Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age Job Classes Guide

Final Fantasy 12: The Zodiac Age‘s job classes can be overwhelming to start whether you played the original release back in 2006, played the Japan-only International Zodiac Job System (IZJS) version, or are completely new to the game

If you played the original game, The Zodiac Age brings a host of job classes to mull over and decide between. If you played IZJS, this version brings the new duo classing system to give your parties even more flexibility. If you’ve never played at all before, you’re in for a whole new world of confusion.

This guide will give you an overview of what each class does and is good at, along with a list of the licenses they have available. Licenses are your primary source of character customization in FF12, and with the job classes, it’s important to know who grants what before making your job decisions.

There are several sections to this guide. There is one for each job, listing out the licenses it receives as well as optional ones from Quickenings and Espers (only one character to an Esper!). Past that we have a table with all the Espers and what they give each class, and lastly a key to what many Licenses mean as well as what the Technicks do. Links to any and all are found below.

Archer      Black Mage      Bushi

Foebreaker      Knight      Machinist

Monk      Red Battlemage      Shikari

Time Battlemage      Uhlan      White Mage

Esper license chart

License key

Technick key     Character stats     Other guide links

Things to Know About TZA’s Job System

As mentioned, whether you’ve played the original game or the IZJS version, the duo classing system in TZA adds some more depth to your character customization. There are, of course, things to know about that system you need to bear in mind when thinking up parties:

1. Licenses that are shared between both of a character’s jobs only need to be unlocked on one job
2. Battle and Magick Lores (both very important) also share Licenses between jobs, but whether one will unlock the other is based on their LP cost (so unlocking a 30 LP Magick Lore on one board won’t unlock a 70 LP one on another, but if both have 50 LP Magick Lores, unlocking on one will unlock on the other)
3. Some jobs have a ton to do and some barely have anything to do at all, so plan your combinations with their endgame responsibilities in mind
4. Unlike the original game, Magick and Battle Lores now grant +20% (previously +10%) to their respective stats
5. Swiftness can only stack up to 3 times, and the above License sharing rule still applies
6. If you’re going for every hunt and Esper, you absolutely have to take Esper allocations into consideration when planning your parties
7. You will unlock your second job board about a quarter into the game, and you will know when it happens

Archer

Every RPG needs some sort of archer class, and the one found here in Final Fantasy 12 is exactly what you’d expect: A light armor-wearing Technick user with some very useful passives for other classes.

Archer has a full 3 Swiftness licenses in its repertoire, some very handy potion and remedy lores — all three each — and a number of passive licenses granting MP regeneration.

With only 1 Magick Lore and 2 Battle Lores to augment the Archer’s stats, it has to be paired with a class with heaps of lore of one or the other to be effective. Otherwise, your Archer character’s stats will suffer in the long run.

This may seem like a job without much to do, but once you’re rolling in all the Technicks at its disposal it has a fair amount to take care of.

The Archer’s primary weapon, the bow, scales off of a character’s strength and speed stats. Bow shots can’t be blocked, but their accuracy plummets in bad weather and they are slow when compared to most weapons.

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Black Mage

One of the quintessential Final Fantasy classes, the Black Mage is just as thunderously overpowering here as it is in other games in the series.

This is a class geared toward Magick use and Magick use only, but that doesn’t mean you should have a Black Mage character have another Magick user — rather, it means almost the opposite.

A Black Mage’s Gambit layout is going to be as busy as a White Mage’s, and quickly. You absolutely want to pair this class with another that’s less busy or one you want to roll in Magick Lores.

Black Mage should generally not be paired with other heavy Magick classes like Red Battlemage or White Mage due to Gambit and MP limitations. That said, Time Battlemage is a decent fit.

The Black Mage’s primary weapon type, staves, are ill-suited to manually attacking but some boost magic damage of their own element (Flame Staff, Glacial Staff).

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Bushi

You may be more familiar with this job as the Samurai class in other games in the series, and that’s exactly what it is under a different name.

The Bushi is a fast class with heaps of Magick Lore to augment the damage of katanas and Shades of Black, but it doesn’t do much else on its own.

This is one job you want to pair with another more active one, otherwise the character you have set as a Bushi will spend most of the game attacking enemies rather than doing anything else. That sounds all right until you’re looking at doing all the game’s side content and finding your Bushi to be useless.

Pair your Bushi with a class that needs additional Magick power and watch it excel at what it does best: kill and kill fast.

