This Squire Job overview guide covers the full list of abilities, unlock requirements, stats, and equipment of the Squire in FINAL FANTASY TACTICS: The Ivalice Chronicles!
The Squire serves as your base game Job in Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles. The main protagonist, Ramza, starts as a Squire and every class can default to this Job via the Job tree menu. While it’s a beginning class, don’t sleep on the Squire because you need some of the abilities regardless of your main or secondary Job. Moreover, the Squire leveling progression leads to the most powerful melee build in the game, Ninja and Monk combination.
Description: This job serves as the foundation for all others, forming the first step on the road to becoming a legendary warrior.
While a building block Job, the Squire is the foundation Job for physical damage dealers in FFT Remaster. Let’s discuss more about this Job and how to get the most out of it.
Table of Contents
- How to Unlock the Squire
- Base Stats
- Stat Growth Rates
- Weapon & Equipment
- Squire Abilities List
- Unique Traits & Notes
- Frequently Asked Questions
How to Unlock the Squire
To unlock the Squire at level 1, go to the Job Tree menu and select the Job. By default, characters can access the Squire at level 1 without any further requirements. The Squire’s battle techniques are called Fundamentals or Fundaments though if you’re using Ramza (main character) it will appear as Mettle. You can use the Squire’s abilities on any other Job by assigning it in the menu.
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- All Builds FF Tactics Remaster
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Squire Base Stats
- HP: Moderate
- MP: Low
- Speed: 6
- PA (Physical Attack Power): 3
- MA (Magic Attack Power): 3
- Move: 3
- Jump: 3
The Squire’s base stats are intentionally average to allow flexibility. It doesn’t lean heavily into magic or melee specialization, making it a clean slate for early customization. Every job in FFT has two primary factors affecting stats: stat multipliers and stat growth. Multipliers are your personal characters based on their current job. Meaning, a Knight will have a higher physical attack multiplier than a Squire. Stat Growth determines what personal stats increases as they level up.
Overall, this means, you want to level intentionally with specific Jobs for optimal stat growth. Swapping back and forth from spellcaster Time Mage to Thief will hurt your overall min-max potential. If you’re goal is fighting the hardest bosses, be aware and plan ahead.
Squire Stat Growth Rates
Below are the Squire’s stat growth rates in Final Fantasy Tactics Remaster:
| Stat | Growth Rate | Ranking |
|---|---|---|
| HP | 20 | Average |
| MP | 15/20 | Poor |
| Speed | 100/100 | Average |
| PA | 50/100 | Below Avg |
| MA | 50/100 | Poor |
- HP Growth: Average—acceptable early, but outclassed by Knight or Monk later.
- MP Growth: Terrible. Never level in Squire if you plan to use casters.
- PA & MA Growth: Weak for both; better growth can be found in Monk (PA) or Black Mage (MA).
- Speed Growth: Neutral—use Ninja or Thief for better speed scaling.
Most players will want to level up the Squire to Knight, Monk, then eventually Ninja. This will give you all the necessary stats and growth for a powerhouse melee DPS build. Stick with Ninja for higher speed and Monk for more HP. Also, Ramza will receive more base stats than a random character leveling as a Squire. He also has a unique Squire ability as well.
Weapon & Equipment for Squire Job
When you start a new game, your Squires (including Ramza) will typically be equipped with the following:
- Weapon: Knife
- Head: Leather Hat
- Body: Clothes
This is very basic gear, providing minimal offensive and defensive benefits.
What Squires Can Equip in FFT – The Ivalice Chronicles
The Squire job has access to a fairly limited, but versatile, set of equipment types:
- Weapons:
- Knives: are fast and have decent evasion, making them good for quick strikes and avoiding some attacks.
- Swords (Broadsword only initially): offer more raw attack power than Knives.
- Axes: have high attack power but notoriously low accuracy, making them unreliable.
- Bags: they offer no offensive power but some defensive bonuses.
- Bare Hands: only effective as a Monk
- Ramza’s Unique Note: Ramza’s special “Mettle” Squire class can uniquely equip Knight Swords in later chapters. No other generic Squire can do this without the “Equip Sword” support ability from a Knight.
- Shields: No.
- Headgear:
- Hats: often provide small stat bonuses, usually to HP, MP, or Speed.
- Body Armor:
- Clothes: light armor that can offer speed, evasion, or small stat bonuses, rather than high raw HP or defense.
