(rant) why cant you save in between the last 2 bosses?!

[FluxZ]

I decided to take a break after finishing the whisper fights on hard mode because i was struggling to beat sephiroth and it put me back before the first boss fight. I am so annoyed as it took me so long to finish that first fight leading up to sephiroth. chapter 18 on hard mode is SO unforgiving... damn it...

[Xengre]

Not sure why they did this but if you are struggling consider using Cloud's Counterstance and Punisher options for Sephiroth and any physical attacks. Its really strong vs this kind of stuff. Also the usual Aerith double cast OP spam. This may at least make it more manageable if you're struggling.

[FluxZ]

Originally posted by Xengre:

Not sure why they did this but if you are struggling consider using Cloud's Counterstance and Punisher options for Sephiroth and any physical attacks. Its really strong vs this kind of stuff. Also the usual Aerith double cast OP spam. This may at least make it more manageable if you're struggling.

i spent a few hours on the whisper fight and managed to get to the sephiroth phase where he whips out his wing on my second attempt but barely did any damage to him at that phase. i was a bit exhausted from the amount of focus i was putting into the game prior to that i was trying to regain some of my energy. counterstance is probably the most useful ability besides maybe triple slash for speed running through general encounters.

[FluxZ]

and now i somehow lost the ability to even make it halfway through the first boss... -_-

[Xelane]

It sounds like your builds aren't outputting enough damage. Did you make sure to get everything you could up to that point?

Got all the Weapons, weapon skills, weapon upgrades, armor, accessories, and materia (and leveled them up) to where you want them to be? If not, you may want to go back and get that stuff with the chapter select option.

You may also want to reconsider how you've built each character. Back when I did my first playthrough of hard mode, I learned quickly that I was too squishy without HP up, so I have a maxed out one on each character. I also learned I needed to make sure at least two party members had revive in case one of them died, and that everyone had a way to heal themselves with either cure or chakra.

[FluxZ]

Originally posted by Xelane:

It sounds like your builds aren't outputting enough damage. Did you make sure to get everything you could up to that point?

Got all the Weapons, weapon skills, weapon upgrades, armor, accessories, and materia (and leveled them up) to where you want them to be? If not, you may want to go back and get that stuff with the chapter select option.

You may also want to reconsider how you've built each character. Back when I did my first playthrough of hard mode, I learned quickly that I was too squishy without HP up, so I have a maxed out one on each character. I also learned I needed to make sure at least two party members had revive in case one of them died, and that everyone had a way to heal themselves with either cure or chakra.

yeah, I have almost everything minus some manuscripts from alternate paths and the 2 simulations (you probably know which ones im talking about). I have an hp up, healing, and revive on everyone. the problem is that once i get hit, i am getting juggled and then im spending indefinitely amount of time just scrambling around trying to heal to just then get hit again. i feel as though i did the first boss fight a lot easier before i got knocked back to the beginning of the chapter. the bahamut part is easy as id just save cloud and tifa limits and then use them both at the same time. now its just a matter of getting to that point again without getting juggled. i could probably get through the sephiroth part but i need to make sure that i save mp to use barrier and regen and that should allow me to brute force the fight with some patient counters of physical attacks and blocking of the magic. in theory, it seems easy in my mind, but i cant seem to put it into practice. this feels to be the first true struggle in hard mode besides the first boss rush simulation.

[Xelane]

Originally posted by FluxZ:

Originally posted by Xelane:

It sounds like your builds aren't outputting enough damage. Did you make sure to get everything you could up to that point?

Got all the Weapons, weapon skills, weapon upgrades, armor, accessories, and materia (and leveled them up) to where you want them to be? If not, you may want to go back and get that stuff with the chapter select option.

You may also want to reconsider how you've built each character. Back when I did my first playthrough of hard mode, I learned quickly that I was too squishy without HP up, so I have a maxed out one on each character. I also learned I needed to make sure at least two party members had revive in case one of them died, and that everyone had a way to heal themselves with either cure or chakra.

yeah, I have almost everything minus some manuscripts from alternate paths and the 2 simulations (you probably know which ones im talking about). I have an hp up, healing, and revive on everyone. the problem is that once i get hit, i am getting juggled and then im spending indefinitely amount of time just scrambling around trying to heal to just then get hit again. i feel as though i did the first boss fight a lot easier before i got knocked back to the beginning of the chapter. the bahamut part is easy as id just save cloud and tifa limits and then use them both at the same time. now its just a matter of getting to that point again without getting juggled. i could probably get through the sephiroth part but i need to make sure that i save mp to use barrier and regen and that should allow me to brute force the fight with some patient counters of physical attacks and blocking of the magic. in theory, it seems easy in my mind, but i cant seem to put it into practice. this feels to be the first true struggle in hard mode besides the first boss rush simulation.

