Lurker > MalcolmMasher

LurkerFAQs, Active DB, DB1, DB2, DB3, DB4, DB5, DB6, Database 7 ( 07.18.2020-02.18.2021 ), DB8, DB9, DB10, DB11, DB12, Clear
Board List
Page List: 1, 2
TopicFinal Fantasy Record Keeper Topic 50: Ardyn... the final character?
MalcolmMasher
05/11/21 9:54:32 PM
#489
Oh wait, googling seems to suggest that rallying etude would overwrite Shout? That's not ideal...!

That's correct. Try Warrior's Hymn, instead (5* Bard). It ramps up from +10% to +50% over five casts, and it stacks with everything. Or as was mentioned above, Ode to Victory, which boosts crit rate instead but has the same ramp-up. The downside is, they wear off after only like 10 seconds, so you need to remember to refresh them every 2-3 turns.

Magical parties want Allegro con Moto, the 6* Bard ability, but you'll need 15 Bard Motes to get it.
---
I don't like this duchy. Now, it's an adventurer.
TopicFinal Fantasy Record Keeper Topic 50: Ardyn... the final character?
MalcolmMasher
05/06/21 10:58:04 PM
#440
Is there an easy way to tell in-game what "tier" different relics with the same number of stars are?

I don't think you can usually tell from the relic, but the icon for the Soul Break itself will have a symbol indicating whether it's a SSB, AOSB, ADSB or what have you. Let me see if I can whip up a list.

Not Worth Caring About
Unique Soul Break "Unique" - 5* relic, no marking, only one bar to use. Obsolete.
Super Soul Break "SSB" - 5* relic, yellow plus, two bars to use. Obsolete.
Burst Soul Break "BSB" - 5* relic, red fireburst, two bars to use. Obsolete to veterans, but the Burst Commands they grant have infinite uses and are stronger than 4* abilities; if resource concerns prevent you from routinely using 5* abilities, then BSBs may be more helpful to you than they are to us.

Can Supplement Other Relics
Legend Materia Relic "LMR" - 5* relic, pink circle, grants a passive Legend Materia to a character instead of a Soul Break. Some are very useful (particularly "25% to doublecast ___ abilities" type stuff), others not so much.
Legend Materia Relic + "LMR+" - 6* relic, same pink circle. Stronger effects than LMRs, as you'd expect, but they're still nothing that can carry a character solo.
Glint Soul Break "GSB" - 5* relic, green comet, only one bar to use but limit three uses per battle. Glints always cast instantly. They're highly situational, but endgame fights looove to force some of the situations.
Glint Soul Break + "GSB+" or "G+" - 6* relic, blue comet, free to use but limit 1/battle. These can have a wide range of effects (for example, "instantly get two Soul Break bars", a sterling example of something that is awesome once you have another good SB but pointless until then.)
Overstrike Soul Break "OSB" - 6* relic, green up arrow, only one bar to use, can deal up to 99999 damage. Most OSBs follow the same template, only the element (and whether it counts as physical or magical) changes. Nice backup option, as mentioned before
Arcane Overstrike Soul Break "AOSB" - 6* relic, triple chevron and gold up arrow, three bars to use, limit one use per battle. Arcanes come in two flavors, 3-hit (all overstrike) or 21-hit (only the last hit is overstrike), and otherwise have even less variation than OSBs. Expensive, but helpful for hurrying bosses through a dangerous part of their script.
Ultra Soul Break "USB" - 6* relic, two yellow pluses. Some of these are pretty meh, some are great, a few are still top tier relics. Definitely look these up to see what they do.
Arcane Dyad Soul Break "ADSB", or "TASB" from their JP name - 7* relic, triple chevron and double red circle. Dyads can be activated twice per battle; first time works like a GSB+, second like an AOSB. They might belong in the next tier, but I am skeptical about the effectiveness of a character with only a Dyad. (They combo really well with other SBs, though!)

Can Carry A Character On Their Own
Chain Soul Break "CSB" - 6* relic, golden chain. Chains apply stacking damage bonuses to all attacks of a given element (or, for realm chains, from characters belonging to a given realm) for... 14 seconds, I think. Not all chains are created equal, but even the weaker chains are still "I should consider the possibility of using this character in every party I make revolving around this element/realm", at least until you can upgrade to a better chain.
Arcane Awakening Soul Break "AASB" - 6* relic, double chevron and gold silhouette, two bars to use but 1/battle only. AASBs take some type of ability ("Ice-element" for Snow AASB) and supercharge it, with infinite hones and assorted other perks. There is some variation between AASBs, and I recommend you investigate every one you receive to see just what it does.
Synchro Arcane Soul Break "SASB" - 7* relic, double chevron and stylized gold S, two bars to use but 1/battle only. Synchros replace Attack and Defend, like Bursts (although Sync Commands are around 6.5* power); you will probably find them to be more powerful than Awakenings for that reason. Like Awakenings, Syncs care what abilities you're using (it'll try to use one of your 'real' abilities after each Sync Command) and you should always look them up to learn the specifics.

