Final Fantasy Record Keeper IX: Having Sworn to Whale, Must I Live My Life in Debt?

[Maryring]

Man. Omniscient seems way overtuned on Apocalevels this time. Through Shell, Wall, two breaks and elemental resist he still hits for over 2k on multiple team-mates. Grand cross seems a requirement, and you can't use Celes for this. And getting people who can use dances in MP is an excersize in futility.

[SuperPanda]

I just got FFRK. My main character is one shotting everything thanks to a weapon he got from a chest. Is this normal?

Welcome to the Archives your Arlship. I joined long enough ago that I didn't get a 5* stat stick from the tutorial draw, but even with my 3* Scimitar I was chewing through people with Tyro and clearing whole waves with his default SB. This was back in the bad old days when I didn't get a 5* relic until my fourth 11 pull because there was not promised 5*.

You'll find the power/learning curve is more like walking up stairs. You'll proceed with little to no trouble for a long while until you hit your first real barrier. That can be jumped over with powerful Roaming Warriors, strong Overflow and Burst attacks can give you all the fire power you need to blast through most early bosses with ease. Eventually though you'll hit a point where the boss just does so much damage to you that you can't survive long enough to call in those tools of death. This is when you need to start switching to defensive Roaming Warriors - where you learn about the near-essential nature of "Wall." At this point you'll find you can stack up defenses until you can weather a boss, but now that your major damage source is gone you have to be providing the damage and that means ability hones (Which require orbs).

Once you can supply the damage you need to take down strong bosses and have gathered enough mythril you'll start building your arsenal. Eventually you hit the next major step up, needing to debuff the enemy using 4* support skills.

I've also found that haste+damage boosters have a place in the power-hike as defense and resistance ignoring bosses eventually make Wall a "nice to have" tool instead of a "use this or die" one.

My advice is to clear events to where you can and then power through the dungeons. Horde your eggs/orbs/motes until you feel you need them to overcome a challenge.

Early on its often great to build an "A" team of people who you are able to gear up and use them to plow through things but eventually that falls aside. Don't worry about the stuff your missing at the moment - even the most rare resources "Mythril, Memory Crystal IIIs, 4* Motes, Job Motes, 5* Motes, and Crystals - should continue to be made available over time. If may take you longer to get them but few things in this game are every "gone forever" once their "limited time only" window has passed - and those things are either replaced eventually with better ones (Relics) or part of a frustratingly slow drip system which is potentially infinite (a fore mentioned rare resources).

Re: "Jump Start"

Man, I preferred "Full Throttle" as a name. Still, looking forward to smashing things and grabbing 5* motes. Not sure how up for a CM my XIII team in. On the one side I can have relics for Lightning, Vanille, Fang, and Sazh - including Sazh's BSB. Fang has her en-wind SSB and Sky High access while Lightning is a power-chaining daemon. Hope has some strong RS gear access and the witch hat gives him a small faith to stack with Sazh's BSB. On the other, my medica is Vanille's cura+Protectga and Lightning is either going to Smite (3xST+ noncharge2) or Crushing Blow (5xAoE lightning element) - so depending on elemental weakness she's either got an okay or very strong SB. Similar story with Fang having access to her Wind elemental or a weak non-elemental SB.

[Red Fel]

Man, I preferred "Full Throttle" as a name. Still, looking forward to smashing things and grabbing 5* motes. Not sure how up for a CM my XIII team in. On the one side I can have relics for Lightning, Vanille, Fang, and Sazh - including Sazh's BSB. Fang has her en-wind SSB and Sky High access while Lightning is a power-chaining daemon. Hope has some strong RS gear access and the witch hat gives him a small faith to stack with Sazh's BSB. On the other, my medica is Vanille's cura+Protectga and Lightning is either going to Smite (3xST+ noncharge2) or Crushing Blow (5xAoE lightning element) - so depending on elemental weakness she's either got an okay or very strong SB. Similar story with Fang having access to her Wind elemental or a weak non-elemental SB.

Really, the big thing about Full Throttle dungeons is SB synergy - that is, using SBs in sequence to maximize their impact. For example, break out Thunder God Mode followed by RAIJIN CID's BSB, taking the long cast times on his commands down to a more reasonable - and destructive - level.

Or, consider the Lightning USB mentioned earlier. Lightning's USB gives her Flash status, which includes an ATK boost and Short Charge when she uses a Lightning ability. Problem is, unless you RD her, her arsenal of Lightning abilities is limited. Unless you have her BSB2, which uses fast-cast Lightning abilities (plus an Imperil Lightning). If you open with the USB, and follow with the BSB2, you're basically getting added mileage out of the BSB, in that you're casting faster, which means more BSB uses. I'm pretty sure that Flash reduces the already quick cast time of Lightning's BSB commands down to almost nothing, which is just insane. (About the only thing that would make it even better is Lightning's LM1, which starts you off with Haste and three rounds of instant-casting. Or her LMR, which gives you a chance to double-cast Lightning abilities - can you double-cast a BSB command?)

There are other synergies as well. The same premise applies. Open with a buffing/boosting SB, follow with a BSB, slaughter vigorously.

