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[mjemirzian]

The game IS finely tuned difficulty... toward the challenging end of the spectrum, if most people are anything to go by (I find the game painfully easy, personally).

What you want is everything to be easy. Being easier doesn't make a difficulty curve more "finely tuned."

One of the advantages traditional RPGs have over other genres is that anyone can complete them if they have enough time and patience, unlike more skill based genres that don't let you grind or use handicaps to mitigate the difficulty or scoring system. Quite a few people play RPGs for the experience, not combat difficulty.

I personally dislike grinding and tedium so I run through the ch 11 zone as fast as possible..

 

[C.T.]

Well the key is the preemptively strike. If I fought a King Behemoth without preemptive strike, I would more than likely take forever to kill him.

You should be strong enough now without a preemptive. Cast haste and change to rav/com/rav. When his bar is high enough change to com/com/com and he goes down easily. You might not be able to launch him in the air and he might transform but with haste you can prevent him from using his attacks and he goes down in no time.

edit: still preemptive is prefered.

edit 2: I have problems with the boss at the top of the tower. Died two times... Can't kill him with one stagger and recover soon enough after he uses debuffes and poison.

 

[Mandoric]

Only took me about 10 turtles to get. Now I need to kill more for ingots ;l Question. Is it possible to get two items from the turtle? Should I unequip the rare catalog to increase chances of getting ingots?

The game first checks if you get a rare drop, then if you don't checks if you get a common, then if you don't checks if you get a smoke. So, technically, you are reducing your chances at an ingot by increasing your chances at a trap.
That said, don't traps sell for the same amount?

 

[Meeru]

Dangit after playing GOW3 I completely forgot where I am at in ff13.

 

[Zoe]

Dangit after playing GOW3 I completely forgot where I am at in ff13.

luckily there's a recap each time you load!

 

[orion434]

The game first checks if you get a rare drop, then if you don't checks if you get a common, then if you don't checks if you get a smoke. So, technically, you are reducing your chances at an ingot by increasing your chances at a trap.
That said, don't traps sell for the same amount?

Traps sell for a mere 10,000... I found a nice Gil farming spot, Mission 24. Good CP, you get some organic components to get the multipliers up and 6K from a Moonblossom Seed. At the end of the game I had 300 - 400K Cp left over. Mission takes like a min or two at most.

 

[lljride]

Traps sell for a mere 10,000... I found a nice Gil farming spot, Mission 24. Good CP, you get some organic components to get the multipliers up and 6K from a Moonblossom Seed. At the end of the game I had 300 - 400K Cp left over. Mission takes like a min or two at most.

Yeah, Mission 24 was my favorite spot after I got my first trap for dismantling Kain's Lance. It's a lot more consistent than using death on the Adamantortoises. Once you can kill them without death/summon they're probably better again for gil only, but it's hard to beat 24 for the CP/gil combo early in post game.

 

[Ristlager]

Two things witch have made this game much better:

Introduced missions (10 plus) on Pulse or whateverplace in chapter 4-5, to break up the linearity.

Fighting with three people is a lot more fun, and should be standard from chapter 4.

Other than that, I have few problems with the game, not blown away like FF12, but liking it. 8/10 so far (chapter 10)

 

[Slacker]

I just noticed the Final Fantasy XIII iPhone app is out. For only $8.99 you can get 24 "ultra-high resolution" pictures of the game's characters on your phone! OMG!

Amazingly, at least 11 people have taken the plunge (judging by the number of reviews).

 

[rainer516]

I've got a little story question if someone could please help answer it, kinda end-game spoilerish.

Spoiler

What does the messed-up state of the L'Cie tatoo represent ? IIRC everyone got one like Fang's before the final fight, does it represent the stage of a L'Cie almost to the end of their focus ?

Spoiler

It represents the Maker, they get a new focus from The Maker after turning into Cieth. Snow alludes to this when he says "we were in a dark place and then .. blah blah etc"... Well, my take on that was that even the Maker thinks the Fal'cie are taking things a bit too far and literally pulls a Deus Ex machina to get them back to human form and complete their new focus (kill Orphan).

 

[JadedOne]

I just noticed the Final Fantasy XIII iPhone app is out. For only $8.99 you can get 24 "ultra-high resolution" pictures or the game's characters on your phone! OMG!

