new player, trying to decide on class

Just got the game, and am liking it. The problem I get in MMOs is I have a hard time picking a class. I tend to have a lot of alts and never get that far into the game's content. I thought about a few classes/jobs.

paladin: I heard tanking was just standing there and taking damage. After research and sounds like they have to plan the battle and I am not sure if I would be good at that being new.

white mage: I like the idea of being support, but I know how important healer is and not sure if I would be good at keeping up. Plus I am playing on a ps4 controller so I don't know if that makes it harder or not.

Bard: I have been leaning towards bard because they were my favorite class in dungeons and dragons. I like the idea of sitting in the background and singing to support the group. I just see they are listed under dps, so are they more dps then support?

Rouge/ninja: Melee dps isn't what I tend to play, but they just sound cool.

Well, if you choose a tank or healer you have a distinct advantage of never having to wait overly long for dungeon queue times since they're ALWAYS in demand. The big thing with those roles is learning dungeon layouts and boss fights to utilize proper mitigation. Far as your dps classes though, honestly try them all and see what feels right to you.

Far as your bard question: Yes they're DPS, but they support using their songs while dpsing at the same time

Best thing about this game is you don't need an alt so as said above, feel free to try as many jobs as you like

I would pick a class or two that sounds fun and try it out. I leveled a few classes in HW and am slowly working on some for SB. Some I leveled for a while and then quit deciding I didn't like that class.

You can get to lvl 10 on any class in about an hour which gives a feel for what the class is about.

Why have more than one class? Sometimes you get tired of your chosen job and it's nice to be able to switch.

Just try all the ones you are interested in since you can play multiple, the game will be more fun that way anyways!

Play a bit further into the story (past the first 3 dungeons) and you get a quest in the Gridania Adventurer's guild that unlocks the Palace of the dead. The party composition doesn't matter so you should not have to wait long to enter no matter what job you are. The layout is random and you start at level 1 and level up very quickly. While this doesn't carry over into your actual level you can use this to get into the 20s or 30s in a class and feel how it plays with more of its abilities available. Best of all, if you clear 10 sets of floors you get a hefty chunk of xp towards your actual level so you can use it on occasion to level up your classes. Once you get past the Level 10 quest for your starting class you can unlock other classes and change between them at will so you don't have to worry about having to create a new character to try them all out.

I wouldn't let being a newbie prevent you from playing tanks. Lots of people take it as their first class and do just fine. Let people know you are knew and take the dungeons at a pace that is comfortable to you and be sure to ask questions and read what your abilities do.

And for your healer question, using a controller works just fine. Tons of people play on PS4 or with controllers on PC, myself included, and have no problems with any of the jobs. That said if you do think you would be more comfortable playing with a mouse and keyboard, you should be able to hook them up to the PS4 and use them. In fact it's recommended to at least use a keyboard for chatting since it's a lot faster and easier than using the virtual keyboard to type.

That is my problem. I am interested in a lot of them. Just hit level 10 with arcanist. I don't mind the magic, but I am not enjoying dealing with the pet. Lancer seems cool, so does ninja. I am very indecisive. That is why I tend to try to find the jack of all trades class. The one that can do a bit of everything so I can help with all roles.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dragonstrike

That is why I tend to try to find the jack of all trades class. The one that can do a bit of everything so I can help with all roles.

---

Well, this game doesn't exactly have any jack of all trades classes. They're all specific to a single role, either tank, healer, or dps. Instead of giving classes themselves the ability to adapt to being used for multiple roles, the game instead gives our characters the ability to learn multiple classes. You can help with all the roles if you level one or more classes from each of them.

(If you've done your level 10 class quest at the ACN guild, you can go to other class guilds and do a quick quest at each to unlock access to those classes as well. The marauder and rogue guilds are there in Limsa Lominsa, as are the Blacksmith, Armorer, Culinarian, and Fisherman classes if you want to branch out into crafting and gathering as well. The rest will have to wait until you reach the level 15 quest that opens up access to the other main cities. And then there are extra jobs added in the expansions that don't unlock until you reach level 50.)

Many players level all of them. Once you reach endgame, you'd have a hard time earning enough gear to equip all of them equally, so by that point you're best off picking a favorite to focus most of your attention on. There's really no need to choose a favorite or "main" class until then (though many people do). And even once you pick a main to focus on, you can still change it any time you want. So don't worry about what's going to be "best" at some point down the road. Try them all out, and continue playing whichever ones you enjoy.

