Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimore of the Rift [Archive]

potatocubed

2008-08-11, 03:55 AM

I love this game. I've got 70-odd hours clocked (mostly on my commute) and, while I've finished the plot, I've still got plenty of questin' to go before I've exhausted it.

A word of warning, though, about named characters. During the course of the game, you'll pick up named characters - Luso, Cid, three from FF12, and at least three others who I'm not going to name here. Most of these characters are optional, but when a named character offers to join your clan, you can't turn them away and you can't get rid of them once they're in.

So I recommend either leaving a row on the clan screen empty so you can fill it with these characters without having to ditch a custom character, or looking them up in a guide so you can avoid collecting them unless you want to.

Ranis

2008-08-11, 09:58 AM

I went on a binge on this game a while back, playing the crap out of it and skirking on my duties of raising my team of pokemon for the GITP challenge.

It's very addicting, but it suffers from the same flaw the first one did: If I want to plow through the storyline, I can't because they raise in difficulty sharply after each one. If I want to do every little quest I can first, then I'm waaaay too high-level for the story quests by the time I get to them and they seem far too easy, even the ones that I know shouldn't have been easy at all.

Also, what was with the hunter nerf? Sadface.

Enlong

2008-08-11, 12:27 PM

Hunter nerf? Maybe I just failed at Hunters in the first one, but I found my Hunter to be a lot more fun to use this time around. Sidewinder=awesome, I see that now.

Yeah, ya need to strike a balance of grind vs. story. I'm working on that.

Also, what's with that rank 44 mission against this insanely strong Red Mage appearing about 2 hours into the game?

I actually have a question. I accepted a Hume Thief into the clan. Is there any reason to use him if I already have that girl thief? (he has 2 Thievery skills and she's a Ninja already)

tonberrian

2008-08-11, 12:50 PM

You should train him. It's always nice to have another thief if you need to steal multiple items in one fight or the first is disabled/ko'ed/petrified/leaves the party temporarily.

There's also a bunch of good hume classes, and everything is better with higher speed (which the thief has).

Drascin

2008-08-11, 12:54 PM

Am playing it on-and-off right now. Awesome game, I'd say. Made Luso into a Paladin, and loving it - the abilities, save for a couple, are not awesome, but he's a freaking tank. And Cover is still a godsend. "Want to kill that little summoner that is playing havoc with you? Sorry, you have to go though this guy first! And he has about 400 HP and ungodly defense, so good luck with that! Also, look out for the Dragoon sneaking behi- oh, never mind, you're dead."

Also, I want loot to make some freaking maces already, my Sage is growing cobwebs back there! Stupid randomness... I didn't get materials to make another thief weapon to make Adelle into a ninja up until like level 30. Which means her stats suck, because Thieves' stat growth apparently has been nerfed to kingdom come, and also meant no Juggler for me. Grumble grumble. I have like every. freaking. handcannon. in the game, though. At least bangaa cannoneers are fun (ether shot is useful, too). And that sword to give Ultima charge to Moogle Knight. I have a fusilier learning it - I'm curious whether it will mean I can Ultima from 8 squares distance :smallbiggrin:.

Also, what's with that rank 44 mission against this insanely strong Red Mage appearing about 2 hours into the game?

Ah, Cinq Couleurs. Fun line of quests, that. You're supposed to come back a bit later, the quest reappears periodically. Then you will fight each one of the other color mages (which are Red, Blue, Black, Green, White) in subsequent quests that raise level in 11 each one. Beating Rouge gives you the Sequencer Sword, though, which is awesome, so go for her as soon as you humanly can. The rest are not that imprescindible, though the Peytral Armor and the abilities the Cheer Staff grants come in handy.

Also, Noir, the Black mage, is a moogle and sucks a lot. Easier of the five, easily, so take some absorb tunics and shields and laugh at him.

Enlong

2008-08-11, 02:43 PM

Cool, cool. Yeah, I'll train my other thief. At least I got a fourth thief ability. But maybe Ill make him into a Ninja/mage or something.

One thing, I can't get any freaking... uhh, whatever that winged female race is... I mean, I got the Raptor class, but none of the people who can use it.

If any class got nerfed, by the way, it was the Beastmaster. So long, ability to completely control a monster's actions, hello one action on the beastmaster's turn. One of my favorite combos was to control a monster, then use a Time Mage to Slow the beatmaster and Haste the monster. Gave me soooo many turns with the monster.

My Luso (named him Claus, by the way) is going the path of the Fighter. And I'm liking it so far. Far Fist Aura Burst is such a fun move. I think I'll combo him with Paladin, though I've put Learning on him in case I get enough powers for a good Blue Mage. (As for Dragoons, think about this; Counter with a spear.)

Oh, I realized the biggest thing I don't like is every character starting with 0 MP at the start of battle. My Nu Mou just hate that.

Drascin

2008-08-11, 03:43 PM

One thing, I can't get any freaking... uhh, whatever that winged female race is... I mean, I got the Raptor class, but none of the people who can use it.

That is relatively normal. Gria do seem to have a rather low chance of appearance. I got my first one relatively recently, and I'm avobe level 40. My cousin got one really soon, though, the lucky bastard, so keep looking - you might luck out. The raptor class looks pretty useable, by the way.

If any class got nerfed, by the way, it was the Beastmaster. So long, ability to completely control a monster's actions, hello one action on the beastmaster's turn. One of my favorite combos was to control a monster, then use a Time Mage to Slow the beatmaster and Haste the monster. Gave me soooo many turns with the monster.

Ah, yes. Poor beastmaster. Now he's useless, except maybe for learning blue magic, and not even then.

My Luso (named him Claus, by the way) is going the path of the Fighter. And I'm liking it so far. Far Fist Aura Burst is such a fun move. I think I'll combo him with Paladin, though I've put Learning on him in case I get enough powers for a good Blue Mage. (As for Dragoons, think about this; Counter with a spear.)

Me, the quest To Be A Fighter didn't appear until very late, and by then Luso's stats where so far into "defensive powerhouse" from his levels of Paladin (I'm usually a full offense guy, never ever used a paladin in the first game) that I just kept rolling with it and trained another hume for fighter, so that he could get to Parivir later, instead of having the protagonist be a half-ass at both.

And counter with spear is not that much more useful than counter with another weapon, and can sometimes make you even hit your own people. I should know, My Templar/Bishop carries it. Still, range is nice.

Oh, I realized the biggest thing I don't like is every character starting with 0 MP at the start of battle. My Nu Mou just hate that.

If you think your Nu Mous are unhappy, you should see the faces my Summoner makes at me. Man, I want to find whatever it is that gives 1/2 PM.

By the way, has anyone tried Brightmoon Tor? That thing's evil! It starts easy enough, levels around 30 or so, it grows until about 50 (tough, but perfectly manageable)... and then at the last floor, there's two lvl 90 marlboro overlords, one level 50 werewolf, and a damn rabbit that gives Hastega and regen to all his team! They had like twenty turns before I even got to act!

Well, at least you can get good loot from stealing from them ^^.

potatocubed

2008-08-11, 04:12 PM

The thing that teaches half MP is a... luminous robe, I think? You can also get something to teach your illusionists blood price, which lets them make up for missing MP with HP.

I found the level 44 Cinqleur quest really easy because there's just one enemy and you get 4 people. You can take her with level 20s or so.

My Luso went soldier/fighter/parivir - the quests came up just right. Now he's a powerhouse. Collect gria wherever you find them - all their classes are fantastic. The geomancer especially is great fun, although you have to do four level 40+ quests to unlock them.

What's this Brightmoon Tor? I haven't found it yet. The hardest quest I ever faced was The Real Story, the climax of the Galmia Pepe arc where you have to fight, like, seven pink malboros who haste and regen each other, charm your people, and it's all over before you can fight back. In the end I just dispatched a team to do it and they mysteriously won. :smalltongue:

Enlong

2008-08-11, 06:40 PM

OK, so I have a question. I just finished the FFXII cameo misssion* and got Cid as a fulltime clanner. I found out that he's ready to be either a Dragoon, Gladiator, or Bishop. I currently have one experienced Dragoon, and another Bangaa who showed up as a Gladiator and is on his way to being a Defender. So I ask, should I make Cid a Bishop to even things out? Should I make him a Gladiator anyway? Should I make my Dragoon a Bishop instead? Is there a good class to move into to eventually make good use of Cid's Monkey Grip? I need some guidance.

*Oh man, it was a nightmare. I had one aim, to take out Genius Ed. Ed was level 20, Cyrus (Luno) was 21. The Law? Harming the weak. AAAAGHAERIHEAOIHE! Judge, you are actually making me like the Judge/Law system this time around, stop screwing that up! Then Vaan starts attacking everything BUT Ed, and my Tinker GreenGears my team and breaks the law anyway! ARGH!

Drascin

2008-08-12, 11:11 AM

The thing that teaches half MP is a... luminous robe, I think? You can also get something to teach your illusionists blood price, which lets them make up for missing MP with HP.

I'll try finding it then. Seriously, my summoner is like the second most dependable member of the team (have just spent a few missions fighting undead - Maduin's fun :smallbiggrin:), so giving her 1/2 MP to make sure she can keep firing would be great.

I found the level 44 Cinqleur quest really easy because there's just one enemy and you get 4 people. You can take her with level 20s or so.

I went for her around level 25, I think - yeah, she was cake. The Blue Mage I tried right afterwards, however, killed two of my people before I wised up to him (stupid Dual Wield). The rest weren't too hard - Noir sucks, the final white mage is very manageable with the level 35 team I threw at him... and, ok, look out for Greeny in the middle of the quest line, because that "Tranq+Death" combo she packs can mess your formation something fierce if you don't see it coming. Plus she has a rather big hammer for melee.

My Luso went soldier/fighter/parivir - the quests came up just right. Now he's a powerhouse. Collect gria wherever you find them - all their classes are fantastic. The geomancer especially is great fun, although you have to do four level 40+ quests to unlock them.

You lucky bastard :smalltongue:. I unlocked parivir like four levels ago, myself :smallsigh:. And yeah, I only have one Gria, but I'm training her as Raptor and she's pretty good - the abilities are a mix of mezzing and defensive that comes impressively in handy, plus the wings give awesome movility for a heavy unit.

What's this Brightmoon Tor? I haven't found it yet. The hardest quest I ever faced was The Real Story, the climax of the Galmia Pepe arc where you have to fight, like, seven pink malboros who haste and regen each other, charm your people, and it's all over before you can fight back. In the end I just dispatched a team to do it and they mysteriously won. :smalltongue:

Brightmoon Tor appears near Grazston at times, as a kind of special dungeon of hell. Try it even if you're gonna die in the last level, because if you have a Steal Loot of good level you can get neat stuff there, and maybe a chest if you're lucky. Remember to pack some holy damage, cause there are a few dragons weak to holy around.

And I rememeber the marlboros. My cousin also had a hard time with that quest. Me, I obliterated them easily. Astra is your friend, as is a Summoner that can fry them all when they cluster up to sing. Also, they're weak to Aero, and I happened to be packing a Sage and a Templar/Bishop, soooo... well, I guess my current team was, as we pokefans say, super-effective :smallbiggrin:

And Enlong: Sorry, but can't help you there... haven't trained Cid, because I took a dislike for him at the beginning. Still, I say having two or three trained Bangaa should be enough - One should always go for Defender, because defender is awesome. Another, well, I'm now trying a Master Monk (my old Templar/Bishop - he switches between Prayers and Templar abilities as needed) and I'm loving it, so I'm biased - though Dragoon still has a brutal stat growth and some great abilities, so don't discount it. And the third it's your choice. I personally like having teams out of the ordinary, so I'm using now a Cannoneer, which, while not half as stellar as the other bangaa choices, is great fun. Bazooka on the head! Plus shooting free ethers at people is useful :smallbiggrin:.

BTW, anyone know how to get a Trickster?

Enlong

2008-08-12, 11:39 AM

I'll try finding it then. Seriously, my summoner is like the second most dependable member of the team (have just spent a few missions fighting undead - Maduin's fun :smallbiggrin:), so giving her 1/2 MP to make sure she can keep firing would be great.

I'm just lucky, I guess, 'cause I just Bazaaar'd the Luminous Robe. I'm gonna save up my Gil now so that I can give it to my Illusionist as soon as I can. Waiting 3 rounds to cast is just insanity.

BTW, anyone know how to get a Trickster?

I'm fairly certain you need 2 Tinker A-abilities. And I just want to go on record that it better be friggin' worth it to go through that on a second moogle (my first Thief-moogle is now a Flintlock/Fusilier, and I'm lovin' it. Well,I will as soon as I get another friggin' handcannon. Prime is worthless by itself)

Edit: Maduin's a Summon? Shweet. Dude's like my favorite Esper.

Edit Edit: Whoops, disregard my second paragraph. That's how you get Jugglers. My bad. I don't have Trickster yet.

Drascin

2008-08-12, 11:57 AM

I'm just lucky, I guess, 'cause I just Bazaaar'd the Luminous Robe. I'm gonna save up my Gil now so that I can give it to my Illusionist as soon as I can. Waiting 3 rounds to cast is just insanity.

Can I strangle you?

I'm fairly certain you need 2 Tinker A-abilities. And I just want to go on record that it better be friggin' worth it to go through that on a second moogle (my first Thief-moogle is now a Flintlock/Fusilier, and I'm lovin' it. Well,I will as soon as I get another friggin' handcannon. Prime is worthless by itself)

I doubt it. Mainly because Trickster is a Bangaa job :smalltongue:. You might be thinking of Juggler. I already have one of those. Smile and Ring are made of awesome.

And my own moogle went fusilier, and, as said, is now learning Ultima Charge out of curiosity :smallbiggrin:. Also, I'd be willing to trade you handcannons if it was possible - I think I have like eight or nine different ones around here. Why do you think I ended up going Cannoneer?

Edit: Maduin's a Summon? Shweet. Dude's like my favorite Esper.

Yup. He's the Holy element summon. Most undead have not found him so sweet, though :smallbiggrin:

tonberrian

2008-08-12, 12:07 PM

Ahh, but Pheonix is the bane of the Undead, especially since you can splash one right in the middle of your party. I think it damages undead more, too.

And Juggler + Time Mage is made of win.

Enlong

2008-08-12, 12:19 PM

Can I strangle you?
Why would you want that? It's a 50% hit chance across the internet, and Silence sucks 'cause I don't even cast magic.

Yup. He's the Holy element summon. Most undead have not found him so sweet, though :smallbiggrin:

Heh. What's his move look like? Anything like Chaos Wing in FFVI?

Is Mog Knight still good? And if so, what's a good secondary class for it?

Drascin

2008-08-12, 12:32 PM

Why would you want that? It's a 50% hit chance across the internet, and Silence sucks 'cause I don't even cast magic.

And I'm no Assassin, myself, so I don't meant that kind of strangling, but yeah, you might be right. Ah well. Scathe to the face!

Heh. What's his move look like? Anything like Chaos Wing in FFVI?

Not really. Appears, raises hands, forms big ball of holy energy, blows it up on the enemies's faces. Fairly simple, all in all.

Is Mog Knight still good? And if so, what's a good secondary class for it?

Dunno, I have a vow of never using moogles for anything but support jobs, so never actually tried a Mog Knight seriously.

Enlong

2008-08-12, 12:42 PM

Don't worry, you'll get the Robe eventually. I think it's either in Bulky Robes or one of the Light-based sets...

Ah cool. What's Maduin look like in this version?

Also, finally got another Handcannon. Yay for Shell Cannon! Even though the Regen privilege makes it half-redundant... ah well. Oh, and now I'm giving Cyrus (Luno) Bonecrusher. Fun times.

