[PS2] Final Fantasy XII

I read that widescreen functionality was added to the NA version. If it wasn't in the Japan release, does that mean the FMVs are still in 4:3 or did they re-render them in 16:9 for NA?

Are there any other added features to the NA version?

Also, if the last boss isn't too hard, are there secret bosses like Omega/Ruby/Emerald Weapon? Sephiroth and [insert last boss for FFX] posed no threats to my characters, but those Weapons and Monster Arena bosses were tough.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Can't wait to pick up my LE game/guide tomorrow. While searching for reviews I found this interesting pic:

Can anyone explain this? Is it a joke or an homage. I know FFXII is in the same world as FFTA but I thought they were unrelated. And for the game to switch to the FFTA style, there has to be a reason. If it is a major spoiler then I guess I will have to find out on my own when I play the game. Otherwise, I am curious has to how this game relates to the previous ones if at all.

And just in case my direct link doesn't work, here is the picture on the website:
http://media.ps2.ign.com/media/488/4...g_4030546.html

How ya doing, buddy?

Did anyone else do the Zodiac Spear run? I just ran it last night at level 35 and it changed everything. It's fun being half-way through the game and having the most powerful weapon in the game (or so I read).

When you first get to Salikawood, if you have done everything correct (not opening 3 specific chests, the 4th being in an area you haven't visited) you will have access to the Necrohol of Nabudis. The monsters here will kill you in one or two hits, but luckily they are pretty slow. If you just "flee" the entire time, you can run through the area straight to the chest that contains the Zodiac Spear and then run away again. If you have been using Golden Amulets, getting the 235 LP needed to use the weapon shouldn't be too hard. My Vaan went from 1000 hp damage per hit to 3000-4000 damage and twice as much when berserk. Should help with all extra Espers and hunts at this point. If you are spending a lot time leveling up before this point, just skip it and try to get to Salikawood ASAP because the weapon will change more than grinding levels will.

It is choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend it

How ya doing, buddy?

One thing that helped me was platinum armor. I tried to do the antlion hunt, which gives you a key to the Lhusa mines. The antlion slaughtered me instantly, but luckily some of the enemies I killed before him gave me some good drops. When I sold them to the bazaar, I received a set of Platinum Armor. It cost an arm and a leg, but my Vaan gained 20 armor points which was enough to keep me alive in the Necrohol of Nabudis.

Also, buy the the forgotten grimoires ASAP (or at least the cheapest 3). They are very easy to earn in the bazaar (talk to merchants 100 times, etc) and you can usually earn enough to buy them after 2-3 hunts. I got them early on instead of upgrading my weapons/armor/magic and the drops I started getting were phenomenal. Even level 4 enemies would drop expensive items, and the better items they drop, the better bazaar items you can buy before they would be normally available in the game!

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

Originally Posted by Dark Nation

Can you elaborate a bit on the "Talking to Merchants 100 times, etc.," to get the Grimeores, because one I see would go for 18k Gil, and I can't afford to gain all of that for one item. ... or would this be something covered in the FFXII Gamefaqs section?

Page 291, where it talks about Bazaar packages. It even says to buy these instead of upgrading, and it is right. This "one item" will make your drops so much better you will gain money quicker and thereby upgrade quicker as well. I bought the three cheapest so far and in the last two hours have amassed 60,000 gil just by doing hunts in areas with easy enemies.

Originally Posted by TheXeno

he guy from lowtown said he hid the leaf under a cactus in the dead end part of West Rabanasture,

This is confusing as there are two dead ends. I thought it was in the first, and I assume that is what you are doing as well. The dead end he is talking about is in the westmost area of the plains. After you leave Rabanasture, head west to the next area, then south, the west (past the cave entrace), the next area should be the last area but you are in a seperate southern part of it. There will be three cacti there you can check.

EDIT: Meant to say this earlier, but do NOT try to complete this mission if you can't easily handle rank V hunts. The monster in the windy area is extremely difficult (for the point in the game he is available) and you can't run away. I tried to fight him in my early 20 levels and was butchered. This is the only time I've "Game Over"ed in the entire game and I lost 2 hours worth of work. Needless to say I've leveled up to 44, got the Zodiac Spear, and am going to take out some serious revenge on the boss tonight.

