Final Fantasy V Beginner’s Guide
Final Fantasy V Beginner’s Guide
Final Fantasy V is well known for its in depth and balanced job system, expanding on the groundwork that Final Fantasy III laid out. Despite the class system being so complex, no version of Final Fantasy V explains the mechanics very well, or even explains how each class works beyond a basic description. This guide is meant to help new players understand the mechanics of each class so they can be prepared to build their own party.
This guide is spoiler free except for sections that are labeled as having spoilers
How does Final Fantasy V’s class system work?
Classes are obtained as you progress through the game’s story. After assigning a class to a character, that character’s stats will be altered depending on the class you pick and they will start gaining ABP—points that contribute to mastering a class. Classes are leveled up through gaining ABP until eventually a character reaches that class’s maximum level and is mastered. As a class is leveled up you will unlock new abilities relating to that class. Some abilities have stat buffs tied to them, but the game doesn’t explain that classes or abilities have stat modifications on them at all.
There are three different types of abilities that you’ll unlock and can equip, Active (!), Passive (%), and Innate ($). Active abilities are those that you use on a character’s turn. Passive abilities function in the background or activate on their own without using a turn, and are equipped automatically without using an ability slot on the class they’re tied to. A passive ability doesn’t need to be unlocked to be equipped automatically on the class it’s tied to. Innate abilities function the same as Passive abilities but will also automatically be equipped on the Freelancer and Mime classes without using an ability slot. Sometimes abilities will have stats buffs tied to them, this means that when they’re equipped either automatically or manually, your stats will be altered accordingly.
Which version is the best one to play?
Each version of Final Fantasy V is good, but there are plenty of differences between each of them. This section will detail the differences between each to help you decide which one to play.
Super Famicom – The original version of Final Fantasy V, where everything started. Everything holds up well here, though there are some battle backgrounds exclusive to this version and the PS1 version that are really ugly. While FF5 doesn’t have my favorite soundtrack from Uematsu, the music in this game is still really good and sounds great for being on SFC hardware. This is the only version to not have any sprinting (outside of the Thief’s Sprint ability), and even though this version was never localized by Square, there is a fan made translation of the game that’s historically significant for being the first full translation mod of a game never officially released outside of Japan. This translation still holds up well over 20 years later so don’t be afraid to give this version a try.
PlayStation 1 – This version is near identical to the SFC version, but this was the first time Square localized Final Fantasy V, and the new script was… not great. There are some really silly mistranslations all throughout this version. The loading times of the PS1 don’t make things any better, but hey, you get a few cinematic cutscenes and sometimes Cloud and Squall appear on the loading screens! This version also introduces sprinting without needing to use Thief’s Sprint (Sprint now increases your sprint speed, be careful about mastering Thief on multiple characters because you’ll start running at the speed of light).
Game Boy Advance – This version got a much-needed re-translation, which reads much better than the PS1 version. This version also features a new dungeon where you can unlock four new classes. There are also bug fixes, more optional bosses, a quick save feature, a Bestiary, improved battle backgrounds, and a music player. Usually ports of SNES games to GBA sound significantly worse, but FF5’s soundtrack was carried over very well to this version. This is the version of Final Fantasy V I’ve played the the most, and before the Pixel Remaster released, I would always point to this version as being the best one. Good luck finding a physical copy of this version though; the GBA version is rare and worth a pretty penny online and in retro stores.
Old Mobile/Steam – This version is based on the GBA version using the SFC soundtrack. This version has been discontinued since the release of the Pixel Remaster, since it was notorious for having redrawn maps, sprites, and other artwork that many fans thought were ugly (I’m not a fan of the new look but it’s far from the ugliest thing I’ve seen). This version has plenty of changes meant to rebalance the game, but it isn’t much harder or easier than any other version.
Pixel Remaster (Mobile/Steam) – This version is based on the SFC version. It uses the script from the GBA version, and has an entirely re-orchestrated soundtrack that sounds incredible. This version even features remade cinematics based on the PS1 version’s FMV cutscenes. All balancing in this version is based on the GBA version while fixing bugs from previous versions. Eight-way movement is also added, making overworld and dungeon exploration less stiff. This version is easily the best in my opinion, but the lack of the extra dungeon and the four jobs that are unlocked from it in the GBA and old Steam/Mobile versions may turn some people off.
Base stats of each character
Each character starts off with slightly different stats that will affect the results they get from mastering different classes. Because of the stat buffs you’ll get from mastering different classes, the difference these stats make later in the game is minimal, but worth considering early on.
Bartz – 28 Strength, 25 Agility, 27 Stamina, 25 Magic
Bartz leans slightly more into strength and tanking instead of magic, making him good with physical fighter builds, but he can also handle magic very well.
Lenna – 25 Strength, 26 Agility, 25 Stamina, 28 Magic
Lenna sacrifices some strength and defense for more magic. She can easily handle being a physical fighter, but won’t have the same results from mastering fighter classes compared to Bartz and Faris.
Galuf (Before plot point) – 27 Strength, 24 Agility, 28 Stamina, 24 Magic
Galuf (After plot point) – 25 Strength, 28 Agility, 24 Stamina, 27 Magic
Galuf is unique in that partway through the story, something important happens that makes his base stats shift (you’ll know when this happens, it’s really obvious). This plot point means he’ll shift from being a good physical fighter to being better at magic. Whether you want better results at the beginning of the game by making him a physical fighter or better results later by making him a caster is entirely up to personal preference. You can even mix and match physical and casting abilities throughout the game if you want.
Faris – 27 Strength, 27 Agility, 26 Vitality, 26 Magic Faris has the best overall balance of stats, making it worth considering using both physical fighter abilities and magic abilities with them.
Class Tier List
X – Placed in their own tier due to inheriting all innate abilities from classes that have been mastered
Freelancer/Mime (tied)
S – Classes with active abilities that are the best in the game
Ranger, Time Mage, Chemist, Blue Mage
A – Classes with active abilities that, while not as good as S tier class abilities, are useful, and have really good innate abilities
Bard, White Mage, Summoner, Samurai, Ninja, Mystic Knight, Red Mage
B – Classes that can have a place in mastering builds, but won’t have a major impact on late game builds or are outclassed by other classes
Geomancer, Monk/Knight (tied)
C – Classes that aren’t bad but are outclassed by other classes in higher tiers
Black Mage, Dragoon
D – Classes that can be useful in specific builds or in specific situations
Thief, Berserker, Cannoneer, Beastmaster, Gladiator
F – Classes that aren’t good
Dancer, Necromancer, Oracle
Starting Class
Class: Freelancer (X) ABP to master: 0
Starting ability: Attack, Items
Weapons: All
Armor: All
Stats: Best stat buffs from other mastered classes
Description: This is the class that each character starts off as before unlocking other classes. Two abilities can be equipped from other classes onto this class. Any innate abilities from other mastered classes will be automatically equipped on this class without using any ability slots. This or Mime should ultimately be the classes that are used after all other desired classes are mastered, depending on what you want out of your final build. Freelancer is better for physical fighter builds, since they can equip better weapons and armor, though having a third ability slot from using Mime is also a good choice.
First set of classes unlocked
Class: Knight (B) ABP to master: 690
Starting ability: Guard
Weapons: Knives, Swords, Knight Swords
Armor: Shields, Helmets, Light Armor, Heavy Armor, Gauntlets
Stats: +23 Strength, +1 Agility, +20 Stamina, -14 Magic
Level 1 (ABP 10): Cover (%): “Take hits for allies who cannot protect themselves.” This activates when another character’s HP is critical, but won’t work if an attack can cause a debuff.