I decided to make my Cid a Gladiator for a while. Perhaps I'll make him a Master Monk or Trickster whenever I get those jobs.

This game is sooo addicting.

tonberrian

2008-08-12, 12:50 PM

I decided to make my Cid a Gladiator for a while. Perhaps I'll make him a Master Monk or Trickster whenever I get those jobs.

Cid can't actually BE a trickster. For whatever reason, he can't equip cards, so he can't use trickster techs.

Enlong

2008-08-12, 01:04 PM

Oh... weird. Well, Gladiator works for now.

Side note: I HATE Cassies! I'm doing one of those Galima Pepe ribbon missions, and I'm up against a frickin' army of Cassies, a form of Malboro that loves to puff and Regen each other, and then cast Slow, Sleep, and Charm on a bunch of my units at once. I'm only making progress 'cause Luno decided to use Aurablast when Charmed and hit himself and a buch of people who were Sleeped, freeing them all. But man, it sucks fighting those things.

And of course none of their breath things are Blue Magic...

Drascin

2008-08-12, 01:53 PM

Ah, yes, that's precisely the marlboro mission me and potato were talking about earlier. I assume from your frustration you did not bring anyone capable of casting Astra to the stage?

Innis Cabal

2008-08-12, 02:05 PM

Half MP is awsome. The Game is awsome. Trickster is Awsome....

Woot Spitum

2008-08-12, 02:05 PM

One thing, I can't get any freaking... uhh, whatever that winged female race is... I mean, I got the Raptor class, but none of the people who can use it.If you hang around Flourgis during Emberleaf or Plumfrost, you should eventually find some Gria recruits. You can also do the Clan Mates subquest during those same months.

Behold_the_Void

2008-08-12, 02:08 PM

I didn't really take to this game, truth be told. The plot and characters failed to interest me and it feels like an expansion pack to the first game moreso than an actual game in its own right. It's pretty easy to break, too ('sup Seeq Ranger with Mirror Item).

There are a few job combinations I found work pretty well. Summoner or Elementalist with Red Magic secondary for dual-casting and Halve-MP, Parvir/Fighter/Paladin with High Magic secondary and the two-swords ability for Magic Frenzy (Fira/Blizzara/Thundara+attacking anybody in the spell's blast radius? Yes please!), the aforementioned Ranger, there are several ways to break the game in half. In general, fairly meh about this installment. Played it, beat it, will convert it into money for a more interesting game.

Enlong

2008-08-12, 02:15 PM

Ah, yes, that's precisely the marlboro mission me and potato were talking about earlier. I assume from your frustration you did not bring anyone capable of casting Astra to the stage?

Man, the only Astra I have is Mog Shield. Also, the Judge was being an idiot that day. The law that day? Buffs/Debuffs.
AAARGH!!!
The only one that wasn't charmed or Sleeped was my Illusionist. And that isn't any freaking help when every one of those Malboros are Regen'd.

And I almost got the Spellblade class... and then that archer with Focus critted against the Red Mage I was guarding. Darn it...

Ah, well. Game's still fun, and I have the Cannoneer class now!

Edit:
Wow, Canoneer's a great job! Potion Shell is 10 kinds of awesome, and It's so much fun to have Dragoon abilities for when the foe closes in.

Am I the only one who thinks it's stupid to lose the Judge because one of your clanmates violated the law while Charmed or Confused?

potatocubed

2008-08-12, 02:42 PM

Is Mog Knight still good? And if so, what's a good secondary class for it?

When mog knights line up against me, they're unbelievably damage resistant and dish out billions of HP with mog lance, mog attack, etc. So I got one, and he was, basically, pants. I'd say stick with fusiliers and jugglers.

I switched him to chocobo knight after a while, but since chocobo knights have no powers without chocobos to ride and I never worked out how to catch them... bleh.

I didn't like Cid much when I first got him, but when I unlocked master monk I noticed that he's set up to pick it up straight away - and now he's excellent. My other master monk became a trickster (which you unlock with a quest - it's pretty obvious what you're getting, as I recall).

On the subject of tricksters... for anyone else who has done the first mission against the four heads of Duelhorn where the law is no cross-gender attacking: did the sexually ambiguous bangaa trick you too?

Drascin

2008-08-12, 03:02 PM

Man, the only Astra I have is Mog Shield. Also, the Judge was being an idiot that day. The law that day? Buffs/Debuffs.
AAARGH!!!

Meh, I don't really care about the law - if it's easy to follow, I do, if not, whatever. And it's not "that day". The thing's basically fixed, or me and my cousin have surprisingly coincident games.

And I find your lack of Templars and Alchemists seriously disturbing :smalltongue:. Any of those would have given you Astra. Seriously, Templar makes for a great secondary job for most Bangaa - it gets circle speed-rend, area MP damage, Haste, Astra, and Lifebreak, among others.

Edit:
Wow, Canoneer's a great job! Potion Shell is 10 kinds of awesome, and It's so much fun to have Dragoon abilities for when the foe closes in.

Wait for Ether Shell, that's where it's at :smallbiggrin:. My Summonner and my Cannonneer love each other. Mortar is also neat, if you're already positioned well.

Am I the only one who thinks it's stupid to lose the Judge because one of your clanmates violated the law while Charmed or Confused?

Yes, it is. Good thing I have some accessories that protect against charm.

When mog knights line up against me, they're unbelievably damage resistant and dish out billions of HP with mog lance, mog attack, etc. So I got one, and he was, basically, pants. I'd say stick with fusiliers and jugglers.

I found that in the first one, which is why I made my vow. However, I haven't tried them now. Still, from what I hear, they now get about the same stat progression per levelup as the Fighter, so maybe you have to give them some levels before the attack starts working. Still not using them, tho.

I switched him to chocobo knight after a while, but since chocobo knights have no powers without chocobos to ride and I never worked out how to catch them... bleh.

I can help you with that one. Weaken - not kill, weaken - a chocobo, and bring the Knight to the side or back of it (not the front). He'll get a command to mount. Do so, and you have a new shiny chocobo. I'd go for Red, because of ChocoMeteor, but your choice.

Man, I'm going to have to get back into this game and finish it, all this talk is starting to make me feel like playing again (stopped to get more time to play other games - including now the DDO demo). I don't really rememeber where I left it...

Enlong

2008-08-12, 03:11 PM

Well, actually, to tell you the truth, I just got access to Alchemist now, and I only have the Energy Mace.

OK, I actually have a Nu Mou question.
I have 2 Nu Mou: the Black Mage from the beginning and another who joined as Beastmaster. The first is now an Alchemist, and the other a Sage. Should I make one into a Time Mage, and then Arcanist? Also, what's a good secondary job for Sage or Alchemist or Arcanist?

Also, should I make Cid into a Templar? My Dragoon has become a Cannoneer, and Cid needs a job, but is Bishop good for him?

Burley

2008-08-12, 04:11 PM

This is what you do with Cid. Make him a Bishop, and slap your Luminous Robe on him. Then, go into Gladiator for Ultima Sword (Learned from a Materia Blade, which you get in the Bazaar as the Crystal Gear A-level item). Then, jump into Trickster, and equip cards as you see fit, to learn their abilities as you see fit. This little trick lets you have the Trickster's amazing speed and you'll be able to do Materia Blade (the Bangaa's strongest attack, by far) with only 16mp.

Not good enough, you say? Well, slap on MP Channeling or MP Efficiency as your clan privilege and you can use Materia Blade, at range, often ever single action. (Thanks to Atomsized for the MP Channeling advice.)

Marvel, sir. Marvel.

As for Chocobo Knights...they're so...ack. I don't like them. Sure, they can equip every weapon, but they don't learn any abilites, not even support or reaction. They also have the worst Moogle stat progressions. The only reason I went into the class was to finish the chocobo hunting missions.
Catching a chocobo is pretty easy, too. Just give your ChocoKnight a holy weapon (something a paladin would use) and Black Magic as your second A-ability. All Chocobos are weak to Holy, water and lightning. You have to get a chocobo into the HP critical arena, but with no buffs or debuffs. When your C.K.'s turn starts, stand next to it, and an opportunity command (like that of standing by a chest) will appear and let you ride it. It's a lot like catching a pokemon.

There's plenty of other stuffs, so, just ask, and I'll try to jump onto this thread as much as possible, to pass on my...lamitude.

Enlong

2008-08-12, 04:19 PM

Um, wow. I think I am going to marvel indeed. Someone said that Cid doesn't equip Trickster cards, though.

Also: how do you get the Seer and Scholar classes?

One more thing: YAY! I finally got a Gria! Flying death-machine, here I come!

Is spell-blade a good class?

Atomsized

2008-08-12, 04:42 PM

Yay! Someone made a thread on this! :smallbiggrin:.

Anyways, since i had played the first one, this one turned out to be fun too. The only downside i saw was the storyline though, it seemed somewhat slow. The good parts i found amusing were the cameos that the characters like Montblanc from the first FFTA had in the game.

Seer and Scholar classes:

4 White Mage A-abilites = access to Seer
1 Sage A-ability and 1 Time Mage A-ability = access to Scholar

You need to beat the quests to get them too, of course.

Is spell-blade a good class?

Well, i based my Viera with Assassin/Sniper, but i did get around to having her take a few spellblade skills.

I liked using the Spellblade for fun, spamming spell-blades on the enemy, and the good part i also found with it is that you can mash it with Doublecast, so you (with Halve MP skill) can pull off 2 slashes + effects every turn, which is great.

EDIT:

Well, i guess i'll just post some other godly combos here as well, but be warned, they are GODLY :smallwink:. Click the tag at your own expense.

1. Well, i've been thinking about what to pile on Adelle as in skills and classes, but with the new Seer class out, I've been trying to see the full effects of Magick Frenzy. I tried it out, pretty nice move, but then my mind suddenly shifted to Illusionist too. Then it hit me.

Hume Illusionist/Seer: Illusion Spell + Magick Frenzy + Dual Wield (preferably staves with the highest attack) = Wrath of jumping and whack that will leave your enemies begging for mercy when you pull this move off. Oh, and to get enough mana, you can use Recharge on the first turn with the person with this combo. Then you should be able to pull it off next turn.

2.Well, i was going to suggest the Trickster/Ultima Charge thing, but since BW already said that, i'll pass to the next.

3.Viera Assassin/Any other class: Ultima Shot + Halve MP + MP Channeling = Basically the same thing as 2., but with less range.

4.I never really favored the Tinker class, seeing that it's effects are either deadly or awesome, but when i was piling through my equipment, i found Death Claws and the ability you could learn to Tinker, Black Ingot, which can inflict DOOM depending on the box. This may be a stretch, but if you can have your party all set for it, it WILL be deadly.

Moogle Tinker: All other party members with resistence from DOOM in some way (like ribbon or some accessory that protects from DOOM) + Black Ingot + just some plain old luck = The other team with all their members inflicted with DOOM. If this backfires on you, then your team shouldn't be affected if you equipped the right DOOM immune stuff.

5. With the new Seeq class out, i didn't really favor their appearence (big fat blue pig like things :smalleek:) but there was one combo that caught my attention when i was piling through my items:

Seeq Ranger: Item Lore + Mirror Items + X-Potion = 400 instant dmg, and barely misses.

Enlong

2008-08-12, 07:07 PM

Wow, those are godly. So godly that I'm not good enough yet to use them:smallwink:

Does Hunter with Blue Magic strike you as an OK combo?

Also, does anyone else find themselves wishing that Sky Pirate was an actual class you could make Humes learn?

Also, I'm an idiot. That Viera that joined me as an Elementalist? I switched her to Archer so she could be a Sniper, before realizing that to be an Assassin she'll need one more Elemantalist A-Ability, which means wating time to make her re-qualify for the class... *sigh*

On the plus side of things, I beat Red King Ruuj and got the Sequencer sword. Is niiice! ...And then I tried fighting Bliu and got my butt handed to me on two silver platters. Magick Frenzy is freaking GODLY! I can understand how combining that with Halve MP would be awesome.

Uhh... wait. To get Magick Frenzy, you need Seer, to get Double Sword you need Ninja, To get Ninja you need Thief, to get Thief you need Soldier, to get Blue Mage you need Black Mage...

To reproduce Blue King Bliu, you need to have:
4 White Mage A-abilities,
1 Soldier A-ability,
4 Thief A-abilities,
1 Black Mage A-ability
And then spend time in Ninja for Double Sword, spend time in Blue Mage for Learning, spend what I'm sure is a godly amount of time learning Magick Frenzy...
Bliu is freaking HARDCORE!

Atomsized

2008-08-12, 07:36 PM

Yeah, the kings are pretty tricky. I'd say when you're fighting King Bliu, make sure you don't clump your units together or he'll pull off a spam of Magick Frenzy and Quake on you. Not to mention he also has Dual Wield, so that's twice the pain.

And Hunter with Blue Magic, hmmmm, i've never actually tried it. Hunter alone is great, he's a good support, and Blue Magic would probably boost his position as support so yeah, I would say that that isn't so bad.

And there is a clan privilege which can give you bonus AP per misson (considering you don't break the law), which means faster skill gain.

Enlong

2008-08-12, 07:51 PM

Oooh! Nice! I need to do more Clan Title things.

Yeah, the only thing I don't like about Hunter is that he's only good against Monsters. Rival clans make him rather less powerful, though Sonic Boom is still a nice trick. But Blue Mage would make him good against Monsters by making them give him powers, and against rival Clans by giving him some Blue Magic to work against them.

Also, my Gria is having bad luck. I gave her the bow for Sidewinder, which is Dark, and every time I put her into battle, the best enemies absorb Dark, making her Sidewinder useless.:smallfrown: She'll show them all once she masters it and moves onto Raptor, though.

potatocubed

2008-08-12, 08:23 PM

Also, my Gria is having bad luck. I gave her the bow for Sidewinder, which is Dark, and every time I put her into battle, the best enemies absorb Dark, making her Sidewinder useless.:smallfrown: She'll show them all once she masters it and moves onto Raptor, though.

I got that as well - dark-element weapons are virtually useless except in a very few instances.

But sidewinder is totally worth it, especially if you switch her to ravager later on and start doing it with 2H-swords. From behind, for even more damage (because the wings mean gria can almost always pull off an attack-from-behind).

Atomsized

2008-08-12, 08:29 PM

I got that as well - dark-element weapons are virtually useless except in a very few instances.

But sidewinder is totally worth it, especially if you switch her to ravager later on and start doing it with 2H-swords. From behind, for even more damage (because the wings mean gria can almost always pull off an attack-from-behind).

Yeah, and i also love the sneak attack move that comes with the gria. Pretty nifty bonus damage when you attack from behind, the dmg you do with sidewinder from behind a creature is almost equal to sneak attack from behind a normal non-creature.

Enlong

2008-08-12, 08:57 PM

Yuo, and she's finally a Ravager, so it's time to show those punks what she's really made of. Of course, my full-time Hume Hunter is gonna be fun too. Hello monsters, say hello to my two little friends; they're called Blue Magic and Sidewinder from a Malbow.

Just got a look at an enemy Cannoneer, my are those various forms of shot fun. Buckshot and the double-strike thing especially.

