Current Events > Starting FF Tactics War of the Lions. Any MUST KNOW tips before I begin?

(+) Yeah! (+)

I want to do a blind run, but not totally blind in the sense that I want to avoid common mistakes or game breaking ones at least
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Try to keep a back up save on the map before beginning big story chain battles.
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My advice for a balanced game that's fun and challenging.

*Don't use skills to grind and permanently raise your bravery and faith.

*Don't use blade grasp on every character. And especially don't use blade grasp in conjunction with grinded 97 bravery.

*Don't use Orlandu. Seriously, just don't.

Keep in mind these three things and you will have a great experience that is not only fun, but rewarding as well. The game is very well balanced outside of the 3 aforementioned problems.
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Don't overwrite your only save inside Riovanes Castle.
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Remember to kill Dycedargs elder brother.

Make sure to carry l i t t l e m o n e y.

Brave determines physical strength and faith magical.

Your words are harsh.

Dorter Slums is tough. Go for the Black Mages first.

Blame yourself or god.

Arithmatians are seriously OP
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Have everyone have the secondary ability of Item to start things off. Good idea to get everyone Gained JP Up as well.
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Mettle, although it doesnt look like it will be good is an amazing secondary for Ramza. Each chapter unlocks a new ability as well. Tailwind is a must!

Recruit all the special characters you come across, especially Mustadio and Agrias! Rafa and Malak look like they suck, but with some practice can be quite good. Rafa makes a good item finder.

Return to Goug Machcine City periodically through chapter 3 (?) and 4 for extra side quests.

Ill leave it at that for now.
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-Get JP up ASAP. I kept fighting at the first battle location until all 5 (i think that was how many) characters had it and had it equipped.

-Keep three saves and alternate between them. This game is the worst for saving yourself into a corner.

-You'll end up not using the guys you start with after the first half of the game or so. Everyone does it. You get people who are super OP.
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IWBYD posted...

Dorter Slums is tough. Go for the Black Mages first.

Pretty much the first roadblock level. Then it's the last battle in Chapter 1.
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Did no one tell him to make sure to press L1 and R1 before battle so he doesn't just have a party of Ramza and Delita at the start of the game?
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- whenever the game prompts you to save, do it on a 2nd file. Game-prompted saves denote a series of battles and there is no "escape" option so if you're SOL you may need to restart the game instead of just grind a bit on a previous save
- Squires, Knights, and Archers suck, for the most part. Just get enough JP in those classes to unlock other ones. Ramza Squire is his unique class and he gets a better skillset/stats/equipments as the game progresses, notably at the start of chapters 2 and 4.
- Class-based stat growth is almost non existent. Leveling up 1-20 as a wizard and then being a knight will result in almost the same stats as a 1-20 knight also being a knight. There are class-based multipliers (ie, a wizard has way more magic attack and MP, and a knight has more HP and physical attack)
- Males are better fighters, having about +2 more physical attack than females which instead get higher magic attack
- Inner-party zodiac compatibility is huge for anyone who uses the defensive Punch Arts, white magic, or any other buffings. Access your starter squad and remove anyone who has bad or worst compat, at the very least. I tend to avoid using specials altogether (but I'm a vet), instead opting for Ramza + 2 male generics + 2 female generics all of whom have neutral/good/best compat with each other.
- Enemy zodiac is also thing in this game so it sometimes pays to scope out what everyone's sign is before running at them and then realizing you can't kill them, or they'll immediately kill you, or something.
- Calculators/Arithmeticians are OP as balls and I strongly suggest just avoiding that class completely because they're that good and the game is more fun without them.
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dont use orlandeu unless you're a super noob
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StucklnMyPants posted...

*Don't use Orlandu. Seriously, just don't.

This is bad advise.
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green butter posted...

dont use orlandeu unless you're a super noob

Horrible advise.
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green butter posted...

dont use orlandeu unless you're a super noob

But he is a noob.

Use Orlandeu, but dont rely on him. Hes unbalanced and will make the rest of the game way too easy if you use him too much.
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Just read a guide while youre attacks slowly lag all over the damn place.
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- Ditch the cruddy PSP port and play the original release.

- Have Ramza unlock the monk class ASAP. Once you've mastered that, switch to ninja with monk's skillset and fight with your bare hands. FF Tactics has some infamously shitty story battles, and ninja-monk Ramza is one of the more popular strategies for keeping the game balance at a sane level.

- When prompted to save your data between story battles, don't. If you do, at least save the data to a new slot. There are a lot of chained battles that can easily leave you stranded if you're not sufficiently powered up. You may even have to forfeit your progress and start a new game.

