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[Ultimadrago]

Thanks Frank!

 

[badcrumble]

Shield is by far the best choise in KH2. Even more so in KH2FM. I don't think it's even up to much debate like in KH1. All that the choise affects in KH2 is the order you get abilities and Shield gets you second chance and once more (by far the most useful abilities in the game) earliest. Stats are the same no matter what you choose.

One of the lame things about KH2 is how little the weapon choise actually affects core gameplay.

Oh and you don't actually drop anything in KH2.

*especially* if you're playing on Critical, the Shield is superior (since Critical starts you off with an extra MP Hastera and an extra Finishing Plus, which would be the major reasons to pursue Sword or Staff otherwise).

 

[TnK]

Well it's either Diamond Dust for the raw MP or Divine Rose for melee (replaced by One Winged Angel that you get from Sephiroth).

Second best is.... Sephiroth's Keyblade

I usually use La Vie en Rose (Divine Rose, I think?) until I get it. Or if you're on #teamStaff you can kill the Ice Titan and get Diamond Dust.

ninja: beaten like a Rare Truffle

Came here to ask this specifically. I took the staff and when did they change the ice titan? His attacks can not be reflected. He has a nee giant ice arrow attack.

 

[Napalm_Frank]

Came here to ask this specifically. I took the staff and when did they change the ice titan? His attacks can not be reflected. He has a nee giant ice arrow attack.

He starts shooting unreflectable missiles if you use aero (as a countermeasure since Aeroga basically reflects all projectiles that you are able to reflect) so you need to rely on guard only.

 

[TnK]

He starts shooting unreflectable missiles if you use aero (as a countermeasure since Aeroga basically reflects all projectiles that you are able to reflect) so you need to rely on guard only.

Thanks. Stopped doing that and the boss became manageable.

 

[iosefe]

He starts shooting unreflectable missiles if you use aero (as a countermeasure since Aeroga basically reflects all projectiles that you are able to reflect) so you need to rely on guard only.

or if you feel lucky, hit them back to him

 

[TnK]

How and when do I get the power and defense up items in the synthesis menu? Also, do the items required to make them really hard to get? I am at a point where I need them to fight vs sephiroth.

 

[WeaponKnight]

You can find all the recipes here. Each group unlocks after a certain number of unique items created.

 

[Maxwood]

Played and really enjoyed Re:Coded a few years back and i'm, to no suprise, absolutely loving Kingdom Hearts: Final Mix right now. The fact that your adventuring alongside Donald Duck would have been enough for me, but the game itself is really, really fun (and so damn charming) and that doesn't hurt either.

Arrived in Atlantica. Generally dislike "water levels", but i'm not complaining this time. (yet)

Level-design is a bit weird, but it's filled with a ton of hidden goodies and cool little secrets. Yeah, this could very well turn into an all-time favorite.

However, I do feel like I could use some general combat tips. Feels like i'm missing something. Getting through with hammering the attack button and rolling away, though. Dropped the x5 for a x4 combo, those animations feel way smoother for some reason.

 

[Napalm_Frank]

Played and really enjoyed Re:Coded a few years back and i'm, to no suprise, absolutely loving Kingdom Hearts: Final Mix right now. The fact that your adventuring alongside Donald Duck would have been enough for me, but the game itself is really, really fun (and so damn charming) and that doesn't hurt either.

Arrived in Atlantica. Generally dislike "water levels", but i'm not complaining this time. (yet)

Level-design is a bit weird, but it's filled with a ton of hidden goodies and cool little secrets. Yeah, this could very well turn into an all-time favorite.

However, I do feel like I could use some general combat tips. Feels like i'm missing something. Getting through with hammering the attack button and rolling away, though. Dropped the x5 for a x4 combo, those animations feel way smoother for some reason.

Well KH1 combat is very basic, it basically is just mashing X and dodge rolling when it comes to the melee combat. And if you wanna get more advanced you can use guard and counterattack (if you have that skill).

Magic is kind of oddball. The more MP you have the stronger it is. Usually if you want to use magic as an offensive rather than just cure+aero you pretty much need to commit to it with all the MP+ equipment you have (tho when you do start to get dat long MP bar your spells start to clear whole rooms in seconds). But if you didn't pick Staff at the beginning of the game your MP stat already takes a hit so most don't bother with magic so usually those who pick shield or sword stick to melee mostly.

