How do I get first aid to work?

[bufossil]

Sorry, noob question. I just spent my first 20 license points on First Aid, and it is still grayed out (inactive). When I go out to fight mobs, it never shows up in the Technick menu (Steal is the only thing there).

Can first aid be used manually? Why can't I use it? So far I have two choices when fighting mobs outside the city: [1] run back to the city after every two or three fights and touch the crystal to heal, or [2] drink potions. Is that the way the game is supposed to be working?

[El_Bastardo]

if it is greyed out, you don't have the technick yet. i.e. you have to buy the skill. the license is just so you can use it after you bought it. think of skills as weapons in this game. being able to use spells doesn't mean a thing if you don't have the skill in your "inventory" ;)

also first aid only works when a characters hp are critical, i.e. when he's almost dead. so not the best healing skill you can find ;)

[bufossil]

Thank you for your helpful answer. However, Vaan has Steal as a technick, and I didn't purchase that one. So I am confused. Also,it sounds like the game really does intend for me to run back to town to get healed after every two or three mobs, is that correct? What great fun.

Sorry, I am in the frustrated/aggravated phase of learning this game. I have looked for the small user guide on the Internet (not the 350 page strategy guide I have seen for sale), and I have not been successful at finding it. I guess after spending this much money on a game, the seller (Steam) should make the PDF of the user guide available.

The walkthroughs I have found do not answer questions that I have. For example, is there a quest log anywhere? I have pushed every button on the controller looking for one, and I can't find it. (Of course, the user guide might not answer the questions I have either ...)

[Same]

Steal is a technick that you start the game with.

As for a quest log, if you need a hint on whereto go, press select (or whatever key it's bound to) and look at the bottom. The only other similar thing to a quest log is the hunt log in the primer, which tracks the hunts you've completed.

As for having to run back to heal alot, unless you gave Vaan a class with cure, you need to rely on potions for healing until you get more party members.

And First Aid, once you get it, only will heal you once your HP hits that critical red flashing zone.

[Hinnyuu]

Potions are usually plentiful at early game, but make sure not to waste them by overhealing too much.

Any Save Crystal will also heal you if you touch it, and they're usually fairly interspersed throughout all zones. It helps to check the map every now and then and see where the nearest one is.

Of course, once you get additional party members, chances are SOMEONE will end up learning curative magic. First Aid is really just a bare minimum, it works only on targets in the HP critical state (red flashing HP) and will miss if used otherwise; and it will only restore a very small amount of HP.

As people have pointed out, abilities work a little like equipment in this game - you unlock the license to use them, but that doesn't mean you HAVE them. You need to find them somewhere first; some abilities are bought from shops, but a good number are actually in containers throughout the world and dungeons. Luckily most are placed in ways you naturally come across (with a few exceptions) and all but one are in containers guaranteed to spawn.

[bufossil]

Thank you all for taking the time to help. I understand a little better now.

[Shan]

Originally posted by bufossil:

Thank you all for taking the time to help. I understand a little better now.

Later on you'll be able to cap on potions easily anyway, if you use a proper Steal gambit and loot every single treasure chest you see. Hell, if you set up your gambits properly you don't even need potions to heal. I'm 16 hours in right now, capped on normal potions and I have 40+ Hi-Potions because I just don't need to use them.

Curative magic will be the bulk of your healing, unless you go out of your way to pick jobs that don't have basic White Magick (and with that I mean Cure/Cura).

[matthew]

To use first Aid as a gambit,

Ally: Any - First Aid

But it only works if you have the abity, like mentioned above. Once you have a dedicated healer / s then first Aid becomes pointless. Another thing to note, if you setup your gambits to include potions or anti status items, their use is faster then using spells So worth adding potions and or anti status items in the list. your never know when you might need them.

[Aahzmandias]

Originally posted by matthew:

To use first Aid as a gambit,

Ally: Any - First Aid

But it only works if you have the abity, like mentioned above. Once you have a dedicated healer / s then first Aid becomes pointless. Another thing to note, if you setup your gambits to include potions or anti status items, their use is faster then using spells So worth adding potions and or anti status items in the list. your never know when you might need them.

More correct would be:

Ally: HP Critical -> First Aid.

Or only for the char himself:

Self: HP Critical -> First Aid.

[devSin]

Originally posted by Aahzmandias:

More correct would be:

Ally: HP Critical -> First Aid.

Or only for the char himself:

Self: HP Critical -> First Aid.

First Aid heals so little that it's a complete waste of a gambit slot.

Pretty much any other healing you can do is going to be better.

[Honorable_D]

Yeh, First Aid is pretty trash. In fact, most (but not all) Techniks seam to be. Guess that is why they cost no MP to use.

[solidap]

First Aid only heals someone with critical HP (about to die). It's not an impressive healing spell

At low levels you're better off getting some Potion Lore licsenses that increases how much Potions heal. Also Red Mages are really great healers and support characters for the first parts of the game

You're totally right about a lack of documentation for this game though. I was really confused when I couldn't find a digital manual anywhere.

There's not a traditional quest log. The main story quest will have the places you need to go marked with a red circle on your map. Hunts will be listed in your Clan Primer

[bufossil]

People have provided lots of helpful advice in the replies. Thank you.

That said, I am still looking for a digital user guide. Can I drink a potion when I am not fighting? If so, how? I pushed every button, but nothing worked. How do I equip a piece of gear in my inventory? (Yes, I have a license for it, but I press every button on the controller and I can't equip it.) Are the non-hunt side quests tracked anywhere? Why do I see that I can enable/disable gambits in the battle menu, but "Gambit" doesn't even show up in the party menu for me to create some? When I watch "Gambits for beginners" video on YouTube, it assumes that I already know a lot. (True of every "beginners" guide I have found on the Internet.) And so on.