If dealing with the pet hasnt been your thing, then id say do the class quest at level 10 asap. This unlocks the "armory" system, which is how you change classes. If ninja seems cool, head over to the rogue guild and join up. Try it for a few levels and see how it feels. Ninja is a melee DPS class but they also have a good amount of support and utility style skills. Or if you want to try another flavor of magic, Thaumaturge(grows into Black Mage) casts big hard hitting spells without having to interact with a pet.

As for paladin(or either other tank), you dont really "plan the battle". Ideally, you pull the mob groups, get all the enemies attention, and hold them there while the group wipes them out. You are usually leading the way, but the planning portion is in how you use your defensive skills to survive, and how you set up the bosses(some you want to fight in the middle, some on the edge of their space, some you start in one place and later need to move). Its not the easiest role(DPS is clearly easiest - stand there and fire away while dodging the odd attack), but new people pick it up all the time and do just fine. Dont be intimidated.

And i know its been mentioned, but the game has multiple controller setups and you can find one that makes any class play easily enough.

You can level multiple classes on the same character, so you won't have the same alt problem as in other MMOs. In fact, it's easier to level up multiple classes on the same character than on an alt (because of the 50% exp bonus you get when leveling a class lower leveled than your highest level class). You can still make alts if you want, but it's mostly just for cosmetic purposes or in the rare case that you play so much you cap on dailies and weeklies instantly. There is very little branching of the storyline nor any significant difference between factions in this game. The only question is which class you want to level first.

Paladin and White Mage are both very strong classes now. White Mage is much more of a dps and healer hybrid than any of the other healers now, but their primary role is still healing. In comparison, Astrologian is much more support-based and is less able to do damage on its own.

You seem like a player who likes their utility. In that case, Bard and Red Mage should definitely be considered. Those two classes still feature high damage, and like many DPS classes, are not as durable as a tank, but canbring a large amount of support to the game.

Bard has the most utility of any job you want. You can provide a buff to crit, restore TP and MP, increase maximum HP, increase the healing someone receives, reduce damage, and remove unwanted status effects.

Red Mage is a new job and it is considered a magic dps class. However, it provides a surprising amount of burst healing because of the way their heal scales off INT (also your main stat), and the fact you can effectively cast 2 spells at once. You also get a raise effect at later levels that you can effectively instant cast any time you want, and this makes you a secondary/tertiary healer in most groups. You also have abilities that restore MP and reduce magic damage if you want even more utility.

As for the controller, everyone has their own preference for which works better for them, but there is no big difference in how it works. I will admit however, that healers seem to use the most macros out of any role. So keep that in mind if you're not comfortable making or using them.

The good thing is you can eventually level all jobs on your character. Playing on PS4 is no issue, only a few jobs there existed too many buttons so myself i had macros (only for scholar mind you) but now they have simplified some things so it makes it more console friendly.
Red Mage is more or less Jack of All Trades in a sense, it is dps but can raise and cure people

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dragonstrike

That is my problem. I am interested in a lot of them. Just hit level 10 with arcanist. I don't mind the magic, but I am not enjoying dealing with the pet. Lancer seems cool, so does ninja. I am very indecisive. That is why I tend to try to find the jack of all trades class. The one that can do a bit of everything so I can help with all roles.

---

I like those kinds of classes in games too, I think you would definitely like Red Mage as was suggested, since you do great DPS and some really useful support options for emergencies that can help save the party. The major downside to that is that unfortunately it's not available until you hit level 50 in another class. You should definitely try out a healer though. Your main focus is on keeping the party alive but in most of the non-hardcore content like dungeons you have ample time to throw in attack spells if you are doing your job correctly, and you can contribute quite a lot to the party. It's part of why i really like healing in this game.

I appreciate everyone's help and advice.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Anova

You seem like a player who likes their utility. In that case, Bard and Red Mage should definitely be considered. Those two classes still feature high damage, and like many DPS classes, are not as durable as a tank, but can bring a large amount of support to the game.

.

---

You are correct about me. I kind of prefer to be in the background supporting my team. After reading all this advice I think I have a plan. I just switch to rouge. Going to get it to level 15 to unlock access to the other towns. Then I am going to go level up pugilist because if I remember right it is needed for bard and ninja. Then I plan to either start archer, or go back to rouge to finish leveling that up. Depends how much I am liking rouge by the time I get to 15. Once again I appreciate everyone's time and advice. If I can ever return the favor please let me know.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dragonstrike

I just switch to rouge. Going to get it to level 15 to unlock access to the other towns. Then I am going to go level up pugilist because if I remember right it is needed for bard and ninja. Then I plan to either start archer, or go back to rouge to finish leveling that up.

---

No job requires a secondary class. Jobs that are upgrades to classes require completion of class quests Lv1 through Lv30, and the Lv20 MSQ Sylph-management.

