FINAL FANTASY VIII | SeeD Ranking Guide

What is the SeeD Rank and how do you level it up?

About

What is SeeD?

SeeD[finalfantasy.fandom.com] is an elite mercenary organization for hire in FINAL FANTASY VIII. Their members are students of Balamb Garden (hence the name), and conduct missions around the world as battle support and undercover operatives. Their services are requested by governments and civilians; their tasks range from providing military support to protecting civilians to slaying monsters. The SeeD specialize in high-level para-magic[finalfantasy.fandom.com] via the use of Guardian Forces[finalfantasy.fandom.com]

โพสต์ดั้งเดิมโดย Information menu in FINAL FANTASY VIII:

Balamb Garden's mercenary force. Students 15 and older can participate in the written and field exams. They must pass both exams to become SeeD. SeeD members are paid by the Garden according to their rank. In the Garden, their status is no different from that of the other students. SeeD conducts missions around the world. Most missions involve battle support and undercover work. SeeD is in high demand by groups requiring a small force of undercover specialists. Commissions made through such dispatches are an important part of Balamb Garden's income. SeeD battle operations are noted for their skillful use of para-magic. Balamb Garden researches the use of GF in conjunction with para-magic. For this, Balamb Garden SeeD members master the most powerful forms of para-magic.

Gameplay

Not too long into the game you will be accepted into SeeD. The game calculates your ranking within this organization based on a value between 1 and 31 (referred to as "A" in-game), where 1 is the lowest rank and 31 is the highest rank. Since enemies in FINAL FANTASY VIII do not drop gil, your SeeD rank is one of your main forms of income as you will receive a salary based on your current SeeD ranking. After the events in Dollet, the player is assigned an initial SeeD ranking based on their performance in the game up until that point (see "Field Exam" section below). I wouldn't stress too much about this as there are plenty of opportunities to increase our SeeD rank.

There are two achievements tied to SeeD rank:

Name	Icon	Description
First Salary		Get your first salary from SeeD
Top Rank		Reach SeeD rank A

SeeD Ranking

How to Increase Your SeeD Ranking

To go up a level requires you to defeat monsters, gaining 0.01 ranks per enemy defeated. When you get paid, you will lose 0.1 ranks (see 'Payment' sub-section below). Your initial ranking is based on your in-game actions up to the incident at Dollet. Acting like a valiant and brave leader will net you a higher ranking than acting cowardly (see "Field Exam" section below). Finally, you can go up to the next level by correctly answering all questions in one of the tests accessible from the Tutorial menu (see "Written Tests" section below).

Payment

Once you are a member of SeeD, you will be paid a regular salary. Until much later in the game where there are other ways to exploit great profit, this is your main source of income. How much you get paid is based on your ranking. At lower ranks, you will earn a few thousand gil each time, up to 30,000 gil at Rank A.

Field Exam

The field exam takes place starting at your first escapade outside of Balamb Garden, at the Fire Cavern. This exam lasts until after the events at Dollet. Your field exam score determines the intial SeeD rank that you will start with.

Here is an example of a perfect field exam record:

The initial rank is calculated as such:
Initial Rank = ([500 + Sum of Modifiers]/100) + Bonus
Min & Max Rank = 1 & 10

The exam is graded via observations made during the missions. Below, I will list what each score is a calculation of, and what needs to be done to maximize these scores.

Conduct

Scored on how the candidate behaves within the mission and within their team.
In-game, the score is determined by how fast the player can withdraw from the Dollet mission.

Time Remaining	SeeD Score	Conduct Modifier
0:00 - 2:59	0	-100
3:00 - 5:59	10	-50
6:00 - 9:59	20	-30
10:00 - 14:59	30	0
15:00 - 16:59	40	10
17:00 - 18:59	50	20
19:00 - 19:59	60	30
20:00 - 22:59	70	50
23:00 - 23:59	80	60
24:00 - 24:59	90	70
25:00 or more	100	80

Judgment

Scored on the decisions the cadet makes and the effect of them upon the mission.
In-game, the score is determined by how much time is left at the end of the Fire Cavern mission when Squall defeats Ifrit. The less time left, the higher the score.

Time Remaining	SeeD Score	Judgment Modifier
15:00 or more	0	-100
14:00 - 14:59	5	-90
13:00 - 13:59	10	-90
12:00 - 12:59	20	-70
11:00 - 11:59	30	-60
10:00 - 10:59	40	-50
3:00 - 9:59	50	0
2:00 - 2:59	60	30
1:00 - 1:59	70	50
0:30 - 0:59	80	70
0:08 - 0:29	90	80
0:01 - 0:07	100	100

Attack

Scored on how aggressive and skillful the candidate is during the mission.
In-game, the score is determined by how many enemies are killed only in Dollet during the field exam.

