OFFICIAL Final Fantasy XII thread

[Ma12kez]

Okay guys, I really need your help. I need to know if I'm screwed when it comes to getting into Barheim passage again.

I didn't know anything about this sidequest until a co-worker told me how great it was for leveling up. So I looked up on a few FAQS and I can even get past the first couple of steps. I already have the cactus flower, but Dantro's wife won't let me give it to her, since I'm a bit further into the game. All I can get her to say is "There's trouble on the North Bank, I'm sure of it. I wish Dantro were here, but I know he can't leave the post unwatched.".

When can I get the sidequest started again (if ever?).If this is the "Patient in the Desert" sidequest, in order to trigger the next event you have to talk to the kid on the shore near the boat. Hope that helps.

[Backlash]

Is there ever any reason to not sell all your loot (other than teleport stones)? Some of the stuff seems rare (e.g. things you get from hunts, like the Nidhogg pelt or whatever it was), but can it be used for anything other than selling to merchants?

[mykevermin]

Is there ever any reason to not sell all your loot (other than teleport stones)? Some of the stuff seems rare (e.g. things you get from hunts, like the Nidhogg pelt or whatever it was), but can it be used for anything other than selling to merchants?

Selling the items unlocks Bazaar items - other than teleport stones and gysahl greens, everything got sold by me.

[coltyhuxx]

Help.... don't know... if I can finish game....

So bored all of a sudden. All impetus behind the story gone. I don't even know *why* I'm supposed to tackle this last dungeon. To get some nethetice or some such?

Is this last dungeon going to have any cool bosses, surprises... a good ending to the game? ANYTHING?

what happened to the story after the first 1/3 of the game. minus the fran bit, there hasn't been much of any story at all....

[keithp]

Is there ever any reason to not sell all your loot (other than teleport stones)? Some of the stuff seems rare (e.g. things you get from hunts, like the Nidhogg pelt or whatever it was), but can it be used for anything other than selling to merchants?

I'd like to know also. Alot of the loot says it good for making things like weapons, or enchanting items, etc, etc, but is there any POINT to keeping it?

I guess I'm asking if there's actually crafting in the game and I'm just not far enough to be able to do it, or if the loot descriptions are BS and it's all for show.

[Backlash]

I guess I'm asking if there's actually crafting in the game and I'm just not far enough to be able to do it, or if the loot descriptions are BS and it's all for show.

I think those descriptions are about the crafting of items that the merchants do to make bazaar items. However, I still always feel slightly worried that I'm selling something that could be used later.

[Wolfpup]

The one thing I've wondered about with Loot is whether you have to sell certain combinations of items at the same time to get specific loot to show up-which would mean you should hold on to it for a long time to try to get better stuff. I have no idea if that's the case though, so I just didn't worry about it.

Help.... don't know... if I can finish game....

So bored all of a sudden. All impetus behind the story gone. I don't even know *why* I'm supposed to tackle this last dungeon. To get some nethetice or some such?

Is this last dungeon going to have any cool bosses, surprises... a good ending to the game? ANYTHING?

what happened to the story after the first 1/3 of the game. minus the fran bit, there hasn't been much of any story at all....

Yeah, it's really weak. If you're in the last dungeon (that big tower on the island), you might as well finish it. Use a walkthrough to get past the puzzles. Won't take you more than a few hours for it and then basically a string of three or so easy-ish boss battles in the next area.

The ending's nothing earth shattering either, but you might as well see it if you've invested this much time already.

[Kendro]

Help.... don't know... if I can finish game....

So bored all of a sudden. All impetus behind the story gone. I don't even know *why* I'm supposed to tackle this last dungeon. To get some nethetice or some such?

Is this last dungeon going to have any cool bosses, surprises... a good ending to the game? ANYTHING?

what happened to the story after the first 1/3 of the game. minus the fran bit, there hasn't been much of any story at all....
There won't be much story later. The ending I did like in particular as it did leave me somewhat satisfied. Had to laugh at your statement about not knowing why you're supposed to tackle the last dungeon. I felt that way for the entire last third of the game.

[Ma12kez]

Help.... don't know... if I can finish game....

So bored all of a sudden. All impetus behind the story gone. I don't even know *why* I'm supposed to tackle this last dungeon. To get some nethetice or some such?

Is this last dungeon going to have any cool bosses, surprises... a good ending to the game? ANYTHING?

what happened to the story after the first 1/3 of the game. minus the fran bit, there hasn't been much of any story at all....I felt that the story picked up towards the end of the last dungeon. But be prepared, the last dungeon takes forever.:bomb:

[Wolfpup]

There won't be much story later. The ending I did like in particular as it did leave me somewhat satisfied. Had to laugh at your statement about not knowing why you're supposed to tackle the last dungeon. I felt that way for the entire last third of the game.

:lol: Count me in for most of the game. My answer? 'Cause that's where the tougher enemies are :D

I so wish they'd get the Final Fantasy guy back for 13 (or 14 probably at this point since 13 is probably well into production).

[Wolfpup]

I felt that the story picked up towards the end of the last dungeon. But be prepared, the last dungeon takes forever.:bomb:

It probably depends on your level. Use a FAQ if you're remotely burnt out on the game to get through the puzzles, and aside from intentionally exploring every single nook and cranny, it wasn't bad for me at all.

[Ma12kez]

It probably depends on your level. Use a FAQ if you're remotely burnt out on the game to get through the puzzles, and aside from intentionally exploring every single nook and cranny, it wasn't bad for me at all.I was about level 67 when I beat the game, so it wasn't too hard. I just wanted to make sure I explored every part of the dungeon, and I guess that's why it felt like it took forever.

[Wolfpup]

I was about level 67 when I beat the game, so it wasn't too hard. I just wanted to make sure I explored every part of the dungeon, and I guess that's why it felt like it took forever.

I think I was level 64 or 65, so pretty similar. It probably went "faster" for me just because I listen to podcasts and stuff while playing when I don't need to use most of my brain. I think I was listening to Art Bell on the radio for most of that last dungeon :D

[Kayden]

So... when selling things to vendors, do you get items based on what you sell that one time, or is it cumulative?

[mykevermin]

cumulative.

[Ma12kez]

Does anyone know the name of the song that plays in the background during the ending?

::EDIT:: Nvm found it. It's called "Kiss Me Goodbye (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiss_Me_Good-Bye)" sung by Angela Aki. I'll have to admit that my eyes got watery while this song was playing. Oddly enough, this was the only song Nobou Uematsu worked on for this game (aside from the recurring FF music), and it's my favorite track out of the entire game. Gotta love his work.

[TahoeMax]

cumulative.
Partly correct. For most items, yes, once you sell the required total of items, the reward item will become available, regardless of when you sold them, or whether you sold them singly or all at once. If you need, say, 3 Gemsteels for a Tournesol and sell them at 3 totally different points in the game, the sword will pop up in the bazaar after the 3rd one (assuming you've gathered the other goods). However, if you sell 2 Gemsteels and then accidentally toss in a couple Mallets and another item that i can't recall, a Masamune will pop up in the bazaar. Once you've triggered Masamune, you'll need ANOTHER 3 Gemsteels (god help you) before the Tournesol will be available.

Another point is that if you sell a whole mess of one item (say, 99 arcanas) and trigger a high arcana that requires 10 arcanas and a few other goodies, your arcana total will reset to zero, rather than to 89.

