Hey so I tried to complete the Cloud bit but when it came time for the second cutscene in Zarghidas it didn't trigger. I did some reading an apparently you have to advance the story further before you can finish that bit with Cloud. Just a heads up.
Only the Nelvaska Temple and by "trouble" I mean Agrias and Ramza got stoned so I had to just finish the fight without scoring the best shield / spear loot. An acceptable loss as far as I'm concerned.
[*]Things in the story mostly went down as Delita outlined, what do you think about the ways it deviated?
Dycedarg killing Larg and then... dying I think? That was interesting as it was confusing. I don't see what Dycedarg gets out of this. Was he working with the Shrine Knights or did he have his own objective? What's weird is that I'd assumed Zalbag and Dycedarg were working together but Zalbag was shocked at Dycedarg's actions so I really want to know what's going on there. Or maybe it was explained a while ago and I missed it while spamming.
[*]Were you surprised by the conclusion of the Beowulf quest? Does this change your mind about who you might use?
It was pretty sweet and a good ending. The Dragoner class seems interesting. I don't know if she'll be in my main party though. See Below.
[*]Thoughts about that last quest and/or the way it was done? Did you already know about this, or was it a surprise? Do you think you'll bother to use the new character?
Well of course I wasn't able to finish this bit yet because of the original version falderal but I knew about Cloud being recruitable I just wasn't sure how. I'm seeing all these superstars joining my team and I have one more story character to add too. Here's what I'm thinking about doing.
In preparation for the end-game I thinking I'll take the time to spam level a super star tag team. Just teach them in all the essentials. It would mean eventually abandoning my last old-school soldier Ilean (at least from my primary team) but it's an acceptable sacrifice if this plan comes to fruition.
TEAM A:
Ramza, Orlandu. Worker 8, Agrias, Last Story Character
TEAM B:
Beowulf, Reis, Cloud, Mustadio, Ilean
SIDEQUESTING UNTIL RELEASE:
Prop Team 1: Rad, Alicia, Lavian
Prop Team 2: Harry, Penelope, Matilda.
Once all "Propositions" are complete I will release them or maybe let the fall in honorable battle. Or max out their faith so they join the church. Not sure which is the most honorable.
Chapter 11: We have a score to settle from Riovanes
Time: Wednesday Mar 22 to Monday Mar 27
Target: This cutscene after the battles at Limberry Castle
And we again move on with the plot, beginning with Mount Germinas. (You might want some Jade Armlets from Sal Ghidos/Zarghidas.) This fight is straight forward enough, but if you still have that Treasure Hunter/Move-Find ability handy, there's an Invisibility Cloak waiting for you at the top of the mountain (where the Ninja is standing). It will give you either an Ether or the Cloak, depending on your Bravery and RNG (the lower the bravery, the better).
Next is another undead battle like the one before Riovanes. Like that one it can be tricky, but Mustadio can also make short work of them.
Then save on a different file and head into Limberry for a chain of fights. In the first one, make Ramza a squire if you want to have a go at teaching him Ultima.
For the second, it's tough, be careful. The boss has a great suite of equipment which can be stolen in the original version, but not in the War of the Lions version. Even in the original it's not easy, however.
Next, if you're playing War of the Lions, there will be a third fight that allows you to relish a second opportunity. Otherwise, you will go directly to the Limberry Undercroft for another tangle with a Lucavi.
Discussion:
What did you think of the plot developments in this chapter? Several characters motives become more plain, and basic revelations about others.
How did the battles go? If you are playing War of the Lions, how did you like the bonus battle at the Inner Court?
The last of the story characters has joined (one more optional remains), but your roster is pretty stacked now, does this affect your plans for your main party?
Getting very close now! for us scattered survivors...haha
of course you don't NEED a shield that makes you nigh invincible, but why not get it while you're at it?
also, for anyone playing the OG PS1 version and wants the stuff from the guy in Limberry:
-thief or ninja
-concentration ability
-lower target's speed
-lower target's brave
-might as well lower his pa/ma as well if you can because he still will attack you
-surround him with units
-get rid of counterattack reaction skills
-steal his shit
What did you think of the plot developments in this chapter? Several characters motives become more plain, and basic revelations about others.
