[cooljeanius]

Up to the Eryth Sea now, and while all of the game has been beautiful so far, it's especially beautiful being up on the top of Bionis and being able to see pretty much everything. A few other random thoughts: While I like the battle music, I wish there were more versions of it. It's getting kind of repetitive hearing the same theme so often. Also, as my party has grown, I've found myself wishing more for an in-game explanation for the party size limit. It's especially confusing when you see all 6 of them taking on a Telethia at once in a cutscene, but then once you go back to gameplay, there are only 3 of you again.

[chaosblade]

Up to the Eryth Sea now, and while all of the game has been beautiful so far, it's especially beautiful being up on the top of Bionis and being able to see pretty much everything. A few other random thoughts: While I like the battle music, I wish there were more versions of it. It's getting kind of repetitive hearing the same theme so often. Also, as my party has grown, I've found myself wishing more for an in-game explanation for the party size limit. It's especially confusing when you see all 6 of them taking on a Telethia at once in a cutscene, but then once you go back to gameplay, there are only 3 of you again.

This is one of my complaints about the game. What they should have done is taken the base daytime music, and create two alternate versions. A "lite" or soft version for night, and a more intense and upbeat version for battles. Then they could smoothly fade from one variation of the song to another, and it would be less repetitive.

There is another battle theme that will play in areas later in the game, so you do have that going for you.

[The Awesomest]

Sooo... I just completed the Kingpin series of quests in Frontier Village. o.m.g. I did not expect that kind of crazy drug-busting action in a village populated by fluffballs. I knew something was up with Bana, that dude was acting fishy the whole time. Then he comes out with his attack bird, and that amazing battle music plays giving the whole thing an epic feeling.

The battle itself was pretty tough... He was a few levels above me, in the Yellow danger range. It was the first time I had ever taken on a unique enemy above my level. I led my party with Dunban, and ended with Sharla. I tried Reyn at first, by we died right before we were able to kill him. Then I put Riki in, because it would be poetic seeing the evil Nopon drug lord getting taken down by the Heropon. Again, died after we got him into low HP. Finally, I went with Dunban/Shulk/Sharla, so I could use his Monado Shield. I realized the trick was to not use chain attacks, but keep the party gauge up so you can change the future and revive people.

That was absolutely amazing. I didn't expect anything like that from this game.

[rhfb]

I asked in the Dolphin thread but didn't get a response so I figure I'd ask here. Any must have tweaks/hacks for running this in Dolphin? Found a texture replacement pack to swap the button icons out for their 360 counterparts (great because I'm using a 360 pad to play the game), but any other suggestions would be appreciated.

[Cramoss]

Just finished moments ago after 100 hours. Along with NieR, it is my JRPG of the generation.

[chaosblade]

I asked in the Dolphin thread but didn't get a response so I figure I'd ask here. Any must have tweaks/hacks for running this in Dolphin? Found a texture replacement pack to swap the button icons out for their 360 counterparts (great because I'm using a 360 pad to play the game), but any other suggestions would be appreciated.

Nah. There is a high res texture pack but like most other texture packs, it hurts the art of the game more than it helps. There is some high res text too, but I didn't really think it was necessary.

I've seen a lot of people mention a Xenoblade-specific Dolphin build. Haven't seen it myself, but that might be useful if it has things like the HLE audio fix and stuff already patched in. That shouldn't be necessary if you're able to use LLE though.

[cooljeanius]

So all the quests at the Refugee Camp in Bionis's Leg had a pretty obvious point-of-no-return for when their timer would end and they'd be no longer available, is the same true for all the timer quests in Alcamoth? I'm about to head to Prison Island, and I want to know if I should take the time to do some of the Alcamoth quests beforehand, or if it's safe to wait until afterwards...

[chaosblade]

So all the quests at the Refugee Camp in Bionis's Leg had a pretty obvious point-of-no-return for when their timer would end and they'd be no longer available, is the same true for all the timer quests in Alcamoth? I'm about to head to Prison Island, and I want to know if I should take the time to do some of the Alcamoth quests beforehand, or if it's safe to wait until afterwards...

There's a warning for those, but it's not obvious. It just gives you a generic "are you sure you want to continue" type cue.

You have a long way to go and several more areas before you get to that point though.

[HigherLevel]

So I'm not really much of a JRPG player anymore. Back in the PS2 days I was all over every good JRPG that came out but as everyone knows, this gen has not been kind to them on the consoles. With all of the hype surrounding Xenoblade, not only about the quality but the "will NoA actually release it here" stuff, I decided to per-order it. Due to the busyness of life it just sat on my shelf since I picked it up. Today I finally opened it up and popped it in, and man, did it deserve the praise. It had me feeling all kinds of nostalgic for when these kind of games were plentiful and I spent all my summers playing. The combat, the art style, the designs, the atmosphere, it's all incredible. I was really worried it was a case of people over hyping it because of the situation surrounding it, but that is definitely not true. I'm gonna be spending a lot of time playing this the rest of the summer, and it even has me interested in picking up the Last Story when that releases.

