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[careful]

So I'm still doing early missions in Gran Pulse, but what's the point of expanding the Crystarium roles if the other roles outside of your main 3 are really expensive (CP) and give you shit stats. For eg, for 4000 CP, I can get +100 HP (main role) vs. +10 HP (expanded role), wtf?
I dumped a whole lot of points into Ravager for Fang, because I wanted to keep Light as commando in my party, but now I feel like I seriously gimped Fang.

 

[PhatSaqs]

Im about 7 hours into the game up to Chapt 4. I think the linearity is weird for an RPG but its not a bad game (when you're not watching lol) and is certainly very pretty. I'm having fun with it.

 

[BeeDog]

Anyway, is there any explanation on why Vanille is so fucking retarded and annoying? Her voice is incredibly grating, and her manners and behavior as well. It's the biggest issue I have with the game so far, and I'm only on chapter 5.

 

[lljride]

So I'm still doing early missions in Gran Pulse, but what's the point of expanding the Crystarium roles if the other roles outside of your main 3 are really expensive (CP) and give you shit stats. For eg, for 4000 CP, I can get +100 HP (main role) vs. +10 HP (expanded role), wtf?
I dumped a whole lot of points into Ravager for Fang, because I wanted to keep Light as commando in my party, but now I feel like I seriously gimped Fang.

Damn, that sucks dude. You really only want to upgrade the main 3 roles, and only upgrade anything else once they're maxed. You're right, the stats you get for the non main 3 are so gimped even towards the end of those trees. It's sort of useful for gaining abilities in the other 3 roles, but you're really better off just changing characters if you absolutely need SEN/SYN/SAB etc.

 

[eXistor]

Anyway, is there any explanation on why Vanille is so fucking retarded and annoying? Her voice is incredibly grating, and her manners and behavior as well. It's the biggest issue I have with the game so far, and I'm only on chapter 5.

Kind of, but she's still by far the most annoying character in the history of FF imo.

 

[orion434]

So I'm still doing early missions in Gran Pulse, but what's the point of expanding the Crystarium roles if the other roles outside of your main 3 are really expensive (CP) and give you shit stats. For eg, for 4000 CP, I can get +100 HP (main role) vs. +10 HP (expanded role), wtf?
I dumped a whole lot of points into Ravager for Fang, because I wanted to keep Light as commando in my party, but now I feel like I seriously gimped Fang.

There is no need to upgrade each characters 3 minor-roles until the post-game ( Even then just A-Rank Mark Missions ) I had some 600K extra CP when I beat the game and in little time I had all 6 jobs maxed ( 1 for each ) The last level goes from 30K - 60K a node.

 

[Dedication Through Light]

Anyway, is there any explanation on why Vanille is so fucking retarded and annoying? Her voice is incredibly grating, and her manners and behavior as well. It's the biggest issue I have with the game so far, and I'm only on chapter 5.

Unfortunately her voice doesnt change at all, however she is explained pretty well in the later part of the story

 

[the_prime_mover]

don't start with that. Start with a ravager and a healer or dual ravagers if you can survive the first blow without taking to much damage, then switch to dual healers to recover. Switch back to ravager. Rinse and repeat.

Or, just use potions for healing so that you can still maintain the Ravager role without spending extra time switching roles.

 

[careful]

Damn, that sucks dude. You really only want to upgrade the main 3 roles, and only upgrade anything else once they're maxed. You're right, the stats you get for the non main 3 are so gimped even towards the end of those trees. It's sort of useful for gaining abilities in the other 3 roles, but you're really better off just changing characters if you absolutely need SEN/SYN/SAB etc.

There is no need to upgrade each characters 3 minor-roles until the post-game ( Even then just A-Rank Mark Missions ) I had some 600K extra CP when I beat the game and in little time I had all 6 jobs maxed ( 1 for each ) The last level goes from 30K - 60K a node.

Thanks dudes, I upgraded maybe two or three levels of Ravager, so it's not too bad I guess. But obviously still wish I would've realized sooner..
I guess Lightning will be stuck as Ravager if I roll with Fang in my party. Kinda feels like a waste of all those strength points.

 

[BeeDog]

Thanks guys, maybe the Vanille explanation will lessen my hate against her.

Spoiler

But I suspect it won't.

 

[orion434]

Thanks dudes, I upgraded maybe two or three levels of Ravager, so it's not too bad I guess. But obviously still wish I would've realized sooner..
I guess Lightning will be stuck as Ravager if I roll with Fang in my party. Kinda feels like a waste of all those strength points.

Lightning gets "Army of One" as a Ravager, it's really useful and makes her look like a commando if that's your fancy.

