Leveling

[BG-57]

My questions are twofold:

1) When and where should leveling the party to level 99 be done?

2) When and where should completing the License Board (except for some Espers, naturally) be done?

I've discovered that allies will be recruited at levels commensurate to the present characters, so if I leveled Vaan and Penelo to 99 before I recruit anyone else, they'd all already be at 99. Same deal with LP.

In addition I found that with three party members (and a guest) get half the experience that just Vaan and Penelo did fighting the same monsters. So again, it would seem leveling early would be an advantage.

Right now I leveled Vaan and Penelo to level 34 and filled in the top of the License Board completely. Took me 60+ hours, but I spent a lot of that time fighting weak foes for LP.

[PuPu]

1. As you are completing the Bestiary, since you will eventually have to do it anyways. Or if you don't want to complete it or already have, a good place is the Overlooking Eternity area in the Nabreus Deadlands, since about 50+ Dead Bones spawn there per entry it seems.

2. The top part of the License Board is somewhat more important than the bottom part, since you probably care that someone has Augments such as Magick Lore, Battle Lore, HP +500, and Swiftness more than you would about whether or not they could equip all the weapons and armor in the game, some of which are ridiculously hard/impossible to get anyways. So you once you get all the Licenses for all the desired weapons and armor you want to equip on the character, you should just complete the top part and just fill the bottom half when you have nothing better to spend the LP on.

By the way, why would you want to level so early? Do you want to ruin the whole game for yourself?

[Renmiri]

I found fighting just with Vaan and Penelo extremely tedious. And you are stuck around Rabanstre too. Bo-ring!

I recommend only getting to level 10 before the Palace, then rushing to Bhujerba. You get Larsa there but you won't need him at too high of a level, besides you will get him again later.

You don't want to get Vossler, your second guest at a too high level because you will have to fight him

After Vossler it is a good idea to level up. You will get Larsa again and later Reddas. And you have free roaming through most of Ivalice :D The best time to level up is then or after you get to Balfonheim IMHO.

But I finished the game at level 64 and I'm a klutz! You don't need to get to level 99, only do it if you want to.

[Xurts]

Why would you want to waste all of your time doing that? Just level normally throughout the game, otherwise you will not only waste your time but make the rest of the game mind-numblingly easy. Don't power level unless the enemies or bosses in an area are killing you easily.

[BG-57]

I've always leveled in my games early as possible. I like having a comfortable margin of error when taking on bosses. Right now the levels I've reached are hitting diminishing returns, even with slaying the cave monsters and Werewolves.

So I'll advance the plot. Thanks everyone! :)

[No.78]

I've seen someone get a 999 chain in overlooking eternity, but for me the spawns wear out at like 55 or so. I have to go back to save crystal and come back for a fresh batch.

[BG-57]

You can easily get chains that high with weak monsters like wolf-types (Wolves and Hyenas) between Giza Plains and Dalmasca Sands. The strongest monster I could get a chain so far like that is the Werewolves in Giza Plains. You can run two screens west past the save crystal and back again, they'll reappear.

But there's little point in getting a chain of 999; you'd max your inventory of Loot from that monster type long before that. Maybe you could max rare drops that way.

[ocdblackmage]

Its very easy to get chains higher that 50 or so. Right after Lamont joins your party, go into the Luhusu mines and on the second bridge, you can get a chain of at least 30 or so, then when the spawns start to run out, zone south, then past to the first bridge, then return. I got to level 17 with everyone like this, in about two hours. Lamont in your party helps a great deal, because he has those unlimited potions. My chain record there is 243. They also drop done fragments, which, by a 170 chain, are near to 99. A stack of these sells for around 20,000 gil. Average or 98exp per skeleton with Lamont in the party.

The next easiest place to level up is on the platforms in the Ogir-Yensa Sandsea. If you run from the Pineapple king and the Yensa, concentrating solely on the Urutan-Yensa, you can get a rather large chain. This is an excellent place to level up in, because it is very large, and there are gate crystals on each side of the area.

These two methods are what got all of my characters at least two quickenings each, with two having three, and enough gil to fund the entire Archadian Empire, or their downfall, if you will.

[prayzer]

I've always leveled in my games early as possible. I like having a comfortable margin of error when taking on bosses.


