[PS2] Final Fantasy XII

Originally Posted by Spatula

Yeah I'm quite crass and how shall we say, perverted? Yeah. You can come up with probably the most tame video game and I'll twist it. Oh wait, Katamari NOOOO!!!!!

At any rate, there's one place the SCARES THE SHIT outta me, and that's like the Wyrm Nest or something, just up north from the Westersand, I liked how I got scared when my mini map radar was all fuzzy shit and I was about level 10. So I just stook around there and there's this wind sand storm going on, and just in the distance you can see this MASSIVE HUEG XBOXED size Colossus or something in the background. Needless to say I hightailed it outta there. I'm guessing that's another big Wyrm boss or something.

Earth Tyrant.

Easy as hell. If you can go through the Zertinan Caverns with ease, you can beat him. Beware though, I found out that once you beat him and the Ring Wyrm, sandstorms become much rarer in the Dalmascan Westersand.

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

Originally Posted by Spatula

Why would that be a bad thing for less sandstorms? At least I don't have to worry about the stupid elementals.

You'll be stuck with a crappy greatsword for a long time if you're unable to get a Gnoma Entite to appear, let alone the Halcyon needed for the Ultima Blade.

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by Spatula

Wait, what. I've seen LOTs of those recently. There was one even in the Omir Sand Sea, and two during the sandstorm. What do I do with those!

Sandstorms in the Sandsea = Awesome. Especially when looking at them from the isolated platform that you can only acess via the Zertinan Caverns. What's even better is entering the Nam-Yensa during said storm on your way to get some Yensa fins only to find the half-invisible rare game Victanir idling near the Nam-Yensa entrance to the caverns. For a Shadonir derivation, it's really easy to off. Oh, make sure you steal Wargod's Band from it, as getting it from the Nabreus horsies is a pain.

I've never heard of Gnoma Entite spawning in those sandstorms, and they're simply the weather for that area. Now, I could be wrong as I just found out that Undin Entite sometimes spawns on the 50th floor of the Pharos. Who knew.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by Spatula

So basically you steal from the damn things, I see.

Don't just steal them, kill them too. Good experience and you'll increase the chance of actually getting a Halycon/Feystone.

Quote:

How about I just steal what I run and run the hell away. Does the aggro reset if you leave the map, or even the whole dungeon and go to a town? So basically they have awesome equipment am I right? The regular elementals at 14000 hp are a cinch now, but I haven't fought the 45000 hp elementals, damn those giant things man! Scare the shit outta me!

Awesome equipment? Not really, they're actualy really easy. Throw Shellga up, use Rose Corsages to negate their silencega spamming and you've won.

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by Spatula

What does a Halycon / Feystone do? Wow, I have lots to learn.

Feystones are for High Arcanas (Tournesol), Halcyons are for assorted weapons. They're often used to make either the ultimate or penultimate weapon of each class. Some don't even use halcyons though, so that's a relief.

Quote:

In other related news, I think the FF guide is crap. Honestly. There's one hunt in the guide book - Atomos, which is in the Mos Highlands, however the map is of the Estersand. Talk about shoddy job at editing. Not just that, but there are numerous typos and such, even look at the Patient in the Desert quest with all the ??? as placeholders that the editors forgot to fill in to reference to the proper pages. Yeah, and now two of my pages of completely fell out! Not that I'm abusing my precious LE guide!

Damn, sounds like a mess. I've been using sephirothguy and shotgunnova's guides (mostly the former) couple with the rare game guide and the maps. Often, these are better resources than the guides but not as convenient.

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by Drex

Yeah, playing at home rather than on my GameBridge at school, I find myself wanting to get the official guide for convenience's sake, but I'm too much of a cheapskate. With the GameBridge I'd just have the game going on my upper monitor and GameFAQs open on the lower screen.

I think I'm going to head off to Nabudis for essentially the first time today.