Amazingly, at least 11 people have taken the plunge (judging by the number of reviews).

OMG Best. Deal. EVAR! :lol

 

[qcf x2]

So, in Ch11, I was kinda getting lost following the missions and I ended up

Spoiler

going through some Stargate looking shit and now I'm in a tower

. I did missions 1 through 8, got lost, ended up here and just completed mission 20. Can I go back to do the rest of the missions? Is it gonna take me 45 minutes of walking? And how the fuck did I get this lost? :lol

Somebody, please.

 

[orion434]

Yeah, Mission 24 was my favorite spot after I got my first trap for dismantling Kain's Lance. It's a lot more consistent than using death on the Adamantortoises. Once you can kill them without death/summon they're probably better again for gil only, but it's hard to beat 24 for the CP/gil combo early in post game.

This is where I power-leveled, raised most wepaons to decent levels. I got 1 Trap and Kain's Lance to lv 50 right now... but it just takes so much to get it to max level... which seems to be over 1 million worth of Ultracompact Reactors... which is like 3 hours of grinding.

 

[Zoe]

Introduced missions (10 plus) on Pulse or whateverplace in chapter 4-5, to break up the linearity.

That wasn't Pulse in those chapters. How would you be able to go back to redo the missions?

 

[Host Samurai]

WOW!! Chapter 9 looks absolutely amazing (PS3 Version). Maybe I need my eyes checked or I am a retard but this game looks on par with GOW3 and Uncharted 2. It might not be ac "technically" but whatever trick they used is breathtaking. Maybe its the art style or level design.

 

[ElFly]

Somebody, please.

You can go back but it's going to take some epic walking action. You'll be able to go back there in the final chapter too.

Just keep going up the tower. It has missions in it!

 

[lljride]

This is where I power-leveled, raised most wepaons to decent levels. I got 1 Trap and Kain's Lance to lv 50 right now... but it just takes so much to get it to max level... which seems to be over 1 million worth of Ultracompact Reactors... which is like 3 hours of grinding.

It takes forever but I liked it better than the turtles since I was guaranteed progress. I was getting frustrated w/turtles since I went like an hour with nothing to show for it (when death did hit about 5-6 times that hour I was unlucky and only got like 1 platinum ingot).

 

[adamsapple]

Spoiler

It represents the Maker, they get a new focus from The Maker after turning into Cieth. Snow alludes to this when he says "we were in a dark place and then .. blah blah etc"... Well, my take on that was that even the Maker thinks the Fal'cie are taking things a bit too far and literally pulls a Deus Ex machina to get them back to human form and complete their new focus (kill Orphan).

Ahh... that makes sense . (end game spoilers here btw)

Spoiler

Even the Maker knows to keep important people around, hence why Fang's transformation was halted way before everyone else's

 

[Cep]

WOW!! Chapter 9 looks absolutely amazing (PS3 Version). Maybe I need my eyes checked or I am a retard but this game looks on par with GOW3 and Uncharted 2. It might not be ac "technically" but whatever trick they used is breathtaking. Maybe its the art style or level design.

Definitely not this. :lol

But the game does look gorgeous.

It oscillates though, sometimes it looks horrid (damn ground textures).

 

[kenta]

I've been looking for a FAQ or resource on weapon upgrades but can't find anything. Specifically, I'd like to know which components yield which bonuses so I can use them properly. I'm in chapter 9 right now and haven't upgraded anything since I'm paralyzed with fear that I will screw something up and regret it. Can anyone link me to a guide like that?

Sorry if this has been asked/answered but I'm deliberately avoiding reading the thread due to spoilers

 

[orion434]

It takes forever but I liked it better than the turtles since I was guaranteed progress. I was getting frustrated w/turtles since I went like an hour with nothing to show for it (when death did hit about 5-6 times that hour I was unlucky and only got like 1 platinum ingot).

I heard that you can get 4 traps if you're lucky with dismantling? Or is it a locked 3?

 

[Yoshichan]

Eh?

Spoiler

What accessories are you using to lessen the damage?

Black belt. Tons of'em.

 

[lljride]

I heard that you can get 4 traps if you're lucky with dismantling? Or is it a locked 3?

Pretty sure it's locked at 3, that's how many I got.

