Final Fantasy Record Keeper X-2: Gems, Mithril, Salt - In Position!

[Red Fel]

As for the Realm Renewal, one important note on these: They included the AASBs from the fest into them so if you missed Tidus, Bartz, or Terra, you have a slim hope here.

Oh, yeah, absolutely. The Realm Draws are a great value, any way you slice them, especially with the updated relic pool. Everyone should do the discounted first pull on each of these banners. Sometime in the next six months.

That's the hangup, for me. (That, and waiting for a good Daily pull to reassure me about my luck.) Fact is, the Realm Draws get refreshed every six months, roughly, so this will be around for awhile. In the interim, however, we're expecting Summer Fest soon enough. Those three Awakenings you mentioned? They're on the Fest banners. As are Awakenings for Rydia, Alphinaud, Shantotto, RAIJIN CID, Kain, Cloud, Noctis, Squall, Momma's Boy, Seifer, Agrias, Celes, and Zidane. Plus other stuff.

I'm not saying don't pull on the Realm Draws. Definitely pull on the Realm Draws. But if you plan to pull on Summer Fest, make sure you have the mythril to do both, is my point.

[danzibr]

Time for some mass spending. Initial mythril count: 291

Daily: Penelo USB. Great start! (I love that it says new)
Heal LD: eh hell why not? 2/11, Ovelia USB, Edward BSB (dupe)
1: 1/11, Wol BSB. It actually looks really cool, +Earth armor
2: 2/11, Maria BSB, Leila BSB (dupe)
3: 1/11, OK OSB
4: 1/11, Golbez USB
5: 3/11, Krile Glint, Galuf USB, Lenna USB (dupe)
6: 1/11, Gau BSB
7: 1/11, Rufus BSB (dupe)
8: 2/11, Selphie LMR, Seifer USB2
9: 2/11, Eiko BSB, Dagger USB
10: 2/11, Kimahri BSB, Braska BSB (dupe)
11: 2/11, dupes
12: 2/11, Fran BSB, Balthier AOSB
13: 2/11, Snow BSB, Raines USB
14: 1/11, dupe
15: 2/11, Gladio BSB, Iris USB (dupe)
T: 1/11, Mustadio USB
0: 2/11, Rem USB, Machina OSB

Mythril remaining: 11

[darkdragoon]

LD: Aerith upgrades and a dupe.

Realms: dupe heavy so far.


In spite of no new toys for earth I was able to beat Ixion. Repeating it hasn't been as easy as he's been apt to go into Evade mode and spam the aerospark more, but I at least know it's doable.

[Antonok]

Well, not my best clear (38.86), and it was a lot of luck involved, but 4* Hades magicite has been defeated.

Spoiler: Party

Show

Ramza - Assault Saber/Entrust - CSB - Dr Mogs
Iris - Shellga/Holy - BSB - Mako Might
Aerith - Hastega/Curada - USB2 - Ace Striker
Agrias - Lifesiphon/Assault Saber -BSB/OSB - Gathering Storm
Roxas - Protectga/Healing Smite - USB - Battleforged

I really don't know what to do to improve it. I need Iris for the extra healing and Astra, and I don't really have anyone else better than Agrias (only ones who come to mind are Raines with BSB/AOSB or Pecil with just AOSB). Maybe if I gave Iris Da'Dia for the imperil and just had Raines do his thing since he self buffs...

[Red Fel]

So, a couple of PSAs in light of recent updates.

First, keep in mind that you can get some mythril for clearing the new 3-star Mote Dungeons, apparently. So, yeah, even though I don't need the actual prize for the dungeons, I'm probably gonna go back and take care of that.

Second, the newly-added damage tiers in the Torment Dungeons mean that you can now "complete" a D??? with only 10% damage. For Rubies and mythril, right there. So you probably definitely want to get on that. Moreover, you've also been retroactively rewarded with Rubies for all the tiers you previously cleared. They don't go to your inbox, they just get quietly added - I checked, my total jumped up to 210. So enjoy those.

