Kinda sad we aren't getting new people around to discuss the game :( I'll do my best.

Post the Paradigm Deck(s) you use. Obviously this is more worthwhile to discuss once you've reached Ch. 11, or are working on the quests post-game.



Yeah, Sazh only knows Cure, but it's damn expensive to train outside of expertise before you clear the game. He makes Combat Clinic work, and that's all I really need him to do, right now.

From that it's also pretty clear that I'm playing a Sentinel most of the time. I don't really mind. I'm all for taunting and then unleashing in Aggression once an enemy has been staggered (I always want to say Break. Blame Xenosaga Ep. III).

If it wasn't for the fact that I need Vanille to exploit Adamantitans, I'd be insanely tempted to train Hope as a Saboteur post-game and replace her altogether. We'll see.

I wish that Decks were saved for each party configuration instead of having to reset them each time you switched even one player, but alas~

Share your decks, what role you play most as the lead, anything really. I know I've been an asshat for years about talking about FF at FF Shrine, but let's do it.

I use Fang, Hope and Lightning (no not because the guide told me to because i like them as a team). My Paragims are as follows:

Relentless Assault (hard to live without)
Mystic Tower
Delta Attack
Combat Clinic
Solidarity
and Guerella

I usually use Lightning, Fang and Hope. I sometime switch Hope for Snow or Vanille depending on the situation (But I prefer the versatility of Hope as a supporting member.).

Lightning-Fang-hope

Relentless Assault (Rav-Com-Rav)
Tri-Distaster (Rav-Rav-Rav)
Cerberus (Com-Com-Com)
Guerilla (Rav-Sab-Syn)
Tireless Charge (Com-Com-Med)
Combat Clinic (Med-Sen-Med)

I'm rather aggressive in my tactics, I guess.

Saw a great cutscene on Gran Pulse this morning. Hope PWNED Vanille.

I gotta train him up for post game domination. Or, I could try to make it through the regular game w/o a Saboteur...

Or, I could try to make it through the regular game w/o a Saboteur...

BLASPHEMY! Barthandalus will make you regret that decision

WELL NOW IT'S A CHALLENGE. DOWN WITH THAT CRUSTY BASTARD!

Saboteurs I normally use only as a secondary role (and then, only at the start, as they're pretty useless besides debuffing, which tend to not even stick half the time). But yeah, there are some boss fights where a Saboteur is absolutely essential to survival.

As for my favourite Paradigms, like most players I prefer the Lightning/Fang/Hope party, with these Paradigms the ones I normally use the most:

Solidarity (Commando-Sentinel-Medic) - this is my default Paradigm, and standard 'DD/tank/healer' regime. A great, all round Paradigm, but rather ineffective against single targets with a lot of HP.
Relentless Assault (Ravager-Commando-Ravager) - this is my 'nuking' Paradigm, which of course really needs no introduction. I normally only switch to it when an enemy is Staggered though, as the hate generation can often turn deadly.
Entourage (Ravager-Sentinel-Medic) - Basically the same as Solidarity, except it's magic rather than melee. Normally I use this against enemies which are tanks but weak against magic (such as flans and pulsework robots). I have to be careful though, as sometimes Lightning can often end up pulling too much hate with her spells, which Fang can't Provoke the enemy back onto her fast enough (something I know all too well from FFXI).
Diversity (Ravager-Commando-Medic) - similar to Solidarity, but switching in a Commando in lieu of the Sentinel means I get more damage dealt, but the Medic makes it a little safer than Relentless Assault if I take damage. Often I use this when trying to Stagger an enemy, in which case I then switch to Relentless Assault and finish the job.
Combat Clinic (Medic-Sentinel-Medic) - This is the 'emergency' Paradigm, which I switch in most often during boss fights or against particularly strong enemies. The extra healer often means all the difference between life and death.

There are other Paradigms I also use occasionally, but these five are my preferred ones.

I took down Barthandalus the first time w/o a Sab. I will honestly endeavor to do it again.

ahh but you cannot compare the 1st barthandalus fight to the second. The second is (in my opinion) the hardest boss battle in the game

I had one of those epiphany moments and went back to Vanille. She just seems to have better Medic skills and that made up my mind.

WOMEN :rolleyes:

Everything that you do, keeps me running back to you. Can't give up, live the dream, even if I don't believe. We can't afford to surrender, we can't afford~

In my game Hope is a better Medic, but maybe thats because he's one of my main characters so I put more effort into his crystarium then vanille's

Keep in mind that I just assumed Snow didn't get Blitz because I hadn't looked at his Stage 8 Commando platform. Was working on Sentinel first, of course.

I could be completely wrong (and rationalizing) but I'm pretty sure I saw some skills Hope didn't get in there for Vanille.

Light is nerfed as a medic. Feels like they were just like well, she needs to be a Commando and a Ravager, and Medic seems underrepresented....

Believe it or not, I played through the second half of chapter 3 (after Snow left the party) with only the basic pre-generated decks. Which are Relentless Assult and Diversity. And I made it through pretty much alive (although I did lose a few battles, just because I didn't switch decks fast enough).