If it helps, I can give you a general idea of how I go about most fights. I don't know how familiar you are with some of the mechanics, so I'll try to be clear just in case, as some of these mechanics aren't explained very well (or at all).

First and foremost, the AI in this game almost exclusively focuses whomever you're controlling. If you ever find yourself locked up due to a status ailment or a combo, it would be optimal to swap characters--at least for the duration of the stun.

With Cloud, it's highly beneficial to utilize both his counterstance and his punisher mode counter. If you did not already know, if you are in operator mode and then switch into punisher mode, he will automatically counter any physical attack while he is switching. This not only deals damage while guarding, it also rewards the player with some ATB. You can also guard while in punisher mode to accomplish the same thing (but as a reminder, you cannot guard against magic or projectiles while in Punisher mode.

Another important note is that Cloud's Disorder ability is fantastic. It can close the gap with an enemy, potentially pressure them, switches him into Punisher Mode, and gives back a lot of ATB when it hits. It's almost a free ability if he's built with a lot of ATB-filling materia. If used while in Punisher mode, he will deliver a hard-hitting attack and go back to Operator Mode.

Cloud's Focused Strike builds up stagger quickly against a pressured enemy. When an enemy is staggered, hold X/Square with Cloud while in Punisher mode to give himself a damage buff, then use a hard hitting move. I personally use Infinity's Edge.

On that note, I always give Cloud Steadfast Block and Parry. If you are in Punisher mode, you can use the parry dodge to move around quickly while guarding and stay in Punisher Mode, potentially gaining some ATB in the process.

Barret's high HP and defensive stats lend very well to a tank build, so I often make him start off with Steelskin and Lifesaver. This way he soaks up a huge amount of damage received from the team but mitigating the damage he gets.

His Overcharge ability is best used after an entire volley of regular shots, as they combo into each other. You can also optimize his damage while recharging Overcharge by using Charge after each volley as well. So basically hold down X/Square until he finishes, then press Y/Triangle after each volley.

Tifa's combos get stronger and lengthier after using Unbridled Strength twice, so make sure she is always at max energy when possible. After a combo with her, you can use Overpower to go right back in with another combo without waiting for her to recover.

She can also use Focused Strike at any point in her combo. If you do, she will start by jumping fairly far back first, at which point you can dodge to interrupt. This is a great way to disengage.

I always give Tifa Parry, as she is able to move around extremely quickly with it and can stop mid combo to get away and get behind enemies very quickly.

Lastly, if an enemy gets staggered, be sure to use True Strike and all of Tifa's Y/Triangle moves to increase the damage bonus against the staggered enemy. Then go for Starshower. After that, use Unbridled Strength again to get her energy level back up.

Aerith gains a lot of MP back when she uses Soul Drain on a staggered enemy, so be sure to make her cast it when an enemy gets staggered. This will allow you to utilize hard-hitting spells more frequently with her.

Her Ray of Judgement builds up stagger quickly against a pressured enemy. Lustrous shield is great against projectiles.

My main strategy with Aerith is to start with Fleeting Familiar to support, then cast ATB ward on her, as I usually have her use elemental spells, then have her cast -ra spells until the enemy is pressured, then use Ray of Judgement to pressure them. If an enemy is stationary for long enough (especially if they are staggered) I'll charge Tempes for the ATB regen and hit with spells.

[FluxZ]

Originally posted by Xelane:

Originally posted by FluxZ:

yeah, I have almost everything minus some manuscripts from alternate paths and the 2 simulations (you probably know which ones im talking about). I have an hp up, healing, and revive on everyone. the problem is that once i get hit, i am getting juggled and then im spending indefinitely amount of time just scrambling around trying to heal to just then get hit again. i feel as though i did the first boss fight a lot easier before i got knocked back to the beginning of the chapter. the bahamut part is easy as id just save cloud and tifa limits and then use them both at the same time. now its just a matter of getting to that point again without getting juggled. i could probably get through the sephiroth part but i need to make sure that i save mp to use barrier and regen and that should allow me to brute force the fight with some patient counters of physical attacks and blocking of the magic. in theory, it seems easy in my mind, but i cant seem to put it into practice. this feels to be the first true struggle in hard mode besides the first boss rush simulation.