Well, not my best clear (38.86), and it was a lot of luck involved, but 4* Hades magicite has been defeated.

Spoiler: Party

Show

Ramza - Assault Saber/Entrust - CSB - Dr Mogs
Iris - Shellga/Holy - BSB - Mako Might
Aerith - Hastega/Curada - USB2 - Ace Striker
Agrias - Lifesiphon/Assault Saber -BSB/OSB - Gathering Storm
Roxas - Protectga/Healing Smite - USB - Battleforged

I really don't know what to do to improve it. I need Iris for the extra healing and Astra, and I don't really have anyone else better than Agrias (only ones who come to mind are Raines with BSB/AOSB or Pecil with just AOSB). Maybe if I gave Iris Da'Dia for the imperil and just had Raines do his thing since he self buffs...

Well, I haven't done it personally, but here are some threads. The fact that you cleared Hades at all is excellent, but if you want to trim your time, these might be helpful.

[Antonok]

The fact that you cleared Hades at all is excellent, but if you want to trim your time, these might be helpful.

The changes I mentioned seemed enough. Still not sub30 but it's a consistent clear at around 35 seconds based on around 5 clears with the new team.

Spoiler: New Party!

Show

Ramza - Assault Saber/Entrust - CSB - Dr Mogs
Iris - Hastega/Da'Dia - BSB - Mako Might
Aerith - Shellga/Curada - USB2 - Ace Striker
Cid Raines - Wrath/Holy - BSB/AOSB - Gathering Storm
Roxas - Protectga/Healing Smite - USB - Battleforged

Changes include: Switching out Agrias for Raines, and switching who had hastega/shellga.

Was thinking about picking up Holyja for Raines but it seems like a wasted investment atm for just Hades.

Edit: Pulled on the IV realm banner. 1/11 Palom BSB

[Red Fel]

Hey, new LD up!

And if you've ever whaled for Cloud, Bartz, Squall, or Tidus, you probably have the relevant relics. As it stands, I have too many relics from this banner to risk it, even at half price. Pass.

[danzibr]

Hey, new LD up!

And if you've ever whaled for Cloud, Bartz, Squall, or Tidus, you probably have the relevant relics. As it stands, I have too many relics from this banner to risk it, even at half price. Pass.

Yeah man. Hard pass. I only don’t have Cloud LMR and Squall USB.

Edit: looking ahead, related to what Red Fel said earlier, henceforth I’m saving for http://dirge.tv/2019/03/summer-festival-2019-banner-3/

As much as I like Thunder God Cid, that banner is pure win.

[danzibr]

Gross. There’s an auto magicite setup thread over on Reddit. Plenty of 4* and 5* magicites being beaten on auto battle, 100% success rate, most sub 30.

[Red Fel]

Gross. There’s an auto magicite setup thread over on Reddit. Plenty of 4* and 5* magicites being beaten on auto battle, 100% success rate, most sub 30.

Well, now that you can auto-ability and auto-SB, it actually kind of makes sense. Arrange your party so that abilities trigger in the proper order, switch from ATB to party order, then slot in the exact abilities and SBs you want. Then watch them go.

It's absolutely disgusting. But I can respect it. It's basically the Gambit system, but smaller, isn't it?

EDIT: Well, been a few days, but I finally drew a rainbow on the daily - Cinque's SSB, an AoE Earth/Wind PHY attack with Pentabreak. Good deal. So you know what that means, it's time to test my luck until it breaks on the Realm Draws.

First up was FFI. All I got there was one rainbow - Master's LMR Bracer, +damage with Fists. Not amazing, but at least it's new.

Next was FFII. One rainbow, one disco. The rainbow was Maria's Glint, +Earth damage and quickcast 2. Not bad. Second was Firion's Brave USB, which means I finally have reason to maybe possibly dive someone in the II cast, despite that cast having near-uniformly terrible dives.

