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[Big Green Anus]

Hi Gaf,

I wanted to try a mainline Final Fantasy game that's not a spinoff(Threatrhythm: Curtain Call is pretty much my first Final Fantasy game and it's GREAT) and I decided to try out Final Fantasy X on Vita. I'm really excited to finally play a Final Fantasy game other than playing them on the old PS1 and PS2 demo disc.

Any tips before I should start? Also, what's the "best" party, best way to level up and etc?

Thanks! If I enjoy this, I might try one of the older Final Fantasy games(only have V from Plus), Chorno Trigger(have it on Vita) or Suikoden II(Vita).

I'm still pretty new to JRPGs, other than Persona 4 Golden, Earthbound and the Mario RPGs.

 

[Syril]

X works a bit differently since you can switch out party members in battle. You'll notice that certain party members are more suited to fighting certain types of enemies. Everyone will get full experience as long as they do at least something during the battle.

 

[PeakPointMatrix]

You're in for a hell of a ride. Maybe it's nostalgia, but it's the JRPG that's left the biggest impression on me yet, nothing's been able to top it so far.

 

[kadotsu]

Just play it. It is very easy. The turn order bar is your most powerful ally.

If you want to go for 100% try to open all the optional chests in the trials and get the Sun Crest after a story boss fight. Otherwise there will be Dark Aeons (superbosses) blocking your way.

 

[KZXcellent]

When you start I suggest using the "Expert" Sphere Grid (Not that it's anymore difficult than the normal one). It makes your level up paths have some more variety. I like it and found myself to be a little stronger earlier on as a result.

 

[Aters]

I played the International version and I played through the whole game spamming Summons.

 

[Caronte]

Get a guide/walkthrough for the albhed books.

 

[kurahador]

The game doesn't exactly uses levels. It's definitely one of the most unique RPG system.

As for tips;
- choose normal sphere grid if you're not willing to read up on the best early build.
- try to find all the chests after every boss fights.
- when you have a hard time, summon Yojimbo, pay him 1000 gil and hopes for Zanmato. <--- semi serious advice

 

[Lothar]

Don't look at any guides until after you beat it, don't look at any advice because you don't need it, it's easy and you really don't want it to be easier. And enjoy one of the best RPGs ever made.

 

[neohwa]

Any tips before I should start? Also, what's the "best" party, best way to level up and etc?

Best party:

Tidus- main character
Auron - overpowered
Yuna- Healer

No tips needed as it is an easy game. Just grind at the latest levels if you have to.

 

[DeSolos]

Hi Gaf,

I wanted to try a mainline Final Fantasy game that's not a spinoff(Threatrhythm: Curtain Call is pretty much my first Final Fantasy game and it's GREAT) and I decided to try out Final Fantasy X on Vita. I'm really excited to finally play a Final Fantasy game other than playing them on the old PS1 and PS2 demo disc.

Any tips before I should start? Also, what's the "best" party, best way to level up and etc?

Thanks! If I enjoy this, I might try one of the older Final Fantasy games(only have V from Plus), Chorno Trigger(have it on Vita) or Suikoden II(Vita).

I'm still pretty new to JRPGs, other than Persona 4 Golden, Earthbound and the Mario RPGs.

The way I like to play FFX makes it both interesting to play and is actually a good grinding strategy.

Basically, anyone who participates in battle gets S. LVLs which you can use to upgrade them.

Towards that end, in every battle I try to figure out how I can swap in a party member and get them to do SOMETHING without killing the monsters too early(low powered attacks and buff/debuff moves are your friend). This strategy is a puzzle in and of itself, and rewards you by allowing you to level everyone. It's highly useful during boss fights especially.

 

[Koren]

Any tips before I should start?

I'd say you should take some time to understand how the grid system works. Helps a lot after if you don't waste spheres/moves at the beginning. By choosing carefully how you want to move on the grid, you'll make the game easier (even if it's not that hard).

The "normal" sphere grid is easier for beginners (even if I like the other one more because it offers more possibilities).


Haste is a huge help in nearly all battles, so try to grab it early, and use it a lot. You'll probably want to move Khimari toward Steal/Use at first, they can be useful, and you won't get those until later otherwise.

(After that, a possible trick is avoiding moving Khimari, accumulating the spheres, and use a teleport toward the end of the game to "jump" close to a character you like to use so that you get a second character with the same powerful moves for cheap)

Also, what's the "best" party, best way to level up and etc?