Level 2 (ABP 30): Guard (!): “Completely absorb a direct physical attack.” Cover is usually good enough to rely on, but this ability can help if you know an enemy has attacks that Cover won’t block.
Level 3 (ABP 50): Two-Handed ($): “Use both hands when wielding swords, katanas, or axes to inflict twice the damage” this applies as long as nothing is equipped in the other hand.
Level 4 (ABP 100): Equip Shields (%): “Gain the ability to equip shields.”
Level 5 (ABP 150): Equip Armor (%): “Gain the ability to wear armor.”
Level 6 (ABP 350): Equip Swords ($): “Gain the ability to wield swords.”
Description: Either Knight or Monk will be your starting class for whoever you want to be a physical fighter until you unlock more classes. Knight and Monk are tied because they’re both good but focus on different skills that are entirely up to preference. Knight focuses more on defense while Monk focuses more on offense. Cover and Guard are pretty good tank abilities, but the Equip abilities should only be used if you can’t use an empty ability slot on anything better.
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Class: Monk (B) ABP to master: 700
Starting ability: Kick
Weapons: None
Armor: Combat Hats, Light Armor, Armlets
Stats: +26 Strength, +1 Agility, +26 Stamina, -23 Magic
Level 1 (ABP 15): Focus (!): “Focus energies for a hit with twice the attack power.” There isn’t much of a reason to use this over just regularly attacking twice unless you’re using it on the off chance that an enemy or boss can’t or shouldn’t be hit.
Level 2 (ABP 30): Barehanded ($) (+26 Strength): “Gains the same attack power as monks when unarmed.” Meaning that you get the same attack power as a monk AND +26 strength. This innate ability gives a huge boost in strength.
Level 3 (ABP 45): Chakra (!): “Healing energies recover HP and cleanse the body of poison and darkness.” without using any MP. This ability is really good early in the game but later on you may want to use your ability slots on more powerful abilities and have some more faith in your healer.
Level 4 (ABP 60): Counter ($): “Automatically counter when hit.” Without using up a turn. The counter is functionally the same as a regular attack.
Level 5 (ABP 100): HP +10% (%): “Increases maximum HP by 10%.”
Level 6 (ABP 150): HP +20% (%): “Increases maximum HP by 20%.”
Level 7 (ABP 300): HP +30% (%): “Increases maximum HP by 30%.”
Description: Either Monk or Knight will be your starting class for whoever you want to be a physical fighter. As stated in the Knight description, both classes are tied because they have different types of skills that are equally good and up to preference. Monk is much more about offensive power while Knight is focused on tanking. Monk has some good abilities, with Chakra and Counter being the best, while Focus and the HP buffs fall flat when used with other classes.
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Class: Thief (D) ABP to master: 635
Starting ability: Steal
Weapons: Knives, Boomerangs
Armor: Combat Hats, Light Armor, Armlets, Thief’s Gloves
Stats: +1 Strength, +16 Agility, +2 Stamina, -6 Magic
Level 1 (ABP 10): Find Passages ($): “Detect hidden passageways.” Hidden paths will be marked by what looks like yellow glitter on black tiles
Level 2 (ABP 20): Flee (!): “Quickly escape from battle. You may be unable to escape from some enemies.” Meaning that you’ll run away 100% of the time except from bosses.
Level 3 (ABP 30): Sprint ($): “Hold down the (sprint) button while pressing the +Control Pad to move twice as fast.” This ability will stack if multiple characters have it so be careful before you start zipping around all over the place
Level 4 (ABP 50): Steal (!): “Steal treasure from an enemy.” The chance of stealing is only 40% but the Thief’s Gloves double your chances of stealing an item or piece of equipment.
Level 5 (ABP 75) Vigilance (%): “Prevent back attacks.”
Level 6 (ABP 150) Mug (!): “Attack and steal from the enemy.” Functions like Steal but does a small amount of damage that overrides weapon effects. It’s not a strong attack but better than only stealing.
Level 7 (ABP 300) Artful Dodger (%) (+16 Agility): “Gains the same speed and agility as a thief.” This ability is just a buff to Agility, it doesn’t do anything fancy.
Description: Thief is the weirdest class to talk about in this game, because on one hand this class has abilities that are good for first time players, but it is also very confusing to implement into final builds. This game is nowhere near as in depth as future Final Fantasy games with stealing, but you can get some useful items from enemies if you dedicate yourself to it. I personally haven’t found a way to make Thief work in my playstyle, but I know people who have and love the class.
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Class: Black Mage (C) ABP to master: 680
Starting ability: Black
Weapons: Knives, Rods
Armor: Magic Hats, Robes, Armlets
Stats: -9 Strength, -2 Stamina, +31 Magic
Level 1 (ABP 10): Black Lv1 (!) (+16 Magic): “Performs black magic.” Lets you cast Fire, Blizzard, and Thunder.
Level 2 (ABP 20): Black Lv2 (!) (+19 Magic): Lets you cast Poison, Sleep, and Toad.
Level 3 (ABP 30): Black Lv3 (!) (+22 Magic): Lets you cast Fira, Blizzara, and Thundara.
Level 4 (ABP 50): Black Lv4 (!) (+25 Magic): Lets you cast Drain, Break, and Bio.
Level 5 (ABP 70): Black Lv5 (!) (+28 Magic): Lets you cast Firaga, Blizzaga, and Thundaga.
Level 6 (ABP 100) Black Lv6 (!) (+31 Magic): Lets you cast Flare, Death, and Osmose.
Level 7 (ABP 400) MP +30% (%): “Increases maximum MP by 30%.”
Description: Black Mage is a solid choice for any offensive mage class, since it’s the only option for attack magic until more classes are unlocked. It’s worth keeping in mind though, that Summons outclass Black Magic for attacking all enemies at once, and Spellblade outclasses Black Magic due to magic damage stacking with physical damage. Despite this, the buff to Magic that comes with having Black Magic equipped makes it worth pairing with other forms of magic.
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Class: White Mage (A) ABP to master: 580
Starting ability: White
Weapons: Staves
Armor: Magic Hats, Robes, Armlets
Stats: -7 Strength, +1 Agility, +25 Magic
Level 1 (ABP 10): White Lv1 (!) (+15 Magic): “Performs White Magic.” Lets you use Cure, Libra, and Poisona.
Level 2 (ABP 20): White Lv2 (!) (+17 Magic): Lets you use Silence, Protect, and Mini.
Level 3 (ABP 30): White Lv3 (!) (+19 Magic): Lets you use Cura, Raise, and Confuse.
Level 4 (ABP 50): White Lv4 (!) (+21 Magic): Lets you use Blink, Shell, and Esuna.
Level 5 (ABP 70): White Lv5 (!) (+23 Magic): Lets you use Curaga, Reflect, and Berserk
Level 6 (ABP 100): White Lv6 (!) (+25 Magic): Lets you use Arise, Holy, and Dispel
Level 7 (ABP 300): MP +10% (%): “Increases maximum MP by 10%.”
Description: White magic is essential throughout the whole game. Without any healing power, it’s unlikely you’ll survive off of just potions and phoenix downs. The only other class with comparable healing ability is Chemist, a class that relies on items and doesn’t come until much later in the game. White Magic is best paired with other forms of magic because of its Magic buff.
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Class: Blue Mage (S) ABP to master: 350
Starting ability: Blue
Weapons: Knives, Swords, Rods
Armor: Shields, Magic Hats, Combat Hats, Robes, Light Armor, Armlets
Stats: -8 Strength, +1 Agility, +3 Stamina, +23 Magic
Level 1 (ABP 10): Check (!): “Check an enemy’s HP.” If for some reason you want to know the HP of whatever you’re fighting, then go ahead and use Check.
