Class Chronicles - The Fighter

[T.G. Oskar]

Class Chronicles

The Fighter – father of the warrior arts

Welcome to Class Chronicles, your source to the different professions around the worlds of Final Fantasy!!
First, a brief explanation. These articles are meant to describe briefly but with great detail the different aspects of the professions assumed by some of the greatest heroes in the Twelve Worlds. In here, you will learn about the history of these professions, as well as notable guilds that may accept membership on their ranks, if you consider replacing the arts of the farmlands or the harsh life around the towns. Whenever possible, we will seek to find prospective members of each profession, to have an in-depth explanation of the profession first hand, from a professional (pardoning the redundancy)

To kick off the first of the articles, we shall begin with one of the most basic of classes: the Fighter. Known at times as “Warriors”, they are undoubtedly the first choice for the physically apt. Almost as equally, they are considered stepping stones to some of the more advanced melee combat professions and even some of the ranged combat professions, such as the Paladin, Dark Knight, Samurai, Ranger, and so on. So why they are still considered the “fathers of the warrior arts”? Read on.

History of the Fighter Profession

Most scholars still haven’t decided the specific moment where the first of the Fighters emerged, or the first Fighter’s Guild was established. A large number of scholars, mostly from the Gariland Royal Akademy of Magick, theorize that the first “Fighter” properly known emerged ever since the evolution of the weapon from the crude stone axes and stonehead spears to the more advanced metal weaponry. A leading theory, proposed by the esteemed scholar of the warrior arts Herrik Bordamson (the son of the late teacher Bordam Darlavon) exposes that the first “Fighter” was the final result of the first warrior professions, commonly known as “proto-Fighters”. Scholar Bordamson supports this theory by debating the fundamental concepts of the Fighter, which most notably include a “mastery of the weapon arts” and a “penchant for heroics”.
The first evidence of an established Fighter’s Guild can be found in the First World, considered one of the first Heroic Guilds along the Thieves’ Guild, the schools of White, Black and Red Magic, and the first Monasteries. The first written evidence of a particular Fighter appears at the libraries of Corneria, whose official documents around the age of His Royal Majesty Steve I speak of a group of “Warriors of Light”, amongst which a Fighter seems to be included. Some other official documents imply that the tradition of Fighters comes from an earlier date, considering the existence of the Knight profession; legends about the Four Fiends of the Elements speak about a single “Warrior of Light” who was presumed to be not only the first Knight and probably the first Paladin as well, but originally as the first Fighter. Whether the legends are to be believed or not shall be left within the consideration of our readers.
The next mentions about the Fighter are spread around the Twelve Worlds, serving in legendary locations such as Fynn, the first Floating Continent, the lands of Baron, in both lands of the originally divided Fifth World, and amongst the armies of Figaro and the old Empire of Vector in the Sixth World. A point to consider is that, while the First, Second, and Third Worlds hold Fighters of heroic proportions (such as the beloved rebel hero Firion), the Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Worlds hold Fighters as the backbone soldiers of armies, their place inherited by the Knight in what scholars refer to “the Great Paladin Divide”. The Planet and the Eighth World apparently hold special groups of Fighters dubbed the SOLDIER and the SeeD, but scholars debate as to whether SeeD should be placed amongst the Fighter ranks as they seem more of a mercenary organization than a guild. SOLDIERs are magically engineered soldiers trained to use oversized weapons and normally of greater physical strength than a traditional Fighter.
Amongst the most popular Fighter’s Guilds, the lands of Ivalice and Vana’diel hold several guilds in good standing. Ivalice holds a large number of guilds devoted to the fighting arts, most notable being the Gariland Royal Akademy of Magick and the several knightly orders scattered around the Medieval era of Ivalice, although some unearthed scriptures by Ivalician scholars speak of several professions tied to the Fighter ideal, such as the Soldier, the Warrior, the Fencer and the Raptor. Vana’diel currently holds the longest-standing and best known Fighter’s Guild, spread around the lands of Bastok, San d’Oria, the Grand Duchy of Jeuno, Windurst, and even in exotic locales such as Aht Urgan. It is currently unknown whether other worlds may hold long-standing Fighters’ Guilds in such standing as the Vana’diel Warrior’s Guild, but we shall provide an update whenever information falls upon our hands.
A leading theory amongst scholars states that Fighters “bred”, or helped to found, the other guilds and orders of warriors around the Worlds. Proof of this stands in the very First World, where the first order of Knights had as a requirement to belong to the Fighter’s Guild. Other events such as the Great Paladin Divide, the discovery of the Dark Sword, the warriors of the Exotic Lands and other developments can be tied to both the first Knight Order and the first Fighter’s Guild. Further proof of this theory is provided by the way current Fighters follow their profession: an astoundingly large number of Fighters take this profession as a step towards one of the more “advanced” warrior professions.

