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XIV Job Defense Strategy Guide
This page collects the data for every job, enemy, and command, plus practical tactics. All numbers come from the live game data.
Jobs (level 1 → 5)
| Job | Role | Cost | HP (Lv1→5) | Per-second (Lv1→5) | Traits & abilities |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paladin | Tank | 90 | 420 → 1280 | 12.5 → 60 | Cover (manually link an ally — permanent, switchable; redirects 100% of their damage to the Paladin) / Invincible (8s immunity below 25% HP, 90s CD) / Rampart (all tanks: 30% mitigation for 20s below 70% HP, 60s CD) |
| Warrior | Tank | 90 | 400 → 1220 | 15.8 → 75.8 | All attacks cleave (48px radius) / self-heals 35% of damage per enemy hit / Holmgang (lethal-save at 1 HP for 5s, 40s CD) / Rampart (shared) |
| Dark Knight | Tank | 95 | 410 → 1250 | 15.9 → 77.1 | Cleave (hits all enemies within 40px of target) / TBN (shields a dying ally, 15s CD) / Living Dead (8s undeath on lethal, 80s CD) / Rampart (shared) |
| Gunbreaker | Tank | 100 | 360 → 1080 | 26.2 → 132.1 | Fast DPS-leaning tank / Superbolide (1 HP + 4s immunity on lethal, 30s CD) / Rampart (shared) |
| White Mage | Healer | 100 | 190 → 520 | 21.7 → 100 | Every 4th heal is AoE / Misery (at 8x heal power charged, auto-fires a 5x power AoE blast) / Benediction (full heal below 25% HP, 60s CD) |
| Scholar | Healer | 110 | 190 → 520 | 15.8 → 74 | Heals grant a shield (50%) / placeable fairy (regen aura) / Fey Wind (AoE haste, 45s CD) |
| Astrologian | Healer | 105 | 185 → 510 | 19.1 → 86.7 | Healed allies gain 5s haste / Gravity (AoE heavy, 9s CD) |
| Sage | Healer | 115 | 190 → 520 | 14.8 → 68.4 | Kardia (manually link an ally — permanent, switchable; every landed attack heals + shields them) / periodic group barrier every 12s |
| Monk | DPS | 100 | 250 → 720 | 28.6 → 141.7 | +7% attack speed per hit (max 5 stacks; decays after 2.5s without attacking) |
| Dragoon | DPS | 110 | 270 → 770 | 22.5 → 107.1 | Jump (every 12s, unlimited range, 6x damage to the highest-HP enemy) |
| Samurai | DPS | 115 | 260 → 750 | 29.3 → 145.3 | Form rotation: DoT (50% power / 3s) → 45px AoE → 2.2x single hit |
| Ninja | DPS | 110 | 220 → 640 | 20.6 → 103.4 | Raiton (every 9s: DoT + heavy in a 55px radius) |
| Bard | DPS | 110 | 180 → 500 | 18.6 → 88.3 | Song aura: +10%+ damage to allies within 110px (strongest only, no stacking) |
| Black Mage | DPS | 120 | 170 → 460 | 27.3 → 130.2 | Alternates Fire (AoE) and Blizzard (weak AoE + heavy) / Thunder (AoE DoT every 10s) |
Enemies
| Enemy | Speed | Base HP | Trait |
|---|---|---|---|
| Runner | 95 | 28 | Fast, low HP |
| Grunt | 60 | 55 | Standard |
| Tank | 38 | 150 | Armor 6 (reduces each hit by 6, minimum 1) |
| Swift | 130 | 40 | 50% slow resistance |
| Regen | 55 | 90 | Heals 6 HP/s (stopped by poison) |
| Shield | 55 | 70 | Shield 60 (must break before HP) |
| Splitter | 65 | 80 | Splits into 2 minis on death |
| Mini | 90 | 25 | Small split spawn |
| Ghost | 70 | 60 | Half damage from AoE magic; ignores hate and attacks the nearest unit |
| Berserker | 50 | 110 | Speeds up as HP drops (up to +90%) |
| Boss | 30 | 2600 | Armor 10, 50% slow resistance, costs 3 lives |
Commands
| Command | Effect | Recast |
|---|---|---|
| 🛡️ Shield Wall → Stronghold → Last Bastion | Party-wide mitigation. LB1: 25%/20s, LB2: 45%/30s, LB3 Last Bastion: 65%/45s | LB1–LB3 |
| 🌿 Healing Wind → Breath of the Earth → Pulse of Life | Party heal. LB1: 50%, LB2: full, LB3 Pulse of Life: full heal + revive everyone | LB1–LB3 |
| ⚔️ Braver → Bladedance → Final Heaven | Armor-piercing strike on the toughest enemy. LB2 Bladedance and LB3 Final Heaven hit far harder | LB1–LB3 |
| ☄️ Skyshard → Starstorm → Meteor | Aimed bombardment whose radius and damage grow with LB level (80→105→130px) | LB1–LB3 |
Strategy
Early game (waves 1–9)
Use the 15-second setup to place a Paladin by the path with a Monk and a White Mage behind — enemies stop to fight the Paladin while your DPS works. Call waves early whenever your defense is comfortable; the bonus gil compounds. Enemy tanks appear at wave 4 and pass-through Swifts at wave 6.
Mid game (waves 10–25) and bosses
Every 10th wave brings a boss with a punishing AoE attack — spread your front line so one swing cannot wipe it, tank the boss, and burn it with Dragoon Jumps and Black Mage casts. Shield enemies arrive at wave 12, Splitters at 15, and hate-blind Ghosts at 18; park a spare tank (or a covering Paladin) near your back line for those.
Late game (waves 26–40)
Enemy HP grows quadratically, so pushing existing jobs to Lv5 beats placing new ones late. The ideal setup is one or two kill zones: two tanks hold the line, Blizzard slows the crowd, Fire and Monks grind it down, and Jumps finish the big targets. Put a Bard in the middle and a Scholar fairy at the tanks’ feet. One Bard per zone is enough since songs do not stack.
Commands and specialist jobs
The LB gauge gains 1 per cleared wave (max 3). Decide between cycling cheap Shield Walls or saving 3 bars for Meteor. Healing Wind rescues a collapsing line, Braver shreds bosses. Place the Scholar fairy where enemies actually stop (at your tank) so its regen is never wasted. Against hate-blind Ghosts, keep a spare tank near your back line or trust the Paladin cover. Downed units revive faster while healers and the fairy keep healing them.
Targeting priorities
The default "First" targeting works for DPS, but tuning it matters: set Black Mage to "Strongest" to bomb the heart of the pack, finishers to "Weakest" to secure kills, and lanes leaking pass-through Runners to "First".
Endless mode
From wave 41, enemy HP gains an extra ×1.08 multiplier every wave, so any defense eventually breaks. Enrage (enemies hit harder the longer they fight) melts tanks first, so healer count and fairy placement decide your record. Boss waves beyond 40 spawn several bosses — keep multiple Dragoons.
Strategy FAQ
- Do multiple Bards stack? No. Each job only receives the single strongest song in range. Spread Bards across different clusters instead.
- Do poison and slow effects stack? The stronger effect of each type wins and its duration is refreshed. A weak effect never downgrades a strong one.
- How do I earn 3 stars? Finish all 40 waves with 18 or more lives (you can lose at most 2). Ten or more lives earns 2 stars, and surviving at all earns 1 star.
- Which map should I start with? Circuit — it has a long path and plenty of build space. Save Gauntlet for last: its path is extremely short and punishes any wasted gil.