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Final Fantasy XIII |OT|

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Le-mo said:
Any advice on what weapon I should upgrade?

Any weapon that has an ability you value: some of them have Quick Stagger, allowing you to stagger opponents more easily. Some have just raw stats, however they are frequently twice as high (Gladius vs. rest). For buffers/debuffers I recommend weapons extending the duration of buffs/debuffs e.g. in case of Vanille that's Belladonnas Wand. The reason for that is the initial ability stays with the weapon all the way through, only stats change.

got2bekidding said:
I have a few questions about the meanings of some weapon bonuses. What does augment maintenance and stagger lock help with?

Stagger Lock - that character will not be able to push an enemy into Stagger. The trade-off are incredible Magic and Attacks stats. Augment Maintenance boosts the duration of buffs (Spica Defenders for Sazh have it).
 

Zzoram

Member
So I managed to push through, I'm about 15.5 hours in and just finished Chapter 6, and saved at the first point after the Chapter 7 intro cutscene.

I'm pretty sure Chapter 4 was longer than Chapter 5+6 combined.

I hear the game gets good at Chapter 9. It is my goal to get to Chapter 9 before Monday.
 
Castor Krieg said:
Stagger Lock - that character will not be able to push an enemy into Stagger. The trade-off are incredible Magic and Attacks stats. Augment Maintenance boosts the duration of buffs (Spica Defenders for Sazh have it).
Hmm...I guess for how I want to set up my squad, I'll need stagger maintenance for Sazh and stagger lock for Hope. Thanks. My next decision is whether to give Snow enfeeblement or improved ward.
 

Styles

Member
All this time I've been trying to max out
Axis Blade
for Lightning, and now I realise it's pretty worthless at max level. ;; Only level 20 though. :lol
 
Zzoram said:
How high does Gladius go before you can transform it?

Lvl. 26

Ballistictiger said:
Staggerlock seems pretty bad to me.

To put it into perspective - Gladius is the highest raw ATK for Lightning. Its ultimate form has 723ATK and 210MAG. Lightning's weapon with Stagger Lock has 711ATK AND 711MAG.
 

Zzoram

Member
Castor Krieg said:

Will the 2nd form go up to 26 as well?

What happens if you try to add experience to a maxed level weapon? Will it waste the XP or will it not let you?

For example, lets say your Gladius is at lvl 24, but you want to apply 99x an item that it would go beyond the XP required to hit lvl 26. Would it block you? Take all the XP and waste the extra? Or just use as many items as it takes to hit the XP cap and save the rest of the items?
 
Zzoram said:
Will the 2nd form go up to 26 as well?

What happens if you try to add experience to a maxed level weapon? Will it waste the XP or will it not let you?

Yes, you will waste EXP. Helter Skelter (Gladius Tier-2) starts at Lvl. 15 I think, you need 332 560 EXP to max it.
 

Zzoram

Member
Dra-Q said:
Odin is a little bitch at the first encounter :/

Ya it can be tough until you master switching between Med/Med and Com/Rav fluidly, but by forcing you to learn how to use paradigm shifts properly, it prepares you for the rest of the game.
 

imail

Member
Guys, just a small advice, have an INDEPENDENT save file for every chapter. I was playing the X360 version of the game, reached chapter 11 and the game froze after a certain battle. Tried different copies of the game with no luck as it's most probably a conflicting save file information.

Now, my most recent save file is in chapter 6. I'm so playing this again as I'm in love with the game.
 

Gibbo

Member
Do you guys notice pretty bad lags/blurring of the background everytime you swing the camera even by just abit? Not sure if its just the game or my 42inch Panasonic Plasma. Its not that bad- but enough to give me a slight headache. PS3 version here
 

Zzoram

Member
Dark FaZe said:
I can't lie guys...the opening few hours of this game so far are some of the worst I've ever seen from a JRPG.

Where did we go wrong Square...

It's almost universally agreed that this game starts off very poorly and many people feel it doesn't really get better until about half-way into the game (Chap9 is when you actually get a full party of 3 and regroup with everyone, Chap11 is when you have freedom to choose your party of 3 and combat gets more challenging and fun). The fact that people can shrug off the 20 hours required to get to the good part of a game amazes me. You can beat 2 games in those 20 hours that get good almost immediately.
 

Zzoram

Member
Gibbo said:
Do you guys notice pretty bad lags/blurring of the background everytime you swing the camera even by just abit? Not sure if its just the game or my 42inch Panasonic Plasma. Its not that bad- but enough to give me a slight headache. PS3 version here

Yes it's there on a 40" LCD too. PS3 version as well. It's the framerate, it's not quite a stable 30fps while walking around. Even a stable 30fps doesn't look that good while panning, that requires 60fps, which is why racing games and action games with 60fps can be fast and feel fast without giving everyone a headache from the quick camera movements.
 

