Bravely Default Job Guide: Commands, Combinations and Skills to Make the Best Party Setups

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Bravely Default's battle system revolves around effective use of the available Jobs, and combining abilities from several Jobs.

Early in the game, you'll be using Final Fantasy mainstays like White Mage, Black Mage and Knight, but later you'll have the opportunity to track down some more advanced jobs with specialized abilities.

Don't forget that you can combine abilities from two Jobs by equipping one and attaching the Job Command from a second job in the Abilities menu. And don't neglect your Support Abilities -- some of these are extremely powerful if used in the correct combinations.

Don't forget to unequip support abilities that aren't useful to you -- i.e. those that have the same effects as a Job's passive abilities.

Basic Progression

Each job has 14 Job Levels that are independent from your character levels. To progress in Job Level, you need to earn Job Points (JP), which are earned separately from XP.

In order to boost the number of JP you earn from battle, try and finish as many battles in succession as possible with the "Unscathed" bonus by taking no damage -- 1-4 battles with no damage will give a small boost to JP; 5-9 will declare you an "Unscathed Ace" and get you a bigger boost to JP; 10 or more in a row will brand you an "Unscathed Hero" and give you a significant JP bonus. Note that being inflicted with a status effect does count as taking damage and thus cancels an Unscathed bonus chain.

The best way to earn the Unscathed bonus is to pump up the encounter rate in an area that features enemies who are strong enough to yield reasonable XP and JP when you defeat them normally, but who have elemental or enemy type weaknesses you can easily exploit using abilities such as Black Magic or the Ranger's Hunting ability -- you may wish to set one or the other of these as the secondary Job ability for other Jobs you're looking to improve quickly. Once into battle, Brave three times with all your party members and unleash as much damage of the appropriate types as you can muster in one go, preferably knocking the whole enemy party down in a single turn and netting you the XP-boosting 1-Turn Victor bonus at the same time.

In order to level up each job, you'll need to earn a particular amount of JP:

• Level 2: 30 JP
• Level 3: 70 JP
• Level 4: 150 JP
• Level 5: 200 JP
• Level 6: 250 JP
• Level 7: 400 JP
• Level 8: 600 JP
• Level 9: 800 JP
• Level 10: 3,500 JP
• Level 11: 4,000 JP
• Level 12: 4,000 JP
• Level 13: 5,000 JP
• Level 14: 5,000 JP/9,999 JP for Freelancer

Freelancer

The Freelancer is, as the cliché goes, a jack of all trades and a master of none, with distinctly average HP, MP, Strength, Dexterity, Agility, Vitality, Mind and Intelligence stats. They also have a B-rank with all weapons, which means they can equip pretty much anything without penalty -- but without bonuses either.

This unremarkable nature doesn't mean you should disregard Freelancer, though; where the Job really shines is in its special abilities, all of which are very useful. Freelancer's Late Bloomer passive ability also causes all stats to rise by 1% for every other Job you master, making it an extremely powerful late-game option if you've taken the time to level a lot of Jobs.

Freelancer Abilities

• Job Level 1: Examine (battle ability) -- Displays enemy information, including HP, elemental weakness and enemy type.
• Job Level 2: Treat (battle ability) -- Restore 20% HP to one ally, can be used while Silenced.
• Job Level 3: Divining Rod (support ability, cost 1) -- Displays the number of unopened treasure chests in the zone you're currently in on the map screen.
• Job Level 4: Dungeon Master (support ability, cost 1) -- Avoid damage and status effects from traps in dungeons. Applies to the whole party even when only equipped once.
• Job Level 5: Mislead (support ability, cost 1) -- Lowers chances of being targeted by enemies. Useful for mages.
• Job Level 6: Prayer (support ability, cost 1) -- Increase success rate of self-buffs.
• Job Level 7: MP 10% Up (support ability, cost 1) -- Self-explanatory.
• Job Level 8: Endure (battle ability) -- Raise physical and magic defense by 25% for four turns.
• Job Level 9: Poison Immunity (support ability, cost 1) -- Self-explanatory.
• Job Level 10: JP Up (support ability, cost 1) -- Earn JP at 1.2 times the normal rate.
• Job Level 11: Flee (battle ability) -- Escape with 100% success rate, except boss fights and other inescapable battles.
• Job Level 12: Lure Enemy (support ability, cost 1) -- Double encounter rate. Largely useless, given the slider in the menu, unless you really want encounters at 400% the normal rate, which allows you to recreate that one dungeon in Final Fantasy I where going the wrong way would give you a battle every single step.
• Job Level 13: Stand Ground (support ability, cost 3) -- Have a 75% chance to survive (with 1HP) damage that would normally KO you, except where your HP is already at 1.
• Job Level 14: Mimic (battle ability) -- Perform the same ability that was just performed, whether it was your own or an ally's. No resources (HP, MP, BP, pg or items) will be consumed in the Mimic process. Have a firm understanding of the order your party members act in before using this!

Monk

You'll acquire the Monk asterisk early in the game, after the boss fight against Barras Lehr and Holly Whyte.

Monks have high HP and physical strength, but low MP, Dexterity, Mind and Intelligence, making magic-based or accuracy-dependent secondary abilities less than useful. They have S-rank proficiency with their fists or knuckle weapons and staves, but rank E with all other weapons and any armor that requires proficiency to wear. Thus, Monks are best equipped with light armor and either no weapon -- a value equal to twice your level will be added to your physical attack in this case -- or a decent set of knuckles.

Max out Monk and you'll get the support ability Natural Talent, which increases your physical attack rating by a whopping 100% if you have the guts to play with no equipment whatsoever -- a good combo with the Freelancer's Mislead support ability.

Monk Abilities

• Job Level 1: Strong Strike (battle ability) -- Deal double damage to a single target with a 50% chance of missing.
• Job Level 2: Invigorate (battle ability) -- Raise physical attack by 25% for two turns. 25% chance that this will fail, dealing damage equal to 20% of your max HP.
• Job Level 3: Inner Alchemy (battle ability, 5MP) -- Cure Poison, Blind, Silence, Dread and Confuse on self.
• Job Level 4: HP 10% Up (support ability, cost 1) -- Self-explanatory.
• Job Level 5: Knuckle Lore (support ability, cost 1) -- Useless for Monk, but allows other classes to enjoy the Monk's S-rank proficiency with knuckle weapons.
• Job Level 6: Hidden Dragon (battle ability) -- Attack at the end of the turn, but deal 1.25 times your normal damage to a single target.
• Job Level 7: Qigong Wave (battle ability, 12MP) -- Ignore Default's damage reduction and deal 1.25 times normal damage to one target.
• Job Level 8: Blind Immunity (support ability, cost 1) -- Self-explanatory.
• Job Level 9: P.Attack 10% Up (support ability, cost 1) -- Increase Physical Attack by 10%.
• Job Level 10: HP 20% Up (support ability, cost 2) -- Self-explanatory.
• Job Level 11: Pressure Point (battle ability, 1BP) -- Ignore target's defense and deal double normal damage.
• Job Level 12: HP 30% Up (support ability, cost 1) -- Self-explanatory.
• Job Level 13: Phoenix Flight (battle ability) -- Reduce HP to 1, convert damage taken into damage applied to one enemy. Best combined with HP Up support abilities.
• Job Level 14: Natural Talent (support ability, cost 1) -- Raise Physical Attack by 100% when nothing is equipped in right hand, left hand, head, body and accessory slots.

White Mage

You'll obtain White Mage at the same time as you acquire the Monk asterisk.

White Mages have moderate HP, high MP and high Mind. Their Intelligence isn't bad, either, meaning they can wield offensive spells quite effectively, but that high Mind stat means they make the most effective healers.

White Mages have the passive ability to self-heal, which means they'll automatically recover from Poison, Blind and Silence at the end of a battle, though this unfortunately doesn't make them immune to these effects during battle.

You'll want to equip White Mages with light armor and a staff, though they can also wield daggers and shields reasonably well. Staffs usually have lower physical attack, but counterbalance this with a boost to magical capabilities.

