Final Fantasy XII Strategic Collaboration Thread

[Demonic Attorney]

So I'm making this thread as a resource for people to post questions, answers, opinions, and ideas about the new FF game, which I can only assume a significant percentage of the community is engrossed in by now, myself included.  I'd ask that any plot spoilers be marked and concealed with highlight-to-read text, out of courtesy to everyone else.

As for my own contribution, I'd advise against attacking the random dinosaur wandering around in the east desert.  It's called a Wild Saurian or something.  It kills you in one hit.  Yeah.

[Vegeta2711]

Figure out the best combinations for the gambit system quickly. I DL'd and already beat the game, but I'm pretty sure people find out pretty quick controlling all of your characters in even a limited sense is a losing strategy. If you align the proper gambits the game gets pretty close to auto-play once you unlock the best ones.

But yeahhhhhhhhhh, I'll try any help anyone that's infi stuck anywhere. Though I'll admit I have no interest in playing the game again after I beat it. ^^;

[The Atog Lord]

I DL'd and already beat the game

Dag, yo.

My copy sits, unplayed, in its case, as schoolwork keeps me from even starting to play that game.

Remember, kids. If you value having any free time whatsoever, don't go to Grad School.

[Machinus]

Remember, kids. If you value having any free time whatsoever, don't go to Grad School.

[Kowal]

Why bother?  FFVII, FFVIII, FFX, and FFXI were such tremendous piles of shit that I've completely lost faith in the line.  As it is, I have to turn off the lights and close the blinds when I play the old, good FFs.

[Vegeta2711]

I DL'd and already beat the game

Dag, yo.

My copy sits, unplayed, in its case, as schoolwork keeps me from even starting to play that game.

Remember, kids. If you value having any free time whatsoever, don't go to Grad School.

To be fair Rich, the game leaked for a day or two online like 3 1/2 weeks ago.

[AbouTreeFiddy]

I DL'd and already beat the game

it was released on the 31st?  and you beat it already?

is your entire life video games??? Where do you even find the time to jerk off 4x a day?

[Machinus]

You downloaded an emulator and the rom? Where is the hookup for this??

[Vegeta2711]

I DL'd and already beat the game

it was released on the 31st?  and you beat it already?

is your entire life video games??? Where do you even find the time to jerk off 4x a day?

See above genius. Again, the game was LEAKED A MONTH AGO.

@Machinus

No, I downloaded the game itself, burned it and played it on my modded PS2. It's pretty easy to find online now.

http://www.mininova.org/get/447946

You can get it from just about any IRC game / torrent spot by this weekend.

[Roxas]

Does anyone happen to know if there is a way to kill Yiazmat in less than what looks like it will take roughly eight hours?

[Apollyon]

If you script it right, just start the battle, let it go for 8 hours, and then go to Thanksgiving with the family.

When you get back, you shall be victorious.

[Demonic Attorney]

Lessons I've Had To Learn The Hard Way:

1.  The Ice Azers in the Mateus battle are susceptible to thunder of all random things.

2.  The gold Demon Wall is pretty much beyond your capabilities when you first encounter it.

3.  The Bomb King battle is optional when you first reach that point in the game.  It's possible to win, but it's really fucking hard, and you don't get much for doing so.

4.  Mist Knack Combos should only be used at two points in a battle:  1) At the beginning, where a concordance can kill off any sidekick enemies in one fell swoop, or 2) at the end, when you won't have to worry about recovering all your lost MP.

5.  Be careful about which treasures you pick up.  You might be costing yourself a bigger payoff later in the game.

[M.Solymossy]

MP is huge.  I'm at the Stillshrine at levels 22-25 and my charecters are FAR too weak.  I bought the Golden Amulet though and after I steal more stuff from the bomb king (I suggest stealing from him for a couple hours and running away, and repeating) I will buy more.  Then  I will be going to giza and farming the Wolves.

This is a strategy that I recommend for quick LP.

[Roxas]

13NoVa: I'm surprised you're having MP trouble at that point in the game. Have you had all of your characters learn all three Mist squares in the License Board? Learning all three triples your maximum MP. Also make sure you learn all of the "gain MP when X" happens squares as well, since they add up quickly.

Also, I was defeated soundly by the Bomb King on the first try, but for my second attempt I teleported to some town (I forget which one) and bought three of my party members one piece of armor that halved fire and the accessory that gives immunity to oil. Thusly equipped, he was a joke.

As far as quick LP, you don't really need to do anything special; just equip the Double LP gain accessory and go do a couple marks in earlier areas; you will quickly have more LP than you know what to do with.

Random tip: I and several of my friends shared the frustration of not being able to figure out how to open a certain door. Try summoning Belias, and then opening that door.