You don't really need to have a "party" in FFX, you often keep switching characters. All of them are useful, especially at first when they have very different usages.

If fact, try to switch all characters in a battle (especially with enemies that give a lot of XP) so they all level-up (the XP isn't shared, IIRC)

 

[Levyne]

The way I like to play FFX makes it both interesting to play and is actually a good grinding strategy.

Basically, anyone who participates in battle gets S. LVLs which you can use to upgrade them.

Towards that end, in every battle I try to figure out how I can swap in a party member and get them to do SOMETHING without killing the monsters too early(low powered attacks and buff/debuff moves are your friend). This strategy is a puzzle in and of itself, and rewards you by allowing you to level everyone. It's highly useful during boss fights especially.

You can always just swap in a character and have them guard.


OP: While I do love some of the sidequests in the game (omega ruins, optional aeons), I wouldn't go for platinum or "100%" or anything like that unless you find that you really, really like it.. It involves a lot of grinding of captures, monster arena fights, and tedious minigames, and spending a ton of time manipulating the sphere grid.

 

[jeremy1456]

The biggest tip is not to let it turn you off of other FF games.

It marks the point where the series lost its way. The developers changed things that didn't need to be changed. You don't need to worry about which party is 'the best' because the game takes any planning out of the equation by using a strengths and weaknesses system that ensures you'll be using all of them. The ability to switch between party members with no turn sacrifice further reduced strategy.

The only real 'tip' I have is to follow a guide later on so you don't mess up any characters' sphere grids. It can cause some issues and is frustrating.

Even if you hate this one please do give other much better mainline installments a chance. Anything outside of 2, 8, and anything more recent than 10 will give you a good grasp for what the series was like when it was at its best.

 

[Mediking]

Prepare yourself for cheap bosses. Cheap as in... really rough before you figure it out.

 

[unholyrevenger72]

Best party:

Tidus- main character
Auron - overpowered
Yuna- Healer

No tips needed as it is an easy game. Just grind at the latest levels if you have to.

No

best party

Wakka- Most powerful character in the game because of his attack reels overdirve
Rikku- Most Utilitarian overdrive
Yuna- Tanking with Summons, or just kill everything with Yojimbo if you pay him 10x his asking price when you barter for his services and pay him 33 gil for every attack.

 

[Atlantis]

1. Sensor is a very useful weapon ability.

2. Most bosses have crippling status effect weaknesses. (Slow and Poison especially!)

3. Skills like Cheer, Focus, and Provoke can be very useful! Don't ignore them.

3. You can switch equipment during battle and it has a quicker recovery rate than using Defend. Useful when you're rotating in characters for experience.

4. Steal with Rikku, every fight.

This game's bosses are less about brute force and more about figuring out whatever strategy the game wants you to use to defeat them. Sometimes Sensor will give you hints, but sometimes the boss is immune to it. There is no best party, the entire party should get use for most of the main game. (Yes, even Kimahri)

 

[Ixion]

The biggest tip is not to let it turn you off of other FF games.

It marks the point where the series lost its way.

anything more recent than 10 will give you a good grasp for what the series was like when it was at its best.

^^^Don't listen to this person. That's my advice.

 

[Fluxdyne]

I don't like using walkthroughs, but Final Fantasy games usually have missable items and scenes. Go to gamefaqs, it usually have "missable guides", or you can look for missables info in the general walkthroughs. I did a quick look and sadly couldn't find a good one on chronological order for this game. I do remember that some al bhed primers are missable, so look out for those. And as mentioned before, try to get all chests in the temples.

 

[Atlantis]

I don't like using walkthroughs, but Final Fantasy games usually have missable items and scenes. Go to gamefaqs, it usually have "missable guides", or you can look for missables info in the general walkthroughs. I did a quick look and sadly couldn't find a good one on chronological order for this game. I do remember that some al bhed primers are missable, so look out for those. And as mentioned before, try to get all chests in the temples.

This game is actually very light on permanently missable items.

IIRC there's the Al Bhed primers and some technically unique bugged equipment. (Armor abilities on weapons and vise versa). There's also a Blitzball player that can be missed.

The Al Bhed primers can be transferred in from other saves though, and the bugged equipment and Blitzball player aren't really special besides the fact that they're bugged and missable.

