ForceStealer
Double Growth
I got all my dresses on Normal replays. So my hard mode playthrough will be resetting to my personal favorite dresses 
SPOILERS Hard Mode Discussion
- Thread starter Lex
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Ite
Save your valediction (she/her)
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- Ite
I got all my dresses on Normal replays. So my hard mode playthrough will be resetting to my personal favorite dresses
What about getting all the manuscripts/date scenes? Your play log’s gonna be incomplete ?
ForceStealer
Double Growth
I couldn't care less Though, since my favorite dresses involve doing all the quests, I will get MOST of the manuscripts anyway.
In replaying for dresses and getting missed loot on normal, I wound up getting Barret's scene. So all I technically need is Aerith. We'll see if I go for that in my Hard playthrough or stick with my Tifa because it's my favorite of the three scenes.
Though, since my favorite dresses involve doing all the quests, I will get MOST of the manuscripts anyway. In replaying for dresses and getting missed loot on normal, I wound up getting Barret's scene. So all I technically need is Aerith. We'll see if I go for that in my Hard playthrough or stick with my Tifa because it's my favorite of the three scenes.
The Twilight Mexican
Ex-SeeD-ingly good
- AKA
- TresDias
If I planned things correctly, I should be able to get everything out of Chapter 9 with the one playthrough on Normal and two on Hard.
ForceStealer
Double Growth
Let's not pretend like I didn't use the fast-forward and other cheats to get the platinum in the original either
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The Twilight Mexican
Ex-SeeD-ingly good
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- TresDias
Okay, this time was on Hard.Is that on hard? O_O
I did this trophy on easy, because even on normal I was like fuuuuuuuck this
The Twilight Mexican
Ex-SeeD-ingly good
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- TresDias
I'm now into Chapter 15, with all previous chapters completed. I'm not really expecting any difficulty out of the story battles until probably The Arsenal, but I have to say that Hell House was precisely as its name implies. That was a grueling shitshow and a half, but I didn't game over (it's mostly been random battles that I didn't properly prepare for while already weakened that have done me in when it has happened). Pretty much every boss before Hell House and after so far was reasonably manageable or even fun.
There's undeniable challenge to this mode, but once you get used to it, the restrictions on MP recovery hardly matter. The flow of combat takes over and you get used to healing up as much as possible with Chakra or Pray before finishing off an enemy group (so that you won't start the next fight at a disadvantage).
Something else that has clicked into place as I've been going through Hard Mode is where the notion comes from that this is what the developers actually wanted combat to be for this game, but that they included items and Classic Mode so as not to alienate returning players too much too quickly. There's a definite intuitive sense that items are unnecessary -- because you literally do play through the whole game without them here!
I think this may be answering one of the questions I've had with regard to how the development team can possibly accommodate for the next installment the reality that skill growth occurred in this one. If the next game plays more or less like Hard Mode does here, with only a minimum of abilities needing to be learned again rather than all of them, then we get to a place where the developers don't have to do utterly insane, possibly impossible rebalancing in order to avoid endgame+ players of the first installment feeling that they're being dragged backwards in their growth and have nothing to show for it.
If the next installment is played largely as an action game built off mastering the flow of combat here on Hard Mode, then I will be impressed af with the ingenuity going into this. As it is, I must say this is unquestionably the best active time FF combat system. They really achieved the impossible, successfully combining turn-based sensibilities with action game movement and commands -- all while giving us their long-coveted look and feel of "Advent Children" fight sequences.
They're really going above and beyond. This is a genuine achievement in game design ... even if I really must complain about the phase transitions in boss battles cutting short successful Stagger strategies.
I'm hoping this is something remedied in the next game. If I manage to get a boss staggered during the first of its three or four phases, I should be rewarded for that and be allowed to pummel as much HP off as possible before Stagger ends. The possibility of skipping phases should be built into the boss mechanics so that I'm not holding back my best strategy to avoid feeling I've wasted it -- or worse, using said strategy and then feeling that it was nullified midway by a transformation sequence.
Other than this complaint, though, combat in FFVIIR is exquisite and just becomes more enjoyable in Hard Mode. I can't wait to see where it goes from here.
