What your Favorite FFXIV Job Says about You

Paladins are front-line specialists, sporting a veritable arsenal of defensive and supportive tools to protect both themselves and their allies. Paladins also utilize MP to heal their comrades and to deal burst damage. Paladins possess a unique ranged spellcasting period in their rotation allowing them to attack targets without being in melee range, and a strong cooldown that makes them completely immune to all damage for a period. Paladins also possess two unique party mitigation actions to other tanks’ one unique action, along with a unique action that allows the paladin to cover an ally from attacks. At higher levels, paladins possess good self-healing abilities, arguably second compared to warrior.

Warrior frame icon.png Warrior
Warriors are mighty front-liners wielding two-handed axes which are used to perform huge burst damage using their Beast Gauge. They have a very simple damage rotation focusing on hard-hitting weaponskills. Warriors have exceptionally potent self-healing abilities that make them particularly strong in dungeons. They also have a strong cooldown that, rather than preventing damage, simply prevents them from dying for the duration. This “invulnerability” also has the shortest recast timer among all tank invulnerabilities. Warrior’s simplicity but high survivability makes it a good tank for beginners.

Dark Knight frame icon.png Dark Knight
Dark knights provide the player with a balanced offering of mitigation and damage-dealing tools, complemented by their skill with two-handed greatswords. They use MP as a secondary resource for executing strong magical attacks and very powerful burst damage relying more on strong abilities (off-global cooldown actions) than weaponskills. Dark knights arguably have the strongest burst damage among all tanks and are the most effective at stockpiling resources as necessary for when more damage is needed. Dark knights possess powerful self-shielding abilities and have a cooldown that lets them continue attacking even after having been “killed”, potentially returning to life without interruption if healed sufficiently during the short period after their ostensible death. At higher levels, dark knights also have the most flexible targeted mitigation among all the tanks, allowing them to easily shield and mitigate multiple allies at once.

Gunbreaker frame icon1.png Gunbreaker
Gunbreakers blend solid damage, mitigation, and utility into a straightforward playstyle. They possess combos that generate Cartridges, which can be used on multiple strong attacks. Gunbreakers possess strong DPS but have a rigid damage rotation and busy burst windows. They possess a cooldown that, while it reduces them to only 1 HP, makes them immune to nearly all attacks and abilities for a duration thereafter. Gunbreakers also have a strong healing-over-time action that can be used on themselves or a target ally. At higher levels, gunbreakers gain access to a particularly strong mitigation action with a short cooldown that automatically heals the target if their health drops below a certain amount.

Healer role.png Healer
Healers are divided into two types: pure and barrier. Unlike with the DPS sub-roles, pure healers and barrier healers share the same role actions.

Pure healers
“Pure” healers have access to higher healing output in response to damage and stronger healing-over-time abilities.

White Mage frame icon.png White Mage
White Mage is a straightforward healing class that forgoes utility to provide immense healing output and regeneration effects to their allies. Their simple but powerful healing kit does not require much advanced planning compared to other healers. They also have good personal damage, blasting their enemies with devastating elemental attacks, including a powerful AoE stun. At higher levels, they gain access to Lilies, which can be used on instant healing spells without needing MP, and later on will gain access to an exceptionally powerful attack that is fueled by Lilies. White mages also have a movement action that allows them to quickly dash forward.

Astrologian frame icon.png Astrologian
Astrologians are masters of fate that provide healing and regeneration to their allies. They have a unique Card system that allows them to provide damage, healing, or defensive buffs to fellow party members; an ability that buffs the entire party’s damage for a short period; and a large number of cooldowns to provide all manner of utility or damage as the fight demands. In exchange for their utility, their personal damage is lower than that of other healers. Several of their healing abilities have a strong but delayed healing effect, meaning proactive usage and knowledge of specific encounters are key to effective healing. In many situations, astrologians are also generally more effective at reducing incoming damage than White Mages.

source