Really? Sites I read said classes needed a level 30 and a level 15.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dragonstrike

Really? Sites I read said classes needed a level 30 and a level 15.

---

That used to be the case but with the new expansion that has been removed

Well that will save time. Thanks

If you are looking for a "jack of all trades" Paladin is your best bet. Solo play you deal enough damage to get through all your quests, team wise you can choose to be the off tank in Raids/trials if you aren't feeling confident in yourself, while taking in normal dungeons isn't hard and its easy to grasp after a few runs. Also I don't know if I'm remembering this correctly but I think they have a heal(?) but with a long CD.

but as the others before have said you might as well try all the classes(pre heavensward up to level 10 or 30 if you like them, Post HW classes level 31, Stormblood classes a run or two.)

If you make it To heavensward you can try DRK, I've had the most fun tanking with them, and Being evil looking is pretty cool

The current iteration of Bard is a heavy support class in the guise of Ranged dps, a lot of the parts of your rotation as a Bard will automatically buff the party. In addition to those party-wide damage buffs though, they also have an action that boosts the defensive capabilities of the whole party depending on the current song they're on, an instant cast cleanse which can also be applied prematurely, an action that increases HP recovery on a target, and is one of only two jobs that have access to party-wide MP and TP regen role skills. Essentially if you really want to be support, then Bard is probably closest to that role.

Right now I have a level 16 gladiator and level 18 rouge. Also level 10 Arcanist and conjurer

I was leaning towards bard, but you don't get to be support till level 30. If I was reading right archer itself doesn't have any support. Also I did a lot of the level 1 quests in all areas building up other classes. What would be a good way to build up an archer if I tried one?

Every class gets its own hunting log(there are many shared mobs, but each class tracks them separately). You can add a fate or two here and there. Add dungeons to the list once you get to high enough levels. And while i dont personally parrot it, PotD can be qued at any level after you unlock it.

If you want a quick way to level, palace of the dead is probably the fastest way. It can be unlocked by completing the quest, the house that death built.

You can also use hunting logs, fates, and guildhests (they reset for every class, so you get the first clear bonus every time you do them on a new class/job). You can also try PvP, although the pvp skill list is undoubtedly more about damage than support

Dungeons also give a lot of exp, especially with the +100% exp bonus that's possible from killing monsters. However, your queue time as a dps will likely be atrocious in solo-queue. If you can run with a tank/healer friend, it's also a good way to level, especially when you're 50 to 70, as that is when you start gaining most of your unique support abilities.

I have been switching between archer and rouge. I enjoy the rouge a little more right now. It is fun to sneak up behind stuff and back stab it. I like the range of the archer and I think I may like bard more then ninja. Not sure what ninja does. Either way I may just end up switching to red mage at 50.

Ninja is melee DPS with some useful utility skills(mostly hate control) and some powerful enemy debuffs.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dragonstrike

I have been switching between archer and rouge. I enjoy the rouge a little more right now. It is fun to sneak up behind stuff and back stab it. I like the range of the archer and I think I may like bard more then ninja. Not sure what ninja does. Either way I may just end up switching to red mage at 50.

---

I wanted to play the new DPS classes, but they are extremely overplayed. Not to mention it's horrible to level with them, because it takes forever to even get one queue.

In this game you just try out everything that looks good to you and switch as often as you like. You will naturally settle on something you enjoy the most.

If a class is popular, it's popular. People play their jobs for a lot of reasons. Some do it because it's an unpopular job and/or they want to show how special they are to be able to use it, others because they need that job for their raid group, and others do it just for the giggles. Your reasons are your own and as long as you are enjoying the game, I don't think it matters.

That said, I will admit that RDM is one of the most consistent jobs you can use. Very few players play the job poorly, and to my knowledge, most players have an easy time making a large contribution with the class. For better or for worse, it seems to be a job with a low skill ceiling and a high skill floor. Ninja (rogue) and Bard, in comparison, have higher skill ceilings and lower skill floors. All three have unique play styles and you're free to choose what you want.

My suggestion to you

Play the job you like and not the job the game needs

If you don't know what you like then play all of them but just from reading your post, you are more or less either bard or a red mage player

Bard sing song while dps they increase direct hit chance and they also reduce damage for a player and they also give mana to the party mostly healer will benefit most while at the same time doing high amount of damage, another cool thing about bard is that they usually have the coolest looking weapon in the game

Red mage - they are dps support unlike bard, they give damage increase to the party and they also help raise dead ally when they get killed from battle which will help the healer stay focus on healing instead of raising and they also can heal quite a bit of hp to an ally