Competitive multiplayer in Final Fantasy XIV has been completely revamped thanks to Patch 6.1. Now more than ever, PVP in FFXIV has a distinct meta with each Job being completely overhauled and leaning into certain strengths and playstyles. Especially with the advent of Crystalline Conflict, a new 5-on-5 payload-style game mode, FFXIV PVP is more exciting than it’s been in the past.
Here, we’re going to rank all Jobs for PVP by placing them in tiers. Yup, we love a good tier list, and having a FFXIV PVP tier list is surely going to stir up conversation. However, unlike core FFXIV, the competitive nature of PVP makes tiers more relevant, especially considering how Jobs are specifically tuned for PVP. So if you’re wondering which Jobs you should use (or fear) in PVP and why, this tier list will help you with that.
With the recent release of Patch 6.11, almost every Job was adjusted for PVP to improve balance. The likes of Samurai, Red Mage, and White Mage were nerfed just a bit, but nothing wild to knock them out of their top spots in the current meta. And a bunch of the weaker ones like Dancer, Gunbreaker, and Black Mage were buffed to make them more viable choices. That said, the core principles and effectiveness of each Job largely remain intact from the Patch 6.1 changes.
There are factors like team composition and synergy that can factor into a Job’s effectiveness. And with 19 Jobs in total, there are more advanced aspects that’ll take time to devise even for experienced teams. (It’s worth noting that there are no role restrictions for PVP teams, but teams cannot have two players with the same Job.) So while each PVP Job does have the potential to be effective in the right hands, this list is reflective of our experience and the larger PVP player base.
If you’re playing a Job you’re enjoying and finding success with, and we happen to place it in a lower tier, keep doing your thing. Don’t let a tier placement discourage you from playing your way. Who are we to deny you a good time in PVP? Also, keep in mind the ever-changing dynamic of PVP and the relatively new nature of FFXIV 6.1. As FFXIV PVP evolves, we’ll be sure to update and shake up this tier list as necessary.
If you’re in need of some general PVP tips, be sure to check out our comprehensive guide on FFXIV’s Crystalline Conflict mode that’ll surely get you some extra wins. Okay, here’s our FFXIV PVP tier list below.
S Tier FFXIV PVP Jobs
Samurai
If you’ve spent enough time in Crystalline Conflict, you’ve seen a Samurai completely obliterate the opposing team. Between its Midare Setsugakke, Namikiri attacks, stun and bind abilities, and damage-dealing gap closer, Samurai is an absolute savage when squaring up. With extremely high burst damage, AoE potential, and mobility, a skilled Samurai can make short work of any enemy. It’s often not smart to take a Samurai head-on, so teams will often focus-target the opposing Samurai to minimize their impact on the match.
Chiten is devastating as it’s essentially an automatic counterattack. And if you’re caught hitting a Samurai that has Chiten active, its Limit Break, Zantetsuken, will insta-kill. And since Zantetsuken is an AoE skill, it can potentially insta-kill multiple targets. Because Samurai is often a primary target, it’s likely multiple players will be affected. There are layers to this. It’s wild.
The main thing you need to consider as a Samurai is cast timers on some core skills. With the pace and hectic nature of Crystalline Conflict, it’s sometimes hard to stay in place for just a moment, but discipline is part of the challenge in playing Samurai.
Complexity: Moderately High
Red Mage
Folks who can wrap their head around Red Mage’s skillset will have their enemies seeing nothing but red. The core of Red Mage is rapid-firing melee and magic attacks while inflicting deadly amounts of damage-over-time. The learning curve may be a bit steeper than others, but it just takes time and practice to get the hang of swapping between Black Shift and White Shift, depending on the situation. White Shift applies barriers and healing effects with your abilities, and Black Shift brings in more DPS. The key utility is Resolution, which silences or stuns enemies in a line AoE, depending on the active Shift. Silence, in particular, can truly turn the tide of a match.