Next was FFIII. Two rainbows, two discos, which is awesome. The rainbows were LMRs for Refia and OK, both dupes. The discos were Arc's USB (a dupe) and CoD's USB (the only non-dupe of the pull). Point made, my pulls stop there.

A good haul this morning.

[darkdragoon]

As a little experiment I went through all the 240s I don't already have a complete or master in already.

X appears to be my biggest weak spot right now while VII and VIII are closer than I thought on paper.

280 I tried XV, which was rough but at least I have an idea of what I need to get to 50% and up.
D??? remains LOL NO.

[danzibr]

As a little experiment I went through all the 240s I don't already have a complete or master in already.

X appears to be my biggest weak spot right now while VII and VIII are closer than I thought on paper.

280 I tried XV, which was rough but at least I have an idea of what I need to get to 50% and up.
D??? remains LOL NO.

Hmm. Interesting. X is probably my single strongest realm. Just above V, VII, T. My XV is awful.

And grats!

[danzibr]

Been suitably long for a double post.

What’s your A team?

[Antonok]

Been suitably long for a double post.

What’s your A team?

A teams aren't really applicable anymore with everything either being realm based or elemental based.

But if I just want to clear something quick (assuming no weakness/resistance):

Zack - CSB
Tyro - Godwall/Breaks
Aerith - USB2/Curada
Cloud - USB1/Glint
Sora - AASB

[Red Fel]

Been suitably long for a double post.

What’s your A team?

I agree with Antonok, at this point most high-level content is situational.

For everything else:

• RAIJIN CID, OSB and BSB. Statwise, he's a powerhouse and a beast. LM-wise, he's my one-stop source for insta-casting my RW at the outset. I can also give him Healing Smite and just never die, ever.
• Bartz, USBs and BSBs. Bartz is total, non-reflectable elemental coverage. He can even cover ice (although if I really need that, I can swap in Squall). Pretty much no matter what I'm facing, he can target the weak spot for massive damage.
• Ramza: BSB2. He's basically there for his Shout ability, his opening full-ATB and insta-cast, and his SUP coverage. That said, on a Holy team he can contribute to the chain significantly with his BSB's cmd1.
• OK: pUSB, pSSB. If I need an extra source of Hastega, OK has me covered, and if not, he's got a great wallbreak. He's also a solid switch-hitter for basically any role - if I need extra SUP, extra WHT, even NIN, he can bring it to the table. Worth noting that I also have his 0CT LMR, so he could completely replace Ramza if I wanted, but then OK would be stuck on SUP duty, and he can do so much better than that.
• Y'shtola: BSB, Stoneskin. Between her access to wall, her access to SS30%, and her W-Cast dive, she has a corner on healing. No 0CT button, and if I need that I can switch in Relm, but otherwise catwaifu is my go-to.

[danzibr]

A teams aren't really applicable anymore with everything either being realm based or elemental based.

But if I just want to clear something quick (assuming no weakness/resistance):

Zack - CSB
Tyro - Godwall/Breaks
Aerith - USB2/Curada
Cloud - USB1/Glint
Sora - AASB

Nice team! Real nice man. ‘Dat Zack Cloud combo. Sora’s kinda the odd man out.

But... I dunno about the aren’t-really-applicable line. For the A++ battles, or Kefka in 4A, it’s nice to bring out the big guns.

I agree with Antonok, at this point most high-level content is situational.

