Stat Maxing Augment Path

This is a suggestion for assigning augments to have the best available for maxing character stats after 2 playthroughs.

Introduction

This Steam version of Final Fantasy IV is a port of the DS version. To get 100% completion in the DS version, you want to get all items and abilities, fill all bestiary entries, and max out all stats for your final party characters. You are allowed 3 playthroughs to do this. Maxing out your character stats depends on what augments your party members have available during battle. With almost 3 full sets of augments (some can't be earned all 3 times through the game), this isn't a hard puzzle to solve.

Getting 100% completion in the Steam version of the game is more simply described: earn every achievement. There is no incentive for the 3rd playthrough, so I attempted to maximize character stats with only 2 sets of augments. This is a harder problem, and a more interesting one. I wasn't able to get every character maxed out, but I got very close, and am happy with my results.

Spoiler Alert

This guide may contain plot spoilers, read at your own discretion.

Credits

While I deviate from their suggestions, I used information from the following walkthrough guides from Gamefaqs to create my solution.

• http://www.gamefaqs.com/ds/939425-final-fantasy-iv/faqs/51274?page=5#section352
  
• http://www.gamefaqs.com/ds/939425-final-fantasy-iv/faqs/54117

This guide is just descriptions of the augments, but I used it to decide which augment to choose for a character when there were multiple possibilities with the stats I needed.

• http://www.gamefaqs.com/ds/939425-final-fantasy-iv/faqs/53737

Augment Assignments

In approximate order available in game, here are my recommended assignments.

• An assignment in italics is required, either for maximizing stats or for the achievement to gain all augments.
  
• The rest are suggestions for giving the most useful abilities to characters best able to take advantage of them.
  
  • Draw Attacks + Counter + Kick is a powerful combination to give to Cecil. He has high health and defense and is always in your party.
    
  • The first Item Lore augment goes to Palom for augment collection purposes, and to make use of his equipped weapon as a useable item. The second can go to Tellah or Rydia, as they also have good useable items. I recommend Rydia because of the stardust rod.
    
  • I suggest both Level Lust and Safe Travel for Cecil. Early in the game it is convenient to be as high a level as possible, and an augment can reduce grinding. Late in the game in your final playthrough you may want to temporarily lock your level at 70 though if you're still collecting things or proceeding through plot, as augments for maximizing stats are not optimal for tough battles.
• An augment marked N/A is not available that playthrough, due to game mechanics restrictions.
  
• An augment not marked with any name is available to give to any character.
  
• Order may differ slightly depending on your luck with finding a pudding for Namingway.
  
• The Eye Gouge augment from the first run through the game is saved to give to Edward during the second run. You could give him MP+50% instead if you didn't get a pudding your first run.

Augment	Play 1	Play 2
Auto Potion	Porom	Edward
Item Lore	Palom	Rydia
Counter	Cecil
Curse	Palom	Rydia
Tsunami	Cecil	Edge
Twincast	Tellah	Edge
Twincast	Cecil	Rosa
Bluff	Tellah	Rydia
Cry	Kain	Edge
Dualcast	Rosa	Rydia
Bardsong	Yang	Cid
Salve	N/A	Kain
Hide	N/A	Rydia
Recall	Cid
Last Stand	Yang	Rydia
Fast Talker	Rosa	Rydia
Whirlwind	Cecil	Edge
Draw Attacks	Cecil
Reach	Edge
Analyze	Fusoya
Upgrade	Fusoya
Adrenaline	N/A
MP+50%
Inferno	Kain	Rosa
Gil Farmer	Rydia
Darkness	Kain
Focus	Edge
Kick	Cecil
Brace	Edge
Level Lust	Cecil	N/A
Eye Gouge	Edward	N/A
HP+50%
Piercing Magic	Rydia	Kain
Bless	Kain	Edge
Omnicasting	Rosa	Kain
Phoenix	Cecil	Edge
Treasure Hunter	Cecil	N/A
?????'s Love	Rosa	N/A
Safe Travel	Cecil	N/A
Limit Break	N/A	Rydia

Level 71-99 Augment Assignments

From levels 1-70, characters gain stats according to a preset formula. After that point the stats they gain depend on the augments they have active during battle at level up. You can plan out what augments they will use to gain the most stats.

Here is a solution I came up with for 2 playthroughs. This maximizes all stats without equipment bonuses other than Kain's INT & SPI. For a complete maximal augment path you need 3 playthroughs. Guides for how to do that are available elsewhere, including the walkthroughs linked in the Credits section above. (It's also possible to maximize stats for all characters with only 2 playthroughs if you're willing to find everyone an adamant armor.)

• Other than Phoenix and Focus, augments give 1 stat point per level for certain stats. If you see an augment with 29 points listed, that means you need it active for 29 levels.
  
  • Phoenix and Focus give 2 points per level in SPI and STR, respectively. So Cecil will want Phoenix active for 15 levels, and so on.
• Kain is more tricky than the others with this solution. Not only is he not maxed out, but in order to get him as high as possible you will have to cycle him through STA, SPD, and INT/SPI augments, rather than just switching his augments when they max.
  
• Totals over 99 list the sum of the augment and base stats, not the true final value. The max for any stat is 99.
  