For one glad to see Dycedarg is alive to inevitably be turned into a Lucavi. Still not 100% sure if his assassination of Larg was just a Beoulve power play or if he's vying for something else. Interesting that Zalbag clearly doesn't trust him. It did become painfully obvious that Dycedarg killed his father though (as though it weren't already). Glad that Meliadoul came around though honestly of all the major players that I'd had my hearts set on for the final story character it was a bit of a let down. But what the hell, nice to have another lady swordsman on my roster. It's been turning into a bit of a sausage fest.
(Bearing in mind I've never beaten this, before I was thinking possibly a turncoat Zalbag, or maybe even Delita (though I figure we're saving him for a dramatic showdown at the end of sorts. It makes sense artistically and on a story front, plus at this point it would take a lot for those two to sort out their differences - Delita is basically using Ramza as an indirect tool it seems, though not necessarily in a malicious way).
[*]How did the battles go? If you are playing War of the Lions, how did you like the bonus battle at the Inner Court?
Again I've basically been dominating. I outfitted my team in less than optimal armor to try and coax Ultima out of the lady assassins but it did not work (they cast it once, but on Ilean, and that was after three attempts). Even so, the two non Limberry fights were an absolute joke and fell before my practiced squad. The Limberry Gate fight was also pretty simple thanks to robots and Math, apart from difficulty obtaining Ultima (and eventual failure... whatever man, my Ramza is a minmaxed FaBr anyway so it's all good. Plus apparently I'll get a chance later).
The fight inside the throne room? A joke. TG Cid's Lightning Stab was the first move and hit all three of them. Elmdor then bumrushed us and felt the flouride sting of Monk Agrias's fists. And then the fight ended.
The Lucavi fight was a bit trickier but since I'd outfitted my ladies with Angel Rings their deaths were quickly undone and I was able to Math, Robot and Sword Tech my way to victory. NBD.
[*]The last of the story characters has joined (one more optional remains), but your roster is pretty stacked now, does this affect your plans for your main party?
Basically what I had listed before, though Ilean has become more increasingly useful and I've been taking Harry through Bard which is not as bad as I thought. There might be some lineup changes at the end. All I can say for certain is my End Game party will definitely consist of Ramza, Orlandu and Worker 8 and the other two spots will get shuffled around. I really really wish the lineup would allow for 6.
Any new thoughts on Delita? Or do you still feel the same about him?
I mean, I feel the same about him because I already know what's going on with the story But I remember the first time I played, having a lot of questions and intrigue surrounding him. It's still hard to tell when he's just playing people to reach his end goal, the wily bastard. I also like how he straight up tells Ramza
that he will absolutely kill him if he needs to, and then shakes his hand when they part ways and wish each other well.
How did the battles go?
Well, the Sandwastes gave me an issue the first time, but the other battles were easy enough. I cleared the Sandwastes on my second go, though. I think I was spreading my focus out too much on the first try. I pretty much went straight for...B....something, whatever his name is. Having the Monk ability Purification also helped take care of getting rid of poison on 4/5 of my team right off the bat, which was super handy.
And what's your team looking like these days? Using any of the story characters that have joined up? Changed up your job combinations?
I haven't really changed much, although now that I know about Dancer and Bard, I'm trying to open up those jobs, since I've never used them before. Ramza is a Knight again with dual wielding and Monk abilities, my lady Dragoon is now a Monk with Jump, my WHM is now a Time Mage with WHM abilities, and my BLM is now a Summoner with BLM abilities....also I just got the Half MP skill with him so that's coooooool. Oh, and I JUST switched Agrias to Knight, but I think that was after the Sandwastes, actually.
It should be stated pre-emptively in liey of any other questions that one might have that I have not been using a Thief this entire game except for job unlocking. I have not stolen anything. Just cba. I know I'm missing out on great loot but I also know that I step into a battlefield and five minutes later step out over emaciated corpses so is all good.
Oh and I haven't trained any monsters either (unless you count Worker 8).
