Dancer in Final Fantasy XIV is a dynamic and engaging ranged physical DPS job known for its graceful movements and powerful party support capabilities. Wielding chakrams as their primary weapon, Dancers weave together rhythmic weapon skills and captivating dances to deal damage and enhance their allies. This guide will delve into the core aspects of the Dancer job, providing a comprehensive overview for both newcomers and experienced players looking to master this unique class in FFXIV.
Understanding the Dancer Playstyle
The Dancer job in FFXIV distinguishes itself as a ranged damage dealer with a strong emphasis on party utility. Beyond dealing damage, Dancers bring valuable buffs and support to any group composition. A key element of their playstyle is the Dance Partner mechanic, enabled by the Closed Position ability. By designating a Dance Partner, Dancers amplify their support capabilities, sharing buffs and even healing effects.
In addition to partner-focused buffs, Dancers offer raid-wide mitigation with Shield Samba, reducing incoming damage for the entire party. They also possess an area-of-effect (AoE) healing ability in Curing Waltz, further solidifying their role as a supportive DPS.
The core combat rotation of a Dancer revolves around building and spending resources. By executing Global Cooldown (GCD) weapon skills, both the Dancer and their Dance Partner contribute to the Espirit Gauge. This gauge, unique to the Dancer job, unlocks access to powerful abilities like Saber Dance, a high-potency GCD skill. Furthermore, the Dancer’s weapon skills trigger off-GCD procs, enhancing their damage output and creating a dynamic and reactive combat flow. Flourish acts as a key ability, granting access to a range of procs and ensuring a burst of enhanced actions.
Dancer is considered a relatively beginner-friendly job in FFXIV, making it an excellent choice for players new to the ranged DPS role or the game itself. Its intuitive mechanics and impactful support contributions make it a rewarding job to learn and play.
Dancer: Strengths and Weaknesses in FFXIV
Strengths of the Dancer Job
- Excellent Healing Utility: Dancers possess surprisingly potent healing capabilities thanks to skills like Improvisation and Curing Waltz. These abilities provide valuable support to healers, especially in situations requiring additional burst or AoE healing.
- Flexible Resource Management: The Dancer’s Espirit Gauge and Fourfold Feathers offer a flexible resource system. Espirit builds naturally through standard gameplay, allowing for consistent use of powerful abilities, while Fourfold Feathers provide on-demand oGCD damage options.
- High Mobility: Like other physical ranged DPS jobs in FFXIV, Dancers enjoy exceptional mobility. En Avant provides multiple charges of a forward dash, allowing for quick repositioning during combat without sacrificing damage uptime.
Weaknesses of the Dancer Job
- Dependence on Dance Partner Performance: A portion of a Dancer’s effectiveness is tied to the performance of their chosen Dance Partner. While Dancers contribute significantly on their own, optimal output relies on the partner actively engaging in combat to generate Espirit efficiently.
- Lower Personal Damage Ceiling: Compared to some other DPS jobs in FFXIV, particularly in very optimized scenarios, Dancer may have a slightly lower personal damage ceiling. However, this is often offset by their substantial party utility and consistent damage output, making them valuable in diverse group compositions.
Unlocking the Dancer Job in FFXIV
To unlock the Dancer job and begin your journey as this graceful damage dealer, you will need to meet a few prerequisites:
- Level Requirement: You must have at least one Disciple of War or Magic job at Level 60 or higher.
- Expansion Requirement: Access to the Shadowbringers expansion is required, as Dancer was introduced in this expansion.
Once you meet these requirements, follow these steps to unlock Dancer:
- Location: Head to Limsa Lominsa Lower Decks (x:9.8, y:12.0). This bustling port city is where your Dancer adventure begins.
- Quest NPC: Seek out the “Eager Lominsan” NPC. He will be marked with a blue quest icon above his head, indicating a job unlock quest.
