Final Fantasy XIII Official Thread (56k, Reviews are in!)

Would this game be a good one to start in on, or would I be better served by buying FF7/some other JRPG to start learning how to play these kinds of games?LongZhiZi

It's up to you, really. You can start with one the earlier games, but this one has a pretty lengthy tutorial that should help you fully grasp the gameplay mechanics. There's really no wrong choice.

i -hated- this game for the first 2 hours or so. literally all you do is spam the x button every battle. sure the game is pretty and the music is superb, but the mechanics just seemed so dead. i think they waited a little too long to ramp up the paradigm system, but i also can see how it would be overwhelming. maybe just having 2 sets from the second hour on, something to kill that x mashing that was the intro combat system.

OneWingedAngeI

I felt the same way at first. During those first couple hours, it felt like an on-rails game that played itself. It wasn't exactly a strong start to what is otherwise a great game.

I've played for 20 hours so far and you can literally AFK boss fights. You go into medic, ravanger(or commando), and commando mode with your characters. While they fight the boss, one will heal, the other will attack, then you can go make a sandwich. I literally fought a boss that had two modes where you had to beat him twice with no pause inbetween, and I thought I was going to die anyways, so I just went downstairs, made a pizza, came up, watched as I was still alive, went downstairs, watched TV for abit, came up and the boss was dead. What is wrong with this game?

If you want a good JRPG, play Lost Odyssey or Tales of Vesperia. I personally liked Tales of Vesperia more, it lacks in graphics, but the story is amazing. Lost Odyssey has a good story, though not as good as Tales of Vesperia, but new gen graphics. Dragon age and Mass Effect are also pretty good, but those are westeran RPGs.

Being a big Final Fantasy Fan, I'll keep playing, but this game better get better soon... I just wish Square Enix would care about customer opinions like Bioware or Bethesda.

I've played for 20 hours so far and you can literally AFK boss fights. You go into medic, ravanger(or commando), and commando mode with your characters. While they fight the boss, one will heal, the other will attack, then you can go make a sandwich. I literally fought a boss that had two modes where you had to beat him twice with no pause inbetween, and I thought I was going to die anyways, so I just went downstairs, made a pizza, came up, watched as I was still alive, went downstairs, watched TV for abit, came up and the boss was dead. What is wrong with this game?

Shadaw

This sounds like a lie based on a misinterpretation of how people say that FFXII is similar to FFXIII.

I think the pivotal thing about this game is giving it a chance. It starts off really slow (too slow, really), but it just continues to pick up the pace. I liked it in the beginning, now I'm close to loving it.

One thing I've never understood is why people are complaining about the game being "too linear". FFXIII is no less linear than FFX, as is apparent by just looking at maps of areas from both games. In fact, the game opens up sooner than FFX, at least for my playthrough. I'm in Gran Pulse now, but physics homework keeps me from playing :cry: Why am I even on here?

One thing I've never understood is why people are complaining about the game being "too linear". FFXIII is no less linear than FFX, as is apparent by just looking at maps of areas from both games. In fact, the game opens up sooner than FFX, at least for my playthrough. I'm in Gran Pulse now, but physics homework keeps me from playing :cry: Why am I even on here?

calvinsora

It's because the vast over-worlds of previous titles gave the illusion of freedom to go wherever you want and do whatever you please. Something that Final Fantasy XIII does not do because of the small, straight path that the player is forced to follow. Players have come to expect a lot freedom in role-playing games, so the extremely linear level design of FFXIII felt too limiting by comparison.

And while Final Fantasy X may have been the same, I imagine it avoided being put under the same scrutiny FFXIII was because of the path in FFX was much wider, which gave players the sense that they weren't being guided down a long, narrow path like the one in FFXIII.

i -hated- this game for the first 2 hours or so. literally all you do is spam the x button every battle. sure the game is pretty and the music is superb, but the mechanics just seemed so dead. i think they waited a little too long to ramp up the paradigm system, but i also can see how it would be overwhelming. maybe just having 2 sets from the second hour on, something to kill that x mashing that was the intro combat system.

now that i have all of these paradigms at my disposal however, WOW. Im not sure if i like it better than XII yet, but its refreshing. the one major flaw with combat is the one thing XII really nailed - battle transitions. It is so tired and dated to have the *wooosh* and loading before a battle. it breaks the flow of things, and imagining what the feel would be if they left everything the same, but just locked your characters, pulled up the hud, and went to battle mode (as opposed to the screen changes) really makes me wish they went that way with it.

