Just beat the game. Really mixed feelings about it, though the awesome finale made up for the last third of the game. But even putting aside the story, there were some great things they did with the gameplay as well as many shoddy design choices. Mixed bag all around, but overall I had a good time.
Probably going to take a small break before checking out any post game content. (I think it's just one dungeon and new colosseum levels? And finishing off that 20m debt).
Does anyone know if there are special victory quotes for using any party composition without Ludger? I know in other tales games, there were a bunch that required you to have four specific characters in your active lineup, none of which were the MC. But Xillia 2 does treat its protagonist very differently than other entries in the series.