Final Fantasy XIV disciplines

Artwork of the jobs of Final Fantasy XIV by Hiroyuki Nagamine.

Disciplines are the foundation of the Armory System in Final Fantasy XIV. There are four different base disciplines: War, Magic, Hand, and Land. Each different discipline can divide into several classes. The current weapon or tool equipped defines what class the player character is, with each specific class having different weapons they use.

In addition to the base disciplines, each job fills one of five roles: tank, healer, DPS (which is further divided into melee, physical ranged and magic ranged), crafter, and gatherer. The former three are used for quests which involve combat and duties, while the latter two are for Synthesis and Gathering respectively.

Each of the Disciplines of War and Magic classes also has one or more associated jobs which can be unlocked by leveling the appropriate disciplines and completing the appropriate quests. Equipping a job grants improved stats, and access to powerful, specialized abilities and equipment. Jobs that were not available in A Realm Reborn do not have a base class, instead being unlocked at an increased level (except Blue Mage, which starts at 1 due to having vastly different gameplay from other jobs).

Top row, left to right: Reaper, Dark Knight, Ninja, Paladin, Astrologian, Samurai, Bard, Scholar, Black Mage, Sage. Bottom row: Dancer, Dragoon, Summoner, Monk, Red Mage, White Mage, Machinist, Warrior, Blue Mage, Gunbreaker.

Disciples of War focus on physical attacks in combat.

High in HP and trained in defense, a tank serves as the party's shield. Skilled at keeping a foe's attention and bearing the brunt of enemy attacks.

Gladiator – defends companions with his shield, and one-handed swords. Paladin – charges fearlessly into battle, while defending allies with his holy shield and sacred oaths. Upgraded from Gladiator. Marauder – overwhelms adversaries with axes and heavy armor. Warrior – channels their inner-beasts to bring unbridled savagery on the battlefield. Upgraded from Marauder. Dark Knight – defends the downtrodden with greatswords and dark magic. Gunbreaker – uses well-timed attacks with a gunblade.

Melee DPS are close-range attackers. Focused on combos and careful positioning to inflict the maximum amount of damage.

Pugilist – pummels foes with lightning-fast combinations using hora and knuckle-dusters. Monk – utilizes meditation and forbidden chakra to improve mobility and damaging capability. Upgraded from Pugilist. Lancer – delivers a barrage of devastating thrusts and slashes with lances and spears. Dragoon – strikes foes from above using the power of the dragons. Upgraded from Lancer. Rogue – makes quick work of foes using daggers and pilfers their ill-gotten gains. Ninja - incorporates Far Eastern skills through the weaving of signs, unleashing a wide array of attacks against their foes. Upgraded from Rogue. Samurai – throws quick slashes and precise strikes with the katana. Reaper - reaps harvest from the Void, utilizing a scythe for dynamic close-quarter combat.

Physical ranged DPS attack foes from a distance. They excel at inflicting sustained damage, and also provide support for companions.

Archer – uses a bow to assail their foes with deadly precision, even from great distances. Bard – inspires their comrades with songs, and showers damage-over-time actions to enemies. Upgraded from Archer. Machinist – devastates foes with firearms and a wide array of devices. Dancer – dances to both support allies and debilitate foes with dual chakrams.

Disciples of Magic specialize in casting magic for combat.

Healers use restorative arts to mend wounded companions. They can also help to mitigate damage, remove detrimental effects, and even bring fallen allies back to life.

Healers are further subdivided into two types; Pure Healers which focus on healing already dealt damage assisted with regen effects, and Barrier Healers which focus on pre-emptive healing with shields. Unlike the subdivisions of DPS, these are not considered separate roles for the purposes of learning role actions, but they are considered separate in the Party Finder, and the Duty Finder will attempt to form parties using one of each for 8-man duties.

Conjurer – harnesses the power of earth, wind and water elements to restore and strengthen, with wands and canes as medium. White Mage - delivers comrades from the direst of afflictions by using healing magic and magical barriers. Upgraded from Conjurer. Astrologian – employs a star globe and divining deck that grant power over both allies' and enemies' fate.

Scholar – utilizes the faeries' magicks to heal the wounded and bolster the strength of their allies. Upgraded from Arcanist. Sage - protects allies with barriers and augments own attacks using aether-infused nouliths.

Magical ranged DPS attack foes using a variety of arcane arts. Movement is restricted by casting times, but they excel at inflicting high burst damage.

Thaumaturge – uses scepters and staves as a medium to cast offensive fire, ice and lightning magic. Black Mage – annihilates those who oppose them through the occult and arcane art known as black magic. Upgraded from Thaumaturge. Arcanist – manipulates aether using arcane geometries held within grimoires to summon familiars. Summoner – transmutes the primals' essences into Egis, thus binding them to their will. Upgraded from Arcanist. Red Mage – combines black and white magic with high-speed melee combos with rapiers in hand. Blue Mage – learns actions or abilities from enemies with a cane in hand.

Disciples of the Hand deal in the creation of all manner of items, from battle gear and medicine to food and furnishings.

Carpenter – uses handsaws to shape and sculpt wood, giving wooden arms and furniture. Blacksmith – uses cross-pein hammers to forge metallic weapons and tools. Armorer – uses doming hammers to synthesize armor from metal and ingots. Goldsmith – uses chaser hammers and grinding wheels to work with minerals to create precious metals and stones. Leatherworker – uses headknives to refine hides and pelts into leather wearables and rugs. Weaver – uses needles to sew clothes, toys, and linens from cloth and other textiles. Alchemist – uses alembics to transform reagents into medicine, grimoires, and other organic structures. Culinarian – uses skillets to cook various dishes that can produce various beneficial effects when consumed.

Disciples of the Land are master gatherers of Eorzea's rich natural resources. In the wild, they may find precious metals, fresh ingredients, and other useful items—even the occasional treasure map.

Miner – uses a pickaxe and sledgehammer to mine minerals from the earth. Botanist – uses a hatchet and scythe to harvest materials from trees and other flora. Fisher – uses a fishing rod and fishing gig to catch and spear fish and other marine items from rivers, lakes, and seas.

"Limited Job" is a term used for combat disciplines with a different gameplay and purpose. Currently Blue Mage is the only limited job in the game, whose gameplay is more focused for the single-player challenges of the Masked Carnivale.

The differences when playing a limited job are the following:

All of the Disciplines appear on cards.