[Merlin the Tuna]

Man. Omniscient seems way overtuned on Apocalevels this time. Through Shell, Wall, two breaks and elemental resist he still hits for over 2k on multiple team-mates. Grand cross seems a requirement, and you can't use Celes for this. And getting people who can use dances in MP is an excersize in futility.

I mentioned this on an earlier page, but I found him much easier on SP, which is honestly kind of unusual for me. While you lose the extra 3 people spamming soul breaks out the wazoo, the lower stats make a noticeable difference. But the most important difference might be that his SP form having non-instant cast times means that the fight ramps up a lot slower. In MP, I found that we were already losing people before Tyro was able to get 2x dances + Wall up. He hits plenty hard after that as well, but just getting to that point of stability was a real problem.

If you do stick with MP, keep an eye out for Rafa & Malak-using hosts; their BSBs are MAG/RES buffs & debuffs, respectively, which makes them a great extra layer of mitigation.

[Red Fel]

Alright, there is currently some debate as to when the last three LDs (Imperils, Medicas, BSBs) will fall. There is a consensus that they'll drop before EXTREME Fest (June 24), but the debate is whether they'll drop the 17th-19th, or 21st-23rd. Regardless, those remain on the radar.

The question, naturally: Should you pull?

We discussed the Imperil banner upthread. There is a new thread on projections for the Medica banner here. The projection shows a total of 23-24 relics (depending on whether Relm's USB makes the cut.)

Now, with all this half-price goodness still out there, you might be asking yourself, "Why bother with the full-price EXTREME Fest banners?" Well, the short version, to refresh your recollection: Each banner contains 4 OSB/USB/CSB relics, six BSB relics, and two SSBs. Here are the analyses of the banners JP got. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5.) Here's another thread analyzing all five banners.

Now, if you are a whale, you have no problems. Pull on the LDs, pull on the Fest banners, you're golden. But if you're a filthy casual like me, you may be a bit strapped for mythril. I myself have about 150; if I spend nothing between now and Fest, I should be pretty close to being able to swing one pull per banner. Or I could blow 75 mythril on LDs and have to choose.

So here's a quick summary of each banner, in consideration of whether to save for it.

Spoiler

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• Banner 1: Earth and Monks, basically. You like Monks? You like Earth SBs? Go here. Eiko's solid USB is here, as is Celes' Indo Blade. Note that Tifa's USB includes Hastega, High Regenga, and Radiant Shield, which is excellent. Note also that Noctis' OSB grants him an Stoneskin, an ATK boost, and a cast time reduction, but they only last for as long as Stoneskin remains up - great in a party where someone is drawing fire, but kind of disappointing otherwise. Personally, I have 2 relics here, but I'm not sure I'd pull.
• Banner 2: This is a mixed-bag banner. You've got casters like Cid Raines, Kuja, and Quistis, slashy-types like Edge and Ayame, Monks like Prishe and Raijin, and Rosa is there for some reason. It's hard to pin down an exact type to say, "This is an X banner," so you'd have to look at individual options. Cid Raines' BSB is here, if that's still a temptation. Personally, I have 5 of these relics, so I'd probably pass.
• Banner 3: The Lightning banner. Shantotto's CSB, RAIJIN CID's OSB, Ashe's OSB, BSBs for Lightning, Ashe, Shantotto, Garnet, Rafah, and Desch, this is a pretty easy one. If you need Lightning SBs, you pull here; if you're drowning in them, you pass. I have 3 relics from this banner, but could definitely see my way to pulling on it.
• Banner 4: This is another mixed bag. There are some medicas on it, some Wind-element options, but the big pull is the EX-factor - namely, three of the four USBs (they're all USBs) grant EX Mode. Terra's USB grants Magitek Warrior (MAG +30%, Quick Cast BLM); Pencil's grants Paladin (DEF +100%, HP Stock 6000), and GILGAMESH's grants Legendary Swordsman? (ATK +30%, High Retaliate). Admittedly, not all EX Modes are created equal; Pencil's makes him a better tank, but is otherwise unappealing, for example. Still, if you're chasing EX Modes, this is the banner for you. Personally, I have 4 of these relics, so I'm on the fence.
• Banner 5: If Banner 3 was Lightning-themed, this one is Holy-themed. Everything either involves Holy damage, medica, or buffing. O'Light's Holy-flavored CSB is here, as is Vanille's "Let me just buff everyone with everything" USB. All of the BSBs except Vanille's involve an opening volley with Holy typing. I only have 1 relic off of this one, and would probably pull.

Now, again, there are no guarantees that these banners will appear in global intact. Still, if they're even a rough approximation, that tells you a lot. Specifically, banners 2 and 4 were just chaotic and mixed. Banner 1 was Earth and MNK themed, banner 3 was Lightning, banner 5 was Holy.

Reading all of that, I think I can feel more confident investing my mythril in half-price LDs. Even though it means skipping a banner or two, I think I'll manage. But take a read for yourself, and consider your own options accordingly.

