Characters
This is a rundown of the six classes that you have to choose from when starting a new game. I listed each class' strengths and weaknesses as I see them. You may notice that I don't like Black Belts. That's because they suck. Oh how they suck. Don't take Black Belts. :) For some suggestions on choosing a good party, take a look at my
Parties page.
NOTE: All characters can equip the best weapon in the game, namely, the Masmune. Since it would be pretty redundant to list everyone's best weapon as Masmune (since there's only one of them in the game), the "Best Weapon" listed for each character is really the SECOND best weapon.
| Fighter |
| Sword, knife, axe, staff |
| Most armor, gauntlets, helmets, and shields |
| None |
| Sun Sword |
| Flame / Ice Armor |
| High HP, access to the best armor and weapons |
| No magic, expensive to equip |
| The Fighter is a fighting machine (as the name "Fighter" suggests). He has the most HP out of any class, and the ability to wear all the best armor lets him keep that HP for a long time. The Fighter also has access to most of the weapons in the game; his offensive power is matched by no other class (except maybe the BB). However all of the Fighter's strengths come from having the right equipment, and the best equipment is pretty expensive sometimes. The Fighter is the most expensive class to buy weapons and armor for, but that's more of a problem early in the game than later on. If you want an easy time in FF1, you pretty much have to take a Fighter. |
| Knight |
| Sword, Knife, Axe, Staff |
| All |
| White, Level 1-3 |
| Xcalber |
| Opal Armor, Dragon Armor |
| Very high HP, exclusive access to many weapons and armor |
| Not many |
| The Knight has all the skills of the Fighter and more. He has access to every piece of armor in the game, with exception of only a few, which suck anyways. He's also the only character who can equip the mighty Xcalber, the second best sword in the game. At high levels, with a good suit of armor and the right weapon, the Knight is a one man army, almost invincible. In addition to his physical strengths, the Knight has the ability to learn some white magic spells, effectively adding a low-level healer to your party. In terms of raw strength and defense, there's no one that beats a Knight. |
| Black Belt |
| Nunchucks, Staves, fists |
| Bracelets |
| None |
| Fists |
| Opal Bracelet |
| High HP, high offensive power |
| No magic, low defensive power |
| The Black Belt is a pure fighter. He's the only character who can't use magic before or after class change, which is a minus in my book. Although he's not able to equip many weapons, and the weapons he can equip are very weak, the Black Belt's most powerful weapon is his fist. After level 7 or so, if you unequip the BB's weapon and let him use his bare hands, he'll start doing damage comparable to a Fighter. Because he doesn't require much (if any) equipment for most of the game, the Black Belt is cheap as dirt, and his extra armor and weapon slots can be used to store weapons and armor for other characters or magic-casting weapons like the Heal Staff. The Black Belt's weakness is his inability to use magic and his horrible defense, but if he has proper support from a White Mage, and you hide him in the back row of your party, the Black Belt might live long enough to be an effective fighter. (Sometimes.) |
| Master |
| Nunchucks, fists |
| Bracelets |
| None |
| Fists |
| Opal Bracelet |
| High HP, high offensive power |
| No magic, low defensive power |
| The Master is exactly the same as the Black Belt. He gets nothing from class change. So if you liked the BB before, you'll probably like the Master too. If you hated him before, you'll hate him more now, because every other character gets a bonus from class change and the Master doesn't. The Master is still a pretty strong fighter though. In fact at very (very) high levels, the Master will do more damage bare-handed than a Knight with the Masmune. At level 50 the Master is by far the strongest character, in terms of physical attacks. He still doesn't get any magic, and he still doesn't get any good armor at all, and his HP progression isn't all that great, but if all you want is someone to punch stuff really hard, the Master is your guy. Just make sure you continue to hide him in the back row. Or give him the Opal Bracelet and a Ribbon, it's better than nothing. |
| Thief |
| Small swords, knives |
| Light armor, bracelets |
| none |
| Coral Sword |
| Opal Bracelet |
| Medium HP, high agility, inexpensive |
| No magic, somewhat low defensive power, low offensive power |
| The Thief lacks the strength of the Black Belt or Fighter, and he lacks the magic skills of the Mages. The Thief's main strength is his ability to run from battle and dodge attacks. In situations where running is the best option, the Thief is the best character to have, and there are MANY times in FF1 where you need to run (Sorcerers?). The Thief's also pretty inexpensive to equip; money saved on the Thief can be used on other players to help you through the game faster. Although he's not nearly0 as good a fighter as the Fighter or Black Belt, the Thief can hold his own in battle when he needs to. He's very weak at first, but at around Melmond you'll start finding better weapons he can use, and he keeps getting better from there. All in all, the Thief can be a good substitute for another fighting class. |
| Ninja |
| Small swords, knives |
| Light armor, Bracelets |
| Black, Level 1-4 |
| Katana |
| Opal Bracelet |
| Medium HP, high agility, high offensive power |
| Somewhat limited in armor selection |