- Accessories: Squires can equip all standard accessories. These include:
- Shoes: Increase movement or jump.
- Armlets/Bracers: Boost physical attack or magic attack.
- Rings/Cloaks: Offer various resistances or evasion.
General Equipment Principles for Squire
- Always Upgrade: check the Outfitter and shop constanly and spend you’re gil on weapons and armor first.
- Match Job with Gear: Ensure your character’s equipped gear aligns with their current job’s strengths. A Knight wants heavy armor; a Wizard wants robes.
- Consider Secondary Abilities: If you use a support ability like “Equip Armor” (Knight) or “Equip Sword” (Knight), you can expand a job’s equipment options. This is how a Wizard could wear Heavy Armor for defense or a Monk could equip a Knight Sword for damage.
- Balance Offense & Defense: Don’t just focus on attack. Sufficient HP, evasion, and elemental resistances can save a unit.
- Status Effects & Auto-Buffs: Later game equipment often provides invaluable status immunities (e.g., Ribbon) or auto-buffs (e.g., Excalibur’s Auto-Haste, Brave Suit’s Auto-Regen/Reraise). These are often more important than raw stats.
The Squire’s equipment options may start basic, but with strategic job progression and late-game unique items (especially for Ramza), they can contribute to some of the most powerful builds in Final Fantasy Tactics.
Squire Abilities List
Here we have the squire skillset with JP cost and effect details.
Action Abilities
| Name | JP Cost | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Throw Stone | 10 | Lob a stone at a far-off foe. Deals minor ranged physical damage. |
| Salve | 50 | Remove several status ailments, including Blind, Silence, or Poison from a single ally. |
| Cheer Up | 50 | Encourage an ally, increasing their Bravery by 5. Cheap to learn. |
| Focus | 400 | Increases user’s physical attack stat by 1. |
| Tailwind | 400 | Boost an ally’s Speed by 1. |
| Rush | 200 | Attack by ramming into the enemy’s body. |
| Steel | 200 | Increases own physical Defense (PA-based). |
| Chant (Ramza only) | 400 | Sacrifice HP to restore twice as much to an ally. |
| Shout (Ramza only) | 600 | Increase Bravery, Speed, and physical and magickal attack power with a hearty battle cry. |
| Ultima | – | Magick that inflicts damages with pure energy. Ramza must be hit with the spell to learn it. MP cost: 10 |
Reaction Abilities
| Name | JP Cost | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Counter Tackle | Reaction | Counterattack with a tackle. |
Support Abilities
| Name | JP Cost | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| JP Boost | 250 | Increase the amount of JP earned in battle by 1.5×. Essential for faster ability unlocks. |
| Equip Axes | 170 | Equip axes, regardless of job. |
| Beastmaster | 200 | Add an ability to all monsters in neighboring tiles with an elevation difference of 3h or less. |
| Evasive Stance | 50 | Defend oneself against an attack. Adds the Defend command. |
Movement Abilities
| Name | JP Cost | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Move +1 | 200 | Increases movement range by 1 tile. |
Unique Traits & Notes
The Squire is the building block Job for melee damage dealers. Ideally, you should get the important abilities and move onto Knight, Monk, and some Ninja. If you want to be a meta phsyical damage dealer, spend the bulk of your time leveling with Monk. It has the best all around stat growth and ability set. Plus, it compliments the Squire’s starting abilities which are helpful.
If you’re using the Squire as Ramza, the stat growth is much better. Meaning, don’t feel like you have to pivot off of the job right away. In fact, the Squire with Ramza gets an extra ability.
Frequently Asked Questions Abou the Squire Job
Is the Squire Job good for Ramza?
Yes. Ramza has an extra ability that helps buff him in three separate stats. Moreover, his Job skill “Mettle” means better stat growth than a normal Squire. Therefore, don’t feel like you need to immediately move off Squire job if using Ramza as a melee damage dealer.
What secondary job pairs best with Squire?
Pair the Squire with the Monk, Ninja, or Knight – any job that doesn’t have a buff. The Squire was a weak range attack but makes up for it with the ability to remove negative effects, increase your speed or physical attacks with buffs.
Is the Squire job useful in the late game?
No. It’s meant to be a starter job with JP Boost being useful throughout the entire game.
More Final Fantasy Tactics Remaster Builds
Check the Best Beginner Builds for FFT or builds for each job listed below:
