[SPOILERS] So I'm Finally Gonna Play XII

USE SPEARS!!!!!! there amazing bwohahahahaa.... other than that you will realize that eveyone can do everything if you have the time to powerlevel... you'll need about, oh i don't know 100 hours to get everything if you set you self up right... oh and edilon fights are amazing
 
Okay now we're in Barheim Passage. Thank God for there being stockpiles of Gil right there.
I mean, I am pretty much broke already and all I did was buy Vaan some Bronze Armor and a Magic Masher. He really needed some extra defense and I got him a Dagger because he seems like a dagger user. I dunno.

Also got Fran the Protect Spell. I'm digging how we can restore MP just by running around. Have a little tussle with some enmies than heal up with Cure then just run around in circles to restore MP.

EDIT:
Wait a sec... I just realize I have this ton of crap called Loot that I can sell. It doesn't seem to have any real use so hooray for easy money!
 
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loot is there for selling and that's pretty much it. it's an attempt to make the game more realistic than having all the baddies carry gil. also, selling certain amounts of different loot will grant access to discount packages of some expensive/rare items/equipment sets later on. do keep the teleport stones though, they're the one useful piece of loot.
 
Final reports on FFXII progress before bed:

-I felt like an idiot after consulting a guide and realizing the reason I couldn't escape the Dreadnaught was because I was going the wrong way the whole time.

-Judge Ghis was the hardest boss I've fought as of right now.

-The Sandsea is my favorite area so far. I went up about 4 levels and got a crapload of new Augments. My favorite is the one where you actuallY gain MP from beating enemies. Invaluable.

-Garuda was absurdly easy.

-I feel kinda stupid after blowing all my License Points on crap and now I can't get he new and ultra-powerful weapons the merchant is offering. I settled with giving Vaan an Ancient Sword, Ashe a Spear and Penelo a Long Bow.

-Oh yeah, my main party is now definitely gonna be Vaan, Ashe and Penelo. I'm gonna miss Balthier but I have this weird thing where I like to keep the main characters in my party for....some weird sense of keeping it all sensible. Vaan and Ashe are suposed to be the main protagonists. And Penelo is there because she's hot and adorable. Also they seem to fight just as well as Balthier or Fran. So why not. Actually, when i first got Ashe, she seemed like a better version of Fran gameplay wise.

So that's where I am. I'll go into this Tomb or whatever when i get up. i leave you all with my usual plea for advice.

I finally got to my first Quicekning with both Penelo and Ashe. However it tells me you can only get one Quicening per tile. So it's either I get Ashe's "Northswain's Glow" or Penelo's "Intercession." But I can't get both. So which to get?

Also since I've never gotten a Quickening yet, how does it work? I'm told they're like Limit Breaks so can you only activate them when damaged? Is there a little bar that fills up?

Oh and as for the story, it's really starting to get interesting. The scene with the King and Gabranth was quite cryptic. Of course it would seem to be it's the traitorous adviser plot but Vayne is also an antagonist. I am very curious to see how this turns out.

Oh and good night and thank you all for any help you can give.
 
I have been an avid Final Fantasy fan since I was introduced to it at FFVII. I loved what has since become the very definition of RPGs. I enjoyed the turn-based fighting, the gorgeous graphics, deep storylines, and the wonderful imagination behind the creatures, spells, weapons, etc. Final Fantasy has always been one of my favorite franchises. Naturally, when XIII was available for pre-order, I did.
 
get ashe's quickening. you can use quickenings whenever you want as long as at least one mp bar is filled*.

*as you gain more quickenings for that character their mp bars will increase, with a maximum of 3. Ex: Vaan 97mp x3 bars.
 
I got all 3 Quickenings for my main party a while ago. I just got to Giruvagen and Vaan, Ashe and Penelo are Level 50 and decked out with the best armors. Vaan has the Platinum Dagger, Ashe the latest Katana and Penelo the latest Bow.

I also got all their Augments a while ago so I have over 1000 LP to spend at my leisure getting the very few magics I have left to get and the rest goes to weapons and armors.

Also Espers too if I feel like getting them.

Right now, the only optional Esxper I obtained was Zalera and that was purely by accident i needed to go to the Barheim Passage to get the mark Bloodwing and I just stumbled onto Zalera.

God it's fucking awesome.
 
i also found zalera by accident. i barely survived that battle.

there are a couple more that you'll find by roaming around places, if you're past giruvegan by now then a few should be available. they tend to pop up in hidden areas of dungeons.
 
I've added "Spoilers" to the thread title for those who haven't played the game.

And I stumbled on quite a few Espers while searching for other things. Addramalech, Exodus and Zeromus. Zeromus actually killed me the first time. I was not pleased. -__-
 
I've just completed FF12. I wanted to give a list of my thoughts and feelings on the game. I also want to address a few things I've heard argued about even since the game was released (though i just now understand what they are about).

Initial Thoughts:

1. The combat system is great. It took me off-guard at first, being so different from all teh other FFs I've played, but I think it's really more immersive than any of the others I've played.
2. Hardest storyline boss all game for me was The Elder Wyrm. Damn you status effects! Though if the optional Demon Wall counts, I also beat it after a while. I mainly fought it to get the Demonbane and to practice learning how to use Quickenings.

