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[Yoshichan]

Shaolong Gui is pissing me off, anyone have a good strategy? I tried a couple of times last night and got stomped like 3 times in a row. .

Spoiler

Leader: Fang (Kain's Lance, Sprint Shoes)
Member #1: Lightning (Omega Weapon, Sprint Shoes)
Member #2: Vanille (Nirvana or Malboro Wand, Sprint Shoes)

Paradigm #1: Sentinel/Sentinel/Sentinel (Default Paradigm)
Paradigm #2: Saboteur/Saboteur/Saboteur
Paradigm #3: Synergist/Synergist/Synergist
Paradigm #4: Ravager/Ravager/Ravager
Paradigm #5: Commando/Commando/Commando
Paradigm #6: Medic/Medic/Medic

First and foremost, use shrouds before the battle begins.

Start off in Paradigm #1 to survive Long Gui's Quake/Stomp/Ultima. His attacks come slowly, but they hit hard; as a general rule, whenever he is about to unleash attacks, switch to this Paradigm. If your characters are Rank 5 in all roles, you should survive his initial assault.

Switch to Paradigm #2 and make sure to stick Slow on him, as this will drastically reduce the frequency of his attacks. Then stick Bio, De-Protect, De-Shell, and Weak on one of his feet. Switch to Paradigm #3 and buff yourself. Long Gui is weak to Fire, so the En-Fire spell should increase your damage considerably. Now, the fun begins...

Switch to Paradigm #4 and let loose on one of his feet, the one you debuffed earlier. Attack it 'til it breaks and finish it off w/ Fang's "Highwind" which, at 999.99% Stagger, should do over 1.5 Mil. Damage. Rinse and repeat for the other foot, and remember to switch into Paradigm #1 when the enemy attacks, then Paradigm #6 to recover from it. Once both feet have been broken, Long Gui will fall to the ground - This is your opportunity to do *a lot* of damage. Buff yourself, debuff him, then let loose with Paradigm #4 until he is at 999.99% Stagger, then switch to Paradigm #5 to bring on the pain. Although Long Gui will eventually recover and stand again, repeat the aforementioned process until he's down for the count.

Works great.

 

[burgerdog]

Spoiler

Leader: Fang (Kain's Lance, Sprint Shoes)
Member #1: Lightning (Omega Weapon, Sprint Shoes)
Member #2: Vanille (Nirvana or Malboro Wand, Sprint Shoes)

Paradigm #1: Sentinel/Sentinel/Sentinel (Default Paradigm)
Paradigm #2: Saboteur/Saboteur/Saboteur
Paradigm #3: Synergist/Synergist/Synergist
Paradigm #4: Ravager/Ravager/Ravager
Paradigm #5: Commando/Commando/Commando
Paradigm #6: Medic/Medic/Medic

First and foremost, use shrouds before the battle begins.

Start off in Paradigm #1 to survive Long Gui's Quake/Stomp/Ultima. His attacks come slowly, but they hit hard; as a general rule, whenever he is about to unleash attacks, switch to this Paradigm. If your characters are Rank 5 in all roles, you should survive his initial assault.

Switch to Paradigm #2 and make sure to stick Slow on him, as this will drastically reduce the frequency of his attacks. Then stick Bio, De-Protect, De-Shell, and Weak on one of his feet. Switch to Paradigm #3 and buff yourself. Long Gui is weak to Fire, so the En-Fire spell should increase your damage considerably. Now, the fun begins...

Switch to Paradigm #4 and let loose on one of his feet, the one you debuffed earlier. Attack it 'til it breaks and finish it off w/ Fang's "Highwind" which, at 999.99% Stagger, should do over 1.5 Mil. Damage. Rinse and repeat for the other foot, and remember to switch into Paradigm #1 when the enemy attacks, then Paradigm #6 to recover from it. Once both feet have been broken, Long Gui will fall to the ground - This is your opportunity to do *a lot* of damage. Buff yourself, debuff him, then let loose with Paradigm #4 until he is at 999.99% Stagger, then switch to Paradigm #5 to bring on the pain. Although Long Gui will eventually recover and stand again, repeat the aforementioned process until he's down for the count.