but back to the game. i am loving the characters (not hope though) and the story. beautiful game with a very mood setting soundtrack. i hear there are no towns, and thats a bummer. hm what else. oh the leveling. im not seeing much in the way of options on how to build, unless you really focus into certain roles... but its hard to know which one you should go with? i only skilled up once so far in over 4 hours just because i have no clue what to do. equipment.. not much here yet as i just hit optimize and balanced.

im sure i have a lot to discover but for a game i would not have recommended to anyone 2 hrs in, 4 hours i have recommended it to a few people and apologized for warning them off. really fun. its keeping me from playing GoW3, its that good.

OneWingedAngeI

OMG... Where have you BEEN...?!

[QUOTE="Shadaw"]

I've played for 20 hours so far and you can literally AFK boss fights. You go into medic, ravanger(or commando), and commando mode with your characters. While they fight the boss, one will heal, the other will attack, then you can go make a sandwich. I literally fought a boss that had two modes where you had to beat him twice with no pause inbetween, and I thought I was going to die anyways, so I just went downstairs, made a pizza, came up, watched as I was still alive, went downstairs, watched TV for abit, came up and the boss was dead. What is wrong with this game?

hakanakumono

This sounds like a lie based on a misinterpretation of how people say that FFXII is similar to FFXIII.

One of the bosses is where Vanille goes wandering off and finds that flying bird boss, at the Gates of Antiquity. She screams and the flying boss breaks through the crystal and comes roaring down. You get Sazh, Light, and Vanille in the fight and it's afk-able.

Oh! It's near the end of chapter 3, I think RIGHT before Snow fights the Shiva sisters.

[QUOTE="hakanakumono"]

[QUOTE="Shadaw"]

I've played for 20 hours so far and you can literally AFK boss fights. You go into medic, ravanger(or commando), and commando mode with your characters. While they fight the boss, one will heal, the other will attack, then you can go make a sandwich. I literally fought a boss that had two modes where you had to beat him twice with no pause inbetween, and I thought I was going to die anyways, so I just went downstairs, made a pizza, came up, watched as I was still alive, went downstairs, watched TV for abit, came up and the boss was dead. What is wrong with this game?

Shadaw

This sounds like a lie based on a misinterpretation of how people say that FFXII is similar to FFXIII.

One of the bosses is where Vanille goes wandering off and finds that flying bird boss, at the Gates of Antiquity. She screams and the flying boss breaks through the crystal and comes roaring down. You get Sazh, Light, and Vanille in the fight and it's afk-able.

Oh! It's near the end of chapter 3, I think RIGHT before Snow fights the Shiva sisters.

How do you AFK anything when your main characters attacks aren't automatic?

[QUOTE="calvinsora"]

One thing I've never understood is why people are complaining about the game being "too linear". FFXIII is no less linear than FFX, as is apparent by just looking at maps of areas from both games. In fact, the game opens up sooner than FFX, at least for my playthrough. I'm in Gran Pulse now, but physics homework keeps me from playing :cry: Why am I even on here?

c_rake

It's because the vast over-worlds of previous titles gave the illusion of freedom to go wherever you want and do whatever you please. Something that Final Fantasy XIII does not do because of the small, straight path that the player is forced to follow. Players have come to expect a lot freedom in role-playing games, so the extremely linear level design of FFXIII felt too limiting by comparison.

And while Final Fantasy X may have been the same, I imagine it avoided being put under the same scrutiny FFXIII was because of the path in FFX was much wider, which gave players the sense that they weren't being guided down a long, narrow path like the one in FFXIII.

Actually, FFXIII's paths are a lot more open and less restricting than FFX's paths. I noticed this after playing FFX directly after FFXIII. There's more freedom to be had with FFXIII, people just don't remember their experiences for what they truly were.

Goddamn... the Bahamut eidolon fight was brutal. It took me five or six tries. I figured out what I had to do the first time he beat me, but actually accomplishing it was a real bastard. Anyway... Chapter 10 is the worst chapter so far in the game. I'm hoping that Chapter 11 makes up for it.

rragnaar

Yeah I just ran into that buzzsaw too. It took me a few tries until I figured out a Paradigm that made him very easy:

[spoiler] Perserverance Sabotuer, Medic, Medic. Just keep hitting him with Slow and your Medics should keep you alive. [/spoiler]

Anyway I'm loving this game. Fantastic CGI cinemas, great creature/boss designs, excellent music, and I really dig the combat system.

