Lurker > Horith

Alright, got a Machina that can solo LGD up. Just use any of his moves for the first four fights, Elemental Eiger for the boss. Shouldn't need breaks or buffs. I've also added 10 friend slots, just in case there's anyone in the topic that I'm not yet friends with.
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NNID/PSN: Servillo
3DS: 0688-6472-7893 Switch: 2415-4577-6308

Decided to go all in on the step up, got a second Machina on step 5. That's the first time I've gotten the step up unit from an 11k banner, so I'm pretty pleased with that. Also hit the 5* EX ticket from purchases, got my third Prompto. That one feels less good. Still, that's pretty good all around.
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NNID/PSN: Servillo
3DS: 0688-6472-7893 Switch: 2415-4577-6308

Wow. Used a 4* ticket on the Type-0 banner, got a Machina. Decided to start on his Step Up, and the second step got me my first Kunshira. Looks like my Malphasie just got even better, although now I need a good sword for her.
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NNID/PSN: Servillo
3DS: 0688-6472-7893 Switch: 2415-4577-6308

I'm dreading 7* Seph, even though I have him. I expect a ton of ePeen people putting him up TDH because his 7* leans that way, but that's damn near useless until enhancements when he gets W-Ability.
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NNID/PSN: Servillo
3DS: 0688-6472-7893 Switch: 2415-4577-6308

Did my second run to see if Reberta could one-shot with buffs/breaks. Turns out he can't be Def broken, but buffs were enough to blast him down in one hit, along with a friend Lightning doing the imperil. Funnily enough, you actually do need a Mag break for Basch to survive, but if you can apply one, Lezard hits like paper.

I'm really amused by this, mostly because I still get giddy thinking about how excited I was to pull a HT Lid, when she came out at a time that people really undervalued breaks. Next to good tanks, Lid has been the biggest reason I've gotten through any trial.
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NNID/PSN: Servillo
3DS: 0688-6472-7893 Switch: 2415-4577-6308

And on the other side of the spectrum from the vampire boss, we have Lezard Valeth, one of the most feared mages in his series. Do you have a magic tank? Can you gear them with elemental resists, mainly fire/ice/lightning? Have a decent Mag break? Congratulations, you win. I actually realized I needed to hold back, because Reberta did 80% of his health in one Red Vengeance by giving him nothing but a lightning imperil, and I hadn't built up LB gages at all. One more tick mark on the "Reberta is insane" checklist I guess.
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NNID/PSN: Servillo
3DS: 0688-6472-7893 Switch: 2415-4577-6308

Finally caught up with all the espers. Found a Rem on my friend list, and decided to nab Tetra Sylphid. Even with her, it was still almost a wipe. I must not have kept up with my elemental buffs the turn Zarg got Snorted out, because Basch died and Ramza for whatever reason didn't take all the physical blows. Got through it though, so I finally have all the 3* espers I can have. Next up is what, Asura?
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NNID/PSN: Servillo
3DS: 0688-6472-7893 Switch: 2415-4577-6308

At long last, I get the elusive 4* ticket from a raid. It didn't get me anything worthwhile, but I finally saw one!
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NNID/PSN: Servillo
3DS: 0688-6472-7893 Switch: 2415-4577-6308

Fiyun posted...

Hmmm.... You didn't nab a few Golem off the DQ banner, Horith?

I definitely did, but I couldn't reach anywhere near the numbers your Ayaka has. I probably should've used her since she has enhancements, and probably better stats. I also admittedly haven't potted anything but SPR on my Fina; too many other units took priority. Guess she gets my next round of defensive stuff.

Anyway, build I had was this. Keep in mind this was FFBE maximizing MP/DEF/SPR, regardless of what gear I needed to use. Figured I'd go with it since it was the most important build I needed.

