[PS2] Final Fantasy XII

I offed the undead dragon/wyrm at the entrance to the Pharos using that method, MS. Had mirror mail on two of my guys and a ruby ring on the third. One of the mirror mails had an opal ring and kept everyone healed, faithed, and hasted, and the other two continuously cast Curaja on the team. Hit the guy for 6500-9999 damage three times each and he dropped in under two minutes.

Finished the Pharos. That was way longer than I had expected, but at the same time a lot easier. I was expecting it to really tax my abilities, but instead it just taxed my patience. :P Is there anything I really should have found in there that I might have missed? I think I only came across 3 or 4 chests with nothing of serious value, and I will be going back in to get the 2nd Ascent map.

Storyline spoilers:

Spoiler:

I loved the interactions and the storyline for this section! I don't know why I didn't connect Reddas into everything - I guess my mind was on autopilot and I didn't stop to consider how he must have been involved in the past. His end was very impressive, though the mourning was briefer than I would have anticipated from a Final Fantasy game. No city-wide funeral service?

The conniving aspects of Doctor Cid, the Empire, Rozarria, and everything seems pretty spot-on. I'm constantly impressed by the intricacies of the political situation they created, and I can't see how everything will be worked out to a point where a sequel wouldn't be clamored for. Obviously I have yet to see the end of the game, but I anticipate them leaving plenty of room for a good sequel.

Also really looking forward to using the spells I've finally been able to pick up. <3 Still have to grab Ardor, Renew, and Scathe.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Spoiler:

I was wondering about there still being some of the tower left, myself. Perhaps because it was cut by a sword meant to cut it, rather than just exploding? As I recall, the shards were used on purpose and ended up expelling energy in a manner...intended? That's not right, but you know what I mean. With the Sun-Cryst being forcefully destroyed, perhaps the energy didn't pool or expand quite the same way. Or there's the fact that the tower was probably built by the what's-their-faces, which could mean better construction and less likelihood to disintegrate when hit by nethicite forces, but whatever.

What sometimes bothers me is the fact that some of these formerly-inhabited places are obviously not built for any sort of habitation. We can assume that the Pharos was built for the purpose of housing the Sun-Cryst, which excuses the odd layout, but the Necrohol was supposed to be a castle, and doesn't look anything like one in layout. Another oh well.

I completely agree about the voice acting. Fantastic work, and the interactions between the characters are spot on. I wonder if they had them record their lines in the same booth or if they did everything individually. Likely individual, since that's traditional, but the interplay is very smart.

I got the Circlet and the Dueling Mask, and I got a Zeus Mace off of an enemy at some point. (One of the...Bunes, is it?...dropped a Gungnir for me. I haven't had a spear-user yet, but I'm tempted just to try it out.)

Setting up a gambit system to utilize the little trick there would be very interesting. I had the double damage-spellcasters because it was a boss battle, but in a normal fight it would be very effective to just have the one, I would think.

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

Originally Posted by PiccoloNamek

What I'm wondering is

Spoiler:

If the Occuria are so powerful, why did they need Nethicite to control the world? We can see by the way that Venat manhandled Gabranth and powered up Vayne that they're certainly no weaklings, plus, they're immortal, so why not just move in and take over? Are they afraid? Or do they have some kind of hidden weakness? Perhaps they're really not that strong at all? For all we know, they may not even be gods at all, but posers.

Spoiler:

My understanding is that they don't directly meddle as a general rule. The nethicite is a gift of power to those who they choose to maintain rule. Venat's chucking Gabranth around is in direct conflict with the methods of the main circle of the Occuria, from all appearances, much how all of his interactions have been to the point that I'm at. The fact that they lost 'control' and that Ashe ends up in direct communication with them (without having to send a summons or anything, either) shows that things are at least sorta going their way. I don't think they're trying to 'take over,' per se, though I have yet to finish the game and might be missing some important pieces of the puzzle.

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

Deadlands are up through the Salikawood. If you don't have Bubble, Faith, or Bravery, you might not have access to it yet. I can't remember for sure. At any rate, you have to plow through the Salikawoods (not too bad) and defeat the bomb boss that shows up in order to gain access to the Deadlands. The Dead Bones are in a 'secret' area off the NW part of the Slumbermead area. Follow it along to the Overlooking Eternity area to get to the Dead Bones. If you're not in a high enough level they'll likely wipe the floor with you, though, because a lot of them can spawn at once. This is a good leveling tactic mostly for the higher levels.

I was speaking idiomatically.

According to GameFAQs, the "Ithuno" mob has it to be stolen. Appears as though it's a silver-colored rare game mimic-type monster. Found the info here. Just search for Deathbringer.