If you're far enough into the game, make sure you get some Cameo belts, since the Elvorets and Bakanamy like to parry endlessly (and will do so if given the chance). Once you throw that on, it'll either happen very rarely or not at all. Of course, at low levels, the best thing you can do there is put on Bubble Belts unless you want to be killed off by Red/Blue fang usage.

The warlocks, while rare, are pretty easy to manage. Babils are also a breeze, and if you can, dispel their buffs. If this is your first time, don't try to kill every enemy on the maps, especially not in the Cloister of the Highborn map. I checked and 3 Oversouls spawn there simply by killing a good number of monsters, since it's the largest map in the Necrohol, with three distinct areaas.

Just mentioned that, because I doubt you want to fight Helvinek your first time through.

Quote:

The bradygames guide would have been infinitely better if it had included all of the maps. It is conveniently missing the maps and treasure data from several places of interest, including the site 11 portion of Lhusu Mines, the western sections of Barheim Passage {sections that are opened once you get the Barheim key}, and the upper layer of the Great Crystal in Giruvegan. Surprisingly enough, however, it does have the full map and treasure data for the Henne Mines.

Russ, you're kidding me, right? The first one isn't that much of a loss, even though there's traps galore, but not having Barheim or Giruvegan's maps is just.... wow. Omitting the latter should almost be a crime due to how complicated/tiring that place is without one.

Edit: BTW, I count the map with Way Stone XIX/XVIII as being part of the one with Waystone XXI.

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

Originally Posted by Drex

I'll definitely have to take that into account, thanks. I'll probably just venture in a little at a time and remain near a save point while I get my feet wet, just to make sure I know what I'm getting into. I don't like dying.

Well, like russ said, there's no save crystals in the Necrohol. The nearest ones are at least 2 maps away from either exit from there. If you need to get out of a hairy situation quickly, try using phoenix downs/healing spells on the undead monsters to wipe them out quickly. Or switch your gambits to heal up early/exploit elemental weakness.

Oh and as I've said before, one Baknamy in one of the maps approaching the Deadlands likes to use Death the instance he de-cloaks himself.

If you're around 40-ish, you'll have problems as they're brutal well into the 70s/80s.

Quote:

Dead serious here. If it weren't for sephirosuy's Crystal Grande Upper Layer map, I wouldn't have even attempted going for Ultima. The guidebook tells you how to get to him, using sentences, as if that would do anyone any good. Using that guy's map, I easily made the trek through that complicated junk, even stopping for the Excaliber on my way to Ultima and had no problems at all.

Wow, the area that most needed a map and clear descriptions as to what you needed to do got skipped over. Sounds like the guide is only worth it for the artwork.

BTW, I'm still running back and forth down here trying to get my second Zodiac Escutcheon. Too good to be passed up, especially the better odds at this chest than the Barheim one. Maybe I'll go for Ensanguined, but retries are going to be long and ardous.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Wow, I did it. I managed to get a 2nd Zodiac Escutcheon. If I'm understanding how the Grand Crystal chest works, as long as I don't get a Brave Suit from that chest, I'll still be able to get more shields. While it takes a lot of back-and-forth, it's far easier than Barheim.

Oh, and the shield rocks. I finally figured out how to stablize the damage for Axes/Hammers/Handbombs. Just throw on things that increase vitality, like the Cat-Ear Hood.

I'm going to attempt to get Lu Shang's Badge again. Hopefully I can do it so I can get the Wyrmhero blade. Amazing how I leave the easiest part last.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Damn, I feel your pain. I remember when I started this minigame, I figured it'd be easier than the Yiazmat/Omega affairs. Unfortunately, while it isn't more difficult, it has them both beat in the "tedium" factor.

This little game alone makes the sword not worth it, and this is having known that is sucks beforehand.

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

Originally Posted by SOLDIER_2825

Yea I think I will have to postpone my efforts with the fishing for now, just to goddamn frustrating. So instead I went and fought King Behemoth. The fight took awhile because to make it fun I decided to turn off all my gambits aside from "foe nearest visable=attack". I must say that the 500,000 gil and the rod of faith extra reward definetley made it worth the while. But I am really getting pissed with the whole deathscytche hunt. Every time I have one character critical and the second almost there one of them dies, and when I res them there health is basically full and I have to start it all over. That too has made me want to go to my nearest animal shelter and punt kittens!!!

