An expert in the use of restoratives. The chemist's job command Items enables the use of healing items in battle.
Description in The Ivalice Chronicles
The chemist is a job from Final Fantasy Tactics. It is the basic job where all mage classes start, as opposed to squire that is the basic job of warrior classes.
Chemist is the only job that can initially use items, and can even throw them over great distances. Chemist has two important passive abilities to learn: one for safeguarding equipment from being destroyed or stolen, and another for finding hidden treasure. Once the player's party has arrived at Goug Machine City in chapter 2, they can buy guns for chemists to enhance their offensive capability.
Gameplay[]
Overview[]
The chemist and the squire are the foundation for the rest of the job system, chemist being the magick-wielding counterpart. It is a support-oriented job focused on using items, and can be considered the early-game healer thanks to their ability to innately throw items on their allies, which can be learned and equipped by other jobs. The chemist is the first job available capable of wielding guns, although those cannot be acquired until the player meets Mustadio halfway through chapter 2.
A chemist activating Auto-Potion (top) and finding an item with the Treasure Hunter movement ability (bottom) in battle.
The chemist's Items job command is the only way other jobs can use items, and each individual item must be learned with JP. Their Auto-Potion ability is invaluable at all stages of the game, providing emergency healing as long the player has potions in their inventory. Safeguard is essential when fighting knights and later divine knights, whose abilities can permanently destroy equipment. Reequip provides a niche for adjusting equipment, which can be useful in some battles (or stealing/finding new equipment mid-battle), and it was originally the only ability that required no JP to purchase (although this has been changed to 50 JP in The Ivalice Chronicles version).
One of the most important abilities the chemist can learn is Treasure Hunter. All maps have at least one hidden treasure on one of its tiles, and some story battles can reward equipment that only becomes available later in the outfitters. Treasure Hunter is key when venturing through the Midlight's Deep secret dungeon in chapter 4, as all its maps contain hidden unique and legendary equipment that cannot be found elsewhere. The chance of finding rare items is directly related to the unit's bravery; the lower it is, the higher are the chances of finding the rare treasure.
In terms of combat viability as a main job, the chemist's low stats and poor mobility mean it will be at risk when engaging directly. Its low magick stat also means the chemist is not an effective spellcaster, as even buffers—such as the time mage—depend on the magick stat for successfully buffing their allies with abilities such as Haste or Reflect. Chemists can, however, become a force to be reckoned with if the player acquires the rare elemental guns, as guns' power does not depend on the wielder's stats other than faith. Since the job is limited to using knives until halfway through chapter 2 when guns become available (unless they use an equipment ability), the chemist should avoid combat unless they are throwing a phoenix down to instantly neutralize undead enemies.
A chemist throwing a phoenix down at a skeleton enemy.
At only 90 JP, Phoenix Down also helps late game special characters quickly learn the ability to revive someone, and throw items would even give them range when going back to their original job. This also helps when wasting turns moving with Treasure Hunter on difficult battles like Nelveska Temple.
Rapha Galthena can be an ideal chemist given her innate low bravery, for a greater chance of discovering rare items with Treasure Hunter, and skyseer abilities not taking a massive decrease in damage as they need to hit multiple times to be effective, although they do require high magick to deal high damage, which the chemist lacks.
Unlocking[]
Chemist is available initially.
Leveling chemist to level 2 unlocks white mage and black mage, leveling it to level 6 with squire unlocks onion knight (exclusively to the War of the Lions version), and leveling this job to level 8 along with separate level requirements for orator, summoner, geomancer, squire, and dragoon unlocks mime.
Stats and equipment[]
Chemist has relatively poor stats. With low Physical Attack and HP, only 5% Physical Evasion, and average Magick Attack and MP, chemists are weak in battle at close range and relatively poor spellcasting capabilities, and with a Movement and Jump rate of only 3 each, is less mobile. Chemist has normal Speed at 8.
Chemist has basic equipment in the form of knives, clothes, and hats. By far its most notable equipment is being able to equip guns, which are effective long-weapons, making chemist a much stronger job when guns become available partway through the game. Later the player is able to obtain the powerful elemental guns, which deal damage based on faith.
Abilities[]
The job costs 5,140 JP to master, and chemist is the only job class with an ability that costs 0 JP to learn (except in The Ivalice Chronicles version), besides special jobs that have abilities already learned. Throw Items is innate to chemist.