I quit playing at chapter 9. Soooo boring. I can't stand not being able to explore, auto-battle, and the awful story.

I sold it and got my money back at least. Now if only someone would buy my copy of Demon's Souls. I've been trying to sell that borefest for a month and no takers.:evil:

[QUOTE="calvinsora"]

One thing I've never understood is why people are complaining about the game being "too linear". FFXIII is no less linear than FFX, as is apparent by just looking at maps of areas from both games. In fact, the game opens up sooner than FFX, at least for my playthrough. I'm in Gran Pulse now, but physics homework keeps me from playing :cry: Why am I even on here?

c_rake

It's because the vast over-worlds of previous titles gave the illusion of freedom to go wherever you want and do whatever you please. Something that Final Fantasy XIII does not do because of the small, straight path that the player is forced to follow. Players have come to expect a lot freedom in role-playing games, so the extremely linear level design of FFXIII felt too limiting by comparison.

And while Final Fantasy X may have been the same, I imagine it avoided being put under the same scrutiny FFXIII was because of the path in FFX was much wider, which gave players the sense that they weren't being guided down a long, narrow path like the one in FFXIII.

That's what I've heard, more or less. But isn't an illusion still an illusion? FFXII was heavily criticized by many fans for its open and unfocused nature, so it was mostly a natural progression to go back to a more linear styIe. FFX did have some wide paths, but by and large, it didn't really hide its linearity. You had literally no choice where to go whatsoever except just forward. I think many are claiming that linearity is a bad thing, but I honestly don't understand that logic. If it's handled well, it's good. Same can be said about an open-world format. I just don't see what people mean with "extreme linearity" when other RPG titles and FF titles have been just as linear. There's less illusion, but I feel it makes more way for what I feel is the most stunning and beautiful worlds of this generation so far.

I quit playing at chapter 9. Soooo boring. I can't stand not being able to explore, auto-battle, and the awful story.

I sold it and got my money back at least. Now if only someone would buy my copy of Demon's Souls. I've been trying to sell that borefest for a month and no takers.:evil:

Rusteater

Do you not like JRPGs?

This is a bit offtopic but is anyone planning on getting FFXIV? I am surprisingly really looking forward to it since FF11 was such a memorable experience for me. It could be great having a bunch of GGD members to play with regularly. F1Lengend

Though I'm not a big fan of the MMO-styIe FFs, I'll most likely be getting it just to see how it turns out. Hopefully, the story will actually be worthwhile.

Actually, FFXIII's paths are a lot more open and less restricting than FFX's paths. I noticed this after playing FFX directly after FFXIII. There's more freedom to be had with FFXIII, people just don't remember their experiences for what they truly were.

hakanakumono

Final Fantasy X also had more open areas than XIII does, so it evens out.

That's what I've heard, more or less. But isn't an illusion still an illusion? FFXII was heavily criticized by many fans for its open and unfocused nature, so it was mostly a natural progression to go back to a more linear styIe. FFX did have some wide paths, but by and large, it didn't really hide its linearity. You had literally no choice where to go whatsoever except just forward. I think many are claiming that linearity is a bad thing, but I honestly don't understand that logic. If it's handled well, it's good. Same can be said about an open-world format. I just don't see what people mean with "extreme linearity" when other RPG titles and FF titles have been just as linear. There's less illusion, but I feel it makes more way for what I feel is the most stunning and beautiful worlds of this generation so far.

calvinsora

People see the linear nature of this game as a problem because people always see RPGs as very open-ened games, and refuse to think of them any other way. It's that perception that fules peoples abhorrence for the linear design of Final Fantasy XIII, despite the fact that just about every game made these days is linear by design. Which is precisely why the linear design of FFXIII doesn't bother me in any way: I'm used to it.

[QUOTE="Rusteater"]

I quit playing at chapter 9. Soooo boring. I can't stand not being able to explore, auto-battle, and the awful story.

I sold it and got my money back at least. Now if only someone would buy my copy of Demon's Souls. I've been trying to sell that borefest for a month and no takers.:evil:

calvinsora

Do you not like JRPGs?

Actually I picked up Resonance of Fate but I'm only in 4 hours - not enough to form an opinion yet. Not too bad thus far.