There's undeniable challenge to this mode, but once you get used to it, the restrictions on MP recovery hardly matter. The flow of combat takes over and you get used to healing up as much as possible with Chakra or Pray before finishing off an enemy group (so that you won't start the next fight at a disadvantage).
Something else that has clicked into place as I've been going through Hard Mode is where the notion comes from that this is what the developers actually wanted combat to be for this game, but that they included items and Classic Mode so as not to alienate returning players too much too quickly. There's a definite intuitive sense that items are unnecessary -- because you literally do play through the whole game without them here!
I think this may be answering one of the questions I've had with regard to how the development team can possibly accommodate for the next installment the reality that skill growth occurred in this one. If the next game plays more or less like Hard Mode does here, with only a minimum of abilities needing to be learned again rather than all of them, then we get to a place where the developers don't have to do utterly insane, possibly impossible rebalancing in order to avoid endgame+ players of the first installment feeling that they're being dragged backwards in their growth and have nothing to show for it.
If the next installment is played largely as an action game built off mastering the flow of combat here on Hard Mode, then I will be impressed af with the ingenuity going into this. As it is, I must say this is unquestionably the best active time FF combat system. They really achieved the impossible, successfully combining turn-based sensibilities with action game movement and commands -- all while giving us their long-coveted look and feel of "Advent Children" fight sequences.
They're really going above and beyond. This is a genuine achievement in game design ... even if I really must complain about the phase transitions in boss battles cutting short successful Stagger strategies.
I'm hoping this is something remedied in the next game. If I manage to get a boss staggered during the first of its three or four phases, I should be rewarded for that and be allowed to pummel as much HP off as possible before Stagger ends. The possibility of skipping phases should be built into the boss mechanics so that I'm not holding back my best strategy to avoid feeling I've wasted it -- or worse, using said strategy and then feeling that it was nullified midway by a transformation sequence.
Other than this complaint, though, combat in FFVIIR is exquisite and just becomes more enjoyable in Hard Mode. I can't wait to see where it goes from here.
Strangelove
AI Researcher
- AKA
- hitoshura
bahamuuuut 
i was about a quarter of his hp bar away from winning but then it just all went south
i was about a quarter of his hp bar away from winning but then it just all went south
The Twilight Mexican
Ex-SeeD-ingly good
- AKA
- TresDias
I've got a winning strategy (that I lifted from some YouTube vid or other) for Bahamut:bahamuuuut
i was about a quarter of his hp bar away from winning but then it just all went south
Barret's Lifesaver prevents Mega Flare from wiping the whole party, as Barret will take the majority of the damage.
So, if you put Big Bertha (which has the Desperate Recovery and Trade-Off abilities) on him, along with the Healing Carcanet (which increases the effectiveness of healing); Magnify linked to Barrier; Chakra; Prayer; and a Time materia (for casting Haste on himself); then go into the battle and use Steelskin and Lifesaver (maybe use the Steadfast Block materia too), Barret will be able to keep himself and the party healed without even using MP while taking very little damage -- and in the event things do get out of hand, if you also brought Healing and Revival materia, Barret should have a steady supply of MP thanks to Trade-Off.
This setup almost trivializes Bahamut's threat level.
Mayo Master
Pro Adventurer
^ Yes, I also relied on Barret's Lifesaver ability to win this fight.
Thing is: I wasn't completely sure how the game mechanics of this ability worked, because it didn't seem to be doing what was advertised. More specifically, my party setup was with Cloud & Barret > 9000 HP and Aerith ~4000 HP. Mega-Flare would consistently take down Aerith, leave Cloud at ~500 HP, and Barret was taking a lot of damage (life bar displayed in red for a split-second) but instantly "back-healed" a large portion of HP (which seemed to correspond to how much HP Aerith should have been protected for, but could not). Anyway, the situation always left me with Barret around 4000-5000 HP after Mega-Flare, and since I had him set up with Revival, it was fairly easy to recover from there. So Lifesaver was definitely a Lifesaver, albeit not in the intended fashion.
