Summary
With the arrival ofFinal Fantasy 14: Dawntrail, two new jobs, Viper and Pictomancer, will join the MMORPG. Director Naoki Yoshida assured that they want to add more jobs toFinal Fantasy 14in future expansions, but the task is becoming more challenging because options are dwindling.
Final Fantasy 14currently has 19 jobs spread across DPS, Tank, and Healer roles, not counting limited jobs like Blue Mage and the upcoming Beastmaster. WhenViper and Pictomancer arrive inFinal Fantasy 14 Dawntrail, the MMORPG will have 21 jobs, each with its own weapon, skillset, and unique characteristics. For comparison, the 22-year-oldFinal Fantasy 11has 22 jobs.
In aninterview with TheGamer, Naoki Yoshida said that while the team wants to add new jobs toFinal Fantasy 14, there aren’t many left to use. According to the director, there are two key points to consider when adding a job. The first is that the new job needs to have mechanics completely distinct from existing ones, and the second point is that it needs to suit the gameplay of an MMORPG and its multiplayer nature. Yoshida commented that though the team can draw inspiration from numerous other jobs in the franchise, many cannot be functionally applied to the multiplayer game scenario.
The director revealed the team consideredadding a Time Mage job toFinal Fantasy 14, but its time-manipulating spells would not be mechanically appropriate for the game because “all of the abilities related to the Time Mage were designed to be fun to play using active time battles.” Another counterpoint is regarding weapons. As each job inFinal Fantasy 14wields a unique weapon, the team had to start devising new ones, as was the case with Sage’s weapons, the Nouliths.
To ensure the MMORPGremains fresh and consistently adds new jobs, Yoshida said there will bemore original jobs forFinal Fantasy 14moving forward. The game has already introduced three exclusive jobs: Reaper, Viper, and theFinal Fantasy 8-inspired Gunbreaker. According to Yoshida, the team has considered adding a whip-wielding job, and he even suggested a morning star weapon. However, another critical point is that future jobs need to be part ofFinal Fantasy 14lore and cannot just come out of nowhere.
The team may still draw inspiration from other games in the franchise, and perhaps they won’t need to look too far. Thespin-offStranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Originintroduced numerous original jobs, such as Breaker, Tyrant, and Liberator. Although they may not be lore-suitable forFinal Fantasy 14, Yoshida’s team could study their overall gameplay and adapt it to fill the MMORPG’s scenario.
