Current Events > After 8 years, I finally completed Final Fantasy X-2 & finished Via Infinito

(+) Yeah! (+)

I started playing Final Fantasy X-2 some time in my last couple years of high school. I played it and the original X on PS2, and I think my highest story percentage was somewhere in the 70s or 80s. I moved onto a PS3 years later, and I snagged the remaster a few years after that.

I've been playing this file on and off since last year. I've had 2 playthroughs - I followed a 100% guide the first time, but the one time I played ahead, I locked myself out of the Moonflow Episode Complete. So this second time, I was meticulous as fuck.

Eventually I got to 99%. I hadn't gotten any of the cutscenes for resting in the Cabin, and I thought that the chance had eluded me. My last hope was the Chocobo dungeon, and when that failed and I realised I would have to beat Via Infinito, I took a break from the game. Played some MGSV and Fallout 3, it was nice.

To prepare, I kitted the party out with mastered Lady Luck dresspheres and grinded for levels in the Chocobo Dungeon. I hit the level cap for all three before attempting what I had left of Via Infinito.

I beat the snail boss legitimately. It was a lot of item management and dumb luck, but I got it in the end. Chac was another story - between its unavoidable Stone move and Heaven's Cataract, it would wipe out my party instantly. Shit sucked. So I cheesed it with the Lady Luck exploit, where if you keep pausing the game during Random Reels, you can line up 777 and bypass pretty much every boss in the game by bribing it for free.

This became the cornerstone of my Cloister 100 attempt. There are two bosses on this floor, one right after the other, and only one of them is susceptible to the 777 exploit. I didn't have the patience or know-how to handle Paragon, so I set Rikku up with a Speed Bracer to permanently enable Haste for the Lady Luck exploit and a Garment Grid that let her cast Auto-Life for the second boss. I also set Yuna and Paine up with a Garment Grid which doubled their HP for the second boss.

Paragon took at least a dozen attempts to cheese. It was pure luck - the Lady Luck exploit is pre-empted by the relevant character using a potion, which gives Paragon more time to wind up an attack. it had to abstain from using Judgement, which is a total party wipe, and it was guaranteed at least one hit regardless of how fast I was. That hit couldn't be on Rikku, otherwise the entire run was basically dead in the water.

So through sheer dumb luck and brute-forcing the RNG, I managed to bribe Paragon into leaving me alone.

For phase 2, I had to swap all 3 characters' dresspheres. Yuna and Paine became Dark Knights, and the Garment Grid doubled their HP which took them to the HP cap. Rikku became an Alchemist, and her Garment Grid allowed her to use Auto-Life.

Rikku set the other two up with Auto-Life, and since she had piss-weak defense compared to the other two, she died almost instantly. The rest of the fight was Yuna and Paine using a move that hit the damage cap, and then healing each other. If one of them lost Auto-Life, I'd bring Rikku back to reinstate it. It was a crapshoot, because the boss could - and did - target Rikku before she could cast Auto-Life, but I made it work.

Through sheer tenacity, I whittled down a boss with 999,999 HP and max stats. I never expected to do this - I never wanted to. I did it so I could finally have 100% story completion after 8 years of frustration and stupid bullshit.

The thing is, I actually did manage to hit 100% without beating Via Infinito. I activated a story cutscene that I had trouble with, and it tipped me over the edge. But my characters were max level, I had been preparing for hours, and I at least owed it to myself to try.

Now I never have to touch Final Fantasy X-2 again, except to level up the dresspheres. After 8 years, I finally saw the Den of Woe and the Chocobo Dungeon. I finally got the Mascot dressphere. And beyond all my wildest expectations, I beat Via Infinito. feelsgoodman

In short, I'm glad it's over and fuck doing it again.

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I'm in the same boat, but have been since release. Every time I use a 100% guide I manage to fuck it up somewhere down the line. Congrats on getying it.

but did you get all achievements hmmmmm?????

Now read Final Fantasy X-2.5 where Tidus gets his head blown off by a bomb and then a fake Tidus has sex with Yuna to make a new fayth.



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Congratulations! Enjoy your shiny new Iron Duke.

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Reiss posted...

but did you get all achievements hmmmmm?????

Fuck that, I'm done lmao. I put in my time.

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Youtube just recommended this video to me for some reason

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcQQ2_HA8SY

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NeonOctopus posted...

Now read Final Fantasy X-2.5 where Tidus gets his head blown off by a bomb and then a fake Tidus has sex with Yuna to make a new fayth.

I'm considering it for the trophy. Not looking forward to it, though.

If this is where the X series is going, I would rather there never be an X-3.

masterpug53 posted...

Congratulations! Enjoy your shiny new Iron Duke.

god, it's basically a bragging rights reward if you ask me. There's still two more bonus bosses, but as far as I'm concerned, Trema is the only one worth the trouble. I might use it if I decide to max out the team's dresspheres.


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MrMallard posted...

In short, I'm glad it's over and fuck doing it again.

Congratulations. Btw, Trema is a cheating dirtbag. Cheesing him to death feels bad, but if you don't he ganks your party (even at Lv.99 x3).

For "next level frustration," play and beat Magna Carta: Tears of Blood, followed by Unlimited Saga (beat all seven to unlock the true ending).
.

[ ... or just watch YT long-plays of these games. ] <P

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The thing I'm looking forward to the most is seeing the secret ending cutscene.

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Nice.

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MrMallard posted...

The thing I'm looking forward to the most is seeing the secret ending cutscene.

You're already at 100%? IMO, search YT to see it.**

** Unless you're doing another play-through. Otherwise, it's not worth the ++effort/grief required.

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andri_g posted...

You're already at 100%? IMO, search YT to see it.**

** Unless you're doing another play-through. Otherwise, it's not worth the ++effort/grief required.

I did the whistling scene easier in the game.

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The Remaster is easier than the PS2 version doe
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who posted

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MrMallard posted...

I did the whistling scene easier in the game.

Oh... then you're only talking about going back to beat Trema? Nothing else in X-2?

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andri_g posted...

Oh... then you're only talking about going back to beat Trema? Nothing else in X-2?

Nah man, I beat Trema. Unless there was some shit I had to do before or after beating him that I don't know about.

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Other than Den of Woe (which was kinda cool) I have pretty much no memory of anything from X-2

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MrMallard posted...

Nah man, I beat Trema.

Then, in your reference to dress-spheres (post #8), you meant "upgrading gear and leveling-up" not "gear farming and optional boss fights", right? :|

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