Square Enix has announced info about the five character classes in Dragon Quest IX. We have info about those classes: Warrior, Mage, Priest, Martial Artist and Thief. That info is in the paragraphs directly below this. Read it.

Warrior: Master of weapons and sword skills. This strong character is able to handle powerful weapons.

Mage: Master of magic. Powerful attack spells can be unleashed with this character.

Priest: Master of healing. However, the Priest can also throw spears.

Martial Artist: Master of, you guessed it, martial arts. Strong and quick, but not as strong defense-wise as the Warrior class. Claws are used as weapons.

Thief: Fast and sneaky. There is a "steal" command that makes it possible for the Thief class to search for and swipe treasure.

Dragon Quest IX is slated for a March 2009 release in Japan.

スクエニ、DS「ドラゴンクエストIX」ルイーダの酒場や職業の新情報を公開 [Game Watch]