Kills	SeeD Score	Attack Modifier
<10	0	-100
10 - 14	20	-50
15 - 19	30	10
20 - 24	50	50
25 - 49	80	50
50 - 74	80	75
75 or more	100	100

Spirit

Scored on how brave and/or determined the candidate is during the mission.
In-game, the score is determined by how often the player flees from battle only in Dollet during the field exam.

Escapes	SeeD Score	Spirit Modifier
10 or more	0	-100
5 - 9	30	-50
3 - 4	50	0
2	70	50
1	100	100

Attitude

Scored on the candidate's moral and professional behavior during the mission.
In-game, various individual actions determine this score, such as how many people the player speaks to; the actions that count are the ones taken when in Dollet during the field exam. Actions taken before landing on the shore do not count. (Note: This section is renamed to "Point(s) Deducted" if the player defeats the X-ATM092[finalfantasy.fandom.com] in Dollet)

The following actions give deductions:

Infraction	Deductions
Disregarding Seifer's order inside the vessel	1
Talking to anyone after landing onto the Dollet shore	1 each attempt
Moving toward the radio tower before Seifer orders it	1
Talking to Biggs after defeating him	2
Jumping off the cliff like Selphie	5
Failing to save the dog from X-ATM092	10
Hiding in the pub when X-ATM092 passes	20

The number of deductions you have determines your attitude score:

Deductions	SeeD Score	Attitude Modifier
50 or more	10	-100
40 - 49	10	-80
30 - 39	10	-60
25 - 29	10	-50
18 - 24	30	0
14 - 17	50	30
9 - 13	70	50
1 - 8	80	70
0	100	100

If the player destroys the X-ATM092, they get a bonus score of 100 points and thus one whole rank to their starting rank. X-ATM092 cannot be destroyed in the initial battle, but if the player engages it in any time after, it can be.

Written Exams

You can also raise your SeeD ranking by taking written tests. You can access written tests through the Tutorial menu option. There are a total of 30 tests that you can take, but you can only take a given test if you have reached the corresponding character level (i.e. a level 10 Squall can only take the first 10 tests). SeeD rank tests are multiple choice and must be answered 100% correctly to raise a SeeD rank. In case you don't know the answer to something, I'll jot down all the answers below!