Dead

well not really...yet
Zzoram said:
It's almost universally agreed that this game starts off very poorly and many people feel it doesn't really get better until about half-way into the game (Chap9 is when you actually get a full party of 3 and regroup with everyone, Chap11 is when you have freedom to choose your party of 3 and combat gets more challenging and fun). The fact that people can shrug off the 20 hours required to get to the good part of a game amazes me. You can beat 2 games in those 20 hours that get good almost immediately.
You can choose your party of 3 before the end of chapter 9

It started off good and got great around chapter 5 for me personally.
 

Zzoram

Member
Dead said:
You can choose your party of 3 before the end of chapter 9

I was misinformed. Still, getting to Chapter 9 can easily take 20 hours. I'm 15.5 hours in and just starting Chapter 7.

I do agree that it gets a bit better around Chapter 5 (maybe because 5 and 6 are shorter so I feel like I'm getting somewhere), but I think Ch1-3 are rather weak and Ch4 is pretty exhausting since it goes on forever.
 

Dead

well not really...yet
The beginning for me is probably the most engaging beginning to a FF since 7.

It drops you straight into the story and doesn't waste time with a long winded intro. All the info prior to the beginning is told through the story at choice moments making the picture clearer the further you get into the game.

I much prefer this to some long winded setup that takes hours before the actual "story" kicks into gear.

Gameplay wise, I noticed people expressed frustration in chapter 4 due to difficulty with the Sazh/Vanille battles, but I never saw much difficulty in that section at all.
 
Zzoram said:
It's almost universally agreed that this game starts off very poorly and many people feel it doesn't really get better until about half-way into the game (Chap9 is when you actually get a full party of 3 and regroup with everyone, Chap11 is when you have freedom to choose your party of 3 and combat gets more challenging and fun). The fact that people can shrug off the 20 hours required to get to the good part of a game amazes me. You can beat 2 games in those 20 hours that get good almost immediately.

Perhaps its just me but I kind of enjoy the how the game started (I just reached chapter 3), that is to say, I virtually try to avoid every enemy and like going from cutscene to cutscene, The story is so emotional.
 

Thrakier

Member
Dedication Through Light said:
Perhaps its just me but I kind of enjoy the how the game started (I just reached chapter 3), that is to say, I virtually try to avoid every enemy and like going from cutscene to cutscene, The story is so emotional.

:lol

Why just you don't watch the story on youtube then!? :D
 

Gibbo

Member
Zzoram said:
Yes it's there on a 40" LCD too. PS3 version as well. It's the framerate, it's not quite a stable 30fps while walking around. Even a stable 30fps doesn't look that good while panning, that requires 60fps, which is why racing games and action games with 60fps can be fast and feel fast without giving everyone a headache from the quick camera movements.


Thanks sir. Its a pity- considering the environments itself look fantastic
 

hamchan

Member
Zzoram said:
It's almost universally agreed that this game starts off very poorly and many people feel it doesn't really get better until about half-way into the game (Chap9 is when you actually get a full party of 3 and regroup with everyone, Chap11 is when you have freedom to choose your party of 3 and combat gets more challenging and fun). The fact that people can shrug off the 20 hours required to get to the good part of a game amazes me. You can beat 2 games in those 20 hours that get good almost immediately.

Wait, the game gets even better? I thought the game was bad in the first two hours but turned great after paradigms and crystarium were unlocked. Now you're telling me I've got more awesomeness ahead of me?
 

dark10x

Digital Foundry pixel pusher
I must admit, I'm enjoying this way more than I expected. This is easily the most fun I've had with a JRPG for quite some time.
 
Am I even gaining experience early in the game? I'm wondering if I'm wasting time by trying to fight every enemy on the map. There is no noticable progression for my efforts.
 
Dark FaZe said:
Am I even gaining experience early in the game? I'm wondering if I'm wasting time by trying to fight every enemy on the map. There is no noticable progression for my efforts.

No. You have to wait to unlock the Crystarium.
 

Zzoram

Member
hamchan said:
Wait, the game gets even better? I thought the game was bad in the first two hours but turned great after paradigms and crystarium were unlocked. Now you're telling me I've got more awesomeness ahead of me?

Key turning point is Chapter 9, when you get the gang back together. With 3 people in your party, you can finally use the battle system like it was meant to be used.
 
I hate late-game encounters being so cheap. C'mon
what's the fucking point of making enemy party of 4 birds that rush you and stun the whole group, ffs? this way the game goes into 3xmedics to 2xmedics 1xsynergist till you can get buffs up; 2-3 minutes wasted
 

ZeroRay

Member
On Chapter 7. Enjoying the battle system very much but I find the story to be "okay" so far.

The characters are being developed nicely but a few of them are illogical and/or annoying (Hope, Snow, Vanille), the dialogue is better than I thought it would be but not great and the conflict isn't hooking me so far.

Don't mind the linearity since I knew what I was getting into. Overall, great game so far, can't wait till the later, tougher chapters.
 

hamchan

Member
Dark FaZe said:
Am I even gaining experience early in the game? I'm wondering if I'm wasting time by trying to fight every enemy on the map. There is no noticable progression for my efforts.