And now, for your reading pleasure, a letter to my Judge:

Dear Judge,
I know you work hard for my clan, providing useful bonuses like Regen and allowing me to revive clanmates, and I respect that. I mean, I find you far more appealing and likable then your chocobo-riding, corpse-porting, jail-happy cousins of old. And I know that you prefer me to be law-abiding, and I accept that you are perfectly within your rights as an uber-powerful magickal construct to take away your privaleges when I violate the law. But please, Mr. Judge, stop coming up with laws that deliberately screw the clan over. You know, like when I go to fight Gaitsnipe, a clan entirely made up of ranged attackers like cannoneers and fulsiliers, and then forbidding me from using ANY FRICKING RANGED WEAPONS!
*ahem* sorry for the outburst mr. Judge, but please, neither of us want this clan to do badly, so please stop screwing us both over.
Thank you:
Enlong
P.S. Also please understand the difference between a normal clan member and one who is charmed. You know full well that I'm not commanding the latter type.

Drascin

2008-08-13, 06:49 AM

And there is a clan privilege which can give you bonus AP per misson (considering you don't break the law), which means faster skill gain.

What trial do you have to beat for that one?! I might even consider actually listening to my judge if I had that!

DigoDragon

2008-08-13, 06:49 AM

This sounds like an awesome game. Going to have to get it now. :smallsmile:

Atomsized

2008-08-13, 07:39 AM

What trial do you have to beat for that one?! I might even consider actually listening to my judge if I had that!

It was the clan trial where you have to kill 2 tonberries within 3 rounds. And it's the lvl 3 part of the trial, but i forgot the name of it.

Quote:
Dear Judge,
I know you work hard for my clan, providing useful bonuses like Regen and allowing me to revive clanmates, and I respect that. I mean, I find you far more appealing and likable then your chocobo-riding, corpse-porting, jail-happy cousins of old. And I know that you prefer me to be law-abiding, and I accept that you are perfectly within your rights as an uber-powerful magickal construct to take away your privaleges when I violate the law. But please, Mr. Judge, stop coming up with laws that deliberately screw the clan over. You know, like when I go to fight Gaitsnipe, a clan entirely made up of ranged attackers like cannoneers and fulsiliers, and then forbidding me from using ANY FRICKING RANGED WEAPONS!
*ahem* sorry for the outburst mr. Judge, but please, neither of us want this clan to do badly, so please stop screwing us both over.
Thank you:
Enlong
P.S. Also please understand the difference between a normal clan member and one who is charmed. You know full well that I'm not commanding the latter type.

Heh. Usually i just break the law anyways on insanely missons where you can't break it such as the ones where you can't deal over 100/50/20 damage. I usually go "Screw this, Ultima Masher!"

Thanatos 51-50

2008-08-13, 07:58 AM

I have the Japanese version.

Problem is, it doesn't translate like the Ace Attorney games and I can't read katakana.
Oh, well.

Burley

2008-08-13, 08:29 AM

I got my AP Boost 1 at the beginning of the game, thanks to that handy questionaire. The first time I played through, I got stuck with Luck 1. Whatever.

If you want a Scholar: You need one Sage and one Thyme ability, and you need to beat the Mission "Treasured Tomes." My Nu Mou has access to the class, but I never use it because I don't have any of the GOOD books. The ones I do have access to are the various "Tome" attacks, which hurt allies and enemies, but not enough to really be all that effective. However, there is a lovely little ability they have called Natural Selection, which attacks all members of a certain race. It's completely amazing during fights against all one race, like the Bangaa Brothel... Er... Brotherhood.

As for the Seer: 4 White Mage Magicks (one of which, Cura, transfers to a Seer Magick ability) and you need to beat "The Cat's Meow." It's a really easy mission. The hardest part about playing a Seer, which I highly suggest having a dedicated Illusionist/Seer, is getting the tightest books available. I haven't been able to snag the Edaroya Scriptures, so, no Magick Frenzy yet.

In temporary conclusion: I love this game. The only thing (that I can currently think of) that I prefer about the 1st one is: Steal Weapon/Armor. They don't exist yet, and that's the only way I was able to get every weapon and armor (and therefore, master every ability) in the 1st. I feel that I'll never do that in the 2nd. BUT! I'mma try.

A Rainy Knight

2008-08-13, 10:05 AM

This is pretty much the only DS game I still regularly play. Of the things that they changed from FFTA, I particularly like the new law system. For once, the judge actually seems like your buddy instead of the mean old guy who throws you in jail for breaking any one of his four laws for the battle. :smallannoyed:

I've built my clan around the concept of fast and lethal attacking without much care for using debuffs and the like. When it comes to speed, Adelle in her unique job plus Ninja Tabi plus the Move Up privilege is pretty fun.

@^ The Tome spells are only worth using if you have Flurry Robes, Bone Plate, etc. for your entire team. That way, you absorb the scholar's spells as healing while you hurt your enemy.

Burley

2008-08-13, 10:37 AM

Adelle's special job (Heritor) looked really lame at first, but I've grown to love it. Before I realized how to learn new techniques, I was so angry that she had ONE move, and there were no items that taught new ones.
Then, I stubled upon the next ability quest.
Then, I refused to equip that weapon because it was called "Tiptaptwo," and I refused, out of sheer principle, to ever use a weapon with a stupid name like "Tiptaptwo."
But, I caved, because that knife is so bloody strong. She's jumped into my top 3 characters in a span of two missions, and she was my 7th best...out of 14.

So, I have to ask: How many people actually use multiple races? Personally, I have one of each race, and then any special characters from story plots. I've only accepted two new members (a Seeq and a Gria) and I switch jobs around. I feel like I have a personal connection with all my members.

Though, I do go to the clan request tiles and jobs and accept new members that have the more costly starting equipment, strip their gear, and fire them. I'm a horrible person. :smallfrown:

Diddgery

2008-08-13, 11:02 AM

I really like the game, and for the most part it's an improvement, but there are a few things about it that I liked better in the first game.

Like... the Beastmaster class didn't suck. It quickly fell from being one of the best classes to an entirely pointless class- it's barely even useful for teaching your Blue Mage stuff. And since the Morpher class is entirely gone, the only point in ever becoming a Beastmaster is so you can have a Sage. A few other classes were nerfed (Thieves having low steal chances and being unable to steal weapons and armor is a big slap in the face), but the Beastmaster suffered the most. And I'm not even going to begin describing how disappointed I was with the Choco Knight class.

Another thing that bothers me is that you can't refuse the special characters. I don't like Vaan. At all. And now he's been forced upon me and I cannot get rid of him. And if there's going to be more special characters... blaaaaaah. I don't want to get rid of my cool, non-plot-related units. In my mind, they're more interesting than Vaan will ever be. At least he has a special class... oh, and Penelo is lame too, but I prefer her over Vaan.

I like how breaking the law doesn't net as bad a penalty now, but... I don't see why that gives them an excuse to make stupid, stupid laws. What kind of judicial system penalizes the victim of a theft instead of the thief?! And the laws that impose restrictions on Viera and Bangaa units that then go on to count Penelo (human) and Cid (whatever-the-heck-he-is) as one or the other... I don't think it would have been to hard to program exceptions for those units. Of course, I guess this keeps people from cheating the system with Cid on those particular missions... still, it's kind of silly.

But there are a fair share of new things I like. The new races aren't bad, despite only having four jobs each. The Gria in particular are a new favorite of mine- as soon as I got one and began training her as a Raptor, she quickly became one of my best units. I think it might have something to do with the ability to fly and not suffer falling damage. A lot of the new classes are pretty good, too... well, Flintlock isn't that good. I'd take a Gunner (or Fusilier now, I guess) over one of those any day. As for the Bazaar... I dunno. I like the concept, but at times you just can't get any equipment for a certain class, so you can't really use that particular class until you start getting stuff.

I guess the plot is pretty okay. People aren't condemning Luso as the true villain of the game, if anything.

Enlong

2008-08-13, 11:06 AM

oops. double post.

Enlong

2008-08-13, 11:19 AM

Personally, I accept clan members where I can, but I have a small trick to it. I figure out where one pops up, save, see their race, and then reload until they have a job I like. Like just now, I was at a spot where a Hume Ninja wanted to join. I reloaded, and this time he's an Illusionist.

How many more "unique" peoples show up, by the way? I have 1 row left, and I just got Hurdy and that Illusionist I mentioned.*

*who is totally getting a Luminous Robe and going to Seer first chance I get. My Nu Mou from the start of the game has a reason to go Time Mage now!

(one question, is there any way to get the other "Hurdy's Request" weapon after Hurdy joins you?)

Burley

2008-08-13, 11:37 AM

Okay, I was gonna spoiler this, but it's all already been said. What the hey, I'll do it anyways:

***SPOILER ALERT***

You start with Luso and Cid. Then, you get Adelle, followed by Hurdy. You get Van and Penelo, and later Al-Cid, all from FF12. Those are the only ones you are forced into getting. There are, however, 2 "hidden" characters, Montblanc, from the first game, and Frimelda, who starts as a duel wielding paladin...awesome. It's a bit of a pain to go through the story for her, but worth it in my opinion, just for sheer Hume usefulness.

As for the Beastmaster class, I don't think it's too bad, and I do use it regularly and I keep up with any new instruments that will teach a new ability. I found it very annoying that I couldn't move the monster units anymore, and I found it even more annoying that it's either "Attack" or "X-special", instead of having full access to their ability list. But, I feel that it makes up for it with
1) always working (because it's so annoying to risk not controlling it, and then risking not hitting because they have horrible accuracy always), and
2) keeps you from relying on enemy units (because I have gone into fights in the first one with a a few Nu Mou with appropriate Beastmaster abilities, and cleaning the board in a matter of rounds).

Atomsized

2008-08-13, 11:44 AM

I agree, that Beastmaster class was decent in the last game, but they made it worse in A2. Reduced control range, not being able to move the creature, etc.

Because people mostly use Beastmaster for Blue Mage skills, the thing i did find though (and i'm pretty sure) is that you can get all Blue Mage skills now at any duration of the game. (as opposed to only being able to get a certain skill at a certain non-repeatable mission like in the last FFTA).

And for the Hurdy's Request thing, the A-Class weapon (Shining Lute) is eaiser to get than the other (Frigid Viol (i think). Once you beat the Bangaa Brotherhood/Nu Mou Nobles chain of quests, you get the Shining Lute, but then i've found that it is far harder to get Frigid Viol.

I think you could get them both off Auctions too (you can get ANYTHING off the auction house :smalltongue:)

Enlong

2008-08-13, 11:56 AM

Atomsized

2008-08-13, 12:09 PM

Ah, good. I still have one more slot for a generic character if I want (I may pass on Frimelda, if only because I picked up a Hume Paladin a few missions back and can probably train him to her level.)

As a side note, I love how Hurdy isn't as self-restrictive as, say, Babus was. Remember him? Only one ability set, only 2 spells for it, and he couldn't change jobs. Hurdy, meanwhile, gets a unique job, 4 abilities mastered off the bat, 1 more learning, thanks to his new instrument, and the ability to switch jobs! I'm so totally gonna make him an Animist once I master Soul Etude. I also love how two of his abilities are total throwbacks to Edward of FFIV: Hide and Critical: Vanish. Both of those were Edwards signature moves in FFIV. Makes me laugh.

Unit spoilers:
Wait... if you can get Montblanc, does this mean that Luso is in the same Ivalice Marche went to? That's confusing, it is. I thought that this was the "real" Ivalice (of FFT, FFXII/RW and the other Ivalice Alliance games), and that Marche went to a magical construct made by La Grim Grimore.

Yeah, i'm mostly happy by how you can change jobs with, errr, let's call them unkickable characters, like Hurdy and Cid. Except for

Al-Cid. You're stuck with Agent with him FOR-EVERRRR! DUNDUNDUNNNNN

And Unit spoiler:
Yeah, the FFTA world IS really confusing. But it seems like Montblanc in A2 IS the same one from FFTA. It's not convincing, but I seem to believe that because had related Lusos "incedent" about the bangaas and lizards blahblahblah and such with Marche's bump in. Ezel also made an appearence too, as well as Mewt from the "hume" world.

The one thing that does make me wonder is that if they are the same from the first game, then how come the stuff with the laws changed? There used to be judges romping all over the "imaginary" Ivalice banishing people to the slammers, but now judges are sparse and almost nowhere in A2.

Also, it's been stuck in my head for awhile now, but why do you think humans are called Humes in the FFTA world?

Enlong

2008-08-13, 12:16 PM

Yeah, i'm mostly happy by how you can change jobs with, errr, let's call them unkickable characters, like Hurdy and Cid. Except for

Al-Cid. You're stuck with Agent with him FOR-EVERRRR! DUNDUNDUNNNNN

And Unit spoiler:
Yeah, the FFTA world IS really confusing. But it seems like Montblanc in A2 IS the same one from FFTA. It's not convincing, but I seem to believe that because had related Lusos "incedent" about the bangaas and lizards blahblahblah and such with Marche's bump in. Ezel also made an appearence too, as well as Mewt from the "hume" world.

The one thing that does make me wonder is that if they are the same from the first game, then how come the stuff with the laws changed? There used to be judges romping all over the "imaginary" Ivalice banishing people to the slammers, but now judges are sparse and almost nowhere in A2.

Also, it's been stuck in my head for awhile now, but why do you think humans are called Humes in the FFTA world?

Yeah, I dunno. My theory, which I just came up with now, is that Montblanc is a real Ivalice inhabitant, and La-Grim Grimore changed his memories and such, and 'ported him to false Ivalice, maybe? I don't know, I'll decide when I see him. As for Hume, I'm gonna say it's just the way the say it there, no other real reason.

And yeah, I noticed that "Mr. Randell" had a teddy bear on his desk. At least I don't have to deal with Llednar Twem again.

Burley

2008-08-13, 12:58 PM

At least I don't have to deal with Llednar Twem again.

Oh...so, you don't have Adelle's special class yet? :smallwink:

As for the Law system, that's very simple.
Remember in the first game, how the Judges used to work for the government, but Judgemaster Cid quit? Well, from that point on, judges worked seperately from the crown.
But, why, you may ask, do Judges now work with individual clans, instead of encounters as a whole?
Because, Judgemaster Cid was transformulated into... Cid! :GASP:

So, now the Judges have no judge master and cling to clans like oil. This also explains why your judge is such a sadistic jerk. Because he's actually very angry at Cid for leaving and breaking up the Judges Guild. They lost their Federal Health Care and their Company Vehicle.

Diddgery

2008-08-13, 01:10 PM

Judges themselves changed quite a bit. They started out as real people, I believe, and this carried over into FFXII. But in this game, the Judges are magical (I refuse to use that stupid "k" (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Magick)) constructs that are assigned to a clan once it gets formed.. or something like that, I don't know. I'm not even going to bother figuring out what the deal is with Totema -> Esper -> Scion, or where the Seeq and Gria races suddenly sprang up from. I guess it's not something that's meant to be thought about much.

Burley

2008-08-13, 02:36 PM

I'm not even going to bother figuring out what the deal is with Totema -> Esper -> Scion, or where the Seeq and Gria races suddenly sprang up from. I guess it's not something that's meant to be thought about much.

The Summoner class has always summoned Espers. Always. The first game had them, too.
The Totema were constructed by the grimoire in the first game, to protect Mewt's subconscious's world. They renamed the Scions "Totema" for the first game, because they had the flavor to back it up. They lacked that in the 2nd so changed it back to Scion.
A Scion is a more powerful Esper. While an Esper is called by a Summoner, to aid in a battle, through force of will, a Scion is called into a fight through the carnage of battle.
See Eidlons and Aeons, as well as espers from...FF6?

Enlong

2008-08-13, 05:30 PM

Atomsized

2008-08-13, 06:52 PM

Hold on a moment.

I just saw the Monblanc scene, and didn't see anything where Monblanc or Hurdy explicitly mentions Marche. I just saw that the scene was set up a lot like Marche's bump-in, and played out the same, just without the fight. Maybe I'm missing something?

