Final Fantasy XIII Catch-All

ARE YOU A FINAL FANTASY? TAKE THIS QUIZ AND FIND OUT!

are u a video game y/n
do u have chocobo y/n
do u have moogle y/n
do u have the black mage mustache guy y/n
do u have irrepressible manifestation of evil y/n
do u have moderately attractive midboss that works for same y/n
do u have questionable star wars references y/n

FINAL SCORE (OVERKILL)
7+ ur sort of a final fantasy but more like a weird anime or something idk
6 ur resplendence as a final fantasy should be a touchstone for generations to come (japan)
5 ur maybe a final fantasy but dont tell people that your secretly a tree
4 ur a pretty good final fantasy even if ur midboss is ur star wars reference
3 ur resplendence as a final fantasy should be a touchstone for generations to come (north america)
2 ur weird but maybe its because you have that song that the charles barkley game used for comedic effect
1 maybe ur a phantasy star instead

ClockworkHouse wrote:
Tanglebones wrote:

VI had the espers, who were turned into crystals as a central element of the story - can't speak to VII/VIII, though.

Materia are crystalized pieces of the lifestream, right? They play heavily into at least the gameplay of VII.

Technically correct is the best kind of correct.

OzymandiasAV wrote:

1 maybe ur a phantasy star instead

This made my morning.

OzymandiasAV wrote:

6 ur resplendence as a final fantasy should be a touchstone for generations to come (japan)

3 ur resplendence as a final fantasy should be a touchstone for generations to come (north america)

This one took me a minute, but I absolutely love it.

OzymandiasAV wrote:

1 maybe ur a phantasy star instead

Phantasy Star has two things from that list.

I am so disappointed in you.

I just wanted Phantasy Star to be the punchline at 1 because the first Phantasy Star is so much better than the first Final Fantasy, that's all.

steinkrug wrote:

Pushed into Chapter 9 a bit.

Spoiler:

It's good to feel like the cast is finally coming together. I've got four of six and heading to rescue the other two. I'm also controlling Lightning again which I think is my preference. I've always liked her design and the way she moves in battle.

I think I hit the end of Ch. 9 last night. Oddly this is the first non-Eidolon boss that's really been a problem. Made three attempts before giving up for the night.

One thing I'm liking is that because progression is gated the way it is it means that I have to really think about how to tackle this boss instead of just grinding my way past it. Ok, I'm going to do a little bit of grinding in the room before the encounter, but there's a hard limit on how much I can do and after that I need to re-evaluate who's going into that fight and my paradigm configurations.

This makes me really happy for some reason.

I agree; I think it's because you can't just overpower the boss and can feel assured that you're not expected to. There's a way to accomplish the goal, you just need to figure it out and so it's more like a a puzzle.

I have a feeling I was almost at the end of chapter 9 as well last time I saved, but I haven't encountered the boss yet.

The weirdest thing happened to me tonight: I fired up FFXIII and began to enjoy myself.

That's crazy because two months ago I fired it up and turned it off after a half hour because I was falling asleep. I still hate the corridors and lack of feeling like I'm in any way exploring a real space, but production values were keeping it interesting.

You get used to the tube eventually. Be like Dory and just keep grindin'.

It's also possible I might have a bad case of Stockholm Syndrome with this game. But damn if the battling isn't fun.

Well, I was about 10 hours in on the save. Think this is my third time trying to play all the way through. One day I will finish it. This time, PS+ saved the day and I could pull down my backed up save. The first couple of times I had to start over and boy oh boy am I tired of watching Hope's mom die. Thankfully, I'm well past that point now.

Only have the one Eidolon right now and I am not looking forward to doing any more of those battles.

It's just weird because I still have all my main complaints about the game, but last night I found myself enjoying it in spite of those issues. Before it was more like I was slogging through just because.

garion333 wrote:

Only have the one Eidolon right now and I am not looking forward to doing any more of those battles.

I... kinda liked those I guess? I mean you don't have to do many of them, but I liked the puzzle nature of them even though it usually just boils down to sticking with a single paradigm and running down the clock.

The puzzle nature is exactly why I don't like it. Too rigid.

I always try to get back into 13 but can never wrap my head around the combat. That early Shiva battle took forever to figure out, even when I decided to use a guide I felt like I barely understood why I was doing what I was.

It is a gorgeous game though especially on PC. I'd be lying if I didn't admit 15 is also making me want to give that game another go.

I picked it up because I own XIII-2 and Lightning Returns but refuse to give them a go until I've finished XIII. I put myself in that position, so I don't have anyone to blame.

garion333 wrote:

I picked it up because I own XIII-2 and Lightning Returns but refuse to give them a go until I've finished XIII. I put myself in that position, so I don't have anyone to blame.

I bought XIII-2 and played it for an hour or so and really enjoyed it. Of course then I resigned myself to beating XIII and I always get to the same point before quitting Hopes home town. One day I hope to see past that. Everytime I come back though I start a new game hoping the combat mechanics will "click". Has yet to happen. It's a horrible loop, what's the definition of insanity again?

Rave wrote:

I always try to get back into 13 but can never wrap my head around the combat. That early Shiva battle took forever to figure out, even when I decided to use a guide I felt like I barely understood why I was doing what I was.

