Jobs are the bread-and-butter of Final Fantasy III. While the first Final Fantasy featured several different classes to chose from, and II featured characters with pre-built stats, III was the first game to have jobs: Classes with defined roles that the party members can switch between.
The mechanics of the job system change slightly between versions: In III, jobs are measured on an axis of Law vs Chaos and Physical vs Magical. The difference in number between the two jobs then gets another subtracked from it: This number being the target job's job level divided by 10. Where the games zag is how this formula is used: The Famicom version uses a capacity system, with points being used to switch jobs. The remake, desiring a level of commitment to each job, has the job adjustment phase: a period of battles in which the base stats are lowered by 12.5%.
The Pixel Remaster opted to remove all penalties.
The jobs that the protagonist start as. The 2D versions starts them as four identical Onion Knights while the remake uses the more aesthetically distinct Freelancers.
Freelancer:
The first set of jobs that the protagonists get, either by defeating the Land Turtle in the Altar Cave (2D) or the Djinn in the Sealed Cave (3D). The remake moves the Thief job here from the Fire Crystal.
Warrior: "Warriors are weapons experts. Their Advance ability allows them to deal even more damage than normal, but they also get hit a lot harder."
Black Mage: "Black mages are casters who specialize in offensive magic. Despite their appearance, they can take a few hits, too."
White Mage: "White mages are casters who specialize in restorative magic. They're not physically strong, but their willpower is incomparable!"
Red Mage: "Red mages can use both white and black magic, but they cannot use high-level spells from either school."
Monk: "Monks are very resilient melee fighters. Their Retaliate ability allows them to counterattack while on the defensive."
Thief (3R): "Thieves are very fast and agile, and they can swing their weapons lightning-fast. They also have the ability to pick locked doors."
The second set of jobs, acquired after defeating Salamandar in the Molten Cave. Some of the less conventional jobs start showing up here, though a bit awkwardly placed given how soon the next batch shows up.
Knight: "Knights take pride in their high defense. Their Defend ability allows them to step in and take damage for weakened allies."
Ranger: "Rangers are experts in ranged combat. With their bows, they can attack for full damage from even the back line!"
Scholar: "Scholars can examine enemies and spot their weak points. They can also enhance the effects of items they use."
Geomancer (3R): "Geomancers harness the power of nature itself, manifested in their different terrain attacks. Their damage potential rises exponentially by job level."
The third set of jobs, attained after defeating Kraken in the Cave of Tides. All of these jobs become more prominent on the surface, with specialized towns.
Bard: "Bards use their songs to enhance their party's performance. The effect of their songs varies depending on the harp they use."
Evoker: "Evokers are initiates of summoning magic, able to randomly draw either the light or dark power of summoned beasts."
Dragoon: "Dragoons are polearm experts. Their Jump ability allows them to deal massive damage while being impervious to enemy attacks."
Dark Knight: "Dark knights are warriors of the dark blade. Their Souleater ability allows them to convert their life into extra damage."
Viking: "Vikings have the ability to lure enemies into attacking them instead of other members of the party, but it's gonna hurt!"
The fourth set of jobs, unlocked after defeating Titan in the Labyrinth of the Ancients. They primarily consist of upgrades to existing jobs, although they themselves become obsolete in Eureka in the 2D versions. The 3D versions, to balance the physical/magical ratio of the Water Crystal, moves the Black Belt job here.
Black Belt (3R): "Black belts are experts in unarmed combat. They can boost their attack power to deal massive damage, but be careful not to boost too much!"
Devout: "Devouts are casters who have mastered white magic. They can use all white magic spells, so make sure to always have one in your party!"
Magus: "Magi are casters who have mastered black magic. If they can learn the forbidden black magic spell, they may be able to destroy all..."
Summoner: "Summoners are able to draw the hidden powers of summoned beasts. Their powers will be further enhanced if they can find the legendary beasts..."
The final two jobs. In the Famicom version they are won defeating Scylla and winning the Elder Staff. In the remake, they were both nerfed and moved to the Earth Crystal.
Ninja: "Ninja excel at using dark blades. They have the ability to throw weapons, which deal enormous amounts of damage."
Sage: "Sages are those who have gained knowledge in all schools of arcane arts. They can use all types of spells!"
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