Yeah, it was just a ironic scene that relates to the (almost) same scene from the first game. He doesn't explicitly mention Marche, but the scene was just for amusement.

Enlong

2008-08-13, 06:55 PM

Yeah, it was just a ironic scene that relates to the (almost) same scene from the first game. He doesn't explicitly mention Marche, but the scene was just for amusement.

I see. Yeah, it was funny. And yay! I picked up 3 new classes today! Trickster, Master Monk, and Seer. Hooray for the cat-ears; I love these little throwbacks to older Final Fantasies.

Edit:
Hey, um, how do you get Montblanc to join you, anyway? I am almost contemplating making him a Mog Knight or Choco rider.

Wait... I'm already making Hudry an Animist, why not make him a Mog Knight, too? And then a Choco knight, if I can find any good chocobo. Heheh. Hide, then sneak up, and then cut them to ribbons. It would certainly make Hurdy a little less Spoony.

Edit edit:
Serious question: How do you open the Kthili sands area? I really want to star the Geomancer missions.

pingcode20

2008-08-14, 03:15 AM

Hello, fellow A2 players! :smallsmile:

---
Re: Kthili Sands

Have you tried going overland? Yeah, the Goug route is closed, but you can get into it from the moment you land on Ordalia by simply taking the path across the continent rather than trying to use the Goug route.

Volug

2008-08-14, 07:33 AM

I just saw the Monblanc scene, and didn't see anything where Monblanc or Hurdy explicitly mentions Marche. I just saw that the scene was set up a lot like Marche's bump-in, and played out the same, just without the fight. Maybe I'm missing something?

The only time when Montblanc mentions Marche is when he's defeated in battle.

ANd I just got the game, I'm 10 hours in, and I just barely HEARD about auctions. I don't think I'm doing them yet, but Cid mentioned them when *Minor spoiler*He had to sit out for a bit, and he's in that bed*end minor spoiler*.

For one thing, I need to figure out how to get more recruits... I'm guessing it's not like FFTA. I guess I need to read the manual or something.

AND I WANT FIELD NON-MISSION BATTLES
DO THEY HAVE THEM OR NOT

If they don't, that. sucks. horribly.:smallannoyed:

Burley

2008-08-14, 07:56 AM

Montblanc and Hurdy CANNOT become Chocobo Knights. They have unique sprites, which means that the game designers didn't draw ChocoRiders for their two specific sprites (which is understandable).

If you're gonna do anything with Hurdy and Montblanc, get as many Fusiler and Juggler abilities as possible, and completely ignore Flintlock (because you are forced to waste a round to use any special ability, and then waste another round to use another one. Prime is stupid like the Bonga Bugle Owner). Then, go MogKnight and attach either your Fusiler or Juggler abilities. MogKnights have great movement and jump, so you can run around and Stop Shot people (while doing a Blade's moderate damage), or you can just run around with heavy armor and Dagger Toss your enemies into disabled submission.

For one thing, I need to figure out how to get more recruits... I'm guessing it's not like FFTA. I guess I need to read the manual or something.

AND I WANT FIELD NON-MISSION BATTLES
DO THEY HAVE THEM OR NOT

If they don't, that. sucks. horribly.:smallannoyed:

Recruits don't come at the end of missions. You'll see little "?" bubbles in certain areas. (Gria only show up on the northern continent, FYI.)
And, yes, there are non-mission battles. Some of them pop up as black wolves on red squares. There is one for every area, always the same monsters (they get tougher as you do), but they come and go depending on the time of year.
There are also clans that'll get all up in your face, but that doesn't start until you start doing auctions a lot. The clans that you beat in auctions, especially if you win the territory of a specific clan, will challenge you when you go to collect your "champ award." (This is when a Scholar with Natural Selection comes in handy, since most of the clans that challenge you are all one race, with the occasional moogle thrown in.)

Atomsized

2008-08-14, 11:20 AM

For one thing, I need to figure out how to get more recruits... I'm guessing it's not like FFTA. I guess I need to read the manual or something.

The time and place also affect what type of character you get, in some places you get a Seeq at X time, in some places you can get a Moogle at X time, blah blah blah blah.

Oh, and there is also a repeatable mission, titled Clan Mates, where you answer this questionairre like survey thing and they give you a person based on how you answered.

Enlong

2008-08-14, 12:27 PM

Just got Parvir. Very nice looking class, that. Gave it to my Luso and started learning Iai Blow. Now I've got a use for all those extra katanas, yay!

I'm actually making Hurdy into a Mog Knight/Bard (no reason to dump his main class), and I got another Animist whom I'm gonna make into a Choco Knight if I ever find good Chocobo (white choco looks fun; My illusionists will love Choco Recharge)

Burley

2008-08-14, 12:35 PM

Here's something to help anybody out in their future game endevours. It seems like this thread may be slowing down, and I'm at work...so, yeah.

Everything you need to know. (http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Final_Fantasy_Tactics_A2:_Grimoire_of_the_Rift)

Enlong

2008-08-14, 09:09 PM

Oh...so, you don't have Adelle's special class yet? :smallwink:

As for the Law system, that's very simple.
Remember in the first game, how the Judges used to work for the government, but Judgemaster Cid quit? Well, from that point on, judges worked seperately from the crown.
But, why, you may ask, do Judges now work with individual clans, instead of encounters as a whole?
Because, Judgemaster Cid was transformulated into... Cid! :GASP:

So, now the Judges have no judge master and cling to clans like oil. This also explains why your judge is such a sadistic jerk. Because he's actually very angry at Cid for leaving and breaking up the Judges Guild. They lost their Federal Health Care and their Company Vehicle.
Actually, according to one letter about the Judge's origins, it's mentioned that Judges once were used to adjudicate all conflict (FFTA), and today, it's changed to the Judges only watching over those that make the oath. Somewhere inbetween, I think, it got forgotten that Judges were anything other then Konstructs.

Volug

2008-08-14, 09:17 PM

*needs to complain*

WHY CAN'T HUMANS BE RED MAGES AND HAVE THAT AWESOME COSTUME LIKE THEY HAD IN FINAL FANTASY 1?!??!

*cries*

Enlong

2008-08-14, 10:27 PM

*needs to complain*

WHY CAN'T HUMANS BE RED MAGES AND HAVE THAT AWESOME COSTUME LIKE THEY HAD IN FINAL FANTASY 1?!??!

*cries*
BECAUSE COMBINING BLUE AND RED MAGIC WOULD BREAK THE UNIVARSE!!!

ALSO SEERS USE BLACK, WHITE AND AWESOME MAGIC!!

Drascin

2008-08-15, 12:28 AM

BECAUSE COMBINING BLUE AND RED MAGIC WOULD BREAK THE UNIVARSE!!!

Nah, you'd just get purple magic. However, no Hume or Viera was willing to use the outfit designed for Purple Mages out of sheer tackiness, so the designers had to choose whether to give each race Blue or Red mages. Vieras, since they're more stylish and better with the fashion stuff, got the cool hat.

ALSO SEERS USE BLACK, WHITE AND AWESOME MAGIC!!

Indeed. The mission to get Seers finally appeared yesterday in my game. I find it enormously funny that the guy with the most manly and hammy lines in the game is the guy sporting a white and pink cat-eared hood :smalltongue:

Enlong

2008-08-15, 12:35 AM

Nah, you'd just get purple magic. However, no Hume or Viera was willing to use the outfit designed for Purple Mages out of sheer tackiness, so the designers had to choose whether to give each race Blue or Red mages. Vieras, since they're more stylish and better with the fashion stuff, got the cool hat.
Wow, what would Purple magic do?

Indeed. The mission to get Seers finally appeared yesterday in my game. I find it enormously funny that the guy with the most manly and hammy lines in the game is the guy sporting a white and pink cat-eared hood :smalltongue:

Stained with the sweat of my brow and the salt of my tears!

Zap!

Yeah, Seer-boy is awesome.
I didn't see much Zapping, though. More jumping into monsters and getting barely saved by Potion Shell

Atomsized

2008-08-15, 07:14 AM

Vieras, since they're more stylish and better with the fashion stuff, got the cool hat.

But Blue Mages got a cool hat too :smallwink:.

And actually, I kinda think that Seer are somewhat like the Red Mage. They have a array of spells from different classes, Black Mage (Fira, Thundara, Blizzira), White Mage (Cura, Esuna) and they have a few of their own spells to "personalize" the class (Recharge, Magick Frenzy).

Burley

2008-08-15, 07:29 AM

I like to think that Seers and Red Mages fall from the same magickal tree of mixed magicks. (K included out of spite, now. :smalltongue:)
The difference: While Red Mages do have a wider selection of spells, they can only cast the weakest set of them, i.e. Cure, Fire, Thunder, Blizzard.
Seers don't have access to the status spells, like Poison or Sleep, or the support spells, including Shell and Protect, that the Red Mage is privy to. However, they get the "--ra" spells to bump their power level a bit. I find them fairly equal on the power curve, with the Seer coming out just a smidge on top (in every way but speed) thanks to their stat progression and the fact that, being Hume, they're probably going to have some martial job levels to incease their HPs and physical attributes.

Blue Mages win automatically, though. They get magicks that nobody else can touch.

chiasaur11

2008-08-15, 10:46 AM

Burley

2008-08-15, 11:17 AM

But Red Mages can ignore damage if they don't write it down, and cast Frigus 9!

Right, but it's got three weak links: Black Mage (Blue Mage), Thief (Ninja), Fighter (Paladin). Oh...would you look at that. Those are all Hume jobs? Interesting...

I'm not saying that Red Mages aren't cool, but in real games, including any FF game that has a Red Mage: Red Mages never get to cast the high end spells. Red Mage aren't specialists, which makes them less useful late in the game. Plus...they always have dismal stats. Really...just bloody horrid. Double Cast is their redeeming quality, and the only reason I ever actually use the Red Mage, in any game.

Enlong

2008-08-15, 11:29 AM

Here's a thought:

Red Mage with Blood Price and Summoning magic.

Wear a Blaze Robe and dualcast Ifrit, making sure to zap yourself at the same time.

????

PROFIT!

chiasaur11

2008-08-15, 11:46 AM

Right, but it's got three weak links: Black Mage (Blue Mage), Thief (Ninja), Fighter (Paladin). Oh...would you look at that. Those are all Hume jobs? Interesting...

I'm not saying that Red Mages aren't cool, but in real games, including any FF game that has a Red Mage: Red Mages never get to cast the high end spells. Red Mage aren't specialists, which makes them less useful late in the game. Plus...they always have dismal stats. Really...just bloody horrid. Double Cast is their redeeming quality, and the only reason I ever actually use the Red Mage, in any game.

Well, technically, the ninja is an elf.

And Fighter's a good job. You can block any blow and kill anything that bleeds. Also: Swordchucks.

Volug

2008-08-15, 02:39 PM

I'm not saying that Red Mages aren't cool, but in real games, including any FF game that has a Red Mage: Red Mages never get to cast the high end spells. Red Mage aren't specialists, which makes them less useful late in the game. Plus...they always have dismal stats. Really...just bloody horrid. Double Cast is their redeeming quality, and the only reason I ever actually use the Red Mage, in any game.

Lies, you just don't know how to make them horribly broken (Uber powerz) like I do:smalltongue:
*Has solo'd FF 1 with a single Red Mage* Not hard really... Kinda easyier then what you may think =\

There has not been a versitile unit I have messed with and couldn't make amazing.

As for the stats, that's not true as well. They have great all around stats, if you give them stat boosting items... That's how they become broken, a fighters power as well as a black mages magic power.

You should see my second Final Fantasy tactics file, I used a code-breaker so I made everyone a red mage/summoner. Double cast summoning! =D

Atomsized

2008-08-15, 02:44 PM

That reminds me, and for those of you who beat a certain mission after beating the game:

Around what level was your party when you beat the Five Kings Of Cinquleur?

Mine was around 45.

BanjoTheClown

2008-08-15, 03:32 PM

My party was around 47-49.

Oh and this might of been mentioned before but do you ever get Montblanc in your party?

Burley

2008-08-15, 04:05 PM

Lies, you just don't know how to make them horribly broken (Uber powerz) like I do:smalltongue:
*Has solo'd FF 1 with a single Red Mage* Not hard really... Kinda easyier then what you may think =\

There has not been a versitile unit I have messed with and couldn't make amazing.

As for the stats, that's not true as well. They have great all around stats, if you give them stat boosting items... That's how they become broken, a fighters power as well as a black mages magic power.

You should see my second Final Fantasy tactics file, I used a code-breaker so I made everyone a red mage/summoner. Double cast summoning! =D

See...once you use a code-breaker, you aren't playing the game anymore. You playing with the game. I will never be impressed with people's abilities to cheat. Except for that one game that's all about how well you can cheat... D&D. (I joke.)

I actually haven't done the mission with all five kings. However, It should be said: I beat the single king missions with all my characters at least 7 levels lower than recommended. Thank you AP boost!

To get Montblanc:
You need to get three Scion summoning items: the Gigas Pendant, Earrings of the Dead, and the Pin of Order. The quest will come up: Wanted: Friends, Kupo!
He joins you with as a Black Mage, and has all three fire and all three thunder spells learned, and he's equiped with a chill rod, so, he's learning Blizzaga.

Blizzaga would be an awesome metal-core band name.

Edit: I need to ask a question, now.
I have read that, on the Bonga Bugle missions where the Editor doesn't hop around like a foo', if you use a knockback move on the Editor, you can search the square he was in for some special item. Editor's Secret Gift or something similar. But, everytime I've tried it, my characters kill him! :smalleek: Has anybody gotten this item? If so...what is it?

BanjoTheClown

2008-08-15, 04:15 PM

Revlid

2008-08-15, 05:43 PM

Atomsized

2008-08-15, 07:24 PM

The funny thing is, ive no idea where to get those items, Ive done the scene with Lezaford when there talking about them and read the rumor, but other than that i never heard word of it ever again. Do you get them in a story misson?

Once a year, in the cities with avaible auction houses, there will be a mission called -insert city name here- Cup. Like if you go to Camoa, there might be a mission availible (if not, then check the "others" tab to see how many more days) called Camoa Cup. The mission requires you to fight a total of 3 battles against 3 different clans. Win the cup, and you get an accessory which let's you summon scions. Those accessories are what BW mentioned.

BanjoTheClown

2008-08-15, 09:03 PM

Once a year, in the cities with avaible auction houses, there will be a mission called -insert city name here- Cup. Like if you go to Camoa, there might be a mission availible (if not, then check the "others" tab to see how many more days) called Camoa Cup. The mission requires you to fight a total of 3 battles against 3 different clans. Win the cup, and you get an accessory which let's you summon scions. Those accessories are what BW mentioned.

Thanks, Bro. :smallsmile:

GryffonDurime

2008-08-15, 10:14 PM

Enlong

2008-08-15, 10:25 PM

I just got it, and I've scraped my way to the second continent, but I haven't been able to get any new spells for my Mages beyond Cure and the three elemental attacks. Is that common? Do you find that happening a lot? Will I ever get to unlock more magical classes? :smallfrown:

Yeah, sometimes. Just keep using the Bazaar, and eventually you'll get more rods and staves. It's kind of luck of the draw sometimes. Sometimes I like to hold off on going to the bazaar for a while to see if I accumulate good loot in good combination. I'm having a Mace problem myself.

A Rainy Knight

2008-08-18, 07:05 AM

See...once you use a code-breaker, you aren't playing the game anymore. You playing with the game. I will never be impressed with people's abilities to cheat. Except for that one game that's all about how well you can cheat... D&D. (I joke.)