Plus, I don't even think you get anything for beating him. The "reward" is the boss itself.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by kharaalaik

im doing some hunts, anyone know how hard it is to face the tortoise in the giza plains during the rains?

It is much easier when you have dispel. I fought him once at level 20ish and he was tough but I could stay alive. He casted protect and shell (I think) towards the end and I eventually ran out of MP and potions before I could kill him. I then played another few hours of the actual storyline and got dispel in the next town. After that he was pretty easy. Just don't use an icebrand sword against him.

Double Post:

Originally Posted by MetheGelfling

... I'm trying to open every slot on the board with every character. I ended up wasting all my cash on Gold Armor as soon as I got back to Rabanastre though, and now I'm off to hunt as many marks as I can before they get too difficult as well as kill a million baddies in Giza now that the dudes down there are worth killing.

I did the same thing in the Sandsea. But from my experience, if you play just a few more hours into the storyline you will have access to Gold Amulets which make LP leveling so much faster. And instead of spending the money on armor, etc, buy the forgotten grimoires from the bazaar (to get them, read the hunt board 40x, talk to magic/weapon/armor dealers 30x, just talk to merchants over and over until they appear). Golden Amulets and Grimoires will speed up the game and remove the need to grind areas like the Sandsea.

Once I got the +500 and swiftness licenses, my next goal was to get every character 3 quickenings. Doing this makes hunts much easier, plus it triples the amount of MP everyone has. If you just finished the Demonwall area and you are at level 30 with Vaan, try hunting the marks in the sewers of Rabanastre. They are rank V when most are only rank III. By killing marks at higher ranks than you should be capable of killing, you earn weapons/armor that you normally wouldn't get until much later in the game. And if you killed the optional Demonwall, you should have earned the Demonsabre (or something like it) which should double Vaan's attack power.

I just arrived at Phon Coast and each of my characters has 1000 LP to spend and I don't really care to spend them as they won't affect me. Once you have all of the augments magick/technicks, excess LP points are rather useless. Sure, you need to buy better armor licenses but you can easily get enough LP from casual playing to buy them. You don't have to grind an area.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by kharaalaik

i was reading on gameFAQs that there is this monster in the barheim passage that u can steal a deathbringer from. Anyone try it?

Wow, I did not know about this. I just opened up the passage last night and got the esper but I have yet to steal anything from any enemies in the game. Guess I better go back and try it. Thanks!

If you haven't already, pick up the Zodiac Spear and a bubble belt (from one of the hunts), it should help with the boss you mentioned. The optional esper in the shrine for the sword of kings was taking off 2000 hp from as well, but with a bubble belt a level 40 Vaan should have almost 5500 hp.

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by Dark Nation

Also, is there a reason why the Guns are so low in stats compared to the other weapons on sale... do they improve later on for the advanced Gun weapons? I like having a long-range powerful attacker and Baltheir with a Bowgun isn't quite that yet, hehe.

Yea, guns are great because they always hit, and their damage is not affected by armor, etc. They cause the same damage to a low level magic caster as they do a high level armored boss. Plus the character can attack from far away and be out of range of area effect spells. But they take twice as long to attack than a sword. Since armor/defense has no affect on the damage, the 4 points of attack you gain with each upgrade actually adds a lot to the damage.

One of my characters has used guns from the very beginning and I just cast berserk + haste on him. He was great against enemies who were 10 levels stronger than me and was a consistent damage dealer. Don't use him as much now though since I stole a few Deathbringers.

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

Originally Posted by Metal Sphere

Spoiler:

How do you beat the 1st Demon Wall?