 

[Putyouinmyoven]

ENJOY IT! One of my favourite games of all time, ties with IX for my favourite Final Fantasy.

In terms of advice, I honestly wouldn't worry too much - I think the difficulty balance is nigh on perfect, and this isn't one of those games that is really enhanced by playing along with a guide like, say, Bloodborne. Here are a few tips though anyway:

• There are a few temples / shrines throughout that are like 'puzzles' - they're a bit cumbersome but try and find all of the chests in them the first time you visit them, trust me.
• The standard sphere grid is absolutely best for a first play through, don't overcomplicate things for yourself.
• Haste is easy to overlook because it's one of those buffing / status spells, but it's VERY VERY USEFUL.

Let us know how you get on!

 

[playXray]

Follow a guide to get all the Al Bhed primers - you will never get them all on your own and some are permanently missable.

Also, enjoy!

 

[Dinjooh]

Just enjoy it man. It's not a difficult game so do whatever feels right to you. Come back when you have issues.

Best of luck mate!

 

[Tsosie]

1) Get to Blitzball.
2) Realize you never need a new game again.

 

[butalala]

Tidus is good at killing dogs.

Auron is good at killing big armored things.

Wakka is good at killing flying things.

Lulu is good at killing flans and other magic things.

Rikku is good at killing machines (use "Steal").

Yuna is good at killing bosses with summons.

Kimarhi isn't really good at anything, but I love him anyway.

 

[Aters]

Tidus is good at killing dogs.

Auron is good at killing big armored things.

Wakka is good at killing flying things.

Lulu is good at killing flans and other magic things.

Rikku is good at killing machines (use "Steal").

Yuna is good at killing bosses with summons.

Kimarhi isn't really good at anything, but I love him anyway.

Man you gotta leave something for OP to find out.

 

[butalala]

Man you gotta leave something for OP to find out.

OP gets to unravel the mystery of SIN

 

[_Ryo_]

Learn how to use them sphere grid correctly.

Holy, Doublecast Ulitma and Quick Hit are you best friends.

There are lots of secret powerful items...

FUCK BLITZBALL

 

[redfox088]

Do not overgrind as it makes the game way to easy.....if you run into a brick wall boss closer to the end of the game charge up the over limit of all your aeons prior to the battle....and Rikku sucks

 

[Ladekabel]

My tip: Choose another Final Fantasy to get into the series. FFX was my second Final Fantasy and made me not touch the franchise for almost a decade.

Since you're on Vita I'd recommend IX through PS1 Classics. Brought me back to the franchise last year.

 

[SkyOdin]

Just about every enemy in the game has some way to completely shut them down or otherwise kill them easily. 9 times out of 10, the Scan spell will simply tell you what that is directly. So Scan enemies, then take advantage of their weaknesses to various status ailments or elements. Scan is a White Magic spell that Yuna should be able to acquire early in the game on her default Sphere Grid path.

 

[PortablePanda]

Don't neglect Kimahri

Other than that, it's pretty straightforward

 

[MilkBeard]

There are a lot of enemies in this game that have specific stat weaknesses and strengths, moreso than a lot of other Final Fantasy games. It will be important to follow the prompts that they give in game, as well as discovering it through using scan or having a weapon imbued with scan to help.

For example, you will have a big beast that hits ultra hard, but you can blind it and it will miss every time. A lot of enemies are designed this way.

Don't neglect Wakka and Rikku because they will be important during certain sections as a team.

The battles are actually pretty good in terms of requiring strategy. I would say that this element of the game holds up pretty well.

EDIT: Don't neglect Yuna either, she becomes OP with proper stat leveling.

 

[sohois]

If you find yourself struggling with any of the bosses, you can cheese summon overdrives to win. Just fill up all of their overdrive bars before the best fight and then summon all of them in a row once the bosses health is low enough.

 

[d00d3n]

I would recommend selecting the normal sphere grid for your first playthrough. After that choice, not much can go wrong in early/mid game imo. It is kind of fun to play with a walkthrough and overkill certain enemies to get the maximum number of key spheres, but the game has nowhere near the sequence breaking potential of something like FFVIII.

 

[MaverickHunterAsh]

The biggest tip is not to let it turn you off of other FF games.

