Final Fantasy Record Keeper X-2: Gems, Mithril, Salt - In Position!

[Slayn82]

Ahhh, a discussion about Firion's BSB. This brings back memories. Such a great tool. Beyond the Magic Blink, Firion's ability to use so many tipe of weapons (so you always had Realm Synergy, quite an advantage back in the day), being a Holy type (one of the most common +element gear, and a common enemy weakness), and the instant cast giving him some surprisingly great DPS (back then with Full Charge, now with Hailstorm or Damning Flame for the Atk/Res bargain and maybe extra damage), and it still fills a niche as one of the more worthwhile AOE DPS soul breaks.

Firion's USB and OSB pratically require him to have his BSB, and with an enthruster it can become brutal, but otherwise it's subpar. I wouldn't mind getting either one.

Emperor has been a solid caster, both at Wind & Earth. His Earth BSB is much better than the Wind one, since both commands have useful effects (fast cast2 & magic breakdown), while Wind has an interrupt chance that won't work anywhere important.

[danzibr]

Speaking of old stuff, I remember Shadow’s SSB being super hot stuff when it first came out. Insta cast, 8 hit? I burned down a good few bosses in their late phases with Shadow.

[Slayn82]

Yes, Shadow's SBs tend to be excelent DPS, since his SSB. I remember a JP video of one of the first bosses in the LifeSiphon/SSB era, back in what, early 2016? Man, Shadow was hitting like a Boss.

My meta back in the SSB era was so different: Tidus was my Hastega, Rikku had an infamous party Atk/Res Buff (or punched face with her 4 hit steal power sb), Minwu was my healer with Instant Medica, and Red XIII was Support with the advantage of a damage + shellga SSB. The fifth spot changed according with whatever new tech I was testing, or just Tyro to deal with Conditions and his Stormlance Grimoire SSB. It was like that for a couple months. Then, I started having luck on the game, got Wall, Shout, and SSBs for Zell and Beatrix. My first A team was set.

Honestly, I miss the SSB era, some of the most fun, interesting and creative fights I had on the game happened on that era. Status effects worked on the enemies, so it was a bit more than "rush this guy to death fast, dont die".

Anyway, finished farming mythril for the OSB LD. 2/11, no dupes - Basch & Rydia got new toys. Basch is on pretty decent power now, between this, USB and RLM. Rydia... isn't. But Tellah and Emperor like her relic a lot, with the RS + earth.

[danzibr]

Huh whoops. Didn’t realize the LDs were one day only. Only have 19 mythril. Skipping OSB I guess.

[Red Fel]

Indeed they are. Which leads us to today's LD: USBs.

My pull? 2/11. First is Barbariccia's USB, which is pretty decent except (1) it's on a character I never use, (2) it's a Wind chase on a character with only two Wind abilities, and (3) it's a dupe that I got from the IV RoP. So, not great. (I'll still keep it, since it's a good MAG dagger with +Wind.) The other, however, is Lightning's USB, which is actually pretty solid, especially when combined with her BSB2 - which I also have. So, overall, net positive.

And Danzibr, this one's one-day-only, too. So grab it if you want it. If you can, that is. (Have you cleared the Record Dungeons as well? There's mythril there, too.)

Moving on to the last RoP, I got 1/3: Garland's SSB. I mean, an AoE ATK/DEF break is decent, but it's not amazing for the one who will knock you all down, you know?

Time for a summary!

Spoiler: Realms on Parade Total

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• T-0: Rem's OSB.
• FFT: Agrias' SSB.
• XV: Gladio's BSB, Gladio's BSB.
• XIV: Alphi's USB.
• XIII: Snow's SSB.
• XII: Vaan's LMR.
• XI: Ayame's LMR.
• X: Tidus' USB.
• IX: Zidane's SSB.
• VIII: Laguna's LMR.
• VII: Shelke's LMR.
• VI: Edgar's SSB.
• V: Bartz's Glint.
• IV: Barbariccia's USB.
• III: Desch's BSB.
• II: Firion's BSB. (And yes, I withdraw my prior criticism. Insta-mBlink is a thing.)
• I: Garland's SSB.