Spoiler:

Luck.
Start with your Quickenings, the longer chain you can have the better you are. You may need to grind areas before this to get each character at least 1 quickening, if not then have your three starting characters with one. I only had 2 quickenings and I won at the last possible second, it was pure luck. After you use the quickening, quickly switch your characters out for others with a "full tank" of MP. Give your strongest character your strongest weapon, probably a 2 handed hammer at this point, then berserk him. Have everyone else attack as much as possible, only healing when necessary. Heal using potions so as they don't take up too much time.
If it gets near the end and the wall has 15% left, use ethers and use quickenings again. The secret to them is to keep resetting the slots (R2) until you have the option to use a quickening or a mist charge. Always use a mist charge if given the option. Immediately after you use it press the button again to automatically use that character's quickening. You only have 4 seconds to use as many quickenings as possible, so keep pressing R2 until you have the option to use a character's quickening. The timer at the bottom always picks up at the time it left off, it just starts from the right side and moves to the left. Therefore, it will move twice as fast when you have 2 seconds left than when you have 4 seconds left.
After this it is all luck. If you don't get a decent sized chain with your quickenings, or if the wall banishes your berserked character, you won't stand a chance.

@kharaalaik
As mentioned, 86 hours seems little slow. I just left the Phon Coast last night at 53 hours and my characters are 56, 50, 50, 48, 46, 46. If you want to level up your characters super fast, just play another hour to reach the big city. You can buy accessories there which will give you double exp. Also, try buying the Grimoires which are 18k, 19k, and 20k first. The 25k one doesn't help you out as much as those will. If you don't see them for sale yet, go talk to each type of merchant (magic, weapon, armor, hunt board) at least 40 times to make the grmoires appear. To get the 18k grimoire you need to talk to the clan bazaar guy in bazaar area Rabanastre after you finish one of the early hunts.

@Freelance

Spoiler:

They get the sword, and Ashe wants to use it on the nephacite to destroy it. She swings the sword at the nephacite but purposefully misses the it, stating they may need it in the future. She then sees the ghost of her husband but we don't know what he says. Vaan does not see the ghost this time (unlike earlier) and tells Ashe that. Everyone gives her a funny look and walks away

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Freelance Wolf

I can't find Dispel and Haste anywhere. Help? Someone said they could be found in Eruyt Village, but I went there and I saw nothing.

Dispel is in Nalbina, Haste is sold by the moogle in Eruyt and in Mt Bur after a specific story incident you have already seen. Remember to check all the merchants after major events in the game as they stock newer wares.

Quote:

Y'know, for someone who supposedly is supposed to be the lead, Vaan doesn't say much at all, other than his long speech at Jahara. Everyone else has more lines than him, it seems like.

Well, he speaks more than Cloud and Squall. Actually, the game seems to go more of a FF6 route with no characters being the main character. I like how each character is important to the story and not just thrown in at the last second. Vaan and Penelo's interactions make me smile every time, especially at the Phon Coast.

Quote:

P.S. I listened to some of the OST earlier today and damn, I didn't know there was a FFXII rendition of Battle on The Bridge. That's a FFV theme, isn't it?

Spoiler:

Yes it is. A certain character from that game (and later FF games) turns out to be a mark and you have a "Battle on a Bridge" with him. It is a lot of fun! I did find it odd that the LE DVD goes out of the way to point out this character in FF5, but never mentions Kefka, Sephiroth, or other more famous villians. It makes sense now.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

I suggest doing whatever hunts you have available now. Hunts earn you money pretty quick, give you new/better equipment to equip/sell, progress the (optional) storylines, and running through weak areas like Eastersand/Giza for a single strong mark will give you tons of LP since you can kill everything with one hit. Have one character only steal so you get double loot the entire time.

It beats running in circles in one area just to kill stuff. Because honestly, the equipment you buy at Mt. Bur (other than Golden Amulets) will only be sold once you get to Nalbina or the Highroad which won't take you too long to arrive. And then you will have to grind some more just to buy that stuff only to sell it and upgrade at the Phon Coast, then Archades, then x, then y, etc. You will learn that it is quicker to skip and upgrade every now an then because they come so quick and cost so much each time for diminishing returns. Especially since certain hunts give you better weapons/armor that you will not find something better for another 3 cities.