It marks the point where the series lost its way. The developers changed things that didn't need to be changed. You don't need to worry about which party is 'the best' because the game takes any planning out of the equation by using a strengths and weaknesses system that ensures you'll be using all of them. The ability to switch between party members with no turn sacrifice further reduced strategy.

The only real 'tip' I have is to follow a guide later on so you don't mess up any characters' sphere grids. It can cause some issues and is frustrating.

Even if you hate this one please do give other much better mainline installments a chance. Anything outside of 2, 8, and anything more recent than 10 will give you a good grasp for what the series was like when it was at its best.

Not even a page in and this nonsense starts... worst "advice" in the thread.

On the contrary, OP, FF X is a fantastic game and one of the best (if not the best) games in the series. You don't really need tips - the game is pretty easy to begin with. Here are a couple of basic ones for good measure, though (echoed by others in the thread as well)...

- Pick the normal Sphere Grid if you can't be bothered to look up guides on the best builds/paths for the expert Sphere Grid. Normal's more balanced and (IMO) fun anyway. Honestly, just pick the normal Sphere Grid for your first playthrough anyway. It makes for the optimal experience, no doubt.

- Get creative about finding ways to have all of your party members do at least *something* in most battles. Characters who don't participate in battle don't get S. LVLs, which is basically how characters level up in this game.

- Make sure you get all the treasure chests in each Cloister of Trials on your first time through them. If you don't, you'll have superbosses preventing you from getting them later (and they're not easy to beat, you know, being superbosses and all).

- Don't ignore each character's specialization in terms of the kinds of enemies they excel at beating. It makes a genuine difference, at least in the early/mid-game. Anyone other than Wakka's going to have a tough time beating flying enemies with physical attacks, for example, and you'll almost have to use Lulu to make short work of slimes and other enemies resistant to physical attacks. Wolf/beast-like enemies are typically too fast for anyone other than Tidus to land a hit on. Etc., etc.

- If you end up really loving FF X, ignore the hyperbolic haters and check out FF XIII. They're structurally pretty similar (even though XIII is more linear than X) and both are awesome for many of the same reasons. Of course you'll also want to look into the best pre-X FFs as well, like VI, IX, IV, and VII.

Because using the same 3 characters throughout FFVII just because you liked how they looked was very strategic.

Damn. Dropping those truth bombs like there's no tomorrow. Well said.

 

[Olli128]

Use a guide for the hidden items in the temples or you'll miss out on an awesome summon for a long time.

 

[Caronte]

The biggest tip is not to let it turn you off of other FF games.

It marks the point where the series lost its way. The developers changed things that didn't need to be changed. You don't need to worry about which party is 'the best' because the game takes any planning out of the equation by using a strengths and weaknesses system that ensures you'll be using all of them. The ability to switch between party members with no turn sacrifice further reduced strategy.

The only real 'tip' I have is to follow a guide later on so you don't mess up any characters' sphere grids. It can cause some issues and is frustrating.

Even if you hate this one please do give other much better mainline installments a chance. Anything outside of 2, 8, and anything more recent than 10 will give you a good grasp for what the series was like when it was at its best.

Because using the same 3 characters throughout FFVII just because you liked how they looked was very strategic.

 

[krossj]

I agree with the guide. Perhaps not early but as you get close to the end use a guide to get some of the later game Aeons.

And enjoy the music, battle system, art direction. Still some of my favourites from the series.

 

[Aters]

The biggest tip is not to let it turn you off of other FF games.

It marks the point where the series lost its way. The developers changed things that didn't need to be changed. You don't need to worry about which party is 'the best' because the game takes any planning out of the equation by using a strengths and weaknesses system that ensures you'll be using all of them. The ability to switch between party members with no turn sacrifice further reduced strategy.

The only real 'tip' I have is to follow a guide later on so you don't mess up any characters' sphere grids. It can cause some issues and is frustrating.

Even if you hate this one please do give other much better mainline installments a chance. Anything outside of 2, 8, and anything more recent than 10 will give you a good grasp for what the series was like when it was at its best.

Listen to this OP, there is a possibility that you hate this game after you play it. But don't let it stop you. All Final Fantasy games are very different. You hate one of them doesn't mean you can't love another. TBH if FFX was my first FF, I'd probably never get into the series.

 

[MonsterHunter]

You're going on a pilgrimage. Take it slow, explore and enjoy the sights and sounds.
Try not to get addicted to Blitzball.