Level 2 (ABP 20): Learning ($): “Learn some monsters’ special attacks.” You’ll learn a Blue spell when a character that has Learning equipped is hit by that spell. Not all monster abilities can be learned, but there are a lot of Blue spells in this game. See the Blue Magic section of this guide for more details.
Level 3 (ABP 70): Blue (!) (+23 Magic): “Perform Blue Magic.”
Level 4 (ABP 250): Scan (!): “See enemy’s level, HP, weakness, and current condition.” Can be kinda useful for first time players but I have a hard recommending using a turn on this ability.
Description: Blue Magic is insanely good but requires a ton of time invested into learning Blue spells, compared to other classes where you just buy spells or do short side quests to get Summons or Songs. It may not function the best as your primary ability, but Blue Magic, assuming you have every spell, gives your team a ton of utility. See the Blue Magic section of this guide for more details.
Second set of classes unlocked
Class: Red Mage (A) ABP to master: 1159
Starting ability: Red
Weapons: Knives, Swords, Rods, Staves
Armor: Magic Hats, Combat Hats, Robes, Light Armor, Armlets
Stats: +8 Strength, +5 Magic, -6 Stamina, +8 Magic
Level 1 (ABP 20): Red Lv1 (!) (+2 Magic): “Perform White or Black Magic.” lets you use Cure, Libra, Poisona, Fire, Blizzard, and Thunder.
Level 2 (ABP 40): Red Lv2 (!) (+5 Magic): Lets you use Silence, Protect, Mini, Poison, Sleep, and Toad.
Level 3 (ABP 100): Red Lv3 (!) (+8 Magic): Lets you use Cura, Raise, Confuse, Fira, Blizzara, and Thundara.
Level 4 (ABP 999): Dualcast (!) (+8 Magic): “Casts two spells back to back.” Alone this works with only Level 3 White Magic and Black Magic, but it can be used with any form of magic that you have equipped with Dualcast except Blue Magic and Dark Arts. This includes Level 4+ White or Black Magic if you have it equipped in another ability slot.
Description: Red Mage’s power is outclassed by both White Mage and Black Mage, but Dualcast alone makes this class worth leveling. Being able to use any two spells (except Blue Magic and Dark Arts) in one turn is insanely good. This class would be much higher on the tier list if it weren’t for the 999 ABP requirement for Level 4. This class can really suck to level up since it really falls behind in power later on in the game, but Dualcast is good enough that I can justify it for myself.
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Class: Time Mage (S) ABP to master: 530
Starting ability: Time
Weapons: Knives, Rods, Staves
Armor: Magic Hats, Robes, Armlets
Stats: -5 Strength, +2 Agility, -3 Stamina, +24 Magic
Level 1 (ABP 10): Time Lv1 (!) (+14 Magic): “Perform Time Magic.” Lets you use Speed, Slow, and Regen.
Level 2 (ABP 20): Time Lv2 (!) (+16 Magic): Lets you use Mute, Haste, and Float.
Level 3 (ABP 30): Time Lv3 (!) (+18 Magic): Lets you use Gravity, Stop, and Teleport.
Level 4 (ABP 50): Time Lv4 (!) (+20 Magic): Lets you use Comet, Slowga, and Return.
Level 5 (ABP 70): Time Lv5 (!) (+22 Magic): Lets you use Graviga, Hastega, and Old.
Level 6 (ABP 100): Time Lv6 (!) (+24 Magic): Lets you use Meteor, Quick, and Banish.
Level 7 (ABP 250): Equip Rods (%): “Gain the ability to wield rods.”
Description: Equip Rods is a very anticlimactic way to master this class, but Time Magic is insanely good. While not all Time spells are great by any means, there are plenty of great ones like Hastega, Gravity, Float, and Meteor. Pairing Time Magic with another form of magic is really good because of the Magic buff.
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Class: Summoner (S) ABP to master: 750
Starting ability: Summon
Weapons: Knives, Rods
Armor: Magic Hats, Robes, Armlets
Stats: -10 Strength, -1 Agility, -1 Stamina, +33 Magic
Level 1 (ABP 15): Summon Lv1 (!) (+17 Magic): “Summon magical beasts for aid.” Lets you summon Chocobo, Sylph, and Remora.
Level 2 (ABP 30): Summon Lv2 (!) (+21 Magic): Lets you summon Shiva, Ramuh, and Ifrit.
Level 3 (ABP 45): Summon Lv3 (!) (+25 Magic): Lets you summon Titan, Golem, and Catoblepas.
Level 4 (ABP 60): Summon Lv4 (!) (+29 Magic): Lets you summon Carbuncle, Syldra, and Odin.
Level 5 (ABP 100): Summon Lv5 (!) (+33 Magic): Lets you summon Phoenix, Leviathan, and Bahamut.
Level 6 (ABP 500): Call (!): “Perform a random summon for 0 MP. Who knows who, or what, will come…” The in-game description makes this ability seem really spooky but all it means is that a random Summon is chosen for no MP. This ability is really good but sometimes RNG won’t play into your favor.
Description: Summoner is one of the best mages in Final Fantasy V, and my personal favorite class in the game. Where each summon is obtained and what they do is detailed in the Summons section of this guide. Summons have various effects, but overall Summoner is functionally a Black Mage that’s more effective at AOE casting. Summoning pairs very well with any other form of magic, as Summon has the highest Magic buff out of all the types of Magic. Plenty of summons are only obtained through optional boss battles and dungeons, so this class can be unfriendly to beginners going into Final Fantasy V blind.
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Class: Berserker (D) ABP to master: 500
Starting ability: None
Weapons: Knives, Axes, Hammers
Armor: Shields, Helmets, Light Armor, Heavy Armor, Gauntlets
Stats: +21 Strength, -9 Agility, +25 Stamina, -23 Magic
Level 1 (ABP 100): Berserk (%): “Continuously attack until all enemies have been defeated.” Meaning you enter the Berserk status where all your character will do is attack a random enemy in turn, with a buff in strength and a debuff to defense
Level 2 (ABP 400): Equip Axes ($) (+21 Strength): “Gain the ability to wield axes.”
Description: This class may seem really bad on the surface. Berserker is a bit of a meme among Final Fantasy V fans, but this class has some good utility if you use it right. The strength buff from Equip Axes is innate so you’ll be getting a really decent strength buff from this class even if you’ve already mastered a class with a higher base strength stat like Monk. The low ABP requirement to master means it won’t take much effort to get this buff to Strength either. There are also some good party set ups you can get from having a Berserker with various passive and innate abilities in the back row. While these strategies aren’t enough to consider Berserker an amazing class, they’re worth trying out because some of the party builds that utilize Berserker can be really funny.
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Class: Mystic Knight (A) ABP to master: 680
Starting ability: Spellblade
Weapons: Knives, Swords
Armor: Shields, Helmets, Light Armor, Heavy Armor, Gauntlets
Stats: +14 Strength, +14 Agility, +14 Stamina, +1 Magic
Level 1 (ABP 10): Magic Shell (%): “Automatically casts Shell when near KO.” This ability sounds nice but really won’t make much of a difference since you won’t have much health left for it to matter.
Level 2 (ABP 20): Spellblade Lv1 (!) (+4 Strength, -9 Magic): “Enchant weapons with different magics.” Lets you cast Fire, Blizzard, and Thunder on your weapon.
Level 3 (ABP 30): Spellblade Lv2 (!) (+6 Strength, -7 Magic): Lets you cast Poison, Silence, and Sleep on your weapon.