All you need to do is turn off all your gambits and manually knock down one of your characters' health. I did that with Vaan and Drain and it appeared the instant his health dipped into the red. Then I simply flicked my gambits on, and went to town. Beware though, he's one of those irritating hunts. Becomes physical immune somewhere along the line and then starts spamming Death for the remainder.

I figured out how to finish the fishing sidequest, so I'll do that and get the blade tommorow. During my wandering today, I went over to the Cerobi Steppe and got a Venetian Shield from one of the chests. Definitely a nice surprise, and a welcome one after doing these things today:

- 2nd Zodiac Escutcheon
- Larva Eater finally located (nowhere near Necrophobes...) and defeated, added to bestiary
- Crystal Knight located and defeated, stole Glimmering Robes before killing him and received the Skull Trophy. I made sure to take the robes, or else I would've missed them. Added to bestiary.

I'm going to see if my luck keeps up, so I'll try for the Ensanguined Shield down in Henne/Balfonheim/Feywood. Or maybe even... the fabled Zodiac Spear?

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

Originally Posted by SOLDIER_2825

Do you only need one person to have critical health or is it two? fuck this is pissing me off. Maybe I was misreading this before but doesn't the Esunaguined shield put negative status effects on you? Or was it the other way around?

Only one. The FAQ says two, but I only had Penelo drop Vaan's HP to critical and he popped up faster than a crackhead looking for their fix. Oh, and yes, the Ensanguined Shield does inflict status effects on you. If they can be negated with an equipped Ribbon, then you have an awesome shield on your hands.

I'm guessing that's the case, or else it severly cripples its usefulness.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by russ

It's my understanding that nothing can negate the negative statuses from the shield, so I assume just make sure your healing gambits are in place to keep the shield bearer healthy. Then just keep decoy on the shield bearer and you have a tank. Which, that setup would be pretty useless if you ask me, but hey, to each his own.

No, no you're right. If you can't somehow remove the status effects while you have the shield on, it's simply a crappy piece of equipment. 90% evasion isn't worth it when you've got to constantly heal Slow/Sap/Etc...

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by Rock

I'm currently exploring the upper layer of the Giruvegan Crystal. I didn't find any treasure chest tables, though. So where do I find the good stuff in there and do I have to equip that Diamond Armlet?

http://db.gamefaqs.com/console/ps2/f...ande_upper.png

Oh, go to Gamefaqs and get the Great Crystal/Crystal Grande map from there. The Zodiac Escutcheon/Brave Suit is behind the Taurus II gate, while the path to Omega is behind Taurus I. If you look at the map, you'll see that you need the Aquarius switch to be pushed in order to cross Aquarius I and get to the Taurus switch.

But, before you do that, make sure you do this: Open Virgo II, Capricorn II and Libra II. This way, when you're coming back from Aquarius and the timer is running, all you need to do is pass through Virgo II, pass the Libra switch and head through Capricorn II and then simply follow the map to the Aquarius I gate.

Like I mentioned before, trigger the Taurus switch and head to whichever gate you want to get through. Both of them can't be open at the same time, so if you're going for the Escutcheon/Brave Suit, you can't get to Way Stone XXI. That means you have to do the whole Aquarius -> Taurus thing just to open the gate again.

Quote:

Also, are the Henne Mines the only place to get Ribbons?

Nah, you can get one randomly down in the Pharos Subterra B3F (Abyssal).

Quote:

When going back to the Pharos's for the Ixion and Seer hunts do you have to go all the way through the maps again or is the elevator now working?

If you've already put the required number of black orbs in all the alters in each of the levels, all you'd need to do is defeat the Phoenix on the Umbra level and then head to the elevator and pick Unknown.

