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You have a ton of hidden espers to find and you have a ton of hunts to complete.
Yiazmat is your end game goal to beat.
Its plenty hard for anyone who havn't touched an FF game before or even read the wiki.
If you want to torture yourself, get a mod or something.
How do you achive "proper setup"? Reading the wiki? Following every guide?
1. Don't choose the second class when it is unlocked. This feature actually breaks the game. The game was balanced around a single class. Square-Enix decided not to re-balance the game when they added this feature. So you have twice the character power the game was balanced around... This is absolutely broken.
2. Don't Farm Trial Mode. Trial Mode in IZJS was meant to be a challenge, not a garden of free loot. You could not leave Trail Mode once you started it. You had to make a new save file if you wanted to save in progression in Trial Mode, which made it impossible to return to the main game. Trail Mode in TZA basically removes the need to use the bazaar, farm chests, or hunt for rare loot. It opens up gear that would otherwise take many, many game hours to get. Example; Getting Karkata (Blood Sword A) in the first few levels of Trail Mode then returning to the main game is... yeah, well, broken.
Alternatively...
3. Weak Mode - This is unlocked for PC players without the need to finish Trial-Mode. Probably the best way to play this game. It forces you to think outside the box and use abilities and spells you otherwise wouldn't use due to being able to face roll all the content with weapons. Even with Spell-queue removed, weapons are still the go-to choice for damage in this game. Weak-Mode fixes this.
Mods where brought up. I looked over the one linked earlier, I would not recommend it. It seems to have increased difficulty in some areas, while completely removing it in other places. Such as harder enemies, yet easier loot acquisition for example. In FFXII Gear>Levels. Making it easier to find gear makes the game much easier. I can see the argument that the chests in areas such as the Cerobi Steppe can be a bit too rare. However the Diamond Armlet in this mod basically removes any RNG from the game. Some people may like that, but I think FFXII chest system is the best in the series.
Finally...
4. Don't overthink it - Seriously, pick what class sounds fun and go with it. Too much emphasis is put on "optimal parties" and all that BS. You can literally finish 100% of the game with 3 Time Mages on Weak Mode.
That's my advice. I've been playing this game since the original release in 2006, I feel it's the best FF game in the franchise. Hope this helps.
Try actually playing the mod before making such an ignorent statement. The SFF mod is in no way easier, especially if playing with the custom boards. Sure there's a few new ways to boost elements and inflict statuses with weapons, but this is more than counteracted by enemies simply hitting harder and the lack of resources to deal with things (running out of MP is pretty common for instance).
That's not to say a mod is for everyone who wants to make things harder, but disrecommending something because you saw a base description of it (without at least looking into what others think about it) is pretty lame.
I'm ignorant because I wouldn't recommend a mod to a new player? Oh ok, my mistake.
Perhaps I should explain my reasoning in a bit more detail.
Gear is the actual character progression in FFXII, not levels. Again, Gear>Levels I cannot emphasize this enough. An upgrade of weapon and armor to a tier higher is actually a bigger upgrade than probably 10-15 levels (or there about, it varies from tier to tier). There is a reason that a low level play-through is not only possible, but it’s the dev's preferred way of playing it. I no longer have the article to cite this claim, so believe me or not, up to you.
From the mod page;
‘Diamond Armlet mechanics have also been changed- now, wearing the Diamond Armlet doubles the ceiling of potential Gil that can be obtained from a chest. Also, the Rare item found without the DA becomes the Common item found with the DA. Knots of Rust and the Meteorite items are now the Rare DA item.’
Let’s unpack this shall we?
So the increased Gil is not important, convenient yes, but not overly important. What is important is that when you equip the Diamond Armlet the Rare item in the chest becomes the Common item. This is very important.
In Cerobi Steppes most of the best items in the game are in these chests as the rare item. 10-20% spawn rates for most of them, with a high-ish chance for Gil, and a very low % of the rare item. The challenge is to get the rare item out of the chest by beating the layers of RNG. Those layers are; Chest Spawn Rate, Gil Chance, the % of common (95%) and the % Chance of Rare (5%). This boils down to like a 0.001% chance to get the rare item out of some of these chests or something like that... (I suck at math).