- Propositions (not sure what they're called in the PSP version) are a decent way to earn JP contrary to what anyone else will tell you. Besides, if you're a completionist you'll want to do them anyway for the artifacts and undiscovered lands. (which are useless, but whatever) JP grinding in random battles is just too tedious unless you set up auto-grinding AI, but that's basically cheating.

- Although you might not want to use a guide on your first playthrough, I would at least suggest looking up some move-find treasure maps for story battles during chapter four, because there are some really nice items you can permanently miss out on.

Before you start recruiting unique characters later, you'll mostly be stuck with generic party members.

You can use those generic party members as skill dumps for the better, unique characters. Have those generics learn plenty of skills and then, when you have unique characters you want to use, kill those generic units with those skills. After the 3 Count, they'll turn into either a soul crystal or a chest. The chest usually has an item that they had equipped or some basic item. The crystal, however, lets whichever party member that picks it up inherit some of the skills the deceased learned.

Makes it easier to pick up skills quickly on new unique units or master classes that you don't want to level up in as much. Personally, I'd recommend doing that with the Black Mage and Knight classes especially, because mastering them is a prerequisite for the very powerful Dark Knight class.
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StridentArremer posted...

Propositions (not sure what they're called in the PSP version) are a decent way to earn JP contrary to what anyone else will tell you.

They're great, but I suggest doing them only in map spaces with double-blue locations like Igros-Zeakden, Goug-Lionel, Dorter-Orbonne, and Goug-Wazowski trade city. Sucks when you're out 3 party members and trigger a random battle, and resetting is just annoying.
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Shotgunnova posted...

Don't overwrite your only save inside Riovanes Castle.

This is the big one. So many people get screwed here when they realize they are not ready for Wiegraf.

Make multiple saves before taking this section on.
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Esrac posted...

The crystal, however, lets whichever party member that picks it up inherit some of the skills the deceased learned.

You can pick up only a single skill from a crystallized ally. Every other skill they've mastered is lost forever.

Make Ramza learn the skill that boosts his speed, then make him a Ninja. Makes a specific 1vs1 fight later on much more manageable.
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philsov posted...

but I suggest doing them only in map spaces with double-blue locations

If I'm not mistaken though, I think some propositions are tied to specific areas. When they stop appearing in double-blue spots, you'll have to visit red areas.

StridentArremer posted...

Esrac posted...

The crystal, however, lets whichever party member that picks it up inherit some of the skills the deceased learned.

You can pick up only a single skill from a crystallized ally. Every other skill they've mastered is lost forever.

No, you get all the skills that show up on the list.
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Esrac posted...

No, you get all the skills that show up on the list.

Huh? No you don't. The game forces you to choose a single skill. Unless this was changed in later versions.

StridentArremer posted...

Esrac posted...

No, you get all the skills that show up on the list.

Huh? No you don't. The game forces you to choose a single skill. Unless this was changed in later versions.

It makes you "choose", but you actually get them all. Its better viewed as just a confirm screen for them all, despite there being a cursor there.
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Senta posted...

StridentArremer posted...

Esrac posted...

No, you get all the skills that show up on the list.

Huh? No you don't. The game forces you to choose a single skill. Unless this was changed in later versions.

It makes you "choose", but you actually get them all. Its better viewed as just a confirm screen for them all, despite there being a cursor there.

Yeah, I didn't know this for awhile either.
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green butter posted...

dont use orlandeu unless you're a super noob

Orlandu doesn't show up until deep into the last chapter. That's well past "noob".

StridentArremer posted...

Esrac posted...

No, you get all the skills that show up on the list.

Huh? No you don't. The game forces you to choose a single skill. Unless this was changed in later versions.

Nope. You've always gotten the whole list of skills shown. Ever since the PSX version.
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Esrac posted...

StridentArremer posted...

Esrac posted...

No, you get all the skills that show up on the list.

Huh? No you don't. The game forces you to choose a single skill. Unless this was changed in later versions.

Nope. You've always gotten the whole list of skills shown. Ever since the PSX version.

The pointer is just a relic of the UI, or a bug that just got left in the remake.

The game is pretty difficult.

One thing I would say is make sure Ramza can do some good damage. There is solo battle at one point and if you make him healer focused or something I dont think the battle would be winnable.
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Senta posted...

It makes you "choose", but you actually get them all. Its better viewed as just a confirm screen for them all, despite there being a cursor there.

