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Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age [Switch + XB1] |OT| Guess Who's Basch?
- Thread starter Dancrane212
- Start date
It's not. But the story needs to fit that beat. The game spends way too much (cutscene) time showing the tribulations of characters the party barely know about, if at all.
It's like "heh, looks like they're having fun in Archades, too bad for them I'm busy hunting marks and exploring tombs to unlock new espers, have fun with your politics !"
No seriously, the game spends a ton of time showing us what's happening in faraway lands (probably because the actual story of the party is pretty simple and doesn't need a ton of cutscenes to be told), detailing a ton of events the party will never know about, as when all of this will reconnect by the end of the game, only a few key events will be relevant to the party's adventure.
It just creates a huge disconnect between what is shown and what is played. It's a more elaborate form of ludonarrative dissonance, if you will.
Edit: Of course, the lack of subtlety of it all doesn't help. Characters in particular are awfully mono-dimensional and barely show any development during the course of the story. Plus it's super-duper-predictable.
That's something that really stood out when returning to TZA after the structurally similar Xenoblades - of course, they don't need to tell their stories the same exact way; and one was originally a PS2 title; but all the same, running through those maps and dungeons between story points and hunts feels a lot more empty without things like heart-to-hearts / skits, even the repetitive battle dialogue helps reinforce the characters' personalities, especially with things like the character-dependent victory line interactions.
Adding more voiced dialogue would definitely have been beyond the scope of either IZJS (especially, considering its tiny staff) or TZA, but it is a shame that it wasn't possible to add a couple more text-only interactions. At least there's all the NPC dialogue; but the lack of party interaction systems is one area where it feels like the game shows its age a bit.
Never played this, but I'm really tempted to pick it up... at full price I just might have to wait though. I'm really feeling the itch for an RPG with a well written story and a world I can get lost in. I'm perpetually disatisfied with the stories in most games lately, and I don't mind politics, so hopefully this will fare better when I get around to it.
I thought I would feel the same, but since picking it up, all I've felt is that it was worth the expensive price tag.
So I'm 20 hours in (in a wood that rhymes with felika), and I really need to focus on jobs, gambits and all that, because my attack/cure strategy is boring, and doesn't always work, and leads to a lack of MP. I'm satisfied with how I allotted points to four characters, but the other two I have no idea what I am doing with them, and want to redo them I think.
I feel like I should be really powerful, but then when I tried to beat this level 3 hunt (which I assume is low?) in the Westersand, I can slowly take off about half of its HP, but all my MP from my two healers gets drained, and that is that.
There are also so many weapon classes that I'm not using. Crossbows, spears, maces, etc. Fran with a bow is always great, and if I used Balthier, that would be cool with a gun (although they all have low attack power?)
I think this is where I just tried to run away and power through on my initial PS2 run, which led to me giving up eventually. I definitely want to beat the game this time. Any small hints for enjoying gambits, and enjoying deciding on classes, I'm all ears!
I feel like I should be really powerful, but then when I tried to beat this level 3 hunt (which I assume is low?) in the Westersand, I can slowly take off about half of its HP, but all my MP from my two healers gets drained, and that is that.
There are also so many weapon classes that I'm not using. Crossbows, spears, maces, etc. Fran with a bow is always great, and if I used Balthier, that would be cool with a gun (although they all have low attack power?)
I think this is where I just tried to run away and power through on my initial PS2 run, which led to me giving up eventually. I definitely want to beat the game this time. Any small hints for enjoying gambits, and enjoying deciding on classes, I'm all ears!
Kensuke on the old forum did a great quick reference with some job combinations to make it all a bit less overwhleming:
I personally hadn't realized how much the meta had changed since TZA came out, and since then people have found really great synergy with certain job combinations: Shikari/Red Mage, Shikari/White Mage, Monk/Foebreaker, White Mage/Foebreaker, Black Mage/Machinist, Red Mage/Machinist, etc.(Bushi/Uhlan, Red Mage/Archer, Knight/Time Mage still are excellent. I personally found my previous Basch Shikari/Foebreaker to be a bit of a dud. Shikari seems to synergize really well with the Mage jobs.)
Really, though, you can't go too wrong, and being able to change classes with the Switch/XB1 versions helps a lot. I ended up having a bit of a YOLO moment and made Balthier a Black Mage/Machinist and Basch a White Mage/Foebreaker, and to my surprise, they're both working out great. Having a White Mage that is pretty tanky has been really refreshing.
