Final Fantasy XIII

[CrusherJ]

Having beaten the game, I think it's really pointless to grind. You're not SUPPOSED to be able to take out multiple behemoth kings yet. Don't spend much time grinding, ignore them, then come back and whip up on them after you've beaten the game. It's not like they drop Ultima Weapons or anything, why waste time/effort soley for being able to kill them early? I did maybe an hour or two of grinding in the whole game, mainly around/in the tower. It's FAR more fun/interesting to PLAY THROUGH THE PLOT to gain hundreds of thousands of experience points (and you will by the end) than to constantly fight the same enemies over and over----just to have to then still go through the entire rest of the game.

PS---turtles? At beginning of ch 11? You'll most likely die before you get a single hit in.

PPS---your stats will jump, then flatline, at the end. STR/MAG will go up and up and up, far faster than leveling weapons will accomplish---but the final level of crystarium is almost pure HP. LOTS of HP, but your attacks will get no stronger and you will gain no new abilities.

Ok, I'll just play through the rest of the game without grinding, the desire to finish the game is really starting to override the usual desire I have to grind and it sounds like it makes no real difference anyway. I didn't even attempt to fight the turtle; the fact that I barely defeated a single behemoth king kinda destroyed any delusions I had of facing them. As far as weapon upgrading, I've got Gladius, Blaze Fire and Bladed Lance up to lvl * and transformed Belladonna Wand to Malboro Wand (or whatever it's called). I'll continue to upgrade Vanille's weapon, but will hold off on the others till Post Game.

Still in Chap. 11, I wondered into an underground labyrinth called Mah'habara- The Earthworks....... fought and was completely pwned by a boss that looked very similar to the machine Hope rode in one of the earlier chapters (2 I think). Either way, I'm pretty sure I've taken a wrong turn and am now backtracking

Edit: Nevermind, I am going the right way

Edited April 2, 2010 by CrusherJ

[David Hingtgen]

Nope, that's the way to go (more or less). That is an OPTIONAL boss. I'd suggest you ignore it. I'm actually headed that way now in my post-game---haven't been that way since the first time. That is the toughest part of ch 11 IMHO, the rest is easier. Just slug through it. It'd take a while to grind to make that part easy, then the rest would be REALLY easy.

[chen]

I'd did the complete opposite I grinded for a bit uses that trick (maybe a total of 4 hours) I found and that gave me a real jump in power that pretty much everything I fought was easy and if you wanted, fight everything you see without have to worry about running around them. I breezed through that fight with the big machine and the Fal'cie at the top of the tower was a joke I beat that in two turns. I've upgraded most of my weapons to the second or third stage but just need to get the money and figure out what transformation item I need to transform them. I've also been doing all the Ci'eth missions, I've done the first 28 and will probably go back to the caves to finish off mission 29. It just depends what your into and how you like to play games, anyways here's a little hint there's a little side mission in

Vanille's old town

finish it and you'll get a nice boost in cash.

Edited April 2, 2010 by David Hingtgen

[Dangard Ace]

I'm supposed to be facing Orphen or whatever the final stage is but I went through the portals to try to complete the Ci'eth Missions. Ci'eth Mission 47 and Giant Cactuar are kicking my ass. Might have to come back and do those missions after beating the game.

[chen]

Yeah that giant Cactus fight is like mission 54 and once I saw the silhouette of him I turned down that mission pretty fast he would destroy me now. I should say I'm still on Chapter 11 and asking if anyone knows what item I need to transform Sahz's Procyon's ? I know for the second transformation I'm guessing you need that item that costs 2,000,000 but this is just his first upgrade for that weapon and I've tried everything up to Adamintine(sp?) since I can't afford anything else.

[CrusherJ]

Beat the fal'Cie at the top of the tower last night. That guy was a joke! I beat him in bout 4 rounds, easiest and quickest boss fight I've had recently. Exploring Oerba right now.

Question, where is the mark for the cie'th stone you find on the platform where you fought the fal'cie? I went down to the ground tier and saw the star for the mark in the middle of the four statues, but couldn't figure out how to reach it. Luckily, I didn't save after excepting the mission and just reloaded the game so I'd be able to accept other missions if I came across them. Any help? Thanks!