I used to really enjoy them back during the NES and SNES days (Final Fantasy III!!!)

I first played RPGs on paper(D&D), so I prefer WRPGs. The first computer RPGs I played were on the Apple IIe. Wizardry, Ultima... those games got me hooked.

I keep trying newer JRPGs but I don't think they're as good as they used to be. I don't think I've really enjoyed any JRPGs this gen on consoles. I didn't enjoy very many on the PS2, but there were a few.

This is a bit offtopic but is anyone planning on getting FFXIV? I am surprisingly really looking forward to it since FF11 was such a memorable experience for me. It could be great having a bunch of GGD members to play with regularly. F1Lengend

[QUOTE="Shadaw"]

[QUOTE="hakanakumono"]

This sounds like a lie based on a misinterpretation of how people say that FFXII is similar to FFXIII.

hakanakumono

One of the bosses is where Vanille goes wandering off and finds that flying bird boss, at the Gates of Antiquity. She screams and the flying boss breaks through the crystal and comes roaring down. You get Sazh, Light, and Vanille in the fight and it's afk-able.

Oh! It's near the end of chapter 3, I think RIGHT before Snow fights the Shiva sisters.

How do you AFK anything when your main characters attacks aren't automatic?

Have you even read what I said? Sazh, Light, and Vanille in one team, I'm light, I do nothing the entire fight, Vanille heals and Sazh dps's the entire fight.

It is completely possible, Vanille keeps you healed up the entire fight, Sazh does enough damage to take the boss down in 20ish minutes. Cure keeps the team up for almost every boss for the first couple chapters, so with one DPSer always active, it's possible. The game is starting to get better though, ever since Lightning gets the Epiphany with Hope, but the game is way too easy, it's like for noobs. If you want to try it, go to chapter 3 and fight the boss before the it changes to snow battling the Shiva sisters.

Half the time I press the forward button while I surf the internet and chat on MSN and spam the x button when I hear battle music. I guess there are some fights that need my attention, but the normal mobs are a joke.

[QUOTE="calvinsora"]

[QUOTE="Rusteater"]

I quit playing at chapter 9. Soooo boring. I can't stand not being able to explore, auto-battle, and the awful story.

I sold it and got my money back at least. Now if only someone would buy my copy of Demon's Souls. I've been trying to sell that borefest for a month and no takers.:evil:

Rusteater

Do you not like JRPGs?

Actually I picked up Resonance of Fate but I'm only in 4 hours - not enough to form an opinion yet. Not too bad thus far.

I used to really enjoy them back during the NES and SNES days (Final Fantasy III!!!)

I first played RPGs on paper(D&D), so I prefer WRPGs. The first computer RPGs I played were on the Apple IIe. Wizardry, Ultima... those games got me hooked.

I keep trying newer JRPGs but I don't think they're as good as they used to be. I don't think I've really enjoyed any JRPGs this gen on consoles. I didn't enjoy very many on the PS2, but there were a few.

I see, just wondering :P I guess FFXIII appeals to a more select crowd. I'd try out Persona 4, though, many that don't like normal JRPGs like the Persona series, and 4 is one of the most popular.

I'm back into this game. Finishing up chapter 7 and the story has gotten really good. I so want to game to open up already.dvader654

I'm back into this game. Finishing up chapter 7 and the story has gotten really good. I so want to game to open up already.dvader654

Whoop! Whoop! Just wait Whoop! Whoop! 'til Whoop! Whoop! you Whoop! Whoop! get Whoop! Whoop! to Whoop! Whoop! the Whoop! Whoop! chapter Whoop! Whoop! on the Whoop! Whoop! Airship Whoop! Whoop! and Whoop! Whoop! all Whoop! Whoop! you Whoop! Whoop! hear Whoop! Whoop! is Whoop! Whoop! INCESSANT Whoop! Whoop! alarms Whoop! Whoop! going Whoop! Whoop! off Whoop! Whoop! for Whoop! Whoop! 3 hours Whoop! Whoop! THEN Whoop! Whoop! you'll Whoop! Whoop! REALLY Whoop! Whoop! know Whoop! Whoop! what Whoop! Whoop! it's Whoop! Whoop! like Whoop! Whoop! to Whoop! Whoop! wish Whoop! Whoop! to Whoop! Whoop! be Whoop! Whoop! outside! Whoop! Whoop! Whoop! Whoop!