In a nutshell, if you have items that need to be used multiple times, or on multiple items, hang onto them until you need them. When you sell them, only sell the exact number you'll need unless you're sure you won't need any more. I could've saved myself a few hours of collecting had i known this early in the game.

[pete5883]

Ma12kez just reminded me: I didn't actually miss Uematsu until this game. In FFX and X-2 there were at least a few tracks that I liked - but this games soundtrack gave me a new appreciation for Uematsu.

And yes, the Bazaar system could've/should've been much better.

[Backlash]

Partly correct. For most items, yes, once you sell the required total of items, the reward item will become available, regardless of when you sold them, or whether you sold them singly or all at once. If you need, say, 3 Gemsteels for a Tournesol and sell them at 3 totally different points in the game, the sword will pop up in the bazaar after the 3rd one (assuming you've gathered the other goods). However, if you sell 2 Gemsteels and then accidentally toss in a couple Mallets and another item that i can't recall, a Masamune will pop up in the bazaar. Once you've triggered Masamune, you'll need ANOTHER 3 Gemsteels (god help you) before the Tournesol will be available.

Another point is that if you sell a whole mess of one item (say, 99 arcanas) and trigger a high arcana that requires 10 arcanas and a few other goodies, your arcana total will reset to zero, rather than to 89.

In a nutshell, if you have items that need to be used multiple times, or on multiple items, hang onto them until you need them. When you sell them, only sell the exact number you'll need unless you're sure you won't need any more. I could've saved myself a few hours of collecting had i known this early in the game.

Oh well :( I am not using a guide, so hopefully I won't miss out on too many good items by selling loot as I get it.

[mykevermin]

Thanks for the clarification, Tahoe. Likewise, I wish I had known that before I finished the game.

[TahoeMax]

Oh well :( I am not using a guide, so hopefully I won't miss out on too many good items by selling loot as I get it.

A good rule of thumb is that if you get it for finishing off a mark, it's probably something you'll want to hold onto. If you get it from Montblanc for moving up a rank, it's almost certainly very rare.

[Wolfpup]

Ma12kez just reminded me: I didn't actually miss Uematsu until this game. In FFX and X-2 there were at least a few tracks that I liked - but this games soundtrack gave me a new appreciation for Uematsu.

And yes, the Bazaar system could've/should've been much better.

Wasn't 10 done at least partly by Uemastu? I thought it's soundtrack was as excellent as always, but 12 was really weak. Not terrible, but nowhere near the typical FF standards (which is pretty much what I thought about the game in general).

I'm REALLY hoping Lost Odyssey comes through, but I don't want to get my hopes up too much. (Plus I won't be able to hear the soundtrack anyway OVER THE X-BLENDER 360)

[Dead of Knight]

Here's a site with all the FMVs and cutscenes and crap:
http://videogamesheaven.net/movie-final-fantasy-xii.htm

[depascal22]

Wasn't 10 done at least partly by Uemastu? I thought it's soundtrack was as excellent as always, but 12 was really weak. Not terrible, but nowhere near the typical FF standards (which is pretty much what I thought about the game in general).

I'm REALLY hoping Lost Odyssey comes through, but I don't want to get my hopes up too much. (Plus I won't be able to hear the soundtrack anyway OVER THE X-BLENDER 360)

Nobuo Uematsu is creditied with Sound Producer & Music in the FFX Credits.

[xeverex18]

Can someone tell me how to use the Quickenings. I am not sure what to do. I do not know if i am suppose to mash R2 or just hold it. Plus sometimes i can presses square to let 2 person with full MP use quickenings but i dont understand how to make better damage.

[Backlash]

There's a good Quickenings guide on Game FAQs that was linked to on the last page. It explains how to use them without any spoilers.

[depascal22]

Where do I find Kiru Vega in the Feywood? I only see 3 exits on the map. I tried the Henne Mines route but got my ass handed to me.

[Ma12kez]

Can someone tell me how to use the Quickenings. I am not sure what to do. I do not know if i am suppose to mash R2 or just hold it. Plus sometimes i can presses square to let 2 person with full MP use quickenings but i dont understand how to make better damage.http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2546398&postcount=743

[TahoeMax]

Where do I find Kiru Vega in the Feywood? I only see 3 exits on the map. I tried the Henne Mines route but got my ass handed to me.
If you're at the point in the story where you need to get there, it's in the southeastern corner of the Feywood. Enter from Golmore or Paramina Rift, head south to the save crystal, then go east. I don't think you can get there earlier than you're supposed to. There's some sort of barrier.

...and yeah, going through the Henne Mines is a bad, bad idea unless you're totally ready for level 65 bats :(

[Kayden]

I looked at how to unlock the better weapons and I just shut the game off.

Its fucking rediculous. You have to farm end game guys for rare drops to sell to buy the rare items to sell again to buy the fucking weapons.

Fuck that.

If I'm going to play this any more, I think I need to look into gameshark codes for the weapons.

[marten]

I looked at how to unlock the better weapons and I just shut the game off.

Its fucking rediculous. You have to farm end game guys for rare drops to sell to buy the rare items to sell again to buy the fucking weapons.

Fuck that.

If I'm going to play this any more, I think I need to look into gameshark codes for the weapons.
You ain't kidding.

I put 160 hours into the game the first time around. As soon as I opened the guide, I immediately was overwhelmed by a loud WTF. This Zodiac Spear shit....who honestly expected anyone to get that without a guide?

I wandered a shitload for those 160 hours...and I didn't even scratch the surface of this game....now I have to play it again.

......

......

......shit.

[depascal22]

If you're at the point in the story where you need to get there, it's in the southeastern corner of the Feywood. Enter from Golmore or Paramina Rift, head south to the save crystal, then go east. I don't think you can get there earlier than you're supposed to. There's some sort of barrier.

...and yeah, going through the Henne Mines is a bad, bad idea unless you're totally ready for level 65 bats :(

I've got to look harder because I'm just not finding it. Thanks for the help though, Tahoe.

[ek89]

I need a little help. Is there a way to get back into the Barheim Passage? It looks like i forgot to touch the orange crystal and there are rocks blocking the entrance.

Thanks

[ek89]

I just found information on the key to this place. Nevermind my last post.

Thanks

[martin8me]

Is it normal to be at level 40ish in giruvegan where you fight the first boss (not the stone statue boss)

[depascal22]

Is it normal to be at level 40ish in giruvegan where you fight the first boss (not the stone statue boss)

I just finished giruvegan and most of my characters were in the 40s except for Basch which was at 51.

The Embroidered Tippet and Golden Amulet are my best friends in this game. I'd have snapped this game in half if I hadn't been able to power level with them.

[martin8me]

I just finished giruvegan and most of my characters were in the 40s except for Basch which was at 51.

The Embroidered Tippet and Golden Amulet are my best friends in this game. I'd have snapped this game in half if I hadn't been able to power level with them.

I know what the Golden Amulet does but what does the Embroidered Tippet do?

[mykevermin]

doubles exp gained (only for the active party).

It works best to have the tripper on the guys fighting and the golden amulet on your "reserves." I eventually switched out to a bubble belt once I maxed out my LP.

[Kendro]

Is it normal to be at level 40ish in giruvegan where you fight the first boss (not the stone statue boss)
Think I finished that dungeon at level 45 or so. You can get by easily with just Berserking 2 of your strongest fighters (Haste them as well if you want to rape the opposition).