[lettermassing]

Bought it today even though it's been here in the UK for a while. Managed to get it with a Classic Controller Pro for £35.

[Diddy Kong]

Would someone mind telling me where I should train at level 82?

[chaosblade]

Would someone mind telling me where I should train at level 82?

Alcamoth, you should be able to kill the small Telethia roaming around. Eryth Sea has some on some in various areas as well. The further in to the area you go, the higher level enemies you can find, I think they go up to 91 or so in the palace.

If you can't quite do that yet, the Kromers around Eryth Sea are probably a little easier, as well as the enemies in the marsh at night. But the other area is sufficient until you're high enough level for Tephra Cave, and that along with Deinos Sauros in Makna Forest (GREAT crystal drops from those) can get you to 99.

[Diddy Kong]

Alcamoth, you should be able to kill the small Telethia roaming around. Eryth Sea has some on some in various areas as well. The further in to the area you go, the higher level enemies you can find, I think they go up to 91 or so in the palace. If you can't quite do that yet, the Kromers around Eryth Sea are probably a little easier, as well as the enemies in the marsh at night. But the other area is sufficient until you're high enough level for Tephra Cave, and that along with Deinos Sauros in Makna Forest (GREAT crystal drops from those) can get you to 99.

Ahhh I'm currently on a NG+ so I don't have access to the Telethia in Alcamoth just yet. (focusing on side quests, but want to switch it up a bit xD). I've been working at the Marsh but it's a bit slow, so I'm going to go to the sea. Thanks a lot!

[Siaynoqq]

Just got Melia and I'm really enjoying using her in battle. I'm wondering, though, if I missed a shop with her intermediate art upgrades. I just got out of Frontier Village to look for ether crystals in the forest and I have a ton of AP waiting to be used for her. Did I miss a shop somewhere?

Also, is the AI for her really that bad? It seems clear to me she needs to be used efficiently to make her incredibly valuable--possibly by far the most valuable--but I would imagine she is on par with others even if used inefficiently, given her double dose of high damage and buffing at the same time.

[chaosblade]

Just got Melia and I'm really enjoying using her in battle. I'm wondering, though, if I missed a shop with her intermediate art upgrades. I just got out of Frontier Village to look for ether crystals in the forest and I have a ton of AP waiting to be used for her. Did I miss a shop somewhere? Also, is the AI for her really that bad? It seems clear to me she needs to be used efficiently to make her incredibly valuable--possibly by far the most valuable--but I would imagine she is on par with others even if used inefficiently, given her double dose of high damage and buffing at the same time.

The AI generally does not make good use of the damage unleashed elementals can deal. She'll regularly auto-attack (and hers are hilariously weak) or stand around and do nothing depending on what arts you have on her, instead of firing off elementals and summoning new ones.

And I think the first shop with her art books is in the next town area after Frontier Village.

I also don't think Melia is a particularly great character when you first get her since the cooldowns are a bit long. She really shines most once you get a lot of her key arts into the intermediate range, up until the late post-game when she's arguably outclassed by at least a couple other characters.

[Siaynoqq]

The AI generally does not make good use of the damage unleashed elementals can deal. She'll regularly auto-attack (and hers are hilariously weak) or stand around and do nothing depending on what arts you have on her, instead of firing off elementals and summoning new ones. And I think the first shop with her art books is in the next town area after Frontier Village. I also don't think Melia is a particularly great character when you first get her since the cooldowns are a bit long. She really shines most once you get a lot of her key arts into the intermediate range, up until the late post-game when she's arguably outclassed by at least a couple other characters.

Which characters would you say are better?

[chaosblade]

Which characters would you say are better?

At the point you're at, it's a toss up. Like I said, Melia at that point just has cooldowns that are too long for her to really function as well as she can. After a couple more areas she'll probably be the best character in the game for quite a while, if you use her.

But once you hit level 90+ or so (or start tackling those sort of enemies/challenges) Shulk is the best character in the game, unquestionably. Nobody can touch Shulk's combination of utility/support arts plus very good DPS without relying on damage over time (DoT).

After that it's debatable. I think Dunban would easily hold the #2 spot, because he's probably the second best non-DoT damage dealer and his role as a speed/dodge tank is much more useful than Reyn's damage eating. He can tank anything in the game, even if he's lower level than it is. In my late/post-game low-level run, he tanked a level 79 enemy at level 71 without going down with only minimal healing (Light Heal only, no Sharla) without any sort of special setup, and didn't have any problem against the highest level superboss at only level 79 (I have a video, but don't refer to it yet since it contains spoilers you're not at yet) - granted I did have a lot of post-game stuff you normally wouldn't have at level 79, but still.

