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Vagrant Story |OT| Finest game in all of Valendia
- Thread starter Anticitizen One
- Start date
Adam Prime
hates soccer, is Mexican
I've tried TWICE to play this game, only to get about a couple hours in and give up. I never made it past the first dungeon... I owned the discs for a while then sold it after my first attempt at playing this game.
I dunno what it was about this, I love Squaresoft PSX games, but this one just didn't click with me. Maybe it was too much "battle dungeon weapon crafting grinding" and not enough story plot elements mixed in between all that. Maybe it was just the art design and style and the way the characters talked... funny.
I thought about giving this game a THIRD try this week... but, yeah, can't do it.
I dunno what it was about this, I love Squaresoft PSX games, but this one just didn't click with me. Maybe it was too much "battle dungeon weapon crafting grinding" and not enough story plot elements mixed in between all that. Maybe it was just the art design and style and the way the characters talked... funny.
I thought about giving this game a THIRD try this week... but, yeah, can't do it.
robotzombie
Member
Okay, so is the ultimate consensus that you only need 3 weapons? A blunt, an edged, and a pierce? Are the enemy class bonuses really not important? What happens if my edged weapon ends up with say, -50 to humans, and I face a boss that is human but weak against edged. Am I screwed at that point, or am I going to be fine?
Ben Morales
Member
robotzombie said:
I'd like to know this as well. I'm currently using 6 weapons, and I wouldn't mind consolidating them down to 3 as long as I don't find myself being screwed later.
Laughing Banana
Weeping Pickle
Vagrant Story is a type of game that practically requires the player to commit all sorts of research like reading FAQs, guides, or frequenting forums even during a casual/non-completionist playthrough to ensure that him/her are not getting screwed later on by the sheer punishing difficulty of the game--too many 'technicalities' involved. Simply put: one wrong/not as intended move from the player and he or she will be royally screwed.
That was my impression playing the game a long time ago, and that was the main reason why, back then, I just couldn't get myself to like this game even after several tries and even after seemingly glowing reviews from many gamers everywhere.
I'll try this one more time... maybe after all these years, my opinion is changed.
That was my impression playing the game a long time ago, and that was the main reason why, back then, I just couldn't get myself to like this game even after several tries and even after seemingly glowing reviews from many gamers everywhere.
I'll try this one more time... maybe after all these years, my opinion is changed.
SatelliteOfLove
Member
robotzombie said:
Gems will help, especially if you had say, a Piercing weapon neutral to Human enemies, the Human boss was neutral to Piercing, and you slapped in a +dmg to Human gem in that, buff/debuff as usual, then went to town. Pay attention, experiment, overcome, succeed.
PepsimanVsJoe
Member
A lot of it is the type of weapon so don't be afraid to just bring whatever you happen to be carrying with you to a boss battle and see what happens.
For example I just beat the Dark Elemental boss with a two-handed sword with practically zero points in anything he was weak towards. I was still chopping off a good 30 points per hit. In fact this particular sword is what I use for dragons and I clobbered the very next one I ran into.
Also keep in mind that even in the worst situation you should still have a weapon that can hit the enemy. Even if it's one point of damage it's still something, especially when the most HP anyone has is a mere 800. This can add up if you're good at chaining as every successive hit adds 2(?) points of damage. Furthermore there's couple of really useful chain skills. One in particular does 10% damage to the enemy depending on how much HP you've lost. If you're willing to risk being near-death you can chew away at bosses doing 20+ damage a hit then heal-up/risk-down before their turn comes up.
You would really have to bust your ass to get a -50 weapon for any class by the way. In fact if you find that one weapon can handle a number of different classes/types don't be afraid to use it on everyone. It cuts down on time spent in menus at least.
OH AND FOR CRYING OUT LOUD USE BUFFS! I'm used to buffs/debuffs being a waste of time in 98% of RPGs so doing as something as simple as casting Heracles/Prostasia was ???? on my first playthrough. Yes buffs don't last very long but they will last for however long your battle is as long as you're attacking/getting attacked.
For example I just beat the Dark Elemental boss with a two-handed sword with practically zero points in anything he was weak towards. I was still chopping off a good 30 points per hit. In fact this particular sword is what I use for dragons and I clobbered the very next one I ran into.
Also keep in mind that even in the worst situation you should still have a weapon that can hit the enemy. Even if it's one point of damage it's still something, especially when the most HP anyone has is a mere 800. This can add up if you're good at chaining as every successive hit adds 2(?) points of damage. Furthermore there's couple of really useful chain skills. One in particular does 10% damage to the enemy depending on how much HP you've lost. If you're willing to risk being near-death you can chew away at bosses doing 20+ damage a hit then heal-up/risk-down before their turn comes up.
