Building the perfect squad in Final Fantasy Tactics means understanding every single job class and how they interconnect. With 38 unique jobs spanning from basic Squire fundamentals to game-breaking Calculator mastery, your journey through Ivalice demands strategic planning from day one. Whether you're commanding Ramza's evolving abilities or crafting the ultimate Ninja-Monk hybrid, this guide reveals the optimal paths to unlock, master, and combine every job for maximum battlefield dominance.
How the Job System Works in Final Fantasy Tactics
Your character's current job determines their base stats, available equipment, and primary abilities. However, the real magic happens when you start mixing and matching skills from different jobs you've mastered.
Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles Guide: All Job Class Builds
Each job requires Job Points (JP) to unlock abilities, earned by performing actions in battle. You'll also need specific levels in prerequisite jobs to access advanced classes. Here's what makes this system brilliant:
- Primary Job: Defines your core stats and weapon access
- Secondary Skillset: Any learned abilities from mastered jobs
- Reaction/Support/Movement: Mix abilities from multiple jobs freely
- Equipment Restrictions: Based on your current primary job
tip
Always equip JP Boost from Squire level 3 as soon as possible. This support ability increases JP gain by 50%, dramatically speeding up your progression through every job tree.
Essential Starting Jobs You Must Master
Squire
Unlock Requirements: Available from start Key Abilities: JP Boost, Focus, Movement +1
The Squire might seem basic, but it's absolutely critical for every character. JP Boost alone makes this job worth maxing immediately. Ramza gets special treatment here - his Squire abilities evolve throughout the story, eventually gaining access to powerful skills like Shout and even Ultima.
Don't sleep on Focus either. This ability builds up your character's Physical Attack stat permanently, making it perfect for JP grinding while strengthening your units.
Chemist
Chemist provides instant healing without MP costs or casting delays. Auto-Potion becomes one of the best reaction abilities in the game, automatically healing you when damaged. Throw Item extends your range, letting you heal or revive allies from across the battlefield.
important
Items work on undead enemies too, but in reverse - healing items damage them while Phoenix Downs can instantly kill undead foes.
Physical Damage Job Progression Path
Monk
Monk stands out as potentially the strongest job in the entire game. They deal massive damage with bare hands, heal themselves with Chakra, and don't rely on weapons or MP. Their Counter reaction ability triggers on every physical attack, often dealing more damage than the original hit.
The ultimate Monk build involves unlocking Ninja for Dual Wield, then returning to Monk. This lets you attack twice per turn while maintaining Monk's superior stat growth and self-healing abilities.
Best Jobs In FFT: The Ivalice Chronicles
Ninja
Ninja brings the highest speed stats and Dual Wield capability. While fragile, they can eliminate most enemies before taking damage. Their Throw abilities let you weaponize your entire inventory - including expensive Katanas for devastating ranged attacks.
Dual Wield works on any job once learned, making it the most universally powerful support ability in the game.
Magical Arts Job Progression
Black Mage to Calculator Pipeline
Black Mage → Time Mage → Summoner → Calculator
This progression gives you access to every offensive spell in the game, culminating in the utterly broken Calculator job. Calculators cast any learned spell instantly, with no MP cost, targeting based on mathematical formulas.
White Mage Support Network
White Mage → Mystic → Orator
White Mage provides essential healing and Holy damage. Mystic adds status effects and MP manipulation. Orator can recruit enemies and permanently boost Bravery stats through Speechcraft.
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Advanced Job Combinations
The Calculator God Build
Requirements: White Mage Lv 5, Black Mage Lv 5, Time Mage Lv 4, Mystic Lv 4
Calculators target spells based on Level, Height, CT, or mathematical properties. Set up correctly, you can cast Flare on every enemy while healing all allies with Curaja - all in one turn, with zero MP cost.
warning
Many speedrun communities ban Calculator due to how completely it trivializes the game's difficulty.
The Samurai Utility Master
Requirements: Knight Lv 4, Monk Lv 5, Dragoon Lv 2
Samurai combines solid physical stats with magical utility through Draw Out abilities. Murasame provides AoE healing, Masamune grants party-wide Haste, and Chirijiraden deals fire damage to all enemies.
The catch? Draw Out can break your Katana, so always carry spares.
Gender-Exclusive Jobs and Their Power
Dancer (Female Only)
Requirements: Geomancer Lv 5, Dragoon Lv 5
Dancers apply debuffs to every enemy on the field each turn. Slow Dance cripples enemy speed, Witch Hunt prevents magic casting, and Last Waltz can charm foes. While Dancers deal no direct damage, their constant debuffing wins long battles.
Bard (Male Only)
Requirements: Summoner Lv 5, Orator Lv 5
Bards provide the opposite of Dancers - constant party buffs. Battle Chant boosts attack power, Magickal Refrain increases magic damage, and Life's Anthem provides regeneration. Keep them protected and watch your team become unstoppable.
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Job Mastery Tips for Efficient Progression
JP Farming Techniques
Use Focus repeatedly in random encounters to build both JP and permanent stats. Chemists can use items on healthy allies for JP without negative effects. Monks can Chakra at full health for easy JP gains.
Stat Growth Optimization
Your current job determines stat gains when leveling up. Spend early levels in Monk or Knight for physical builds, Black Mage or Summoner for magical builds. You can always switch jobs later while keeping the improved stats.
Best Jobs In FFT: The Ivalice Chronicles
Equipment Synergy
Plan your job combinations around equipment restrictions. A Knight with White Mage secondary can wear heavy armor while casting healing spells. A Ninja with Monk abilities gets speed and dual-wielding with self-healing capabilities.
Breaking the Game With Job Combinations
The most powerful builds combine the best primary job stats with complementary secondary abilities:
- Monk + Ninja Dual Wield + Time Mage Teleport = Unstoppable mobile fighter
- Calculator + Any Magic Secondary + Chemist Auto-Potion = Immortal spell machine
- Knight + Monk Martial Arts + Thief Move +2 = Tanky mobile damage dealer
Master these job combinations, and you'll dominate every battle from the opening skirmishes to the final confrontation with Altima. The key lies not just in unlocking jobs, but in understanding how their abilities synergize to create builds far more powerful than any single class could achieve alone.
For more Final Fantasy Tactics, check out our Best Early Game Builds guide.