[Apossum]

so I started this game again (after putting in 7 hours a couple months ago...)

Jesus christ, I'm hooked :-(

[Backlash]

Is it just me or is the Bubble spell worthless? I was excited when I first tried the spell and I doubled my HP. But when the spell wore off, the damage was still subtracted from my old max HP :(

For example:

My max HP is 1000, and I'm at 1000/1000 (current/max)
Cast Bubble and I'm now at 2000/1000
I fight and take 700 damage, so I'm at 1300/1000
The spell wears off, and now I'm at 300/1000

So why did I bother to cast it?

[Surferflames]

Is it just me or is the Bubble spell worthless? I was excited when I first tried the spell and I doubled my HP. But when the spell wore off, the damage was still subtracted from my old max HP :(

For example:

My max HP is 1000, and I'm at 1000/1000 (current/max)
Cast Bubble and I'm now at 2000/1000
I fight and take 700 damage, so I'm at 1300/1000
The spell wears off, and now I'm at 300/1000

So why did I bother to cast it?

If you have one of your support chars keep taunt(or whatever it's called, been a while since I played) and bubble on your tank it shouldn't be a problem. They shouldn't recast it until it wears off, so just keep both of those at the top of your macros.

[Kendro]

Is it just me or is the Bubble spell worthless? I was excited when I first tried the spell and I doubled my HP. But when the spell wore off, the damage was still subtracted from my old max HP :(

For example:

My max HP is 1000, and I'm at 1000/1000 (current/max)
Cast Bubble and I'm now at 2000/1000
I fight and take 700 damage, so I'm at 1300/1000
The spell wears off, and now I'm at 300/1000

So why did I bother to cast it?

If they didn't make it wear off, you'd pretty much be invincible. Developers take into account max HP when tuning the difficulty so they had to give some disadvantage to the spell. If you want, you can get the Bubble Belt accessory (NEVER wears off) but the downside is you can't use powerful accessories like the Ribbon.

[Wolfpup]

I don't even remember GETTING a Ribbon. I just kept the double experience point thingees on my active characters and double license point thingees on my reserves for as much of the game as I had those things.

I should have put on my bubble belts for the end, but I think I forgot :D

[BREVITY]

There are places where the XP is insane like the area in the forest right before Feywood. Clear the zone then get upto chain 90 on the skulls. 900+XP per w/o the Embroidered Tippet. I have active ppl with tippet and non-active with Golden Amulets. I went through there lvling everyone to lvl 45 last night and making huge gil. I plan to lvl them to lvl 50 tonight before moving on. I read that Feywood has some spot where you can make 200k gil in just a few minutes so I am going to check that out tonight.

I am back into this game again after working through several Wii games and Gears. I am 97h into it so far. I too was looking last night about how to get the ultimate weapons, sheesh. I hope I can beat it w/o them is all I got to say.

[Wolfpup]

I am back into this game again after working through several Wii games and Gears. I am 97h into it so far. I too was looking last night about how to get the ultimate weapons, sheesh. I hope I can beat it w/o them is all I got to say.


You can, no problem. I never got them, and never looked at FAQs to figure out how to get them. Hidden "strategy guide content" like that really ticks me off.

[BREVITY]

You can, no problem. I never got them, and never looked at FAQs to figure out how to get them. Hidden "strategy guide content" like that really ticks me off.
Thanks, what lvl were you when you beat it?

[depascal22]

Yeah, it really pissed me off when I was going through a FAQ after I slogged through Giruvegan. I looked at all the Knots of Rust I got instead high-quality items and I nearly put the game on the trade list. Part of the fun of any RPG is finding SOME of the uber items without a damn walk through.

[Wolfpup]

Thanks, what lvl were you when you beat it?

I think all my characters were low 60s going into the final area. Might have been around 65 when I beat it.

[BREVITY]

Yeah, it really pissed me off when I was going through a FAQ after I slogged through Giruvegan. I looked at all the Knots of Rust I got instead high-quality items and I nearly put the game on the trade list. Part of the fun of any RPG is finding SOME of the uber items without a damn walk through.
You might save me a bit of time if you tell me about this knots of rust thing. I get those often and didnt think nothing of it. If there is something I am doing wrong clue me in man. There are way to many FAQs to find the info fast I think.

[depascal22]

You might save me a bit of time if you tell me about this knots of rust thing. I get those often and didnt think nothing of it. If there is something I am doing wrong clue me in man. There are way to many FAQs to find the info fast I think.

There are certain items that won't appear if you open certain chests throughout the game. I found out too late so I screwed myself. I just open every chest I see now. Basically, one of the FAQs will say a chest will have a White Robe or Knot of Rust in it. If you get the Knot of Rust, it's impossible to get the better item. It's basically a big FU from Square Enix to all of us that didn't feel like throwing down 20 bucks for a damn guide.

[Backlash]

There are certain items that won't appear if you open certain chests throughout the game. I found out too late so I screwed myself. I just open every chest I see now. Basically, one of the FAQs will say a chest will have a White Robe or Knot of Rust in it. If you get the Knot of Rust, it's impossible to get the better item. It's basically a big FU from Square Enix to all of us that didn't feel like throwing down 20 bucks for a damn guide.

My impression (without reading all those FAQs or guides) was that only the Zodiac Spear was dependent on not opening certain chests. The other ones are all just random - they have a certain chance to appear or not appear at all (in some cases). If they appear, they have a certain chance to contain gil or an item. If it's an item, they have a certain chance of it being the possible good item for that chest vs being a knot of rust or something else crappy.

So in theory you could just reload and keep opening the chest until you got what you wanted. But I don't ever bother doing that. I've gotten a good amount of 11 gil or knots of rust, but it's not a huge deal.

[BREVITY]

Thanks.

[Wolfpup]

Besides stuff you can only get with strategy guides, I also *HATE* the "random item" thing Final Fantasy 12 does. IMO it's a lot less fun than just setting what's in the chest, like most RPGs.

[TahoeMax]

It's quite amazing how often you have to reset to get some of the better items from chests. It took me probably 20 tries to get the Zodiac Escutcheon in the Barheim Passage, and I think i was lucky to get it so fast. I got Excalibur on the first try, but apparently it's another one that's usually a pain in the ass to get. Such a hassle, really...blah!

[Backlash]

I got a Demonsbane on my first (and only) try. In general, when I get a knot of rust, I just sigh and keep going. Even if I wanted to reload constantly, I figure in most cases I'm probably better off spending that extra time just leveling up my characters than trying over and over to get one item anyway (which I might not ever get).

[depascal22]

I got a Demonsbane on my first (and only) try. In general, when I get a knot of rust, I just sigh and keep going. Even if I wanted to reload constantly, I figure in most cases I'm probably better off spending that extra time just leveling up my characters than trying over and over to get one item anyway (which I might not ever get).

QFT

I didn't realize you could just reset to get the best item. It still seems like a stupid system. Going through some of these levels is a boring grind and it just seems retarded to make us go through several times just to get an super item.

[coltyhuxx]

Guys, how would you rate the last 10% of the game? I'm on the last dungeon and can't seem to get motivated to finish it. Boy the plot sure fizzled during the last 80% of the game.

Boo.

