I was wondering if anyone knew what numbers of kills it took for the chain level to increase. I know it is specific for the individual types of creatures, so if someone could maybe find a guide? Thank you in advance.

Also, what is the highest chain you have gotten? Mine is somewhere in the 230's.

From what I can remember, it's something like 10-18 for the first chain level to increase. 25-40 for the second chain level. 55-70 for the third chain level. These are really rough estimates, I'm just estimating what I can remember. And as you said, it's different for different species.

The highest I ever got was 999, because that's the highest it goes, but it was really somewhere over 2000.

Highest was about 85...

I don't care about chaining. =/

I thought it was specific for the individual types of creatures, but I think for some it's different each time. I was chaining the Baknamy and the blue numbers started showing up around as early as 8, and then later I was chaining them (in the same place) and the numbers weren't blue until like 15.

It's random every time. I've gotten to a level two chain as low as five and as high as 90. My highest is 300 something...also, the count stops at 999...

Oh and I missed this...


From what I can remember, it's something like 10-18 for the first chain level to increase. 25-40 for the second chain level. 55-70 for the third chain level. These are really rough estimates, I'm just estimating what I can remember. And as you said, it's different for different species.

The highest I ever got was 999, because that's the highest it goes, but it was really somewhere over 2000.

On what and where and why were you wasting all that time to get it that far?

Thank you for the information on the chain levels being random every time.


From what I can remember, it's something like 10-18 for the first chain level to increase. 25-40 for the second chain level. 55-70 for the third chain level. These are really rough estimates, I'm just estimating what I can remember. And as you said, it's different for different species.

The highest I ever got was 999, because that's the highest it goes, but it was really somewhere over 2000.

Also, I hope that one day I have enough time to pull something like that. Bravo for your efforts!

I was wondering if anyone knew what numbers of kills it took for the chain level to increase. I know it is specific for the individual types of creatures, so if someone could maybe find a guide? Thank you in advance.

Also, what is the highest chain you have gotten? Mine is somewhere in the 230's.

I've gotten 999, when in reality my chain was probably somewhere in the 1200-1600 range.


Also, I hope that one day I have enough time to pull something like that. Bravo for your efforts!

Isn't hard. See? (http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/ps2/file/459841/45730)

Yeah that auto-levelling thing doesn't count towards your chaining acheivement.

Yeah that auto-levelling thing doesn't count towards your chaining acheivement.

I agree. Today, though, I got a chain of 621 (yay, it's 9!) without doing that.

Yeah that auto-levelling thing doesn't count towards your chaining acheivement.

??? If you mean the chaining acheivement in the Sky Pirate's Den, you're wrong. If you mean just as a personal achievement that took lots of time and effort, though, I can see where you're coming from.

I had never heard of this Auto-leveling system before. I'll have to try this on my new file. I have high hopes for this.

I used the auto-level thing once, but it's not that effective for higher level characters. Another option is the similar rare game in the Barheim Passage, which is essentially a stronger version of the Negalmuur, with stronger spawns, but it's a Phon Coast Hunt Club rare game, so it only appears once.

It is not random.

The way it works is each kill gives you 'Chain EXP'.
However, picking up items lowers the amount of EXP recieved for the Chain.

Pick up NO ITEMS between kills, and you'll only need about 8 or 9 kills for the first Chain Level, roughly 18 after that, to a maximum Chain Level after only about 30 - 35 kills.

Here's a tip: if your Chain indicator is flashing, that means it's about to level up so forget about the treasure and just kill, kill, kill!

Oh. So that is what it means when the chain level flashes. Thanks for the info.

No problemo.

I know that when your chain level is flashing it means that it is about to level up. But, what does it mean if it flashes while you are on the highest chain level?

When you're on the highest Chain Level, and your counter starts flashing, it means that you're about to do what is called 'Phantom Leveling' where your chain doesn't actually level up, but the quality and quantity of your items do.

It's rare but it does happen.

--Side Note--
There is also what's called a 'Reverse Chain' where if you kill a different species of enemy each time, roughly the same thing happens as a regular chain. However, a 'Reverse Chain' counter does not show up, nor do levels or anything of that sort. The Reverse Chain's often give rarer items than regular chains, and this is the only way to get some rarer items fast.

