Gunstarheroes
Member
That's fine with me if it benefit's the story.
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Final Fantasy XIII |OT|
- Thread starter Kagari
- Start date
- Status
deathberry
Neo Member
WEAPONS UPGRADE ADVICE
For those of you who want to know which is the best weapon to keep (and thus upgrade to max), this thread over at ff-xiii.net is extremely useful. They're sourcing from the JP release.
Basically this will tell you the fastest way to upgrade your weapon and which one's will be able to upgrade to their final version. So you can sell off other weapons that don't reach too high a level. E.g Lightning's Gladius gunblade is THE weapon to upgrade. You can disenchant/ sell any other gunblades you get.
I unnecessarily wasted some components upgrading weapons only to be replaced with better ones later on. My personal suggestion is that you hold off upgrading weapons until you reach the
. This won't happen until 20+ hours into the game. Till then, just try and hold onto as many components as you can, so when the "right time" comes, and you have the weapon of choice for each of your party members, you can upgrade them freely.
CANNOT wait to go home and continue playing the game!
For those of you who want to know which is the best weapon to keep (and thus upgrade to max), this thread over at ff-xiii.net is extremely useful. They're sourcing from the JP release.
Basically this will tell you the fastest way to upgrade your weapon and which one's will be able to upgrade to their final version. So you can sell off other weapons that don't reach too high a level. E.g Lightning's Gladius gunblade is THE weapon to upgrade. You can disenchant/ sell any other gunblades you get.
I unnecessarily wasted some components upgrading weapons only to be replaced with better ones later on. My personal suggestion is that you hold off upgrading weapons until you reach the
airship
CANNOT wait to go home and continue playing the game!
deathberry said:
This is how I feel the Final Fantasy games always been ruined for me. There's this compulsive need to min-max "The Ultimate Weapon" thing. I end up holding everything until I get that "ultimate weapon" and ruining the entire game up to that point, making it a stupid grind. The "ultimate weapon" usually end up underwhelming as well.
I think Mass Effect 2 handled weapons much better in that you do get better weapons but the damage upgrades apply to the entire weapon class and even the starting weapons are still very serviceable at endgame.
marathonfool
Member
I survived the first few hours of Persona 4, then I can survive the first few hours of FF13.
2 more days. Still hyped just as ever.
2 more days. Still hyped just as ever.
DevelopmentArrested
Banned
So yeah I'm about 3 hours in? Just beat the first two chapters... Quick impressions for anyone that cares:
Pros:
+ Absolutely incredible CGI. Fantastic seamless integration between cut-scenes, CGI and gameplay with little loadtimes.
+ The menus. Yes, really the menus. Particularly, the little split second videos in the menus. So bad-ass.
+ Fun, well evolved battle system even if the game ties my hands for the first 3 hours.
+ Music. Great music, specifically the battle theme and chapter 2 music (sounds like it's from PSO). So glad to not hear derivative of battle result music again.
+ Engrossing story, makes me want to know what happens next. (Even if Codex explains the narrative better than the cut-scenes).
Cons:
- Ham-fisted, corny voice acting (not just Vanille and Hope either).
- Stilted, cliche dialogue. (
- Stop stop stop with the moans and grunts from Japanese characters mouths. Please!
- Very slow burn to start the game.
- Not so much a con but a statement: This game will be divisive, especially for hardcore FF fans.
Pros:
+ Absolutely incredible CGI. Fantastic seamless integration between cut-scenes, CGI and gameplay with little loadtimes.
+ The menus. Yes, really the menus. Particularly, the little split second videos in the menus. So bad-ass.
+ Fun, well evolved battle system even if the game ties my hands for the first 3 hours.
+ Music. Great music, specifically the battle theme and chapter 2 music (sounds like it's from PSO). So glad to not hear derivative of battle result music again.
+ Engrossing story, makes me want to know what happens next. (Even if Codex explains the narrative better than the cut-scenes).
Cons:
- Ham-fisted, corny voice acting (not just Vanille and Hope either).
- Stilted, cliche dialogue. (
Moms are dangerous
- Very slow burn to start the game.
- Not so much a con but a statement: This game will be divisive, especially for hardcore FF fans.
chicken_ramen
Member
bran said:
The thing here though is that it's probably not necessary to min max to use the upgrade system effectively. I didn't follow any charts but I found that I was able to upgrade the right sorts of weapons well enough, by buying a different types of mechanical parts for points and natural components to get bonuses. The game explains enough to you for you to use the system to grow your character's stats in the direction you want. It's obviously mathematically exploitable, but exploiting it is not necessary to use the system to your advantage. I think this is probably one of the best weapon systems in a JRPG. It's very flexible.
Yes, if you wait till the end of the game to use it, you wont have any 'wastage' but there is, as far as I know, nothing to be worried wasting if you have any common sense. The best items are very obvious and good enough items are easily obtainable. Also - low levels are cheap and tooling around with upgrading the weapons is in no way going to hurt you. You will probably find weapons with extra bonuses later on that you will like but it shouldn't be too hard to switch around. It won't be optimally efficient, but as far as I know, optimum efficiency is not required.
