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[Squall ASF]

Gah! All I can seem to get are ingots. I have 23 of the things now but still only 2 traps. Everyone says that once you don't need traps, they flood in. I've been sitting on my 2 traps, if I use them to make ultimate weapons, will it trick the game into thinking I don't need any anymore and they'll start flooding in? :lol I'd like to kill them without summoning but I don't know that Light and Hope would survive. They probably could if I leveled up some defensive accessories. Wonder if it's worth it. I can kill them in 2 1/2 minutes with the summon technique.

 

[Windom Earle]

Port begging much? Maybe some people should read the GAF faq again.

I'm using the Sazh strategy, and while you still need to summon, you can take him down in less than 2 minutes with mid-range equipment and with only the 9th Crystarium level cap. And there's no percentages involved like Death. It works every time.

You'll never even get touched, so Gaian rings are kind of pointless.

I run the Eden Adamantoise and with the Growth Egg, I'm pulling in ~125,000 CP every 5 minutes, using the soldiers to regen my TP. I've only got two Traps so far, but I've got nearly 20 ingots and when you combine that with the constant credit/incentive chips the soldiers drop, I'm rolling in gil. Only four more Traps to go...

Yeah, if you want to use summons (which forces you to refill your cp in other battles afaik) this is of course a viable strategy. I prefer the bare hand approach. Just more fun

 

[desverger]

I've killed one without using death to prove to myself that it's possible. What a pain in the ass :lol

:lol

I checked a few strats and decided the death method was FAR less painful. Just put on some music, SAB/SAB/SEN and keep hoping for a proc!

 

[Adent]

Gah! All I can seem to get are ingots. I have 23 of the things now but still only 2 traps. Everyone says that once you don't need traps, they flood in. I've been sitting on my 2 traps, if I use them to make ultimate weapons, will it trick the game into thinking I don't need any anymore and they'll start flooding in? :lol I'd like to kill them without summoning but I don't know that Light and Hope would survive. They probably could if I leveled up some defensive accessories. Wonder if it's worth it. I can kill them in 2 1/2 minutes with the summon technique.

If you max out certain weapons they will dismantle into 3 Trapzahedron. That's what I recommend you do for your 3 mains. If your going to go for the Treasure hunter achievement you'll have enough traps by the time your done farming for ingots to do the other 3 weapons.

 

[140.85]

I'm using the Sazh strategy...

Huh? Explain.

 

[User 10639]

Well, you forget that with a PC comes the ability to mod and hack.

Trainers would make the annoying parts palatable.

I don't know, you'd really have to do a lot of cutting to fix the beginning of this game, although by then it might just be short enough to be tolerable to play through again. But the core experience is so lacking in customization and freedom of any meaningful kind - including Pulse, I mean, are you going to replay the missions in a different order to give it variety or something? kind of dull and disappointing when I stop and think about it even if it bests ch. 1-10 with ease - that I don't see why one would replay it even if one were the type to replay an RPG. Which I am typically not, so maybe my point is moot. I don't know if grafting on a decent character progression system via mods would help to fix the design problems in 13, considering how uninteresting even the best levels here are (and how sterile and lacking in life the world feels, which might just undermine any effort to make this game more interesting and worth a second playthrough), but it might be a step in the right direction.

I am probably overthinking it, though. I mean, hell, graphics are one of the few areas in which this game excels, floaty animation and occasionally poor textures aside. When that's the biggest appeal of the game outside of the music a souped-up PC port might not be a bad idea.

 

[Kagari]

Why side with the peasants?

Because a PC port might not even turn out great... look what happened with the 360, which is basically a PC in itself. Also, I would rather them focus on already announced unreleased titles than port older ones.

 

[Cep]

Because a PC port might not even turn out great. Also, I would rather them focus on already announced unreleased titles than port older ones.

I suppose...

You do know how to rain on a dude's parade...

 

[Kagari]

I suppose...

You do know how to rain on a dude's parade...

Just trying to be realistic here.

 

[User 10639]

Because a PC port might not even turn out great... look what happened with the 360, which is basically a PC in itself. Also, I would rather them focus on already announced unreleased titles than port older ones.

Well don't worry, because Front Mission Evolved and NIER will be coming out soon to tide us over until Square decides to release Versus XIII five years from now.

...well, I guess there's always Final Fantasy XIV!

