Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker will add tons of new content to the MMORPG in addition to reworking and freshening up the game's current roles and job classes. The expansion's official release date has been moved to December 7, while early access is tentatively scheduled for December 3. Ahead of Endwalker's launch, Square Enix has unveiled details of changes to job actions and party roles. Since the game is still in development, some of these changes may be altered before FFXIV: Endwalker releases.
Previous increases to FFXIV's level cap usually coincided with job quests that unlocked more skills for a character. In Endwalker, there will be no additional job quests added, but there will be new role quests for each of the five party roles: Tank, Healer, Magic Ranged DPS, Physical Ranged DPS, and Melee DPS. Unlike Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers, completion of a role quest will not be a requirement to proceed through Endwalker's main story quests.
Most FFXIV jobs regardless of role will have primary skill recast times adjusted to either 60 seconds or 120 seconds. Black Mages and their Ley Lines are an exception, remaining at 90 seconds. Ideally, these changes to skill cooldowns will make it easier for players to sync up things like party-wide buffs.
Tanks in FFXIV: Paladin (PLD) Job Class Changes In Endwalker
The FFXIV Tank role will have some changes that level the playing field between the four jobs, like each one's unique gap-closer being given a 20-yalm range. (Yalms are about the same distance as a yard in FFXIV.) Damage mitigation buffs used at optimal times will grant greater benefits, so this should encourage Tanks to to use those actions. Ranged attacks will no longer break a Tank's melee combo: a very nice quality of life change to FFXIV, among other additions. The devs also stated that "there will be parity between the physical and magical damage attributes of weapons at the same item level, and accompanying changes to action potencies".
Parity essentially refers to equalization and players likely won't have to worry about this too much, as this just gives more balance and simplicity to equipment. Some Tank weapons in FFXIV have both physical and magical damage attributes, although the tooltip in-game doesn't necessarily show it. The classic Curtana Zenith, an item level 90 Paladin sword, has 46 physical damage and 35 magic damage, for example.
What parity will do will make the stats consistent among all item level 90 Tank weapons in Final Fantasy XIV. Some actions would scale off of one stat or another, but their individual potencies will be adjusted to maintain proper balance.
Paladin, the poster child of FFXIV: Endwalker, will have their Requiescat action equally effective regardless of their remaining MP. They will have a 3-attack combo starting with Confiteor, and ending with a holy rain of swords seen in the Endwalker Job Actions preview video. Their Intervene will be increased by 5 yalms to bring it to the new 20 yalm Tank standard.
Warrior (WAR) Job Class Changes In FFXIV: Endwalker
Warrior's damage-up effects will be triggered and refreshed by AoE combos in Endwalker. Their gap closer Onslaught and Upheaval action will no longer drain their Beast Gauge, and Onslaught will have 3 charges. The expansion will also add a new action, Primal Rend, that follows Inner Release. Thanks to the general Tank changes, Warriors can toss their ranged Tomahawk without breaking their melee combos.
Dark Knight (DRK) Job Class Changes In FFXIV: Endwalker
FFXIV: Endwalker's Dark Knight will remain mostly the same, with some new damage skills. Their Salted Earth skill will now activate immediately around them, and make a new action available, Salt and Darkness, which does additional damage to enemies standing in Salted Earth. A new Dark Knight action Shadowbringer will be added, and their shadowy Simulacrum will also gain the ability to use it. Dark Knights will receive Oblation, a new single-target defense buff in Endwalker. As part of the general FFXIV job changes, their Plunge range will be increased to 20 yalms. Their Delirium cooldown will be reduced to 60 seconds, but its duration will be increased to 30.
Gunbreaker (GNB) Job Class Changes In FFXIV: Endwalker
Gunbreakers in FFXIV: Endwalker will have their Superbolide duration increased to 10 seconds for a little extra time to scare their Healers. The Savage Claw and Wicked Talon actions will swap to Gnashing Fang upon activation, sharing the same button. Gunbreakers will be able to use Continuation following Burst Strike. In Endwalker they will have their maximum Cartridge increased to 3 at level 88. Their level 90 skill, Double Down, hits its first target with a crushing 1200 potency. Subsequent nearby enemies take 20% less damage.