Melia and the 7th character are probably tied for the #3 (7th character also drops a slot this late in the game, earlier that character is probably #2 behind Melia). Melia is really only good at dealing damage, her support arts aside from Reflection are just not that great. Sleep is only useful if you don't have Shulk in the party. She's too fragile to tank.

7th and Melia are probably tied for the top damage dealing spot, Melia might have a slight edge due to DoT (is slightly lower without DoT probably), assuming each are properly setup. 7th has a little more utility and is very self-sufficient, I was screwing around and solo'd enemies 6 levels higher than I was with that character. I don't think any other character in the game can do that reliably. And with the better setup that I have now, I could probably do enemies closer to 8 levels higher.


But this is all kind of pointless, because you can use any party and 100% the game. Some setups are more effective than others, but it ultimately doesn't matter unless you're dealing with self-imposed challenges.

[Seanspeed]

I know I've already complained about it, but I'm really struggling to get through the place in the game I'm at right now. Mechonis capital now, sick of fighting Mechon SO BAD. I honestly cant play for more than half-hour/hour at a time when before I could sit and play for like 3 or 4 hours straight.

[Jarlaxle]

While I've been enjoying the game throughout, it's really hit another level between yesterday and today. I imagine I'm nearing the end. I just got Shulk back from whatever outer space sequence and Disckson just ran away quivering like a bitch. How many hours would you say I have left if I didn't do any sidequests? Also, I'm a little worried that I'm a little underlevelled. I'm level 70 right now. I'm playing with Shulk, Dunban, and 7th. Not much healing there other than Shulk's light heal but I'm just straight up rocking shit. I haven't had too many problems so far and hopefully I won't before the end.

Those last couple of hours though. Man. This game is so fucking awesome!

[The Awesomest]

Just beat the game. Ending is nuts. But I still have a question... What the heck is a Monado? Alvis says he is one, Shulk obtained one out of nowhere, it's just so confusing.

I know I've already complained about it, but I'm really struggling to get through the place in the game I'm at right now. Mechonis capital now, sick of fighting Mechon SO BAD. I honestly cant play for more than half-hour/hour at a time when before I could sit and play for like 3 or 4 hours straight.

Yeah... just finish this area and the part afterwards and you'll be done with them forever.

While I've been enjoying the game throughout, it's really hit another level between yesterday and today. I imagine I'm nearing the end. I just got Shulk back from whatever outer space sequence and Disckson just ran away quivering like a bitch. How many hours would you say I have left if I didn't do any sidequests? Also, I'm a little worried that I'm a little underlevelled. I'm level 70 right now. I'm playing with Shulk, Dunban, and 7th. Not much healing there other than Shulk's light heal but I'm just straight up rocking shit. I haven't had too many problems so far and hopefully I won't before the end. Those last couple of hours though. Man. This game is so fucking awesome!

You have 2 1/2 more areas left. I's say maybe, 5 hours depending how much exploring you do? Next boss is at level 78 or so, so I recommend doing plenty of sidequests. The Kingpin quests in Frontier village in particular. I gained two levels from the last mission alone, not to mention they will greatly enhance your enjoyment of the game.

[chaosblade]

Just beat the game. Ending is nuts. But I still have a question... What the heck is a Monado? Alvis says he is one, Shulk obtained one out of nowhere, it's just so confusing. Yeah... just finish this area and the part afterwards and you'll be done with them forever. You have 2 1/2 more areas left. I's say maybe, 5 hours depending how much exploring you do? Next boss is at level 78 or so, so I recommend doing plenty of sidequests. The Kingpin quests in Frontier village in particular. I gained two levels from the last mission alone, not to mention they will greatly enhance your enjoyment of the game.

Next boss is 75 actually, and the normal enemies range from 71-75 or so, IIRC. So he's not really underleveled as long as he kills enemies on the way to the boss. It's a boss a lot of people struggle with though, so extra levels won't hurt.

[Lafiel]

Getting back in the game after putting it on hold after a while. 41 hours in. just got past the Galahad Fortress. I'm starting to get really hooked on the story; and eager to find out what happens next, a number of the recent cut scenes and plot development have felt xeno esque as fuck too. Some of the character interactions are a bit to sappy for my taste at times. But it doesn't really matter much; when they have successfully managed to make me care for the cast at this point.

[ThankeeSai]

I'm really enjoying this game, but have only managed to put 5 hours or so into it since I got it, been busy for one reason or another...Anyway, I'm getting back into it again, but am stuck at a certain section. Hoping gaf can help me out with a few tips.

