MogKnight
02-17-2005, 11:44 AM
All right, if there is one thing that I've noticed that is different from the original Final Fantasy 2 and the Dawn of Souls version is that the leveling is different.
For example...
In the original version, a weapon would level up when you gain 100 Weapon Points. You don't have to swing with it, you just need to choose attack and select a target.
In the DoS version, weapon levels varies upon the level itself (or maybe other factors). However, you need to attack with the weapon.
So, Original = Select Attack and Choose Target 100 times. DoS = Actually do the attacking action.
If this is confusing, let me go into this more.
In the original, you select "Attack" then select a Target. From there, you choose the next party member's action. Cancel that by hitting the cancel button and you'll go back to setting the previous party member's actions. You didn't attack at all but you got skill credit. Idealy, you can do this 100 times and level and cap your weapon to the max (16)
So the idea of this guide is to get people to know how the leveling in FF2 is, how it works and learning how it REALLY does work. There are a few things I am not quite sure about yet since DoS displays skill levels in bars rather than numbers in the original.
<hr>
The Level System
In Final Fantasy 2, there is no experience point system. Instead there is a system where your stats would be affected by the way you battle. If you took damage, you would gain stamina. If you use a lot of magic, you'll gain a more power version of that magic and some MP. The list goes on and on. Each weapon, magic, and the stats on each character are leveled up via this system.
These rules apply for stats:
You can only gain one level for a stat per battle. You cannot get two level ups for a stat or weapon from one battle.
Running from a battle will cancel out any stat gains you may have gotten during the fight.
These mostly apply to the DoS version of the game, while it MAY apply to the original, a lot of things will not.
<hr>
Character Stats
The stats for each character are
HP - Max HP
MP - Max MP
Attack - Determined by weapons (variable Stat, not levelable)
Defense - Determined by armor (variable Stat, not levelable)
Accuracy - Number and accuracy of attacks
Evasion - Evasion of physical attacks
Magic Defense - Evasion of special attacks
Strength - Accuracy and potency of physical attacks
Stamina - Ties together with Max HP (Higher = More HP recieved at level?)
Spirit - Success rate and potency of white magic
Intelligence - Success rate and potency of black magic
Agility - Success rate of preemptive strike and turn in battle
Magic - Ties together with Max MP (Higher = More MP recieved at level?)
So we have about 11 stats to work with in terms of leveling. Now stat leveling is different from leveling a weapon or a magic ability (You'll see why when I cover them). Stat leveling is based on chance and what you do in battle. To get more of a specific stat, you would need to do something that I like to call "Grinding", a term basically used to level yourself by constantly doing something again and again. But what do you need to do to level a specific stat? I'll go through each stat.
Note: Do not run from battle. This will cancel out any stat gains you get during the battle.
HP and Stamina
Condition: Lose HP during battle, Take Damage.
Losing HP during can be from anything, even your own attacks. The idea is that the more you lose, the higher the chance that you'll level up your HP and Stamina. Now, to figure out how this really works, I will run a few tests.
Maria's Max HP: 810
Maria's Stamina: 23
In each battle, I will use Firion to attack Maria and have everyone use shields to attack (I'll explain this trick further later). After one turn, I will have Firion clear off enemies with some Thunder action!
Battle 1:
Firion hits Maria for 126
No Stat Gains
I have Maria cure herself to max.
Battle 2:
Firion hits Maria for 141
No Stat Gains
I figured I'll give this one more try before I add some more damage.
Battle 3:
Firion hits Maria for 167
Maria's Stamina Increased (23 -> 24)
Well, this helps in determining how Stamina works...
Okay, now for battle 4, I will add Guy attacking with a Mythril Axe for 3 more battles.
Battle 4:
Guy hits Maria for 163
Firion hits Maria for 143
Maria's HP Increased (810 -> 834)
Maria's Stamina Increased (24 -> 25)
Interesting, you noticed that Maria's HP increased with the Stamina value she started battle with. Also, it appears that the more damage you do, the better the chances it is for HP up. I decide to test this again.
