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tiornys, destrian and wheresatari's stage 8 mission extravaganza!

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wheresatari

Sep 23, 2012 2:42 pm GMT
Welcome!

We decided to take on and 5 star all the possible missions at stage 8 (which should include all but 55 and 64). If anybody wants to chime in or do it along with us, feel free. We'll be all starting at different places (pre-Dahaka saves), so if anybody has any knowledge to share, or would just like to see how we're faring, stop on by.

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I am the Way and the Truth and the Life; no man comes to the Father except by Me.
-The Lord Jesus Christ. John 14 verse 6.
tiornys

Sep 23, 2012 2:41 pm GMT
Some quick guidelines: we are allowing eq upgrades, although we'll try to avoid tier 3 weaponry and Dark Matter equipment. I think we also want to limit Scarletite equipment if we can. We'll be avoiding shrouds.

LewdDolphin21 recently did something similar to this over in the General Challenge thread. He was not using upgrades or shrouds and limited himself to stage 8, but he did have stage 9 open, which is a significant power boost to summons. I expect us to have it generally easier than he did, but a couple of missions may be significantly tougher even with upgrades.

t~
wheresatari

Sep 23, 2012 2:45 pm GMT
Hmmm, I'm curious if Chocobo digging for any cash we'll be needing, mission 24 farming or farming Adamanchelids for Gold Dust, since they're fairly easy, will be best.
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I am the Way and the Truth and the Life; no man comes to the Father except by Me.
-The Lord Jesus Christ. John 14 verse 6.
destrian522

Sep 23, 2012 2:53 pm GMT
I'm not doing spoiler tags for this topic so if you don't want boss/mission spoilers, you should stop reading.

*SPOILERS for the rest of the topic*

I'm fine with the restrictions as suggested. I'm probably only going to upgrade as I feel it is beneficial since I want to keep a large pool of gil available for the next task. We'll need to look into Mission 34 farming to see if it is viable, but I'd rather just avoid grinding entirely if possible. Mission 24 isn't going to be an option since we can't beat Dahaka. If you use your pre-Bart save, that will probably be your best bet. Are Adamanchelids effective for grinding? I've never looked into them.

My strategies for five starring Missions 1-26 and 28 can be found in this topic:
http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/950899-final-fantasy-xiii/63312597

They start on page 2, post 94, and take up the bulk of the topic from that point on (except for a lot of talk about Barthandelus and Stage 8 Crystarium). Note that those strategies involve characters with only one leveled role each, so a typical Stage 8 strategy will be drastically different in most cases.
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CWLSIV
tiornys

Sep 23, 2012 2:57 pm GMT
My brief analysis of Adamanchelid grinding suggested that it wasn't anywhere close to other available grinding methods. But I can run the math again to double-check.

t~
destrian522

Sep 23, 2012 2:59 pm GMT
I don't think that is necessary. It would surprise me if they were an effective choice.
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CWLSIV
wheresatari

Sep 23, 2012 3:13 pm GMT
How much does Gold Dust sell for? I just figured that they might save time. I mean, they can be eat in just over a minute. Chocobo digging takes forever to find the exact spot and, even then, thete's no guarantee that it'll be a nugget. As for the mission, I meant the one with 6,000 G as a reward, so I guess I got the number wrong. I'm not sure how much G I have pre-Dahaka, though it's got to be more than 500,000G.

So use pre-Barty save or pre-Dahaka save?
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I am the Way and the Truth and the Life; no man comes to the Father except by Me.
-The Lord Jesus Christ. John 14 verse 6.
tiornys

Sep 23, 2012 3:13 pm GMT
All right, I'm ready to start on the Faultwarrens. I've 5-starred missions 1-26 and 30-34. 27 and 28 are post-Dahaka, and I'm deliberately skipping 29 to keep the Power Tunnel viable in case I want to use it. Juggernaut isn't challenging in any case.

