Thanks for all the suggestions guys. This is definitely going to be an exercise in patience. I just finished another 30 minute long random battle and I gained 7 levels and almost mastered the chemist. I think I'm ready to continue the story. I'm going to try at least. Is there something in game that shows which jobs lead to which jobs?
Sadly, you can only view job requirements after you've already had someone in the party unlock the job. So, not really. There are a couple of handy charts on GameFAQs though.
Yeah, some magic classes have a high cost to master and not all magic can be used with arithmetic. For example, the level 4 elemental spells do not work with arithmetic, nor does the level 4 cure spell. For a solo run be strategic then. You’ll need to unlock arithmetician, so that means at least level 5 in all magic classes. From the black mage you probably only want the level 1-3 elemental spells as you can’t absorb Flare and can’t use the level 4 spells. From the white mage you definitely want Holy as it may be the best elemental attack you can still absorb with a decent armor. You’ll probably want shell, protect, arise, regent and the first three cure spells just in case. From the time mage you may not need much. Meteor doesn’t work with arithmetic, and honestly I haven’t ever needed the other abilities with Ramza as he has pretty good squire abilities. Maybe teleport, which would be clutch in a solo run. From the mystic, I typically don’t bother with much. You will want to master arithmetician in one battle. And you’ll want his whole command set. You won’t need his other abilities though. That wouldn’t be too bad. With the right battles that could all be done in 5 battles that you dragged out via tailwind, Focus, JP Boost.
In game if you get access to a job with one character you can then find out whats needed to get there for others. For a solo run that isnt optimal. Theres a few really good online resources for this you can google.
That sounds like a solid plan. I googled Arithmatician and it sounds pretty powerful. I've been gaining about 6 job levels per battle so that should work. If Teleport gives me greater mobility, it would very helpful. I do a lot of running for my life. I just finished up The Siedge Weald. I'm worried about the next battle with my puny Black Mage. Better put my running shoes on.
Keep in mind that Teleport isn't a 100% success rate. It's 100% within the range of panels that you would normally be able to move; after that, subtract 10% for each panel beyond your normal range. So, it's *usually* okay to stretch it a panel or three, but don't go too crazy. Teleport is quite good even without pushing it to the limits; it also ignores height and obstacles, so you can just move right through pesky walls or doors.
You stay in place. For a ranged character it’s not the worst result. But as was said, the real power is in the ability to move through obstacles and ignore height. A lot of battlefields have a few high altitude spots that are easy to defend, or natural obstacles you can put between you and a pursuer. One note: if you do pick up arithmetic, an enemy with a faith score of zero (which is pretty rare) would be something you could not kill with your magic. A few battles in the endgame have that quirk. That’s where your main class choice could be important. Arithmetic once you have the magic to support it can be a secondary action command for any other class effectively. It’s free instant magic. Combining it with magic boosts will give you more punch, but if you’re a fast class or can take a hit that won’t matter.
One last thing, be very picky with what you spend your JP on. Im thinking you only really need a small number of spells. Black magic: level 3 elemental spells White mage: Holy, level 3 cure, Arise, Wall Time Mage: Slow and maybe haste. (And Teleport move ability). Mystic: ??? That would let you do a lot of damage and heal and buff yourself. Once you can absorb elemental attacks youll be able to heal and attack at the same time. I have to say Im wondering if dual wielding pistols would be a way to go also. You could take Orator as your main class to charm opponents, pick up dual wield from the ninja, and go to town. You wont deal a lot of damage as the pistols sold in the shops arent super great, but you would hit from far away, run with teleport, heal with auto potion, and use arithmetic. God I love this game for all the crazy crap you can pull off.
Oh, one last idea. I know it might violate the whole solo run thing, but if you bring a chocobo to battle you can mount it like a war horse. I was going to go that route this time as I always wanted to try a cavalry approach. Its an alternative to teleport that might be worth trying as red chocobos can FLY. Flying mounted cavalry sounds fun.
I'm guessing you absorb elemental damage with certain armor? Then I can heal by casting on myself. So are you saying I can hit myself and an enemy with magic at the same time? That would be pretty useful. The Chocobo thing sounds fun but if I'm going to do this, I want to do it right. I already tried to dismiss the story characters....that didn't work. I can see how you could play this game many, many times and play it differently each time. Pretty cool.
Can't dual-wield guns. Though I do love them because they can't be evaded except by the rare exception such as the Samurai counter ability Shirahadori. Fully agree on part 2 of above.
- Yep, there are some shields and armors that absorb elements. You won't run across those for a while. You can also nullify certain elements with equipment (first example I can think of are the Rubber Shoes in chapter 2 to null lightning - you'll want a pair of those). - Calculator / Arithmetician can easily hit you and enemies at the same time.
Back into it again! I'm continuing the playthrough I started last year and continued during SRPGSeptember. Just had to beat Dragon Quest before I could start.
Orator Challenge Golgollada Gallows, A.K.A. Golgorand Execution Site As expected, this one took a while. I had a solid strategy (land two Entices in round 1, and Mimic Daravon on the boss), but the numbers on getting it to happen weren't in my favor. On top of that, I had a couple tries where Ianded one Entice... and the second Knight had Geomancy or some other awful secondary that punished me. Luckily, I knew whether the battle was winnable after round 1 or 2, so the resets didn't cost me that much time. On my winning run, I Enticed both Knights near Ramza's group, landed a Mimic Daravon to put the boss to sleep, then sat back shooting the remaining enemies while my Knight buddies helped out. One round of gunshots was enough to take out the boss as long as Ramza shot first (Zodiac compatibility good, so I got even more bonus damage shooting him while he was asleep). Lionel Gate This battle is trivial if you (strategy spoiler) Spoiler equip rubber shoes on everyone; the enemies except the boss and the summoner all have lightning weapons and they can only damage you if they have Geomancy or Martial Arts as secondaries . I took out the Summoner round 1, landed Mimic Daravon on the boss (Sleep is such a fantastic status effect), then systematically destroyed the mooks before again turning my pistols on the boss. Inside Lionel Castle This one took two tries; I made a poor strategy decision by bunching up my people in the first run. When I spread out for the second battle, it went great. Again, just peppered the boss with physical attacks for the win. There's an equipment strategy that helps out in this battle too, but I'll only mention it if anyone gets stuck. End chapter 2. Playtime a shade over 8 hours (3 hours in chapter 2). Ramza and co. all either level 12 or 13. On to chapter 3...
Just finished the Dorter battle as a Black Mage. Got all the essential skills and switched to Time Mage. Can't wait to get Haste. The beginning of each battle is the most difficult. I have to try to not get trapped until I get enough speed to get 2 or 3 turns in a row. If I get to that point, it gets easier.
Yeah, Tailwind really makes battles easier. I got Ramza to 50 speed (the cap) once and he ran circles around everything. Good luck as you go.
Ha Ha! I haven't finished Chapter 1 and I'm at 7.5 hours. Ramza is at level 44. Is there a level cap?
Yep, 99. You'll easily hit that, I'm sure. Plot battles are going to be somewhat of a breeze for you in spots because the plot battles are at a set enemy level, but the randoms are scaled to yours.