White Mage Abilities

• Job Level 1: White Magic Lv.1 (job command) -- Use level 1 White Magic spells (Cure, Poisona, Blindna) which you have purchased the scrolls for.
• Job Level 2: M.Defense 10% Up (support ability, cost 1) -- Raise Magic Defense by 10%.
• Job Level 3: White Magic Lv.2 (job command) -- Use level 2 White Magic spells (Protect, Shell, Aero) which you have purchased the scrolls for.
• Job Level 4:Staff Lore (support ability, cost 1) -- Raise staff proficiency to S. Useful for Jobs who are poor at wielding staves but for whom you wish to be able to boost the magical abilities of.
• Job Level 5:Self-Healing (support ability, cost 1) -- Same as the White Mage's passive ability.
• Job Level 6:White Magic Lv.3 (job command) -- Use level 3 White Magic spells (Cura, Raise, Esuna) which you have purchased the scrolls for.
• Job Level 7:Abate Water (support ability, cost 1) -- Reduce damage from water attacks.
• Job Level 8: Angelic Ward (support ability, cost 1) -- 50% chance to halve incoming damage, whether it's a single- or multiple-target attack.
• Job Level 9 White Magic Lv.4 (job command) -- Use level 4 White Magic spells (Reflect, Dispel, Aerora) which you have purchased the scrolls for.
• Job Level 10: M.Defense 30% Up (support ability, cost 3) -- Raise Magic Defense by 30%.
• Job Level 11: White Magic Lv.5 (job command) -- Use level 5 White Magic spells (Esunaga, Curada, Aeroga) which you have purchased the scrolls for.
• Job Level 12: Epic Group-Cast (support ability, cost 3) -- Magic does not lose potency when casting on multiple targets.
• Job Level 13: White Magic Lv.6 (job command) -- Use level 6 White Magic spells (Curaga, Arise, Holy) which you have purchased the scrolls for.
• Job Level 14: Conservation of Life (support ability, cost 3) -- Restore all allies -- including those already KO'ed -- to full HP when you suffer a KO. Only works once per battle.

Black Mage

You'll likewise obtain Black Mage as part of the main story, this time when you defeat the boss Ominas Crowe early in the game. You'll also fill out your party roster with Edea around the same time.

Black Mages are useful in the early game, particularly for exploiting elemental weaknesses, but later in the game you'll probably find melee attackers are more effective at dealing quick damage. There are some useful support abilities worth learning, though -- particularly the ability to pierce magic defense -- and they're obviously great at fighting opponents that are immune to physical attacks, such as some of the Nemesis bosses.

The Black Mage's Black Resonance passive ability becomes more useful if several characters have learned the Job up to level 8 so you can stack bonuses from several characters. It does take up a valuable support ability slot, though, so think carefully before devoting too much time to training an army of magic-users.

Black Mage Abilities

• Job Level 1: Black Magic Lv.1 (job command) -- Use level 1 Black Magic spells (Fire, Blizzard, Thunder) you've purchased the scrolls for. Note that Blizzard is considered "water" damage rather than "ice."
• Job Level 2: Rod Lore (support ability, cost 1) -- A support ability that allows other classes to use rods as well as a Black Mage can. Primarily useful for other casters.
• Job Level 3: Black Magic Lv. 2 (job command) -- Use level 2 Black Magic spells (Silence, Poison, Sleep) you've purchased the scrolls for.
• Job Level 4: Abate Fire (support ability, cost 1) -- Reduce damage from fire-based attacks.
• Job Level 5: Damage Dispersion (support ability, cost 1) -- Split any damage to you between you and your allies -- 15% each on your current allies, and the remainder on yourself.
• Job Level 6: Silence Immunity (support ability, cost 1) -- Essential.
• Job Level 7: Black Magic Lv.3 (job command) -- Use level 3 Black Magic spells (Fira, Blizzara, Thundara) you've purchased the scrolls for.
• Job Level 8: Black Resonance (support ability, cost 1) -- Black Magic damage rises with each additional ally other than yourself with this ability set.
• Job Level 9: Black Magic Lv.4 (job command) -- Use level 4 Black Magic spells (Drain, Aspir, Fear) you've purchased the scrolls for.
• Job Level 10: M.Attack 20% Up (support ability, cost 2) -- Increase Magic Attack by 20%.
• Job Level 11: Black Magic Lv.5 (job command) -- Use level 5 Black Magic spells (Firaga, Blizzaga, Thundaga) you've purchased the scrolls for.
• Job Level 12: Pierce Magic Defense (support ability, cost 3) -- Ignore target's Magic Defense when dealing magical damage.
• Job Level 13: Black Magic Lv.6 (job command) -- Use level 6 Black Magic spells (Dark, Kill, Death) you've purchased the scrolls for.
• Job Level 14: Group-Cast All (support ability, cost 3) -- Group-cast spells that are normally limited to a single target, with the exception of spells that only target yourself.

Knight

Also acquired through the main story, after the boss fight against Heinkel.

Knights are a good early-game tank class, but become less useful as the game goes on. They have unmatched Vitality, which means they soak up a huge amount of damage, but their other abilities aren't anything to get too excited about. Their Strength is reasonable, allowing them to deal decent physical damage, and their Mind stat is similarly not-bad, meaning they can be a backup healer in a pinch.

Where Knights become particularly useful is through their Protect Ally passive skill, which automatically covers any ally with less than 20% HP left who takes a single-target attack. At Job Level 10, you'll also learn Full Cover, which allows you to designate a specific ally to cover for the whole turn -- when you do, you'll only take half the damage your ally would have suffered.

Knight Abilities

• Job Level 1: Stomp (battle ability) -- Deal damage 1.25 times stronger than usual, but suffer a 25% penalty to physical and magical defense for two turns.
• Job Level 2: Two-handed (support ability, cost 1) -- Allows swords, axes, spears, staves and katana to be held in both hands for double the physical attack stat at the expense of equipping a shield.
• Job Level 3: P.Defense 10% Up (support ability, cost 1) -- Increase Physical Defense by 10%.
• Job Level 4: Ironclad (battle ability, 5MP) -- Increase physical defense for a whole turn.
• Job Level 5: Protect Ally (support ability, cost 1) -- Same as Knight's passive ability.
• Job Level 6: Shield Strike (battle ability, 8MP) -- Deal normal damage and raise physical defense by 25% for two turns. Only available if a shield is equipped.
• Job Level 7: Shield Lore (support ability, cost 1) -- Raises shield proficiency to S-rank.
• Job Level 8: Vengeance (battle ability, 1BP) -- Attack all enemies, with power increasing according to how many allies are in the KO state.
• Job Level 9: Sword Lore (support ability, cost 1) -- Raise sword proficiency to S.
• Job Level 10: Full Cover (battle ability) -- During the entire turn this is used, you'll cover a single ally, taking any single-target hits meant for them and only suffering half the damage.
• Job Level 11: Dual Shield (support ability, cost 1) -- Equip a shield on both arms. Makes for unstoppable defense, but not much in the way of attack power.
• Job Level 12: P.Defense 30% Up (support ability, cost 3) -- Increase Physical Defense by 30%.
• Job Level 13:Chivalrous Spirit (support ability, cost 1) -- Raise Physical Defense by 25% for five turns if Protect Ally, Full Cover or Merchant ability White Knight is used.
• Job Level 14: Super Charge (battle ability, 1BP) -- Convert double your physical defense into attack power, then attack a single enemy.

Thief

Thief is one of the first optional Jobs you can obtain, along with Merchant. You can get it by following the sidequest that appears in Chapter 1 after you arrive in Ancheim. Speak to Profiteur in the mansion on the eastern side of Ancheim, then leave the city and head to the Oasis to the west to see an event. Finally, go to the cave to the northwest to see another event. Progress through the dungeon -- be careful of the gas-spitting Blind traps -- to take on Jackal and his henchman Khint.

Equip your magic users with silence-resisting abilities or accessories to counter Khint's annoying tendency to silence them, and focus on downing the henchman first -- he'll run away after you knock his HP down to approximately 50%. After this, you can concentrate on killing off Jackal, though note that he can heal himself with Potions for 600HP when he's in danger of falling.

Thieves have unmatched Agility and Dexterity, giving them a high hit rate and number of hits. This gives them enormous damage-dealing potential. They're best equipped with daggers or bows and light armor. Thieves' passive ability is Master Thief, which doubles the success rate of all stealing abilities.

