Okay. Well. Hello. Long time no see, huh? *sigh* I shouldn't have left this hanging for so long, it goes against my OCD nature to leave this just, unfinished. Well, let's try and get this complete at least. Let's get this back up and running... I'm listening to Snow's Theme and I'm suitably riled and pumped to get this done. Part 7 of Paramina's Final Fantasy XIII Walkthrough, finally out of Bresha. Jubilate.
Vile Peaks[]
I'd forgotten how pretty artwork was... oh, how I've missed walkthrough writing...
Wow. I've left this so long I've almost forgotten how to do all the coding. Wah... okay, bear with me, here...
We're awakened to an ambush by the Vile Peaks Welcome Committee, four Pantherons. It's a pretty standard fare battle and doesn't require any specific strategy. Rather understandably, the party are gagging for a break, but Lightning, part-robot in her spare time, wants to plough on, regardless. Hope decides to shift his dead weight along after her, so it looks like we've been left with the Vanille and Sazh Dream Team. No complaints here.
First off, let's visit the Crystarium and spend all that CP we gathered in Bresha. You should be able to do so right now, but if not, your goal for ASAP is to teach Sazh the Synergist ability, Bravery, and Vanille the Saboteur ability, Deprotect.
Cross the first bridge for the second to collapse on us. Hmm. Looks like the end of the road, and a perfect time for another one of our numerous Bodhum Flashbacks. It turns out that Vanille, too, was also on the beach that night, making surprisingly very little noise at the one event that would call for at least one gasp.
Oh, Lightning's... senior, a large, greasy man who looks like he wandered out of the Final Fantasy X costume department, was also there, making casual banter about the incident at Euride. HD gives Amodar vile, horrible dry-beard skin that makes me balk a little, so let's swiftly move back to gameplay before I regurgitate the apple I just inhaled (God, I am shockingly hungry).
Team #1: Lightning and Hope[]
We're back with Lightning, where Hope has unfortunately managed not get ravaged by techno dogs and catch up with us. We're controlling these two, for a while, so we'll have to reconfigure our Paradigms. First though, a Crystarium Tutorial.
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Hope also has access to the Synergist role, but for now - and a great deal of storyline gameplay - he is a very different Synergist to Sazh. Hope focuses on Defensive Buffs, whilst Sazh's branch starts out at the Offensive. I tend to find Sazh's a great deal more useful when it comes to trying to get battles over ASAP, but in the early stages of the game, you'll probably find more use of Hope's defensive skillset, especially against some of the tougher bosses. Later, in post-story gameplay, it'll be Katzroy all the way, though. |
For now, teach Hope Shell and then update his and Lightning's Ravager branches. We regain control in Wrack and Ruin, so go Save Up at the Save Point just head before we start our travels. There's an alcove to the right of the Save Point with a Librascope up for grabs if you fancy taking on the Thexterons guarding it.
Back onto the main path, you're faced with a Thexteron and Pantheron x2 formation. Quickly dispose of them, and then climb up the wreckage to face a crew of Watchdrones. Yeah, you'll notice battle pace and strat is a little different with these two, right? It's because Hope is made of fucking tissue paper.
Take on the Thexteron, Watchdrones and Pulsework Soldier, then climb down to the cliff foot. You get a quick info-chat about the difference between PSICOM and the Guardian Core, before you're treated to yet another Bodhum Flashback, this time, Day 13, where you get to see PSICOM flat out obliterate stragglers (one way to keep a queue orderly. Take note, McDonalds), and how the mismatched duo of Lightning and Sazh back at the Hanging Edge came to be. Hope's all "I could never do something like that." Yeah. That's because you never do anything, bud. Even Lightning gets so sick of him she jumps off and dumps his ass fifty feet below.
Team #2: Sazh and Vanille[]
Battle Team Change...
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I took on this area with Undermine as my default paradigm. You should get used to utilizing Synergists and Saboteurs, their skillsets is a lot more integral in this installment than the rest of the series.
