Final Fantasy XVII Wiki: Complete Job Guide, Summons & Secrets

Final Fantasy XVII Job System: The Complete Breakdown FFXVII throws you into a world where job-switching is instant mid-combat. Unlike previous games where you locked in a class, here you can swap between all 12 jobs on the fly—but each has a cooldown of 8 seconds when you switch out. I've spent over 200 hours testing these, so here's what actually works. ### The 12 Jobs and Their Roles | Job | Primary Role | Best for | Unlock Condition | |------|--------------|----------|------------------| | Knight | Tank/Defense | Absorbing boss hits | Default | | Black Mage | Burst DPS | AoE damage | Chapter 2 | | White Mage | Healing | Party survival | Chapter 2 | | Thief | Speed/Steal | Item farming | Chapter 3 | | Monk | Physical DPS | Single-target damage | Chapter 3 | | Archer | Ranged DPS | Kiting enemies | Chapter 3 | | Red Mage | Hybrid | Versatility | Chapter 4 | | Ninja | Stealth/Debuffs | Boss debuffing | Chapter 4 | | Paladin | Tank/Heal Hybrid | Solo play | Chapter 4 | | Dark Knight | Self-Damage DPS | High-risk high-reward | Chapter 4 | | Time Mage | Utility | Speedrunning | Chapter 4 | | Summoner | Summon Focus | Maxing summons | Chapter 4 | My personal go-to for hard content is Knight + White Mage + Black Mage. Knight taunts with Provoke (reduces damage taken by 40% for 5 seconds), White Mage keeps everyone alive with Curaga (heals 800 HP at level 50), and Black Mage unloads Firaga (deals 350 fire damage). ### Advanced Job Tactics

**Job Synergy**: Switching from Monk to Black Mage mid-combo triggers "Martial Magic"—your next spell does 25% more damage. The window is 2 seconds after the switch.

**The Steal Loop**: Thief's Mug ability has a 60% success rate on normal enemies but only 25% on bosses. I've found that using Provoke first (from Knight) increases it to 40% for 3 turns.

**Dark Knight Optimization**: Dark Knight's Blood Weapon drains 15% of your max HP per hit but deals 50% extra damage. Pair with White Mage's Regen (heals 5% HP every 3 seconds) to stay alive. At level 60, this combo can melt bosses in under 30 seconds.

FFXVII Summon Guide: Which Ones Actually Matter There are 8 summons in FFXVII, but only 4 are worth your time for endgame content. You collect them through "Summon Crystals" hidden in dungeons or earned from specific side quests. ### Summon Overview

**Ifrit**: Fire, 500 damage single-target. Unlocked in Chapter 2. Good early, but outclassed by level 40.

**Shiva**: Ice, 400 damage + freeze. Unlocked Chapter 3. The freeze works on most enemies except bosses.

**Ramuh**: Lightning, 300 damage AoE. Unlocked Chapter 4. Best for crowd control.

**Titan**: Earth, 600 damage single-target + defense buff. Unlocked Chapter 5. Solid all-rounder.

**Leviathan**: Water, 200 damage + 30% defense debuff for 20 seconds. Unlocked via side quest "Tidal Fury" (requires completing 15 fishing quests). This is the secret weapon for bosses.

**Garuda**: Wind, 350 damage + 10% speed debuff. Unlocked in optional dungeon "Tempest Peak."

**Bahamut**: Non-elemental, 900 damage single-target. Unlocked by defeating the optional boss "Wyrm King" at level 55+. He hits hard—bring a Paladin.

**Odin**: Non-elemental, instant kill on weak enemies (under 20% HP). Unlocked by finding all 7 Odin's Blades hidden in the world. Not great for bosses but clears trash mobs instantly. **My recommendation**: Equip Leviathan for boss fights. The 30% defense down stacks with other debuffs. I've seen Black Mages hit 4,000 damage on a debuffed enemy with Firaga, compared to 2,500 normally.

Side Quest Walkthrough: The 23 Worth Your Time There are 67 side quests total. Most are filler—go kill 10 wolves, fetch 5 herbs. But 23 offer unique rewards. Here's the shortlist: ### Must-Do Quests 1. **"The Lost Artifact"** (Chapter 4): Rewards the Aegis Shield (Knight only, blocks 50% of damage). Found in the Abandoned Mine. Fight 3 waves of golems—use Thief to steal their cores early. 2. **"Tidal Fury"** (Chapter 5): Leviathan summon. Requires 15 fishing quests done first. The final fight is against a level 45 sea serpent. Bring lightning magic. 3. **"The Wyrm's Lair"** (Post-game): Bahamut summon. Fight the Wyrm King at level 55+. He has 50,000 HP and uses Megaflare (deals 1,200 damage to everyone). I beat him with Knight (Provoke) + White Mage (Shell) + Black Mage (Thundaga). 4. **"Odin's Legacy"** (Post-game): Collect 7 Odin's Blades. Locations: 3 in the overworld (check behind waterfalls), 2 in dungeons (the Sunken Temple and Frost Cavern), and 2 from boss drops (the Chimera and the Kraken). ### Tips for Efficient Questing

Always check the quest giver's level. If they're 10+ levels above you, come back later.

Use the World Map filter to show only active quest markers. Saves 30 minutes of wandering.

For fetch quests, stock up on items beforehand. I keep 99 Potions, 50 Antidotes, and 20 Phoenix Downs.

Secret Boss Locations: How to Find and Beat Them There are 4 secret bosses. Each requires specific conditions to appear. ### Boss Breakdown 1. **Chronos Devourer** (Level 70, 100,000 HP): Appears after completing 47 side quests. Go to the Forgotten Temple at night (in-game time). He uses Time Stop (freezes one party member for 10 seconds). Beat him with Dark Knight + White Mage—the damage output is insane. Reward: Chronos Gear (increases all stats by 15%). 2. **The Phantom** (Level 65, 80,000 HP): Appears in the Mirror Maze after finding all 8 Mirror Shards. He clones himself—you have to hit the real one (the clone has a slightly different aura). Use AoE attacks to find him. Reward: Phantom Blade (Thief weapon, 40% critical chance). 3. **Titan's Wrath** (Level 75, 120,000 HP): In the Mountain's Heart cave, but only after you've summoned Titan 50 times total. He's immune to physical damage for the first 30 seconds. Use black magic. Reward: Titan's Gauntlet (Monk weapon, +50% damage on unarmed attacks). 4. **The Void** (Level 80, 150,000 HP): Final secret. Requires all 47 side quests, all 8 summons, and all 4 secret bosses beaten. Appears in the Sky Temple after you defeat the final boss. This is the hardest fight in the game—he has no elemental weakness. I beat him with a balanced party: Knight (Provoke), White Mage (Curaga + Shell), Black Mage (Firaga), and Summoner (Leviathan). The fight took 23 minutes. Reward: Void Key (opens the secret treasure room with the Ultima Weapon).

FAQ **Q: What's the best job for a beginner?** A: Start with Knight. It's tanky, forgiving, and teaches you combat basics. Switch to Black Mage around level 15 when you have enough MP to chain spells. I made the mistake of starting with Thief—got wrecked by the first boss. **Q: How long does it take to unlock all jobs?** A: Roughly 15-20 hours if you rush the main story. But I recommend taking your time—the side quests in Chapter 3 teach you job switching mechanics. You'll hit Chapter 4 around level 25-30. **Q: Is the Leviathan summon really that good?** A: Yes. The 30% defense debuff is huge. For comparison, the next best debuff (Thief's Mug) only reduces defense by 10%. I've tested it on the final boss—Leviathan's debuff alone cut my kill time from 12 minutes to 8.