I'm the same way. I like to make the bosses as easy as possible because I like to get on with the story. To me, the actual gameplay is merely a means to an end. I want to see the story, and to see the story you have to play through the game and fight, fight, fight. Unfortunately, in my opinion, the gameplay has been more interesting than the story in FFXII. But, you can only go through fighting so much before you get tired of it. All I have left in the game is to go to the Bahamut sky fortress, and I have Vaan around level 68 and everyone else about 58 or so.

[boys from the dwarf]

you must have a lot of time and unless its a long drawn out project i'd seriously suggest for your health, mentality and social health that you dont do this sort of thing.

i'd imagine leveling up to level 99 takes much less time than 60 hours when done against tougher opponents.

[Renmiri]

All I have left in the game is to go to the Bahamut sky fortress, and I have Vaan around level 68 and everyone else about 58 or so.

You will pwn it. I did it at level 64 with ease.

[Orophin]

I really don't understand those who power lvl early in the game, I don't like ending an epic boss fight in one hit. :p Not only that but you are wasting your time by doing the same thing over and over again in the beginning of the game and it will be 5 times longer to hit lvl99 than someone who lvled by folowing the story.

I've power lvled at the end of the game to fight the Final Boss by lvling up to lvl60 (I was at lvl48-50 when I was first able to go fight the Final Boss) and I really regretted it. He was way too easy...

Lvl99 is really not necessary for this game, not even for the Ultimate boss of the game which have 50 millions HP. Someone even made a video of him defeating Yazmat (The Ultimate Boss) with a party of lvl 1/2/2/3/3/3. :eek:

[The black mage]

If you realy want to leval fast theres an way to make a chain that will leval up charicters atomaticaly.
its on game faqs.com (http://www.gamefaqs.com) look for the Negalmuur Auto-Leveling Guide

[Cap'n Basch]

Hitting 99 is, as people have mentioned, rather unnecessary, but if you want to be fully prepared for some of the tougher Marks and Espers, it really helps to be that strong going in.

License board completion should just randomly happen at some point late game. It isn't really something you aim to do, it's something that just happens as a consequence of you just playing the game.



I've always leveled in my games early as possible. I like having a comfortable margin of error when taking on bosses.


I'm the same way. I like to make the bosses as easy as possible because I like to get on with the story. To me, the actual gameplay is merely a means to an end. I want to see the story, and to see the story you have to play through the game and fight, fight, fight. Unfortunately, in my opinion, the gameplay has been more interesting than the story in FFXII. But, you can only go through fighting so much before you get tired of it. All I have left in the game is to go to the Bahamut sky fortress, and I have Vaan around level 68 and everyone else about 58 or so.

IMO this is a terrible approach to have to a video game. Gameplay is an end in itself. A fun game with an awful story is always better than a bad game with a great story. And storytelling in games is not as strong as it is in books or movies yet, so if a story is all you play for, why are you playing at all?

The only thing in this game I power levelled for is the first Demon Wall in Raithwall's Tomb that you're expected to run from. No way was I running from that.

[BG-57]

Update:

I have gotten the Dawn Shard but I haven't gone into the raining Giza Plains yet. All these sidequests became available and I'm just wrapping them up now.

I've managed to get the Espers Adrammelech and Zalera. Both took two tries, even with a level 38 party. Barheim Passage is very tough, even now, so I just ran when I came to the room full of Dead Bones and Specters (although Pheonix Downs can take out the second guys). The last Esper I'm going to try to get is Cuchulainn, although he may be too tough.

I've done all the hunts that can be done in the areas I've already explored. Orthos gave me a lot of trouble, even with two rounds of Quickenings. Earth Tyrant was easier than I expected.

This is certainly one of the most sidequest-intensive FFs. Since I'm trying to do them all, the overleveling was worthwhile.

[Formalhaut]

For some reason, I just love power leveling. I hate having Game overs in games, so i power level. Im aiming at being level 30 for all characters.
Im right next to ogir yensa sandsea area for 1st time. ( at the bit where yoy land at westersand, I just walk back to Rabanastre, avoids birds of course, lvl 30!)

I hunt the werewolfs in giza plains, they have 400 exp each, and theres 2 as well, if im sort for gil I kill both, go back two screens NORTH, then go back, until i have no mp or in critical danger of dieing. Then I go to crystal glade, but if im good for gil, i go straight to glade then back a screen. Rinse and repeat.