For everything else:

• RAIJIN CID, OSB and BSB. Statwise, he's a powerhouse and a beast. LM-wise, he's my one-stop source for insta-casting my RW at the outset. I can also give him Healing Smite and just never die, ever.
• Bartz, USBs and BSBs. Bartz is total, non-reflectable elemental coverage. He can even cover ice (although if I really need that, I can swap in Squall). Pretty much no matter what I'm facing, he can target the weak spot for massive damage.
• Ramza: BSB2. He's basically there for his Shout ability, his opening full-ATB and insta-cast, and his SUP coverage. That said, on a Holy team he can contribute to the chain significantly with his BSB's cmd1.
• OK: pUSB, pSSB. If I need an extra source of Hastega, OK has me covered, and if not, he's got a great wallbreak. He's also a solid switch-hitter for basically any role - if I need extra SUP, extra WHT, even NIN, he can bring it to the table. Worth noting that I also have his 0CT LMR, so he could completely replace Ramza if I wanted, but then OK would be stuck on SUP duty, and he can do so much better than that.
• Y'shtola: BSB, Stoneskin. Between her access to wall, her access to SS30%, and her W-Cast dive, she has a corner on healing. No 0CT button, and if I need that I can switch in Relm, but otherwise catwaifu is my go-to.

Solid! Ysh seems out of place. Catwaifu though, I like it.

For me it’s Water. Bartz/Tidus USB/AASB, Rikku CSB/USB2, then prob Tyro for DG and Elarra or Rosa for heals.

Close 2nd is Dark. Seph with USB2/AOSB, Seifer with CSB/USB(2?), Ignis with BSB. Seph’s damage is absurd.

[Antonok]

Nice team! Real nice man. ‘Dat Zack Cloud combo. Sora’s kinda the odd man out.

Sora with AASB and Snowspell Strike, even without EnElement can still hit 19999x4x3 followed by 15? hit from Blitz and it stacks with his USB chase for another 4 hit chase.

But... I dunno about the aren’t-really-applicable line. For the A++ battles, or Kefka in 4A, it’s nice to bring out the big guns.

A++ battles can be covered by either torment or magicite teams depending on weakness or how strong your realm team is tho. There really isn't a need for one team in particular to carry everything anymore.

[Red Fel]

Solid! Ysh seems out of place. Catwaifu though, I like it.

Yeah, I admit that for some content, I'll switch Relm in for that reason. But W-cast is a life saver, and wall is basically mandatory when it isn't automatically provided.

For me it’s Water. Bartz/Tidus USB/AASB, Rikku CSB/USB2, then prob Tyro for DG and Elarra or Rosa for heals.

Close 2nd is Dark. Seph with USB2/AOSB, Seifer with CSB/USB(2?), Ignis with BSB. Seph’s damage is absurd.

See, if we're talking element-specific teams, options open up.

For example, my Holy team is a freaking blender. RAIJIN CID again, obviously. But also Marche, with USB; Ramza, with his BSB2 and that cmd1; and o'Light, with his Chain. And for heals, I bring Aerith with her "PHY attacks right now!" 0CT USB.

For Wind, I can bring the one-two punch of Cloud and Zack, with the latter's Chain and the former's... basically everything. (I have his True Form EX and Soldier EX USBs, his NE and Wind BSBs, and his En-Wind Glint. Among others.) I also have two THFs with Imperil Wind USBs (Faris' and Zidane's), plus a DRG with it (that would be Nine), and that's before you look at my Wind mages (like Barbariccia, Alphi, and Fujin).

For Fire, I have Terra's Awakening. I mean, I have others characters with other SBs, but let's be fair here, you really only need the one.

Point is, if we're going element-specific, I have a lot of perfectly functional presets. But...

A++ battles can be covered by either torment or magicite teams depending on weakness or how strong your realm team is tho. There really isn't a need for one team in particular to carry everything anymore.

This. With the exception of the fact that Magicite teams don't use SUP (but then, some teams really don't need it), Torment or Magicite teams can generally handle most late-game content. To be fair, Torments and Magicites are most late-game content. Point is, for everything short of late-game stuff, you can hand it off to pretty much any solid team; for the late-game stuff, no single team suffices.

[danzibr]

Sora with AASB and Snowspell Strike, even without EnElement can still hit 19999x4x3 followed by 15? hit from Blitz and it stacks with his USB chase for another 4 hit chase.