No. You won't get experience until you unlock the crystarium. Much better to run past monsters until you get it.
 

Jrmint

Member
Dark FaZe said:
Am I even gaining experience early in the game? I'm wondering if I'm wasting time by trying to fight every enemy on the map. There is no noticable progression for my efforts.
No, but it doesn't take too long. Probably only an hour or 2. Also the Chapter where you unlock the Crystarium is one of the best looking areas in the entire game imo, at least 18 or so hours in.

Question about party make up:
So everything I'm hearing is to take Lightning/Hope/Fang, I am fine with Lightning and Hope, but would prefer Snow over Fang since he hits like a truck, has a shitton of HP, and the Shiva sisters rock. The main thing I lose is the Saboteur class, will I be crippling myself by not having a Sab later in the story? I know I can switch one in for side missions, what have you, but I'm saying for my main group.

Thanks.
 

_Xenon_

Banned
I'm halfway into Ch.7 and still feel nothing interesting about the game. WTF? Is the plot really going to pick up in the later chapters?
 

Zzoram

Member
Sazh is the only good character in the entire game. He's the only one with any semblance of rational decision making.

As funny as it was for Lightning to punch Snow 3 times in the face, I felt that Hope deserved it way more.
 
Skel said:
The main thing I lose is the Saboteur class, will I be crippling myself by not having a Sab later in the story? I know I can switch one in for side missions, what have you, but I'm saying for my main group.

Thanks.

This game puts crazy importance on buffs and debuffs. You cripple enemies with saboteur. I would take Fang.
 

Doc Evils

Member
desu said:
First reports from the FFXIII developer panels at GDC are surfacing now: http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2010/03/final-fantasy-gdc/


How the hell can a developer be actually saying this shit? Sweet jebus, how can you call Hitman an RPG?!?:lol :lol if he's thinking of Uncharted 2, maybe 15 might end up being a Mass Effect clone, which could be good or bad which ever way you look it. Then again who knows what the hell he is thinking?


At least we now know who to burn down when it comes to bad design and ideas at SE.:lol
 

lol51

Member
Doc Evils said:
How the hell can a developer be actually saying this shit? Sweet jebus, how can you call Hitman an RPG?!?:lol :lol if he's thinking of Uncharted 2, maybe 15 might end up being a Mass Effect clone, which could be good or bad which ever way you look it. Then again who knows what the hell he is thinking?


At least we now know who to burn down when it comes to bad design and ideas at SE.:lol

It just seems like FF has lost its voice. The Series wants to try so hard to be something else when its just fine on its own.

Also lots of excuses in that interview... Its Japanese hospitality to be nice and create friendly easy maps? That's a new one... But explains the save points every 2 minutes....
 

Durante

Member
Zzoram said:
It's almost universally agreed that this game starts off very poorly and many people feel it doesn't really get better until about half-way into the game
Just going by this thread, "universally agreed" is clearly saying too much. There are quite a few posters who enjoyed it from the start, and tons more (like me) who loved it from the point where you get paradigm shifts.
 

Bauer91

Member
This game is amazing. I've been playing for 16 hours, and it's been great from the beginning. The graphics are awesome (even on 360) and the battle system is so much fun.

I'm not sure what I should do with my equipment though. I upgraded the weapons I got at the beginning and sold a few I found later on because they were weaker (since they weren't upgraded), but I haven't upgraded anything recently. Should I use the new weapons I find and start upgrading them from the beginning, or should I keep upgrading the old ones and sell new equipment?
 
Zzoram said:
It's almost universally agreed that this game starts off very poorly and many people feel it doesn't really get better until about half-way into the game (Chap9 is when you actually get a full party of 3 and regroup with everyone, Chap11 is when you have freedom to choose your party of 3 and combat gets more challenging and fun). The fact that people can shrug off the 20 hours required to get to the good part of a game amazes me. You can beat 2 games in those 20 hours that get good almost immediately.
It gets better at chapter 3. It got great for me around chapter 7.
 

Dead

well not really...yet
Bauer91 said:
This game is amazing. I've been playing for 16 hours, and it's been great from the beginning. The graphics are awesome (even on 360) and the battle system is so much fun.

I'm not sure what I should do with my equipment though. I upgraded the weapons I got at the beginning and sold a few I found later on because they were weaker (since they weren't upgraded), but I haven't upgraded anything recently. Should I use the new weapons I find and start upgrading them from the beginning, or should I keep upgrading the old ones and sell new equipment?
Don't look at the weapons simply based on their starting stats. They mean nothing in the long run.

For example Lightning, would you rather develop her a weapon that is much stronger in attack than in magic, or go for a more balanced one.

Depending on who you choose as your team, you might need Lightning to have a proficiency in both or perhaps one that consentrates on physical attacks.

Or perhaps you use Lightning as a medic very frequently, so maybe the Lifesaver sword might be a perfect fit for the character.

The weapons you choose to use are pretty much dependent on your playstyle. Its not a thing where each weapon is gradually better than the one before it.
 
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