Katanas’ damage is based off both a character’s strength and magic power and have good combo potential. Both caster and strength classes alike can make use of katanas if built and geared properly.

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Foebreaker

Is there another class more straightforward than the Foebreaker? I think not.

This could be considered the equivalent of the Berserker in The Zodiac Age. It’s slow, the damage on its weapons is completely unpredictable, and it’s only got a few Technicks. An autoattacker for sure.

The Foebreaker is one you absolutely have to pair with a job that has more Swiftnesses (1 is just not enough) and with a more hands-on approach to fighting. Simply put, this is much better considered a subclass than a primary.

Ultimately this is a good second job to take if a character needs shields, heaps of Battle Lore, or its party needs a character with Addle, Shear, Expose, and Wither — all four Technicks being exceedingly useful in the late-game.

This class’s primary weapons, Axes and Hammers, have huge variances in the amount of damage they do. One hit may be exceedingly high while the next in the double digits. Axes are fast attack weapons whereas hammers have a chance to knock enemies back.

Hand-bombs are ranged weapons that are similarly unpredictable, with damage based off a character’s vitality and strength.

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Knight

The Knight job seems to be in a similar boat to the Foebreaker because at its most basic it’s a very simple job. But unlike the Foebreaker, the Knight’s locked optional Licenses can open it up in a whole new way as a backup healer without the augmentation of another job.

This job is actually similar to the Monk, which also becomes a competent healer with the right Esper combinations, but with more of a defensive flavor.

If you do decide to go with a more White Magick-oriented Knight, be aware of the Esper cost since only one character can have a single Esper.

If you have better things to do with Mateus and/or Hashmal (you likely don’t), pair this with a more active job to keep it busy.

If you do decide to go with giving your Knight character both Mateus and Hashmal, be sure its second job grants plenty of Magick Lores to make those heals relevant.

In either case, make sure whatever you pair it with has more than a single Swiftness.

The Knight’s primary weapon, swords, are well-balanced among the rest but are slower than many other weapon types. Swords’ damage are based off a character’s strength.

On the other hand, greatswords are one of the faster weapon types and also scale off strength; at the cost of being two-handed weapons.

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Machinist

This is another job best described as a “back up” job, as on its own it’s quite weak. The Machinist lacks the Battle or Magick Lores to stand on its own, but it makes up for that with a host of Technicks and some very nice item improvement Lores.

This is one of the very few jobs that use guns in Final Fantasy 12, which means it’s the perfect time to let you know that guns are terrible weapons unless you are on New Game- mode.

As guns’ damage does not scale off a character’s stats, you are much better off using this job to bolster others — and using another class’s weapons to boot. Measures are interesting, but ultimately not all that useful outside of gimmick parties.

The real benefit here with Machinist is all that Time Magick granted with the Famfrit Esper and the wide array of Technicks, making this a useful but niche job to take.

As mentioned, guns are not a very good weapon type for a standard playthrough and they are exceptionally slow. Their damage is based solely off the weapon’s damage, but every gunshot will hit its mark and an enemy’s defense is not calculated in the damage.

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Monk

The Knight may have seemed like a tank among tanks, but one look at the Monk’s HP should have you drooling if you’re looking for an ideal tank job.

The Monk is a one-man powerhouse capable of standing in large chunks of enemies and surviving, and later in the game can become a formidable healer provided you pair the class with another granting Magick Lores.

If you choose to invest some Espers into your Monk you will open up White Magick on par with your White Mage at endgame, which means this class can be used as both a primary tank and primary healer with ease.

If you are planning on your Monk becoming a healer through Esper allocation be sure the second job you choose isn’t too busy. Your Monk is going to have its hands full between its Technicks and all that White Magick, so keep that in mind.

The Monk’s primary weapon, poles, are combo-heavy and mean. With fast attacks and damage that’s calculated by a character’s strength and an enemy’s magick defense, poles rip apart enemies with low magick defense.

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Red Battlemage

The Red Mage has been a Final Fantasy fan favorite for as long as I can remember, and here in Final Fantasy 12:TZA it is a formidable addition to almost any party set up. It’s also the only class that gains access to Arcane Magick.

This is one job that can do almost anything without another class, except tank or deal physical damage. And you can make it do either of those with your Red Battlemage’s second job.