A++ battles can be covered by either torment or magicite teams depending on weakness or how strong your realm team is tho. There really isn't a need for one team in particular to carry everything anymore.

Huh. Sora’s that good off element eh? I should experiment bringing say Bartz off element.

As for the second bit... I guess I’m just not there yet. If I were to bring my II team to the II A++, I’d get stomped. Similar for almost every realm but V, VII, T.

Yeah, I admit that for some content, I'll switch Relm in for that reason. But W-cast is a life saver, and wall is basically mandatory when it isn't automatically provided.

See, if we're talking element-specific teams, options open up.

For example, my Holy team is a freaking blender. RAIJIN CID again, obviously. But also Marche, with USB; Ramza, with his BSB2 and that cmd1; and o'Light, with his Chain. And for heals, I bring Aerith with her "PHY attacks right now!" 0CT USB.

For Wind, I can bring the one-two punch of Cloud and Zack, with the latter's Chain and the former's... basically everything. (I have his True Form EX and Soldier EX USBs, his NE and Wind BSBs, and his En-Wind Glint. Among others.) I also have two THFs with Imperil Wind USBs (Faris' and Zidane's), plus a DRG with it (that would be Nine), and that's before you look at my Wind mages (like Barbariccia, Alphi, and Fujin).

For Fire, I have Terra's Awakening. I mean, I have others characters with other SBs, but let's be fair here, you really only need the one.

Point is, if we're going element-specific, I have a lot of perfectly functional presets. But...

This. With the exception of the fact that Magicite teams don't use SUP (but then, some teams really don't need it), Torment or Magicite teams can generally handle most late-game content. To be fair, Torments and Magicites are most late-game content. Point is, for everything short of late-game stuff, you can hand it off to pretty much any solid team; for the late-game stuff, no single team suffices.

Nice.

I recently tried bringing 2 healers instead of healer and sup. Opens up a lotta doors. Beat my first 2 5* magicites.

[Antonok]

Well, my X team is stronger than I had thought it was. Got the 350 Dreams dungeon down to 50%. Probably be able to do more if I stopped being lazy and finished leveling the 4* lightning magicites so I can move on to water.

Spoiler: Party

Show

Rikku - Enveloping Interlude/Sapphire Shot - USB2
Wakka - Full Break/Entrust - BSB
Yuna - Dispel/Curada - USB1
Tidus - Lifesiphon/Sapphire Bullet - USB/OSB
Paine - Banishing Strike/Stormspell Strike - USB

[danzibr]

Well, my X team is stronger than I had thought it was. Got the 350 Dreams dungeon down to 50%. Probably be able to do more if I stopped being lazy and finished leveling the 4* lightning magicites so I can move on to water.

Spoiler: Party

Show

Rikku - Enveloping Interlude/Sapphire Shot - USB2
Wakka - Full Break/Entrust - BSB
Yuna - Dispel/Curada - USB1
Tidus - Lifesiphon/Sapphire Bullet - USB/OSB
Paine - Banishing Strike/Stormspell Strike - USB

Nice!

My X party is almost identical, except I use Auron as Support. And the SBs are a bit different. I figured I’d give it a whirl today.

[T.G. Oskar]

Been suitably long for a double post.

What’s your A team?

My Main Strike Force hasn't changed much, but for the most part, there's a few ways to improve it.

