Quote Originally Posted by Mirage View Post
Pft, you don't need to train if you're good at RPGs.
Not the softest way to say this, but I agree .
The only "grinding" I did from time to time was to accumulate loot to buy some better equipment. I did get slightly stuck at a few spots like the Sochen Cave Palace, but other than that I was able to take care of most of the bosses by using tactics. Sorry, but if you need to level up by 5-6 levels between each mission, you haven't learned to play this game properly. OTOH if you don't want to grind, you _cannot_ play this game like other FFs, i.e. mostly by banging away at the "fight" command and then healing when you need to.

Some hints based on my experience: have dedicated magic users with mystic armours and staves/rods. Use them to cast slow, blind, gravity, silence (when appropriate), and other offensive spells as well as curing spells. The fact that offensive magic is effective in this game allows space for significantly more varied strategies than in previous FF games (where offensive magic usually sucked relative to regular attacks from the better fighters, at least when its MP cost was factored in). Moreover, bosses are sometimes vulnerable to certain status afflictions such as slow and blind. Take advantage of this. Also make liberal use of stat-reducing technicks like addle, expose, wither, etc. Have your entire party under protect at all times (after a certain point the game). Try not to fight monsters in big groups whenever possible, and know when to run away. If a certain class of monster keeps wiping the ground with you, just avoid them when possible. If all monsters in an area are wiping the ground with you despite your best efforts, then try to get new equipment or activate additional licenses, and only if this fails should you level grind.

After 70 hours I had around 20 marks if my memory serves me right, and I finished the game in 90 hours with around 27 or 28 marks finished, and my highest level was 48. I've also been gaming for around 15 years, and I didn't have the problems you did. Yes, this game has less character interaction than the other post FF5 FFs, and the story seems to happen more "behind the scenes". These are the game's weakest points, though I don't feel the story is "bland". It had the potential to be much better though.