Thief Abilities

• Job Level 1: Steal (battle ability) -- 25% chance to steal an item from an enemy.
• Job Level 2: Abate Wind (support ability, cost 1) -- Reduce damage from wind-based attacks.
• Job Level 3: Speed 10% Up (support ability, cost 1) -- Self-explanatory.
• Job Level 4: Life Thief (battle ability, 8MP) -- Deal normal damage, with a 75% chance to restore own HP by the damage dealt.
• Job Level 5: Speed 20% Up (support ability, cost 2) -- Self-explanatory.
• Job Level 6: Mug (battle ability, 16MP) -- Normal attack with a 25% chance to steal an item.
• Job Level 7: Raid (support ability, cost 1) -- Raise all allies' BP by one when the party gets either a First Strike or +1 BP Bonus at the start of a battle.
• Job Level 8: Dagger Lore (support ability, cost 1) -- Increase dagger proficiency to S-rank.
• Job Level 9: GodSpeed Strike (battle ability, 2BP) -- Attack that uses Speed instead of Physical Attack, and ignores Physical Defense.
• Job Level 10: Master Thief (support ability, cost 3) -- Same as Thief passive ability.
• Job Level 11: Rob Blind (support ability, cost 2) -- Steal two items instead of one when successful.
• Job Level 12: Shake Down (battle ability, 1BP) -- Steal items from all enemies with a 25% success rate per enemy.
• Job Level 13: Speed 30% Up (support ability, cost 2) -- Self-explanatory.
• Job Level 14: Burgle and Buff (support ability, cost 1) -- Increase Physical Attack by 25% when either successfully stealing or recovering HP with Life Thief.

Merchant

After finishing the Thief sidequest, return to Ancheim and confront Profiteur. You'll be thrown into another boss fight where Profiteur fights alongside a familiar face: Khint.

Take down Khint first -- again, he'll leave before he's defeated -- and then concentrate on Profiteur, whose Takeover attack deals 300 damage regardless of physical defense. Black Mage's Damage Dispersion ability is useful here; otherwise, be ready for lots of healing and reviving.

Merchant is a tricky class to take advantage of, particularly early in the game, but it has some really interesting abilities that can benefit you if you use them effectively. They're also useful if you're short on cash -- their passive ability causes you to earn 1.5 times the normal amount of pg after a battle.

Merchant Abilities

• Job Level 1: Pay to Play (battle ability) -- Spend your level times 50 pg to raise the target's Critical Rate by 300% for four turns. You can do this repeatedly up to a cap of 1,000%.
• Job Level 2: Salesman (battle ability) -- Make an enemy buy a recovery item from you at 2.4 times the normal sale price.
• Job Level 3: White Knight (support ability, cost 1) -- The ally with most HP protects you when you suffer a single-target physical attack while your HP is below 20%.
• Job Level 4: Pharmacy (battle ability) -- Purchase a recovery item and use it on a target.
• Job Level 5: Hedge Risk (battle ability) -- Halve the damage you suffer for five turns by spending money equal to half the damage.
• Job Level 6: Takeover (battle ability) -- Spend your level times 50 pg to deal damage to one target equal to the amount of money you spent.
• Job Level 7: BP Drink (battle ability) -- Purchase a BP recovery item and use it on a single target.
• Job Level 8: Specular (support ability, cost 1) -- Either increase damage by 200% or do 0 damage. Risky!
• Job Level 9: Money Up (support ability, cost 2) -- Increase money earned from battle.
• Job Level 10: Millionaire (battle ability) -- Summon a friend in battle at a cost of 25pg per level.
• Job Level 11: Dark Cartel (battle ability) -- Gain money from enemies when they recover HP.
• Job Level 12: Full Leverage (battle ability) -- Double everything -- MP cost, HP recovery, damage dealt and taken.
• Job Level 13: Low Leverage (battle ability) -- Halve everything -- MP cost, HP recovery, damage dealt and taken.
• Job Level 14: Payoff (battle ability) -- Spend money to buy off the enemy and end the battle early.

Spell Fencer

Leave Ancheim and wait on the world map until night falls. Enter the windmill marked with the sidequest icon and enter the secret passage. Work your way through the dungeon and fight the bosses to acquire both the Spell Fencer and Time Mage asterisks.

As for the battle itself, deal with Khamer first as his support abilities are a pain. Once he's down, concentrate on Khint.

Spell Fencer is made for exploiting weaknesses. By infusing your weapon with magic, you can combine the best of two worlds -- a class with high physical damage and magic to punch through an elemental weakness. Consequently, once you've levelled it, Spell Fencer's abilities are best used as a secondary job command rather than a character's main Job.

Spell Fencer abilities

• Job Level 1: Sword Magic Lv.1 (job command) -- Enables Level 1 sword magic, which corresponds to Black Magic scrolls you've purchased.
• Job Level 2: Sword Magic Lv.2 (job command) -- Enables Level 2 sword magic, which corresponds to Black Magic scrolls you've purchased.
• Job Level 3: Firewall (support ability, cost 1) -- 50% chance to counterattack single-target physical attacks with fire damage.
• Job Level 4: Sword Magic Lv.3 (job command) Enables Level 3 sword magic, which corresponds to Black Magic scrolls you've purchased.
• Job Level 5: Auto-Aspir Blade (support ability, cost 1) -- Imbue a weapon with the ability to absorb MP for 10 turns, starting from the beginning of the battle.
• Job Level 6: Magic Armor (support ability, cost 1) -- Casting sword magic also reduces damage for that element.
• Job Level 7: Sword Magic Lv.4 (job command) -- Enables Level 4 sword magic, which corresponds to Black Magic scrolls you've purchased.
• Job Level 8: Memento (support ability, cost 3) -- Restore 50% of MP for all allies when you suffer a KO. (Allies who are also KO'ed do not receive MP.)
• Job Level 9: Sword Magic Lv. 5 (job command) -- Enables Level 5 sword magic, which corresponds to Black Magic scrolls you've purchased.
• Job Level 10: Anti-Magic (support ability, cost 2) -- Raise Magic Defense for four turns when hit by magic. Same as Spell Fencer's passive ability.
• Job Level 11: Sword Magic Amp (support ability, cost 1) -- MP cost of sword magic doubles, but damage dealt is 1.25 times greater.
• Job Level 12: Sword Magic Lv.6 (job command) -- Enables Level 6 sword magic, which corresponds to Black Magic scrolls you've purchased.
• Job Level 13: M.Def Specialize (support ability, cost 1) -- Lower Physical Defense by 25% and increase Magic Defense by 50%.
• Job Level 14: Phantom Weapon (support ability, cost 3) -- Current weapon's damage is added to the damage of magic attacks.

Time Mage

Time Mage's passive ability is Time Slip, which effectively allows you a free "do-over" if your party is wiped out in a battle. Time Mage learns this at Job Level 5 if you want to equip it to another Job.

Time Mage has some useful abilities, particularly in the support department, but doesn't get really good until much later. Its higher-level Job abilities can speed combat along for both you and your opponents as well as providing some useful buffs.

Time Mage also has a stupid hat.

• Job Level 1: Time Magic Lv.1 (job command) -- Ability to use level 1 Time Magic (Quake, Regen, Slow) once you've bought the scrolls.
• Job Level 2: M. Attack 10% Up (support ability, cost 1) -- Raise Magic Attack by 10%.
• Job Level 3: Slow Parry (support ability, cost 1) -- 50% chance to apply Slow to attacker when taking a single-target physical attack.
• Job Level 4: Time Magic Lv.2 (job command) -- Ability to use level 2 Time Magic (Quakera, Teleport Haste) once you've bought the scrolls.
• Job Level 5: Time Slip (support ability, cost 3) -- Same as Time Mage's passive ability.
• Job Level 6: Time Magic Lv.3 (job command) -- Ability to use level 3 Time Magic (Gravity, Veil, Slowga) once you've bought the scrolls.
• Job Level 7: Stop Immunity (support ability, cost 1) -- Self-explanatory.
• Job Level 8: Time Magic Lv.4 (job command) -- Ability to use level 4 Time Magic (Comet, Veilga, Hastega) once you've bought the scrolls.
• Job Level 9: T.Magic MP Save (support ability, cost 2) -- Reduces MP cost of Time Magic by 25%.
• Job Level 10: Time Magic Lv.5 (job command) -- Ability to use level 5 Time Magic (Quakega, Stop, Quick) once you've bought the scrolls.
• Job Level 11: Slow World (support ability, cost 2) -- Lower BP of all allies and enemies by 1 once every two turns.
• Job Level 12: Time Magic Lv.6 (job command) -- Ability to use Level 6 Time Magic (Meteo, Reraise, Gravitiga) once you've bought the scrolls.
• Job Level 13: M. Attack 30% Up (support ability, cost 3) -- Raise Magic Attack by 30%.
• Job Level 14: Hasten World (support ability, cost 2) -- Raise BP of all allies and enemies by 1 at the end of each turn, including KO'ed allies.