Level 4 (ABP 50): Spellblade Lv3 (!) (+8 Strength, -5 Magic): Lets you cast Fira, Blizzara, and Thundara on your weapon.
Level 5 (ABP 70): Spellblade Lv4 (!) (+10 Strength, -3 Magic): Lets you cast Drain, Break, and Bio on your weapon.
Level 6 (ABP 100): Spellblade Lv5 (!) (+12 Strength, -1 Magic): Lets you cast Firaga, Blizzaga, and Thundaga on your weapon.
Level 7 (ABP 400): Spellblade Lv6 (!) (+14 Strength, +1 Magic): Lets you cast Holy, Flare, and Osmose on your weapon.
Description: Mystic Knight is near identical to Black Mage in utility, the difference being that a spell is cast on an enemy by enchanting it onto your weapon. This means that you only need to cast a spell once to use it repeatedly, and the damage from it will stack with the physical damage you get from attacking. It’s really useful, but worth keeping in mind that any active abilities that override weapon abilities will not include the spell that’s cast on your weapon. Spellblade pairs well with physical attack abilities since it can give physical fighters more of an edge in battle. Most weapons in the game can be enchanted. If you’re ever unsure if a weapon can be enchanted or not, check the weapon description.
Third set of classes unlocked
Class: Beastmaster (D) ABP to master: 460
Starting ability: Catch
Weapons: Knives, Whips
Armor: Combat Hats, Light Armor, Armlets
Stats: +13 Strength, +1 Agility, +8 Stamina, -3 Magic
Level 1 (ABP 10): Calm (!): “Calm magic beasts.” Meaning that a magic enemy won’t attack for a turn or two if this ability works. In the GBA this ability is bugged and has the opposite effect, working on non-magic enemies but not magic ones.
Level 2 (ABP 50): Control (!): “Take control of a monster.” Meaning that the enemy will face the opposite direction and Beastmaster will spend the rest of the fight controlling that enemy. This is especially useful for getting support and healing blue magic spells, since controlling enemies is the only way to learn these types of Blue spells.
Level 3 (ABP 100): Equip Whips (%) (+13 Strength, +1 Agility): “Gain the ability to wield whips.”
Level 4 (ABP 300): Catch/Release (!): “Capture a weakened monster.” Meaning that after doing enough damage to an enemy that it has less than 1/8th of its HP, you’ll be able to capture it and release it in another battle. This can be really useful for boss fights. Each enemy has a unique attack that they use when they’re released.
Description: Beastmaster is a unique class that can be really useful if you commit to using it. You won’t be getting as much damage output as other classes, or a lot of depth since Final Fantasy V isn’t really a monster collector RPG, but you can get some really interesting results with Beastmaster. Releasing monsters during boss fights adds a new layer of complexity to the game that’s unmatched in any other Final Fantasy game.
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Class: Geomancer (B) ABP to master: 175
Starting ability: Gaia
Weapons: Knives, Bells
Armor: Magic Hats, Robes, Armlets
Stats: +4 Strength, +2 Agility, +4 Stamina, +24 Magic
Level 1 (ABP 25): Gaia (!): “Attack enemies by channeling the power of the surrounding area.” This attack costs no MP and scales with Magic so it’s a good way for casters to do damage without having to spend MP. Even with high Magic the damage isn’t anything special, but it does a lot more damage than attacking in the back row with a cheap rod or knife.
Level 2 (ABP 50): Find Pits ($): “Detect holes in the floor.” Meaning that invisible pits will be made perfectly visible on the map.
Level 3 (ABP 100) Light Step ($): “Avoid damage on floor with harmful effects.” Meaning that tiles that would normally damage you or give you status effects won’t do anything. This effect applies to the whole party even if it’s equipped on just one character.
Description: Geomancer isn’t very useful for anything other than Gaia, which is a decent ability that can make random encounters a bit easier for casters. Other than that, I can’t see how investing super heavily into this class would give you amazing results, but Geomancer is fine enough at what it does.
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Class: Ninja (A) ABP to master: 690
Starting ability: Throw
Weapons: Knives, Short Swords, Boomerangs
Armor: Combat Hats, Light Armor, Gauntlets
Stats: +15 Strength, +14 Agility, +3 Stamina, -10 Magic
Level 1 (ABP 10): Smoke (!): “Use the confusion of a smoke bomb to escape from most enemies without them even noticing.” in simpler words you run away from battles 100% of the time except against bosses.
Level 2 (ABP 30): Image (!): “Create illusions to absorb two direct physical attacks.” This ability can be good if you have everyone use it at once, otherwise chances are you won’t get lucky enough for it to mean much.
Level 3 (ABP 50): First Strike (%): “Increases the chances of having the first attack.”
Level 4 (ABP 150): Throw (!): “Toss weapons at enemies. Scrolls and shurikens can be thrown as well.” Don’t underestimate this ability, you’ll be doing a ton of damage with shurikens, and throwing scrolls will cast spells. Instead of selling old weapons that you won’t be using anymore you can throw them to do almost as much damage as shurikens. Weapon effects will also work when a weapon is thrown.
Level 5 (ABP 450): Dual-Wield ($): “Carry, and attack with, a weapon in each hand. Bows and Harps cannot be dual-wielded”. Meaning that with two weapons equipped, you’ll attack twice in one turn, one attack for each weapon’s effects. This ability is insanely good, especially paired with Ranger’s Rapid Fire since with these two abilities you can attack eight times in just one turn, with each attack being guaranteed to hit while completely ignoring defense.
Description: Ninja is the best class for doing big damage, with both Throw and Dual-Wield being amazing abilities. Any physical fighter will be getting a lot out of this class.
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Class: Ranger (S) ABP to master: 600
Starting ability: Aim
Weapons: Knives, Bows
Armor: Combat Hats, Light Armor, Armlets
Stats: +16 Strength, +12 Agility, +1 Stamina, -5 Magic
Level 1 (ABP 15): Animals (!): “Gain the aid of woodland friends.” Meaning you’ll summon a bunch of animals to either attack the enemies (which is pretty weak) or heal a tiny amount of HP.
Level 2 (ABP 45): Aim (!): “Raise the accuracy of attacks.” Not worth equipping on other classes but while you’re leveling Ranger it’s better than your regular attack.
Level 3 (ABP 135): Equip Bows ($) (+16 Strength, +12 Agility): “Gain the ability to equip bows.”
Level 4 (ABP 405): Rapid Fire (!): “Perform four weaker attacks at once.” Don’t let the in-game description fool you. These four attacks each have almost as much strength as a regular attack, they’re guaranteed to hit, and they completely ignore defense, meaning you’ll always do more damage than by just doing one regular attack. Paired with Ninja’s Dual-Wield, you’ll get eight attacks in one turn, making this ability even better and really good at destroying bosses. The only downside is that this ability overrides weapon effects, so it can’t be paired effectively with abilities such as Spellblade.
Description: Ranger would be really mediocre if it weren’t for Rapid Fire, which is easily the best physical attack ability in this game. It’s worth mastering this class just for Rapid Fire alone.
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Class: Bard (A) ABP to master: 175
Starting ability: Sing
Weapons: Knives, Harps
Armor: Magic Hats, Robes, Armlets
Stats: -8 Strength, +8 Agility, -9 Stamina, +11 Magic
Level 1 (ABP 25): Hide (!): “Duck out of sight and avoid attacks.” Meaning that you’ll be unattackable but not be able to do anything until you use a turn to come out of hiding. This ability is about as good as it sounds.
Level 2 (ABP 50): Equip Harps (%) (+8 Agility, +11 Magic): “Gain the ability to equip harps.” I’m not sure why you would want to equip harps since they’re the lowest damage weapons in the game but if you really want to you can use this ability to make anyone play some tasty licks.