Holy Wand
Angel Wand
Trick Hat
Pure White Robe
Genji Glove
Ring of Toughness
Adventurer V
Love
Mighty Defense
Ruling Fiend

Same build on Ayaka doesn't net me better stats (though again, mine isn't potted, and she's not behind by much), so I guess using her wouldn't have worked after all. No idea what you had, other than if your Ayaka was 7*.
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NNID/PSN: Servillo
3DS: 0688-6472-7893 Switch: 2415-4577-6308

As expected, LM Fina still gets drained to zero on the first turn. I've tried pushing through because RNG was kind and didn't charm anyone, and after 17 turns of the boss healing up to full after me getting him close to death a few times, decided that Death Crimson chaining with Reberta wasn't going to do it. Turns out their cooldown skill does a crapton of damage though, and as soon as I used those he went from full to zero.

Fuck MP drain.
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NNID/PSN: Servillo
3DS: 0688-6472-7893 Switch: 2415-4577-6308

Fiyun posted...

Horith posted...

I really hate the MP drain. I can deal with the charm, status effects, all of that. Hell, an MP drain in a battle isnt bad. But the preemptive is just...f*** that. Your survival is entirely RNG based because you have no way to set up...well, anything.

You had enough SPR/MP/DEF rolling since it's hybrid?

Tried building Fina up as high as I personally thought I could go, she still got drained to zero. I'm having FFBE Equip run through to maximize all three now to see if it can eke out anything else, but I'm not hopeful.
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NNID/PSN: Servillo
3DS: 0688-6472-7893 Switch: 2415-4577-6308

I really hate the MP drain. I can deal with the charm, status effects, all of that. Hell, an MP drain in a battle isnt bad. But the preemptive is just...fuck that. Your survival is entirely RNG based because you have no way to set up...well, anything.
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NNID/PSN: Servillo
3DS: 0688-6472-7893 Switch: 2415-4577-6308

Yeah, I also failed to resist the Lenneth step up and got nothing for my trouble. Ah well, cant win them all, although Gumi cutting the rates is pretty scummy.
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NNID/PSN: Servillo
3DS: 0688-6472-7893 Switch: 2415-4577-6308

This was a somewhat special case thanks to Odin being human; her ramp up is definitely worth it in this case. Yes I had to wait until Turn 3 to do the most damage, but Odin isnt going down much faster than that anyway, so the time investment isnt much different. I think thisll be one of the few battles, outside 10-mans, where shell get any chance to shine though. I mainly use her for Octaslash chaining just to give myself some variety, and because she doesnt eat up a lot of materia and accessories that many other units use.
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NNID/PSN: Servillo
3DS: 0688-6472-7893 Switch: 2415-4577-6308

So...Reberta is amazing. Her own imperil+Lid's LB allowed Red Vengeance to chain cap Odin down from just over 80%. My Orlandeau and Hyoh friend don't get much credit for heavy damage because I got stuck bringing light element for the both of them, so not nearly as much damage as a Hyoh actually built for this fight. Missed the Lakshmi summon and the LB kill, but eh, don't need either of those rewards.

If I had any doubts about investing ~300% worth of moogles into Reberta to get the TMRs I needed to get her in peak condition, those doubts are gone now.
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NNID/PSN: Servillo
3DS: 0688-6472-7893 Switch: 2415-4577-6308

Well at least thats one Esper trial I shouldnt have too much of an issue with. Which reminds me, I still need to do Tetra Sylphid.

And the rainbow luck continues, this time with a regular ticket. Finally one I consider a troll though, my first Dracu Lassworm.
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NNID/PSN: Servillo
3DS: 0688-6472-7893 Switch: 2415-4577-6308

ChaosTonyV4 posted...

...And why is her TMR a sword and her STMR a 2 handed bow?

Those were her weapons of choice in the original Valkyrie Profile, so I guess they decided those fit better than any ability materia or accessories. I think there are a couple of accessories that would've fit better, but the sword is at least fitting.
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NNID/PSN: Servillo
3DS: 0688-6472-7893 Switch: 2415-4577-6308

ChaosTonyV4 posted...