Italics indicate dupes.

So, overall, that's 18 relics. Of those, 5 dupes, 5 SSBs, 4 BSBs, 4 LMRs, one Glint, one OSB, and 3 USBs. That's 18 relics for 85 mythril, or less than the cost of two full-price 11-pulls. Some may be salty, but overall it's a pretty decent bargain.

Prepare thyselves! Fest shall soon be upon us!

[danzibr]

Thanks for the pointer!

Yeah, a bit behind, farmed some mythril there, at 24 currently. Login bonus'll get it for me on the morrow.

[Red Fel]

And this morning's daily freebie gave me a rainbow - a good one, too. Bartz's Fire BSB armor. It's a +Fire armor, it's an En-Element BSB, and cmd 2 grants +SPB damage. It's pretty awesome, and firmly secures Bartz's place on Team Fire. This is in addition to two USBs, an OSB, a Glint, his Earth BSB, an SSB and two unique SBs. So my Bartz is pretty stacked at this point.

Have I mentioned that I love the update to daily draws?

[Slayn82]

Great pull, Red Fel. Good luck to whoever poll's on today's USB LD. I'm probably skipping this one. Got a USB for FF I 3-pull: Wol's Organics, a pack of damage, dispelling and def/res breakdown - a decent effort, but still something for very niche battles. It compares very unfavorably to Auron's USB in most cases.

Anyway, between 2 Half price and 16 3-pulls, I got 22 relics for 130 Mythril. And more than 2/3 are good stuff in my book. So I will just farm to afford a pull on each of banners 4/5.

[Jurai]

USB lucky gave me Arc, Deuce, and Noel Ultras.

[Hunter Noventa]

Only 1 disco on the Lucky USB draw...and it's a dupe of Setzer's USB. How disappointing.

Did the FF1 RoP-pull...and got the Thief's LM bandanna. Also disappointing. Like, barely worth learning disappointing.

[T.G. Oskar]

Yesterday was last day of Happy Gacha, and also the best Lucky Draw at the moment. A Lucky Draw full of Ultras. What can go wrong?

Well, let's start with the Daily Draw. 4*. Once again, the most common pull I'm having.

Then, the Happy Gacha for I. Anything is pretty nice, but most importantly, Warrior of Light's Holy Chain, because Holy Chain is the best way to cap Team Holy. What do I get?

1/3, no Disco, no dupe.

• Warrior of Light's Flame Shield. This is his other LMR, the one that grants EnHoly. That means I have both of his LMRs, and that doesn't include his actual LMs. Not bad, but nothing very impressive, considering the Warrior of Light is already quite solid.

Then, the Ultra Lucky Draw. The moment of truth: Paladin!Cecil's Paladin Wall, Tyro's Godwall, many of the very nice IC Ultra Medicas, Basch's version of the RikkUltra... What do I get?

1/11, guaranteed DISCO, no dupe.

• Squall's Diamond Blade! This is his second USB, which is the better one - EnIce, 12 hits, EX Mode boosts Attack, and most specifically, Spellblade attacks are Chased by an attack that gets more powerful as you trigger it. That means more hits, more power, more Crit chance. Mixed with the Burst-2, it means you get two options for increasing attacks. 15 Ice hits at least once is pretty spiffy, if you can pull it off.