I'm basically stuck at the Spider boss in Tephra cave. There are loads of little spiders around her which I've managed to kill, but when it comes to the queen herself, I get rinsed.

I've tried different tactics to try and get this boss done, but just can't seem to do it. Think I'm level 13 (iirc) at this point. Is it just a case of grinding and coming back or is there an easier way to defeat this boss and I'm just not seeing it?

[chaosblade]

I'm really enjoying this game, but have only managed to put 5 hours or so into it since I got it, been busy for one reason or another...Anyway, I'm getting back into it again, but am stuck at a certain section. Hoping gaf can help me out with a few tips. I'm basically stuck at the Spider boss in Tephra cave. There are loads of little spiders around her which I've managed to kill, but when it comes to the queen herself, I get rinsed. I've tried different tactics to try and get this boss done, but just can't seem to do it. Think I'm level 13 (iirc) at this point. Is it just a case of grinding and coming back or is there an easier way to defeat this boss and I'm just not seeing it?

For starters, you're using Shield like the tutorial says right, when you get a vision? And you're leveling up your arts?

The little spiders respawn, if you've gotten some good armor in the cave on your way there you can probably focus on the big spider without worrying about the little ones. Make sure Reyn's keeping aggro, try to avoid having it attack Shulk.

There's really not a whole lot of options at that point in the game.

Edit: Ha, I'm not sure if my level 1 video will help much, but toppling and chain attacks are things you should definitely consider taking advantage of. If you can, try to topple the enemy before initiating a chain attack, because you can use Wild Down again (or nearly any other topple art) to extend the duration the enemy is down.

[Zornica]

I'm really enjoying this game, but have only managed to put 5 hours or so into it since I got it, been busy for one reason or another...Anyway, I'm getting back into it again, but am stuck at a certain section. Hoping gaf can help me out with a few tips. I'm basically stuck at the Spider boss in Tephra cave. There are loads of little spiders around her which I've managed to kill, but when it comes to the queen herself, I get rinsed. I've tried different tactics to try and get this boss done, but just can't seem to do it. Think I'm level 13 (iirc) at this point. Is it just a case of grinding and coming back or is there an easier way to defeat this boss and I'm just not seeing it?

you are exactly at the right level for that boss. gaining 1 or 2 more lvls would certainly make it easier, but isn't really necessary. I think I ignored the little spiders and just attacked the queen. watch out for visions and use monado shield 3 secs after you saw them - not too soon because of its shorter duration. And only use it if you saw a vision, it's not a defense improving buff, it's just for blocking special attacks (in case you didn't know).
also upgrade your skills and arts and equip your best armor and gems.

chaosblade did a little video of that boss, it's a little bit spoilery because it shows many arts you don't have yet, but if you are ok with that, maybe it could help you?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVAuVgsYMaM

edit: better try it first by yourself again, before watching the video

[ThankeeSai]

Thanks for the tips guys.

Yeah, I've been levelling up my arts, but not been using the shield in the right way by the sounds of it.

Will take a look at the video later, too.

Thanks again :)

[chaosblade]

Since I finished Ys Origin again, I'm probably going to jump back into my low-level playthrough. I actually went and fought Xord at level 6 today but Dolphin crashed. I probably need to gain a couple levels so it doesn't take forever. Considering the NG+ equipment, it's not like it's a challenge regardless, it's just a matter of "can I hit them?"

My main goal is to unlock the post-game stuff at level 60, and kill Abaasy at that level. Should be doable, it's just a matter of doing it before night ends (meaning I might have to resort to chain attacks this time).

Edit: Okay, beat that boss. Took longer than it should have because I had pretty terrible luck with my chain attacks and hitting with break arts.

Also, bonus round: Reckless Godwin + minions. It was pretty much an all-Dunban show since his level is so much higher than everyone else (need to get his affinity with Sharla up so I'm using them). I'll upload those later. Fun fight though since he has several attacks that hit through defense, and I came close to losing as a result. Framerate is kind of poo due 9 enemies fighting at once.

Extra awesome bonus:



Yes, that is a level 82 enemy. (re: Edit: What's up with that AP scaling though?)

[Jarlaxle]

I am getting absolutely wrecked by Lorithia. This is honestly the first time I've hit a wall in this game. I was level 71 when I got to that boss fight. I tried it about 6 or 7 times and realized it just wasn't going to happen at my current level. I wasn't even putting a dent in. So, I've been leveling up a bit. Now I'm at level 74 but I'm worried that might not be enough.

I've looked online and most agree that I should be using Melia in my party for that fight but I really kind of want to do it with the party I have (Shulk, Dunban, 7th). Am I handicapping myself to such a degree I won't be able to beat the boss or what level do you think I should get to before I go back and try again? Should I substitute Rikki or Sharla in for Dunban or 7th just for this fight?