That is very nice to find out. Thanks again.

I've written about this. I'l have to look it up later, but you chain level increases dramatically faster if you do NOT pick up any loot the monsters drop you're chaining.

I've written about this. I'l have to look it up later, but you chain level increases dramatically faster if you do NOT pick up any loot the monsters drop you're chaining.

Wow, really? Nice job moron, I already said that!

Wow, really? Nice job moron, I already said that!

Whoa, calm down. He probably didn't see what you said. Don't start getting angry.

Whoa, calm down. He probably didn't see what you said. Don't start getting angry.

I think that you are supposed to scold them relatively soon after they do whatever it is they do...3 months is a fairly long time to forget what was done.

O_O That long...

Sorry, I wasn't looking at the date.

LoL I remember posting all that stuff...

I used to be Omaklise for anyone who doesnt know.

Thanks for the back-up wolfmaster913!

No problem 7alentine.

And its nice to know that you used to be Omaklise, I had no idea.

And Magic Missile, please don't take it personal, I just hate it when people get onto someone about something that happened a long time ago. I would have probably said something to anyone if they had done that.

Also, since this is in a thread about chain levels, I should probably say something relevant. Uhhhh...oh yeah, I finally maxed out my chain at 999. It took a couple of hours of chaining skeletons, but I finally did it. Hahahaha.

LoL yeah it sucks that it can't go higher... or at least the counter cant...

I chained off the Baknamy's in the Necrohol of Nabudis and basically maxed out my licenses for everyone.

Chained Neggalmur's minions in the Stillshrine for about 36 hours straight (love the rubber-banded controller loop)...

According to the Mechanics Guide on GameFAQs, the way it works is this. At the beginning of a given chain level, the game generates a random number from 6 to 10. When you kill a monster, subtract one from this number. When you pick up one of the drops resulting from these kills, add one to this number. When the total drops to zero, you get the next chain level. It doesn't seem to depend on the monster, but there is definitely a random factor. My own observations have been quite consistent with this.

I'm pretty sure the number does not get bigger at higher levels; it certainly doesn't double or anything like that. If it seems to require more kills to raise your chain level the higher it already is, it's because more of the monsters are dropping treasure, and that treasure is more tempting to pick up (and easier to see, less likely to blend into the background), at higher levels than lower ones.

If you go a lot of kills without managing to drive that number down to zero, eventually you'll get the next chain level anyway. It seems to take somewhere around 30 kills for this to happen.

The number flashing means nearly the opposite of what people here take it to mean; it means that at that time, you can pick up drops without the above penalty, i.e. without delaying your reaching the next chain level. I've never heard of, or seen any good evidence for, a "phantom level" or anything like that, and it is not an indicator that you're about to go up. It might seem that way because you hit the next level much more quickly when you're not being dinged for every drop you grab, but that's not what it means.

Technically separate from the Chain Level, but tending to go hand in hand with it in practice, when you kill the exact same enemy many times in a row, it starts dropping multiples of whatever items it would be dropping anyway. Eventually you'll see up to four of some items. This might be what people are mistaking for the "phantom level", though I suspect that's more likely to be people making too much of random runs of good luck.

I have no reason to suspect the reverse chain gets you rarer items. By all accounts it only gives a slight boost.

Umm... jeff, the topic's over half a year old.

But I thought I'd add something, I did know that picking up drops prolongs the growth of the chain level. On my first playthrough I chained Bombshell to get a Yagyu Darkblade to beat Yiazmat and it was hell, it took me 50 about. Then the next time I didn't pick up any drop until the chain was at red, and it grew really fast.

This is also necessary if you want to go for the Danjuro, but thank god you already have Gargoyle Barons in the green area before the crystal so you can set up a chain fast.

Well it's been a while since i played FF XII but back then a friend of mine and I were curious about the limit of the chain level.

and we chained up to 999, and after this, kept chaining.
man, i think we killed that same enemy for about 10 consecutive hours...

brrr... kinda scary to remember :D