Do you even use Espers?

[hplvr]

is there even a need for espers in this game? well except to get past the gate in the feywood to go to giruvegan, but other than that do you even use them in battle?
i dont, i havent used one in my entire 12 file, i find them to be really pointless, and its weird how you have to do certain things to have them do their "special attacks"

[Zeromus_X]

In truth, they are not useful under normal means. However, they can be useful for some things. If you're running out of MP, you can try using Syphon on the Esper for some free MP. If you want to level up faster, you can summon an Esper so the summoner will gain more exp.

Other than that, I only used Belias once in a battle to totally annihilate Vossler.

[Bolivar]

I recently used Belias against the earth worm/whatever it's called in golmore, it was actually pretty useful. i think they're good to use soon after you get them, but not long after that. i'm about to get wahtever the one in stillshrine's called, maybe i'll try using it out this playthrough to see if i'm right.

[Formalhaut]

Matus right?

[Namelessfengir]

im getting them just for the fun of making them my bitches

[Vincent Valentine]

They're fair from essential, but I've found a number of situations in which deploying them tends to be very useful. The typically obvious circumstances; a monster with an elemental weakness, an off tank against groups of enemies my characters might have trouble with, taking hits from really powerful boss attacks.

Personally, I'm glad they're not overpowered. It's what I like so much about FFXII in the first place. It applies some real, smart strategies in it's battles for the first time in the series in a LONG time, and you'll only end up becoming overpowered if you go out of your way to do so.

[Brennan]

I only used Belias once in a battle to totally annihilate Vossler.

[Northcrest]

I use Zodiark about 7-10 times against Hell Wyrm. I use the other summons once to see how good they're except for Hashmal and Ultima for some reason.

[LunarWeaver]

Not really. If you can kill the Esper, you can kill everything faster than it once it's yours. The balance of it is pretty off.

[Jessweeee♪]

I didn't use them much...especially when there were more than two enemies in a boss fight...

I found the espers pretty useless in battle if there were several enemies ganging up on my party. When that was the case the Esper died pretty quickly.

[Roto13]

They looks pretty.

[Hambone]

They looks pretty.

This and they're "Limit Breaks" :)

That's the only reason why I use them.

Cuchulainn's ultimate attack is disgusting! :(

[Xurts]

I found Espers to be completely useless. Worst summons ever, IMO.

[Renmiri]

They are good for when enemies gang up on you or to syphon MP from them

[Shattered Dreamer]

They provide entertaining fights but apart from that as I said in that thread I started they suck.

[Jessweeee♪]

They are good for when enemies gang up on you or to syphon MP from them

That's when they'd keep dying on me :cry:

...then again I was severely underleveled through ninety percent of the game...

[Proxy]

Well, I might have if you characters didn't become near gods, and Espers become totally useless.
By the time you're strong enough to beat them, they hold no purpose.
But they are fun to summon & run around with.

[Psychotic]

They're nice eye candy, but nothing more.

[Grazia]

Never used them... Didnt feel as if there was a need to use them.

Nice to look at, but not really essential in battle. :)

[gudkid]

they're eye nourishments... to relieve all the stress the eye muscles accumulated during playing the game...
:)

[PeneloRatsbane]

i like the stories they have, and their names. espeacially Famrit the darkning cloud? was it i don't remember but i liked that one.

[Bomber]

I don't use them anymore, but I'm still gonna get them all just for bragging rights, if nothing else...

[No.78]

I like using them, they're fun to use! So yes, I do.

[Timerk]

They're nice eye candy, but nothing more.

You say that like it's a bad thing :love:.

Srsly, summons were such a huge part of FFX battles, I didn't mind them taking a backseat here.

[Heath]

They're nice eye candy, but nothing more.

I'd agree with this and beyond the odd boss battle immediately after getting Belias and getting into Giruvegan I never really bothered with them. I did, however, bother to get all the espers for the sake of completion.

[Icerose2300]

I am sorry I haven't been on recently! But onto the subject!
I use them on random foes I find walking around, Just to level them up a bit. Other than that I really didn't use them alot! I used Quickenings more than anything.

[H-Kazami]

Though I only started on FFXII recently, but after obtaining Belias, I find that Espers aren't really useful, except maybe in some particular battles. What really bugs me is that I have to use all my MP(1 Mist Charge) to summon, and it died on me after a few seconds.:cry:
I'm surprised that FFXII's summons became some kind of eye candies, since other series' summons prove to be somewhat useful in their own uniqueness, especially in VIII and X I think.

[pspkilla]

The game's main focus is more on melee than anything, i hardly used espers, and the only Magick i used really was Magicks like Bubble, Syphon, Shellga, Protectga, and Dispelga.

[Reeno the Alchemist]

Yea i really never used them except for once in a deadly situation i wish not to repeat!i think you only actually have to use an esper 1 or 2 times in the game =/.Honestly i thought they were useless. Cool but useless =-= :(

[pspkilla]

yea i agree, and i didn't like how only one person could summon an esper and that you had to spend LP to actually be able to use them.

['Gilgamesh']

I never really found them too useful, you can certainly do without. I mostly use them for fun.

[ReloadPsi]

Used 'em once each upon acquisition. They're useless.

[Sick Boy]

I used them a few times, rarely against bosses, but I did occasionally, just to mess around. My party was better without the Esper, but I still liked to screw around with them.

[Ace14]

I used and fought them just for fun, I used them every once in a while. I always used them right after I got them just to see their specials and then I didn't use them for a while except Cuchulainn which was my useful esper. Other than him I didn't really use espers that much unless I was bored or in serious danger. Sometimes I used them during another esper fight just to see two espers fight. :D

[Jimsour]

Earlier in the game I would kite a boss and let Belias throw everything he can, worked really well untill he started getting weak compared to my characters.

[PeneloRatsbane]

i use Ultima, its actually a good one. i haven't used the others and i'm yet to get Zodiark tho

[Nifleheim7]

I mostly use them for fun.

[xXsarahXx]

i dont really use them, i dont really see it as nessesary like they were in say FF 10. You can get past the game pretty easily without them (besides the Gigas gate).
All you need is some nice strong magic. Holy works wonders on most things!

[Crossblades]

I mostly use them for fun.

Same, especially when I overleveled =)

Btw, has anyone ever read this FAQ from Gamefaqs on how Espers can be useful?

GameFAQs: Final Fantasy XII (PS2) Esper Guide by aldoteng (http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/ps2/file/459841/46306)

Seems interesting. I'm gonna try this on my second playthrough(or when I purchase FF XII International Zodiac Job System somethime this month)

[Hazzard]

I hardly even need to open the battle menu, so I rarely get around to selecting Espers as it is.

[The Mog Ninja]

I used Belias to help on the Dragon in the Golmore Jungle. He took the Spore Fly move thing. It was helpful. He also managed to deal...maybe 17 damage?

[Evolavas]

On rare occasions.

Ex. overwhelmed enemy attack, sometimes marks and bosses, and in critical situations.

But pretty much, i hardly had a dire need to use them except for once or twice really.

[ff is da best]

i didnt really use them .......my party were way more effective..
i only used my espers to see what there last final moves were sum were quite cool too bad it takes too long and u have to do certain things to trigger them. well u know wat i mean