• As mentioned in the walkthroughs I link above, you don't need augments to maximize HP & MP; apples and soma drops can serve that purpose instead.

name	STR	SPD	STA	INT	SPI
Cecil	73	41	70	36	41
tsunami	29		29	29
whirlwind		29		29	29
phoenix					30
twincast				14
treasure hunter		29
total	102	99	99	108	100

name	STR	SPD	STA	INT	SPI
Edge	61	72	48	35	24
whirlwind		29		29	29
tsunami	29		29	29
phoenix					46
focus	10
brace			22
twincast				6
total	100	101	99	99	99

name	STR	SPD	STA	INT	SPI
Kain	71	54	56	12	39
inferno	29	29	29
salve		16
darkness	14		14
piercing magic				29	29
omnicasting				28	28
total	114	99	99	69	96

name	STR	SPD	STA	INT	SPI
Rosa	48	32	42	22	73
inferno	29	29	29
?????'s love	29	29	29	29	29
twincast				29
omnicasting				19	19
aim		9
total	106	99	100	99	121

name	STR	SPD	STA	INT	SPI
Rydia	36	33	34	72	54
limit break	29	29	29	29	29
curse	29		29		29
gil farmer		29
last stand	7		7
hide		8
total	101	99	99	101	112

A Big Table of Augment Stat Bonuses

Sorted first by value and then by alphabet, here is a breakdown of stats for all augments, including character-specific abilities that can't be taught.

Augment	STR	SPD	STA	INT	SPI	total points
?????'s Love	1	1	1	1	1	5
Limit Break	1	1	1	1	1	5
Curse	1		1		1	3
Inferno	1	1	1			3
Tsunami	1		1	1		3
Whirlwind		1		1	1	3
Counter	1		1			2
Darkness	1		1			2
Dualcast				1	1	2
Focus	2					2
Jump	1		1			2
Last Stand	1		1			2
Omnicasting				1	1	2
Phoenix					2	2
Piercing Magic				1	1	2
Summon Magic				1	1	2
Adrenaline	1					1
Aim		1				1
Analyze				1		1
Attack	1					1
Auto Potion			1			1
Bardsong		1				1
Black Magic				1		1
Bless					1	1
Bluff				1		1
Brace			1			1
Cover			1			1
Cry					1	1
Draw Attacks			1			1
Eye Gouge		1				1
Fast Talker				1		1
Gil Farmer		1				1
Hide		1				1
Item Lore				1		1
Kick	1					1
Level Lust	1					1
Ninjutsu				1		1
Pray					1	1
Reach		1				1
Recall				1		1
Safe Travel		1				1
Salve		1				1
Steal		1				1
Throw		1				1
Treasure Hunter		1				1
Twincast				1		1
Upgrade		1				1
White Magic					1	1
HP+50%
MP+50%

Abbreviations

• STR is strength. It increases the power of your physical attacks, and your defense against physical attacks.
  
• SPD is speed. It speeds up your ATB meter, letting you attack faster, and increases your evasion against physical attacks.
  
  • ATB is active time battle, a Final Fantasy staple. It controls which character's turn comes next.
• STA is stamina, and in theory affects your HP gain. My observations were inconclusive.
  
  • HP stands for hit points, an analogue for a character's health.
• INT is intellect. It increases the power of your magical attacks, including magical items you use in battle, as well as your defense against magical attacks.
  
• SPI is spirit. It increases the power of your magical healing, and your evasion against magical attacks.

[Akemy]

Do I have to wait untill I got Paladin Cecil to give him the counter augment or does it carry on ?

[Raven]

Maybe I'm a bit confused here but it seems some augments you stated to give to certain characters in play 1 I'm unsure if you get access to them before a character leaves the party. I'll have to play through again to verify this however. It's also somewhat confusing on the information of this guide as it's not explained very well.

[veteran0121]

Why are you giving the best attack augment in the entire game (????'s Love) which you can only get one across 3 playthroughs to Rosa? That makes absolutely no sense from a pragmatic standpoint unless your deadset on using Kain to deal damage with Jump against the superbosses. Cecil's better with the augment anyways because he's always in your party thus can always take advantage of it's power. I can't recommend this guide to anyone based on that...

[IchanDesu]

What should I do on my second playthrough with the counter augment? If Cecil has the first one, maybe I should give it to Kain or Edge for battles? Do Rydia or Rosa need it for stats

[Are Ya Winning Son?]

Update: Aaaand I forgot to steal Darkness from Odin before defeating him so that throws another curveball. Seriously, this game might have the worst "missable" content I've ever seen in an RPG!

[Are Ya Winning Son?]

Thanks for this breakdown! I got through most of a first-time playthrough following a DS version augment guide only to realise it doesn't work because you only get one Limit Break on PC. I'll salvage what I can from it anyway, I'm sure you can still beat Proto Babil with 90 strength instead of 99, or whatever.

The augment system sounds like a good idea but it's pretty headache-inducing in practice. I wouldn't really mind this kind of number-crunching in Morrowind and the like, but it feels out of place in FF4.

[IchanDesu]

This is realy helpful but what if I want to give Rydia the omnicast augment? It makes more sense than "wasting it" on Kain for stats so what could I do on a possible 3rd playthrough?:O

[Smurfsniper]

The augments that give HP, and MP are not important. the increase is only 290HP, and 140MP with each one. You will be farming apples for 9999HP, and Soma drops for 999MP.

[Smurfsniper]

@PresidentOfKaibaCorp

No. The Augment needs to be equipped in one of the command slots.

[Smurfsniper]

Rydia can max stats with Whirlwind, Curse, and Inferno, no need for Limit Break.

Limit break can be used On Cecil, so he can twincast Ultima with Rosa for 99,999, keeping kain in the air with Phoenix. Give Kain ??? love for max stats. This is risky against Proto Babil, but the option is there.

Or you can give Kain Limit break but it requires a bit longer to set up, but he can reliably hit for high damage, so his jump isn't capped at 9999. This is the preferred route, and frees up two characters.