Now the spawn rate is nothing, it really isn’t’, one in ten odds at worst. Gil Chance can vary from chest to chest but mostly 80% chance. The only real challenge (time investment) is beating the 95% chance you get crap after beating the previous two layers of RNG. The Diamond Armlet in this mod essentially bypasses this and gives you the rare item. The best items in the game now have a 95% chance to be in the chest after beating the gil Chance and spawn rate chance. Way too easy. It's a massive increase of character power at the time in which you can get to Cerobi Steppe. Yes, new players can stumble into this area early if they are exploring, I did.
To be completely transparent with you I need to add this.
I’ve always been a vocal person on this topic; some of the Cerobi Steppes rare items are a little too rare. I was always an advocate of using the RNG Cure-List method, but only after you’ve completed the game at least once. I always thought that the Vanilla’s game chance for 10% rare item was more fair. But remember these are most of the best items in the entire game, and all you need to do is farm chests…
With all that out of the way.
This mods’ change to DA pretty much guts the character progression. So unless they changed the chests and access to Cerobi Steppes in this mod, all you need to do is get to Dalamsca Westersands / Windtraced Dunes and you win (15 minutes after the game starts). You now have access to unlimited Meteorite D and the best gear in the game when you progress far enough. Do you now see the issue? I do not need to play the mod to come to this conclusion, it's how the game works at a fundamental level.
So, when I say they increased difficulty in one area, yet remove it in another I am not wrong.
So if you want to use mods to change the game that’s fine, I'd never tell you how to play. However recommending a mod to a new player is really bad advice. If the guy wants more challenge, then the advice I posted above will be the best method for doing so, especially for a newer player. IZJS is IMO the definitive way to play FFXII. Square-Enix broke TZA. So play TZA like IZJS and you'll have a good time.
You can call me ignorant, lame, whatever, and that's your prerogative. However, I do know what I'm talking about. I've had more than a few modders wanting me to join their groups since the PC version was announced for my input. However, I am essentially done with this game, only reason I came here was to update my guide.
He basically took Item 2 of each chest without the Diamon Armlet (for instance, the Oaken Pole right before the save crystal in the Waterway, as just a singular example) and made it also be item 1 if wearing a DA, which turns it from a 50% chance if there's an item to a 95% chance if there's an item. So at best you save a little money by not having to buy stuff at shops you already have access to, or you don't have to farm 20% chest drops. Not exactly a game breaker.
Meteorites are still the same 5% if item chance they always were.
And you get a bit more money from chests when there is money.
In Cerobi, all non-DA items are Knots of Rust.....all the very rare items need a DA anyway, the percentages haven't changed there.
The chest in question you used as an example is;
It's a re-spawning chests which has a 75% chance to appear. 35% chance to have Gil when opened. The common items (opened without DA) are 50/50 equal chance for each item. You get either a Potion or the Oaken Pole if you roll past the gill check and get an item.
With the DA equipped the check it is different. If you roll past the Gil check you have a 95% chance to get a Knot of Rust, and only a 5% chance to get Meteorite (B). Each re-spawning chest you get one of five possible rewards; four items, or Gil. Granted, there are exceptions such as repeated loot in the chests loot table; i.e. multiple Knots of Rust or Potions.
What I assumed from the mods' authors explanation was that the rare and common items while using the DA were swapped. So Meteorite (B) is 95% and Knot of Rust is 5%. This would not affect the normal (non-DA) items... Because why would it? That's not how the DA worked.
So a chest in Cerobi Steppe would look like this;
With the DA equipped you would not roll for the top line at all as those are items found while not equipping the DA. The roll would be 'Knot of Rust' and 'Fomalhaut' with the chances swapped. So 5% for Knot of Rust and an insane 95% chance for 'Fomalhaut'.
Is this not correct?
Your explanation seems to have items removed from the chests loot pool.
Correct they are Knots of Rust, and have always been, the mod has no bearing on this.
Also, you can get Meteorite (D) in Dalmasca Westersands / Shimmering Horizons as the rare item with DA equipped. One zone from where you find the DA. Very early game, it is rare though, with a 2% chest spawn chance.
Listen, I'm not trying to be confrontational about this. I just don't like being called ignorant or lame for voicing my opinion on a topic that I have vast knowledge and experience with.
