For a fan just starting out...

[The Watcher]

I couldn't find a thread addressing this, so i decided to make my own.
I haven't played a recent FF since the SNES days, (FF 4-6) and the license grid and other features are getting quite confusing for myself.

So I ask the veterans of FFXII, do you have any tips for someone just starting out? Such as what licenses to buy, the whole deal with the gambit system, etc?

Thanks, and any help is greatly appreciated!

[Sergeant Hartman]

My advice is just to pick whatever classes you want for your characters, read up on what chests not to open for a certain weapon, and don't worry too much about gambits until you progress through the game.

[Big D]

There are indeed an awful lot of licenses available, but my advice is to go for balance. Don't waste all of a character's points on just weapons, or armour, or spells; but try to get a few of each now and then. If a character's good with magicks and has some spells already, then maybe they can focus on magic and magic power more than on getting better weapons. A bit of specialisation can be helpful. For a naturally strong fighter, you might want to get a few more Augments - the licenses that boost HP, attack power, and the like.

As for gambits... since you have so few gambit slots to start with, try for something simple like setting their first gambit to "ally - any > phoenix down", so they'll automatically revive a fallen foe, and "foe - party leader's target > attack", so they'll automatically gang up on whoever you want to attack. Healing gambits should always take top priority, i.e. they should be higher on the list.

To be honest, the gambits aren't much help in the early hours of the game. It's not until you get more characters and more gambit slots that it really starts becoming helpful.

[Yar]

I have a general rule for myself. If I cannot benefit from the license now, I don't purchase it. It'll still be there later, and it save some LP in case of an emergency.

The only reason I buy licenses I don't need is to reach licenses I do need.

[Bolivar]

Firstly, I would tell you that this isn't like traditional FF's where you play through a story. The world of FFXII was made for the player to explore, so I would suggest going through each area you have access to, unless the enemies are too high leveled, before proceeding. This is the way to get money, XP, LP, and higher end equipment before you can purchase it. Plus the world design is very impressive.

I would recommend having each character play a role specific to them, such as one person as a white mage, or a knight who casts support magic. If you do alot of the Mark Hunting you'll be able to unlock most of the license board eventually, but for the beginning, try to focus on the characters buying licenses for things they're already good at. LIke Yaridovich said, don't buy licenses for things you can't use yet.

For gambits, keep in mind that they are the most important part of defining each character's role within the party - much more important than licenses. Most importantly, take a look at what kind of monsters you're encountering in the current area when you're out in the field, and think about what types of status ailments you need to prevent, what attacks will you need your gambits to respond to right away,and what elements are enemies in the area weak to. Try not to set up gambits that leave you with 0 MP fairly quickly, and buy augment licenses that restore MP under certain conditions for your spell casters, and you should be good on MP.

[Dynast-Kid]

Like others have said, in terms of gameplay, gambits and licenses are probably the most prominent features in FFXII.

Licenses: From the get-go, it'd probably be in your best interest to try and gain all of the licenses you can afford and need. FFXII isn't a game where you can glide through without lots of leveling and combat. Slaying monsters will not only be fun, but beneficial, as you gain EXP and LP. Focus mainly on gaining LP, EXP will gain along with it, and try a get a good chunk early on.

You'll also probably need to do a bit of leveling up between heading for your next destination. For example, if you're in Place A, and you need to get to Place B, you oughta level a bit before heading there. It's always better to be a little too prepared than not prepared at all! xDDD

But don't worry, as you progress and kill more monsters with higher LP, you shouldn't have too much trouble if you spend wisely. And by the end of the game, if you've done most of the sidequests and a lot of exploration, all of the characters will have all of the Licenses anyway.

But until then, Gambits will be important. Very important. Their importance will fade gradually as you get farther and farther into FFXII, but early on, you'll need to pick and choose carefully. Each character should have their own area of expertise, and given a "job". For me, the best way was to divide the entire party was in 3 pairs, and each pair was given a sort of job. What I did:

PHYSICAL

• A Physical character specializes in (obviously) physical combat.

• The Physicals will wield close-range weapons, such as Axes, Hammers, Swords, Spears and the like.

• My Physical characters wore Heavy Armor, and usually had a shield on hand.

• The Physicals spend most of their combat time engaged in hand-to-hand stuff. Axe swings and sword blows, and all that jazz. They are counted on to do physical damage. Don't normally deal in magic, but may frequently use White/Green Magick

• My Physicals were (mainly): Basch and Ashe

MAGICAL

• Magical characters will specialize in Magicks and long-range combat.

