Final Fantasy Record Keeper

[Deadline]

Oh yeah. After Easy, Easy +, and Normal, I had enough to grab her, plus both event Mythril. Stats-wise, she's easily superior to WM, and has a broader range of equipment and spells. And after running her semi-solo through Easy and Easy+ (with only one chaperone), she's already on par with the rest of the party, at least for the event zones.

And Deadline, very helpful guide!

One run through on Hard gets you about 1000 shards (not counting the bonuses you get for the first time completion, which is more than enough to buy Lenna and a few other things on the chart).

And I'm glad I could be of use. I certainly don't know everything, I have 7 characters (Cloud, Sephiroth, Terra, Aerith, Rydia, Kain, Celes) at the level 50 cap and I'm still having a hard time mastering some of the elite content (a buddy of mine is doing much better, and even managed to complete the T-Rex fight in the Rinoa event on Heroic). If you run into something you have a question about, definitely ask it here.

And Starwulf, if the current relic event doesn't have relics you want, then save your mithril. It takes so long to get, you're better off waiting for a time when you've got a chance to get what you want.

I think I'm going to start a "B" team made up of only CORE characters (Tyro and most of the generics like Black Mage, White Mage, Fighter, etc.) so that I can get them to the cap and use them to run the gil Daily event. Maybe with synergy I can beat the heroic level.

And a note on the Heroic level stuff - the Japanese version of the game has been out for much longer than here, and apparently several Heroic dungeons are ridiculously hard. As in, people with full parties of synergy characters wielding 7 Star personal equipment (that also synergizes) are having significant difficulty. Which is to say that some of the heroic content we have access to over here is probably impossible to complete at the current time, at least until we get more game-specific characters.

[Red Fel]

And a note on the Heroic level stuff - the Japanese version of the game has been out for much longer than here, and apparently several Heroic dungeons are ridiculously hard. As in, people with full parties of synergy characters wielding 7 Star personal equipment (that also synergizes) are having significant difficulty. Which is to say that some of the heroic content we have access to over here is probably impossible to complete at the current time, at least until we get more game-specific characters.

Yeah, I noticed that there's a profound dearth of material with respect to some games, and an abundance with respect to others; I can't imagine taking on the truly challenging dungeons without a lot more to work with, at least for synergy purposes.

I figure that, at this point, based on the availability of characters alone, IV, VI, and VII dungeons will provide less challenge. There seems to be more spread among weapons, but armor seems to be heavily IV, V, and VI, and accessories (do those even get synergy?) are almost exclusively VI and VII.

Or are the hardest dungeons all IV-VII anyway? Because that would explain a few things.

[Chen]

Leveling some of the core characters to 50 is important to eventually be able to get their record materia. These are boosts you can add to any char that has also hit 50 and gotten their record materia slot open. Black and White mage each have one that has a chance to restore 1 black or white magic each round. I think their second ones guarantee 1 is restored which is pretty damn good.

[Deadline]

Leveling some of the core characters to 50 is important to eventually be able to get their record materia. These are boosts you can add to any char that has also hit 50 and gotten their record materia slot open. Black and White mage each have one that has a chance to restore 1 black or white magic each round. I think their second ones guarantee 1 is restored which is pretty damn good.

This is not a thing I've heard of. I don't see any "record materia" slots on my level 50 characters, what am I missing? (Because this sounds awesome and I must have it.)

Or are the hardest dungeons all IV-VII anyway? Because that would explain a few things.

That's a good question, and I'm not sure. I've mastered all of the available levels (classic and elite) for ... IV and VI I think. And I haven't noticed a significant difference in difficulty between the dungeons.

[DiscipleofBob]

This is not a thing I've heard of. I don't see any "record materia" slots on my level 50 characters, what am I missing? (Because this sounds awesome and I must have it.)

I haven't reached level 50 myself, but I *think* this is a feature in the JP version that will eventually be implemented to the US version. It involves some character-specific passives. I don't know much about it yet.

[Red Fel]

This is not a thing I've heard of. I don't see any "record materia" slots on my level 50 characters, what am I missing? (Because this sounds awesome and I must have it.)

Linky!

Also!

[Chen]

I haven't reached level 50 myself, but I *think* this is a feature in the JP version that will eventually be implemented to the US version. It involves some character-specific passives. I don't know much about it yet.