[AniHawk]

I am getting absolutely wrecked by Lorithia. This is honestly the first time I've hit a wall in this game. I was level 71 when I got to that boss fight. I tried it about 6 or 7 times and realized it just wasn't going to happen at my current level. I wasn't even putting a dent in. So, I've been leveling up a bit. Now I'm at level 74 but I'm worried that might not be enough. I've looked online and most agree that I should be using Melia in my party for that fight but I really kind of want to do it with the party I have (Shulk, Dunban, 7th). Am I handicapping myself to such a degree I won't be able to beat the boss or what level do you think I should get to before I go back and try again? Should I substitute Rikki or Sharla in for Dunban or 7th just for this fight?

i think i had rikki, 7th, and sharla for this one. sharla to keep the healing on 7th, rikki for the poison/burn/chill, and 7th for the absolute murder oh my. just get 7th's attack speeds up, max out double hits, make double hits an auto-crit (it's one of the skill chains), and link 7th to dunban's 'all crits heal hp' and you should be good to go.

first time through i had my ass handed to me since i was trying to build affinity between shulk, melia, and dunban. i did last a long time, but it was tough going. when i did the second group, it was over in a minute and a half.

[chaosblade]

I am getting absolutely wrecked by Lorithia. This is honestly the first time I've hit a wall in this game. I was level 71 when I got to that boss fight. I tried it about 6 or 7 times and realized it just wasn't going to happen at my current level. I wasn't even putting a dent in. So, I've been leveling up a bit. Now I'm at level 74 but I'm worried that might not be enough. I've looked online and most agree that I should be using Melia in my party for that fight but I really kind of want to do it with the party I have (Shulk, Dunban, 7th). Am I handicapping myself to such a degree I won't be able to beat the boss or what level do you think I should get to before I go back and try again? Should I substitute Rikki or Sharla in for Dunban or 7th just for this fight?

I beat it with that party easily on my second playthrough, at that level.

Try do set up Fiora to get max tension really easily/quickly. If she can get Final Cross off, you can probably topple lock the boss and win extremely easily.

Otherwise, chain and topple, if you can keep her locked down, great. You're going to rely on topples and daze in pretty much any case with that party since physical damage is really gimped otherwise, and taking out the elements around the boss is time consuming and dangerous. (re: topple lock, I made a video with an example and some details in the description, if you're not familiar with that)

Otherwise, what AniHawk said is a much better bet, since ether damage is much better for that fight. Melia could replace Riki assuming you're controlling her.

[Jarlaxle]

Thanks guys. Looking forward to getting back in there and trying some new stuff.

[chaosblade]

More low level NG+ videos.

Fourth boss, both parts. Took longer than it should have since I struggled to topple him on the first part, and break him on the second.

Bonus battle - Reckless Godwin (+ minions). Some slowdown in this video due to so many onscreen enemies fighting. Like I said, it's an all-Dunban show since he's so much higher level at this point. Without him around it actually would have been pretty ugly due to that talent art (heck, it was ugly with him around).

Bonus battle 2 - Baelfael Gogol (level 82), after beating one I really wanted to do it again and get a video. Unfortunately, it wasn't nearly as smooth the second time around, but either way, I've killed two of these damn things at level 12/16/27. Unbeatable was activating like crazy in that fight, even though I wanted it to NOT activate so Dunban's Jaws of Death would activate.

Oh, and on that last one it was recording the wrong thing at first, so I had to stop and fix it, so it starts a tad late. Doesn't really miss anything other than me putting Armor up and running in to attack.

[Zornica]

Bonus battle - Reckless Godwin (+ minions). Some slowdown in this video due to so many onscreen enemies fighting. Like I said, it's an all-Dunban show since he's so much higher level at this point. Without him around it actually would have been pretty ugly due to that talent art (heck, it was ugly with him around).

Is there a reason why you fought the minions too? Seems way harder that way.
I really wish I had the time to exploit the game like this.

[Luap]

I was determined to beat the game before June 3rd because that was when I left for my week-long vacation to Mexico. I didn't want to be thinking about the story or feel the yearning to play while I was supposed to be enjoying my vacation. But even though I did succeed in beating it before I left, I still had the music stuck in my head all week, and I still couldn't wait to play it when I got home. Lol...

Anyway, I've been having trouble deciding between starting a NG+ or messing around with "post-game" stuff first. The main reason I'd like to go NG+ is because I missed out on nearly every Alcamoth, Mechonis Field and Agnaritha quest. I couldn't help but blow through their point of no return because I was too entranced by the main story, but now I'd really like to do them. But before I do that I'm going to try to get some good gems and equipment from late-game monsters, as well as all of the 4th and 5th skill trees for every character (I have really high area affinity in Colony 9, Central Bionis and Fallen Arm, so it would be a shame to waste it).