Nice pull, but I feel a bit disappointed that it had nothing else. This, alongside the other pulls, makes this version of the Happy Gacha objectively worse than the last one. To compare:

Spoiler: Happy Gacha results

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Tactics: Ramza's Platinum Sword (Dupe). Compare to Mustadio's Blaze Gun (non-dupe)
XIV: Cid nan Garlond's Machinist's Shirt (LMR). Compare to Minfilia's Curtana (BSB)
XII: Larsa's Carmagnole (sp? It's an USB). Compare to Balthier's Fomalhaut (USB)
XI: Shantotto's Tactician Magician's Coat. Compare to...Shantotto's Tactician Magician's Coat (really, I got the same relic as last Happy Gacha!?
X: Yuna's Wind Rod (USB). Compare to Rikku's Thief's Clothes (dupe)
IX: Zidane's Masamune (USB). Compare to Beatrix's Ultima Blade (OSB)
VIII: Edea's Sorceress' Crown + (LMR). Compare to Rinoa's Crystal Cross (BSB2)
VII: Cid's Viper Halberd (dupe). Compare to saving 5 Mythril for the next phases.
VI: Setzer's Death Tarot (I believe? It's his SSB). Compare to Locke's Zwill Crossblade (Chain)
V: Galuf's Jujitsu Gi (SSB2?) Compare to Bartz' Maximilian (LMR).
IV: Rydia's Mystic Whip (SSB). Compare to Ursula's Rune Claws (SSB)
III: Desch's Ancient Sword (SSB). Compare to Arc's Seraphim Mace (USB)
II: Minwu's Bulwark (LMR). Compare to Minwu's Luminous Robe (USB)
I: Warrior of Light's Flame Shield (LMR). Compare to Echo's Cane of Wisdom (BSB).

Results? 3 USBs, 1 BSB, 4 LMR, 6 SSBs, and three dupes while at it. Compare to 4 USBs, 1 OSB, 1 Chain, 3 BSB, 3 SSB, 1 LMR. That's three 6* less than before, and of the 5*, two less BSB and way too many SSBs to care about. The USBs were great (IMO - a Medica and two Chasers), and some of the LMRs are great (Minwu's Bulwark stacks pBlink with your heals).

Again, lousy Happy Gacha.

[Merlin the Tuna]

Managed a clear on King Behemoth! I ended at 1:07s and without Mastery, but once I've reviewed the AI script, I think I can probably sub-60 it. Given that he can instagib single targets unless they defend and also removes haste a couple times throughout the battle, timing those bits should present room for improvement. Teams is OK (BSB), Ingus (CSB/BSB2), Maria (BSB), Tyro (USB3), and Relm (USB), all fully dived.

Meanwhile, Quetz was a big pile of LOLNO. I'm a little surprised by that - Bartz alone is gonzo strong, and Ingus can actually deal damage himself, at least theoretically - but Savage Mode giving him massive damage reduction is, it turns out, a problem. I also feel like I basically have to use Larsa USB to deal with the paralyzes, and timing Tifa OSBs to break savage wasn't working particularly well. I'm thinking swap Tifa out for Galuf once Stone Press comes out to cut some of the meter demands, and we'll see how that goes.

Anyway, total winnings from the Parade were:

ASB: Luneth
USB: Quina, Montblanc
LMR: Y'shtola, Deuce
BSB: Master, Guy (dupe), Rydia (dupe), Edgar, Aeris 2, Curilla (dupe), Fran 2
SSB: Krile 2(dupe), Kiros, Paine (dupe), Lightning 2, Gladio (dupe)

So... a little underwhelming. Luneth and Quina are both very good pickups, and Montblanc is interesting but really doesn't fit anywhere. Even his slot-saver status in Torment is questionable since it's not a terribly slot-heavy torment and he doesn't fit with the knightly theme. I guess I'd be excited if I didn't already have a clear, but he's definitely not making that team better.

Honestly, I think the biggest bummer is that LMRs were so bad. And going 4/33 on the other luckies - including yet another middling healer LMR - hurts. So not as beautiful a bounty as last time around, but such is gacha life. The bigger bummer is that nothing in this bunch or the LDs offers significant steps forward for current Torments or 5* lightning magicite, barring Fujin OSB making for a somewhat better stat stick. The USB draw's 1/11was at least Rem USB, which is excellent... if not really relevant at the moment.

