Job System Display
White Mage: The spellcaster job that uses white magic. White magic is oriented towards healing and curing status problems, and has little offensive spells. Weapon selection is limited, but magic is used often. Not very powerful physically, but spells are very helpful.
Battle Command: Magic - Can cast lvl 1-7 white magic.
Tips: Use the magic often, and put in back row to prevent too much physical harm.
Black Mage: This spellcaster utilises black magic, which is powerful and offensive. Weapon selection is also limited, but uses magic for attacking is very effective. The spells these mages can cast are also elemental and can take advantage of an enemies' weaknesses. Not physically powerful, but spells are so effective that this class can powerthrough enemies and bosses alike.
Battle Command: Magic - Can cast lvl 1-7 black magic.
Tips: Place in back row where magic is just as effective, use magic for a basic attack, good for bosses.
Red Mage: Different from the other two spellcaster, this job allows for casting of black and white magic, although not up to as high of a level. Also, their weapon selection is different, so instead of wielding the relatively weak staffs, bows, etc. they can wield a variety of swords and knives. This adds an aspect of physical power to this class. So, they are good at both magic and hand-to-hand fighting, but aren't as effective as either of the jobs that focus on those things.
Battle Command: Magic: Can cast lvl 1-5 black and white magic.
Tips: Adaptable, good for either row, but not as powerful as specialised jobs.
Thief: A job that is based on good physical power and speed. They are a little weak defensively, but should still be placed in the front row where their attacks will maximize damage. Be aware of their status, because they do not have a guard ability, and if their health is low a powerful attack could give you an unpleasant surprise. Weapon selection is knives and daggers, so they can rack up the hits in battle. Their specialized battle commands provide luxury more than strategy, but flee is useful for when the going gets tough. A useful and advantageous character to have in the party, and if you do place them at the front of your party, as they can pick locked doors in the field.
Battle Commands: To replace the guard ability the thief has two battle commands.
Flee: Allows a higher chance of fleeing a battle.
Steal: Attempts to steal an item from one enemy.
Tips: Good attack power, front row for sure, but less defence than most classes.
Warrior: Of the jobs available after the Djinn battle, this is physically the most powerful. They are an excellent asset in your party at this point in the game, as they are effective against most enemies, and are much better at using their wide weapon selection than the Freelancer or Red Mage. They can even use their advance ability to get an extra strong attack, which can be invaluable in boss battles or when that little extra power is needed against an enemies.
With a wide selection of weapons and armor to choose from up to now, they are definitely a must in your party, and you will see just how effective they can be.
Battle Command: Advance: Performs a more powerful attack but decreases defence that turn.
Tips: Definite front row job, excellent close combat fighter, very useful.
Monk: These very specialised warriors are well practiced in martial arts, and can deal much, much higher damage than the other classes without a weapon equipped. Their weapon selection is limited to claws and gloves, but as stated before they have good damage unarmed. Their armor selection, however, is limited, and their defence is not as good unarmed as their attack is.
Defence may be a bit of a flaw, but these fighters are a sure advantage to have in your party. If you pick a Monk for your team though, make it the job that you aren't going to change too early. It is a great addition to your party, but be sure to make a commitment. The longer you keep a Monk in your party, the advantages will rack up exponentially. You will find more items and armor, making their defence better, and with perserverance, their bare handed damage will start to get immensely powerful, more powerful than any claw you could possibly wield.
Battle Command: Retaliate: Counterattacks an enemy when hit.
Tips: Physical, so front row, stick with the job, good overall fighter.
Ranger: This class has one very particular focus, you guessed it, archery. Their weapon selection is bows and arrows, and nothing else. This lack of variety shouldn't be a problem, however, as there are ample oppurtunities to buy bows and arrows throughout the game. There is one small hitch for anyone who would want to sustain this job for a long time- you need to buy individual arrows, and if you run out things might get a bit "tricky". With no arrows, what use is a bow? Stay stocked up!
This is actually a very unique class, weapons aside. They don't rely on magic, but aren't physical attackers. They have a good defensive stat similar to that of a close combat fighter, but since there attacks are ranged they do just as much damage in the front row as the back. So, they can keep good attack and defence at the same time, and what more could you want? Oh, and their battle command is just mindless attacks that can deal great damage.