Edit: Oops, I forgot about the Excalibur. If you look at Map 2, it's the 2nd chest from the right, the one that's not behind a gate. The way there is pretty straightforward if you have the map. While you're in Map 2, keep an eye out for a Crusader enemy called Crystal Knight. If you've already joined the hunt club and you kill him, he's gone for good and you get the Skull Trophy. So make sure you steal Glimmering Robes from him, throw on Black/White Masks and/or Sage's Ring to absorb Shining Ray and Darkga.

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by Rock

So do I need a Diamond Armlet for these things (especially Excalibur)? What's the drop percentage? I'm already past map 2 and I'm pretty certain I only got one Gil out of that particular chest.

Ah, I forgot to mention that. You need to have the Diamond Armlet equipped for both of them. For the Zodiac Escutcheon/Brave Suit chest here's the stats:

- 50% appearance rate (I'm not sure about this, as it wasn't there far more often than it was)
- 50/50 split between the shield and armor when equipped with the Diamond Armlet
- You must have the Diamond Armlet on
- If you get a Brave Suit, you can't get any more Zodiac Escutcheons from the chest. The only other location being the Barheim Passage chest.

Here's the Excalibur chest info

- 50% appearance rate (This, I'm sure of, as I ended up with tons of gil before I finally got the sword)
- Must have Diamond Armlet equipped

Oh, and there's also a Ribbon chest in one of the Cerobi Maps. I believe it's on a hill in the Northsward map. Oh, and with all chests you have to keep trying. You'll know it's the right chest when the surrounding maps have Shadonir and the chest itself is right over a trap.

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

Originally Posted by PiccoloNamek

I got my Excalibur without a Diamond Armlet. In fact, the Diamond Armlet has gotten me more Knots of Rust from otherwise good chests than I received during the entire game before I bought the Armlet.

That's because it changes the drop rate of the chest. IIRC, it changes the rate to whatever it was to 90/10. 90 of the time, you'll get either one of the regular rewards, a knot of rust, low amounts of gil and the other 10% you get ungodly amounts of gil, higher-order items and the rarest stuff.

Oftentimes, that 10% rate for the rare stuff is higher than what it would've been otherwise. Some people get lucky and get the sword on their first try without the armlet, many more spend hours trying for it. It's essentially the "grimoire" for chests, as it sets a higher drop rate than what you'd normally be given.

Edit: Wow, I finally did it. The most irritating part of the fishing thing was definitely getting the Cactoid Compact. I fished forever before finally getting it. Secret Shoals was incredibly easy after all that practice, and all you need to do is fish perfectly once so you make the Cactoids gather around the fishing spot. You then receive the commendation and off you go to the Den of the River Lord. Memorize the combo and whittle his 9 "lives" down and you catch him and take Lu Shang's badge from his belly.

Here's the description for all three badges (spoiler tagged for those who enjoy earning and reading them):

Spoiler:

Godslayer's Badge - Badge awarded for slaying the most powerful creature of all time, the great Wyrmgod, Yiazmat. The mark of a true knight of Ivalice.

Omega Badge - Badge awarded for felling the legendary weapon, the Omega Mark XII, the sign of a true hero of Ivalice.

Lu Shang's Badge - A badge said to be handed down from the great angler Lu Shang himself. The mark of a true fisherman of Ivalice.

The last definitely doesn't seem as prestigious as the first two. BTW, anyone else enjoy Omega's death? That's all I can really remember after such a boring battle. In fact, the endless hordes of Forbidden on the way there had more of an impression on me than the actual boss.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Drex

Sick, all this manipulating odds and retrying save games is making me really dread moving on to later levels of the game.

So I went through the Nabreus areas and all the accessible areas of the Necrohol today. Started out with my guys averaged at about level 49 and ended up with the average around 53. Didn't really have an issue with anything, although some of the level VI hunts were bothersome for a while. I was expecting more to be down there, but I guess I have to wait until I can open those doors. Not much stopping me from ridding myself of Reddas now. :/

Eh, don't worry about it. Only if folks want the very best or are striving for completion will bother with all that, since you can beat the game very easily at the levels you were at when you entered the Necrohol.