Get your three Quickenings for each character too. Make that high priority, even if you don't need the licenses you earn on the way. Once you have them all, even bosses 20 levels higher than you can fall without too much trouble. If you have the Demonsbane, try the sewers/waterway from the beginning of the game for exp. The enemies in there are probably 15 levels higher than you now, so they give great exp, super drops with the grimoires, and once you have your quickenings the rank 5 marks aren't too difficult even at low levels since you can easily get multiple +10 chains between the 6 characters. The common fiends won't be easy so treat each like a mini boss. There is always a save crystal a screen away to replenish you. After you beat them, try to Zal Caverns and get the optional esper. Or go to the Lhusa mines with the site 3 key (accept the antlion hunt) and kill those creature (avoid the antlion though). Killing these higher level enemies is also nice because the sometimes drop equipment that you couldn't buy for another 2-3 cities. Then move up the Highroad do the same there. Or get the key to the Barheim passage. The enemies there are super hard right now, but you can steal deathbringers from them which are the best swords in the game until the very end. The nice thing about the fighting system is you can flee from all of the enemies that can kill you instantly, and go straight to the enemies that you can steal the best items from and fight them as if they were a boss.

I my opinion, with so many sidequests and high level areas open to exploration at all times, you don't need to grind areas just to gain levels. By doing all the optional quests available at the time you will easily gain the levels and skills you need without running around just to kill stuff. When you run out of quests, progress the main storyline by an hour or so. That usually opens up even more areas/hunts for you. I was able to get to level 45 before I entered the Phon Coast, and that was only doing the sidequests. And I kick myself now, because if I had waited just a little longer, I could have bought double exp accessories and leveled up even more while doing those sidequests. The one time I can remember grinding for the sake of gaining levels was at the Yensa Sandsea.

But again, to each their own

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

Originally Posted by kharaalaik

Where can you buy the amulet for doubling XP? I think I found one that was loot off an enemy, but I cant seem to find where I can buy it anywhere.

They are sold in Archades.

@Metal Sphere
It took me 5 times to get the Demonsbane. I saved after defeating the wall, then opened the chest. If it was gil, I reloaded the game and tried again. Technically, the probability is 50% but it doesn't always happen that way.

As for the hunts:

Spoiler:

Try the Wrym first. He only comes out during sandstorms in the westernmost area, so enter and exit the area until it has sandstorms. Use the Belias esper you received as the Wrym can't hurt it. For a rank III the wrym was pretty tough since he has twice the hp of those rank Vs. Once you have the quickenings, try the mousse. It may seem impossible at first but after casting berserk on it and using quickening chains, its not so bad. Plus you get a really good bow for defeating it. Then try the Orthos. If everyone uses only Fira the fight will go very fast. Then try the Marilith. I didn't fight it until I was super overpowered so I don't know how hard it was. Blinding it helps, and then use the same techniques above.

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

Originally Posted by Metal Sphere

Whoa, Fira? None of the magick shops have the second level elemental spells in, does this mean I have to advance the story? Everything else is doable, since I Blind + Silence + Slow + Immobilize in mark battles, as well as having cast protect and shell before hand. Is level 37-40 good enough? I have no real way of figuring out what levels correspond with each mark level. Also, how do I get back down into the Waterway?

Fire should work, but the second level magicks are not that far from you storywise. I think they show up when you reach Nalbina which is the next stop after Mt. Bur (finish the Shrine first). To get in the waterway, you have to use the right (east) gate, the left one is locked. They are right across from each other. In the water room with all the exits, take the west exits and walk south (some steps are hidden from view) and go due south, then east until you reach the Mousse. The map is confusing but you will eventually memorize the area.

Level 37-40 is actually pretty high for where you are so it should be no problem. At those levels, I recommend advancing the story a little more so you can go to the Necrohol of Nabudis to the west of the Salikawood. The Elvorets there drop the penultimate heavy armor, and if you didn't open the 3 chests earlier in the game you can get the Zodiac Spear which is the strongest weapon in the game (+150). Otherwise stick to using Deathbringers from Barheim passage. After getting those weapons/armor, try getting the optional espers. At least 6 of them are open to you by the time you reach Phon Coast, although only 4 are really defeatable. You need to be in the 50-60 range for the other two.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by Metal Sphere

Are the monsters there unbearably difficult, since this sounds a bit too good to be true at level 40.