Works great.

Shaolong gui doesn't have attackable legs wrong mob. God, shaolong gui is so easy but getting screwed by bay is stupid. Got two dark matters in a row last night then followed that up with nothing for 30 mins.

 

[Yoshichan]

Shaolong gui doesn't have attackable legs wrong mob. God, shaolong gui is so easy but getting screwed by bay is stupid. Got two dark matters in a row last night then followed that up with nothing for 30 mins.

Oh, is it the little dude then? He's incredibly easy :O Switch to Sen/Sen/Sen before his attacks and then switch to debuff. Then all out RAV, then all out damage. Usually takes 1 ½ minutes each battle.

 

[lljride]

I'm not proud of myself but I cheesed the hell out of Long Gui. I broke down my doctor's codes for elixirs, hit him with Bahamut right away, buffed/debuffed and hit him with everything I could. Before he got up I used an elixir then hit him with Bahamut again:lol. Got my trophy and reset. Too bad I can't even sweep Shaolong's legs...

Thanks though guys, I guess I'll just keep trying and pray Bay doesn't show up.

 

[toastyToast]

Also I notice there are like 3 different kinds of adamantoise, and was wondering which ones drop traps. Can anyone post a strategy they use to farm them or where to go farm them at?

There's the baby Admanchelid which drops gold dust and something else. Admantortoise which drops platinum ingots and traps and then there's the Admantoise which drops the same stuff but has 2m HP more. I think he's more susceptible to debuffs too.

The strategy I use is

Party Leader is Sazh + Fang and Lightning.

The paradigms I use are

Guerilla SYN/SAB/RAV
Smart Bomb(I think) RAV/SAB/RAV
and Cerberus COM/COM/COM

Start off using Guerilla as defualt and cast bravery and haste on everyone. Occasionaly Lightning might get stepped on (instant death) but it's no big deal. After everyone is buffed summon Sazh's Eidolon and switch to Cerberus and attack once to slow the stagger depletion then switch to Smart Bomb and use Cold Blood 3 times which'll get the stagger to around 380%. After the 3rd time the Eidolon will be on it's way, use auto while Fang and Light come back. If Light got squashed switch to Guerilla rebuff her and let Fang debuff Mr Tortoise all the while Light is working on the stagger.

Switch back to Smart Bomb and wait while Light does her thing and Fang is debuffing. Wait for curse (slows down tortoise from getting up) at this point the stagger probably went off use Cold Blood again which'll probably take you into the high 900's % or 999%. While you're using Cold Blood switch to Cerberus and let Light and Fang wail on the tortoise. Once it's done use Blitz until it dies. It usually bites the dust after the during the 4th Blitz.

You'll want to have Sazh with a decent stage 2 weapon and some strength enhancement accessories since his base stats are awful.

There is a strategy which involves Fang as the leader but this is what I've had most success with. Best used in Eden on the Admantoise.

 

[burgerdog]

We need to ban strategies that involve the use of summons because that's way too easy and bad use of your time. You're not only farming traps/ingots but TP as well.

Spoiler

Just kidding, carry on if you're still too low level to take them down without a summon.

 

[Cornbread78]

First Impressions:

- I just finished up with WKC and popped this one in the PS3 and my jaw dropped watching the opening cinema, I mean, it is simply beautiful graphics like this is why I bought a PS3. Seriously, I was amazed at the level of detail, even the shiny lipgloss that Lightning looks like she's wearing, LOL.
I'm only 2 hours in, but I'm blown away by it looks, but damn it sure is linear...


Question:

Spoiler

Do Hope and Vanille remain this annoying through the whole game. Damn, the Baby talk makes me want to send her to Speach therapy and does Hope stay that much of a friggen' weenie?

 

[Llyranor]

I haven't played X-2 and XII (would certainly try them if my PS3 was BC, but alas), but those aside, the combat system is definitely my favorite in the series (IV-X, anyway). Gambits do sound extremely cool, and the AI in XIII certainly could be better (but I still find it very competent, and I design my paradigms to compensate for any deficiencies it might have - though I feel people are overstating this, or maybe I'd feel the burn more if I went for the higher level missions or tried to hunt for rare items), so the addition of gambits (or any other extra layer of out-of-combat control) do sound like they'd really add to the game. In the meantime, I find it works well for what it is. They're not gambits, but I'm having a lot of fun designing paradigms for my various parties.