Seriously? I've only ever inherited skills from a couple of allies, so I don't remember checking to see which skills got unlocked. But I do remember a very short list of selectable skills at any rate. I don't think the list displayed every skill the characters had mastered. (But that may be contingent upon which classes are already unlocked by the recipient character)

Don't equip Stone Gun. At least not on everyone all at once.

StridentArremer posted...

I've only ever inherited skills from a couple of allies

Allies?
Exploit crystals as a way to farm enemies. Especially so in encounter areas where people show up.

StridentArremer posted...

Senta posted...

It makes you "choose", but you actually get them all. Its better viewed as just a confirm screen for them all, despite there being a cursor there.

Seriously? I've only ever inherited skills from a couple of allies, so I don't remember checking to see which skills got unlocked. But I do remember a very short list of selectable skills at any rate. I don't think the list displayed every skill the characters had mastered. (But that may be contingent upon which classes are already unlocked by the recipient character)

The skills selected for inheritance are randomly selected. You can get a few or many, but you get every skill that does show up on the list.
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StridentArremer posted...

Esrac posted...

No, you get all the skills that show up on the list.

Huh? No you don't. The game forces you to choose a single skill. Unless this was changed in later versions.

Theyve always made you choose one but still gave you all the rest anyway. Why they have you choose, who knows.

Besides having multiple saves, only other tips I can give is
dont get your level too high too early. Random battles scale with you so they can get pretty hard pretty quick.
Try to have a couple people that can resurrect.
Saving your turn through waiting can be very effective. Also your next turn comes faster if you dont use both your move and your attack.
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Esrac posted...

The skills selected for inheritance are randomly selected. You can get a few or many, but you get every skill that does show up on the list.

I guess you learn something new every day. This still sounds like a tedious method, though. You might have to soft-reset your way through dozens of random battles before your crystallized characters decide to pass on any useful combination of their mastered abilities. I think I'd rather exploit auto JP grinding.

If you've got a few open character slots (which is vastly more likely in the PSP remake), raise and poach your own monsters for fun and profit.

StridentArremer posted...

Esrac posted...

The skills selected for inheritance are randomly selected. You can get a few or many, but you get every skill that does show up on the list.

I guess you learn something new every day. This still sounds like a tedious method, though. You might have to soft-reset your way through dozens of random battles before your crystallized characters decide to pass on any useful combination of their mastered abilities. I think I'd rather exploit auto JP grinding.

It's mostly to give some final use to those generic units you likely won't ever use again after you recruit the better uniques.
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Prepare to rage at the updated dialogue like really Argarth, Eagros?

The battle everyone is talking about that you fight with Ramza alone, just have auto-potion on him. Unlocked through a chemist. When you can get hi-potions, sell all your regular potions. When you get X-potions, sell all your hi-potions.

IIRC it doesn't work 100 percent of the time but it works a lot.
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Not sure if it's already been mentioned, but poach as early as possible. If you encounter an uncommon enemy such as a pig or behemoth, recruit it, let it breed, and poach its offspring repeatedly. Later on, you'll get access to a fur trader who converts all your poached enemies into items. The rarer and more difficult species can yield some very nice equipment.

WrkHrdPlayHrdr posted...

The battle everyone is talking about that you fight with Ramza alone, just have auto-potion on him.

Run away and Yell/Tailwind, a lot, until you get several turns to the other guy's one. Then just go mercilessly wail on the guy.

WrkHrdPlayHrdr posted...

The battle everyone is talking about that you fight with Ramza alone, just have auto-potion on him. Unlocked through a chemist. When you can get hi-potions, sell all your regular potions. When you get X-potions, sell all your hi-potions.

IIRC it doesn't work 100 percent of the time but it works a lot.

Reaction skill triggers are generally based on Brave level. Higher Brave means more likely response.
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There's 2 specific battles where you must use Ramza alone. Use monk to cheese.
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That one battle on the roof where you have to keep that extremely fragile plot-person alive is just a crapshoot. reload and try again. Maybe bring some ninjas.

The reason the cursor is there is on the off hand chance that the list of skills is too big to see at once so it lets you scroll through it.

Which can happen if you kill a high level enemy with a shitload of skills and have a unit that has a bunch of classes unlocked but not invested in pick up the crystal.

Are you playing on iOS tc?
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When prompted to save in the middle of story events, make the save on a new slot.
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Questionmarktarius posted...

That one battle on the roof where you have to keep that extremely fragile plot-person alive is just a crapshoot

Monk Ramza can solo this battle no problem. Just pummel one of the assassin's. Your attack power should be high enough to KO her in one shot, which will trigger Elmdor to flee.

In the WotL version, you can learn Ultima on that rooftop

With Luso, who is basically Ch4 Ramza in Ch3