Progressing in leaps and bounds from its decidedly ignominious start, Final Fantasy 14 has become the go-to MMORPG for many players. Those players have engaged in the game with love and delight, even prompting fan creations like D&D 5e supplements of Final Fantasy 14.
There is a lot of game to experience in Final Fantasy 14 and with solid character options, good community, and tons of battles with fantastic music, players have not gotten tired of it yet. The upcoming Endwalker expansion brings with it two new classes. One is the Sage, a mainstay endgame class of titles like Final Fantasy 3, and the other is the new and unique Reaper class. That's the one to focus on here as it seems destined to be decidedly different than other classes in the game. Here's a rundown of how the Reaper is definitely different and the many ways it might prove to be more different still on release.
Overall Tone and Style of the Reaper
Final Fantasy 14 classes tend towards the heroic and the adventurous. Classes like Paladin and White Mage are the most obvious in this trend, but most others look like they belong in an adventuring party. If power isn't drawn directly from magical study or holy prowess, it's drawn from quick minds and hands or physical might. Everyone seems to be drawing on good, clean energy to power their butt-kicking abilities. There's only one major exception: the Dark Knight, a traditionally frightening class that, in previous iterations, used its own HP to fuel powerful attacks. In Final Fantasy 14, the Dark Knight is a complex tank that lets players take on darker powers to protect the innocent. In-game, the Dark Knights are a group that hunts down corrupt clergy and holy warriors, delivering justice within their own church.
The Reaper comes from a slightly similar idea of using dangerous powers to protect the innocent. In the case of the Reapers, their order originated from farmers who had to protect their lands and reached out to the Void for power. The result was pacts formed with dangerous Void entities where the Reapers would feed them the souls of their enemies in exchange for their power. That's pretty grim, especially for player characters, but it makes for a class with a great aesthetic. Based on the clothes, weapon of choice, and infusion of dark power for strength, the Reaper feels like it's stepped right out of Bloodborne. Perhaps the Reaper was always Final Fantasy 14's secret contribution to Soulstober.
The Signature Weapon of Reapers
Every class in Final Fantasy 14 focuses on one signature weapon, one armament, or a combination of armaments that defines it. Paladins use swords and shields, Warriors use axes, and the new Sage will use floating lasers. For the Reaper, it should be pretty obvious: the scythe is its weapon of choice. This is a "two birds with one stone" situation for the Final Fantasy 14 developers since they get to give a little-used weapon class a home and create a snazzy new DPS class. Upcoming Endwalker job changes do not include weapon flexibility, so the scythe will likely be a popular new sight on the battlefield as players grind Reaper. It even ties in with the class' backstory, since the Reapers were originally farmers.
The Requirements for the Reaper Class
Classes in Final Fantasy 14 are very much split between those available to sprouts (new players) and those who have been at it a long time. Early classes like the Marauder and Archer give way to their later counterparts like Warrior and Bard, but not every job works that way. Some, like the Samurai, are only available after a player has hit a certain level in Disciples of War/Magic. For earlier classes, it might be 30 or 50. This is separate from Final Fantasy 14's gathering and crafting classes, which have their own system for increasing in level. When it comes to the Reaper, players will need a total of 70 levels in their combat-based classes to qualify for the job. That's a tall order, especially since players have likely pushed ahead with other DPS classes by that point. Still, many players, especially long-term ones, likely won't take issue with this since it gives another class to grow.
The Gameplay of the Reaper Class
This will be what sets Reapers apart from other classes most of all, or at least, it should be. Every class in Final Fantasy 14 plays a little differently, which is pretty impressive considering they all have to be able to work alongside every other class and all in the same basic gameplay loops. That said, they are split into three categories: Tank, Healer, and DPS, with DPS being split into three subcategories of Melee, Ranged, and Magic. Those interested in ranged can try out classes like the Bard, while those interested in magic should look up tips for playing as a Black Mage.
Reaper is a Melee DPS class, intended to get in the enemy's face and deal as much damage as possible. The exact names and figures for its job abilities are not yet known, but there are certain powers that can be inferred, and effects are shown off in the Reaper gameplay trailer. What is known for sure is that the Reaper has a Soul Gauge which fills up in combat. This by itself is not new, as most classes have resources they gather over time in combat. What is unique to the Reaper is that the Soul Gauge fills directly with damage, while most other DPS jobs fill their gauges with certain actions or over time. This means with the right build the Soul Gauge could fill very, very fast.
It's likely the Reaper uses the Soul Gauge to pay for certain abilities, including calling in its powerful Void familiar. As of this article, it looks like unlike Summoner or Scholar pets, this creature simply executes powerful maneuvers. On landing enough of these, the Reaper can actually merge with its Void familiar for a limited time, executing even more powerful moves. The fact that all of this seems to scale directly off basic attack damage done rather than skills landed is pretty big and might see Reaper jump up the Final Fantasy 14 class tier list in short order.
Final Fantasy 14 is available now on PC, PS4, and PS5.