I Just Remembered Limit Breaks Also Exist
Some Relics grant your characters Limit Breaks, which run off a shared party Limit Gauge (which is only visible if you deployed someone with a Limit Break). They're still activated through the Soul Break menu, but they consume Limit Gauge instead of SB bar to use. There are Limit Break Glints and Limit Break Overstrikes, both of which are 1/battle only, and which I will summarize as as "GSB+, but even more situational" and "free AOSB, but don't use it until you're 25+ seconds in."

TL:DR

Awakenings, Syncs, and Chains are all "unlock this character if you haven't already, and seriously look into making them part of your A-team for the appropriate realm and/or element". Ultras are sometimes enough to make a character worth using, also, particularly on healers or buff/support type characters. Most other relics are not exciting nowadays, at least not until you have a couple that can work together.
---
I don't like this duchy. Now, it's an adventurer.
TopicFinal Fantasy Record Keeper Topic 50: Ardyn... the final character?
MalcolmMasher
05/06/21 7:41:41 PM
#432
Are any of those worth actually using that character? Currently the only character I have with a 6* is Snow (Wild Jaguar); I did switch out Galuf for him to make use of that SB and it was worth it.

Snow's Wild Jaguar is an AASB/Awakening Soul Break, which is about two tiers of power creep over the other stuff you just got.

Femme Fatale and Fujin's Moon Ring are the OSB (Overstrike Soul Break) for those characters: one big cap-breaking hit, costing half a bar. I would venture to suggest that they will overall outperform most 5* Soul Breaks, but once you get some good Ultras (or, better yet, Awakenings and Syncs), OSBs will just be a supplement, convenient to have in your pocket when the boss is stacking defense buffs that only breaking the damage cap can abate.

Guard Staff is Montblanc USB (Ultra Soul Break), which does... some damage, Protect and Shell, and an enemy debuff. Well, you do want Protect and Shell pretty much constantly, and if you don't have a better source then Montblanc will do. With that said, once you get a healer Glint+ with "free instant Haste Protect Shell" (and pretty much every healer has one, nowadays) you should ditch Montblanc and never look back. Poor Moogle is a fire-ice-lightning mage from a realm that's focused hard on holy physicals.
---
I don't like this duchy. Now, it's an adventurer.
TopicFinal Fantasy Record Keeper Topic 50: Ardyn... the final character?
MalcolmMasher
05/01/21 11:29:22 PM
#413
Hey everybody, last music dungeon has dropped, so it's time to make sure you clear 'em all!

that transition once the story dungeons stop dropping two stamina shards each and you actually have to wait for it to recharge after having gotten used to just playing continuously is rough.

I'm pretty sure I actually wasted a Mythril on it the first time that happened to me, lo these many years ago. That said, Stamina Potions are now a thing, so you can use one of them if you need to maintain the "my numbers went up" endorphin rush.
---
I don't like this duchy. Now, it's an adventurer.
TopicFinal Fantasy Record Keeper Topic 50: Ardyn... the final character?
MalcolmMasher
03/28/21 12:32:13 AM
#249
Also I should have brought this up but it's f***ing stupid that Azulmagia's Aqua Breath is non elemental so Lenna's water null USB is gimped.

Neat; that's actually accurate to FFV. Although FFV does have water-elemental attacks, Aqua Breath is instead a non-elemental attack that deals extra damage to monsters flagged as 'desert'. Someone on the dev team genuinely likes FFV... although, given how many toys Bartz has, I suppose that's hardly news. The Self Destruct at 0 HP is also a cute nod; in FFV, using Self Destruct on Azulmagia is how you cheese the fight, because he'll learn it from you and retaliate in kind.

Of course, Dreambreaker Full Break and stackable, no-drawbacks Savage Mode destroy any good will thus generated. *shakes fist*
---
I don't like this duchy. Now, it's an adventurer.
TopicFinal Fantasy Record Keeper Topic 50: Ardyn... the final character?
MalcolmMasher
03/26/21 12:38:57 AM
#231
Noctis or Rinoa. Choices, choices.

The reason not to pick Rinoa: the LMR in the selection is doublecast Black Magic, i.e. not Witch, which means it won't do anything for Rinoa's hero ability or (if you have it) the commands of her ice sync.

Granted, the LMR for Noctis is Doublecast Combat, which is more or less only useful for his earth-elemental Hero Ability. So I guess that might be even worse.

