espers

[Pumpkin]

I am starting Final Fantasy 12 soon and although I played it before, I didn't get far and I was wondering how easy/hard it is to get the espers.

Also, I heard that they are based on the 12 zodiak signs, so if someone knows which one symbolizes which, I would also like to know that

Thanks for the help

[TrollHunter]

Well the story-line espers are quite easy to defeat, its the optional espers that provide a suitable challenge. (Stupid... big... green... sap obsessed fat man)
Sadly I do not know which symbolizes which :\

[Wolf Kanno]

Their not completely based off the actual Zodiac signs but more like their based off the Lucavi and Totema from the FFT series. Though four of them are also based off former FF bosses.

Belias The Gigas - Aries: FFTactics Fans will remember him as the Lucavi Wiegraf transformed into. He's XII's Fire Summon. You'll fight him in the story.

Chaos Walker of the Wheel - Taurus: Based off FFI final boss Chaos, He is the Wind Elemental Summon. He's located in the Nabudis ruins and he seals the Attack command when you face him.

Zalera The Death Seraph - Gemini: He's the Lucavi that Elmdore transformed into in FFTactics. His element is Death. He's in the hidden area of the Baraheim Passage and requires you to get a key from the Sick Man in the Desert quest. He must be defeated in five minutes or the battle will reset and you'll have to start over.

Zeromus The Condemner - Cancer: Based off the final boss of FFIV. His elemental is Gravity and his Big Bang attack is one of the strongest attacks in the game. He is located in a hidden part of the Stilshrine of Miriam and he seals the Magick command.

Hashmal Bringer of Order - Leo: He's the Lucavi Folmarv transforms into in FFTactics. He is the Earth Elemental Summon and he's encountered in the story. He is also the only magical earth spell your party gets.

Ultima The High Seraph - Virgo: The Final boss of FFTactics and the Totema for the Nu Muo in FFTAdvance. She is the Holy Elemental summon and her Ultimate attack is a bitch in a half to use. She is located in a hidden section of the Crystal and cycles through all the seals on your parties abilities (no attack, no magic, no items, no techniques, gravity effect, and HP sap) and gains a unique one that saps your MP. She is easily one of the hardest optional boss fights in the game.

Exodus The Judge-Sal - Libra: Named after a different translation of ExDeath's name he was also the Totema for the Viera race in FFTAdvance. His element is said to be Aether in some guides, but its really non-elemental as he uses Meteor as his Ultimate Attack. He's fought in a secret section of the Mosphoran Highway and he seals your item command.

Cuchulainn The Impure - Scorpio: He was the Lucavi Cardinal Delacroix transformed into FFTactics and was the first Lucavi fight. His element is Poison and he is fought in a hidden section of the Garamsythe Waterway under Rabanastre. His battle involves a permanent HP sap on the party.

Shemhazai The Whisperer - Sagittarius: She is unique cause she is neither a final boss from an FF game nor has she appeared as a Lucavi or Totema in previous Ivalice titles. Her element is Soul, but its really Death and she's a bit like XII's version of Odin if you ask me but maybe its the horse thing. She is encountered in the story.

Adrammelech The Wroth - Capricorn: FFTacics fans will remember him as the Lucavi Dycedarg transformed into. He's also the Totema for the Bangaa in FFTactics. His element is Lightning and he's encountered in a section of the Zertinan Caves. He is usually the first optional Esper you can challenge.

Famfrit The Darkneing Cloud - Aquarius: His title gives the impression it may actually be a reference to Cloud of Darkness from FFIII. He first appeared as a Totema from FFTAdvance for the Moogle race. Its element is Waterand it is the only offensive spell that uses higher tier water elemental magic that the party can use. Its is encountered in the story.

Mateus The Corrupt - Pisces: He is named after the Emperor from FFII (Mateus is his name from the Japanese only novels) and first appeared as Totema for the Humes in FFTAdvance. He is a Ice elemental summon and is encountered in the story.

Zodiark Keeper of Precepts - Ophiuchus/Serpentarius: Is the ultimate summon in the game and first appeared in FFTactics as a secret summon used by the games optional boss Elidibus. His element is Darkness but his ultimate attack is non-elemental and does roughly 50,000 damage. He is encountered in a hidden dungeon located in the Henne Mines, that can only be accessed by getting the key in Jahara after you have 10 Espers and have defeated the Mark Catoblepas. Zodiark doesn't pull any weird gimmicks in his fight but his Darkga attacks has an instant death property, and their is no 100% sure way to protect yourself from instant death magic so its not uncommon to see your main party get completely wasted by his first attack. He is easily the cheapest boss in the game.