[Greg_S]

Proudclad. Oh, Proudclad. Jumpstart is down, but it got hectic there at the end- which is not normal for these fights. Usually the event Jumpstarts you can stomp all over, but his damage output is very high. Here's what I did:

OK: Chain Thundaga, BSB
Lightning: Powerchain, OSB
Keeper: FB/PBD, Wall, also dropped in a shot of his USB for the HP stock
Kain: Lightning Dive, BSB
Relm: BSB, Protectga

RW: Lightning USB

We don't have Cloud's USB to cheese Proudclad to death, but we do have other options. The battle isn't too bad before you drop him to 70%. Once that happens, though... remember Caius Ballad? It feels like that, where your healers are trying to keep up with all the pressure. My strategy was to powerchain with Lightning until the limiters came off, then RW summon with her, followed by OSB spamming. You can do the same thing with Orlandu, and that means you've only got to deal another 150K damage to drop it.

At the A+ level, though? Ugh. This boss shouldn't exist. If you have a strong lightning OSB that can cap, consider going wrath/entrust with it. I'm going to swap OK out for Ramza with wrath/entrust/shout, and probably swap Kain out for Sabin, so that I can drop soul spirals for the 40% heal as well as the defense boost, which might make me last longer.

EDIT: Whoa, daily dungeon updates coming to JP soon will make EXP/Gil/Mats dungeons always open, and let crystals drop from the orb dungeons.

[huttj509]

What does the MP for the easier of the 4* mats normally look like? Because tonight it was "party full, party full, party full, raid group disbanded, party full, disbanded, full, disbanded."

[SuperPanda]

The Juno start more or less just kicked me out and told me to go back to the children's table. My lightning mage team was doing great damage to him - Garnet alone was landing 5x8000 with some set up (and thanks to chain it was climbing) but his damage output is obscene.

I'm thinking of replacing Yshtola with burst and wall for Relm with Burst - the last stand effect might be Better since so much of the damage spam ignores def. either that or replacing penelo (dance and burst heal) with Faris (USB, burst, mug bloodlust).

I think I'd me okay if I had a edge SSB rw on call. Hastega, last stand and phys blink should give me the safety net I need to keep medicas (penelo and Yshtola) up. Garnet, reifa, and Shantoto deal sold damage.

Other thing I'm gonna change is my stratagy. ---change Rapha's dance to the attack down one so that it can go up first turn with chain, wall, Garnet burst 2. Round two Rapha can unload burst while someone throws down the rw, penelo multi breaks and Ysh bursts. Then with Garnet in summon mode renew the chain and start bringing the hammer.

Edit: After many S/Ls and tweaks to get it right I brought the beasty down.

Eiko USB RW

Rapha (Burst) Attack Breakdown Dance, chain thundaga (devotion)
Garnet (Burst2) abilities never used (Chance to double cast summons - and boy oh boy did it).
Shantoto (Chain SB) Witch abilities (Much more damage from hitting weakness)
Y'sthola (Burst, Wall) Protectga, Curaga, (Chance to double cast white magic - never worked)
Penelo (Burst) Multibreak, Ultra Cure (+Healing RM)

Round one Y'sh used Protectga, Rapha called in the RW after the lasers critically weakened two members, Penelo started using Evanessence, Shantoto brought the Chain which gives party quick cast 2 and Garnet brought Burst 2 which buffs.

Round 2, Rapha and Penelo danced, Y'sh calls in Wall, Garnet toggles summon mode, Toto tags a Hell Thunder.

After that Shantoto renewed the chain and it was damage time. Garnet renewed her Burst (stacking the Imperil) a bit on so that summoning mode didn't drop off. Garnet got 2 double casts in each doing an extra 8000+ x 5 and advancing the chain - this is what brought the beastie down. It did focus fire on Rapha early, but Eiko's last stand kept her up and a new cast came just before the follow up AoE so we stayed strong.

This fight is very very RNG.

[Hunter Noventa]

I'm trying to figure out the best way to go about the Jump Start boss. The only significant Lightning-elemental SBs I have are Thundergod and Thunderfall. I'm not sure how much damage they'd actually do, however, or if it would be enough since I can only use them once. I was thinking of Combining with Shout and Phantom to really maximize the damage potential, perhaps even adding Mirror of Equity to TG Cid for extra attack, and then being Y'shtola for Asylum when we need it, and a Wall RW.

UPDATE: Well, even after finding out I'd misread the Jump Start and that you start with a FULL Sb bar instead of just 1, it still wasn't quite enough. Even with SSII and Protecga it put out too much damage, and even with getting all three OSBs oout from both Cid and Lightning, it wasn't quite enough. I even gave them both the 'Deal more Damage when Targetting a weakness' RMs and they couldn't finish it off.

Short of maybe trying to Egg Lightning up to 99, and possibly Faris too, I don't see what I could do to put out more damage, since I just don't have any more Lightning-elemetnal SBs. If I had a native wall I could bring Ashe's lightning BSB as an RW maybe, but short of that I've got nothing.

[Jurai]

Am I the only one who has trouble with content higher than Difficulty 180? These A+ are beating my face in.