My impressions so far.
Played about 6 hours, 4th chapter I think.
The voice-acting isn't that bad. I was a bit sceptical after seeing the trailers, but they are actually pretty decent. Although I hate Vanille's voice. Good god man.
The combat is just awesome. Sure it's limited in the beginning, but the further you progress the more options you get and then it's just awesome.
At the start it's just auto-battle and repeat. Way too easy, but then you get more enemies and some are tougher. Preemptive strikes really help during those.
Also the Paradigm Shifts work pretty well. Not to the mention the fights are all fast-paced, the way fights always should be in RPGs. =P
The combat makes this game already great in my eyes.
The CGI cutscene are all holy shit awesome. 1080p ftw!
Game looks amazing.
Played about 6 hours, 4th chapter I think.
The voice-acting isn't that bad. I was a bit sceptical after seeing the trailers, but they are actually pretty decent. Although I hate Vanille's voice. Good god man.
The combat is just awesome. Sure it's limited in the beginning, but the further you progress the more options you get and then it's just awesome.
At the start it's just auto-battle and repeat. Way too easy, but then you get more enemies and some are tougher. Preemptive strikes really help during those.
Also the Paradigm Shifts work pretty well. Not to the mention the fights are all fast-paced, the way fights always should be in RPGs. =P
The combat makes this game already great in my eyes.
The CGI cutscene are all holy shit awesome. 1080p ftw!
Game looks amazing.
deathberry
Neo Member
bran said:
I don't think other FF games had weapons upgrade ability, correct me if I'm wrong as I've only played FFX and FFVII (for roughly 7 to 8 hours).
Anyways, I've read many places that people don't pay much attention to weapon upgrades and finish the game just fine. Weapon upgrades basically upgrade your HP and MP stats, which can been boosted using the Crystarium System (upgrade trees) anyways, so it's no big deal. Plus, you don't have to wait till the end of the game to use the ultimate weapon, after a certain point, you can start upgrading anything since you won't get any more powerful weapons beyond that point in the game. I'm talking roughly 22 hours into the game. Even without upgrading weapons, you can go through that time period just fine.
Also, 22+ hours into the game I think Vanille's voice isn't that annoying. I understand why she's so cutesy and "full of life". And the Leona Lewis main song ain't that bad either. Just saying, it grows on you.
The best thing I'm loving so far is that the story is told at a slow rate but keeps on expanding as each of the characters are explored further (by looking at their past history and purpose moving on forward). Yesterday I played nearly 11 hours straight, I just didn't want to put it down. Even Mass Effect 2 didn't affect me in such a way!
toastyToast
Member
Does anyone have any idea how long it takes to squeeze every last drop out of this game? I'm a bit of a completionist when it comes to FF games will I at least be occupied for a while getting the ultimate weapons and whatnot?
Don't tell me they omitted the lengthy side quests to get one component of a weapon that takes a couple of hours on its own D:
As for my excitement for this game peaks and troughs by the hour. I enjoyed both X and XII so I'm guessing this is a fusion of the two in a way is it not? I'm finding it hard to believe this game is more linear than X and with avoidable battles I don't see where all the criticism is coming from. It wasn't like people were singing praises about XII which was essentially the opposite of X, even then they were both critically acclaimed.
Don't tell me they omitted the lengthy side quests to get one component of a weapon that takes a couple of hours on its own D:
As for my excitement for this game peaks and troughs by the hour. I enjoyed both X and XII so I'm guessing this is a fusion of the two in a way is it not? I'm finding it hard to believe this game is more linear than X and with avoidable battles I don't see where all the criticism is coming from. It wasn't like people were singing praises about XII which was essentially the opposite of X, even then they were both critically acclaimed.
Castor Krieg
Banned
toasty_T said:
Platinum takes 80-120 hours. After the final boss you can roam around and complete missions (64 in total) with fun enemies like
huge turtle with 16.2mln HP
deathberry
Neo Member
Castor Krieg said:
Jesus!:lol
toastyToast
Member
Castor Krieg said:
Is this just a really really long, moderately difficult battle like Yazmat from XII or is it more like an hour strategic battle where you can die on a bad move?
Castor Krieg
Banned
kadotsu said:
Neither. Using
Bahamut's Dark Flare
400k
toasty_T said:
Fights don't take that long, but you need to have a strategy. Most people report being killed by this monster's first move.
onken
Member
toasty_T said:
Regarding ultimate weapons, (nothing story related in these spoilers but some people don't like to know so eh)
each character has 8 weapons (7 you'll probably find as drops or in chests, 1 you have to buy from a store that becomes available towards the end). Once you've maxed out any weapon, you can transform it into tier 2 by applying a specific "change" material. This tier 2 weapon will have a new name but slightly worse stats and probably the same enchantment as the tier 1, except of course it now has more potential for upgrading. When you max out a tier 2 weapon, you can then transform it into a tier 3, the only snag being that it requires a rare drop, which can only be got from a couple of tough monsters, so set a course for grinding.
