Final Fantasy XIII

[ShadowKatt]

I can't believe I'm doing this, but for some reason I can't seem to let this crap salad of a game go. maybe it's just because it's a Final Fantasy...

Anyway, I picked up FF XIII a long time ago. Like, a couple weeks after it came out, and needless to say I haven't beaten it yet. The combat in this game has been a nightmare, what with two party members being completely uncontrollable and the game ending if just ONE of them(Yours, obviously) is KOed. I got hung up for about a month on Cid and his damn crystal-transformed character-spike one-combo-kill that ended every fight predictably roughly one move after his transformation. Through a stroke of sheer luck I managed to beat him, got a bit further and met Bahamut, who proceeded to party wipe me in the opening move every single time.

I've read the threads on the escapist, I've read the reviews online, I've seen people talking back and forth about how patheticly easy this game is. I'm having a hard time on the lesser bosses of this game, so either the rest of the internet is full of shit(like we didn't know that already) or I'm doing something way, WAY wrong.

So, help me? If anyone has any advice, I could use it. If you need information on my party, just tell me what you need and I'll grab it, otherwise I'd have to go through and copy down the whole status screen and that's a LOT of time typing.

 

[LesStewart]

Use COM characters to hold the chain bonus and RAV characters to build that same chain. You won't be able to make fully customisable groups until 20h into the game, so just stick to the default modes of the characters until then.

I honestly enjoyed the game when I was playing, but when I finally hit 100% and started playing AssCreed2, I couldn't believe how slow and methodical FFXIII was.

It isn't a fantastic game, but it's worth your while if you get hold of the mechanics.

Good luck.

 

[Harla]

My guess is that you're either heavily underdeveloped, or else you're not utilising your paridigms effectively.

First off, you're right: the combat system is brutally idiotic: removal of two thirds of your ability to contorl your party, along with ludicrously stupid "loss" conditions (party leader system) render it just plain stupid. I hated, and still hate this about the game, it's pointless, and as someone who dearly likes to control all ofthe actions of all of my characters, all the time, this was highly offensive to my own sensibilities.

That said, the game is quite easy, and in fact I'm currently doing a playthough jsut to prove a point: it's a two-button play through, where I do nothing beyond tap auto and switch paridigms from whatever ones it provides me with automatically. So far, offensively smooth sailing, and I'm one chapter from the end.

Sounds like what you're missing is the use of sentinels, since you're talking about two specific things which you really want a sentil out for if your part is underdeveloped or not particularly strong. In the first eight or nine chapters of the game, there's really no need toe ver use sentinels at all, so it's understandable that you've not been, but from the Fifth Ark onwards, you'll find boss fights where things will go muhc more smoothly if you pull out a sentinel for certain things.

In particular, having one endure through Bahamut's offensive phase, while getting heals, is pretty much essential in his edolon fight if you're on a first play, base level attempt with a not particularly developed team. Same with rains; if you've got a sentinel catching his offensive shift set, then you'll breeze through.

The other thing is buffs and debuffs: they make more of a difference in this FF game than in most previous ones, most notbaly in allowing you to rip through an opponent faster thant hey can kill you. Raines in particular is a good example here, beuase if you make sure you keep your party buffed with a Synergist, and you constnatly remove his buffs, and debuff him further with your Saboteur, he'll pack disgustingly less punch than if you don't.

Setting up your own rapid-response paradigms is very handy as well; you won't have access to a lot yet, since you likely won't have people developed in their non-core lines, however, you should be able to make combat clinic (Med/Med/Sen) for emergency response heals, or for pre-emptive preparation prior to a big hit, and paradigms to top up and refresh your buffs safely, and to reapply debuffs safely, are also good.

Beyond that, switching paridigms is good; don't do it needlessly, but don't hesitate either. Be prepared to jumpa round fast and furiously to respond to exactly what you need at any given moment, if s fight is giving you trouble, rahter than trying to sit in one until you absolutely must change.

You can also "steal" full command bars this way, and you might have noticed it already. About every eight seconds or so, if you switch paridigm, your comand bar will come up already compleately full and ready to use: abuse this if you're struggling. Keep two offensive paridigms, for example, and switch between them after every other attack command, to steal a free aditional set of actions for every one that you wait to charge. It's also useful for emergency heal switches, and intermittant buffing: you steal into your healing/buffing paridigm, go nuts with the magically full bars for a second or two, then immedieately jump back to your other tasks, without having to wait around in a non-offensive paridigm letting your chain slip away.

Later on you'll be able to really take advantage of this, and other synergy bonuses (by which I mean shared passive bonuses from character's roles), by having pure paridigms: There are some fights where I use Tortoise, Salvation, Rapid Growth, Infiltration, Cerberus and Tri-disaster, Simply so I can respond to exactly what I need every moent, with the most effectiveness available. (Long Gui casting Ultima? Jump to Tortoise for the one second that it actually hits, take virtually no damge, then jump out again back to what I was doing) the reason for that is because of shared role synergy: each role gives out a apssive bonus applicable to itself tot he others inthe party: commandoes will receive a self buff to their raw damage output, but htey'll also pass a lesser boost tot heir team members... thus three commandos together will do far, far more damage than three individual commandos apart would: the smy goes for medics, wiht improved healing (Salvation) and Sabs, with better success rates(Infiltration).


Overall, FFXIII is a dark stain on the Final Fantasy series; it barely feels like half a game, and done half-heartedly at that, becuase they were too itnerested in making it prety. I was able to enjoy it as a game for what it was, and did my best to put all the bad points and deal-breakers out of my mind.