 

[Dedication Through Light]

Lightning gets "Army of One" as a Ravager, it's really useful and makes her look like a commando if that's your fancy.

It was helpful on final boss to move up that stagger bar.

 

[Meier]

There is no need to upgrade each characters 3 minor-roles until the post-game ( Even then just A-Rank Mark Missions ) I had some 600K extra CP when I beat the game and in little time I had all 6 jobs maxed ( 1 for each ) The last level goes from 30K - 60K a node.

I have actually been slowly giving Hope some Saboteur points (I'm on Chapter 11) since I feel like without having one in the group, you're pretty neutered against bosses. I have him up to maybe the 3rd level now but it is slow going for sure.

 

[orion434]

I have actually been slowly giving Hope some Saboteur points (I'm on Chapter 11) since I feel like without having one in the group, you're pretty neutered against bosses. I have him up to maybe the 3rd level now but it is slow going for sure.

I used Fang as my Saboteur, Hope as the Synergist and Lightning as Medic...

Evened Odds is a a nice Paradigm to start boss battles

 

[Zoe]

Thanks dudes, I upgraded maybe two or three levels of Ravager, so it's not too bad I guess. But obviously still wish I would've realized sooner..
I guess Lightning will be stuck as Ravager if I roll with Fang in my party. Kinda feels like a waste of all those strength points.

The strike attacks are still strength-based.

 

[luxarific]

I got an email this morning from amazon saying that since I pre-ordered the game, I get a free 4-page strategy guide pdf. It seems to be the first four pages of the full version. :lol :lol
Anyone else get it?

*raises hand* Right up there with Amazon's Uncharted 2 preorder "bonus" in the annals of pathetic.

 

[Lince]

chapter 11 missions... any reason I should go for 5 stars every time? trophy? items?

 

[luxarific]

chapter 11 missions... any reason I should go for 5 stars every time? trophy? items?

A trophy/achievement primarily. Still not sure if the star rating affects the drops you get from the mission. E.g., I got a dragoon lance for Fang as a rare drop from one of the Titan quest missions (IIRC, Mission 46). I five-starred it, but I'm not sure that had anything to do with the drop.

 

[Dedication Through Light]

*raises hand* Right up there with Amazon's Uncharted 2 preorder "bonus" in the annals of pathetic.

that statement goes with the expression on your avatar, nice,

It seemed quite ridiculous though I guess beneficial for people who didnt pick up the mini guide from Gamestops for FFXIII

 

[careful]

The strike attacks are still strength-based.

Yeah that's a good point, but I switch paradigms so often that I use auto-battle 99% of the time to save time, so I would have to really on the AI picking those over the magic attacks.
It's not a big deal, but I feel like the 'expanded' crystarium thing is a tease, since the best strategy is still to dump all the points in the main 3 roles anyway.

 

[KZObsessed]

chapter 11 missions... any reason I should go for 5 stars every time? trophy? items?

5 Starring battles increases the chance of rare drops. The reward you get for completing a mission after the spoils aren't affected tho so don't worry about that.

You do have to 5 star every mission for a trophy tho.

 

[careful]

"KZObsessed"

The irony. :lol

 

[Zoe]

A trophy/achievement primarily. Still not sure if the star rating affects the drops you get from the mission. E.g., I got a dragoon lance for Fang as a rare drop from one of the Titan quest missions (IIRC, Mission 46). I five-starred it, but I'm not sure that had anything to do with the drop.

The stars will determine the enemy's drop, but the mission drop will give you the same thing no matter the rating.

As for 5-starring every mission, don't bother with your first pass. It will be much easier after you get the Golden Clock.

 

[ULTROS!]

Just finished the game

Spoiler

So... The logo = Cocoon reborn? What happened in the ending, it was so pretty yet... Confusing. Did Vanille + Fang turn to Ragnarok to save Cocoon from losing Orphan's support?

 

[MechaX]

Thanks dudes, I upgraded maybe two or three levels of Ravager, so it's not too bad I guess. But obviously still wish I would've realized sooner..
I guess Lightning will be stuck as Ravager if I roll with Fang in my party. Kinda feels like a waste of all those strength points.

It's not all bad, since you managed to pick a role that Fang is actually pretty good at. Sure, she won't be as good as Lightning just yet, but this opens up some new strategy options for building up the stagger bar faster than usual. If you leveled her up enough in the Ravager path already, just stick to strike attacks. If not, her magic stat isn't that bad anyway.

But yeah, as the others mentioned, the three additional roles for each character really only come into play in the post-game.