[David Hingtgen]

I think that one's different, have to complete other missions first I think. I had the same issue.

[CrusherJ]

Ok, I just try completing other mission then come back to it, thanks!

[dreamweaver13]

Also---Fang! She is the hardest-hitting character, period. The best 2 parties in the game (in most people's opinions and mine) are Light/Hope/Fang and Light/Van/Fang.

I also think Light/Hope/Fang is the best all-around team, with Light/Vanille/Fang a close second. L/H/F gives me the perfect combination of defense (Hope's SYN, Fang's SENT) and offense (Fang's SAB, and the 2 ladies' raw power) that makes quick work of enemies. L/V/F, on the other hand, is a destructive force with it's double SAB attack). Both combinations can also let me use one of my favorite paradigms: Delta Attack.

That being said, i've been having a lot of fun with Snow in the lineup as well. Usually a Light/Snow/Vanille combo. It's interesting to battle without really worrying much about being KOd, or having to heal characters every now and then. Snow's tough as a sentinel; it takes a long time before his HP even reaches midpoint. And my other 2 characters barely get hurt at all.

So far, the only character I can't seem to find useful is Sazh. Sure he's useful as a SYN to cast haste, but given a choice between that and Hope's defensive SYN spells, I'd usually go for the latter. (Later on, I expanded Sazh's crystarium to include a few SEN abilities. Have any of you seen how Sazh moves when casting Provoke? Hilarious. Almost enough to make me use him. Almost. hehe.)

Edited April 6, 2010 by dreamweaver13

[chen]

It's funny cuz my favorite team right now is Light/Fang/Sazh, having Light as a Medic, Fang as a Sentinal and Sazh as a Synergist has saved my bacon quite a few times. Not only does he cast Haste but if possible cast elemental properties on the weapons which just decimates most enemies plus he's not to far behind Light, Fang, Snow in strength too. I've got those three in the 1800-1400 range while he's been upgraded to around 1100 plus I've taught him some Medic skills so he can also heal too.

[David Hingtgen]

How are you using Light as your lone medic at the end? Cure/Cura just do not heal enough, and she never learns the "percentage heal" spells. (AFAIK). I only ever have her as "supplement" to Hope/Van's healing. (Med/Med/Sen has been my default heal paradigm for a while---Com/Med/Sen was too risky after ch 11)

[chen]

That's where the Haste spells come in, I use Fang as a Sentinal to keep the enemy busy while Sazh casts Haste and whatever spells on the group while Light heals, with five ATB slots it doesn't take long to heal the whole group, your basically getting twice the turns you normally have plus if I want I could also mix a Esuna (sp?) or Raise with a couple Cures if I wanted too. For the most part I use Light as the leader and she knows enough Medic skills that can get by most of the time, with Van or Hope you really don't have any control over them and when I want a ko'ed character raised to use their skill, most of the time they'll cure first then get to that after this way I have control over who I heal and when.

Edited April 5, 2010 by chen

[chen]

I should also mention that each of my characters have upgraded Aurora Scarfs (name?) which starts out each fight with a full ATB charge so no waiting to getting that first strike in. If I know I'm in for a hard fight I will instantly start off with Med/Sab/Syn to get a jump on Haste, Elemental properties to weapons (either Bar or En can't remember), with Fang casting debilitating spells on your foe. Also Light and Fang have the highest strength with Sazh a close fourth and full skills in both Commando and Ravage which more than makes up for the healing ability I lose for not using Van or Hope.

[dreamweaver13]

It's funny cuz my favorite team right now is Light/Fang/Sazh, having Light as a Medic, Fang as a Sentinal and Sazh as a Synergist has saved my bacon quite a few times. Not only does he cast Haste but if possible cast elemental properties on the weapons which just decimates most enemies plus he's not to far behind Light, Fang, Snow in strength too. I've got those three in the 1800-1400 range while he's been upgraded to around 1100 plus I've taught him some Medic skills so he can also heal too.

The thing is, i have this natural bias for using Light primarily as a Commando. I don't know why... it just doesn't feel right if my team leader doesn't do the hardcore attacks. 13 years' worth of FF conditioning, i guess. If anything, that's my only problem with Light and Fang together on the team, since Light would have to take the RAV role.