Ranger

After returning from the Water Temple, speak to all the NPCs marked with the blue sidequest icon on your map in Florem. Leave the city and head north-east. Defeat the grunts and continue east until you see a big tree. Beat the boss Artemia Venus and you'll be rewarded with the Ranger asterisk.

Artemia is accompanied by a Legion Impaler and a Legion Mage. Knock these two down first, since neither of them have many HP. Meanwhile, Artemia has a number of very powerful attacks and likes to Default between them in order to charge up BP. Stagger your attacks so you are Defaulting while she is Braving, and vice versa. Default-piercing abilities such as the Monk's Qigong Wave are particularly useful here, for obvious reasons.

Ranger is great in the early game, with consistently high damage output and the ability to exploit enemy types rather than enemy weaknesses. Later in the game, however, it becomes less effective as other classes overtake it in terms of unique special abilities. Rangers are best equipped with bows, which makes them particularly effective against flying enemies.

Ranger Abilities

• Job Level 1: Targeting (battle ability, 12MP) -- Deal 1.25 times normal damage.
• Job Level 2: Bug Slayer (battle ability, 8MP) -- 1.5 times normal damage to bug-type enemies.
• Job Level 3: Plant Slayer (battle ability, 8MP) -- 1.5 times normal damage to plant-type enemies.
• Job Level 4: Beast Slayer (battle ability, 8MP) -- 1.5 times normal damage to beast-type enemies.
• Job Level 5: Paralyze Immunity (support ability, cost 1) -- Self-explanatory.
• Job Level 6: Aerial Slayer (battle ability, 8MP) -- 1.5 times normal damage to aerial enemies.
• Job Level 7: Aquatic Slayer (battle ability, 8MP) -- 1.5 times normal damage to aquatic enemies.
• Job Level 8: Bow Lore (support ability, cost 1) -- Raise bow proficiency to S-rank.
• Job Level 9: Dragon Slayer (battle ability, 8MP) -- 1.5 times normal damage to dragon-type enemies.
• Job Level 10: Undead Slayer (battle ability, 8MP) -- 1.5 times normal damage to undead enemies.
• Job Level 11: Demon Slayer (battle ability, 8MP) -- 1.5 times normal damage to demonic enemies.
• Job Level 12: Hawkeye (support ability, cost 1) -- Raise accuracy by 100%.
• Job Level 13: Precision (support ability, cost 2) -- If all hits in a regular attack connect, damage increases by 3% for each attack.
• Job Level 14: Multiburst (battle ability, 1BP) -- Attack four random targets, dealing 0.6 times the damage of a regular single attack each time.

Summoner

To acquire the Summoner asterisk, go to the Florem weapon shop after returning from the Water Temple. Leave Florem and head north-west and enter the garden. Proceed through the garden, taking care not to step on the Silence-inducing blue flowers, and proceed to the boss Mephilla Venus.

Take out Mephilla's supporting grunts as quickly as possible so you can concentrate on surviving her powerful summon attacks, which come every three turns. She can also summon further grunts throughout the fight, so knock them down if they show up.

Learning new Summon spells is a little different to learning other spells. In order to acquire them, you must track down the Elemental Sages around the world and survive an attack from their summon spells. You won't be able to do this until you can access the relevant area in the story, and you won't be able to use the summon you've acquired until Summoner is at an appropriate Job Level, so bear this in mind before going on a pilgrimage.

Your first summon, Girtablublu, comes with the asterisk. The second, Hraesvelgr, is acquired from the Wind Sage in the Wind Temple. Ziusudra's Sin is acquired from the Water Sage at Mt. Chelate. Prometheus's Flame is acquired from the Fire Sage in the Fire Temple. Deus Ex is acquired from the Thunder Sage in the Everlast Tower. And finally, Susano-o is acquired from a secret area only accessible from chapter 6 onwards -- head to the north-east of the map and look for a crescent-shaped island.

Summoner Abilities

• Job Level 1: Summoning Lv.1 (battle ability, 40MP) -- Summon Girtablublu.
• Job Level 2: Abate Lightning (support ability, cost 1) -- Reduce damage taken from lightning-based attacks.
• Job Level 3: Summoning Lv.2 (battle ability, 40MP) -- Summon Hraesvelgr.
• Job Level 4: Summoning Lv.3 (battle ability, 40MP) -- Summon Ziusudra's Sin.
• Job Level 5: Friendship (support ability, cost 1) -- Affinity growth rate with summoned friends doubles.
• Job Level 6: Summoning Amp (support ability, cost 2) -- Raise MP cost of summon magic by 1.25 while also increasing damage by 1.25.
• Job Level 7: Summoning Lv.4 (battle ability, 40MP) -- Summon Prometheus's Flame.
• Job Level 8: Summoning Lv.5 (battle ability, 40MP) -- Summon Deus Ex.
• Job Level 9: Substitute Summon (support ability, cost 3) -- Automatically summon when KO'ed.
• Job Level 10: Summoning Lv.6 (battle ability, 60MP) -- Summon Susano-o.
• Job Level 11: Convert MP (support ability, cost 3) -- Restore MP equal to 1% of damage sustained. Same as Summoner's passive ability.
• Job Level 12: Summon Rush (support ability, cost 3) -- Increase summon power based on how much you've used each summon.
• Job Level 13: Danger Summon (support ability, cost 3) -- Automatically summon when health is low.
• Job Level 14: Amp Friends (support ability, cost 1) -- Boost damage, recovery amount, chance of imparting status ailment and number of terms buffing/debuffing when using Summon Friend -- best used in combination with a Summon Friend who is using a Special Move.

Valkyrie

After the Flower Festival in Florem, leave Florem and wait on the world map until night falls. Return to Florem to see an event, then go north to Witherwood. Work your way through the dungeon to the boss Einheria Venus to score the Valkyrie asterisk.

Einheria alternates between Crescent Moon, which does damage to all allies, and Jump, which does high damage to a single ally on the next turn. If she uses Jump, Defaulting is a good idea as this will reduce the damage and provide you with an extra BP to use next turn. When she's low on HP, she'll cast Spirit Barrier, which causes her to absorb damage through her MP rather than HP for 10 turns or until you deplete her MP.

Valkyries are strong, spear-using fighters somewhat akin to Final Fantasy's Dragoon Job. They are very reliant on BP, though, which means they might not get to attack quite as often as some other classes if you're not careful about managing these precious points. They're also in possession of an arguably somewhat overpowered combo attack when paired with a Time Mage -- the Time Mage should use their Job Level 14 ability Hasten World while the Valkyries in the party use High Jump, though this is only effective if you are faster to act than the enemies.

Equipping a spear on a Valkyrie is a must not only for their S-rank proficiency, but also for the fact that Jump abilities do significantly more damage when using a spear.