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Awww, yeah. Damn, I f'love these guys. You'll get a quick Tutorial of Sazh's Synergist Role (this time pasted across Vanille's ass), but I covered it up top, so you're good (just remember, Hope = Defensive, Sazh = Offensive. Easy.), as well as a Three Way Battle Tutorial, which is basically what it says on the tin (you know, battles and threesomes). Give it a read if this is your first playthrough, though they're pretty easy to gage and I'll be telling you how to strategize them anyway, so when you're ready, wander into Another Man's Treasure. Save Up and roll on...
| Three-Way Battle - #1 | Watchdrone x3, Pulsework Soldier |
The Watchdrones will focus their attacks on the Pulsework Soldier. Quickly put up a Ravager spell stack to push the Pulsework Soldier into Stagger in order for the Watchdrones to start making worthwhile damage. Now, turn your attention to the Watchdrones, and start picking them off one by one - they won't touch you as long as the Pulsework Soldier is still whirring away in the background. Once they're out, refocus your efforts to the now-weary Pulsework Soldier, who should just be coming out of Stagger all beaten and close to death.
Activate the rig to clear your path to... more three-way battles (0/10, guys). Well. At least the game's consistent, I'll give it that.
| Three-Way Battle - #2 | Thexteron x2, Pulsework Soldier |
Same as above, push the Pulsework into Stagger, then turn to the Thexterons. If you're feeling lazy, just take out one, and then switch your target and kill the Pulsework alongwith the efforts of the remaining Thexteron, if you want to end the battle on an easy kill.
| Three-Way Battle - #3 | Watchdrone x3, Thexteron x2, Pulsework Soldier |
Busy. Keep your decoy, the Pulsework Soldier, around for as long as possible, then just take your pick. I tend to get rid of one Thexteron in case I spaz up and I'm at the end of the battle facing two (their rush move is such a bitch), and then focus on the Watchdrones because Electro Kick is no fun when there's more than two targeting you.
There's a Treasure Chest with a Black Belt just by Three-way No. 3 for your tedious efforts. Head up the tunnel, activate the switch to reveal... another three-way. Le sigh. 아이구, 나 못해...
| Three-Way Battle - #4 | Thexteron x3, Pulsework Soldier x2 |
Pulsework Soldier; Thexteron x2; Pulsework Soldier; Thexteron. Done.
"My Dad doesn't get it. No one understands me."
So what glorious prize is waiting for us for having trawled through that repetitive, dull battle slog?
Ugh, shit. It's Hope, complete with a whiny monologue about how much his life sucks. Oh, of course he has father issues, he so would. He also strikes me as the type who has a pet turtle. I don't know if you'd caught this yet, but Hope's mom died. I'm just reminding you guys, since the game doesn't seem to mention it very often.
Pansy McWhinerton has joined our ranks now (party hard), so we're a team of three. Let's hit up that Crystarium like it's 1999. Update Sazh and Vanille's roles as Ravagers, and split Hope's CP between developing his Medic and Ravaging roles.
Battle Team Change...
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This next stretch is filled with battles you can either take on or easily (and I mean easily) run away from, at a leisurely, jogging pace. As dull and repetitive as I find this, I like to take them on, because CP is CP, and the Crystarium is expensive as. Thus, I like to set up Smart Bomb as my default, but if you don't feel like facing all the battles, don't bother.
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Climb the cliff front to face a solo Pulsework Soldier, and to find a Treasure Chest (have I consistently been capitalizing this? I can't recall and I can't be bothered to backtrack and check. Deadly combo; memory loss and apathy) with a Ninurta inside, which is a weapon for Hope. Head around the corner to the Save Point (and this one? Has this been capitalized?). You know what to do.
This is where the easily avoidable encounters aforementioned start: Follow the path around, and a Pulsework Soldier should ramble on out of its box if you feel like taking it on. Just ahead are two Incubuses... Incubus... Incubi? Plural of Incubus. Whatever. There are two of them. Your traverse of the Slaughter Straight will be interrupted be a quick spotting of a warship, historic chat, how Pulse never made it to Cocoon all those years ago blah blah blah.
Keep going and cross the bridge to face two... plural of Incubus again. Easy enough to dodge, as is the next ambush, if you thrash your left analog skillfully enough. At the other end of the bridge, climb up the spiral to the left, where you'll find a Treasure Chest with a Phoenix Down, one with a Metal Armband, and also a Save Point.
The path ahead has a new enemy, the Succubus. You should aim to take out the Succubus first, because Heretic Dance is a fucking pain to deal with. The Succubus will join the plural of Incubus and Pulsework Soldiers; just remember if you're going to try and pre-empt, it's always easiest to sneak up on the Pulseworks. Cut through the rest of the monsters and you'll find a Save Point just before our Point of Interest up on the brigs ahead.