[huttj509]

Am I the only one who has trouble with content higher than Difficulty 180? These A+ are beating my face in.

Yer not the only one. I can do the 140s, and sometimes the 180. The shifting of the III crystals to the 140s was a godsend to me.

Edit: I wish there were a tracking website, where for example, I could link to my character/ability/gear availability and compare with folks to find if there's something I'm forgetting, or a gamechanger ability I should craft. As I noticed with the gear/SB tallies folks were doing, it's time-consuming to set up, and difficult to read.

[Merlin the Tuna]

Edit: I wish there were a tracking website, where for example, I could link to my character/ability/gear availability and compare with folks to find if there's something I'm forgetting, or a gamechanger ability I should craft. As I noticed with the gear/SB tallies folks were doing, it's time-consuming to set up, and difficult to read.

FFRKCentral does this, as I understand it. It requires granting them some kind of access in order to pull the data though, and I balked at that step. Here's an example profile link I pulled from Reddit, though.

RE: High level stuff, yeah, Apoc+ is tricky, but it hasn't stonewalled me yet. I only just barely squeaked by Proudclad with a mage team (Rafa BSB, Raines BSB, and Krile with Sheep and OK RW) though, and I'm not looking forward to Full Throttle since i just don't see it making a huge difference with this comp. I may also try a physical setup built around Kain OSB, but my lack of lit+ gear and en-lit SBs feels like it'll be a problem. On the bright side, the Full Throttle fights actually do recur. On the dark side, they only recur when events of the corresponding realm recur, and JP has not yet had another FF13 event. So while this one will be back, it won't be any time in the next 6-7 months.

On the MP side, I did finally get a solid run vs. Apoc+ Tramplebot after far too many tries, but our host DC'd with 10% to go, ending the battle. Feh. Feh, I say! Going to have to give Minfilia and Edea another couple goes at him tonight. This is one that does feel MP-required to me though; the U+ version was a surprisingly close call since I was short on actions to both heal and re-buff after the dispel->smack combo.

[Maryring]

Personally I'm struggling with Apoca+. I don't have native Wall, and the two casts from a RW isn't enough to cut it. So it all comes down to if I can beat an Apoca fight without Wall. And generally signs seem to point to no. I have beaten the mote dungeons. All of them. And I haven't beaten the Torment dungeons. None of them.

[Greg_S]

Bart CM is down! Bit tricky, required a bit of team reworking- originally brought Raines with mori/dispel, but checked the AI again and it turns out that Bart's doom isn't the usual XIII AoE, but single-target and ignores those who already have it. Went with this:

Hope: Bahamut R3, Slowga R3, BSB
Vanille: Ultra Cure R3, Protectga, BSB
Noel: Lifesiphon R4, Full Charge R3, SSB
Raines: Meteor, Dispel, BSB
Sazh: FB R3, MBD R4, Boon
RW: Fujin BSB

Hope and Raines used their BSBs in the next-to-last round, and Vanille got silenced by a laser (through major resist) after her BSB went off. I bet I could have done it without using the BSBs. Rather, it was Fujin's burst that was a huge part of the win. The extra stacking magic debuff helped me get through phase 1 before I popped boon, as well as giving Raines a quick-casting option.

The real hero was Noel. He got 3 shots of deathblow off once the Apoptosis started, each one stunning, and followed those with ~12K full charges. I didn't have any boosts active until Raines' burst went off, so it was all about having good synergy and working the timing of the battle. He's mostly harmless until 70%, and his slow vulnerability equalizes the action economy before you activate your haste.

If you want to try the CM, apoptosis isn't your big fear. When he first switches forms and hits you with it, you lose 10% of your current HP and your buffs, plus he clears slowga (maybe his stat debuffs, but the TFmurphy AI thread isn't out yet). However, he uses his next two turns on protect and shell, so you have enough time to reload, or ideally, pop your buffs for the first time. Dazega is what you should fear- AoE sleep can ruin your runs, and it's 50/50 whether to equip resist gear for that or silence on your healer. Keep slowga up on Bart, and if you got Noel's SSB from anniversary banner 3, it shines here.

[SuperPanda]

Reddit has revealed that we are getting a "Men of the Hour" Lucky Draw.

With relics (SSB+) for:

Cecil, Paladin (FF IV)
Kain (FF IV)
Gilgamesh (FF V)
Locke (FF VI)
Cloud (FF VII)
Sephiroth (FF VII)
Vincent (FF VII)
Squall (FF VIII)
Ramza (FFT)
and Orlandeau (FFT)

The full list is here.

I'm certainly pulling even though there is little likely upside for me. There are really only 8 relics I very much want. (Cecil OSB, Gilgamesh BSB, Locke OSB, Coud BSB2, Squall OSB, Squall BSB2, Ramza Shout, Orlandu OSB).

I have 11 potential dupes too, so this will be something of a landmine draw. I'd expect the ladies version of this to drop soonish too. This is apparently related to the survey questions of who the "coolest" male characters in Final Fantasy were.

[Deadline]

Yer not the only one. I can do the 140s, and sometimes the 180. The shifting of the III crystals to the 140s was a godsend to me.