FFXIV Healers: White Mage (WHM) Job Class Changes In Endwalker
In Endwalker the Healer role as a whole will be given some changes, in addition to adding Sage as a new FFXIV job. Each Healer job will have new actions that apply single-target buffs. Offensive skills will have their cast time reduced to about 1.5 seconds, making it more comfortable to dish out some extra damage during less intense moments of healing. The Healer Limit Break spell range will also be increased to 50 yalms, which will help wiping parties avoid tragedy.
White Mage isn't getting any major tweaks in FFXIV: Endwalker, but will receive a new restorative field action. The Fluid Aura action will be removed and a higher, more powerful tier of the Holy spell will be added. Divine Benison will also have an additional charge. At level 90, they learn the Lilybell action, which designates an area of healing and grants 5 stacks of Lilybell, which unleashes healing every time the White Mage is hit.
Scholar (SCH) Job Class Changes In FFXIV: Endwalker
Scholar had a major rework in Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers, so it doesn't have too much lined up yet for Endwalker as it wasn't in need of polishing as much as some other classes. Scholar will receive a unique job skill called Expedient that will increase party movement speed and reduce damage taken, in or out of battle.
Astrologian (AST) Job Class Changes In FFXIV: Endwalker
Astrologians in Endwalker will receive the most changes out of any Healing job. Both Diurnal and Nocturnal Sect will be removed, and Astrologian heals will have the old Diurnal Sect effects built into them instead. They will receive an additional Card Slot and Divination will be changed, allowing enhancement seals to be applied to the caster themselves. At level 90 Final Fantasy XIV Astrologians will learn the Macrocosmos action, which first deals AoE damage, then compiles damage the party takes for 15 seconds. After this time is up or the Astrologian chooses to release Microcosmos, half of the damage taken is applied as a party-wide heal.
FFXIV Magic Ranged DPS: Summoner (SMN) Job Class Changes In Endwalker
Magical Ranged DPS jobs only have one major change consistent among them in Endwalker: the Addle spell will mitigate physical damage but at a lesser rate than magical damage. Most of the Final Fantasy XIV Magic DPS changes are specific to the individual jobs. Summoner, for example, is being overhauled enough that it almost feels like a new job entirely.
Summoner will become more like its traditional Final Fantasy class in Endwalker, summoning Garuda, Titan, and Ifrit in their large forms seen in-game, rather than the pocket-sized Egis - although they can still be glamoured to cute Carbuncles if the Summoner desires. Summoners will be able to take on the elemental properties of the beings they summon, allowing them to perform each Primal's signature move. They will use all three of these summons between invoking Bahamut or Phoenix, which will have their time on the field reduced to 15 seconds in Endwalker. All of the Summoner's DoT actions and effects are being removed, which is a huge change to the current focus of the job.
Black Mage (BLM) Job Class Changes In FFXIV: Endwalker
Black Mage, one of the classic FFXIV jobs available at release, will receive new single-target and AoE Fire and Ice attacks. Their Enochian ability will be automatically applied while they are under the effect of Astral Fire or Umbral Ice, and swapping between Astral Fire and Umbral Ice will unlock a new action. Sharpcast will gain an additional charge in Endwalker. Black Mage is another job that is pretty balanced as of Shadowbringers, so they're not changing too much. At 90 they get a new damage spell called Paradox that gains different effects depending on the element they switch to and from.
Red Mage (RDM) Job Class Changes In FFXIV: Endwalker
Red Mage in Endwalker will have the new action Resolution available following a Scorch cast, unleashing a line of AoE damage. Scorch, Verflare, and Verholy will all become AoE skills that can be used in the AoE damage rotation. Red Mage will also gain a party-wide defensive enhancement skill, and will overall have reduced Mana costs for spells.