 

[TnK]

What is best to level up in CoM? I remember simply going mostly Card Points and attacks, and then HP.

 

[badcrumble]

What is best to level up in CoM? I remember simply going mostly Card Points and attacks, and then HP.

Absolutely first getting every single Sleight (and make sure you also spawn ~two treasure rooms per floor, assuming you've already watched 358/2 Days - it'll get you new sleights and important first-time card spawns that'll unlock the ability for those cards to drop).

Then CP so you can build a great deck full of Sleights.

Save HP for last; if you're playing correctly, enemies (especially normal enemies) won't be able to attack you anyway. Regular enemies don't have 0 cards and they only rarely have cards valued at 9, so it's really easy to just spam sleights valued at 10+ and stomp the shit out of normal battles.

When you're playing as Riku, make sure you always get attack power upgrades, then basically balance HP/DP upgrades as you see fit. Dark Mode isn't nearly as important as it was in the GBA original, so do what feels best.

 

[TnK]

Absolutely first getting every single Sleight (and make sure you also spawn ~two treasure rooms per floor, assuming you've already watched 358/2 Days - it'll get you new sleights and important first-time card spawns that'll unlock the ability for those cards to drop).

Then CP so you can build a great deck full of Sleights.

Save HP for last; if you're playing correctly, enemies (especially normal enemies) won't be able to attack you anyway. Regular enemies don't have 0 cards and they only rarely have cards valued at 9, so it's really easy to just spam sleights valued at 10+ and stomp the shit out of normal battles.

When you're playing as Riku, make sure you always get attack power upgrades, then basically balance HP/DP upgrades as you see fit. Dark Mode isn't nearly as important as it was in the GBA original, so do what feels best.

Thanks =D

Where do I get new keyblade cards? The ones that I need updating =|

 

[Psxphile]

Thanks =D

Where do I get new keyblade cards? The ones that I need updating =|

Most worlds will randomly reward you with their themed keyblade cards by just striking objects in the field. You can then get more of those randomly by buying card sets in the Moogle shop. Other keyblades, as mentioned before, can only be gotten by using Calm Bounty room cards on each floor to "unlock" them for randomization. I think there are a few that can only be found in the Room of Rewards, but you won't get the cards to unlock those until you reach the 2nd set of worlds (Floors 7 through 11, I think).

 

[TnK]

Most worlds will randomly reward you with their themed keyblade cards by just striking objects in the field. You can then get more of those randomly by buying card sets in the Moogle shop. Other keyblades, as mentioned before, can only be gotten by using Calm Bounty room cards on each floor to "unlock" them for randomization. I think there are a few that can only be found in the Room of Rewards, but you won't get the cards to unlock those until you reach the 2nd set of worlds (Floors 7 through 11, I think).

Do I get Room of Rewards cards for each world?
I also used the calm bounty world, and got fire raid and the heart keyblade in wonderland. Is it recommended to use calm bounty in each world?

 

[WeaponKnight]

You should use a treasure room 3 times in each world, minimum, just in case.

The Key to Rewards can be obtained in any battle as soon as you hit the second world set, and you can only carry one at a time. I recommend farming them and unlocking everything as soon as you get your first.

Atlantica seems to drop them more for me, but YMMV.

 

[badcrumble]

You should use a treasure room 3 times in each world, minimum, just in case.

The Key to Rewards can be obtained in any battle as soon as you hit the second world set, and you can only carry one at a time. I recommend farming them and unlocking everything as soon as you get your first.

Atlantica seems to drop them more for me, but YMMV.

Yeah, that too - I forgot about Key to Rewards.

The more Sleights and the more card types you've unlocked, the easier the game gets.

 

[Psxphile]

Do I get Room of Rewards cards for each world?
I also used the calm bounty world, and got fire raid and the heart keyblade in wonderland. Is it recommended to use calm bounty in each world?

Well, it' probably more correct to say "each floor" since I was just playing Sora side on Proud and I got a Stop magic card from Wonderland's Calm Bounty (Floor 2... going KH1 world order) instead of Fire Raid. But yes, every floor or world has at least *one* exclusive Calm Bounty prize and potentially up to 3 (unlocked keyblade cards from "completing" 358/2 Days + sometimes one extra on some floors/worlds). After that the prizes are random stuff you can get from moogle shops and from the field.