With Corps-a-corps and Displacement, Red Mage ends up being slippery while also inflicting buffs and debuffs. Then its Limit Break, Southern Cross, can be menacing. You’ll almost always want to do this under Black Shift, in which it’ll deal big AoE damage, and hit twice for those caught in the center — they have the power of god and anime on their side. A good Red Mage will just bleed you out fast and leave unsuspecting teams vulnerable. It’s like every piece of its skillset did not go to waste.
Complexity: Moderately High
White Mage
White Mage is borderline overpowered if you know how to use it. It has the best utility potential in the game with its Limit Break, Afflatus Purgation. This can disrupt the most important capabilities of an opposing team while [checks notes]…dealing a ton of AoE damage, inflicting stun, granting Regen healing to teammates, and boosting their HP recovery potential. Just by itself, a White Mage’s well-timed Limit Break can be the key to winning games for teams. It’s wild.
Aquaveil is clutch for dispelling status effects, and Seraph Strike is cute with some close-range damage as a treat. But Miracle of Nature is the premier utility, temporarily transforming targets and completely negating their effectiveness on a dime. And of course, with this being a healing Job, White Mage’s ability to keep its team alive is just tough to break through if you don’t focus-target them first. It’s not too difficult to wield its skillset, so if you want to keep things simple, go with White Mage.
Complexity: Moderate
Warrior
Warrior is hands down the best tank due to its devastating crowd control and utility skills. Primal Rend is a damage-dealing AoE stun that’ll put bunched-up teams in danger — and if you can combine this with a White Mage, Dragoon, or Samurai Limit Break, it’s over for them. Blota inflicts Heavy while pulling in the target, and Bloodwhetting is a multifaceted shield, heal, and damage dealer.
Things get even scarier when it comes to its Limit Break, Primal Scream. You get the effect of Inner Release, which makes Bloodwhetting and Primal Rend even more powerful, but you also become immune to all status effects, disable Guard on enemies, and boost your own HP. You also get access to Fell Cleave and Chaotic Cyclone to add even more damage potential. Absolute game-changing abilities.
Complexity: Moderate
A Tier FFXIV PVP Jobs
Dragoon
If you ask other PVP heads, it’s likely they’d consider Dragoon an S-tier Job. It’s very well-rounded with great damage output, high mobility, and decent utility. I’d recommend Dragoon to anyone, especially those who want something straightforward and effective. The only reason I’d put it in A-tier is that I see S-tier reserved for Jobs that can be borderline game-breaking.
Dragoons are really slippery and can escape crowds and status debuffs with Elusive Jump, which then turns into Wyrmwind Thrust, a powerful ranged ability. High Jump is a quick gap closer that combos into Heavensent, another high-damage attack. Geirskogul trades HP for damage buff and combos into Nastrond, then you can regain some HP back with Chaotic Spring. Dragoon just has a solid flow.
The star of the show is its Limit Break, Sky Shatter. You disappear from the battlefield and essentially select a spot for incredible AoE damage. If you see enemies bunched up on the objective and want to clear the field for your team, Sky Shatter will do the work.
Complexity: Moderate
Ninja
Ninja has the potential to be the deadliest Job in a match — it just takes a lot of work and situational awareness to get the most out of it. As a Ninja main in regular FFXIV, it still took a while to fully understand how it functions in PVP. But once it clicks, you can see how Ninja can be a high DPS pest.
Ninja relies on charges of Kassatsu effectively changing its abilities. The most important ones are Huton, a barrier and speed boost, and Hyosho Ranryu, a powerful single-target attack. (Doton and Goka Mekkyaku aren’t worth the trouble for their AoE damage.) Then having Bunshin multiply damage on certain attacks, and using Shukuchi to execute a stealthy Assassinate, gives Ninja incredible burst damage. Admittedly, Shukuchi can be unwieldy in the heat of battle since it’s still a ground-targeting ability.
The scariest part is their Limit Break, Seiton Tenchu, which will insta-kill any target at or below 50% HP — and you can chain this up to three times if you get those insta-kills. Ninja is truly designed to live up to its name.
Complexity: High
Machinist
I might be biased as a Machinist main in PVP, but it’s arguably the best ranged DPS, and one of the easiest Jobs to understand. It has some decent utility to go alongside its super-high burst damage potential. While Machinist may not be able to swing the momentum of a match like the Jobs in the higher tiers, it can still make a huge impact with single-target damage and easy knockouts.
