Role (Brave Exvius)

Roles in Final Fantasy Brave Exvius depict the functions and tasks that each individual unit is made to do and is capable of doing. Roles are often used to describe the capabilities of certain units and/or to strategize adequately. As such learn what each role concerns is key when discussing and assessing units and battle plans.

Roles are classified and/or sub-classified differently between the game and players but more or less follow the same generic lines. For example, if one unit is classified as a Physical Damage unit by both, players will usually tend to classify it between chainer or finisher, while the game will refer to it, simply as a Physical Damage dealer (see below for more details).

Although roles are different from Jobs in Brave Exvius terminology, they are gameplay-wise akin to the famous class system.

Physical Damage
Units who rely heavily in the use of ATK to inflict damage are referred to as Physical Damage units. They strongly favour a wide-arrange of weapons and abilities related to the ATK stat in order to increase their effectiveness. Since ATK is calculated against DEF, many Physical Damagers tend to be able to reduce DEF stat, making them partially support units at times. Physical Damagers often involve the typical, Warrior, Monk, Dragoon, and similar Jobs. Physical units tend to have high HP and DEF but low MP.

Physical Damagers can be sub-classified as Physical Chainers or Physical Finishers, according to their abilities, and can be either of these functions or both, each with their respective builds and strategies.

Physical Chainer
A Physical Chainer is a unit who specializes in Chaining moves revolving around the ATK stat in order to rapidly build damage. Physical Chainers are amongst the most standard and most used units in the games because of their ability to pile damage quick. Physical Chainers are usually geared with Dual Wield in mind in order to prolong the chain count, most recurrently with elemental weapons in order to make this task easier.

Physical Finisher
A Physical Finisher, often called a Physical Capper, is a unit who specializes in finishing, which means unleashing a single, but extremely powerful strike on enemies, most notably on top of a growing chain in order to tremendously augment its damage for devastating results. They rely heavily on very high ATK values in order to cap a chain properly. The usual most recommended way to build them involves wielding a single weapon and heavily increase the ATK value through Doublehand or similar abilities. If this is not possible a Finisher can also be geared with Dual Wield.

Magic Damage
Units who rely on their MAG stat in order to inflict damage on opponents. Since MAG is calculated against the SPR stat, often, MAG users can debuff SPR having small support abilities. Magic Damage users usually involve the typical Black and even Red Mages from the series, and similar Jobs. Magic Damagers tend to have high MAG, MP and sometimes SPR but low HP and DEF, so they are at large rather frail.

Likewise Magic Damagers can be sub-classified as Magic Chainers or Finishers and be either or both of them. However since Magic attacks and those calculated using the MAG stat have different mechanics from Physical Damage ones, their equipment at large doesn't vary much, although they benefit strongly from Dual Wielding as their attacks will be calculated using the full MAG stat rather than individually of each weapon as is the case of Physical units.

Magic Chainer
The counterpart of Physical Chainers. Magic Chainers use MAG based abilities either through Magic or Abilities in order to hit opponents several times in succession to build up damage. Since weapon elements do not factor into the Magic Attack, Magic Chainers are entirely reliant on the element of their own skills in order to build elemental chains. This can be both beneficial or negative, depending on whether the player can chain their desired element or not without needing equipment.

Unlike Physical units, Dual Wield doesn't allow Magic Chainers to use their abilities twice due to the way they are configured. As such they need abilities that expreselly allow them to Dualcast their attacks to chain for prolonged time. They nonetheless benefit from Dual Wield as it adds to their MAG stat.

Magic Finisher
The counterpart of the Physical Finisher. Magic Finishers, likewise, use single but very powerful strikes reliant on MAG in order to deal significant damage on opponents. They are also often used in order to cap a chain in order to maximize their damage. However unlike their Physical counterparts, Magic Finishers tend to enjoy much more freedom overall. This is mostly because several Magic Finishers have abilities that increase in strength the more they are used during each battle. This makes them significatively more viable and if properly geared can entirely forsake the need for Chainers if the MAG user can strike strongly enough.

Like with the Magic Chainers, the element of their weapon do not factor into their abilities so they are entirely dependant on how their abilities are made like.

