Welcome to our Final Fantasy XIV Job Guide for ranged DPS! So, you’ve heard of the critically-acclaimed MMORPG, Final Fantasy XIV? You’d like to give the game a try, but aren’t sure which ranged DPS is right for you?
There are currently 17 different jobs playable in the game right now. Two more are coming in the Endwalker expansion this November. All jobs are playable on the same character, so you certainly won’t be at a loss for choices. Out of these 17 jobs, 3 are physical ranged DPS. We’ll give you a quick overview of them here.
Final Fantasy XIV Job Guide: Ranged DPS
The ranged DPS role is the closest Final Fantasy XIV has to ‘support' jobs. These DPS jobs have a plethora of different abilities that allow them to buff their allies or mitigate incoming damage. They are also the most mobile jobs in the game, having almost no channeled abilities. This means that they can move around while attacking. This mobility makes them one of the easiest roles to start out with. New players have more freedom to move and avoid incoming AoEs while maintaining their DPS uptime.
BARD
Bards are the only ranged DPS job available at level 1, with aspiring players beginning their journey in New Gridania. Bards take up the middle-ground of the Ranged DPS role, with a more balanced dole-out of party buffs and damage. Their “rotation” involves three different songs that provide different party buffs, with each changing Bard's playstyle during its duration. Additionally, Bard's DPS also relies on random procs which are triggered by its two damage-over-time abilities. This means that players looking to get into the job have to be prepared to maintain DoT uptime and song uptime, while also doing mechanics and casting their party buffs in the proper timings. Bard in high-end content mostly means managing a lot of timers while looking out for procs.
Newcomers shouldn't worry, however, as the kit is doled out little by little, giving players enough time to acclimatize. It's a job that's easy to pick up and play but does require sufficient skill to truly optimize in the endgame. Additionally, its “middle-of-the-road” approach also puts it below Machinist in terms of DPS and below Dancer in terms of party buffs.
MACHINIST
With their addition in Heavensward, Machinists brought guns and stylish steampunk aesthetics into Eorzea. Machinist is the only job in the physical Ranged DPS role that doesn't rely on RNG in its rotation. Its rotation is mostly static, focused on fitting in its hardest-hitting skills within its burst phase. It also boasts the highest DPS potential in the physical Ranged DPS role. However, the tradeoff for this damage potential is their lack of additional party utility. They don't have an ability that buffs the party's DPS, unlike Bard and Dancer.
Machinist is great for players looking for high damage and high mobility, especially if they enjoy a very high-APM rotation. However, players with unusually high ping might struggle to make the absolute most out of Machinist, as its burst phase timing is quite tight. Aspiring Machinists need to have any other job at least at level 30, and have access to the city of Ishgard in the Heavensward expansion to unlock the job.
DANCER
Arriving with the current Shadowbringers expansion, Dancers made waves as they broke Machinist and Bard's long-held duopoly in the role. Dancers boast the best DPS buff in the game, Closed Position, which assigns a party member as their Dance Partner. This shares the damage buffs the Dancer receives from successfully performing their dances, Standard Step and Technical Step. This makes Dancers highly preferred in compositions that also sport a highly-skilled “selfish” DPS such as Samurai or Black Mage, making their already high DPS numbers skyrocket further.
This strength is offset by its lower personal DPS. Players should also note that Dancer has the most RNG-dependent rotation in the game, as their combos are entirely proc-dependent. This makes them very easy to pick up for newer players but does still require quite some skill to optimize in the endgame.
Final Fantasy XIV Job Guide: Ranged DPS – Conclusion
When it comes to bringing physical Ranged DPS to high-end content, don’t fret too much, as any standard team composition can clear any content in the game. Pick what feels the most fun to you and go with it. Being the most mobile jobs in the game, Physical Ranged DPS are usually also tasked with “baiting” mechanics, since they can continue to attack while moving around. This role in general has some of the easiest jobs to learn, so it's easy to recommend any of the three for new players. Though it must be noted that of course all three still require considerable skill and effort to truly optimize in the endgame.
If you’re set on beginning your Final Fantasy XIV journey but have been confused by the frankly convoluted Free Trial registration process, we’ve got a guide that walks you through it right here.
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