Valkyrie Abilities

• Job Level 1: Crescent Moon (battle ability, 1BP) -- Attack all enemies.
• Job Level 2: Jump (battle ability, 1BP) -- Leap off-screen and re-appear next turn, dealing double damage, triple if equipped with a spear.
• Job Level 3: Spear Lore (support ability, cost 1) -- Increase spear proficiency to S-rank.
• Job Level 4: Judgement (battle ability, 2BP) -- Deal triple damage to one target.
• Job Level 5: Spirit Barrier (battle ability, 10MP) -- Incoming damage is reduced to 10% and applied to your MP gauge for 10 turns, or until you run out of MP.
• Job Level 6: Soul Crush (battle ability, 16MP) -- Reduce one enemy's MP by 10% of your normal attack damage.
• Job Level 7: BP Skill Amp (support ability, cost 3) -- BP-powered skills increase their cost by 1, but damage increases by 1.5 times.
• Job Level 8: Decimate (battle ability) -- Allies and enemies with 10% or less HP remaining all suffer damage equal to their remaining HP.
• Job Level 9: High Jump (battle ability, 2BP) -- As Jump, only with triple normal damage, or 4.5 times normal damage if equipped with a spear.
• Job Level 10: Pierce Default (support ability, cost 2) -- Damage is not reduced by enemies' Default.
• Job Level 11: Soul Mates (support ability, cost 1) -- Physical and Magic Attack increase by 25% for five turns whenever an ally suffers a KO. Same as Valkyrie's passive ability.
• Job Level 12: Aerials (support ability, cost 1) -- Jump abilities increase their BP cost by one, take an extra turn to resolve and increase their damage by 1.5 times.
• Job Level 13: Sky High (support ability, cost 2) -- Begin a battle in the air, diving down to attack on the first turn for double normal damage.
• Job Level 14: Super Jump (battle ability, 3BP) -- As Jump, only with double damage on all enemies two turns later.

Red Mage

To acquire the Red Mage asterisk, it's yet another sidequest in Florem. This time, it occurs the third time you come back to the town, after speaking with Yulyana.

Speak to the man dressed in flamboyant red clothes -- he's marked with the usual blue sidequest marker on the map. Watch the event. Then continue the story through the Flower Festival sequences and rest at the Inn.

Leave Florem and wait on the world map until night, then re-enter and head to the northern area. Speak to the girl with the sidequest marker, then move near DeRosa to trigger the next event. Tiz and Ringabel's espionage efforts will end in failure, so rest, leave Florem, wait for night and try again. You will fail again, so rest, leave Florem, wait for night and try a third time, this time with Edea in the Bravo Bikini as bait. Before you do this, equip Edea with a Rebuff Locket if you have one. You'll end up in an underground room and have to fight DeRosa. Defeating him will reward you with the Red Mage asterisk.

Edea will begin the fight in a Charmed state -- unless you equipped the aforementioned accessory -- so your first priority should be curing her. After that, be ready to deal with DeRosa's variety of status attacks, which will inflict Charmed (attack party members or heal DeRosa) or Fear (unable to use Brave) and be wary of his Revenge ability which occasionally gives him a bonus BP when you attack him. He's fond of using Brave until his BP are well into the negatives, though, which will give you a few turns to heal, recuperate and spam some Brave attacks to whittle him down.

Red Mages have fairly average all-round stats, but their main strength is the ability to use both White and Black Magic up to level 4. Their moderate Mind and Intelligence stats mean they're not as good at either as a dedicated White or Black Mage, but they make up for this by being more able to both stand up to punishment and dole out physical damage. Their reactive abilities such as Revenge (which works the same way as it did when you were fighting DeRosa), Turn Tables and Adrenaline are also very powerful, and good support abilities for heavy BP users such as Valkyries.

Red Mage Abilities

• Job Level 1: W&B Magic Level 1 (job command) -- Use White and Black Magic you have the scrolls for, up to level 1.
• Job Level 2: MP 20% Up (support ability, cost 2) -- Self-explanatory.
• Job Level 3: W&B Magic Level 2 (job command) -- Use White and Black Magic you have the scrolls for, up to level 2.
• Job Level 4: Turn Tables (support ability, cost 1) -- Gain 1BP when you evade an enemy attack.
• Job Level 5: MP Free in a Pinch (support ability, cost 2) -- MP cost for magic drops to zero when you have 20% HP or less.
• Job Level 6: W&B Magic Level 3 (job command) -- Use White and Black Magic you have the scrolls for, up to level 3.
• Job Level 7: Adrenaline (support ability, cost 1) -- Gain 1BP when you defeat an enemy.
• Job Level 8: Magic Save (support ability, cost 3) -- Reduce MP costs by 25%.
• Job Level 9: BP Recover (support ability, cost 1) -- Gain 2BP when suffering a status ailment.
• Job Level 10: W&B Magic Level 4 (job command) -- Use White and Black Magic you have the scrolls for, up to level 4.
• Job Level 11: Revenge (support ability, cost 2) -- 25% chance to gain 1BP when taking damage. Same as Red Mage's passive ability.
• Job Level 12: Revival (support ability, cost 3) -- Gain 2BP when taking damage while low on HP.
• Job Level 13: An Eye for an Eye (support ability, cost 1) -- When your HP drops below 20%, critical chance increases by 900% for five turns.
• Job Level 14: In the Red (support ability, cost 1) -- Raise magic damage when you have negative BP.

Salve-Maker

Better known as Chemist in other Final Fantasy games, Salve-Maker is an excellent support class. It's obtained as a difficult-to-miss sidequest when you go to Starkfort to find Egil. Take the left stairway in Starkfort to find Dr. Qada, whom you must defeat to obtain the asterisk.

Qada is a tricky fight thanks to his healing abilities and poisonous status attacks. When he charges up his BP, he's preparing to use his ultimate Dark Breath attack, which inflicts damage on you equal to the damage he has taken so far in the fight -- up to 9999 if you're already a goodly way through the battle. Also be wary of his regenerative abilities -- bring along a White Mage to dispel his beneficial status effects to make your life a little easier.

Salve-Maker's main ability is Compounding, which is similar to the Mix command in earlier Final Fantasy games. There are 89 different recipes to use, which is a little outside of the scope of this specific guide, but watch out for a detailed Compounding guide here on USgamer shortly.

Salve-Maker Abilities

• Job Level 1: Compounding (battle ability) -- Mix two items to create a special effect.
• Job Level 2: First Aid (battle ability) -- Restore HP to whoever has the least HP at the end of the turn.
• Job Level 3: Experiment (battle ability) -- Turn a consumable item into an attack item.
• Job Level 4: Attack Item Amp (support ability, cost 1) -- Enhance attack items' power.
• Job Level 5: Inoculate (battle ability) -- Consumable items normally used to cure status effects can instead be used to confer immunity to the effect in question for six turns.
• Job Level 6: Auto-Potion (support ability, cost 1) -- Automatically use a Potion when you take damage.
• Job Level 7: Shorten Ailment (support ability, cost 1) -- Chances of status effects naturally expiring at the start of a turn increased by 50%. Does not apply to Doom.
• Job Level 8: Widen Area (battle ability, 1BP) -- Use an item normally intended for a single target on all targets.
• Job Level 9: Healing Lore (support ability, cost 2) -- Double all HP and MP healing effects, whether from items or magic. Same as Salve-Maker's passive ability.
• Job Level 10: Turn Toxic (battle ability) -- Throw a recovery item at an enemy, inflicting poison and dealing damage equal to what the item would normally heal.
• Job Level 11: Auto-Phoenix (support ability, cost 2) -- Automatically use a Phoenix Feather (if you have one) if an ally is in the KO state during the last command in your turn.
• Job Level 12: Collect (battle ability) -- Get an item. What you get depends on your location.
• Job Level 13: Resurrect (battle ability) -- Revive all KO'ed allies with 25% HP.
• Job Level 14: Feel No Pain (support ability, cost 3) -- Any damage taken is "delayed" for two turns, after which you'll take it all at once, unless you finish the battle before then, of course.

Performer

Performer has some of the best costumes in the game. Ringabel's in particular is quite something. In order to acquire this Job, you'll need to complete yet another sidequest, this time after acquiring the poison sample from Grapp Keep.

Speak with Captain Goodman in Eisenburg's battle fortress. Select the third choice and watch the event. Then you'll have to speak to a whole bunch of NPCs around the world, each of whom is marked with a blue sidequest icon on the map. First head to the bar in Grandship, then Ancheim, then Caldisla, then Florem and finally Hartschild City. Then return to Grandship and speak with the old lady in the bar again. Last of all, return to the fortress in Eisenburg, speak with Captain Goodman again and choose the third choice. You'll then get to fight Praline, whom you'll need to defeat for the Performer asterisk.