I have the Adamanchelid kill down around 40-45 seconds with a bit of optimization, so I think I'll run the math again. That's a lot faster than 1:20.

t~
tiornys

Sep 23, 2012 3:17 pm GMT
wheresatari posted...
How much does Gold Dust sell for? I just figured that they might save time. I mean, they can be eat in just over a minute. Chocobo digging takes forever to find the exact spot and, even then, thete's no guarantee that it'll be a nugget. As for the mission, I meant the one with 6,000 G as a reward, so I guess I got the number wrong. I'm not sure how much G I have pre-Dahaka, though it's got to be more than 500,000G.

So use pre-Barty save or pre-Dahaka save?

Mission 24 is correct, but it can't be repeated until you beat Dahaka. Gold Dust sells for 15,000 gil. Chocobo digs occur at a finite number of possible points, and it's not too hard to plan a route that covers almost all of them efficiently; the rewards are variable but that's taken into account in calculating its average return. It got a lot of analysis due to its usefulness in NCU.

I'd use the pre-Dahaka save if I were you; that way you too can have the option of getting absurdly powerful and crushing Dahaka with us.

t~
LewdDolphin21

Sep 24, 2012 10:25 am GMT
Oh hai, I didn't realize you guys were gearing up for Stage 8 missions! I have a save from right before I beat Bart 2, i.e. without stage 9 unlocked. Most of what I did, though, didn't involve summons. I'm not sure exactly how Stage 9 affects the strength of summons, though. As far as I can remember, the only missions I did that I summoned for were the Neochus and Vercingetorix (though the latter was purely for poison damage).

If you would like for me to jump in, or provide pointers (pointers to the FF13 masters, lolwut?) I would love to help! :-)

Edit: Looking at the list of missions, I also summoned in 62 for extra damage... but my strategy could easily work with weaker summons. You just need to get lucky and not get triple Ruinga'd. But if you allow for upgrades, maxed out magic resistance should make it cake to survive. I also summoned in 63, but that was primarily to get the Adamantortoise to the ground. Every other mission was done without summons. ^_^
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Math PhD student at The Ohio State University! =D
Currently playing: Final Fantasy XIII.
destrian522

Sep 24, 2012 1:47 pm GMT
I'm sure we will be using a lot of magic resistance for Mission 62. I'm not particularly interested in beating my head against a wall.

I know we are planning on beating an Adamantoise at Stage 8 without summons, if you'd like to try that one out.
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CWLSIV
wheresatari

Sep 24, 2012 4:33 pm GMT
Well, I'll post what I did last night. Firstly, I screwed myself. During my run of the game, I accidentally saved over my pre-Dahaka save. I had to get all the way back to it from my Hecatoncheir save. I really never expected to use that file, so I skipped all the enemies, missions and TBs on my way back b/c it was late. Using the file, I basically had to play the entire fight from Hecatoncheir to Dahaka again so get/do all the stuff I didn't, so I didn't get as much as I would have liked done.

Anyway...

Mission 32: And then there was one. Aman.

Stone: From the mission 9 Waystone, take the path heading to Vallis Media. It's pretty much right after the animation that takes you from one area to the next.

Mark: There are two lakes on the Steppe; it's right by the one closest to Ma'habara.

Difficulty: Cakewalk.

Reward: Glass Buckle.

Pre-emptive Strike: Easy. Just creep up on it by hugging the lake from the side that's closest to Ma'habara.

Strategy: None really. With the Pre-emptive Strike, it staggers and falls quickly. The only thing you need to watch for is Pain and Fog, so have Esuna handy. My MC got afflicted with it in the opening seconds.

Mission 57: What's yours is brine. 3x Shahagin and 2x Alarune.

Stone: Circle of stones by Eastern Tors. From inside the circle, it's the right green stone.

Mark: Located where mission mark 8 was. From the waystone in Vallis Media, follow the fork left all the way to the waterfall.

Difficulty: Easy to medium, depending if you get the Pre-emptive Strike.

Reward: Uraninite.

Pre-emptive Strike: Difficult but doable. You may want to get into the fight and retry to place you in a better position.

Strategy: With Pre-emptive Strike, you just need to do a few turns in Relentless Assault. Without Pre-emptive Strike...I never tried, but I will at some point.

Mission 58: The cutter of many. Humbaba and Pulsework Centurian.

Stone: Circle of stones by eastern Tors. The only yellow stone.