Full disclosure: I picked the Rinoa set anyway. AASB and AOSB good for ice Rinoa, AOSB and LMR good for earth Rinoa.
---
I don't like this duchy. Now, it's an adventurer.
TopicFinal Fantasy Record Keeper Topic 50: Ardyn... the final character?
MalcolmMasher
03/10/21 12:08:44 AM
#157
Finally muscled through the multiplayer Omega fights in solo. They're a lot more of a hassle without Historia/Magicite to buff the party (and break savage levels). I actually wound up using mixed parties for both; not a shocker for dark, since I have Sephiroth but only Gen 1 and magical chains, but it's kind of weird that my ice mages did better than my physical ice when they were all relying on Celes CSB.
---
I don't like this duchy. Now, it's an adventurer.
TopicPolitics Containment Topic 364: Absolute Proof (Citation Needed)
MalcolmMasher
02/13/21 4:21:36 PM
#325
As of now, I can only expect that when the next right-wing coup attempt happens, the Republican Party as a whole will make no attempt to obstruct it, even offer support should it seem likely to succeed. Biden has perhaps just four years to try to make sure that the United States military will not abandon their oaths to support and defend the Constitution as easily as the Republicans have.
---
I don't like this duchy. Now, it's an adventurer.
TopicFinal Fantasy Record Keeper Topic 50: Ardyn... the final character?
MalcolmMasher
02/09/21 8:36:09 PM
#95
I'm not sure if I'm going to do this select... it's hard to justify spending money with just how laggy the game is these days.

I was previously playing on an old Digiland tablet with 1GB RAM. I have now upgraded to a less-old "Samsung Galaxy Tab A" with 2GB RAM and FFRK runs much, much better. I can now actually magia grind in Dreams, and whatnot, instead of the game crashing back to title screen every other transition! It's great.

So if your tablet is as old as mine was, then maybe save up the money you would have spent on Dream Selects until you can buy a new tablet with the cash, instead.

Edit: Actually I guess you're probably playing it on a smartphone. But still, same advice: if your hardware sucks, consider saving up for better hardware instead of better relics.
---
I don't like this duchy. Now, it's an adventurer.
TopicIt's been a few years. Is Fire Emblem Fates worth it?
MalcolmMasher
02/03/21 11:22:23 PM
#16
It's a Fire Emblem game, arguably more than one of them. If you enjoy Fire Emblem in general, you should enjoy Fates.

Birthright has simple map design and simple story and doesn't take many risks or make too many mistakes with them. Conquest has commendable map design and a story that has a few things to like and a lot of things to hate. Revelations is what you play if you want to have (almost) all the characters from Birthright and Conquest in the same party for maximum support conversations and pairing options. I would generally recommend Conquest, but I don't know where your personal tastes lean.
---
I don't like this duchy. Now, it's an adventurer.
TopicAndy plays Final Fantasy VI
MalcolmMasher
01/26/21 11:09:18 PM
#249
Umaro's fancy Berserker Ring means he straight up tosses party members at the Dragon for decent damage (lol)

Fun fact: being thrown by Umaro cures Confuse and Sleep! I believe people have also found code that would make him automatically critical when tossing Mog, but in practice it doesn't work out.
---
I don't like this duchy. Now, it's an adventurer.
TopicAndy plays Final Fantasy VI
MalcolmMasher
01/26/21 12:32:54 AM
#238
I also like this boss music, we've heard it before but I forget where.

I think Ultima Weapon and Ultima Buster share their theme with the Statues? It's either Decisive Battle or Fierce Battle, I forget which one is the 'normal' boss theme and which is the 'elite'.

Unfortunately the third one has a super cheap finishing move (or I got unlucky) where it kills two of my characters outright then immediately fades away, removing them from the party.

It's an instant death attack that ignores immunity to instant death, and that's just not right. It can be evaded and the Golem summon also nullifies it, but "super cheap" is 100% accurate.

The medley here is gorgeous, showing off how absolutely amazing the OST has been.

FFVI ending medley is a strong contender for best song in the series. If it's allowed, at least, since a twenty-minute medley of a dozen-plus songs is kind of cheating...

and Shadow bizarrely decides to stop running and... stays there? Not sure what to make of this, nobody addresses it.

The ending shows everyone else on the airship - even, in a quick pan, Gogo and Umaro - but not Shadow. I am confident that he sends Interceptor away because he intends to die, and doesn't want his dog to die alongside him. The context provided by Shadow's dreams may help you with your own speculation.
---
I don't like this duchy. Now, it's an adventurer.
TopicAndy plays Final Fantasy VI
MalcolmMasher
01/25/21 7:17:21 PM
#230
Lores: If you kill all of Hidon's little monsters and wait around a bit, Hidon will use Strago's ultimate Lore, which Strago can learn. (IIRC talking to Gungho makes Hidon return. ) Aside from that, some bird monsters on the overworld near Kohlingen can use Aero, which is a bit stronger than level 3 spells. White Wind and Mighty Guard are always good pickups, sketching monsters on the Solitary Island can get you both. (Raging those monsters also works - Strago can learn from Gau.)