Praline is accompanied by a set of various grunts and uses her Performer skills to buff them up to dangerous levels. Try to knock them down as quickly as possible -- Valkyrie's Crescent Moon skill is useful here, since it hits all opponents -- and then deal as much damage to Praline as you can. She may summon another set of grunts during the fight -- this second crowd will have lower HP, though, so don't panic.

Performer is probably the best support class in the game, with a wide variety of useful buffs that will make your life a whole lot easier. It can be used as a secondary job command, but Performer's passive ability reduces MP costs for Singing abilities by 50% so it's best used as a primary Job, perhaps paired with something like White Magic for the ultimate support-healing combo.

Performer Abilities

• Job Level 1: Love Power (battle ability, 30MP) -- Raise all targets' Physical Attack by 25% for four turns.
• Job Level 2: Love Rush (battle ability, 24MP) -- Raise all targets' Speed by 25% for four turns.
• Job Level 3: One More for You (battle ability, 26MP) -- Give 1BP to a target.
• Job Level 4: Got Your Back (battle ability, 24MP) -- Raise all targets' Physical Defense by 25% for four turns.
• Job Level 5: Key to Your Heart (battle ability, 24MP) -- Raise all targets' Magical Defense by 25% for four turns.
• Job Level 6: Support Amp (support ability, cost 1) -- Increase stat-raising effects on yourself by 10%, decrease stat-lowering effects on yourself by 10%.
• Job Level 7: Little Devil (battle ability, 24MP) -- Raise all targets' Magic Attack by 25% for four turns.
• Job Level 8: Catch Me (battle ability, 12MP) -- Draw all enemy attacks for five turns.
• Job Level 9: Buff Up (support ability, cost 2) -- Increase Physical Attack, Magical Attack, Physical Defense and Magical Defense by 5% each turn for five turns from the start of battle.
• Job Level 10: Prolong Support (support ability, cost 1) -- Double the length of time stat-raising buffs on yourself last.
• Job Level 11: Charm Immunity (support ability, cost 1) -- Self-explanatory.
• Job Level 12: Save Singing MP (support ability, cost 2) -- Halve the cost of Singing abilities. Same as Performer's passive ability.
• Job Level 13: Zero Sum (battle ability, 15MP) -- Reduce BP to zero for either all enemies or all allies who have one or more BP.
• Job Level 14: My Hero (battle ability, 2BP) -- Raise all allies' BP by one.

Pirate

Pirate is one of the strongest classes in the game, though it has been toned down a little since the original Japanese version of Bravely Default from 2012. It's still a solid choice if you like inflicting physical damage, however.

To unlock Pirate, head to the port in Eisenburg any time after you're supposed to head to Grapp Keep. Speak with Datz to hear a story, then head out in your ship and look for a foggy area. The exact location is random, but it's usually somewhere in the vicinity of Grandship. When you've found the right area, you'll see an event. Choose the second option when prompted to visit the Ghost Ship, then speak with Barbarossa to begin the battle for the Pirate asterisk.

Barbarossa is weak against Lightning, so take advantage of this fact when possible. Be wary of his BP skills, however -- he tends to use 2BP prior to using his most powerful attacks, so time your Defaults carefully to mitigate as much damage as possible; unleash a Special Move and unload all your BP on him if you're feeling, well, Brave.

Pirate Abilities

• Job Level 1: Double Damage (battle ability, 25% MP) -- Single attack with twice the normal damage.
• Job Level 2: Provoke (battle ability) -- Draw the attention of all enemies.
• Job Level 3: Shell Split (battle ability, 9MP) -- Attack with normal power on a single target, plus 25% penalty to target's Physical Defense for four turns.
• Job Level 4: Scale Strip (battle ability, 9MP) -- As Shell Split, but with Magic Defense reduction instead.
• Job Level 5: Shin Smash (battle ability, 9MP) -- As Shell Split, but with Speed reduction instead.
• Job Level 6: Mass Attack (battle ability, 1BP) -- Allies with 20% or less HP attack at the same time as you.
• Job Level 7: Berserk (battle ability) -- Increase physical attack by 50% and automatically attack for six turns.
• Job Level 8: Adrenaline Rush (support ability, cost 2) -- Physical Attack and Physical Defense both rise by 50% for five turns when you have 20% HP or less. Same as Pirate's passive ability.
• Job Level 9: P.Attack 20% Up (support ability, cost 2) -- Raise Physical Attack by 20%.
• Job Level 10: Defang (battle ability, 9MP) -- As Shell Split, but with Physical Attack reduction instead.
• Job Level 11: Skull Bash (battle ability, 9MP) -- As Shell Split, but with Magic Attack reduction instead.
• Job Level 12: Axe Lore (support ability, cost 1) -- Raise axe proficiency to S-rank.
• Job Level 13: Torrent (battle ability, 2BP) -- Water-based attack that hits one target 16 times for 0.3 times normal physical damage.
• Job Level 14: Amped Strike (battle ability, 50% MP) -- Deal quadruple damage on one target.

Ninja

After bringing Egil to the inn in Caldisla, you can pursue the Ninja sidequest. Go to Hartschild City and into Goodman's Mansion to witness an event. Then do one of two things: either interrogate everyone in the building, try to leave the mansion and then use the key on the basement, or simply examine the servant's body twenty times to automatically trigger the next event. Either way, you'll be fighting Kikyo.

Kikyo has two things to watch out for: firstly, she hits very hard indeed, to try to mitigate damage as much as possible; secondly, her Utsusemi ability that lets her evade a single physical attack. If she uses this, hit her with a weak ability or normal attack to remove the evasion buff, then hurl as much damage as you can at her in one go.

Ninja is a good multi-purpose class. Dual-wielding weapons makes for formidable damage, but with abilities such as Utsusemi they make decent evasion tanks, too. Equip a pair of decent daggers to get the most out of them.

Ninja Abilities

• Job Level 1: Shippuujinrai (battle ability, 16MP) -- Jump the turn order and perform a physical attack at the start of the turn.
• Job Level 2: Transience (support ability, cost 1) -- After evading an attack, counterattack automatically.
• Job Level 3: Evasion 10% Up (support ability, cost 1) -- Self-explanatory.
• Job Level 4: Utsusemi (battle ability) -- Evade one physical attack.
• Job Level 5: Comeback Kid (support ability, cost 1) -- Raise Magic and Physical Attack by 25% for each physical attack evaded. Buff caps at 150%.
• Job Level 6: Ikkikasei (battle ability, 1BP) -- Increase hit count on your attacks next turn.
• Job Level 7: Cleave (support ability, cost 1) -- Chance to automatically attack again after defeating an enemy with a normal attack.
• Job Level 8: Evasion 20% Up (support ability, cost 2) -- Self-explanatory.
• Job Level 9: Shunshin (battle ability) -- Raise evasion to maximum for six turns.
• Job Level 10: Kairai (battle ability) -- Divert enemy attacks to another ally for the rest of this turn.
• Job Level 11: Dual Wield (support ability, cost 1) -- No penalties to weapons' Physical Attack bonuses when dual-wielding. Same as Ninja's passive ability.
• Job Level 12: Kakuremi (battle ability) -- Lower your chance of being targeted by enemies to the lowest possible level for five turns.
• Job Level 13: Evasion 30% Up (support ability, cost 3) -- Self-explanatory.
• Job Level 14: Frenetic Fighting (support ability, cost 2) -- Increase the cap on number of hits in a normal attack from 16 to 32.

Swordmaster

After clearing the Fire Temple, head back to Starkfort. The central passage that was previously blocked off is now open -- head in there and work your way to the top to fight Kamiizumi for the Swordmaster asterisk.

Fighting Kamiizumi is a bit of a pain because all his attacks are counter-based, meaning you'll take damage whenever you deal damage. Charge up your BP and rush him, but make sure there's someone ready to heal the damage you'll take in the process.

Swordmaster is a difficult class to use due to its heavy focus on countering, but when paired with damage reduction or evasion abilities such as those Ninja offers, it can be a powerful addition to your lineup. Its ultimate skill, which reduces MP costs to zero for two turns, is also useful when combined with expensive abilities such as Pirate's Amped Strike.

