Ranking Every Major Mage Clas In Final Fantasy

Scholar

Let us begin by saying that we do not despise the Scholar class. It’s actually rather cool. The issue is that this field is stacked. Scholar isn’t one of Final Fantasy’s genuinely’meh’ jobs.

What should you do if your ranking field is stacked? You devise your own strategy, and you’ll see it again and again here today – how prominent is this class in Final Fantasy’s narrative history? How often does that presence in battle turn the tide? The tome-loving Scholar falls short in several ways. It’s only beneficial in one fight in Final Fantasy 3, and it’s only situational outside of MMOs.

Scholar’s lore-heavy nature, on the other hand, makes it a perfect fit for Final Fantasy 14, whose world is brimming with history. And, because FF14 is an MMO, Square strives to make it as balanced as possible alongside the other healing occupations, so you should have a good chance.

White Mage

White Mages are maybe the most essential job class in the world, and if that were the only deciding criteria, this one would go far. Unfortunately, despite their importance, White Mages aren’t the most compelling class. Almost everything the White Mages do revolves around mending their comrades. Cure, Cura, Curaga, and the occasional Curaja are all important spells that simply heal a greater number of health points.

When half your party is unconscious and that beloved Raise or Arise spell is skillfully cast, you’ll always be grateful for the assistance of a White Mage. However, aside from when things get hard, a White Mage is rarely used in the single-player entries. This might make them feel as much like a liability as a lifeline.

Again, this is less true in MMOs, where every class must hold its own, but if you’re playing Final Fantasy 5, expect some serious downtime.

Sage

The Sage has lately been given a big increase in the coolness area, courtesy of Final Fantasy 14’s massive Endwalker expansion, with long-running hero character Alphinaud donning the robe and slaying untold numbers of adversaries. The class’s sheer visual magnificence makes it immediately enticing.

But what is the Sage beyond Endwalker’s reach? The capacity to tap into elements of White and Black Magic while keeping a typically modest physical attacking capability is a recurring feature. This makes them the kind of jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none that Red Mages may get a poor rap for, but without the benefits we’ll discuss later.

Calculator

The Calculators, also known as Arithmeticians, are Final Fantasy Tactics‘ most bizarre class, with a vocation entrenched in the rigors of mathematics to the point of magical prowess. By doing difficult computations, these strange warriors march into battle with nothing but a book and shouting algebraic formulae like…

What do you think? We’re finally understanding why Calculators are so terrifying. Consider the most abrasive math teacher you’ve ever had. Can you see them going into battle against demons and malevolent spirits? We can.

The Calculator is as niche as niche can be, and their difficult gameplay style has primarily limited their appearance to only one game, but in a hypothetical universe were they were prolific and continuously expanded-upon, this would be a top-tier position.

Bard

Bards do not deserve all of this scorn. Prince Edward, famously cowardly until his character arc kicks into high gear in Final Fantasy 4, adds to the bardic badness by being a lousy accompanist in most battles. But look past all of that, and you’ll find a class that’s a lot of fun virtually every other time it comes up.

Games such as Final Fantasy 5 and Final Fantasy Tactics, with their intricate mechanics, provide players with an unmatched experience in the bardic arts, giving these itinerant musicians the appropriate degree of utility that their concept demands.

Time Mage

The ability to change the passage of time is an infinite power. Time Mages in Final Fantasy cultivate this temporal aptitude by casting spells that can slow or even stop their enemies, accelerate their friends to attack twice as often, immobilize numerous targets, and even transfer teams safely out of harm’s way.

It’s a solid set of spells, made even better in games where Time Mages can cast things like Gravity, Comet, and even the deadly Meteor. Just try not to notice the hats.

Black Mage

This one was difficult to put. Black Mages are cool, but not amazing on their own. They are the Final Fantasy franchise’s ultimate wizards, the most skilled spellcasters, the mages most intent on burning their enemies alive and dead. The Black Mage’s skill set is virtually completely offensive, and their physical condition is significantly inferior. But who cares if a Black Mage can swing a sword if they can melt, freeze, zap, or shatter you before you ever get close?