I actually haven't done the mission with all five kings. However, It should be said: I beat the single king missions with all my characters at least 7 levels lower than recommended. Thank you AP boost!

To get Montblanc:
You need to get three Scion summoning items: the Gigas Pendant, Earrings of the Dead, and the Pin of Order. The quest will come up: Wanted: Friends, Kupo!
He joins you with as a Black Mage, and has all three fire and all three thunder spells learned, and he's equiped with a chill rod, so, he's learning Blizzaga.

Blizzaga would be an awesome metal-core band name.

Edit: I need to ask a question, now.
I have read that, on the Bonga Bugle missions where the Editor doesn't hop around like a foo', if you use a knockback move on the Editor, you can search the square he was in for some special item. Editor's Secret Gift or something similar. But, everytime I've tried it, my characters kill him! :smalleek: Has anybody gotten this item? If so...what is it?

Answer to the spoiler:
The mission you're talking about is the Goldsun one, the one where you go treasure hunting. Normally, the detector says stuff like "small treasure detected, large treasure detected, etc." On the square he was standing on, it says "Bonga treasure detected!" It's just a piece of loot, though. I got a skull.

A combo I've recently been playing around with is Ravager/Raptor. I have her use Battle Cry on the first turn to boost her attack (no drop in defense with a Ribbon) and then approach the enemy using the raptor's Bulwark every turn to preserve the Unscarred passive ability. When she's in range, I have her hit the strongest enemy from behind with Sneak Attack for around 600+ damage. :smallbiggrin:

Burley

2008-08-18, 08:47 AM

Yeah, sometimes. Just keep using the Bazaar, and eventually you'll get more rods and staves. It's kind of luck of the draw sometimes. Sometimes I like to hold off on going to the bazaar for a while to see if I accumulate good loot in good combination. I'm having a Mace problem myself.

I understand what you mean. I like to see the little orangey dots myself. I've spent hours going through and comparing what I could have in different groups before I actually use up my loots. It gets time consuming if you don't go to the Bazaar every half-dozen missions or so.

Rods and Staves, as well as books (my lament), seem like the toughest things to get, because most rely on (X-element) stones or sigils, which you won't get until later. I suggest taking every mission you can before you do a story mission, otherwise you'll be opening up harder and harder missions, without getting better and better abilities. This is also a good way to get new jobs, since you're bound to stumble accross the mission eventually. Just don't take the story missions until they're the last thing on the board, and you'll go into those fights wishing you had less cool moves.

pingcode20

2008-08-19, 04:02 AM

Ghaa, now I've got something really frustrating me.

Anyone done the quest 'Hunted'?

Whenever I go to the site, Luso always goes 'Hmm, there's nobody here' or something. I know it's part of the quest chain with that one zombie (dodging spoilers here), but I haven't been able to figure out how to get the battle to trigger.

A Rainy Knight

2008-08-19, 06:51 AM

This is the best answer that I can think of right now:
Are you at the point where "Through Another's Eyes" is the next story mission? For whatever reason, the game makes you use Luso, Cid, and Adelle for this battle, so maybe it keeps you from doing the mission if you don't have Adelle.

And for a question of my own, does anyone know the times that Brightmoon Tor appears for the second time (in Aisenfield)? I've spent a while trying to find it.

pingcode20

2008-08-19, 07:15 AM

Ah, that would make sense.

I've just cleared that one, so I'll go finish off the 'plot exposition' segment after it (since the story characters haven't nominated another mission yet) and try again.

But... forced to use Cid and Adelle? Yeowch, I haven't been levelling them at all - only my Alpha and Beta squads, made up of Generics and Luso. Oh well, at least my Alpha squad has roughly ten levels on current enemies, and Beta squad is at par.

I did go and teach Adelle Ultima shot, though, in case I'm ever forced to use her without benefit of Luso or Generics.

Thanks. :smallbiggrin:

Atomsized

2008-08-19, 09:14 AM

A Rainy Knight

2008-08-19, 10:23 AM

Oh, so that's what that weather icon means. That would make a lot more sense. For a while, I thought that meant the weather was Mist, because I couldn't think of anything else that fit it.

Also, I found my new least favorite monster in Brightmoon Tor: the ever-annoying Fury. It's a bunny monster with Light Curtain (Haste + Protect all enemies) and Otherworldly Wind (Hits all of your units). Not to mention that there were three of those Brightmoon Tor malboro kings who had two or three turns each before any of my units got to act in which they used Love Song on each other. Now I've got some monsters coming at me with Haste + Protect + Regen + Defense and Resistance up or something like that. :smalleek:

Enlong

2008-08-19, 11:51 AM

Drascin

2008-08-19, 12:24 PM

You need a Blue Mage to cast Roar and then laugh at them.

Oh, that's not the problem. If you buff, the werewolf that's with them will roar for you thanks to Artificial Stupidity. The problem is that the Fury can re-buff them with Hastega and something else I don't remember in a single turn, and has great speed, and these are supreme marlboros we're talking about being Hastega'd - I seem to rememeber you already had some probles with a few marlboros that didn't take four turns before letting you go, unlike those in Brightmoon? :smalltongue:

Enlong

2008-08-19, 05:10 PM

Oh, that's not the problem. If you buff, the werewolf that's with them will roar for you thanks to Artificial Stupidity. The problem is that the Fury can re-buff them with Hastega and something else I don't remember in a single turn, and has great speed, and these are supreme marlboros we're talking about being Hastega'd - I seem to rememeber you already had some probles with a few marlboros that didn't take four turns before letting you go, unlike those in Brightmoon? :smalltongue:Yeah. Cassies, that is. Freakin' Honeyed Breath. 100% Charm rate? Really now?

I took them out with Astra and Roar, while my Illusionist skulked in a corner and Stardusted them constantly.

Though, with such fast ones... I dunno. I still say Roar. Ribbons if you got them.

A Rainy Knight

2008-08-20, 07:15 AM

Yeah. Cassies, that is. Freakin' Honeyed Breath. 100% Charm rate? Really now?

I took them out with Astra and Roar, while my Illusionist skulked in a corner and Stardusted them constantly.

Though, with such fast ones... I dunno. I still say Roar. Ribbons if you got them.

I've got plenty of Ribbons, five to be exact, and a mostly female team, so that's what I've been using. Here's my Tor-clearing force:
Summoner/Red Mage
Ravager/Raptor
Raptor/Hunter
Parivir/Fighter (Luso)
Heritor/Thief (Adelle)
and then either
Alchemist/Time Mage or
Sniper/Archer.

I finished the second Tor, but the third one is really tough, even for my mid-80s level team. Possibly my new least favorite monster: Dark Behemoth. He's got a ranged ability called Dark Elixir with about a 50% chance to bring you down to 5 HP and seems to take about 1/6 the damage my units normally deal. Combined with Light Curtain, well... that's a problem.

Shades of Gray

2008-08-21, 04:26 PM

ARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!!ONE!!111eLEVEN!

I accidentally overwrited (overwrote?) my level 50 files with my new level 6 file.

ARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!!ONE!!111eLEVEN!

Enlong

2008-08-22, 12:41 AM

So... I have a question.
I just finished the Frimelda missions, and now I have a dual-wielding Paladin. Fun times, except I'm now one party member too many if I want to get Montblanc after I recruit the FFXII characters. One of my other clan mates is a Hume paladin without Frimelda's dual-wielding. Should he be the one to go if I aim to get Montblanc later? Or is there a way to make him useful while I still use Frimelda?

P.S. Finally got a Cocobo Knight. Fairly average, I must say, though it's nice to have a Healing spell, Barrier spell, and nonelemental attack (choco meteor) on the same unit. Though I should have given him Counter, now that I think about it.

Burley

2008-08-22, 07:39 AM

If I recall correctly: Counter doesn't work, because the Chocobo you got didn't have it. I haven't ever USED a rider in combat, so, I'm not sure how it works, but I think all of your A- and R-abilities are over-ridden.

I can't help you. It's hard to let some characters go, especially when you've spent so much time on them. Sure, you now have 2 duel-wielding paladins, but only one of them has Counter, and 4+ thief abilities, and 3+ soldier abilities, and probably a few other things. I wouldn't ditch Frimelda, because she's so useful it's almost annoying (The entire time I've had her, she never got knocked out and she is fairly consistantly the one who turns the tide of battle, by duel-wielding Sequencers...), and her Duel-Wield means she's gonna be learning a lot of abilites really fast. I suggest taking her up to Seer and Magick Frenzy people all over the place with you paladin "Saint Cross." (Again, I still don't have Magick Frenzy, but thinking about the math of what Frimelda is able to do NOW... Oh boy...)

Enlong

2008-08-22, 10:18 PM

Cid can't actually BE a trickster. For whatever reason, he can't equip cards, so he can't use trickster techs.

False. My Cid currently knows Snigger, Hypocondria, Suggestion, and Mug.

I picked up Vaan and Penelo today, and got perhaps the funniest tech/description combo ever with Penelo.

Polka:
To look upon this dance is to know despair.
:smallbiggrin:

Zeful

2008-08-23, 10:46 PM

Just got the game today, it looks okay but the law system is weird.

Atomsized

2008-08-24, 06:28 AM

Well, the law system might be a little weird, but it was better than the first system, where breaking of the law could send a person to prison.

Shades of Gray

2008-08-24, 09:48 AM

Why is it that I can never manage to get a thief dagger? I want Ninja.

Right now (level 20) I'm already training my people for the Magic Frenzy/Dual Wield Combo. Adelle and the starter Hume.

I'm getting one of my Viera ready for assassin, and the other for Red Mage/Summoner (Doublecast:smallbiggrin:)

Any other insane combos?

Atomsized

2008-08-24, 10:38 AM

Well, i posted a few deadly combos a the first page, last post. Pretty good combos, but click at your own expense, as it says. :smallwink:

Shades of Gray

2008-08-24, 10:41 AM

Do all of those actually work? Because magic frenzy illusionist sounds sketchy to me.

So I should be training them in black mage and white mage, gotcha.

Atomsized

2008-08-24, 10:43 AM

Yeah, all of them work, i can guarantee that, except for #4 because i only thought about it, never tried it yet.

Oregano

2008-08-26, 12:22 PM

Woo, this is the first post I've made since coming back off holiday, it's taking a while to readjust to internet access.

Anywho, I love Tactics A2, I bought it while I was away. It's a lot better than the first one and I got past the Tramdine Fens but then restarted because I got rubbish loot (I've have much better loot second time around).

Chocobo Knights are awesome, Parivir's are awesome and most importantly Luso isn't a selfish twit.

One thing I don't like however is including Vaan and Penelo in the main storyline, they should have only been in a bonus mission in my opinion. Mainly because I don't care about Vaan.

Atomsized

2008-08-26, 01:57 PM

I haven't played any of the games concerning the outside characters, so i wasn't too annoyed by it. Except that you couldn't make Al-Cid anything besides agent which is kinda disappointing :smallsigh:.

Oregano

2008-08-26, 02:05 PM

Nice avatar by the way, Blue Mages rule.

Well they seem to have some strange idea that Vaan and Penelo are cool characters that everyone loves when actually they're both really annoying, unoriginal generic characters. It's not even a cameo in the game though, it's an important part of the plot.

Disclaimer: This post is all part of my opinion and does not reflect the views of the majority or in fact anybody else.

Atomsized

2008-08-26, 02:07 PM

Oregano

2008-08-26, 02:20 PM

Yep, that will be the reason they are in the game.

And Blue Mages are just awesome, my Luso was a Blue Mage but the problem with them in Tactics A2 is that you only have two abilities(that I'm aware of) to learn and they are both passive. Also, as has been said in this thread is that you don't have to be a Blue Mage to learn Blue Magick.

Atomsized

2008-08-26, 02:22 PM

Yeah, you only need to set Learning to your passive ability. Then you can be any class you want and still learn Blue Magic.

Oregano

2008-08-26, 02:36 PM

Blue Mages are a lot harder to develop in Tactics A2 than in Tactics Advance, partly because Beast Master got with the Doomhammer of nerfing and partly because they got rid of some old ones and added some new ones.

I don't know what to double Luso as though, I'm considering Parivir or Paladin(but I always make the main character a Paladin:smallfrown:).

Atomsized

2008-08-26, 02:38 PM

The good side is that considering you unlocked all the right areas, you can no longer miss a Blue Mage spell. Like in the first, where you could only get this one spell on this one unrepeatable mission. If you didn't get the skill then, then you would of not been able to get a chance to get that spell again.

Oregano

2008-08-26, 02:46 PM

Yes that's true, which makes being a Blue Mage all that more rewarding, and is one of the things I really like about the game.

Do you know how useful Tinkers are by the way?

I miss random skirmishes against rival clans, now everything is a quest or to do with auctions except the very rare random monster battles, which are a lot harder than the quests in my opinion(save a few).

Drascin

2008-08-26, 03:07 PM

Do you know how useful Tinkers are by the way?
.

I can answer that one. Mostly, that they aren't. They suck because you depend completely on luck, and on a bad roll you can not only miss but completely cripple yourself. The only way to turn a tinker useful is to make all your team immune to the ability you'll be using. Pity is, I seem to remember you need to get two tinker abilities as prerequisite for some classes...

Oregano

2008-08-26, 03:13 PM

For Juggler, which is a decent if not good job, that's the only reason that my Moogle is a Tinker but I'll be keeping thievery, not the Tinker abilities.

That's another question, are Green Mages necessary? I had one on my last file but she didn't have any unique abilities if I recall.

Atomsized

2008-08-26, 03:45 PM

Green Mages work with effect skills, such as silence or sleep. If you favor using those types of things, then Green Mage is for you.

Oh, and the Tranq ability they have is useful for certain skills that need more accuracy *coughlastbreathcough*

Oregano

2008-08-26, 03:48 PM

Is being a Green Mage the only way to get Tranq though, I hardly had any of the weapons but I had Tranq, really useful. To be honest I prefer White mage, Red Mage, Spellblade, Elementalist and Summoner.

Drascin

2008-08-26, 03:49 PM

I personally have an habit of Tranq'ing my thieves before going anywhere :smallbiggrin:

Also, I used a Green mage for most of the game. Sleep's a real lifesaver, and silence can turn those mostly-mages missions into a cakewalk, plus they get Barrier and Shield. Basically, they get almost no uniques, but they are a nice complete package. My main Viera right now is Summoner with Green Mage abilities. When I find Doublecast I might substitute it for Red, but even then, Tranq is just enormously useful however you look at it.

Oregano

2008-08-26, 03:53 PM

Nice, I don't really use thieves on A2, because you can't steal armour and weapons, I may try stealing some loot though, I really don't like risking wasting a turn, especially with how difficult some missions and fights can be compared to tactics advance.

I'm torn between A2 and Pokemon they're both addicting and need to be played for hours.

One of my main issues is the 24 unit limit, I'd prefer limitless or a bigger limit because there's too many good jobs and abilities that you may need, although I may start changing abilities around every fight and have everyone with three or four jobs.

Atomsized

2008-08-26, 03:55 PM

Yeah, i hit a firm 100 hours on my card (Played both save files). But if you want to just blaze through the game, i'd say 10 hours, if you want to make the ultimate party on one file, i'd say 60

Oregano

2008-08-26, 04:00 PM

I'm a bit of a completist but I tend to leave games about three quarters of the way through when another great game comes along and/or do what I did on Dragonquest Monsters: Joker, get really far and then restart.

To be honest I prefer Tactics A2 to Pokemon Pearl, mainly because you have to complete Pokemon to get the best stuff which you don't have to in A2, you get the best stuff and then complete it.