Also, before I left I accidentally discovered a really dirty trick in (late/post-game spoilers): Tephra Cave. I was level 78 but I really wanted one of those juicy Haste gems that the lizards drop in there. I tried my luck and got pretty close, but I just kept drawing aggro from side mobs which always resulted in my death. That is, until I was in the area with the little pond that you drop into if you skip to the Heavenly Window landmark, do a 180° turn and run through a hole guarded by some Bunnits. There are usually 2 wisps and 2 lizards there, and there's a small ledge where you can jump down and run to the Spring of Grief. That ledge is the key. I was getting my ass kicked by the 2 lizards as usual, when I decided to bail out and jumped off the ledge. I noticed that the lizards couldn't jump down after me, but I still had aggro.

Oh exploitable.

On my next fight I controlled Melia, and then had Reyn for tanking (he actually did better than Dunban against these enemies, for some reason) and Riki for his ether attacks and heals. I drew aggro from a lizard, jumped off the ledge, and ran way out of its range and started nuking it. This worked great, and I was well on my way to killing it when it randomly de-aggroed and ran back to it's original location. Fuck. So on my next try I stayed a little closer — out of range of its melee attacks but in the range of its topple art — and it worked like a charm; I was dropping lizards like crazy and taking minimal damage. I could even handle 2 lizards and 1 wisp at once, although it wasn't easy. I felt really naughty for doing it but at the same time it felt so good. I didn't actually get enough drops to form my Haste VI gem though, because I was getting a ton of exp for killing monsters 12+ levels higher than me, and I was level 80 before I knew it. I wanted to fight the final boss at level 80, so I took off and beat the game. But now that I've gotten that out of the way, it's Haste gem farming time!

[Exeunt]

Anyway, I've been having trouble deciding between starting a NG+ or messing around with "post-game" stuff first. The main reason I'd like to go NG+ is because I missed out on nearly every Alcamoth, Mechonis Field and Agnaritha quest. I couldn't help but blow through their point of no return because I was too entranced by the main story, but now I'd really like to do them. But before I do that I'm going to try to get some good gems and equipment from late-game monsters, as well as all of the 4th and 5th skill trees for every character (I have really high area affinity in Colony 9, Central Bionis and Fallen Arm, so it would be a shame to waste it).

If that's your motivation for doing New Game+, I would recommend fighting the high-level uniques first and going back later for a new playthrough. The quests really aren't anything to write home about so if you miss some it's really only an issue if you're a completionist. The ones in (late-game area) Agniratha in particular seem rather rushed, and if you fought the unique monsters in that area you're not missing anything. The only area you listed I would say had more noteworthy sidequests was Alcamoth, and those were linked with Makna Forest and Valak Mountain. Otherwise, they weren't really special just because they were timed. From what I've read, completed quests (i.e. all the others you did) don't carry over to New Game+ anyway. The quests would be less of a challenge and more of a chore at your level, so overall I don't recommend replaying just to complete them.

I could even handle 2 lizards and 1 wisp at once, although it wasn't easy. I felt really naughty for doing it but at the same time it felt so good.

Oh.

[The Awesomest]

What do you guys mean by "post-game content"? Just the stuff right before the point of no return or am I missing something? Also, does the merchant in Alcamoth relocate after the thingy happens? He has a scroll I want.

[chaosblade]

What do you guys mean by "post-game content"? Just the stuff right before the point of no return or am I missing something? Also, does the merchant in Alcamoth relocate after the thingy happens? He has a scroll I want.

Yeah, everything that opens up after Mechonis Core. It all requies higher levels than the final boss.

It's a good chunk of content, one area opening up, a couple others getting new, high level enemies, lots of high level quests, and the superboss type enemies become available.

[Gravijah]

and... finished.

great game, great game. definitely one of the better RPGs of this generation.

[Metroid Killer]

So something just happened (I'm at lvl 68) and I'm wondering about certain quests:

Egil just awakened the Mechonis and wrecked the capital. I can't get back to the capital at the moment, and I'm wondering if the couple of quests I had left will be available again at some point? I have a save file right before fighting Egil.

Also I have done all the timed quests in Alcamoth, but I still only got a 4 star affinity to it. Am I missing something? I'm pretty sure that the event which render the Alcamoth inactive will happen soon, will I be able to raise affinity after that? Also about heart-to-heart locations in Alcamoth do I need to view them all before the event?

Thanks for the help.