You would really have to bust your ass to get a -50 weapon for any class by the way. In fact if you find that one weapon can handle a number of different classes/types don't be afraid to use it on everyone. It cuts down on time spent in menus at least.
OH AND FOR CRYING OUT LOUD USE BUFFS! I'm used to buffs/debuffs being a waste of time in 98% of RPGs so doing as something as simple as casting Heracles/Prostasia was ???? on my first playthrough. Yes buffs don't last very long but they will last for however long your battle is as long as you're attacking/getting attacked.
This game is ridiculously good.
I haven't played it in a while, but I distinctly remember my first summer going through the game. I was initially put off by it, but went back to it shortly later and patiently learned the game mechanics, and fell in love.
They don't really make games like this anymore.
Also one of the very few game soundtracks I own.
I haven't played it in a while, but I distinctly remember my first summer going through the game. I was initially put off by it, but went back to it shortly later and patiently learned the game mechanics, and fell in love.
They don't really make games like this anymore.
Also one of the very few game soundtracks I own.
Ben Morales
Member
bounchfx said:
Yup, you can transfer the saves back and forth as needed.
polyh3dron
Banned
ffffuuuuuuu... just got spanked by that enchanted knight thing.
This game is hard to the fucking core. No tutorials about the complex battle system or anything, it just throws you to the wolves. god damn. I kinda figured the chains and stuff, but since the last save point was pretty far back from where i died I'm done for the night.
This game is hard to the fucking core. No tutorials about the complex battle system or anything, it just throws you to the wolves. god damn. I kinda figured the chains and stuff, but since the last save point was pretty far back from where i died I'm done for the night.
natureboy46
Member
Adam Prime said:
Wow, I could have written the same post. Bought it for the psx then tried again when the ps2 came out (it always seemed to be the game magazines used to show how improved the graphics looked once smoothed by the ps2) but just couldn't get into it. I sold my discs years ago but I'm thinking I might give it one more go once I clear some backlog.
CecilMcW00t said:
Over 11 hours in, and I am still having no trouble just swapping between my primary 3 weapons. (Though I am carrying around a few more that I never use).
As said, the farther you get in the game, the more gems and spells you start to receive. This is the -key- to mitigating the problems your mainline '3' weapons have against unique weaknesses they aren't prepared for. Even then, only bosses have required their use in my experience so far. You can always attach gems to your weapons mid-fight and switch things up to experiment. Against pithy room fights, I've had no trouble just switching between the three to kill whatever.
So for example, I will -always- first cast Analyze in any major fight, look at what the major weaknesses are for the foe in each tree(ie. numbers are lowest for Beast/Air/Blunt), and then among my mainline weapons figure out what I can do to exploit those. Usually by pulling out my Blunt Mace, attaching a helpful gem to boost against those, casting any offensive buff spells(like casting 'Air-Up' on my weapon), and going to town. Even if my Blunt mace sucks against Beasts, it can be mitigated through spells and gems quite easilly.
And finally, ALWAYS HAVE A BUFF AND DE-BUFF ACTIVE IN BOSS FIGHTS! This usually means casting Degenerate on every boss(at least up to where I am at), and whatever buff on yourself. Degenerate is so bloody helpful and you will notice how it affects damage numbers even against bosses that seemingly have impossible defensive traits to exploit.
Also for buffs, I feel that offensive increases are WAY more helpful than defensive. (ie. in the Ifrit fight not too far in, cast Water-Atk buff on yourself instead of Fire-Def.) The best defense is a good offense when it comes to Vagrant Story! This is a game about running right up to every enemy's face and slaughtering them as fast as possible.
depths20XX
Member
Count me as another who played this game several times in the past only to quit playing 1/3 of the way through. I'm not sure why I stopped, I think I remember finding it dull, and the environment was quite boring also. I think I might download this though and try again.
Also for every boss fight(that I have seen so far), make sure to run in as close as possibleand stay close. Most bosses can't use their biggest attacks if you are right in their face, like dragons casting breath attacks.
Remember you are a badass in this game and are meant to kill shit with no fear. Make sure to analyze ALL boss points(tail, head, neck)on the status screen as often they have varying weakness differences. Dragon tails are usually weak to diff weapons than their heads. So whatever point you strike make sure you are equipped right.
