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Physical Ranged Tier List for FFXIV (Patch 7.0) – Onlyfarms.gg Expert Breakdown

07 Apr 2025

~5 MIN

Guide

Intro

This comprehensive guide covers everything you need to know about the Physical Ranged DPS role in Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail (Patch 7.0). Whether you’re raiding Savage content, diving into casual dungeons, or just looking for the best job to start with—this guide is here to help. We’ve also included detailed job rankings, difficulty comparisons, role expectations, and expert commentary based on years of endgame raiding.

Let’s dive in.

1. Physical Ranged Tier List (Patch 7.0)

Tier lists in FFXIV are inherently nuanced. While high-end parses can be flashy, they rarely reflect real-world consistency due to RNG, damage padding, or limited raid clears during early progression. This list is based on Patch 7.0 (Dawntrail), and will be updated if major changes occur in Patch 7.05.

Job	Savage Viability	Utility	DPS Potential	Ease of Play	Tier
Bard	Excellent	High	Best-in-role	Moderate	S
Dancer	Moderate	Very High	High	Moderate	A
Machinist	Poor (Savage), Good (Casual)	Low	Inconsistent	Easy	B

1.1 Arcadion Savage Meta (Week 1)

Bard: Currently the top-tier Physical Ranged choice for Week 1 Savage clears. Offers exceptional raid utility through buffs and has the highest DPS ceiling for the role. Bard benefits from synergy with high-burst comps, making it a core choice in static progression groups.
Tip: If you’re planning to raid early, consider a quick Gearing or Leveling boost from Onlyfarms.gg to hit BiS faster.
Dancer: Typically shines in progression, but the lack of an early Tome Weapon in this tier limits its effectiveness. Still, excellent raid support and highly flexible in casual and midcore content. Ideal for players who enjoy a more reactive playstyle.
Machinist: Sadly, many buffs from Endwalker didn’t carry into Dawntrail. Machinist underperforms in high-end play due to lack of raid utility and lower DPS in optimized groups. Still very viable for casual players or dungeon content, where its simple rotation is an advantage.

2. Physical Ranged Job Difficulty (Beginner Friendliness)

Physical Ranged remains the most accessible DPS role in FFXIV—perfect for beginners. However, mastering each job takes time and knowledge of encounter flow.

Job	Complexity	RNG Factor	Notes
Bard	Low → Medium	Moderate	Rotation grows complex with downtime mechanics.
Dancer	Moderate	High	Burst windows and procs require raid awareness.
Machinist	Low	Low	Static rotation makes this job very muscle-memory friendly.

Pro Tip: Machinist has a slight ping dependency, so international players should consider this before committing.

3. Role Expectations

3.1 Flexibility

In modern FFXIV, flexing between jobs is increasingly expected—especially in statics. As a Physical Ranged main, learning all three jobs not only boosts your value in recruitment but also improves your adaptability during progression.

4. What to Expect From the Role

4.1 Mobility

Mobility is a massive strength of Physical Ranged DPS. You can move freely without losing uptime—making you the ideal candidate for mechanics that require repositioning.

Job	Unique Mobility	Description
Bard	Repelling Shot	Moves you backward. Niche usage in specific mechanics.
Dancer	En Avant	One of the strongest mobility skills in the game. 3 charges, no target needed.
Machinist	None	Movement depends entirely on player input—no innate mobility abilities.

Use this mobility to take on mechanic-heavy roles in raids (baiting AoEs, handling tethers, etc.). Your free movement makes it easier to react while maintaining DPS uptime.

4.2 Role Actions

While Physical Ranged lacks access to Stun or Sleep, they do offer a variety of crowd control tools.

Action	Utility in Endgame	Primary Usage
Leg Graze	Rare	Deep Dungeons & solo play.
Foot Graze	Very rare	Mainly kiting mobs.
Head Graze	Situational	Silencing specific abilities (e.g., dungeon mobs, EX fights).
Second Wind	Universal	Self-healing, great for avoiding unnecessary deaths.

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4.3 Mitigation Tools

All Physical Ranged jobs share a party mitigation ability on a 90s cooldown:

Job	Action Name	Effect
Bard	Troubadour	Reduces party damage taken by 10%
Dancer	Shield Samba	Same effect
Machinist	Tactician	Same effect

Additionally, each job has its own unique defensive utility:

Bard – Nature’s Minne

Increases healing received by nearby allies.
Excellent for dungeon pulls or coordinated raid healing phases.
Stacks multiplicatively with Mantra, Magick Barrier, and more.

Machinist – Dismantle

Target-based 10% damage reduction.
Perfect for tankbusters or raid-wide AoEs.

Dancer – Improvisation & Curing Waltz

Improvisation: AoE regen + shield based on stacks.
Curing Waltz: AoE heal tied to Dance Partner.

Use these intelligently to reduce healer pressure and smooth out progression.

4.4 Raid Calling

Due to simple GCD structure, mobility, and full visibility of the arena, Physical Ranged players are often the best choice for raid shot-callers.

If your team doesn’t have a confident caller, step up—your toolkit and vantage point make you perfect for the role.

5. Summary: Is Physical Ranged Right for You?

Feature	Physical Ranged
Beginner Friendly?	✅ Yes
Mobility	✅ Excellent
Utility	✅ High
High-End Meta Viability	⚠️ Varies by job
Flexibility Required	✅ Highly recommended

Final Thoughts from Onlyfarms

Choosing a Physical Ranged job in FFXIV gives you flexibility, strong team utility, and some of the smoothest gameplay in the game. Whether you’re crushing Savage raids or chilling in casual roulettes, mastering this role will reward you with consistent results and respect from your team.

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