Items[]
All HP and MP recovering is based on the item's power and are not affected by the unit's stats nor zodiac compatibilities. All Items have a 100% hit rate.
| Name | Range | Effect | Speed | JP Needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Potion | 4 | 1 | Now | 30 |
| Use a potion to restore HP or inflict damage on the undead. Restores: 30 HP. | ||||
| High Potion (Hi-Potion) |
4 | 1 | Now | 200 |
| Use a Hi-Potion to restore HP. A more potent draught than a Potion. Restores: 70 HP. | ||||
| X-Potion | 4 | 1 | Now | 300 |
| Use an X-Potion to restore HP. A more potent draught than a Hi-Potion. Restores: 150 HP. | ||||
| Ether | 4 | 1 | Now | 300 |
| Use an ether to restore MP. Restores: 20 MP. | ||||
| High Ether (Hi-Ether) |
4 | 1 | Now | 400 |
| Use a Hi-Ether to restore MP. A more potent draught than an Ether. Restores: 50 MP. | ||||
| Elixir | 4 | 1 | Now | 900 |
| Use an elixir to fully restore HP and MP. | ||||
| Antidote | 4 | 1 | Now | 70 |
| Use an antidote to nullify poison. Removes: Poison. | ||||
| Eye Drops (Eye Drop) |
4 | 1 | Now | 80 |
| Use eye drops when vision has been magickally compromised. Removes: Blind. | ||||
| Echo Herbs (Echo Grass) |
4 | 1 | Now | 120 |
| Use echo herbs to restore a unit's power of speech, permitting them to cast magicks once again. Removes: Silence. | ||||
| Maiden's Kiss | 4 | 1 | Now | 200 |
| Use a maiden's kiss to change a unit that has been transformed into a toad back to its original form. Removes: Toad. | ||||
| Gold Needle (Soft) |
4 | 1 | Now | 250 |
| Use a gold needle to change a petrified unit back to normal. Breaks after one use. Removes: Stone. | ||||
| Holy Water | 4 | 1 | Now | 400 |
| Use holy water to lift the curse of undeath from a unit. Removes: Undead, Vampire. | ||||
| Remedy | 4 | 1 | Now | 700 |
| Use a remedy to cure various status effects. Removes: Poison, Blindness, Silence, Toad, Stone, Confuse, Oil, Sleep. | ||||
| Phoenix Down | 4 | 1 | Now | 90 |
| Use phoenix down to restore life to a fallen unit. Vanishes after one use. Removes: KO. | ||||
Reaction abilities[]
| Name | Description | Trigger | JP Needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auto-Potion | Upon receiving damage, uses a potion from the inventory to restore one's own HP. Prioritizes the uses of potions of lower potency. Activates even when the damage dealt is zero. | Incur damage from enemy (even if 0 damage) | 400 |
Support abilities[]
| Name | Description | JP Needed |
|---|---|---|
| Throw Items (Throw Item) |
Allows the unit to throw items with the Items command within a range of 4 tiles like a chemist, even if using a different job. | 350 |
| Safeguard (Maintenance) |
Prevents equipment from being destroyed or stolen. | 250 |
| Reequip (Equip Change) |
Adds the Reequip command, which allows the unit to use its turn to change equipment during battle. | 0/50 |
Movement abilities[]
| Name | Description | JP Needed |
|---|---|---|
| Treasure Hunter (Move-Find Item) |
Allows the unit to discover items hidden on tiles upon moving to them. The probability of finding rare items is increased for chemists. | 100 |
Other appearances[]
Final Fantasy Record Keeper[]
This section about an enemy in Final Fantasy Record Keeper is empty or needs to be expanded. You can help the Final Fantasy Wiki by expanding it.
Final Fantasy Trading Card Game[]
Chemist appears in Final Fantasy Trading Card Game as multiple Ice-elemental backup cards.
![Chemist [1-026C] Chapter series card.](/wiki/File:1-026c_-_Chemist_(Female).png "1-026c - Chemist (Female).png (409 KB)")
![Chemist [1-027C] Chapter series card.](/wiki/File:1-027c_-Chemist_(Male).png "1-027c -Chemist (Male).png (404 KB)")
![Chemist [1-031C] Opus series card.](/wiki/File:Chemist_1-031C_from_FFTCG_Opus.jpg "Chemist 1-031C from FFTCG Opus.jpg (82 KB)")
![Chemist [1-032C] Opus series card.](/wiki/File:Chemist_1-032C_from_FFTCG_Opus.jpg "Chemist 1-032C from FFTCG Opus.jpg (79 KB)")
Final Fantasy Portal App[]
A male chemist appeared as a Triple Triad card.
Non-Final Fantasy guest appearances[]
Knights of the Crystals[]
Chemist appears as a card in the Ivalice Special Arena has a limited-time special arena with eighteen floors.
Behind the scenes[]
Despite never participating in battle, Aerith from Sal Ghidos is listed as being a chemist in the game's data. She even wears a similar headdress of the female chemist.
Both the male and female chemist sprite models also appear as cameos in the backdrops of several cutscenes in Final Fantasy Tactics Advance.
Gallery[]
- Abilities (The Ivalice Chronicles)
- Abilities (PlayStation and War of the Lions versions)
Etymology[]
A chemist is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties. The Japanese term kusuri-shi is literally "drug practitioner/technician", close to the common British English use of "chemist" to mean a compounding pharmacist.