Thing is: I wasn't completely sure how the game mechanics of this ability worked, because it didn't seem to be doing what was advertised. More specifically, my party setup was with Cloud & Barret > 9000 HP and Aerith ~4000 HP. Mega-Flare would consistently take down Aerith, leave Cloud at ~500 HP, and Barret was taking a lot of damage (life bar displayed in red for a split-second) but instantly "back-healed" a large portion of HP (which seemed to correspond to how much HP Aerith should have been protected for, but could not). Anyway, the situation always left me with Barret around 4000-5000 HP after Mega-Flare, and since I had him set up with Revival, it was fairly easy to recover from there. So Lifesaver was definitely a Lifesaver, albeit not in the intended fashion.
Strangelove
AI Researcher
- AKA
- hitoshura
this would be a helpful post if i knew what these things were referring to
alas, i am but a simple weeb
Ite
Save your valediction (she/her)
- AKA
- Ite
Maybe I can help!
Lifesaver > Barret’s ability learned from Assault Gun. It transfers damage taken by other party members onto Barret (it’s like “drawing aggro” without actually writing that into the AI)
Big Bertha > Barret’s heaviest-hitting gun.
Desperate Recovery > ....actually I don’t know what this is.
Trade-Off > This is a weapon upgrade node that makes you recover MP when you take damage.
Healing Carcanet > This is an accessory that lowers the MP cost of healing spells.
Steelskin > Another Barret “tank” ability, this one lowers all incoming damage for 10 seconds.
Steadfast Block > A purple materia that fills the ATB gauge faster when blocking, making (among other things) non-active party members quicker to accumulate ATB.
The Twilight Mexican
Ex-SeeD-ingly good
- AKA
- TresDias
Lifesaver and Steelskin are command abilities Barret can use in battle. Steelskin temporarily does what it sounds like it would for Barret, and its effect stacks behind Barrier, making him extra durable. Lifesaver meanwhile lets Barret temporarily take some of the damage someone else should have received.
Big Bertha is a great gun-arm for Barret you can purchase in Wall Market. In addition to everything else it provides, it has his Maximum Fury command ability -- one of his best attacks.
Desperate Recovery and Trade-Off are passive abilities for Big Bertha you unlock under the weapon upgrades. Desperate Recovery makes healing commands Barret issues when his HP is at 25% or less become 50% more effective. Trade-Off lets Barret recover MP when taking heavy damage.
The Healing Carcanet is an accessory that increases the efficacy of healing. Unsure to what extent, but I'd say probably 20%.
Steadfast Block is a purple materia that decreases damage received when guarding (an effect which further stacks behind the defense already provided by Steelskin and Barrier), and also increases the ATB gauge of allies.
Edit: Dammit, Ite.
Big Bertha is a great gun-arm for Barret you can purchase in Wall Market. In addition to everything else it provides, it has his Maximum Fury command ability -- one of his best attacks.
Desperate Recovery and Trade-Off are passive abilities for Big Bertha you unlock under the weapon upgrades. Desperate Recovery makes healing commands Barret issues when his HP is at 25% or less become 50% more effective. Trade-Off lets Barret recover MP when taking heavy damage.
The Healing Carcanet is an accessory that increases the efficacy of healing. Unsure to what extent, but I'd say probably 20%.
Steadfast Block is a purple materia that decreases damage received when guarding (an effect which further stacks behind the defense already provided by Steelskin and Barrier), and also increases the ATB gauge of allies.
Edit: Dammit, Ite.
Theozilla
Kaiju Member
Maxed out Magnify-Manawall, was definitely essential for beating Bahamut/Ifrit in the simulator in my experience. Worth trading off for, especially since you can equip a maxed healing materia to each character at that point. Also giving at least one character Silence immunity is pretty helpful as well.
Strangelove
AI Researcher
- AKA
- hitoshura
i watched tim rogers' massive ff7r video and he mentioned how the abilities that put the stagger ('burst' in japanese) gauge up all have 'focused' in the name in english i think? which i thought was handy to quickly discern which one you want where the japanese ones don't all do that (cloud's is 'burst slash' and barret's 'fuel burst' which at least has burst in the name, but tifa's is 'backflip' so it ruins the theme). but then they give these weapon abilities fancy names where the japanese ones are straight forward telling you what they do ('trade-off' being 'damage aspir' which is a classic ff name and ties in with aerith's starting ability aspir, 'desperate recovery' is just 'healing 50% up in a pinch' with '~in a pinch' being a familiar ff phrase).