The odds of this.

I'll take it as Gumi playing nice after refusing to give me any rainbows from the 5% daily free pulls and the month of 10+1's. That stung like hell, especially since everyone else had plenty of luck.

Lucavi000 posted...

Better question. Of the many rainbows from holloween tickets. how many are actually wanted/useful?

For me? All three of them, even if they're only trophies. I don't need anything at this point save maybe a 7* provoke tank and support unit, and Zarg is my next UoC target anyway. Sure, super meta damage dealers would be nice (or at least a Cloud so I could finally be able to do a TDH build), but I'll take a unit I wanted because I love the game (Squall), a unit whose design I love (Aileen), and a unit that got me through a lot of content and I'm happy to be able to use again since he's still reasonably popular (Tidus). Honestly, it's all a win for me.
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NNID/PSN: Servillo
3DS: 0688-6472-7893 Switch: 2415-4577-6308

Third rainbow from the Halloween tickets, this time my second Tidus. I can actually use him since DW isn't horrid on him too, just need to see what I have to chain with him. Kinda cool, since he was my first rainbow, and if nothing else it lets me get rid of the sprite with that hideous weapon.
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NNID/PSN: Servillo
3DS: 0688-6472-7893 Switch: 2415-4577-6308

Nope. I've gotten a Squall and my second Aileen off of the Halloween tickets.
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NNID/PSN: Servillo
3DS: 0688-6472-7893 Switch: 2415-4577-6308

Meanwhile for me, the only rainbows Ive gotten with my pulls have been from the Halloween tickets. Nothing useful mind, but characters that I personally like, so Im not upset.
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NNID/PSN: Servillo
3DS: 0688-6472-7893 Switch: 2415-4577-6308

RaidenGarai posted...

How are the arena rewards a downgrade?

Less moogles (it's small, 2% per week, but it'll add up), fewer stat pots, tickets are the same (still not terribly useful). And that's not including the loss of the monthly rewards, which is another 10% moogle, and the stat pots. In exchange, we get more King Burst Pots (maybe swapping with HP? We'll have to see), and whatever the big week provides which is basically going to be heavy rewards for whales only. I need to look at the medal boards again, but while those are definitely nice, I'm not sure those make up for it.
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NNID/PSN: Servillo
3DS: 0688-6472-7893 Switch: 2415-4577-6308

I probably should've considered that before I did a 5k pull, but I'm usually not thinking all that clearly with my pulls in the early morning. Ah well, if they do they do. If they don't they don't.

So how are people feeling about the arena changes? Arena rewards are a bit of a downgrade, but the boards have improved a fair bit. Megacite isn't as good as supercites, but actually useful cactuars is nice, and no more junk items unless you pull with Arena Tickets, which I believe are still near useless even in JP. I'm...unsure at the moment. I thought they'd have actually given a slight bump to the weekly rewards, but is what we were given comparable to the changes JP made?

Least they could've done is improved the daily rewards. Fuck off with this Ether and Potion crap.

Edit: Heh, one of the KM Halloween tickets gave me my first Squall. That makes me happy, even if he's going to be stuck as a 6* forever.
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NNID/PSN: Servillo
3DS: 0688-6472-7893 Switch: 2415-4577-6308

I'm putting all my resources in, but I really would like 7* GLS, and I really don't see anything in the future that I badly want. I already know my next UoC target, so I'm just looking to pull for what I want, and am okay with making poor decisions as a result. Unless you really, really badly want her though, I wouldn't do it; the odds are just too low, and without a step up (why Gumi?!), chasing her is going to hurt a lot.
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NNID/PSN: Servillo
3DS: 0688-6472-7893 Switch: 2415-4577-6308

So what does iNichol bring over having a dedicated tank? His breaks seem pretty weak now, Mirage is kinda pointless if the idea is for him to redirect to a 100% evade unit, and he doesnt have much else. Like, I know he was used a ton, but can he still find a slot, or is his utility faded by now?
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NNID/PSN: Servillo
3DS: 0688-6472-7893 Switch: 2415-4577-6308