 

[-COOLIO-]

ya know, did it annoy anyone else how lights mouth was always slightly agape? i guess its a sexy look but when she does it constantly it makes her seem mentally deficient.

 

[User 10639]

ya know, did it annoy anyone else how lights mouth was always slightly agape? i guess its a sexy look but when she does it constantly it makes her seem mentally deficient.

:lol No, but I assume she has the mental capacity of an angry five year old since her answer to every problem is to punch it in the face. It's too bad she didn't hit more people in the game, though. I would've hit Snow everytime he said anything about Serah or [insert generic shonen hero dialogue] myself.

 

[Fimbulvetr]

:lol No, but I assume she has the mental capacity of an angry five year old since her answer to every problem is to punch it in the face. It's too bad she didn't hit more people in the game, though. I would've hit Snow everytime he said anything about Serah or [insert generic shonen hero dialogue] myself.

The only character she never hit once was Vanille.

 

[Westonian]

Huh? Explain.

Sazh Adamantoise technique.

Pre-requisites:
Sazh:
Level 4 role of Ravager maxed (Cold Blooded skill)
Strength > 1200 (use accs. if neccessary)
Procyons or Betelgeuse Customs (Stagger Maintenance boost makes the battle easier)

Snow:
Strength > 1200 (use accs. if neccessary)

Fang
Strength > 1200 (use accs. if neccessary)

Paradigms:
Default - Bully (Sazh Syn - Snow Com - Fang Sab)
Cerberus (Com - Com- Com)
Cerberus (Com - Com - Com)
Aggression (Rav - Com - Com)
Smart Bomb (Rav - Rav - Sab)

Walkthrough:

1. As soon as you enter the battle have Sazy summon. (Press Select to skip the super long intro).

2 .Sazh should be Syn and have him cast Bravery and Haste on himself

3. Shift to Cerberus and have Sazh Blitz twice (this will keep the chain from falling)

4. Shift to Aggression and have Sazh cast Cold Blooded

5. Cast Cold Blooded again

6. Switch to Smart Bomb and cast Cold Blooded

7. Cast Cold Blooded.

8. By this time your Eidolon should be retired. Switch to Bully and cast Haste and Bravery on Fang.

9. Cast Haste and Bravery on Snow.

10. Switch to Aggression and cast Cold Blooded one more time. This should stagger the turtle.

11. Switch Cerberus and Blitz twice

12. Blitz twice again.

13. Switch to your other Cerberus and repeat the double Blitz pattern.

He should be dead by now, and if you time everything right it should take ~2:00

This strategy assumes you know how the ATB replenish works with every other shift, and how to cancel/shift at the end of the last attack/animation to avoid the shift animation. If you lose your way, just restart the battle. It will take a few tries to memorize the pattern, but once you get it down you'll be on cruise control for the whole battle.

There's a video here that is a slight variation of my technique (which I think works better).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tUjF09FCjY

 

[dramatis]

:lol No, but I assume she has the mental capacity of an angry five year old since her answer to every problem is to punch it in the face. It's too bad she didn't hit more people in the game, though. I would've hit Snow everytime he said anything about Serah or [insert generic shonen hero dialogue] myself.

I feel like they wasted her character and design so badly.

 

[Cep]

I feel like they wasted her character and design so badly.

*Insert hate for Lightning's art here*

 

[User 10639]

The only character she never hit once was Vanille.

I'm glad someone was keeping track. It's too bad, because the whole thing is pretty much all Vanille's fault anyway!

I feel like they wasted her character and design so badly.

Her design is so dumb, I mean, giant pocketknife aside, what kind of military includes short shorts in the uniform for women. :lol I know, I know, thisisvideogamesdude, but still. It's even worse than the miniskirts-are-appropriate-for-tank-battles aesthetic from Valkyria Chronicles.

 

[Fimbulvetr]

Her design is so dumb, I mean, giant pocketknife aside, what kind of military includes short shorts in the uniform for women. :lol I know, I know, thisisvideogamesdude, but still. It's even worse than the miniskirts-are-appropriate-for-tank-battles aesthetic from Valkyria Chronicles.

At first I thought that was something Lightning just wears(because she's dumb or something), but then every other female PSICOM unit also had short-shorts.

I facepalm'd.

 

[avatar299]

I'm sure this has been asked a thousand times before, but where are the best places to farm Gil in Gran Pulse. I want to upgrade my axis blade but the transformer cost a ton.