[Ma12kez]

Guys, how would you rate the last 10% of the game? I'm on the last dungeon and can't seem to get motivated to finish it. Boy the plot sure fizzled during the last 80% of the game.

Boo.I felt that the story picked up (somewhat) near the end of that dungeon. You might as well finish it if you've made it that far though.

[coltyhuxx]

Yeah, I know... I know... it's just, well you know how when you put a game down for a few weeks... that's what I've done. And I'm a little confused about this last dungeon (and I heard it's like a five hour ordeal w/o saves (?))....

[Wolfpup]

I don't get the "fizzled out by the last 20%"-I thought the story never really got going, but if anything fizzled out within the first 30 minutes :D

But anyway, yeah, you might as well just beat it. Use a FAQ to get past the puzzles. If you're lower 60s you won't have a problem beating the game. Might as well see the ending if you've invested that much time.

[pilferk]

GRRRRR.....I had a frustrating moment last night.

Went to visit the Marquis last night, for the first time....when he has you captured and sent to the Leviathan. Went through all the cut scenes and.....lock up. Music starts playing but black screen. I chalk it up to a system glitch. Reset, run back, skip the cut scenes this time...same thing. GRRRRRR.

I pop the disk and there is some sort of "smudge"/"scuff" on the disk, under the surface. I'm assuming it's a disk issue (I have a PS2 literally from release day, so it's old), so I'm gonna take it back to Wally world and exchange it today.

I was just settling in for a nice round of gameplay, too.....and got stuck watching re-runs of "The Office" all night instead.

[Wolfpup]

That stinks. At least you've still got your save files!

I've never had that problem with a game disc, but a disc of season 1 of Buffy had some kind of manufacturing problem like that were I couldn't finish one episode.

[Backlash]

Wait, how do you skip the cut scenes? I have tried hitting X and Start and all that, but when I've died and had to rewatch them I can't seem to skip them (which sucks, obviously).

[depascal22]

Wait, how do you skip the cut scenes? I have tried hitting X and Start and all that, but when I've died and had to rewatch them I can't seem to skip them (which sucks, obviously).

Press Start to pause the game. There will be three different options. One skips the cutscene, one resumes the scene, and one will take you back to the system menu. They're on the bottom left if I remember correctly.

[pilferk]

That stinks. At least you've still got your save files!

I've never had that problem with a game disc, but a disc of season 1 of Buffy had some kind of manufacturing problem like that were I couldn't finish one episode.

And it WAS the disk.

Luckily, I still had my WalMart receipt (knowing Wally world, it may not have mattered, but.....) so they didn't give me any hassle and just had me exchange it out for a new one.

Took it home and......it worked just fine. Made it right past to the "Jailbreak" cutscene.

[Backlash]

Press Start to pause the game. There will be three different options. One skips the cutscene, one resumes the scene, and one will take you back to the system menu. They're on the bottom left if I remember correctly.

Ah, thanks. I was pausing the game (which of course didn't skip the scene) but I never noticed that extra "skip" option in the corner.


Out of curiousity, is there any "gem box" type item in this FF? (In FF6 it made the cost of any magic spell 1mp, if I remember right - it's been awhile)

[depascal22]

Ah, thanks. I was pausing the game (which of course didn't skip the scene) but I never noticed that extra "skip" option in the corner.


Out of curiousity, is there any "gem box" type item in this FF? (In FF6 it made the cost of any magic spell 1mp, if I remember right - it's been awhile)

I don't think there's anything like that in XII.

I've finally gotten to the point where all I have to do is finish a couple hunts and go to Bahamut for the endgame. I'm disappointed that I didn't find most of the rarer items. It really puts the damper on what is a pretty good game.

[whoknows]

Man...I'm getting destroyed by bats. What level should I be at when I Go to the mines that I need to ride the soldiers Chocobo to get to?

[Backlash]

I have a general question about targeting. I can't seem to target enemies (or allies) with certain spells. For example, I want to berserk a monster so it won't cast spells, or maybe cast heal on an undead monster. Sometimes I want to hit my ally to wake them up from sleep or something.

You could do these things in past Final Fantasies but I can't seem to figure out how to do them in FF12. :(

[Kayden]

Man...I'm getting destroyed by bats. What level should I be at when I Go to the mines that I need to ride the soldiers Chocobo to get to?

I want to say I was 30ish? Maybe? I have no idea honestly. :lol:

I know I was in the Lenne Mines fighting level 60 bats at level 40.

[Mid Boss]

I have a general question about targeting. I can't seem to target enemies (or allies) with certain spells. For example, I want to berserk a monster so it won't cast spells, or maybe cast heal on an undead monster. Sometimes I want to hit my ally to wake them up from sleep or something.

You could do these things in past Final Fantasies but I can't seem to figure out how to do them in FF12. :(

Use L1 or R1 to cycle between them.

You should see at the bottom of the screen something like "Foes Party Reserve" when you open the menu and select to attack or use magic with whichever group your targeting highlighted.

[MusicNoteLess]

finally beat it. Clocked in at 52 hours with the Powerleveling technique and without doing much side quests.

I love the battling system. I got through about 2/3 of the game without using the guide, but even that wasn't much help. Story wasn't as impacting as previous FF's, but it was a good effort. Overall I give it a 8/10

[LunaticPuma]

So I got to the part where you go from Bur-Omisace to the Stillshrine of Miriam (~22 hours in) after making my way through the jungle without any difficulty. The area after the snow area completely destroyed me. I mean I stood absolutely zero chance of surviving fights with some kind of wolves and the tomato guys. My mains are around level 27 right now. I guess I need to go level up somewhere? Also, I really need to find more gambits. I'm starting to get good attack spells, but I don't really have any decent spell casting gambits.

[Backlash]

If you're talking about the Feywood, you don't go there until much later. You missed the turnoff if you're looking for the Stilshrine. It is beyond the part of the snow area where the blue save crystal is.

[LunaticPuma]

If you're talking about the Feywood, you don't go there until much later. You missed the turnoff if you're looking for the Stilshrine. It is beyond the part of the snow area where the blue save crystal is.

Thanks for the tip! I will look into this tonight sometime. Maybe I should buy a map?

[daschrier]

I got stuck in the Feywood.

I didn't sit long enough to see the stupid "green forest" appear to lead me to a new shrine thing, and I hadn't even used any LP on the summons yet, so I would've never figured out that I needed to summon belias. I finally had to spoil myself, which I hate doing, but I felt that this "puzzle" was ridiculously stupid.

[Backlash]

Thanks for the tip! I will look into this tonight sometime. Maybe I should buy a map?

I always buy all the maps - money well spent IMO. (I don't own a guide or anything). They're mostly pretty cheap.

The Feywood is one of those areas where you find a map in a little urn, but you can buy a map for the snowy area, I think.

[depascal22]

Even with the map, Feywood's puzzle is incredibly cheap.

I just beat the game this weekend and I hate to admit that I liked it.

Final Rating: 9.4

Pros: Graphics and story line

Cons: Gambit system and inconsequential side quests.

[daschrier]

This game just drags on and on...I've spent almost as much time on this game as I did with dq7 and dq8!

[depascal22]

This game just drags on and on...I've spent almost as much time on this game as I did with dq7 and dq8!

I got tired with all the hunts and just beat it. It wasn't worth hunting down all those guys just to get one exotic piece of equipment at best.

