A modernized edition of the widely praised tactical RPG, Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, is now available on current gaming platforms. For those looking to navigate the challenging opening hours, choosing the right character classes and utilizing their special abilities will be essential for survival.
Throughout the battles in Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, the protagonist, Ramza Beoulve, participates in practically every fight; therefore, he should be prioritized for leveling. It is generally advised to develop him into a close-combat specialist rather than a spellcaster, as certain encounters require him to be on the front lines from the start.
Given that most skirmishes have a unit limit of five, this leaves four spots for non-unique characters. Creating a solid, dependable team is a must for the first part of the adventure, as powerful optional teammates don’t become available until later in the narrative. Consequently, a well-rounded party should consist of a mix of melee fighters, magic users, ranged combatants, and backup healers. Note that in this game, characters who remain dead for several rounds of combat are permanently lost.
While aiming for advanced classes like the Mime or Bard can be tempting, there are other options that will prove more useful in helping your team through the beginning phases of Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles.
This list focuses specifically on character classes available in Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, rather than those in the original game or the War of the Lions remaster. There are some nuanced modifications in the enhanced version that differentiate them from their predecessors.
1
Monk
The Best Melee Class For The First Half Of The Game
The Monk class stands out as arguably the most potent in Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles for a large portion of the game. Players should consider transforming both Ramza and a generic party member into Monks as soon as they can, as this will noticeably improve their chances of survival.
So, what makes the Monk so great? First, their primary weapon is their fists, and they don’t rely on heavy armor. This translates to minimal maintenance costs, which is especially helpful at the start when resources are limited.
The Monk is a formidable damage dealer in close combat, with each punch delivering significant impact. Additionally, their skills extend to ranged combat, with Aurablast possessing decent reach and the ability to avoid allies and obstacles. Shockwave, on the other hand, can hit multiple enemies lined up in a straight line.
The Monk class also boasts excellent support abilities. Purification can cure various status ailments, Chakra heals and restores MP for allies in the surrounding area, and Revive can bring an ally back to life when adjacent.
All of these skills have the benefit of costing no MP and being executed instantly. This means you never have to worry about lengthy cast times or running out of MP.
Furthermore, the Monk possesses one of the best Reaction Abilities in the game: First Strike. When equipped, this ability gives the Monk a chance to cancel an enemy’s weapon attack and counter with their own. It’s recommended to equip Ramza with this skill as soon as possible and keep it throughout the game.
Monks also have access to Lifefont, one of the top Movement Abilities. Equipping this allows characters to heal each time they move. It can keep ranged characters safe, as they stay out of harm’s way while regaining health with each step.
The Monk provides an all-in-one package, with useful skills throughout the game. Prioritize mastering this class as soon as you can.
2
Chemist
The Cheapest Healers In Ivalice
Healing is an essential aspect of Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, as some battles can be particularly brutal, resulting in characters taking quite a beating. Players new to the game may assume that the White Mage is the optimal healing class, based on its previous reputation in titles like Final Fantasy 14, but that isn’t the case.
The Chemist represents the best healer in Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles for a significant portion of the game. This is mainly because they have the ability to utilize all healing, restorative, and revival items, such as X-Potions and Phoenix Downs.
While other classes can also learn to use Items, the Chemist possesses the innate ability to throw them, enabling healing from a medium distance. The effectiveness of the Chemist’s healing items lies not only in their range but also in the fact that they’re used instantly, without any charge time, unlike the White Mage’s spells. While the White Mage can heal across multiple panels, they are limited by MP consumption. Conversely, the Chemist can use as many items as they have in their inventory, so simply stock up on 99 of each and not have to worry.
The Chemist becomes even more powerful when Guns are introduced, as they can equip them. Guns are potent ranged weapons, with later versions potentially casting attack spells upon firing. This positions the Chemist as one of the game’s overall best ranged attackers.
While the White Mage becomes more useful later, with powerful spells like Reraise and Wall, they are surpassed by the Chemist for the majority of the story, particularly in terms of cost-effectiveness.
3
Mystic
Shut Down The Enemies Before Killing Them
The Mystic (previously referred to as the Oracle) is an exceptional class for magic users to master. Before discussing spells, it’s important to point out the Movement Ability: Manafont. Functioning similarly to the Monk’s Lifefont, it restores MP instead of HP, which proves useful during the early stages of Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, when MP is a valuable resource.
In terms of magic, the Mystic has access to a variety of debuffs and status effects, with Hesitation standing out as the best. It can inflict the Disable effect, preventing the affected enemy from taking any actions for several rounds, effectively taking them out of the battle.
The Induration spell is also useful, as it can turn an enemy to stone, effectively killing them. However, one should be cautious about employing this spell if the enemy team has a Chemist, as they could potentially nullify it with items.
The Mystic also possesses the Absorb MP Reaction Ability, which recovers MP whenever the Mystic is hit by a spell, further increasing their mana pool.
While the Mystic becomes less useful over time, as later bosses often have immunity to their effects, they can shut down powerful opponents in the early game, making the remainder of the enemy team easy targets.
4
Summoner
You’ll Need That Mana Reduction
According to the developers, the Summoner class in Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles has been improved, notably with the charge time of summons shortened. However, the primary reason to adopt this class is the Halve MP Support Ability, which significantly benefits every magic user who equips it, essentially doubling their magic arsenal.
But what about the summons themselves? In Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, these summons have a large area of effect (AoE), enabling them to strike entire groups of enemies. There are also support summons that can aid the party.
Among the support summons, Golem stands out as the best, providing a damage shield to all party members. When up against a team of weapon-based enemies, this spell should be cast first. Carbuncle is the best choice against magic users, casting Reflect on all party members within its range, which throws the enemy’s magic right back at them.
Cyclops is one of the best damage-dealing summons because it deals non-elemental damage, making it hard to resist. Players will face the wrath of this creature, as the most infamous boss in the game likes to use it.
The Summoner is an advanced class, and mastering it takes some time. Players should prioritize learning Halve MP at the beginning, as its benefits are invaluable.
5
Ninja
Dual Wield Is The Best Skill In The Game
The Ninja class can be challenging to acquire, requiring a character with Archer level 4, Thief level 5, and Geomancer level 2 to unlock. The effort is worthwhile, however, as it offers the best Support Ability in the game: Dual Wield.
Dual Wield allows a character to equip a weapon in each hand. While the Ninja can naturally do this, their weapon options are not particularly great. Instead, this ability is best suited to other classes, notably the Knight and Samurai, who can equip significantly more powerful weapons than the Ninja.
The ability to Dual Wield swords like Excalibur and Ragnarok on potent melee fighters, particularly Cid, transforms them into some of the most formidable characters in the game. The sheer damage output they can achieve in a single attack is immense and will aid in conquering the strongest enemies in the game.