Zocelot

2008-08-26, 04:07 PM

To be honest I prefer Tactics A2 to Pokemon Pearl, mainly because you have to complete Pokemon to get the best stuff which you don't have to in A2, you get the best stuff and then complete it.

You don't get the Heritor class or have Vaan, Penelo, and Al-Cid join your party until you have beaten the game

Oregano

2008-08-26, 04:13 PM

I don't want Vaan, Penelo, Al-Cid maybe but meh and Heritor, while ultimately awesome from what I hear isn't as desirable as a Bagon in the early part of Pokemon.

It's probably better if I put this into perspective.

You get a few things as a bonus after you've completed the game on A2, on Pokemon when you've completed the game you can have a possible 151 out of 493 Pokemon.

Sorry, this is a bit off topic, but I like to show my appreciation for an awesome game.

Enlong

2008-08-26, 05:53 PM

You don't get the Heritor class-
False.

10charizards

rossdude

2008-08-26, 08:03 PM

Hello. I know this has already been asked, and answered, but I didn't understand the answer so I will ask again...

How do I open a path to the Kthili Sands? I am on th mission Through Another's Eyes, and I have no clue how to get to my destination.

Please help me!

Atomsized

2008-08-26, 08:10 PM

Hmmm, well, you need access to the aerodrome ships, then fly over to Fluorgis. When you're there, just run around from place to place to unlock new areas, and one of them should be the Sands.

Or, you can just run around and explore if you already are at Fluorgis area. Maybe you missed a spot when you were doing quests.

rossdude

2008-08-26, 08:16 PM

Enlong

2008-08-26, 08:25 PM

So it opens up after doing the side quests? I was sure it was to open after the last story quest I did, because that is what usually happened. I'll just keep on questing then, not that I mind, I love questing and building my characters. Thank you!

Edit: here is another question,

How do I catch a Chocobo? I have a Chocobo knight, and I want to put his special traits to use!

(The Goug path to Kthili is indeed after a mission, but you can get to it now by taking the Kthili Highroad from Aisenfield)

To catch a Chocobo, you need to be facing a Chocobo in battle: Then you need to have a Chocobo Knight, and to weaken the Chocobo to Critical HP. While it's kneeling, move the Chocobo Knight adjacent to it, and select the command Mount. You should be the proud new owner of a Chocobo. The Rider only gets the Chocobo's moves, so pick a good one. I got a nice Red Chocobo: it knows Choco Barrier, Choco Cure, and Choco Meteor. Though there are others (Blacks can fly and use Choco Flame, Whites can use Choco Recharge (restore MP), and Greens can use Choco Esuna)

rossdude

2008-08-26, 09:05 PM

Thanks for everyone's help! I needed it! And just for a side note, this is a really great game and it is great to see so many people talking about it!

Oregano

2008-08-27, 03:52 AM

Atomsized

2008-08-27, 08:13 AM

Ninjas have fast speed growth, and Thief would be good for taking loot items and such. And Heritor.....is blah. The skills you can get with Heritor are just stepped up versions of other skills from other classes, and they cost no mana.

I never really messed around with a chocobo knight, so i dunno much about their abilities.

Oregano

2008-08-27, 08:18 AM

So Heritor isn't essential because on my last file where Adelle was a Ninja she was one of my most powerful units, she was fast, with good jump and had the same power as my Gladiator because of Double Sword.

I only had a Chocobo Knight for a short while and only got a normal chocobo, I like the Knight though although it's stats may not be that good it can use any melee weapon(to help it's low power) and has good speed.

busterswd

2008-08-27, 08:19 AM

A Chocobo Knight can't actually have all of the Chocobo abilities at once can he? They're still cool, they can't actually use items though can they?

Is it worth making Adelle a Ninja, I did but I didn't know about Heritor, and Thief abilities are well worth keeping. Hmm, a difficult conundrum(sp?).

Well, to answer your question first, no, one chocobo ability depending on the mount. No way to make them permanent.

As for the class in general.Coming from someone who enthusiastically wanted to nurture a Chocobo Knight from sheer appeal alone, here are the basic flaws with the class that made me give up on my poor moogle:

-They can't do any reaction commands without ditching their bird. HUGE flaw, considering their speed and movement are the biggest assets of the class. Want to clean an airship with one? Sure, but you have to dismount first.
-They carry the elemental weakness of chocobo, which can be pretty annoying.
-They don't get a secondary job command and instead are limited to chococraft and items. Considering they get 3 spells only in chococraft, this is another giant limiting factor.
-Catching chocobos is annoying. The first and third flaws might not be as bad if chocobos weren't so darn elusive to find in the wild. Someone probably has a guide to where to actually find em, but in a regular playthrough you won't see that many by the time you unlock the class.

Oregano

2008-08-27, 08:24 AM

I agree with the thing about reaction commands, the elemental weakness kind of sucks but you could offset that with equipment.

It's good that they can use Items, I never checked. The normal chocobos are easy to find it's the other rarer ones that are hard to get, I actually encountered more of the others before getting Chocobo Knight and then never saw them after, but eventually I want either a Black or Red Chocobo. It's still probably my favourite Moogle Job despite it's flaws.

Drascin

2008-08-27, 08:30 AM

It's good that they can use Items, I never checked. The normal chocobos are easy to find it's the other rarer ones that are hard to get, I actually encountered more of the others before getting Chocobo Knight and then never saw them after, but eventually I want either a Black or Red Chocobo. It's still probably my favourite Moogle Job despite it's flaws.

Personally, I have always, since FFTA 1, had a really soft spot for the Juggler. That awesome, shrewd-looking portrait they get might have something to do with that - Jugglers have the honor of being the only moggles that look dangerous :smallwink:.

Oregano

2008-08-27, 08:37 AM

Jugglers are my second favourite and their portrait looks dodgy, they look like they would knife you and they also remind me of the joker from batman.

Mog Knights are the worst looking ones properly or Tinkers. The gun toting moogles look kind of cool.

Burley

2008-08-27, 12:01 PM

Someone probably has a guide to where to actually find em, but in a regular playthrough you won't see that many by the time you unlock the class.

Actually, each game does! Check your rumors, yo. There's hints about it in there. Each color appears around a specific time of year in specific areas, and the rumors will tell you EXACTLY where to go.

Oregano

2008-08-27, 12:30 PM

Oh yes, I kept missing them I probably should have wasted all those days instead of resting, it helps they were always on the other region.

By the way, I like the avatar, I feel like making my own Tactics A2 avatar so I can fit in.

Atomsized

2008-08-27, 12:53 PM

:biggrin: I draw some.

Oh, and Shades of Gray does some too, he has his collection right here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26936&page=5)

Oregano

2008-08-27, 12:59 PM

Wow, they're nice, I'll probably do my own, I need to get back to drawing anyway. I'll do a Chocobo Knight one, if no one else has one, or even if they do.

I'm playing A2 as we speak, just used a tinker, used red spring three times in a row and it hit the enemy every time, the gadgeteer was much better.

Atomsized

2008-08-27, 01:03 PM

I've gotten really lucky with Red Spring, used it maybe 8 times and it only hit the enemy twice.

Oregano

2008-08-27, 01:05 PM

I have worse look with things like Roar and Night though, they seem to hit all but one person on my team and at most two on theirs. But Magick Hammer's cool, because it's classic and Matra Magick is awesome, wow I've actually got used to the K.

Atomsized

2008-08-27, 01:06 PM

Matra Magic has always been my favorite spell after Twister. And because they changed how mana works in A2, it's better than ever.

Oregano

2008-08-27, 01:12 PM

I always liked Goblin Punchees but Matra Magick is probably my fave now, especially seen as how it's potentially broken.

Atomsized

2008-08-27, 01:16 PM

Broken = Yes

Shades of Gray

2008-08-27, 01:18 PM

What does Matra Magick do and which monster do you get it from?

Drascin

2008-08-27, 01:20 PM

From the rock turtle things, and it reverses a person's current MP and HP. I don't think I need to explain why that's awesome.

I just might have to bother training a Blue mage sometime. I'm training a new recruit to be a Seer right now... anyone know how well do Seer and Blue Mage mesh?

Oregano

2008-08-27, 01:27 PM

Well, the Blue King of Cinqulur(sp?) exemplifies the mesh of the two, with Magick Frenzy, Earthquake and a BLue Mage's high attack(for a mage anyway) lots of damage is to be dealt, especially if he has double sword.

Atomsized

2008-08-27, 01:28 PM

Well, most people use Seer mostly for Magic Frenzy, and sorry to say but MF only works with the Quake spell. Not for any other blue mage spell.

Oregano

2008-08-27, 01:40 PM

A good combination is Ninja/Blue Mage, you have the offense(from Double Sword), the Speed and Jump(from Ninja) and the magic(from Blue Mage), it takes a while to train for both but it's well worth it, it also means the elemental ninja attacks do good damage as well.

Atomsized

2008-08-27, 01:41 PM

Yeah, and with the status effects, it becomes very handy.

Oregano

2008-08-27, 01:59 PM

Are Stats really that important to the game though? I mean some things are important but I've never noticed anything become suddenly easy because of one thing.

I need to finish my avi then play on the game some more.:smalltongue:

Drascin

2008-08-27, 02:00 PM

Well, most people use Seer mostly for Magic Frenzy, and sorry to say but MF only works with the Quake spell. Not for any other blue mage spell.

Well then, what's a good support for Seer? As said, I'm right now raising a newly-joined Hume as a white mage to eventually make him Seer, but I am not sure as to what to use as secondary abilities.

Oregano

2008-08-27, 02:07 PM

If you decide to make him a Blue Mage, change him to a Blue Mage when you've mastered the Seer, because the Blue Mage is better at combat.

EDIT: Meh, I've finished my first draft for the Avi but now I want to play on the game again.

Burley

2008-08-27, 02:38 PM

Good support for a Seer? You mean... BEST? Illusionist!
Use those illusions to hit everything with Magic Frenzy. I kid you not... It is awesome to see flashin' on yo' screen.

Also, Oregano, Night is supposed to hit everybody except the user, with astounding accuracy. Luck isn't against you, the ability is.

Oregano

2008-08-27, 02:43 PM

Oh I know that, but half of my group had already been put to sleep by a Lamia's night ability and none of the enemies had, so I tried evening the odds and ended up with just Luso and my Tinker left against two Lamias, a Dreamhare and two other things.

Night's really a last resort technique anyway.

Atomsized

2008-08-27, 02:53 PM

Or solo vs a ton of other people.

Maybe when i'm bored, i'll try soloing the game with Luso. Doubt i can do it though.

Oregano

2008-08-27, 02:56 PM

You probably wouldn't be able to solo the early missions but maybe midway through, but only some missions I think, you wouldn't be able to do the cleaning missions. It may be possible to solo after a while though if you somehow got Haste, an ability to incapacitate a lot of enemies and high defense.

Atomsized

2008-08-27, 02:58 PM

And counter. Definitely counter, because i'll REALLY be needing it.

Oregano

2008-08-27, 03:01 PM

Oh some form of Counter is essential, is Strike Back better, or what about Bonecrusher, you need a decent passive ability, Unscarred would probably be wasted, Learning is probably your passive until you have all the Blue Magick you want/need, probably Matra Magick, Roar and Night would be enough but is that wasting an ability?

Atomsized

2008-08-27, 03:03 PM

Well, i can't see now bad having Night or Roar could be. I favor counter over Strikeback and Bonecrusher because with Strikeback, the opponent has to use Fight, and for Bonecrusher, the person actually has to hit you. If the person misses, then Counter still works.

Oregano

2008-08-27, 03:10 PM

Good point, Strike Back and Bonecrusher are more powerful but more conditional.

Illusionist may actually be the best choice for job as their techniques hit all enemies don't they?

Atomsized

2008-08-27, 03:13 PM

Yeah, but you would have to wait maybe 3 turns before you can dish out a single spell.

Drascin

2008-08-27, 03:16 PM

Investing in Ethers would seem a wise choice, yes. Otherwise, by the time you shoot a spell, you'll be dead.

Oregano

2008-08-27, 03:16 PM

Oh yeah, damn the new MP system, that's the main issue with Sage's and Bishop's in my opinion. However, the illusionist, unlike Sage and Bishop is not powerful enough to fight.

Atomsized

2008-08-27, 03:17 PM

Oregano

2008-08-27, 03:21 PM

Is there any way a Human Hume can get Vanish, that will help a lot with the survival of Luso. It also improves accuracy, put it to 100% IIRC.

Atomsized

2008-08-27, 04:00 PM

As far as i know, no. It would help, but not as much as to turn the tide of the battle.

Enlong

2008-08-27, 05:23 PM

True, elixirs are ideal. But i'd have to go to the auctions every 220 days or so to reload on them. And that's counting for luck too. But then i'd be left with Illusionist first skill Item second, which i don't think will last too long.

Then you should pick up a Luminous Robe and learn Halve MP. You'd be shooting spells in two rounds.
As for the secondary class, I'd say go with Paladin. The defense growth would work wonders for a solo Cyrus (I can't see him with any other name anymore) and the physical abilities mesh nicely with the rather unreliable Illusion magic. Not to mention that as a Paladin, you'd have access to the Sequencer and Peytral, making Cyrus into a tanking, killing machine. An Orb of Minwu would be nice too, just to dodge status effects.

P.S. Why would anyone use Reflex over Strikeback? It's exactly as situational, but Stikeback combines the autododging with a counterattack.

Atomsized

2008-08-27, 05:40 PM

Yes, Paladin is a must. I was rather thinking of taking Blue Mage so i can take advantage of Night and Roar. And if i'm fighting one powerful person, i can just just all the debuff/buff stuff on him/her.

chiasaur11

2008-08-27, 05:40 PM

Then you should pick up a Luminous Robe and learn Halve MP. You'd be shooting spells in two rounds.
As for the secondary class, I'd say go with Paladin. The defense growth would work wonders for a solo Cyrus (I can't see him with any other name anymore) and the physical abilities mesh nicely with the rather unreliable Illusion magic. Not to mention that as a Paladin, you'd have access to the Sequencer and Peytral, making Cyrus into a tanking, killing machine. An Orb of Minwu would be nice too, just to dodge status effects.

P.S. Why would anyone use Reflex over Strikeback? It's exactly as situational, but Stikeback combines the autododging with a counterattack.

Reflex also deals with arrows.

busterswd

2008-08-27, 06:36 PM

Oh yeah, damn the new MP system, that's the main issue with Sage's and Bishop's in my opinion. However, the illusionist, unlike Sage and Bishop is not powerful enough to fight.

Half MP is basically an absolute requisite for any class that can learn it I'd say, barring summoners. One Illusionist by himself isn't very good, but on a very large map or terrain heavy map, 3 Illusionists will destroy most of the enemies before they even reach you (with Half-MP, of course). Their main appeal for me is clearing out the "mook" stages you have to finish but you know you will have no trouble finishing.

Enlong

2008-08-27, 07:41 PM

Half MP is basically an absolute requisite for any class that can learn it I'd say, barring summoners. One Illusionist by himself isn't very good, but on a very large map or terrain heavy map, 3 Illusionists will destroy most of the enemies before they even reach you (with Half-MP, of course). Their main appeal for me is clearing out the "mook" stages you have to finish but you know you will have no trouble finishing.

Dude, what? Summoning for 8 MP a pop is so much fun. It lets a Summoner get off a summon every round. Not to mention that as a Viera caster, Doublecast is almost a must anyway, so Halve MP makes that awesome too.

busterswd

2008-08-27, 07:53 PM

Dude, what? Summoning for 8 MP a pop is so much fun. It lets a Summoner get off a summon every round. Not to mention that as a Viera caster, Doublecast is almost a must anyway, so Halve MP makes that awesome too.