Mwahaha, one thing I enjoy about War of the Lions is that it's clear that when they were making the remaster, they understood that I loathed Algus.
@JT, the bonus battle before you fight Zalera is a fight with Algus/Argath having been raised by the auracite...although he doesn't look quite as good as Marach did afterward. He's as cocky a shit as ever, but Ramza's wit is excellent.
"So your soul is bartered as well, your grandsire would be proud." (If you recall, it was his grandfather that sold out his friend while captured, which is what led to the disgrace of Algus' family. Nice, Ramza.)
And, fittingly, Ramza got the killing blow again. With a one-two punch, making it extra personal, haha.
Damn straight, dick.
One of the Rendezvous (cooperative multiplayer missions) also includes a fight against TEN ALGUSES. Clearly someone on the team enjoyed killing him as much as I do
^ PSP really tried to shoe-horn that multiplayer element into every game, huh? Well it sounds cool as hell. I would love to be able to tag-up with some cohorts and go wrecking shit together.
Brief Aside: I tried co-op multiplayer in MGS: Peace Walker, albeit it was the HD Remaster. It was a lot of fun. I like the idea of small-scale simple co-op like that and had I been in tune with it in the heyday it would have been neat.
Yeah, there is competitive multiplayer, which I don't believe I've tried, but Avec and I have done several of the coop battles. Each player can place 1-3 characters (the fewer the characters, the higher your chance for better rewards). But these fights are not easy at all. And the last four which unlock after you complete the game (and the final is the one I mentioned above) are probably the toughest in the game with most enemies locked at level 99 (the others scale like normal random battles).
Chapter 12: Now know regret, a traitor's recompense
Time: Mon Mar 27 to Fri Mar 31
Target: This cutscene after the battles at Mullonde Cathedral:
The penultimate chapter! And maybe we'll even recapture some of the casualties of Kupocon and 2017's opening deluge of good, huge games.
I should have ended the last chapter at the cutscene after you try to leave Limberry, but your chapter will technically start there if you didn't move in the interim. Otherwise you'll make for Eagrose/Igrose all the way across the map. In Dorter there will be a (technically optional) battle with another Templar.
Now, if you're playing War of the Lions, quickly detour up to Goland and read the Rumor "Rash of Thefts." Then return to Dorter and read "A Call For Guards." When you try to leave you will get a pretty badass prerendered scene and there will be a straightforward fight with your final new character.
Anyway, arrive at Eagrose for a very intense, but rousing scene that goes great with the music ("Battle on the Bridge," again), followed by a two-phase fight. NOW those of you on the original version can go to Zarghidas to complete the quest I said you could before, sorry about that.
The go down to the new location for a set of three fights in Mullonde. In the second battle, bring along Meliadoul if you want some extra dialogue. Orlandeau was creaming these fights for me before I even got all the dialogue, I might stop using him, haha. After the third fight the story for this chapter is finished (ends on a downer...).
Now, at the end of the week is the final chapter. For War of the Lions there are two sidequests that are mainly vehicles for a bit more plot and a lot of good steal-able equipment. First, if Agrias is still on your party (and why the hell wouldn't she be), head over to Zeltennia for a visit with her old charge as a knight. Then head all the way back to Gariland and read "Disorder in the Order," which adds a battle in the Brigand's Den. The fight is easy, there's just a lot of good stuff to steal.
Secondly (again, WotL), if you finished Nelveska Temple, read a Rumor anywhere called "Lionel's New Liege Lord." Then go to Lionel for a bit more of the Beowulf/Reis arc and two battles. Again, mostly to steal (Masamune, some Genji armor that WotL doesn't let you steal from Elmdore, etc.)
Lastly, for all versions of the game, go to Warjilis (down south) and see a cutscene. Which will add Midlight's Deep/Deep Dungeon to the map. This is the optional super dungeon which is harder than the final battles. There is no need to do it, but I thought I'd let you know. It consists of 10 levels (shrouded in darkness. You can see characters and enemies, but not the map). And in each stage you have to find the tile with the door to the next level (by landing on it). You don't have to fight all 10 in a row, it takes you to the surface in between, but you have to find the door before killing the last enemy or you'll have to repeat that battle. These are treated as random battles and therefore don't require Ramza, except for the last one. On the 10th floor you will fight the Lucavi of the 13th Zodiac, Serpentarius. He knows the summon Zodiark/Zodiac. The way to learn it is to have a summoner be hit by it AND survive.