• The Magicals will wield long-range weapons, such as bows, guns, or crossbows, but also be proficient in Staves, Rods and maybe Poles.

• My Magical characters wore Mystic Armor, and usually magic-oriented accessories.

• Deals heavily in Magicks, and should be able to use their skill according to the situation. For example, while fighting a foe, a spell from the Black, Arcane, or Time magick family may suffice. But if an ally is in need of help, White and Green magicks can be your best bet!

• Magicals should be kept at a distance from physical enemies, and constant movement stimulates MP regeneration.

• My Magicals were (mainly): Fran and Balthier

WILDCARD

• Wildcard characters are sort of a combination of Physical and Magical. They don't explicitly specialize in either category.

• My Wildcards wore mainly Light Armor, and pretty much any accessory I felt like giving them. When wielding a one-handed weapon, a shield was present.

• Wildcard characters can wield virtually whatever weapon you'd like. However, they're usually best with a weapon that suits their individual style. If they have a Physical inclination, give 'em a Dagger, for a Magical inclination, give 'em a Staff. They have plenty of wiggle room in that aspect

• The Wildcard is not an expert in either physical or magical combat, but they are able to switch between them easily. If your party is in need of healing, the Wildcard may be called upon to help heal or cast spells alongside the Magical. Likewise, if you have a particularly strong foe and the Physical needs help, their aid should be readily available. Usually they're just attacking physically.

• My Wildcards were (mainly): Vaan and Penelo

Of course, as the game progresses, these basic roles will overlap and a character may end up being a combination of the roles. I know that Vaan was a mix of Wildcard/Physical, and Ashe was Physical/Magical...It's not as complicated as it sounds. And I always made sure that I had one of each in the party. 1 Physical, I Magical, and 1 Wildcard. Easier that way. Though, later on in the game, such roles may seem arbitrary (by the end, all of the characters are virtually the same), but it's still fun to use them! xD

But of course, you don't have to follow any of what I just said, but i'm just telling ya how I did it, and worked for me.

PS- Whoa, such a long post! I'm so tired! Past 3 AM, I need some sleep! ;_;

[Marky Tee]

Though, later on in the game, such roles may seem arbitrary (by the end, all of the characters are virtually the same),

yea very true all my characters do roughly the same damage if they have the same weapon equpied(9999 if its excaliber or the zodiark spear)
same thing happened in ten also cept from closer to the middle of the game
anyways im babbling, some advice- if you want to gain loads of LP easily jus go back to the first or second areas in the game(estersands and westersands i believe) and slaughter your prey
most monsters give 1 lp anywhere in the game so you can rack up lots here quckly and safely

[Wolf Kanno]

There really is no wrong way to play this game but like many have mentioned, its radically different than previous installments, less hand holding and more player initiative. I'll offer some new tips that haven't been stressed.

I agree that you should go into a game knowing what you want to do with your party, the License Board gives all you need to build most of the FF job classes. One thing to keep in mind is that weapons and armor change how your character works. 1-Handed Swords are balanced, Guns are slow but ignore defense, Staves (staffs) increase the magical output of certain elements, Samurai Swords have higher chances for multi-hit and so on. Experiment and find what works for you.

Armor is separated into 3 groups: Heavy, Light, Mystical

Heavy increases Defense and certain Physical stats (Strength, Agility), Light increases HP and Mystical increases Magic stats as well as offering bonuses like "Absorb Holy" You definetly want to play around with armors and use what works best for you.

We know Curative magick is important but the two I cannot stress getting is Buffers and Status Ailment type spells. Haste, Protect and Bubble are your best friends and unlike previous installments of the series, status inflicting spells are generally more useful than offensive magick. Blind, Sap, Slow, and Berserk are sometimes more deadly to the enemy than a Flare or Holy spell.

The main thing I want to stress when playing this game is this... EXPLORE!!!. If you play for only the story you will miss out on 2/3 of the game. Ivalice is huge and the plot will not take you to all the places it has. Entire villages, cities, and dungeons are optional areas that the main story will not force you to go. You have a greater level of freedom than previous games.

I also recommend stopping and doing the Clan Hunts as soon as they appear. Mostly cause you will find that searching for them will reduce the need to stop later and grind for EXP and Gil. You also get some pretty damn good loot for finishing them. Course if you are here for story only, you may want to be lenient in this regard. The game has a few pacing issues and if you do too many of the side quests (which open up incredibly early and has many), you will find yourself going to the next story point and forgetting why you are there in the first place...