If you're having MP issues, make sure you have the Charge Technick in your gambits to get MP back when it gets low, and use the augments on the license board that get MP back if you get hurt, deal damage, kill an enemy, etc. It helps to have your healer jobs in combination with a damage dealing job, so they can also get back MP that way, too. (I personally like to have my healers spread out a bit - I have a White Mage/Foebreaker, Knight/Time Mage, Shikari/Red Mage, and Monk/Archer that all have healing capabilities in some form, so not one character has too much of an MP drain, and they are able to get their MP back through various means.)
Some gambits suggestions I've found useful to not drain MP are mages only using Dark/Aero/etc only if there are 3+ enemies, or using the gambits that are specific to a foe's weakeness, eg. fire-weak = fire, etc. I've had trouble with Dispel being used over and over on trash mobs, and using foe HP gambits (eg. foe HP >10000, etc) help a lot.
I've always had trouble with the Steal gambit, and the best luck I've had is Foe HP 100 = steal, followed by lowest HP = attack. (I tend to use Vaan, Balthier, or Fran as my party leaders, so that I can have some control over stealing if needed.)
Hopefully other users can offer more suggestions, too!
That guide is super helpful. I can't remember how I came up with it but mine ended up being this on PC:
Vaan - Monk/TimeMage
Balthier - Shikari/Foebreaker (I control Balthier as befits a leading man)
Fran - RedMage/Archer
Basch - Knight/Bushido
Ashe - WhiteMage/Shikari
Penello - BlackMage/Monk
I've yet to see a compelling reason to use Machinist really at all. Since the damage scales with the ammo and not the character it feels like a waste of possible DPS.
about 35 hours in - constantly feel like i'm behind in terms of leveling even though i've done a fair amount of grinding for xp, lp and loot. heading over to the sun-cryst now and my party is around level 43/44 and i'm getting stomped. all my gear should be okay - it's the best i could get in balfonheim.
Machinist is great. It's consistent damage that isn't affected by the enemy's defense. On top of that they can get some decent support spells, so letting them just sit back and fire shots while keeping buffs up is good.
Also you can get the third (?) best gun in the game around Raithwall's Town if you want to crush the early game.
Also you can get the third (?) best gun in the game around Raithwall's Town if you want to crush the early game.
use buffs on yourself, hunts will deliver great stuff, maybe think about getting some bazaar stuff? 44 should carry you
I beat it! I'm seriously impressed with how mature and well made this game is. It isn't my favorite Final Fantasy, but I do now think it's the best one, if that makes sense. Really great game.
What is this floor 79 in the tower where the enemies won't stop spawning?
No way I can outlast these enemies if there's ever a stopping point I always die around 5 mins
No way I can outlast these enemies if there's ever a stopping point I always die around 5 mins
Penumbra? I got that area under control now and yes they spawn for some time before slowing down their onslaught. There is a magic pot in one of those areas where I had no idea how to defeat it.. It wiped everyone out!
With all the tweaks and the ability to "run", I'm having way more fun than I had at the time.
As much as I'm not a fan of the plot and characters, it really is a good game. As in a game which is fun to play.
I love how there are a ton of areas with hidden passages which loop back on other areas, unlocking even more secret areas!
The great battle system combined with god-tier music, decent visuals even to this day, and all those places to wander into, yummy.
As much as I'm not a fan of the plot and characters, it really is a good game. As in a game which is fun to play.
I love how there are a ton of areas with hidden passages which loop back on other areas, unlocking even more secret areas!
The great battle system combined with god-tier music, decent visuals even to this day, and all those places to wander into, yummy.
Man, Shades of Black is busted. It's kinda insane that you're allowed to cast Ga-level spells and advanced magic for no MP cost, even if it is reliant on luck.
Foe: HP < 90% - Attack
Foe: Lowest HP - Steal
So a fresh enemy will be stolen from, but after one of my other party members attacks it my character will switch to offense until that enemy is dead. If you have Steal set up as an earlier gambit, then what will happen is that your character will just run from enemy to enemy trying to steal from them without attacking, which can lead to problems when dealing with large mobs.
I have my gambits set up like this:
Foe: HP < 90% - Attack
Foe: Lowest HP - Steal
So a fresh enemy will be stolen from, but after one of my other party members attacks it my character will switch to offense until that enemy is dead. If you have Steal set up as an earlier gambit, then what will happen is that your character will just run from enemy to enemy trying to steal from them without attacking, which can lead to problems when dealing with large mobs.
The crazy thing is, it's even more busted here than in the original 2006 game. In vanilla FFXII, Shades of Black has a 7/8 chance to cast a tier-1 (Fire, Water, etc) or tier-2 (-ra) spell, and a 1/8 chance to cast a tier-3 (-ga) spell or greater (Flare, Scathe, etc). In the Zodiac versions, all spells have a completely equal chance [!] to be cast, resulting in extremely powerful spells like Scourge or Flare being tossed around every fourth cast or so.