First of all, the demonsbane is more than worth it. If you save after killing the wall, the extra 20 or so minutes it takes to open the chest over and over are well worth doubling your attack power (although you may have better weapons than I did when I earned it) .

As for Nalbudis, the enemies are hard, but you can flee from the hardest ones witout too much trouble. The problem with the small guys is that they always come in packs of three and swarm you. Even if it looks like there is only one, two more will appear out of nowhere. But if you run deeper into the dungeon, you will find Elvorets (flying imps). Kill those and they will drop Maximillians when are the penultimate heavy armor in the game. Try chaining Elvorets as much as possible, and make sure you have the appropiate grimoire/monograph. They make the entire venture worth it (although the merchant which sells cheap Ethers is nice too). The Zodiac Spear is found in a chest only if you did not open 3 specific chests earlier in the game, with a fourth one being in the Phon Coast which you haven't visited yet. Unfortunately, those chests were very obvious and easy to open, so if you didn't know about them then chances are you did open them.

Quote:

BTW, can someone clarify the monograph situation?

From GameFaqs (not really spoilerish, just long):

Spoiler:

Here is a quick rundown, all of these items will appear as Forgotton
grimoires in the bazaar, after the talk to ones a message will pop up
saying that there is a new item in the bazaar:

18,000 gil = Hunter's Monograph = from Gatsly after you kill thextera
(increase good drops from Beasts and Avions)

22,000 gil = Scholar's Monograph = talk to armor merchant 20 times
(increase good drops from Constructs)

21,000 gil = Mage's Monograph = talk to magick merchant 30 times
(increase good drops from Fiends)

19,000 gil = Knight's Monograph = talk to weapon merchant 35 times
(increase good drops from Giants and Insects)

20,000 gil = Warmage's Monograph = read the hunt board 25 times
(increase good drops from Amorphs and undead)
(thanks to HydeReloaded for giving me the correct price)

22,000 gil = Dragoon's Monograph = read the hunt board 50 times
(increase good drops from Dragons and Plants)

25,000 gil = Sage's Monograph = talk to any merchant 100 times
(increase good drops from Elements)

250,000 gil = Canopic Jar = sell Phobos Glaze, Diemos Clay,
and Horakhty's Flame to any merchant for it to appear in the bazaar
(increase the chance that any enemy will drop an Arcana)

Shots and bolts are earned either through hunts, or selling specific loot and buying them from the bazaar. Although you won't know which items they are until you buy them. Any bazaar item which includes a bow and "nice thin bolts/arrows", etc., usually comes with one.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by seanne

Haha, you just wasted 250,000 man!

well, not completely wasted...:

...as by selling (lots of) Arcana you'll be able to "unlock" new stuff in the Bazaar. However, I'm not sure if you can "unlock" anything particularly useful. I know I never did =p

Don't think this is a spoiler, but oh well.

Spoiler:

You can earn the best sword in the game plus a bunch of other interesting items. You need to still do hunts because other necessary items are there, but the common element in all the high level bazaar items is Arcana. Getting the pot early speeds up the process, because in the end you probably need over 300 arcana (sold over time) to buy the good stuff. I don't know the specific numbers but it is pretty high. Plus, higher level enemies drop high arcana which does pay more in the bazaar.

Double Post:

Originally Posted by kharaalaik

Yea, after u get to Archades, u start diggin the game again. Its worth it to play through. Also, my characters are level ~50 now, and I went to fight the Gil Snapper, and I killed it, and I went to Nanau in the dry, and she wouldn't give me my money!! WTF! I spent so freakin' long trying to get to that pos.

Did you get the soggy letter during the rains? You have to go to the spot where the kids were standing first, pick up the letter, then go to her in the dry. Yes it is annoying...

