The Reaper is a new job class that will be available in Final Fantasy XIV with the release of the game’s newest expansion, Endwalker. The job will be released once the expansion goes live on December 7, 2021, with Early Access for Endwalker starting December 3. The Reaper in FFXIV is a melee DPS role that focuses on fast and powerful combos, party-wide damage buffs, and centers around summoning an Avatar to boost attacks. The job uses a scythe as the main weapon and utilizes maiming gear, a high-strength armor class formerly only used by the Dragoon job.

The FFXIV expansion was originally set to release on November 23, 2021, with Early Access available on November 19. However, it was revealed during the Letter From the Producer Live Part LXVII that the Endwalker release date would be pushed back to December, meaning players have to wait a bit longer before experiencing the new job class for themselves. Footage of gameplay and player-created content from the Endwalker Media Tour in October provided a deeper look into the Reaper job, allowing fans of the new class to prepare to take it on.

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Overall, the Reaper appears as an exciting addition to the jobs line-up in FFXIV. Being a melee class, Reaper relies on speed and physical power to bring as much pain to enemies as possible in a short time. The job is rotation-based, meaning that there is a smooth pattern to combat that players will learn over time. Gamers that aren’t familiar with rotation-based classes may initially find difficulty with the Reaper, but since the game highlights combo orders easily on the screen, a new player can gain the upper hand soon enough with the assistance of Tool Tips. In addition, typically the Limit Break feature in dungeons and raids is reserved by parties for melee classes in order to maximize damage against enemies, meaning Reapers have the opportunity to serve the final blow in combat.

How FFXIV’s Reaper Job Compares To Other Melee DPS Jobs Like Dragoon

Players who main the Dragoon role will find the Reaper in FFXIV very comfortable. Since they utilize the same gear type, players who have mastered Dragoon prior to Endwalker will have access to powerful gear that will make the beginning of the expansion easier. The only gear that is necessary to update right away would be the scythe weapon, since it is exclusive to the job. Assuming a player’s maiming gear has been augmented and set with materia, players changing jobs in FFXIV from Dragoon to Reaper will have a simpler time of it when starting at Level 80.

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When it comes to positionals, on the other hand, Reaper has an advantage. Positionals are attacks that do more damage when the player is facing a certain direction relative to the boss, usually either the flank or the rear. The Dragoon relies heavily on positional attacks, along with other DPS jobs such as the Monk. The Reaper in FFXIV only has two positional attacks so far, allowing players to perform without worrying about placement as much. This is also beneficial for newcomers who aren’t used to playing classes that use positionals, giving them a small taste that will benefit them when they are ready to move on to other melee roles.

What will make the Reaper in FFXIV a large asset to have during gameplay is the added utility. The Reaper comes with mobility prowess in the form of “Hell’s Ingress” and “Hell’s Egress,” abilities that allow the Reaper to instantly travel 15 yalms forward and backward using a portal. FFXIV‘s Reaper job also has access to buffs such as “Death Design” that increases damage to enemies by 10%, and “Arcane Circle” which increases the damage output of nearby party members by 3%. Keeping these buffs up at every opportunity will add a hefty amount of power to the Reaper’s arsenal.

How FFXIV Reaper Abilities Will Work In Endwalker

The main feature of the Reaper job in FFXIV is the Avatar, which is unlocked with the ability “Enshroud” once the Shroud Gauge is built up enough. The Avatar gives the Reaper access to more powerful attacks than the normal rotation, ending with the Level 90 ability “Communio” which deals damage to a target with a potency of 1000, and 60% less for remaining enemies on the field. This combined with ease of mobility on the field and consistent damage buffs applied throughout the battle means that the Reaper will be a heavy force to be reckoned with.

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While the Reaper job in FFXIV seems to pull the best aspects of playing a melee DPS class together in a neat bow, there are a few setbacks when it comes to player experience outside of battle. The Reaper job starts automatically at Level 70, meaning a majority of the skills will already be unlocked. It can be overwhelming to learn so many new skills at once, especially with players unfamiliar with the Dragoon class or DPS roles in general. The DPS role in particular is notorious for having longer queue times for instanced dungeons. With more players enjoying Final Fantasy 14 now more than ever, DPS mains might have a difficult time enjoying the new content when they have to wait in long queue lines. There will also be an influx of players levelling up the Reaper job, which means issues like oversaturation in dungeons and several players attempting to level up with FATEs will occur.

Looking past these inconveniences, the Reaper job brings a lot of promise to the future of FFXIV. The Reaper manages to bring unique features and stylish flair while still fitting in nicely beside the other updated jobs in Endwalker. The job utilizes the familiarity of the melee role while still being fresh and innovative, which is important when it comes to how highly populated the DPS role is in the game. The job also has beginner-friendly aspects, meaning that healer or tank mains can pick up a DPS role for the first time without feeling terribly overwhelmed with positionals or rotations. Once released in Final Fantasy XIV, fans can explore every nook and cranny of the Reaper job to unlock its full potential.

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Samantha McCoy
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Samantha McCoy is a Gaming Feature Writer for Screen Rant. Based in Pennsylvania, she graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism. After years of sitting and watching her father play PlayStation games, she started picking up controllers of her own when she was 12 years old. Some of her favorite games include FFXIV, Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley, and the Kirby series.

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