Final Fantasy X- dusting it off

The Game Room
1

Hello fellow Dopers.

Inspired by the current thread on Final Fantasy VII, it just so happens that I’ve pulled out my old PS2 and thrown in the one copy out of three copies of Final Fantasy X that doesn’t freeze when I play it.

The game itself is ridiculously easy to beat for most gamers, if you’re not playing a handicap run. A week or so ago, I decided I wanted to play it again, for fun. But, in order to keep from going numb from the lack of difficulty, I decided I’d do a No Sphere Grid run.

It’s been done by others, and all the how-to guides are all over the internets. So I’m not breaking new ground here.

But, I thought I would document my progress, my frustrations, and share my experience with you.

Presently, I have made it past the Besaid, Kilika, and Mi’hen Highroad sections, and just defeated Sinspawn Gui without touching the Sphere Grid.

It’s actually a lot easier than I thought. Actually, the most difficult thing so far as been that without custom weapons, I’ve been consuming a lot of potions and phoenix downs just to slog through the monsters of the Mi’hen Highroad and the aftermath section.

Soon, I’ll be able to customize my weapons. I’m at the temple of D’jose now, and if I remember correctly, soon after this, I meet Rikku again.

I won’t bother with spoilering anything in this thread because the game is so old.

So fair warning, if you haven’t played the game and intend to play it, reading any posts in this thread will spoil parts of the story.

I’ve also been playing Blitzball and have got all the starting Aurochs, plus Zalitz and Wedge. I want to keep the starting Aurochs, because blitzball is too easy if you go for all of the best characters. And some of the Aurochs really stink out loud, but are playable if used correctly.

This thread isn’t just about my experiences. Please, share yours, or talk about Final Fantasy X in whatever way you like. Review the game, critique it, talk strategies, share things about the game that you love, hate, or find bizarre and confusing. Because I can relate- there’s a lot of great stuff, a lot of weird stuff, and some stuff I can’t stand.

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Nothing substantive to add to this. Apparently, there is going to be a PS3 “re-mastered” HD edition released later this year with both FFX and FFX-2, or so says my Amazon recommendations.

I will add that I thought the gameplay was superior in FFX-2, but it made me feel like a dirty pervert every time I picked up the controller.

3

FFX-2 had real blue magic.

That was enough for me. :smiley:

4

I played through FFX again with some friends last spring. I’m not much of a gamer, and FFX is the first game I ever fell in love with. I like that it’s easy! The first 10 hours or so are a bit of a drag what with the random 5-second FMVs that are just thrown in as if to say “SEE HOW GOOD WE AMINATE?”, but it picks up nicely and I still find it really enjoyable.

I’m intrigued by the no Sphere Grid challenge. I might have to give that a go next time I play it.

5

FFX has caught some negativity as people look back on it, but I think it is a solid entry to the series. It has some problems for sure, but Square did a pretty good job making a fun, good-looking game, that has a good battle system.

It’s hard to argue with a lot of Spoony’s points, but I still like the game.

I hated X-2, though. I sold my copy and I love all FF games.

6

Largely you rely on Overdrives, Rikku’s Mix overdrive especially, and Aeons, since your character’s stats and abilities will not change.

Wakka will always only be able to pull off two Dark Attacks before he needs more magic. Lulu only ever gets the starting 4 elemental magic spells. Yuna can’t even Pray or cast Null spells. And they’re right… there… dang it!

The Aeons can be boosted in power, and some have break damage limit.

Rikku’s overdrive trio of 9999 and quartet of nine can give you the ability to hit things for 9,999 hp damage regardless of your stats. You combine this with tidus, lulu, or wakka’s overdrives which can hit several times, and you get an instant attack of several multiples of 9,999.

Through this, you’ll actually inflict more damage to bosses, and the like, than you would in a normal run. You just collect the proper items and fill your overdrives ahead of time.

The thing that’s a real pain in the ass is the normal enemy encounters, but you can get no encounters armor which helps with that. You just have to steal a boatload of stuff.

Or you can use aeons, if you don’t like using Rikku’s Mix. They will grow in power throughout the game and you can add to their stats directly.

