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Final Fantasy V Four Job Fiesta guide - how to tackle this unique challenge

by Scott White on 18 June, 2023

Update 2:  Updated with the new run types for 2023 and adjustments to the sign-up and tracking process.

Update: Updated with new run types for 2022

A new release of Final Fantasy V means that a whole new generation of people will have the opportunity to experience the brilliant depth and highly addictive qualities of the FF5 battle and character progression systems - but if you ask some fans, the ultimate way to experience it is with a challenge not technically built into the game itself - the Four Job Fiesta, a charity challenge event for FF5 playthroughs that has taken on a life of its own as a beloved way to play the game.

The Four Job Fiesta is technically still a charity event that people undertake yearly during a specific period - but anybody can take the rules of the Four Job Fiesta and apply them to an FF5 play-through at any time - and all of the rules are entirely compatible with the all-new FF5 Pixel Remaster version of the game. A successful run will involve a strong knowledge of the FF5 Job System and strategies for toppling FF5's bosses, which we have help for if you need it. On this page, I use my veteran chops of playing the Fiesta myself to explain how the event works, and how you can try it out for yourself...

ff5_four_job_fiesta_jobs.jpg

What is the FF5 Four Job Fiesta?

Created by Eric Koziol (@RevenantKioku), the Four Job Fiesta is a yearly charity event that challenges Final Fantasy V players to complete the game under a strict set of rules. Pokemon has their nuzlocke runs, Final Fantasy V has its fiesta runs! Challenge runs are nothing new to video games, but what sets the Four Job Fiesta apart however is how it blends a charity event with the ability for almost anyone to take part.

It cleverly uses the open-ended brilliance of FF5's gameplay systems, where practically any character setup and party composition can be made to work, and uses it to craft a unique and interesting challenge that'll thrill RPG fans.

Taking place usually between June and September, the 4JF allows anyone with a Google account (previous years utilized Twitter) and access to FF5 to take part. Players register with what style of run they want to take on, all of which will be reflected in the player's own personal tracker on the https://www.fourjobfiesta.com/!

Four Job Fiesta Rules Explained

As mentioned just a short time ago, what draws people to the 4JF are the unique restrictions that participants are forced to follow: Only four jobs are allowed, and you must have at least one character using those jobs at any given time. After that, all you need to do is beat the game to earn a nice little badge next to your profile on the site, with additional badges unlocked if you beat the optional super bosses, Omega and Shinryu!

To keep things more exciting, additional style of runs are also available which build on and tweak the existing general restrictions.

Run types:

  • REGULAR
    • You will be assigned a job from each of the four crystals from the pool of that crystals jobs. This is the standard 4JF ruleset and great for beginners.
  • TYPHOON
    • You are more likely to get earlier crystal jobs than later ones.
  • VOLCANO
    • You are more likely to get later crystal jobs than early ones.
  • METEOR RUN ( formerly known as "Pure Chaos")
    • Jobs can be given out from any crystal, regardless of your progress in the story and includes the mime and Freelancer jobs to the pool of options. There can be duplicates!
  • UNOFFICIAL: Extra Spicy
    • Pair the 4JF rules with the Grand Cross FF5 Randomizer for some extra interesting hijinx. This randomizes the abilities each job has, when you unlock the job, and all sorts of things! 

Retired Run types:

  • RANDOM (#REGRAND)
    • Each time you finish a crystal event, you will be assigned a job from any that have been unlocked so far. 
  • CHAOS (#RegChaos)
    • You can be assigned jobs from all possible jobs (with exception of the Mime or Freelancer jobs) that are in the game, even from the crystals you haven’t reached yet. There can be duplicates!
  • PURE CHAOS (#RegPureChaos)
    • Same as CHAOS but this adds in the Mime and Freelancer jobs to the pool of options. There can be duplicates!
  • CLASSIC (#RegFF1)
    • You will only be assigned a job from the ones that were present in the first Final Fantasy. This also uses the “Natural” run modifier as well, more on that in a moment. There can be duplicates!
  • POPULAR (#RegPopular)
    • In the spring, prior to the start of the Fiesta proper, a contest is held to vote on the most popular jobs within the community. Jobs you are assigned will prioritize the ones that were deemed to be the most popular, but aren’t guaranteed.
  • ADVANCE (#RegAdvance)
    • This will shuffle around the existing Earth Crystal jobs throughout the other three, and your last job will be one of the FF5 Advance exclusive jobs.

Run Modifier Options:

There special modifiers can be added to any of the other variations to add further restrictions to your job pool or how you have to play through your game. Add them to your run by selecting them from the "Options" dropdown in your Fiesta account page!