• Fire Goddess Terra: Obviously. Having all her Relics other than her Arcane Overstrike, she's absurdly powerful. With lots of Crystal Water and Magia, as long as the enemy isn't immune to Fire, she's the main damage dealer. Also: Blood Sword Artifact. 'Nuff said.
• THUNDER GOD Orlandeau: Again, another god-like entity. He has his USB, Instant Cast SSB and BSB, and that's...fair enough? Would do better with his LMR, but since he has Knight 6, he can use Healing Smite with reckless abandon. With that Ability Double, that means he can heal twice and still do tons of damage.
• Onion Knight. The go-to buffer. With his BSB, pUSB and mUSB, plus his pseudo-Medica SSB, he covers a lot of aspects; fill that with WHM 6 (which doesn't matter, because Protectga and Shellga), Support 6 (to add Full Break to debuffing) and Ninja 5 (meaning he can do nice amounts of damage with the combo skill), he can cover up for pretty much everything.
• Vaan. Since most enemies focus on either Physical or Magical damage, his BSB has remained extremely useful. He can couple this with Thief skills to debuff Physical.
• Catgirl Priestess Y'shtola. Getting her Brave USB means she's essentially my best healer, particularly since Brave Lv. 3 is a Medica with Last Stand. She also has her LM2 (which means W-Cast White Magic), Wrath (for when I can use GodWall as my RW, or there's no need for ProShellga), and even her dreaded USB which can be useful at times (you know, when the enemy telegraphs the move).

My benchwarmers for A-Team:

• Captain Bartz. Getting his Awakening means I should use him more, and now that he has three out of four of his EnElement BSBs, that means he can cover pretty much every element under the sun. He also happens to have his two LMRs, meaning he could choose between rapid-firing Spellblade moves, or dealing tons of damage with it.
• Vanille. Mostly like Y'sh, she has W-Cast WHM and access to Support, but she ha stwo sources of IC Medica; one of them being Last Stand, the other being her trusty BSB. Plus, she can double as a Holy Imperiler, which is great for Orlandeau.
• Rosa. No Last Stand, or W-Cast WHM, but she happens to have MBlink and Regenga, so she's arguably the second best healer around.

[Red Fel]

• Catgirl Priestess Y'shtola. Getting her Brave USB means she's essentially my best healer, particularly since Brave Lv. 3 is a Medica with Last Stand. She also has her LM2 (which means W-Cast White Magic), Wrath (for when I can use GodWall as my RW, or there's no need for ProShellga), and even her dreaded USB which can be useful at times (you know, when the enemy telegraphs the move).

• Rosa. No Last Stand, or W-Cast WHM, but she happens to have MBlink and Regenga, so she's arguably the second best healer around.

Seriously, though, there are some obscene combos with the right healers. I mean, in terms of pure stats, it's tough to beat Y'sh's solid, powerful heals, especially when she breaks out her BSB or Brave. But some of the 0CT healers with W-Cast get pretty crazy too. For example, I have Aerith's LMR, which is W-Cast. I also have her full LD, which gives her a chance to medica when she uses WHT - that's any WHT, including buffs. Throw on top of that a W-Cast WHT RM (or don't, because why would you) and you have a healer with a chance to triplecast heals, plus a medica after each one. Yes, I have seen that happen. I have survived some fights specifically because she W-Cast that medica, and it was glorious.

On an unrelated point, anybody taken on the latest Crystal Tower yet? We were just talking about element-focused Magicite teams, and I feel like Halicarnassus is specifically designed to screw those teams over.

EDIT: Man, I just finish talking about how great Y'shtola is, and I get one of her incredibly dated but still useful SBs in the Daily - you remember her Medica II, medica + Esunaga? I mean, the heal is dated, but a party-wide Esuna is super useful (not quite as good as Astra, but still). Does Y'sh have any bad SBs?

[Antonok]

Nice!

My X party is almost identical, except I use Auron as Support. And the SBs are a bit different. I figured I’d give it a whirl today.

I was debating about switching Wakka for Auron since I have like... everything for Auron. My main issue is Yuna is squishier than boneless fish >_>

On an unrelated point, anybody taken on the latest Crystal Tower yet? We were just talking about element-focused Magicite teams, and I feel like Halicarnassus is specifically designed to screw those teams over.

I found him the easiest to beat actually. He did the least amount of damage (Aerith barely had to use USB2) with with my Earth Team his resistances weren't much of an issue.

