Vagrant Story |OT| Finest game in all of Valendia
- Thread starter Anticitizen One
- Start date
I'm about 4-5 hours in and haven't needed any help. Not sure if that stays true, but so far, as long as I pay attention to my inventory and combat, it doesn't seem too complicated. Seems to share a lot in common with Demon's Souls. Overwhelming at first, but you get used to it. Neither game requires a guide. Just pay attention to what you're doing and pay attention to your weapon stats.GatorBait said:
It's only complicated on the surface because the game does a real shit job of organizing vital information to the player. It buries so many helpful elements under menus and in a very inelegant manner. Analyze for instance...why isn't the key information displayed in the attack cone targeting screen instead of hidden in the menu once successfully cast?
I've nearing the end of my fresh play(25+ hrs) still -only- using my three weapons and against any given enemy I can pull off extremely damaging hits, regardless of class, affinity, and type without ever grinding.
Basically my loadout is(all 1-handed):
-Edged sword(mostly against humans or one-off creatures/bosses weak to edge)
-A basic Iron rapier(Obviously for Piercing, but mostly useful for dragons, phantoms)
-Blunt Mace(Upgraded from the starter axe with a single combination to make it blunt. The second half of the game is full of blunt weak stuff, and the starter axe probably built up a decent light affinity fighting those bats and wolves, which is often useful against blunt weak enemies I've found.)
You -can- go nuts and have the full complement of 8 available weapon slots dedicated to unique breeds and enemies, but that just is just punishing yourself with limited inventory space and excess menu fiddling, for what amounts to little overall damage benefits. Especially on a first play through.
You really don't need to focus on the class type(human, beast, etc...) that stat has the weakest benefits compared to element and blade type(shame that the interface always shows Class page first on equipment status, making it seem most vital...but it isn't). Sure a 75 Undead stat will do decent damage to undead, but that same enemy might be weak to air, and a quick air-gem slotting and an air-buff spell to your weapon will do SO much more at 75 than the 'Undead 75' will. Bottom-line, the class bonuses pale in comparison to element damage, which is far more malleable to adjust on the fly with gems and spells(instead of grinding unique weapons). Which is why you only need the three basic weapons(preferably 1-handers to keep the shield for huge defense help).
I've nearing the end of my fresh play(25+ hrs) still -only- using my three weapons and against any given enemy I can pull off extremely damaging hits, regardless of class, affinity, and type without ever grinding.
Basically my loadout is(all 1-handed):
-Edged sword(mostly against humans or one-off creatures/bosses weak to edge)
-A basic Iron rapier(Obviously for Piercing, but mostly useful for dragons, phantoms)
-Blunt Mace(Upgraded from the starter axe with a single combination to make it blunt. The second half of the game is full of blunt weak stuff, and the starter axe probably built up a decent light affinity fighting those bats and wolves, which is often useful against blunt weak enemies I've found.)
You -can- go nuts and have the full complement of 8 available weapon slots dedicated to unique breeds and enemies, but that just is just punishing yourself with limited inventory space and excess menu fiddling, for what amounts to little overall damage benefits. Especially on a first play through.
You really don't need to focus on the class type(human, beast, etc...) that stat has the weakest benefits compared to element and blade type(shame that the interface always shows Class page first on equipment status, making it seem most vital...but it isn't). Sure a 75 Undead stat will do decent damage to undead, but that same enemy might be weak to air, and a quick air-gem slotting and an air-buff spell to your weapon will do SO much more at 75 than the 'Undead 75' will. Bottom-line, the class bonuses pale in comparison to element damage, which is far more malleable to adjust on the fly with gems and spells(instead of grinding unique weapons). Which is why you only need the three basic weapons(preferably 1-handers to keep the shield for huge defense help).
robotzombie
Member
MoogPaul said:
This is what happened to me at one point. I was doing fine and then I got into a battle that takes place in sort of an outside city type area against (i think) 3 humans. The main boss one I couldn't damage for the life of me, no matter what weapon I used
charlequin
Banned
Fimbulvetr said:
Who isn't!
robotzombie said:
Using three weapons of the three types is a lot more efficient than trying to juggle an inventory of 6+ weapons, certainly.