EDIT: actually, strike that... the bonus keyblades from 358/2 Days are found in the Room of Rewards on each floor alongside the other reward.


It's recommended because there are sleights/cards you can only find this way. For instance, Fire Raid is a great sleight for killing anything that isn't immune to fire, and easy to form in-deck because it doesn't require a specific card value to activate. Unlike Strike Raid which I always maintained was weak and sucked ass in Chains of Memories for the card cost... KH1 version was leagues better.

You should use a treasure room 3 times in each world, minimum, just in case.

The Key to Rewards can be obtained in any battle as soon as you hit the second world set, and you can only carry one at a time. I recommend farming them and unlocking everything as soon as you get your first.

Atlantica seems to drop them more for me, but YMMV.

Atlantica was almost always the first world of the second set I'd choose, and I almost always got a Room of Rewards card from fighting Heartless in the very first room. Then I'd hop back out and warp to a previous floor to unlock it's Room of Reward. Sucks you can only carry one at a time, since that means returning to Atlantica and grinding for more cards. Fortunately you can increase your chances of getting one by creating specific rooms with tough/numerous heartless like Looming Darkness.

 

[Falk]

Hollow Bastion first since Dragon Maleficent card makes things a lot less painful.

 

[Drilbit777]

How long does it take estimated to complete the platinum for Com hd?

 

[TnK]

Thanks for the responses guys. The moogle shop rarely gives you good cards for buying packs. Is it best to grind money in agrabah then return?

Also, where can I get more cloud summon cards? I remember omnislash being very powerful. I bought all the magic packs in the shop and no cloud =(

 

[Falk]

How long does it take estimated to complete the platinum for Com hd?

Highly random because of enemy cards especially but say about 50?

~15 playing Sora for the first time if you want to watch cutscenes etc.
~8 Riku, ditto
~5+3 for speeding through easy for both
~6+4 for speeding through hard on both
~4 hours grinding Sora to 100
~6 hours grinding Riku to 100
~10 hours on cards

I think that's a pretty lowball estimate, though.

(Sorry I can't use my ingame timer to gauge, I leave my PS3 on so it's bloated to hell)

 

[Psxphile]

Hollow Bastion first since Dragon Maleficent card makes things a lot less painful.

As Sora I never used Dragon Maleficent because of the trade-off. Especially in boss fights, long reload times could get you killed. For the cost, I'd rather craft a deck with lots of sleights instead of using enemy cards for the most part. Though some do come in handy from time to time. Fortunately Riku has no such trade-off, and you get the card much, much earlier. I abuse it all the time... until I get Lexaeus' Warp Break.

Thanks for the responses guys. The moogle shop rarely gives you good cards for buying packs. Is it best to grind money in agrabah then return?

Also, where can I get more cloud summon cards? I remember omnislash being very powerful. I bought all the magic packs in the shop and no cloud =(

It's not really necessary to grind for Moogle points, I think. At least I never had to. As for Cloud cards, yeah I've noticed in all my playthroughs that they're fairly rare to come across. I hardly ever used him at all. There's not much you can do to increase your chances of getting more of his cards, though. It's all pretty random and he seems to have a low chance of appearing in Re:CoM.

 

[Talax]

Small question about gummi missions in KHFM.
When the mission says "Defeat X enemies using only Y as weapon, does that mean I can't equip armour either?

 

[Psxphile]

Small question about gummi missions in KHFM.
When the mission says "Defeat X enemies using only Y as weapon, does that mean I can't equip armour either?

Nah. It just means you can only attack with whatever weapon gummi it suggests. Armour, Shields, Haste, Drain, Holy... you can equip whatever else you want or need to help you clear the mission.

 

[Talax]

Nah. It just means you can only attack with whatever weapon gummi it suggests. Armour, Shields, Haste, Drain, Holy... you can equip whatever else you want or need to help you clear the mission.

Thank you!

Level 3 missions are so frustrating. Maybe I shouldn't have tried this on Proud.....

 

[lyonhardt]

Going to start this soon I think.

After doing a quick little search going to go with +Shield/-Sword on Proud. The first time I played this was nearly 11 years ago I think, one of my first PS2 games. Crazy. Wonder how it will hold up, and curious about final mix additions.

