Which is more game breaking early?

[Edward Elric]

Using the magic booster for the 100 free low level spells or playing cards early and getting stuff like 100 Ga/Tornado spells and such. It really looks like the magic booster would be less game breaking in this situation, since cards can land you GA spells and such, but not 100% sure, figure I'd ask here see if anyone who has used the magic booster and has done the early game card hunting for spells feel about it.

[Gough Whitlam]

Boosters, 100 curaga on everyone at the start of the game. You can also just blizzarra and shiva ifrit a few tims and he's dead, not that he was hard to begin with or anything.

[John]

Breaking the early game?, oh you can break it alright, and more so by just playing cards, and for breaking the game, the 3 damage GA spells are not even included, they suck anyway :P
100 Tornado (Abyss Wyrm card + wind magic refine)
100 Regens (Mesmerize card + life magic refine)
100 Curaga (Tent + life magic refine)
100 Death (Tonberry card + life magic refine)
100 Quake (Armadodo and T-rexaur card)
100 Doubles (Draw from Elvoret)
100 Holy (Draw from lvl 30+ Diablos)
100 Flare (Draw from lvl 30+ Diablos)
100 Meltdown (Gayla Cards)

You can get Squalls Lion Heart before the end of disc 1, but you can get all of the above before you go on your first seed mission. You can get Squalls second best weapon before you even fight Ifrit :P

[KaosReigns]

Originally posted by John:

Breaking the early game?, oh you can break it alright, and more so by just playing cards, and for breaking the game, the 3 damage GA spells are not even included, they suck anyway :P
100 Tornado (Abyss Wyrm card + wind magic refine)
100 Regens (Mesmerize card + life magic refine)
100 Curaga (Tent + life magic refine)
100 Death (Tonberry card + life magic refine)
100 Quake (Armadodo and T-rexaur card)
100 Doubles (Draw from Elvoret)
100 Holy (Draw from lvl 30+ Diablos)
100 Flare (Draw from lvl 30+ Diablos)
100 Meltdown (Gayla Cards)

You can get Squalls Lion Heart before the end of disc 1, but you can get all of the above before you go on your first seed mission. You can get Squalls second best weapon before you even fight Ifrit :P

Techincally, you can get it before even leaving the first area. You just need to do a lot of farming for Elnoyle cards.

I think its 10 Elnoyles for 1 energy crystal. Prior to the boost, my buddies and I actually challened ourselves with this, and before we left for the seed mission, you are capable of having 9999 hp and 999 mp on each char, just from cards and modding :D

@OP - The magic booster is far more game breaking than cards. The only time cards becomes broken, is when you get all of their cards for winning. In the start, you only get to take 1 card, and its unlikely that you will be able to play enough to actually mod them. You can goto the town and play the queen to change the rules, but I dont think she will have the all rule until you first visit..... Galbadia I think?

[Edward Elric]

Originally posted by KaosReigns:

Originally posted by John:

Breaking the early game?, oh you can break it alright, and more so by just playing cards, and for breaking the game, the 3 damage GA spells are not even included, they suck anyway :P
100 Tornado (Abyss Wyrm card + wind magic refine)
100 Regens (Mesmerize card + life magic refine)
100 Curaga (Tent + life magic refine)
100 Death (Tonberry card + life magic refine)
100 Quake (Armadodo and T-rexaur card)
100 Doubles (Draw from Elvoret)
100 Holy (Draw from lvl 30+ Diablos)
100 Flare (Draw from lvl 30+ Diablos)
100 Meltdown (Gayla Cards)

You can get Squalls Lion Heart before the end of disc 1, but you can get all of the above before you go on your first seed mission. You can get Squalls second best weapon before you even fight Ifrit :P

Techincally, you can get it before even leaving the first area. You just need to do a lot of farming for Elnoyle cards.

I think its 10 Elnoyles for 1 energy crystal. Prior to the boost, my buddies and I actually challened ourselves with this, and before we left for the seed mission, you are capable of having 9999 hp and 999 mp on each char, just from cards and modding :D

@OP - The magic booster is far more game breaking than cards. The only time cards becomes broken, is when you get all of their cards for winning. In the start, you only get to take 1 card, and its unlikely that you will be able to play enough to actually mod them. You can goto the town and play the queen to change the rules, but I dont think she will have the all rule until you first visit..... Galbadia I think?

You can change the rule to all at the start.