Rages: By this point, there should be a couple of critters on the Veldt you might not expect, such as White Dragon. Veldt mechanics mean that you're guaranteed to run into it if you hang around long enough. (Basically, monsters are sorted into "packs" that the game cycles through, and it is the only encounter in its pack.) Behemoth and Tyranosaur also have cool offensive abilities to offer, so pounce on 'em if you run into one on the Veldt.
---
I don't like this duchy. Now, it's an adventurer.
TopicAndy plays Final Fantasy VI
MalcolmMasher
01/23/21 6:15:33 PM
#199
I guess this is where Leviathan sank down the ranks to becoming a regular summon while Bahamut remains the Ultimate Summon to this day. Sad times.

In fairness, FF6 does treat Bahamut like a regular summon, albeit a powerful one. (Well, I guess there is also a "summon Bahamut" effect on Setzer's reels, distinct from BAR-BAR-BAR's "summon random Esper".) Better than being completely absent, I'll grant you...

Seems to be all I can get here but please let me know if there's more!

Not really. I think the Auction House offers an unlimited supply of the Auto-Float relic, but you've already beaten Dirt/Earth Dragon. The unpurchaseable joke items might be worth a chuckle, but there are only a few, and I expect you've run into all of 'em already.

Hooray! We arrive at a house, where none other than Master Duncan resides! (Completely forgot about him and thought this would be Banon at first lol)

I think there is an in-game hint for this, if you talk to Duncan's wife in South Figaro. Not sure whether Duncan's even there without Sabin, but certainly you need Sabin in order to get anything out of meeting Duncan.

This shouldn't be a surprise, but for some reason I had it in my head that 'Mesh only came back in VIII onwards, so it catches me off guard to see him here.

FF8 was indeed the first Final Fantasy to bring Gilgamesh back; he is not in original FF6, but was added in FF6a. (Although I'm confident that that Ultros and, especially, Siegfried were inspired by FF5's fan favorite comic villain.)

I have 5 empty slots in the Esper page- one is Odin, a couple are at the end so maybe postgame, but the other two I do not know.

I think it's Odin, one that you can't have acquired yet, two that were added in the remake so I'm not sure if you could have gotten them yet, and the "select me to remove Esper" blank slot.

I think I'm nearing time to enter Kefka's Tower now, though still not sure what team I'll bring

"Team". Heh. Remember the Phoenix Cave? : )
---
I don't like this duchy. Now, it's an adventurer.
TopicPolitics Containment Topic 361: The Art of the Heal
MalcolmMasher
01/22/21 9:42:53 PM
#447
Hasn't that been toggled back and forth basically every time the Presidency changed parties since its inception?
---
I don't like this duchy. Now, it's an adventurer.
TopicAndy plays Final Fantasy VI
MalcolmMasher
01/21/21 6:33:25 PM
#183
If you have Terra in the party, she'll react to the Queen's note. ("Love between a human and an Esper...") I don't recall any other characters who comment on the Ancient Castle.

If I recall correctly, there's one empty slot even in a full Esper menu, so that you can select it in order to remove your currently set Esper.
---
I don't like this duchy. Now, it's an adventurer.
TopicAndy plays Final Fantasy VI
MalcolmMasher
01/14/21 7:13:05 PM
#142
I believe Sabin does talk to Edgar once ("Don't treat us like strangers anymore!" or some such) but it is kind of jarring that Celes takes the lead on talking to Sabin's twin.

In the World of Balance, if you keep helping the injured soldier send messages (you have to rest after each one for a reply to arrive) he'll eventually give you an accessory that lets your recover HP by walking around. It is not particularly useful. I believe that if you put off the sidequest until you get the airship, then his girlfriend in Maranda also gets updated dialogue for each letter.

I've always figured that Kefka is one hundred percent lying about Celes in order to sow discord in the party, myself. I mean. It's Kefka.

Now, I do think it's best to give dubious claims the benefit of the doubt in video games, if the game itself doesn't go out of its way to contradict or call attention to them. After all, the writers decided to put it in, we might as well assume they had a reason, right? But in this case, we do get explicitly told that Kefka was lying. To be fair, the statement is made by Emperor Gestahl during the banquet, so its veracity is questionable. It is conceivable that Gestahl, who still hopes to persuade Celes to be part of his New World Order, is lying to the party about whether or not they can trust Celes in the hope that he can get her to betray them... even though that didn't really work out for him the first time. It is also possible that Kefka is full of crap. I know where I'd put my money.

Plus, Cid switches sides like thirty seconds after reuniting with Celes, it seems like it's pretty easy for people to go "Gosh, I just realized the Empire is evil!"
---
I don't like this duchy. Now, it's an adventurer.
TopicAndy plays Final Fantasy VI
MalcolmMasher
01/10/21 10:18:28 PM
#97
Terra's supposed to be 18, but she's presumably well below that in terms of maturity, given that she was treated as a weapon rather than a person for most of her life.