- Quest: “Shall We Dance”: Accept and complete the quest “Shall We Dance” from the Eager Lominsan. This questline will introduce you to the basics of the Dancer job and its lore.
- Reward: Upon completing “Shall We Dance,” you will be rewarded with the Dancer job stone from Nashmeira. Using this job stone will officially unlock the Dancer job, and you will start at Level 60 as a fresh Dancer ready to learn the art of combat dance.
Decoding the Dancer Gauges in FFXIV
The Dancer Job Gauge in FFXIV is crucial for understanding and optimizing your gameplay. It consists of two primary components: the Step Gauge and the Espirit/Fourfold Feathers Gauge.
Step Gauge: This gauge is central to the Dancer’s dance mechanics. Activating Standard Step or Technical Step will transform the Step Gauge, displaying a sequence of Step Actions. These actions, represented by icons ( Emboite, Entrechat, Jete, and Pirouette), must be executed in the correct order to perform a successful dance.
Upon initiating a dance, the and actions transform into Standard Finish and Technical Finish, respectively. Activating these “Finish” actions after correctly inputting the Step Actions will unleash a powerful dance attack, with the potency scaling based on the accuracy of your step sequence.
Espirit and Fourfold Feathers Gauge: This part of the gauge manages the Dancer’s resources. Espirit (represented by the yellow bar and numerical value) is gained when either the Dancer or their Dance Partner successfully lands GCD weapon skills or spells. Accumulating 50 Espirit unlocks the use of Saber Dance, a potent GCD attack that damages both the primary target and nearby enemies.
Fourfold Feathers are stacks that are randomly granted when the Dancer uses their own GCD weapon skills, such as Cascade, Fountain, Reverse Cascade, and Fountainfall for single-target, and Windmill, Bladeshower, Rising Windmill, and Bloodshower for AoE. These feathers allow the Dancer to use off-GCD damage abilities. Fan Dance (single-target) and Fan Dance II (AoE) consume Fourfold Feathers and have a chance to grant a further proc, Fan Dance III, another powerful oGCD attack.
Video Resources for Learning Dancer
For players who prefer visual learning, video guides can be incredibly helpful in understanding the Dancer job. Julia Care, a respected member of The Balance Discord community (a prominent FFXIV resource), has created an excellent video overview of the Dancer job. This video can provide a dynamic and easily digestible introduction to Dancer mechanics and gameplay.
[(Ideally, embed Julia Care’s video here if possible, or link to it)]
Dancer Actions: Skills and Abilities
| Action Name | Cast Time / Recast Time | Range / Radius | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cascade Lv. 1 | Instant / 2.5s | ↔ 3y / 0y | Deals damage (potency 220). 50% chance to grant Silken Symmetry (30s duration). |
| Fountain Lv. 2 | Instant / 2.5s | ↔ 3y / 0y | Deals damage (potency 120). Combo from Cascade: Potency 280. Combo Bonus: 50% chance to grant Silken Flow (30s duration). |
| Standard Finish Lv. 15 | Instant / 2.5s | ↔ 0y / 15y | AoE damage (potency varies with steps, full for first enemy, 75% less for others). 0 Steps: 360, 1 Step: 540, 2 Steps: 850. Step Bonus: Grants Standard Finish & Esprit to self and Dance Partner. Damage bonus varies with steps (1 Step: 2%, 2 Steps: 5%, 60s duration). Grants Last Dance Ready (30s duration). Usable only while Dancing. |