Apolly: The problem is that, if the party leader goes down (and he/she almost certainly will eventually), the game will pause to ask you to select a new party leader. This will break any sort gambit script I can come up with.

[Klep]

Two good areas to make money I've found are the Lhusu Mines (taking out skeletons) and Phon Beach working on the Steel Lobos.  In both places you can build up pretty ridiculous chains (though not breaking the chain is harder with the lobos) and end up getting good loot that sells for a bunch.  I built up a chain of about 78 lobos today and was able to sell the pelts I earned for I think it was around 50-60k.  Note that this is with the appropriate grimoires acquired.  It will take much longer to get stuff if you don't have the grimoires.

[M.Solymossy]

I'm not having trouble with MP Roxas, it's LP.  I spent a lot of LP improperly and now I'm paying for it.  Also, I'm having a hard time getting a ton of Gil, but every time I steal from the bombking I get about 600 gil.  I do this about 40 or so times, then sell the loot.  It's a nice chunk of change.

[Demonic Attorney]

Oh shit, Klep, is that what Grimores do?  I assumed that they were like advanced primers for aspects of the game and didn't buy them.  Damn, I should look into those.

[Klep]

Oh shit, Klep, is that what Grimores do?  I assumed that they were like advanced primers for aspects of the game and didn't buy them.  Damn, I should look into those.

Yeah, Grimoires improve drops from various kinds of monsters.  WELL worth the price in the long run.

[M.Solymossy]

I have the first grimore, the one that improves from Birds (avions) and whatnot.

I'll post my charecter stats later on including:

person:
Level:
MP:
HP:
Equipment:
Role: 

[M.Solymossy]

Sorry for the double post guys.
here's my party...  I'm currently @ the stillshrine of Mariem, but I'm running around doing MASSIVE LP/EXP farming as well as trying to get gil to upgrade my OBVIOUSLY weak charecters.

Vaan:  Level 25. 
1132 HP   267 MP
3 Quickenings
weapon: Kotetsu
Helm: Leather headgear (I need to change this ASAM)
armor: Shielded armor [protect]
Accessory: Golden Amulet
Purpose: He's my brute.  He has 50 attack, and is my highest level.  He also can summon Belias.

Batlthier: Level 22.
918 HP   69 MP
1 quickening
weapon:  Blood Sword [sap]
Off-hand: Golden Shield
Helm: Golden Helm
Armor: Shielded Armor [protect]
Acessory: bangle
Purpose: He kinda sucks, but the Sap is good.

Fran: Level 22
880 HP  77MP
1 quickening
Weapon:  Bowgun
Helm:  Golden Helm
Armor: Shielded Armor [protect]
Accessory: Rose Corsage
Purpose:   She's my white mage.  She knows Cure, cura, curaga, raise, esuna, and regen.  She also has a decent weapon for fighting range.

Basch:  Level 23
1102 HP 64 MP
1 quickening
Weapon:  Iron Hammer
off-hand: buckler
Helm: leather Headgear
ARmor: ringmail
accessory: Dawn Shard
Purpose:  he's another brute.  His weapon damage varies for a hammer, but he can dish and take a pounding.   

Ash:  Level 21
1069 HP  86 MP
1 quickening
Weapon: Zwill Blade
Off-hand: leather Shield
Helm: Bronze Helm
armor: Bronze Armor
Purpose:  she knows the cure chain (cure curaga ect) and Raise, but she is mostly my black mage, knowing fire, thunder, bizzad, water, aero, blizarra, thundara, fira, Reflect.  She sucks.

Penelo:  level 22
1445 HP  99 MP
1 quickening
weapon:Loxley Bow
helm: Mages hat
Armor: Traveler's Vestament
Purpose:  Another decent range attacker, she also is another white mage, knowing all the heal spells i can up to this point.


important things to note:  Penelo has the +200 and +500 HP licence, but nobody else does.  Up until this point, I've been manhandling everything, but now it's getting a little tough in the stillshrine and when I was in the silikawood it was also tough.  I realize that I need magic protection on my magic userrs andthey should get their quickenings PRONTO. 

current goals:  Get everyone equiped with the Golden Amulet (double LP) and LP farm the eastersands.  Get everyone the swiftness, HP +, and quickenings, and then level them all to roughly 30 in the Stillshrine before taking on the summon @ the end.

[SpencerForHire]

Im not that far but I would like to know about Quickenings..

1) Is it true only one of each can be used across all characters?

2) What are the strongest ones.

3)Lastly, are there any I should make sure to have on specific characters?

[Roxas]

1) Each character can have up to three of them. There are eighteen quickening squares on the grid, so each character can learn all three.

2) Each character only has three available to them, and the third one each character gets is the "best."

3) Again, they are pre-assigned to characters.