Level 3 (ABP 100): Sing (!): “Perform magical chants with various effects.” The Songs in Final Fantasy V are pretty underrated. Yeah, the debuffs are pretty useless but you get some good buffs out of a majority of the Songs. More info on the Songs in the Songs section of this guide.
Description: Bard is an overlooked class in this game. Hide and Equip Harps aren’t useful at all, but Sing is really good if you get every song. No other class has the same ability to buff party members that Bard has. More details about each song are in the Songs section of this guide.
Fourth set of classes unlocked
Class: Dragoon (C) ABP to master: 600 (SFC, PS1, GBA, PR) 560 (Old Mobile/Steam)
Starting ability: Jump
Weapons: Knives, Spears
Armor: Shields, Helmets, Light Armor, Heavy Armor, Gauntlets
Stats: +18 Strength, +5 Agility, +15 Stamina, -12 Magic
Level 1 (ABP 50): Jump (!): “Jump to deliver a powerful attack from above. Power is doubled when a spear is equipped.” This is a really weird ability to put on a class that’s supposed to be good at tanking. Using this ability opens up your frailer characters to damage when you could do the same damage in the same amount of time by just regularly attacking twice, even with a spear equipped.
Level 2 (ABP 150): Lance (!): “Strike with Dragoon powers to drain HP and MP.” This attack is alright, but it feels weird having an MP draining attack on a class that doesn’t use magic at all.
Level 3 (ABP 400): Equip Lances ($) (+18 Strength): “Gain the ability to wield spears.”
Description: This class isn’t terrible, but it’s very confused about what it wants to be. Having an evasive attack and an MP draining attack is more akin to what a mage would be able to do, but this is a heavy tank class that uses no magic. Even if you were to put Jump and Lance on more appropriate classes, it wouldn’t be very worthwhile since casting classes have better alternatives, along with other really good abilities.
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Class: Dancer (F) ABP to master: 400
Starting ability: Dance
Weapons: Knives, Man-Eater
Armor: Magic Hats, Combat Hats, Robes, Light Armor, Ribbon, Rainbow Dress, Armlets, Red Slippers
Stats: +5 Strength, +5 Agility, -10 Stamina, -5 Magic
Level 1 (ABP 25): Flirt (!): “Charm enemies to make them forget about attacking.” This only has a chance of working on lower-level enemies that you can easily wipe out in a few turns anyway.
Level 2 (ABP 50): Dance (!): “Perform dances that bewitch enemies.” This ability chooses one of a few different dances randomly to perform, but only one dance is good, the one where you do four times the damage of a normal attack, but even if you wear the unique dancer gear to raise the chances of getting this dance, you’ll only ever have a maximum chance of 75% to get this dance.
Level 3 (ABP 325): Equip Ribbons (%): “Gain the ability to equip ribbons.” This ability would make Dancer a lot more worthwhile if it were innate, but it’s better to just use Freelancer if you really want a character to wear a ribbon.
Description: Dancer is not a good class at all. You won’t be getting any consistently good damage output no matter how hard you try. Flirt and Dance only work on weaker enemies making the class useless in boss fights.
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Class: Samurai (A) ABP to master: 820
Starting ability: Zeninage
Weapons: Knives, Katanas
Armor: Shields, Helmets, Light Armor, Heavy Armor, Gauntlets
Stats: +19 Strength, +2 Agility, +19 Stamina, -12 Magic
Level 1 (ABP 10): Mineuchi (!): “Stun enemies by smacking them with a blade’s dull side.” The chances of this working aren’t high, but it does as much damage as a regular attack so if you’re leveling Samurai and don’t want to throw gil away on Zeninage then go ahead and use this over a regular attack.
Level 2 (ABP 30): Zeninage (!) “Damage all enemies by tossing gil.” This is a surprisingly amazing ability. Somehow making it rain does damage to every enemy on screen in the thousands. Just be careful not to use it super often because you still want to have gil for new equipment and spells.
Level 3 (ABP 60) Shirahadori ($): “Catch and stop enemy attacks.” This ability is great enough that it’s worth considering having every character master Samurai for. Physical attacks will be dodged at a much higher rate with this ability.
Level 4 (ABP 180): Equip Katanas ($) (+19 Strength): “Gain the ability to wield Katanas.”
Level 5 (ABP 540): Iainuki (!): “Unleash an attack that hits all enemies in an instant.” The in-game description is misleading, this attack will usually hit most but not all enemies on screen. If you do hit every enemy, then you got lucky. Regardless, this ability is really good at wiping out large groups because it instantly kills any enemies it hits.
Description: Samurai is a really good class with amazing abilities, being slightly better than Ninja. Zeninage, Shirahadori, and Iainuki are all worth trying in final physical fighter builds, and can even be really good on caster builds.
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Class: Chemist (S) ABP to master: 630
Starting ability: Drink
Weapons: Knives, Staves
Armor: Magic Hats, Combat Hats, Robes, Light Armor, Angel Robe, Armlets
Stats: +2 Strength, +3 Agility, +6 Stamina, -4 Magic
Level 1 (ABP 15): Pharmacology (%): “Use knowledge of medicines to double the potency of potions and ethers.”
Level 2 (ABP 30): Mix (!): “Combine items to create concoctions that can be consumed in battle to augment stats or harm enemies.” There are a lot of mixes in this game, and a lot of combinations are really broken. It’s really fun to mix and match different items to find all the possible combinations yourself. More info is in the Chemistry section of this guide.
Level 3 (ABP 45): Drink (!): “Drink special medicines to increase stats during battle.” This is when you’ll use items that can only be used through drinking. It’s not really useful since the effects only apply to the character that has this ability equipped.
Level 4 (ABP 135): Recover (!): “Recover from various conditions.” Functionally the same as Esuna but uses no MP.
Level 5 (ABP 405): Revive (!): “Restore a KO’d ally to fighting form.” Functionally the same as Raise but uses no MP. Although I wouldn’t consider single digit HP to be “fighting form.”
Description: Chemist is only ever known for Mix since all other abilities are forgettable at best. Mixing is easily the most complex form of combat, healing, and support in this game. Some mixes are insanely overpowered, so you’ll be rewarded highly for putting time into learning mixes. Check out the Chemistry section of this guide to see what each mix does.
Jobs exclusive to the GBA and old Mobile/Steam versions
Class: Necromancer (F) ABP to master: 755
Starting ability: Dark Arts
Weapons: Knives, Rods
Armor: Magic Hats, Robes, Armlets
Stats: +4 Strength, +1 Agility, +21 Stamina, +29 Magic
Level 1 (ABP 20): Oath (!): “Call forth a demon.” Summons a demon, similar to Ranger’s Animals. The damage output isn’t great no matter which demon is summoned.
Level 2 (ABP 30): Dark Arts Lv1 (!) (Magic +13): Lets you use Drain Touch and Dark Haze. Dark Arts spells are learned by dealing a killing blow on an enemy with a spell you want to learn.
Level 3 (ABP 45): Dark Arts Lv2 (!) (Magic +17): Lets you use Deep Freeze and Evil Mist.
Level 4 (ABP 60): Dark Arts Lv3 (!) (Magic +21): Lets you use Meltdown and Hellwind.
Level 5 (ABP 100): Dark Arts Lv4 (!) (Magic +25): Lets you use Chaos Drive and Curse.
Level 6 (ABP 200): Dark Arts Lv5 (!) (Magic +29): Lets you use Dark Flare and Doomsday.
Level 7 (ABP 300): Undead (%): Makes your character undead, so healing will hurt.