 

[WeaponKnight]

The FM additions are great!

I'm sorry about your choice

 

[Weiss]

So when you're talking to Selphie, Tidus and Wakka early in the game, which choices should I make? I want to beat the secret bosses so I chose 333 (slow at the start, picks up later on). Was that the best choice for getting through to the end and fighting the bosses with little grinding?

I picked +Shield/-Sword, if that matters.

 

[Bladenic]

So when you're talking to Selphie, Tidus and Wakka early in the game, which choices should I make? I want to beat the secret bosses so I chose 333 (slow at the start, picks up later on). Was that the best choice for getting through to the end and fighting the bosses with little grinding?

I picked +Shield/-Sword, if that matters.

You made the right experience choice. Levels will come somewhat slowly until about ~40 or ~50 then you'll start gaining levels way faster which is the ideal for the post game.

Shield is a good choice if you're proud, Staff would've been better if you're on Normal or if you wanted more MP (which is important). Although on Normal you can pick anything (same with Proud but shield/staff make proud easier than Sword).

 

[Weiss]

You made the right experience choice. Levels will come somewhat slowly until about ~40 or ~50 then you'll start gaining levels way faster which is the ideal for the post game.

Shield is a good choice if you're proud, Staff would've been better if you're on Normal or if you wanted more MP (which is important). Although on Normal you can pick anything (same with Proud but shield/staff make proud easier than Sword).

I'm playing Normal, but I died alot my first playthrough and I want to get Ultima Weapon and I was told that Shield is best for that.

 

[lyonhardt]

The FM additions are great!

I'm sorry about your choice

Haha, I've seen a lot of love for Staff as well, but I decided I wanted certain abilities earlier.

I got up to the point where I can leave Traverse Town last night, so far I'm finding the camera to be quite annoying to handle, and I think I had to get used to just moving around, it doesn't feel very precise. Also the dialogue is so painful haha.

 

[mstevens]

Just started this up for the first time. I played it when I was younger, but I don't think I got that far. I only have recognized the Wonderland area so far.

Really enjoying it so far. Even with the crappy textures and everything, it is very pleasing to look at. I went a little out of order, so I'm about to do the Hercules area (finished up Wonderland and the Jungle). Wonderland boss was a pain in the ass since Donald loves dying almost immediately.

One thing that is really bugging me so far is the amount of trash spawns in Traverse Town. I mean, damn I'm just trying to explore every nook and cranny, leave me alone! Was especially annoying on the balconies, because I'd try to auto attack them and I'd fling myself off and have to start all over.

edit: Spoke too soon... Seems like I just took care of that problem.

 

[zeemumu]

Just started this up for the first time. I played it when I was younger, but I don't think I got that far. I only have recognized the Wonderland area so far.

Really enjoying it so far. Even with the crappy textures and everything, it is very pleasing to look at. I went a little out of order, so I'm about to do the Hercules area (finished up Wonderland and the Jungle). Wonderland boss was a pain in the ass since Donald loves dying almost immediately.

One thing that is really bugging me so far is the amount of trash spawns in Traverse Town. I mean, damn I'm just trying to explore every nook and cranny, leave me alone! Was especially annoying on the balconies, because I'd try to auto attack them and I'd fling myself off and have to start all over.

edit: Spoke too soon... Seems like I just took care of that problem.

Hercules might be optional for 100% complet ion if I remember correctly.

 

[mstevens]

Dang, Ursula fried me on my first attempt with about half of her green health bar left. Went to town and loaded up on Thunder/Thundera rings and kicked her ass

 

[mstevens]

Spoiler

Riku-Ansem

roasted me on my first attempt because I was using the short Fairy Blade and was underleveled (didn't have counter attack yet). Went and leveled and got a new Key Blade...

Completely destroyed him with the Metal Chocobo. Only healed twice I think, no items.

Do the main story bosses get much harder than him and the Dragon?

 

[Napalm_Frank]

Spoiler

Riku-Ansem

roasted me on my first attempt because I was using the short Fairy Blade and was underleveled (didn't have counter attack yet). Went and leveled and got a new Key Blade...

Completely destroyed him with the Metal Chocobo. Only healed twice I think, no items.

