When it comes to SP allocation, don’t spread out your SP over a bunch of skills. Only if you want some sort of challenge should you go against anything mentioned in this guide. Need better infliction rates or damage? Equip accessories or equipment that boost it. Are you dying often at the beginning of the game? Use the HP accessory that’s available. Some issues may be fixed by simply equipping new weapons, armour, or accessories. Some even require the help of others, like Fencers focusing on Chains. Some classes simply function better when paired with another. It’s better to pair classes such as War Magus and other similar ones with classes that fulfil their conditions. However, Random Disease is terrible for infliction in War Magus’s case. There are also classes such as War Magus that can seemingly fulfil their own conditions on their skills. Battles will likely start dragging on if you do that. Don’t take only one dedicated attacker though. It’s generally best to avoid too much skill/role overlap or using multiples of the same class. The skills may not stack or are not even that necessary. Taking two classes and making both very active healers can be useful in situations, but one will often put the other out of a job. There are, however, a few things that aren’t good to do. If you still want a cookie cutter party or take the recommendations without thinking about what you would actually like to use, that’s your choice. You can gimp the player’s ability to progress due to their lower levelled allies becoming a liability, which gets worse the later the characters are replaced. Replacing party members is often also the worst choice to make. Even replacing a class or multiple classes when it isn’t even necessary or asked for, ignoring what the person might even want to try. Not someone else’s, right? I understand some people are trying to help, but they repeatedly use the same classes for their recommendations and often not giving alternatives. The game allows you to make your own party, so make use of it. You may even replace some of the spots for another class type if you feel like it. I’m not going to tell you which classes to use for any of the spots. Dodge tanks are also a thing, but are better against enemies that use multi-hits and single target hits. You’ll be able to give a spot to another class that synergises with the other classes. You won’t need straight damage reduction as much if you can quickly inflict ailments or binds on enemies.

When it comes to tank/mitigator, think of ailments and binds, dodge tanking, and straight damage reduction. The flex spot can be pretty much anything you want. Two dedicated attackers, one healer, a tank/damage mitigator, and a flex spot. You don’t have to strictly follow this template either. It’s the most basic way to build a party, but it usually won’t have any flashy tactics. If you want to make a party, there is a quick template you can follow. With the slight comeback of posts requesting for help, and the somewhat flawed way those posts are answered, I thought to make a general guide for party creation to try to help out.

Etrian odyssey 4 classes guide