Preparation Questions

[TheSpoonyBard]

1) Weapon upgrades, unlike other FFs, are not necessary in this game untill the third or final disc. Don't worry about these.

2) I believe if you failed to draw Pandemona from Fujin you cannot get him again untill the final disc. The GFs you should have by now are Quezacotl, Shiva, Ifrit, Siren, Brothers, Diablos, Carbuncle, Leviathan, and Pandemona. I suggest you have your GFs set up as so:

Character 1: Ifrit, Carbuncle, Leviathan, Pandemona
Character 2: Shiva, Siren, Diablos
Character 3: Quezacotl, Brothers

You should try to have 100 of each magic, and by now you should be drawing level 2 or 3 magic (e.g. Fira/aga). I know it may seem like a daunting task, but the efforts of a few extra minutes in battle will prove a great relief to you in times of need.

I've attached a database I constructed illustrating the effects various magics have on your stats. You should be able to see here which ones are best suited to the stat you have in question. I hope it helps you.