Don't get rid of him just yet, since he makes the hunts somewhat easier (and unless you're going for a challenge, this is a good thing). If you need to poach/steal just petrify him or something so he'll stay out of the way.

Here's some shots of some big-wig monsters:







Shot of the loot used to make the Wyrmhero Blade, and impressions of the weapon after:



Remember PN's look at the sword a few posts back? You have no idea how right he is. The sword, even with Cat-Ear Hood and Haste buffing the character, takes forever to to use. With Vaan equipped with the Excalibur/Durandal and Balthier with the Tournesol, Penelo never even gets to use the sword.

What happens when they do manage to swing and damage an enemy? An ungodly SNES-like noise screams out of your speakers. I thought there was something wrong with the game, so I tried again, but it was still there. The same thing occurs when it's used to block attacks. My conclusion:

This sword is not meant for melee characters.

I went and threw on Lordly Robes, Circlet and some magic-accuracy+ accessory/Sage's Ring/Gauntlet on along with the sword and set Penelo's gambits to spell casting, buffing, etc... It works very well like a giant staff, with the Bravery+Faith status it gives upon equip. Magic isn't affected by the sword's pathetic speed, you gain a very nice status (no buff refreshing), 50% blocking (more if you equip the Gauntlets) and very high physical attack power if you're forced to use it like that.

Worth it for fighters? No, stick with a Durandal+Zodiac Escutcheon for the best offensive+defensive setup in the game or the Tournesol/Excalibur for pure offense.

Worth it for mages? Hell yeah, it'll bump their attack power even higher. Unfortunately, it still doesn't help that the higher level magic somewhat slow.

Most amazing jew boots

Originally Posted by Drex

I'll have to take a look, but I think I've only got 3 or 4 more hunts to go before I'm done with all the ones that can be had before I off Reddas, so yeah, I guess I'll finish those ones up and move on. He's stuck with horrible HP in level 50, so I find myself mending him half the time in large battles. He's was a good target for all of the Oversouls' Annuls, though.

Whoa, I guess it was because I was a pretty high level when he joined, so the enemies weren't catching up to him like they are to your Reddas. In that case, off him unless you want to use him as a decoy.

Quote:

Those shots are pretty sweet. Did all y'all involved with the bestiary/compendium/whatever you were going to call it find someone with a GameBridge to help you out on screenshots yet?

Oh, I'm not involved with the whole bestiary thing. If those who are doing it (IIRC, Freelance + Cobalt) want any help, I'll be happy to join in. I just took the shots after getting the loot and to test out my new webcame. Also, some folks are probably interested in seeing what some of FFXII's brutes look like.

What's Gamebridge, btw?

Originally Posted by PiccoloNamek

Haha! You too? I could have sworn the game's sound engine had crashed when I hear that sound.

Yeah, it definitely sent me for a loop. It got me up off the couch to check if my three year old PS2 was kicking the bucket. Luckily that wasn't the case, because I'm still not done with FFXII.

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

Originally Posted by Drex

GameBridge is a USB device that lets you run gaming systems that use audio-visual cables and/or S-video cables to connect. When I'm at school, I typically run my PS2 through to my monitor and have GameFAQs or Gamingforce open on my laptop screen, and multitask. It allows for easy screenshots, and I know they were looking for some way to get good screenshots, but that's the last I heard of it. Mostly just curious how everything was getting along with that.

Damn, that sounds pretty convenient. I'd give it a try, but my current setup is already rather complicated and I noticed that you excluded component cables from the listed methods of PS2->monitor connection. First I've heard of it anyway, care to link me to their site? I would love to have something like that handy.

