Current Events > What's an RPG with fun/unique class mechanics?

(+) Yeah! (+)

One of the things I really liked about FE Three Houses was the flexibility you had in each character's class options, and trying to get the best combos of attributes and skills for everyone. I also liked it in Yakuza Like a Dragon, how certain moves would carry over from class to class once you unlocked them.

But those are basically the only RPGs I've played in quite some time, so I'm looking for recommendations on games that will scratch a similar itch

Octopath Traveler has a slightly unique job system while it's based on other final fantasy job systems like FFV or Bravely Default it does something unique where you can't actually assign the same jobs to multiple people so you're forced to divy up your jobs.

If you haven't played FF5 that's the easy pick. Romancing SaGa 2 and 3 give you plenty of options in terms of party assembling and character "customization" too but those games are bullshit and pretty difficult to get into. Not quite a class system though.

Blue Dragon, on 360.
It's the old Final Fantasy "job system" taken into the absurd, with a FF9-style battlesystem that actually works.

I thought Dragon Warrior 7 was kind of cool how they made certain spells/abilities learnable if you played the classes back to back. Like if you played warrior to rank 5, then switched to dancer and got rank 5, you learned sworddance. Play mage in between and it wouldn't work.

I was always fond of Seiken Densetsu 3/Trials of Mana.

With the branching light and dark system. I dunno if there is a game with a more robiuat and deeper version.

Tyranthraxus posted...

Octopath Traveler has a slightly unique job system while it's based on other final fantasy job systems like FFV or Bravely Default it does something unique where you can't actually assign the same jobs to multiple people so you're forced to divy up your jobs.

i absolutely loved OPT's job / class system. the way you needed to think about which jobs to assign based on the enemy types in the area was great, too. i added a 'challenge' to the game for myself where i forced myself to use the 4 lowest level members on my team and then create an effective party. it made me get creative with the jobs and how i approached fights.

Final Fantasy 5

FFT has the best class flexibility, custimation and diversity i've played in a RPG

Most of 7th Dragon III's classes have a gimmick to set them apart. Godhand has to land debuffs on an enemy to unlock their strongest skills, the Duelist (YuGiOh!) draws and uses elemental cards for their spells, etc.

Less a unique class system and more of classes feeling a bit different than just Fighter/Cleric/Rogue/Mage.

Radiant Historia is turn based but it's like a 3d thing where you can attack from behind the tank with a spear etc

Tag

Dragon's Dogma

Magick Archer is OP

Bump

I haven't played many RPGs that really focus heavily on it. FFX-2 would be the closest.

Ffxii has a cool job like system but a lot of freedom

Jeanne D'Arc relies heavily on pairing the right and/or the most useful gems with characters to win.

You might like Bravely Default 2 on Switch/PC. It's a turn based JRPG where each of your party members can use abilities from a main class and a subclass. There are 24 classes total, and most are unlocked as you progress the story. There's a lot of mix and match possibilities.

Also, I second the recommendation for Final Fantasy X-2. The job system was one of my favorite things about that game. The weapon and base stats are all determined by what job you change to and there are different mechanics that encourage you to change jobs in battle as well.

You may also like Lightning Returns (aka Final Fantasy 13-3). It doesn't have jobs in the traditional sense, but you can create builds for the main character, Lightning. She's your only party member, but she can switch between 3 different builds in combat. So you can make one build as a tank, one build as a mage and one build as a bruiser. Or make hybrids.

Dragons Dogma

It's action first and RPG second tho

FFX-2 and Tales of Vesperia are some good ones

FFX-2 is neat in that depending on how you set things up, changing jobs during a battle can give you stat buffs or grant you access to new skills for the rest of the battle. Switching to all of the jobs in a character's current equipped roster also lets them change to their ultimate job. You can also find equipment that lets you use skills you've learned from other jobs if you wanna mix classes.

Live A Live

Slayerblade11 posted...

FFT has the best class flexibility, custimation and diversity i've played in a RPG

agreed. You get to equip two full skillsets, plus a reaction, support and move ability from any class. You can do crazy shit like make a teleporting ninja who counters attacks with geomancy (terrain based magic attack that has a chance to inflict a status effect).

You might enjoy the Paradigm Shift combat system from Final Fantasy 13

DuranOfForcena posted...

Kingdoms of Amalur has a really awesome class progression system where you can go straight warrior, mage, rogue, or combine any two of them (or all three iirc), so that's fun if you're looking for an ARPG with fun class mechanics. also Seiken Densetsu 3 like was already suggested.

Agreed.

Also, fuck the FF job system, no matter which game it is. I hate that shit.

the greatest SNES RPG of all time

Final Fantasy V

The original Guild Wars games had secondary classes you could switch around and use different skill combos for builds.

Dungeon Travelers 2

NoxObscuras posted...

You might like Bravely Default 2 on Switch/PC. It's a turn based JRPG where each of your party members can use abilities from a main class and a subclass. There are classes total, and most are unlocked as you progress the story. There's a lot of mix and match possibilities.

I played the demo, and that stuff seemed cool, but everything else about the game made me less interested.