I hear that. I've missed out on so many 4* motes simply because I seem to have the worst luck for the MP dungeons, and that's where they were locked away until recently. I can sometimes solo the lower difficulty apocalypse one, but this go around the adamanchelid is piping my party just before I manage to pop it. Bay and Ultimate Bay are raining on my parade. Ultimate Trample is just a nuisance unless it pops my healer. I'm going to have to switch some party members around and see if a slightly different loadout will finally take it down.

I have to wait for stamina to refresh before I try to tackle the jump start dungeon.

[T.G. Oskar]

Reddit has revealed that we are getting a "Men of the Hour" Lucky Draw.

Wait, what?

With relics (SSB+) for:

Cecil, Paladin (FF IV)

Cool! I got nothing for him.

Kain (FF IV)

Ditto.

Gilgamesh (FF V)

Awesome! I really need to get something for him, since Faithful Companion is getting old.

Locke (FF VI)

Well...I got already some of his stuff, so meh?

Cloud (FF VII)

Uh...

Mama's Boy (FF VII)

...Nope. Forget about it. Mama's Fanboys ruined this draw for me.

and Orlandeau (FFT)

I'D RATHER RISK MY LUCK ON REALM DUNGEON LUCKY DRAWS THAN DRAW ANOTHER OF MAMA'S BOY'S OVERSIZED KATANAS!! Sorry, your Eminence... I'll wait for the females' Lucky Draw, since it's pretty evident she'll be there. Because, why in heathenly tarnation she wouldn't!?

[SuperPanda]

Yeah, my reaction was somewhat similar going down the list. For me it was;

Cecil (P) IV: I've got his SSB and BSB, want his OSB and USB - but don't need them. Questionable reason to draw especially when pulling for his USB in extreme fear.

Kain IV: I have had original SB relic and that's it. Don't need anything for him but also wouldn't mind something.

Locke: again a loaded character, I have his SSB 2 and BSB - his OSB would be nice but not something I'd pull for.

Cloud VII: well I have his SSB and OSB, his gimme his bsb2 and I might actually pull for his USB.

Vincent VII: I have no animus towards him and I don't have a dedicated VII mage. That said, I don't really want anything of his.

Mama's boyband member: I have his SSB - it's a nice stat stick for Yuffie to knock heads with - I really don't want to pull for him.

Squall: come on and complete the ice team with your awesome bsb2 - if anything this is the first one to push me towards the pull side of things.

Ramza: another loaded character, wouldn't mind his Burst for an offensive SB option but it's really shout I want.

T.G. Cid: shout and this OSB will continue to taunt my LDs for a while yet. This said - I still lack either of them.

I'm conflicted, I have the mythril to do this pull without worrying much but the pool I want is small.

[Merlin the Tuna]

I'm trying to figure out the best way to go about the Jump Start boss. The only significant Lightning-elemental SBs I have are Thundergod and Thunderfall. I'm not sure how much damage they'd actually do, however, or if it would be enough since I can only use them once. I was thinking of Combining with Shout and Phantom to really maximize the damage potential, perhaps even adding Mirror of Equity to TG Cid for extra attack, and then being Y'shtola for Asylum when we need it, and a Wall RW

Hailstorm will work on Orlandu for this fight as well, since there's nothing to capitalize on the RES debuff.

I did squeak through the rest of the eventually last night. Rafa BSB was actually my only lightning damage vs Proudclad, but Raines picked up plenty of slack hitting neutral. Still very RNG heavy since the bits focus firing somebody spelled trouble - and Rafa would get one shot if hit before buffs went up - but not too different from the regular battle. The Jump Start setup does seem like a specific way to emphasize OSBs over BSBs though, since the latters' longevity isn't really worth much.

MP Adaman-thing was expectedly tedious, but two Edeas go a long way. Definitely try to overdose on Last Stand though, because he gets TESTY at the end.

As for the LD, I'm in. I've got no SBs for Locke, Cloud, Seph, or Orly, plus no SSB+ for Vincent or Ramza. (And Squall's BSB1 isn't exactly spectacular.) More than a little disappointed at the results of the "coolest character" poll, but I guess I'm getting a little used to it. I mean, Locke's at least on the right end of the spectrum, but he's also the third or fourth coolest male character in his game. To say nothing of nerds like Seph and Vincent.

Edit: So on reflection, the only 3 dupes I have for the banner are Pecil BSB, Gil OSB, and Kain OSB, and frankly a dupe of any of those would be totally fine for half price. And getting Pecil OSB or Kain BSB would improve my combo potential, as well as Gil BSB providing gobs of utility, so those character-overlap SBs would be great. So really, the only skunk draw for me would be one that contains only their old SSBs.

[Hunter Noventa]

Hailstorm will work on Orlandu for this fight as well, since there's nothing to capitalize on the RES debuff.

I did squeak through the rest of the eventually last night. Rafa BSB was actually my only lightning damage vs Proudclad, but Raines picked up plenty of slack hitting neutral. Still very RNG heavy since the bits focus firing somebody spelled trouble - and Rafa would get one shot if hit before buffs went up - but not too different from the regular battle. The Jump Start setup does seem like a specific way to emphasize OSBs over BSBs though, since the latters' longevity isn't really worth much.