Typically, Blue Mages need to be hit by an ability in order to learn it, but Strago only needs to see it happen. The "see" part is literal, though; statuses such as Darkness can prevent Strago from learning his spells. And, of course, Strago is the primary reason why I didn't want to call Gau a Blue Mage earlier.
---
I don't like this duchy. Now, it's an adventurer.
TopicDo you have a mostly positive or negative opinion of onions?
MalcolmMasher
01/10/21 2:42:24 PM
#37
Mildly positive, I suppose. I don't like onions as a hamburger topping (nor do I care for onion rings) but I'm fine with them in sauces and stews and whatnot.
---
I don't like this duchy. Now, it's an adventurer.
TopicAndy plays Final Fantasy VI
MalcolmMasher
01/10/21 10:43:56 AM
#91
Yeah, the Blackjack is Setzer's airship. ...which, come to think of it, I don't think is ever actually stated within the game, so I should've just said "the airship". My bad!
---
I don't like this duchy. Now, it's an adventurer.
TopicAndy plays Final Fantasy VI
MalcolmMasher
01/09/21 10:59:43 PM
#89
Vector is a mess when we arrive, and Banon is weirdly shocked at the Espers having done this- isn't this exactly what we wanted them for?

I think what the game is trying to convey is that even the Returners are disconcerted by how much destruction the Espers have wrought.

We get a bunch of items from the unlocked armoury in that abandoned outpost, and I wait outside Albrook.

Before you enter Albrook, you can head back to the Blackjack for a missable scene with Setzer. Sadly, it's a bit of a trek. There are a few chocobo stables hidden in forests on the southern continent, if I recall correctly, but none near Albrook.
---
I don't like this duchy. Now, it's an adventurer.
TopicPolitics Containment Topic 357: Insurrection Lasting More than 4 Hours
MalcolmMasher
01/08/21 11:14:48 PM
#156
Twitter should put a captcha-type 'puzzle' on the next account Trump tries to use. "To prove you're not a seditionist, enter the winner of the 2020 US presidential election."
---
I don't like this duchy. Now, it's an adventurer.
TopicAndy plays Final Fantasy VI
MalcolmMasher
01/08/21 9:33:53 PM
#82
Mog is, of course, a Geodancer.
---
I don't like this duchy. Now, it's an adventurer.
TopicAndy plays Final Fantasy VI
MalcolmMasher
01/02/21 5:41:41 PM
#40
If you try to keep the recruitable ghost around, it'll leave your party before you reach the locomotive. I usually have mine Possess the monster-in-a-box, 'cause Phoenix Downs feel unsporting. (Also, if you don't have Shadow, you can recruit a second filler ghost with even worse stats.)

You haven't missed anything involving Siegfried.

Gau doesn't have a clear equivalent, but I'd call him more of a Beastmaster than a Blue Mage.
---
I don't like this duchy. Now, it's an adventurer.
TopicFinal Fantasy Record Keeper Topic 49: 17 Gilgameshs! How many can you beat?
MalcolmMasher
12/12/20 11:41:14 PM
#385
If you are attempting the Water-weak Omega fight solo (as I have just done), please do not rely on normal cast times for your defensive buffs. Explosive Flame will murder you before RW Wall finishes casting. (QC3 LMR invoke backed by a healer AASB did work, though.)
---
I don't like this duchy. Now, it's an adventurer.
TopicPolitics Containment Topic 349: Rudy Can't Fail
MalcolmMasher
12/10/20 7:49:34 PM
#448
The term "autogolpe" may be applicable. Apparently it's the word for when a leader who was legitimately elected resorts to less legitimate means to remain in power. Now, asking the courts to overturn an election isn't necessarily illegitimate. But asking the courts to overturn an election, and telling the public that there was voter fraud, when you're unable to provide substantial evidence of such fraud to the courts... I'm not inclined to call that "legitimate".
---
I don't like this duchy. Now, it's an adventurer.
TopicPolitics Containment Topic 349: Rudy Can't Fail
MalcolmMasher
12/10/20 12:22:34 PM
#366
Do you really think every president we've ever had doesn't also make sure friends, family, and staff isn't also well cared for?