[QUOTE="dvader654"]I'm back into this game. Finishing up chapter 7 and the story has gotten really good. I so want to game to open up already.Phantom_Leo

Whoop! Whoop! Just wait Whoop! Whoop! 'til Whoop! Whoop! you Whoop! Whoop! get Whoop! Whoop! to Whoop! Whoop! the Whoop! Whoop! chapter Whoop! Whoop! on the Whoop! Whoop! Airship Whoop! Whoop! and Whoop! Whoop! all Whoop! Whoop! you Whoop! Whoop! hear Whoop! Whoop! is Whoop! Whoop! INCESSANT Whoop! Whoop! alarms Whoop! Whoop! going Whoop! Whoop! off Whoop! Whoop! for Whoop! Whoop! 3 hours Whoop! Whoop! THEN Whoop! Whoop! you'll Whoop! Whoop! REALLY Whoop! Whoop! know Whoop! Whoop! what Whoop! Whoop! it's Whoop! Whoop! like Whoop! Whoop! to Whoop! Whoop! wish Whoop! Whoop! to Whoop! Whoop! be Whoop! Whoop! outside! Whoop! Whoop! Whoop! Whoop!

:lol:... yeah... that was an awful design decision. I have a pretty strong aversion to loud noises, and being forced to play through a section like that just grates on my nerves.

What should I be doing with my weapons? There is not enough items to upgrade all of them. Plus once i get a new weapon I feel like I rather just upgrade the one I already started on.dvader654

Just keep upgrading your current ones as much as you can. It'll be a lot easier to do so when you get to chapter 11 -- the point where the game really opens up -- as you'll gain plenty of items you can use to quickly upgrade your weapons in that chapter.

[QUOTE="c_rake"]

[QUOTE="dvader654"]What should I be doing with my weapons? There is not enough items to upgrade all of them. Plus once i get a new weapon I feel like I rather just upgrade the one I already started on.dvader654

Just keep upgrading your current ones as much as you can. It'll be a lot easier to do so when you get to chapter 11 -- the point where the game really opens up -- as you'll gain plenty of items you can use to quickly upgrade your weapons in that chapter.

No problem. Glad to be of service.

I put a good three hours into leveling up tonight, and I'm starting to kill the monsters of Gran Pulse a little easier than I was before. It is all starting to snowball nicely. I'm taking on tougher enemies and getting more CP for it. I'm back to feeling mostly positive about the game.:)

Most of Gran Pulse was intended to be left until the player completes the story and so has the entire Crystarium unlocked (which means running past certain enemies). It can be a bit demoralizing to come across a King Behemoth and have him smash your party into meow mix, but it's intended, because you'll get your revenge on the return visit after Chapter 13. Of course, if one were so inclined to grind their first time out, with decent weapon upgrades, those big kitties can easily be caught in pre-emptive strikes and killed in 30 seconds for a nifty 4000 CP. But the story path has much easier fights for the people who don't want to deal with large cats that wear pants.

The toughest gran pulse enemies, including Marks, don't even become available until after the game. Long Gui's, for example.

For anyone looking to upgrade weapons in Chapter 11, farming Bituitus (mark 7 located in the Paddraean Archaeopolis of Yaschas Massif, accessible by returning to the downed ship and taking the path away from the steppe) is a great place. Not the best CP, but the mark is right next to the cieth stone (and the mark's appearance clears out nearby enemies). Repeated completions of the quest net you 5 bomb cores and the potential for tetradic drops. Tetradic tiaras, when upgraded to full and dismantled will give you the sprint shoes (auto-haste). Additionally, they sell for 40,000 gil each, the crowns for 15k. Altogether, since the battle will get easier and easier, you'll be walking around with maxed tier 2 weapons in no time. Just remember to boost your weapons xp multiplier to 3 with 36 sturdy bones (2,800 gil for 36, iirc,from creature comforts) before applying your bomb cores. Note that you have to do Marks 1, 2 and 3 before Mark 7 opens up.