[CrusherJ]

I should also mention that each of my characters have upgraded Aurora Scarfs (name?) which starts out each fight with a full ATB charge so no waiting to getting that first strike in. If I know I'm in for a hard fight I will instantly start off with Med/Sab/Syn to get a jump on Haste, Elemental properties to weapons (either Bar or En can't remember), with Fang casting debilitating spells on your foe. Also Light and Fang have the highest strength with Sazh a close fourth and full skills in both Commando and Ravage which more than makes up for the healing ability I lose for not using Van or Hope.

When do you get Aurora Scarfs? I just started Chap. 13 and have headed back to Gran Pulse to do some hunts. I don't remember seeing them in any of the stores, hope I haven't overlooked them.

[Gaijin]

When do you get Aurora Scarfs? I just started Chap. 13 and have headed back to Gran Pulse to do some hunts. I don't remember seeing them in any of the stores, hope I haven't overlooked them.

They are upgraded Whistlewinds.

[CrusherJ]

They are upgraded Whistlewinds.

Ah, I see, thanks! Guess I need to look into upgrading that accessory....

[chen]

Yeah I was just gonna reply but yeah you buy them at the Moogle store for 1,000 then upgrade them and transform them. But once there Aurora Scarfs just leave them alone cuz if you transform them again they turn into something completely else. I think a Speedsash or something, but anyways you lose the pre-charged ATB skill.

On a side note I'm still on Chapter 11 and right now I'm trying to finish off the Titan quests so far it's been pretty easy with a few C'ieth missions being tough. I also finally got the courage to fight one of those giant buildings with legs Armosomething, it was A LOT easier than I thought. Using the team I like with Fang casting debilitating spells on it and Sazh casting En weapon upgrades I was dishing out 30,000-45,000 points of damage per blow and in the end you only get 4500CP still at least now I can safely fight everything in Gran Pulse and not be afraid, it's hunt'n season boys lol.

[Gaijin]

Yeah I was just gonna reply but yeah you buy them at the Moogle store for 1,000 then upgrade them and transform them. But once there Aurora Scarfs just leave them alone cuz if you transform them again they turn into something completely else. I think a Speedsash or something, but anyways you lose the pre-charged ATB skill.

On a side note I'm still on Chapter 11 and right now I'm trying to finish off the Titan quests so far it's been pretty easy with a few C'ieth missions being tough. I also finally got the courage to fight one of those giant buildings with legs Armosomething, it was A LOT easier than I thought. Using the team I like with Fang casting debilitating spells on it and Sazh casting En weapon upgrades I was dishing out 30,000-45,000 points of damage per blow and in the end you only get 4500CP still at least now I can safely fight everything in Gran Pulse and not be afraid, it's hunt'n season boys lol.

They turn into Nimbletoe boots in which you lose the ATB charge, but gain the evasion skill, plus it will still stack as an ATB rate increase. One ATB item will give you 10%+ faster charging, 15% for 3, 20% for 4, and I think 30% for 5. I have Light with 4 ATB items...Axis Blade, one Whistlewind one Aurora, one Nimble-boots...it's as if haste is permanent..if you cast haste on her then, the gauge charges ultra fast....

[chen]

Nice I didn't know that, now I wonder what I should do if I should get rid of my two lv.10 Warrior Bracelets and have all three Nimbletoe boots.

[David Hingtgen]

There's a lot of different versions of the "walking buildings". Big ones are literally 10x harder than the others. There's "big" "really big" and "truly huge". Might even be a 4th one inbetween "really big" and "huge" but I haven't really tried fighting the very largest ones.

[chen]

Yeah I can beat most but there's one that looks like it has chains attached to it's feet and literally a house on it's back, that one kicked my butt. I'm thinking there's adolescents, females, and male versions of these things. I'm also wondering just how high your HP can go, the really big version one shot killed me by dealing over 10,000 points of damage so I wonder if your HP can get past the usual 9999 limit.

[Dangard Ace]

Yeah I can beat most but there's one that looks like it has chains attached to it's feet and literally a house on it's back, that one kicked my butt. I'm thinking there's adolescents, females, and male versions of these things. I'm also wondering just how high your HP can go, the really big version one shot killed me by dealing over 10,000 points of damage so I wonder if your HP can get past the usual 9999 limit.

