Go Use Your Elixir!

June 7, 2008, 2:01 PM

This is something that I just noticed based on my own experience. I realized that I would be so thrilled to find elixirs (or mega-elixir) but I seem to always stash them away and won't use them until the the very last boss fight. I'd probably use one or two when fighting the most difficult bosses, but even then, I would always contemplate first whether I should use it or not, and when I do use one, it always make me cringe...as if I just can't afford to lose one elixir!

One day I was playing FF7 and I was having quite a difficult time with a boss. A friend of mine said, "Go use your elixir! Why won't everyone use their elixir? They always save it until the very last but by then you'll have over 30 elixirs that you won't need anyway."

That's a very good point.

I suppose I just value the item so much that I keep thinking I should save it for a very hard boss fight, and when I do face that boss in battle, 10 minutes later I'll say to myself, "I think I can manage without using an elixir. He's almost dead..." And I'll end up not using any of my elixirs at all. Seriously, I think I'll use less than 3 elixirs throughout the whole game up until the very last boss fight.

So anyway, anyone else who seem to do the same thing that I do?

June 7, 2008, 2:05 PM

I use em when i'm next to dead, but otherwise, i don't really need em. I never end up needing the damn things because i keep my people fully healed at all times to prevent the need for them

Even when one of my guys was near death, i just used Curaja on em instead, even though that depleted the rest of his mana, nothing a dry ether didn't fix. Don't really like to waste em either, using a potion that restores both hp and mp when only mp is drained seems like a waste to me .

June 7, 2008, 2:06 PM

You've just verbalised the only thing I think about when playing any Final Fantasy game. xD It's as if I say to myself, "I'll just save them until later - I don't want to waste any!"

I've caught myself (not) doing it fairly often so I try to stop myself. In the case of VII, there's the W-Item Cheat and so I just use that and then use Elixers in place of potions.

June 7, 2008, 2:18 PM

I always use an Elixir if I feel that it'll make the battle easier. Most final bosses don't require a bunch of items to get by anyway.

Elixirs were probably the least important item of Final Fantasy VII, since the bugs near Wutai blow X-potions right out the ass. You get at least two or three of them after every battle.

For me, Elixirs have always just been there for convenience. They're nothing special, but they can help you get out of a pinch long enough to strike the finishing blow.

June 7, 2008, 2:27 PM

I've been doing the same thing...stashing the damn elixirs everytime. I rather keep my party as healthy as possible everytime so cure-like spells are better for me. And when I reach the last boss....well....I've been carrying a damn bag of elixirs all the time so why not use them.
To tell the truth there is one exception......FFX-2 when you fight Yojimbo. His Zanmato attack asks for the usage of an elixir as it drains all MP and leaves all party members at 1 HP. But that's the only place I've used an elixir before the last boss battle....

June 7, 2008, 2:58 PM

I totally know what you mean. The worst game for hoarding items with me personally, is FFX. I never use any of the Mega-Potions, Elixirs, Ethers, etc, because it feels wrong using them, and I worry that I'll run out >_>

June 7, 2008, 3:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mercy

I never use any of the Mega-Potions, Elixirs, Ethers, etc, because it feels wrong using them, and I worry that I'll run out >_>

My point exactly. But we never do run out.

Earlier I was playing Crisis Core and I checked my Items...and was actually surprised to see that I have 36 elixirs on stash. I'm towards the end of the game too, and I've never actually used it once! I know that elixirs aren't really that special since you have curative spells and all that, but elixirs can be a tad bit more convenient if you needed to replenish your MP to use more curative spells. You can kill two birds with one stone, as the saying goes.

I especially found it useful when fighting Ruby or Emerald and (I believe it's Emerald) he brings all your characters' HP down to 1! At times like that, you just need to act quickly by using elixirs/megalixirs rather than searching your items for ethers (just in case you had no more MP) and then using curative spells...only to find out that it was too late as the Game Over screen flashes before your eyes.

June 7, 2008, 3:31 PM

I get what you mean, Mitsuki.

I just can't let those damn elixirs go! It hurts me to use them. I only use them for when its crunch time.

When I played FF 10 though, I never had to use my elixirs. Because Spira was brimming with Al Bhed Potions and Mega-Potions.

I am proud to say that I still have 99 Elixirs there.

June 7, 2008, 5:03 PM

Olol, I'm so the same Suki, I rarely if ever use them and when I do the boss in question would have to have gotten the best of me more than afew times for me to justify using one

Even then I'l be thinking, well Im gunna die again anyway so technically Im not using it