Spoiler: Party

Show

Galuf - Lifesiphon/Gaia Rush - CSB
Shelke - Wrath/Entrust
Aerith - Hastega/Curada
Meliadoul - Lifesiphon/Earth Saber - USB - Full Dive
Bartz - Quaking Quadstrike/Tremor Strike - OSB

Meliadoul with dive is great as an imperiler. Bartz really needs either his EnEarth BSB or USB >_>Granted with his LMR he still was getting off an occasional triple cast, but still. He's only playing at half of what he could be.

[Red Fel]

I was debating about switching Wakka for Auron since I have like... everything for Auron. My main issue is Yuna is squishier than boneless fish >_>



I found him the easiest to beat actually. He did the least amount of damage (Aerith barely had to use USB2) with with my Earth Team his resistances weren't much of an issue.

Spoiler: Party

Show

Galuf - Lifesiphon/Gaia Rush - CSB
Shelke - Wrath/Entrust
Aerith - Hastega/Curada
Meliadoul - Lifesiphon/Earth Saber - USB - Full Dive
Bartz - Quaking Quadstrike/Tremor Strike - OSB

Meliadoul with dive is great as an imperiler. Bartz really needs either his EnEarth BSB or USB >_>Granted with his LMR he still was getting off an occasional triple cast, but still. He's only playing at half of what he could be.

Yeah, see, I basically need to bring an Imperil-focused team for it. You're right, the damage isn't a lot, but it piles up if you can't bring him down promptly.

Fair point, though. I should check back over my more Imperil-oriented teams to see what I can do. Good call.

[Antonok]

Well, my X team is stronger than I had thought it was. Got the 350 Dreams dungeon down to 50%. Probably be able to do more if I stopped being lazy and finished leveling the 4* lightning magicites so I can move on to water.

Spoiler: Party

Show

Rikku - Enveloping Interlude/Sapphire Shot - USB2
Wakka - Full Break/Entrust - BSB
Yuna - Dispel/Curada - USB1
Tidus - Lifesiphon/Sapphire Bullet - USB/OSB
Paine - Banishing Strike/Stormspell Strike - USB

Update:

So switched out Wakka for Auron with USB1, EnFire LMR, and full dive, while giving Rikku Multi Break instead of Enveloping Interlude. Got to 70%. Seeing as X is one of my strongest realms (second only to maybe VII), I fear for the rest of these.

[danzibr]

My Main Strike Force hasn't changed much, but for the most part, there's a few ways to improve it.

• Fire Goddess Terra: Obviously. Having all her Relics other than her Arcane Overstrike, she's absurdly powerful. With lots of Crystal Water and Magia, as long as the enemy isn't immune to Fire, she's the main damage dealer. Also: Blood Sword Artifact. 'Nuff said.
• THUNDER GOD Orlandeau: Again, another god-like entity. He has his USB, Instant Cast SSB and BSB, and that's...fair enough? Would do better with his LMR, but since he has Knight 6, he can use Healing Smite with reckless abandon. With that Ability Double, that means he can heal twice and still do tons of damage.
• Onion Knight. The go-to buffer. With his BSB, pUSB and mUSB, plus his pseudo-Medica SSB, he covers a lot of aspects; fill that with WHM 6 (which doesn't matter, because Protectga and Shellga), Support 6 (to add Full Break to debuffing) and Ninja 5 (meaning he can do nice amounts of damage with the combo skill), he can cover up for pretty much everything.
• Vaan. Since most enemies focus on either Physical or Magical damage, his BSB has remained extremely useful. He can couple this with Thief skills to debuff Physical.
• Catgirl Priestess Y'shtola. Getting her Brave USB means she's essentially my best healer, particularly since Brave Lv. 3 is a Medica with Last Stand. She also has her LM2 (which means W-Cast White Magic), Wrath (for when I can use GodWall as my RW, or there's no need for ProShellga), and even her dreaded USB which can be useful at times (you know, when the enemy telegraphs the move).