Any tier 3 weapon for any given character will be the same "ultimate weapon", though will have varying stats/enchantment based on the tier 1 weapon from which it was made. So although on the surface it would appear each character has only one ultimate weapon, in reality there's 8 different variants of each, so if you were a REAL completionist you'd have to get all 58. This is of course without maxing out those tier 3 weapons, which is a feat in itself. The only way of doing it really is to buy expensive upgrade materials (maxing out your average tier 3 weapon will cost you about 1.3m) which is a LOT of money in this game (monsters don't drop money).
Bear in mind this is all totally optional, I finished the story with a single tier 2 weapon and the rest tier 1s.
Any tier 3 weapon for any given character will be the same "ultimate weapon", though will have varying stats/enchantment based on the tier 1 weapon from which it was made. So although on the surface it would appear each character has only one ultimate weapon, in reality there's 8 different variants of each, so if you were a REAL completionist you'd have to get all 58. This is of course without maxing out those tier 3 weapons, which is a feat in itself. The only way of doing it really is to buy expensive upgrade materials (maxing out your average tier 3 weapon will cost you about 1.3m) which is a LOT of money in this game (monsters don't drop money).
Bear in mind this is all totally optional, I finished the story with a single tier 2 weapon and the rest tier 1s.
kadotsu said:
Starts off as 99,999 though it's possible to increase it.
toasty_T said:
Depends what your stats/equipment are like, really.
It can be done very quickly, especially using summons
GasProblem
Member
Going to buy the game when these shitty exams are over, but I have two questions:
- How's the official guide? (if anyone has it yet...)
- Is the text readable on a SD tv? (360 version btw)
Thanks in advance.
- How's the official guide? (if anyone has it yet...)
- Is the text readable on a SD tv? (360 version btw)
Thanks in advance.
GasProblem said:
Here's a preview of the official guide.
CruxisMana
Member
Damn the lack of post on Sunday.
Limited numbers printed and the guide is supposedly structured differently to avoid needless spoilers.
Empty said:
Limited numbers printed and the guide is supposedly structured differently to avoid needless spoilers.
CruxisMana
Member
Empty said:
210,000 printed.
I'm not sure about stock in store, but it seems to be sold out on most online stores.
Johnlenham
Member
Ive not really paid much attention to this FF but is there something like the guild hunts in 12Card game in 8/9 and Chocobo racing in 7? They were awesome 
Castor Krieg
Banned
Johnlenham said:Ive not really paid much attention to this FF but is there something like the guild hunts in 12Card game in 8/9 and Chocobo racing in 7? They were awesome
Missions (64 in total) are like hunts from FFXII. You can also dig for treasures. No card game/blitzball/chocobo racing though.
Johnlenham
Member
Hmm interesting. Cant decide whether to buy it or not as my brother is buying it so I could potentially just nick each disc as he finishes it or just pay out and buy the ps3 version.
Perfect Blue
Banned
Two. More. Days.
deathberry
Neo Member
F#A#Oo said:
The only thing I remember as far as upgrading is concerned was the Sphere Grid system. Also, it's been 5 years since I played the game
Lostconfused
Member
I just plan to rent it and get it out of the way.lawblob said:
After Rikku joins the party you get the option to customize the slots in weapons and armor with abilities by using items.deathberry said:The only thing I remember as far as upgrading is concerned was the Sphere Grid system. Also, it's been 5 years since I played the game
DarknessTear
Banned
I'm excited to finally play this game. I've been waiting so long, I'm a huge fan of the series. Please be good. Please be BETTER than just "good".
I am so excited for this I for one welcome the linearity in a way.Personally I never liked towns in rpgs I mean most are never exciting and I always hated beginning games having to run around talking or finding people stuffed in like some obscure back corner and crap.I never really find myself using them as well
I just hope their is side quests because those are always my favourite parts of rpgs its fun getiing to the point where you at the end and strong enough to easily beat the game but there is always that rare side stuff thats fun.FF12 monster hunts and esper searching was a blast.
ah well the wait continues
I just hope their is side quests because those are always my favourite parts of rpgs its fun getiing to the point where you at the end and strong enough to easily beat the game but there is always that rare side stuff thats fun.FF12 monster hunts and esper searching was a blast.
ah well the wait continues
DarknessTear
Banned
Not many RPGs do cities/towns right. The only RPG I can think of that had a city that was worth mentioning is Radiata Stories. But that's just because of how it's designed, though it's a bit groundhog day-ish.
CruxisMana
Member
Jeels said:
Great minds think alike.
I've got an essay and coursework to get out of the way, that is, assuming my copy turns up tomorrow...
Perfect Blue
Banned
Thank god I have spring break the week after. :lol
edgefusion
Member
Oh god, it feels like time has actually slowed down. I went to my local supermarket today in the hope they would have it (they broke the Bioshock 2 release date). I ended up coming home with a bunch of sweets and a pizza. Damn you impulse buys!
Community Forum
Member
Don't know if it was mentioned, but Target is offering a free $10 gift card with purchase, available Tues at 8am.
- Status