(To add to the brokenness of it, Shades even works when Silenced. The gambit [Foe: character status = Silence → Shades of Black] is a great option for any Mage who wants to continue the onslaught of spells while another member works on removing the ailment.)
Hope you got the rare steal from him ;)holy.... putting 2 damage dealers on Beserk really bought this Esper down...
prior to this I tried to steal the Genji Glove from Gilgamesh and only managed to steal 2 pieces of armour every time I reloaded that battle I'm fed up with stealing. Maybe on the 2nd play through.
EDIT
I didn't even bother trying to steal from Hell Wyrm either and probably won't when I try to attempt the Yiazmat battle for later.
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yup along with all your gambits and equipment set ups
I'm currently in the Eyrut village area (just did Henne Mine).
For hunts I need to get Giza Plains to not be raining and I also need a sandstorm going on in Dalmasca Westersand. Any ideas when/how I can get these to happen? Do I have to progress the story more?
I already did the windvane thing and fought the earth(?) tyrant
For hunts I need to get Giza Plains to not be raining and I also need a sandstorm going on in Dalmasca Westersand. Any ideas when/how I can get these to happen? Do I have to progress the story more?
I already did the windvane thing and fought the earth(?) tyrant
Hopefully this is reliable :P
The Giza Plains have a unique weather cycle that affects the area's geography. The weather cycles are based on the in-game clock: 1 hour of rain followed by 2 hours of dry. Giza's weather can begin to cycle when the player enters Jahara, but the timer won't start until the player either returns to Giza Plains or enters Eruyt Village. I.e. the player can roam an hour on the Ozmone Plain and it'll remain wet at Giza, but after entering Giza Plains/Eruyt Village, the weather will change at the top of the hour.
whew. Don't really want to face this one again even in the Trial Mode.. Had to change a few job combinations just for this fight.
Gonna have to advise you. Wither and Expose ( I think it was casted 10 x each and you will know when to cast no more as it starts to miss) is a must for this!
Gonna have to advise you. Wither and Expose ( I think it was casted 10 x each and you will know when to cast no more as it starts to miss) is a must for this!
Gratz, that's a big achievement.whew. Don't really want to face this one again even in the Trial Mode.. Had to change a few job combinations just for this fight.
Gonna have to advise you. Wither and Expose ( I think it was casted 10 x each and you will know when to cast no more as it starts to miss) is a must for this!
I think Trial Mode is a cool addition to test your skills even when the main game has nothing more to offer, just to feel like you can use everything you have and all the skills you've learned
whew. Don't really want to face this one again even in the Trial Mode.. Had to change a few job combinations just for this fight.
Gonna have to advise you. Wither and Expose ( I think it was casted 10 x each and you will know when to cast no more as it starts to miss) is a must for this!
This took forever even with 4x speed. Can't imagine how damn look it must've taken in the original.
Yazmat? Never tackled him in vanilla. Seems like a tough cookie.whew. Don't really want to face this one again even in the Trial Mode.. Had to change a few job combinations just for this fight.
Gonna have to advise you. Wither and Expose ( I think it was casted 10 x each and you will know when to cast no more as it starts to miss) is a must for this!
Yeah. I've read about that. I'm not there yet. I'll see if I get there how I fare against the creator :)The most daunting thing about facing that boss is it's hp..
Hardest part about Yiaz in this version is having the correct jobs and finding the right debuff techniques. After that he is fairly easy with the x4 speed. Beat this game so many times 100% I might do it again here soon on Switch.
I've started FFXII like half a dozen times or more over the last decade or so. I'd always drop the game not long after Raithwall's Tomb, but this time I'm in it for the long haul, and I've reached the last few questlines, so now I'm cleaning up hunts and espers.
I noticed early on (for the first time, somehow) that character speak very differently from one another in this game, depending on where they're from. I liked that detail a lot and became able to guess at a character's background based on how they spoke. So when it was revealed that Balthier is an upper-class Archadian and ex-Judge living under an assumed name, it felt legit and almost like I could have realized it a bit sooner had I given it some thought, because he speaks in the same manner that Larsa and other high-status Archadians do.
