Final Fantasy XIV: Every Change to Jobs in Dawntrail

Being the frontline class and the one I play the most, I decided to start with them and the changes which will affect all four of them:

Dark Knight

One of the most difficult tanks to play will receive several adjustments to make his current rotation easier, with the change to Blood Weapon being one of the most significant. Blood Weapon and Delirium will become a single ability with three stacks. At first, it may seem like you will lose two hits from Blood Weapon, but this is compensated by another change.

Living Shadow no longer has a cost and now gives you a buff that allows you to use a powerful finisher, Disesteem.

Additionally, Plunge will be converted into Shadowstride, now being an ability exclusively for movement.

Delirium will now allow you to use a new and exclusive combo using your stacks. The Bloodspliter ability, which normally uses your gauge, is converted into Scarlet Delirium, which becomes Comeuppance and ends with Torcleaver.

With this same buff, Quietus becomes Impalement, which is a variation of the attack aimed at multiple enemies:

Now onto defensive abilities, Shadow Wall will receive an upgrade to Shadowed Vigil, and now grants 40% damage resistance and a 1,200 potency cure in case your HP drops below half or 20 seconds passes by, whichever comes first:

At first, it appears that the loss of 2 charges of Blood Weapon may seem like a loss in the blood counter, but when you look at the change in Living Shadow, you notice that, in fact, you have the high ground: before, five charges of Blood Weapon gave you 50, but you had to spend 50 on Living Shadow - but Living Shadow now has no cost, so you have 30 left.

Another change that doesn't look good, but ends up being beneficial, was Plunge losing its power. Dark Knight's opening rotation is intense in terms of button pressing, however, with this adjustment, there will be 2 less oGCDs to try to fit in it.

Gunbreaker

If you played Final Fantasy VIII and now play Gunbreaker just because of Squall, Yoshi-P has a full plate for you.

Like DRK, it also has a new finishing combo when using Bloodfeast, which turns the ability into Reign of Beasts. This starter follows up a recreation of Squall's own Limit Break, Lion Heart:

Following the rhythm of Endwalker, Fated Circle gained a complement with Continuation:

Nebula will be upgraded to Great Nebula, which now offers 40% mitigation and increases maximum HP by 20%;

Sonic Break, the DoT, now depends on No Mercy being active to be used;

Just like the DRK, the dash attack has had its damage removed, now serving just as a locomotion tool;

Gunbreaker's Lion Heart combo and the dash no longer having potency are good additions to No Mercy's very tight window, so you don't run the risk of clipping and/or reaching one of those stages without a cartridge, since Lionheart will only be available once every 2 minutes.

In Dawntrail, this job may well stand out due to Great Nebula, as HP increase + 40% mitigation is a powerful combination and, just like Dark Knight, the rotation should remain the same.

Paladin

Paladin hasn't received many unique changes like the previous tanks. The devs focused on just continuing what they did with the others and made some adjustments to make the rotation more fluid:

Instead of using Atonement three times, this ability will transform into two more, simulating a new combo to use:

Sentinel received the standard treatment, receiving an increase from 30% to 40% mitigation and offers a 1,000 potency Overshield.

Regarding the magic damage part of the rotation, Requiescat has been upgraded to Imperator, granting area damage and a new finisher after Blade of Valor, in the form of Blade of Honor:

The new combo starting from Atonement is nothing more than a cosmetic change to the current rotation. Previously you used this attack three times, but now it will be three different attacks. Imperator being an area attack is a welcome change, which makes attacking multiple enemies easier.

In short, if you already have experience with a Paladin, your rotation and what you do won't change at all.

Warrior

Firstly, Fell Cleave. With the introductions out of the way, we can discuss the changes it will receive.