I just made it to the Thunder Plains. I know this whole section is going to be a pain in the ass because I don’t have No Encounters gear yet, and its pretty big. The enemies are also starting to kill my dudes in a single hit.

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You can avoid being ambushed most of the time if you have Tidus, Wakka, and Yuna in your front line until you get Rikku. They have high speed, and that means it’s less likely that the enemies will be able to get an ambush.

Okay, I have several return spheres and weapons I can customize. Trouble is, return spheres don’t come along every day and I’d like to customize a weapon that is useful for something besides First Strike.

Weapons with two empty slots are hard to come by this early, particularly if they already have another trait in a third slot.

I was thinking of waiting to customize my weapons later on, since they’ll be wasted customizations this early, the problem is that I pretty much need First Strike to guarantee that Tidus has a decent chance of running from battle, and thus, allowing my party to survive a total party wipe if we do get ambushed.

I don’t want to be 90% of the way through the Thunder Plains and then suffer a wipe. I guess I should buckle down and use a return sphere on a piece of crap sword.

UGH. I hate using awesome items on crap equipment. This goes against everything I’ve learned from Final Fantasy X, which I’ve beaten several times.

I get using items for Rikku’s mix to defeat bosses I can’t otherwise defeat, but I’m burning rare grid spheres on weapons that have like… firestrike on it. What the hell, man?

It makes me weep. I’m an item hoarder at heart, this is going to tear me to pieces by the end of the run.

8

It’s still one of my favorites. I don’t do “challenge gaming” so I doubt I’d ever play it your way. (I’m all about the story. The fighting is just an extra.)

The thing that would concern me in your case is that goddamn Marlboro.

9

Yeah.

Smoking’s bad. Mmmkay.

10

For the Marlboro I’m have Tidus and Rikku and Yuna with First Strike Weapons.

Tidus flees, Rikku steals, Yuna summons one of her elemental aeons, and I’ll alternate between healing, regular attacks, and overdrive.

If I lose the battle, Tidus already fled. No total party wipe.

11

Okay, passed the Thunder Plains and the Macalania woods. I believe I’m about to face the Crawler + Negator thing, which will be tricky.

The biggest challenge thus far in terms of enemy to defeat was the Chimera. He can wipe my whole party with Aqua Breath, and I’m short on null-spells. I have none.

Thunder Plains is easy if you use Ixion. The enemies heal Ix while you wipe out the enemies that actually attack him. His overdrive can take out the Iron Giants, which are the only true enemies there.

I broke down and customized Tidus, Rikku, and Wakka with First Strike weapons, so I can always steal, always run, and always switch to Yuna. I can never be Ambushed and I can always summon. Since the Aeons can heal themselves and learn new spells, this tactic alone should carry me for several more levels.

Speaking of levels, my sphere levels for Tidus, Yuna, and Wakka are in the 40s. The others are in the 30s or in the case of Rikku, the 20s. Not that it matters, it’s just interesting to see that my characters would be at “level 40” right now if I were leveling them up, but instead they’re all at level 1.

I have been trying to get different kinds of overdrives for my party- comrade is useful, stoic is still very useful considering how weak my party is. I’ve also been training folks like Tidus in solo battle so they can get the overdrive mode where it charges fast while you’re alone. (This is just so I can charge my overdrive wicked fast in a random battle). The sooner I can get Tidus to the multiple hit overdrive, the better.

Crawler will be difficult without summons, and Lulu is especially useless given her low HP and only ability to use magic. Rikku’s mix and other overdrives will be necessary. This should be my most difficult battle thus far.

Current weapons for Tidus:

First strike weapon with sensor (Was my only weapon with an empty slot at the time)
Stunning steel (Slow touch)
Double Edge (Fire+Ice)
Double Edge (Thunder+Water)
Brotherhood (+15%, Waterstrike, Sensor)

Weapons for Wakka:

TKO (Stone touch)
Breakaway (Poison touch + First Strike)
Various element balls
Strength +8%

Weapons for Rikku:

First strike + 5% str

Weapons for Auron:

Piercing + 10% str
Piercing + Lightning strike

Weapons for Kimahri

Piercing + 10% str
Piercing + Firestrike

Weapons for Lulu

8% Magic

Weapons for Yuna

8% Magic + Sensor

Notable armors:

Lightningproof for Tidus
Stoneproof for Yuna
Sleepproof for Yuna
Fire+Lightning+Ice Ward for Kimahri

12

Passed the Crawler. Guides telling me to save the overdrives for Seymour were full of it. Crawler was harder than Seymour. I could defeat Anima using my no-level starting crew. Tidus was hitting him for 500 damage and so was Auron, and I only used Aeons for taking Oblivion damage. Kihmari basically obliterates the guards and then Tidus can hit him for about 500 damage each hit, and it was silly to waste items on Seymour. All you really need for Seymour is some elemental armors. Easy enough to find, buy, or make.