The qualities of Fighters

As exposed earlier in the article, Fighters are mostly a physical class. Prospective Fighters are well advised to have great physical fitness, for the Guild Entrance tests challenge these very attributes. Fighters are known for their physical strength and great endurance, capable of fighting several enemies without a need for rest over a large amount of time. Fighters are known for using several weapons in their arsenal, such as the beloved sword, the mighty axe, the humble mace and even the renowned spear; in short, Fighters are known for their training in the basic martial weapons used by armies around the Worlds. As well, they are trained to fight under several layers of heavy armor, ranging from the solid breastplate and hauberk to the expensive suits of plate armor, with little difficulty. With a combination of solid defense and offense, as well as being one of the few classes that can properly wield a shield, Fighters should appeal to aspiring heroes.
So, why the polls state the contrary? Many scholars blame the lack of unique abilities other than using heavy weaponry and armor as the downfall of Fighters. Scholar Bordamson, in his treatise of classes The Manual of Current and Available Occupations, explains that “[…] Fighters have not surpassed the passage of time, remaining upon their prized knowledge of weaponry and refusing to refine and improve their novice arts. Thus, it is proper to consider the prospective warrior apprentices deem the Fighter arts as a step towards the most rewarding professions, such as the Knights.” Other leading scholars blame the lack of interest in the Fighter profession to a “de-evolution of the warrior arts”, stating as proof ancient manuals of combat from the Ivalician Age of Wonders.
The best example of “basic” Fighter skills and abilities are taught at the Vana’diel Warrior’s Guild, where prospective Fighters are taught to shift their focus between offense and defense, such as sacrificing defense for physical strength, or sacrificing accuracy of strikes for capability of evasion. Their desperation ability epitomizes their approach to combat, dealing brutal strikes at vital points of monsters to increase the damage dealt. As explained to us by weaponmasters in the Warrior’s Guild, “the purpose of a [Fighter] is to excel in close combat and our approach focuses on that purpose. Our abilities grant [Fighters] the needed edge in close combat, including well-timed successive strikes and enmity control.”

Interview

While our purpose is to find a suitable example of the profession, the lack of available Fighters willing to speak to us has, alas, affected our purpose to provide you with in-depth knowledge from a professional. Our sources attempted to communicate with Warrior of Light (name not provided), ser Volker, Lord Basch fon Ronsenburg, and lovely mistress Paine, but our attempts were unsuccessful. We plead for your forgiveness.

Curiosities about Fighters

• Did you know that most renowned heroes of the Twelve Worlds are often considered Fighters, but are best considered as different classes? Examples of these phenomena are epic heroes Cloud Strife and Squall Leonhart, who are often touted as Fighters but are best considered Samurai and SeeD Warrior, respectively. Another typical confusion stems from lesser known hero Adelbert Steiner, who’s actually a Knight and Lord Commander of the Knights of Pluto, the all-male army division of the Alexandrian Military on Gaia.
• Did you know that, on popularity contests, the sword ranges as the favorite weapon of novice and seasoned Fighters? Did you know, as well, that the top reason why Fighters prefer the sword over other weapons is because “swords are more powerful than other weapons”? Contrary to popular belief, the sword is NOT the most powerful weapon, or the most useful: seasoned Fighters consider the spear and axe as better weapons, given the range of the spear and the sheer simplicity of the axe. However, most legendary weapons are indeed swords.
• Did you know that the Fighter is one of the so-called “legendary professions”? This is because each of these professions has been found in virtually all worlds, in one way or another.
• Did you know that the profession of a Fighter is tied to the Crystal of Wind? Official historical documents from Sasune Castle in the Third World and Tycoon Castle on the Fifth World state that the first Fighters sealed their knowledge upon the Wind Crystal, as local legends state that “when the Crystals are endangered, the Wind Crystal will be the first to react.” These documents were discovered while researching the stories of the legendary heroes.
• Did you know that until recently, the World of Spira was believed not to have Fighters? The discovery of the Sphere Grids and the magical Dresspheres unlocked a great deal of information, including valuable knowledge about the classes of Spira. One of the first classes is the Warrior class, which held unique elemental sword abilities often attributed to the Mageknights.
• Did you know that the Fighter is also known as one of the “four instrumental classes”? Lore regained from different points in the Multiverse state that the Fighter, along the Thief, the White Mage and the Black Mage form part of virtually all worlds. This is drawn from the growing theory about the “Instrumental Classes”, which states the function of the Fighter as a “tank”, or the profession that deals with directing the aggression of opponents towards self in an ideal team.

We expect that the following information helps prospective adventurers to find the profession that suits their needs. Next time on “Class Chronicles”, we will study closely the “profession” of Thief and why these brigands have earned their position as one of the favored classes amongst adventurers.

Until next time!!

For more information about the Fighter or for application purposes, please write a letter to the following locations by means of Mognet mail service:

Gariland Royal Akademy of Magick
#2073, Elidibus Road
Magick City of Gariland, Ivalice

Vana’diel Warrior’s Guild, Central Headquarters
Building #37, Rue Tourielle
Southern San d’Oria, Vana’diel