| Standard Step Lv. 15 | Instant / 30.0s | ↔ 0y / 0y | Starts a Standard Dance (15s duration). Action changes to Standard Finish while dancing. Only Finish actions, En Avant, Curing Waltz, Shield Samba, step actions, role actions, Sprint, and Limit Break usable while dancing. |
| Windmill Lv. 15 | Instant / 2.5s | ↔ 0y / 5y | AoE damage (potency 100). 50% chance to grant Silken Symmetry (30s duration). |
| Reverse Cascade Lv. 20 | Instant / 2.5s | ↔ 3y / 0y | Deals damage (potency 280). 50% chance to grant Fourfold Feather. Usable under Silken Symmetry or Flourishing Symmetry. |
| Bladeshower Lv. 25 | Instant / 2.5s | ↔ 0y / 5y | AoE damage (potency 100). Combo from Windmill: Potency 140. Combo Bonus: 50% chance to grant Silken Flow (30s duration). |
| Fan Dance Lv. 30 | Instant / 1.0s | ↔ 3y / 0y | Deals damage (potency 180). 50% chance to grant Threefold Fan Dance (30s duration). Requires Fourfold Feathers. |
| Rising Windmill Lv. 35 | Instant / 2.5s | ↔ 0y / 5y | AoE damage (potency 140). 50% chance to grant Fourfold Feather. Usable under Silken Symmetry or Flourishing Symmetry. |
| Fountainfall Lv. 40 | Instant / 2.5s | ↔ 3y / 0y | Deals damage (potency 340). 50% chance to grant Fourfold Feather. Usable under Silken Flow or Flourishing Flow. |
| Bloodshower Lv. 45 | Instant / 2.5s | ↔ 0y / 5y | AoE damage (potency 180). 50% chance to grant Fourfold Feather. Usable under Silken Flow or Flourishing Flow. |
| En Avant Lv. 50 | Instant / 30.0s | ↔ 0y / 0y | Dashes 10 yalms forward. Max 3 charges. Cannot be used when bound. |
| Fan Dance II Lv. 50 | Instant / 1.0s | ↔ 0y / 5y | AoE damage (potency 100). 50% chance to grant Threefold Fan Dance (30s duration). Requires Fourfold Feathers. |
| Curing Waltz Lv. 52 | Instant / 60.0s | ↔ 0y / 5y | Heals self and nearby party members (potency 300). Dance Partner also heals self and nearby party members. |
| Shield Samba Lv. 56 | Instant / 120.0s | ↔ 0y / 30y | Reduces damage taken by self and party members by 15% (15s duration). Does not stack with Bard’s Troubadour or Machinist’s Tactician. |
| Closed Position Lv. 60 | Instant / 30.0s | ↔ 30y / 0y | Designates a Dance Partner, sharing effects of Standard Finish, Curing Waltz, Devilment, and Finishing Move. Ends on reuse. |
| Ending Lv. 60 | Instant / 1.0s | ↔ 0y / 0y | Ends dance with partner. |
| Devilment Lv. 62 | Instant / 120.0s | ↔ 0y / 0y | Increases critical hit rate and direct hit rate by 20% (20s duration). Dance Partner also receives Devilment. Grants Flourishing Starfall (20s duration). |
| Fan Dance III Lv. 66 | Instant / 1.0s | ↔ 3y / 5y | AoE damage (potency 220 for first enemy, 50% less for others). Usable under Threefold Fan Dance. |
| Technical Finish Lv. 70 | Instant / 2.5s | ↔ 0y / 15y | AoE damage (potency varies with steps, full for first enemy, 75% less for others). 0 Steps: 350, 1 Step: 540, 2 Steps: 720, 3 Steps: 900, 4 Steps: 1,300. Step Bonus: Grants Technical Finish & Esprit to self and party. Damage bonus varies with steps (1 Step: 1%, 2 Steps: 2%, 3 Steps: 3%, 4 Steps: 5%, 20s duration). Grants Flourishing Finish (30s duration). Grants Dance of the Dawn Ready (30s duration). Usable only while Dancing. |
| Technical Step Lv. 70 | Instant / 120.0s | ↔ 0y / 0y | Starts a Technical Dance (15s duration). Action changes to Technical Finish while dancing. Only Finish actions, En Avant, Curing Waltz, Shield Samba, step actions, role actions, Sprint, and Limit Break usable while dancing. |
