Sphere Grid Priorities, and more. Thoughts?

[Meadow Daydream]

When you start FFX what do you prioritize when it comes with the Sphere Grid once you complete the characters own section first. What subsection do you go after next?

I'll give you an example.
Tidus - Auron
Yuna - Lulu
Lulu - Yuna
Rikku - Wild Card.
Kimahri - Wild Card
Wakka - Wild Card.
Auron - Wild Card.

I always have Tidus as a 2nd Breaker, I have Yuna learn Black Mage, and Lulu learn White Mage.

As for "Wild Card" I don't typically aime for anything specifically. Mostly whatever is the best path that focuses on Physical damage. Or just whatever straight forward path that fills the grid the most, up till late game end game with the monster arena.

[Casurin]

Tidus => rikku/wakka, sometimes Yuna for the underwater-heals
Everyone but Yuna/Lulu => Tidus
Yuna/Lulu => each other.

The path of Tidus is generally really strong and with Haste also really good to have.

[Tomberry Blue]

Everybody = Wakka because that's where the most accuracy and str nodes are generally.

Wakka goes to Tidus' path of the grid most likely. I guess I tend to keep the mages where magic nodes are but I use magic less and less as the game progresses anyway.

[Hinnyuu]

Originally posted by Tomberry Blue:

Everybody = Wakka because that's where the most accuracy and str nodes are generally.

You don't really need Accuracy all that much. Wakka (or spells) taking out fliers is usually enough during the story portion, and for postgame it's all about Luck anyway.

Though it's not a HUGE difference between Auron and Wakka, you could probably make the argument that Breaks are more useful than the status stuff.

There's also a good argument to be made to rush for Tidus first, to have ubiquitous haste, more Agility, and Quick Hit asap, which may be a bigger overall damage gain than some extra STR nodes (not like Tidus has none). Extra turns are a pretty big deal early game.

With Expert Grid in regular games (without added difficulty mods) I tend to send most people down the Auron route until it intersects with Tidus; then most go down for Quick Hit, and some lower-priority hitters like Yuna go grab the Breaks from Auron's path instead and rejoin later via Friend/Teleport Sphere.

Lulu picks up some of the relevant White Magic (Dispel, Shell/Protect) and then goes down her own path, while Kimahri parks in front of the Use/Steal lvl.1 locks until you can break them, and then joins Lulu as a caster. Everyone else goes full attack.

With difficulty mods like Sin Unleashed I change it up a bit. I pick up the Nul-spells with Lulu/Kimahri/Yuna and have the attackers go down Wakka's route, as status attacks become much more important when enemies actually get turns and can oneshot you with regular hits. Yuna picks up the Breaks from Auron's path, and Rikku is usually late enough that she skips the Wakka route and goes straight for Quick Hit. Kimahri and Lulu are casters, same as before.

No idea about Standard Grid, I played it once in 2001 and then never again since ;)

[Meadow Daydream]

Originally posted by Hinnyuu:

Originally posted by Tomberry Blue:

Everybody = Wakka because that's where the most accuracy and str nodes are generally.

No idea about Standard Grid, I played it once in 2001 and then never again since ;)

The Standard Grid has more Nodes. Not that it matters much. Only diff is that you could in theory break the 9999 HP barrier. But HP doesn't need to exceed past 9,999. Though the Aeons can reach that height by default. As some can have over 20,000 HP once you fill up Yuna's Grid. (Auron has the most HP and it is a bit closer to where Lulu's Black Magic is.)

As for Haste you really only need it on one character, While the other drops a Protect / Shell. And exploit Wakka's Counter Attack's by using Sentinel. End Game until you are able to make an Auto Haste, Auto Protect, auto Pheonix and Ribbon Combo.

[Hinnyuu]

Originally posted by Owl With a Gun:

As for Haste you really only need it on one character

Not in the early game. Buffing people with Haste quickly and having backups as needed is VERY useful. At endgame you obviously don't need it AT ALL since it's on your armor automatically.

Originally posted by Owl With a Gun:

And exploit Wakka's Counter Attack's by using Sentinel. End Game until you are able to make an Auto Haste, Auto Protect, auto Pheonix and Ribbon Combo.

Those armors are trivial to make (save for Ribbon, but you don't need Ribbon just use Stoneproof). In fact it's the FIRST thing I make after reaching endgame, before anything else - especially the Auto-Haste/Auto-Phoenix setup. Few things will add as much damage as Auto-Haste, it should be your #1 priority with a bullet.

Sentinel + Counter shenanigans are cute, but largely useless. You don't want enemies to even HAVE turns if you can help it, and given things like Quick Hit you'd need considerable setup to justify using a turn on that. Just clobber things.

[Karifean]

On the Standard Sphere Grid, at least last I played, first thing I did was break the locks right after Yuna and Auron's grids. This allows both Rikku and Tidus to also use Return Spheres to there, benefiting from the final stats and abilities from Yuna and Auron respectively right away. Wakka can break into Auron's grid as well, and Lulu can use a Friend Sphere right over to Holy as well.

[Tomberry Blue]

Originally posted by Hinnyuu:

Originally posted by Tomberry Blue:

Everybody = Wakka because that's where the most accuracy and str nodes are generally.

