[PS2] Final Fantasy XII

I just beat the game. You guys made me do it. The last boss was pathetically easy. Protectga, Shellga, Curaja, Bubble Belt 3x = No problem. I didn't even have to revive, not even once.

Spoiler:

Interesting how Venat merged with Vayne. Perhaps she wasn't all bad. She moved to protect Cid even as he lay dying, his purpose fufilled, and when he thanked her for the past six years, I was expecting her to say something like "You fool" or "Now my plans will come to fruition" or something like that. But instead she said "The pleasure was all mine." And honestly, I think she meant it. And then she gave her power to Vayne, even though she knew that she could die. Perhaps she truly did want to put the reins of history back in the hands of man. After all, even after Vayne's second form was defeated, and he felt that he had failed her, she said that it was okay, because their plans had already been fufilled. (That is, taking control away from the other Occuria by destroying the Sun-Cryst). I still don't think that other Occuria are bad, either. At least, not evil per se. They just have an extreme arrogance and superiority complex. But then again, when you've been accumulating wisdom for eons, you tend to become that way. Manipulative, yes, and merciless, but not truly evil, at least, not to me. After all, they were the ones responsible for the golden age of the Galtean Alliance. That was good, right?

So, what happened to the rest of the Occuria? I guess they're still out there, watching. They are gods, after all. It's not like they'd just disappear. Although watching is all they can do now, because they can't directly manipulate the events of the world. And now that the Sun-Cryst is destroyed, there is no more nethicite for them to tempt people with. Good riddance to bad rubbish, I say, nethicite is bad news plain and simple, and nothing good can come of it in the end. Like Reddas said, the only thing you should do with it, is pick it up, and throw it away.

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- Ashe.... and Basch? Where the hell did that come from? Unless I'm misunderstanding this. Where did the ring come from? Rasler? Did Basch have it all along?

Balthier took her ring toward the beginning of the game.

Vann and Penelo are definitely an item. Also, Penelo is incredibly cute in her new outfit. She really is quite pretty. Bathier's lines aboard the Bahamut were truly awesome.

All in all, I would say this has definitely been my best Final Fantasy experience, after FFVI. Perhaps even equal.

How ya doing, buddy?

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The main storyline doesn't really describe what happened in Nabudis.

Yeah it does:

Spoiler:

Judge Magister Zecht a.k.a. Reddas, was ordered by Cid to use Nabradia's' Nethicite shard (The Midlight Shard), and, not knowing what he was doing, the Nabreus deadlands were the result.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Hey MS, where do I find the rest of those medallion pieces at?

I was speaking idiomatically.

Awesome, thanks. Time to fight some more horrible monsters.

Most amazing jew boots

Originally Posted by Metal Sphere

Yes, horrible monsters, heh. Remember to enter via the Deadlands, as it makes reaching the first door much easier.

Speaking of horrible monsters, the Baknamy are the most annoying monsters in the whole game, by far. I have come to the conclusion that each 'Namy has his own person cloaking device, as they have a tendency to walk out of absolutely nowhere. When you encounter one, you can be sure two or three more will walk out of thin air. Their evade is enormous and they hit hard and quickly. Even at level 60 it is taking me two or three hits to kill just one when using the Zodiac Spear. But half of my time is spent hitting nothing at all, the word "PARRY" floating in mid-air, mocking me.

Ugh.

Also, I absolutely cannot find the lost memory woman.

FELIPE NO

I had to use my Quickenings to beat the bomb boss. They saved me quite a few times actually, especially during the Carrot hunt. I finished her off with a 38000 point blow.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

A normal Phoenix down kills an undead enemy. So a reversed down would heal it.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

No! That poor necrohol-bunny!

Spoiler:

It cried when I killed it. As it lay on the ground, a single tear fell from its eye. T.T

How ya doing, buddy?

Humbaba was a pushover. The whole splat thing was funny though. I didn't steal anything from him.

This esper is pretty tough. Staying alive isn't a problem, but doing damage is. Magic in this game is so damn weak. Virtually useless, even.

Edit: Apparently, staying alive is a problem, because I just got killed. He only had around 1/32nd of his life left too. Two or three more flares would have done it. I would have won if it hadn't been for that cheap, stupid fearga attack. How can I defend myself with no MP? Now I have to do all of that crap all over agian. I really don't feel like walking around in there.

How ya doing, buddy?

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I completely skipped the Excalibur because it was a hassle

That sucks, because the added holy damage is a HUGE help with dark monsters. It isn't that much less powerful than the Tournesol either.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Luckily, I picked up Excalibur on the first try. And really, you don't have to do that much gate-running.

I was speaking idiomatically.

