With its next expansion just over the horizon, there has never been a better time to jump into Final Fantasy XIV. The game has gone from strength to strength and is highly regarded for its storytelling, quest design and the huge amount of things that players can do.
When creating a new character, the player is asked to pick a starting class. While they can go on to level up every class in the game, there is a compelling case to be made for Arcanist being the best one for newcomers. Not only is it an easy class to learn, but it provides a lot of flexibility down the line.
Arcanists begin their Eorzean journey in the city-state of Limsa Lominsa. This seaside heaven is a great place to begin thanks to its lore, as players will be drawn into Final Fantasy XIV through tales of pirates and a rueful colonial past. Additionally, the Arcanist class quests are genuinely intriguing and interesting thanks to the nature of the class itself -- Arcanists utilize mathematical formulae to cast their spells. They're certainly the most unique of the starting classes, and the fact that they fight with books and summon adorable Carbuncles to their side in battle only adds to their allure.
The class itself has the damage-per-second role in battle. When taking on dungeons and trials, Arcanists are responsible for dishing out most of the damage that the party does. While their Carbuncle will take some of that responsibility away (to the relief of more anxious players), the damage rotation is easy to understand. They set damage-over-time debuffs and then cast a multitude of Ruin spells at their foes, only pausing to reapply debuffs. They can even help out in emergencies thanks to being a rare DPS with access to the Resurrection spell -- an especially useful trait if the fallen ally is the healer.
Perhaps the biggest draw the Arcanist class has comes once the player hits level 30. At this point, they can unlock the upgraded Summoner class -- a traditional staple of the Final Fantasy franchise. As they level up and complete class quests, Summoners unlock greater abilities that allow for more complex battle strategies and new summons that replace the Carbuncles of their Arcanist days. That isn't all, however, as level 30 also grants players access to the Scholar job. The Scholar and Arcanist/Summoner experience bars are shared, so leveling one will level the other at the same rate, and this is really what makes the Arcanist the best class to start with.
Playing through Final Fantasy XIV with both a DPS class and a healer class grants the player a great deal of flexibility in how they take on the game's challenges. Being an Arcanist means they only have to level up one class to have two jobs well-leveled at all times. A DPS job like Summoner is great for taking on main scenario quests that require slaying monsters or taking on difficult instanced fights, as their high firepower gets them over with quickly. At the same time, healers like Scholars tend to have much shorter queues when trying to get into dungeons and trials -- and that time saved adds up quickly with the number of dungeons and trials within the game.
As the player levels up, the true strength of the Arcanist's potential become fully realized. Summoners get access to devastating magic spells and the ability to summon Bahamut, who can unleash a visually marvelous Deathflare. Similarly, Scholars become true masters of support, able to erect potent magic shields or let their cute faerie do all the healing while they blast away at their foes with spells that resolve in stunning, technological explosions. These jobs are as powerful as they are flashy, and the player's journey will turn their weak level one Arcanists into a magical powerhouse.
Overall, choosing the Arcanist class sets newcomers to Final Fantasy XIV up in the best way. It's the only class that grants access to two different jobs -- of two different roles no less -- and comes with a range of summoned allies that take some of the burdens of battle away. Players will even get to experience two separate yet gripping questlines thanks to their jobs and with no extra effort on their part. There are truly no downsides to picking Arcanist, from the incredible class flavor right down to the beautiful songs that play over the streets of Limsa Lominsa and the surrounding environs.
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