how to endgame?

[Skadi]

so i just beat base game and im a bit very much confused about how to approach or play endgame.

[Kriss Hietala]

after every game clear change the difficulty to the new unlocked.

[⭕TheSodaman]

Originally posted by Skadi:

so i just beat base game and im a bit very much confused about how to approach or play endgame.

Dev path would consist of clearing the main missions in order on Chaos difficulty, where you can bump the level up on Phantoms of the Past + Memories of Earth or Memories of Poison + Memories of Fire. And then you might finish your lap around the world at item level 200~210, with half of the jobs unlocked to a level cap of 55, and using any side missions to catch up on job levels. You could then do the DLC main mission at the Ancient Chaos Shrine on even relatively even footing (even though now they give you item level 200 right off the bat with the season pass).

You could either do another lap around Chaos difficulty (which is all that was available around May 2022 patch) to finish with all job level caps at 99 and item level 280~300 gear. Or you can start a lap around on Bahamut difficulty (overall harder), maybe even creeping a couple trials up - but no more than 1 or 2 for a given rank - while avoiding Negate All Armor Effects. After you finish a lap around Bahamut difficulty, you would have conversations with Bahamut to unlock, have found a rat tail, be around item level 280~300. And you would buy two job limit releases from the Dragon Exchange, so that you might be around job level 135 by the time you get there.

You would be at a power level suitable to clear all the mandatory DLC missions, with a rat tail to unlock the DLC1 variations of jobs. After clearing the DLC1's main missions, you could go into Gilgamesh difficulty, then head immediately into the Rift Labyrinth (item level is ignored there even and you could theoretically get by with item level 280~300).

Or you could do another lap or two around on Bahamut difficulty and then later on Gilgamesh difficulty to get your job limit releases toward 200, while getting your item level closer to 500 by the end of the second lap (one more lap on Bahamut, another lap on Gilgamesh).

The Rift Labyrinth alternatively will take you from item level 300 to item level 500 (while this doesn't matter in the same way in the Rift or the last difficulty, it's there for small boost in percentages and on higher item levels - you tend to find higher base affinities to work from.) As you advance the Rift, if there is a floor you do not feel strong enough on such as a null void, you can hop out (at a penalty / loss), and try to gain more gil, buy more items, identify more relics, fuse more effects, invest in your monsters, and feed your monsters before a particularly nasty null void.

Lufenia difficulty, the devs may have hoped players would do a tour around the map and slowly gear up, fuse up, using things like Mission Level +30 trials on said tour. But most players will end up going straight to the last mission while being undergeared, underleveled, underprepped, or having forgotten mechanics. And it may be an extra frustrating experience for them since it'll feel like every boss 1 shots them while it takes 7+ minutes of perfect play to clear a boss phase.

Stat-wise:
After item level 200, would strongly recommend increasing your main stats to see improvement. Generally:
* Strength for physical,
* Intellect for magical and more MP when you hit with a normal attack,
* Stamina for physical defense / take less physical break damage / successful soul shield cost less, and
* Spirit for magic defense / take less magic break damage / recover more MP on successful soul shield
* Agility for critical break damage (a large boost in break damage when you critical hit, which occurs when you hit from behind, a wall splat, or hitting the enemy that had a body part broken off or knocked down)

Where for balance purposes, would say pick your main offensive stat, usually Strength / Intellect / Agility, then invest in Stamina and Spirit across your master points and gear. Then a sprinkle of Damage Taken at Max HP in your master points (master points being accessed at the map or cubes, Job Tree, pressing R3 / right thumbstick).

As you find ways to mitigate the risk of your playstyle, you can squeeze in more offense into your build. Where before then, the above may give you just enough breathing room to drink potions after 1~3 hits and more time to learn a boss fight.