FELIPE NO

It is in the same spot where the kids who gave you the hunt were in the rains, next to the save crystal (check the clan primer for it).

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

Originally Posted by Spatula

HELL YES.

I got to Ancient Egypt Stillshrine of Mblahblah. that's not the HELL YES part. When I fogut the three dragons all at the same time, I just did some quickenings, not expecting much, but then DAMN, my concurrence was the Black Hole. I think I got everyone to do all three levels of their attacks, ESPECIALLY the 3rd final attack, and that's what triggered it. DRAGONS BOW DOWN TO THE ADVENTURERS GREATER THAT YOU!

Black hole is awesome, I think you have to do nine level 3 quickenings before it shows up. I've only done it once in my 60 hours. And what are these 3 dragons everyone mentions? Are they optional? I don't remember them, but I have all of the extra Espers except the final one and I am pretty sure I fought the optional bosses but I don't remember any dragons.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Hachifusa

I'm really, really pissed about the Zodiac Spear. I hate when they throw in stuff like this. The weapons should be difficult to get, not something that punishes you for actually going through an opening every chest. I was being meticulous, and I was punished for it. Not good at all.

You weren't being punished. The Zodiac Spear is still available to you, you just have to wait towards the end of the game like you would for any high powered weapon. It can be found in one of the sidequests.

The whole "don't open 4 chests" idea is to tempt gamers. In the beginning you find out that if you don't open certain chests, a super powered weapon can be earned about mid-way through the game. You don't know which chests they are, so it is a temptation with every chest "Should I open this and possibly ruin my chance at this super weapon"? It makes the game tough because I was tempted to open a lot of chests but didn't because I wanted the weapon. I pretty much skipped every chest until that point.

Originally Posted by Hachifusa

I mean, the amount of time it takes to get from one place to another, to talk to someone, to go somewhere else, have your ass handed to you, grind for hours, go back and barely accomplish the task, go all the way back to the petitioner and get weapons that are already outdated? Barely worth it, nearly.

This is where I disagree. For the first time in a long time, I'm playing a Final Fantasy where I don't have to grind to gain levels. Many of the sidequests are fun and feel like an extension of the game. Most have their own storylines which are interwoven into the game as well, and if you want to can research those storylines even further. The amount of backstory and depth in the game is tremendous. I guess some of the sidequests need to be done in a certain order, as I have never been at a point in the game where no matter where I go story/sidequest-wise I feel underpowered. If I was doing a sidequest that was kicking my butt, I would move on to the next one and come back to the original later.

Overall I am just glad for all the sidequests available early on in the game. In previous game, I would have to grind in certain points in the game because I wasn't strong enough. MOst sidequests didn't open up until the end of the game. But in FFXII, I can go on sidequests as early as I like, get better weapons/armor earlier because of them, and be reasonably powered up when I decide to move on. I've been trying to do each sidequest as they become available, and last night I finally moved on with the story. It turns out the sidequests overpower, because I was able to kill on the enemies in 1 or 2 hits, and the bosses died in less than five seconds to a haste/berserk Vaan.

Anyways, every person will probably have a different experience with this game. For once, I am having a wonderful time the entire time and not having to worry about doing reptitive and mundane tasks for no purpose other than to eventually level up (fiend capture, anyone?).

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Does anyone have a list of the "lost forevers" for this game? I remember a few from the previous FF games, but I have yet to find a single important item/weapon/esper that you can't get at a later point in the game if you miss it earlier. There are some sidequests you can't do after certain points in the game, but they don't give you anything important. But even weapons like the Zodiac Spear can be found at the end of the game along with the other rare items. FF7 did something similar where all of the rare items you missed could be found through the "digging" sidequest at the end of the game.

As for the models, they are absolutely amazing. The rigging is most impressive with so many controls they included in the face. There were some scenes that I can't even tell if they are CG or in game, especially the "old guy" scene people have mentioned so far. You can have some amazing models but have horrible rigging and it ruins everything, but FFXII has superb models and rigs and it shows.

How ya doing, buddy?