Got my first iNichol, so I can't complain that much.
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NNID/PSN: Servillo
3DS: 0688-6472-7893 Switch: 2415-4577-6308

I've macroed, I've not macroed, and I really don't think it's necessary. Helpful? Sure. Necessary? Not terribly. Any 5* base TMR you want you're likely going to moogle. Most 3* base TMR you'll either get from dupes or not care about because they're terrible. The only TMRs that are really worth macroing for are some 4* base units that are universally useful to have, or elemental weapons from 3* base units that are just useful to have.

Yes, you're going to be behind anyone who macros, just like you'll be behind anyone that's been playing since day one, or someone who whales. But you're playing a glorified single player game; being behind everyone only means you're not clearing out all the trials when they release, or having a slightly rougher time with a limited time trial if it's a toughie. Beyond that? Being behind other people is pretty meaningless. Clear the content you can, enjoy the ride, and if you decide you get bored with the grind, reduce the grind. I started on the first anniversary, left the game for like six months, and the only reason I'm not clearing some content as easily as others is I don't have the most meta of meta units in a tricked out Hyoh. And if I wanted to take the time and NRG pots to do the content, I probably could.

So don't stress. Macroing is just one more thing of the many in this game to maintain, and the reward for doing it isn't gamebreaking. It gives you more options in a game flush with options and powercreep. That TMR you spent hundreds of NRG farming today will probably serve you well for a while, but it'll also be powercrept by free items in a few months. Not enough to make it obsolete, but enough to make it just another tool in the bag, rather than something gamebreaking.
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NNID/PSN: Servillo
3DS: 0688-6472-7893 Switch: 2415-4577-6308

Well Malph chaining alone won't get the job done, so I have to think of something that lets me survive. Oddly, the first phase is the one I think I'm going to have the hardest time surviving, as the second looks to be almost all elemental damage that's really easy to cover for. I guess a provoker is still needed in that phase though, so I may as well see if I can build an evade Ramza up. Either that or try building VoL up to decimate them with Saint Buster while I AoE chain. That...could work? Probably not since I don't have the best light imperils, but maybe...
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NNID/PSN: Servillo
3DS: 0688-6472-7893 Switch: 2415-4577-6308

Any feedback on good tank builds for Calcabrina? I really don't want to have to bring two tanks, but Basch with Golem for provoking just cannot survive the first round of ST attacks since he has no innate mitigation, and I'm very doubtful that I'd be able to OTKO the second round with only Orlandeaus for chaining.

Right now I'm trying with

Rem: Healing, Re-raise, Summon Eidolon, and has Carbunkle for Barfiraga and -thundaga
Yuna: Gave her DC for Re-raise, all the Bar- spells I need, backup healing
Basch: Geared for the elemental protection for the second round, Golem with Provoke for the first.
HT Lid: Breaks, what else?
Orlandeau x2: Bringing a friend for this, so my ability to run this is at the whim of whatever chainers my friends have to offer

I'm just getting destroyed first round. There's no way for Basch to survive the first round, and without someone Provoking to take the attacks, the rest of my party is getting eaten alive. If I bring a Provoke tank like M. Ramza, I have to give up one of the other roles, to do it, and as you can see I'm a bit sparse in that area. And I'm certain I don't have the ability to OTKO either round, because all of those strats rely on having a Hyoh, so I have to do this the slow way. I mean, maybe Malphasie? But I'd be worried that the hybrid damage would cut down on her ability to OTKO anything.