I got a Knot of Rust, AND the sword. From the same container, no less. I must be blessed by the Occuria themselves.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

You need to control 10 espers, then talk to the Garif Geomancer. The gate in the big room (where you fought tiamat) will be unlocked. Be careful, the enemies there are super tough and will mob you like crazy. I made it all the way in, coming close to losing everyone several times, got Zodiark about 3/4 of the way down, and somehow he suddenly increased in power and killed everyone in one hit.

How do I defend against Darkja?

FELIPE NO

I just defeated Fafnir, and I was reminded of MS's post about the Viera on Omisace, so...

Spoiler:

I heard the Viera's words. I can see what she is saying, but I still agree with the Occuria about humanity's stupidity. I found this quote in the Pharos. I like it a lot:

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Ignorant child, blind whither you go and whence you come. It is the undying who straighten the weave you tangle so, who choose the path you must walk. So has it been, and so shall it be, as befits those of our wisdom, ever-living.

As for the Entites, well, listen to this quote from the Sylphi Entite's entry:

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The winds loft the seed of flower and teee, tell of the approach of beasts, and carry the voice of an ally. But Man cut down the trees, slew the beasts, and screamed in the waste that he had created.

There are others, too; it is said that the gods gave man fire, but he used the fire for the taking of life. All sorts of stuff like that. It certainly doesn't cast Man in a very positive light. The Occuria were right to punish them utterly. Perhaps I am just a pessimist. Mark my words, without the Occuria to keep things in check, the Humes will turn their wold into a facsimile of the world portrayed in Soylent Green. ;(

How ya doing, buddy?

Spoiler:

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Even while I doubt Venat's intentions were wholly good, she definitely comes out better than her brethren in the end. Hopped off the ivory tower and actually tried to help, although not in the best way.

You should read some of the story translations at Gamefaqs. It really portrays Venat in a much better light. I can't agree with her methods, but I think that her intentions were good and that she truly wanted to help the humans.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

There are male Viera, obviously, but they remain hidden away in even more secluded forest villages. When you think about it, it has to be this way. If the male to female ratio was equal, their population would go out of control very quickly, with their extremely long and (mostly) danger-free lifespans. Other races don't live as long and die far more frequently.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

How hard is Omega? Also, how hard is the Seer? I want to know before I bother running around in subterra, only to die horribly.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

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- Pandemonium
- Slyt
- Fenrir

Are they at the same levels they were when I fought them the first time? Because I killed them all in a few hits when I did.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Go to Archades now and buy some Embroidered Tippets from the Seeq near the exit from the Cave Palace. Then you can get double EXP for Vaan.

I was speaking idiomatically.

First run through the Tchita Uplands area, and then there is a cave complex, the Sochen cave palace. It shouldn't take too long if you run right through, although there is a boss. He can create multiple copies of himself, and all of them can attack. Archades is directly after that.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Do you really want to know?

Spoiler:

Reddas uses the Sword of Kings to cut the Sun-Cryst and dies. So if you need him, use him now. I wish I had.

FELIPE NO

Spoiler:

Nethicite absorbs Mist and magical energy, true, but it also seems to be capable of expelling it back out, to very great effect. This is what happened at Nabudis and also what happened when Judge Ghis had the Dawn Shard analyzed. All of the mist that was contained within was immediately and forcefully released, creating an enormous explosion. Afterwards, the Garif leader told Ashe that the shard was dead, meaning that it had spent all of its energy.

Dr. Cid said that the Sun-Cryst was "glutted" with Mist, implying that it had been absorbing (or feeding on, if you will) Mist for a very long time.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

There really isn't a reason not to use Vaan. There isn't enough variation in the characters' stats for it to matter anyway. Besides, the concept of having a "main party" is questionable at best.

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Now, could you tell me their roles?

There are no roles. Use the license board to make them whatever you want. I found it easiest to make every character capable of fufilling any role.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

I defeated Ultima when my guys were at level 60. And I didn't use White Masks either.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Here's what I did: I put on some Mirror Mail and an Opal Ring on my healer, (just in case I took damage, and to cast Hastega) and then went and hid behind the rock on the south side of the map and cast magicks on Fafnir until he died. He can't follow you back there and attack physically, and his magicks will bounce off of you and harm his own dumb self.

Double Post:

Spoiler:

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One peculiar thing I noticed, was that the Occuria were positively seething with it. Could they be the source?

Awesome, someone else noticed. I've been wondering about that very phenomenon myself. My theory is that, being purely spiritual beings, the Occuria do not have any real physical substance, so they must create manifestations for others to be able to view them. Possibly, the power required to do this creates an excess of magical energy in the area around the manifestation. Or, the very presence of the Occuria's spirit in that area is so powerful that it disturbs the Mist.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.