Despite my love of Tactics I've never taken on this dungeon before, so I plan to do so this time, but still probably not before finishing the game.
Discussion:
What do you think of the story progression in this chapter? Things coming to a head now.
Delita's final power play, Dycedarg exposed, the Templarate makes its move on the church, final thoughts on Zalbaag
Are you using Orlandeau/Orlandu? If not, did you struggle in any of the fights? haha
Do you have any plans for before the final battles? WotL sidequests? Deep Dungeon/Midlight's Deep? Other Errands? Job Mastering?
And, obviously, don't enter Orbonne, as there's no going back once you do.
What do you think of the story progression in this chapter? Things coming to a head now.
Delita's final power play, Dycedarg exposed, the Templarate makes its move on the church, final thoughts on Zalbaag
Heads are rolling like crazy. I knew that was going to happen to Dycedarg and was bummed about Zalbag of course. But the pragmatist in me sees that when the Lucavi are defeated there will be no more major players in the power structure and the people will have to restructure their lives which I gather was Delita's plan all along. Even if Ramza is the hero who beats the Lucavi I would say if that was Delita's design he's still deservedly the hero of the people... bloody though he doubtless is in his methods. I sure hope things don't go tits up.
I can feel you grinning at my virgin soul.
[*]Are you using Orlandeau/Orlandu? If not, did you struggle in any of the fights? haha
Yeah Orlandu is a Master Master Swordsman so he's destroying everything. I was planning on taking him down the rogue road to dual-sword him but honestly his skills are plenty useful without. And... well read on.
[*]Do you have any plans for before the final battles? WotL sidequests? Deep Dungeon/Midlight's Deep? Other Errands? Job Mastering?
I got Cloud, I unlocked the Deep Dungeon. I used Cloud a bit, got him to Level 6 but there is, obviously, a game's worth of levelling to do to get him to my... heheh... level. I have also, believe it or not, grown weary of the grind. Everybody has mastered a handful of jobs, apart from some of the super star players. I haven't used Reis in a battle once despite hearing that she's super strong and I've fallen out of using Worker 8 as he's just simply getting outclassed by the incredibly strong swordsmen I have, to say nothing of Ilean who can hit anywhere from 2 - 5 enemies in a go with Holy and deal like 400 damage to them all.
What I'm saying is, while I will definitely come back to this later to continue training them and do the Deep Dungeon at some point because now that I'm good at it I've fallen in love with the combat, I am just going to stroll down to the final fight and faceroll through it.
I do have one thing I need to do first though. I have no earned Master Treasure Hunter yet, but I think I have done all the Propositions (even the finale of the Thief Zero saga). Is there a job I'm missing somewhere or do I not get Master Treasure Hunter until I get all the Holy Stones? (I got Master Adventurer.
It's worth noting that Ilean is the only person of my original squad to make it to the final battle roster. Even my nearly Master Bard Harry has fallen out of use, though I use him from time to time unlike Penelope and Madeline who are literally just Proposition Squad, along with Rad, Alicia and Lavian. Oh and I booted "Rookie" for Cloud. Though I did send Harry and Ilean on several Propositions when I was trying to raise Beowulf to help master some of their jobs but, frankly, Beowulf while certainly strong in his own right hasn't been as useful to me as Green Sword Lady of Gor.
Chapter 13: But I do know this: The true hero of this tale was the man forgotten.
Time: Friday Mar 31 to Whenever
Target: The end!
Okay, once you've done everything and gotten all the job abilities you wanted, head to Orbonne Monastery. Set your favorite jobs and equipment, as unless you're close to an ability, JP doesn't really matter any more. And of course once you're in the battles remember to save on a different file if you ever want to come back to the world map, as you can't return once you enter. Good luck!
Discussion:
How did the final battles go? What was your final team?