Got the three medallions, got Cúchulainn, and levelled my guys to about 62 average this morning. How levelled should I be if I want to take on the Necrohol nasties that the medallions uncover?

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Aight, I'm going to go try out these bad boys, then. I'll save before I take on Chaos and try out our new little trick. Hope for the best. I hate losing, even if it's on an experimental fight to see what I'm up against. It's the perfectionist in me. :P

FELIPE NO

Went off and got Exodus. Easy battle. Fought the Humbaba Mistant with no trouble whatsoever, too, but I'm so dead tired right now that I was literally falling asleep while roaming the Necrohol. Needless to say, I'm done gaming for the night and will have to take it up with Chaos again in the morning. Didn't think to try Reflect>Death on anyone, but I might have to try it if no one confirms it before then.

Oh, what is the best way to get rid of Stop, Immobilize, or Disable? Are Remedies the only way?

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

So no spells. Drat. (I guess that's what I really wanted to know)

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Not really, I just hate using consumables on status effects in general. It took me 30 hours of gameplay having Cleanse to realize that that's the way to rid myself of Disease, but I'm kinda peeved that I haven't found a spell to get rid of Stop, especially. You'd think that if Esuna didn't work that Haste would, but 'tisn't true. Oh well.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Fury was a cinch. Chaos wasn't too bad. I forgot to steal from him, so I hope I didn't miss anything crucial. I used our little trick, and it would have been more effective to have had two Opal Rings with two healer/buffers, but I only had the one, so I made do. The most frustrating things were getting rid of silence and the time it took for Scathe to hit. Did wonders against Chaos once I took out his elemental buddies, though. Also wasn't ready for Fearga, and ended up having to use a Hi-Ether to get my healer's MP back up to an effective level.

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

For that reason I haven't let it slip to the idiots at one of the other forums I check up on. All they talk about in an entire FFXII forum is what their favorite character is, and every other person asks why guns have such low attack power. Every fourth post is someone explaining that it cuts through defense, but no one listens. They don't deserve triple-casting.

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

Oh, here's a question. The Mandragora royalty that you take out shows up in the Bestiary saying that you still need 14 of each, or something like that. Do we know where to find them again so we can unlock that part of the Bestiary?

I was speaking idiomatically.

Antlion raped me the first time I tried because I wasn't ready for the hordes of underlings surrounding him. Second time was a breeze, though.

I feel like I've been a Knight of the Round forever, and I'm not looking any closer to Order of Ambrosia. And my brother has commandeered the basement with his friends for the night, so no more FFXII playing for me. Double .

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Both are off the northern part of the Salikawood: the Necrohol to the west and the Deadlands to the north. Go through the walkway next to the orange crystal, where you should have battled the Bomb King.

Necrohol has no save points, Deadlands has one at the very beginning and one halfway through, or so.

FELIPE NO

I never use axes because they're never consistent enough to any degree. I'd much rather vary my weapons across all my characters. And I would ignore the attack power rating and base your weapons decision on actual damage caused in battle, if you're going to equip statistician-like. To do otherwise is not only ineffective, it's rather ignorant.

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

Are you one of the types that does all axes across the board because the attack power looks higher? I've met quite a few people online who do that because they don't understand how the weapons system works.

Damage from Swords is determined by strength; find your strongest characters and equip them with swords. I have 3 people using swords, personally. If you're near the end, you can buy Stoneblade or Deathbringer, both of which are good, or you can go the two-handed sword route, which means more attack power but less defense, as you don't get a shield. Unless you use Defender, which is a fairly decent alternative.

Daggers' damage is determined by a combination of strength and speed, but I've never found them to be as effective as swords, except perhaps because you can attack faster.

Axes and hammers are based on strength, vitality, and the weapon's attack rating, I guess, but they're inconsistent - they will deal damage within a large range, so they can hit really hard or hardly at all. I stopped using them shortly after discovering them.

Maces are like the axes and hammers, but factor in magic power. I haven't really figured them out, but supposedly they're for supporting characters.

Measures are for giving positive status effects to your characters. Best used if you really have to keep a certain buff on your characters for a single battle, or if you have a completely devoted spellcaster. Then you have to make sure that your gambits are set correctly, too. I personally have never once used a measure.

Damage from Katanas is based on strength, magic power, and the weapon's attack power, and is far more consistent than the mace. Plus, the Katana combos better than almost any other weapon (it's possible poles do more, but I haven't compared them directly?). Someone with good strength and magic power does well with a katana, and when paired off with Genji Gloves (stolen from the first Gilgamesh battle) it's a serious combo force.