  • TEAM 750/ TEAM NO 750
    • These modifiers will restrict your possible job assignments to those classes that can either use Rod weapons (Team750) or not (Team No750). Rods are incredibly broken weapons in Final Fantasy V due to the fact that they can be used as an item to cast third-level elemental spells. The Fire/Ice/Thunder rods all cost only 750 gil too. Breaking rods can make early boss fights absolute cake-walks.
  • TEAM 375
    • Your jobs will be split, receiving two jobs that can use/break rods and two that cannot.
  • NATURAL
    • This restricts each character to only using the job that was received from their respective crystal, meaning that Bartz must use the job from the Wind crystal, Lenna from Water, Faris from Fire, and Galuf+Krile from Earth. Until that point, the character must remain a freelancer. Characters can also only use jobs from the one they are assigned.
  • UPGRADE
    • This modifier isn’t usable with a Natural run, but this forces you all your characters to be a single job, with that job changing each time you reach a new crystal. The Water job assignment overwrites the one you got from the Wind crystal, the Fire overwrites Water, and Earth overwrites Fires. Any abilities you learn can be used. One slight change from the traditional flow, though, is that you can choose to upgrade anytime you want, after the crystal jobs have been unlocked!
  • FIFTH JOB
    • When Galuf is replaced by Krile during the story, you can no longer use the job or any of the abilities from your assigned Earth crystal job, which has been replaced by this new job. Tweeting #Krile will unlock this new job.
  • FORBIDDEN
    • If you are looking for even more of a challenge and restriction, this modifier will remove one of your job and all of its abilities. This will occur the moment you hit the Void in World 3 by tweeting #Void!
  • BERSERKER RISK
    • This special modifier can only be assigned to your profile BEFORE the Fiesta begins and is one of the biggest donation incentives for the entire event. Donations will increase the amount of Berserker jobs that will be divided up between the players with this modifier. Once the Fiesta begins, those players will be saddled with up to four berserkers to use for their game...It’s absolutely brutal, and a Quadzerker playthrough is perhaps the hardest challenge this game has to offer.
ff5_four_job_fiesta.jpg

 

How do I take part in the Four Job Fiesta?

The Four Job Fiesta event itself takes place each year in the summer. Prospective players can begin registering for their first run, typically starting in June, with the event starting soon after. New and additional playthroughs can be started up through September when the event ends, and to begin, all it takes is to make an account and submit your desired run settings on the Four Job Fiesta website!

Additional help and information can be found at the event’s website: https://www.fourjobfiesta.com/ as well, including helpful tools, links to the discord, and your player profile.

Playing outside of the Fiesta’s timeframe

While you won’t get the snarky Gilgabot tweets assigning you the jobs you can use, adding any of these restrictions to your Final Fantasy V playthrough is simple enough! With a simple dice roller or Random Number Generator, you can give yourself jobs just like Gilgabot would. All you need to do is assign a number to each job!

  • Regular Runs:
    • Wind: 6 Jobs
    • Water: 5 Jobs
    • Fire: 5 Jobs
    • Earth: 4 Jobs
  • Random Runs:
    • Wind: 6 possible jobs
    • Water: 10 possible jobs
    • Fire: 14 possible jobs
    • Earth: 17 possible jobs
  • Chaos:
    • Wind/Water/Fire/Earth: 20 possible jobs
  • Pure Chaos:
    • Wind/Water/Fire/Earth: 22 possible jobs
  • Classic
    • Wind: 5 possible jobs
    • Water: 6 possible jobs
    • Fire: 6 possible jobs
    • Earth: 6 possible jobs
  • Team 750 (Jobs that can use rods:
    • White Mage
    • Black Mage
    • Blue Mage
    • Time Mage
    • Summoner
    • Red Mage
    • Geomancer
    • Bard
    • Chemist
    • Dancer
      • Wind: 3 jobs (Reg) /  3 jobs (Random) / 10 Jobs (Chaos)
      • Water: 3 jobs (Reg) /  5 jobs (Random) / 10 Jobs (Chaos)
      • Fire: 2 jobs (Reg) /  7 jobs (Random) / 10 Jobs (Chaos)
      • Earth: 2 jobs (Reg) /  8 jobs (Random) / 10 Jobs (Chaos)
  • Team NO 750 (Jobs that can’t use rods):
    • Thief
    • Monk
    • Knight
    • Mystic Knight
    • Berserker
    • Ninja
    • Beastmaster
    • Ranger
    • Samurai
    • Dragoon
      • Wind: 3 jobs (Reg) /  3 jobs (Random) / 10 Jobs (Chaos)
      • Water: 2 jobs (Reg) /  4 jobs (Random) / 10 Jobs (Chaos)
      • Fire: 3 jobs (Reg) /  6 jobs (Random) / 10 Jobs (Chaos)
      • Earth: 2 jobs (Reg) /  7 jobs (Random) / 10 Jobs (Chaos)

The Four Job Fiesta, and its rulesets are my preferred way of playing through this fantastic game. Admittedly, I have only beaten Final Fantasy V with fiesta rules, and the idea of having access to all jobs seems almost unfair to me now. What Eric has done with this, is not only create a wonderful event that has gone on to raise more than twenty thousand dollars, but also invented an exceptional set of options that can be applied (albeit with some tweaks) to most RPGs that contain a similar job system. I have personally adopted the similar random assignment restrictions to playthroughs of Final Fantasy X-2, Final Fantasy XII, the Bravely Series, and Octopath Traveler as just a few examples. 

Even if you have never played Final Fantasy V, this is a great way to experience the adventure of Butz and company with your fancy new Pixel Remaster version!