Maxing the sphere grid

[Acrylios]

Does anyone have a good guide for max stats (I think I'll be using the standard one). I know you can't max all stats, but the closest possible would be great. I mainly want to know what to place in the empty nodes and what to replace.

Also, does filling an empty node on one character effect the same node for other characters?

[Random]

depends what you mean by max all, if you're including hp then no you need to clear a bunch to get that up, but you can get 255 in everything except 1 stat group for certain characters. Like evasion for tidas, going around the complete expert sphere grid and filling all the gaps with stat spheres, I ended up with 245 evasion. so I just cleared a couple of worthless +20 mp spheres to get 255.

If however you want to go hardcore max, then you clear everything that isn't a +4 stat, and replace them with +4's until you are max on everyone then it's pure hp up to something like 75kish... but thats a hell of alot more time/grind investment... not that levels are hard when using overdrive->ap weapons against don tonberry in the monster arena... that's like 80 levs every 3 minutes.

[Hinnyuu]

First of all, you don't NEED to max all stats by any means.

AGI has diminishing returns and will offer virtually no benefit quite a while before 255.

MAG is practically useless because there are no enemies you use magic attacks against at endgame, nor do you use healing spells.

EVA also has diminishing returns and will not offer substantial increases past a certain point before the maximum.

STR, DEF, and MDEF are the only stats you really do want maxed. Fortunately they are very easy to farm as the associated monsters are quite weak.

ACC again has diminishing returns, but it's trivial to farm to max because the boss that drops it is a joke. I usually max it just so I don't need to think about threshold values.

LCK is the most difficult stat to farm by far, but also comes with significant diminishing returns. There are only two enemies in the game that you want high LCK for (Penance and Dark Mindy), but even they don't require 255 by any means (more like 100ish, I forget the exact threshold value).

HP only needs to be at 9,999 as Break HP Limit would be required to go over that and it is actively BAD to have that much HP. It becomes difficult to heal up, and all relevant attacks can either be avoided, reduced to below 9,999 with the right setup, or simply recovered from with Auto-Phoenix - all without requiring massive HP sphere farm and an extra slot on armor with a mod that is super annoying to farm.

MP is trivial to max and will never be an issue because you can just throw a Three Stars on actually long fights (like Penance).

As for a strategy to max stats, I suggest going for them in the order of STR, DEF, AGI, MDEF, ACC, EVA, LCK, MAG. Level in Omega Ruins at first, then slowly transition to Overdrive->AP setups for convenience. Go down Tidus' path on the SG, then Auron's, then Wakka's, then fill any empty spheres you find in convenient places while picking up utility skills like Quick Pockets, Dispel, Entrust, etc. There is little need to delete nodes if you're conservative with maximums, but if you really do want to max everything including MAG and LCK, then delete all nodes that aren't +4 and replace them.

Originally posted by Acrylios:

Also, does filling an empty node on one character effect the same node for other characters?

The Grid is shared across all characters in its empty state, so if you modify a node on one character (e.g. turn empty into STR+4) that change will be available to all characters. You will still need to activate the node on each character, though, and if you delete a node already activated on another character and change it to something else, you will need to activate that node AGAIN on that character.

Note that it's not possible to delete skill nodes, so there is no danger of doing irreparable damage to the grid. Everything is essentially reversible.

[Justuค็็็็็็็s[FIN]]

Gamefaqs has some stat maxing guides. Not sure how up to date they are tho.
Here's one: https://www.gamefaqs.com/ps3/643146-final-fantasy-x-x-2-hd-remaster/faqs/46942

[Hinnyuu]

Originally posted by Justuค็็็็็็็sFIN:

Gamefaqs has some stat maxing guides. Not sure how up to date they are tho.
Here's one: https://www.gamefaqs.com/ps3/643146-final-fantasy-x-x-2-hd-remaster/faqs/46942

It's accurate for the most part, and has some good info - however it's making a few questionable calls as way, such as going for 99,999hp (which is terrible). Still, it has most of the information concerning diminishing returns, threshold values, etc. Useful read.

[Acrylios]

Originally posted by Hinnyuu:

First of all, you don't NEED to max all stats by any means.

Yeah I heard that quite a lot. Any idea of how many extra nodes I need for each one that I need? Or I guide that mentions it? I'm mostly aiming to go against the dark aeons and Penance

[Hinnyuu]

Originally posted by Acrylios:

Yeah I heard that quite a lot. Any idea of how many extra nodes I need for each one that I need? Or I guide that mentions it? I'm mostly aiming to go against the dark aeons and Penance

The guide above should answer most of those questions. In short, it's like this:

STR max
DEF max
MDEF max
AGI 170
MAG nothing (it's useless at endgame)

Those are the easy ones. EVA, ACC, and LCK are complicated, because they work in conjunction with each other. LCK is the most valuable as it increases all of them (plus gives critical chance) but it's also VERY hard to farm. EVA and ACC are both very easy to farm, so if you want to save yourself the math, just max both. LCK you want to get to 100ish if you plan on fighting Penance, or you'll have trouble hitting it. The more the better, but as I said, it is a major pain to farm.