Quote:

Upon checking the mark hunting faq, I still have Gilgamesh, Piscodaemon, Carrot, Fafnir, Catoblepas, and Behemoth King as options before Pharos. I think. My PS2 is hooked up in my basement and I'm too lazy to go check. We'll see how many of those I get through tomorrow. I have a sneaking suspicion my gaming time will be greatly reduced by family activities.

Heh, not far off from Yiazmat. Of course, if you attempt rank VIIs at the levels you're at now, you're going to have a bit of trouble. Definitely ditch Reddas during those (even though there aren't that many). Carrot might be a pain for you, Fafnir and Behemoth King are on completely different levels than most of the other hunts (these are like mini-Yiazmat/Hellwyrm battles). Enjoy the holidays though, you can get back to the game anytime.

Quote:

In order for me to reach the Seer mark I have to activate the pedistals in the subterra? does that sound right or am I missing something here? I thought you had to fight the other mini-bosses?

In order to reach the Unknown level where you fight the Shadowseer, you need to:

• Defeat the Phoenix in one of the rooms on the Umbra level (B1F)
• Give each altar on each floor the required number of black orbs. There's several guides that tell you what amount pertains to which altar.

Tip: To make orb-gathering easier, don't pick up the black orbs left behind by enemies. Yes, you read right. If you leave them alone, they flash and begin to move towards the massive black orb somewhere on your floor. Keep killing enemies by going around the floor, from area to area and then go find the massive orb. It will have absorbed all the black orbs that you didn't pick up. This makes advancing down to Unknown very easy.

Quote:

Shit, are you kidding me, so you need 168 black orbs just to get to the fucker?????

Using the above method, you'll have that in no time. The enemies often force a Necrofiend spawn after they die, and those almost always leave an orb behind.

Quote:

On a brighter note though I finally got the cactoid compact! Only took me ohhhh about 5 hours!! Although it doesn't sound like it's all that worth it.....

Damn, I feel bad. Remember, you have to fish perfectly in order to get a chance at getting it. Once you nail it, the rest is actually very easy (especially hidden shoals). Too bad the Wyrmhero Blade is little more than a glorified staff.

Edit: Hmmm, I think there may be a way around the blade's abysmal speed. Couldn't you simply set the Foe: Nearest [Telekinesis] gambit? It'd still be slower than a standard physical attack, but you'd still be making some use of the 130 attack power.

Most amazing jew boots

Originally Posted by SOLDIER_2825

Do you still get the black orbs from the first ascent? I walked around there fighting for god knows how long and not a single black orb was dropped?

You only get black orbs from the Pharos Subterra levels. In other words, only the basement areas have enemies that leave orbs behind.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by JackyBoy

Ugh. Figured I would deviate from the main story and do some hunts and start on some side quests last night and apparently it looks like I just screwed myself. Again. It looks like I won't be able to finish Patient in the Desert which means I can't get the Barheim key which means I can't get Zalera since I already sold the serpentskin.

Damn, where is this misunderstanding stemming from? Not having the serpentskin only changes the item you get as a reward, you still get the Barheim Passage key regardless is you sold the skin or not. I sold it, and did the sidequest later on and got the key without a hitch.

Quote:

I'm at the point now where it would probably be better to just wrap up the game and start over. I have about 60 hours clocked in with my main group at level 50 and next stop is Giruvegan.

Whoa, start over? Why? Did you miss the Zodiac Spear or Genji Gloves? Those, IMO, are the only two items that one would restart the game for. You've got quite a ways to go before the game is over though.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by Karasu

Lol, not to change subjects but DAMN Metal Sphere...if thats the TV you use to play Ace Combat on, I am floored. How I would love to play that game on THAT screen, hahaha.

Heh, I'm glad you like it. I picked it precisely because it's one of the better rear projectors out there and handles SD-anything like a champ. It's also nice that it makes a fantastic monitor for DualView.

Quote:

I'm so bad though...I stopped playing XII, I haven't touched it in days.

Heh, I'm the one that should take a break from the game. I'm up to 249 hours now and 4.2 million gil.