Inner Release now makes you accumulate stacks when using Fell Cleave or Decimate, and when you get three, this skill turns into a new attack:

Primal Rend now has a sequel with Primal Ruination:

And, not to be left out, Vengeance has been improved to Damnation, mitigating 40% damage, deflecting physical attacks with 55 potency and, when the effect ends, the Warrior gains life regeneration with 400 potency for 15 seconds;

In short, the Warrior rotation will have no changes, but rather an extension through these new finishers

Since we’re in the subject of hitting tanks up close, let's move on to the Melee DPS, and yes, they will also receive joint changes to boost survival:

Dragoon

As promised, Dragoon will receive a Dawntrail rework, making several changes to how the abilities work and making them easier to use.

Right off the bat, the Life of the Dragon buff works in an entirely different way, no longer being something you need to maintain throughout the rotation. Now it is a direct buff of 15% more damage, and you acquire it when using Geirskogul.

Nastrong no longer has a 10-second cooldown thanks to the stack system. You will now have 3 uses of Nastrong every time you use Geirskogul, leaving you free to use it whenever you want within a 20-second window.

Speaking of that ability, it has been unlinked from Mirage Dive, which makes it much easier to align Dragoon's damage phase with the rest of the team's buffs.

Stardiver will receive a continuation in the form of Starcross, with 700 area potency and with decay, which is now the most powerful attack in the job’s kit.

Speaking of continuations, Dragonfire Dive wasn’t left out, and now it has Rise of the Dragon:

Dragon Sight and Spineshatter Dive will be removed from the game and their functions transferred to other skills. The Dragon Sight bonus will go to Life of the Dragon and Spineshatter Dive will be replaced by a new ability, Winged Glide, which will act as a locomotion tool for the Dragoon:

Battle Litany had its duration increased to 20 seconds, following the pattern of increased team bonuses;

The promised Dragoon rework went well beyond my expectations. One of the reasons why I didn't dare try to optimize this job was the need to align 4 damage buffs not included in combos, namely Battle Litany, Lance Charge, Dragon Sight (won’t be missed) and Critical Surge. Despite the numerous changes, the Dragoon rotation should remain the same at Dawntrail

Reaper

Being one of the newcomers to the franchise, Reaper in itself has already brought many new features, hence the bonuses it will receive at Dawntrail are very modest, limited to adjustments in the functioning of some of his abilities and combo extensions.

Using Enshroud will now grant you a buff called Oblatio, and convert Gluttony to Sacrificium, in a new attack while in Lemure form:

Plentiful Harvest will no longer grant 50 resources of your transformation gauge, but will instead grant a buff that allows you to assume cloaked form at no cost. Additionally, after using the Communio finisher while transformed by the Plentiful Harvest buff, you will have access to a new finisher in the form of Perfectio:

To conclude, using Gluttony now offers you an Executioner version of your attacks that use the spiritual bar, which are stronger versions of them:

Reaper is one of the jobs that will receive the least changes. Nothing he received changes anything about what he already does, just adding an extra combo in some parts.

Monk

Just like Dragoon, the one who says that the only ones who use weapons are the ones who do not guarantee themselves to throw a punch will receive changes worthy of a rework.

Let's talk about what will be removed first: the ongoing damage from Demolish and the bonus from Twin Snakes will be removed, and in their place the job will receive a new resource gauge to work with:

Dragon Kick, Twin Snakes, and Demolish attacks will fill these new gauges respectively. This makes the distinction between a damage combo and a buff combo clearer.

Your classic damage combo Bootshine > True Strike > Snap Punch will now receive an upgrade to Leaping Oppo > Rising Raptor > Pouncing Coeurl, which will be more powerful versions of each. Having the gauges acquired in the buff combo, the attacks Leaping Oppo, Rising Raptor and Pouncing Coeurl will have their potency increased by 100 when using one of their respective gauges.

The elemental buffs, Riddle of Fire, Riddle of Wind and Riddle of Earth will gain combos to be used after them, in the form of:

Following the pattern of team buffs, Brotherhood will now last 20 seconds instead of 15 and for its duration, you will be able to accumulate up to 10 chakra instead of five.

