Party setup used on my first playthrough of Final Fantasy XII: the Zodiac Age (PS4). Maybe try a different setup next time!

• Vaan - Shikari + Bushi
• Balthier - Knight + Monk
• Fran - Archer + Red Mage
• Basch - Foebreaker + Knight
• Ashe - Black Mage + Time Battlemage
• Penelo - White Mage + Uhlan

On my first run, my main party ended up being Vaan / Balthier / Penelo, who were each able to deal great or decent damage while healing and buffing in a rather cyclical fashion. Penelo would be the dedicated healer, while Vaan would keep Protectga and Shellga up and Balthier could always jump in with Curaja and help maintain Bravery; when everyone was good, they'd all just pummel stuff while equipping Zodiac Spear, Masamune and Excalibur. I defeated Yiazmat on my first try using these three characters, with others jumping in only a few times when things got a little out of hand.

Ashe and Fran were also a huge help, Fran being able to use items the most effectively and Ashe constantly casting Hastega and being able to clear hordes easily with AOE magic. Somehow, Ashe even ended up quite a few levels above Penelo. Fran was also a decent damage dealer after I managed to steal a second Excalibur from Trial Mode enemies, but I felt it kind of contradicted her assigned roles. Basch, however... was kinda sad. The Foebreaker's damage was too erratic, and I only managed to get some consistent use out of him towards the end of the game, where he would serve as a stand in whenever one of my better characters died in order to heal. I tried to make things better by getting him a Knight license -- and it did, but it was a little too late for him and it felt like he was trying harder to become Balthier than even Vaan. oof.

Admittedly, I kinda fucked my run over by not considering Quickenings and Espers in the early stages of the game. Vaan never managed to get the lincenses for Yagyu Darkblade & Mesa. I felt bad that one of my characters hoarded like five Espers while Penelo only got one (and somehow still completed both of her License Boards). And having Ashe stand in the back dealing mediocre damage from the most powerful crossbow in the game (Tula) felt very out of character, even if she compensated for it whenever she cast Scathe and killing off everything on the screen. Basch was just bad, but maybe he deserved to retire.

I ended up not using Machinist at all, and even though I don't see the appeal in this job at all, I'd still like to use it some other time.

By the way, sidenote that FFXII actually had one of the most satisfying endings in the series, in my opinion? It was oddly heartwarming, and provided all the neccessary hooks for the sequel, Revenant Wings, which I was not at all ever really planning on playing, but now I kind of need to see what it's all about??? Damn what a fantastic game.