Job Class Comparisions between FF3 and FF5

[kainemaxwell]

Any differences and similarities to the Job Class system of FF3 and FF5? I've also only played the original nes of FF3, so don't know much about the DS remake.

[shadowkn55]

In FFIII, you can't inherit skills and abilities for use with other jobs like you can in FFV.

[NerdXCrewWill]

There are a few big differences besides the lack of carry-over abilities. For one, the amount of times you can change jobs in Final Fantasy III is limited by your capacity points. It's not super restrictive, but it does prohibit repeated switching of jobs. Also, it seems more obvious that there are a lot of useless job classes in Final Fantasy III.

It is also notable that Final Fantasy III uses a Final Fantasy I styled magic point system.

[kainemaxwell]

It is also notable that Final Fantasy III uses a Final Fantasy I styled magic point system.
Yeah the D&D system. Yuck.

[NerdXCrewWill]

Yeah the D&D system. Yuck.

Well to be fair, it works out much better in Final Fantasy III than in the first game. You get a much more reasonable amount of magic to use.

[Einzelherz]

Well to be fair, it works out much better in Final Fantasy III than in the first game. You get a much more reasonable amount of magic to use.

Only after you get about halfway through the game. Magic is so very very sparse when you only have the mages.

Aside from the notes above I'd like to add that in FF3(j) you are practically pigeonholed into certain jobs. The obvious example of this is 2x Ninja and 2x Sage at the end. FF5 allows you to have a little more input in the classes you personally like, and although there are still a lot of useless classes, you at least get options.

I don't remember FF5 having any situations where you absolutely had to have a specific class either (Garuda in FF3(j).)

[NerdXCrewWill]

I never noticed about the magic points. I felt I had more than enough white magic the whole game. I rarely use magic offensively in the early stages of rpgs anyways, so I did not pay attention to that aspect.

The end game dungeons really tempt you to switch over to the elite job classes, as Einzelherz has mentioned. However, the game is still quite beatable without them, as I played through the end game using the slightly-less-elite jobs for added challenge. By the end of the game game, the entire first generation of job classes are useless, and the other weakest jobs are the hunters, scholars and bards.