SeeD Written Test Level 1

1. Yes
   
2. No
   
3. Yes
   
4. Yes
   
5. Yes
   
6. No
   
7. No
   
8. Yes
   
9. No
   
10. No

Rank 1 salary = 500 gil

SeeD Written Test Level 2

1. Yes
   
2. No
   
3. Yes
   
4. Yes
   
5. Yes
   
6. No
   
7. Yes
   
8. Yes
   
9. No
   
10. No

Rank 2 salary = 1,000 gil

SeeD Written Test Level 3

1. No
   
2. No
   
3. Yes
   
4. No
   
5. Yes
   
6. Yes
   
7. Yes
   
8. No
   
9. Yes
   
10. No

Rank 3 salary = 1,500 gil

SeeD Written Test Level 4

1. No
   
2. Yes
   
3. Yes
   
4. Yes
   
5. No
   
6. No
   
7. Yes
   
8. Yes
   
9. No
   
10. No

Rank 4 salary = 2,000 gil

SeeD Written Test Level 5

1. No
   
2. No
   
3. No
   
4. Yes
   
5. Yes
   
6. No
   
7. No
   
8. Yes
   
9. Yes
   
10. Yes

Rank 5 salary = 3,000 gil

SeeD Written Test Level 6

1. Yes
   
2. No
   
3. Yes
   
4. Yes
   
5. No
   
6. No
   
7. Yes
   
8. Yes
   
9. No
   
10. Yes

Rank 6 salary = 4,000 gil

SeeD Written Test Level 7

1. Yes
   
2. Yes
   
3. Yes
   
4. Yes
   
5. Yes
   
6. Yes
   
7. No
   
8. Yes
   
9. Yes
   
10. No

Rank 7 salary = 5,000 gil

SeeD Written Test Level 8

1. No
   
2. Yes
   
3. No
   
4. No
   
5. Yes
   
6. Yes
   
7. No
   
8. No
   
9. Yes
   
10. No

Rank 8 salary = 6,000 gil

SeeD Written Test Level 9

1. No
   
2. Yes
   
3. No
   
4. No
   
5. No
   
6. No
   
7. No
   
8. No
   
9. Yes
   
10. Yes

Rank 9 salary = 7,000 gil

SeeD Written Test Level 10

1. Yes
   
2. No
   
3. No
   
4. No
   
5. No
   
6. No
   
7. No
   
8. No
   
9. Yes
   
10. No

Rank 10 salary = 8,000 gil

SeeD Written Test Level 11

1. Yes
   
2. Yes
   
3. No
   
4. Yes
   
5. Yes
   
6. No
   
7. Yes
   
8. No
   
9. No
   
10. Yes

Rank 11 salary = 9,000 gil

SeeD Written Test Level 12

1. No
   
2. Yes
   
3. No
   
4. No
   
5. Yes
   
6. No
   
7. Yes
   
8. No
   
9. Yes
   
10. No

Rank 12 salary = 10,000 gil

SeeD Written Test Level 13

1. Yes
   
2. No
   
3. No
   
4. No
   
5. Yes
   
6. No
   
7. No
   
8. No
   
9. No
   
10. No

Rank 13 salary = 11,000 gil

SeeD Written Test Level 14

1. Yes
   
2. Yes
   
3. Yes
   
4. Yes
   
5. No
   
6. Yes
   
7. Yes
   
8. No
   
9. Yes
   
10. No

Rank 14 salary = 12,000 gil

SeeD Written Test Level 15

1. Yes
   
2. Yes
   
3. No
   
4. No
   
5. No
   
6. No
   
7. No
   
8. Yes
   
9. No
   
10. Yes

Rank 15 salary = 12,500 gil

SeeD Written Test Level 16

1. Yes
   
2. No
   
3. No
   
4. Yes
   
5. No
   
6. Yes
   
7. No
   
8. No
   
9. Yes
   
10. No

Rank 16 salary = 13,000 gil

SeeD Written Test Level 17

1. Yes
   
2. No
   
3. No
   
4. No
   
5. Yes
   
6. No
   
7. No
   
8. Yes
   
9. No
   
10. No

Rank 17 salary = 13,500 gil

SeeD Written Test Level 18

1. Yes
   
2. No
   
3. No
   
4. No
   
5. Yes
   
6. No
   
7. No
   
8. No
   
9. No
   
10. No

Rank 18 salary = 14,000 gil

SeeD Written Test Level 19

1. Yes
   
2. No
   
3. No
   
4. Yes
   
5. No
   
6. No
   
7. No
   
8. No
   
9. No
   
10. Yes

Rank 19 salary = 14,500 gil

SeeD Written Test Level 20

1. Yes
   
2. Yes
   
3. No
   
4. Yes
   
5. No
   
6. Yes
   
7. Yes
   
8. Yes
   
9. No
   
10. No

Rank 20 salary = 15,000 gil

SeeD Written Test Level 21

1. Yes
   
2. Yes
   
3. Yes
   
4. Yes
   
5. No
   
6. No
   
7. Yes
   
8. Yes
   
9. Yes
   
10. No

Rank 21 salary = 15,500 gil

SeeD Written Test Level 22

1. No
   
2. No
   
3. No
   
4. Yes
   
5. No
   
6. No
   
7. No
   
8. Yes
   
9. Yes
   
10. No

Rank 22 salary = 16,000 gil

SeeD Written Test Level 23

1. Yes
   
2. No
   
3. No
   
4. No
   
5. No
   
6. Yes
   
7. Yes
   
8. Yes
   
9. Yes
   
10. Yes

Rank 23 salary = 16,500 gil

SeeD Written Test Level 24

1. Yes
   
2. Yes
   
3. No
   
4. No
   
5. Yes
   
6. Yes
   
7. No
   
8. No
   
9. No
   
10. Yes

Rank 24 salary = 17,000 gil

SeeD Written Test Level 25

1. Yes
   
2. No
   
3. Yes
   
4. Yes
   
5. Yes
   
6. No
   
7. No
   
8. Yes
   
9. No
   
10. No

Rank 25 salary = 17,500 gil

SeeD Written Test Level 26

1. Yes
   
2. Yes
   
3. No
   
4. Yes
   
5. No
   
6. Yes
   
7. No
   
8. Yes
   
9. No
   
10. No

Rank 26 salary = 18,000 gil

SeeD Written Test Level 27

1. No
   
2. Yes
   
3. No
   
4. No
   
5. No
   
6. No
   
7. Yes
   
8. No
   
9. Yes
   
10. No

Rank 27 salary = 18,500 gil

SeeD Written Test Level 28

1. Yes
   
2. No
   
3. No
   
4. Yes
   
5. Yes
   
6. Yes
   
7. No
   
8. Yes
   
9. No
   
10. No

Rank 28 salary = 19,000 gil

SeeD Written Test Level 29

1. No
   
2. No
   
3. No
   
4. Yes
   
5. Yes
   
6. No
   
7. No
   
8. No
   
9. Yes
   
10. No

Rank 29 salary = 19,000 gil

SeeD Written Test Level 30

1. No
   
2. Yes
   
3. No
   
4. No
   
5. No
   
6. No
   
7. Yes
   
8. No
   
9. No
   
10. No

Rank 30 salary = 20,000 gil

Rank A salary = 30,000 gil

[MidnightPlusOne]

Taking the concept of a "job" a little too literally I feel