Two core components are Wildfire detonations and its cycle of special abilities. Machinist has to go through a sequence of Drill → Bioblaster → Air Anchor → Chain Saw → Drill. Each one has a specific effect and potency when paired with Analysis. Being aware of which one you’re on, lining up cooldown timers, and knowing how to use each one is key. It can be a bit inconvenient to be forced into using one or another depending on where you are in the sequence, but they all have a great use case.
And using that 36,000 damage potency Limit Break from halfway across the map never gets old — Marksman’s Spite has incredible range and will instakill most enemies at or slightly above half HP.
Complexity: Moderate
A- / B+ Tier FFXIV PVP Jobs
Summoner
Summoner is kind of a wild mix between melee DPS and magic DPS, and it has major damage potential. Its Crimson Cyclone/Strike combo is satisfying; combined with Fester, it’s pretty simple to get the hang of. But its real strength is in its other elemental abilities.
Slipstream is an important ability to use correctly as it can create an area of denial around the objective. Mountain Buster has great utility potential with Stun on its target and Heavy on everyone else around it. These are good forms of crowd control most other Jobs don’t have. On top of that, you have dangerous AoE damage with its Limit Break if you use Summon Bahamut. (Summon Phoenix, on the other hand, isn’t as useful unless team survivability is a priority.)
One could easily argue Summoner belongs in A tier proper, but I personally feel like it’s one of the easier Jobs to counter. A team that’s good about positioning can limit its effectiveness. Nonetheless, a good Summoner can wreak havoc if it keeps an eye on crowds and takes advantage.
Complexity: Moderate
Dark Knight
While not as disruptive as Warriors, Dark Knight has some of its own quirks to hold down the fort — ones that can leave enemy teams vulnerable and frustrated. Salted Earth is great for pulling enemies off the objective, and especially effective if you line it up with a teammate who’s playing a Job with devastating AoE potential (see Dragoon, White Mage, Summoner). The Blackest Night grants some good protection, and Shadowbringer/Bloodspiller can do some solid damage — smartly balancing these things is important considering how Dark Knight manages its HP.
Dark Knight’s effectiveness revolves around its Limit Break, Eventide. This brings you down to 1 HP but makes you invincible for 10 seconds. Combined with the damage potency and granting of Bloodspiller, you can really hold it down. As players get more experienced, they’ll be able to recognize its Limit Break’s invulnerability and adapt, but that doesn’t negate the fact that Dark Knight will make its presence felt when playing the objective.
Complexity: Moderately High
B Tier FFXIV PVP Jobs
Bard
Being a good Bard in PVP centers around using your utility skills and providing team support. Above all else, it’s about speed, especially with its Limit Break, Final Fantasia. Almost every key skill cuts down on recast timers. Apex Arrow and Blast Arrow not only reduce cooldowns but also buff party members within a wide radius. And being able to inflict Silence and Bind on a single target with two separate skills makes focus-fire kills easier for the team. This requires a bit more situational awareness than other Jobs, but it really pays off when your teammates take advantage of it.
Bard’s damage potential is lacking, which keeps it from truly being a major factor. Even though it can get to the point of rapid-fire attacks, it often doesn’t make up for the low damage output. At least in my experience, having a good level of self-sufficiency is a significant help for reliably climbing the ranks in PVP. Well-coordinated teams can become godly with the benefits of a good Bard. Otherwise, the Job’s greatest strengths may not mean much.
Complexity: Moderately High
Paladin
Paladin is a true tank of the people in PVP. It features some of the best survivability skills in the game with simultaneous healing attached to most of its attacks. However, it’s a bit short on diversity in its utility and won’t deal disruptive damage.
Holy Sheltron is the key ability to wield, granting major protection and additional buffs and debuffs if its barrier expires. Guardian is a prime example of Paladin protecting its friends, literally taking one for the team. And that Limit Break, along with Confiteor’s Sacred Claim effect, makes Paladin nearly impossible to chop down — it also cuts enemy damage in half for any teammates in range. It’s the one true selfless Job.