Eh, maybe worth a try.
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NNID/PSN: Servillo
3DS: 0688-6472-7893 Switch: 2415-4577-6308

I know I say this every time, but I do so despise "Kill with X" missions. So very, very much. Going to have to run the bonus stage a second time because I missed a moogle and the 90% Blue ticket.
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NNID/PSN: Servillo
3DS: 0688-6472-7893 Switch: 2415-4577-6308

Over the MP refresh? That's what I'm leaning towards, I just dunno if the refresh is more worthwhile. Probably isn't, but it's one of those odd rare ones that feels like it should be really valuable.
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NNID/PSN: Servillo
3DS: 0688-6472-7893 Switch: 2415-4577-6308

What do I do?!

https://imgur.com/gallery/3Ctc0kE

Apparently all my luck lately has been in Item World runs. Seriously, what the hell do I pick here? Auto-refresh isn't quite as needed on healers, I got it on the last floor and figured it was better than 5% HP, but it's still nice. Additional HP is nice no matter who it is, but this'd also let me explode my HP through the roof.
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NNID/PSN: Servillo
3DS: 0688-6472-7893 Switch: 2415-4577-6308

I'm fairly impressed with her so far. While she lacks the 'Oomph' of TT, and she lacks the ability to DC he Reraise, the rest of her kit more than makes up for it. I especially love her MP battery skill, giving her an actual use for her LB gage, and her CD's are really handy. Plus, y'know, Quake chaining, which is kind of hard to come by.
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NNID/PSN: Servillo
3DS: 0688-6472-7893 Switch: 2415-4577-6308

Probably just going to blow everything chasing GLS, and skip VP outside of dailies. If she's on a triple rainbow banner, then I'll just have to pray that any step up they give is super generous.
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NNID/PSN: Servillo
3DS: 0688-6472-7893 Switch: 2415-4577-6308

It certainly started out rough, and it still had some low points, but Season 1 was fairly good. I've paid far less attention to Season 2, and that's mostly because I hate that Lasswell is the focus for the main troupe, and I really don't have any interest in the Veritas now that they're not antagonists. The story events range from dull to very good though (Lunera, Bran, and Ruggles is still the best one ), and this one may have changed my mind about the Veritas at least somewhat.
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NNID/PSN: Servillo
3DS: 0688-6472-7893 Switch: 2415-4577-6308

Buh. Had a whole post typed up in response to @Lucavi000, and the topic closed before I could post it.

Not gonna type that whole thing out again. But the jist of it boiled down to this: If you follow videos with step-by-step guides, you don't get to just go out there and say everything is easy. I've done it too, there's nothing wrong with it. But there's a world of difference between finding something easy because the content itself isn't challenging, and finding it easy because the exact method to beat it has been handed to you. I find your statement that nothing in this game is hard to ring rather hollow with that being the case.

More power to you, not saying it's the wrong way to play or anything. I hate having to spend 200+ NRG every time I want to beat a trial, because my mind literally cannot parse what's happening in a trial without experiencing it myself with my own units. I can read the wiki until I pass out, or watch videos until I'm blue in the face, but until I do the trial with my own builds, and seeing what the weaknesses I need to cover are, most of it just doesn't settle in my brain. But I also get a hell of a lot of satisfaction when I finally do beat a trial, or if I manage to beat one on the first go (which I have done; Brachium and Alhena I did in one shot, and only had to go back because I missed the stupid moogle on both of them), so I consider the cost worth it. Usually. Hachiko can still go fuck herself.

On a completely different note, how did people find the Story Event this time around? Honestly, I wish the main game could have a story half as good as this one has been (I'll admit I haven't finished it yet). It's not the best Story Event they've done, but it's a hell of a lot more interesting than what Lassworm gets up to.
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NNID/PSN: Servillo
3DS: 0688-6472-7893 Switch: 2415-4577-6308

I think there's a pretty big difference between a trial being possible and not being hard. A trial is definitely made easier with good units, good party composition, and good strategy. You can make almost any unit, even 4* bases, good enough for trials, although that tends to make things harder. Good party composition is a little trickier, as it depends on which units you have that cover which bases. Individually, I had the units I needed for the Wizard Rod+ trial, but getting them all together was trickier. Hence why I had to rely on a CG Nichol friend in order to get all the roles I needed into one unit.