Battle 5:
Guy hits Maria for 210
Firion hits Maria for 182
Maria's HP Increased (834 -> 859)
Maria's Stamina Increased (25 -> 26)
Guy's HP increased (1077 -> 1101) (Guy's Stamina is 24)
This would probably confirm that HP gain is based on how much damage is done to you plus a one in so chance (undetermined number, need to run more tests). Also, Guy's HP increased, he was attacked but the enemy missed him. Perhaps it might not be based on damage taken but attacks that are directed to you. One thing is certain that Stamina is the number of HP you will get when your HP levels up.
Basically we can assume this: The more damage you take, the higher the chances of HP gain. The HP you get is based on your current HP + Stamina points.
MP and Magic
Condition: Lose MP during battle, Use Magic
Now, we know that Stamina is to HP and Magic is to MP. I would assume that when you level MP, Magic will determine your MP gain. To test this, I will run into battle and start casting some black magic with Firion.
Firion's Current MP: 213
Firion's Current Magic: 25
Firion's Current Intelligence: 35
Magic to be used in battle: Thunder 6 targeting All
Now battle damage will not be recorded though it may be a factor... just a lot of numbers to plug in.
Battle 1: 4 Gobs
Maria's HP Increased
Uhm... note that Maria only attacked with shields... so again, another factor to think about for HP... BUT this is for MP right now
Battle 2: 4 Gobs
Firion's Intelligence Increased (35 -> 36)
Battle 3: 2 Hornets
No Stat Gain
Battle 4: 3 Hornets
Firion's Agility Increased (23 -> 24)
Okay, at this point, I will assume that there are sometimes where the game will hand you stat level ups for not even doing a thing. It seems so random as Firion just casts Thunder 6.
Battle 5: 2 Hornets
One hornet escaped
No Stat Gain
I decide to change it up a bit, I will have Firion use Cure 5 on the enemies for 5 rounds and then a Thunder 6. (Firion's Spirit is 15)
Battle 6: 1 Gob
Firion's MP increased (213 -> 238)
I will continue testing this but from what I see, the more magic, the higher the chances of MP level up. Magic at this point will be assumed like Stamina, more magic used, increased chances of leveling.
All other stats will be researched later
<hr>
Weapon/Magic
Weapons and Magic Stats are leveled by the number of times you use them. Unlike the other stats, you have a level bar that you can visually see. The bar is an indication of when you will level up that particular spell or weapon. Weapons are divided into 8 Catagories while each Spell has their own level.
Weapons
Fists
Knife
Sword
Club
Axe
Polearm
Archery
Shield
To level a weapon, you need to attack with it. Misses do count towards your level and doesn't affect it in any way. However, there is an exploit that you can use to quickly level your weapons.
Out of the 8 weapons, only 1 cannot do any physical damage: the shield. If you have the shield equiped and "attack" someone with it, it will basically not attack the target but it will count towards your level. Now you can level the shield fairly fast this way but there is a way to use this and level other weapons.
To do this, you need to have two shields in your hand and start attacking. Before the battle ends, switch your shield with any weapons you want to level up and end the battle with them. Instead of the points going towards your shields, they will go towards whatever weapons are in your hands. This is handy because it'll allow you level without killing anything.
Dual wielding will level both weapons equally, going one handed with no shield will only level the weapon and not fists, and using shield will be the same as dual wielding. (Will confirm most of this later)
Magic
Each magic has their own levels. The higher the level, the more potent the magic will be. The MP required to cast a spell is based on number of the level. Cure 1 will use 1 MP and Cure 10 will use 10 MP. Like weapons, your magic will level up once you hit a certain number of uses. Your magic will also level up if you use it in the menu outside of battle. The basic idea is to cast again and again. If you want to level curative or support magic, just keep casting it on the party. If you want to level enfeebling, cast it at the enemy or even cast it at your own party and use Esuna to clear it off. As for attacking magic, be sure to cast shell and cure all of your members again and again.