[chaosblade]

So something just happened (I'm at lvl 68) and I'm wondering about certain quests: Egil just awakened the Mechonis and wrecked the capital. I can't get back to the capital at the moment, and I'm wondering if the couple of quests I had left will be available again at some point? I have a save file right before fighting Egil. Also I have done all the timed quests in Alcamoth, but I still only got a 4 star affinity to it. Am I missing something? I'm pretty sure that the event which render the Alcamoth inactive will happen soon, will I be able to raise affinity after that? Also about heart-to-heart locations in Alcamoth do I need to view them all before the event? Thanks for the help.

1) Are the quests still on your quest list? You CAN go back to Agniratha, purely due to a bug in the game. You can return to Central Factory from the Mechonis Core area (before Egil, where you beat the generator thing). From there, you can go to the transporter and return to Agniratha since the developers forgot to block it off. But if the quests aren't in your list anymore, you can't do them (AFAIK).

2) The northern Bionis area also consists of Valak Mountain and Eryth Sea, so any quests there will count towards that affinity. Also, more quests will open up in those areas soon. And you can still view Heart to Hearts in Alcamoth later, just the quests expire.

But you are coming up on the final point of no return for all timed quests. So if you have any outstanding you should do them (except the ones in Colony 6, for some reason some of those are listed as timed even though they're just exclusive to one another and not actually timed).

[Metroid Killer]

Ok thanks for the quick reply.

I think I'll just reload my save file before the battle and do the quests.

[chaosblade]

Next low level video. I don't even know if this guy counts as a boss, but since it's a forced encounter with boss music, and this area otherwise doesn't have a boss, I went ahead and recorded it.

The fight was a joke though.

Boss 5 - Satorl Guardian (level 12/16/27)

Is there a reason why you fought the minions too? Seems way harder that way. I really wish I had the time to exploit the game like this.

I was hoping it would add difficulty, since everything is basically pretty easy unless I do something crazy like that Gogol fight. Even so, it really didn't make the fight any harder, just longer. Dunban has such ridiculous DPS and agility, especially for this point in the game, that his level in particular doesn't reflect anything. He has over 150 agility (plus night vision) and nearly 500 strength.



Edit: Going to toy around with my old PAL saves since I have one at 99 to try something. Funny looking back at the setup I used to beat Abaasy. Just based on the stats alone, my characters at level 79 were better than my old ones at 99. Dunban's agility was only 1 higher despite the 20 level difference. Shulk and 7th had LOWER agility at level 99. Gems also weren't very well chosen, wasn't thinking very strategically at all.

But it kind of goes to show a couple things. On one hand, it's hard to screw up. Even with an unoptimal party, or a poor setup, you can still be successful. On the other hand, it also shows that a really well setup party can make a huge difference to the point of being able to exploit the game quite a bit, as I did in my "low level" post-game stuff.

[Gravijah]

now to reflect on a few things i didn't like about the game. endgame spoilers.

it felt as though characters just disappeared into the background for half of the game. Riki, the "joke character", didn't seem to have much development at all and could have easily been cut. Melia seemed to disappear after you leave the Imperial City until she had more story bits at the end.

Prison Island, as the penultimate dungeon, was very boring. i think around then is when the OST started to get a bit weaker, too, as the final boss songs weren't anything to write home about.

not being able to control the other party members was frustrating at times, as the AI can make very stupid mistakes. i like to micromanage my team, and in FFXII, i didn't use very many gambits, so i felt as though i was missing quite a bit of control.

[Luap]

If that's your motivation for doing New Game+, I would recommend fighting the high-level uniques first and going back later for a new playthrough. The quests really aren't anything to write home about so if you miss some it's really only an issue if you're a completionist. The ones in (late-game area) Agniratha in particular seem rather rushed, and if you fought the unique monsters in that area you're not missing anything. The only area you listed I would say had more noteworthy sidequests was Alcamoth, and those were linked with Makna Forest and Valak Mountain. Otherwise, they weren't really special just because they were timed. From what I've read, completed quests (i.e. all the others you did) don't carry over to New Game+ anyway. The quests would be less of a challenge and more of a chore at your level, so overall I don't recommend replaying just to complete them.

You make a good point. I do have completionist tendencies but not enough to the point of going through mundane quests to satisfy myself. The only cool thing I feel like I'm missing out on by not starting a NG+ is the Monado III. So awesome.

Oh.

Get your mind out of the gutter!

now to reflect on a few things i didn't like about the game. endgame spoilers. Prison Island, as the penultimate dungeon, was very boring. i think around then is when the OST started to get a bit weaker, too, as the final boss songs weren't anything to write home about. not being able to control the other party members was frustrating at times, as the AI can make very stupid mistakes. i like to micromanage my team, and in FFXII, i didn't use very many gambits, so i felt as though i was missing quite a bit of control.

I echo these two complaints. Prison Island was pretty bland overall, especially by this game's standards, so I don't feel like I'm being unfair when I say they could have done a lot better. However, the REAL final zone (the solar system) looked fucking amazing.

