Final Fantasy III: Hints and Tips

So I picked this up from Steam for about £5 now that I'm reaching the finale of my FIV LP. I'm planning on starting this fairly soon and I'd like your advice!

Not counting FFX-2 or FFT, this'll be my first job class focused Final Fantasy so if there's any advice regarding which job is best, which job I should avoid, and that sorta stuff, I'd be grateful.

More general advice about the game, like any mechanics I should be aware off would also be helpful.

Regarding the version: I'm pretty sure the Steam version is based on the DS remake, if that changes anything.

Here's an overview of all of the DS Classes.

Other than that, use Phoenix Downs sparingly because you can't buy them in this game. The jobs also work a bit differently than other Job Class FFs in that you're kind of meant to drop classes for their upgraded version but the DS version tries to make the classes a bit more balanced so you can use any party build you want.

There is also a Job Level Proficiency stat where leveling up grants you bonuses for skills and stats. Once it's maxed out, there is a special blacksmith in the game who will forge a unique item for that particular job class.

If the remakes are anything like the original, there's parts in the game where you're forced to use certain types of classes. Don't be afraid to switch based on your situation, instead of sticking with the ones you like the best.

Thanks Kanno! That was very helpful.

Question about Magic: I noticed that I have only 4 Lvl.1 MP? So I'm guessing that means MP is in very low supply at first?

Pray

Geomancers are absolute kings. Always be Geomancin'.

If its like the original. Heres a tip. Ninjas and sages are op at the end. Tis like having all mellee or all magic casters into 1 job. Doubtful the remake kept these as they were though but yknow just incase. And try to teach magic to everyone for those damn mini dungeons

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Originally Posted by Formalhaut

Thanks Kanno! That was very helpful.

Question about Magic: I noticed that I have only 4 Lvl.1 MP? So I'm guessing that means MP is in very low supply at first?

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Magic is based on your character's level, but only accessible if the character has magic. So your MP pool will grow as you level up but how many charges you get is based on job class so for instance the basic White and Black mage will get more Lv. charges and the higher tiers are a bit low, but the upgraded Cleric and Magus classes have low MP charges for the Lv. 1 skills but get more charges for the Lv.8 spells than the original classes.

Also, your jobs Vitality stat does actually affect your HP Growth. So characters you stick to melee focused jobs like Monk and Viking will often have better HP than a character you consistently stick to mage classes, so make sure to switch characters around, so you don't have a dedicated mage character as they will have problems in the later stages of the game.

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Originally Posted by Fynn

Pray

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How often should I switch jobs? I know there's a job adjustment period and job levels affect quite a lot so is it better to have specialists or stick to people who have a decent job level in a few jobs?

You can run through almost all bosses with Dragoons alone once you have the job class. But especially for the Gauntlet of Bosses at the end you should train some more classes that might help you way more.

I'd actually advocate the opposite. III's job system is a far cry from V's flexibility. The less you switch jobs around, the more specialized your character is, and the weaker the chance it'll turn out totally lame in all regards.

Also, a surprising number of jobs is completely useless anyway.

As soon as you can, ditch the black mage for a geomancer. Forget the black mage, magus, summoner, sage, of any other offensive magic class. Geomancer deals consistently high damage completely for free.

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Originally Posted by Fynn

I'd actually advocate the opposite. III's job system is a far cry from V's flexibility. The less you switch jobs around, the more specialized your character is, and the weaker the chance it'll turn out totally lame in all regards.

Also, a surprising number of jobs is completely useless anyway.

As soon as you can, ditch the black mage for a geomancer. Forget the black mage, magus, summoner, sage, of any other offensive magic class. Geomancer deals consistently high damage completely for free.

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It is not really the opposite of what I said when you think about what I meant with training other classes as well. It does not really mean "train 2435432" in this context, it just means he should not just train the Dragoons I have recommended because with them alone he will have a lot of problems at the very end. And I know that because that is how I did it. And then I had to train.

I will say I do vastly prefer FFX-2's 'switch jobs mid-battle' mechanic.

Well you are wrong

V, Tactis, and Bravely Default did it best

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Originally Posted by Fynn

Well you are wrong

V, Tactis, and Bravely Default did it best

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Originally Posted by Formalhaut

How often should I switch jobs? I know there's a job adjustment period and job levels affect quite a lot, so is it better to have specialists or stick to people who have a decent job level in a few jobs?

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Honestly, experiment. While it is useful to have high proficiency in a job, it's only super useful for the Thief class because they need a Job Proficiency of 80 or higher to even stand a chance to steal Gungnir from Odin. Other than that, several jobs only need levels in the 30s at most to see most of what they got to offer.

The real joy of III's Job system is using different party configurations, so I say try out everyone at least once and figure out what works for you. The 3D Remake version did a pretty upstanding job of balancing all the classes to the point where you can use all of them throughout most of the game if you desire, so only switch out when the game throws a challenge at you that requires a specific setup like the Mini-Dungeons and Garuda boss battle.

All job classes are used excellently in all FF games imo, apart from this one where the unforgiving difficult bosses and dungeons means that you have to abuse the system to pass. Unless you are highly skilled.

Is Gungnir really worth all that? Unless it's for completionism, a single weapon sounds like a fairly poor reason to spend the entire game in a job that is (generally) one of the weaker ones.

It's not really worth it since the remake has job specific mastery weapons you can unlock with pretty minor grinding, most of which are extremely potent on their own, so there isn't much of a need for it other than to say you got it, much like the Onion gear. That doesn't mean you'd be SORRY to get it, but it isn't really needed.

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Originally Posted by Lord Golbez

Is Gungnir really worth all that? Unless it's for completionism, a single weapon sounds like a fairly poor reason to spend the entire game in a job that is (generally) one of the weaker ones.

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Originally Posted by Rez09

It's not really worth it since the remake has job specific mastery weapons you can unlock with pretty minor grinding, most of which are extremely potent on their own, so there isn't much of a need for it other than to say you got it, much like the Onion gear. That doesn't mean you'd be SORRY to get it, but it isn't really needed.

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Depends on the platform you're playing on. Original DS? It's worth getting because the Job Weapons can easily be locked due to the Wi-Fi service being gone. Any other version? Not terribly important unless you like Dragoons. Though having a high Job Lv. for Thief does increase the chances of stealing Phoenix Downs which are not sold in shops and the DS version is still hard enough to make this ideal, so it's worth leveling the class to it's maximum strength. Frankly, all the classes benefit pretty well from higher Job Levels, simply because it does affect their Offense/Defense. Even in the original, it's worth staying in a class for a while to build proficiency.