Description: This class is interesting, it’s basically an alternative form of Blue Mage. Dark Arts spells are learned by having a Necromancer deal a killing blow on an enemy, and while they are really powerful, they require some work to obtain. It’s hard to justify putting in the work to get these spells when each of them has an equivalent that is learned way earlier in the game. But if you’re still interested, there’s more details in the Dark Arts section of this guide.
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Class: Cannoneer (D) ABP to master: 500
Starting ability: Open Fire
Weapons: Knives, Swords
Armor: Shields, Magic Hats, Combat Hats, Robes, Light Armor, Armlets
Stats: +9 Strength, +6 Agility, +6 Stamina, +4 Magic
Level 1 (ABP 50): Open Fire (!): “Shoots one enemy.” This ability is really good, it does a lot of damage regardless of row, and can give debuffs, but because of how late it comes in the game it isn’t as useful as it could be.
Level 2 (ABP 150): EXP Up (%): “Gain one and a half times the experience per battle.” Again, this ability would be really good but it’s not very useful because of how late in the game you get this class.
Level 3 (ABP 300): Combine (!): “Mix and fire off explosives that damage all enemies.” There’s a variety of items and types of shots you can go for that are actually pretty good. More details in the Combine section of this guide.
Description: It’s a shame that Cannoneer comes so late in the game because this class is really interesting and has a lot of potential. It can still be worth it to invest some time into this class but by the time you get it you’ll already have your builds mostly figured out. While Combine isn’t as good as Chemist’s Mix, you can still get some interesting results from it. More details are in the Combine section of this guide.
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Class: Gladiator (D) ABP to master: 1080
Starting ability: Finisher
Weapons: Knives, Swords, Knight Swords, Spears, Bows, Axes
Armor: Shields, Helmets, Light Armor, Heavy Armor, Gauntlets
Stats: +26 Strength, +14 Agility, +3 Stamina, -14 Magic
Level 1 (ABP 30): Lure (%): “Attract enemies’ hits.” Meaning that the encounter rate will be increased. It’ll feel like you’re playing Final Fantasy I on the NES.
Level 2 (ABP 100): Finisher (!): “Power strike that attacks an enemy’s weak point for massive damage.” does either 9999 damage as a crit or no damage. The chances of hitting are really inconsistent and unreliable, because of how this ability is programmed.
Level 3 (ABP 250): Long Range (%): “Attack enemies at full power from the back row no matter the weapon.” This ability would be great if it was innate, but I can’t justify using an ability slot on it.
Level 4 (ABP 700): Bladeblitz (!): “Attacks all enemies.” At 75% damage. I’m not sure why you would use this when you could use Samurai’s Zeninage and do damage on all enemies in the thousands.
Description: Gladiator has some interesting ideas but is too inconsistent to be reliable. Long Range and Bladeblitz also pale in comparison to Ranger’s Rapid Fire, Ninja’s Throw, and Samurai’s Zeninage.
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Class: Oracle (F) ABP to master: 520
Starting ability: Condemn
Weapons: Staves
Armor: Magic Hats, Robes, Armlets
Stats: -9 Strength, -1 Agility, -4 Stamina, +36 Magic
Level 1 (ABP 20): Condemn (!): “Sentence a target to the effects of different spells.” This description doesn’t make any sense until you realize what it actually does. It starts a timer that will hit the enemy with a spell of your choosing when the timer runs out. Every other spell in every other form of magic has an immediate effect after being cast so I’m not sure why you would use Condemn.
Level 2 (ABP 50): Predict (!): “Foretell cataclysms.” This description is just incorrect. It puts a random effect on either the enemies or the party depending on the MP of the caster and target. It’s really inconsistent and can damage yourself so it’s way too risky to rely on.
Level 3 (ABP 150): ABP Up (%): “Gain one and a half times the ABP per battle.” This comes so late that it really won’t make much of a difference.
Level 4 (ABP 300): Read Ahead (%): “Easily evade enemies.” Making the encounter rate lower.
Description: This is easily the worst class in the game. There is nothing consistent that this class does, and even if you do something right with this class it will make so little of a difference that you’re better off using literally any other class.
Side quest job
Class: Mime (X) ABP to master: 0
Starting ability: Attack is replaced with Mimic; Items is given up for a third ability slot
Weapons: Knives, Rods, Staves, Boomerangs
Armor: Shields, Magic Hats, Combat Hats, Helmets, Robes, Light Armor, Heavy Armor, Angel Robe, Thief’s Gloves, Gauntlets, Armlets
Stats: Best stat buffs from other mastered classes
Description: This class is functionally the same as Freelancer, but instead of the Attack command, the Mime uses the Mimic command, which repeats the action that the last party member to act took. The Items action is also replaced with a third ability slot that can be used, making the Mime class better for magic builds since magic uses more abilities. Mimes aren’t able to equip as much gear as Freelancer, however. This is the only job that is completely optional to unlock, not including the GBA/Old Mobile/Old Steam jobs. The side quest to unlock this class involves heavy spoilers so instead of putting blatant spoilers in this description I suggest checking out this page on the Final Fantasy Wiki if you don’t mind.
Chemistry (Credit to Caves of Narshe)
Combine Shots (Credit to Caves of Narshe)
Blue Magic (Spoilers)
Doom (MP: 10)
Obtained from: Exdeath, Azulmagia, Hades, Unknown (Skeleton), The Damned
Description: “Curses one enemy to die in 30 seconds.” Seconds are pretty loosely defined because of how ATB works but there’s a big counter that goes over an enemy’s head to let you know how much time they have left. This bypasses death immunity but won’t work on heavy enemies. You don’t need to die from this spell to learn it.
Roulette (MP: 1)
Obtained from: Parthenope, Azulmagia, Death Dealer, Shinryu, Hades
Description: “KO’s a randomly chosen target.” Unless they’re undead or immune to death.
Aqua Breath (MP: 38)
Obtained from: Dhorme Chimera, Manticore, Leviathan, Bahamut, Crystal (Bestiary #279), Enuo, Famed Mimic Gogo, Aquagel
Description: “Use bubbles to surround and damage all enemies.” Using non-element damage, does 8x damage to desert enemies.
Level 5 Death (MP: 22)
Obtained from: Page 64, Level Checker, Azulmagia, Executor, Enuo, Level Tricker. Must be killed by this ability and revived before the battle ends to learn it.
Description: “Hits targets with levels that are multiples of 5.” Casting Death on them while ignoring death resistance, works on heavy enemies, but will revive undead enemies.
Level 4 Graviga (MP: 9)
Obtained from: Ghidra, Level Tricker, Level Checker, Azulmagia, Executor, Enuo. Must be damaged by this ability to learn it.
Description: “Hits targets with levels that are multiples of 4.” Casting Graviga on them.
Level 2 Old (MP: 11)
Obtained from: Magic Dragon, Level Checker, Azulmagia, Executor, Shinryu, Level Tricker. Must be affected by this spell to learn it.
Description: “Hits targets with levels that are multiples of 2.” Casting Old on them.
Level 3 Flare (MP: 18)
Obtained from: Exdeath, Level Checker, Executor, Tunneller (summoned by Zephyrus), Shinryu, Red Dragon, Archeosaur, Enuo
Description: “Hits targets with levels that are multiples of 3.” Casting Flare on them.
Pond’s Chorus (MP: 5)
Obtained from: Azulmagia, Elf Toad, Metamorph (transformed into Elf Toad), Archeotoad, Kornago, Farfarello, Gilgamesh (Bestiary #284), Lemure, Vilia
Description: “Inflicts one enemy with Toad status.”
