AToasterOven: The best class in FF14 is the one you have the most fun playing.

axeorlay: I have, over the years, felt guilty for playing Red Mage for our caster raiding slot. There was a period in Endwalker where every content creator was saying “I don’t know why you would play Red Mage when Summoner exists and does everything Red Mage does more easily and for more damage.”

And I just kept playing Red Mage because I personally enjoyed it. It’s my favorite of all the jobs on FFXIV so far. I was never stopped from raiding or spoof content. Many people were still very happy to play with me.

Red Mage is currently one of the weaker casting jobs now that Picto and Black Mage exist, but I’m still clearing content. Sometimes I feel like I could do more and we could clear faster with that little bit of extra damage. But our prog speed is faster while I’m helping with recovery so we can learn later mechanics more quickly. It all balances out.

Benzo-selch: I played Reaper because it looked cool and regret nothing. In fact it made some content alot cooler

DaisukeMiyamoto-e5g: 100% correct. I tried all classes to get a feel of them, and I ended up loving all of them (crafter & gatherers too) do what you love. I know someone who just plays the game just to play mahjong

theShibaknight: That is exactly how i play. I play drk no matter what they Do to my class. I play it for fun and i capable (i think)to Do and content with it. I might Not the Best but who cares?

donmarelio: Yeah gamers, especially the hardcore WoW crowd, have for decades now conflated the terms "viable" and "optimal". The job (class) design in FF14, from my understanding, is such that all jobs are viable. Which is to say, their statistical power is good enough to beat all current content in any given combination (as long as you follow the general party structure of 2 tanks, 2 healers, 4 dps). Of course, when it comes to tactical considerations, some jobs may be more optimal than others, but that is not the same thing as viability. MMOs have always been made more interesting by the exotic players who decide to go against the grain and just play whatever the hell they want. WoW Classic, for example, is more fun BECAUSE people who unironically play Retribution paladin or Boomkin exist.

bmo14lax: I'd say both games have that aspect.

Plenty of players go off meta and experience the content and have lots of fun, I log into retail everyday and I play two "off meta" classes and have a blast. I would not say such things for the majority. You usually are hearing the loud minority.

Kaliane.: W Take

pumpkingamebox: Min Maxing damage output only matters in ultimate, and even then not too much.

So, unless you hardcore raiding, this literally doesn’t matter. Play whatever you want. If you’re good with it, no one will complain.

scottchambers1997: Looks at shadowbringers. You best find your favourite role in each type

toinedonders3203: Theres not really a "best" class in ff14. Whatever class does the most damage technically is kinda miniscule

Iron_Sin: Play any class, but don’t be afraid to change.

My journey in the game is an ever changing one from every expansion and post patch story.

Started PLD > GNB > WHM > DRK/NIN > WHM > SGE > RPR Current

Never be afraid to try new classes, it might surprise you enough to start calling it your main

dazzlemasseur: It's only about how little time you're ready to waste on the game. If you're in a hurry, you need the best DPS. But then you wonder "why commit so much energy in a game if you're not really enjoying it."

Poro5465: i wonder if the big thing is also that nearly every class brings utility - addle, aoe dam reductions and stuff

omegaxtrigun: What’s weird is that balance in WoW has gotten better over the years to the point where most people can clear content just playing whatever they want.

The problem is that people have been trained for so long that only the meta classes/specs matter, so the problem persists.

Old habits die hard.

avaricsymphorian: Here here! That's how games should be! Fun!

trunks2880: 100% right, and is why I love ff14!

Holykraut: Currently, there's like a 5% difference between the top 5 dps specs and the bottom spec in WoW. At least in Mythic Raid. Meta only truly matters in early season when everyone is undergeared for content.

No game is going to balance perfectly without being utterly boring. You will always have min maxing players in every videogame in existence. It's just human nature.

WoWs issue isn't balance per se (sometimes it is), its players who're in the top 5% conflating endgame top tier M and M raid content with LFR-Heroic raid content. They expect every player to be like them in content that doesn't require a playstyle like theirs.

For Mythic dungeons 2-15, you don't need a meta spec to time it, you just realistically need a lust and ignore Augmentation Evokers and you'll do fine. Mythic Raid doesn't even need a Meta comp anymore, pretty much any comp can clear through One-Armed Bandit as long as most raid buffs are available. Mug'zee takes a bit more thought in comp but doesn't need to be overthough too much and Gallywix is a joke now.

matthewdoody3434: I seem to remember a certain lotr loving guy probly my favourite streamer.. telling me "get good son" when my dps wasnt the best.. and peer pressured me into being a full on sweat lol..

ByRekon: All classes are viable you can literally play 4 machinist and clear all content

leximaomanivong1309: I honestly just play for fun! I ga e been tempted by the harder tier stuff for gil, but the stress takes away the fun for me so i focused on enjoying the story and had no regrets

elgatochurro: I honestly just enjoy playing and feel the people going crazy over all the numbers they've gathered are clueless. Gamers will optimize the fun outta their games.

First off they say all the classes per role are homogenized because some stuff is similar, but then they just focus on what differences exist between the classes...

Like "on Astro has so many ogcds to use in so smart for playing it compared to whm"

How TF are they so similar you'll call them the same... And yet you're nitpicking the smallest differences?

I just wanna play even in the PVP scene, all classes feel on par

psyonicpanda: Pretty much irrelevant what you play tbh. Just have a standard comp and if your players are good enough, you can clear whatever content you want.

BradVilla: i had to leave the game because they turned healers into garbage damage dealers and you get yelled at if you dont effectively spam your 4 spells. I have to dps to play a healer. it was such a turn off i haven't touched the game in a long time.

Jun 13 2025

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