 

[140.85]

Her design is so dumb, I mean, giant pocketknife aside, what kind of military includes short shorts in the uniform for women. :lol I know, I know, thisisvideogamesdude, but still. It's even worse than the miniskirts-are-appropriate-for-tank-battles aesthetic from Valkyria Chronicles.

You're no fun.

...

Thanks Westonian.

 

[Squall ASF]

If you max out certain weapons they will dismantle into 3 Trapzahedron. That's what I recommend you do for your 3 mains. If your going to go for the Treasure hunter achievement you'll have enough traps by the time your done farming for ingots to do the other 3 weapons.

I considered doing that and I am going for the achievement. People try to say it's a waste of money but I don't see how because you have to get ultimate weapon for everyone anyway. I figured I could do it for Vanille's weapon and dismantle it since I don't use her and therefore, don't care about 'keeping' her ultimate. I would still need two more traps unless I do the dismantle trick with a second weapon. I've heard though that you can just upgrade get all the accessories and then sell all of them to get the gil to upgrade weapons, which gets you the achievement and then you can reload.

 

[Green Mamba]

I'm sure this has been asked a thousand times before, but where are the best places to farm Gil in Gran Pulse. I want to upgrade my axis blade but the transformer cost a ton.

Adamantoise/Adamantortoise are the quickest--their common drop is a Platinum Ingot, which sells for 150,000 Gil. That said, killing them is another matter entirely. Check out Westonian's previous post on the "Sazh Method." Or you could endure even more tedium and spam Vanille's Death, which is never fun.

 

[dramatis]

Her design is so dumb, I mean, giant pocketknife aside, what kind of military includes short shorts in the uniform for women. :lol I know, I know, thisisvideogamesdude, but still. It's even worse than the miniskirts-are-appropriate-for-tank-battles aesthetic from Valkyria Chronicles.

You can focus on the physical aspects, sure. I was leaning more on the idea of a soldier turning against the government and fighting against the military.

Is that generic? Probably. But with the proper cast and less family drama the story could have came out stronger, less inflated and less convoluted.

That, and with the plot as it is now, we could have never gotten a decent villain. Whereas in a case of rebellion you could have had Jihl, Yaag, and Cid in better form.

Now that I think about it, whole game would have been better if you played as Sanctum.

 

[Rahxephon91]

Lights short shorts aren't too bad, I mean look at what mech pilots wear.

 

[User 10639]

You're no fun.

Oh, I am, I'm just more forgiving when I actually like the design in the first place - like Alicia from VC, who is just adorable aside from being a

Spoiler

hopelessly broken

tank during gameplay. Or Fang, who wears a sports bra + blue sari combo and somehow manages to make it awesome in spite of being totally impractical for hunting monsters or whatever they did for fun on Gran Pulse (spoiler for chapter 8-ish?)

Spoiler

500 years ago.

You can focus on the physical aspects, sure. I was leaning more on the idea of a soldier turning against the government and fighting against the military.

Yeah, they sorta shot any potential that had, but I also find it improbable that any military would let in someone so brash and rebellious - to the point where they'd hit comrades in the face when frustrated - in the first place unless the writers are making an abstract critique of the US Army's moral waiver policy, or something. So I find several aspects of her character implausible aside from the silly physical design.

But you are right that there was a lot of wasted potential in this game. In every aspect, really, not just story/characters.

 

[Cep]

You can focus on the physical aspects, sure. I was leaning more on the idea of a soldier turning against the government and fighting against the military.

Is that generic? Probably. But with the proper cast and less family drama the story could have came out stronger, less inflated and less convoluted.

That, and with the plot as it is now, we could have never gotten a decent villain. Whereas in a case of rebellion you could have had Jihl, Yaag, and Cid in better form.

Now that I think about it, whole game would have been better if you played as Sanctum.

Indeed.

Which Party members would we off so that we can add Rygdea and Cid?

I say Vanille and Hope, but I am sure most people would off Snow instead of Hope.

 

[Fimbulvetr]

Indeed.

Which Party members would we off so that we can add Rygdea and Cid?

I say Vanille and Hope, but I am sure most people would off Snow instead of Hope.

I'd rather Snow.

The only reason I don't hate Hope completely is

Spoiler

because he was 'bout to stab that mofo Snow in the face.