I have two teams, Team BAP ( Balthier, green magicker, Ashe, Attacker and Penelo, white magicker). And Team FBV. Same roles.



Btw do werewolfs in Giza plains drop The dagger, Galdius?

[Renmiri]

Gladius ? No he drops the Kotetsu

# Drops: Quality Hide, Earth Stone, Potion, Kotetsu
# Steal: Quality Hide, Teleport Stone, Gemini Gem
# Poach: Quality Hide, Tanned Giantskin

[BG-57]

BTW, Kotetsu is the best weapon for overleveling early on in the game. It's essential especially if you plan on going into Zertinan Caverns, which provide the best experience of any location before the Dawn Shard.

[Formalhaut]

Oh, a Katana! SWEET!!! How do I increase chance of getting it? All I get is pebbles:mad:, quality hide:) and earth stone:mad:. sooo how i get the Katana:D?

[BG-57]

I suggest advancing the plot at least until you rescue the kid with Shadestone (which I believe you already did), then fight the Werewolves, run east past the save point barely into the next area, then run west again. The Werewolves will reappear. Keep fighting them until you get a battle chain going. It's a rare drop so you'll need to fight them a lot of times.

[Renmiri]

Huh.. got me, it's not like you can chain then :(

I do believe you can chain wolves to get a Claymore though

[Mage_of_Fire]

Huh.. got me, it's not like you can chain then :(

I do believe you can chain wolves to get a Claymore though

Um, you can, and that's what he said. You don't *have* to click the big shiny blue thing on your screen.

-------------


IMO this is a terrible approach to have to a video game. Gameplay is an end in itself. A fun game with an awful story is always better than a bad game with a great story. And storytelling in games is not as strong as it is in books or movies yet, so if a story is all you play for, why are you playing at all?

The only thing in this game I power levelled for is the first Demon Wall in Raithwall's Tomb that you're expected to run from. No way was I running from that.

While I don't think leveling to 40 in this game in Rabnastre is good for your sanity, I'd say a large part of video games is the story. Single player games especially. What's the point of a game if there's no story? I certainly wouldn't play this game if i was just killing monsters as some nameless nobodies in order to kill monsters with more HP.

And yes, I'd agree that books can have better storytelling, but movies? You watch a movie for 2 hours, maybe 3 if it's some massive book adaption, and you have to meet the characters, get to know them, enter the conflict, save the day, and resolution, all in those 2 hours. How long do you play a video game? A story playthrough (someone's first playthrough, so not expecting lightning speed progression) of this game might last what, 50 hours? 70?

I'd also argue that stuff like Anime and TV Shows can have a lot more story than either. Simply by virtue of their length, they have much more time than a movie to tell their story. Not as much as a book, obviously, but still a quality anime/tv show can get you very involved with the characters.

There gets to be a point where you can't find any books/movies/etc that are up to your standard of enjoyment in a genre that's interesting to you (well, that you know about anyway). I'd definitely say a good video game is greater than a bad movie or book, even in terms of storytelling.

Not that FF12 is the greatest in the story department, but still.

[Formalhaut]

well, if you go into the crystal glade area then it breaks the chain, you have to go the north route

[Renmiri]

Yeah, I never got a chain there :(

[JonyH]

Because I wasn't following a walkthrough, I found it essential to have everyone on lv99 to beat Omega (I didn't know about the trick, which won't be posted here as it's all over the place). So I spent my time in the upper layer of the great crystal near Ultima. There are hundreds of spawning Necrofiends which get you lots of exp. especially with everyone wearing their embroidered tippets, which I wore throughout the game as soon as I went to Arcahdes onwards.

Of course if you're following a walkthrough then you probably won't be lv 72 by the time you get to the Pharos at Ridorana like I was. I did all the marks alongside the main story and didn't know where most of them were. You can gain a LOT of levels accidentally by looking for something.

[Shattered Dreamer]

I discovered an easy & quick way to level up just today since I'm trying to get most of my characters to at least level 70 or so going after Ultima & Zodiac wont be as hard. Equip all 3 of your characters with embroidered tippets & head to the Cerobi Steppe. Go after the Ring Wyrm's, they give a minimum of just over 3900 exp which with the embroidered tippets is almost 8000 exp for one monster!!!That is as good as killing 10 dead bones in the Nabrues Deadlands & much less time consuming. Using this method I leveled Vaan from level 70 to 73 in under an hour. Just thought I'd share.