When I played, I had one weapon of each type, and would pick the two monster classes best-suited to that type and use it whenever I fought that type as long as it was doing even moderately non-terrible damage (supplementing with element gems/buffs as necessary.) You can get your class affinities up pretty high this way, and you will do quite a bit more damage than you would ignoring the mechanic completely; you just don't need to.
PepsimanVsJoe said:
Very key; the buffs in VS are excellent and make a huge difference in most fights.
sotodefonk
Member
MoogPaul said:
With foes like that, you can keep doing combos... first attack doesnt do shit, but the next one will make 2 damage, and the next 4, and then 6, etc. (or it was only with +1? dont remember); of course your risk will go to 99, but with each hit your sword will get affinity to humans, and with some humans defeated (some times with the same you are fighting) you will start to make some damage to them. I loved the combos on this game
It's just 1 extra HP each hit, but it's worth noting that chains don't change Class or Affinity, only the first hit does.
As for the human foes (which I assume are Duane, Sarjik and Bejark shortly after defeating the first dragon), they're the ultimate test to see if the player is doing well. Only two of them attack you at first, and if you remain there Duane won't likely move for the time being, so use Prostasia, Degenerate, the Edged Sword and Braveheart for the two minions, then go after the last one but DON'T CHAIN. He has way too much evasion for it to be worth the increased risk.
As for the human foes (which I assume are Duane, Sarjik and Bejark shortly after defeating the first dragon), they're the ultimate test to see if the player is doing well. Only two of them attack you at first, and if you remain there Duane won't likely move for the time being, so use Prostasia, Degenerate, the Edged Sword and Braveheart for the two minions, then go after the last one but DON'T CHAIN. He has way too much evasion for it to be worth the increased risk.
sotodefonk
Member
Peff said:
Umm well, I tought the chains worked for affinity... when I played this game , I defeated several foes with only chains, and by the end of the battle I started to do more damage to them. OR maybe Im just mixing memories...
robotzombie
Member
Okay, so I just got to the first workshop, any good combination suggestions for this early?
Should I start combining my weapons and armors right away?
And should I always repair all my equipment?
Gems can be attached and detached at will, correct?
And lastly, as a non workshop question, should I always use my stat increasing items as soon as I get them? Is there randomness to them, where I should save first to maximize the increase?
Should I start combining my weapons and armors right away?
And should I always repair all my equipment?
Gems can be attached and detached at will, correct?
And lastly, as a non workshop question, should I always use my stat increasing items as soon as I get them? Is there randomness to them, where I should save first to maximize the increase?
PepsimanVsJoe
Member
Stat raising items can go up to +4 but usually it's not worth the reloading time to get that. +3 is perfectly fine however and I definitely recommend going for that. The only other permanent way to raise stats is through beating bosses and you could end up with crap upgrades like +1 HP.
You're liable to stumble upon some wines, those boost stats as well.
Gems can be configured at any time. Obviously you want to hang on to quite a few gems so you can swap out for the perfect setup with any boss.
Always combine equipment if the result turns out to be a better weapon/armor. However if you get a piece of equipment that's way beyond anything you can currently forge then consider using the better piece instead of attempting to forge it for bonuses. The added STR/INT adds far more to the capability of a weapon than the bonuses.
EDIT: Oh and the guide that neoism has been quoting is one of my favorites.
EDIT x2: Oh oh and I threw together a review for whatever reason.
EDIT x3: Magic Ward is way useful.
You're liable to stumble upon some wines, those boost stats as well.
Gems can be configured at any time. Obviously you want to hang on to quite a few gems so you can swap out for the perfect setup with any boss.
Always combine equipment if the result turns out to be a better weapon/armor. However if you get a piece of equipment that's way beyond anything you can currently forge then consider using the better piece instead of attempting to forge it for bonuses. The added STR/INT adds far more to the capability of a weapon than the bonuses.
