Experimental Tactics

[cronced]

I've been playing these games forever, mostly PS 1 and 4. I would guess many of you, from time to time, deviate from "normal" ways of playing through the games and experiment with your tactics.

Maybe you build up each character as they join the game, or try to acquire characters quickly to build experience and have a well rounded group. Maybe you focus on saving tons of meseta for the best weapons you can afford, or just buy what you can and advance your player stats in small steps.

I have made a habit of skipping unnecessary parts. In PS1, I don't bother with Medusa or the Laconic Axe. I also don't bother with getting the land rover, but these are probably common tactics.

Recently I hit a point in PS4 where I decided I was only going to use Wren. I let everyone else die, and played through with him. At first it was just to see how far I could get and how powerful he would become before I needed everyone else. Much to my surprise, he started single handedly defeating bosses and next thing I knew I was at the end game stage with a level 70 something Wren, and a bunch of dead characters that never got out of their 20's.

Wren (and Demi) has loads of advantages. I was able to ignore most chests, healing items, magical dews, buying equipment... the list goes on. He heals when he walks. He is impervious to paralysis, death and sleep spells. His pulse weapons hit everything. He laughs at Vopal Spheres. He is a one droid wrecking crew. I also skipped every guild quest except for the Silver Soldier one at Vahal Fort. And Anger Tower? No thanks. Not necessary.

Profound Darkness is a little too much for just Wren, but by this point, when you go back for Demi, she is at a high level due to the fact that your "5'th" characters gain the experience points you get in battles from the time you lose Kyra until they all show up in the spaceport on Motavia.

Wren is a bad ass that the programmers didn't intend, and he makes every other character nearly meaningless for more than half the game.

If you have any unusual ways of playing through the games, I would love to hear about them.

[augmentedfourth]

It's been a while, but don't you need the landrover in PSI to get back to Paseo for the endgame? Or do you get around that by never going to another church after Paseo and then using a transfer?

I can't think of anything out of the ordinary that I've done. Except I've never used Hugh in PSII. Ever.

[Mono]

It's been quite a while since I last played PS1 for real, but the next time I get to it, I am sure it will go like this:

-Have Alis alone until I can buy Ceramic equipment (at least a Cer. Sword), or until she gets past 100 hp - mainly by killing Werebats in the forests west of Eppi Forest, which is still closed. Then, and only then, go get Myau;
-Have Myau level up until (s)he gets past 100 hp - by hunting Werebats in the aforementioned forest - and have some spare money to spend on Odin's equipment. Then, and only then, go get Odin;
-Have Odin grow up past 100 hp - by hunting Werebats around Eppi, and some lucky Vampires in the grasslands surrounding it - and money for at least one Diam. Armor. Then, and only then, proceed to get Noah.

If I do this right, I will be able to kill Saccubus. It's useless, but makes me feel good.

-Have Noah level up past 100 hp - by hunting swarming Barbarians in Motavia, or sticking with the Werebats, which should be easy to kill by now - and only then proceed to Gothic.

Not only I have an always super strong Alis to hold up for the team, I should also be able to buy every top equipment anytime I get to a new town. The next time I will have to grind for levels will be right before I have to climb up Baya Malay, if I want to have everyone at level 30 (I like to get the Mammoths in Dezori for massive XP). Otherwise, the game should be easy all the way down to Lassic.

Apart from character building up methods, I also work on my inventory to have only the absolute essencial to get to the game's ending, so I can pack it up with burgers whenever I go hunting (and specially right before facing Dark Falz). I go to the extremes of selling the Ice Digger as soo as possible and never buying the Landrover - you can never dispose or sell it, and you don't really need it to get anywhere in Motavia you couldn't reach by foot, or using the Hovercraft.

[augmentedfourth]

Right! I forgot you can get back to Paseo via Hovercraft. Forget what I said in my earlier post.

[cronced]

Yeah the land rover is totally unnecessary in PS1. I personally think the laconic axe is unnecessary too. The laser gun does way more damage overall because it hits EVERY ENEMY, EVERY TIME, for 20 hp. And the axe often hits powerful bosses and enemies for less than 20 hp anyway.

I also like to do everything I can to get all 4 characters as soon as possible in PS1. There is no split of experience points like there is in 4, so having 4 characters instead of 1 is like multiplying experience points gained by 4.