I'm certainly not finding it braindead, either. The battles are fast-paced, exhilarating, and I sometimes find myself dead within a few seconds if I didn't plan for a battle carefully. Then again, I avoid most battles, so as of chapter 12, I still haven't maxxed out my *previous* crystallium unlocks. I just invest in abilities (the paths there are expensive enough as it is! I wonder if I'll even be able to get all abilties for the 3 core classes by the end of the game), and anything else out of the way just gets bypassed (can't afford them). Game's not super hard, but I'm finding it a decent challenge. Not really easier than previous FF's (though this game makes avoiding random encounters much easier, so perhaps that's how it balances out).

 

[orion434]

I find it funny that to get a 5-star rating ( with the Gold Watch ) on Mission 64 is based soley on if your de-buffs stick or not. You can never get a chain going and if you do it's very short lived even with 3 Rav... and I have at least 41% Damage resistance on all 3 characters... that was such a pain in the ass.

 

[I leik Halo]

If S-E was trying to appeal to a wider audience with this game, why did they decide Vanille had to act like a 6 year old the entire game? She is bangable defiantly, but I mean come on, shes almost as worthless as Vaan was.

 

[Yoshichan]

If S-E was trying to appeal to a wider audience with this game, why did they decide Vanille had to act like a 6 year old the entire game? She is bangable defiantly, but I mean come on, shes almost as worthless as Vaan was.

She contributes a lot more than Vaan did.

 

[Dedication Through Light]

First Impressions:

- I just finished up with WKC and popped this one in the PS3 and my jaw dropped watching the opening cinema, I mean, it is simply beautiful graphics like this is why I bought a PS3. Seriously, I was amazed at the level of detail, even the shiny lipgloss that Lightning looks like she's wearing, LOL.
I'm only 2 hours in, but I'm blown away by it looks, but damn it sure is linear...


Question:

Do Hope and Vanille remain this annoying through the whole game.  Damn, the Baby talk makes me want to send her to Speach therapy and does Hope stay that much of a friggen' weenie?

Hope turns out to be pretty awesome, my favorite character in the whole game with Lightning second, he really grows with her. Vanille is a different story, lol.

 

[toastyToast]

She contributes a lot more than Vaan did.

Vaan gave us "Don't believe Ondore's lies". What has Vanille contributed?

 

[ULTROS!]

Vaan gave us "Don't believe Ondore's lies". What has Vanille contributed?

Her weird run and fishing pole weapon?

 

[Yoshichan]

Vaan gave us "Don't believe Ondore's lies". What has Vanille contributed?

She contributed this:

Chapter 4 spoilers:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MBLABsJeJE

5:05-mark

 

[Peff]

Actually Vanille single-handedly makes the game happen :lol

 

[Dedication Through Light]

She contributed this:

Chapter 4 spoilers:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MBLABsJeJE

5:05-mark

lol I could have done without that guys comments, but yeah, I feel weird thinking that one of the highlights of Vanille is her moans, and groans, and screams (I think she did it randomly whenever I used her in a fight, hence why I couldnt use her).

 

[Cornbread78]

Actually Vanille single-handedly makes the game happen :lol

Looks like I have something to look forward to, because right now, my 9 year old daughter is more of a woman, LOL.

 

[Cornbread78]

Well, your 9 year old daughter isn't a sexualized character created solely for cosplay fetishists.

OMFG...Oh no.... What have they done? Damn, I must play more! So exactly how old is she in the game anyway?

 

[RedNumberFive]

I'm really enjoying this game, but I have to say that the monster design is really lazy. Theres the fact that there are very little variations throughout the game, but more importantly all of the designs are really, really boring. Instead of fighting badass monsters, I'm slaying more robot dogs, penguin-looking-things, and completely abstract looking creatures. I understand that the game is supposed to be on an alien planet of sorts, but the freakin' goblins have boulders for hands, and their torso is ring shaped!