Yeah, it really feels like 'Can you do X damage with 3 SBs per character?' and if you can't you lose. The amount of damage that was going out makes any kind of healing useless, beyond setting up whatever mitigation you can.

[Red Fel]

Okay. So although I have some really strong SBs on my XIII cast (including three characters with BSBs, one of whom has two BSBs), I was not able to CM the U++. Wasn't happening. Brought an A-Team and managed to plow through it. Took a few shots at the Apoc boss and was thoroughly thrashed within the first 2-3 rounds, so that's a definite no. Took a look at the MP boss and its 9999-damage instagib attack, that's a definite no. Might take a shot at the Full Throttle boss, but given how tough he was on normal, that's still a pretty big hurdle to overcome. And yes, I have more Lightning options out of realm, but only a couple of Lightning-flavored BSBs (Lightning and Raijin). I get the feeling that OSBs may be great once you reach the last leg of the fight, but you need BSBs to get you there, and this guy hits so hard I question how I can even get that far.

To those who have said this fight is overtuned: I agree entirely.

So, in all likelihood, I'm just going to pass, and wait for the next event to drop.

Which, in case you forgot, is The Spark Before the Fire, an IX event featuring Zidane, Vivi, Steiner, and - of course - Queen Bea. No new characters, no new abilities. The first banner gives us Steiner's OSB, BSBs for Steiner, Vivi, and Zidane, and LMRs for Steiner (chance for SPBs to Imperil Fire) and Zidane (chance for next THF to be 50% cast time). The second banner gives us Queen Bea's OSB, BSBs for Queen Bea, Princess Garnet, and Almighty Quina, and LMRs for Vivi (increase damage and cast time of BLM) and Queen Bea (chance to cover ally from PHY damage with small damage reduction). Even better, both the U++ (Zombie Dragon) and the Apoc/Full Throttle (Ark) have exploitable weaknesses (Fire/Holy and Wind, respectively), which makes those fights at least a little more manageable.

EDIT: With respect to the Men of the Hour LD... Hm. Cecil's SBs show their age, Kain's BSB is really good; I have everything for Gil except his BSB; I don't know how I feel about Locke's relics, I have too many of Cloud's, I rarely use Sephiroth anymore, and I don't know how I feel about Vincent; I could really use a relic for Squall, I could really use a relic for the Thunder God, and I could really use a break from relics for Ramza. Out of 35 relics, I estimate that I have 9. That's a roughly 25% chance that a given relic I get would be a dupe. And of those 9, 7 belong to only three characters, which means extra salt if I dupe those.

... But it's half price, so I'm probably going to pull.

[SuperPanda]

And now I feel silly for reporting that lucky draw from Reddit. It seems that the data for the announcement has been removed from the servers and we now don't know if it is coming at all. Sorry about that playground.

[T.G. Oskar]

And now I feel silly for reporting that lucky draw from Reddit. It seems that the data for the announcement has been removed from the servers and we now don't know if it is coming at all. Sorry about that playground.

Meh. DeNA jumped the gun and released the first of the Lucky Draws meant for ExtremeFest too early. Though...are the dataminers sure that we'll get the three Fest LDs? (Curaga Medica, Imperil, BSB+) Probably they're changing it for Men of the Hour, the female version, and Buffesta! (because I'm pretty sure everybody voted on Buff SBs, right...!?))

That, or they noticed I wasn't gonna draw because Mama's Boy was there, and they scrapped everything. Sorry guys, though...apparently nobody was gonna pull. If the result of people pulling on the LD was even less than the results of a previous thing happening on my place in Sunday, I was gonna laugh. I mean, a "Men of the Hour" Draw and no Balthier!? What kind of draw is that where the Leading Man isn't there?

[SuperPanda]

Well it was a "Man of the Hour" draw and the leading man is always fashionably late in order to make a suitably dramatic entrance.

I sure hope this is not replacing imperil, curses, and Burst lucky draws - especially Burst. I'd be seriously cheesed if "Buff" replaces "Burst."

[oxybe]

So through the oddest of luck I managed to beat that MP fight.

And by luck I mean the team ended up with a Last stand, a HP stock AND a reraise medica all in play at the same time. Pick up groups man. You never know what you're going to get.

Edge & Yuna on a team with an Eiko running her BSB & reraise on the host.

We lacked a boostga and ended up spending the entire fight just slowly chipping away at the boss as the repeatedly tried to kill us but could never just do it. The one time someone actually managed to die, Yuna cast Curaise.

The Apocalypse+ fight though? Yeah, that's a lot of noise. I've tried both and oh boy is it BS. Even with full mitigation setup it just keeps wailing on you.

Double Entrust Battery.

I kid you not.

