List of Jobs

This page contains information about the jobs in Final Fantasy XII - The Zodiac Age. The Esper Locked Licenses and Quickening Locked Licenses give you an idea of which Espers should be assigned to which character/classes and which Quickenings you should activate to gain access to additional Licenses—some of which are critical.

Archer

The Archer uses bows and arrows to deal damage to enemies from afar. They get access to Addle Technick and Shear Technick, as well as some limited White Magick spells, but they tend not to be the strongest job from an overall perspective. They do get access to the three Swiftness Licenses, though, which can be extremely helpful.

Black Mage

The Black Mage can be an incredible source of damage in the Zodiac Age version of the game. They gain access to incredibly powerful spells, and MP conservation tends to be less of a problem in this version of the game. They get access to a few Green Magick (such as Decoy, Bubble, and Syphon) and a ton of Magick Lore augments that increase the overall damage done by spells. This job is definitely helpful to have in any party.

Bushi

The Bushi, a.k.a. the Samurai, uses a Katana as their primary source of damage. A Katana’s attack power is based on both the strength stat and the Magick power stat. They do not get access to many spells or Technicks, so they are best when paired with other jobs such as a Shikari, a Knight, or a Monk.

Foebreaker

One of the strongest classes in the game due to its ability to access all four “break” Technicks: Addle, Shear, Wither, and Expose. Its primary weapons are Axes and Hammers, so again, it is best to pair this job with another, such as the Bushi or Shikari, to increase damage.

Knight

The Knight can utilize swords and greatswords as weapons and equip shields. It makes them great for tanking, and it gives the characters access to some White Magick spells. The Knight does get access to the Telekinesis ability to attack flying enemies. Other than that singular option, you’d have to pair a Knight with different jobs, such as the Bushi or the Battlemages.

Machinist

The Machinist relies on guns, measures, and hand-bombs to deal damage. Guns tend to be a weaker source of damage and are not as powerful overall because they do not rely on stats, such as strength or magick, and deal a set amount of damage no matter what. The Machinist job can be somewhat helpful for some of the mage classes, such as the Time Battlemage, Red Battlemage, or White Mage, to allow them to do some additional damage when they are not casting spells, buffs, or debuffs. They also get some access to Green Magick spells.

Monk

Monks deal damage using poles, and they have access to a few White Magick spells. They can use Poles to hit flying-type enemies. Monks also do fairly heavy damage and get access to a full complement of HP-increasing Licenses. The Monk gets access to all three Swiftness Licenses and to the Wither, and Expose Technicks. All of this makes it a great job to pair with a Black Mage, a Bushi, or a Time Battlemage, as the increases in MP and Magick Power will allow the Monk to cast more healing spells.

Red Battlemage

The Red Battlemage has a vast arsenal of Magick spells to choose from – Black Magick, Arcane Magick, White Magick, Time Magick, and Green Magick. They operate well as a backup healer and have a ton of abilities that are helpful in specific situations or boss fights. It matches well with the Archer job as the Red Battlemage only gets access to one Swiftness License, but the Archer job, will give the character access to the other two Licenses. It can also pair well with the Shikari job.

Shikari

The Shikari, a.k.a. the Hunter, uses daggers and has access to the ninja swords to attack enemies. They get access to a few shields as well and can use the Telekinesis Technick to attack flying enemies. You should pair this job with the Foebreaker or the Bushi, as it gets access to the Genji Gloves and all three Swiftness Licenses.

Time Battlemage

The Time Battlemage gains access to all levels of Time Magick, including Hastega and Reflectga. They rely on Crossbows to deal regular damage unless you pair this job with another of the available jobs. It gets access to Decoy (and some other Green Magicks) as well. It is pretty often best paired with the Knight, the Monk, or the White Mage (to create the ultimate support character).

Uhlan

The Uhlan, a.k.a. the Spearman or the Dragoon, is helpful as a physical attacker or as a tank. The unfortunate downfall of the Uhlan, though, is that it relies on spears to do damage. Unlike in the original PlayStation 2 version of the game, where the Zodiac Spear reigned supreme, spears tend to be a terrible choice as a weapon in the Zodiac Age due to their slow speed and attack animations. It can be combined with the Bushi or the Archer to help it out, as those classes gain access to additional Licenses that can address some of the Uhlan’s weaknesses.

White Mage

The White Mage is the primary healing class in Final Fantasy XII. It has access to Rods, Greatswords, and Daggers as weapons, and to all White Magicks and Green Magicks. You can pair it with many other jobs to increase their usefulness, such as the Shikari, the Foebreaker, the Machinist, or any of the other mages.