When all is said and done, do you have a favorite job class? Favorite character?
I think this is the best implementation of the Final Fantasy job system, beating out FFX-2 and FFV. What do you think? Likes/dislikes?
What do you make of the plot events of this chapter and overall?
Are you confused about anything? What do you believe became of Ramza, Alma, and/or the others? Final thoughts on Delita, the Church, and other players?
If you have played other games in the Ivalice Alliance, what do you think of the original relative to those games? Any thoughts as to their relationship?
And of course anything else you want to say, I'm eager for any opportunity to gush about this game, so discuss away
I've had a lot of fun running this, so thanks for the chance. People who fell by the wayside, if you every pick it back up please post here while you do so! There are many of you I'd love to hear thoughts from!
I've posted these elsewhere, but here are two of my favorite Tactics-related fanarts:
I can't find a source, but she just looks so badass here. Definitely one of my favorite FF women.
How did the final battles go? What was your final team?
As I said before, Ramza, Orlandu, Agrias, Meliadoul and Ilean, though if I had it to do over again, I found that Meliadoul was not as useful as Worker 8 would have been. In the final few fights at least, Meliadoul's sword abilities weren't so useful. I basically had her hang back and protect Ilean.
Agrias and Orlandu were amazing but honestly my heaviest hitter turned out to be Ilean. Calculator to the rescue, though I had her spec'd as a Time Mage at the end. I was able to wipe out seriously 4-6 targets at once (and a few ocassions my own teammates, but we all had Angel Rings), and by using Level3 Holy she single-handedly dealt (over three turns) over 1500 HP damage to the final boss. Ramza was the second weakest member of my final team, even after giving him the Ragnarok.
[*]When all is said and done, do you have a favorite job class? Favorite character?
As far as characters, Ramza and Delita are both so deliciously tragic, but I found that after even after she stopped talking herself, Agrias was one of my favorite characters, if not the favorite. I just imagined this unspoken bond between her and Ramza and as she grew to be one of my best fighters I imagined her and Ramza tag-teaming this adventure together as his lieutenant.
Each Job has the potential for greatness, especially when you cross-class which is what I love. And every job seems to have at least one essential ability to learn. That said here are my top and bottom jobs:
Monk and Ninja are self-explanatory, and once you learn Two Swords all your fighters should have that to deal massive damage with each strike. Same wit Counter from the Monk. Chemist is the first healing class, and honestly the most consistently useful. Even if you have low Faith, an X-Potion goes far and Auto-Potion is a damned life saver. Wizard and Summoner are the top notch magic classes that are standard, even though Holy from the Priest is damned useful too. I didn't use too many Priest abilities in the mid and end-game, at least not as much as I used a Chemist. But by far the rumors about Calculator did not steer me wrong and it made my Ilean the most powerful member of my party. I have visions of someday tackling the game with a party full of Calculators... that is to say people in other jobs who have mastered Caluclator.
Least favorite jobs, Samurai barely missed the cut as I found it woefully underperformed. Sorry Kimble. But the ones I just never used that much - Geomancer and Archer, didn't seem that useful to me compared to the other classes available. Bard has its uses and some great sub abilities to learn, but it's kind of iffy on a performance scale. But the biggest sin of this game is making me not like "Lancer". The Jump ability is just kind of boring. You must understand, my net alter ego is a Dragoon. I love lances. This game, I did not love Lances. Shame. Shame.
[*]I think this is the best implementation of the Final Fantasy job system, beating out FFX-2 and FFV. What do you think? Likes/dislikes?
I whole-heartedly agree and it's entirely because of the style of combat in the Tactics series. There are so many more variables and options which make multi-classing more essential than it's ever been in FFV. While, yes, I'm living proof that you can just faceroll, you have other considerations that you don't have in V and X-2, such as movement and reaction abilities. It's an absolute joy to play. I only wish they allowed more than 5 (or 6) players in the battles. I would love to see wide-scale fights with this battle system with like 10-12 troops on the field.
[*]What do you make of the plot events of this chapter and overall?