The damage of Elixir Field, now Elixir Burst, and Rising Phoenix has been equalized, no longer punishing the player for missing the attack combination.

Six-Sided Star received some changes as well. This attack can now consume chakra to increase its potency, starting at 780 and adding 80 for each gauge you have.

Many interesting changes come to the Monk, in particular the explosive potential of a Six-Sided Star with 10 chakra. It's definitely worth testing out when the expansion comes out.

Ninja

Precise and punctual changes, worthy of a Ninja, were made to the job.

For starters, you no longer have to worry about keeping Huton's buff active, it has been completely removed from the game. Huton now functions as an area version of Suiton in its rotation, and the skill speed buff it previously provided will be a passive, active 100% of the time.

In place of the Huton gauge, we now have Kazematoi, a new mechanic within the job. Executing the Armor Crush combo will grant you 2 gauges, which in turn will add 60 potency to the Aeolian Edgy combo and will consume one use of Kazematoi.

Trick Attack will receive an upgrade and will now be an area attack, being able to apply the debuff to multiple targets.

Mug will be upgraded to Dokumori, providing a buff called Higi, which improves your next use of an ability that uses the Kenki gauge.

A subtle but effective change is that Meisui now affects both Bhavacakra and Zesho Meppo, whereas previously it only improved Bhavacakra.

Ten Chi Jin will now be a combo attack immediately after use, in the form of Tenri Jindo, with 1,000 potency.

The main focus of the Ninja changes were adjustments to facilitate skill rotation. Huton becoming the area attack Suiton was also a welcome addition for dealing with multiple enemies, and Armor Crush's new gauge appears to be much easier to manage than the old one.

Samurai

With the same vibe as Reaper, Samurai will receive upgrades to his current abilities, without changing much of what he already does.

Hakaze will be improved to Gyofu, which brings new animation and more power. Tsubame Gaeshi no longer has a cooldown and is now linked to Meikyo Shishu, and can only be used after it.

Using Meikyo Shishui will give you a buff that makes your next Iaijutsu an improved version of itself, and you can even combo them with their respective versions of Tsubame Gaeshi. And yes, this second attack will also receive an upgrade if the first one is improved.

Ikishoten provides a new attack, known as Zanshin, with 900 potency at a cost of 50 Kenki. In essence, you will spend what you just received on this attack.

Shoha 1 and 2 have been combined into a single attack and will receive a new animation.

Third Eye will be upgraded to Tengetu, which provides a cure if you manage to activate its effect

Just like the Ninja, the Samurai's adjustments were very specific, especially the combination of Shoha 1 and 2. Tengetsu was a good surprise, and the rest of the changes will not change what the Samurai already does: load Midare and see a giant number appear on the screen.

Not leaving our noble friends at a distance out, they will receive some changes focused on their function:

Bard

Starting with our maestro, now it no longer needs an audience to start playing its songs. This translates into the fact that he doesn't need a target to activate his songs, which makes handling them much easier.

An old ability has been restored to the bard's kit, Wide Volley, which acts as a low-level version of Shadowbite.

Battle Voice and Radiant Finale will have their durations extended to 20 seconds, and taking advantage of the hook, Radiant Finale now has a combo, in the form of Radiant Encore, whose damage scales according to Codas

A small adjustment was made to the name of the procs that Bard uses. Straight Shoot ready and Shadowbite ready were unified under the name Hawk's Eye.

Barrage had its functioning completely changed. It now works as a potency boost for Refulgence Arrow and Shadowbite/Wide Volley. Furthermore, Barrage has a combo action to be used immediately afterward called Resonant Arrow, with a potency of 600 in area and with decay.

Machinist

How do you improve a job that uses firearms? You give it more ammo to shoot!

Starting with a hot hand already, Drill/Bioblaster will have two charges. More ammo, you say? Chain Saw will now have a second shot in Escavator.