But more than that, it requires not messing up, or being able to recover when things go awry. Several of my attempts at that trial had to be made because reading the wiki and watching youtube vids wasn't enough; I had to experience the trial for myself and see where I could go wrong. It made it that much more satisfying to beat, but it also meant there was a lot of trial and error where I found where I had to make the perfect play each round. Especially with the bosses these days, where you have to follow a pattern pretty tightly, while managing whatever mechanics.

I mean, more power to you if you can read some stuff on a wiki and watch a few vids and consider the trial easy. But I personally can't do that, and even if I could, I still wouldn't call many of the trials "easy". Manageable, yes, but not easy.
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NNID/PSN: Servillo
3DS: 0688-6472-7893 Switch: 2415-4577-6308

It has some pretty strict requirements, but the best thing you can do for yourself is bring CG Nichol. He covers the Water/Ice resist you need for Architeuth, as well as MP Regen, and the buffs are incredibly useful, as most things can't be broken with more than one stat, and the last boss dispels any breaks you put on him. Outside of that, you'll want both a cover and provoke tank (Basch was great for being able to swap between physical and magic covers), Re-raise is pretty vital for keeping your tanks up, as the damage will get to them sooner or later, and of course high enough damage.

If you did the story event bonus stage last time, you already had to have a build for the Demon, and this story's bonus stage has Architeuth. Those are the two hardest fights in the trial by far, and the real challenge is being able to gear up your tanks for both fights. I tried numerous times, and the only successful run was when I brought CG Nichol; he just brings everything this fight needs.
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NNID/PSN: Servillo
3DS: 0688-6472-7893 Switch: 2415-4577-6308

Well I can't believe how well this has worked out. Since I don't have Rem's personal daggers, I've had to make do with some pretty iffy replacements. Well funny thing about Breath of Rose having a dark element, that means Rem is going to work beautifully with Malphasie and Sephiroth chaining together. The game is practically screaming at me that it's time to make Dark my primary element for a while.

armitage999 posted...

It was Awakened Rain, so with him and a second Lid, yeah i feel better now! 7 more tickets to go until I can UoC him.

Awesome stuff! Told you it'd start balancing out sooner or later.
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NNID/PSN: Servillo
3DS: 0688-6472-7893 Switch: 2415-4577-6308

Holy crap. Two 100 Lapis spins on the wheel in one day. Pots for the other ones, but I need those since I'm planning on blasting through the Story Event so I can keep farming KM over the next week. I've bought everything except the Gigantuars (and I'm beginning to hate fusing those things for how little experience I get out of them comparatively), but rolling with a consistent 400% bonus means it feels worthwhile to go for a couple Purecrysts.
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NNID/PSN: Servillo
3DS: 0688-6472-7893 Switch: 2415-4577-6308

The Mana Sword posted...

GANON1025 posted...

What if someone didnt care about xenogears

could such a person even exist

Never played it. Played every other Xeno game, just not Xenogears. I even own it, I just haven't ever put it in my system to start it.
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NNID/PSN: Servillo
3DS: 0688-6472-7893 Switch: 2415-4577-6308

The Mana Sword posted...

I have her at 120, MAG pots maxed, still need 35 points of ATK pots though.

Wrapping Bandages
Death Trap
Creepy Mask
Dark Robe
Ring of the Lucii
Champion's Belt
Adventurer IV
General Offensive
High Spirits
Martial Arts Mastery

I know the helmet is extremely sub-par, but I haven't beat Brachium. I'm a few medal sky of turning the Adventurer IV in to Adventurer V, and I should be able to get a copy of Kunshira's TMR soon to replace High Spirits. As of right now, she's only got 1115 ATK and 1213 MAG for me. Have Fenrir on her currently, but only 2*.