You don't really need Accuracy all that much. Wakka (or spells) taking out fliers is usually enough during the story portion, and for postgame it's all about Luck anyway.

Though it's not a HUGE difference between Auron and Wakka, you could probably make the argument that Breaks are more useful than the status stuff.

There's also a good argument to be made to rush for Tidus first, to have ubiquitous haste, more Agility, and Quick Hit asap, which may be a bigger overall damage gain than some extra STR nodes (not like Tidus has none). Extra turns are a pretty big deal early game.

With Expert Grid in regular games (without added difficulty mods) I tend to send most people down the Auron route until it intersects with Tidus; then most go down for Quick Hit, and some lower-priority hitters like Yuna go grab the Breaks from Auron's path instead and rejoin later via Friend/Teleport Sphere.

Lulu picks up some of the relevant White Magic (Dispel, Shell/Protect) and then goes down her own path, while Kimahri parks in front of the Use/Steal lvl.1 locks until you can break them, and then joins Lulu as a caster. Everyone else goes full attack.

With difficulty mods like Sin Unleashed I change it up a bit. I pick up the Nul-spells with Lulu/Kimahri/Yuna and have the attackers go down Wakka's route, as status attacks become much more important when enemies actually get turns and can oneshot you with regular hits. Yuna picks up the Breaks from Auron's path, and Rikku is usually late enough that she skips the Wakka route and goes straight for Quick Hit. Kimahri and Lulu are casters, same as before.

No idea about Standard Grid, I played it once in 2001 and then never again since ;)

Who cares about magic and breaks when all you need is normal attacks (even better with quick hits) and overdrives? I have completed this game 100% three times and played it all the way through about 10 it's my favourite FF and unless I'm doing something different for fun I give everyone as much physical attack as I can and use mostly Tidus Wakka and like, the third slot is utility (heals, black magic if it's really needed, Rikku overdrive...)

I don't really recommend playing this way on a first time it could be pretty boring (until post game where you kinda need to play that way) but it's what I do.

[Hinnyuu]

Originally posted by Tomberry Blue:

Who cares about magic and breaks when all you need is normal attacks (even better with quick hits) and overdrives?

At late/endgame sure, but early on they're very useful. Magic especially can scale really well throughout the story portion. Breaks are useful in a number of places, from certain bosses to capturing enemies like e.g. elementals which take forever without Armor Break. Magic is useful for that, too, including otherwise rarely used things like Gravity.

[Tomberry Blue]

Fair enough magic damage is pretty useful early game. It's just that that's generally before you start to branch out on the sphere grid.

[Hinnyuu]

Originally posted by Tomberry Blue:

Fair enough magic damage is pretty useful early game. It's just that that's generally before you start to branch out on the sphere grid.

On the Standard Grid, definitely. But on Expert you can plan where to go right away, and there's plenty of possible routes from the get-go.

[Casurin]

Originally posted by Tomberry Blue:

Fair enough magic damage is pretty useful early game. It's just that that's generally before you start to branch out on the sphere grid.

Had done a run with Tidus going Yuna => Lulu very early on. Works just fine but the lack of Haste is annoying to say the least.

[Meadow Daydream]

You don't really rely on magic damage much,

By end game all that matters really are buffs, summons, and certain exploits from Skills / Overdrives. As well as the Curaga. Only spell that does matter is doublecast Ultima.

[Hinnyuu]

Originally posted by Owl With a Gun:

You don't really rely on magic damage much,

By end game all that matters really are buffs, summons, and certain exploits from Skills / Overdrives. As well as the Curaga. Only spell that does matter is doublecast Ultima.

The entire game isn't endgame, though. In fact most of the game isn't endgame, if you're efficient about it.

For the story portion, magic is quite strong in a lot of spots. Even late into the story, double-casting random elemental spells (ideally hitting a weakness) will be likely to deal considerably more damage than attacks at that point. Let alone things like Ultima against multiple targets.

Sure later on you pretty much never use magic, but it's not like you're struggling for AP or spheres and need to save up for that time ;)

[Meadow Daydream]

Originally posted by Hinnyuu:

Originally posted by Owl With a Gun:

You don't really rely on magic damage much,

By end game all that matters really are buffs, summons, and certain exploits from Skills / Overdrives. As well as the Curaga. Only spell that does matter is doublecast Ultima.

The entire game isn't endgame, though. In fact most of the game isn't endgame, if you're efficient about it.

For the story portion, magic is quite strong in a lot of spots. Even late into the story, double-casting random elemental spells (ideally hitting a weakness) will be likely to deal considerably more damage than attacks at that point. Let alone things like Ultima against multiple targets.

Sure later on you pretty much never use magic, but it's not like you're struggling for AP or spheres and need to save up for that time ;)

If you say so. I won't go on any further. Since you seem to know it all. Have a good day.

[Hinnyuu]

Originally posted by Owl With a Gun:

If you say so. I won't go on any further. Since you seem to know it all. Have a good day.

Not sure why the hostility, this is all verifiable information. If you have competing information, present it. I've been proven wrong before, and I tend to appreciate it.

Why make a post asking for thoughts and then get snarky when people provide information?

But sure, you do you I guess.