You won't really have to worry about changing decks til chapter 10, tbh.

Apparently there was a battle that took me an hour because I didn't, but otherwise, it was smooth sailing.


BLASPHEMY! Barthandalus will make you regret that decision

Version 2.0 is a PUNK. His Thanatosean Lightning (or w/e it is) didn't even take my characters down to half health.

Grinding pays off :D

I keep thinking this thread reads "Paradigm Dicks"

Currently it's...

Aggression
Recuperation
Relentless Assault
Diversity

I change to fit what I see, take things down and move along.

I am ready for anything, Is this enough Chrystarium Points to move along? I already made it this far?


I am on Chapter 11, where...
Hope gets his eidolon and right after you meet the first Ciel Stone or something. Also, Gran Pulse is beautiful looking! Well what i've seen. :D

That really isn't that much CP. I used the Maw of the Abyss to max out everyone's main roles in the Stage 8 crystarium. Then, I just didn't spend anything til I got stage 9. Had about 350K CP and it got me one role for everyone.

Actually, that's not totally true. I stuck around the Maw until Snow had Cura and Esuna. I've probably put the most work into my Combat Clinic. Snow used to be the SEN (duh) and Sazh had Cure, but now Snow's the second MED and Sazh is holding down the fort (You afraid of 'ol Sazh!?!?).

I want to get them their role levels for those before the end of the game. Just about there.

I mainly use 2 Sabatuer and 1 healer. Just got onto the plains and I can whittle an Adamantoise down to half hp. I can stagger the thing in 40 seconds flat.

Yeah baby, I'm a grind wh*re!!!

I still have to use a Death strategy with those, obviously. I use Vanille, Hope, and Fang. Fang keeps debuffing, Hope keeps buffing, Vanille keeps......yeah.

I just use Hope because he's consistently let me down in so many ways despite the fact that I want to use him so very much. Just want him to get SOME face time.

I need to make some sprint shoes and stuffs to maximize the strategy, but it works OKAY, for now.

I'm starting to familiarize myself with Paradigm decks customization and use now. Yesterday's battle against the Havoc Skytank got me switching between various paradigms regularly. And it helps that I start the battle by summoning Odin.

I only use Shiva offensively when I've got a fight with a huge amount of strong enemies, so I can thin the herd.

Otherwise, I use them to get me back on my feet, since everyone comes back healed and alive after a summoning.

Bahamut, Hacatonchier and Odin are the only summons worth using imo.

I'm starting to find using at the start of Orphan rather amusing as he can't stop you when you finally start attacking him

X3 synergist
to
x3 medic
to
x3 sabatuer
to
x3 ravager
to
x2 sentinal x1 healer
to
x2 commando x1 sabatuer

Every grid mastered and orphan falls in 22 mins and 37 secs if your fast enough :P

Is the damage really any different between them? In any meaningful way?

I'd imagine you'd just use the one for the person you play as.

And, since you seem pretty knowledgeable, is it possible to get bestiary checks for every entry? If you can't, well fuck, I might just use my current file instead of starting over. Assuming I haven't missed any entries. I'll check on that part on my own.

Lightning, Snow, and Hope make up my team right now (post-game). I really didn't like Fang as a character, Sazh was amazing for most of the game until Hope got Haste, and Vanille was only useful for killing Oretoises (Adamantoise, etc.) and ****ing Neochus. My Paradigm Deck is as follows (in the order of Lightning, Snow, Hope):

Strike Team (Com, Com, Syn)
Relentless Assault (Rav, Com, Rav)
Tri-Disaster (Rav, Rav, Rav)
Cerberus (Com, Com, Com)
Protection (Med, Sen, Syn)
Combat Clinic (Med, Sen, Med)

The Strike Team takes out groups of weaker enemies with ease, with Haste and En- magics to help things along. For stronger enemies, Relentless Assault gets my chain started, Tri-Disaster Speeds up the chaining process, switch back to Relentless Assault to slow the chain gauge down and to deal the last few hits to break the enemy, then set in with Tri-Disaster again to max the gauge out. Once the gauge is at a sufficient percentage, I go all out with Cerberus. The protection is there to get my buffs on early while keeping my health topped off; it also works to readminister them later in the battle while keeping my team from getting slaughtered. Last but certainly not least, Combat Clinic speaks for itself...there's nothing like laughing at your enemy while he can't even start to dent your Sentinel and everyone else is throwing around Band-Aids.

As a side note, once I get Sazh maxed out he will probably be put back in instead of Hope. Right now, Hope just happens to have all of the right buffs.

Is the damage really any different between them? In any meaningful way?

I'd imagine you'd just use the one for the person you play as.

And, since you seem pretty knowledgeable, is it possible to get bestiary checks for every entry? If you can't, well fuck, I might just use my current file instead of starting over. Assuming I haven't missed any entries. I'll check on that part on my own.

Damage is irrellevant in FFxiii, you just need patience.

I figured as much. Now, answer the second question I posed. If you know the answer, plx.

As far I'm aware no, though I'm not the most reliable source of info >.<