You're correct in that it's not implemented in the US version yet. That said the passives are character specific to unlock, but apparently can be moved between chars after that. So you can take your special black mage record materia and dump it onto Rinoa to recharge her black magic abilities each round.

[Hunter Noventa]

I read this thread, go looking for the game...it's iPhone only isn't it?

[Deadline]

I read this thread, go looking for the game...it's iPhone only isn't it?

Nope. I have it on my Samsung Galaxy S3 (it's an android phone). You can find it in the Google Play store.

[Red Fel]

So, it also looks like JP already has (and we can soon expect) quite a few new characters to even up the numbers a bit more, which is a tremendous relief. Bonus, one of my favorite anti-villains is among them! (One of, but I liked one of his minions better.)

So, hey, things! They are happening! They are things that happen!

[Starwulf]

Has anyone beaten the Lenna event on hard, and if so, how high do you need your levels to be? My whole party is mid 30's, but I nearly died to the boss at the end of Normal+, albeit because I didnt' bother with an actual strategy to stop him from using his mass fire attack.

[Deadline]

Has anyone beaten the Lenna event on hard, and if so, how high do you need your levels to be? My whole party is mid 30's, but I nearly died to the boss at the end of Normal+, albeit because I didnt' bother with an actual strategy to stop him from using his mass fire attack.

I've done it. If you don't due the gimmick for the boss, the fight is really hard. The boss changes shape everytime he gets hit. And he's only vulnerable to ice in the humanoid form.

[Starwulf]

I've done it. If you don't due the gimmick for the boss, the fight is really hard. The boss changes shape everytime he gets hit. And he's only vulnerable to ice in the humanoid form.

What are your levels? Could I do it with my group of mid-30's if I abided by the gimmick?

Edit: Meh, this isn't going to happen with my current party level and equipment levels. I'm halfway dead after the second stage and only have 1 Cura left.

[Red Fel]

What are your levels? Could I do it with my group of mid-30's if I abided by the gimmick?

Edit: Meh, this isn't going to happen with my current party level and equipment levels. I'm halfway dead after the second stage and only have 1 Cura left.

I've heard of people doing it in mid-30s. The trick is getting your timing right. It's very straightforward: Attack only once per form. Each time you attack, he shifts forms. If you're too eager, he shifts forms and counters. That said, there are three parts to the gimmick:

• Human Form: Hit with ice magic only. Blizzard Strike provokes a counter, so save it and just use magic.
• Tornado Form: Hit with physical only. Blizzard Strike counts as physical (I think), so you should be okay there. Attack promptly, however, or he will self-heal.
• Hand Form: Magic is useless, so attack with physical attacks. This is where you burn your ATB.

If he counters, he hits hard, but if you can avoid his counters, you should be able to heal through his attacks.

Of course, I'm still not able to get Normal+ quite right, because inevitably I miss a form shift and get curb-stomped.

As an aside, if you're running low on Cura, consider simply honing Cure instead. I have Lenna running a Rank 3 Cure (8 uses) and Rank 1 Blindna (4 uses), and she has barely touched them by the time I reach the boss. Further, because of her MND, her Cures do pretty solid work; Cura would be mostly overkill. (I picked Blindna because Crew Dusts start using Flash, and in a physical-heavy party, that can be crippling.)

[Whammydill]

I was able to beat it on Hard on the first run through. I didn't even have ice magic, i just plowed through it. Two of my guys died though, stiill got mastery. My part is near level 40 though

[Hunter Noventa]

Nope. I have it on my Samsung Galaxy S3 (it's an android phone). You can find it in the Google Play store.

Ah ha, it's under DeNA, not Square Enix, that's why I couldn't find it.

[Starwulf]

I'm just not going to be able to do it because the regular monsters are hitting me far to hard. My equipment isn't exactly the best(I have no 3 star or above FFV equipment, so no synergy). My Cura has 8 uses as well, not that it mattered since Aerith died by the end of the 2nd stage.

Guess I just need to get some better gear before I attempt that.

[Red Fel]

I'm just not going to be able to do it because the regular monsters are hitting me far to hard. My equipment isn't exactly the best(I have no 3 star or above FFV equipment, so no synergy). My Cura has 8 uses as well, not that it mattered since Aerith died by the end of the 2nd stage.

Guess I just need to get some better gear before I attempt that.

I'd advise against using Aerith for this. She's generally an MND slot, and you can use Lenna for that. In fact, I think Lenna gets better MND even without the synergy bonus. My team is actually Cloud, Kain, Cyan, Rydia, Lenna, and it works pretty well. Not a lot of gear synergy, but Lenna catches up quickly.