 

[Naeblish]

WOW!! Chapter 9 looks absolutely amazing (PS3 Version). Maybe I need my eyes checked or I am a retard but this game looks on par with GOW3 and Uncharted 2. It might not be ac "technically" but whatever trick they used is breathtaking. Maybe its the art style or level design.

The level of detail is fucking ridiculous in this game. I can't imagine the amount of hours they have spent in creating the world/models/levels/cut-scenes. Also, it must be painful to work for years as a talented artist on this game, and have such crappy writers/game-designers as colleagues.

 

[luxarific]

I've been looking for a FAQ or resource on weapon upgrades but can't find anything. Specifically, I'd like to know which components yield which bonuses so I can use them properly. I'm in chapter 9 right now and haven't upgraded anything since I'm paralyzed with fear that I will screw something up and regret it. Can anyone link me to a guide like that?

Sorry if this has been asked/answered but I'm deliberately avoiding reading the thread due to spoilers

I don't think there is one on the internets yet. All I know that is for the basic Level 1 to Level 1 Star, it's usually 36 Vibrant Oozes + approx. 10 Ultracompact Reactors + whatever stone applies (this is supposedly the most gil efficient way to level). Unfortunately the numbers of oozes and reactors it takes to get to the Level 2 Star and Level 3 Star differ from the numbers it takes to get from base level to Level 1 Star, not to mention each weapon has different experience requirements.

The weapon leveling system is just horrific in this game. You get so many components (Chocobo plumes?) but you have no incentive to experiment because gil is so scarce and leveling items so expensive.

 

[orion434]

I've been looking for a FAQ or resource on weapon upgrades but can't find anything. Specifically, I'd like to know which components yield which bonuses so I can use them properly. I'm in chapter 9 right now and haven't upgraded anything since I'm paralyzed with fear that I will screw something up and regret it. Can anyone link me to a guide like that?

Sorry if this has been asked/answered but I'm deliberately avoiding reading the thread due to spoilers

For Ligthning I used this combination: Pre-final Boss

Enkindler
Sprint Shoes
Aurora Scarf
Nimbletoe Boots

This gives you:

Attack ATB Charge II
Auto-Haste
First Strike
Improved Evasion
ATB Rate +20%

Basically you start with Auto-Haste and Full ATB... she was... Lightning!

You can't really "mess" anything up. If you complete all the Marks you will eventually have access to BUY all Teir 1 weapons. Getting the Gil is another question...

 

[Lince]

all right making my way through chapter 10 today which looks like a grinding fest to be honest, I've heard some complains about chapter 11 (framerate issues) from my Uni mates, is it really that bad?

also I'm sticking with the original weapons which I've been upgrading every once in a while (lvl 15 now), but some of the new ones I found along the way I "dismantled" them at the workshop looking for new and unique parts... guess the trophy for "have every weapon/accessory in your inventory" is already impossible for me?

enjoying this new version of FFX so far.

 

[orion434]

all right making my way through chapter 10 today which looks like a grinding fest to be honest, I've heard some complains about chapter 11 (framerate issues) from my Uni mates, is it really that bad?

also I'm sticking with the original weapons which I've been upgrading every once in a while (lvl 15 now), but some of the new ones I found along the way I "dismantled" them at the workshop looking for new and unique parts... guess the trophy for "have every weapon/accessory in your inventory" is already impossible for me?

enjoying this new version of FFX so far.

You can buy them all after the post-game... just as long as you complete the Marks.

 

[qcf x2]

You can go back but it's going to take some epic walking action. You'll be able to go back there in the final chapter too.

Just keep going up the tower. It has missions in it!

Fuck it, time for me to hit that dusty trail! I'm not skipping 30 some odd missions or w/e it is. I'll get back to the tower when I'm all buffed up. /insert warcry

Edit: dumb question, but googling was futile: What exactly do I need to do to upgrade my weapon past star level? Is there a specific gem? I have like 10 of them, yet none are selectable.

 

[Lince]

You can buy them all after the post-game... just as long as you complete the Marks.

aye... what are the Marks and how hard are them ? and, post-game? care to explain thx

 

[orion434]

aye... what are the Marks and how hard are them ? and, post-game? care to explain thx

After you beat the game you can continue onto the Mark missions... there are 64 in total and you can farm gil from Mission 24 ( actually part of the story ) It's just a matter of how much time you're willing to get it done.