[Acrylios]

Originally posted by Hinnyuu:

Originally posted by Acrylios:

Yeah I heard that quite a lot. Any idea of how many extra nodes I need for each one that I need? Or I guide that mentions it? I'm mostly aiming to go against the dark aeons and Penance

The guide above should answer most of those questions. In short, it's like this:

STR max
DEF max
MDEF max
AGI 170
MAG nothing (it's useless at endgame)

Those are the easy ones. EVA, ACC, and LCK are complicated, because they work in conjunction with each other. LCK is the most valuable as it increases all of them (plus gives critical chance) but it's also VERY hard to farm. EVA and ACC are both very easy to farm, so if you want to save yourself the math, just max both. LCK you want to get to 100ish if you plan on fighting Penance, or you'll have trouble hitting it. The more the better, but as I said, it is a major pain to farm.

Thanks. Farming isn't going to be a problem for the nodes themselves since I'm using max all items (second run so whatever). AP is going to be the most painful in this case, but I've heard of the Don Tonberry trick.

[Hinnyuu]

AP is trivial with overdrive conversion. Get used to doing it and you'll see how easy it is.

[Acrylios]

Originally posted by Hinnyuu:

The guide above should answer most of those questions.

Just took a look at the guide. So should I follow the Standard Sane version of the standard one?

[Hinnyuu]

Originally posted by Acrylios:

Originally posted by Hinnyuu:

The guide above should answer most of those questions.

Just took a look at the guide. So should I follow the Standard Sane version of the standard one?

Depends on what you want to do. Note that some of the templates in that guide are for the original Japanese version, which had a few mechanical differences. The remaster follows the International Version.

[Nibelung]

Originally posted by Acrylios:

Thanks. Farming isn't going to be a problem for the nodes themselves since I'm using max all items (second run so whatever). AP is going to be the most painful in this case, but I've heard of the Don Tonberry trick.

If you are using the "max all items" option, you don't need AP. You can use Teleport Spheres to move around the grid, and Master Spheres to get specific nodes anywhere in the grid (Quick Hit at Besaid? Sure!)

You can also clear any node and substitute it for the more potent version. Eg, clear any STR+1 node and fill its (now empty) space with a STR Sphere for a STR +4 node. Fill any empty space with Luck (By FAR the most useful stat in the game) until you get 255 Luck, then fill the rest with whatever. Just substituting old noes with +4 nodes is enough to get 255 on the stats that matter (and Magic).

[Acrylios]

Originally posted by Nibelung:

Originally posted by Acrylios:

Thanks. Farming isn't going to be a problem for the nodes themselves since I'm using max all items (second run so whatever). AP is going to be the most painful in this case, but I've heard of the Don Tonberry trick.

If you are using the "max all items" option, you don't need AP. You can use Teleport Spheres to move around the grid, and Master Spheres to get specific nodes anywhere in the grid (Quick Hit at Besaid? Sure!)

You can also clear any node and substitute it for the more potent version. Eg, clear any STR+1 node and fill its (now empty) space with a STR Sphere for a STR +4 node. Fill any empty space with Luck (By FAR the most useful stat in the game) until you get 255 Luck, then fill the rest with whatever. Just substituting old noes with +4 nodes is enough to get 255 on the stats that matter (and Magic).

That's what I did, everything is 255, HP well above 75k and MP - don't really know. I tried fighting penance but ended up using Yojimbo due to frustration, though I left a save just before in case I want to try again

[Hinnyuu]

Originally posted by Acrylios:

That's what I did, everything is 255, HP well above 75k and MP - don't really know. I tried fighting penance but ended up using Yojimbo due to frustration, though I left a save just before in case I want to try again

HP over 9,999 is usually a detriment rather than an advantage, might explain the Penance troubles. If done correctly, no character will ever die even once during that fight. If done incorrectly, Penance will wipe the floor with you ¬_¬

[Acrylios]

Originally posted by Hinnyuu:

HP over 9,999 is usually a detriment rather than an advantage, might explain the Penance troubles. If done correctly, no character will ever die even once during that fight. If done incorrectly, Penance will wipe the floor with you ¬_¬

I tried though what happened was that I wasn't careful about the arms in the second phase so I got wiped with judgement day

[Hinnyuu]

Originally posted by Acrylios:

I tried though what happened was that I wasn't careful about the arms in the second phase so I got wiped with judgement day

Yeah, don't do that >_>

Ironically, I always found Penance to not be all that difficult since it's so incredibly predictable. Now of course that's true for all bosses in the game, really, but some are much harder to properly time. Like Paragon. Heck Penance literally doesn't even kill anyone.