Lilliputian Lyric (MP: 5)
Obtained from: Mini Magician, Gilgamesh (Bestiary #284), Cherie, Farfarello, Azulmagia, Vilia, Mykale
Description” Inflicts one enemy with Mini status.”
Flash (MP: 7)
Obtained from: Crew Dust, Ramuh, Neon, Gilgamesh (Bestiary #284), Necrophobe, Azulmagia, Headstone, Orukat, Parthenope, Stone Mask
Description: “Inflicts Darkness on all enemies.”
Time Slip (MP: 9)
Obtained from: Traveler, Gilgamesh (Bestiary #284), Azulmagia, Cherie, Mykale
Description: “Inflicts Sleep and Old status on one enemy.”
Moon Flute (MP: 3)
Obtained from: Page 256, Jackanapes, Mykale
Description: “Causes Berserk status for all allies.”
Death Claw (MP: 21)
Obtained from: Death Claw, Treant, Gilgamesh (Bestiary #274), Soul Eater, Azulmagia, Iron Claw, Objet d’Art, Strapparer
Description: “Brings one enemy to the point of death. Causes Paralysis.” Meaning that an enemy’s health will be in the single digits.
Aero (MP: 4)
Obtained from: Moldwynd, Gigas, Magissa, Mykale, Azulmagia, Defeater
Description: “Deals wind damage.” Light amount of damage.
Aera (MP: 10)
Obtained from: Gigas, Enchanted Fan, Page 32, Gilgamesh (Bestiary #268), Enkidu, Abductor (regular enemy), Azulmagia, Galajelly
Description: “Deals wind damage.” Medium amount of damage.
Aeroga (MP: 24)
Obtained from Metamorph (transformed to Enchanted Fan), Magic Dragon, Elm Gigas, Crystal (Bestiary #280), Baldanders, Neo Exdeath, Dark Elemental (with Grand Aevis), Enuo, Cherie, Ziggurat Gigas (summoned with Zephyrus)
Description: “Deals wind damage.” Heavy amount of damage.
Flame Thrower (MP: 5)
Obtained from: Prototype, Flame Thrower, Mecha Head, Omega, Omega Mk.II, Triton, Great Dragon, Azulmagia, Claret Dragon, Mindflayer
Description: “Engulfs one enemy in flames.”
Goblin Punch (MP: 0)
Obtained from: Goblin, Black Goblin, Gilgamesh (Bestiary #268), Gobbledygook, Azulmagia, Sahagin, Nix
Description: “Attacks one enemy with a goblin’s strength.” Same damage as a regular attack but does 8x damage if an enemy is the same level as the caster. Ignores row positions and overrides weapon effects.
Dark Spark (MP: 27)
Obtained from: Black Flame, Strapparer, Ushabti, Azulmagia, Hades, Shadow, Druid
Description: “Halves target’s level.”
Off-Guard (MP: 19)
Obtained from: Magic Dragon, Ziggurat Gigas, Ushabti, Azulmagia, Page 256, Shadow, The Damned
Description: “Reduces target’s defense.” By halving it.
Transfusion (MP: 13)
Obtained from: Mythril Dragon, Gargoyle, Birositris, Devilfish, Unknown (Slime), Mover. Enemy must be controlled through Beastmaster’s Control
Description: “Sacrifices the caster to completely restore an ally’s HP and MP.” meaning the caster will be KO’d.
Mind Blast (MP: 6)
Obtained from: Wendigo, Twintania, Mindflayer, Azulmagia
Description: “Attacks one enemy and causes Paralysis and Sap status.” deals non-element damage.
Vampire (MP: 2)
Obtained from: Steel Bat, Blood Slime, Abductor (Bestiary #270), Zombie Dragon, Enkidu, Dark Aspic, Python, Mercury Bat, Achelon, Dechirer, Shadow
Description: “Absorbs HP from one enemy.” the GBA version of this spell is programmed incorrectly and heals twice as much as it normally would in every other version.
Magic Hammer (MP: 3)
Obtained from: Byblos, Drippy, Apanda, Oiseaurare
Description: “Halves target’s MP.”
Mighty Guard (MP: 72)
Obtained from: Ironclad, Stingray, Azulmagia, Shinryu, Neo Shinryu. Enemy must be controlled through Beastmaster’s Control
Description: “Casts Protect, Shell, and Float on all allies.”
Self-Destruct (MP: 1)
Obtained from: Motor Trap, Bomb, Purobolos, Grenade, Gilgamesh (Bestiary #310), Prototype, Unknown (Blob)
Description: “Sacrifices caster to deal massive damage to one enemy.” Deals non-element damage.
???? (MP: 3)
Obtained from: Azulmagia, Kuza Beast, Tyrannosaur, Wild Nakk, Behemoth, Gel Fish, King Behemoth, Mecha Head, Numb Blade, Tunneller (summoned by Zephyrus)
Description: “???” The game is very descriptive about this spell, I know. This spell deals non-element damage that equals the target’s maximum HP minus their current HP.
1000 Needles (MP: 25)
Obtained from: Lamia Queen, Cactus, Hedgehog, Lamia, Lemure, Mykale
Description: “Deals 1000 damage to one enemy.”
White Wind (MP: 28)
Obtained from: Enchanted Fan, Dark Element, White Flame, Hellraiser, Azulmagia, Enkidu. Enemy must be controlled through Beastmaster’s Control
Description: “Restores each party member’s HP by an amount equal to the caster’s current HP.”
Missile (MP: 7)
Obtained from: Mecha Head, Prototype, Rocket Launcher, Enkidu, Gilgamesh (Bestiary #274), Soul Cannon, Azulmagia, Motor Trap
Description: “Quarters an enemy’s HP.” Reduces an enemy’s HP to 1/4 of its current HP.
Earliest each Blue spell can be obtained (Credit to Final Fantasy Wiki)
- Goblin Punch from Black Goblin in the Wind Shrine
- Aero from Moldwynd in the Wind Shrine
- Vampire from Steel Bat in the Pirates’ Hideout
- Flash from Headstone on the North Mountain (enemy needs to have an Ether used on them)
- Moon Flute from the Jackanapes in Castle Walse basement. However, at this point in the game the battle is unwinnable unless the party has gone through severe grinding. (The player is better waiting to get it from Page 256 in the Library of the Ancients.)