Great post, I wonder how am I supposed to know to do this. In a game that has streamlined everything why is the weapon upgrade system still so complicated. How would I know that if I dismantle some random I item I get awesome boots. There should be some list you can find in the game that clues you into making the best weapons and such.dvader654

It's something that's always irked me about JRPGs, the way they insist on hiding game mechanics from the player, the understanding of which is essential. It'd be one thing if you could logic it out through experimentation, but you can't. The upgrade system in this game is my biggest issue, largely because of how limited the enemy drops are and how much stuff you need to really upgrade your gear to a decent level. Trial and error just really isn't much of an option here. Just calculating the cost of producing all the available gear in the game so you net that trophy for holding all items, one could easily spend more time grinding for the necessary components and money (since some of the stuff just doesn't drop anywhere...Dark matter, wtf?) than they did finishing the main story. Fighting the high level marks is fun, grinding for money not so much.

And there's no mention of synthesis groups anywhere in this game as far as I know, yet knowing about it is so invaluable. For example, two items equipped from the Gestalt group will give you the Instant chain bonus, causing 1 out of 10 hits/spells to cause an instant stagger. Five items from the Ultimate Physic group will grant you immunity to physical attacks (but that character can't be healed). I guarantee you that people will finish this game without ever gaining so much as an inkling on this feature. So make sure to experiment with equipment combinations, because you never know. Some items you might find yourself equipping just for that bonus, such as the ATB boost bonuses. Some of these bonuses might even help you overcome the penalties of certain weapon tracks or have a synergistic effect with the character's role, turning them into an instrument of death.

A final note on dismantling. You really have to make sure the item you dismantle is maxed out, otherwise you'll get inferior items. Certain ultimate weapon evolutions(they all belong to Fang or Vanille)when maxed and dismantled will earn you back 3 trapezos (the catalyst for making an ultimate in the first place), essentially tripling your invesment and saving you massive amounts of time that you would have spent grinding for them. The piggyback guide actually has a massive list of all the possible dismantlings and upgrades, which I'm sure is floating around the net somewhere for free. I'd be lost without it.

Thanks for those tips Ish! Right now I'm feeling like grinding like crazy on Chapter 11. I'll probably get bored with it, but I've put a good 4 hours into it, and I love seeing my party get stronger. I'm definitely going to have to try that trickery for the weapon upgrades. I'm eager to start making some serious gil.:)

[QUOTE="c_rake"]

[QUOTE="calvinsora"]

One thing I've never understood is why people are complaining about the game being "too linear". FFXIII is no less linear than FFX, as is apparent by just looking at maps of areas from both games. In fact, the game opens up sooner than FFX, at least for my playthrough. I'm in Gran Pulse now, but physics homework keeps me from playing :cry: Why am I even on here?

calvinsora

It's because the vast over-worlds of previous titles gave the illusion of freedom to go wherever you want and do whatever you please. Something that Final Fantasy XIII does not do because of the small, straight path that the player is forced to follow. Players have come to expect a lot freedom in role-playing games, so the extremely linear level design of FFXIII felt too limiting by comparison.

And while Final Fantasy X may have been the same, I imagine it avoided being put under the same scrutiny FFXIII was because of the path in FFX was much wider, which gave players the sense that they weren't being guided down a long, narrow path like the one in FFXIII.

That's what I've heard, more or less. But isn't an illusion still an illusion? FFXII was heavily criticized by many fans for its open and unfocused nature, so it was mostly a natural progression to go back to a more linear styIe. FFX did have some wide paths, but by and large, it didn't really hide its linearity. You had literally no choice where to go whatsoever except just forward. I think many are claiming that linearity is a bad thing, but I honestly don't understand that logic. If it's handled well, it's good. Same can be said about an open-world format. I just don't see what people mean with "extreme linearity" when other RPG titles and FF titles have been just as linear. There's less illusion, but I feel it makes more way for what I feel is the most stunning and beautiful worlds of this generation so far.

I think people will criticize every FF game that will ever come out even though the games are well done and no matter how hard the developer tries some people cannot be satisfied. Thankfully I am not a critical gamer. There are certain styles that I am into and I find joy in most of the games I play without being over critical.

Here is the guide for synthesis

http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/genmessage.php?board=928790&topic=53981295

What category each item is in is hidden from you in game.

dvader654

Sweet. It won't help me much now (I'm on chapter 13), but it should come in handy if I decide to go through all the new game plus content.

[QUOTE="calvinsora"]

[QUOTE="c_rake"]

It's because the vast over-worlds of previous titles gave the illusion of freedom to go wherever you want and do whatever you please. Something that Final Fantasy XIII does not do because of the small, straight path that the player is forced to follow. Players have come to expect a lot freedom in role-playing games, so the extremely linear level design of FFXIII felt too limiting by comparison.