Not only that, your oGCDs attacks will receive new animations and power, as well as Heat Blast:

Barrel Stabilizer will provide the Hypercharged buff, which allows you to enter overload mode at no cost. Additionally, it grants a buff called Full Metal Machinist, which allows you to use the Full Metal Field, where you basically draw 2 miniguns and fire missiles. The critical hit from this attack is guaranteed.

Except that the new animations for Double Checkmate, Checkmate and Blazing Shot make your Hypercharge combo look much more cinematic, the job will work almost in the same way, just requiring adjustments on where to fit the new attack, which is totally not a reference, Full Metal Field.

Dancer

The Dancer adjustments were more focused on upgrades for the dances, namely Technical Step and Standard Step.

Using Technical Step will convert your next Saber Dancer into a stronger version.

Using Flourish, in addition to what it already does, will convert the Standard Step into the Finishing Move, which when used will have a combo immediately afterward in the form of Last Dance.

Overall, this makes its initial combo a little more intense, but much more satisfying to use with these new finishers, in addition to the ones it already has.

They were up until now casting, but finally the Casters are ready to reveal their new spells and general changes!

Summoner

Fester will receive an upgrade to Necrotize, having its damage increased.

Unlike other team buffs, Searing Light has received significant changes: it now offers 5% more damage, instead of 3%. On top of it, this skill will have a combo to be used soon after, Searing Flash, with 600 area potency

And we have a new summon: Solar Bahamut. It works a little differently than the common Phoenix and Bahamut.

The Solar version will always appear in place of your second large summon, such as: Bahamut > Solar Bahamut > Phoenix > Solar Bahamut > Bahamut... and so on.

An interesting option that Solar Bahamut brings is that it is capable of offering area healing to the group, offering a support option for tighter situations.

After what Summoners received in Endwalker, I didn't expect much for them in Dawntrail. The new Bahamut is indeed beautiful to look at and resembles the version of the famous summon in Final Fantasy XV, but it won't bring any innovation to what the Summoner already does

Red Mage

Red Mage got a little more than I expected. Embolden now has a combo action in the form of Vice of Thorns

Jolt II has been upgraded to Jolt III, increasing its damage and animation.

The main change came in the way its area combo works. Instead of just using the same technique three times, we will now have a sequence of area attacks

Acceleration will now transform Jolt 3 and Jolt 2 into Grand Impact, a new spell for the Red Mage's arsenal

Manafication had its functionality altered, following the pattern of what happened to the other jobs. Now, instead of generating resources for abilities, it gives you counters that allow you to use them at no cost. Not to be missed, Manafication also received a combo to be used immediately after its use, Cineration

Our friend in red here continued with its standard improvements. A new expansion, a new extender for your current combo. Additionally, his physical area combo received the same treatment that Tankers received with skill spam. Instead of using the same attack three times, it will now be different attacks, but without changing the keys you use.

Black Mage

Ah, my sweet Black Mage. Every 10 levels, a new rotation, and from 90 to 100 it will be no different. Right off the bat, Sharpcast and Ice Paradox will be removed from the game, and we now have a new gauge to worry about

Speaking of which, we fill it by using Fire 4 and Flare, with Flare providing 3 counters per cast, while Fire 4 offers one. When filled up, a new spell is enabled, the famous Flare Star.

The concept of how Thunder works for the Black Mage has also been changed, now it can only be used if it has the Thunderhead buff, and the only way to obtain it is to exchange Astral Ice for Astral Fire and vice versa.

Fire Paradox, no longer having its counterpart, had its functionality improved. Now it is instantaneous and guarantees Firestarter, a good change overall.

Manafont is basically a new ability now. With it, you can restart your Astral Fire phase. It restores all your mana, gives you Umbral Hearts to discount the mana cost of fire spells, and even offers the Thunderhead buff.

There are also two quality of life changes for the Black Mage: You can accumulate up to three Polyglot units to have even more insane damage phases and the infamous Ley Line, the deposit location for damage in the area of ​​every boss, can be moved once per use.