Until you get Kunshira's TMR, you might be better off running a rod with Rod Mastery in place of High Spirits. Yeah you sacrifice a bit of ATK, but since most hybrids want to be built for more mag, you'll probably get a lot more out of it.
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NNID/PSN: Servillo
3DS: 0688-6472-7893 Switch: 2415-4577-6308

I've only got three TMRs on mine, and she's still pretty good. My build is

Wrapping Bandages
Glory of Evil (IW enhanced)
Royal Crown
Dark Fina's Swimsuit
Ring of the Lucii x2
Adventurer V
General Offense
Rod Mastery
Martial Mastery
Shiva (Lv. 30)

She's still short 25 Atk Pots, Lv. 118 and she's hitting 1104 Atk/1512 Mag. I'm not sure what you'd use in place of Rings unfortunately, but she can make do with a lot of free stuff.

Fiyun posted...

Though in the future unless something really happens to her I do wonder if she ends up just chaining with herself. Or DV.

(Wind is still one of those not on a katana / great sword to my knowledge.)

If you're going for DR chaining, you're much more likely to go with Dark to chain with DV/Sephiroth with imperils. In the future, wind is going to be covered by chaining with Loren/Kunashira with the Aureole Ray family. That's part of why I got her, she has Sephiroth-level chaining abilities with a ton of units I use/will be using.
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NNID/PSN: Servillo
3DS: 0688-6472-7893 Switch: 2415-4577-6308

Fair enough. I just see a lot of people (especially on the main board, thankfully not the Oasis) downplay the strengths of a unit because they're not perfect for the hardest of hardest content, so I just felt the need to emphasize that for any content without accuracy, which I imagine will be most content, Zarg's evasion tankiness gives him a very solid use considering how relatively easy it is to build for.

Also, speaking of hype trains, I bit the bullet and UoC pulled my Malphasie for 7* shenanigans. I still entirely blame you for being one of the first to share her 7* and making me pull for her, and I thank you for that good sir. Unless something stops me, I'll be putting her up after the FFXV event. Not quite as strong as yours, but damn close. Still need 25 more Atk pots, and I should really run Omega at some point.
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NNID/PSN: Servillo
3DS: 0688-6472-7893 Switch: 2415-4577-6308

Dude, great pulls!

So here's my take on trial bosses having accuracy in the future: I've noticed a tendency for people to, I guess overblow is the right word, the impact a certain mechanic has on a unit's viability. Take breaks for example. For the longest time, I remember being told that breaks were situationally useful, but you'd never bring a pure breaker like CG Lid into any meaningful content. Except that most trial bosses are vulnerable to at least either offensive or defensive breaks, and either one brings an incredible amount of survivability or damage. Yes, characters like Basch or M. Ramza bring their own breaks, but there are situations where they just can't get them out, either needing to defend, needing to reapply cover/provoke after a re-raise, etc. And the advantages you gain with a good break are more potent than stat buffs a lot of the time.

Not to mention most people only seem to say such things when it comes to trial content, or 10-mans. But those are really only the tip-top of the content in this game, you build a team, finish them once or twice depending on missions, and you're done. But we get so many more trials as part of holiday events or raids, or just generally hard content that while not on trial level, is still tough to get through sometimes. I have a hard time believing every raid trial boss in the future is going to have accuracy, much like they rarely have immunities to every break. So I expect evasion tanks to be very useful in the future, just because I doubt they're going to completely neuter a mechanic like this for day-to-day content.

And if nothing else, there are plenty of us that haven't finished all the content where evade tanks are necessary, so having one that's absolutely amazing like Zarg is still a win. :P
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NNID/PSN: Servillo
3DS: 0688-6472-7893 Switch: 2415-4577-6308

It's really not that much trouble. Zarg has 40% innate evasion, so he's already got a good lead on tons of units. The most you're sacrificing is one materia slot for Equip S Shield, and the slight bonus to his defensive stats by not equipping a second weapon, which as an evade tank he doesn't need anyway. In exchange you get a 100% evader that provides a metric crapton of utility. True, you're not getting your buffs off turn 1, but the ability to combine evade tanking with the sheer versatility of what Zarg provides puts him leagues ahead of pretty much any provoker we have except maybe, maybe Wilhelm. It doesn't even hurt his rotation all that much.

