JRPGs With The Best Class Systems, Ranked

JRPGs are known for their vast, deep stories and compelling, engaging characters. Players who want a game that focuses on both style and substance, with clear art direction and an engaging narrative, will usually find at least a handful of JRPGs that suit their needs. Some of the most influential JRPGs of all time are those that have a solid combination of both a fantastic story and intricate gameplay mechanics.

There’s nothing more important in any JRPG than the party of characters. The group of adventurers, united by fate or circumstance, will carry players through their journey in expansive fantastical worlds or the maze-like streets of urban fantasy cities. A JRPG’s gameplay is only as good as its party, and in turn, a party is only as good as its classes. For players who want a JRPG with fantastic class systems, here are some titles to keep an eye on.

8 Triangle Strategy

A Complex Class Skill Tree

The class system in Triangle Strategy is more linear than other titles on this list, but this satisfying, branching story has some well-detailed classes. They fill interesting niches, and offer great utility beyond simply dealing damage.

The Blacksmith Class is all about using the environment to trap or disorient enemies. Meanwhile, the Advisor class is all about restoring resources to keep other characters at their best. All the ‘supplementary’ classes in this game have valuable utility for the player as well.

7 Fire Emblem: Three Houses

Guide Students Through Fantastic Classes

The experience of moving through the classes is just as satisfying as the classes themselves in Three Houses. Shaping a student to grow and fill a particular role, such as a brutal unarmed fighter or powerful cavalry knight, is a rewarding process.

It gets even better towards late game, and the final classes of the game. Having a character’s game-long ambitions realized as a pegasus knight or a dark knight, for example, is narratively gratifying as well as mechanically gratifying, thanks to the sheer power these classes now have.

6 Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen

A Fantastic And Simple Innovation On Classes

While Dragon’s Dogma 2 continue the tradition of vocations started in this game series, Dark Arisen has a satisfying and varied approach to classes that simply feels right. The three major RPG archetypes of fighter, mage and thief each have hybrid classes and advanced specialist classes to help flesh them out. This helps the classes each fill a specific niche and purpose. It’s a great system that shows that it’s possible to have an amazing class system in a game without necessarily reinventing the wheel.

5 Bravely Default 2

An Innovative, Fluid Class System

Reinventing the whole class system does sometimes help, however. Bravely Default 2 is the definitive version of the fantastic job system first established by its predecessor on the 3DS. That system is greatly expanded in this title.

This is Square Enix at their most creative with classes. The game introduces unique and interesting classes like the Gambler and the Hellknight, while allowing players to fluidly swap between them and carry along learned passives.

4 Octopath Traveler 2

A Great Balance Between Set And Interchangeable Classes

An awe-inspiring HD-2D title, Octopath Traveler 2 is an amazing JRPG. The first game felt more like a proof of concept, but Square Enix had the ambition to make a proper, bona fide JRPG in this stunning style with a great class system.

The main jobs for each character functionally define who they are and serve as a link to the role they serve in the story. However, the innovative balance that comes in this title is how sub-jobs can be given to each character for unparalleled customization. These include each of the eight main jobs, as well as four special jobs that players unlock through special circumstances.

3 Etrian Odyssey Nexus

An Excellent Party Building JRPG

The Etrian Odyssey series is not known for being easy. But for players willing to challenge themselves with some of the most engaging and in-depth dungeon diving gameplay put to the screen, Nexus is the title for them.

Creating classes in this game is simple and fun. Every class has a huge variety of specialization options that can determine what role they fill in the tight-knit party of adventurers as they dive further into the game’s dungeons.

2 Final Fantasy 5

One Of The Most Expansive Class Systems Ever

A classic title among Final Fantasy games, Final Fantasy 5 has one of the most expansive class systems in a JRPG. And it accomplishes this without sacrificing any of the detail, quality, or individual attention afforded to each class. Every class and its elemental alignment fuse together in such an interesting way that making parties with a unique composition of roles becomes as entertaining as the driving story of the game itself.

Atlus’ Magnum Opus JRPG

Inspired by some of the greatest games in Altus’ catalog, Metaphor: ReFantazio is quite possibly the magnum opus of Atlus’ library. It represents the culmination of almost 30 years in the video game industry making high quality JRPGs.

Each character’s starting archetype and the ones they can swap into have depth, customization, and a unique design and identity. It completely subverts the typical RPG mainstays for something more unique to this game’s incredible identity.