Don't get me wrong, summoners with half MP are sexy as hell too. But their class is strong enough on its own to not have to rely on it. Illusionists are USELESS without Half MP, and I'd rather take an actual Time/White mage than a bishop/templar if my bangaa didn't have half MP.

Also, Blood Price. It blows Half MP out of the water, really.

Enlong

2008-08-27, 07:58 PM

Don't get me wrong, summoners with half MP are sexy as hell too. But their class is strong enough on its own to not have to rely on it. Illusionists are USELESS without Half MP, and I'd rather take an actual Time/White mage than a bishop/templar if my bangaa didn't have half MP.

Also, Blood Price. It blows Half MP out of the water, really.
Oh yes, so much so that clans like Icicle Ark somehow manage to PUT IT ON A HUME because it's so awesome. I can forgive House Bowen for doing the same because they're awesome.

"Oh noes! I must doublecast, but that will drop my HP badly! Oh, wait!"
*wears Flurry Robe, casts Shiva and hits self*
"Hahahahah!"

... I should really get around to learning that...

(P.S., what's a good secondary class for Cannoneer? Bishop, Templar, Dragoon? Maybe even Trickster or something (I kind of don't like the Trickster moves, some of them are just a lot less useful then just throwing the dang card.))

Shades of Gray

2008-08-27, 09:14 PM

Seer/illusionist works because of Recharge. You automatically gain 20 MP. So you can use it every other turn.

@^Warrior lets you use the "Rend" Debuffs at uber range, then again, tricksters have more range. Gladiator can deal a lot of damage with ranged Beat down.

Enlong

2008-08-27, 09:21 PM

Oh. My. Word. Magick Frenzy is the best frickin' "spell" in the game! It may be even better then Doublecast! It was so much fun to see my Seer finally using that move with Illusion spells. So much fun. Question: MF allowed Recharge as a possible spell for its use. What the Rapo would happen if I tried that? Scratch that, I must see for myself.

On a related note, I like the name-change to the old Soil Evidence spell, because I now have cause to use this phrase:
Rockfall, everyone dies.

Edit: Answer: The Seer casts Recharge, then teleports up, lands, punches nothing, flies up, and then falls back down, taking damage. All in the same square. Very weird to watch, and almost worth the damage it deals to the Seer.

Oregano

2008-08-28, 05:55 AM

Are the "Rend" Debuffs worth using? it seems like a waste of a turn for the main fighter of the group. That's why I prefer a Spellblade, it can debuff and do damage.

Drascin

2008-08-28, 06:05 AM

Are the "Rend" Debuffs worth using? it seems like a waste of a turn for the main fighter of the group. That's why I prefer a Spellblade, it can debuff and do damage.

I myself got the Spellblade class really late, and am working on a Spellblade right now, to have her turn Sniper afterwards. I feel being able to use hit+debuff (with more reliability in inflicting the debuff than Fusiliers, or so it seems for now) at a distance is bound to come in handy :smallbiggrin:.

As for the Rends... the only one I really ever used was Rend Speed, to be honest. And even then, I preferred the Templar's shouting - gave you the chance of hitting a couple people with it. Maybe used at a distance could be useful, but really, doesn't tickle my fancy as much as the spellblade abilities. Inflicting immobility at a distance in warrior-types and then pelting them is bound to be fun :smallamused:

Oregano

2008-08-28, 06:18 AM

Drascin

2008-08-28, 06:25 AM

I always end up with a Sniper/Assassins, I never seem to use Elementalist, Fencers or Archers, except when I'm building up to the other classes.

I never used the Rends but had them used on me and they had very little effects on my units.

I'm not too sure about making Luso a Paladin because Frimelda's one, but that's a lot further in the game and there's a lot of undead and demons.

I myself made him a paladin mostly because the quest to be a Fighter didn't show up until pretty recently, when I was over level 34, and I was hardly going to leave him as Soldier all that time. Allow me to say, I didn't like having to make him one at first - always chose Defender as my tank job in FFTA 1 - but the amount of defense he gets is staggering. When I equip him with the Peytral armor, most enemies do a grand total of about two damage per hit, from a total of over 400. And then, when you get Sanctify, undead become laughable. Yay being able to hax undead from existance :smallbiggrin:

And I am not using Assassins this game. Mostly because I half-soloed the first one unintentionally with an assassin, and that felt way too much like cheating (concentrate+last breath was rather broken. And for people immune to auto KO, Concentrate + Ultima Slash. Two hits tops to kill mostly everything. And mazing evasion and survivality. I should have to work a bit to break a game that completely, damnit).

Oregano

2008-08-28, 06:55 AM

The assassin doesn't seem as broke on A2, it's still powerful and one of the most versatile units, because it can fight both melee and ranged and it;s fast and can dish damage out, but they can't really take hits.

I haven't had a chance to use a summoner yet on A2, they were awesome on Tactics Advance.

Enlong

2008-08-28, 07:50 AM

I haven't had a chance to use a summoner yet on A2, they were awesome on Tactics Advance.

They're still quite awesome in A2. However, with the new horrible MP system, Halve MP is almost a must if you want to summon each round. Alternatively, you can use Blood Price, a Spellblade power that makes you cast from HP instead of MP. With Red Magic, you can Doublecast easily using Blood Price, and with the various element-absorbing robes and shields, a Blood Price summon can easily shoot themself with the Summon, to heal themself and erase the damage from Blood Price.
Alternatively, you can just shoot them with a big summon (Maduin) and then shoot yourself full of Cure, Unicorn or Phoenix.

Also, if you want a Spellblade, I've got one word for ya: Penelo.
Penelo is just like Ritz in FFTA, a Hume that uses the Viera jobset. Why does this make her perfect for the Spellblade class? See, the Dancer class has this move; Sword Dance. Makes her attack twice in one round for free, but requires a bladed weapon. And guess what weapons Spellblades use? Yup.
When I realized that about Penelo, it was the savior of that class for me. My other Viera area Dualcasting Blood Price Summoner, and an Assassin/Sniper (who is less H4X in A2; accuracy on her moves is way down, even with Concentrate)

Oregano

2008-08-28, 08:02 AM

So I should reserve Spellblade for Penelo? That sounds like a good idea. I'm thinking of keeping Luso as a Soldier until I get Fighter and then making him a Parivir when I get the chance.

I'm not too sure about the Special units(Vaan, Penelo, etc.), there's not enough possible units, damnit, I try to have three of each race, although I only need two Gria and maybe two Seeq, so I can have 4 or 5 Humes, but that only allows for one more Hume, and what about Al-Cid? arrr, sorry, I'm ranting.

EDIT: Does anyone know if Gladiator/Defender is a good combination or am I better off combining Defender with something else.

Burley

2008-08-28, 08:54 AM

Vaan and Al-Cid need to go straight to the very bottom of your unit list. They are useless and I hate them.
Penelo, though deeply hated by me, is useful, as Enlong stated, because of their saving grace dancer ability, Sword Dance. I couldn't find a use for her, otherwise.

Oregano

2008-08-28, 09:05 AM

Enlong

2008-08-28, 10:01 AM

Is Al-Cid really useless, I was looking forward to trying him in a fight but nevermind. Vaan, I don't like, I always played Basch and Balthier on FFXII and I prefer the winged guy on Revenant Wings.

I prefer generics to Vaan. No personality's better than an annoying one.

Eh, the generics still have personality, especially if you lead out with one in a mission or they get an opportunity command. They've got some nice quotes.

My heart pounds in time with the battle. None can stop me!

Also, I hate Vaan for another reason: I can't find a use for his Piracy abilities. It's all stealing stuff and getting loot. If it weren't for Razor's Edge and Flee, it'd be basically "Thief, but more!" And you still need to make him a Thief if you want to make him into a Ninja.
And that's another problem with Vaan: I have too many frotzing Humes anyway. I have Cyrus, who I should really teach Dual Wield on top of Flair and Puglism, the first Generic, who became a wicked Hunter/Blue Mage, the second Generic, who is now a Dual-wielding Fighter/Ninja, Frimelda, who is a Dual-Wielding Paladin/Fighter, My new Sage/Illusionist who is absolutely wicked awesome with Magick Frenzy, and Kings; a generic who just breaks my heart. I want to use him, I really do, but right now he's just a Paladin/Fighter without Dual Wield and I can't come up with any way to use him: Frimelda is a better Paladin, Samwell and Cyrus are better Fighters, training another Blue Mage is just not feasible at this point, magic is pretty much dominated by Leed, and even frickin' Vaan surpasses him if he wanted to go Thief. Not to mention that I have exactly 1 too many teammates if I want Montblanc.
So, to my shame, I've been keeping him out of missions, leaving him stuck at 35 when everyone else is 40 or above. I'm... I'm afraid I'll have to kick him out once I get the next unique, and it's breaking my heart.

Wow... I turned that from a "Vaan is useless" rant into a "I am way too emotional towards my units" rant. Anyone ever have this dilemma? And is there anything I can do with Kings to salvage his possible potential?

Oregano

2008-08-28, 11:16 AM

Don't worry, I'm exactly the same. I hate kicking units out, I have the strange notion that it'll hurt their feelings especially with what Moogles say.

That's what I gathered about Vaan and Sky Pirate, it is Thief+. I noticed you like Dual Wield.

Burley

2008-08-28, 11:17 AM

I have found one use for Vaan, recently: His move that turns traps to loot.
I had my ranger and Vaan go back and forth, arming and disarming traps. I ended up with a couple dozen loots by the time I got bored and just killed the baddies.

Similar to the old trick from FFTA (that doesn't work as well in FFTA2 because the EXP system is different): Have two Jugglers smile back and forth at each other, gaining 10exp each time they do. So, 10 times each will level them. I did that over and over and over and over and over, and switch them to Moogle Knight with Thief special ability. I swear I Solo'd the final mission with a single Moogle. Cheap, yes. Epic... Oh, Hell Yes.

Oregano

2008-08-28, 11:20 AM

I miss levelling up during missions and fights but otherwise I prefer the new exp system because of loop holes like that. Hoshigami has the same system that Tactics Advance does and you can control the damage your units do so you can gain levels easier by doing 1 damage to the allied units.

A Rainy Knight

2008-08-28, 02:41 PM

Eh, the generics still have personality, especially if you lead out with one in a mission or they get an opportunity command. They've got some nice quotes.

My personal favorite generic opportunity command quote:

"I'm brimming with moogle moxie, kupo! Let me at 'em!"

Or something like that. My current dilemma: I've got a team of five characters in the level 80-90 range, a second group around 60-70 ish, and then everyone else in the clan falling in the 30s and 40s because of the whole "no recruiting characters over level 30" thing. Should I kick them out or take the time to level them all up?

Oregano

2008-08-28, 02:46 PM

Boot the ones that you wouldn't bother using otherwise and keep the ones yoju would use. It's good to take Rule of Cool into account, keep the cool ones.

How good are Dragoon's in the grand scheme of things, I like them and they've always seemed useful but they're really slow, is it worth making them a White Monk for a while to get decent speed?

A Rainy Knight

2008-08-28, 02:53 PM

Use Ninja Tabi to get the extra movement that dragoons need so badly and they're a versatile melee class, but I've never really liked them all that much. I just got a dragoon because I needed the skills for a cannoneer. When it comes to hitting people with sharp pieces of metal, I personally prefer gladiators and templars. I keep my favorite melee bangaa as a templar/bishop so that he can hit people with a Fallen Angel but also be able to use Haste, Soul Sphere, Pilfer, Break, Cura, etc. He's probably the most deserving of the "jack-of-all-trades" title in my clan.

Oregano

2008-08-28, 02:59 PM

I'll probably make him a Dragoon/Templar, Cid's going to be a Master Monk/Probs Trickster, and I already have a Gladiator/Defender.

I'm not that good at job combinations though, so they're probably ridiculious combinations, although Dragoon/Templar seems natural.

Burley

2008-08-28, 03:19 PM

I suggest taking Cid through the Gladiator wringer when you get the Materia Blade, though. The Trickster+ Half MP+ MP Channeling+ Ultima Blow is the best with Cid. Why? Custom Sprite. That's why.

As for Dragoons: They aren't as good as they used to be. They've got Wyrm Slayer or whatever, but its not even as effective as Sidewinder, so...not worth it. Jump is really powerful, but only useable with spears and the accuracy is poopie.

Poopie dookie peepee in the potty. (I'm sorry. I just wanted to type that.)

Enlong

2008-08-28, 09:37 PM

Hm. Pretty nice ending. Fairly... abrupt, though. I mean, the boss battle was fine, satisfyingly difficult, though I kind of prefer La-Grim Queen. I'm left wondering where Illua got a True Grimore or whatever, and why exactly Luso had to leave immediately; didn't seem to be too much pressing need. Just because he finally could didn't mean that he had to immediately...

However, I do applaud them finally showing grown-up Mewt's face. I KNEW a Librarian named Mr. Randell, with a teddy bear and a magic book was too much of a coincidence. Looks like Mewt's grown up, in more ways then one.

Edit: And yay, the game does post-story-completion right. I can re-do the final mission whenever I want, and this way, there is no plot-hole as to how the main character would get back to Ivalice. I assume having a completed file opens new missions and stuff, right?

Oregano

2008-08-29, 04:25 AM

I presume it will, of course I'm not anywhere near the end yet, I would have like New Game+ to be honest, that would be awesome.

I have a question, which Clan Privelege is better, Bonus AP or Regen, I used regen on my last file and upgraded it to Regenra but with Bonus AP, I'm more or less have only one weapon that teach something to the unit's current job.

Drascin

2008-08-29, 06:34 AM

I have a question, which Clan Privelege is better, Bonus AP or Regen, I used regen on my last file and upgraded it to Regenra but with Bonus AP, I'm more or less have only one weapon that teach something to the unit's current job.

With Regen I never, ever bothered following the law if it required even the least effort - with Bonus AP 3 I'm willing to send my low-level and untrained clanners into the fray, just to be able to follow the Harming the Weak law, or to reset my DS when I get confused and transgress a law involuntarily. This should make my opinion on the matter pretty clear :smallamused:

Oregano

2008-08-29, 06:49 AM

That's pretty loud and clear, so Bonus AP it is, do you how/which Trials you have to do to get 2 & 3. Regenra's nice, especially in long drawn out battles, regen's not too good.

Drascin

2008-08-29, 07:32 AM

That's pretty loud and clear, so Bonus AP it is, do you how/which Trials you have to do to get 2 & 3. Regenra's nice, especially in long drawn out battles, regen's not too good.

I think the three levels of it were given by beating the first three levels of Negotiation-Teamwork.

I personally think it's very worth it, except for really hard stuff where you need every bonus you can amass to win. 90 AP per fight makes getting into secondary jobs much faster.

Oregano

2008-08-29, 08:28 AM

Yer, I'm running out of stuff to teach my units as it is, Adelle hasn't learnt anything new for about 10 missions.

It'll also make Double Sword go easier and I may end up teaching it to the majority of Humes.

Enlong

2008-08-29, 10:58 AM

OK guys, I have two burning questions that must be answered.

A: How in the world do you actually get Al-Cid? I got a letter from him that essentially says "I'll be waiting in Targ Wood", and yet when I hoof it over to Targ Wood, there's nothing there. No special missions at the Pub, no ! bubble anywhere, nothing.

B: How do you succeed at missions like "Wanted: Apprentice"? These kindasorta escort missions are the bane of my existence right now. No matter who I send, I can't complete them. I mean, my Fusilier failed at "Wanted: Artillery!" for crying out loud! No matter how high-leveled or thematically correct for the mission they are, they always fail! What am I doing wrong?