Then I faced Wendigo or whatever it is called and that one was a piece of cake with overdrives alone. Plus you toss a sleep powder on him and it’s ridiculous.

I couldn’t do :o to Crawler like that. You needed your overdrives on Crawler, not Seymour.

You can easily recharge your overdrives before Wendigo.

Now I’m passed the Sanubia Desert and I’m at the Al Bhed Home, and this is a bit more difficult. I experienced a total party wipeout early in Home and I will have to tackle it again using different strategies.

Having Shadow Gems (thanks big fat worm monsters) really helps make things easier when fighting things like that Sandoraga whatever (plant monster who is a pain in the buttocks and you can’t avoid that battle) and I don’t have to use an overdrive Mix to cause serious damage.

My controller makes it nigh-impossible to use Auron’s friggin overdrive! I have failed to do it every single time and I used to nail that thing every single time. It’s the danged controller. Consequently, I use Auron to potion and Phoenix Down people and then defend, since he’s basically the only one to survive big attacks on the group as a whole.

13

Stuck at Evrae and the wedding section.

I can get past Evrae rather easily, but then I get to the very first battle with the monks and the flamethrower and I get wiped out.

Obvious solution: Fireproof armor. And so, I go get it. And now my whole party is pretty much Fireproof.

But I’ve used up my overdrives and Rikku can’t really help me because she and everyone else in my party is getting wiped out as fast as I can revive them. Still no Yuna, so no Aeons. No aeons, no overdrives, and my regular weapons and magic are not killing the guards fast enough, even with First Strike.

It’s ridiculous, I can take down the Dragon with 20,000 HP and stone and insta-killing poison and Haste, but I can’t take out the freakin’ MOOKS (yes, mooks, they happen to be monks, but they’re friggen MOOKS) that happen right after that battle, and there’s no save point.

No save point. No save point.

So I have to re-fight the long tedious Evrae battle and then suffer total party wipe from ***MOOKS ***and it’s frustrating me beyond belief.

Mooks!

14

Have you tried using ifrit?

15

Have you tried status effect items? Blind or silence? And do you have any insta-kill items or abilities like petrify or poison or something?

Overdrive is a toughy. Any chance you can fireproof just one of your characters and charge up the other two? Or at least one?

No Yuna = no summons.

16

Silence won’t affect these guys, gunning me down with bullets is their regular attack. I try stone but they seem resistant to it and I only have stonetouch (Wakka’s TKO). It’s playing long odds and I don’t want to have to keep killing Evrae just on the hopes they finally shatter this time.

If I don’t wear fireproof my party goes down even faster. None of my mates can survive more than two bullets to the face.

So I try and use Rikku and have her hit them with like a bomb core. But what I really need is a Smoke Bomb. That would inflict darkness and heavy damage.

Wakka’s dark attack.

:smack:

Gee, do you think I should give Wakka’s DARK ATTACK a try, good job freaking Pizzaguy.

17

I started a game using this challenge. I think (it’s been a long time since I played it) that I got stuck at the boss after the shoopuf ride. I just couldn’t seem to beat it with my unimproved characters.

18

Did you get Stunning Steel (Slowtouch)?

You must use Slow on the boss, and before it uses “depth charges” you have to inflict 500 damage on it, to cause it to be unable to use that attack, then it wastes two turns- one rising, and then lowering again.

You can beat it rather easily, but you must be able to Slow the boss.

Potions and Phoenix Downs, keep em stocked just in case.

Overdrives fully charged beforehand.

19

Yep. It was the Depth Charges that kept getting me. I’ll try your solution. Thanks!