 

[Nose Master]

This is a bad representation of older FF games. This game is FF13-0. Absolutely nothing like everything before it.

Switch party members a lot, use weaknesses, etc. All else fails: There's an aeon that can one shot every single enemy in the game including bosses.

FFX is awful.

 

[Javaman]

The way I like to play FFX makes it both interesting to play and is actually a good grinding strategy.

Basically, anyone who participates in battle gets S. LVLs which you can use to upgrade them.

Towards that end, in every battle I try to figure out how I can swap in a party member and get them to do SOMETHING without killing the monsters too early(low powered attacks and buff/debuff moves are your friend). This strategy is a puzzle in and of itself, and rewards you by allowing you to level everyone. It's highly useful during boss fights especially.

You can just defend. It counts as an action and the recovery is quicker than other actions I think.

 

[Langdon Alger]

Haste is the most important spell/buff.

 

[the-pi-guy]

Hi Gaf,

I wanted to try a mainline Final Fantasy game that's not a spinoff(Threatrhythm: Curtain Call is pretty much my first Final Fantasy game and it's GREAT) and I decided to try out Final Fantasy X on Vita. I'm really excited to finally play a Final Fantasy game other than playing them on the old PS1 and PS2 demo disc.

Any tips before I should start? Also, what's the "best" party, best way to level up and etc?

Thanks! If I enjoy this, I might try one of the older Final Fantasy games(only have V from Plus), Chorno Trigger(have it on Vita) or Suikoden II(Vita).

I'm still pretty new to JRPGs, other than Persona 4 Golden, Earthbound and the Mario RPGs.

Tips:
-Grind just a little bit. You don't really have to grind a lot though.
-Don't be afraid of guides. There's a lot of tricky stuff in the game that can be missed without one.
-Be on the lookout for primers. There are a few of them that can be missed.

Best Party: Isn't really one. Different characters have different strengths that are presented to you. There's only 1 character that I personally don't use much, because he doesn't really bring anything new to the party. You can switch out characters to whatever is best in the situation.
Best way to level up: I think early on, you mostly just have to grind. Later in the game there are some easier ways to level up that take some work to get to.

 

[Big Green Anus]

So far, I'm enjoying the game. I really like the battle system so far and the voice acting is.....unique, especially Wakka. However, I really need hel underrstanding the Sphere system. I just don't get it. I thought it would be similar to Tales of Xillia's level up system since they both look simlar on picture, but I dont understand when I can actually move and when your suppose to use the spheres, such as the power, nd etc. You can only move when having on of those spheres? Also, let's say I pass +strength on the spehere grid, do I need to put one of the ability strength sphere to get that stat bonus, or do I get it automatically by just passing by?

 

[Jailer of Hope]

Pay attention to turn order and see what actions will effect it. You can see how it plays out without committing to an action.
Edit: yes you need to activate each node, not just pass it.

 

[MilkBeard]

So far, I'm enjoying the game. I really like the battle system so far and the voice acting is.....unique, especially Wakka. However, I really need hel underrstanding the Sphere system. I just don't get it. I thought it would be similar to Tales of Xillia's level up system since they both look simlar on picture, but I dont understand when I can actually move and when your suppose to use the spheres, such as the power, nd etc. You can only move when having on of those spheres? Also, let's say I pass +strength on the spehere grid, do I need to put one of the ability strength sphere to get that stat bonus, or do I get it automatically by just passing by?

The rules:

You gain the ability to move when your characters 'level up' in battle. The level number is displayed on the battle stat screen, it's what stat increases from the experience. The higher the number, the more moves you get.

You also get spheres dropped in battle from certain enemies. Each sphere has a name, and it affects certain nodes in the sphere grid. You need to fight more/other monsters to get certain types of spheres.

And, each level up constitutes one move forward; however, you will be able to retrace nodes you've already been to on the sphere grid at a higher rate per move.

And as the above poster said, to actually get the stat increase, you have to use the sphere in the node. Also, there will be blank notes that you can fill in with certain spheres, but once you do that, you have to activate it with the related sphere to get the stat increase.

 

[mjontrix]

Use a guide to get all the chests in the aeons sections. And a guide for al bhed and blitzball characters.

Otherwise have fun!

 

[JaseMath]

My honest tip? Don't make FFX your first mainline Final Fantasy. FFX sucks.