Ashe - DONT CARE SPAM THEM OSB GIRL - Scholar's Boon - BSB+OSB (also had +Lightning armour)
Onion Knight - Wrath R5, Entrust R2 - Ace Striker - HAHA NOPE, SB GOES TO ASHE
Fran - Wrath R5, Entrust R2 - Battleforged - TEMPTING, BUT NOPE
Tyro - Wrath R4, Full Break R4 - Dr.Mog - Wall
Aerith - Curaja R4, Protectga R2 - Mako Might -White Material
RW - Lightning : Army of one (the one i summoned did a bit under 20k damage, but you want the quick cast effect)

I had to make that second R2 Entrust for this fight. You read that right: Wrath+Entrust battery just so I can have the meter needed to continuously rain Ashe OSBs (my only lightning SB worth using) on the boss.

So here was my General Strategy:

-build meter during first phase. This is when the boss is at it's tamest and the DPS race starts at the 71%HP mark. Party position doesn't matter, all his attacks are long ranged and physical. So build defense and lose the magic breakdown.

-I built one meter on Ashe, had OK burst and start building meter from there. by the end of phase 1, Fran had a full SB meter gauge, 3 bars.

-Ashe RW'd after Tryo refreshed wall & Aerith medica'd. Tyro's Wrath was still there from when I was testing stuff out, may try later with PowerBreakdown/Full Break.

-This marks the start of the DPS race. After the RW you'll need about 4 max damage OSBs to kill the boss. Once the RW is up on Ashe, i had her use her BSB and Fran Entrusted a full gauge to her. I was now locked and loaded. OK was building up the last bit of meter I needed to Entrust at this point.

-Then it was the matter of trying to keep the boss debuffed while getting repeatedly wailed on by it's bits and unloading 4 quick casting Thunder's Echo

-Those are where it hurt. You can't debuff these buggers, they're untargetable. And there is 4 of them. If all 4 decide "Hey, let's swarm Tyro!" Tyro is taking a lot of damage, period. And if that's right after the boss threw his def ignoring attack, well bugger to you. Note the boss only uses physical attacks, so ignore anything resistance related. Build as high defense as you can to protect VS the bits.

-Yes I am still bitter after he did that tyro thing.

Lost 4 medals on the fight after all but Ashe was left standing. Dunno if I will try to Master the fight. I'm sitting on 44 Rosetta Stones so I'm debating if it's worth the effort.

Jump Start is out of the question for now though, as I can't just entrust to Ashe. Thankfully these fights come back during their respective realm's events, if I read the blurb correctly. I'll try again in a Post-Cloud USB or if I can get another Lightning-Based OSB or strong BSB.

In a lighter tone, Arc and Seifer have been seen strolling alone on the Shores of Wisdom's D120; Powerlevelling or secret, saucy rendez-vous?

[T.G. Oskar]

In a lighter tone, Arc and Seifer have been seen strolling alone on the Shores of Wisdom's D120; Powerlevelling or secret, saucy rendez-vous?

Powerleveling, for sure. Arc might look somewhat girly (though not Ramza-level girly; I honestly don't see his girliness, biut people do, so w/e), but Seifer only has eyes for Mama Matron Edea. And Rinoa. But that's only because Rinoa is a Sorceress, and Edea has long flowing black hair, and you know what, let's leave it there, because Seifer is kinda weird like that.

Also: someone has to tell DeNA that they should change the "Shores of Wisdom" to "Peninsula of Power" and give it the FF1 battle theme. Just because that was the original power-leveling place. I'm taking, oddly enough, a group of mages that have random-target entry BSBs, plus Leila (because yeah, why not?). Those being the Galthena siblings, Kuja and Seymour. Oddly, 3 out of 4 deal Dark damage, which is pretty odd.

I might attempt a Lightning Blitz strategy with Ashe, Rapha and Marach on the team, alongside Breakdancing Tyro and Vanille as main healer. Since my only OSBs are not Lightning-elemental, I need to beef up the AoE damage instead, and having three people using Lightning damage should do the trick. With Rapha pulling off a solid pseudo-Raines boost alongside a ST random heal (a la Gaffy), she could work as a side-healer when necessary, whereas Marach is just all about the damage. With Vanille at a pretty solid level (she's my strongest WHM, if only because her Burst Medica is so darn good, *grumble mumble*...), she should survive the damage output and keep Tyro alive long enough for the barrage of damage. That said, the Galthena siblings are just scratching the level 50 surface (Rapha achieved it just today; Marach has been level 50 since last Sundaily, and both achieved their levels organically), so they might need a serious omelette just in case. Haven't done the Bonus Battles beyond the Ultimate, though, nor the MP against Adamanchelid, so that'll be for tomorrow.

Also, there's a fun thread in Reddit that goes as follows (Oxy, you can correct me if I'm wrong): you get to design a Lucky Draw, which showcases 10 characters. You get to choose those 10 characters, but with a catch - those characters you choose must be those for whom you have no Soul Breaks whatsoever. That means no Overstrikes, Ultras, Chains, Bursts, Supers or even Uniques. Of the huge cast, what would be those characters you'd choose for which you have no Soul Breaks whatsoever?