However, this is another case where the Job is only as effective as the team it’s on because Paladin doesn’t have standalone tide-turning abilities like Jobs in higher tiers. It can do decent damage with its Limit Break Blade combo, but it’s built to stand its ground and elevate teammates to victory.
Complexity: Moderate
Scholar
With the Patch 6.11 changes, Scholar’s core utility skills got some much-needed buffs. Both Adloquium (damage buff on target) and Biolysis (damage reduction on target) last longer, giving you and your party more effective damage potential and protection. But in conjunction with Deployment Tactics, Adloquium becomes more than just a simple heal and Biolysis’ damage-over-time is more deadly, extending either’s effects to other players depending on whether it’s a teammate or enemy being targeted.
Much like its Summoner counterpart, Scholar can call onto one of two summons for its Limit Break, both of which are effective in frustrating enemy teams and keep yours in fighting condition. Seraph buffs your core abilities and auto-casts Seraphic Veil, while Flight brings in auto-heals when HP is low and negates status afflictions.
As a healer, Scholar has a lot of solid tools to work with. The unfortunate aspect is that White Mage simply puts other healers to shame. These other healers don’t have the same potential and utility to really swing matches. And one healer is enough for a team in Crystalline Conflict, so I imagine players are hoping they get a White Mage.
Complexity: Moderately High
Sage
Sage might be designated as a healer but it often doesn’t feel like it, which is fine because it makes up in other ways. With its damage and barriers, it may as well be categorized as a support-style DPS.
You won’t find any direct healing with Sage besides Kardia (don’t forget to designate a partner). Instead, you’ll find noteworthy damage from Pneuma, Phlegma (with two charges), and Toxikon (DoT). The most important one is Pneuma, which applies five stacks of Haima barriers on nearby teammates. Given the chaos of PVP, barriers can sometimes be better than direct heals. With Eukrasian Dosis, you can continuously apply a barrier to your Kardion partner, offering additional survivability.
Sage’s Limit Break, Mesotes, provides conditional invulnerability for teammates and damage-over-time on enemies caught in its range. Under the right circumstances, Mesotes can swing the momentum of a match. Sage is a force to be reckoned with, but a healer in name only.
Complexity: Moderately High
Astrologian
Of all the healers, Astrologian is probably the most fun to play but also has the most to juggle, staying true to its main game counterpart. The Draw and Play for cards have been sensibly simplified, but they introduce a level of unpredictability. Each card provides a decent buff, but you want to be in control of as many aspects as possible in PVP.
However, Astrologian’s premier skill, Double Cast, is satisfying to play with. You can hit with back-to-back casts of the same spell with some additional effects on top. For example, a Double Cast-ed Gravity II does decent damage and inflicts Heavy and Bind to those caught in the AoE. Macrocosmos is quite formidable with the Patch 6.11 buff too. And the Limit Break, Celestial River, will be a major factor in helping the team get over a hump and break a stalemate.
All its features give it a cool identity, but having to rely on Double Cast coming off cooldown can make it feel a bit slow to play. By no means is Astrologian bad, it’s just that others can be more effective.
Complexity: Moderately High
B- / C+ Tier FFXIV PVP Jobs
Black Mage
Black Mage is weird because it can either be really devastating or a non-factor. Cast times are hard to handle in PVP. One of its core mechanics, building stacks of Astral Warmth / Umbral Freeze, is target-specific. It often feels like too much wind-up with a lot to handle and monitor amid the chaos of a PVP match. While it has incredible damage potential, it takes quite a bit of work and focus to get there.
It does have some key tools. Burst is both solid DPS and survivability. Night Wing inflicting Sleep offers some decent utility. The Limit Break, Soul Resonance, is pretty fun to use and gives Black Mage a scary burst window. This turns Fire and Blizzard into Flare and Freeze, which are instant casts, and grant Polyglot to use Foul — all of which are AoEs.
