Final Fantasy 14 has traditionally introduced at least two fully-fledged combat jobs with each of its expansion packs. Heavensward saw the addition of Dark Knight, Astrologian, and Machinist to the game. Stormblood added Red Mage and Samurai. Shadowbringers brought Gunbreaker and Dancer to the fold – and finally, an ever-growing ensemble was joined by Reaper and Sage in Endwalker. Players and developers alike ask the million-dollar question of where to go from there.
The question, rightly so, has been difficult to answer. Final Fantasy 14’s jobs have allowed the developers to introduce and re-imagine many jobs from the larger Final Fantasy franchise – even in a limited capacity such as Blue Mage, for better or worse. However, choices are rapidly running out as the game has accrued 20 combat jobs over the course of its existence.
In a recent Final Fantasy 11 interview, Naoki Yoshida confirmed that future jobs in Final Fantasy 14 would have to draw inspiration from external sources. Despite the statement, it does not necessarily mean that players will never see Beastmaster, Geomancer, Mystic Knight, or Chemist adapted into the game, but that they would likely have to be re-imagined to fit into the elaborate tapestry of current Final Fantasy 14 jobs. Given how difficult balancing content around 20 unique classes can get, this should be a reasonable concession to make.
Prior to Endwalker, Dragoon was the only job to have Maiming gear, so a good guess as to what the next job might be wearing is to take a look at the current equipment that’s in use by the least amount of jobs. Given that only Ninja uses Scouting armor, and that there are only three ranged jobs in the game – it is reasonable to expect that the next job might be using a whip, a staple weapon in the franchise brandished by Quistis in Final Fantasy 8, or by the Beastmasters from Final Fantasy 5.
An alternate job that Square Enix might add in Final Fantasy 14 could be a Geomancer adaptation hailing from the western continent that uses hammers, a Mystic Knight from Meracydia that dual-wields scimitars, or a Templar from Ivalice that tanks with javelin and shield. They might bear a different name, and the overall fantasy might be tweaked and expanded upon, but given the success of Sage in Endwalker, there’s little reason to assume that Square Enix might botch any potential rebranding.
Final Fantasy 14 is out now for PC, PS4, and PS5.
Source: Final Fantasy 11
