
To think that the Summoner would be an amazing job class, but it is. Trust me. In Tactics, spells can usually hit both friend and foe alike, which is why it's important to strategize when they charge. However, Summoners avoid friendly fire (or enemy fire in the case of healing summons) and can hit wide areas. Too bad they are somewhat slow and require loads of job points to get the best summons.
The thing that makes the Samurai class amazing is their Draw Out technique. As long as you have the specified katana, you can use it to hit enemies instantly, with the only real cost being the chance to break the katana. And like the Summoner, the Draw Out abilities distinguish between friend and foe, so you don't need to worry about hitting allies.
Despite being a starting job, the Chemist might actually be the better choice for a healer because they can throw items to units who need them, and they don't need any charge time. They can also equip guns, which I love using in Tactics due to their great range. I also consider their Maintenance passive ability to be invaluable in many battles where it's possible to lose equipment.
Also known as Arithmetician, the Calculator job may actually be the single hardest one to use effectively, but when done right, it can break the game open. Set a parameter (experience, level, height) and a number (4, 5, prime number), then select a learned spell from the repertoire, and bam, instant casting. Unfortunately, it doesn't distinguish between friend and foe, can't be used for summon spells, and to top it off, the Calculator is the slowest job in the entire game. It's very hard to use but fun if done right.
To think that the usually situational Geomancer would actually be pretty decent. Having Elemental is a good skill to have in most cases. As long as you're using terrain correctly, you can damage enemies from afar and cause status effects. Plus, they can equip axes, which is really nice. Attack UP is a good passive ability to have for fighting classes later on.
The obvious White Mage, usually indispensable, with all the best white magic. Save up job points for Holy to get the best spell.
The obvious Black Mage, with all the offensive magic but very squishy. Their good magic score ensures this unit can dish out solid damage when using the best spells available.
Time Mages can be hard to use because they are extremely squishy and don't have much offensive magic. They do have the Demi line, and if you train enough, you get Meteor. The Short Charge ability is also fantastic.
I didn't think of the Mediator as good because I never used the Talk Skill, but if you want monsters in your party, the Mediator can invite them to become allies. They also have several other abilities: some cause status effects, and others take money or something similar. More importantly, a Mediator can equip guns. Getting enough job points to unlock Equip Gun so other classes can use it is one of the goals I aimed for when I played FFT.