Which FF has the best Post-Game?

[Wolf Kanno]

Simple question. You're at the end of the game, the big bad is playing their final cards on the table, the destruction of the world is eminent, and the fate of all that is good hangs in the balance. What is a hero to do? Why check off a massive checklist of side missions, mini-games, and optional bosses before stepping foot in the final dungeon of course. The world can wait, I need that Ultimate Sword of Awesomness +2 and to unlock a few sexy outfits.

So which FF has the best post game/end game content in your opinion and why?

[Fynn]

I honestly really like what they added to the Advanced ports to FFI through VI (minus III). The extra dungeons are all actually pretty well done and fun to explore. That there’s a lot of call-forwards to later FFs is an added bonus.

[Slothy]

If we ignore the advance ports then I would say FFXII because I can literally just fight stuff for hours. I can't say that about literally any other FF.

[WarZidane]

The MMOs aside (because the "end-game" in MMOs is like majority of the game), I'd say probably FFXII.

[Lord Golbez]

Which FFs have postgame content? It's not exactly a staple of the series. I literally can't remember any FF of the ones I've finished having post-game content, except in the case of rereleases (like PSP FFIV has it, I think).

Seems like you're including optional endgame content too though. In which case, it's probably FFVI because that's like almost half the game, but runner up would be FFVIII for me.

[Spuuky]

Stuff like the Weapons seem like functionally "postgame content."

But I think it's definitely FF6, since the game ends when the World of Balance ends and then there's a whole second game afterward

[Fynn]

I wouldn’t say the World of Ruin counts as post-game. Post-game is usually sonething that is unlocked after the final boss or is at least intended to be faced at a higher level than the final boss. The WoR is just a less linear second half

So basically, extra dungeons, superbosses, extra hunts, added story chapters qualify.

But yeah, if we don’t count remakes, I’d say XII would actually win this, as there are two entire areas that are intended to be beaten in the post-game, and a crap ton of other stuff unlocks too. FFXV is a close contender here as well.

[Del Murder]

FFXI. ;)

[Lord Golbez]

I wouldn't say it counts as post-game either, but true post-game rules out most Final Fantasy games, because they don't actually have that. If you extend it to content that opens up at the same time the final dungeon becomes available (which is kind of what it sounds like from WK's opening paragraphs) then everything after you get the airship in WoR counts.

[Karifean]

I'd say content that exceeds the final boss in terms of difficulty is a pretty clear nominator.

Either of the Spira entries for me. They really pushed the boundaries in terms of postgame content, FFX allowing you to face off against so many unique bosses and challenges, and eventually if you want to grind out your stats, facing off against absolutely mad bosses as well. FFX's postgame mainly fails to me in how grindy it is, which is why I don't think I could play it on a different version than the PC version nowadays which features 4x speedup and SMT Rush Mode.

FFX-2 doesn't have quite as expansive a postgame as most endgame content more closely matches Vegnagun in dfifficulty, but it does have what I consider to be the single best postgame dungeon in the series, offering a challenge you straight up won't get anywhere else in the series, and I love it.

FFXII does have a real good postgame as well, including deeper parts to several dungeons scaling them up to postgame difficulty was a real nice call.

None of the pre-X entries come even close for me though (at least the ones I've played), some like the PSX era even having just one or two bosses or something.

[Fynn]

I wouldn't say it counts as post-game either, but true post-game rules out most Final Fantasy games, because they don't actually have that. If you extend it to content that opens up at the same time the final dungeon becomes available (which is kind of what it sounds like from WK's opening paragraphs) then everything after you get the airship in WoR counts.

I mean, if you extend the definitionton basically encompass half of the game, perhaps you’ve broadened the definition too far

[Lord Golbez]

Perhaps. It's probably somewhat less than half the game anyway (definitely significantly less in terms of plot). Also, consider how much post-game DQXI has.

[Fynn]

I honestly hesitate to call that a post-game either, as it’s basically a hidden alternate chapter leading to the true ending. Though I guess it fits the criteria of additional scenario, but since you need to beat it in order to uncover all of the actual plot, I’d say it actually disqualified it from actually being a post-game (despite everyone calling it that)

[Mr Gashtacular]

Although I really HATED a couple of the challenges, I guess FFX. Some of the optional content isn't necessarily postgame, but I think they did a good job overall.

[Wolf Kanno]

I honestly hesitate to call that a post-game either, as it’s basically a hidden alternate chapter leading to the true ending. Though I guess it fits the criteria of additional scenario, but since you need to beat it in order to uncover all of the actual plot, I’d say it actually disqualified it from actually being a post-game (despite everyone calling it that)

Yeah but then you have things like DQVIII where the true ending is hidden behind an optional quest that only unlocks after you beat the game.