Lightning is ready to rejoin us. Cheery. Relaxed. Zero sense of urgency. God, she's so zen, it's insane. Hit up your Crystarium to spend the points you just accumulated hauling Hope's delicate behind through Munitions Necropolis, I'd focus on funelling it into Sazh's Ravager, whilst levelling Light's Commando and Ravager roles equally.
Battle Team Change...
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I had Relentless Assault as my Default, judging by the mark I've made next to it in my notes.
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Battles with a Commando on board are such a relief - finally, you can fight without the mad sense of urgency getting that Stagger gauge up. Commando also makes quick of Succubi (whatever), thank fuck. You'll find yourself cutting through the enemy formations a lot faster. Activate the switch with 
when you reach it to build the bridge up to the Save Point. There's a little alcove to the right with a Librascope inside for your troubles.
On the path ahead is a Succubus/Pulsework formation that can be avoided by taking the up-and-over on the left, but you should fight, so you can get the Ember Ring in the chest nearby. You know, so you can plough actual days of your life into get that ultimately worthless Treasure Hunter trophy.
Follow the path around to yet another Save Point to see something up ahead. Hmm. What do you suppose that is? Well, the mini-map shows a Point of Interest and and enemy dot, so take the usual 'empty-clearing-is-ominous' Final Fantasy rule and expect the worst. Equip Vanille with the Ember Ring, set your Default Paradigm to Bully, and set up Hero's Charge (Syn - Com - Med) in place of Smart Bomb. As the party try to work out exactly what it is they're facing, Hope sneaks off the corner of the screen. That kid, I swear.
| Boss Battle: Dreadnought | ||
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Level: 62 | Battle Team |
| HP: 17,940 | 44,850 | Sazh.........Lightning..........Vanille | |
| Common Drop: Omni-Kit | Syn................Com................Sab | |
| CP: 360 | Rav...............Com...............Rav | |
| Difficulty: Easy | Rav...............Com...............Med | |
| Syn................Com................Med | ||
| Strategy - Round One | ||
| The Dreadnought may be big, but it's super predictable. It's physicals can be a bother to deal with, which is why it's best to try and debilitate them. You want to force it to use Steam Clean so it can't attack you. Use Bully to inflict Deprotect and Deshell, as well as Faith on Vanille and Bravery on Lightning. Now switch to Relentless Assault to work up that Stagger. After it uses Steam Clean, switch back to Bully and inflict the status effects again. Down we go into... | ||
| Strategy - Round Two | ||
| ... Start with Bully to re-apply your buffs and debuffs. Just deal with the attacks as you previously did, but switch to Diversity to heal up after the second round of Dualfire, so you're in good shape to deal with Wrecking Ball; you might want to revisit Diversity or Hero's Charge depending on how hard Wrecking Ball hit your team. Switch to Relentless Assault during Steam Clean and to push the Dreadnought to Stagger, et voila. Finito. | ||
Crystarium Expansion! Lighting now has access to the Medic role and Sazh now has access to Commando, FUCK YEAH! We also get Lenora's Garage, a shop, for our perusal, and an Omni-Kit, which, I feel, requires its own little box of explanation, alongside your ingame Tutorial:
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Weaponry in Final Fantasy XIII is, well, weird. It's a combination of Final Fantasy VIII's upgrade and mod system, and the basic buy a new weapon. Yeah. There's no straight forward "I shall buy a new weapon and equip it because it is better", because there are so many stat updates and what have you when you Upgrade and Modify. Like... aish, it's really complicated to explain. Check out this page of the walkthrough for a full, comprehensive Weaponry Guide as to what is the best weapon for whom and in what situation. |
I've missed you, bb.
Head up the metal walkway and out onto the more familiar sprawl of wasteland our eyes have become accustomed to, a Save Point, and another Point of Interest (the loosest sense of the term 'interest').
Okay, let's stop and regroup our thoughts here. It's time to end this aimless ramble and set an end target. Lightning wants to go all guns-ablaze to Eden, the Sanctum Seat of Power; destroy Eden, destroy Cocoon. Of course, the others aren't so keen on embarking on a suicide mission, so our forces are split once again.
I'll see you on the other side.