EDIT: Oh and the guide that neoism has been quoting is one of my favorites.
EDIT x2: Oh oh and I threw together a review for whatever reason.
EDIT x3: Magic Ward is way useful.
Just finished the game.
All told, I found the latter 1/3rd of the game a real letdown. The world becomes real confusing to navigate, often trying to pinpoint your next objective a messy setback. The first part of the game was very smooth at handling progression, giving a nice linear path with the occasional optional room or two for loot. All of that really falls apart as you edge towards the end-game, collecting strange keys that are difficult to discern where to teleport around the world in order to use them; gives the impression that the world/map design wasn't as well thought out as initially conceived.
Then there are the block puzzles(Oh GOD those block puzzles!) well they really become a nuisance to deal with and are practically brick wall moments. I turned to a faq after the first couple, because they get DEVILISH in the final hours of the game. Why the fuck were they even included? Just awful.
Final dungeon also put forth a needless amount of platforming, which again, just doesn't play to the strengths of the game. The dreaded final boss did take me a few tries to figure out, there was a real opportunity here for something that twisted the core game systems on end, rushing to exploit changing weaknesses and weapon use...but no, instead it's a big dumb fight with invisible information that you either cheese through, or survive by attrition. The core weapon and stat systems fall completely apart in the second half of this fight, and are essentially turned off. (I even purposefully leveled Evil to 100 just outside the dungeon on a dummy to see if it made any discerning difference on the chain combos...it didn't...so I cheesed him with Break attacks. It felt dumb, but it's a dumb boss). It tosses away the core mechanics, and everything you worked towards learning for the entirety of the game.
Shame, because I adored the first 2/3rds of the game, but the final section pretty much turned me off from doing a New Game+ run now.
All told, I found the latter 1/3rd of the game a real letdown. The world becomes real confusing to navigate, often trying to pinpoint your next objective a messy setback. The first part of the game was very smooth at handling progression, giving a nice linear path with the occasional optional room or two for loot. All of that really falls apart as you edge towards the end-game, collecting strange keys that are difficult to discern where to teleport around the world in order to use them; gives the impression that the world/map design wasn't as well thought out as initially conceived.
Then there are the block puzzles(Oh GOD those block puzzles!) well they really become a nuisance to deal with and are practically brick wall moments. I turned to a faq after the first couple, because they get DEVILISH in the final hours of the game. Why the fuck were they even included? Just awful.
Final dungeon also put forth a needless amount of platforming, which again, just doesn't play to the strengths of the game. The dreaded final boss did take me a few tries to figure out, there was a real opportunity here for something that twisted the core game systems on end, rushing to exploit changing weaknesses and weapon use...but no, instead it's a big dumb fight with invisible information that you either cheese through, or survive by attrition. The core weapon and stat systems fall completely apart in the second half of this fight, and are essentially turned off. (I even purposefully leveled Evil to 100 just outside the dungeon on a dummy to see if it made any discerning difference on the chain combos...it didn't...so I cheesed him with Break attacks. It felt dumb, but it's a dumb boss). It tosses away the core mechanics, and everything you worked towards learning for the entirety of the game.
Shame, because I adored the first 2/3rds of the game, but the final section pretty much turned me off from doing a New Game+ run now.
robotzombie said:
First workshop...not much you can really do there. Unless you are throwing constant chains of 'Temper' out during chain combos to keep your weapons repaired, then always repair in workshops. The only drawback to repairing is losing the PP points you accumulate on your weapons from killing stuff(which give damage and other undocumented bonuses), but PP is easilly re-earned after a few kills, so you never need to even think about it. Repair always.
Feel perfectly free to experiment mixing any armor stuff you have. Leather and Wood are so worthless that it will end up clogging up your storage box anyway. You will earn much better armor soon anyway, so you can't really mess up with combining armor here. I'd avoid doing anything to your weapons until the second workshop though(when you can mix Bronze/Iron for Hagane). But wood/leather stuff you probably have at this point? Go nuts with!
robotzombie
Member
Thanks for all the tips.
