W~POST!!!!
*All evaluations are based off the DS version*

Freelancer and the Staring Classes

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Freelancer - Replacing the Onion Knight class, the freelancer is the starting class for every character. It utilizes weak Lv.1 magic and starting equipment. It has low stats but is balanced in most fields. Change class as soon as possible.

Strength: They can equip most of the Warrior/Knight armor and can even use Excalibur and Ultima Weapon. It's class mastery item is actually real good though...

Weakness: Its an Onion Knight that never gets better.

Special Item: Celestial Glove

Warrior - A melee class with a new trick up it's sleeve. Warriors have an ability called Advance which raises their damage output at the cost of sacrificing their defense leaving them vulnerable to attack. The class equips heavy armor and has a decent range of weapons to use mostly swords and axes, though they can iuse some of Knuckle weapons and the Bow.

Strengths: Decent damage dealers with better stats and weapon pool than the Freelancer.

Weakness: Debatably the worst of the starting classes. Red mage has similar stats and equipment pool, while the monk can easily out-damage the class for most of the game. Both classes have better support skills with little trade-off as well. The Warrior can equip some better equipment but by the time they become available, you'll have access to much better classes.

Special Item: Gigantic Axe

Thief: The weakest of the melee classes, Thieves are more practical for other tasks than fighting. They can unlock doors without the aid of a Magic Key and they do have the steal command though it's a much better skill in later entries. The Thief class uses knives and light armor.

Strengths: Great if you don't want to waste money on potions and occasionally thieves can steal rare items like Phoenix Downs and Elixirs. The real point of having a thief though is that they are the only means of getting Gugnir from Odin though it does require the class level to be over 70...

Weakness: Thieves really don't shine in the series until FFV, when monsters start caring more practical loot. Most monsters in III only carry potions and it takes higher levels to steal slightly better items which usually means Hi-Potions or a Offensive item. This is great if you plan on using the Scholar class but we'll get to that later...

Special Item: Gladius

Monk: In my opinion, they are the best of the starting melee class and unlike most of the starting classes, Monks can be easily carried to the end of the game. The Monk still works on the FFI principles which means despite their surprising large weapon pool, their true strength lies in keeping them unarmed, weapons just make them weaker. They use a special skill called Retaliate(counter) which allows them to counter being physically hit once per round. They use light armor and equip knuckle weapons.

Strengths: High damage and HP once hey earn a few class levels, Monks will most likely be out damaging Knights and Vikings by the time they become available. They are durable enough to stay through the whole game with some careful planning and leveling.

Weakness: Ignoring the game's temptation to equip them is not much, Monk's don't do well against magic and may suffer towards the end because of it. Retaliate also loses it's luster by mid-game as well.

Special Item: Shura Gloves

Black Mage: Practitioner of the Offensive magic. Black mages are designed to make blow up and they are not too bad about it either. Physically, they are the weakest of the starting classes having little HP, Defense, and offensive power. They equip robes and light equipment. They also use Rods, knives and the Bow. They should be placed in the back row at all times.

Strengths: Black magic is great for dealing with crowds or large enemies. The elemental spells can be used to exploit elemental weaknesses among the enemies. While his stats are minimal at first, the BM does get quite a bit more MP to cast the low level spells making them more practical for dungeon crawling and allowing you to ease up wasting high level spells like Quake on small fry. Its exceptionally useful in dungeons where the Mini status is required as melee is useless but magic is unaffected. They also have better offensive options than a white mage.

Weakness: Red Mage... This class can get all the benefits of the black mage while ignoring most of its weaknesses Even worse, the Red Mage class can also heal making them more diversified. While it's great to have a nuking unit for boss fights, some don't find it practical to lug the dead weight through dungeons, especially since the class is a glass cannon making it's own survival in the fight it was brought into not very likely. Basically the class is a lot of maintenance for something another class can do better.

Special Item: Lilith Rod

White Mage: A class focused on healing, buffing and protecting. It is often the corner stone of any party. White mages are for nothing but healing, and I do mean that. They can equip robes, light armor, and uses staves. They have better Magic Defense and regular defense than the black mages making them better at surviving. Still, keep them in the back row.

Strengths: They learn all the skills needed to survive and are durable enough to take some punishment. Also, unlike the Black Mage, having a primary healer is usually a smart way to go and is very practical in the long run. In fact most people keep a White Mage in the party until their high tier replacement shows up.

Weakness: Once again Red Mage, and for similar reasons as the Black Mage except Red Mages provide more offensive oomph for your party. White mages are awful fighters. Granted it's still better to have a dedicated healer...

Special Item: Angel Robe

Red Mage: Quite possibly the best starting class. Red Mages can do everything the Warrior, White Mage, and Black Mage class can do combined and often times doesn't have any of their weaknesses. The RM can use both White and Black magic and can draw from the same equipment pool as the warrior and other mage classes. In the beginning it';s great to use them as melee warriors who use magic to ease the strain of other mages in your party. As the game goes on, it's better to take them out of the front line and focus them into acting as pure mages. They are also the best dressed class.

Strengths: It's a great melee class and great at using magic, also much like the monk, it's actually fairly plausible to keep a red mage in your party til end game. I would actually recommend having two of them in your class when you start the game if you don't end up making the whole party into this class until the third crystal.

Weakness: Lack of some of the really useful high tier spells certainly hurts, not to mention, like the Warrior, their are some gaps in the game where it seems like the class doesn't get any new equipment though it's not nearly as bad as the Warrior and Dark Knight classes. By end game they are jack of all trades and masters of none, and sadly, it's often better to have a party of specialist than someone who can do a little of everything.

Special Item: Crimson Vest