I am certain that every President we've had has at some point used their power selfishly. That doesn't mean that selfish use of power deserves our approval, rather than our scorn.
---
I don't like this duchy. Now, it's an adventurer.
TopicPolitics Containment Topic 349: Rudy Can't Fail
MalcolmMasher
12/10/20 11:18:54 AM
#352
The office is, yes. The President of the United States should receive the highest standard of care that the United States can manage. Rudy Giulani is not the President. He's not even a government employee; he's Trump's personal lawyer. And when Trump leverages his authority as the country's highest ranking public servant to get preferential treatment for his private employees, he deserves to catch some crap for it.
---
I don't like this duchy. Now, it's an adventurer.
TopicPolitics Containment Topic 349: Rudy Can't Fail
MalcolmMasher
12/10/20 10:15:17 AM
#346
Oh, it's certainly not surprising any of us that President Trump is using his power to benefit himself and his loyalists. But the President is supposed to be a public servant, not a monarch. Don't forget that.
---
I don't like this duchy. Now, it's an adventurer.
TopicDid you take A Modest Proposal seriously in high school?
MalcolmMasher
12/08/20 8:14:25 PM
#24
I wasn't confident that it was satire until fairly late (I think when he's like, "but don't tell me there are better ways, like <list of actual ideas>.")
---
I don't like this duchy. Now, it's an adventurer.
TopicAndy plays Final Fantasy V (Blind playthrough)
MalcolmMasher
12/05/20 8:03:33 PM
#161
To avoid Zombie, equip Angel Rings. I think they're buyable in Mirage Village. To block Petrify, you need Ribbons; only Freelancer and Dancers can equip Ribbons, but Dancer learns an ability that lets other jobs use them too. Given that you've found Dancer to be too frail, this sounds like a job for Freelancer. (If your Freelancers are suffering from a lack of stats, master a physical job on them to bring their Strength and Vitality up. Magic's less of a concern, as most magical skillsets include a Magic increase.) And if you really need to get the first turn - for Hastega, say - equipping the Masamune will do that.

Reflect Rings shouldn't wear off, I dunno what's happening there. The Carbuncle summon would set Reflect and could be cast after Hastega, but of course you don't have that. There are ways to get the effect anyway, though like messing around with the Magic Lamp - its effects are not random.

Apparently, although Grand Aevis is subject to Slow in theory, in practice getting it to stick is near-impossible. So you need a way to inflict Slow that ignores the normal status checks; that comes from the command you get through mastering Cannoneer; Turtle Shells produce a Slow effect. In theory, you could also use !Mix to level someone up a billion times or invoke the Bard's levelling song (as I recall, status accuracy is basically Base Hit Rate + Your Level - Their Level - Their "Magic Evade") to increase your chance of getting Slow to stick, but it seems to me that if you're struggling to stay alive then you don't have that kind of time.
---
I don't like this duchy. Now, it's an adventurer.
TopicAndy plays Final Fantasy V (Blind playthrough)
MalcolmMasher
12/05/20 6:52:42 PM
#159
Levels are almost never the best solution to a problem in FFV. You need some combination of jobs, equipment, tactics, and possibly ABP. What are you bringing to the fight?
---
I don't like this duchy. Now, it's an adventurer.
TopicFinal Fantasy Record Keeper Topic 49: 17 Gilgameshs! How many can you beat?
MalcolmMasher
12/04/20 5:11:47 PM
#358
I can't accept Red Mage Matoya when she's got zilch for physicals. She's a Sage.
---
I don't like this duchy. Now, it's an adventurer.
TopicAndy plays Final Fantasy V (Blind playthrough)
MalcolmMasher
12/03/20 8:06:59 PM
#146
A few minutes into the battle Bartz's Assassin Dagger triggers its Death effect and we win the battle. Oh. I figured the bosses would all be immune to that but lol, I'll take it.

I think Twintania is only vulnerable to instant death while charging for Giga Flare. Regardless, there are absolutely other FFV bosses subject to instant death - one of Neo Exdeath's targets, even.
---
I don't like this duchy. Now, it's an adventurer.
TopicAndy plays Final Fantasy V (Blind playthrough)
MalcolmMasher
12/02/20 6:55:50 PM
#136
I, uh. I think the fight that gets you another save point was, in fact, the one that crashed the game. (Boss was "Azulmagia"? 'Cause that's the save point fight.)
---
I don't like this duchy. Now, it's an adventurer.
TopicAndy plays Final Fantasy V (Blind playthrough)
MalcolmMasher
12/01/20 9:48:54 PM
#134
Sounds like you're missing Romeo's Ballad, which is obtained in Istory in World 1, and is thus also unobtainable now. :/ It inflicts Stop.
---
I don't like this duchy. Now, it's an adventurer.
TopicAndy plays Final Fantasy V (Blind playthrough)
MalcolmMasher
12/01/20 6:59:23 PM
#128
Stuff to do before the final dungeon? Hmm.

> You can find the Magic Lamp that NPCs have been talking about. Use a chocobo to explore around Istory Falls.
> To get your piano payoff, talk to the bard in Crescent Village.
> I think your missing summon is Carbuncle, as I don't see any mention of it in your Exdeath's Castle post. Sadly, I do not believe you can obtain Carbuncle after clearing that dungeon.
---
I don't like this duchy. Now, it's an adventurer.
TopicAndy plays Final Fantasy V (Blind playthrough)
MalcolmMasher
11/29/20 10:31:00 PM
#112
I'm pretty sure all the SNES Final Fantasies let you change weapons in battle. Go to Item, hit Up to select your weapon (or shield), and scroll down through your inventory to pick whatever you want to swap it with.

How on earth does anyone do the Four Job Fiesta here with no proper mage classes?

It's a pain, to be sure, and it may not be completable for all job combinations. The good news is that you don't need to beat Omniscient to beat the game. The better news is that you can probably do it, anyway... but it might take a while.