The people answering my questions have been very helpful, and I am grateful for the information. However, it seems like everything I try I run into a brick wall. I really need a user guide. Some day perhaps I will actually be able to play the game.

Edit: I found this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6iCKjr1kFo

I knew most of what was in there either via the in-game tutorial or by reading lots of stuff on the internet. No help after all.

[sequence]

Originally posted by bufossil:

People have provided lots of helpful advice in the replies. Thank you.

That said, I am still looking for a digital user guide. Can I drink a potion when I am not fighting? If so, how? I pushed every button, but nothing worked. How do I equip a piece of gear in my inventory? (Yes, I have a license for it, but I press every button on the controller and I can't equip it.) Are the non-hunt side quests tracked anywhere? Why do I see that I can enable/disable gambits in the battle menu, but "Gambit" doesn't even show up in the party menu for me to create some? When I watch "Gambits for beginners" video on YouTube, it assumes that I already know a lot. (True of every "beginners" guide I have found on the Internet.) And so on.

The people answering my questions have been very helpful, and I am grateful for the information. However, it seems like everything I try I run into a brick wall. I really need a user guide. Some day perhaps I will actually be able to play the game.

Edit: I found this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6iCKjr1kFo

I knew most of what was in there either via the in-game tutorial or by reading lots of stuff on the internet. No help after all.

Originally posted by bufossil:

People have provided lots of helpful advice in the replies. Thank you.

That said, I am still looking for a digital user guide. Can I drink a potion when I am not fighting? If so, how? I pushed every button, but nothing worked. How do I equip a piece of gear in my inventory? (Yes, I have a license for it, but I press every button on the controller and I can't equip it.) Are the non-hunt side quests tracked anywhere? Why do I see that I can enable/disable gambits in the battle menu, but "Gambit" doesn't even show up in the party menu for me to create some? When I watch "Gambits for beginners" video on YouTube, it assumes that I already know a lot. (True of every "beginners" guide I have found on the Internet.) And so on.

The people answering my questions have been very helpful, and I am grateful for the information. However, it seems like everything I try I run into a brick wall. I really need a user guide. Some day perhaps I will actually be able to play the game.

You are so adorable!
You press the confirm button to open up your field menu (not the one where you can equip items and such) , select Items, then Potion, then who you want to use it on. The confirm button is A or B on a Xbox controller, X or O on a PlayStation controller. You can change this in settings (traditionally B and circle are confirm in Japan, and A and X are cancel. Hence why a lot of Japanese games do this).

To equip gear you need the gear itself and the corresponding licence. The only exception is starting weapons that characters start with when they first join the party. They can have this item equipped even if they don't have the license. This is so they're not unarmed when you first choose their jobs.

Select equip in the status menu, select the item you wish to equip and press confirm. The item will be greyed out if you don't have the license to use it. It will also tell you what license you need, for example, Daggers 4.

Non hunt side quests aren't really tracked. But all of them provide pretty clear goals and instructions. If you get a key item for a side quests, examining it in your inventory can refresh your memory of what to do.

Gambits cannot be customised until you reach a certain area of the game. You'll know this as you'll get a full on tutorial from a party member. From that point on you'll have full control. Similarly to equipment, you must purchase gambits before you can use them.

It's quite frustrating that there's no proper manual, I agree. But the game does show you how to do pretty much everything... Eventually. I was 10 hours into the game before an NPC told me I can detect traps using a Technick. Traps are quite dangerous and can devastate you so it's kinda annoying that I didn't learn until then. But the game does show you how to do everything.

Just be patient. You have to remember this is a relic of sorts. Games have come a long way in terms of conveying information to the player. Keep going and you'll eventually love this game. And feel free to add me if you have any more questions!

[solidap]

You use items in the field through the action menu (X on Xbox controller, Square on Playstation controller), just the same as you attack. You don't use items through the Inventory.

How far are you into the game? Gambits don't unlock until after a certain story event not long into the game. And when you do get access to Gambits, you have to purchase different Gambits from the Gambit shop and also unlock aditional Gambit slots on the Licsense board.

[bufossil]

Ok, found Fran and Balthier and got Gambit to show up on the Party menu, so I am making progress. I was able to defeat Firemane *only* by setting both of Amalia's gambits to heal, and then manually keeping her away from the horse. I have now made it to the dungeon. I figured out that I can use the battle menu to give my team potions any time--I don't have to be in battle. (I think that is what a couple of you were trying to tell me about the X button on the controllers--I am using an Xbox 360 controller.)

So, I am good with Gambits (I played Dragon Age Origins all the way through many times, and their system is similar to the Gambit system, so it feels familiar). I am also good with potions, in or out of battle.

I still cannot equip gear, but I am not giving up. I gave Vaan the LP to equip level 2 armor, and he found a level 2 hat. I use Party > Inventory, the hat is white in the list of gear that is visible, I select the hat, then click click click, and nothing ever happens. I have clicked every button on the controller, and he just won't equip the hat.

I see the instruction: "Select equip in the status menu, select the item you wish to equip and press confirm." I am not sure what the first half of that sentence means, so I am going in to look now. I will edit this post when I try to do that.

Edit: Ok, duh! I was trying to equip gear via the Inventory option on the Party menu, instead of the Equip option. It was too obvious I guess.

Thanks again to everyone with all of the tips and instructions. I am WAY farther down the road than I was. I think I am on my way to playing this game!