Are you confused about anything? What do you believe became of Ramza, Alma, and/or the others? Final thoughts on Delita, the Church, and other players?
Delita making himself King kind of killed my support for him. (see virgin soul comment). I mean, yes I guess that was the only way he could implement meaningful change, but it cost him dearly. Honestly this whole story is a downer and the ending is just as much of a downer and I actually kind of respect that. History is full of sad stories. The idea of Ramza going on and choosing to just live for the present is a hopeful message which almost wipes away the fact that in the end the Church still held the true power, and nothing really changed because nothing ever does. I think I'll have to review a plot synopsis to check myself before I put a stamp on that sentiment but I gather it's mostly correct.
[*]If you have played other games in the Ivalice Alliance, what do you think of the original relative to those games? Any thoughts as to their relationship?
I have played XII and ages ago I played a decent amount of Tactics Advance, but I honestly couldn't give a definite answer on either of those because it's been so long. Definitely want to play Advance and A2 now though... And I'll be playing Vagrant Story later this year.
[*]And of course anything else you want to say, I'm eager for any opportunity to gush about this game, so discuss away
And now, my mini-Epilogues for all the characters in my party (and some who weren't) that aren't Ramza and Alma) - spoilers below:
The Two Males Who I Cut Early On: Pissed off and drunk they decided to try and show me up by taking on Thief Zero and wound up getting robbed of their clothes in Dorter Trade City. They later retired from Soldiery and opened a Bakery.
"Rookie": Annoyed that I hired her just to do manual labor and then fired her without giving her a single chance to prove her glory in battle, she used her acquired JP in Chemistry to create her own Apothecary Shop in Warjilis and sold medicine to people heading to the Deep Dungeon. She's living for herself now.
Madeline and Penelope: They had some fun with me but eventually lost their usefulness. They had a great skill in Magic though and opened a college of Magic in Zarghidas, where they picked up the flower girl and are currently training her to be a white mage. They were fascinated to find that the girl has some strange stone similar to Auracite which she wears in a ribbon in her hair.
Rad, Alicia and Lavian: Having followed Agrias around but never really seeing any action, they eventually returned to Orbonne Monastery and made money serving as sellsword security for Ovelia whenever she visited. That didn't last long and now they wander they Sweegy Woods protecting travelers between Gariland and Dorter.
Harry: The Bard, Chemist and Priest wanted to spread the word of his adventures while helping as many as he could. So he served with Olan for a while and helped him compile the Durai Papers. He then had the good sense to get the hell out of dodge when the Church came a knocking and is rumored to be spinning his yarn out in Yardrow Fort City.
Ilean: A truly masterful magician who knows almost every spell that could ever exist and being a master mathematician to boot she has written several books on the theory of magic and battle doctrine. She served as King Delita's Royal Tactician for years before retiring in Limberry Castle.
Worker 8, Mustadio and Byblos: These three returned to Goug Machine City, Worker 8, now having nothing more to destroy being employed in creating new mechanical wonders for the city under the guiding hand of Mustadio. Byblos, having escaped the Deep Dungeon but not trusted as a beast, remains indoors mostly, providing ancient knowledge to Mustadio as he works. It's rumored he's begun work on trying to rebuild the fabled Airships.
Orlandu, Meliadoul: These two have chosen to remain away from the public eye after the events of the war. Orlandu taught Meliadoul the last bits of his swordsmanship before eventually passing on peacefully in a cave near Zirkielle Falls. Meliadoul is a now a wandering swordswoman, passing on her skills to the next generation.
Beowulf, Reis: Having been reunited, they have chosen to travel the world fighting evil together. They have a small homestead in Nelveska Temple, but they rarely visit it, preferring the road and each others company to any form of life settled down.
The RNG Twins: Realizing their powers were stupid and useless, they got real jobs as Ninjas and began working on helping seek revenge against former slavers. A few years later Rafa killed Malak because she never really forgave him for letting that shit happen and by now she was stone cold. She sent Malak's head to a local lord as a warning of what happens to those who allow atrocities to happen and do nothing.