Sazh can stay because of his old job.... and being more tolerable that pretty much any other character(YMMV between him, Fang, and Rygdea.).

 

[User 10639]

No Lightning or Snow means no Serah, which means no creepy catholic schoolgirl pedobait/smelly dudebro with a lace bra pairing, so yeah. Kill them with fire.

Hope gets to stay because his eidolon is a castle wall with lasers and shit. I'd take that over Cid, whose transforms into a Seymour reject. Even though he has a monocle.

 

[dramatis]

Indeed.

Which Party members would we off so that we can add Rygdea and Cid?

I say Vanille and Hope, but I am sure most people would off Snow instead of Hope.

If Snow were actually mercenary and not Adult Naruto, he would be good for party. Personally, I feel Hope would be okay as an optional character (Yuffie, Vincent, etc.).

Although, when I said playing as Sanctum, I meant the idea of actually hunting the characters you're playing as now. What I would give to shoot Vanille myself.

 

[Cep]

If Snow were actually mercenary and not Adult Naruto, he would be good for party. Personally, I feel Hope would be okay as an optional character (Yuffie, Vincent, etc.).

Although, when I said playing as Sanctum, I meant the idea of actually hunting the characters you're playing as now. What I would give to shoot Vanille myself.

So was I.

I am of course assuming that we all at some point join forces.

So Rygdea is lead, and Fang your earliest party member.

 

[Crash Station]

The only character she never hit once was Vanille.

When did she hit Hope?

 

[Dresden]

Just keep it simple and keep Fang, Vanille, and Sazh. Make sure Troy Baker voices Vanille.

The story could be Sazh hiring two Pulse-chicks to find his lost son. They go on a trip and find themselves embroiled in a religious conflict between Pulse-folks and Cocoon-dudes. The game ends when Sazh reunites with his son, who happens to be second coming of the zombie Jesus, and kills him to preserve the safety of the world.

Snow could be the misguided army guy that they have to defeat on the way. Lightning and Serah could be a creepy incest duo that the three must kill before advancing into Cocoon. Hope can go to hell.

 

[User 10639]

Sazh can stay because of his old job.... and being more tolerable that pretty much any other character(YMMV between him, Fang, and Rygdea.).

Well, Sazh is tolerable for very different reasons than Fang and Rygdea.

Although, when I said playing as Sanctum, I meant the idea of actually hunting the characters you're playing as now. What I would give to shoot Vanille myself.

And at the end, Team NORA pulls a Power Rangers (you know they want to) and transforms into the Space Pope, by which I mean the lizard Space Pope from Futurama, and Fang, Rygdea, and Hope's eidolon team up to fight it. Before the REAL end boss, who is the Goddess, here to explain all of her meddling during the actual FF13. God damn Square, hire me to write FFXIII-2.

 

[Fimbulvetr]

So was I.

I am of course assuming that we all at some point join forces.

So Rygdea is lead, and Fang your earliest party member.

They run into Sazh when they need a pilot.

Lightning is a field agent with decent clothing and no Serah to bring her down.

 

[User 10639]

Lightning is a field agent with decent clothing and no Serah to bring her down.

And a better haircut.

 

[Fimbulvetr]

When did she hit Hope?

She shoved him in order to get him to go with Snow. Still counts.

 

[Cep]

She shoved him in order to get him to go with Snow. Still counts.

Only because shotas are not to be smacked around.

 

[User 10639]

So was I.

I am of course assuming that we all at some point join forces.

So Rygdea is lead, and Fang your earliest party member.

Actually now that I think of it, this would work within the existing story framework up to like chapter 7.

Spoiler

Except that you kill Snow instead of capturing him!

You probably wouldn't be able to kill off Vanille if you kept character motivations the same, though.

 

[sam27368]

Platinum, at last. Back on the shelf you go FF13. FOREVER.

Man, I'd really love to play through this game again because it has so many good bits, unfortunately I don't think I could bring myself to get through the bad bits again to get to the good bits.

 

[Fimbulvetr]

Actually now that I think of it, this would work within the existing story framework up to like chapter 7.

Spoiler

Except that you kill Snow instead of capturing him!

You probably wouldn't be able to kill off Vanille if you kept character motivations the same, though.

You'd have to change some of the characters to make the story good anyway.

 

[Cep]

Actually now that I think of it, this would work within the existing story framework up to like chapter 7.

