Current Events > Started Final Fantasy 8 for the first time

(+) Yeah! (+)

Wtf is junctioning and why do my cards with high numbers lose to cards with lower numbers?

3x movement speed on the remaster is cool tho.
---

I played this back in 1999. on PS1 which was 21 years ago.


---

mattymad posted...

Regarding triple triad

I've always heard the card game called this, but so far these words have never actually appeared in the game. They just call it "cards" or "card game."

---

Game has great presentation and us especially exciting in the beginning but damn does it get stupid lol. Hope you enjoy it regardless.

my first impression is that they're trying to do FF7 again, but edgier. Squall is a moody Cloud, even looks like him and has a giant sword....except it's also a gun. Same sort of Fantasy/Sci-fi setting. SeeD instead of Soldier. Rinoa looks like Tifa

---

I love VIII until the end of disc 2. Right around then the story gets unbelievably stupid and it really drags the rest of the game down.

---

the card game is the best part about this game

---

Emerald_Wyvern posted...

I love VIII until the end of disc 2. Right around then the story gets unbelievably stupid and it really drags the rest of the game down.

This so much
Quickly becomes the worst FF game

---

I'd be disappointed if a FF game's story didn't go off the rails by Act 3. As long as the gameplay remains solid, I'll be happy.

---

I got bored about an hour in and stopped playing it

---

I am replaying it via the remastered now.

The end of disc 1 is one of my favorite parts of the series, and the end of disc 2 is just fantastic. I am at the start of disc 3.

---

I'm sorry to hear that, TC.

You'll get past this and like me cry every time you remember it.
---

I got to the end of disc 1 a few weeks back but havent picked it up since. Though I havent been really playing games the last few weeks.

Is there a downside to just spamming GFs every turn? Seems to be by far my strongest attack and since there isn't a magic point system, I can seemingly do it an infinite number of times, right? Help me understand.
---

The downside is the waste of your life watching their animations.

But no, in terms of gameplay I don't remember there being a downside. They become weaker later in the game, well some of them do, and there's not much reason to. If their HP reaches zero they get knocked out and cant be used again till they're restored. I don't remember if you can do that right away, if using tents or resting affects it, or if you need to use gf revive items.
---

Does a GF's HP go down with each use?
---

No. When you summon them their HP bar replaces that of the summoner and they take damage in the summoner's place. Until the summon cast is completed.
---

Sweet. Thanks
---

lilORANG posted...

Is there a downside to just spamming GFs every turn? Seems to be by far my strongest attack and since there isn't a magic point system, I can seemingly do it an infinite number of times, right? Help me understand.

It's suboptimal. If you really want to break the balance of the game, what you want is abilities that turn enemies into cards, cards into items, and items into magic. You get them from different GFs pretty early on. Once you have those, you can get max amounts of really strong magic really early, and junction them to every stat. That way you'll be pretty overpowered, especially if you don't level up a lot (enemies level up with you). If you spend like an hour in the beginning playing cards to get certain ones, you'll be able to get Squall's ultimate weapon (which yields his final limit break) on disc 1.

Then there are some specific magics that further break the game. Aura gives your character limit break without having to be at critical HP (just keep pressing triangle if the limit break option doesn't show up on your turn), Meltdown removes defenses of enemies. You can get both those from enemies pretty early on disc 1 as well, by turning them into cards etc, and they let you spam limit breaks on every tough fight ever.

While FF VIII certainly had an interesting system with GFs and junctioning, it's by far the easiest to break with very little effort. And if you do things right you'll never need to summon your GFs, in fact that will be really bad compared to just spamming Squall's/Zell's/Irvine's limit breaks.

---

Next time dont skip the junctioning tutorial Quistis gives you lol

---

I suggest you stop reading the posts/guides and just enjoy the game for the 1st time.
FF8 is better played blindly, and it got worse when you actually know how to be good in the game.

---

the only thing you should know is that leveling up is detrimental

Ricemills posted...

I suggest you stop reading the posts/guides and just enjoy the game for the 1st time.
FF8 is better played blindly, and it got worse when you actually know how to be good in the game.

Agree with the playing blindly first part, but in my case the game got better when I understood the system more. When I found out that leveling up is disadvantageous (for the most part), it made for a more enjoyable experience since I didnt have to grind to get stronger like in many other RPGs of the 90s.

lilORANG posted...

Is there a downside to just spamming GFs every turn? Seems to be by far my strongest attack and since there isn't a magic point system, I can seemingly do it an infinite number of times, right? Help me understand.

I can think of one point in the game where over-reliance on GF can fuck you over. Like, to the point you will literally be stuck and might have to start the entire game over (and of course it happens super-late with no warning).