 

[Dedication Through Light]

Just finished the game

Spoiler

So... The logo = Cocoon reborn? What happened in the ending, it was so pretty yet... Confusing. Did Vanille + Fang turn to Ragnarok to save Cocoon from losing Orphan's support?

Yes

Spoiler

by supporting it to gran pulse, the cocoon didnt boil/crash to earth and the millions were saved, taking it for face value

 

[dreamer3kx]

Just got to

Spoiler

Vanillas hometown

, how far am I to finishing the game? I think Im ready to finish up.

oh, also do you get any trophies for just finishing all missions regardless of stars?

 

[Zoe]

Just got to

Spoiler

Vanillas hometown

, how far am I to finishing the game? I think Im ready to finish up.

oh, also do you get any trophies for just finishing all missions regardless of stars?

You've got the boss plus the next two chapters.

And there are trophies for each mission tier you complete.

 

[ULTROS!]

Yes

Spoiler

by supporting it to gran pulse, the cocoon didnt boil/crash to earth and the millions were saved, taking it for face value

Interesting...

Spoiler

Man, the story is kinda weird. The biggest plot holes were probably how Vanille and Fang came to be Ragnarok and the explanation of the "white" marks

 

[dreamer3kx]

You've got the boss plus the next two chapters.

And there are trophies for each mission tier you complete.

Thanks, I missed mission 27 in the

Spoiler

Taejin’s Towers

, its kind of hidden, can I get back to it?

 

[ULTROS!]

Thanks, I missed mission 27 in the

Spoiler

Taejin’s Towers

, can I get back to it?

Yep. IIRC you go back to all the missions.

 

[Amon37]

I'm in chapter 11 and getting my butt kicked, what is the best way to get gil in this chapter? I read about the ingots but I can't kill the monster that drops them yet

 

[luxarific]

The stars will determine the enemy's drop, but the mission drop will give you the same thing no matter the rating.

Thanks - I wish the star rating had more weight when it came to trap/ingot drops by the turtles. I'm five-starring all of them (even now, when I don't have to resort to Death-ing them) and I've only gotten one trap and one ingot. Killed turtles for two hours last night and there were no drops at all (10 turtles). I tried playing around with the various catalogs, but no joy (to confirm: Connoisseur's and Collector's don't stack, and they don't have to be equipped on the party member you control to increase your odds, right?. I've upgraded both catalogs to the star level.

*wishes the Growth Egg really could be upgraded to a Gil Egg*

 

[luxarific]

I'm in chapter 11 and getting my butt kicked, what is the best way to get gil in this chapter? I read about the ingots but I can kill the monster that drops them yet

Go all the way to Oerba (last environment before the jump to Chapter 12) and complete the Bhakti mission (you'll get items you can sell for approximately 500K gil).

 

[Crash Station]

Let me ask you one thing: what reason did you have to save Cocoon?

It was filled with NPCs that talked shit about l'Cies and Pulse, and, somehow, you were supposed to want to save it it. You spent your whole time running away from a place that wanted you dead. Can you genuinely say you wanted to save Cocoon? For what reason, other than it's pretty? OMG it makes sense in the context of the story, but the story is shit and they could have written a different one that allowed you all sorts of freedoms, instead they wrote a steaming pile of crap that resulted in a 25-hour dramafest and tunnel vision until you get to the "good part" with still more drama. Because you develop little connection to the world, unless you love the characters you will feel dead about the end. Unless you love the characters, you will not really want to save Cocoon, except to end the game.

The nature of a world is characterized by the civilization that lives on it. NPCs give substance to a world by presenting varying aspects of its culture and their particular concerns, and fleshes out history and details without having to resort to a menu option. Is it that you like having a bunch of text to look at for convenience instead of interaction with people? Or are you the kind of person that just likes navel-gazing and focusing only on your characters and not caring two shits about the world?

Saving a world that hates you isn't new at all. We're talking about the ignorant masses, not some evil organization.

 

[Amon37]

Go all the way to Oerba (last environment before the jump to Chapter 12) and complete the Bhakti mission (you'll get items you can sell for approximately 500K gil).

and I can grind the missions?

 

[luxarific]

and I can grind the missions?

You can grind the C'ieth stone mission, but not the Bhakti mission (I should have used the word "mini-quest" really).

 

[Korey]

Some questions:

1) People in this thread have said to hold off on weapon upgrades until ch 11. I just started chapter 11 and am grinding the behemoth/wolf for CP. What happens in ch 11 that I'm supposed to watch out for in terms of weapon upgrading?