One thing to note is that this is one of the busiest jobs in the game, meaning you’re probably better off not making your Red Battlemage either a White Mage or Black Mage as well. This job is absolutely paired best with another that has more Swiftnesses, isn’t too busy, and perhaps has some Battle Lores to be more effective.

The Red Battlemage’s primary weapons, maces, calculate their damage using the character’s magick power instead of strength, making even casting-oriented characters able to deal reasonable attack damage.

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Shikari

This is one class to take if you want someone who can tank or dole out damage depending on the situation. The Shikari can combine the evasion of daggers with the blocking abilities of a shield to effectively stand in waves of enemies relatively safely.

This is another job that would do best when paired with another that has more to do. The Shikari does not have many Technicks at its disposal, but it does have a good chunk of supplemental Battle and Magick Lores along with a full 3 Swiftnesses. Top that off with its Potion and Remedy Lores and +2100 HP and you have a strong job suitable to be paired with almost anything

The Shikari can use either daggers or ninja swords, with ninja swords being locked behind Quickenings but also bringing 20 evasion to the table, elemental damage, and combo potential that’s delightful when paired with its attack speed.

Daggers also have high combo potential and attack speed, and many apply status effects. Daggers are 1-handed while ninja swords are 2-handed, so keep shields and their benefits in mind when deciding which way to build your Shikari.

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Time Battlemage

Ah, the Time Battlemage. A staple of the Final Fantasy series and a valuable party member in TZA. The class’s benefits are simply fantastic.

This is a class with more than enough Battle and Magick Lores to buff up anyone’s stats to a reasonable level, a full 3 Swiftnesses, Ether Lore up to 2, and a host of tasty Time Magicks that are more than welcome in any party. And if you want a caster character to be a little beefier, this one brings heavy armor to the table as well.

The Time Battlemage is a very strong job on its own but it becomes even stronger with optional licenses from Quickenings and Espers. The Addle and Shear licenses from Zeromus are highly valuable if someone else doesn’t have them and the optional White Magick 4 can make your Time Battlemage a competent backup healer should the situation arise.

The job’s primary weapon, crossbows, are faster than bows but have the same difficulty with accuracy when attacking in bad weather. Their damage is calculated based on a character’s strength as well.

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Uhlan

There are a lot of reasons to put an Uhlan in one of your parties. The useful Technicks, the hefty amount of Battle Lore, the job’s improved item use capabilities, but you’ll probably pick it up just because it uses spears.

The Uhlan job is one of the most reliable damage dealers in the game and it can be paired with either attack or magic-oriented jobs with relative ease. Its initial focus is just attacking things to death, but the optional Black Magick it can open up along with the Technicks it has at its disposal make this job more flexible than it initially seems.

Spears are the main focus of this job because they are one of the few melee weapons that can attack flying enemies, and they are one of the fastest weapons in the game despite their high attack. Endgame spears have a chance to inflict Disable on their target, which can be exceedingly useful.

Ultimately the Uhlan is a well-balanced job you will most likely be using on at least one playthrough.

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White Mage

Everyone wants a White Mage in their party and as always this is one of the busiest classes in the game.

The White Mage has access to more White Magick than any other class, much as the Black Mage has access to the most Black Magick. It excels at keeping your party alive, and if built right it’s done without breaking a sweat.

Because of how busy this job is, it is not recommended you pair White Mage with another busy job. It simply will not have the Gambit space to handle many more responsibilities than healing and dealing with buffs/debuffs, but it may be able to make good use of classes with critical but lesser-used Technicks like Wither, Addle, and so on. Even better if that class has 3 Swiftnesses instead of the White Mage’s 2.

The job’s main weapons, rods, are ranged weapons that calculate damage based on a character’s strength but have magick power bonuses.

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Esper licenses

Job names are abbreviated here to save space. Here’s the key for their abbreviations:

• WHM – White Mage
• UHL – Uhlan
• MAC – Machinist
• RBM – Red Battlemage
• BSH – Bushi
• FBK – Foebreaker
• ARC – Archer
• BLM – Black Mage
• TBM – Time Battlemage
• MNK – Monk
• KGT – Knight
• SKR – Shikari

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License key

This is just a list of what some of these licenses do, as well as what the Technicks do (because it can be hard to remember).