Beat the game.

or invest in one of the secondary skills before beating the game.

[Beltane70]

Yep, Danguard, you can get over 9999 HP. In my playthrough of the Japanese version of the game, my characters had from 15-26,000 HP. Hope was on the low end of that range with 15447 HP, while Snow was at the top with 26134 HP.

Edited April 10, 2010 by Beltane70

[Wanzerfan]

Well, Yhatzee's already given his two cents on the X-Box 360 version of the game.

Like always, watch at your own risk due to rather frank language.

[CrusherJ]

For those who've beaten the game, any tips on how you handle the second phase of the final boss battle? I got past the first one easy, but getting no where with the second (I guess the biggest issue I have is avoiding all the status aliments he's throwing at me). My party is Fang/Light/Vanille, each has their three primary roles maxed out and on avg. about 8500hp. Any suggestions on how I put this guy down?

[David Hingtgen]

Switch to Fang/Light/Hope? Remember, a buff cancels a debuff. If status ailments are the problem, Hope can take care of that in both Syn and Med roles.

Frankly, you REALLY should have a synergist for the endgame. Having Faith+Brave+Haste+Protect+Shell on the entire party does wonders... (and on uberbosses like this, that works a whole lot better than making 20 attempts at casting just to get a few debuffs to stick---buffs always work)

(yes, this is counter to my previous arguments on buff vs debuff time/effectiveness, but that was for "normal" enemies)

But yes, 2nd phase can be annoying/cheap. I got it down to very low HP several times before actually beating it.

[CrusherJ]

Switch to Fang/Light/Hope? Remember, a buff cancels a debuff. If status ailments are the problem, Hope can take care of that in both Syn and Med roles.

Frankly, you REALLY should have a synergist for the endgame. Having Faith+Brave+Haste+Protect+Shell on the entire party does wonders... (and on uberbosses like this, that works a whole lot better than making 20 attempts at casting just to get a few debuffs to stick---buffs always work)

(yes, this is counter to my previous arguments on buff vs debuff time/effectiveness, but that was for "normal" enemies)

But yes, 2nd phase can be annoying/cheap. I got it down to very low HP several times before actually beating it.

Ok, thanks! I'll give that combination a try the next time I play. I got his hp low a couple of times too before he pulled that really cheap move, then hit me with a bunch of status aliments. He also did it several times when I almost had him staggered.....really annoying!

[dreamweaver13]

They are upgraded Whistlewinds.

Thanks for the tip. Wouldn't have known to upgrade the whistlewinds. I've been focusing solely on the weapons.

With that in mind, what other accessories have notable upgrades?

Also, I noticed that some weapons have built-in stagger-lock skils, which "prevent" the staggering of enemies. One weapon for Snow even has the "enfeeblement" skill, which lessens his strength. Why would I want to use these weapons at all?? Just curious, do they come into play somehow with a particular boss or something?

[David Hingtgen]

Stuff like that generally has no special skills, merely the highest raw stats. If they had the highest stats by a good margin and no cons, there'd be no point to using any other weapon.

[Mercurial Morpheus]

I just got to the part of being able to switch members (yes, I'm mad behind now). I've tried Light/Van/Fang, and I do see the the double Sab benefit, but every so often I get a battle where having Hope instead probably wouldnve really saved my butt. Out of curiosity, is there any point to developing the other roles for character, like giving Fang some Syn capabilities?

[kanedaestes]

Yep further down the road the crystarium opens up and everyone can learn various roles.

[eugimon]

I just got to the part of being able to switch members (yes, I'm mad behind now). I've tried Light/Van/Fang, and I do see the the double Sab benefit, but every so often I get a battle where having Hope instead probably wouldnve really saved my butt. Out of curiosity, is there any point to developing the other roles for character, like giving Fang some Syn capabilities?

you can but they're significantly more expensive to train than their favored roles.

[David Hingtgen]

Yup. And they'll never learn some of the higher-end things. It's really only worth it if you've utterly maxed out their "main" roles and simply want some more stats. Really not worth it at all for abilities.

[Mercurial Morpheus]

Noted. I thought as much. Right now, I'm simply missing Protect and Shell.