[oxybe]

Ask and ye shall receive: https://www.reddit.com/r/FFRecordKee...ed_lucky_draw/

This is bit of an odd duck. I've got many a character with stuff that would like to see some upgrading now the game's been out for a while. Pecil, for example: I have Sentinel. As in, the old, old Lustrous Shield that just casts the namesake ability "Sentinel". It was my 2nd SB, after I pulled Khimari's Dusk Lance (which casts MBlink, and that's it). Gordon & his 2 Flame Shields also suffer this fate (though this item is still relevant to this day: still a really good defensive piece of gear with moderate fire resistance). Or Vivi. I want Vivi stuff other then his old Cypress Pile! Vivi is probably the closest thing to a favourite FF character for me. I just want to hug him and tell him everything will be fine. We can toss Shadow on that list too because of my Sasuke+. Or many other old Unique SBs that disqualify characters from ever being on the list, like Zell, whom I have 3 SBs for and only 1 is of at least SSB tier. Firion, who's claim to fame is my first big offensive SB.

Without more faffing about, on with the list!

TG Cid - I tried for his stuff before, always failed. OSB or BSB would be a huge boon.
Ramza - Shout, man. Been wanting it native since it came out.
Refia - BSB is pretty awesome, will not lie.
Maria - Solid mage, wouldn't mind her BSB at all.
Priche - All around solid monk BSB and the realm's medica user. A two-fer, really.
Shantatertot - Her BSB & CSB are both pretty good.
Sarah - Medica user, for CM purposes.
Vanille - See above.
Desh - Solid mage lightning burst and imperil.
Rapha - Mage burst that also boosts mind on use? doesn't interfere with Raines or OK or Papalymo? yes plx.

So that's my list it seems. Honorable mention to Edgar & Kefka. I like you guys.

Finally of note: Seifer & Arc's levelling is coming along swimmingly. Will need to plan on who to 99 next as my RM3 stock has been replenished of late. Garland, Yuffie, Minfilia and Rikku are making a good case for them via "Not super important but still nice to have around" BSBs and WoL by virtue of OSB alone. I've been able to go and try that Force Shield+++ I got during the lucky draws on the field with the Greens Daily Dungeon for RS. Oh boy that thing is dumb: 267def. I can rock a 509 def Beatrix.

[Red Fel]

That LD idea is a tough one for me. When it comes to the major SBs, I either have them (e.g. wall, Shout, Cid Raines BSB) or I have something for those characters, thus disqualifying them. For example, I would love Celes' Indonesian Blade, but I have her BSB, so she's out. Y'shtola's Asylum is still a strong option, but I have her SSII, so she's out. Vanille's USB would be amazing, but I have her SB and SSB, so she's out. And so forth. I mean, maybe Rapha, or Squall, could be on my list, but... Honestly, I feel that I have enough winners that everything else is just kind of icing.

Want Refia on that list, though. She's awesome.

Will need to plan on who to 99 next as my RM3 stock has been replenished of late. Garland, Yuffie, Minfilia and Rikku are making a good case for them via "Not super important but still nice to have around" BSBs and WoL by virtue of OSB alone.

Well, if it helps, keep in mind upcoming events: We have IX and VI upcoming, then XV (which obviously nobody has), then XII, VII, XIV, and X. So unless you're pursuing one of those "you need to have this RM seriously why haven't you gotten it yet" RMs, I'd suggest leveling up Yuffie, Minfilia, and Rikku, in that order, to be ready for their respective events.

Speaking of saucy strolls along the shore, Queen Bea and her new buddy Nabaat were seen discussing what they have in common (which is a lot, by the way) yesterday. Is this the beginning of a beautiful friendship?

No, no it is not. Because Queen Bea is awesome and has her BSB, and Nabaat has nothing and is going back on the bench once I get her RM2.

[Maryring]

Nabaat has to be the most pointless character added to FFRK. And they've added characters like Matoya.

Anyway, we doing a lucky draw, all SSB+, no relics whatsoever beforehand and ten... let me think...

Starting with honourable mentions, Refia, Rinoa and Relm are out on the technicality that I've got weak uniques for them already. So instead I'll have to pick...

Faris: I really lack debuff soul breaks, and hers are generally incredible.
Locke: I have a lot of VI stuff... but I'll be damned. VI is my favourite realm and I always want more stuff from there.
Mog: I seriously wish I could use Mog more. He's one of my favourite characters.
Rydia: In general, my feelings for the IV crew range from apathy to strong antipathy. Rydia though? I actually like her.
Fran: She's the only main XII crewer who doesn't have a proper soulbreak of her own, and she's a pretty cool character. And again, need more debuff soulbreaks.
Rikku: I need X relics and I need imperils and I need debuffs. Rikku's BSB is all these things.
Marach: Anti-mage BSB. I need this.
Vanille/Sarah/Eiko: I need medicas for their realms, and they have rather useful relics.

[Hunter Noventa]

Nabaat has to be the most pointless character added to FFRK. And they've added characters like Matoya.

At least there's a plot-relevant Matoya in FFXIV as well, complete with a great new version of her music from FFI.

But they're gonna run out of FF characters soon it feels like. Maybe they'll expand to some of their other RPGs. Like Chrono Trigger, Valkyrie Profile or Xenogears.