Returning to Archylte Steppe

[PanicButton]

So after defeating Barthandelus again in Oerba, i get the chance to go back to Coccoon. Here's the question:

If I decide to stay on GP, do i have to walk all the way back to Archylte steppe or is there a shortcut?

Walking back could be a pain, since it feels like i went all around the world in chapter 11, and i don't think i can convince myself to walk back (another 10,000 steps :D)
I rushed chapter 11, didn't explore, just went straight for the mines....I'm starting to regret it...

I saw one "quicktravel" cieth stone, before entering the tower, i even completed it (the one where i had to kill the goblin that looked nothing like a goblin), but can't recall any other like that.

(Atually I'm already in Eden, but thinking about loading up an earlier save depending on what advice i get here. Still need that growth egg....)

[DariusOne]

There is a quicktravel stone at the beginning of Oerba, see the yellow thing here:
finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Oerba?file=Oerba_000_AF_map.jpg

EDIT: Also you will get a shortcut back to Grand Pulse later in the game as well, so you can just go forwards and return later.

[stoopk1d]

Yeah you should've completed at least two Waystones back in the Archylte Steppe. That combined with the Waystone in Oerba would've made a trip back very short.

At this point, you may just want to continue to Cocoon. There's a portal in chapter 13 that goes directly back to Vallis Media which would save you a trip getting started on the Cieth stone missions.

[PanicButton]

You know what? I even completed that Oerba mission yesterday, just didn't realize it was quicktravel :) I'll check out what others i got unlocked as soon as i get home... (probably only the one at the tower, since that's where i got the tutorial about them)

I know there will be a portal in chapter 13, but i want don't want to move on to chapter 12 until i got some stuff....like the growth egg and some catalogs...want to farm gil in chapter 13 on those Sacrifices.....or is that spot after the portal?

[tiornys]

The (quick respawn for the) Sacrifice farming becomes available at the same time as the portal back to Gran Pulse, so if that's your main concern you might want to move on. On the other hand, having the Growth Egg for chapter 12 is rather nice since there's quite a bit of CP in the chapter.

[PanicButton]

I ended up doing chapter 12 anyway...just got back to Vallis Media. Thx for all the info :)

[Caplion]

Originally posted by PanicButton:

I ended up doing chapter 12 anyway...just got back to Vallis Media. Thx for all the info :)

just rush till u get to at the start of chapter 13, begining of it. the place is look very weird one. then active the teleport, do not continues the story if u intended to go back to GP. that way u get access to second last stage of ur character crystarium and able to farm gil/ cp / complete as much mission as possible and many other things before you decided want to end the boss life

[tiornys]

Originally posted by Soap:

do not continues the story if u intended to go back to GP.

You can go back to Gran Pulse from any point in Chapter 13. However, don't continue the story past the start of chapter 13 if you want to farm Sacrifices efficiently :-)

[Caplion]

Originally posted by tiornys:

Originally posted by Soap:

do not continues the story if u intended to go back to GP.

You can go back to Gran Pulse from any point in Chapter 13. However, don't continue the story past the start of chapter 13 if you want to farm Sacrifices efficiently :-)

thats kind of enough when u farm till of ur 1st trap and have enough gil to do the trick things to get more trap for all your main 3/6 character to have an ultimate weapon. and if u find out u want to get the genji glove + the gold watch for final battle to get 5 stars, i suggest u dont continues the story after the start of chp 13 and teleport available. Still, u can beat the final boss to get a 5 stars second time...

[talgaby]

Gold Watch with a Stage 9 party? That would be quite the trick.

[tiornys]

Very doable. You can get the Gold Watch with a stage 8 party, although you technically have to have stage 9 open in order to access the mission.

[talgaby]

How do you knock down 15+ millions of HP with Stage 9? o.O
Or even more importantly: how do you unlock #64 on Stage 9? #51's third stage attacks have higher DPS than a MED×3 Stage 9 party's healing capabilities. o.O
Or just use the instant chain trick and pray a lot? (Well, 5-starred #54 in chapter 11 with it, but still…)

[tiornys]

Poison does a lot of work at lower development. Here are a couple of vids by one of the great FFXIII players. First, with no equipment upgrades:

http://youtu.be/7usUTDtPt-g

And then with fully upgraded equipment:

http://youtu.be/ZvwIr8fJsnA

For Mission 51 at lower development, it's actually harder to deal enough damage before Doom than it is to survive. You pretty much use a perma-SEN, and you can either stack up massive physical resistance on Snow with Paladin, or you can have Lightning Elude almost everything that Attacus tries to throw at her.

[talgaby]

Wow, that is some insane level of cheesing there. :) Puts the Vanish/Doom bug to shame. ^^
Then I guess there are some tricks for Stage 8 long guis too (although getting past #62 can be interesting), most likely involving the SEN ability to take any hit once.