Character Selection

Warrior & Knight

The Warrior is an undisputed front line fighter. His ability to equip virtually every type of armor crafted by the hands of man and dwarf makes him a perfect meat shield at the front of the party. In addition to his defensive prowess, the Warrior is a master of melee combat and is able to equip most bladed weapons. After class change, the Knight is even more powerful and has access to low-level white magic. While his magical effectiveness will be as low as his intelligence, a well placed Knight spell can still get you out of a jam should your other healers become incapacitated.

Monk & Master

The Monk is somewhat of a glass cannon. He is all about physical damage and absolutely nothing else. While he is able to equip some martial weapons, it is not advisable to do so. His bare hands are the only weapons he needs, allowing him up to 32 hits at max level. The Monk also gains a natural armor bonus as he levels up, making it impractical for him to wear armor until Ruby Armlets can be purchased. Once a Monk promotes to Master, his damage potential goes through the roof. It is virtually guaranteed that a Master will be the first character of the party to hit the 999 damage cap in combat. A Monk is highly recommend for your first time through the game, but don’t be afraid to substitute him with other classes for a more diverse experience on subsequent playthroughs.

Thief & Ninja

The Thief is the used and abused red-headed step child of the group. His strength is his speed, but without the power to back it up, he leaves something to be desired on the battle field. On the bright side, if you plan on frequently escaping from battle, the thief is your man. Upon class change things get serious. Like a butterfly emerging from the chrysalis, the Ninja is infinitely more awesome than the Thief. Now able to equip nearly any martial weapon and a vast amount of armor, along with being able to cast low-level black magic, the Ninja is a powerhouse. While he doesn't get as many hits as a Master or as high a defense as a Knight, he can still tank damage and drop most foes in a single round. Perhaps most importantly, the Ninja can cast Haste, and unlike the Black Mage, is likely to cast Haste first in battle, letting your power hitters do damage from the word go.

Red Mage & Red Wizard

The Red Mage is the jack-of-all-trades. He can equip most bladed weapons and light to medium armor, as well as being able to learn both black and white magic. His intelligence is lower than the White or Black Mages, meaning that his magic will deal less damage and heal fewer hit points, but this is made up by that fact that the Red Mage can actually produce solid numbers in martial combat. The effectiveness of the Red Mage drops considerably after class change, as he fails to gain any new abilities worthy of note. The Red Wizard is unable to cast level 8 magic, and can only cast half of the level 6 and 7 spells. If you are having difficulty at the beginning of the game, a Red Mage is a solid addition to your team. If you want to have the most powerful party at the end of the game, leave the Red Mage at home.

White Mage & White Wizard

The White Mage is the healer of the group. With Dawn of Souls' change to the magic system, the White Mage is more effective than ever. At later levels, you can cast healing spells in and out of every battle with little fear of running out of MP. The White Mage is marginally more effective with weapons than the Black Mage, but that's not saying much. The White Mage is best used targeting the weaker creatures in the battle or finishing off a critically injured foe. Class change for the White Mage means access to more advance magic, but little else.

Black Mage & Black Wizard

The Black Mage has the potential to have the highest intelligence of any character. He specializes in offensive magic and can blast entire groups of enemies with ease. Like the White Mage, the Black Mage benefits greatly from the changed magic system. You can now cast spells that exploit enemy weakness in nearly every battle without running your MP dry. Due to his high intelligence, the Black Mage is also a superb user of items in combat. Though he cannot learn the Heal spell naturally, the Black Mage can use the Healing Staff in battle and actually heal more than a White Mage using the same spell. Promotion to a Black Wizard grants access to Flare, an incredibly powerful, if expensive, non-elemental spell.