My benchwarmers for A-Team:

• Captain Bartz. Getting his Awakening means I should use him more, and now that he has three out of four of his EnElement BSBs, that means he can cover pretty much every element under the sun. He also happens to have his two LMRs, meaning he could choose between rapid-firing Spellblade moves, or dealing tons of damage with it.
• Vanille. Mostly like Y'sh, she has W-Cast WHM and access to Support, but she ha stwo sources of IC Medica; one of them being Last Stand, the other being her trusty BSB. Plus, she can double as a Holy Imperiler, which is great for Orlandeau.
• Rosa. No Last Stand, or W-Cast WHM, but she happens to have MBlink and Regenga, so she's arguably the second best healer around.

Nice A team!

I’d definitely use Bartz though.

Seriously, though, there are some obscene combos with the right healers. I mean, in terms of pure stats, it's tough to beat Y'sh's solid, powerful heals, especially when she breaks out her BSB or Brave. But some of the 0CT healers with W-Cast get pretty crazy too. For example, I have Aerith's LMR, which is W-Cast. I also have her full LD, which gives her a chance to medica when she uses WHT - that's any WHT, including buffs. Throw on top of that a W-Cast WHT RM (or don't, because why would you) and you have a healer with a chance to triplecast heals, plus a medica after each one. Yes, I have seen that happen. I have survived some fights specifically because she W-Cast that medica, and it was glorious.

On an unrelated point, anybody taken on the latest Crystal Tower yet? We were just talking about element-focused Magicite teams, and I feel like Halicarnassus is specifically designed to screw those teams over.

EDIT: Man, I just finish talking about how great Y'shtola is, and I get one of her incredibly dated but still useful SBs in the Daily - you remember her Medica II, medica + Esunaga? I mean, the heal is dated, but a party-wide Esuna is super useful (not quite as good as Astra, but still). Does Y'sh have any bad SBs?

Yeah, Aerith is fantastic. I only have one relic for her (granted it’s prob her best one), and with a LD she’s phenomenal. ‘Dat free Medica.

And I beat Halitosis with my V team. Bartz on dps, Galuf for chain, Dorgann for some more dps, then prob Faris for Sup and Lenna for healz. The resist didn’t matter so much.

Update:

So switched out Wakka for Auron with USB1, EnFire LMR, and full dive, while giving Rikku Multi Break instead of Enveloping Interlude. Got to 70%. Seeing as X is one of my strongest realms (second only to maybe VII), I fear for the rest of these.

I brought in a second healer (Elarra), replacing my Sup. Was still a hard battle.

However... I didn’t do any reverse walling.

[Antonok]

I brought in a second healer (Elarra), replacing my Sup. Was still a hard battle.

However... I didn’t do any reverse walling.

Survival wasn't the problem (lasted 50 seconds). Ran out of firepower

[Antonok]

Been leveling 4* magicite decks up and finished getting an inherited Hades, so time to throw myself at Siren!

Verdict: In an amazing twist, cleared Siren in 29 seconds without a chain, which means all 4* magicites are sub 30 so on to 5* magicite!

... eventually. Took a shot at Syldra since ice is one of my stronger teams and that wasn't happening. Going to have to do some research into it.

[danzibr]

Been leveling 4* magicite decks up and finished getting an inherited Hades, so time to throw myself at Siren!

Verdict: In an amazing twist, cleared Siren in 29 seconds without a chain, which means all 4* magicites are sub 30 so on to 5* magicite!

... eventually. Took a shot at Syldra since ice is one of my stronger teams and that wasn't happening. Going to have to do some research into it.

Big grats!

I’ve only attempted Quetz and Phoenix. Beat both. In fact been auto farming. The guide I’m following calls for 44 Phoenix.

I think I can beat a good few more, just haven’t had much time. ‘Dat work schedule.