You must be this hurt to use

[blackmage_nuke]

Does anyone use the items with the special effects that only activate when you're on low health (eg. Mythril Glove from VI which only casts safe when HP is low or Shell SOS armour abilities in X)

Really I like to keep my hp up in games so I barely ever use these. I might have in FFVIII when low hp was needed for limit breaks but there werent any in that game.

[Wolf Kanno]

Valiant Knife, a few of the FF weapons, Limit breaks in VIII, hell just Chrono Trigger...

Its funny this topic comes up since I just totally owned Queen Zeal tonight with Ayla and Frog. Dino Tail and Frog Squash ftw! :cool:

I tend to try every tactical item or ability I can just to see if its worth it. Almost forgot the Power Crisis in Xenogears.:love:

[blackmage_nuke]

I admit that low health abilities come in really handy like Dino tail but Im debating more about whether its really worth using up an accesory slot for an effect that wont be active 3/4 of the time (Unless you intentionally stay at low health)

[Wolf Kanno]

In terms of the defensive equipment, most are useless since if something was able to knock you down so low in health to use the ability, chances are it will kill you no matter what Auto ability you have from your equipment.

In this regard, I do find them useless but I come from the school of thought (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_Y6231uAmo&feature=related) that stresses taking out your enemies before they can hurt you... ;)

[NeoCracker]

High Damage output for the win!

[Zeromus_X]

Other than Dino Tail-type moves in CT or Limit Breaks in FFVIII (they actually get stronger the less HP you have, too), I can't recall using them very often.

[Bunny]

I tend to keep my health as close to full as possible and, as such, neglect to use any item that activates based on a low health. I don't see the point as, most of the time, there are other equipment or skills that will do just as much damage without the chance of dying. I don't like wasting turns using a Phoenix Down on someone because they tend to die again immediately afterwards.

[black orb]

>>> I dont like the idea of having low HP to activate a certain item/accesory (way too risky), i`d rather have equipped stuff that boost my defense..

[Marshall Banana]

In my current playthrough of FFX, Auron and Lulu are equipped with SOS Regen armor! I like!

[Crimson]

Honestly no, the FF games are great, but they're also bloody easy, the fact that you had to be near low HP just to use a Limit was my one problem with FFVIII, simply because I very rarely ever got below even 50%, I usually had to drag a battle out if I wanted to use a Limit Break.

[Goldenboko]

Only game I did that was Final Fantasy VIII, low healthed, aura'd, limit break spam. Things would die before they got a chance to attack me.

[killiancurse21]

The SOS abilities in FFX are useful in some cases.

For example, if you get a character to low HP, SOS Reflect makes you completely invincible against Seymour Natus, except for the very weak attacks his little buddy uses. (That being said, I can't think of any other case where SOS Reflect comes in handy in a regular game. It's useful in some challenges, but not in a normal play.)

Haste in general is a great thing to have in FFX, even if it's only when you're at low HP. In fact, if you have SOS Haste, it can be a lifesaver by helping you quickly get those turns you need for healing. In a similar way, SOS Regen can help you stay alive when your HP's been knocked down.

Against random encounters that, rather than one powerful attack, throw multiple weak ones at you, SOS Protect and SOS Shell are basically another form of HP+50%.

[Heath]

Beyond FFVIII and the limits there, I never bothered. I always found it too much of a hassle to bother. I hate seeing my characters with low health and always prioritise healing over dealing damage unless such a strategy won't work (e.g. an enemy that can cause insta-death) or if I can finish the enemy off quickly.

[Depression Moon]

Yeah they're all pretty useful like killian said SOS hate and Shell could be lifesavers. I always have mythril glove on Locke.

[Vermachtnis]

Nope, except for Catnip in X-2. But that was just for pure funness. I'd rather have Auto-Skills. The only SOS stuff I use is Protect and Shell. Although there is Phoenix in FFIVDS that was awesome.

[killiancurse21]

There's no doubt that the Auto-'s are superior, but that's exactly the point of the SOS's. They're easier to obtain and available earlier, in exchange for being not as good.

[eestlinc]

I think the point is that when you unexpected;ly find yourself at low health, the bonus comes in and helps you survive. I guess this would be useful if you get your ass kicked a lot. But I don't think anyone intentionally keeps low health to activate the bonuses.

[NeoCracker]

Um, in FF X, SOS haste is useless, for the simple fact I see no reason not to haste everyone long before their HP is so low, since you get Haste relatively early. :p

[theundeadhero]

Only with the abilities in Chrono Trigger. Otherwise I pretty much ignore them.

[Rostum]

FFXI has quite a bit of equipment that has latent effects when you sub a certain subjob, or when your health is in the yellow.

Hercules Ring gives Regen and Refresh if you're below 50% HP, and there are some rings and necklaces that give Magic Attack Bonus when HP is at a certain percentage. Etc.

[killiancurse21]

Um, in FF X, SOS haste is useless, for the simple fact I see no reason not to haste everyone long before their HP is so low, since you get Haste relatively early. :p

Not nessecerially. One of the biggest advantages is that should the enemy cast Dispel or Slow on you, your casted Haste is gone. Not so for SOS Haste. In fact, SOS Haste even allows you to avoid the Slow (and associated loss of Haste) inflicted by Evrae's Stone Gaze (in cases where you're immune to Petrify), which Slowproof/Ribbon will not protect you against. This is a lifesaver if SOS Haste gives you that extra turn you need to get your health back up.

[NeoCracker]

It it's dispelled I see no reason to just re-cast it. Seems like the far superior option to waiting for your health to drop to get it back.

Though I can see the use against Evrae now that you mention it, though I can't see where else it would be useful. Overall, SOS is still mostly useless, with the exception of a couple instances.

[killiancurse21]

Nothing's stopping you from also casting it when your HP is high. However, having it automatically once it gets low is a lifesaver in some cases.

[Wolf Kanno]

When it comes to the defensive abilities like SOS stuff, I prefer it in the Tactics series cause its much more manageable. I just never saw the use in the main series cause ATB sometimes gets in the way. X might have been able to pull it off but the game was hardly difficult enough to warrant a need for the abilites, same can be said of FFV and VI.

[Darkswordofchaos]

I hardley ever use them but they can come in handy for fast enemies to keep you allive that extra turn to heal them but usally i try and keep healed anyways
but if i remember correctly the are pretty good in FFVI cause the remain in effect even after you heal back up