but also the japanese name for 'lifesaver' is 'avalanche spirit' and the name kind of reminds me of barret's line where he tells jessie and co that he'll shoulder their doubts and worries and i thought that was nice.
i swear i can post about the english version without nitpicking random things
i tried bahamut with cloud, aerith and tifa last time so maybe i will give it a go with barret next. i am currently looking around chapter 14 for more skill books so i can unlock more upgrades first
The Twilight Mexican
Ex-SeeD-ingly good
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- TresDias
So, I just beat the Pride and Joy Prototype. Jesus Christ, the Bahamut & Ifrit portion of that Top Secrets gauntlet was brutal. Not because of Ifrit, mind you. Linking Elemental to Fire basically ensures that two characters can never be killed by him.
And really, as fierce as Bahamut is, he's only a challenge because of his Mega Flare. I lost the first time I fought them because my estimated timing was off for when Mega Flare was going to hit. Manawall had just wore off a moment before, and Barret's AP replenished just a few seconds too late to recast.
Second go was successful, though still with a slight misfire in that Barret's HP was half-depleted at the time -- so even with Manawall and Lifesaver in play, both Barret and Aerith were knocked out. Honestly not too big a deal, though, because Cloud was still at half HP with Arise ready to go, and Bahamut is kind of a chump unless Mega Flare is set to go off imminently. I had finished both he and Ifrit off long before Mega Flare could come out a second time.
All that's left now is to finish Chapters 17 and 18 on Hard, then redo Chapters 3, 8, and 9 on Hard once more to get the last set of dresses, the last manuscript, and to make Barret's resolution scene appear in Chapter 14.
And really, as fierce as Bahamut is, he's only a challenge because of his Mega Flare. I lost the first time I fought them because my estimated timing was off for when Mega Flare was going to hit. Manawall had just wore off a moment before, and Barret's AP replenished just a few seconds too late to recast.
Second go was successful, though still with a slight misfire in that Barret's HP was half-depleted at the time -- so even with Manawall and Lifesaver in play, both Barret and Aerith were knocked out. Honestly not too big a deal, though, because Cloud was still at half HP with Arise ready to go, and Bahamut is kind of a chump unless Mega Flare is set to go off imminently. I had finished both he and Ifrit off long before Mega Flare could come out a second time.
All that's left now is to finish Chapters 17 and 18 on Hard, then redo Chapters 3, 8, and 9 on Hard once more to get the last set of dresses, the last manuscript, and to make Barret's resolution scene appear in Chapter 14.
The Twilight Mexican
Ex-SeeD-ingly good
- AKA
- TresDias
The slog that was Chapter 17 on Hard is now behind me. Rufus was easy this go round, but The Arsenal was even more of a pain in the ass this time. I very, very nearly lost that one.
On to the final chapter tomorrow!
On to the final chapter tomorrow!
The Twilight Mexican
Ex-SeeD-ingly good
- AKA
- TresDias
Hard Mode Sephiroth can eat a whole bag of dicks. I hope he chokes.
This time around attempting Chapter 18, I absolutely massacred the Whispers on the way to fighting him, so I thought "Oh, bitch is going down hard on Hard lolololol" -- and was hilariously, ironically ever so momentarily disappointed that the final bout was going to be unworthy of the epic-ness that had come before with, say, the Hell House fight or The Arsenal.
Christ on toast, I got way more than I wanted. I almost had him on my second attempt (if Barret's Limit had just been allowed to hit before his HP got to zero!), but it ended up taking about ten tries. D=
Well, anyway, that's done. And Sephiroth can go eat a whole bag of dicks. A whole bag. Crumbs and all.
This time around attempting Chapter 18, I absolutely massacred the Whispers on the way to fighting him, so I thought "Oh, bitch is going down hard on Hard lolololol" -- and was hilariously, ironically ever so momentarily disappointed that the final bout was going to be unworthy of the epic-ness that had come before with, say, the Hell House fight or The Arsenal.
Christ on toast, I got way more than I wanted. I almost had him on my second attempt (if Barret's Limit had just been allowed to hit before his HP got to zero!), but it ended up taking about ten tries. D=
Well, anyway, that's done. And Sephiroth can go eat a whole bag of dicks. A whole bag. Crumbs and all.
