Don't recruit custom characters

[ChrisStocco]

I guess that the game doesn't exactly discourage you, but makes the experience more diluted if you start recruiting the not-unique characters every time you meet one. You need a bigger stronghold sooner, for a start, and those characters don't have bonding scenes, relating tokens and exclusive traits. And you have a lot more people to level. I guess that is the flipside of all RPGs with a lot of customization.

[Jetoilio]

There are a relatively small number of unique recruitable characters (under 20) and you can have up to 50 (I think). You just have to make sure that you don't neglect manpower, and that you move to larger strongholds as you find them. Keeping track of how many open recruitment slots you have is also a good idea. If you still have a few slots open, go ahead and recruit the non-unique ones.

As long as a creature counts as being intelligent enough you can speak to it without needing Animal Speak or Telepathy, you can bond with them. Creatures without that level of intelligence are the only ones you cannot bond with. Their scenes may not be the unique, well crafted stories that the unique characters got, but they do still have a scene. Any character, unique or not, that you bond with gives you a token.

As for having more people to level, that isn't strictly true. You aren't required to level all of them, or bond with all of them. If you're playing on Leader difficulty, having a bunch of lower level characters recruited will change nothing by having them. On Band difficulty it will lower the level average of your group, making encounters even easier. You can delete the pre-made characters that came with the game if you really don't want them to show up in your game, just don't delete the character you're using in your current save.

While the non-unique characters don't have unique traits, enemies actually might, making recruiting them sometimes worthwhile. Some of them can make really good additions to your party.

[ChrisStocco]

Very interesting the thing you said about recruited mobs. I don't expect to have bonding scenes with one of them, but it sounds fascinating. I just bonded with Leftie and I was so creeped out and moved to pity by his confession at the same time.

[ChrisStocco]

I must reiterate it. Recruiting more than 1 or 2 roster characters or enemies is just stressful if you are one of the players that want to bond with everyone. Good in the early stages of the games, when you need a specific class that still misses in your band, but if you don't want to have a level 99 Oni and Nazar struck at level 17 where you left it after the bonding, nope.
They can also bug some scenes that involve the interaction of the entire team members because they don't have any assigned dialogue.

[Jetoilio]

Considering characters can gain up to 7 levels off one map (if the map is high enough above their level) you could very quickly bring someone from level 17 to your own level with very little effort.

[ChrisStocco]

Speaking of that, it looks like the bonding is more based to the number of maps visited instead leveling, or am I wrong?

[Jetoilio]

Bonding is mostly based on maps cleared, as long as experience is being rewarded (even if you're at max level). Generally speaking, every (or every other) time you clear a map with the character you're trying to bond with, you should go back to your stronghold and talk to them, as talking to them is also an important part of the process. Unfortunately the bonding process takes longer with each bonded character (or at least it seems to).

If you're not looking to grind your way through bonding with your characters, then you can bond rapidly this way:

-Acquire Love Potions.*
-Bring a Love Potion and the character you want to bond with to the Fundaments Shrine.
-Reset the character you're trying to bond with at the statue at the back of the room.
-Have the character drink the Love Potion BEFORE leaving the map.
-Go talk to them in your stronghold. They should bond immediately.

*Ransoming the 2 Aesthedra in the Abandoned Barricade is a good way to get them whenever the map resets itself. The max level Labour skill can guarantee you don't accidentally kill them, the level 5 Fight skill can increase their likelihood to hesitate, and the Thwart skill to increase ransom success can really improve your ability to get the potions quickly and without much fuss.

After that, they'll be level one but will be bonded. Just take them to some higher level maps and level them back up.

[ChrisStocco]

Thank you! Yeah, switching between Lead and Band battle difficulties in the right moments makes the bonding way less stressful.

[enzeruanimefan]

Originally posted by Jetoilio:

There are a relatively small number of unique recruitable characters (under 20) and you can have up to 50 (I think). You just have to make sure that you don't neglect manpower, and that you move to larger strongholds as you find them. Keeping track of how many open recruitment slots you have is also a good idea. If you still have a few slots open, go ahead and recruit the non-unique ones.

As long as a creature counts as being intelligent enough you can speak to it without needing Animal Speak or Telepathy, you can bond with them. Creatures without that level of intelligence are the only ones you cannot bond with. Their scenes may not be the unique, well crafted stories that the unique characters got, but they do still have a scene. Any character, unique or not, that you bond with gives you a token.

As for having more people to level, that isn't strictly true. You aren't required to level all of them, or bond with all of them. If you're playing on Leader difficulty, having a bunch of lower level characters recruited will change nothing by having them. On Band difficulty it will lower the level average of your group, making encounters even easier. You can delete the pre-made characters that came with the game if you really don't want them to show up in your game, just don't delete the character you're using in your current save.

While the non-unique characters don't have unique traits, enemies actually might, making recruiting them sometimes worthwhile. Some of them can make really good additions to your party.

At least one Stronghold allows you to have a band of 69 members. I'm sure the number is intentional, but I can't imagine that anyone's had luck filling their band that much.

[Jetoilio]

You have to remember that your services, while not contributing to band number, occupy space at a location. The mansion with 69 slots is so that you can fill your band to 50 and have all your services filled out (though I believe you don't actually need 69 slots for that, but do need that stronghold to fill out both). Also, I nearly have a full band (except for the 3 unique characters I have yet to encounter) and all my services bought too.

You are actually required at one point to have a minimum band size of 20 to continue onward.