Semi-interestingly, absolutely nothing in my pulls resulted in more dupes on the fest banners. With 140 mythril now and presumably a big pile coming over the course of the fest, it looks like I've got 4 pulls at my disposal, which I guess I'm spreading over banners 1-3? 1 is good short-term benefit, 2 lets me fish for OK, Elarra, and to a lesser extend Terra goodies, and I guess anything of Cloud's would make him more usable than he is with just his BSB2+USB1. And 3 has some nice Celes + Rydia tech, including one of the two not-awful glints in the fest. I guess I should really save something for banner 5 what with the whole two-chains and next-magicite factor, but we'll see how things shake out.

[Red Fel]

Alright, folks, Fest is upon us!

For kicks, I decided to do a 3-pull on the first banner. Surprise, I got a rainbow! Unfortunately, it's a dupe of Galuf's Imperil Earth BSB. And since it's not a +anything weapon, it's combo fodder. Ah, well.

Happy pulls, all, and welcome to Fest!

[Merlin the Tuna]

Welp, banner 1 is up: 2/11: Cinque BSB, Maria LMR.

Cinque's is basically a stat stick since en-earth isn't enough to push her to particular relevance, but it's a nice addition for a needy realm, and on a Support 5 to boot. Maria's is an initial en-earth, which will definitely be handy if I ever break into the sub-30 game but is probably worse than her LM1 in the current slog. On the upside, it's my first mage-friendly earth+ armor, which will help a ton.

Good luck, everyone!

Edit: Yep, dropped King Behemoth in ~55s! (Also burned a TON of Arcana on some inheritance, but hey, whatcha gonna do?) Hooray, progress!

[Hunter Noventa]

Well I got Penelo's BSB and one of Red XIII's LMs from the first banner, eh.

I did however find out that Doublecast procs stack. Because the LM I got for Red XIII was doublecast BLM, and I stuck Blood of Espers on him while doing the Materia Blade part of the event for leveling, and he cast Drainga three times in a row. That was neat.

[danzibr]

Well, ‘bout time I start farming crystals.

What 6* abilities have served you the best?

I have Curada, Snowwhatever Strike, and Meltdown that I use regularly.

Eyeing the other dual element Spellblades and Voltech.

[spectralphoenix]

Well, ‘bout time I start farming crystals.

What 6* abilities have served you the best?

I have Curada, Snowwhatever Strike, and Meltdown that I use regularly.

Eyeing the other dual element Spellblades and Voltech.

Besides the three you mentioned, Valigarmanda has its uses, though as a summon it can be a bit limited. Affliction Break is controversial - I think it's a lifesaver, but some people would rather pop a debuff shield and take their chances. Omega Drive was great for a while, but I'm not sure how it fares in elemental meta. It might be good in the new torments though. Haven't tried Allegro Con Moto, it might be worthwhile. Other than those, most 6* skills are too situational or simply unimpressive.

[Merlin the Tuna]

I've got an R3 Omega Drive, R3 Lifebane, and R2 Dervish that are far from essential but handy for the occasional omni-resist boss. There's usually one per Crystal Tower, so that makes life easier. And I've got Ultima and Neo Bahamut at R1 mostly just for kicks and to have another AOE clearing skill for dailies. That's not really relevant for me anymore since I egged literally everybody to 99 yesterday aside from the 5 or so that still need MC3s, but YMMV.

