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Final Fantasy 14 Dawntrail’s Pictomancer is so much fun to play. After hours of experiencing it, I think I have a good idea of how it works, but I still need more time! It’s a class that, on the surface, is easy to dive into and play. However, there’s a lot of depth and skill to bring to the world of painting. Knowing when and how to use the Canvas magic is really going to separate the novice painter from the Bob Ross of Eorzea.
However, much like the “Joy of Painting” television program, there are no mistakes here. You can play the class however you want. I was able to drop some pretty serious DPS as a Pictomancer with just a little effort in Final Fantasy 14 Dawntrail. It’s a class that really delivers on the fun, with an adorable aesthetic.
How does Pictomancer feel in Final Fantasy 14 Dawntrail?
Pictomancer in Final Fantasy 14 Dawntrail is such a fascinating job. It’s got the combo buttons like Viper does, awesome elemental magic, and, in its own way, is kind of a summoning class, in the way it conjures painting. One of the major new features coming to the game, Pictomancer is such an amazing, fun class.
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But I won’t lie, it’s incredibly complicated—or it felt like it. The canvas spells have sort of long cooldowns, and the first thing you should learn is that casting them in battle has a cast time. Otherwise, it’s instant! So having the time to prep all three canvases before battle is going to be crucial.
They’re capable of doing some remarkable damage and have two of my favorite spells in the game: Holy in White and Comet in Black. They have plenty of AOE and single-target options, and their canvas spells are seriously amazing.
Explaining the Job HUD for Pictomancer in Final Fantasy 14
Pictomancers in Final Fantasy 14 Dawntrail have two gauges, like other classes. There’s the Landscape Canvas, which takes up a pretty huge amount of space. It’s three canvases in total: Creature Canvas, Weapon Canvas, and Landscape Canvas. Each one has buttons that correspond to painting on these and triggering special abilities.
Then you have the Palette Gauge, which shows a meter that builds as you cast Aetherhue spells. You can use 50 percent of it to cast Subtractive Palette, which takes one of your White Paint spots and converts it into Black Paint once you’ve learned Enhanced Palette. White Paint also builds by casting certain spells.
Aetherhue Magick is the basic spell power of Pictomancers
Your primary spells as a Pictomancer in Final Fantasy 14 are Aetherhue Actions. You start with Fire in Red or the AOE Fire II in Red. For future reference, the “II” spells are always AOE. Activating one of those gives you access to Aero in Green/Aero in Green II and then Water in Blue/Water II in Blue. Finishing the combo builds your Palette Gauge.
When you consume your Subtractive Palette action, you can cast a few different, enhanced spells instead:
- Blizzard in Cyan/Blizzard II in Cyan
- Stone in Yellow/Stone II in Yellow
- Thunder in Magenta/Thunder II in Magenta
These are your primary spells, and it makes for pretty simple, easy-to-understand combos. All the trickiness really comes from the canvas. Another interesting feature is that when you use a total of five Aetherhue Actions or Star Prism spells (found in the Landscape Canvas), you gain access to a Rainbow Bright Enhancement. While you have it, the recast time for Rainbow Drip, a powerful Pictomancer spell in Final Fantasy 14 Dawntrail, is now instant cast.
The power of the Canvas (Motif/Muse Magicks)
Through Creature Canvas, Weapon Canvas, and Landscape Canvas, Pictomancers in Final Fantasy 14 can do some incredible feats of magic and damage. Motif Magicks are based on those three canvases. These are brought to life and cast by Muse Magicks. The element depicted using Motif Magicks will be used as the Muse Magick attack. When you use a Motif, it’ll be shown on the canvas, so you know what you have access to.
The one that does the most is the Creature Canvas. Depending on the situation you’re in, the Creature Motif button will show either Pom, Wing, Claw, or Maw Motif. This goes for your Muse Magicks too. You’ll get the same thing, depending on which Motif you put into play.
You can use this to depict several versions of the same monster (Beast or Moogle), to create a more powerful Depiction. Based on what is on your canvas, the Depiction ability (in this case, Living Muse) will cast some great spells. For example, if you have Depiction of Pom and Depiction of Wings, you get the mighty Mog of the Ages.
The Weapon Canvas just has a Hammer, but that may be adjusted later. Steel Muse brings the hammer to life, and Striking Muse is the next step. This allows the mighty Hammer Stamp. Essentially, you get an awesome three-hit combo with your Hammer. It’s a giant mallet, like you’d see in anime, or in the hands of King Dedede.
Landscape Canvas is brought to life with Scenic Muse. We only saw Starry Sky as an option, which was activated via Starry Muse, casting Star Prism. This gorgeous ability increased the damage dealt by you and your party members, making it a must-trigger. Knowing when to do it will be key.
Final Thoughts on Pictomancer in Final Fantasy 14 Dawntrail
I know Pictomancer sounds really complicated, mostly due to the Canvases. And it is! While also not being too complex. It’s a class you just have to sit down and fiddle with for yourself. I’m still not 100% sure what to do with it; I should have taken some voice notes while playing it!
That said, it’s super fun, and from the hammer combos to group buffs, it’s useful to your party, while being a blast to play. Fans are absolutely going to adore playing this, from its colorful aesthetic to the amazing spell effects; not to mention it hits incredibly hard on July 2, 2024, when it shows up Final Fantasy 14 Dawntrail launches.