 

[kagete]

After I steamrolled the bosses in Ch. 13 and finished the game I tried doing 5-6 hunts and ended up steamrolling them as well. I didn't try any of the advanced missions you guys love talking about but I think that's it for me. It was a fun enough rollercoaster ride with some ups and downs. It's not very cohesive story-wise and with the game doing such a good job of pushing you forward cutscene by cutscene it actually prevents or at least makes it seem awkward to pause and read the datalogs to fill in the blanks. I enjoyed it and I think it was worth my $60. Of course I also bought a ps3 just for this game so i dunno... here's hoping ROF and SO4 will be good time-wasters too.

As for the endgame and postgame min-maxing... well it's really not doing it for me. There are so few variables for each battle. Libra reveals a little too much and the AI is already godly efficient enough after identifying the enemy's weaknesses and behavior. There's no fantastic postgame dungeon to explore and test my limits and each mission/hunt is a self-contained battle that you can retry out of or into multiple times until you get it.

I would still rank FFVI over this, but would maybe tie it with FFXII at the 8/10ish scale. Great game that i think everyone should have a chance to play. My game clock is at 53h methinks.

 

[Widge]

First Impressions:


Question:

Spoiler

Do Hope and Vanille remain this annoying through the whole game. Damn, the Baby talk makes me want to send her to Speach therapy and does Hope stay that much of a friggen' weenie?

Spoiler

I find that Vanille's cheery talk is a front to cover against some sadder thoughts. As the game progresses, you get insights into this. Hope, I never found whiny to be honest. Quite an interesting character. There is a section with him and Lightning where it is quite interesting to see how the relationship develops between the two of them.

 

[Cornbread78]

The divide between people who only love FFXII and people who only love FFXIII (not both) is quite amusingly large. But it also speaks clearly to the type of things those gamers value in their titles. It's easy to see who aligns with your own taste and who doesn't when it comes to jRPGs based entirely on what they choose there.

LOL, I've noticed this as well. I try to pick out what each game is trying to do and accept what they do best. Each game is going to play a little different. FFXII basically plays like WKC, which is great, and FFXIII field plays like Xenosaga, which is great! Once you get the hang of the battle system that is used for the game, go back to the core of what RPGs are all about and get into the story that is presented to you.

 

[Cornbread78]

Er...19?

Hey, at least she's "legal" around here then, LOL.

I still can't get over this:

a sexualized character created solely for cosplay fetishists.

I don't think I can work the rest of the day now... ROFL..

 

[Cornbread78]

Spoiler

I find that Vanille's cheery talk is a front to cover against some sadder thoughts. As the game progresses, you get insights into this. Hope, I never found whiny to be honest. Quite an interesting character. There is a section with him and Lightning where it is quite interesting to see how the relationship develops between the two of them.

Spoiler

At the beginning, there was a short Vanille monologue in which, she stated ("I stay smiling to cover up/ deal with the deep pain" of something to that effect) was that here thinking, or is there a 3rd party narrator?

 

[ZephyrFate]

I think they mean overriding the actions of your AI-controlled team mates in the battle party. E.g., when somebody dies, Vanille will NEVER raise them unless both she and the player character are at 75-90% health. The enemy is pounding away at only two characters and Vanille happily sits there healing and re-healing me to 75-80%, never quite understanding that we can't gain back the initiative in the battle unless she raises the KO teammate. I inevitably have to step in with a phoenix down or TP-healing.

The AI is just extremely brain dead in many instances. Don't know why Square didn't consider these scenarios when they were programming it. It seems like something they should have caught in game-testing.

Use a fucking Phoenix Down yourself then! Takes like five seconds. Honestly, the AI is pretty damn good. In all circumstances, a Phoenix Down will save your ass more than Raise will. It also heals 75% HP vs. 25%.

 

[MetatronM]

Spoiler

At the beginning, there was a short Vanille monologue in which, she stated ("I stay smiling to cover up/ deal with the deep pain" of something to that effect) was that here thinking, or is there a 3rd party narrator?

Spoiler

Yes, that's Vanille. She's the narrator of the game.