For utility stuff, Curada is essential. It's useful for ALMOST every fight (ie whenever you don't need Ultra Cure), cuts your healing load, and builds extra meter for your healer. Affliction Break has gotten less useful since Torments use auto-hit statuses, and it's kind of a wash for magicite - not good for sub-30 runs but typically handy for longer clears. You really only need it at R2 though, which is not much of a commitment. Stitch in Time and Allegro Con Moto are both good but extremely relic dependent. Stitch is great with Yuffie Glint or Edge SSB2; the former since she can get blinks from her glint rather than a buildup skill, and the latter because he's useful on non-ninja elements. Allegro is a nice to have for some buffers & healers - Garnet, Elarra with USB, etc. - but isn't good enough to be team-defining otherwise. Demonsblood and Mug Bloodlust are both fine at R1 given how rarely they'll see use and how long the statuses last for. Demonsblood at least has the benefit of being useful vs. Kraken and in clearing dailies, for what that's worth.

The elemental skills are definitely the centerpiece. I've got R4s of all three of the multi-element spellblades, Meltdown, and Vortex - they're flexible, they deal a ton of damage, and they build meter really well. Valigarmanda is also R4, and while AOE damage isn't called for super frequently, it's peerless at the moment. The FF6 Torment notably more-or-less-requires it. I'm also working towards R4ing all of the 6* black magic skills since they're going to be so essential in general.

The other elemental stuff has upside but is a little more hit and miss. Aegis Strike has saved a Cid Mission or two at just R2. Sky High has a big benefit in being wind/non-elemental, which also means it builds even more meter than your average 6* skill when hitting weakness. Earth Ironfist is sitting at R3 and could be handy when you fit it in, though it may still lose out in some cases to 5* skills like Fires Within or the upcoming Stone Press.

[danzibr]

Thanks folks!

Bajiminny. r4 6*s. I have a ways to go.

[Red Fel]

Alright, folks, Banner 2 is up! The big one!

Big pull, survey says... 2/11, both disco! Faris' USB shield, with an Imperil Wind and a neat THF chase that further Imperils Wind. The relic also adds Wind and Earth resist. And Terra's USB, with En-Fire and a BLM-based Brave Mode! It's basically a multi-use OSB, sweet!

Feeling lucky, decided to run another big pull... 2/11, two rainbows! Cloud's Glint, instant-cast Wind damage and Empowered En-Wind, and Ulala's LMR with a chance to proc medica when using BRD. Both are decent, but alas, the LMR is a dupe.

Probably should have stuck with just the one pull, but I'm pretty satisfied. I'm done with the Fest banners, regardless. Happy pulls, all!

[Merlin the Tuna]

Banner 2 is up! And.... gah!

2/11: Papa BSB (dupe), Faris USB3.

Oi, a dupe, and a DPS USB for a non-DPS character. This feels like a whiff. I don't think I want to give up a pull on banner 3 or 5 though, so I guess I'm standing pat. Without Zack CSB, Cloud was never going to achieve full blown insanity anyway. Still, :/

[darkdragoon]

Dervish becomes more interesting with more heroes getting Celerity boosts.
Sky High will eventually get boosted to 5 hits.


Did get the earth chain from B1 but ended up just brute forcing Hydra via Cloud.

[huttj509]

So, thanks to the fest I'm going to have 50 mythril by the time banner 3 rolls around.

Trying to decide if I should pull on a fest banner, or wait for upcoming stuff. Nothing in particular I'm looking for (well, any ultra-walls would be nice), just more oomph.

And I dunno what's coming up. Any standouts?

[Hunter Noventa]

Well my first pull on Banner 2 was disappointing, sure I got Faris' USB Shield, but synergizing with Thief abilities isn't that great, and my other two were dupes.

The second pull though...I picked up Faris' BSB Bow, Onion Knight's USB Armor....and Cloud's ULTIMA WEAPON for his ArcSB. Oooohhhhh yeahhhhh.

Though, I still don't really GET how to use Onion Knight. He's always got lower magic or attack than a dedicated mage or fighter so why would I bring him when I could bring someone much more suited to either task easily?

[Antonok]

:
Though, I still don't really GET how to use Onion Knight. He's always got lower magic or attack than a dedicated mage or fighter so why would I bring him when I could bring someone much more suited to either task easily?