As for gems, you can't just unequip them once you put them onto something? Can you get it back by disassembling the weapon?
As for gems, you can't just unequip them once you put them onto something? Can you get it back by disassembling the weapon?
robotzombie said:
You can always unequip gems from anything. Just go to items->setup->attach gems->and switch them up as needed, even in the middle of fights. You will end up doing this often, especially in boss fights once you figure out their weaknesses. Nothing gem related is ever lost or permanently infused.
Keep in mind that the slots for attaching gems are related purely to the hilt equipped on your weapon. You discover new hilts from chests, or rewards from enemies/bosses(often already attached to new weapons you get). Later in the game you will find some hilts that have 2-3 gem slots. Always good to disassemble your main weapons in workshops and attach better hilts for those new slots. Hilts also are the primary way to raise your blade type stat(Edge/Blunt/Pierce), When attaching your blade, make sure the hilt will give a decent bump to the type of blade you are attaching(ie. give your edge sword a hilt that has the highest Edge stat..with a gem slot or two obviously)
Shields are a bit different. The better the shield, the more gem slots it will have generally.
Use this site as a reference http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_Vagrant_Story_EnemiesMoogPaul said:
Buff yourself with the affinities enemy is weak to and use Herakles to increase strength. Also necklace help increase the Type properties of weapon, just look at the stats.
robotzombie
Member
Edit: Nevermind all this
Callibretto
Member
how do we increase physical and elemental affinity? I know some spells and gem that modify elemntal affinity like air or earth, but what about the physical trait?
robotzombie
Member
Wow! Okay, so the last time I tried this game (years ago) I remember getting to Father Duane and literally only being able to do 0 damage no matter what I tried. I just got to him again now, and I was doing 50hp a hit. I love this game with all my heart.
Now for a question: I have a Hagane Sword and Club, and I just got an Iron rapier from the Duane battle. I was wondering what I gotta do to mix with that Iron rapier to get a better one handed pierce weapon?
Now for a question: I have a Hagane Sword and Club, and I just got an Iron rapier from the Duane battle. I was wondering what I gotta do to mix with that Iron rapier to get a better one handed pierce weapon?
robotzombie said:
As far as I am aware, that Iron rapier is all you get for 1-hand pierce. (I used it for the rest of the entire game as my 1-hand Pierce). I tried endless combinations to combine for a better rapier, but I don't think it's possible.
Not a big deal though, that Iron rapier will perform perfectly enough on its own through the end of the game(keep a dragonite gem on it for lizardmen, maybe an undead one on occasion). I managed to make increasingly better 1-hander swords and Blunt maces though.
Callibretto said:
There are 'physical' gems out there too. Mostly you'll also just naturally upgrade that stat without thinking about it.
I just started this game, I know there's a lot of stats, combos, spells, and stuff, but before I get all those, are you just supposed mash the attack button as fast as possible? How do you know when you're able to attack again? Is this governed by any stats? Seems kind of silly since I'm mashing the buttons and kill the enemy before they can attack me once.
Totakeke said:
In the beginning, yep. Just mash out all you can. Eventually you'll start to understand how 'Risk' works, which in a sense penalizes you for being mash happy. You'll also get the ability to chain attacks soon enough.
But in the early goings, just kill shit with reckless abandon.
Replaying this game, boy does it hold up well. Better than a lot of next gen RPGs, by a mile. I think the real meat of this game is how complex it is, it doesn't pander to the player by automating or streamlining everything, or keeping the difficulty low, you have to put work and thought into making Ashley a killing machine.
Also, anyone else get the impression that
It went over my head when I first played it as a wee teen, now I'm getting a vibe from them. That whole conversation on how good a "friends" they are... Mm hmm.
Also, anyone else get the impression that
Sydney and Hardin are lovers?
ItWasMeantToBe19
Banned
The directing in this game is just superb. Matsuno is amazing.
