[Reminder] Classes Are Not Jobs [dev1033]

[Cairdeas]

Armoury: A Collection of Weapons and Tools in a single location.


I think one of the largest misconceptions flowing around the FFXIV fanbase, at least amongst the English and European Demographics, is that the Weapon Based Classes from the Armoury System in Final Fantasy XIV are interchangeable amongst the Traditional Jobs from previous Final Fantasy Job systems. Ultimately this is not the actual case, so we will now delve into this and try and re-explain the Armoury System as it currently stands so that we can better understand and anticipate upcoming changes.

In Final Fantasy XIV each Weapon belongs to a collection of other weapons of its type to form a “Class”. When equipping a weapon from a class of weapons, you become a Weapon Specialist of that class. Training with the weapon of that class, you will then learn skills associated with that weapon but allow for you to fulfill multiple roles. The weapon itself determines a few things about your combat style, This is generally the style of damage you deal as well as small niche traits native only to certain classes of weapons. Axes for instance use wide broad swings and you gain a bonus when you allow yourself to become balanced in place.

Traditional Jobs on the other hand are a collection of skills organized to allow for an individual to perform a specific role, this allows for each Job to be a Role Specialist. Most Jobs are designed only to operate within their Specialized Roles while only a few are capable of standing in for other Roles. Jobs, unlike Weapon Classes, are not limited to one class of weapons. As an example, a Warrior(Fighter) while possibly preferring Two-Handed Axes can be proficient with One-Hand Axes, Shields, Swords, Two-Handed Swords, Spears and Scyths, Knuckles, and even Clubs. They can also use Bows, Crossbows, Boomerangs, and other throwing weapons.

Weapon Classes should then not be confused with Jobs from previous Final Fantasy Job systems. Weapon Classes on their own are not Role Specialists like those Traditional Jobs from Previous Final Fantasy games. Instead taking skills you learned from studying with all of the weapons in your Armoury you can recreate most of the Traditional Jobs. Future weapon classes as they are introduced will then allow for more and more of the Jobs to be recreated as well.



I think one of the reasons this became so hidden to most of the player base is how the English Localization was done. The Japanese Nomenclature for Gladiator consisted of 士 which translates to “User” or “Specialist”, 術 which translates to “Art”, as well as the Weapon itself 剣 “Sword”. This became 剣術士 (ken-jutsu-shi) which trans-literally means “Sword Art User” or “User of the Sword Arts”

The Localization team took this nomenclature and branched it into English from its core. 剣 translates simplistically into Sword in English, but simply calling them “Sword User” would be too bland to most English speakers so they added flair. Sword in Latin is Gladius, and -ātor means the User or Agent Of. So the Latin translation for “Sword User” is Gladiator. Gladiator being a much less bland term was then used but means the same thing as 剣術士 (ken-jutsu-shi), Sword User.

Each class is the same, in Japanese the name of each Class is simply the name of the weapon it uses and the symbol for user, And the English version is the Latin translation of the same root terms.

剣術士 → Sword User｜Sword User→Gladius (Latin: Sword)+ -ātor (Latin: Agent) → Gladiator

格闘士 → Hand-to-Hand User｜Fist User → Pugil (Latin: Fist) + -ist (Latin: Practitioner) → Pugilist

弓術士 → Bow User｜Bow User → Arcus (Latin: Bow) + -er (Defines a User from his Tool) → Archer

槍術士 → Lance User｜Lance User → Lancea (Latin: Lance) + er (Defines a User from his Tool) → Lancer

No this pattern isn’t present for all the Classes. Marauder is not some mix of a Latin word for Axe and one of the many ways to differentiate the Tool from its User. But the Marauders(Origin French) who occupied what is modern day France were known as the Franks and their menacing axes were Francisca. The Francisca caused them to become feared amongst most of Europe until its falling out of use. So you should look at all of the combat Classes as the following.

Gladiator > Sword User
Pugilist > Hand To Hand(Fist) User
Archer > Bow User
Lancer > Lance User
Marauder > Axe User


But that doesn’t translate with the Magic Discipline exactly?
No, it doesn’t, Thaumaturge is simply someone with magical powers or who can perform miracles, the most popular historical miracle being resurrection. While a Conjurer is someone using incantations or charms to cast magical spells. So how do you Classify them if not by their weapon? Their equipped weapon isn’t their real weapon. Its a tool that lets them channel their real Weapon. How they distribute their magic.

Conjurers: Single hit healing and damaging spells distributed through large Circular Areas of Effect.

Thaumaturge: Spells that heal or deal damage over time distributed through a Cone Area of Effect.


In the end Classes and Jobs are mutually interdependent but not interlocked or synonymous. As the game is currently the Classic Jobs are not directly implemented in the game, but all the tools needed to "Recreate" them are currently present but any choice to do so must be self imposed which is the beauty of the system at its core.

For Instance, to recreate a "Paladin" in its Classical Job Sense, you can take any of the Weapon Classes and give them White Magic, Defensive Abilities, and Enmity Control. Even though it is not built in game to say "I am a Paladin!" the Idea/Theory/Role is there and it is up to the player themselves to say "I am a Paladin!" Again, this is one of the great features of the current system, if you wanted to you could "Make a Paladin" out of any of the base Weapon Classes Even the Magic Classes. You might not be the best Paladin but you are a Paladin.

With this system a Gladiator (Sword User) can be a Paladin, Warrior, Thief, Dark Knight, Ninja, Mystic Knight, Samurai, etc.

And a Paladin can be a Gladiator (Sword User), Lancer (Lance User), Sentinel (Shield User), Conjurer (Circle Area Magic), or Thaumaturge (Cone Area Magic).

If you take that into account then the comments “Classes ARE Jobs” in the terms and theory present in Final Fantasy XI/V is incorrect and instead it should be “Any Job Can Be Any Weapon Class, and Vis Versa.”

But looking forward to the future, to implement the Traditional Jobs we just need a system that mounts on top of the Armoury System and gives a Player a Bonus for following the path of a Job without limiting the ability to modify their skills as they choose, or negates the effectiveness of having the Class be its own Entity.

http://i56.tinypic.com/15h0jt1.png


http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...pecializations