Part 71: Job Profile: Knight
Job Profile: Knight
In-Game Description posted:
Knights take pride in their defense. Their Defend ability allows them to step in and take damage for weakened allies. And they can use white magic, too!
Unlocked: Fire Crystal
Weapons: Swords
Shields: Yes
Armour: Heavy
Magic: Level 1 White
Unique Ability: Defend
Stats (Level 50):
Str 45 Agi 26 Vit 45 Int 26 Mnd 29
Stats (Level 99):
Str 85 Agi 45 Vit 85 Int 45 Mnd 52
In most Final Fantasy games, Knights are a quintessential physical class, and they tend to be really basic; in exchange for not having gimmicks that you can use to break a game open, though, they're well-equipped and can be a long-term party member. In Final Fantasy III, Knights are tanks. They have fairly high Vitality, their Defend command lowers the damage they take, and they'll automatically take hits for party members in critical condition. In a pinch, they can even sling a heal around (Cure is the only first-level White spell worth having), and they can do alright at that for the level when you should get them. They're also well-equipped, using swords and heavy armour, neither of which are especially scarce. Beyond that, there's not really a whole lot to say about the Knight; it's really a straightforward class. Their low Agility puts them at a bit of a disadvantage for the number of hits they can get in, and their other abilities don't quite make up for it.
Basically, the Knight comes in pretty middle-of-the-road among the physical classes at actually doing the "attacking" thing, and trying to use them to outlast enemies isn't a spectacular strategy in the game - you'd be better off with dealing damage instead of blocking in most situations, and their rudimentary White Magic isn't enough to make the class stand out. Covering near-death allies might be nice, but the most dangerous things in the game can drop you in only one or two shots, which makes actually being in critical condition kind of spotty. In the end, the Knight is a serviceable class but not an outstanding one and, honestly, you should switch them out once you get to the next set of classes anyway, so you might be better off just sticking with your Warrior/Monk over these guys since they'll have higher job levels.