" In Balamb, go find the Queen of Cards by the train station (left from the central intersection, in front of the train station entrance; she's dressed in a distinctive white dress). Challenge her to cards, and check the Trade Rule she uses. If she uses something other than All, quit and try again until she does use All. Once she does use All, you're in business. You don't need to actually play her (and I recommend you don't, since there's a strong chance she'll start using a different Trade Rule), just seeing All as the Trade Rule is enough. Once you get All as the Trade Rule, don't challenge her again (you will need to in the future for a sidequest, but you'll be advised when it's time). "

-Bover_87 Gamefaqs

I also notice the magic booster, is exaclty that. It boosts magic to 100, it doesn't give you said spells to 100, only if you already have them does it give you the extra needed to get 100. So I will most likely play some cards during the start, but I don't see myself doing the ultimate weapons early. I did that once before, but I did the tactic where you wait till the first dream to grab the last item you need for Squall's ultimate instead of using the card system.

[John]

Originally posted by KaosReigns:

Techincally, you can get it before even leaving the first area. You just need to do a lot of farming for Elnoyle cards.

I think its 10 Elnoyles for 1 energy crystal. Prior to the boost, my buddies and I actually challened ourselves with this, and before we left for the seed mission, you are capable of having 9999 hp and 999 mp on each char, just from cards and modding :D

@OP - The magic booster is far more game breaking than cards. The only time cards becomes broken, is when you get all of their cards for winning. In the start, you only get to take 1 card, and its unlikely that you will be able to play enough to actually mod them. You can goto the town and play the queen to change the rules, but I dont think she will have the all rule until you first visit..... Galbadia I think?

You need an adamantine for it, which you can get from adamantoise or refine one of those brothers cards.

Originally posted by Edward Elric:

I did that once before, but I did the tactic where you wait till the first dream to grab the last item you need for Squall's ultimate instead of using the card system.

Wait, you can get adamantite during the dream sequence?

[KaosReigns]

Originally posted by John:

Originally posted by KaosReigns:

Techincally, you can get it before even leaving the first area. You just need to do a lot of farming for Elnoyle cards.

I think its 10 Elnoyles for 1 energy crystal. Prior to the boost, my buddies and I actually challened ourselves with this, and before we left for the seed mission, you are capable of having 9999 hp and 999 mp on each char, just from cards and modding :D

@OP - The magic booster is far more game breaking than cards. The only time cards becomes broken, is when you get all of their cards for winning. In the start, you only get to take 1 card, and its unlikely that you will be able to play enough to actually mod them. You can goto the town and play the queen to change the rules, but I dont think she will have the all rule until you first visit..... Galbadia I think?

You need an adamantine for it, which you can get from adamantoise or refine one of those brothers cards.

Originally posted by Edward Elric:

I did that once before, but I did the tactic where you wait till the first dream to grab the last item you need for Squall's ultimate instead of using the card system.

Wait, you can get adamantite during the dream sequence?

https://www.gamefaqs.com/pc/197342-final-fantasy-viii/faqs/6959

If you really want gamebreaking.

10x Orihculum (or however its spelt) is 1x adamantine. Which can be gotten from Chocobos World.

100x Vit-J is also 1x adamantine.

[John]

Oh yeah, completely forgot about chocobo world, but didn't you need to at least find a chocobo forest first?

[Marusame]

spells in this game ARE your stats, if you have 100 curagas for every player consider yourself broken. Your basically using every gameshark code possible at that point. Also this game is dead easy if you READDDDDD. If you cant read, then dont play this game. This entire game can be beaten at level 1 btw, legitly. Its only as hard as you make it.

In fact if you grind your level but DONT stack magic on to your abilities well youll make the game harder! because most enemies level with you so youll actually shoot yourself in the foot.

[Edward Elric]

Originally posted by Edward Elric:

I did that once before, but I did the tactic where you wait till the first dream to grab the last item you need for Squall's ultimate instead of using the card system.

Wait, you can get adamantite during the dream sequence?

I can't remember exactly what it was, but I do remember when I hit the dream for the first time, you have to be level 30 because that is what level the monster had to be to have the item drop. So this can't be down on a low level playthrough. I would have to go back into the faqs and look at the monsters to see which one had the item. I want to say it was an energy crystal. It is the first time you can get one without the use of the card system, you just had to be over leveled for the area.

[SWABteam]

From what I remember from my most recent playtrhough cards and specifically card mod allows you to make an unstoppable party before you ever even start on the main quest. You don't even have to be that creative about it, Just junction tornado to Squall's attack and then use Diablo's skills to never fight anything so you never evel up and you can steamroll almost the entire game.

[Moldy Cheese]

Getting the Lion Heart gun blade before end of disc 1.