And while Final Fantasy X may have been the same, I imagine it avoided being put under the same scrutiny FFXIII was because of the path in FFX was much wider, which gave players the sense that they weren't being guided down a long, narrow path like the one in FFXIII.

That's what I've heard, more or less. But isn't an illusion still an illusion? FFXII was heavily criticized by many fans for its open and unfocused nature, so it was mostly a natural progression to go back to a more linear styIe. FFX did have some wide paths, but by and large, it didn't really hide its linearity. You had literally no choice where to go whatsoever except just forward. I think many are claiming that linearity is a bad thing, but I honestly don't understand that logic. If it's handled well, it's good. Same can be said about an open-world format. I just don't see what people mean with "extreme linearity" when other RPG titles and FF titles have been just as linear. There's less illusion, but I feel it makes more way for what I feel is the most stunning and beautiful worlds of this generation so far.

I think people will criticize every FF game that will ever come out even though the games are well done and no matter how hard the developer tries some people cannot be satisfied. Thankfully I am not a critical gamer. There are certain styles that I am into and I find joy in most of the games I play without being over critical.

Chapter 11 baby, the real game has unlocked! I have been reading guides on weapon upgrades and stuff, time to start working on some of those. Should I be able to upgrade a weapon to max before I finish the game or wait till after?dvader654

To what, ultimate weapon status? Nah, don't worry about that. Just get them as high leveled as you can and you should be fine.

Chapter 11 baby, the real game has unlocked! I have been reading guides on weapon upgrades and stuff, time to start working on some of those. Should I be able to upgrade a weapon to max before I finish the game or wait till after?dvader654

Chapter 11, to me, is like a glimpse at what FF13 could have/should have been.

You're probably not going to be able to upgrade to the tier 3 weapons (ultimates) until Chapter 12 at the earliest because Trapezohedrons only drop from the larger dinos - Adamantortoise and up (i suppose you could grind 2mill gil in Chapter 11 and buy one, though). The dinos you want have the tusks. They are present in Chapter 11, but I'm not even sure if it's possible to be strong enough to kill one at that point. It's certainly not worth trying, though, because after Chapter 11 you'll have access to Vanille's Death spell which with the right strategy will allow you to kill the single Adamantoise that's roaming around Leviathan Plaza in Chapter 12 in about a minute. But these dinos also drop Platinum ingots at a rate of about 25%, which are worth 150k each.

When you get one trap, just use the upgrade/dismantle trick to turn it into 3. This is what I did so that Fang and Lightning had their ultimates for the end-game. Having Fang around 2800 strength for the final battle was worth it, but certainly not necessary.

Basically, if you're going to farm that Adamantoise in 12, upgrade Vanille's Belladonna to Malboro for the Debuffing II effect. Then I ran Sazh as a synergist specifically for his haste and vigilance buffs. Vigilance will increase the likelihood of Vanille's Death spell succeeding. Had Fang as a Sab, mostly to cast Curse on the dino, which further increases the chance of Death succeeding. Then, when the fight starts, immediately summon (or you will die..all three of you) Vanille's eidolon. It will instantly take out the dino's legs, causing him to fall on his face and leave him helpless for about seven"rounds" or so (meaning you should be able to fill up the ATB bar seven times before he gets back up). Immediately go into gestault mode and send the Eidolon away. Remember that hitting select will skip the summons and gestault cinematic. Then just spam Death while Sazh keeps haste on you and hopefully Fang gets Curse up quickly. Basically, I did this long enough to get like six million gill and never saw a Trap drop once, so the drop is extremely rare. Mainly this is for money and 40,000 CP a pop. If the Death spell fails to kill him before he gets up, just hit retry and start the battle again. Easy.

Keep in mind the Death spell's success rate is a streaky thing. Sometimes I killed 3 dinos in about five minutes, other times I went 10 minutes between kills. But there's no faster way to gain money that I know of and you get a chance at the ultimate catalyst. You can farm Mark 63 like this and be guaranteed a gold nugget on each completion, plus the chance at an ingot and trapezo, but the distance between mark and Ci'eth stone makes this process kind of slow, even riding a Chocobo. And I'm not sure you can get Mark 63 before Chapter 13 or post-game, anyway.

btw, you will have the option to return to Gran Pulse prior to beating the game (as well as after), so don't feel like you have to do everything now or wait until after the game is over.