Finally, don't fret over the workshop and weapon upgrades. Just mix Bronze and Iron stuff to make Hagane(in the early goings), and experiment. No need to min/max and pour through faqs and guides on the first playthrough. Futz around all you want with armor making whatever unique new equipment you can, and keep in mind to maintain your basic three weapons as you merge them. (Always using a hilt capable of equipping gems when you re-assemble). Disassemble weapons you aren't using to get those 'gem hilts' if possible.
Remember you are a badass in this game and are meant to kill shit with no fear. Make sure to analyze ALL boss points(tail, head, neck)on the status screen as often they have varying weakness differences. Dragon tails are usually weak to diff weapons than their heads. So whatever point you strike make sure you are equipped right.
Finally, don't fret over the workshop and weapon upgrades. Just mix Bronze and Iron stuff to make Hagane(in the early goings), and experiment. No need to min/max and pour through faqs and guides on the first playthrough. Futz around all you want with armor making whatever unique new equipment you can, and keep in mind to maintain your basic three weapons as you merge them. (Always using a hilt capable of equipping gems when you re-assemble). Disassemble weapons you aren't using to get those 'gem hilts' if possible.
JumpJeff84
Member
How does this look on the PSP?
EDIT: I mean, does the text show up okay?
EDIT: I mean, does the text show up okay?
Brilliant on psp.Whoompthereitis said:
I did switch around the Button mappings and upped the brightness level one using the ps button menu. Game is dark. Also set screen size to normal so it does have black bars. All the stretch and zoom options didn't look good to me. But everything is perfectly legible.
Perfect game to lie in bed and play.
Splash Wave
Member
Is smoothing something I want turned on? What else can I do to make it look better? Though I do find that there's something charming about the graphics, I can't tell what's the PS1's issue and what's the PS3's.
Callibretto
Member
Brandon F said:
how do you set up your control? I like using L and R as camera, but this leaves L2 (shortcut for magic/item/chain abilities) to analog nub, and you have to hold it down, so I have to use claw hands to access the dpad for chain and item abilities.
I wish it's a toggle instead, or if I can mapped start or select button. other than that, it works great as portable game.
Saint Gregory
Member
Even though I still have my original disc and I don't have the spare time to play it I downloaded it anyway. If you've never played VS before this might be the best $6 you will ever spend 
I think my original PS1 save had between 6 and 7 playthroughs. Keep in mind that in order to get the best weapons and armour in the game you have to finish it multiple times. That may sound brutal but since you keep everything (except story related keys IIRC) when you start your game + it's a lot of fun. Spell scrolls stack so on each subsequent playthrough your magic levels up and I think the rare drop rate increases depending on how many times you finish the game too.
I think my original PS1 save had between 6 and 7 playthroughs. Keep in mind that in order to get the best weapons and armour in the game you have to finish it multiple times. That may sound brutal but since you keep everything (except story related keys IIRC) when you start your game + it's a lot of fun. Spell scrolls stack so on each subsequent playthrough your magic levels up and I think the rare drop rate increases depending on how many times you finish the game too.
I used to turn that on as well as the quick loading feature when I played it on PS2 so hopefully it has the same effect on PS3. It's been a long time but I think the only issue I had with the quick loading back then is it would make the attract mode FMV skip.Jimmy Stav said:
Anticitizen One
Banned
Is there a good youtube tutorial on how to properly play this game?
Callibretto said:
I use the same layout that someone posted on the first page of this thread I think.
Basically, camera control is on left/right d-pad.
Character control is set to Analog nub.
Left trigger is shortcut menu, which I like.
Camera control is never really necessary during 'intense' gameplay(and easilly adjusted with d-pad during combat sphere pause anyway). I find it's better to have the shortcut menu on a trigger as it is -way- more useful and abused.
I don't know what I'm doing wrong, but I have all types of weapons and they do shit to nothing to some enemies. For example: I'm facing the Gremlin assholes and the only weapon that does damage is the crossbow which is blunt. Other gremlins receive 0 damage with the same weapon. If I pick any other weapon, blunt or otherwise with proper affinity buff, they will do nothing. I'm am baffled by this ridiculous weapon system. Also I was facing a air elemental and none of my weapons did anything to him even with air buff. I'm losing my mind over this and ready to throw in the towel. How do you use analysis? Enemy doesn't appear in encyclopedia.Brandon F said:
Callibretto
Member
Brandon F said:
I might try that, maybe keep character control on dpad. I don't like navigating menu through analog
neoism
Member
You can custom the controls. I have L for item/chain etc shortcut then I just use the analog nub. I makes combat easier because sometimes when your stabbing circle to get a new turn, I just hole L instead. This game is better on PSP. Just got the the town. This is were I quit twice. The first time it took me 20 hours to get here, and the second at 15 lol...Just at 7 hours... game is soo awesome.Callibretto said:
Got to ask is anyone playing on a GO. I love the PSP 2000 because I have really big hands, I want a go but I'm thinking its to small.
