The GWJ JRPG Club 2018 - Final Fantasy XII!

I've been playing almost strictly in 2x mode, but 4x is just too much unless the enemies are super low level. It can be hard enough not getting caught on things while moving around in 2x mode! When I'm in a city and try to speed things up I crash into everything

I haven’t even tried 4x mode. I can only imagine it’s a little ridiculous. But maybe it would be good for running through a low level zone later on.

I can't run straight in 4x mode. I am constantly running into things.

Wembley wrote:

I can't run straight in 4x mode. I am constantly running into things.

But on the plus side, you don't run into them for long.

A_Unicycle wrote:

I've been playing almost strictly in 2x mode, but 4x is just too much unless the enemies are super low level. It can be hard enough not getting caught on things while moving around in 2x mode! When I'm in a city and try to speed things up I crash into everything

This has been my expirence too, I'm running 2x nearly all the time, only going to 4x for things like running through old areas to get to hunts. Even then with my constent crashing, missing turns and getting lost it would probably be quicker if I just stuck to 2x

I’m not going to hit Raithwall by Wednesday. Monster Hunter is eating up my PS4 time.

I'm not either, but I am going to try to make up time at some point.

Wembley wrote:

I'm not either, but I am going to try to make up time at some point.

Likewise. I usually fizzle out of MH games after a week or two. Also, February vacation may be a good time to catch up.

sometimesdee wrote:

I’m not going to hit Raithwall by Wednesday. Monster Hunter is eating up my PS4 time.

This is a good reason.

I won't hit it either - I took this as an opportunity to game with my fiancee and having both of us around and willing to play is harder than if it were just me

You’re all banished!

Thanks for checking in. I hope you’ll all get a chance to play more and share your thoughts in the next couple months, but, if not, no worries, of course, especially if it’s because you’re having too much fun with something else.

I'm ahead of schedule, and will likely hit the next milestone by the second week of February, if not a little before that. I will likely take time after that to focus entirely on sidequesting and hunts.

I'm about 2 hours past Raithwall now. I'm loving the game, although either I'm not very quick on the uptake or the game does a terrible job on guiding you with regards to the combat/job options available.

At some point I unlocked the second job, although I didn't realize until I opened up the license board, which I hadn't been using as I was saving points for the second jobs.

I now have an esper which only one character can unlock... but I have no idea what it's going to do, which character to use or weather this makes a difference at all.

I also started unlocking quickening abilities, but again I have no idea what these are, or how they work. I get a warning that I can only unlock 3 per characters, but on the job board it looks like you unlock them in order (all quickening tiles have the same skill until you unlock one of them, then all the remaining ones chance to the next skill), so I'm not sure how I could unlock different ones. I tried using them in battles a few times and got a nice (long) sequence where I could combine the attack with other characters, to eventually produce some unknown super attack. I assume this is intended for bosses, and it probably worth doing all three characters in the party together but it seems like there is a lot of depth here I am missing.

Cronox wrote:

I now have an esper which only one character can unlock... but I have no idea what it's going to do, which character to use or weather this makes a difference at all.

I also started unlocking quickening abilities, but again I have no idea what these are, or how they work... it seems like there is a lot of depth here I am missing.

Not a lot of depth, but it is poorly enough explained that I went online to find a guide explaining the quickenings. It is kind of a "save up super attack," and there's mostly luck involved; but once you've got a few, there are ways to have a better chance of doing more damage. But it's really never more than "quickly push buttons." In the Zodiac Age version, the cost is low enough (and it refills fast enough) that you don't need to just save it for bosses; you don't use it on every mob, but you can use it on tougher mid-range creatures too.

Again, there are better online guides, but... an Esper is a summoning. They are not super powerful, so, who can summon what isn't actually a big deal. What's more of an issue is that most license boards have a few squares locked behind the Esper's square, so, you've got to make a tradeoff about who gets access to a few extra squares. This is only an issue if you want to super optimize, and anyway, you can kind of intuit it if you aren't using a guide.

I'm not gonna lie: I just used a strategy guide for assigning license boards and espers. I didn't find figuring it out myself to be fun. If it makes you feel better, different strategy guides make different suggestions, so it's not like there's one "OMG you have to do it like this" path.

beeporama wrote:

squares locked behind the Esper's square, so, you've got to make a tradeoff about who gets access to a few extra squares. This is only an issue if you want to super optimize, and anyway, you can kind of intuit it if you aren't using a guide.