Agrias: She sought out Ovelia, but the Queen had no more use for her. Dejected she at first sought out Ramza, but eventually decided that she would live for herself instead. By chance she did run into Ramza in the Fovoham Plains and the two caught up, but Agrias had chosen her new life. She enlisted her own troops and became a fearsome Captain of a squad dedicated to protecting the common people from bandits.
Cloud: With Mustadio's help, and the use of the auracite, Cloud attempted to return back to his home world. He unfortunately was flung randomly into the Super Smash Bros. universe where he resides to this day.
Once again, I would like to thank you so much for managing all this for me. And thank both you guys for your incredible tips on proceeding through the game, it was a great help! Sometime in the summer I will set up the Final Fantasy X Community Playthrough.
I found that after even after she stopped talking herself, Agrias was one of my favorite characters, if not the favorite. I just imagined this unspoken bond between her and Ramza and as she grew to be one of my best fighters I imagined her and Ramza tag-teaming this adventure together as his lieutenant.
But the ones I just never used that much - Geomancer and Archer, didn't seem that useful to me compared to the other classes available. Bard has its uses and some great sub abilities to learn, but it's kind of iffy on a performance scale. But the biggest sin of this game is making me not like "Lancer". The Jump ability is just kind of boring. You must understand, my net alter ego is a Dragoon. I love lances. This game, I did not love Lances. Shame. Shame.
I like Dragoon/Lancer perfectly find in this game. There is no sense in buying jumps except at the max ranges of course, but their high evade, reach, and the damage that Jump does is very powerful around when you unlock it. They do fall off on the power scale as time goes on, but that's like Freya in IX (who has a Reis move ) And like I said before, I think the Ignore Height thing is a really cool way to make practical use of their famous ability. I should be able to jump up tall buildings and cliff faces in XIV.
I agree about Archers, but Concentration (can't remember if that has a different name in the original) is a very useful skill. Similarly, Attack Boost from Geomancer is useful, and I had more fun with the geomancy counter this game than I thought I would. The free debuffs, and sometimes AoE debuffs, were often welcome. But yes it's no Counter or Shirahadori/Blade Grasp (which is the most important skill from Samurai. With a high brave it makes you basically immune to physical attacks).
Delita making himself King kind of killed my support for him. (see virgin soul comment). I mean, yes I guess that was the only way he could implement meaningful change, but it cost him dearly. Honestly this whole story is a downer and the ending is just as much of a downer and I actually kind of respect that. History is full of sad stories. The idea of Ramza going on and choosing to just live for the present is a hopeful message which almost wipes away the fact that in the end the Church still held the true power, and nothing really changed because nothing ever does. I think I'll have to review a plot synopsis to check myself before I put a stamp on that sentiment but I gather it's mostly correct.
I like the nuance of it. It's not quite as "Church is no-doubt-about-it evil and corrupt all the way down" like the church of Yevon is. The High Confessor is definitely no saint, but his motivation WAS to stop the fighting, and he merely wanted to gather the Zodiac Stones as symbols to rally the people. He didn't know about the Lucavi or the Templars plans. And other high officials, even Templar Knights didn't know about them either. We're also left unclear about St. Ajora. Germonique suggests Ajora was a totally normal person with no divine powers at all, but the Lucavi that he or she (also unclear) supposedly defeated with the Zodiac Braves were definitely real. So was Ajora evil? Or was Ajora unwillingly possessed by Ultima at some point?
And as for Ramza, yeah, there are few heroes I root for as hard as I root for Ramza. I know he didn't care about legacy, but it does suck that Delita is remembered as the hero and no one even knows what Ramza did. And I had forgotten just how brutal the events surrounding Zalbaag were. To lose almost his whole family the way he did...sucks. I definitely believe the auracite transported everyone out of there, but it is obviously meant to be ambiguous.
Agrias: She sought out Ovelia, but the Queen had no more use for her. Dejected she at first sought out Ramza, but eventually decided that she would live for herself instead. By chance she did run into Ramza in the Fovoham Plains and the two caught up, but Agrias had chosen her new life. She enlisted her own troops and became a fearsome Captain of a squad dedicated to protecting the common people from bandits.