- Pond’s Chorus from Elf Toad in Walse Tower (enemy needs to be alone to use it)
- ???? from Wild Nakk in forests near Karnak
- Self-Destruct from Motor Trap on the Fire-Powered Ship (enemy needs to be in critical health or hit with a Thunder spell)
- Aera from Gigas in a monster-in-a-box in Karnak Castle
- Death Claw from Iron Claw boss in Karnak Castle
- Aqua Breath from Dhorme Chimera in the desert north of the Library of the Ancients
- Transfusion from Mythril Dragon in the Library of the Ancients area in the world map (must be controlled by a Beastmaster or confused)
- Missile from Motor Trap on the Fire-Powered Ship (must be controlled by a Beastmaster)
- Level 5 Death from Page 64 in the Library of the Ancients (learner must be on a level divisible by 5)
- Off-Guard from Page 256 in the Library of the Ancients (must be controlled with a Beastmaster)
- Magic Hammer from Byblos in the Library of the Ancients
- Dark Spark from Black Flame on the Crescent area on the world map
- Flame Thrower from Prototype in the islands near Crescent
- White Wind from Enchanted Fan inside the Ronka Ruins (must be controlled by a Beastmaster or confused)
- 1000 Needles from Lamia inside the Ronka Ruins (must be controlled by a Beastmaster)
- Level 4 Graviga from Ghidra in the final area of Ronka Ruins before talking to King Tycoon (learner must have level divisible by 4)
- Time Slip from Traveler in the Barrier Tower
- Level 3 Flare from Red Dragon in the Barrier Tower monster-in-a-box
- Use Chemist’s Mix ability Dragon Defense (Phoenix Down+Dragon Fang) to cast reflect on the enemy
- Control it with a Beastmaster
- Use Level 3 Flare on the Red Dragon and bounce the spell onto a single randomly targeted party member
- The learner must be on level divisible by 3
- Level 2 Old from Level Tricker in Barrier Tower (found towards the top of tower)
- Use Chemist’s Mix ability Dragon Defense (Phoenix Down+Dragon Fang) to cast Reflect on the enemy
- Control it with a Beastmaster
- Use Level 2 Old on the Level Tricker and bounce the spell onto a single randomly targeted party member
- The learner must be on level divisible by 2
- Aeroga from the Metamorph in Ghido’s Cave (uses it in Enchanted Fan form)
- Lilliputian Lyric from Mini Magician in the Great Forest of Moore
- Doom from Exdeath boss in Castle Exdeath
- Roulette from Parthenope in Phoenix Tower (reached with the airship)
- Mighty Guard from Stingray in the coastal waters above the sunken Walse Tower (must be controlled by a Beastmaster or confused) (reached with the airship)
- Mind Blast from Wendigo boss in the Island Shrine (reached with the airship)
Summons (Spoilers)
Chocobo (LV1)
MP Cost: 5
Obtained from: Bought in Walse and Phantom Village for 300 Gil
Description: 92% chance of casting Choco Kick, which does low non-element damage to one enemy. Has an 8% chance to cast Fat Chocobo which does moderate non-element damage to all enemies.
Sylph (LV1)
MP Cost: 8
Obtained from: Bought in Walse and Phantom Village for 350 Gil
Description: Casts Whisperwind which attacks a single damage and heals all party members for the equivalent of the damage dealt, split equally among everyone still alive.
Remora (LV1)
MP Cost: 2
Obtained from: Bought in Walse and Phantom Village for 250 Gil
Description: Casts Constrict which paralyzes an enemy.
Ifrit (LV2)
MP Cost: 11
Obtained from: Ifrit boss in Library of the Ancients
Description: Casts Hellfire which does fire damage to all enemies.
Shiva (LV2)
MP Cost: 10
Obtained from: Shiva boss in Castle Walse (OPTIONAL)
Description: Casts Diamond Dust which does ice damage to all enemies.
Ramuh (LV2)
MP Cost: 12
Obtained from: random encounter in the forest section outside of Istory, or castle section of Interdimensional Rift (OPTIONAL)
Description: Casts Judgement Bolt which does lightning damage to all opponents.
Golem (LV3)
MP Cost: 18
Obtained from: random encounter in Drakenvale, or waterfall caverns in Interdimensional Rift (OPTIONAL)
Description: Casts Earthen Wall which negates incoming damage for the whole party.
Titan (LV3)
MP Cost: 25
Obtained from: Titan boss in Karnak Meteorite
Description: Casts Gaia’s Wrath which does earth damage to all enemies that are on the ground.
Catoblepas (LV3)
MP Cost: 33
Obtained from: random encounter on the northwest island in world 2 (OPTIONAL)
Description: Casts Demon Eye, which petrifies an enemy but can miss.
Syldra (LV4)
MP Cost: 32
Obtained from: Pirate’s Hideout in world 3 (OPTIONAL)
Description: Casts Thunderstorm which does wind damage to all enemies.
Carbuncle (LV4)
MP Cost: 45
Obtained from: Carbuncle boss in Castle Exdeath
Description: Casts Ruby Light which puts Reflect on all party members.
Odin (LV4)
MP Cost: 48
Obtained from: Odin boss in Castle Bal’s basement via Jachol Cave (OPTIONAL)
Description: Casts Zantetsuken which one hits all light enemies. Casts Gungnir if any enemies are heavy, which does heavy non-element damage to one enemy.
Leviathan (LV5)
MP Cost: 39
Obtained from: Leviathan Boss in Istory Falls
Description: Casts Tsunami which does water damage to all enemies.
Bahamut (LV5)
MP Cost: 66
Obtained from: Bahamut boss in North Mountain (OPTIONAL)
Description: Casts Mega Flare which does non-element damage to all enemies.
Phoenix (LV5)
MP Cost: 99
Obtained from: Phoenix Tower (OPTIONAL)
Description: Casts Flames of Rebirth which revives a dead party member with full HP and MP and does fire damage to all enemies.
Bard’s Songs (Spoilers)
Sinewy Etude
Obtained from: Bard’s House in Crescent in world 2, play the piano to talk to the bard.
Description: “Increases party’s strength while being performed.”
Swift Song
Obtained from: King’s Chamber in Surgate Castle
Description: “Increases party’s speed while being performed.”
Mighty March
Obtained from: Bard’s house in Crescent in world 1, play the piano to talk to the bard.
Description: “Cast Regen on party.” Meaning that HP will be gradually restored overtime.
Mana’s Paean
Obtained from: Top floor in Library of the Ancients in world 3
Description: “Boosts party’s magic while being performed.”
Requiem
Obtained from: Quelb, talk to the dancing werewolves near the gate
Description: “Damages undead.” Much like Dia from other Final Fantasy games.
Romeo’s Ballad
Obtained from: Istory, talk to the sheep from behind and talk to the bard after being kicked
Description: “Stops all enemies for a moment.”
Alluring Air
Obtained from: Bartz’s house in Lix, check the music box then talk to the bard
Description: “Confuses all enemies.”
Hero’s Rime
Obtained from: Interacting with all pianos in the game in this order:
1 – Piano in Tule’s pub
2 – Piano in Carwen’s pub
3 – Piano in Karnak Pub
4 – Piano in Jachol Pub
5 – Piano in the bard’s house in Crescent
6 – Piano in Regole’s pub via a hidden passageway
7 – Piano in Moore’s pub
8 – Piano in Phantom Village via a hidden passageway
Description: “Increases all stats while being performed.” While also raising every character’s level to 99.
Dark Arts (Spoilers)
Drain Touch (LV1)
MP Cost: 15
Obtained from: Mindflayer, The Damned
Description: Absorbs HP; can’t be reflected.
Dark Haze (LV1)
MP Cost: 18
Obtained from: Lemure, Exoray
Description: Deals non-element damage to all enemies while also inflicting Old and Confuse.
Deep Freeze (LV2)
MP Cost: 38
Obtained from: Assassin, Dark Elemental
Description: Deals ice damage to one enemy while inflicting Stop.
Evil Mist (LV2)
MP Cost: 38
Obtained from, Zombie Dragon, Unknown
Description: Deals poison damage and inflicts Poison.
Meltdown (LV3)
MP Cost: 38
Obtained from: Liquid Flame, Claret Dragon
Description: Deals fire damage on all enemies while inflicting Sap.
Hellwind (LV3)
MP Cost: 38
Obtained from: Objet d’Art, Stingray
Description: Deals wind damage to all enemies while inflicting Petrify.
Chaos Drive (LV4)
MP Cost: 38
Obtained from: Mini Satana
Description: Deals lightning damage to all enemies while casting Paralysis.
Curse (LV4)
MP Cost: 42
Obtained from: Ironclad
Description: Inflicts a random debuff on one enemy.
Dark Flare (LV5)
MP Cost: 52
Obtained from: Exdeath’s Soul, Tonberry
Description: Deals non-element damage to all enemies that ignores magic defense.
Doomsday (LV5)
MP Cost: 66
Obtained from: Hades
Description: Deals a ton of non-element damage to all enemies; can’t be reflected.