Wolf Akela
Member
I love the hidden intro so much:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47ir7Ei6aDY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47ir7Ei6aDY
Minsc
Gold Member
Got my imported copy of Tactics Ogre, but have no use for the code (Euro PSN only I think), already bought Vagrant Story on PSN besides. I'd just as well straight post it, but I'd rather a member get it than some random guest browsing, if anyone even wants it! No need to quote/reply further, just a PM and it's yours. I'll update this post if anyone takes it to avoid confusion / additional thread de-railing.
That said, this game is going to go on my short list for 2011, looking forward to playing it in the coming months once TO is out of the way.
Edit: Code taken!
That said, this game is going to go on my short list for 2011, looking forward to playing it in the coming months once TO is out of the way.
Edit: Code taken!
badcrumble
Member
There should be a doorway in the courtyard where that fight takes place.Alucrid said:
Wolf Akela said:
Amen, brother. I was in Japan july 1997. Brave Fencer Musashiden came out a couple of days before I left and came with it a playable demo of Final Fantasy VIII. Within a day or two second-hand copies showed up. I kinda bought BFM there for that demo - same reason others already had dumped it I guess - but ended up having a lot of fun with BFM too! But there was also a trailer for Vagrant Story, pretty much this intro I think. I used to think that ending with Ashley looking over his shoulder and the gate falling down was pretty much the epitome of epic. Still do, actually. I'd love to see a HD remake of Vagrant Story for PS3, but I guess VS is too niche and SE too lazy with it's ports...
badcrumble
Member
Any remake of Vagrant Story that does a better job of teaching new players how equipment works (I adore VS, but really, you DO need to read up elsewhere to understand the game, and that shouldn't be the case) and adds a quick weapon swap button would be an extraordinarily welcome thing. It's still a phenomenally well-paced dungeon crawler and holds up extraordinarily well in that sense, so yeah, it'd be great to see it remade. More likely on a handheld than on a console, though, I think.Rei_Toei said:
Acquiescence
Member
Wow, Vagrant Story...that brings back memories. I do recall it having one of the finest video game soundtracks to bless these ears. I was fond of pretty much everything apart from the combat really.
badcrumble
Member
I'm pretty sure that hallway is the way you came in, not the way you're supposed to exit.Alucrid said:
Urban Scholar
Member
Playing through new game +, so when do I get the rod inverse? This is what opens up the iron maiden right? Love rock references.
VisanidethDM
Banned
Brandon F said:
You have no soul, and I will make destroying you my new goal in life.
Not really, I agree on some of the things you noted, but I'd be more oriented to say that the 1/4 and 2/4 part of the game were brilliant, the 3/4 has some weaknesses, and the final act was brilliant again). Plus, the best ending in videogame history.
Wolf Akela
Member
Remember the ending?Urban Scholar said:
You already have it.
Just wanted to drop in and thank Minsc for the code. When the store's back up I'm going to put this on my PSP and get back into Lea Monde. Thanks dude!
Time to go hunt for my old guide at my parent's attic, I'm not sure if I'm still hardcore enough to tackle VS solo 
Months old bump, but I got a $20 PSN as an early birthday gift, so I bought Vagrant Story this weekend and have been going through it.
The cutscenes are pretty amazing, way more detailed than Metal Gear Solid which was already the epitome of cutscene interaction for the PSX for me.
That said, I've been getting my ass kicked by most of the bosses outside of the tutorial area as I've been going. The whole "you only need three types!" is bullshit. I'm in the Abandoned Mine B1 area, and just fought
withed an Blunt Goblin Mace and doing 5-10 a pop. No gems for the hilt, so I put the race type in the shield and took 30-40 minutes wacking away at 300-400HP doing 1-5 a pop IF I HIT. 65% chance with no risk and as risk increased (going to 60 unless I abused the RISK -25% roots) I kept having MISS MISS MISS MISS MISS MISS even as I attempted to chain.