Swordmaster Abilities

• Job Level 1: Nothing Ventured (battle ability) -- Take half damage if hit by a physical attack; counterattack at double damage.
• Job Level 2: Abate Earth (support ability, cost 1) -- Reduce damage from Earth attacks.
• Job Level 3: Katana Lore (support ability, cost 1) -- Raise katana proficiency to S-rank.
• Job Level 4: Squeaky Wheel (battle ability, 1BP) -- Reduce target's BP by one. Only successful 30% of the time on bosses.
• Job Level 5: Multitask (support ability, cost 2) -- 25% chance of a free extra attack when making a normal attack.
• Job Level 6: Counter (support ability, cost 2) -- 60% chance to automatically counterattack when hit by a single-target physical attack. Same as Swordmaster's passive ability.
• Job Level 7: Confuse Immunity (support ability, cost 1) -- Self-explanatory.
• Job Level 8: Before Swine (battle ability) -- Halve magic damage; counterattack at triple normal damage.
• Job Level 9: Counter Amp (support ability, cost 1) -- Increase damage of counters to 1.5 times normal attack power.
• Job Level 10: Know Thine Enemy (battle ability) -- Pick an enemy. If hit by a single-target attack from that enemy, counter at quadruple normal damage.
• Job Level 11: Redoubled Effort (support ability, cost 2) -- The higher your BP, the stronger your attacks.
• Job Level 12: The Worm Turns (battle ability) -- If hit when your HP is below 20%, deal 7.5 times normal damage as a counterattack. Obviously you need to actually survive the attack for this to work.
• Job Level 13: Slow and Steady (support ability, cost 1) -- After Defaulting, raise Speed for two turns, up to a maximum of 150%.
• Job Level 14: Free Lunch (battle ability) -- Set MP cost to zero for two turns.

Arcanist

To obtain this asterisk, simply defeat Victoria in Chapter 4.

Arcanist relies heavily on inflicting status effects, making it less than useful in boss battles, since most bosses are immune to status effects. It pairs nicely with Black Mage, however, since a number of abilities are specifically designed to boost Black Magic.

A difficult class to use effectively, but one worth exploring if you've been a heavy magic user.

Arcanist Abilities

• Job Level 1: Corpse (battle ability, 4MP) -- 75% chance to inflict Doom.
• Job Level 2: Black Magic Amp (support ability, cost 1) -- Raise MP cost of Black Magic by 1.5 times; increase damage by 1.25 times.
• Job Level 3: Exterminate (battle ability, 4MP) -- Heavy damage to all Poisoned enemies.
• Job Level 4: Absorb M. Damage (support ability, cost 1) -- Recover HP equal to 25% of the damage taken from a magic attack. Same as Arcanist's passive ability.
• Job Level 5: Twilight (battle ability, 7MP) -- Instakill all Sleeping enemies except bosses.
• Job Level 6: Save BM MP (support ability, cost 2) -- Lower Black Magic's MP cost by 25%.
• Job Level 7: Sacrifice (battle ability) -- Take damage equal to 25% of your maximum HP to increase your Magic Attack by 50% for three turns.
• Job Level 8: Zero (support ability, cost 1) -- Magic does 1.5 times normal damage when your current MP is divisble by 10 (has a 0 on the end).
• Job Level 9: Convergence (support ability, cost 3) -- Allows magic that may normally only be group-cast to be cast on a single target at 1.5 times its normal effect.
• Job Level 10: Annihilation (battle ability, 4MP) -- Dark damage on all enemies and allies with -1BP or less.
• Job Level 11: Status Ailment Amp (support ability, cost 1) -- Increase chance of inflicting status ailments.
• Job Level 12: Iniquity (battle ability, 4MP) -- Dark damage on all enemies and allies with 1BP or more.
• Job Level 13: Max Black Magic (support ability, cost 3) -- MP cost of Black Magic doubles; effect increases by 1.5 times. Can be used at the same time as Black Magic Amp.
• Job Level 14: Interment (battle ability, 151MP) -- Strong dark damage to all enemies.

Spiritmaster

To obtain Spiritmaster, simply defeat Victor in Chapter 4.

Spiritmaster is an excellent support class, and pairs nicely with White Mage thanks to a number of its abilities that boost White Magic in the same way Arcanist boosts Black Magic. By mastering Spiritmaster, you can help build some truly excellent healing characters who can get you through some of the game's toughest challenges.

Spiritmaster Abilities

• Job Level 1: Spirit Ward (battle ability, 16MP) -- Nullify all elemental damage on one ally for four turns.
• Job Level 2: Auto-Shell (support ability, cost 1) -- Automatically cast Shell on yourself for ten turns at the start of a battle.
• Job Level 3: M.Defense 20% Up (support ability, cost 2) -- Increase Magic Defense by 20%.
• Job Level 4: Fairy Aid (battle ability, 1BP) -- Target deals 1.5 times normal damage with elemental attacks for five turns.
• Job Level 5: Convert BP (battle ability) -- 25% of your maximum MP is turned into 2BP.
• Job Level 6: Save WM MP (support ability, cost 2) -- Reduce the cost of White Magic by 25%.
• Job Level 7: Adaptation (battle ability, 32MP) -- One ally absorbs all elemental damage for four turns.
• Job Level 8: Stillness (battle ability, 2BP) -- No-one takes any damage for two turns.
• Job Level 9: Holy One (support ability, cost 2) -- Physical Attack drops by 25% but recovery magic is boosted by 2.5 times.
• Job Level 10: Greater Spirit Ward (battle ability, 2BP) -- All allies take half damage from elemental attacks for four turns.
• Job Level 11: Fairy Ward (battle ability, 2BP) -- All allies are immune to all status effects for five turns.
• Job Level 12: Moderation (battle ability, 2BP) -- Allies and enemies with 1BP or more reduce their BP by one; allies and enemies with -1BP or less increase their BP by one.
• Job Level 13: Enigma (battle ability, 3BP) -- All allies nullify all elemental damage for four turns.
• Job Level 14: Maximize HP (support ability, cost 3) -- Maximum HP doubles in battle.

Dark Knight

To acquire Dark Knight, simply defeat Alternis at the end of Chapter 4.

Dark Knight, like its traditional Final Fantasy incarnation, is largely concerned with voluntarily taking HP damage in exchange for some powerful abilities -- or leveraging damage taken to trigger other abilities. It pairs well with Spiritmaster to mitigate some of the risk inherent in a job so dependent on HP.

Dark Knight Abilities

• Job Level 1: Dark Bane (battle ability) -- Sacrifice 20% of your maximum HP to deal 1.25 times normal damage.
• Job Level 2: Abate Dark (support ability, cost 1) -- Reduce damage from Dark attacks.
• Job Level 3: Adversity (support ability, cost 1) -- Physical Attack, Physical Defense, Magic Attack and Magic Defense all increase by 10% for three turns each time you take damage equal to or greater than 25% of your maximum HP. Same as Dark Knight's passive ability.
• Job Level 4: Demon Master (battle ability, 6MP) -- Charm one Demon-type enemy.
• Job Level 5: See You In Hell (support ability, cost 3) -- Deal quadruple damage to all enemies when you are KO'ed. Does not work if you have Reraise on you.
• Job Level 6: Minus Strike (battle ability, 6MP) -- Deal damage equal to the amount of damage you've taken.
• Job Level 7: Helm Lore (support ability, cost 1) -- Raise helm proficiency to S-rank.
• Job Level 8: Black Bane (battle ability) -- Sacrifice 30% HP to hit all enemies.
• Job Level 9: Gloom (support ability, cost 1) -- Dark attacks are stronger.
• Job Level 10: Absorb Magic (battle ability) -- Nullify damage from magic attacks and recover MP equal to the casting cost of the spell that hit you.
• Job Level 11: Dark Nebula (battle ability) -- Sacrifice 20% of your maximum HP to hit all allies and enemies with a Dark attack at four times your normal attack power.
• Job Level 12: P.Attack 30% Up (support ability, cost 3) -- Raise Physical Attack by 30%.
• Job Level 13: Life or Death (battle ability) -- Inflict Doom on yourself, but enjoy increased Physical Attack, Physical Defense, Magic Attack and Magic Defense until you keel over dead.
• Job Level 14: Rage (battle ability, 2BP) -- Dark Bane repeats up to 5 times or until your HP reaches 1.