In the case of FFVI, it's a bit tricky. Though recruiting the party is optional outside of CES, I feel the game leaves enough breadcrumbs to make it easy to figure out. Especially since I imagine most players would not head straight to Kefka's Tower once they got the airship, and even if they did, they likely ran away when they realized what it was. :ffvilaugh:

[Fynn]

Ok but DQVIII’s was short enough that it would qualify as a post game, and while it reveals new story, it’s more of an epilogue to the main character’s personal journey rather than a reveal of the true final boss. DQXI’s “post-game” is basically just the third act but hidden, which is why I wouldn’t call it a post-game, just like I wouldn’t call the WOR that.

[krissy]

the entire ff13 series

I will not be taking questions at this time

[Lord Golbez]

The distinction everyone's making for FF6 is arbitrary. Lots of end game content is good unless there's too much of it and then it doesn't count as end game content at all? Where's the cut off point? What percentage of potential gameplay is the maximum amount that can be considered end game content? Either you restrict it to content that only become available after you beat the game, or you don't. That's a categorical distinction. Otherwise, you're just making people play a guessing game of what qualifies as end game content based on what "feels" like too much to be considered end game content. I maintain the position that it's FF6, because there are only two clear categorical distinction I can think of here for the kind of content that counts. Either it's content that only opens up after the game is completed (most FFs would be disqualified for this) or its content that opens up at the same time the final dungeon becomes available (most of WoR in FF6 counts for this).

[Fynn]

I think you’re mixing up post-game content with end-game content here. To make that distinction here, let’s take FFV and FFVI here. The entirety of the Merged World and World of Ruin are optional end-game content. It’s stuff that unlocks once you unlock the final dungeon. It’s true that many vanilla releases of V and VI would be disqualified from having post-game content at all because you pretty much don’t have anything to do after beating the final boss - that is, after the game, or... post-game. Post-game content only exists for FFV and VI since the GBA rereleases, where you get the Sealed Temple, Dragon’s Den and Soul Shrine - proper post-game content that is exclusive to the post-game. Up until X you only really got end-game content, but since XII you’ve had a bunch of stuff unlock after the game is beaten, and pretty much all of the rereleases of I through VI have some form of post-game content.

So yeah, it’s not arbitrary. Post-game and end-game are just two different things that often get used interchangeably. If you wanna say the post-game of FFVI is the best one on the basis of WOR, that’s a fallacy because you’re answering a completely different question.

[Lord Golbez]

I'm only mixing them up because WK explicitly conflated them in his opening post.

[Karifean]

IMO when it comes to the distinction between endgame and postgame content it's ironically less about the specific timing of its unlock and more about its purpose and place in the game's flow. Endgame content stands 'side by side' with the game's finale and together with it brings narrative and gameplay payoffs and gives you a feeling of having reached the 'end', preparing you for and existing in direct relation to the actual, literal end of the game. Postgame content serves a very different purpose as it exists *not* to stand next to the game's narrative finale but rather for players who 'want more' from the game even beyond its main narrative, people who finish the game and haven't had enough of it yet.

And even when it's in the form of a boss that in actuality unlocks halfway through the game like Emerald Weapon, that's exactly its place in the game - you don't fight Emerald Weapon in preparation for the final boss, it *far exceeds* the entire final dungeon on its own already. You fight it if you want a challenge beyond what the game's main plot and dungeons offers you. Even if you level up like crazy and fight Emerald Weapon *before* actually finishing the game's story, that doesn't change that it is fundamentally different from something like gathering up your lost characters in the World of Ruin in Final Fantasy VI which builds towards the finale of the story itself and is on equal standing with it. Emerald Weapon is going beyond what the main dungeons including the final dungeon asks of you as a player, and is specifically for the players *wanting more*.

Or if that's too ephemereal and complicated you can just simplify it into what I mentioned previously, as in, content that exceeds the final dungeon and/or boss in terms of challenge, that's postgame content. If it's below or equal, it's endgame content. Simple as that.

[Fynn]

I don’t disagree with this, but I do think it’s worth mentioning the Emerald and Ruby weapon were added in a rerelease ;)

[Lord Golbez]

By "rerelease" you mean the original western release, correct? I mean, I'm pretty sure I got FF7 the same year it was initially released and they were in it. I'd also like to point out that whiles, yes, you don't defeat Emerald Weapon to prepare for the final boss, you may very well fight it simply because it's there and not for an extra challenge. Emerald Weapon is not particularly well hidden. I ran into him well before beating the final boss on my initial run of the game and was taken completely by surprise by how hard he was. Even at my initial defeat, I still had no conception of how much HP he had. I figured I was actually kind of close to beating him. I really had no idea that a monster running around on screen was intended to be a superboss.

[Fynn]

Yeah, Emerald was added to the Western/International version. It was not part of the original Japanese release

[qwertysaur]

Tactics A2 :colbert: