Help Just Started The Game, What should I expect?

KillingJoke

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So I have been holding this off for a while. I owned the game a long time ago when it was first released, didnt get very far and frankly dont remember much about the game. Picked it up from a local retro gaming store a few months ago with intention to play it soon. Now here we are a few months later and I just now popped it into my PS2.

So basically what should I know going into the game, anything important I should think about while playing through it to make the game a little easier in the end? Any advice or anything you have to say in general will be appreciated.
 
I always use the same strategy when playing this game. I can't really remember it all though. Basically, I have two teams: Basch/Vaan/Penelo and Balthier/Ashe/Fran. I try to level them equally, but my preffered team and the one I use for bosses is Balthier Ashe and Fran. I set them up like a tank (Basche, Balthier), a black mage(Ashe, Penelo) and a white mage (Fran, Vaan) based on their stats, which really aren't much different anyway. Weapons-wise I use maces, rods and staves for Ashe and Penelo, Bows, crossbows and guns for Fran, Vaan and Bashe get 1 and 2 handed swords and Balthier gets poles, ninja swords, spears and katana (yeah, he's diverse like that). By deciding all this at the beginning of the game it makes it much easier to decide which licenses to go for, for which I do 'cheat' and use a map (I use this one and this one) of the license board since I find it stupid that you can't see what you're doing.

Also, one of the most amazing weapons in the game (and the easiest ultimate weapon to get if you know what you're doing) is the Zodiac Spear. All you have to do to get it is not open some treasure chests (in front of Dalan's house, southeast of Rabanastre Palace Cellar, equipment room in Nalbina dungeons, Phon Coast) the last is one of 16, to be save don't open any of them. If you don't open these chests then the Spear will be in the Necrohol of Nabudis. Trust me, you want that spear, it's awesome.

Some people use their Espers a lot, but I don't, so I don't really have any tips, but I like to spread them around my characters so that everyone has 2 or 3. Take advantage of hunts, because they get you some really good prizes later on in the game. If you're going to go for the hunts, start early since you don't want to have to run around doing low level hunts later on in the game. There's also a cheat to get you really high level characters really early in the game. The trick involves killing a rare monster called Dustia (pheonix down it) over and over again while you only have Vaan in your party, so that when the other characters join you they join with high levels like your Vaan has. It can be quite boring though, but it gets you rich early and levels aren't a problem for about half of the game.

Er, I can't really think of anything else to say :) just enjoy!
 
My strategies during this game are to use Swords, Axes and Spears for (Vaan, Bacsh). Bows, Staves and Swords for Ashe, Fran and Penelo since I mainly have them as good White, Black, Time, Green and Arcane magic users while Vaan and Bache tank. As far as learning magic, everyone is on an equal footing and I like to have them learn as much as they can using the same magicks. Balthier is mainly the Polearms, Handbombs and Crossbow type so that is what he uses. Vaan and Basch are melee with Hammers and Axes so I usually equip them with shields afterwards and have everyone get accessories and technicks the same way also. The only part of the license grid that I end up with different paths is the weapons.

So far this game is really massive and not as linear as say Final Fantasy 13. Because of the non linearity of where you want to go next it makes it to where you always don't have to do this quest right away and you can go off to do hunts for people or search for different persons or parcels or whatnot. It has a medival type feel to it so you'll expect knights and castles as such in the world of Ivalice. I think it's a really great game that didn't get a lot of attention, but that is just my opinion.
 
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