If it helps, I can give you a general idea of how I go about most fights. I don't know how familiar you are with some of the mechanics, so I'll try to be clear just in case, as some of these mechanics aren't explained very well (or at all).

First and foremost, the AI in this game almost exclusively focuses whomever you're controlling. If you ever find yourself locked up due to a status ailment or a combo, it would be optimal to swap characters--at least for the duration of the stun.

With Cloud, it's highly beneficial to utilize both his counterstance and his punisher mode counter. If you did not already know, if you are in operator mode and then switch into punisher mode, he will automatically counter any physical attack while he is switching. This not only deals damage while guarding, it also rewards the player with some ATB. You can also guard while in punisher mode to accomplish the same thing (but as a reminder, you cannot guard against magic or projectiles while in Punisher mode.

Another important note is that Cloud's Disorder ability is fantastic. It can close the gap with an enemy, potentially pressure them, switches him into Punisher Mode, and gives back a lot of ATB when it hits. It's almost a free ability if he's built with a lot of ATB-filling materia. If used while in Punisher mode, he will deliver a hard-hitting attack and go back to Operator Mode.

Cloud's Focused Strike builds up stagger quickly against a pressured enemy. When an enemy is staggered, hold X/Square with Cloud while in Punisher mode to give himself a damage buff, then use a hard hitting move. I personally use Infinity's Edge.

On that note, I always give Cloud Steadfast Block and Parry. If you are in Punisher mode, you can use the parry dodge to move around quickly while guarding and stay in Punisher Mode, potentially gaining some ATB in the process.

Barret's high HP and defensive stats lend very well to a tank build, so I often make him start off with Steelskin and Lifesaver. This way he soaks up a huge amount of damage received from the team but mitigating the damage he gets.

His Overcharge ability is best used after an entire volley of regular shots, as they combo into each other. You can also optimize his damage while recharging Overcharge by using Charge after each volley as well. So basically hold down X/Square until he finishes, then press Y/Triangle after each volley.

Tifa's combos get stronger and lengthier after using Unbridled Strength twice, so make sure she is always at max energy when possible. After a combo with her, you can use Overpower to go right back in with another combo without waiting for her to recover.

She can also use Focused Strike at any point in her combo. If you do, she will start by jumping fairly far back first, at which point you can dodge to interrupt. This is a great way to disengage.

I always give Tifa Parry, as she is able to move around extremely quickly with it and can stop mid combo to get away and get behind enemies very quickly.

Lastly, if an enemy gets staggered, be sure to use True Strike and all of Tifa's Y/Triangle moves to increase the damage bonus against the staggered enemy. Then go for Starshower. After that, use Unbridled Strength again to get her energy level back up.

Aerith gains a lot of MP back when she uses Soul Drain on a staggered enemy, so be sure to make her cast it when an enemy gets staggered. This will allow you to utilize hard-hitting spells more frequently with her.

Her Ray of Judgement builds up stagger quickly against a pressured enemy. Lustrous shield is great against projectiles.

My main strategy with Aerith is to start with Fleeting Familiar to support, then cast ATB ward on her, as I usually have her use elemental spells, then have her cast -ra spells until the enemy is pressured, then use Ray of Judgement to pressure them. If an enemy is stationary for long enough (especially if they are staggered) I'll charge Tempes for the ATB regen and hit with spells.

In terms of using the abilities, roughly was doing that throughout my playthrough but i guess it depended on the enemy. some of that stuff though i wasnt using in conjunction or didnt realize the other benefits of the moves were besides what is written for them. ill try to keep it in mind the next time i play. since i did make it to sephiroth, i was able to see which characters id get paired with so i should probably also move materia around based on that too. idk how much of that i will remember or be able to implement but i appreciate the time and effort you put into that reply.

[Xelane]

Originally posted by FluxZ:

In terms of using the abilities, roughly was doing that throughout my playthrough but i guess it depended on the enemy. some of that stuff though i wasnt using in conjunction or didnt realize the other benefits of the moves were besides what is written for them. ill try to keep it in mind the next time i play. since i did make it to sephiroth, i was able to see which characters id get paired with so i should probably also move materia around based on that too. idk how much of that i will remember or be able to implement but i appreciate the time and effort you put into that reply.

No worries. Hopefully the info helps at least a little.

If any of this was new information to you, it might be worth going back to the VR system to get used to anything new you want to implement.

For example, if you didn't know about Cloud's Punisher mode Counter during his stance change, you could practice it in an easy VR mission just to get accustomed to using it mid-battle and not having to try and remember.