<hr>
Will finish up guide later :3
For example...
In the original version, a weapon would level up when you gain 100 Weapon Points. You don't have to swing with it, you just need to choose attack and select a target.
In the DoS version, weapon levels varies upon the level itself (or maybe other factors). However, you need to attack with the weapon.
So, Original = Select Attack and Choose Target 100 times. DoS = Actually do the attacking action.
If this is confusing, let me go into this more.
In the original, you select "Attack" then select a Target. From there, you choose the next party member's action. Cancel that by hitting the cancel button and you'll go back to setting the previous party member's actions. You didn't attack at all but you got skill credit. Idealy, you can do this 100 times and level and cap your weapon to the max (16)
So the idea of this guide is to get people to know how the leveling in FF2 is, how it works and learning how it REALLY does work. There are a few things I am not quite sure about yet since DoS displays skill levels in bars rather than numbers in the original.
<hr>
The Level System
In Final Fantasy 2, there is no experience point system. Instead there is a system where your stats would be affected by the way you battle. If you took damage, you would gain stamina. If you use a lot of magic, you'll gain a more power version of that magic and some MP. The list goes on and on. Each weapon, magic, and the stats on each character are leveled up via this system.
These rules apply for stats:
You can only gain one level for a stat per battle. You cannot get two level ups for a stat or weapon from one battle.
Running from a battle will cancel out any stat gains you may have gotten during the fight.
These mostly apply to the DoS version of the game, while it MAY apply to the original, a lot of things will not.
<hr>
Character Stats
The stats for each character are
HP - Max HP
MP - Max MP
Attack - Determined by weapons (variable Stat, not levelable)
Defense - Determined by armor (variable Stat, not levelable)
Accuracy - Number and accuracy of attacks
Evasion - Evasion of physical attacks
Magic Defense - Evasion of special attacks
Strength - Accuracy and potency of physical attacks
Stamina - Ties together with Max HP (Higher = More HP recieved at level?)
Spirit - Success rate and potency of white magic
Intelligence - Success rate and potency of black magic
Agility - Success rate of preemptive strike and turn in battle
Magic - Ties together with Max MP (Higher = More MP recieved at level?)
So we have about 11 stats to work with in terms of leveling. Now stat leveling is different from leveling a weapon or a magic ability (You'll see why when I cover them). Stat leveling is based on chance and what you do in battle. To get more of a specific stat, you would need to do something that I like to call "Grinding", a term basically used to level yourself by constantly doing something again and again. But what do you need to do to level a specific stat? I'll go through each stat.
Note: Do not run from battle. This will cancel out any stat gains you get during the battle.
HP and Stamina
Condition: Lose HP during battle, Take Damage.
Losing HP during can be from anything, even your own attacks. The idea is that the more you lose, the higher the chance that you'll level up your HP and Stamina. Now, to figure out how this really works, I will run a few tests.
Maria's Max HP: 810
Maria's Stamina: 23
In each battle, I will use Firion to attack Maria and have everyone use shields to attack (I'll explain this trick further later). After one turn, I will have Firion clear off enemies with some Thunder action!
Battle 1:
Firion hits Maria for 126
No Stat Gains
I have Maria cure herself to max.
Battle 2:
Firion hits Maria for 141
No Stat Gains
I figured I'll give this one more try before I add some more damage.
Battle 3:
Firion hits Maria for 167
Maria's Stamina Increased (23 -> 24)
Well, this helps in determining how Stamina works...
Okay, now for battle 4, I will add Guy attacking with a Mythril Axe for 3 more battles.
Battle 4:
Guy hits Maria for 163
Firion hits Maria for 143
Maria's HP Increased (810 -> 834)
Maria's Stamina Increased (24 -> 25)
Interesting, you noticed that Maria's HP increased with the Stamina value she started battle with. Also, it appears that the more damage you do, the better the chances it is for HP up. I decide to test this again.
