Dragon Quest VII has my favorite job system of any game ever. Part of that is the intricate way you can level up your jobs (called Vocations) and, by maxing them out with other jobs, you can create completely new and better vocations. The game itself lists these vocations as “Beginner,” “Intermediate,” and “Advanced.” So for the purpose of this post, I'll be grouping them into those categories as well.
This is by no means a “You Have to Play It Like This” kind of guide. Instead, it's just my personal ranking of the best human vocations in the game. Next week, I'll have a list of my favorite “Monster” vocations in the game, so keep an eye out for that, too!
You won't actually unlock the Vocations system until about 15 hours into the game, depending on your play-style. Once you reach Alltrades Abbey, you'll have a wide range of jobs to choose from. The basic beginner ones are mostly your typical JRPG fare: warrior, thief, mage, etc. But you'll also have options that may leave you scratching your head, especially if you're new to Dragon Quest games: troubadour, shepherd, etc.
Here, I've counted down my personal Top Ten Vocations in Dragon Quest VII, as well as giving short explanations of each one. Also, as a side note, please know I'm referring to the 3DS version of the game.
#10 – Warrior
Everyone loves a good warrior, don't they? In terms of beginner vocations, this one is pretty reliable. I always enjoy warrior classes, and I've used them extensively in anything from Final Fantasy III to Dragon Quest X. So of course I have to put warrior on the list here. In terms of VII, the Mercurial Thrust ability, which lets you attack an enemy before they can act, is really nice and definitely the highlight of this job for me.
#9 – Priest
The same thing applies here. Priest is a must-have in any beginner party. You'll need it if you're going to unlock a lot of helpful vocations later on, and it's always nice to have heals thrown your way. Plus, if you can level up a priest quickly, Full Heal and Zing are extraordinarily helpful.
#8 – Monster Masher
Monster Masher is one of the Intermediate Vocations in the game, and you unlock it by mastering both the Thief and Shepherd vocations. The Monster Masher specializes in breath attacks and can increase your chance of sending a monster you defeat to the Haven for a later meet-up, but that's about it. It's not as powerful or as helpful as other jobs, but it's fun to experiment with–and it's great if you want to really build up the monster denizens of your Haven.
#7 – Martial Artist
Martial Artist isn't so great at the start. I mean, it's fine but it's not special. However, it's necessary to get some really good vocations later in the game, like Gladiator, Paladin, and eventually Champion. Plus, attacks like Roundhouse Kick and Wind Sickles are nice to have, especially earlier in the game. For me, that's why I placed it just slightly better than some of the other beginner vocations.
#6 – Paladin
Like Warrior, I enjoy Paladin classes in games. The paladin in Dragon Quest VII is no different. With abilities like Kazing to raise a fallen ally to full health, spells like Magic Barrier and Oomph to raise your stats, and Pearly Gates to cause big-time damage, Paladin is fantastic. Plus, you'll need to master it if you want to unlock Champion.
#5 – Gladiator
You could easily switch this one out with Paladin in terms of my ranking, and I wouldn't bat an eye. I love both of them. However, I put Gladiator just slightly higher because of the attacks they learn later on: Falcon Slash (attacks twice in a row), Metal Slash (perfect for attacking metal slimes for those exp gains), Multislice (which attacks a group of enemies multiple times for massive damage), and Multifists (another high-damage attack for multiple enemies). So if you like vocations that can cause a LOT of damage, you should have a good time with this one.
#4 – Sage
Sage is unlocked by mastering both the Mage and Priest vocations, and it's amazingly powerful! In addition to protective spells like Magic Barrier, Oomph, and Insulate, you also learn Multiheal (which heals you and your friends) and Kazing. Once you get close to mastering this vocation, you learn pretty much every available “Ka-” spell in the game, which means you can cause massive damage in addition to being a great healer.
#3 – Druid
Druid is essentially an OP Sage. You unlock it once you master both Sage and Luminary, and by the time your Druid level is up to 3, you've pretty much unlocked every “Ka-” spell and all protective spells that are available. Ultimately, on both my playthroughs I finished the game with Maribel as a Druid (although I didn't master it the second time around). Druids can learn some of the most powerful spells in the game, including Big Banga and the Special Summon.
#2 – Champion
This was pretty close to my #1 pick, but I had to give it the #2 slot. Champion is unlocked by mastering Gladiator and Paladin (two jobs I love), and it's both a powerhouse in terms of defense and attack, AND it has some useful spells like KaBuff, Kazing, Kasap, and Multiheal. Plus, Gigaslash and Blade of Ultimate Power can knock down baddies like nobody's business. My first time beating VII, I had two of my party members as Champions, the Hero as a Hero, and Maribel as a Druid. The final boss never stood a chance. So if you're willing to put in the work, Champions are a winner for sure.
#1 – Hero
Really, what could I put at #1 other than Hero? It's a great vocation, with an amazing perk! You regain HP every round, which makes it pretty hard for monsters to take you down. The Hero gets the best of both worlds: it has a lot of the most powerful spells and abilities from Champion AND Druid, which means you're basically an unstoppable force. In addition to all of those spells and abilities, you also learn Omniheal (which heals EVERYONE all the way back up to full health) and the always-powerful Kazapple spell.
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