Mark: Inside Ma'habara. Warp to the Waystone and turn right. Cross the bridge and follow the path until you see it.

Difficulty: Easy to slightly difficult.

Reward: Speed Sash.

Pre-emptive Strike: Impossible without Deceptisol.

Strategy: I used a party of Vanille/Sazh/Snow. My equips were Malboro Wand (just transformed), Spica Defenders and the Power Circle. I had a Black Belt and Rune Bracelet on everybody, a Warrior's Wristband on Sazh, the Sorcerer's Mark on Vanille and a Brawler's Wristband on Snow. I tried other parties, but they all dealt enough damage to make it stand before I staggered it. You may be able to switch the Runes for something else. I originally used them to protect against Aeroga; my strategy now completely bypasses that move altogether.

Paradigms:

Sab/Syn/Rav
Rav/Rav/Rav
Rav/Rav/Rav
Com/Com/Com
Com/Com/Com
Med/Med/Sen

Start in 1 to get Haste. Use one string of Deshell on the Pulswork, then switch to 2 and 3 for the refreshes to chain it up to stagger and kill it. It'll fall quickly. Switch back to 1 and apply Deprotect and Imperil only on the Humbaba. Switch between 2 and 3 until it's staggered. You may not even have to heal (if so, maybe once). Once it's staggered, switch between 4 and 5 for the kill, rotating attacks to keep it launched. With this strategy, I killed it, consistently getting 5 stars and without it ever standing up. If it does stand, you may as well retry. It'll utilize strong physical attacks called Sunder, fully heal it's HP, remove all debuffs and spam the all powerful Aeroga. My quickest time was 1:44, but that may be improved upon, I'm sure.

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I am the Way and the Truth and the Life; no man comes to the Father except by Me.
-The Lord Jesus Christ. John 14 verse 6.
wheresatari

Sep 24, 2012 4:34 pm GMT
^^^Character limit Any tips on what I should do differently?

I took Zirnitra and three frogs mission, tried twice and got completely destroyed in two or three turns. I'll try again later. Any early tips on the Zirnitra fight? I'm guessing Sen and Black belts. I just know those frogs are the kind that summon the little ones>.< Will Pain and Fog stop Courtship Dance?
---
I am the Way and the Truth and the Life; no man comes to the Father except by Me.
-The Lord Jesus Christ. John 14 verse 6.
wheresatari

Sep 24, 2012 5:26 pm GMT
I forgot to add that Deshell is the only thing that'll work on the Pulsework, but it doesn't really matter if it sticks or not. It's just to steady the gauge and get Haste on one or two characters in one turn. It also needs manual input b/c, when I played it, the auto-battle AI would only cast a single one>.<
---
I am the Way and the Truth and the Life; no man comes to the Father except by Me.
-The Lord Jesus Christ. John 14 verse 6.
tiornys

Sep 24, 2012 6:41 pm GMT
I think Pain stops Courtship Dance, but I'm not sure.

I would definitely try using Snow with high physical resistance. Not sure on the other characters. Alexander is definitely capable of killing the Ceratoraptors, so that's a strong endorsement for leading with Hope (w/ Ruin obviously). Maybe Sazh with his first two SAB stages for Haste and Deshell? He knows the right elements; Zirnitra is inherently weak to Fire and Air so Imperil doesn't do a lot. Magic spec both Hope and Sazh, open with Alexander to off the Ceratoraptors, get full offensive and defensive buffs, chain, stagger, debuff, kill? Not sure if you want to have Snow on perma-SEN or just try to keep Zirnitra interrupted during stagger.

t~

edit: actually you might want to have Sazh debuff Zirnitra while you work on chaining it. with a Chain Resistance of 97, the extra .3 for alternating attacks against a negative status (that ignores resistance) is probably relevant.
LewdDolphin21

Sep 24, 2012 6:56 pm GMT
destrian522 posted...
I'm sure we will be using a lot of magic resistance for Mission 62. I'm not particularly interested in beating my head against a wall.

I know we are planning on beating an Adamantoise at Stage 8 without summons, if you'd like to try that one out.