[Kayden]

I got tired with all the hunts and just beat it. It wasn't worth hunting down all those guys just to get one exotic piece of equipment at best.


I did all the hunts just because I wanted the hard monsters. The rewards almost always sucked.

You just beat a level 90 monster with 80 bazillion hitpoints and immunities to everything, heres 1000 gil!

[daschrier]

I did all the hunts just because I wanted the hard monsters. The rewards almost always sucked.

You just beat a level 90 monster with 80 bazillion hitpoints and immunities to everything, heres 1000 gil!

Yeah, that's the way I feel.

I love the

Immunity to physical/magic when the enemies go critical...

[Hiei69]

I finally got the Tournesol today! Getting the second Soul Powder off of Vorres made me want chew on my hand, but everything else was not too bad. Now, my main Lineup of Vann 65 (Tournesol), Balthier 59 (Masamune + Genji Gloves), and Ashe 63 (Excalibur) can plow through the Pharos. I also have an Ultima Blade for Basch (64), Fran (51) and Penelo (51) are stuck with average weapons at the moment.

[daschrier]

I've officially spent more time on this game than any other game ever, except for maybe Diablo 2. I'm really surprised how much extra fluff there is to this game, kinda like SE knew there was no story so loaded it up on gameplay.

[Wolfpup]

I guess it's number two for me, behind Pokemon. It probably wouldn't even make my top 100 games though (neither would Pokemon). It was just structured so that I ended up taking that long to play through it.

[daschrier]

Is there any loot that you shouldn't just sell, but hold on to for whatever reason? I've been hanging on to many pieces of loot that I've only found once, not being sure if they're needed later on in the game.

Also, I read that the Zodiac spear is a missable item, but that it can infact be gotten another way. Is there truly anything that is missable?

[Hiei69]

I good rule to go by is to keep most loot you get from doing Mark hunts and that you receive from Montblanc.

[daschrier]

What is the rational for doing so?

[Hiei69]

Many of the better weapons you will probably want later on in the game, require some rare loot that you might get from a mark hunt. For example, when I was getting the Tournesol, I needed 2 soul powders to make an ingredient, but I remembered that I had one from the Ixtab hunt and only had steal one (It's a difficult item to get.)

[daschrier]

Oh ok, but there's no danger to selling everything, just makes it a pain later to remember what you need.

[jalu6]

Ok, so I think I'm missing a lot of stuff here.

I just finished the lighthouse and am ready for the final set of bosses, but I am getting the feeling I don't quite have everything I need. I've been following the story walk through in the Brady guide pretty closely and I have all my characters equipped with the best gear you can find in the shops (and a Zodiac Spear I got) but I am still missing some of the important spells like Bravery and Fatih. I don't have any of these bubble belts that I have heard about, and I am sure there is much better gear out there than what is in the stores.

I'm a pretty high level, and traps have killed me more than boss fights so far, so I doubt I'll have a problem finishing the game, but still, it feels sort of incomplete if I don't have at least the decent spells.

Any advice on where to get them or how to get a few required items? I'm not looking to farm materials for any uberweapons, but if there are some easier items to get that I missed by following the guide so strictly, I could use some help.

Thanks

[depascal22]

I didn't have a single bubble belt or the Renew, Bravery, or Faith spells. I still mowed right through the final bosses with ease. At the end, it's not worth it to get everything unless you're a completist.

[Backlash]

You can get those spells and at least one Bubble Belt from the clan shop at the Bazaar in Rabanastre, provided you've killed enough marks (16?). I got them as soon as they were available (when I was maybe only 1/2 though the game or so?) and they helped a lot. If you're already at the end, I don't know if they'll really help that much.

[daschrier]

I just spent an hour trying to get Fafnir to spawn, only to find out that passing through the frozen brook cancels out the blizzard. Sometimes Square really frustrates me with their game design.

[Backlash]

Ya, they definitely did some things in FF12 that are pretty annoying, but they got much more right than wrong, IMO. I really like most of the changes.

[daschrier]

The game really is a blast to play, and I've never spent so much time on a game, trying to uncover everything that I can. I am definitely missing a lot of espers though, I've only tracked down 6 or so.

[jalu6]

You can get those spells and at least one Bubble Belt from the clan shop at the Bazaar in Rabanastre, provided you've killed enough marks (16?). I got them as soon as they were available (when I was maybe only 1/2 though the game or so?) and they helped a lot. If you're already at the end, I don't know if they'll really help that much.

Ok wait. There's a clan shop in the Bazaar? Maybe if I did some hunts I would have known that....

Yeah, I think the game is fantastic, and I love the battle system, but I think the way items and gear are dropped/aquired/made is fucking autistic. I wish thats the one thing they would have left old-school.

[TahoeMax]

i actually didn't stumble across the clan shop until i was completing some of the requirements to go get Chaos...so it's not exactly an eyesore. It was sweet when i discovered all the cool stuff I could get at that point (i had finished 24 marks, so everything was available)

[depascal22]

Montblanc tells you about the clan shop when you sign up in the clan.

[Hiei69]

I knew about the clan shop early on because I really wanted the Nihopalaoa. Nihopalaoa + Remedy = easier mark hunts/bosses. The cat-ear hood is good too.

[TahoeMax]

Montblanc tells you about the clan shop when you sign up in the clan.

yeah, but i never actually looked for it...

[jalu6]

Montblanc tells you about the clan shop when you sign up in the clan.

Reading is for sissies, Poindexter. ;)

[Wolfpup]

I think it's on the map too, if I'm remembering right.

[daschrier]

Man, the Light house is annoying. Nothing I hate more than a huge end game dungeon. My gaming time can be limited, so not knowing when I can save is pure frustration.

[daschrier]

Well, I guess that wasn't the final dungeon...I have more to do yet. I absolutely destroyed the last few bosses. I can't imagine how easy the game would be with all the best equipment.

[daschrier]

Just beat Gilgamesh. I'm only missing one spell, and don't have any uber equipment yet. I should just go finish the damn game already, but I still have 5 or 6 hunts to complete, and they're all annoying.

[daschrier]

Guess I'm the only one left playing this game :p

[depascal22]

We all gave up on the crappy hunts and just beat the damn game.

[daschrier]

I'm feeling the same way now. I've never been big into trying to defeat the super impossible bosses. I don't have a very good track record on beating games, I typically quit right around the end :p

[Mid Boss]

I'm trying to still play it, but I've gotten myself sidetracked playing more of FF3 and FF6 Advance lately. Last I played I was trying to get past the second fight with Gilgamesh and getting my ass handed to me.

God, I really am SquareEnix's little bitch. I'm playing three Final Fantasies at once, what the hell is wrong with me?

[daschrier]

Gilgamesh was very easily once the dog is out of the way.

[Mid Boss]

Gilgamesh was very easily once the dog is out of the way.

I wouldn't doubt that, but I can't even get that far on him right now. I might have to get some better equipment/better gambit setup once I get back to it.

[daschrier]

For me, Vaan was level 65, and everyone else around late 50's. Having curaja and arise is neccessary.

[Backlash]

I am still playing it. I follow the plot for awhile, then I run around and explore and do hunts for awhile. I think I'm playing it really slowly. I'm at 72 hours or so and I've finished around 24 hunts and I'm only at
just picked up Reddas as a guest and I'm supposed to go to that island but instead I am doing sidequests :)

[daschrier]

About the same time as I was. I'm at 102 hrs right now ready to do the last area.