Either way, recommending a mod for a new player is not a good idea. It kinda ruins the experience for them. Which my original point was about. I'm not against mods, even though most mods are crap. Very few "balance mods" actually hit the mark, most actually ruin the experience.
Please enlighten me about the DA mechanics if I'm reading it wrong.
Not at all.
What he did is made Item 2 without a Diamond Armlet become item 1 with it -- in the first case Oaken Pole becomes a 95% chance, and the Meteorite is still a 5% chance.
In the second case they are both Knots of Rust so that wouldn't have changed, and the Fomalhaut is still a 5% chance.
You seem to think he swapped the rare and common items with the Diamond Armlet, but he placed the "rare" item WITHOUT THE ARMLET as the common item with it.
Honestly having a mod won't ruin the experience IMO
My only experiences with Final Fantasy 7 were difficulty overhaul mods such as New Threat, or others, and it made it much more enjoyable and actually kept me more engaged than just base game where i lost interested as soon as i hit cosmo canyon.
as someone who has grown up with this game ever since English PS2 version, and knows each version virtually inside and out from a general play perspective in terms of difficulty and otherwise, I would wholeheartedly suggest the Struggle For Freedom mod for those who are worried about not receiving a challenge.
Eternal created it with the idea of having multiple boards available, so if they wanted OG English PS2 boards, they can have them
If they want IZJS boards, they can have them
if they want untampered TZA boards, they can have them
Or if they want the intended full fledged difficulty they can use the SFF boards.
But I will definitely say that it would be recommended for someone who's worried about the main game not being what they want originally, whether they're a new player or not.
Ahh I see what you're saying. I stand by my point though. You're still getting the better gear from the chest nearly all the time if you pass the gil check while using the DA. You're also getting more gil in the process if you fail the roll. Keep in mind that the better item is always the "rare" reward, granted without the DA normally its a 50/50 shot, now its a 95% shot due to the DA putting into the common slot. So farming areas like Barheim, Nabudis, Dreadlands and the East bank of the Estersands, etc, is much easier. It just won't apply for Cerobi Steppe, Subterra, etc (that would have been broken as heck).
Therefore, this part of the mod is easier than IZJS/Vanilla/TZA. Ultimately it's a time saver mid-game post-Raithwall, I get the appeal, I do. You're talking to the guy who mapped out all the chests spawns in Cerobi Steppe via the RNG Cure-List method, I could spawn them at will, as long as the weather didn't change and mess it all up...
I just think there is merit in playing the game as the dev's intended on the first playthrough at least though. If you don't like it and what to try something else, by all means do it. FFXII is an amazing game, and it doesn't require a mod to make it playable or enjoyable. What veteran players of the game think is easy, new players may not, so keep that in mind.
I do think Square-Enix dropped the ball on this release, as there was such potential to re-balance the game when adding the second job, instead they left it as-is and broke it lol. That was the fear also though, we had a dual class save hack five years or so before TZA was announced, we knew how broken it was then.
Again, play it like IZJS and it is perfectly fine, balanced, and fun. Which ultimately was my point in my initial post.
If you are used to strategy turn based games then this won't be the hardest challenge but you might still get in tough situations here and there, especially on later hunts.
I never play using potions in final fantasy, and i recommend it in this game, it means you have to go for healing spells which is a fun challenge but not gamebreaking at all.
Some enemies in SFF are basically the same difficulty level, some are only slightly harder; but some are quite a bit harder, too. On the whole, it's quite noticeably more challenging than the original game. It's not a hardcore mod, though. The difficulty is still accessible for average players, it just needs you to think a little more about your choices, and to reevaluate some established knowledge. If that's not rebalancing I don't know what is.
You can say you don't like SFF, and fair enough, not everyone will. But it increases the difficulty and rebalances the game as a matter of fact, not as a matter of opinion.
And one might argue that you being salty is also fact, considering your post history ;) But let's just leave that out in the air for everyone to judge for themselves. It shouldn't be hard for people to form an opinion about that.
(yeah, sure enough you're the only one who would ever recommend this piece of sh!t.)
While posting incorrect "criticism" about other mods:
SFF factually increases difficulty, no matter how much you desperately try and drag it through the dirt.