Sure thing. I have a feeling this is something that I'd have to upgrade and use shrouds for, though. ^_^

Also, was there any chance of this turning into a low level missions FAQ at some point? I know tiornys was working on a boss FAQ, but if no one was planning on writing this up as a guide, I've been itching to write a guide for... well, 15 years. O_O I'd love to lend a hand if that was the goal, or if not, I'd love to take charge and organize the strategies for these missions.
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Math PhD student at The Ohio State University! =D
Currently playing: Final Fantasy XIII.
destrian522

Sep 24, 2012 7:02 pm GMT
You will need upgrades, but no Shrouds. That would be lame.

A mission guide is certainly a possibility. I don't know how low level it should be.
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CWLSIV
wheresatari

Sep 24, 2012 9:26 pm GMT
Hmmm, I didn't think about summoning, but I guess it is indeed an option. Getting Sazh Sab skills may require grinding. I'm not even fully maxed in my primaries (I think I need like 60-80,000 CP yet for Light, Vanille and Fang). However, I can't really remember, but Sazh may indeed be the one that did max his first. If that is the case, I may be able to snag them without issue. I think I made the mistake of killing Juggy on my first trip through Ma'habara, so I don't have the option of the power tunnel. I guess if I did need any grinding, I could grind the 6x Cryohedrons. Not only do I get 7,120 CP, but Bomb Cores for upgrading are really nice indeed.

Should I go for different strats, or just one good one that works (meaning a summon strat and a non-summon strat)? If it's the former, it'll be tough; if it's the latter, some of these missions may just get easier if this is a "whatever works" -type challenge.

My party for the first try was Vanille/Sazh/Light, and my party for the second was Vanille/Sazh/Snow.
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I am the Way and the Truth and the Life; no man comes to the Father except by Me.
-The Lord Jesus Christ. John 14 verse 6.
tiornys

Sep 24, 2012 10:20 pm GMT
My plan was to generally go with whatever works, but if you think you see a way to handle something with fewer resources/primary roles/no summons/whatever, by all means feel free to try it. Since I'm still working on the Boss FAQ, I will probably not be doing extensive testing for this.

Zirnitra + Ceratoraptors strikes me as a difficult mission with no summon or secondary roles. You'll need a Sentinel at least until you finish off the Ceratoraptors and Ceratosaurs, and even Snow is going to have a hard time absorbing all the damage without defensive buffs.

I'm honestly not sure if it's better to try to kill of the Raptors first, or to kill Zirnitra and then deal with the minions. Either way, you really want Fang or Lightning's (or Snow's) Blitz to efficiently handle the Raptors (since they resist Magic). Sazh's Blitz has its strong points, but handling large groups of small enemies is not one of them.

Without secondary roles, there's no way to have a dedicated SEN, a good physical AoE attack, offensive buffs, defensive buffs, offensive debuffs, and healing. Even with secondaries, that's a lot to ask.

It's also possible that Pain on the Cerato's might be effective enough to let you ignore them while you deal with Zirnitra, so that's another avenue you could explore.

t~
destrian522

Sep 25, 2012 1:45 pm GMT
Status report:

Lightning:
Stage 8 primaries maxed
Current options:
Sen up to Elude (I wouldn't go higher)
Sab up to Deshell
Syn up to Enthunder

Sazh:
Stage 8 primaries maxed
Current options:
Sen up to Steelguard (I wouldn't go higher)
Sab up to Imperil
Med up to Esuna

I was going to go ahead and get his Sen but the fact that I can go all the way to Imperil is making me hesitate. I might wait until I collect 20000 CP (which should not take long anyway).

Vanille:
Stage 8 primaries maxed
Commando up to Ruin
Current options:
Com up to Jeopardize
Sen up to Provoke
Syn up to Veil

Snow:
Stage 8 primaries maxed
Current options:
Sab up to Pain
Syn up to Vigilance
Med up to Cure

Fang:
Stage 8 primaries maxed
Rav up to Thunder
Med up to Cure
Current options:
Rav up to Water
Syn up to Veil

Hope:
Stage 8 primaries maxed
Com up to Ruin
Current options:
Com up to Faultsiphon
Sen up to Evade
Sab up to Deshellga
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CWLSIV