When given the choice, I always go for the mage. There’s just something about shooting magic out of my hands that appeals to me when playing video games, the ultimate power fantasy. Why swing metal when I can manipulate nature itself?
Except with Final Fantasy 14 I went against my instincts, a decision I eventually came to regret. Square Enix’s MMORPG has an initially overwhelming choice of Jobs to choose from before you adventure in the land of Eorzea. Your Job is your role in the game. And I chose the wrong one.
The first choice is between a tank, healer, or DPS (damage per second) role. The first two – defending or supporting – come with extra pressure, so damage dealing it was.
I went with Dragoon. Dragons are cool, right? And Dragoons can leap into the air with a spiky lance and fancy armour. And so my Warrior of Light began his journey: 1, 2, 3.
The role of DPS is to simply deal damage and dodge attacks. 1, 2, 3. Attacks are assigned to the numbers on your keyboard and lead into each other as a combo. 1, 2, 3. 1, 2, 3. It became monotonous. I was bored.
All of which is to say I eventually switched to healing and never looked back. White Mage requires strategy and thought. I hold not just magic in my hands, but the lives of my teammates.
So that’s the ongoing journey of my Warrior of Light. But what about the rest of the Final Fantasy 14 community?
Why do players choose one Job over another?
For many players, the choice of Job simply comes down to the type of role and the aesthetic.
“Aesthetics are important to me, and there’s nothing cooler than a knight in shining armour, holding a glowing sword and shield. It’s what anyone would imagine when thinking of a tank, and I completely embrace it,” says Shistar, who plays as a Paladin.