Thanks For all the details.

I was working on my license boards yesterday (I have been leaving them to build up a decent stockpile of LP then unlocking a bunch of things at once as I find it easier to work out where I should be going that way) and noticed that things are locked behind other squares. I also have a few which are not connected at all which I assume will be connected by upcoming espers.

Oops! I'm a bit behind. Pretty close to the checkpoint, but life got in the way (who am I kidding? Monster Hunter got in the way).

I'll jump back in as soon as I get tired of smacking dinosaurs with big hammers.

I am...still with the final dungeon open!

Cronox wrote:

I was working on my license boards yesterday (I have been leaving them to build up a decent stockpile of LP then unlocking a bunch of things at once as I find it easier to work out where I should be going that way) and noticed that things are locked behind other squares. I also have a few which are not connected at all which I assume will be connected by upcoming espers.

Most of them will, yes. It is also possible to reach them by giving the character a second license board that has at least one of those squares; if they unlock it on one, they unlock it on the other, giving you an "in" to reach those squares.

I don't recall whether I ever needed to do that, though. I got to some squares early that way, but didn't try to tricky circumvent anything. Again, you've got to be into super-optimizing, and I think there was only like one optional boss in the game that I couldn't eventually just steamroll.

I am also super behind the milestone. Just meet Balthier and Fran for the first time. I spent way too much time steal grinding the early mobs which is probably a huge waste of time. Also Monster Hunter came out and ate up my last weekend.

I have a few more hunts to do then I can move on past Rabanastre, so I'm way behind. I just decided on my licenses though and am moving with a Monk (Vaan), Foebreaker (Basch), and Archer (Fran). I also am using Balthier as a Shikari. I'm planning to give each a magic license when available.

I have been crazy busy with work this week and am looking forward to losing steps this weekend to catch up.

I can't tell if I'm too used to Atlus games or if this game really is remarkably easy. I ran through the Tomb of Raithwall and the content just after last night, and other than foolishly taking on the first Demon Wall, I haven't struggled with anything.

ClockworkHouse wrote:

I can't tell if I'm too used to Atlus games or if this game really is remarkably easy. I ran through the Tomb of Raithwall and the content just after last night, and other than foolishly taking on the first Demon Wall, I haven't struggled with anything.

IMAGE(http://www.reactiongifs.com/r/bth.gif)

Has anyone mentioned yet that Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age was released on Steam today, with a cool 20% discount for the first week?

merphle wrote:

Has anyone mentioned yet that Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age was released on Steam today, with a cool 20% discount for the first week?

It was mentioned earlier that it would be coming out but thanks for the reminder that it has arrived!

Okay, been working on this one. I'm almost at the tomb of Raithwall, which is after where I stopped last time (the Bur-Omisace sandsea drove me up the wall when it first came out, and I couldn't do it). I think I'm getting all 6 characters going well in their respective primary jobs, trying to find gear for each of them, and working on the gambits so they're effective.

I'm desperately trying not to look at any walkthroughs and the like (only did for primary jobs, so I didn't have to backtrack to the beginning because I chose poorly), and I'm enjoying what I've done so far. It's been a fun ride.

Double your posting pleasure, double your.... post count.

Cool! Yeah, I’m trying to keep all six going as well. But I’m curious as to whether I’ll keep that going through the rest of the game.

For now, I've largely just focused on the three women. My hope is that this Final Fantasy game won't pull the usual Final Fantasy bullsh*t where they randomly yank away party members you've invariably relied on.

steinkrug wrote:

Cool! Yeah, I’m trying to keep all six going as well. But I’m curious as to whether I’ll keep that going through the rest of the game.

I'm trying hard to keep all 6 at around the same level but my White Mage & Time Battlemage is starting to become an increasingly critical cog as more and more enemies cause brutal negative statuses, and I can't bring myself to use items when I could use spells for free.

merphle wrote:

Has anyone mentioned yet that Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age was released on Steam today, with a cool 20% discount for the first week?

Oh, so it was. Oh no. Well, I guess I'm officially in the "way behind" camp now...