Quote:

Sorry, yes. I read the quest again. My confusion came from the book saying, Complete the hunt and give the skin to Dantro's wife. When I read I interpret things very matter of fact. Since I no longer have the skin I just assumed that meant I could not complete that step and carry on with the quest. I study logic in my spare time if that's any excuse so I tend to pick sentences apart for their individual meaning instead of looking at the whole passage. Maybe I'm not as bad off as I thought. I was two hours in the game when I realized I missed the zodiac spear but decided to keep going. As long as I can do all my hunts and esper gathering along with some of the side quests I should be happy.

You won't be disappointed, that's for sure. I've yet to go back to Archades and do yet another little sidequest there or check in on the Hunt club fans in the Grand Arcade for my Zodiac gem rewards. This game is ridiculously packed with things to do.

Last time I played an FF like this is was maybe FFVI/VII.

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by bighunt

My 3 main characters (Ashe, Basch, Balthier) are lvl 62 average. i still can't get through the Nabreus/Nechrol. i keep encountering some 99000hp ghost/spirit that kills me quickly. it's aggravating b/c i want to finish exploring the area especially for the Chaos sidequest.

Did you encounter this phantasm?? how'd ya kill the bastard?

Helvinek. 99,999 HP and loves to use status inducing spells along with some offensive magic. If you don't kill 6 Oversouls in the Necrohol, he won't appear. That's how you avoid him. Of course, that's hard to do when you have Bakanamy that deliberately engage your party and Elvorets with a massive detection range.

I just throw up the defensive suite, use the Nihoapaloa trick if I'm really trying to go all out, and take advantage of his vulnerability. Oh, and spam Expose for a few turns.

Quote:

Metal sphere: how do get that much gil? i have only 345,000 w/tons of loot, but i'm saving the loot to get the weapons/armor.

Using the Dead Bones to level, you get an ungodly amount of Ancient Bones + Blood Darkened-Bones. Throw in Dark Crystals, my running through high level areas repeatedly for rare items (hey there Wyrm Bones, Moon Rings and Ambrosia). Oh, and I rarely buy anything, so I save quite a bit of cash.

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

Originally Posted by Drex

Is that the warped nightmare thing you're talking about? He wasn't so bad. I think the reason I do alright and rarely have to raise my characters is that I have them smartly outfitted, I always make sure I have a good balance in my active team (typically two melee and one range/mage, though with Reddas I sometimes go for two range/mages), and I have everyone with haste, regen, and bravery or faith, plus protectga and shellga if I'm fighting a more difficult enemy. It's pretty rudimentary, but it hasn't failed me yet. Even venturing into the great crystal in level 42 I was able to get completely and hopelessly lost and still get out with my skin, along with plenty of decent loot items to boot.

Yeah, when I first encountered him, he was tricky, but not impossible. I found the Baknamy hordes to be more of a problem, due to their attack power and speed. Nice feat there with the Great Crystal at 42. How far did you wander in?

Jam it back in, in the dark.

The max chain amount in this game is 999, found that out while leveling B-Team from 77 to 99 way back. Bad news is that my PS2 croaked. It literally won't read anything. If anyone has any good resources that say how to fix this, I'd appreciate it.

Anyways, you can manage in Barheim easily in your late 30s/mid 40s. Of course it won't be a total cakewalk, but it'd definitely doable and you won't be near-death 50% of the time.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by Spatula

What model number is your PS2? Is it the fat one or slim one? I've had mine for 4 years now and haven't had any major hiccups, however, I wouldn't be surprised if it tanks out sooner or later. However, the 70000 series (thin ones) are pretty cheap now at about $130 CDN. And thanks for the tips for the Barheim Passage. Just as long as there's a save point RIGHT before the Death Seraph, I think I should be A-OK. I can just restart the game if the timer runs out. That's what I'm most concerned about, after reading the guidebook.

SCPH 39001. Yes, this is one of the models that doesn't have progressive DVD playback and it's closer to the 30001 series than the 50001 or 70000.

So should I attempt to fix it or just grab a new PS2?

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