 

[Fimbulvetr]

Sorry, I can't see how shifting priority between brave/faith and protect/shell shell could do wonders. I haven't seen a single battle where a detail like that was the decisive factor between winning or losing.

You can't see the use in trying to make your party more durable before making them hit harder?

The divide between people who only love FFXII and people who only love FFXIII (not both) is quite amusingly large. But it also speaks clearly to the type of things those gamers value in their titles. It's easy to see who aligns with your own taste and who doesn't when it comes to jRPGs based entirely on what they choose there.

I only like both.

I just think X-2's battle system was waaaaaaaaaaaaay better than XIII's and that the level design was mostly 'eh'.

 

[Tideas]

so guys, how do I beat the chapter 11 boss? cuz i'm seriously getting my ass kick

 

[ZephyrFate]

You can't see the use in trying to make your party more durable before making them hit harder?



I only like both.

I just think X-2's battle system was waaaaaaaaaaaaay better than XIII's and that the level design was mostly 'eh'.

Once you have Haste then it doesn't matter which buffs are applied first as the 2-second difference between when they're applied will NEVER cost you a battle.

 

[Leunam]

I'm about 12 hours in (running around with

Spoiler

just Hope and Snow

).

So far, the music has been completely forgettable but I am loving the combat system.

 

[Fimbulvetr]

Once you have Haste then it doesn't matter which buffs are applied first as the 2-second difference between when they're applied will NEVER cost you a battle.

Well then I hope Sazh casts Haste.

*casts faith*

I hope Sazh casts Haste.

*casts bravery*

I hope Sazh casts Haste.

*casts enfire*

....

 

[ElFly]

Well then I hope Sazh casts Haste.

*casts faith*

I hope Sazh casts Haste.

*casts bravery*

I hope Sazh casts Haste.

*casts enfire*

....

Maybe it's the chocobo chick that controls him that takes these terrible decisions.

Once Hope learns Haste, he never ever casts anything else than Haste as first spell in my experience.

 

[Cep]

Her weird run and fishing pole weapon?

And the moans...

I just think X-2's battle system was waaaaaaaaaaaaay better than XIII's and that the level design was mostly 'eh'.

Yes, X-2 is still king.

I would still rank FFVI over this, but would maybe tie it with FFXII at the 8/10ish scale.

Agreed. I enjoyed FF XII a lot more than I am enjoying XIII, but 'objectively' I place them near each other.

 

[Llyranor]

Well then I hope Sazh casts Haste.

*casts faith*

I hope Sazh casts Haste.

*casts bravery*

I hope Sazh casts Haste.

*casts enfire*

....

That's weird because Sazh *always* hastes the full party before casting anything else for me. I've never noticed him doing anything different. Odd.

 

[j-wood]

I guess it just makes sense to me that, when I'm going into a tough battle, I want to play that class that needs to be the most technical. So...I make sure the leader is the synergist. Then the computer can handle the easy task like casting damage spells.

I don't play WoW but it's like....would you want you're priest to be controlled by an AI?...No.

 

[M°°nblade]

Yes, X-2 is still king.

FFX-2's battle system, while fun and dynamic, lacked a tactical approach. It was a menu-driven button masher imo.

 

[Fimbulvetr]

It was a menu-driven button masher imo.

Auto-Battle.

 

[kagete]

That's weird because Sazh *always* hastes the full party before casting anything else for me. I've never noticed him doing anything different. Odd.

Same here. I have Sazh equipped with the accessory that starts him out with a full ATB so he casts Haste first thing. I wonder if 5 years from now people will be really passionate with defending FFXIII as they are right now with VI, X-2, and VII? The game is polarizing because it's fresh but it doesn't really grip you. Sure there are Lightning, Fang and Vanille Defense Forces and people that swear by Sazh but are we going to have people consistently rank XIII as being one of the best RPGs ever?

 

[Community Forum]

That's weird because Sazh *always* hastes the full party before casting anything else for me. I've never noticed him doing anything different. Odd.

Same here.