Saint Gregory
Member
It's been a long time but isn't there an analyze skill that you get early on in the game? Once you get that and you go into your status monitor there's a button you can hit to see the enemies and what their weaknesses are. IIRC the way it worked was that there's an element weakness formula that stays constant (i.e. ice against fire) to go along with the racial weaknesses. I could be remembering wrong though.RobertM said:
Edit: I d remember now that's exactly how it worked. In the example you gave you would have need to use the air buff to protect yourself combined with the earth buff on your weapons to do damage to that elemental. The elementals and element dragons all have only one opposite elemental weakness.
RobertM said:
This is a post I found from a different thread below, does a better job explaining the core mechanics than I have.
As for Analyze? Once the spell is cast on the enemy successfully, you have to go into the main menu and select 'Status'. Once there, hit left/right to switch between the different enemies in the room as well as yourself. Find the enemy you analyzed(his HP should have numbers instead of question marks) and from there hit square on each body part to look at his stats and weaknesses.
Remember that the lowest numbers in the status screen are what you should focus on using(especially any element/blade type in the negative).
So if the enemy has 0 for Edge and positive numbers for Blunt/Pierce, then equip an Edge weapon...But also look at the elements too. You might see all the elements in the mid 40's and one, like fire, is -15. That means do whatever you can to kill the enemy with fire and an edge weapon! Preferably slotting a fire gem into your edge sword for super damage!(Or casting a fire buff spell!)
Once you learn to use analyze properly, the game plays itself.
Saint Gregory
Member
I have to disagree with this. While it's mostly true getting a good piercing weapon early in the game and giving it a dragon affinity makes the entire game much easier since there are so many strong dragon bosses and they're almost all weak against pierce. You can also transer that affinity to stronger weapons as the game goes on using the workshops.
Saint Gregory said:
Not quite as necessary though. My basic Iron Rapier(my Pierce weapon), has been perfectly capable of handling dragon-type enemies and bosses. Granted I have kept the dragon gem slotted into it since I found it. But just like anything else, all those dragon types are usually also weak to other stuff, which is where elemental boosts come into play. I also use the rapier for other 'pierce' enemies like beasts/humans, and pay no mind to the class changes.
The Class bonuses will certainly help with a bit of extra damage, but there is no need to grind dragon or other similar points at all. You CAN ignore the class stat(thanks to gems and buffs), but if you don't you'll eke out a bit more damage.
After wading through what seems like a billions games I need to play, I settled on Vagrant Story. I've been wanting to start it since Tuesday but was waiting til I beat Dead Space Extraction and DS2 Severed. Anyways...
Man this game is better than I remember so far and I'm only an hour in. I got stuck on a dragon boss my first playthrough years and years ago, doing the whole 1 damage thing. But I didn't know any of the damage/battle system back then other than chaining. I've now read up on some FAQs, and in the game manual itself, and think I'm ready to go.
I love the art and the cutscenes. It just seems so good compared to a lot of other games. I don't even care that I am reading text. How they throw you into the game as well is great. I'll come back after a few more hours of playing to give my "updated" impressions.
Man this game is better than I remember so far and I'm only an hour in. I got stuck on a dragon boss my first playthrough years and years ago, doing the whole 1 damage thing. But I didn't know any of the damage/battle system back then other than chaining. I've now read up on some FAQs, and in the game manual itself, and think I'm ready to go.
I love the art and the cutscenes. It just seems so good compared to a lot of other games. I don't even care that I am reading text. How they throw you into the game as well is great. I'll come back after a few more hours of playing to give my "updated" impressions.
PepsimanVsJoe
Member
Blammo!
Just beat the game again. Raging Ache/Crimson Pain is the shit.
Just beat the game again. Raging Ache/Crimson Pain is the shit.
I finally figured out the weapon system and why I was doing little damage. Just having weapons of 3 types is not gonna help you much if your affinities are not properly tuned. I started using this site as a reference as I couldn't get Analyze to work plus getting "silent" by enemies: http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_Vagrant_Story_Enemies
ItWasMeantToBe19
Banned
The atmosphere, writing, and directing in this game is stunningly good and I was already a huge fan of Matsuno, WOW.
Dark Octave
Banned
Wow. I missed this game when it was out on PS1.
I finally get to enjoy it.
I finally get to enjoy it.