So they’re entertaining even if their total arsenal is limited. But what makes it more difficult is how fantastic a character Final Fantasy 9’s Vivi Ornitier is; he isn’t the game’s main protagonist, but his personal arc is likely its most affecting, and he embodies the legendary Final Fantasy Black Mage like nobody’s business. Vivi’s presence helps push Black Mages up the list a little, but make no mistake: if this were a ranking of Black Mages, he’d be at the top.

Mystic Knight

When it comes to spellcasters and swords, why not have both? There aren’t any individual Mystic Knights (also known as Sorcerer, Spellblade, Spell Fencer, and others) who have half the popularity as Black Mages enjoy with Vivi, but the class as a whole is awesome.

The essence is that these warriors essentially coat their blades in recognizable spells before rending creatures and men alike with Fire Sword, Ice Sword, Thunder Sword, Break Sword, Flare Sword, Bio Sword… you get the picture. It’s a traditional Final Fantasy take on another famous high-fantasy classic, and it combines two separate fighting styles into a third. That’s some fine work.

Geomancer

Let’s get the strange part out of the way first: Bells are regularly used as weapons by geomancers. Bells. If you like your bells, please forgive our side-eye, but what a strange sight, you know? Aside from the bells, the idea of a magician who works in sync with the earth to deliver strong attacks via terrain is fantastic.

Torrent, Tanglevine, Quicksand, Snowstorm, and many other spells are available to Geomancers thanks to their alliance with the globe itself. Geomancers make an earthly statement unlike any other of Final Fantasy’s magically oriented classes, and their ability to use their environment to their benefit in battle should not be ignored.

Mog from Final Fantasy 6 use the ‘Dance’ command, which follows the same general criteria. There’s even a moogle among the Geomancers!

Blue Mage

What could be better than learning a specific set of spells within a school of your choice? Dive headfirst into warfare, learning the precise talents that your assassins aim to use to kill you. Blue Mages, like many other popular classes, originated from Final Fantasy 5’s delightfully experimental universe. The depth of the game is still commemorated annually with the Four Job Fiesta, and the inclusion of such an ingenious new job is undoubtedly part of that depth.

Strago, Quistis, Quina, and Kimahri are all notable Blue Mage characters. However, the essential notion can be found in a large number of installments that do not have separately allocated roles. Enemy Skill Materia in Final Fantasy 7, for example, as well as repeated appearances in Final Fantasy Tactics Advance and its Nintendo DS sequel.

The number of Blue Magic spells available might be mind-boggling at times. There are around 30 skills to learn in Final Fantasy 5. Strago’s ‘Lore’ command allows him to learn up to 24 spells, and Quina equals that number. This results in a set of abilities that is as diverse as it is robust. Nothing compares to a Blue Mage.

Summoner

Many of us recall Summoners, along with chocobos, moogles, and car-sized swords, when we think of Final Fantasy classics. The class wasn’t introduced until Final Fantasy 3, and it didn’t really come into its own until the next installment, but it’s difficult to imagine a Final Fantasy game without someone who’s been blessed – or cursed – with the ability to summon massive animals. Or perhaps change into them.

Summoners have a unique distinction in that many stories revolve around them to a large extent. In fact, summoning these gorgeous eidolons has played a significant role in practically every game since the PS2 era. This gives us not only some of the most memorable characters in RPGs, but also a smorgasbord of summons. The list continues with Shiva, Ifrit, Ramuh, Odin, Bahamut, Phoenix, and Titan.

Red Mage

Red Mages absolutely have everything. They can learn a lot of White Magic and a lot of Black Magic, and unlike most Scholars, they can wield blades and hold their own when the MP runs out or the rationale for performing a spell isn’t there. To be sure, not all Red Mages are equal; in the first game, their hodgepodge of battle styles is a blessing, but in the third, their limitations become more apparent. They have the fantastic Dualcast ability in FF5, making them well worth digging out.

That qualitative divergence persists – in Basket Random, for example, they’re the only class that can learn Ardor, giving the jack-of-all-trades an extra credit for odd originality. Despite being a DPS rather than a healer, they remain arguably the greatest class for restoring downed party members in Final Fantasy 14. These Red Mages, we assure you, know their stuff.

But, putting all of that aside, we’ll be honest and say that it’s the top fashion that keeps us going back. The rapier, the armor, and the hat. The hat, oh the hat. To become a Red Mage is to declare to your realm that you are willing to stand out in any battlefield, and that your blade or spell may be the last thing a dragon ever sees.