Cloud: With Mustadio's help, and the use of the auracite, Cloud attempted to return back to his home world. He unfortunately was flung randomly into the Super Smash Bros. universe where he resides to this day.
lol, nice. I also like how the cameo characters cameo'd in semi-believable ways. As an old article of Tres' alludes to, Cloud almost certainly arrives in Ivalice during his spaced out trip in Mideel. Not that it DEFINITELY HAPPENED, but it was a well done move that makes it conceivable. Though Cloud probably thinks it was a dream, if he remembers it at all.
Similarly, WotL includes Luso from FFT Advance, who was apparently transported there by the same book that transported him to FFXII-era Ivalice in his own game.
WotL's other guest:
He also hints at a game-connected reason for how he arrived, and it's also a bitchin' cutscene
This fell by the wayside this past week/week and a half. Just... life and personal stuff. Ended up playing more today though! So am I almost halfway through the game then with the completion of this chapter?
Discussion:
Any trouble at Orbonne? The second fight has a rough layout.
Ummm I don't recall any dangerous moments in particular. I think the second fight layout was a bit rough but I got through on my first try!
What are your thoughts on Isilud? There's more story to him after this of course, but I've always found him kind of an interesting character. Also, there may not be much to say, but if you have any thoughts as to what's become of
Wiegraf
, I'd like to hear them.
I don't have much to say about Isilud right now. But Weigraf, I was a bit surprised on. Didn't expect him to become the 'will do anything for revenge' type, but, hey, he did. Almost pity him, but actually, I don't. Though I kinda think that he must've used the magicite (or auracite?) to stay alive as well. Dying makes you desperate. Curious to see what becomes of him now as Belias, it does feel pretty tragic.
As an aside, this game does remind me of GoT a fair bit, one of the reasons being the huge cast of characters that are constantly changing. people die and new ones enter the story just like that. [*]Did you read the Scriptures of Germonique? What do you think?
I did, because you reminded me here to do it
I thought they were interesting, I always enjoy extra info and world building in fictional settings. The timeline seems waaaaay far removed from FFXII though; Ajora's time mentions 7 country's in conflict that I don't recognize. I would've enjoyed seeing mention of other races but, it just said a golden age of technology and airships.
Not surprised to know that the church manipulated history to suit their own ends and gain power. It's always a thought I have when reading history in our own world. How much gets lost as time goes on, as people continue to record events? How many end up wording things differently, either out of their own interests or simple ignorance? Meanings getting lost, facts getting lost, etc. [*]And what of Delita? Do we trust him? Do we have any firmer grasp on his motives?
I'm sure he's trying to break the strings and end the puppet show, I really do feel like that's his goal. I think he's a bit of an 'ends justify the means' kind of guy though?
Woot, if I'm almost halfway then I can finish this I'm going to buy ME Andromeda later this week... time to binge on Tactics
Side note, but I love how JP is actually more valuable than EXP. I'm not even sure if you need to grind in this game to progress forward in the story. Only time I did grinding was to get acquainted with the battle system/certain jobs or when traveling between places naturally. I did a few extra battles yesterday because I wanted to build up a couple other characters like Agrias and a black chocobo <3
Excellent I thought I was going to lose you to Mass Effect
And yes, JP is far more important than XP, and equipment is far more important than level. Armor, rather than raising defense, increases your HP or MP. So even a level 1 character with late-game equipment will have a pretty high HP total. You will likely need to grind JP, of course, fortunately whaling on your own teammates gives you full JP but decreased XP Beware the next chapter, it's the hardest in the game. But once you clear it, you should have no trouble binging the rest of the way
I got through the first battle in Riovanes (castle gates) last night on my first try. It's one of those fights that could've gone very badly, especially with my set up.... but somehow... it didn't... Luck must've been on my side.
But I remember the first time I played, having a lot of questions and intrigue surrounding him. It's still hard to tell when he's just playing people to reach his end goal, the wily bastard. I also like how he straight up tells Ramza
Ended up playing more today though! So am I almost halfway through the game then with the completion of this chapter? 
I'm going to buy ME Andromeda later this week... time to binge on Tactics 
