The mages of any classic Final Fantasy game have always been the most imaginative and unusual in the world of JRPGs. This is just as true in Bravely Default 2 – a series already known for its creative, comical, and diverse jobs. Nearly every one of them can turn your party members into unstoppable wizards.
If you’re new to the Bravely Default series or revisiting it for the first time on the Nintendo Switch, you’ll quickly find that there’s a lot of variety in these jobs. Not every one of them will carry your team as far as the others. If you plan on quickly crushing your opponents with the game’s most elaborate spells, there are a few jobs you should absolutely look into leveling up early.
8 Good For Extra Money: Gambler Class
Despite having only a small number of magical attacks, the optional Gambler class of Bravely Default 2 is secretly a mage class based on its stats. Its Magic Attack is weirdly above-average – something that ends up being pretty useless for the majority of its skills. They primarily revolve around spending money and physical attacks that summon a roulette.
Its inclusion as a mage class feels out of obligation more than power as there aren’t really any abilities that make it worth using over the other magic-users of the game. It’s great if you want to grind some additional money but, otherwise, it is worth skipping for more interesting and powerful classes.
7 Jack Of All Trades: Red Mage Class
It’s almost ironic that the Red Mage class is so disappointing – particularly after it was given a huge revamp from the original games. This time, it can cast tons of Air and Ground spells while also letting you heal allies with flat numerical amounts instead of taking your Restoration stat into play.
This healing power can end up being a great tool for certain supports. It’s even better for tanks who don’t have enough stats to securely restore your team’s power. As a damage dealer though, it has an abysmal Magic Attack compared to even the gimmick Gambler class which makes it only slightly more useful as a subclass and only barely better.
6 I Need Healing: White Mage Class
The White Mage might be powerful in its own right as an aid to your team, as healing up after huge hits is vital in surviving long battles in Bravely Default 2. Unfortunately, this comes at a huge expense of its offensive powers as, even with the Black Mage as a subclass, it’ll hardly deal enough damage to be worth the fancy coat.
This doesn’t make it useless like other classes, but it does put it much lower than the unique utilities and elements that make the other mage classes so powerful. You’ll still want a White Mage on your team for most of the game. But don’t expect to keep it once you have some options more capable of attacking as well.
5 Triple Threat: Oracle Class
As a support class, the Oracle is relatively unexciting. Speeding up allies and slowing down opponents doesn’t provide nearly as much utility as other stat increases and healing. It can cause many players to overlook its power as an actual mage – particularly as a subclass for more aggressive wizards on your team.
This is because of its Triple abilities which deal three elemental attacks on a single target for fairly low mana costs. This is a great way to figure out an enemy’s resistances and dealing multiple magic attacks in a single turn is unheard of for most classes. This, alongside some speed boosts from its status moves, can make for a remarkable ally.
4 Healing Plus Damage: Spiritmaster Class
The Spiritmaster is the ultimate healer, summoning ghosts that can restore anything from your ally’s health to their MP in a matter of just a few turns. Since you don’t need an attack every single turn to provide maximum healing, this also means you have tons more free time to use offensive attacks. Thankfully, the Spiritmaster has other options.
This class is a master of everything Light-based and deals some incredible damage with moves like Holy and Banishra. If these aren’t your cup of tea, though, the Spiritmaster can also make much better use of magical subclasses like Black Mage and Oracle in a way that White Mages are surely jealous of.
3 A New Adventure: Pictomancer Class
While the opposing bard doesn’t have much in the way of offense, the brand new Pictomancer job class is ripe for those who want an unusual and aggressive mage on their team. Alongside a combination of Light and Dark attacks, its unique moveset allows you to expand and create weaknesses on your opponents, as well as decrease their stats for temporary periods of time.
This makes it a solid mix of support and offense – something that the Oracle strives for but doesn’t entirely succeed in. Many new jobs in the Bravely series can feel more like gimmicks than actual powerhouses. But the Pictomancer is absolutely no joke compared to the other new inclusions in the series.
2 Iconic Damage: Black Mage Class
The other classic JRPG class, the Black Mage, is just as strong as it was in the classic days of Final Fantasy. Each of its three basic elemental attacks will be effective against nearly any boss or mob in the game. Its damage output is only outmatched by one other powerful mage class in the game.
Since you spend so much time with it early in the game, you might not find this class fun to continue on with. But that doesn’t mean you should disregard it when you get other options. Having a maxed-out Black Mage class can make it way easier to level up your other mage classes later on. Players should always make sure to max out this class as fast as possible in any playthrough.
1 Arcanist
Returning from Bravely Second with a much more gothic look and just as much explosive power, the Arcanist is the ultimate wizard. It functions somewhat similarly to a necromancer by specializing in Dark magic with tons of abilities that can instantly kill opponents and combine certain elements.
It also has some of the most powerful mage-centric attributes in the game. This includes the Magic Amp ability that raises the damage and MP costs of all your spells. The moment you unlock it, this job will undoubtedly carry your team through the rest of the game with little trouble. Just remember to bring a solid healer with you to back them up.