Unfortunately, the most obvious plan - items that reproduce spell effects - is ineffective; Omniscient counters them. (The game cares about the command you selected, not the attack you produced, or some such.) Still, FFV is a game which provides the player with options. Here are a few of the ones that work on Omniscient.

A) Set up at least one character with a Wall/Reflect Ring (probably all of them, Reflect is a huge help against Omniscient) and another with the Mage Masher dagger, which randomly casts the Silence spell when attacking. Have the Mage Masher wielder attack your own Reflected party members. Any Silence produced will be reflected onto Omniscient; it'll wear off quickly, but your other characters can deal some damage after each Silence.

B) Inflict Berserk on Omniscient. His physical attacks are murderous, but survivable, and this disables his counterattack. Although I think that if you use an item to inflict Berserk, he will counter that, so you'd want to use it after briefly Silencing him as per Plan A above.

C) Set up a character to be nigh-immune to Omniscient's skillset. Wall Ring and Bone Mail, generally. Start the battle, and then walk away and do something else for 6-8 hours. Omniscient begins with Protect/Shell/Regen set, so typically he won't be able to kill himself, but once he runs out of MP, he's helpless. Of course, his counterattack (the Time Mage spell "Return": undoes everything that has happened during the battle) only costs 1MP, so you have to be sure that he's spent every last one of his 30,000 MP before you start attacking. Not recommended.

If anyone playing a Four Job Fiesta rolls two or more Beastmasters, I encourage them to try a fourth tactic: whips. That's what I used in my Freelancer SCC (no character is allowed to choose a job, ever.) Most whips have a 50% chance of inflicting Paralyze, and Omniscient's not immune to that, and his counter fails while he's Paralyzed. I don't know how lucky I had to get; it's been over a decade. I do know that I tried the Mage Masher plan, said "there has to be another way", looked up his stats in a FAQ, and then let out a shocked "...he's not immune to Paralyze? Seriously?" and got it to work. But most random parties won't have multiple whip users, and the less whips you have, the more likely you are to have your progress undone by a Return.

So, if you're asking whether the game can be beaten on one tablet... well, I know from experience that you can beat the game on zero jobs. FFV gives you so many options. It's great.
---
I don't like this duchy. Now, it's an adventurer.
TopicAndy plays Final Fantasy V (Blind playthrough)
MalcolmMasher
11/29/20 6:27:39 PM
#106
Chrono Controllers are indeed magic side enemies. The gimmick of magic side Fork Tower is that, if you do something that isn't Magic, the enemies will be very upset. I don't recall offhand whether things like Geomancy and physical Blue Magic set them off, but it's probably best to play it safe and stick with "proper" Mages.
---
I don't like this duchy. Now, it's an adventurer.
TopicFinal Fantasy Record Keeper Topic 49: 17 Gilgameshs! How many can you beat?
MalcolmMasher
11/29/20 1:29:14 PM
#323
Should I just keep mainly elemental boosting equipment?

Yep. Basically, the assumption is that you only need to keep elemental boosting weapons and armor (for your attackers) plus perhaps 1-2 more per realm (for your healers).

Also, elemental artifacts can get ~280 Atk/Mag/Mnd with reasonable investment, ~300 if you go all out. Recent 6* melee weapons get around 180+3 Atk normally, 280+5 under synergy. So, even with synergy, 6* weapons aren't any better than elemental artifacts, let alone the appropriate realm artifacts. If you're well off on artifact stones, you can junk most of your 6* weapons. (Is it worth keeping a 6* weapon around on the off chance that you'll get a dupe and be able to combine it? If you're struggling to find inventory space, the answer is surely "no".)
---
I don't like this duchy. Now, it's an adventurer.
TopicAndy plays Final Fantasy V (Blind playthrough)
MalcolmMasher
11/28/20 7:14:13 PM
#98
Mirage Village should have been the last piano. None can be permanently missed, but it sounds like you may need to search the towns again.
---
I don't like this duchy. Now, it's an adventurer.
TopicAndy plays Final Fantasy V (Blind playthrough)
MalcolmMasher
11/27/20 9:13:43 PM
#95
Chicken Knife does have an upper limit, but a high one. It's also about twice as good as its displayed attack power suggests, due to getting a version of the dagger damage formula that isn't bugged. The downside is that, when you attack with the Chicken Knife, there's a chance (~25%) it will make you attempt to run away. It's still the better choice overall.

Aside: Daggers (and some other weapons) are supposed to deal damage based on both Strength and Agility, but the bug makes it so that only Strength really matters (Agility either adds on a little damage or it doesn't, and in some cases, gaining Agility makes it go from "does" to "doesn't".) I don't think any of the ports have ever fixed this, presumably because they'd have to rebalance all those weapons if they did.
---
I don't like this duchy. Now, it's an adventurer.
TopicAndy plays Final Fantasy V (Blind playthrough)
MalcolmMasher
11/25/20 10:35:23 PM
#87
FFV Advance added the snark. The original Sage Gil/Guido is a generic exposition-providing wise man with a turtle sprite.
---
I don't like this duchy. Now, it's an adventurer.
TopicPolitics Containment Topic 346: One Q Over the Coup Coup's Nest
MalcolmMasher
11/22/20 10:54:33 PM
#341
that said, from an outside perspective, american elections do seem to be organized in a remarkably haphazard and shoddy way across the board, and vote counting speed is one aspect of that.