Now, onto the real meat of the topic.

The Story:

It's good. The best FF story yet? Hell no. In maybe the Top 3? Yes. While there's not nearly enough character development, the actual plot of the game is very intriguing. Not many twists and turns but I don't think it tried to have them. It certainly didn't seem like they were trying to keep the fact Gabranth is Basch's brother a secret.

Also I like the trend of public speaking with the villains now. Edea(Ultimecia) iN VIII was happy to give a delightuflly Evil Speech but then Seymour came along and was introduced by giving a friendship speech. Vayne did the same thing and even if I hadn't known then, I would have known from that that he was the Big Bad.

Really, the Empire itself was a far more interesting antagonist than Vayne. All the scenes with The Judges and Emperor kept me hooked.

The Ending:

I had more trouble getting to the bosses than the bosses themselves. The ending was decent I suppose. Nothing too unexpected but I wish it had gone on longer. Would have been more morable had Balthier and Fran actually died.

My Favorite Scenes:

1. The entire bit at the end of the Pharos with Gabranth as well as Cid's and Reddas' deaths.

2. Judge Bergan's crazy speech

3. Vaan and Ashe in Jahara

4. I'll just be general and say every other scene with The Judges.

5. Balthier's and Fran's Introduction

6. Zalera's Introduction

My Favorite Characters:

1. Gabranth - The plot did a much better job setting him up as the antagonist than Vayne. Vayne has actually a very minimal role in the plot when screentime is considered. Gabranth is just more interesting as well. I just kept waiting for his and Basch's moment to finally confront each other.

2. Balthier - What can I say? He's Balthier. It's like if you put James Bond and Jack Sparrow in a blender and created Pure Awesome. It helsp he undergoes some good development what with hsi father and all.

3. Ashe - Surprised me how much i actually liked her. She was quite the stick-up-her-ass bitch at first but she gets a lot more lax with time and I started to like her.

Now to address the aforementioned controversial topic:

Vaan:

Oh Vaan. Even before XII came out I remember people getting on the boards to rant about you. Then the game came out and most of them still ranted about you. Only now they threw in "he's not even the main character!" Well perhaps not. But he's definitely the second most important member of the party. It would go Ashe then Vaan then Balthier then Basch than Fran then Penelo.

I don't care what people say about Basch "should have been" the hero. The fact is, he's not. In fact, from the moment Vossler is killed up until the ending of the Pharos, Basch is completely worthless storyline wise. He had no reason to exist for all those dungeons and hours.

Also, as for Vaan vs. Tidus, there is no comparison. None. Tidus is an abomination; a mindless blackhole who serves to suck all enjoyment and intelligence out of everything near him. Tidus is what happens when you give a character -too much- personality. Vaan, in contrast, had just enough personality to be interesting. He had his dream of being a sky pirate which evolved into him showing he was just trying to distract himself from the truth of Reks' death. Vaan is just a normal kid. He's...average. not great, not terrible.

Voice-Acting:

1. Judge Zargabaath - I just call him Judge Kain.

2. Reddas

3. Balthier

4. Gabranth

5. Dr. Cid

6. Ashe

Favorite Music:

1.

2.
\
This one may be unusual for some but I think every dungeon should have a satisfying conclusion theme. It's all well and good to have a big epic boss battle but I want something nice and peaceful to show me all that Hell I just went through as worth it. When i first heard this theme in the Tomb of Raithwall, I felt that peace and satisfaction.

3.
It's amazing that a lot of the lesser significant dungeons in this game have the best music... This music would make you think you were off to some distant battle instead of fighting rats in a sewer. This music is the music to my most hated level in thIS game. i got lost in the Waterway so many times and I probably would have gone crazy and broken the game had it not been for this great tune keeping me calm.

4.
Hey after all the big important and mystical music, how about a cute little theme for a cute little girl? Penelo was in my main party from the second I could have her... Sexiest chick in FF12.

5.

6.


Conclusion:

In my personal rankings of FF games, where to put 12.... Well, none will ever beat FFIX that much I am certain of. But I did have more fun with this story and world than either FFVII or X. I suppose overall VII and X had a better, more well-developed cast but well-developed doesn't mean memorable or likable. Apart froM Fran, I liked the party very much. While with FFX, I just liked Auron and Rikku.

So yeah, I think I'll place this as my second favorite FF game ever. Well dne FF12.

So those are a quick draft of my thoughts on the game after just beating it. i'll probably think of more.

So anyone here share my thoughts or disagree with them?
 
nice mini-review. i'm pretty much on the same boat, albeit in my case i've liked every FF i played for one reason or another. i also thought the ending lacked the epic conclusiveness that RPG's tend to share. it did make sense though, so all's well that ends well i suppose.

what really drew me into this game was the atmosphere made by the music, sound effects, and the environments. this was the first FF that really immersed me into the world, as opposed to looking at an overworld map (not that i dislike them).
 
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