[SpencerForHire]

1) Each character can have up to three of them. There are eighteen quickening squares on the grid, so each character can learn all three.

2) Each character only has three available to them, and the third one each character gets is the "best."

3) Again, they are pre-assigned to characters.

Thanks, there were really no online infos on this.

[Klep]

Espers work in a similar way.  Their squares appear after you defeat them, and you can have one character learn an esper.  Once an esper is learned, that esper is removed from all other boards.

This game is amazing.


I have a question.  How can I know when it will be wet in the Giza Plains and when it will be dry?  There are some hunts that need doing in the wet season, and I'd like to do them.

[Roxas]

It's random; if you need a specific season, just teleport/fly in and out of Rabanastre until it's the season you want. You might even just need to zone in/out of the South Gate area, but I'm not sure.

[nartman99]

1) Is it true only one of each can be used across all characters?

From earvcunanan:

There are 8 Concurrences. If you don't know what a Concurrence is then let me explain. Think of it as a Final Blow after you're done with all your Chained Mist Quickenings. Concurrences aren't "automatic". You will need to trigger them via certain conditions.

Requirements:

Black Hole: 4 lvl 1Quickenings, 4 lvl 2 Quickenings, 4 lvl 3 Quickenings

Whiteout: 3 lvl 1 Quickenings, 3 lvl 2 Quickenings, 3 lvl 3 Quickenings

Ark Blast: 2 lvl 1 Quickenings, 2 lvl 2 Quickenings, 2 lvl 3 Quickenings

Luminescence: 5 lvl 3 Quickenings

Windburst: 5 lvl 2 Quickenings

Torrent: 2 lvl 1 Quickenings, 3 lvl 2 Quickenings

Cataclysm: 7 lvl 1 Quickenings

Inferno: 3 lvl 1 Quickenings

I have a question.  How can I know when it will be wet in the Giza Plains and when it will be dry?  There are some hunts that need doing in the wet season, and I'd like to do them.

There is a guy that tells you what the weather in the Giza Plains are, he is the "Weather" something guy walking around. He also tells you that you can just look up at the sky when you enter the gate from Rabanastre. If it's cloudy, then it is the rains. If it is sunny, then it is the dry.

[Demonic Attorney]

I've noticed another interesting difference between FFXII and the other games in the series.  Until now, the FF games have been more or less balanced in terms of monster strength.  Owing to the linear nature of the plot in a typical FF game, the areas you explore have enemies roughly equal to your power level, and all it takes to win is competent playing.  This is not so in FFXII.  There are many areas that are open to you right from the start of the game that present enemies well beyond your party's skill level, who will decimate you quickly given the chance.   

This leads me to conclude that FFXII presents an additional challenge to players, not yet seen in the series.  Whereas before FF tested a player's ability to make battle/equipment decisions that optimize resources like HP, strength, magic power, etc., FFXII is also an exploration game.  If you wander into the wrong area, or pick a fight with the wrong monster (such an Elemental or a Mardu Entite), you will die.  This forces players to be much more conservative in taking risks than ever before.  For those who have complained about the lack of challenge in the FF series as of late, this is probably a good thing; I have died more times playing FFXII already than I have when playing the last 5 titles combined.   

Also, some advice on the subject of exploration.  When you beat the Bomb King STAY OUT OF NABUDIS.  I can't stress this enough.  It's okay to pop in and see the cut-scene, but seriously, leave immediately afterwards and don't come back until much later in the game.  The monsters there hit for around 1,200 damage on your whole party in a single attack, and they tend to travel in groups.

[Disburden]

I DL'd and already beat the game

Dag, yo.

My copy sits, unplayed, in its case, as schoolwork keeps me from even starting to play that game.

Remember, kids. If you value having any free time whatsoever, don't go to Grad School.

Dude, PLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY it.

[Vegeta2711]

http://www.vgcats.com/comics/?strip_id=215

Yeah that sums up some of my thoughts on that.

This leads me to conclude that FFXII presents an additional challenge to players, not yet seen in the series.  Whereas before FF tested a player's ability to make battle/equipment decisions that optimize resources like HP, strength, magic power, etc., FFXII is also an exploration game.  If you wander into the wrong area, or pick a fight with the wrong monster (such an Elemental or a Mardu Entite), you will die.  This forces players to be much more conservative in taking risks than ever before.  For those who have complained about the lack of challenge in the FF series as of late, this is probably a good thing; I have died more times playing FFXII already than I have when playing the last 5 titles combined.   

This is true. This is also much truer when I kept getting fricking lost!  'oh hay, we're stronger than you. die.' This is why I probably learned to like Libra a lot.

[M.Solymossy]

I just  beat the stillshrine and am on the Phon Coast.  I need to get some serious Gil (I think about 200K or so) because I need to buy new armor and weapons.