As far as the AI, yeah that's pretty much a universal complaint. Even the last DS game I played (Dragon Quest IX) had a simple system of guiding your teammates to do what you wanted. I can't imagine it would have been too hard to introduce something like that, where you have the AI focus on healing, auto-attacking, using support arts, and so on. Oh well.

[The Awesomest]

Really? I actually enjoyed Prison Island second time through. I thought the music was cool and the scenery was interesting (dinosaurs for dinner?) and the dragon summoning bell was cool.

[Exeunt]

now to reflect on a few things i didn't like about the game. endgame spoilers. it felt as though characters just disappeared into the background for half of the game. Riki, the "joke character", didn't seem to have much development at all and could have easily been cut. Melia seemed to disappear after you leave the Imperial City until she had more story bits at the end.

I partially agree with this assessment. While it felt like they tried to give each character at least one little story arc to shine in, the execution was rather inconsistent. I guess that's a problem when you have a fair number of characters to juggle, but the fact remains that some characters are rather neglected. Having said that, I think it was intentional that Riki wasn't featured very prominently in cutscenes. As you say, he is the "joke character," and the writers probably realized that he might be a little divisive. He never ruins a dramatic moment, but at the same time his role does feel a little diminished. Of course, how well you think that went is another story.

Get your mind out of the gutter!

That hasn't been a valid option for years now.

I echo these two complaints. Prison Island was pretty bland overall, especially by this game's standards, so I don't feel like I'm being unfair when I say they could have done a lot better. However, the REAL final zone (the solar system) looked fucking amazing. As far as the AI, yeah that's pretty much a universal complaint. Even the last DS game I played (Dragon Quest IX) had a simple system of guiding your teammates to do what you wanted. I can't imagine it would have been too hard to introduce something like that, where you have the AI focus on healing, auto-attacking, using support arts, and so on. Oh well.

I didn't really see anything wrong with the final visit to Prison Island. I suppose they could've gone more "out there," with the final dungeon but it was fitting the way they set it up. But that's only in retrospect—the dungeon and its music worked fine when I was playing. I will grant that the final boss theme wasn't that memorable.

And I'll definitely get behind the AI complaint. It worked really well in simple fights and I don't remember having any issues with it until over halfway through the game. But as the environments and the fights became more complex, the AI really started to fall apart. Simple things like moving off of hazardous surfaces seem to be out of its scope, basically forcing you to call everyone back and wait for the enemy to follow. Even allowing you to issue the default commands to individual members of your squad would have been an improvement, but the current options—while functional—were certainly lacking. The Wii U GamePad would theoretically make it easier to execute more intricate commands in a game like this without relying too much on finger gymnastics, but I'm really getting ahead of myself here. AI could've been better.

[Like the hat?]

Beat the game today. The ending was a bit omg anime for me, but as a whole I liked the ending and of course the game itself.

End game spoilers: the whole space thing was crazy. I thought it was cool that there was a place in space named Saturn, but I didn't really pan the camera around or anything. Then I went to the next area and saw the name Jupiter and thought 'hmmm', panned the camera, and holy fuck, it was actually Jupiter! That whole area, while obviously incredibly linear, was just so awesome to me.

[chaosblade]

I messed around with Sword Drive. Looks like it's definitely possible to hit 999999+ damage, depending on where the game caps it at (probably there, doubt you can do a million).

Never actually managed to pull it off though, chain attacks are too finicky, enemies like to die, and unless I control Reyn he uses Mad Taunt pretty much as soon as it's available not leaving Magnum Charge for me in a chain.

But I hit around 450k on chain link 4, and that was guarded by the enemy (that unique tude enemy that reduces all damage except from the front). And against a different enemy, I hit over 250k without a chain attack at all, just Berserk + Magnum Charge. 8x damage from the chain 5 or later and that's well over a million damage (two million, in fact!).

So theoretically... it's possible to 1HKO Abaasy. But not really. Because your damage penalty will cause the attack to do half damage, plus he has pretty high defense, and the combination of the two would probably result in you maxing at maybe 500k-600k damage. But that's still more than half his HP! :D

[Ra1den]

It really is true that it's more fun to mess around with lots of different characters. I've been doing that and found myself enjoying combat a lot more now. Never realized how awesome Dunban's dodging ablility was until I started using him as my controlled character.

[cooljeanius]

So I'm up to Sword Valley now. I kinda hated the Valak Mountain area; the extremely tilted slopes made it difficult to control the camera. Is it worth it to equip the anti-mechon weapons Dickson just sold me? On the one hand, their stats kinda suck, but on the other hand, if I'm going to be fighting a bunch of Mechon, I'd like to be wielding stuff that can damage them... Does their anti-Mechon-ness actually make a difference, or are they just anti-Mechon in name only?