Some basic stagger info I was reading through just now, I thought it might be interesting to everyone. You probably figured out most of it, but I like to hear the official line.
Stagger Counter
"As you build stagger power, the wave will be blue. Once you have reached 70% of the stagger point, the wave will turn red."
Stagger Counter vs. Stagger Preservation
"The speed of the stagger wave gives you information on the maintenance of stagger power.
* when the wave pulses rapidly, Stagger Decay is in effect: the stagger Power that you built up is gradually being reduced with every second that passes.
* If you add Stagger Preservation to prevent it (for example with the Blitz ability), the wave will slow down visibly. As soon as Stagger Preservation runs out, the wave will speed up again as Stagger Decay reactivates."
Enemies have a hidden Stagger Decay stat the determines how fast the stagger meter drops. If Blitz has stagger preservation 300 and you attack twice, you get a preservation rating of 600. If the monster has a decay rating of 150, that means you get 4 seconds before stagger preservation wears off and begins decaying again.
Stagger Efficiency
The amplitude of the briefly superimposed yellow waves tell you how effectively each attack contributes to the main wave (blue or red).
* This depends on the ability's innate Stagger Power which is ranked on each attack ability. For example, "Attack" has low stagger power while Beat Down has high. These are rated with letters A-E for rank.
* The amplitude of the yellow wave also adjusts for enemy weaknesses. For example, thunder has a low stagger power. But against flans it generates a high amplitude wave because thunder enjoys a stagger power modifier of x10 against flans.
Finales
The final attack in a combo sequence is called a finale. While the added delay in attack animation and attack recovery might initially seem unattractive, finales enjoy "a substantial boost to Power or Preservation or both, so the benefits usually outweigh the disadvantage of delayed attack speed."
Stagger Grade Values
Power
A 50+
B 21-49
C 15-20
D 4-14
E 1-3
Preservation
A 300+
B 200-299
C 100-199
D 41-99
E 1-40