[Mid Boss]

YES! Just beat Gilgamesh! It took me till my 3rd try when I started again, I didn't even have to do any extra leveling or buy any extra equipment. The only thing I really changed was that I gave Vaan a Bubble belt and Basch a Ribbon and made sure to cast dispel on that fucking dog and hammered on it till it was almost dead then finished him off with a quickening chain, used a megalixer on the party and worked on Gilgamesh slowly until I got to the 4th and 5th parts and stole the rest of the Genji set and then took him down.

Man, its stuff like this that keeps me coming back though. It was great just going back and forth on him with half my party dead one minute and my only living character on the brink of death, just to heal myself and bring my party back and continue the attack. The whole battle just felt EPIC. I mean, I know that gambits do a lot of the work for you, but I tend to keep my lead character's off so I still feel a bit more involved in the battle and I just felt like I was scrambling to stay alive the whole way through and it was damn satisfying kicking his ass after having trouble with him before

[daschrier]

He has the genji equipment??? All I got was a stupid potion or something from him.

[Kayden]

He has the genji equipment??? All I got was a stupid potion or something from him.

:lol: Yeaup. Every time he talks in a cut scene you can steal from him. You fight him twice and can steal from him 5 times each (every 20% of his life). The first two times of each fight is money or some crap. The 3, 4 and 5 times are genji items.

[daschrier]

Oh well, good thing I'm not a completist :p

[Mid Boss]

Its actually just the 4th and 5th stages that give you the Genji stuff. Took awhile getting em too. The Thief's Cuffs(that is the name right?) helped speed up stealing in the first fight, but in the second I didn't want to risk equiping them in place of an accessory I needed to survive.

Also went ahead and got through the Pharos last night. I just have to go to the Bahamut to finish the game now.

[daschrier]

All I have left is the Bahamut as well. Haven't gotten around to actually going there though. I never end up finishing games, dunno what it is about the games end sequence that uninspires me.

[Wolfpup]

I have to admit that I'm not sorry I sold this game. I liked it, but I've decided it's my least favorite "Final Fantasy"-thinking about it, I'd actually rather replay FF2 than this I think.

[Mid Boss]

All I have left is the Bahamut as well. Haven't gotten around to actually going there though. I never end up finishing games, dunno what it is about the games end sequence that uninspires me.

I know what you mean; I've got way too many games where I'm just about at the end and just haven't gone and finished the damn thing. The worst part is that by the time I get back to try and finish I gotta go back through the whole game again because I forgot what the hell I was doing last before I stopped.

I'm pretty sure I'll at least get through this though. I'm just working on collecting Espers right now(I think I just need Chaos, Ultima, and Zodiark), then I'm gonna finish as many hunts as I can stand and move on to beat it.

[daschrier]

I just beat it. Wow, the final bosses were so easy.

[willardhaven]

Can anyone help me figure out why the brightness of this game is killing my eyes/head? I have used PS2 w/ S-Video on my 20" Wega for years and this is the first time it's bothered me.

[Wolfpup]

I didn't notice anything strange about how it looked on my Sony KDL 32s2010 (I think that's the model).

[Baron O Hell]

I just started this game. So far so good. One question. How do you use gambits? All I can do is turn them on and off.

Right now I just got back to the city after doing something to a rock.

[Backlash]

I had the same question - keep playing and the game will show you how to modify the gambits. All you can do at first is turn them on and off.

[depascal22]

To be honest with you, the Gambit system sucks major ass. They tried to make it seem like your party could fight without you but sometimes there are grey areas in fights where you don't want your party to follow the chart exactly. They're good for simple fights that just require attack but I found my party wasting too many magic points or potions when they could've waited a minute for the fight to be over. The other crappy part is when guests come to "help" out. It makes fights go faster but it sucks that they just use potions whenever and NEVER use their own magic.

That all being said.....the game has actually grown on me. After trying to get into Dragon Quest VIII, it seems like I can't go back to regular turn based RPGs.

[Wolfpup]

I thought the gambit system worked well for random battles, but poorly for regular battles (and overall was one of the worst in the series, if not the worst.)

I love turn based combat if it's done well. Dragon Quest 8's isn't anything special at all...if you've played Final Fantasy ONE, let alone the rest of the series. So I wouldn't judge by that...

[Backlash]

I really liked the gambit system. I generally took control of a magic-user, and then set up gambits for my tanks and just manually cast spells with my magic-user. Worked great and was much better than constantly telling the tanks to fight. I basically created my party such that I had 4 tanks (sort of) and two main magic users, and it worked pretty well.

[Kayden]

I just beat Behemoth King last night. It took me about an hour at level 60 O_O.

[bullsrfive]

I've only got 20 hours in this game and I've had it since it came out. I need to start investing some hours into it again.

[defiance_17]

I'm finally getting back into this. I hit the 45 hour mark tonight (just beat Cid and finished up some hunts), so I figure a couple more weeks at my current pace should take care of it. This will probably be the first game since Final Fantasy Tactics that will actually motivate me to complete all the side quests--the problem is, I have Odin Sphere and Rogue Galaxy just begging to be played.

More things to do, and less time to do them. Ah, the joys of being an adult.

[hankypants]

its taking me forever to finish this. i need less time for work.

[Backlash]

I'm finally getting back into this. I hit the 45 hour mark tonight (just beat Cid and finished up some hunts), so I figure a couple more weeks at my current pace should take care of it. This will probably be the first game since Final Fantasy Tactics that will actually motivate me to complete all the side quests--the problem is, I have Odin Sphere and Rogue Galaxy just begging to be played.

More things to do, and less time to do them. Ah, the joys of being an adult.

I did a bunch of the side quests, but if you want to do the harder marks and optional dungeons, my understanding is that it can double the playtime and involve lots of level grinding :(

[defiance_17]

I did a bunch of the side quests, but if you want to do the harder marks and optional dungeons, my understanding is that it can double the playtime and involve lots of level grinding :(

I really don't mind grinding in this game. I've probably spent more than half of my time so far just wandering around fighting. I'm assuming it will take me around 120-150 hours to completely finish the game, but it's possible it could take even longer.

[Kayden]

I clocked in at 125 doing everything except Yiazamat and Hell Wyrm.

I really don't mind grinding in this game. I've probably spent more than half of my time so far just wandering around fighting. I'm assuming it will take me around 120-150 hours to completely finish the game, but it's possible it could take even longer.

[defiance_17]

For those of you who have finished it, what level were you on? My main three characters are at 55, and the other three are in the mid-40s. I'm trying to decide if I should just plow through and finish it this weekend, or play around with more side quests/hunts before moving on. I'm at the part where Reddas joins as a guest.

[Magehart]

For those of you who have finished it, what level were you on? My main three characters are at 55, and the other three are in the mid-40s. I'm trying to decide if I should just plow through and finish it this weekend, or play around with more side quests/hunts before moving on. I'm at the part where Reddas joins as a guest.

I finished the game with my 3 main at level 70ish and the other 3 around level 11.

My friend beat it with all 6 around 51... so if you want to just plow to the end you can no problem.

[defiance_17]

I finished the game with my 3 main at level 70ish and the other 3 around level 11.