[FluxZ]

Originally posted by Xelane:

Originally posted by FluxZ:

In terms of using the abilities, roughly was doing that throughout my playthrough but i guess it depended on the enemy. some of that stuff though i wasnt using in conjunction or didnt realize the other benefits of the moves were besides what is written for them. ill try to keep it in mind the next time i play. since i did make it to sephiroth, i was able to see which characters id get paired with so i should probably also move materia around based on that too. idk how much of that i will remember or be able to implement but i appreciate the time and effort you put into that reply.

No worries. Hopefully the info helps at least a little.

If any of this was new information to you, it might be worth going back to the VR system to get used to anything new you want to implement.

For example, if you didn't know about Cloud's Punisher mode Counter during his stance change, you could practice it in an easy VR mission just to get accustomed to using it mid-battle and not having to try and remember.

tbh, i dont think i would have been able to get through hard mode without the punisher mode counter and counter stance lol.

[Xengre]

Also worth mentioning is the AI can use Steadfast block so its really solid to give everyone this as it helps AI stay alive in harder fights against more aggressive enemies, though as Xelane pointed out its definitely true they will primarily target the controlled character. Thus the most commonly controlled character should have Chakra because it can heal a massive amount of health if you have HP Plus or two and the right weapon perks to get 9k-9999 HP.

I also tend to give Barrett Chakra if I'm using him, no matter what, because his ability causes him to absorb dmg taken and its cheaper to heal that way than with Prayer if its just for him. Plus, Barrett often has the most ATB sitting around due to how fast he can build it. However, I would also recommend giving Barrett Prayer precisely because he can build emergency ATB fast even if he doesn't have ATB to spare and some of his weapons have a solid Int stat. It wont be quite as strong as Aerith using prayer, but its still extremely powerful and having Aerith with prayer means two characters with a emergency heal or just overall solid sustain as necessary. Throw on Barrett's skills for reducing dmg and absorbing party dmg as Xelane metnioned and survivability goes up greatly. IMO, from a pure "win" perspective Barrett is easily the best character, its just after you get good enough to reliably not die (aka even the turtle can finish the race, just potentially slower and more reliably steady) then you start to shift focus from increasing survivability to offensive efficiency.

If yo are using Aerith in a fight its good to not use her level 1 limit break when its up but just hold it. When you use it its basically free super heal with iframes with no ATB concerns, unlike Prayer. It makes it worth saving and her limit 2 is simply too rare and conditional to bother with when its unnecessary due to how strong Barret and/or Prayer & Chakra are. I consider Cure materia unneccessary once Prayer, Chakra, and Life materia are mastered. If you are alive use Prayer/Chakra to heal. If dead simply use Life 2 for full HP recovery. Overall, it will save your MP bar and if you get good at managing it and other factors like Steadfast Block/Elemental/Tifa Parry slide dodge/Barrett/Counterstance/Punisher/etc. to reduce dmg taken then you wont need any MP Plus materia on anyone to roll over the game. However, MP Plus, if you really need it is a nice buffer of substantial MP.

Also, Braver is superior to Cloud's 2 ATB skill if your stats are high, and in pure DPS terms superior to Triple slash. Basically, his Infinity Edge costs 2 ATB but caps at 9999 dmg. With enough stats you can get 9999 dmg or close to it for 1 ATB and a far faster cast speed with Braver. Triple Slash is more dmg per ATB than Braver and very good most of the time but if your goal is to push out sheer dmg in a short period (either before a quick character swap, during an overdmg boost period, or you simply got spare ATB to throw away) then its faster than Triple slash to spam 2 Braver for a ton of burst dmg.

Another tip to consider is if you aren't/can't use Barrett for a fight Magnify + Barrier materia is great. However, this is almost always a less ideal method and only if you are truly struggling to stay alive. Really, the best method for Magnify are the following:
- Trash fights and instances with boss ads/etc. Magnify + offensive magic like fire/ice/etc. as it can often end fights instantly and trivialize them.
- Best for hard fights like super bosses, late game bosses, etc. is Haste + Magnify. This makes an absolutely massive difference in ATB available you will find if you haven't already tried it. It also removes the need to swap characters either significantly or entirely depending on context.

[Xelane]

Originally posted by Xengre:

Also, Braver is superior to Cloud's 2 ATB skill if your stats are high, and in pure DPS terms superior to Triple slash. Basically, his Infinity Edge costs 2 ATB but caps at 9999 dmg. With enough stats you can get 9999 dmg or close to it for 1 ATB and a far faster cast speed with Braver. Triple Slash is more dmg per ATB than Braver and very good most of the time but if your goal is to push out sheer dmg in a short period (either before a quick character swap, during an overdmg boost period, or you simply got spare ATB to throw away) then its faster than Triple slash to spam 2 Braver for a ton of burst dmg.