So that whole "you only need the three types and not classes!" is a bit bullshit, IMO.
I'm still enjoying the game, but the whole weapon system is too convoluted for it's own good and punishes you for trying to make decent weapons with no good hilts. :|
The cutscenes are pretty amazing, way more detailed than Metal Gear Solid which was already the epitome of cutscene interaction for the PSX for me.
That said, I've been getting my ass kicked by most of the bosses outside of the tutorial area as I've been going. The whole "you only need three types!" is bullshit. I'm in the Abandoned Mine B1 area, and just fought
Sydney's dragon round 2
So that whole "you only need the three types and not classes!" is a bit bullshit, IMO.
I'm still enjoying the game, but the whole weapon system is too convoluted for it's own good and punishes you for trying to make decent weapons with no good hilts. :|
Wolf Akela
Member
Blunt against a dragon? That's like the worst type for dragons. Pierce works best against them. There's kind of an idealogy in the game when it comes to types. Like, you need to pierce through thick dragon hide, or break skeleton bones to pieces with blunt, etc
Use your buff/debuff spells. Using the proper weapon affinity spell pretty much boost your damage by 50.
For the record, on my recent playthrough I didn't even bother with hilts. I went mostly with just Class and some Affinity.
Use your buff/debuff spells. Using the proper weapon affinity spell pretty much boost your damage by 50.
For the record, on my recent playthrough I didn't even bother with hilts. I went mostly with just Class and some Affinity.
Dreamer RD
Member
The plot, characters, graphics and music are awesome. Gameplay is kinda boring though. All these dungeon exploring, keys etc. Main reason why I finished game only 2 times without sidequests.
Also, what about sequel? There was some rumor about it in 2007. Havent heard any since then.
Also, what about sequel? There was some rumor about it in 2007. Havent heard any since then.
This is one of my favourite games ever. PlayStation had some really great games.
Though, when I first played Vagrant Story I fucking hated it. I remember being stuck because all of my weapons did 0-1 points damage. But when I restarted it and learned how to make good weapons it was so good. The first and only time I have had to restart a game from the beginning.
Though, when I first played Vagrant Story I fucking hated it. I remember being stuck because all of my weapons did 0-1 points damage. But when I restarted it and learned how to make good weapons it was so good. The first and only time I have had to restart a game from the beginning.
yep, same thing happened to me, only i didn't start over. i traded it in and got legend of mana lolRZI said:
which is one of my favorite games, so i'm not unhappy about it. but i've been meaning to play it again for YEARS, and still haven't gotten to it yet.
i always chalked it up to me being young and too stupid to realize the game was great haha. i guess i was like 15 at the time?
Lady Bird
Matsuno's Goebbels
The treasure chests in this game are so rewarding (plus several bosses loot) that it makes any dungeon worth exploring, even if it seems boring at first.
BTW, focusing on attirbutes is better than on creature types. That's because:
1) Hitting the elemental weakness of an enemy causes more damage than its creature type;
2) It's easier to change your elemental attirbutes with gems AND accessories. For creatures, you have to grind by using a type of weapon versus a type of creature;
BTW, focusing on attirbutes is better than on creature types. That's because:
1) Hitting the elemental weakness of an enemy causes more damage than its creature type;
2) It's easier to change your elemental attirbutes with gems AND accessories. For creatures, you have to grind by using a type of weapon versus a type of creature;
Wolf Akela said:
GameFAQs said:
Hence, me hoofing it back to the second workshop (BTW, bad design there when I have to backtrack to get weapons for a bossfight) creating a blunt object because getting around the boss to get to the weak part was suicide.
And frankly, I haven't seen a training dummy since the wine cellar.
SatelliteOfLove
Member
TheSeks said:
It is not bad design, it is pro-active. Pay attention, experiment, overcome, succeed.
"Around" is the wrong preposition for VS's dragon fights. Under is the correct one.
Also, the added factors to combat provide extra opportunities to gain advantage on one's enemies, the truest and only reason to add complexity to a combat system.