But yeah, if the harder levels keep pounding you, just stick with the easier ones. I've managed to get by in Normal+, but Hard is still beyond me, so I've been doing my damage in the former.

Speaking of, any suggestions as to which goodies to buy? After Lenna and the Mythril, of course. Anything there particularly worth nabbing?

[KillianHawkeye]

I picked this game up after seeing this thread. My guys are only level 7-ish right now, but I'm really enjoying it so far. Lack of equipment seems to be an issue in the beginning, but I've gotten a couple decent relics including the FF5 Javelin. And MY GOD Cloud has a lot of hit points!

[shizukanashi]

Yep I just picked it up too after reading this thead. I don't have Lenna yet but I am so close to beating easy+ and I have done it enough thatbeating it will give me enough to buy her. I got a level 3 staff fro! My first relic pull that has carried me, hopefully my second will be enough to push myarty over that last easy+ boss.

Anyway I am really enjoying this game, thanks for recommending it.

[DiscipleofBob]

A little bit of speculating here:

If the U.S. Events follow the JP version, the next character we might get is either Vanille or Locke.

[Red Fel]

While I'd probably prefer Locke, numbers-wise, it'll probably be Vanille. There's already an abundance of VI-content, but XIII is mercifully woefully underrepresented.

Then again, Locke is a more popular character for nostalgia purposes, so...

[tyckspoon]

This is the kind of blatant cash-grab I want to encourage Square/contracted companies to keep doing (as compared to charging another $20 for the nth rerelease of FF6/Chrono Trigger/whatever), so I went ahead and bought a 10-pull pack of gems to kickstart my progress. Hopefully the last money I spend on this game, tho. Got a good handful of four-stars (several pieces of armor, a Mag-based staff, a MND-based staff, and a Giant Axe) as well as 2 copies of Tyro's 5-star shield grimoire. So I guess eventually I'll have a 6-star version of that. Used that nice early-game OP stuff to bull through Easy+ of the event, and I'm reasonably sure I could get through Normal if I wanted to.

Does the effect of that shield Soul Break last for the entire fight you use it, just the next attack, a few turns, or what? There's no visual indicator or timer of the effect that I can see to tell.

[Starwulf]

Aww, I'm super sad now :-(. I had 63 Mythril so I decided to do a single pull from the Cyan/Josef/Tyro sect of relics, and I got a 5 star. It was Josefs Giant Glove that can ONLY be worn by him, and I've never even used the guy, nor do I particularly want to start :-(. Why couldn't it have been like a 5 star useable by everyone.

[Red Fel]

Aww, I'm super sad now :-(. I had 63 Mythril so I decided to do a single pull from the Cyan/Josef/Tyro sect of relics, and I got a 5 star. It was Josefs Giant Glove that can ONLY be worn by him, and I've never even used the guy, nor do I particularly want to start :-(. Why couldn't it have been like a 5 star useable by everyone.

Ugh, that soul break. Don't get me wrong, it's a very nice weapon, and the SB is very fitting given the story, but... Ugh.

Think about it. Compare Josef to, say, Snow, as both have access to the Monk ability set (currently consisting of one ability, but still). Snow bests all of Josef's stats except for Attack and Resistance. Snow can also access Celerity abilities, on top of Monk and Combat. Other than his Attack and Resistance, Josef's only advantage is his access to a wider variety of weapons.

So let's give him a fist weapon, narrowing his only real advantage, and make it one that kills him. Oh, sure, it buffs the party, but it kills the ever-loving crap out of him.

... And that's why I won't use Josef unless there's a II-event. Ugh.

[DiscipleofBob]

Ugh, that soul break. Don't get me wrong, it's a very nice weapon, and the SB is very fitting given the story, but... Ugh.

Think about it. Compare Josef to, say, Snow, as both have access to the Monk ability set (currently consisting of one ability, but still). Snow bests all of Josef's stats except for Attack and Resistance. Snow can also access Celerity abilities, on top of Monk and Combat. Other than his Attack and Resistance, Josef's only advantage is his access to a wider variety of weapons.

So let's give him a fist weapon, narrowing his only real advantage, and make it one that kills him. Oh, sure, it buffs the party, but it kills the ever-loving crap out of him.

... And that's why I won't use Josef unless there's a II-event. Ugh.