2) Also, I'm just planning on playing through the story, not the side missions or anything extra like that. Any advice on weapon upgrades for a single playthrough?

 

[BronzeWolf]

I am in chapter 9.

And there is a section where mobs keep respawning and giving me incentive and credit chips. Plus 500 CP a piece.

I Maxed out 2 of my jobs and almost maxed out the third one. Also I got my weapons up to level 20 something.

Should I keep grinding this part? Or should I move on already?

BTW Great story so far.

REAlly loving this game

 

[Vanille]

Is there a good place to get Dark Matter late in the game? I've been working on upgrading Imperial Armlets for everyone (have about 3 so far), but I've just been farming platinum ingots for the gil to front the upgrades. If they become a drop later on I'll move on to something else.

Shaolong Gui drop Dark Matter like crazy.

 

[KuwabaraTheMan]

I am in chapter 9.

And there is a section where mobs keep respawning and giving me incentive and credit chips. Plus 500 CP a piece.

I Maxed out 2 of my jobs and almost maxed out the third one. Also I got my weapons up to level 20 something.

Should I keep grinding this part? Or should I move on already?

BTW Great story so far.

REAlly loving this game

It's up to you. I spent a fair amount of time there getting some credit and incentive chips and then upgrading my weapons. You should definitely be set for the rest of the Chapter no matter what you do. If you want to keep farming for upgrades you might want to stick around a little bit longer, as there aren't really any opportunities to get gil in Chapter 10.

 

[Zoe]

Some questions:

1) People in this thread have said to hold off on weapon upgrades until ch 11. I just started chapter 11 and am grinding the behemoth/wolf for CP. What happens in ch 11 that I'm supposed to watch out for in terms of weapon upgrading?

2) Also, I'm just planning on playing through the story, not the side missions or anything extra like that. Any advice on weapon upgrades for a single playthrough?

It's just not necessary if all you're doing is playing through. Upgrading your weapons will make the time requirements harder to hit.

 

[Amon37]

You can grind the C'ieth stone mission, but not the Bhakti mission (I should have used the word "mini-quest" really).

So if that 500k is a one time shot, I have to wait until I'm stronger to get the ingots?

 

[Korey]

It's just not necessary if all you're doing is playing through. Upgrading your weapons will make the time requirements harder to hit.

Upgrading your weapons makes the game more difficult? Weird....I guess I'll just never go into that menu then.

 

[Zoe]

Upgrading your weapons makes the game more difficult? Weird....I guess I'll just never go into that menu then.

Your target times are based on your party's strength.

 

[Choopy]

For the Treasure Hunter Trophy...

Do I need to upgrade every single weapon of every character to tier 3?
I remember someone mentioning you only need to do it for one, but that doesn't make sense to me... The trophy states "Held every weapon and accessory". Unless all weapons for one character upgrade to the same thing regardless?

I'm confused.

 

[luxarific]

So if that 500k is a one time shot, I have to wait until I'm stronger to get the ingots?

You can get them once Vanille acquires the Death spell: summon her Eidolon, then have her spam Death). Note: having her and the party equipped with accessories that raise hp/absorb earth will help quite a bit to increase the amount of time can she can survive the turtle stomp attacks (which will increase the number of times she can cast the spell and the chances that it will "hit" the turtle). Also having one of your other party members debuff the turtle also increases the chances of death working.

It's much easier/faster if you just wait until post-game though. It was hard for me to go into the final chapter without an Ultimate weapon (I usually upgrade my characters to insane levels before finishing a Final Fantasy), but I hate non-boss fights where my characters are underleveled.

 

[B-Rad Lascelle]

For the Treasure Hunter Trophy...

Do I need to upgrade every single weapon of every character to tier 3?
I remember someone mentioning you only need to do it for one, but that doesn't make sense to me... The trophy states "Held every weapon and accessory". Unless all weapons for one character upgrade to the same thing regardless?

I'm confused.

Every weapon must be upgraded to Tier 2. Only one of the 8 must be upgraded to Tier 3 - as the Tier 3 weapon is always identified the same way (it just has different attributes dependent on which Tier 2 weapon was levelled up).

 

[orion434]

2) Also, I'm just planning on playing through the story, not the side missions or anything extra like that. Any advice on weapon upgrades for a single playthrough?

For Ligthning I used this combination: Pre-final Boss

Enkindler ( Upgraded from Axis Blade )
Sprint Shoes
Aurora Scarf
Nimbletoe Boots

This gives you:

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

You start every battle with Auto-Haste + full ATB meter

 

[Korey]

Your target times are based on your party's strength.

By target times are you referring to how much time before Doom kills you on a boss?