FFXIV: Two New Jobs-Red Mage and Samurai Will Be Added to Stormblood

Final Fantasy XIV’s Stormblood expansion launched on June 20, 2017, introducing two highly anticipated combat roles that revolutionized the game’s job system. Square Enix strategically revealed Red Mage and Samurai during separate Fan Festival events, building immense anticipation among the player community for these classic Final Fantasy roles.

During the 2016-17 Fan Festival in Tokyo, Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn Producer and Director Naoki Yoshida unveiled the first new job—Red Mage—scheduled for release with the Stormblood expansion. The announcement triggered explosive applause from attendees, reflecting the deep-rooted popularity of this iconic hybrid class within the franchise’s history.

Red Mage holds significant historical importance as the first mage class ever featured in the Final Fantasy series, appearing prominently on the character selection screen of the original 1987 game. Its inclusion in Stormblood fulfilled years of player requests for this versatile magic-melee hybrid to join the Eorzean roster.

The Red Mage operates primarily as a ranged magical DPS, wielding both a rapier for close-quarters combat and a magicked crystal medium for spellcasting. These two distinct weapons can be combined into a single staff-like composite weapon, enabling seamless transitions between magical and physical attack modes during encounters.

This job’s combat methodology represents a sophisticated hybrid system, blending ranged red magic—itself a fusion of black and white magical disciplines—with traditional melee combat. The signature chainspell mechanic allows players to link multiple ranged spells together to unlock powerful finishing melee actions, incorporating rapid positional abilities that activate during the spell chain sequence.

Players acquiring Stormblood gain immediate access to Red Mage starting at level 50, eliminating the need to level prerequisite classes—a quality-of-life improvement previously introduced with the Dark Knight job in the Heavensward expansion. This accessibility feature significantly reduces the time investment required to experience high-level content with the new job.

During the Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival 2016-17 in Frankfurt, Germany, Square Enix announced Samurai as the second new combat role joining the Stormblood expansion roster. During the keynote presentation, Yoshi-P revealed Samurai with references to Spider-Man as the thematic hint preceding the announcement.

Samurai functions as a pure melee DPS specialization, utilizing the katana as its primary weapon. Similar to Red Mage, this job begins at level 50, providing immediate access to mid-game content without grinding through lower levels.

The Samurai combat style focuses on delivering massive burst damage through traditional Far-Eastern swordsmanship techniques, particularly Iai (quick-draw) maneuvers and other authentic Japanese martial arts forms. The job employs the sophisticated Sen artistic discipline and its three elemental forces: Setsu (Snow), Getsu (Moon), and Ka (Flower). Players accumulate energy within their katana to execute devastating special attacks that define the job’s high-damage potential.

Mastering Red Mage requires understanding optimal spell sequencing for the chainspell system. Begin combat with dualcast-enabled spells to build mana balance, then transition into melee combos when gauge resources permit. Avoid the common mistake of staying exclusively at range—the job’s true potential emerges through rhythmic alternation between magical and physical engagement.

For Samurai specialists, focus on maintaining proper Sen management through precise ability rotation. The three Sen elements should be accumulated systematically rather than randomly, enabling access to powerful Iaijutsu finishing moves. Positional awareness remains critical despite the job’s high damage output—proper flank and rear positioning on certain abilities can increase DPS by 15-20%.

Both jobs benefit from specific gear optimization: Red Mages prioritize spell speed and critical hit ratings, while Samurai focus on direct hit and determination attributes. Anticipate spending approximately 10-15 hours mastering each job’s core rotation before tackling extreme-level content effectively.

For comprehensive job guidance and advanced combat techniques, consult our Class Guide for detailed breakdowns of ability synergies and stat priorities. Understanding these advanced mechanics will significantly reduce your learning curve and improve raid performance metrics.

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