Patch 6.11 gave Black Mage some meaningful buffs, but even still, Black Mage needs to be mindful that they’re easy targets with low HP and not enough survivability to make up for it. Being on a lower tier doesn’t mean it’s bad — letting a good Black Mage go unchecked will hurt you big time. It’s just that its design isn’t exactly ideal for PVP’s dynamic.
Complexity: High
Gunbreaker
Before Patch 6.11, Gunbreaker was arguably the worst PVP Job in FFXIV. It had the potential to be formidable if it just had a few more perks in its skillset. With the patch’s buffs, it has become a much more viable option, offering a new speed boost along with Rough Divide’s effects. Additionally, it has a streamlined Draw and Junction function that doesn’t dispel when you die. Its Limit Break is pretty nasty too. When combined, Relentless Rush and Terminal Trigger lay down some good AoE damage while hitting targets with debuffs and Stun.
But Draw and Junction still feels a bit clumsy to use — it basically mimics your target’s role, which then grants additional effects to its combo finishers and a specific Junctioned Cast, depending on that role. It’s pretty straightforward on paper, but if you’re really trying to optimize your effectiveness as Gunbreaker, it will take some work. Even then, it feels like a jack of all trades and master of none.
Despite the buffs and streamlining, Gunbreaker remains somewhat unwieldy — ambitious in its design, but not the best execution of the idea. But damn is it cool to see how it calls upon its Final Fantasy VIII origins.
Complexity: High
C Tier FFXIV PVP Jobs
Monk
Like I said in the beginning, every Job has the potential to be effective in the right hands. That definitely applies to Monk, who has the capability to isolate, pester, and essentially eliminate specific enemies. But good god, why in the world does it have a seven-part combo as its main damage dealer? The wind-up is needlessly long and tough to keep track of, and with the pace and chaos of PVP, it’s just not a reasonable thing for a player to manage. Bruh, a seven-part GCD combo…in PVP.
An ideal scenario would be to use Enlightenment to push and isolate a target, rush them with Thunderclap, have Fire Resonance from Rising Phoenix, then follow up with either a Phantom Rush or Meteodrive Limit Break, if either is ready. This can be devastating. Other than that, Monk has Earth’s Reply for some survivability and a single-target stun in Six-Sided Star. Unfortunately, the Job doesn’t really excel in a broader capacity.
Complexity: Moderately High
Reaper
Reaper has some neat abilities that channel its unique design in main FFXIV, but the PvP translation came out too convoluted for its own good. To be effective, you need to juggle stacks of Soul Reaver and Immortal Sacrifice. The latter is more important, which leads to a stronger Plentiful Harvest that could wreck enemies in a line AoE. Death Warrant and Harvest Moon toy with relative HP and damage dealt, and Arcane Crest brings some much-needed utility.
Its Limit Break is essentially Enshroud, granting you access to Void Reaping and Cross Reaping. Bouncing between the two and then ending on Communio feels pretty good. But for a Limit Break, it’s a bit long-winded, especially with Communio being a casted spell.
Trying to keep track of Reaper’s skillset to be most effective given the situation, along with the hectic nature of PVP, takes a lot of work. Just looking at the tooltips is exhausting, and putting it into action is even more so. The payoff doesn’t exactly match the effort. Don’t get it twisted: If a galaxy-brain Reaper gets going, things can get ugly. But Reaper makes things tougher than its other DPS counterparts.
Complexity: High
Dancer
Thankfully for PVP, Dancer doesn’t have any procs, but it does retain the branching nature of its weaponskills. It has some neat abilities like Honing Dance, which is a counter-like attack and barrier. Saber Dance and Starfall Dance do respectable AoE damage. And having a Dance Partner lets you share buffs with a teammate and boost them free of charge, making Curing Waltz and Fan Dance more effective.
I can see the potential use case for Contradance — a super-wide AoE charm can swing the match if it’s coordinated with teammates making a play for the objective. But as a Limit Break, it feels underwhelming. Dancer’s skillset seems fine, but it feels somewhat incomplete; it’s sorely missing something to bring it all together. It doesn’t have the damage output, utility, or support to match other Jobs, so it’s left in the dust.
Complexity: Moderately High