Templar

Where there's a Dark Knight, a Paladin-equivalent surely follows, and Templar is Bravely Default's Paladin. Acquire this asterisk partway through Chapter 4 by beating Braev Lee.

Templar makes a great replacement for Knight. Its ability to increase the BP cap by one isn't to be sniffed at, either, and this makes it a very strong class that is a good option as your primary tank. Combine with classes good at attracting the attention of enemies like Pirate to put up the ultimate defensive barrier in front of the rest of your party.

Templar Abilities

• Job Level 1: Heart Strike (battle ability, 1BP) -- Guaranteed critical hit.
• Job Level 2: Abate Light (support ability, cost 1) -- Reduce damage from Light attacks.
• Job Level 3: P. Defense 20% Up (support ability, cost 2) -- Raise Physical Defense by 20%.
• Job Level 4: Giant Slayer (battle ability, 16MP) -- Hit a target with more HP than you for 1.5 times normal damage.
• Job Level 5: Magic Critical (support ability, cost 1) -- 15% chance of critical hits when using magic, either offensive or recovery.
• Job Level 6: Default Guard (support ability, cost 1) -- Reduces incoming damage during Default by 75%.
• Job Level 7: Rampart (battle ability, 2BP) -- Protect all allies from one physical attack.
• Job Level 8: Item Critical (support ability, cost 1) -- 15% chance of critical hits when using items, either offensive or recovery.
• Job Level 9: Radiant Blast (battle ability, 40MP) -- Ignores Default and deals 1.5 times normal damage to one target.
• Job Level 10: Critical Amp (support ability, cost 2) -- Damage increase from critical hits increases from 2 times to 2.5 times.
• Job Level 11: BP Limit Up (support ability, cost 1) -- Raises BP cap to 4. Same as Templar's passive ability.
• Job Level 12: Desperation (battle ability) -- Attack by adding Physical Defense to Physical Attack for one turn, but Physical Defense is reduced to minimum for the rest of that turn.
• Job Level 13: Armor Lore (support ability, cost 1) -- Increase armor proficiency to S-rank.
• Job Level 14: Heaven's Gate (battle ability, 3BP) -- Unleash light attacks that increase in number the more BP you have, each of which strikes a random enemy.

Conjurer

To acquire the Conjurer asterisk, head to Yulyana's house after releasing three crystals and speaking with Yulyana at Vestment Caves. Read the letter, then head to Eternia Central Command to find Yulyana on the last floor. Then you'll need to defeat a whole bunch of other bosses, all of whom you've previously encountered if you have the other asterisks.

First, go to Edea's room in Central Command and fight Alternis. Next, enter the city of Eternia and go into the Healing Tower to fight Braev. After that, head to the Twilight Ruins to fight Einheria, Artemia and Mephilia all at the same time -- a tough battle for sure. Then head to Norende Ravine to see an event, and head back to Yulyana's house for the final battle in this quest.

The fight against Yulyana is a difficult one with a lot of one-hit kills. Having a Salve-Maker on hand to mix Beast Liver and Dragon Fang and double allies' maximum HP is a must, and be sure not to overdo the Braves so you have time to recover and stay on top of the massive damage Yulyana inflicts.

Conjurer is something of a jack-of-all-trades class, though once you've mastered all the Jobs you'll probably want to switch back to Freelancer. Noteworthy abilities include Invocation, which lets you use Summon magic to buff your abilities, and Obliterate, which instakills anything twenty or more levels below you -- great for grinding.

Conjurer Abilities

• Job Level 1: Invocation Lv.1 (job command) -- Enables use of level 1 Invocation.
• Job Level 2: Steady MP Recover (support ability, cost 1) -- Recover 30MP at the end of each turn.
• Job Level 3: Invocation Lv.2 (job command) -- Enables use of level 2 Invocation.
• Job Level 4: Critical MP Recover (support ability, cost 1) -- Recover 200MP when HP drops below 20%.
• Job Level 5: Invocation Lv.3 (job command) -- Enables use of level 3 Invocation.
• Job Level 6: Save SM MP (support ability, cost 2) -- Makes Summon Magic 25% cheaper to cast.
• Job Level 7: Post-Battle MP (support ability, cost 2) -- Recover 25% of your maximum MP after a battle. Same as Conjurer's passive ability.
• Job Level 8: Invocation Lv.4 (job command) -- Enables use of level 4 Invocation.
• Job Level 9: Obliterate (support ability, cost 4) -- Instakill any enemies 20 or levels below you at the start of a battle.
• Job Level 10: Invocation Lv.5 (job command) -- Enables use of level 5 Invocation.
• Job Level 11: Max Summoning (support ability, cost 3) -- Summon Magic MP costs double, but damage is 1.5 time normal. Stacks with Summoning Amp.
• Job Level 12: MP 30% Up (support ability, cost 3) -- Raise maximum MP by 30%.
• Job Level 13: Invocation Lv.6 (job command) -- Enables use of level 6 Invocation.
• Job Level 14: Experience Up (support ability, cost 1) -- Earn 1.5 times experience after battle.

Vampire

Vampire is Bravely Default's Blue Mage or Enemy Skill materia equivalent -- a class that can learn enemies' abilities after being hit by them once.

After defeating Braev, head to the Vampire Castle in the north-west area of Eternia. Defeat the Dragon Zombie if you have not already done so, then attempt to enter the castle. It transpires you'll need six Keystones to get in, each of which is guarded by a dragon you'll have to defeat. Be wary of the dragons' breath attacks, which can inflict status effects, and their Eye abilities, which can make you weak to each dragon's element.

The Fire stone is east of Starkfort. The Water stone is on a small island north of Yulyana Forest. The Wind stone is near Ancheim Oasis. The Eart stone is in the southwest region of Eternia. The Light stone is north-east of Yulyana Forest. And finally, the Dark stone is near the Imperial villa. When you've acquired all the stones, return to the Vampire Castle and proceed through the dungeon until you reach the boss. Be sure to bring plenty of recovery items -- it's a long, challenging dungeon with some hard-hitting enemies.

The battle against DeRosso is much easier if you have a Templar in your party. Make liberal use of Rampart to protect against Energy Burst and try to keep the party's MP high to protect against Bone Crush, which deals more damage to characters with low HP.

Vampire Abilities

• Job Level 1: Genome Ability (job command) -- Use a monster's ability.
• Job Level 2: Absorb P.Damage (support ability, cost 1) -- Restore HP equal to 30% of incoming physical damage, unless that damage KO's you.
• Job Level 3: Blood Thirst (battle ability) -- Drain HP from an enemy equal to your normal attack power.
• Job Level 4: Bloodlust (support ability, cost 1) -- Increase Physical Attack, Physical Defense, Magic Attack and Magic Defense by 25% for five turns each time you defeat an enemy.
• Job Level 5: Charm (battle ability) -- 75% chance to Charm an enemy.
• Job Level 6: Magic Thirst (battle ability) -- Drain MP from an enemy equal to 10% of your normal attack power.
• Job Level 7: Monster Ability Up (support ability, cost 1) -- Raise damage from Genome Abilities to 1.25 times normal.
• Job Level 8: Battle Thirst (battle ability, 16MP) -- Absorb 1BP from a target.
• Job Level 9: Subvert (battle ability, 20MP) -- 50% chance to Charm all enemies.
• Job Level 10: Self-Restore (support ability, cost 1) -- Fully restore HP at end of battle.
• Job Level 11: Absorb Stats (battle ability, 20MP) -- Absorb selected stat from one target.
• Job Level 12: Drain Attack Up (support ability, cost 1) -- Increase damage from Drain abilities by 1.5 times.
• Job Level 13: Genome Drain (support ability, cost 1) -- Learn enemy skills when hit by them. Same as Vampire's passive ability.
• Job Level 14: Rise from Dead (support ability, cost 1) -- 50% chance to automatically recover from KO at the end of a turn.

Need some help, hints or tips on Bravely Default? Check out these great USgamer guides:

Bravely Default Salve-Maker Guide: What are the Best Compound Recipes?

Bravely Default Guide: How to Rebuild Norende - And Why You Need to Do It