Oregano

2008-08-29, 11:01 AM

I have the same problem with the those dispatch missions, my fusilier failed that as aswell and wanted: sidekick I think only a scholar can do it. It's a bit hard to know for some.

I have a question, how do you do Foodstuffs: Aroma? I killed the Malboro and nothing else but failed.-

Drascin

2008-08-29, 11:02 AM

B: How do you succeed at missions like "Wanted: Apprentice"? These kindasorta escort missions are the bane of my existence right now. No matter who I send, I can't complete them. I mean, my Fusilier failed at "Wanted: Artillery!" for crying out loud! No matter how high-leveled or thematically correct for the mission they are, they always fail! What am I doing wrong?

No idea on what you have to send for the Apprentice one, and I hate it too.

For the Artillery one, tho, you need someone with a bigger gun. My cannoneer succeeded in it, and I'm willing to bet a flintlock would too.

Oregano

2008-08-29, 11:05 AM

Who do you need to send for great land festival by the way, I sent a Nu Mou and he failed, but he seems to fail at everything, including life.

Drascin

2008-08-29, 11:08 AM

Who do you need to send for great land festival by the way, I sent a Nu Mou and he failed, but he seems to fail at everything, including life.

Well, that's normal, Nu-Mou classes always have low lifepoints *rimshot*

Aaaanyway, which one is the great land festival? Note that they make oblique suggestions in most of these as to what you need to send - try to pay attention to what you're told.

Oregano

2008-08-29, 11:10 AM

Enlong

2008-08-29, 11:18 AM

It just says prepare for the festival, decorate and stuff, and they may play music or something, so I sent my Beastmaster(because he had a trumpet equipped), I may need to send my animist though, I'll get the full wording after I've does this Komodo mission.

Maaan so you need to send precisely the right class? That sucks.

If they wanted music I would've sent Hurdy, if that was possible. Maybe... if they want entertainment, maybe a Juggler? I dunno.

As for Foodstuffs-Aroma, are you sure you killed the right number of Malboros? (you don't need to worry about the other creatures, so long as you kill the right number of the requested monster, all other killings are fine.) I believe that the mission mentioned that they plan to boil down the Malboros considerably, so it takes more then one Malboro for a serving? ... Hang on: I'll check my Quest Roster...
Yeah. When it says: Two per serving? It actually means two Malboros make one serving. You need to kill four to make the two servings needed.

Oregano

2008-08-29, 11:21 AM

I don't think you can send Hurdy, you can't dispatch Cid and Adelle.

Hmm, there's only one Malboro though, unless more come after you've killed it, arr why does it have to be so weird.

EDIT: I might try sending my Juggler, if he's right for the job that'd just be dandy.

EDIT 2: here's the actual Bill for the Great Land Festival.

It will be Silversun soon and in Camoa Silversun means the Great Land Festival! We're looking for people to join in the festivities and help decorate our town! The work will last for ten days, with lodging and board provided! Come one, come all!
-Camoa Great Land Festival Commitee

Any Ideas? It's only when you get to the mission that they mention music.

Drascin

2008-08-29, 11:24 AM

Oregano

2008-08-29, 11:29 AM

I noticed that but I never seem to think of resetting, Nu Mou's must be emo then because no matter what I send them on they're depressed.

Enlong

2008-08-29, 11:30 AM

Ah, that. I think I sent my Juggler and he came back with the mission beaten. A good indicator is, if whatever unit you send seems enthusiastic about it, it has a pretty good chance of beating it. If it doesn't, then reset and try sending someone else.

Schweet. I'll just think more about who those missions want, then.

And yeah Drascin. You have to kill the Malboro and wait for more monsters to show up. If it's not a Malboro, start killing the other monsters until more Malboros show up. Talk to the Bishop once you have exactly the right number of Malboros (repeat for any other Foodstuffs mission, but replace Malboro with Flan, Flying Eye, etc.)

Also, anyone have an answer as to how you actually get Al-Cid? His letter says Targ Wood, but I can't get anything there.

Also, how do you beat "An Earnest Multitude?" Am I supposed to not pick "Sing the song" for each woman?

Oregano

2008-08-29, 11:52 AM

I need some new daggers for my thieves, Adelle still isn't a ninja yet.:smallyuk:

I need to wait about 188 days for the Great Land Festival now, great.:smallsigh:

Enlong

2008-08-29, 11:56 AM

I need some new daggers for my thieves, Adelle still isn't a ninja yet.:smallyuk:

I need to wait about 188 days for the Great Land Festival now, great.:smallsigh:

Go to Lezaford's house or that swamp shack. If you decide to sleep there, a number of days pass depending on how tired you said you were. I believe that the highest level of tiredness makes 200 days pass.

Yeah, that's... way too long for a nap...

Oregano

2008-08-29, 12:04 PM

Burley

2008-08-29, 12:46 PM

Yer, I already knew that, and I thought it was an unnaturally long nap as well. I still haven't recruited anyone, well I have but I kicked them out right afterwards, just to get the ap from Clan Mates, I only really want a Gria and a Seeq for now.

EDIT: What do the statues under the journal represent?

One statue for every 10 levels Luso gains. Kinda lame, but...they're pretty?

I noticed that but I never seem to think of resetting, Nu Mou's must be emo then because no matter what I send them on they're depressed.

The excited/depressed things works off of your MVP statues. If you look at your character stats, there's that trophy being built in the background for each character. That's the MVP trophy, and the bigger it is, the more likely it is you'll succeed in a mission with that unit as the leader.
For the Wanted: X missions, you do need specific ones.

The following is what my own knowledge and Google-fu could turn up. (I'm at work, too. So, I'm pretty pleased that I found them all.)

Wanted: Sidekick - Ranger

Wanted: Shiny Maces - Any class that can equip Maces (Alchemist, Sage, Green Mage, Chocobo Knight)

Wanted: Woodworker - Any class that can equip Hammers (Green Mage, Chocobo Knight, Viking)

Wanted: Woodcutter - Any class that can equip Axes (Chocobo Knight, Viking)

Great Land Festival - Juggler or Trickster

Wanted: Assistant - Alchemist

Wanted: Combatants - White Monk or Berserker

Wanted: Artillery - Flintlock or Cannoneer (I assume someone who can use Hand Cannons will work)

Wanted: Tutor - Scholar

Wanted: Caretaker - White Mage (any race, I think)

Wanted: Barmaid - Female character (not sure if Adelle or Frimelda would work)

Wanted: Friend, Kupo! - Go and meet Montblanc...no dispatching needed

Wanted: Musician - Animist (I've also seen Chocobo Knight...maybe anything that can equip instruments?)

Wanted: Hatchery Worker - Beastmaster or Chocobo Knight

Wanted: Marksman - Fusilier

Oregano

2008-08-29, 12:56 PM

Wow, thanks for going to all trouble to get the list of Wanted: X missions, I can get a few them done now.

And those Statues are pretty cool, I noticed the MVP, I had someone with nearly a full one on my last file but I never dispatch, I prefer doing things myself.

Burley

2008-08-29, 12:59 PM

Wow, thanks for going to all trouble to get the list of Wanted: X missions, I can get a few them done now.

What can I say? I'm a giver. :tongue:

A Rainy Knight

2008-08-29, 02:09 PM

What do the statues under the journal represent?

Actually, I'm pretty sure that you get one for every 50 missions completed up to 250. I've got a level 80some Luso and five statues, so...

Oregano

2008-08-29, 02:15 PM

Either way the statues are cool.

The list seems to be correct as my newly acquired Ranger just returned from the Sidekick mission and it was a success.

@V: NICE!!

Enlong

2008-08-29, 02:17 PM

Wow. I just got a frickin' Ribbon as the Auction Master's prize from the Fluorgis region. Best 0 gil I ever spent.

A Rainy Knight

2008-08-29, 02:18 PM

@^ Sweet! I've got five Ribbons, but I'm looking for a sixth one to have a full team of lovely debuff-immune ladies.

On that list of Wanted missions, Wanted: Caretaker requires a viera white mage.

Also, Adelle & Frimelda don't work for Wanted: Barmaid because you can't dispatch them.

EDIT: Here's how I think you can get six Ribbons.

1: Be region master of some place or other.
2: Give all the Wayfarer's logs to that guy from the "Memories" quest.
3: In one of the Nazan Mines stages, there's one of those really ornate treasure thingies that has a Ribbon. Sorry I can't be more specific.
4: Do the quest "Teach a Man to Run." I'll get more details on that sometime.
5: Donate 80,000 gil to Carm Mercantile through the "For the Cause" missions. (This is the one I haven't gotten.)
6: One of the rewards from the Auction Records categories. I can't recall which one.

Oregano

2008-08-29, 02:25 PM

I don't have any on my current file.:smallfrown: I had three on my last one.

I want a Gria but I'm not to FLuorgis on this file yet, I'm trying to do every mission as soon as possible.

Drascin

2008-08-29, 02:47 PM

I want a Gria but I'm not to FLuorgis on this file yet, I'm trying to do every mission as soon as possible.

I do have two Grias, but I want the Ravager quest to show up, goddamnit. Raptor is not bad, but the stat growth is less than stellar. Shield Bash is pretty sweet, tho - most reliable Disabler in the team up to now, and can also throw people off cliffs or get them that one square your Parivir didn't reach to hit them. I might keep the Raptor abilities as secondary when I get the Ravager, just for Bash and Bulwark.

Oregano

2008-08-29, 02:50 PM

That's probably what I'll do and Luso's going to be a Parivir/Blue Mage for me, so decent offense, I'm also thinking of teaching him double sword when I've got all Blue Magick, it may take a while though.

EDIT: Actually that is what I'm going to do with Gria, I'm going to have a Hunter/Geomancer and Raptor/Ravager.

EDIT 2: has anyone used the trade feature, what's it like?

Drascin

2008-08-29, 03:42 PM

EDIT 2: has anyone used the trade feature, what's it like?

You get a ticket for a random item, and then you can go to an airport to claim it for about 1500-2000 gp. I used it about a dozen times - most wasn't too good, but I got a Nirvana staff crazy early, so totally worth it, if you ask me :smallbiggrin:

Burley

2008-08-29, 03:44 PM

I do have two Grias, but I want the Ravager quest to show up, goddamnit. Raptor is not bad, but the stat growth is less than stellar. Shield Bash is pretty sweet, tho - most reliable Disabler in the team up to now, and can also throw people off cliffs or get them that one square your Parivir didn't reach to hit them. I might keep the Raptor abilities as secondary when I get the Ravager, just for Bash and Bulwark.

Ravager/Raptor is by far the greatest thing ever. Ravager's have awesome stats and great abilities, including sneak attack, which is so tight it makes me yearn for it's companionship. Um... Ah-hem... Make sure you learn Cyclone and Whirlwind (I think those're the names) cause you'll want those ranged attacks. Slap a set of Ninja Tabi on her and she'll be the awesome.
Word from the wise: Ravager's are awesome, but their weapons are two-handed. You'll have to monkey grip if you want a shield for Shield Bash. Personally, I think the loss of one ability for x1.5 damage is worth it, but it's up t' you.

Oregano

2008-08-29, 03:51 PM

Cyclone is indeed a Raptor's ability, Mayhew from Prima Donna used them earlier.

So Drascin, do you actually have to trade or have Wifi or whatever?

Drascin

2008-08-29, 04:04 PM

So Drascin, do you actually have to trade or have Wifi or whatever?

No, no, it's on LAN. You just make a contact with another game in the vicinity, and both of you get a voucher for a random item.

Oregano

2008-08-29, 04:06 PM

Oooh, that's fantastic, I thought it was only Wifi but if it's LAN, it's fantastic. I'll have to convince my friends and/or brother to buy the game so we can trade lots.

Enlong

2008-08-29, 06:48 PM

If you'll belive it, I actually found something worse then Tecknologies.

*Ahem*

Way of Judgement
The wall at the end of this long, straight passage is inscribed with images of fantastickal creatures.

Gah.

Moonshadow

2008-08-29, 07:12 PM

I do have two Grias, but I want the Ravager quest to show up, goddamnit. Raptor is not bad, but the stat growth is less than stellar. Shield Bash is pretty sweet, tho - most reliable Disabler in the team up to now, and can also throw people off cliffs or get them that one square your Parivir didn't reach to hit them. I might keep the Raptor abilities as secondary when I get the Ravager, just for Bash and Bulwark.

Raptor actually has the best overall stat growth for Grias. They have the second best speed growth, loosing by 2% to the Hunter job, as well as only slightly worse attack than the Ravager, as well as the best MP and M.Atk growths. Sure, they're equal last Def wise with the Hunter, and have the worst Res growth too, but its more about how much damage you can do, not how much you take.

I'm a statwhore, I've looked at these kinda things a lot <_<;

Atomsized

2008-08-29, 08:03 PM

Well, knowing stats IS important when i try soloing the game with Luso one day.

So yeah, i'm going to need to know about everything :smalltongue:

Enlong

2008-08-29, 08:12 PM

Well, knowing stats IS important when i try soloing the game with Luso one day.

So yeah, i'm going to need to know about everything :smalltongue:

How 'bout soloing Brightmoon Tor with Luso?:smallamused:

chiasaur11

2008-08-29, 08:28 PM

Shades of Gray

2008-08-29, 08:57 PM

I can't get

Montblanc

I've already gotten

Gigas Pendant, Pin of Order, Earrings of the Dead

Do I have to beat the game first?

Enlong

2008-08-29, 09:00 PM

I can't get

Montblanc

I've already gotten

Gigas Pendant, Pin of Order, Earrings of the Dead

Do I have to beat the game first?

Where do you get the Pin? I've got everything but that. I have the
High Seraph's Plume (Ultima)
instead.

Also:
How in the name of the Warring Triad do you get Al-Cid? He's given me a letter that says he's waiting in Targ Wood, but I can't find him there. Well, Someone calling themselves A.M. has given me an "Elegant Invitation", that is.

Moonshadow

2008-08-29, 09:10 PM

If soloing with Luso, you really need to make the most of your level ups. Unless you're doing a speed run, I would seriously consider repeating as many missions as possible that don't give experience, but give AP, like the Carm Mercantile one where you donate, or the Wayfarer's Logs chain.

Thing is, you don't have much to work with in terms of classes. All the good ones require you to be certain lengths through the game, or have certain loots to trade for weapons to get the requisite skills.

Hunter would probably be your safest bet to start with, even with the slightly nerfed stats from FFTA. It has a good balance of speed and attack at least. Then you'd probably want to advance to Fighter once you do the requisite quest, for its attack growth. If you can wait until you've done Grounded! you can unlock Parivir afterwards, which has the best attack growth for Humes. ?Until then, I'd say Ninja/Fighter for levels. Ninja is good if you're aiming for Magick Frenzy, because of its balanced Atk/Mag growths, as well as the ever useful Double Sword P Ability.

Also, don't use Bonecrusher, its apparantly not coded correctly so it doesn't do increased damage I'd consider Reflex/Strikeback to be the best.

Shades of Gray

2008-08-29, 09:11 PM

Where do you get the Pin? I've got everything but that. I have the
High Seraph's Plume (Ultima)
instead.

Also:
How in the name of the Warring Triad do you get Al-Cid? He's given me a letter that says he's waiting in Targ Wood, but I can't find him there. Well, Someone calling themselves A.M. has given me an "Elegant Invitation", that is.

Complete the line of quests involving Mack the doctor (The First Step-The Next Step- A Step Further-The Final Step.

Atomsized

2008-08-29, 09:20 PM