Without spoiling; There's a specific boss near the end of disc 3 where you *can't* hit a specific part of them, because killing it causes a game over. All GF hit all targets, and they all do enough damage to instant-kill said thing you're not supposed to kill.

Make absolutely sure you have some kind of single-target combat utility throughout the game, because you *will* be punished for thinking "GF = GG".
---

I want break how do better

---

One thing about 8 you need to remember is to not overlevel. Early in the game it isn't so bad, but as you head towards late game it makes the game that much harder due to the way the leveling system works.

As for the junctioning system, you junction magic on to different attributes to make yourself more powerful. You get magic from 2 different ways. Either you draw it from monsters or draw points, or later in the game you can turn cards into magic.

And it never becomes the worse FF games. As weird as the plot is, it will still never get as bad as 12 and 15.

Equip GF which gives you the ability to equip magic to your stats to make you stronger. That's junctioning.

---

So if leveling is bad, how do I level up GFs to unlock new abilities so I can synthesize items and such? Do I basically just level up to the point I have the abilities I want and then flee from everything?

---

lilORANG posted...

So if leveling is bad, how do I level up GFs to unlock new abilities so I can synthesize items and such? Do I basically just level up to the point I have the abilities I want and then flee from everything?

Get the card ability on quertzacotle and damage enemies bur don't kill them then turn them into cards.

---

Bosses give AP but no exp and turning enemies into cards using Quetzas card mod ability does the same, IIRC. Its an extremely tedious way to play and not something Id recommend for a first time player. Leveling up is bad, I guess, but its what the game is balanced around and low/no level playthroughs are ways to break that balance, already broken as it is.

Every time I played the game over leveling has never been an issue. You're literally always so fucking strong via card modding so early that leveling up does nothing to make the game harder.

---

Veggeta X posted...

Every time I played the game over leveling has never been an issue. You're literally always so fucking strong via card modding so early that leveling up does nothing to make the game harder.

Cool. Because I actually like battling >_>

---

As long as you properly junction your stats the level scaling wont matter

---

FF8 is easy enough that you actually has to gimp yourself for a challenge.
don't worry about over leveling since story bosses don't level up (iirc), but normal enemies and optional bosses do.

---

They botched the difficulty big time on this one. Junctioning and Limit Breaks absolutely destroy any sense of challenge or value in leveling up your skills.

Id love to see a modded version of the game that fixes Limit Breaks and makes junctioning well a requirement as opposed to an instawin pseudo-cheat.

---

lilORANG posted...

So if leveling is bad, how do I level up GFs to unlock new abilities so I can synthesize items and such? Do I basically just level up to the point I have the abilities I want and then flee from everything?

Leveling isn't so bad. If you never run from a fight you'll be super fine. It's just that leveling up won't make the game easier.

---

It's not bad per say, you don't really see any of the problems until you hit The final castle where they take away all of your abilities and you have to fight to get them back.

This and 9 have so much talking i wont replay....

---

Lairen posted...

This and 9 have so much talking i wont replay....

The remaster I'm playing runs at 3x the speed of the OG. Real nice for blowing through the topic and avoiding overly long summons cutscenes.
---

spikethedevil posted...

Next time dont skip the junctioning tutorial Quistis gives you lol

I never understood this complaint. I got the game day one when it first released, and the in-game explanation for junctioning worked just fine. And yet I see posters constantly whine that it makes no sense and is too difficult to figure out.

If only the game included a tutorial and maybe a help menu that can be accessed at any time.

---

Lairen posted...

This and 9 have so much talking i wont replay....

You're gonna love Xenogears then

---

lilORANG posted...

So if leveling is bad, how do I level up GFs to unlock new abilities so I can synthesize items and such? Do I basically just level up to the point I have the abilities I want and then flee from everything?

If you wait long enough you will eventually be able to find a large desert full of cactuars. They are quick little bastards but Squall will never miss and can easily kill them with a water elemental normal attack for 20 AP and basically no XP. If you go through all of the trouble necessary to get there without leveling up, you can quickly learn the rest of the abilities without gaining a level.

---

My condolences.
---

ReggieBush09 posted...

I played this back in 1999. on PS1 which was 21 years ago.

my man

---

Veggeta X posted...

Every time I played the game over leveling has never been an issue. You're literally always so fucking strong via card modding so early that leveling up does nothing to make the game harder.

It does inflate enemies hp.

Tsukasa1891 posted...

It does inflate enemies hp.

But it also changes/improves the spells that enemies carry for Draw purposes.

I think level 30 is the highest you need to go in order to access the best spells though.
---