Do the main story bosses get much harder than him and the Dragon?

Not really. I think those two are the hardest late game bosses.

 

[mstevens]

Jumped back in to do my proud playthrough. Was kind of worried about the Alice and Tarzan bosses, but they weren't too bad at all.

While looking up some guides, I noticed that I played my first run through (on normal) pretty underleveled the whole way through, so I can't imagine this will be too bad if I do a little grinding this time.

Really, really enjoying this game. I have KH2 waiting for me once I (hopefully) platinum this one.

 

[Volotaire]

Hi. I want to explore the Kingdom Hearts series since I have not played a title before. Would it be suitable for me to purchase Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD remix, then continue on to 2.5 HD remix if I like the series? By looking at the Wikipedia articles, it seems the only title not included3 is 3D Dream Drop Distance and some other online only spin off.

Are there any significant changes to 1.5 HD Remix's collection of games form the original titles/ Are there any significant problems with the port? Anything else I would need to know?

Thanks.

 

[corn_fest]

Hi. I want to explore the Kingdom Hearts series since I have not played a title before. Would it be suitable for me to purchase Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD remix, then continue on to 2.5 HD remix if I like the series? By looking at the Wikipedia articles, it seems the only title not included3 is 3D Dream Drop Distance and some other online only spin off.

Are there any significant changes to 1.5 HD Remix's collection of games form the original titles/ Are there any significant problems with the port? Anything else I would need to know?

Thanks.

The HD ports are pretty solid. No real problems to report. That said, I wouldn't make your first judgement of the series based on the games in 1.5. KH1 was good for its time, but most (though not all!) would agree that its combat and traversal is clunky in comparison to what came later. Re:CoM is a remake of a card-based GBA game that bears little resembalance to the rest of the series.
I'd say still start with it, but if you get to a point where the series seems interesting but the gameplay is trying, just YouTube/read a synopsis of the first set and jump straight to 2.5, which features actually enjoyable gameplay.

 

[aravuus]

Yeah, the HD collections are pretty much the best way to experience Kingdom Hearts nowadays

I'm one of those people who personally think Days (which is in a movie form in 1.5HD) should be done after KH2 (which is obviously in 2.5HD), but it's something I'll let you decide for yourself. KH2's story will make a lot more sense after watching Days, but Days will lose its emotional impact if you do it before KH2.

e: motherfucker I want to replay the series now lmao

 

[zeemumu]

How do I get ultima weapon?

This should be of assistance

Spoiler

Riku-Ansem

roasted me on my first attempt because I was using the short Fairy Blade and was underleveled (didn't have counter attack yet). Went and leveled and got a new Key Blade...

Completely destroyed him with the Metal Chocobo. Only healed twice I think, no items.

Do the main story bosses get much harder than him and the Dragon?

In my opinion Ursula is the hardest any of the bosses ever get.

 

[Buntabox]

I finished KHFM last night. Hadn't played it since it came out on PS2. Have no experience with the rest of the series.I missed KH2 for various reason back when it released.

However, I'm not digging the card based gameplay of CoM, so far. Will I be missing anything if I just watch the cutscenes on youtube? If so, I might just run through it on easy. I'm really excited to finally play KH2, so it's making it a little tough for me.

 

[corn_fest]

Will I be missing anything if I just watch the cutscenes on youtube?

No. I highly recommend it.

 

[Volotaire]

The HD ports are pretty solid. No real problems to report. That said, I wouldn't make your first judgement of the series based on the games in 1.5. KH1 was good for its time, but most (though not all!) would agree that its combat and traversal is clunky in comparison to what came later. Re:CoM is a remake of a card-based GBA game that bears little resembalance to the rest of the series.
I'd say still start with it, but if you get to a point where the series seems interesting but the gameplay is trying, just YouTube/read a synopsis of the first set and jump straight to 2.5, which features actually enjoyable gameplay.

Yeah, the HD collections are pretty much the best way to experience Kingdom Hearts nowadays

I'm one of those people who personally think Days (which is in a movie form in 1.5HD) should be done after KH2 (which is obviously in 2.5HD), but it's something I'll let you decide for yourself. KH2's story will make a lot more sense after watching Days, but Days will lose its emotional impact if you do it before KH2.

e: motherfucker I want to replay the series now lmao

Thanks for the info.