• Battle Lore – Increases attack power by 20%
• Magick Lore – Increases magick power by 20%
• Swiftness – Increases action speed by 10%, up to a maximum of 30%
• Channeling – Reduces MP costs by 10%, up to a maximum of 30%
• Ether Lore 1/2/3 – Increases Ether effectiveness by 10/20/30% each
• Potion Lore 1/2/3 – Increases Potion effectiveness by 20/30/40% each
• Remedy Lore 1 – Remedies remove Sleep, Sap, Immobilize, Disable
• Remedy Lore 2 – Remedies remove Petrify, Confuse, and Oil
• Remedy Lore 3 – Remedies remove Stop, Doom, and Disease
• Adrenaline – Doubles physical damage dealt when at critical health
• Brawler – Increases attack power when unarmed (scales with level and character strength)
• Focus – Increase physical damage dealt by 1.5 when HP is full
• Headsman – Restores MP when dealing fatal damage to a foe
• Inquisitor – Restores MP when dealing physical damage
• Last Stand – Halves physical damage taken when at critical HP
• Martyr – Restores MP when damaged
• Serenity – Increases damage dealt by 1.2x and magick healing done by 1.5x when HP is full, and increases chance of landing status effects on foes
• Spellbound – Buffs last 50% longer
• Spellbreaker – Doubles magick damage, increases healing by 1.5x, and increases chance of landing status effects on foes at critical HP
• Warmage – Restores MP when dealing magick damage

Technick key

• 1000 Needles – Deal 1000 damage to a foe
• Achilles – Inflicts a random status effect to a foe
• Addle – Lowers a foe’s magick power by 50% of its current
• Bonecrusher – Consumes 0 to 99% of the user’s HP to potentially kill an enemy. If it misses the user is killed
• Charge – Restores the users MP, at a rate of the user’s level x1.5 minus 1. May miss, which will reduce its MP to 0. Miss rate is based off user’s remaining MP percentage
• Charm – Inflicts Confuse on one foe
• Expose – Reduces foe’s defense by 10% of its current defense. Nothing is immune to this effect.
• First Aid – Restores HP to an all at critical HP
• Gil Toss – Tosses Gil at foes, dealing damage based off the party’s total remaining HP. Can do a maximum of 10000 damage, which is split between every enemy in range. Will miss (and not consume Gil) if the player does not have enough Gil to toss
• Horology – Deals damage to enemies in range based off in-game time
• Infuse – Fully consume’s the users MP, healing an ally for 10x the amount. Will kill the user if the user’s MP is 0
• Libra – A buff that grants more detailed information about foes
• Numerology – Deals increasing area damage with each successful hit, with the hit count being shared between any users casting the skill. Has the potential for exceedingly high damage, if you’re lucky enough to not have it miss among several hits
• Poach – Captures an HP critical foe, granting the party loot at the cost of EXP, LP, etc. gains
• Revive – Kills the user to fully revive an ally
• Shades of Black – Casts a random Black Magick on a foe, including Magick the user has not learned
• Shear – Reduces a foe’s magick resist by 10% of its current magick resist. Nothing is immune to this effect
• Sight Unseeing – Reduces a foe’s HP to a number below 10, but only usable when the user is afflicted by Blind (and many foes are immune)
• Souleater – Consumes 20% of the user’s maximum HP to deal 1.7x more damage than a normal physical attack, but heals undead enemies
• Stamp – Applies any negative status effects on the user to the target foe
• Steal – Steals an item from a foe
• Telekinesis – Allows melee attackers to attack at range, though it itself is an active skill that should replace the attack command against flying enemies
• Traveler – Deals damage to enemies in range based on steps taken, with the recorded step amount reset with skill usage
• Wither – Reduces a foe’s strength by 50% of its current strength

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Character max base stats & default Licenses

Chances are you want to know this for min-maxing reasons. But before that, here are the important Licenses every character starts with:

• Vaan: Steal
• Penelo: White Magick 1, First Aid
• Basch: Libra
• Balthier: Steal, First Aid
• Ashe: White Magick 1, Libra
• Fran: White Magick 1, Black Magick 1, Steal

Here are every character’s max non-augmented stats for the IZJS version. I assume they are the same in TZA:

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Other guide links

This sounds a lot bigger than it is, at least for now. I’m hard at work on a number of other guides for TZA, but for now here’s what we’ve got:

• FF12: TZA tips to live by guide
• FF12: TZA “Learn to Use Gambits Thorugh My Party” guide
• FF12: How to Get the Seitengrat (Unbelievably Broken Bow)
• How to actually get the Zodiac Spear (with details)
• Phon Coast Hunt Club Outfitters and Trophy Rare Game guide