 

[Lince]

After you beat the game you can continue onto the Mark missions... there are 64 in total and you can farm gil from Mission 24 ( actually part of the story ) It's just a matter of how much time you're willing to get it done.

ok nice, I'm intrigued about this mission being part of the story after you beat the game so I guess I'll have to play through them no matter what (just my OCD). I spent 150 hours on FFX... guess FFXIII is looking to last me even longer. I'm not saying how many hours I put into FFXII because the number is so ridiculously silly that I'm actually ashamed.

 

[CruxisMana]

People weren't kidding about the difficulty stepping up in Chapter 11.

 

[Tom Penny]

How far am I from "open world" I just got done beating that boss with Snow and Hope at that Mall Plaza looking area that had a bunch of those jerk vehicles that kill you with the machinegun unless you use steelguard.

 

[squall211]

How far am I from "open world" I just got done beating that boss with Snow and Hope at that Mall Plaza looking area that had a bunch of those jerk vehicles that kill you with the machinegun unless you use steelguard.

You're in Chapter...7? or 8? I'd say you have about 8-10 hours still.

 

[Kagari]

I just noticed the Final Fantasy XIII iPhone app is out. For only $8.99 you can get 24 "ultra-high resolution" pictures of the game's characters on your phone! OMG!

Amazingly, at least 11 people have taken the plunge (judging by the number of reviews).

That app should be free :|

 

[Ricker]

You're in Chapter...7? or 8? I'd say you have about 8-10 hours still.

That`s 7 still quite a way to go....10 is long.

 

[Magnus]

Amir0x, thanks for the vid man. I employed your video strategy (nearly to a T, made some variations of my own to make it work), and I can almost get them down as fast as you now, with only about a half hour or so of back and forth grinding, which is about all I'm willing to do anyway. :lol

Everyone has one role at Level 4, that's all I need to keep going I guess.

I'm torn now between going after missions (only did 3 or 4), or continuing on with the story.

 

[Host Samurai]

The level of detail is fucking ridiculous in this game. I can't imagine the amount of hours they have spent in creating the world/models/levels/cut-scenes. Also, it must be painful to work for years as a talented artist on this game, and have such crappy writers/game-designers as colleagues.

Yes. Thats the word I was looking for :lol

 

[luxarific]

Yes. Thats the word I was looking for :lol

It's almost too much detail though. The cut scene that heads off Chapter 12 is almost painful to look at since there's just so much stuff happening on scene. It's like they were watching Speed Racer while dropping acid. ._.

I appreciate the vast quantity of manhours that was poured into this game, but I liked the less visually complex scenes more than the ones with all the bells/whistles/circus tent.

 

[Tom Penny]

That`s 7 still quite a way to go....10 is long.

How do people get there in 20 hours. I'm already past that?

 

[Zoe]

all right making my way through chapter 10 today which looks like a grinding fest to be honest, I've heard some complains about chapter 11 (framerate issues) from my Uni mates, is it really that bad?

Starting right about on this page:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=388018&page=142

 

[BronzeWolf]

Hw many chapters are there?

I'm at chapter 7

 

[ULTROS!]

Hw many chapters are there?

I'm at chapter 7

Spoiler

13

 

[Kagari]

Hw many chapters are there?

I'm at chapter 7

13.

 

[dreamer3kx]

Ok Im about to move on from Gran Pulse, did around 17 missions, any reasons I should stay?

 

[Lince]

Starting right about on this page:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=388018&page=142

wow 15 fps? I got the PS3 version anyway so I'm good but that sounds awful for an area you're supposed to spend a lot of time grinding around.

 

[Kagari]

wow 15 fps? I got the PS3 version anyway so I'm good but that sounds awful for an area you're supposed to spend a lot of time grinding around.

Doesn't drop down to that in the PS3 version. It's smooth.

 

[BronzeWolf]

13.

Wow cool

I must say I am totally digging the characters in this game.

I love how there is only 6 people to worry about, and that you get a reasonable chance to play with each one of them and their possible combinations. At first I was like fuck this, I want lightning all the time, but then I appreciated the change, since it allowed the cast to have more to do with each other. They all also have some reason to be there.

 

[dreamer3kx]

Doesn't drop down to that in the PS3 version. It's smooth.

Yea I haven't seen one hiccup in this area, Ive been grinding for a couple of days here.