Ninja swords have better combos than Katanas, and instead of factoring in magic power factors in speed. Also does well with the Genji Gloves, and damage is significantly increased when paired with the Cat-Ear Hood.

Spears are an alternate to swords, with damage based on strength and attack power. For variety's sake, I try not to have more than 3 people with swords/spears.

Poles have a high combo rate and damage is also based on strength and attack power, BUT rather than factor in the enemy's defense, it factors in magic defense. Kinda tricky, but good if you use them correctly.

Rods up your magic power, but damage is still based on strength/attack power. Basically for use with a magic user that you want boosted, and who won't be doing too much physical attacking.

Staves (staff) increase magic power AND gives a bonus to spells cast with the same element as the staff. Damage is based on strength, magic power, and attack power.

Bow damage is figured out from strength and speed, plus the arrow's attack power. It's ranged, and it's also affected by the weather on the screen. Good for a fast character, and watch for defense since bows don't increase evasion.

Crossbows are good because they rarely miss, and the bolts inflict really decent status ailments. They're not terribly strong, though. Damage is determined by strength and attack power.

Guns attack slowly, but have a 100% accuracy rate. Damage is determined by strength and attack power BUT it's also piercing, so it ignores defense. Therefore you basically have to ignore the attack power, because it's stronger than it looks. My Balthier does almost as much damage as my strongest sword guys, and he never misses.

Hand-bombs do damage based on strength and attack power, as well as vitality. They are very innconsistent, though, and I never use them because of that.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

So what this means is that since I use all 6 characters and like balance, I've got 3 sword/spears, 1 katana, 1 bow, and 1 gun.

With your team, you want to ditch the axes altogether, and probably give one of your characters a gun for ranged attack, one (or two) a sword, and one a katana (or not). Whoever has the best magic would use the katana (you'll like it for the combos), and whoever has the best strength would probably use the sword. Whoever's left gets the gun.

Save the Queen is a 2-handed weapon (it says 2H on the bottom - katana is the same way), so you can never equip a shield. It's the price you pay for a strong weapon.

Genji Armor is stolen from the 2nd Gilgamesh battle when he is on his last 20% of health. That is (as far as I know) the only way to obtain it.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Yeah, lack of high-level water and any earth spells is pretty disappointing. I was waiting for quake before I realized that it wasn't on the license board. The Nihopaolioahe thing is the one that reverses the effect of curative effects - so if the character with it equipped uses a Remedy on an enemy, every status affliction that Remedy typically cures will now be his.

EDIT: owned.

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

Sweet. That's one seriously full den. Good work. I doubt I'll be dedicated enough to do that myself, but major props to you.

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

That's the sort of question you should be asking in a place other than the FF12 thread, then. I was wondering if that's what you meant, and let this play out as it has out of sheer curiosity. If you want to know about the geographical makeup of members of the board, make a thread about it in General Discussion! I don't think we've had one for a while. Plus bobo (the forum owner) has a thread about posting when English isn't your first language in the Community Commons, which would deal with part of your second question.

For the record, I'm an American that can speak 2 languages. And on that note, we resume our discussion of FF12.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Who said anything about racism?

Didn't Cuchulainn's cause Disable? I can't remember. I wish you'd asked this question a few days ago when I beat (the pitiful) Zeromus. I forgot he even existed, then stumbled upon him and kicked his trash. ^_^

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Gilgamesh is a PAIN. Like I said earlier, it took me over an hour and a half to beat him down. Avoiding levels divisible by 2 or 3 is the most important - if I recall, the level 5 spell is Break, which only inflicts a slow petrify that's easy enough to get rid of. The confuse and sleep were the most annoying to me. True, you can use accessories to protect against it, but I liked being able to have other accessories on the few people I had that weren't affected by his lame spells.

When you fight him, take out Enkidu first, because he hits hard and fast. Don't bother stealing from the first 3 phases of Gilgamesh, either. It doesn't yield anything worth the trouble. Wait until he's down to 40% and starts giving up the Genji junk. Then you'll probably want to keep your guys bubbled and protectga-d, because Gilgamesh has some nasty attacks that can lop upwards of 6000 damage off a single character, and some that take 3-4000 off of a group in proximity. He's not a nice man.

FELIPE NO

Well, he's not quite that hard - I beat him with my guys hovering around level 60, and despite the time issue it wasn't horribly hard as much as frustrating and time-consuming.

Most amazing jew boots

Above the post he put up, MS. A message has been sent. Carry on.

Again, you must have superhuman patience - I don't think I'll be able to spend an hour+ just trying to get one chest to spawn.

How ya doing, buddy?

I suppose it's either that, or you have a superhuman level of OCD and have to get everything in order to put the game down.

There's nowhere I can't reach.