| Flourish Lv. 72 | Instant / 60.0s | ↔ 0y / 0y | Grants Flourishing Symmetry, Flourishing Flow, Threefold Fan Dance, Fourfold Fan Dance, and Finishing Move Ready (30s duration). Usable in combat only. |
| Saber Dance Lv. 76 | Instant / 2.5s | ↔ 3y / 5y | AoE damage (potency 520 for first enemy, 50% less for others). Costs 50 Esprit. |
| Improvisation Lv. 80 | Instant / 120.0s | ↔ 0y / 8y | Grants Rising Rhythm stacks (max 4, every 3s). HoT to self and party (potency 100, 15s duration). Ends on action or movement. Cancels auto-attack. |
| Improvised Finish Lv. 80 | Instant / 1.5s | ↔ 0y / 8y | Barrier to self and party. Absorb amount scales with Rising Rhythm stacks (0 Stacks: 5%, 4 Stacks: 10% of max HP, 30s duration). Usable while Improvisation is active. |
| Tillana Lv. 82 | Instant / 2.5s | ↔ 0y / 15y | AoE damage (potency 600 for first enemy, 50% less for others). Gains 50 Esprit. Usable under Flourishing Finish. |
| Fan Dance IV Lv. 86 | Instant / 1.0s | ↔ 15y / 15y | Cone AoE damage (potency 420 for first enemy, 50% less for others). Usable under Fourfold Fan Dance. |
| Starfall Dance Lv. 90 | Instant / 2.5s | ↔ 25y / 25y | Line AoE critical direct hit (potency 600 for first enemy, 75% less for others). Damage increased under crit/direct hit buffs. Usable under Flourishing Starfall. |
| Last Dance Lv. 92 | Instant / 2.5s | ↔ 3y / 5y | AoE damage (potency 520 for first enemy, 50% less for others). Usable under Last Dance Ready. |
| Finishing Move Lv. 96 | Instant / 30.0s | ↔ 0y / 15y | AoE damage (potency 850 for first enemy, 75% less for others). Grants Standard Finish & Esprit to self and Dance Partner. Standard Finish Effect: 5% damage increase (60s duration). Grants Last Dance Ready (30s duration). Usable under Finishing Move Ready. Shares recast with Standard Step. |
| Dance of the Dawn Lv. 100 | Instant / 2.5s | ↔ 3y / 5y | AoE damage (potency 1,000 for first enemy, 50% less for others). Costs 50 Esprit. Usable under Dance of the Dawn Ready with 50+ Esprit. |
Dancer Step Actions: Mastering the Dance
| Action Name | Cast Time / Recast Time | Range / Radius | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emboite Lv. 15 | Instant / 1.5s | ↔ 0y / 0y | Performs Emboite step. Increases potency of Standard/Technical Finish when in sequence with other steps. Usable only while Dancing. |
| Entrechat Lv. 15 | Instant / 1.5s | ↔ 0y / 0y | Performs Entrechat step. Increases potency of Standard/Technical Finish when in sequence with other steps. Usable only while Dancing. |
| Jete Lv. 15 | Instant / 1.5s | ↔ 0y / 0y | Performs Jete step. Increases potency of Standard/Technical Finish when in sequence with other steps. Usable only while Dancing. |
| Pirouette Lv. 15 | Instant / 1.5s | ↔ 0y / 0y | Performs Pirouette step. Increases potency of Standard/Technical Finish when in sequence with other steps. Usable only while Dancing. |
Dancer Role Actions: Utility and Support
| Action Name | Cast Time / Recast Time | Range / Radius | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leg Graze Lv. 6 | Instant / 30.0s | ↔ 3y / 0y | Applies Heavy +40% to target (10s duration). |
| Second Wind Lv. 8 | Instant / 120.0s | ↔ 0y / 0y | Heals self (potency 800). |