My friend beat it with all 6 around 51... so if you want to just plow to the end you can no problem.

I was going to finish, but I figured this would be a great opportunity to do some more hunts...four hours later, I'm still teleporting around taking on new ones. :lol:

This is really an incredible game.

[defiance_17]

I finally got around to finishing this tonight, right around 66 hours. I only have five or six hunts left, and a few Espers, but I didn't do a lot with the other sidequests. I think I'll wait a few more weeks to get more information on the Zodiac version before going back to everything.

Now I'm torn between starting Odin Sphere, Rogue Galaxy, and playing through Persona 1 and 2.

[WhipSmartBanky]

66 hours? 125 hours? I'm like 2 hours in and it feels so overwhelming already. I haven't played a Final Fantasy since VIII and I'm so out of touch. Played the demo for this and thought, "Wow, it's just like Knights of the Old Republic."

Heh...I was so wrong.

[Wolfpup]

Oh yuck. Final Fantasy 9 and 10 are way better. 10-2 is way better. 12 is a good game, but it's worse than any of the "Final Fantasy Guy's" Final Fantasy games.

[keithp]

Oh yuck. Final Fantasy 9 and 10 are way better. 10-2 is way better. 12 is a good game, but it's worse than any of the "Final Fantasy Guy's" Final Fantasy games.

X-2 is better? Really? That's the only FF I've stayed away from. So I should go ahead and get it?

It's really "way better" than XII??

[Backlash]

I enjoyed playing XII more than X, though the story and characters are probably the worst in any FF I've played. The gameplay in XII was just so great to me that it excused the weak, convoluted story. I'm more a fan of VI and IX myself, as far as characters and story.

[defiance_17]

Oh yuck. Final Fantasy 9 and 10 are way better. 10-2 is way better. 12 is a good game, but it's worse than any of the "Final Fantasy Guy's" Final Fantasy games.

I thought FFXII was a much better game than FFX. The only leg-up FFX had, in my opinion, was in it's story--not because it was better, but because it held your hand and walked you through it the entire game. With XII, the world is so large and there is so much to do and explore, it's sometimes several hours before you move to the next area and progress the plot.

FFX-2 was way better? I'm not sure how you define these "Final Fantasy Guys," but I'm not so sure they're real fans of the series.

[Wolfpup]

The Final Fantasy guy. Hironobu Sakaguchi. I can't remember his name without looking it up :D

Final Fantasy 12 just isn't an FF game. It's not bad, but I'd rather play any of the real FF games, and I wish they would stop using that name-like that's going to happen.

And I can't agree with anything you said about FF 10. I thought it had a massively better story (12's is the worst since FF5), massively better battle system and strategy. Much more interesting world, graphics, etc.

[onikage]

I thought FFXII was a much better game than FFX. The only leg-up FFX had, in my opinion, was in it's story--not because it was better, but because it held your hand and walked you through it the entire game. With XII, the world is so large and there is so much to do and explore, it's sometimes several hours before you move to the next area and progress the plot.

FFX-2 was way better? I'm not sure how you define these "Final Fantasy Guys," but I'm not so sure they're real fans of the series.

I think XII is the best game the FF franchise has seen in a long time. The story isn't one of the best, but it's so much fun to play. IMO the series had been slowly but surely dieing since VIII, which was the last FF I finished before XII.

I consider X-2 to be the worst in the series and didn't enjoy playing X nearly as much as I have XII. I know there a lot of people who liked X, but I can't imagine there being too many fans of the series that would agree that X-2 or IX are anywhere near as good as XII is.

[Derrick1979]

I must be one of the Few that hated FF XII. I feel the series last great game was FF X. I loved the orginal mechanics and the switching out of party member in battle.. To me the turn based you on that side they are on this side type of battle is my Favorite.....

[TahoeMax]

I just started the game up again after pumping SOOOOO many hours into it the first time. I'm one of those guys who MUST have the ultimate gear, and I missed the Zodiac Spear the first time. I started mist comboing those werewolves in the Giza Plains at lvl 6 and was up to level 20 in 2 hours...switched over to the wild saurian in the estersand and was at 25 before recruiting any other characters, so they all joined at 25. It's definitely nice knowing I won't have to stop and grind every few areas just to progress this time around :) Still such a fun game

[Roufuss]

I must be one of the Few that hated FF XII. I feel the series last great game was FF X. I loved the orginal mechanics and the switching out of party member in battle.. To me the turn based you on that side they are on this side type of battle is my Favorite.....

Don't worry, I hated FF 12 too.

Sadly, FF 12 International fixes every damn complaint I had with FF 12, but we won't be seeing that version.

Thanks Square!

[defiance_17]

The Final Fantasy guy. Hironobu Sakaguchi. I can't remember his name without looking it up :D

Final Fantasy 12 just isn't an FF game. It's not bad, but I'd rather play any of the real FF games, and I wish they would stop using that name-like that's going to happen.

And I can't agree with anything you said about FF 10. I thought it had a massively better story (12's is the worst since FF5), massively better battle system and strategy. Much more interesting world, graphics, etc.

Ah, I see what you were saying now.

FFXII is as much a Final Fantasy as anything that's come before it. In fact, I'd argue that it's more-so than several installments in the series. Just because your characters don't stand in a line, waiting to step forward and attack, doesn't mean it's not "real."

I'll give you the story, even though I don't necessarily agree, but come on--FFX? Better battle system and "strategy"? The only strategy that came into play in FFX's battles was continuously swapping characters in and out based on their attack abilities, effectively making most battles twice as long (and three times as boring) as they needed to be.
FFX's world was as interesting as that of a rail-shooter, and it looked like a decorated Easter egg. I've never seen such reliance on dull, bleeding pastels in all my life.

Final Fantasy needed a new direction, desperately, and I think what we got was just about as good as anyone could have hoped. It's probably safe to say that the random, turn-based battles that we'd all grown accustomed to are as good as dead, and FFXII was the game to really drive this home. In my opinion, this is what FFX should have been. After FFVIII, I think the series took two major steps backwards--FFIX was intentional (and excellent in that sense), but there isn't really an excuse for FFX.

This game seems to really have a divided camp--too many people were expecting another FFX, and weren't willing to accept something so different. For those of us who didn't think FFX was all that great to begin with, this was a relatively unexpected treat.

[TahoeMax]

Don't worry, I hated FF 12 too.

Sadly, FF 12 International fixes every damn complaint I had with FF 12, but we won't be seeing that version.

Thanks Square!

What differences are there?

[Roufuss]

What differences are there?

http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=137234

Read through the entire thing since more things keep getting added.

Basacially more playable characters, no more random items, a job system in place instead of the generic license board (my number 1 complaint about FF 12), 480p, controlling guests and espers manually, and some other things.

[mykevermin]

The license board is there too...I think you have the option of choosing one or the other at the beginning.

[Wolfpup]

http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=137234

Read through the entire thing since more things keep getting added.

Basacially more playable characters, no more random items, a job system in place instead of the generic license board (my number 1 complaint about FF 12), 480p, controlling guests and espers manually, and some other things.

Wow. That international version sounds SOOOO much better. Like a complete make over. And FF12 was above average to begin with (even if it's my least favorite game in the series).

[WhipSmartBanky]

So...any advice for a n00b getting started, early going, and getting the most out of XII?

[pete5883]

Learn some Quickenings.