To sum, if I have this correct, and a few more questions.

1) Days is only in a film version on the collection because it was a DS touch optimised game. Is it worth seeking out a copy of Days to play rather than watching the 'film'.

2) Secondly, the collections, as you seem to mention, are not in release order. You're suggesting (but not requiring) that it may be better to purchase both 1.5 and 2.5 remix together so I can play them in release order and thus the story sequence will make more sense. I might do this.

 

[aravuus]

Thanks for the info.

To sum, if I have this correct, and a few more questions.

1) Days is only in a film version on the collection because it was a DS touch optimised game. Is it worth seeking out a copy of Days to play rather than watching the 'film'.

Not really, it's not a particularly good game

2) Secondly, the collections, as you seem to mention, are not in release order. You're suggesting (but not requiring) that it may be better to purchase both 1.5 and 2.5 remix together so I can play them in release order and thus the story sequence will make more sense. I might do this.

Story will make more sense if you don't do them in release order, that is, if you watch Days before KH2.

HD order would be KH1 - CoM - Days - KH2 - BBS, and most would probably suggest you play them in this order (in fact, apparently Nomura himself prefers this order now that the HD collections are out). KH2 will be easier to follow, but Days won't have a very big emotional impact.

Release order is KH1 - CoM - KH2 - Days - BBS, which makes KH2's story harder to follow, but retains the mystery of KH2's prologue (which I enjoyed) and Days's emotional impact.

Honestly, while I much prefer release order, I suppose HD collection order would make more sense nowadays.

 

[Volotaire]

Not really, it's not a particularly good game



Story will make more sense if you don't do them in release order, that is, if you watch Days before KH2.

HD order would be KH1 - CoM - Days - KH2 - BBS, and most would probably suggest you play them in this order (in fact, apparently Nomura himself prefers this order now that the HD collections are out). KH2 will be easier to follow, but Days won't have a very big emotional impact.

Release order is KH1 - CoM - KH2 - Days - BBS, which makes KH2's story harder to follow, but retains the mystery of KH2's prologue (which I enjoyed) and Days's emotional impact.

Honestly, while I much prefer release order, I suppose HD collection order would make more sense nowadays.

Thanks for the information. I still have this irrational draw to playing the DS title though! I'm like that with games when I start new series.

Now to purchase them in the near future and see what the hubbub is about.

 

[mstevens]

Am I wrong in feeling that levels don't really matter in this game. I mean, I see the difference between level 20 and 40, but since you only get one stat +1 each level I feel like leveling up once or twice does pretty much jack squat.

For instance, I'm on malifocent on proud mode around level 44. Her dragon form is kicking my ass, so I figured I'd level up a few times.. But then I started thinking about how little my stats would change. Would that really make a difference? Is there some invisible stat changes? If your level up just gives you ap, is your character really no stronger?

 

[Napalm_Frank]

Am I wrong in feeling that levels don't really matter in this game. I mean, I see the difference between level 20 and 40, but since you only get one stat +1 each level I feel like leveling up once or twice does pretty much jack squat.

For instance, I'm on malifocent on proud mode around level 44. Her dragon form is kicking my ass, so I figured I'd level up a few times.. But then I started thinking about how little my stats would change. Would that really make a difference? Is there some invisible stat changes? If your level up just gives you ap, is your character really no stronger?

Few levels of course is not going to make a huge difference if it's only stats but depending on your starting class you might be a few levels away from a very good ability or additional accessory slot. Like if you were to gain Second Chance/Leaf Bracer/MP Rage that would be worth multiple stat points (if you picked sword at the beginning of the game you should get Second Chance ability at lvl 48 which is the best ability in the game).

If you need some tips for the fight: equip all fire resistance accessories you have (or go buy/synthesize more powerful ones), summon tinkerbell, always have Aero on you and when the boss lits the ground in flames change the position a lil.

One cheesy strat is to have a ton of MP and MP restoring items (or Bambi summoned) and just spamming stopra on her allowing you to whail on her or cast gravity and repeat. Another good thing you can do especially as a caster + all 3 Cheer abilities equipped is summon Dumbo and do some damage on her since you are completely invincible during the summon.

 

[Falk]

Should just do this

edit: Good edit, JERK