| Foot Graze Lv. 10 | Instant / 30.0s | ↔ 3y / 0y | Binds target (10s duration). Damage breaks bind. Cancels auto-attack. |
| Peloton Lv. 20 | Instant / 5.0s | ↔ 0y / 30y | Increases movement speed for self and party (30s duration). No effect in battle. Ends on enmity gain. |
| Head Graze Lv. 24 | Instant / 30.0s | ↔ 3y / 0y | Interrupts target action. |
| Arm’s Length Lv. 32 | Instant / 120.0s | ↔ 0y / 0y | Nullifies knockback/draw-in (6s duration). On physical attack, inflicts Slow +20% to attacker (15s duration). |
Dancer Traits: Passive Enhancements
| Trait Name | Acquired Level | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Fourfold Fantasy | Lv. 30 | Grants Fourfold Feather on certain actions (max 4 stacks). |
| Increased Action Damage | Lv. 50 | Increases base action damage by 10%. |
| Increased Action Damage II | Lv. 60 | Increases base action damage by 20%. |
| Enhanced En Avant | Lv. 68 | Allows 2 charges of En Avant. |
| Esprit | Lv. 76 | Grants Esprit on successful Standard/Technical Finish. Increases Esprit Gauge by 5 on Cascade, Reverse Cascade, Fountain, Fountainfall, Windmill, Rising Windmill, Bladeshower, or Bloodshower. Party member weapon skills/spells have chance to grant 10 Esprit (chance varies by job). |
| Enhanced En Avant II | Lv. 78 | Allows 3 charges of En Avant. |
| Enhanced Technical Finish | Lv. 82 | Grants Flourishing Finish after Technical Finish (30s duration). Technical Finish becomes Tillana under this effect. |
| Enhanced Esprit | Lv. 84 | Increases Esprit Gauge by 10 on Reverse Cascade, Fountainfall, Rising Windmill, or Bloodshower. |
| Enhanced Flourish | Lv. 86 | Grants Fourfold Fan Dance on Flourish (30s duration). |
| Enhanced Shield Samba | Lv. 88 | Reduces Shield Samba recast to 90 seconds. |
| Enhanced Devilment | Lv. 90 | Grants Flourishing Starfall on Devilment (20s duration). |
| Enhanced Standard Finish | Lv. 92 | Grants Last Dance Ready on Standard Finish (30s duration). |
| Dynamic Dancer | Lv. 94 | Increases potency of various actions: Cascade (220), Fountain (120), Double Standard Finish (850), Reverse Cascade (280), Fan Dance (180), Fountainfall (340), Fan Dance III (220), Quadruple Technical Finish (1,300), Saber Dance (520), Fan Dance IV (420). |
| Enhanced Second Wind | Lv. 94 | Increases Second Wind healing potency to 800. |
| Enhanced Flourish II | Lv. 96 | Grants Finishing Move Ready on Flourish (30s duration). Standard Step becomes Finishing Move under this effect. |
| Enhanced Shield Samba II | Lv. 98 | Improves Shield Samba damage reduction to 15%. |
| Enhanced Technical Finish II | Lv. 100 | Grants Dance of the Dawn Ready on Technical Finish (30s duration). Saber Dance becomes Dance of the Dawn under this effect with 50+ Esprit. |
Dancer Job Lore in FFXIV
Originating from the exotic Near Eastern nation of Thavnair, Dancers are masters of captivating and graceful performance. Their movements, while beautiful and elegant, are rooted in martial discipline, embodying a rhythmic and persistent energy capable of inspiring allies and soothing troubled spirits. Accustomed to the rigors of travel and performance, these Dancers have honed their skills to include the precise throwing of chakrams, allowing them to eliminate any obstacles in their path with the same precision as their dance steps. The Dancer job embodies a blend of artistry and combat prowess, making them a unique and compelling addition to the world of Final Fantasy XIV.