I would assume this is because each of the fifty states is more or less able to set its own rules for its own elections.
---
I don't like this duchy. Now, it's an adventurer.
TopicPolitics Containment Topic 346: One Q Over the Coup Coup's Nest
MalcolmMasher
11/22/20 10:46:36 PM
#329
You don't throw out the ballots ever. You just penalize states that don't get them in with reduced finding or whatever.

If states don't get their votes counted in time, they presumably need to hire more staff to count votes. In order to do this, you're... taking funding away from them?

It just seems like you're effectively encouraging states to count fewer votes and be sloppier about it, both of which would be bad.
---
I don't like this duchy. Now, it's an adventurer.
TopicAndy plays Final Fantasy V (Blind playthrough)
MalcolmMasher
11/22/20 9:52:44 PM
#61
Gacha game Final Fantasy Record Keeper gave Kain a "Increase Attack and Defense, start with Confuse" equippable passive a while back, to reference his brainwashing. I've always wanted an "Increase Mind and Resistance, start with Poison" equivalent for Lenna. Alas, no such luck.

The frog sidequest is Beastmaster-related. He wants you to use a Beastmaster to capture a frog enemy from a random encounter. I think they show up near the village. The reward: an accessory that makes it easier to capture enemies.
---
I don't like this duchy. Now, it's an adventurer.
TopicAndy plays Final Fantasy V (Blind playthrough)
MalcolmMasher
11/17/20 6:48:37 PM
#19
The music is good too, I've heard it before somewhere in the game but I'm only noting how cool it is now.

Ship Graveyard, and yeah, it's a nice tune. I think the official name is "Cursed Land".
---
I don't like this duchy. Now, it's an adventurer.
TopicBest SNES Video Game Contest CHAMPIONSHIP | Chrono Trigger vs. Final Fantasy III
MalcolmMasher
11/11/20 11:32:57 PM
#11
Final Fantasy III.
---
I don't like this duchy. Now, it's an adventurer.
TopicPolitics Containment Topic 341: Flip-Flip-Flipadelphia!
MalcolmMasher
11/08/20 12:33:57 AM
#480
I agree, but both sides did this.

First: Both sides did this in 2016, but only one is doing it in 2020. (Well, I suppose no one technically refused to recognize 2016 Clinton's authority, since she didn't have any. But Trump accused her of getting illegal votes anyway.)

Second: I agree that "I think you were elected due to illicit foreign assistance and therefore I do not respect your authority" is, assuming extant but less than overwhelming evidence of such behavior, not appropriate behavior for a citizen of a democracy. The proper response under those circumstances is to grant the benefit of the doubt for the time being, and also demand an investigation. And certainly not all Democrats lived up to that standard.

However, I certainly feel that we should not equate accusations which have evidence to support them (even if that evidence is insufficient for proof beyond a reasonable doubt) with accusations which are groundless. The anti-Trump "collusion with Russia" accusations do have evidence to support them - remember, the Mueller Report determined that Russia had deliberately interfered with the 2016 election and contacted the Trump campaign team on 100+ occasions. The anti-Clinton "illegal votes" accusations do not. (If you've forgotten, Trump claimed that he would have won the popular vote in 2016, except that millions of people voted for Clinton illegally. He formed a commission to look into it; they have since disbanded, apparently without finding any one of those millions of people.) You might reasonably argue that there hasn't been enough time to thoroughly investigate his anti-Biden "illegal votes" claim, but when he's already cried wolf once...

Third: as LotM has pointed out in post #459, the 2016 anti-Trump allegation is that American voters wouldn't have elected Trump if it weren't for illicit Russian interference, while the 2020 anti-Biden allegation is that American voters didn't elect Biden.

In short, while your claim that "both sides did this" is not wrong, both sides are not equally bad on this issue.
---
I don't like this duchy. Now, it's an adventurer.
TopicPolitics Containment Topic 341: Flip-Flip-Flipadelphia!
MalcolmMasher
11/07/20 10:39:48 PM
#453
Political/cultural rival is different from political/cultural enemy. In a democracy, you're supposed to respect the authority of elected officials whether you voted for them or not. You're not supposed to denounce members of different parties as illegitimate and baselessly accuse them of only having won due to voter fraud. That sort of rhetoric supports a violent revolution against your enemies, not a peaceful transfer of power to your fellow countrymen that you don't always agree with.
---
I don't like this duchy. Now, it's an adventurer.
Board List
Page List: 1, 2