Spoiler

Except that you kill Snow instead of capturing him!

You probably wouldn't be able to kill off Vanille if you kept character motivations the same, though.

To be quite honest, we could bump the party count to 7/8 and keep everyone.

Everyone could be kept, they would just need to be either fundamentally reworked or improved.

Serah would need to go though.

 

[dramatis]

So was I.

I am of course assuming that we all at some point join forces.

So Rygdea is lead, and Fang your earliest party member.

As wonderful as Fang's design is, she is easily the most boring character of the cast outside of Snow due to her shallow motivation and lack of meaningful development.

Which is why killing Vanille would make her interesting

I'm riding more on, "What if Lightning is the villain?" and after Vanille's death Fang and Lightning would join forces wrecking Cocoon, and behind Cid and Rygdea Jihl would pull coup d'etat and kill the pope, and you'll be attacked on all sides by crazy women.

Women are tough :lol

 

[140.85]

Somebody needs to make a video compilation of Light hitting/shoving people. :lol

 

[Mihos]

If they made a DLC pack where you could kill off Hope, I would pre-order that shit.

Vanille is annoying, but I refuse to hate a chick with a tatoo on her ass....

 

[Fimbulvetr]

To be quite honest, we could bump the party count to 7/8 and keep everyone.

Everyone could be kept, they would just need to be either fundamentally reworked or improved.

Serah would need to go though.

Snow is only allowed to stay if his personality is the exact opposite or the writers don't puss out of deconstructing the shonen hero tropes.

 

[RoodyPooUS]

You guys have pretty bad luck with Traps. By the time I finished farming Eden for enough money, I had my 6 traps plus another 3-4. In that time, I also got about 80 or so Ingots I think.

Then go farm your 6 or so Dark Matter with your full crystarium chars, kill the long gui and you have your platinum.

 

[Cep]

Snow is only allowed to stay if his personality is the exact opposite or the writers don't puss out of deconstructing the shonen hero tropes.

As viciously as possible.

I mean to to the point where he has a Luke-scale fuck up, tries to be positive about it and have Lightning punch (these were fun, they should stay) him for not being a rational human being.

 

[Squall ASF]

You guys have pretty bad luck with Traps. By the time I finished farming Eden for enough money, I had my 6 traps plus another 3-4. In that time, I also got about 80 or so Ingots I think.

Then go farm your 6 or so Dark Matter with your full crystarium chars, kill the long gui and you have your platinum.

Thanks for rubbing it in. So what are the Dark Matter's used for besides upgrading a Power Glove to Kaiser Knuckle?

 

[User 10639]

As wonderful as Fang's design is, she is easily the most boring character of the cast outside of Snow due to her shallow motivation and lack of meaningful development.

Yes, she was much more of a waste (character development:character design hotness ratio was low, like Rygdea) than Lightning imo, although when she shows up in chapter 7 it goes from "man, playing as Snow and Hope suuuuucks, why do people like this chapter" to "OMG, best part of the game, when do we get to the lesbian makeout scene?" so it's all good.

I'm riding more on, "What if Lightning is the villain?" and after Vanille's death Fang and Lightning would join forces wrecking Cocoon, and behind Cid and Rygdea Jihl would pull coup d'etat and kill the pope, and you'll be attacked on all sides by crazy women.

I like this scenario, especially the implied part where you kill Lightning at the end of the game, but I'd rather have Fang in my party somehow. Because I'm shallow like that.

Vanille is annoying, but I refuse to hate a chick with a tatoo on her ass....

Plus, that facet of her character design gave us the hilarious scene where Fang looks up Vanille's skirt as everyone else looks on with embarrassed looks on their faces. :lol I wouldn't get rid of Vanille, but rather include a bit in her backstory about how she tragically became a mute as a child. Or just switch her voice actor and tone her personality the fuck down for the first... uh... 6 chapters.

 

[Fimbulvetr]

As viciously as possible.

I mean to to the point where he has a Luke-scale fuck up, tries to be positive about it and have Lightning punch (these were fun, they should stay) him for not being a rational human being.

I'm more referring to Chapt 12 when

Spoiler

Team Nora reappears and goes:

Nora: "lol hey guys, we're all okay including all those people you thought died. So it turns out Snow didn't screw up at all!"

Snow:

Nora: "Cept for Hope's mom, she's still dead."

Hope: D:

Nora: "KThanxBye"