 

[jiggle]

just saw a youtube vid with everyone having 99999 HP
wtf, what gives that?



oh lame
they have like a 900million str too and 6atb bars

didn't know it's possible to use cheat on HD games

how pathetic the guy must be to make a youtube video bragging about something like that :lol

 

[luxarific]

Use a fucking Phoenix Down yourself then! Takes like five seconds. Honestly, the AI is pretty damn good. In all circumstances, a Phoenix Down will save your ass more than Raise will. It also heals 75% HP vs. 25%.

Given how scarce gil is in this game, it's stupid that I have to waste it buying phoenix downs when I have a party member who knows how to use Raise. Just simply braindead AI and inexcusable given how long this game has been in development.

 

[lljride]

The AI really hasn't bothered me much. Earlier in the game they had less abilities so there was less of a chance they wouldn't prioritize correctly (plus I didn't use a lot of buffs/debuffs until later anyway). Once the fights started getting harder late in the game I tended to use a lot more SYN/SYN/SYN, MED/MED/MED, etc setups so it wasn't as big a deal if Hope didn't use Curaja or Haste or w/e, since one full ATB bar and I'm almost fully buffed/healed anyway.

 

[M°°nblade]

Well, FFX-2 was no more challenging than any other 3d FF (aside from 12) but it was fun as fuck. It also had more to offer, gameplay wise, than just the battle system. In 13, the game is the battle system and that's that. That's a big problem when your battle system is lacking in depth.

I don't remember FFX-2 offering more 'gameplay' outside the battle system than FFXIII and I can't see how FFXIII's battle system lacks dept. If anything, they could (and should imo) have stripped the summons away.

 

[Cep]

I don't remember FFX-2 offering more 'gameplay' outside the battle system than FFXIII and I can't see how FFXIII's battle system lacks dept. If anything, they could (and should imo) have stripped the summons away.

For the second time in this thread:

You cannot be serious.

 

[Dragon]

For the second time in this thread:

You cannot be serious.

I don't think he's getting the message, maybe you should try sharing your opinion?

 

[Cep]

I don't think he's getting the message, maybe you should try sharing your opinion?

Yeah you are right, I should probably say something, but I thought it was so self-evident.

If FF X-2 can be blamed for anything (other than bad writing) is that it offers too many activities to do outside of battle, many of them necessary to be able to get the best ending.

I mean, remember all the mini-games?

All the side-quests?

The varied mission structures and objectives?

All the mini-games (needs to be said more than once)?

The side dungeons?

The Chocobo breeding?

Digging?

The 'secret' bosses?

Via Infinito?

 

[Dresden]

Given how scarce gil is in this game, it's stupid that I have to waste it buying phoenix downs when I have a party member who knows how to use Raise. Just simply braindead AI and inexcusable given how long this game has been in development.

You get so many phoenix downs through the game that unless you're getting someone knocked out every counter, there should be no need for you to buy any at all. The battle system has its problems, but having to use--gasp!--items to revive people isn't one of them.

 

[Yoshichan]

just saw a youtube vid with everyone having 99999 HP

Yeah I'm pretty sure the highest HP a character can get is 42k (4x Wurtzite Bangles) with Snow.

 

[Cep]

- You have the opportunity to choose what faction you want to join, there being three factions. This enables a whole different strand of quests each time you play.

- There are multiple jobs, at least 15 to my memory. You can choose what ability you want to learn in any order, and in any job in any order.

- In order to unlock said jobs, you have to embark on quests to unlock them. Such as winning a sphere break tournament or beating a boss.

- From the get go, you can choose to visit any location in any order with varying levels of difficulty.

- Each chapter has a shit ton of quests, whether it's defeating the boss at the desert, or helping Clasko at his chocobo stable.

- Oversouled enemies and bosses which allows for optionally increased difficulty in certain fights (dare you to complete Via Infinito with all the bosses oversouled).

- Secret dungeons and areas that FF13 would only wish it could have.

Shit ton of secrets, hidden crap, and options. FF10-2 is chock full of gameplay and content, more so than any FF before and after it aside from FF11. I'm not sure if you're serious and I didn't even mention crimson spheres, or gaining all the dress spheres and dress sphere maps or new game plus.

You said it better than I did. Of all that game's issues, non-battle content is NOT one of them.