Out of the casters, Black Mage is the one that will get further adjustments in Dawntrail, and some changes will affect its initial gameplay as well, such as the removal of Sharpcast. Flare Star isn't the dreamed Fire V, but it's a nice touch to add rotation.

The change to thunder casting still makes me think, because with Thundercloud's procs, you can save them to move in situations that are necessary. The new Thunder won't give you that much flexibility, since we'll only have one per fire phase without manafont, but maybe it won't be missed that much with the Swiftcast buff.

Never forget your backline, they are the ones who keep you firm and still fighting. Regarding the general changes to Healers, we have:

Astrologian

The Heart of the Cards finally decided to answer the call with the rework done on it, and I say that almost literally.

One of the main changes is in its Draw mechanic, which is now divided into Astral Draw and Umbral Draw:

Whenever you draw, 4 cards will come and each card will have a unique effect again, reminiscent of how Astrologian was in Stormblood:

Yes, it's a lot to keep in mind, but the changes don't stop there: Divination gained a combo attack to be used in its sequence.

And Neutral Sect, which in itself already does a lot, will do more, now having a 10% mitigation effect for the party, through a new ability available after use.

When they announced the Astrologian rework midway through Endwalker, I didn't really know what to expect, as they had left out Stormblood's unique card system, and I'm genuinely surprised and interested in trying out the job with these new mechanics.

The new attack after Divination is also a good addition to the job, because Healers in general don't have a burst of damage, apart from the White Mage, and I actually missed that in Savage content.

Scholar

I've always liked the idea of ​​support being a commander/strategist, adjusting and maneuvering to avoid problems. Scholar can do this for me with its shields and prevention and preparation skills.

In Dawntrail, it will be more prepared than ever for any and all situations. Starting with the main one, the level 100 skill, Seraphism:

This ability is Scholar saying that no one dies from damage. It turns the Scholar's standard area healing into an instant cast, increases its potency and allows the indiscriminate use of Emergency Tactics, which converts the shields of the next spell into raw healing. In addition to giving area HP regeneration.

Additionally, Recitation and Chain Stratagem will have their cooldown reduced to 60 seconds and have a combo action to be used right after Chain Stratagem, which is an area attack that causes bleeding. Considering that most attacks in the game that cause this effect have a power of 50, on average, Scholar's is a lot stronger with his 140.

Sage

The new kid among the Healers is bringing some new tools to his kit. Starting with Psyche, a new area attack of 600 potency and decay, to be used every minute.

For those who played as Healers during Stormblood, you may remember the time when they had area attacks that caused bleeding. Sage just got one, now that Eukrasia will affect your standard area attack:

Soteria has had its cooldown reduced to 60 seconds.

To conclude, Sage will gain another tool to keep everyone on their feet in the tightest situations:

In short, Sage will receive good additions to his kit, which is, in itself, already very focused on going on the offensive.

White Mage

The classic Healer of the series, having been with us since the beginning, will receive some specific updates to his kit, starting with Presence of Mind.

This ability was always used as a kind of damage phase for the White Mage, in which they could use their offensive spell quickly. Now, Presence of Mind gives you three counters of Sacred Light, which upgrades your basic attack to Glare IV, an instant and area cast version with 570 potency and decay, providing a good way to stay mobile during fights, in addition to doing what he has always done.

Tempereance will gain a combo action which complements the bonus already offered, by giving 400 shield potency for the party.

Saving the best for last, what will really offer a change in how you play White Mage:

White Mage will have a dash at level 40, and a massive one, surpassing the Dancer's which is 10 yalms.

In short, if you already play White Mage, you won't feel many changes, except for access to the dash.

Dawntrail will arrive and with it a gigantic amount of changes, bringing a series of significant adjustments and improvements to the various jobs, focusing both on rotation optimizations and new skills and finishers, as was made clear with Tankers. Furthermore, the expansion promises to be a new beginning for the game, and nothing is more fair than starting a new journey with the job you like having a new look.

Thanks for reading!