They did a great job with the localization. I'm always conflicted when the localization team takes so many liberties with the original material (be it condoned by the creators or not), but this time they definitely did a great work.
what level are you at? you can return to Rabanastre and work some hunts for the XP/LP/loot/special Bazaar shop items, or you could track down some of the more useful spells and accessories available to you at this stage in the game (sometimes only available at specific shops, occasionally available early in guaranteed spawn chests strewn around the overworld), or you could hit up a specific spot or two to grind out some levels/LP - I know, I know, but depending on your current level you could power up to Demon Wall-level or beyond in under an hour if you hit up one of the good spots.
you could also run Trials. if you can make it to Trials stage #10, you can steal a Sword of Kings from the stage 10 boss super easily, which is much stronger than anything else you'll have at that point in the game (53 atk iirc?), and which does not require a license to equip so anyone can use it right away. just be aware that you won't find a stronger weapon for several hours, and you can't sell the Sword of Kings. so if that feels like cheating to you, then that's not an option, though, of course, you could just keep it for those early-to-midgame moments when you really need the help - like Demon Walls - and ignore it the rest of the time.
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LOL. While I've made it quite a bit farther past the Tomb, I have restartitis bad with this game as well. Got to the next to last area I believe on the original version near release, then replayed the IZJS version and got about halfway through before restarting, and making it about as far. More recently, I purchased TZA last year for the PS4, got three-fourths of the way through and stopped, constantly meaning to get back to it, and now I'm considering getting it again for PC (60fps looks so much better). Right before doing so, I decided to check the forum, and here's the thread about the Switch version as the top of the page thread. What makes it easier to replay at least on the later versions is the quick mode. That's a huge quality of life improvement that helps backtracking and trash fights a ton.
Had a similar problem with FFIX. Bought it at release, got to disc three and stopped for about a decade.
Thanks, I'll be sure to do that on my next playthrough. Considering it will be my 5th time progressing through the game, I kind of want to speed it up as much as possible, without actually cheating with the license board option.
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This was one of the worst dungeons but it has some great weapons and spells to find and even great levelling spots like...
The Xbox1 version certain gates will shut again if you open another (when you need to get from Aquarius to Taurus and Virgo/Libra gates will lock up) and I wonder if this is also the case with the switch and pc versions. Certainly isn't like that watching the ps4 game.
EDIT
Damnit I just remembered there is a boss in that area I didn't fight, Omega Mark XII
The Xbox1 version certain gates will shut again if you open another (when you need to get from Aquarius to Taurus and Virgo/Libra gates will lock up) and I wonder if this is also the case with the switch and pc versions. Certainly isn't like that watching the ps4 game.
EDIT
Damnit I just remembered there is a boss in that area I didn't fight, Omega Mark XII
The battle system is fun, and exploration is generally both fun AND rewarding, but the combination of samey-looking corridors plus god-tier but ultimately repetitive music is kind of a let down. Nothing new I know I know, but still...
As for the crystal dungeon, I'm pretty sure that's how it's supposed to be. The "bonus" sections use a weird-ass "twin gate" system where each gate comes in, well, pairs, and can only be opened one at a time.
As for the crystal dungeon, I'm pretty sure that's how it's supposed to be. The "bonus" sections use a weird-ass "twin gate" system where each gate comes in, well, pairs, and can only be opened one at a time.
I can confirm I'm really not a big fan of superbosses being so hard that you need to cheese them, one way or another. I know it's a series staple that the "post-game" bosses aren't supposed to be beaten "fairly" but rather by playing the system to break the game, but still, that's one of my least favorite part of this series. As much as it's satisfying to defeat stupidly strong bosses by abusing various tricks, in the end it feels pretty shallow and you're left with the impression than you cheated the game more than you achieved something great.
I'm frozen in ruins before a big city. I couldn't bear the boss, so I decided to go back to civilization, and now I'm just sitting there thinking of proper combinations to use, constantly wondering if I should do a redo of all of it.
Probably thinking too much. I haven't used any buffs all game yet, and that now seems dumb. Lots of bosses also do a lot of status changes on me, and I haven't really thought about how to fight that.
I feel once I overcome this, and finally have the game click, then I'll be able to enjoy it until the end.
I need to set aside a few hours for licenses and gambits!
Probably thinking too much. I haven't used any buffs all game yet, and that now seems dumb. Lots of bosses also do a lot of status changes on me, and I haven't really thought about how to fight that.
I feel once I overcome this, and finally have the game click, then I'll be able to enjoy it until the end.
I need to set aside a few hours for licenses and gambits!
Urfe depends which ruins you are but overall I don't think you have to change any licences for the main game story. You might for those few tricky optional bosses. I definitely struggled with Cuchulainn, Zalera, Zeromus, Zodiac, and Yiazmat but gear and accessories is quite important in this too. Gambits you definitely need to make a few sets as some of these battles forbid the use of magics or even items but these might have fallen into the optional bosses..
*sigh* waiting for a rare hunt to spawn and for the in-game clock to hit between 0 - 10 minutes
*sigh* waiting for a rare hunt to spawn and for the in-game clock to hit between 0 - 10 minutes