[Backlash]

Definitely get at least 2 quickenings per character as early as possible. They double your MP and make the early and mid boss fights MUCH easier, though they aren't as useful in the late game.

Also, very minor spoiler depending on in you have more than just Vaan in the party:

Turn Balthier into a tank. I never used him for a long time b/c I thought he was supposed to use guns (since he comes with a gun) and using guns really blows in battles. Give him a good sword and good armor and he's a great character.

[Wolfpup]

Darn. I just kept him with guns since he came with them. He was fine that way though for me. I just swapped out characters to keep them the same level.

[coolz481]

I'm only about 1/3 through the game plot-wise, but already all 6 of my party members have their 3 quickenings. The trick for me was to level up at the mines with the regenerating skeletons worth 130+ XP each that also drop bone fragments that sell for nearly 200 gil. Got a boatload of cash and really powered up before moving on, plus I got to explore a lot of the license board. I love going through the hunts, too.

[Wolfpup]

I fought there a ton too, just to raise my levels.

[defiance_17]

Darn. I just kept him with guns since he came with them. He was fine that way though for me. I just swapped out characters to keep them the same level.

Eh, I used him as my main healer, and I thought he worked great for it. I think guns just kinda suck in general. The game is actually really balanced in that regard--any character can be shoved into basically any role you'd like. That's a good and bad thing--the updated version looks like it will pigeon-hole everyone a little more, and I think that will be better overall.

[Kendro]

Definitely get at least 2 quickenings per character as early as possible. They double your MP and make the early and mid boss fights MUCH easier, though they aren't as useful in the late game.

Also, very minor spoiler depending on in you have more than just Vaan in the party:

Turn Balthier into a tank. I never used him for a long time b/c I thought he was supposed to use guns (since he comes with a gun) and using guns really blows in battles. Give him a good sword and good armor and he's a great character.

Actually don't underestimate the gun. Guns ignore defense so suppose you fight a boss that has high defense against magic and physical attacks, the gun does major damage to them.

I primarily used Balthier as a mage since he uses a ranged weapon. Doesn't really matter what you use as long as you have 3 tanks with Deathbringers. I cruised through the last dungeon and boss with them.

[Kayden]

I had Ashe as my main healer. Her cure did about 3k. Fran and Penelo also did healing, but also offensive magic and more buffs.

Basche was my main tank with a Deathbringer and sheild and would case protectaga/shellaga and bravery on himself.

Vaan used greatswords with cat ears to go for quick heavy hits.
Balthier got Katanas with genji gloves to do tons of moderate blinding fast attacks. He also served as lighter healer/buffer when things got bad.

My roaming party was usually Basch, Vaan and Ashe. I had Ashe set to keep Basch and Vaan set to berzerk and bravery and haste. They'd do about 5-9k every second or so... :lol:

For bigger baddies, I had Basch set to shell and protect himself and melee the piss outta the boss. Then I'd have Ashe and Fran keep life up and stick lure to Basch as well as buff and nuke as mana and time permitted.

Additionally, a great alternative to elixers during long fights is to just syphon off your main tank. If you buy the whole license board, your main tank should get mana every time he hits and every time he gets hit. So when ever your casters are down about 200 mana, just syphon off your tank and he'll be full again real soon. Basch was a fuckin battery for me. :lol:

[Backlash]

Additionally, a great alternative to elixers during long fights is to just syphon off your main tank. If you buy the whole license board, your main tank should get mana every time he hits and every time he gets hit. So when ever your casters are down about 200 mana, just syphon off your tank and he'll be full again real soon. Basch was a fuckin battery for me. :lol:


Never thought about that - great idea.

Basically, as everyone said, any person can be any "class." The only thing different is their base stats (strength, agility, etc), so I used those to guide me into who would be which class, mostly.

I used Balthier as a tank because he has good base strength. I used Fran as my first main mage (and then Penelo, and eventually Ashe) because she starts with a good distance weapon.

The only thing that really makes characters different towards mid and end game is teh equipment, since by then they'll all have most of the top license board. I gave Fran and Penelo magic-boosting armor, which helped them become mages. I gave my tanks heavy armor, etc.

[Wolfpup]

Actually don't underestimate the gun. Guns ignore defense so suppose you fight a boss that has high defense against magic and physical attacks, the gun does major damage to them.

I primarily used Balthier as a mage since he uses a ranged weapon. Doesn't really matter what you use as long as you have 3 tanks with Deathbringers. I cruised through the last dungeon and boss with them.

Yeah, it had been a while since I've played it, so I forgot about that-that's one of the reasons I used them. I know sometimes I had to switch everyone to guns.

That's an interesting idea about using your a physical attacker as a "battery" for magic.

I just used everyone the same pretty much though. There didn't seem to be much difference between the characters from what I can remember.

[paz9x]

well search isnt working, sorry to bump this but im getting raped by gilgamesh.

so my tactic was decoying my tank with brave haste and reverse.
which seemed to work fine until reverse would lapse for a second and id get one shot. whatever the dog is doing its ko'ing. after that its a car wreck.
my tank is a 69 the others are 10-15 below.

help?

[super_nerd]

well search isnt working, sorry to bump this but im getting raped by gilgamesh.

so my tactic was decoying my tank with brave haste and reverse.
which seemed to work fine until reverse would lapse for a second and id get one shot. whatever the dog is doing its ko'ing. after that its a car wreck.
my tank is a 69 the others are 10-15 below.

help?


wheeee, I beat Gilgamesh (2nd encounter) when I had Reddas in my party. I just cast protect, shell, haste, regen, bubble, and bravery on all my characters to start. Reddas went ahead and distracted Gilgamesh while my 3 main characters pounded on Enkidu. I used phoenix downs whenever someone died and recast the support spells as necessary, esp. bubble. I had a character casting cura whenever someone's health dropped below 90%. After Enkidu died, it was pretty much a breeze. I had the other 3 characters as reserve and fully buffed but I had no need for them, you can use them as a finisher to do a quickening chain.

[paz9x]

yea, ive got reddas with me. im gonna give it a go with a more standard method like you described. its the damn dog thats killing me not him.
im done for today, ive put 20 hours in in a little over 2 days, im burnt after hours of that asshole.
1st encounter lasted maybe 3 minutes. wicked easy. maybe ill give it one more go before bed.

edit - gilgamesh is no more. once that dog was gone he was no big deal.
now i go visit fafnir.

[Moxio]

Uber bump.

I can't seem to get this game to work with my component cables. In the PS2 settings I switched it from 4:3 to 16:9, but when I plug in the component cables and go to Component on the TV, I get a "No signal". Help?

[pimpinc333]

Uber bump.

I can't seem to get this game to work with my component cables. In the PS2 settings I switched it from 4:3 to 16:9, but when I plug in the component cables and go to Component on the TV, I get a "No signal". Help?

I believe you need to change the video output also. I think there is an option in the Sony PS2 Menu for Component Cables. I haven't touched my PS2 in a long time but yea check out the Menu and see if there is any "Video Output" you can change to.

EDIT: Change the Video Output from RGB to Component. Hope this helps :D

[Wolfpup]

I know for a fact it does work if it's set right, as I played it on my HDTV (strangely, it more than any other game before or since really benefits from widescreen IMO).

The Playstation 2 really does have a confusing video setup! Guess it wasn't that important back 8 years ago :)