Libra is your friend in these battles. Hitting the eidolon twice with Libra should give you the criteria for success although it'll cost you enough time to complete the fight. If you go that route it's usually a two attempt affair. A guide obviously saves you time but maybe you're missing the context?

Lore wise the fights are basically a test to see if you're worthy of the eidolon or something like that. Which you ultimately prove with a demonstration of understanding/mastery of the paradigm system and the roles. They're also giant clues as to the primary role for each character

Context was probably a huge part lol. I saw the prompt at the time but didn't realize my goal was not to kill the thing and that tripped me up. You saying that it's teaching you the primary roll of the character may help me with building a paradigm now.

I just feel like I have no control over anyone's stats I'm just pumping points into the trees until I can't anymore. Same with items I have no clue what accessories/weapons served me best. I still have no clue what the best way to level a weapon is.

Combat just seems so fast, it feels like I am switching roles every few seconds, and is there a reason not to always be using auto? My ranks in battle vary wildly.

It's not the linearity, characters or story that really scared me off. It's the mechanics, it feels way over my head. Yet that's the part of the game people praise, maybe I'm getting old :p

Sometimes you just have to let it all go. Don't swear micro-managing everything, let auto do the work and focus on macro level things like paradigm switching. This is the most macro-heavy FF game I've played, and it needs to be with how the combat works.

Accessories aren't really all that important. Just slap on the ones that make sense for the character and the roles you've got them configured for, don't worry much about synergy bonuses, and don't worry about crafting.

Edit: I think it's possible to win the eidolon fights by killing them but I think that's a new game+ thing if it exists. They have buckets of HP and you have a time limit. Probably impossible on a first play through.

It's possible to complete the game without worrying about leveling or crafting weapons. I know this, because I never touched those systems. And I love crafting! But XIII's system is somehow both boring and obtuse.

I like leveling the weapons. It makes combat go by faster.

I like the combat system, or what they were trying to do, but repeating the same paradigm patterns over and over again against enemies somehow is more boring that choosing "attack" over and over again in other games. Perhaps it's the lack of a speed up feature. Yes, I want my 15 second fights to be 10 seconds long and I'm complaining about that.

Use a synergist in your default paradigm

Hmm... I will have to go back and try it out I guess. I really feel like I wasn't an active participant in battle just switching paradigms all the time. So when fighting Shiva and being destroyed so many times I figured there was something I was missing. There is a part early in the game where a prompt on screen warns you about difficult enemies and avoiding them. These things died no problem I killed all of them for experience. Flash forward to the next boss and I'm struggling to keep up again.

I guess I'll just stop over thinking the game, am I essentially just watching meters fill and switching paradigms when I need health?

This is how understand combat:

Use Magic to quickly get the stagger meter up, occasionally swapping to physical attacks so it doesn't drop quickly. If I need health switch to the medic.

So the paradigms I use are:
Soldier/Ravager
Ravager/Ravager
Medic/Soldier

Or slight variations but those are the main? And I should always focus on one target to quickly stagger it and kill it?

If that's all there is to it maybe I'll just look up the strategies with bosses I get stuck on. And if leveling and weapon/accessory management doesn't matter I'll stop getting bogged down in the mechanics.

Some of the weapons do some cool things, iirc - like letting you start with a full ATB bar or jacking up the refill rate on hits, etc.

Rave, what chapter are you in? In the beginning of the game you are mostly meant to let the game play itself, really. As you go along it gets more involving, but the first few chapters are the long tutorial part people complain about.

Or slight variations but those are the main? And I should always focus on one target to quickly stagger it and kill it?

No and yes, generally.

Going by your paradigm descriptions it seems like you've only got two party members still? It's going to open up considerably more when you have three people.

When you've got three, and your syn learns haste, that becomes an essential part of your strategy.

Garion I feel like maybe 10hrs in? Maybe less I've fallen asleep while playing so the counter isn't accurate lol. Not sure the chapter but the story bits I kind of remember (it's been months)

Spoiler:

The groups are separated, Vanille and Zas (was that his name) just camped out by a waterfall and spoke about his son.
Hope and Lightning are heading towards Hopes hometown.

NormanTheIntern wrote:

Some of the weapons do some cool things, iirc - like letting you start with a full ATB bar or jacking up the refill rate on hits, etc.

Yeah the weapons are a lot more interesting that the accessories. Generally pick weapons/accessories for their effects instead of stats. But in general it's not worth stressing out over whether or not you've got the "right" gear. Do whatever makes the most sense to you.

Rave wrote:

Garion I feel like maybe 10hrs in? Maybe less I've fallen asleep while playing so the counter isn't accurate lol. Not sure the chapter but the story bits I kind of remember (it's been months)

Spoiler:

The groups are separated, Vanille and Zas (was that his name) just camped out by a waterfall and spoke about his son.
Hope and Lightning are heading towards Hopes hometown.

Sounds like you're where I am right now. Finished up chapter 5 (Hope and Lightning) and into Chapter 6 (Sazh and Vanille).

If you haven't worked a Synergest into your battles, you should. They work wonders at the beginning of battles to de/buff your characters. Then move on to your more standard Commando/Ravager combos.