Battle 5:
Guy hits Maria for 210
Firion hits Maria for 182
Maria's HP Increased (834 -> 859)
Maria's Stamina Increased (25 -> 26)
Guy's HP increased (1077 -> 1101) (Guy's Stamina is 24)
This would probably confirm that HP gain is based on how much damage is done to you plus a one in so chance (undetermined number, need to run more tests). Also, Guy's HP increased, he was attacked but the enemy missed him. Perhaps it might not be based on damage taken but attacks that are directed to you. One thing is certain that Stamina is the number of HP you will get when your HP levels up.
Basically we can assume this: The more damage you take, the higher the chances of HP gain. The HP you get is based on your current HP + Stamina points.
MP and Magic
Condition: Lose MP during battle, Use Magic
Now, we know that Stamina is to HP and Magic is to MP. I would assume that when you level MP, Magic will determine your MP gain. To test this, I will run into battle and start casting some black magic with Firion.
Firion's Current MP: 213
Firion's Current Magic: 25
Firion's Current Intelligence: 35
Magic to be used in battle: Thunder 6 targeting All
Now battle damage will not be recorded though it may be a factor... just a lot of numbers to plug in.
Battle 1: 4 Gobs
Maria's HP Increased
Uhm... note that Maria only attacked with shields... so again, another factor to think about for HP... BUT this is for MP right now
Battle 2: 4 Gobs
Firion's Intelligence Increased (35 -> 36)
Battle 3: 2 Hornets
No Stat Gain
Battle 4: 3 Hornets
Firion's Agility Increased (23 -> 24)
Okay, at this point, I will assume that there are sometimes where the game will hand you stat level ups for not even doing a thing. It seems so random as Firion just casts Thunder 6.
Battle 5: 2 Hornets
One hornet escaped
No Stat Gain
I decide to change it up a bit, I will have Firion use Cure 5 on the enemies for 5 rounds and then a Thunder 6. (Firion's Spirit is 15)
Battle 6: 1 Gob
Firion's MP increased (213 -> 238)
I will continue testing this but from what I see, the more magic, the higher the chances of MP level up. Magic at this point will be assumed like Stamina, more magic used, increased chances of leveling.
All other stats will be researched later
<hr>
Weapon/Magic
Weapons and Magic Stats are leveled by the number of times you use them. Unlike the other stats, you have a level bar that you can visually see. The bar is an indication of when you will level up that particular spell or weapon. Weapons are divided into 8 Catagories while each Spell has their own level.
Weapons
Fists
Knife
Sword
Club
Axe
Polearm
Archery
Shield
To level a weapon, you need to attack with it. Misses do count towards your level and doesn't affect it in any way. However, there is an exploit that you can use to quickly level your weapons.
Out of the 8 weapons, only 1 cannot do any physical damage: the shield. If you have the shield equiped and "attack" someone with it, it will basically not attack the target but it will count towards your level. Now you can level the shield fairly fast this way but there is a way to use this and level other weapons.
To do this, you need to have two shields in your hand and start attacking. Before the battle ends, switch your shield with any weapons you want to level up and end the battle with them. Instead of the points going towards your shields, they will go towards whatever weapons are in your hands. This is handy because it'll allow you level without killing anything.
Dual wielding will level both weapons equally, going one handed with no shield will only level the weapon and not fists, and using shield will be the same as dual wielding. (Will confirm most of this later)
Magic
Each magic has their own levels. The higher the level, the more potent the magic will be. The MP required to cast a spell is based on number of the level. Cure 1 will use 1 MP and Cure 10 will use 10 MP. Like weapons, your magic will level up once you hit a certain number of uses. Your magic will also level up if you use it in the menu outside of battle. The basic idea is to cast again and again. If you want to level curative or support magic, just keep casting it on the party. If you want to level enfeebling, cast it at the enemy or even cast it at your own party and use Esuna to clear it off. As for attacking magic, be sure to cast shell and cure all of your members again and again.
<hr>
Will finish up guide later :3