Turn 1: Provoke
Turn 2: Archadia's Might/Prismatic Barrier (depending on needs)
Turn 3: Second CD skill, DC any of his abilities as needed, or Word of Law
Turn 4: Provoke
Turn 5: DC Any of his abilities, Word of Law, or LB if available
Turn 6: Prismatic Barrier, LB if available and not used last turn, DC if Arcadia's Might was used Turn 3, or Word of Law
Turn 7: Provoke
Turn 8: CD skills, LB if available, DC skills if available, or Word of Law
Turn 9: Same as above
Turn 10: Provoke

Repeat ad infinitum. Seriously, you gain an amazing amount of utility by making Zarg a provoke tank. One of the biggest concerns when he first came out was that his kit was too spread out and too diverse to really figure out what was needed. But he very solidly proved that having such a loaded kit made him able to fit into almost any situation and provide a huge benefit. As I said earlier, he wasn't the absolute best at everything; other units had better buffs, better damage mitigation, etc. But they didn't have all of it wrapped in a single package like Zarg did, and still does, and being able to bring all of that in with a single unit means you're freeing up another slot for someone to do their job too, and that's just as, if not more valuable, than being the best at only one or two things.

In IW news, I'm really amused by something. Remember last time, where we discussed a little about how rare Auto Refresh was, especially Lv. 2? Well I just had a run with Ulrik's Kukri where a floor gave me Auto Refresh Lv. 2 for all three of my choices. I think that's a pretty solid sign that you need some MP recovery.
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NNID/PSN: Servillo
3DS: 0688-6472-7893 Switch: 2415-4577-6308

I cant comment on Nichol, but bards just arent great. Theyre role locked, Roy especially takes a while to get started, and if they die they have to start over.

With Zarg, you have a crapton of versatility. Provoke evade tank that can buff/heal on off-turns? With 40% innate evade, hes crazy easy to build that for. Stat break protection is always valuable. His CD and LB work together pretty well, pop the CD you want first turn, even just the 50% innate high tide helps a ton, and pop his LB when the cooldown expires. With his counters, especially if you provoke, hea generating a good amount of LB crysts. Zarg may not beat Nichol for raw buffs, but hes not at all a bad substitute. He was one of the king support units when he was released because of his sheer versatility, and thats only gotten better. While he doesnt do any single role quite as well as the cream of the crop, the difference honestly seems near negligible.

Honestly, you could do a lot, lot worse than 7* Zargabaath. After Malphasie, hes my next UoC target without a doubt, and if you have the ability to 7* him without a UoC, you should absolutely do so.
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NNID/PSN: Servillo
3DS: 0688-6472-7893 Switch: 2415-4577-6308

Oh geez, that sounds amazing. Is Vindemiatrix terribly hard, outside of the MP drain? I might be willing to give that a shot, even if I doubt the dagger will see too much use. It'd certainly give me a happy break from farming KM this weekend.
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NNID/PSN: Servillo
3DS: 0688-6472-7893 Switch: 2415-4577-6308

It seems a pretty solid get to me. That TMR does a ton to make him even better. Honestly, when the worst upgrade his TMR provides is 20% to his defensive stats, I'd say that makes it worth going for. Anything that provides stop resistance to a unit is a win, and it makes his LB even more amazing. He doesn't strictly need it, but I'd definitely kick it higher up in priority.
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NNID/PSN: Servillo
3DS: 0688-6472-7893 Switch: 2415-4577-6308

The small blessing of not having all that many units to 7*: I've been able to 120 all of mine so far, and I'll only be one or two short of maxing out Malphasie tomorrow.
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NNID/PSN: Servillo
3DS: 0688-6472-7893 Switch: 2415-4577-6308