I'd still take Josef rather than Snow. His special SB might be useless except for very specific combos and Snow might be more of a tank, but I'll take the extra damage he can dish out anyday. I might use Snow if FFXIII's taunt mechanics were present, but as it stands I don't see much reason to use him aside from an FFXIII event. At least his normal SB does damage. Though I haven't used SB much since I got a Retaliate and three Double Cuts.

Personal dilemma: I have enough Summon Orbs for either Ifrit, Shiva, or Ramuh. Which one should I pick?

[Red Fel]

Personal dilemma: I have enough Summon Orbs for either Ifrit, Shiva, or Ramuh. Which one should I pick?

I'll be honest, I don't waste time on summons. They're situational, they take too many resources to hone up to be sufficiently useful, and they take resources (other than the Summon Orbs) away from abilities you might actually use. Oh, and all of, what, two characters can use them? Two characters who could be using actually useful spells at that moment instead?

Rage aside, hmm. My first instinct is to say Ramuh > Ifrit > Shiva, simply because so many robot bosses have a lightning vulnerability, and so few things seem to have an ice vulnerability. But then I actually think about it. Off the top of my head, Shiva is extremely useful against Mombomb, and ice is also effective against bosses like Adamantoise, Djinn, Baigan, Rubicante, Ifrit, other Ifrit... And I'm already out. Okay. Shiva really doesn't impress me.

[DiscipleofBob]

I'll be honest, I don't waste time on summons. They're situational, they take too many resources to hone up to be sufficiently useful, and they take resources (other than the Summon Orbs) away from abilities you might actually use. Oh, and all of, what, two characters can use them? Two characters who could be using actually useful spells at that moment instead?

I've actually gotten a lot of mileage out of a rank 1 Mist Dragon. Sure it's only one use until I upgrade it, but Rydia can wipe a screen with it. There aren't a lot of abilities that can hit multiple enemies. Well, that I can actually get at my level. Plus I've always had a nostalgia spot in my heart for summons, and really, that's probably the most important factor in this game anyway.

[Red Fel]

I've actually gotten a lot of mileage out of a rank 1 Mist Dragon. Sure it's only one use until I upgrade it, but Rydia can wipe a screen with it. There aren't a lot of abilities that can hit multiple enemies. Well, that I can actually get at my level. Plus I've always had a nostalgia spot in my heart for summons, and really, that's probably the most important factor in this game anyway.

The nostalgia factor is a pretty good point. And I'll give you the fact that summons can hit multiple enemies, which is a substantial boon. But against non-bosses, I'm unlikely to unload abilities, and the majority of bosses are solo or duo encounters, with notable exceptions like Mom Bomb, Calcabrina, and the Magus Sisters. (Curiously, those are all FFIV.) In a boss encounter, I'd prefer to have something that's both effective and reusable. Let's face it, if I'm using Rydia as my summoner and she uses her one-shot, she just sits there plinking with a rod and embarassing everybody; if I use Aerith, that means I'm taking up a slot that could otherwise be used for the healing spell I needed to keep this guy from killing Cyan yet again dangit Cyan stop dying you fool.

I agree that there are certain boss encounters, like those mentioned, where having a screen-clearing nuke is valuable, even if it's a one-shot. But that seems more the exception than the rule. Now, if they made summons more usable, maybe reduced the honing costs, I'd be inclined to reconsider, but they're just too expensive and too situational.

... I'm totally going to craft Odin once I can, though. I mean, freaking Odin, man.

[DiscipleofBob]

While obviously I'm going to change my loadout for different bosses, I find myself relying less on abilities for bosses except for the occasional elemental weakness and retaliate + double cut meta combo. I find certain mobs are far more dangerous, for example if something manages to blind one of my fighters early on (and I don't feel like wasting a slot on Blindna) or if five monsters gang up on one character. Also one action to kill five mobs helps achieve that 'actions taken' condition for mastery.

I also try to keep in mind that mobs can randomly drop refills for abilities, and if I don't have everything earmarked for the boss I can actually sometimes get 2 - 3 uses per encounter out of a normally 1 use summon that hits everything on the screen for harder than my Soul Breaks.

My party's far from ideal though. I'm using Rinoa as a white mage for some reason, until I get Lenna up in level I guess. Her job is mostly to Boost Cloud while Josef and Cyan do the Double Cut + Retaliate combo. Rydia just pokes things with a stick unless she can either blow up the boss or summon when to convenient.