Support
One of the most fundamental Roles of the game. Support units forsake damage in order to increase the party's advantage against certain foes. Support units tend to be comprised of the typical Green Mages, Dancers, Bards and similar Jobs.

Support units usually have high MP, SPR and different values for their other stats although their almost never have any use for ATK or MAG. It is important to note that the Support role is the most ingrained of all Roles, since several others like Physical/Magic Damagers, Healers, or Tanks tend to have partial Support abilities. Nonetheless the Support role has units strongly dedicated to the task and are sub-classified as follows.

Buffers
Buffers are Units which increases the player's party's parameters. This often means increasing ATK, DEF, MAG, SPR, Elemental Resistance, Status Ailment resistance, Damage Reduction or MP recharge (often called MP Battery), amongst others or any mix of these functions.

Between the Support units, Buffers are often the prefered choice over Debuffers, mostly because many Bosses are resistant to some sort of negative effect, whereas the player is always free to strengthen their own units.

Due to the many ways the player can Buff their units there are many ways to classify Support units, although they will always tend to follow the above guidelines. Worth of note between buffers are the "Bards", units whose buffing abilities demand them to remain inactive for a certain number of turns in exchange for powerful benefits.

Debuffers
Whereas Buffers strengthen the player's units, Debuffers serve to weaken foes. This means decreasing their ATK, DEF, MAG, SPR, Elemental Resistance or inflicting Status Ailments of any mix of these.

Debuffers are valuable assets since often, Bosses are very strong on their own and a debuff can significantly decrease their overall difficulty although they also find hardships since many of them resist Debuffs in some form.

A mix of Buffs with Debuffs yields tremendous results if successful.

Tank
Tanks are the game's punching bags. They are geared for heavy resilience and to defend the party from heavy damage as much as possible putting themselves at the most risk out of any unit. In order to compensate for this, they have very high HP and DEF or SPR values along with abilities that reduce the damage they take, but usually have very low MP and MAG and average ATK values.

Tanks are often related to Knights or Paladins and similar Jobs. Although their task is quite simple, they can be sub-classified in many categories.

Cover Tank
A Cover Tank is one whose function is to react and take all the damage the party takes from a certain kind of attack. As a result they are the most effective at protecting the party from strikes that would affect all units, but they have a significant weakness, only one kind of Cover can be active at a time, so the player cannot Cover for both Physical AND Magic damage at the same time, so the kind of Cover Tank used depends on the foe in question. Furthermore Covers are not guaranteed to trigger all the time but react based on chance. Nonetheless they are essential for survival against several foes.

Provoke Tank
Provoke Tanks are those that defend the player against any kind of damage, provided those attacks strike a single unit only. They those enjoy more flexibility in the type of damage they take but are ineffective against attacks that hit the entire party. Provoke Tanks often have increased chance of being targeted or use abilities that increase that likelihood while reducing the damage incurred.

A mix of a Cover Tank with a Provoke Tank provides massive layers of defense, although the proper equipment and strategy are still needed in order to succeed.

Counter Tank
Counter Tanks are those that react to the attacks inflicted on them by unleashing their own on enemies after being hit. Counter Tanks are beneficial because they can yield Limit Burst Crystals and Esper Orbs with great efficiency, those providing a supportive role at least and depending on how they Counter can also be strong damage dealers. Counter Tanks however rarely exist on their own and is most of the time a characteristic ingrained into the other subcategories.

Healer
Healers are units whose task is keeping the party alive and healthy, which involves restoring HP, removing or preventing status ailments, reviving KO'd characters or also MP recharge (often debated whether it belongs to Support or to Healing). Healing units tend to be formed by the typical White Mages, Red Mages and similar Jobs.

Healers have very high SPR values and high MP with other stats usually being average or low. Unlike the other roles, Healers are the most streamlined of all Roles being almost the same no matter the healer in question, as such it has very much no sub-classification at all. However due to their duties, Healers are often filled with Support abilities making them suitable for those functions.

Although they are not as expansive or versatile, Healers are one of the most important roles in the game, since no matter how strong the player is, if their units take too damage and are KO'D they lose. So it is a Healer's mission to make sure the party survives so the player can win.