[Pumpkin]

thanks for the info, some of those sound pretty hard O.O

Also, do you have to fight them when you are in that area or can you come back later? Because I seem to remember some of those areas being pretty early in the game.

And how am I supposed to survive an attack that does 50 000 damage?

[Fynn]

I believe the specific areas they're in are out of reach at the beginning. You need to progress further in order to unlock them.

[Wolf Kanno]

thanks for the info, some of those sound pretty hard O.O

Some of them are pretty tough, Ultima, Cuchulainn, and Zodiark are especially tough assholes. But levels and having certain equipment will help immensely.

Also, do you have to fight them when you are in that area or can you come back later? Because I seem to remember some of those areas being pretty early in the game.

Like White Wizard of Fynn said, most require doing a particular sidequest to even get access to some of the areas. Both the Barehim Passage and Garamsythe Waterway require getting keys to even reach the arena for the espers. Of the optional espers, Adrammalech is the easiest to encounter cause he's just wondering in a section of the Zertinan Caverns which is why he's usually the first one you encounter.

And how am I supposed to survive an attack that does 50 000 damage?

That's Zodiark attack when you finally earn him as a summon, he doesn't use it on you. Most of the espers cast a special -ja version of their element attack as their ultimate attack in their battles. Some of them (Ultima and Zodiark) have special status inflictions attached to them as well so you have to wear the right equipment to counter them. When you get them as actual summons is when you get to see their true attacks like Exodus' Meteor, and Zodiark's Final Eclipse.

The real bitch with several of the optional espers is that they can summon unlimited spawns of minions. Adrammelech, Zalera, and Zeromus would all be pushovers if they didn't summon near unlimited undead to fight you.

Chaos, keeping true to his role as the final boss from FFI, starts his fight with with four elemental entites that correspond with the four fiends. Most of the story bosses luckily don't pull this crap but be careful with what you think you know about elemental weaknesses, Mateus is Ice elemental but he's actually weak to Lightning, not fire, so don't summon Belias cause he will get his ass handed to him, cause he is weak to ice.

[Pumpkin]

Thank you or the help.

I am particularly happy about Mateus (somewhat) representing pisces and being ice elemental because I am a pisces and have always favored ice magic in Final fantasy games. I dunno why but that's the way I am. So I think I can overlook the fact he will be trying to kill me.

That Ba'Gamnan fellow however... Well he is just lucky that I am not a character in the game or he would be recieving a very strongly worded letter!

[TrollHunter]

Thank you or the help.

I am particularly happy about Mateus (somewhat) representing pisces and being ice elemental because I am a pisces and have always favored ice magic in Final fantasy games. I dunno why but that's the way I am. So I think I can overlook the fact he will be trying to kill me.

That Ba'Gamnan fellow however... Well he is just lucky that I am not a character in the game or he would be recieving a very strongly worded letter!

He received a very strongly thrust spear up his arse (SPOILER)when I fought him during a high ranked hunt .

[Mercen-X]

You know, a lot of the espers have physical attributes that make it easy to assign them a zodiacal sign. Hashmal has the face of a lion, Belias has the horns of a ram, Adrammelech has the head of a goat, Mateus swims like a fish during his ultimate attack, Zeromus has the crabclaw, Ultima is the only chick, Zodiark looks like tiny snake, Zalera has a second head thanks to that shamaness, Famfrit has a buer of water (or darkness, whatever), Chaos has the head of a bull, Shemhazai has the body of a horse...

As for Exodus and Cuchulainn, well... the only way you'd know he bore the sign of libra was if someone told you. Cuchulainn you might be able to guess if you assumed he'd stabbed himself in the head with his own stinger.

[dambaz]

i thought the espers where pretty pointless in battle cant remeber whats called didnt really like FF13 but there was 1 esper you fight and you cant hurt it physically (survice to say i didnt get)

[TrollHunter]

i thought the espers where pretty pointless in battle cant remeber whats called didnt really like FF13 but there was 1 esper you fight and you cant hurt it physically (survice to say i didnt get)

This threads based on FFXII not FFXIII

[dambaz]

[QUOTE=TrollHunter;3011579]

i thought the espers where pretty pointless in battle cant remeber whats called didnt really like FF13 but there was 1 esper you fight and you cant hurt it physically (survice to say i didnt get)

This threads based on FFXII not FFXIII[/QUOTE

Put 13 instead 12 you get what i meant though

[TrollHunter]

They're more useful in 13. In 12 I don't recall using 1 in my last 3 play-throughs. I actually used espers a fair amount in FF13.