| The Thief undergoes a major transformation when he becomes the Ninja. The Ninja's offensive power is pretty darn good, since the Ninja has access to every weapon in the game, with the exception of a few (too bad he can't use Xcalber). The Ninja is the only character who can use the Katana, which is the third strongest weapon in the game. The Ninja also gets some black magic, effectively adding a low-level Black Mage to your party. The Ninja can also use almost all the good armor; the Ice Armor is darn good. With his speed and agility, and armed with a good weapon and his Black Magic, and of course his ability to run from battle, the Ninja can actually be a good addition to your party. Even if you think the Thief isn't worth it, the Ninja probably is. |
| Red Mage |
| Swords, knives, staves |
| Light armor, bracelets |
| White, Level 1-5; Black, Level 1-5 |
| Sun Sword |
| Opal Bracelet |
| Well rounded, uses both types of magic |
| Somewhat low offensive and defensive power, limited magic selection |
| The Red Mage is the most well-rounded character in the game. He has access to the magic abilities of the White and Black Mages, and he can equip many weapons and armor not available to the Mages, making him strong in some regards as a Fighter. In the beginning of the game the Red Mage is going to be one of if not the strongest character you have. He can use the Silver Sword, and all the second and third strength elemental and healing spells, so he can pretty much do anything, at first. His usefulness starts to slacken as the game goes on though. |
| Red Wizard |
| Swords, knives, staves |
| Light armor, bracelets |
| White, Level 1-7; Black, Level 1-7 |
| Sun Sword |
| Opal Bracelet |
| Well rounded, uses both types of magic and some good armor and weapons |
| Limited magic selection, les offensive power than pure fighter characters |
| The Red Wizard is able to use more powerful weapons and armor than the Red Mage, as well as a wider range of White and Black magic. The Red Wizard is still the most well-rounded character, in that he can use semi-good equipment and most of the good magic. The Red Wizard's disadvantage lies in his inability to learn most 7th level spells, his inability to learn 8th level spells at all, and his inability to use the strongest weapons and armor. He's OK at everything, but he's not a master of anything, and that'll start to cost you the further into the game you get. Despite his disadvantages the Red Wizard's broad range of skills makes him a good addition to your party, as long as you have some more specialized characters to back him up. |
| White Mage |
| Hammers, staves |
| Bracelets |
| White, Level 1-7 |
| Silver Hammer |
| Opal Bracelet |
| Powerful White Magic, useful against undead |
| Low HP, defensive power, and physical strength |
| The White Mage's main purpose is to heal her comrades. She lacks physical strength, being able only to equip Hammers, and will never be an effective fighter. Likewise, the inability to use armor other than Bracelets and some minor accessories make her very vulnerable to attack. In spite of her weaknesses, however, the White Mage is indispensible in her unique power to heal and protect her allies. Even the strongest fighter will die pretty quickly if you don't have enough white magic to keep him alive; the White Mage's job is to keep the fighters alive long enough to do their job, and this she does with more skill than any other class. Another strength of the White Mage is her strength against undead. White Mages are the only character that gets to use HARM magic, and there are a ton of undead monsters in the game, enough to make HARM magic worth getting. Although the White Mage's spells will be expensive in the beginning of the game, they're well worth the investment, and she makes up for it somewhat in that she doesn't need expensive weapons or armor. |
| White Wizard |
| Hammers, staves |
| Bracelets |
| White, Level 1-8 |
| Thor's Hammer |
| Opal Bracelet |
| Extremely powerful White Magic |
| Somewhat low offensive and defensive power |
| Having mastered the healing arts, the White Wizard's healing magic is second to none. The White Wizard has access to all White Magic spells, including powerful 8th Level spells that no other class can use. Spells like LIF2, which brings a comrade back to life with full HP, is very helpful when fighting the powerful foes near the end of the game. FADE is probably tied with NUKE for the most useful damage spell in the game. The White Wizard's protection spells become more and more valuable as you fight more enemies with strong magic attacks. Although she's still not much of a fighter, the White Wizard is a great addition to any party. |
| Black Mage |
| Knives, staves |
| Bracelets |
| Black, Level 1-7 |
| Mage Staff |
| Opal Bracelet |
| Powerful Black Magic |
| Very low HP, defensive power, and physical strength |
| The Black Mage is the weakest character, physically speaking. Black Mages have the lowest HP of any class and have pretty much no offensive power at all. However, his strength comes from his unique skill in wielding black magic. The Black Mage's use of black magic is matched by no other class; spells that damage all enemies at once, or kill an enemy instantly regardless of HP, are in some cases more helpful than even the strongest fighter. From a safe place in the back of the party, away from danger, the Black Mage can deal death to the enemy from a distance, quickly and efficiently. |
| Black Wizard |
| Knives, staves |
| Bracelets |
| Black, Level 1-8 |
| CatClaw |
| Opal Bracelet |
| Extremely powerful Black Magic |
| Low HP, defensive power, and physical strength |
| A master in the art of offensive magic, the Black Wizard possesses strength to rival that of any fighter. The Black Wizard's use of Black Magic is matched by no other class; he's the only class that has access to the powerful 8th level spells. Killing lots of enemies very quickly is a skill you're going to need, and no one does it better than the Black Mage. In addition to his magical strength, the Black Wizard is able to equip the CatClaw, a fairly powerful knife that greatly increases his physical prowess in battle. The Black Mage has enough magic by this point in the game that you're not going to be using the knife very much though. The Black Wizard make a powerful addition to any party. |