Battle Command: Barrage: Fires off 4 attack at random enemies, each hit consecutively weaker than the other. Each hit is a bit weaker than the standard attack. Note that if there is only one enemy Barrage will do around 1.5x more damage at the cost of 3 more arrows. If you are rich this is no problem, but otherwise Barrage is useless. Use a normal attack twice (one arrow per attack) for two times damage.
Tips: Put in back row, no amazing strength, but has useful and surprising advantages. Sleep and Medusa arrows are annoying for most enemies.
Knight The Knight class excels in using swords and most weapons that the Warrior can already use. Since the game gives you lots of swords and melee weapons, weapons of choice shouldn't be much of a problem at all. It can also use most types of armor that Warriors can use, too.
The class does level 1 magic (which isn't that special), and also has its Guard ability replaced with another command known as Defend, which gives lots of defence for the turn...in turn for losing some attack, which really doesn't matter because you are defending that turn, not attacking. Knights have really good defense, and all around good stats.
Battle Commands:
Magic: Can use level 1 white magic, and only white magic.
Defend: Greatly increase defense for the turn.
Tips: Since it already has good defense when it needs defense, this class is a great front row fighter. Deal great damage when you need to, and take little damage when you need to (Defend). This class is also an amazing defensive Job, equal, if not better than the Viking. If you notice that one of your allies is weakened (yellow health) use Defend. When your ally is hit, your Knight will take all the damage, but the attack is weakened because you used Defend. Combined with full Crystal Gear this Job can take an enormous amount of punishment, and can be used as a delay when you want to heal your weakened party member.
Viking The Viking class is like warriors and knights, but much heavier and more powerful in a physical sense. They are susceptible to magic though, so be aware that their magic defence is not very good. But, with their axes and hammers they can power through enemies with very strong attacks. There armor and weapon choices are a bit more limited than your standard warrior, but if you find them the right equipment they can be a deadly force that can soak up the attacks as well as dish em' out. Plus, they have a useful ability that can lower an enemies defence and take a hit for a teammate who could be close to dying, possibly saving someone who would make the difference in a tough battle.
Battle Command: Provoke: Draws enemy attacks and lowers their defence
Tips: Heavy physical force, low magic resistance, front row. Alternate Strategy: Back Row, full Crystal Gear, always use Provoke to lower enemy's defence.
Dark Knight: Another class that is mostly oriented towards physical attacking. They have a pretty wide range of armor, and finding that shouldn't be a problem, but you can't find them good weapons until later parts in the game. For that reason, you may want to hold off from having a Dark Knight in your party until you are pretty far into the story, a good idea is to switch as soon as you find their weapons.
They are definitely a powerful attacker, but are not very resistant to magic. Be aware of their condition as they are one of those classes whose HP can get very low very fast. And don't use their ability too often because if you do you'll soon be paying the consequences.
Battle Command: Souleater: Sacrifices 20% current HP for a powerful attack.
Tips: Front row physical fighter, cautious of magic/heavy attacks.
Ninja: What Final Fantasy job system would be complete without the Ninja class? Ninjas in Final Fantasy III, as you may expect, can throw items and weapons in battle, doing devastating damage. They also have a high physical attack power and can wield some of the most powerful small swords in the game. However, not everything is so positive. Ninjas have low defense, and since they must be in the front row of battle to do the maximum melee damage, they are always susceptible to massive attack and always stand a step away from death as a result. Keep these characters healed and take advantage of the ridiculous damage they can deal, especially by throwing items like the expensive and rare Shuriken.
Summoner: Like their Evoker brethren, Summoners can summon enemies to help in battle. They are basically identical to Evokers, but can summon monsters of a stronger breed, and with more devastating results. Their offensive abilities in the physical realm remain non-existent, and just like the Evoker, they are one-dimensional and not always needed. Therefore, having one in the party, occupying one of four valuable spots, is often more of a questionable practice than a recommended one. Summoners should be used simply to see the various summons in the game, as a lot of them must be fiercely fought for and sought after, and hence should be enjoyed, but don't walk into a situation like the Crystal Tower with a Summoner in your party. It's a complete waste of valuable space.
Onion Knight: One of the hardest jobs to get, and also was originally replaced in the NES version of Final Fantasy 3, you may only get this job in special conditions, these "special conditions" involve a system called Mognet. Mognet allows you to communicate with your friends and computers in the Final Fantasy 3.