In OKs case, he covers wind and water magic, which doesn't really have something better.

[Hunter Noventa]

In OKs case, he covers wind and water magic, which doesn't really have something better.

Eh, if I need wind magic I bring Fujin, doubly so now that we have Tornado as a BLM spell. Helps that I have a bunch of good SBs for Fujin. but I guess you're right on the water side of things.

[Jurai]

In OKs case, he covers wind and water magic, which doesn't really have something better.

Strago and Meia would politely disagree with you on that.

[danzibr]

Strago and Meia would politely disagree with you on that.

I could see Strago disagreeing not very politely.

Meia, never played it.

Edit: also I use Alph for Wind.

[Red Fel]

Yeah. OK's utility isn't so much for his own stats, as it is for his abilities if you have one of his USBs. Or BSB, but that's increasingly dated. With his pUSB, you can kit him with CEL abilities (and solid w-casting, thanks to his LD) and he'll be a solid DPS, or just bring him for SUP and to keep the USB online. With his mUSB, you can bring him for incredibly potent BLM w-casting (again thanks to his LD). He's a core component of my MAG-based Magicite teams for this reason.

But yeah. The thing to keep in mind is that he's only particularly useful (1) fully leveled and LD'd, and (2) with one of his USBs or BSB. At that point, he's like a more capable Ramza substitute, given his wider selection of abilities and well-rounded stats, coupled with strong w-cast LMs.

Also, I use Cloud/Zack for PHY Wind and Alphi for MAG Wind, and Water is super niche anyway. (I use Meia, no regrets.)

[darkdragoon]

And I dunno what's coming up. Any standouts?

There is the argument that if you don't care for the Brave style USBs or torment tech you can actually coast until the anniversary next spring. I don't know if I buy that/am willing to let stuff sit for months, especially when by then there will probably be "no, wait until next fall/5th Anniversary!"

but anyway, what we know and bolding a few I'm looking at, YMMV

IV- October 3
Kain-arcane, new lmr
Golbez- dark chain, radiant shield burst
Yang-finisher USB
Cid- here for the sake of giving him his dive. Well, I suppose his LMR is somewhat interesting
Porom- not featured yet has most of her interesting relics on it, go figure
Rydia's 2nd burst because, I dunno, really.

2nd banner is possibly interesting to catchup on DK Cecil, Barbi, Palom, Edward; also Edge if you lack burst and LMR.


XIII
Lightning - Ms. Farron goes full blitz mode with a Brave that is celerity friendly and an enspell LMR.
Snow has a strong buffing USB buff and LMR.
Noel- ice chase USB and a third burst that is basically BREAK ALL THE STATZ.


V
Bartz, Bartz, and more Bartz
Krile and Exdeath Brave.


XV
Everybody. Noct and Gladio get new stuff but it's another shot at Ignis's buffs.
Lightning and Earth boost for 2nd banner


X-
Tidus
Yuna
Wakka
Auron


II
Hilda- new white mage
Firion- doubles down on his new gimmick
Maria- because you're probably not stacked on Earth
Emperor-see Maria, also some weird tech for the torment? (his glint is basically anti-thunder)
Fire Boost banner


XIV
Alphinaud- WIND CHAIN
Papalymo- burn all the things
Thancred- ninja all the things
Minfilia- um, her glint is nice, I suppose her new burst is for the torment

IX
Zidane
Eiko- brave heal
Freya
Marcus
Quina

We probably should get WoFF in there somewhere too. There were Golden Week and some other themed draws jokingly dubbed the "Torment Frustration specials" but those seem unlikely unless they get recycled into Halloween, Black Friday etc.

Winter Fest has the reputation of being mostly a sidegrade. They also debut a new style of 12 relics with the other 2% going to a shared pool of "other relics from character on banner"
This was panned but from what I can tell, is actually slightly better. It also quickly changes to "BSB and above."