You know what's funny is that I figured this out sometime around the time I was fighting Weiss and between then and now I just forgot about it and went back to using Infinity's Edge.

[FluxZ]

Originally posted by Xengre:

Also worth mentioning is the AI can use Steadfast block so its really solid to give everyone this as it helps AI stay alive in harder fights against more aggressive enemies, though as Xelane pointed out its definitely true they will primarily target the controlled character. Thus the most commonly controlled character should have Chakra because it can heal a massive amount of health if you have HP Plus or two and the right weapon perks to get 9k-9999 HP.

I also tend to give Barrett Chakra if I'm using him, no matter what, because his ability causes him to absorb dmg taken and its cheaper to heal that way than with Prayer if its just for him. Plus, Barrett often has the most ATB sitting around due to how fast he can build it. However, I would also recommend giving Barrett Prayer precisely because he can build emergency ATB fast even if he doesn't have ATB to spare and some of his weapons have a solid Int stat. It wont be quite as strong as Aerith using prayer, but its still extremely powerful and having Aerith with prayer means two characters with a emergency heal or just overall solid sustain as necessary. Throw on Barrett's skills for reducing dmg and absorbing party dmg as Xelane metnioned and survivability goes up greatly. IMO, from a pure "win" perspective Barrett is easily the best character, its just after you get good enough to reliably not die (aka even the turtle can finish the race, just potentially slower and more reliably steady) then you start to shift focus from increasing survivability to offensive efficiency.

If yo are using Aerith in a fight its good to not use her level 1 limit break when its up but just hold it. When you use it its basically free super heal with iframes with no ATB concerns, unlike Prayer. It makes it worth saving and her limit 2 is simply too rare and conditional to bother with when its unnecessary due to how strong Barret and/or Prayer & Chakra are. I consider Cure materia unneccessary once Prayer, Chakra, and Life materia are mastered. If you are alive use Prayer/Chakra to heal. If dead simply use Life 2 for full HP recovery. Overall, it will save your MP bar and if you get good at managing it and other factors like Steadfast Block/Elemental/Tifa Parry slide dodge/Barrett/Counterstance/Punisher/etc. to reduce dmg taken then you wont need any MP Plus materia on anyone to roll over the game. However, MP Plus, if you really need it is a nice buffer of substantial MP.

Also, Braver is superior to Cloud's 2 ATB skill if your stats are high, and in pure DPS terms superior to Triple slash. Basically, his Infinity Edge costs 2 ATB but caps at 9999 dmg. With enough stats you can get 9999 dmg or close to it for 1 ATB and a far faster cast speed with Braver. Triple Slash is more dmg per ATB than Braver and very good most of the time but if your goal is to push out sheer dmg in a short period (either before a quick character swap, during an overdmg boost period, or you simply got spare ATB to throw away) then its faster than Triple slash to spam 2 Braver for a ton of burst dmg.

Another tip to consider is if you aren't/can't use Barrett for a fight Magnify + Barrier materia is great. However, this is almost always a less ideal method and only if you are truly struggling to stay alive. Really, the best method for Magnify are the following:
- Trash fights and instances with boss ads/etc. Magnify + offensive magic like fire/ice/etc. as it can often end fights instantly and trivialize them.
- Best for hard fights like super bosses, late game bosses, etc. is Haste + Magnify. This makes an absolutely massive difference in ATB available you will find if you haven't already tried it. It also removes the need to swap characters either significantly or entirely depending on context.

Most of the time in hard mode i had magnify with barrier but i only really used it against bosses. currently i moved magnify to cloud's healing mostly because i could cast cura on everyone whilst being certain the magnify would be with me at all times due to the first boss fight. that was someone elses suggestion but idk how usefull it really is. unfortunately, i only have 1 prayer materia leveled up and i tend to have that on aerith. honestly, i never used chakra but i do have 1 maxed out. i had thought the healing material would have been more useful. i will try to consider all of this the next time i play.

[FluxZ]

i gave both of you awards since you had typed out so much in a good amount of detail. honestly i made this discussion thread to vent and rant about my frustrations and was fully expecting to just get troll comments that i would have otherwise just ignore lol.

[BloodMist]

So.... never played a Japanese game before eh? Yeah they like to do two bosses with no saves a lot.