What's your favorite job class? Most useful skill?

I'm playing this game and only just this morning got to Chapter 2, but I love Summoners. I only have one (he's enough) with his second skill as Black Magic. Because he's so powerful he's flying through levels, so I have to sometimes hold back on the random battles and let the Monks and Thieves take turns beating up the poor enemies.

Question: Does the calendar date matter whatsoever?

I just picked the game up and am only an hour into it. I like it so far, but prefer the Arc the Lad games as far as strategy RPG's go.

I love Final Fantasy Tactics. It's probably the greatest Strategy RPG made for a console.

When I was playing Chapter 2, I thought Summoners ruled too. But later on, they started majorly sucking. They eventually became too slow, and consumed too much MP for their usefulness. Many enemies would eventually walk out of the target area, so you'd have to guess where they'd end up, or cast Stop on them. Basically, almost all magic classes suck by themselves, you have to work your way up to the godlike CALCULATOR. Sure, it sounds lame, but get all the abilitis and you can clear out a whole battlefield in one attack - they're that powerful.

By Chapter 2, my other favorite classes were monks. They just packed so much power per punch, and HP Restore/Chakra meant that they couldn't die unless someone did 999 damage to them in one hit. Give them the Ninja Ability Two Swords and you could slaughter almost any enemy on the field. Ninjas are cool too, especially if you have powerful items to throw. And once you mix and match, there are some powerful combinations you can make. For example, get a chemist with battle skills - you get a powerful healer that can not only use guns, but use those guns to break armor, weapons, magic, speed, etc. from halfway across the battlefield.

The least useful jobs in my opinion, are archers and priests. Priests' healing abilities are usually worthless after Chapter 1, and archers suck throughout the whole game - I'm trying to remember any useful skills they had in the first place.


About the calendar date - the birthday you pick determines your zodiac sign. The date on the map also determines when certain propositions (in the taverns) are accessible. Other than that, it doesn't affect anything.

Oh, good. I was worried I was going to be "late" for something. I'm the type of person that enjoys spending a few hours just leveling up my characters here and there.

I've found my Priest was pretty much worthless IN chapter 1... I'm sort of annoyed I wasted time on one of my characters as a Priest. Archers also seem pretty weak, but not nearly as useless as Priests, I think.

I do love Thieves, though, partly because I just like stealing equipment. I have a feeling that I'll be a big fan of ninjas when I finally get those, just because ninjas are cool and like to flip out and kill people.

this is one of the greatest games EVER. I loved it, held on to my copy when it went OOP and kept it as a shinning game in my collection. I don't play much RPG's now a days, but this was one great game that just had so much to it.

I loved this game. Its all about getting Cloud Strife to join you towards the end of the quest. Its kind of tough getting him leveled up, but once you find his sword at the volcano level he can do limit breakers.

I hate strategy games but gave this a chance when it first came out. I thought I might like it since it was Final Fantasy, but I still hated it. Strategy games just aren't my cup of tea. They're too slow paced for my liking and I hate the long battles.

If i'd have to pick any one class that is kick ass as a stand alone class i'd have to go with the calculator as well. However the game was designed to allow you to mix and match classes as you see fit. After you get famaliar with some of the classes and skill you'll discover some killer combinations. such as the equip 2 weps skill from the ninja class and playing as a knight. Really makes for a kick ass fighter type.

Cloud was a neat bonus, I also liked how his story actually works pretty well and relates from FFVII. I haven't played this game in forever, but it's still kick ass! I used to spend hours at the set up screen equiping and customizing my party and not get tired of it (I think the excellent music had a part in that). I remember Calculator's being the best but they're really hard to get. I used to level up in the Sweegy Woods in the beginning, but later on I had some pretty good snipers (mustadio).

LOL! those ninja's sound pretty cool; and by cool I mean totally sweet!

Right now I have Ramza (whom I named Granseal*) as a Monk with Equip Sword. So not only does he have the killer kung fu attacks, he also is pretty handy with a sword.

I have one girl as a Geomancer (secondary Monk), and I'm finding that Geomancer is not a particularly useful class. But maybe I'm just using it wrong. I'm just trying to get her to become a ninja.

Last night I got my ass handed to me 3 or 4 times at the level with the Knights, Archers, and Summoners (two Summoners on either side of a large plateau). I'm having trouble killing the Summoners fast enough... even tried throwing Beakster (my Chocobo) in there so someone could ride down and kill one. Didn't work.

On the battle with Gafgarion I removed all of his equipment and changed him to a Priest. Delita wiped him out with one attack.

* I'll be glad if someone catches the reference there to another great strategy roleplaying game

Shining Force II

FFT was great in the first half. Although after I got Ramza Two Swords and that blocking move from the Samurai, it got so easy that he could run around and kill everyone by himself. Not to mention Cid lurking around, I had to kill him myself just so I wouldn't be tempted to use him

I really liked how the game ended plot-wise, though.

Yeah I would dump TG Cid if you still want the game to be challenging later on - his power is far too unbalancing. I would steal all his equipment first, though

I think I'll keep Ramza as a monk for awhile. I love Chakra and Revive. I'm at the execution site right now (died the first time because I forgot to buy any potions and was trying to swipe all of Gafgarion's weapons and armor) and he was just running around reviving everyone, healing everyone.

But my absolute favorite moments are when, say, my Chemist is really close to someone who is critical and kneeling on the ground and he takes out his gun and just blows them away. I laugh literally every time. Of course, the same thing was true for Gilder in Skies of Arcadia when he was close and didn't have to aim.

Yep. I have a Saturn but still have yet to play Shining Force III, partially because I was annoyed that we only got the first third of the game in the US...

I've got the US Shining Force III, but its disapointing at the end to realize you can't continue the story.

So I just got done with the battle inside Lionel Castle with the big fat demon guy.

When I was scanning through the FAQs to see if it was worth it to level up a thief, I caught the part about the armor that some main guy had (apparently later in the game), which I confused for Gafgarion. Well, I realized my mistake after the first time I lost trying to get all of his armor.

I was around level 10 then. So I leveled all my main characters (around 5) to ~20 before attempting the execution battle again. Here's a rundown of the characters I played the next three battles with:

• Ramza, was a level 8 monk, changed to a ninja with punch skill and equip sword
  
• Male, wizard with summoner skill and magic up.
  
• Female, was a level 8 thief, changed to a ninja with steal skill and equip sword
  
• Male, a variety of things, but currently he's a level 8 chemist
  
• Female, low-level samurai with no real skills
  

I mention this because these next three battles were supposed to be some of the most difficult ones in the game, and people were recommending these complicated strategies with level 30 characters, and I can't figure out why. Did anyone else have difficulty with them?

On the execution battle, I had my thief ninja steal Gafgarion's healing sword and then had Ramza and her run around and kill off the Time Mages. My wizard/summoner pretty much mopped up with the rest, with my samurai and chemist providing a support role. Cornered a lone archer by himself and swiped all his stuff (which gave me some handy attack bonuses), then killed him.

Gate battle was cake. Had everyone's favorite ninja Ramza hop down and open the gate by the second turn. Meanwhile my wizard delighted in eliminating 3 of the 4 troops bunched in the corner with a Ramuh (electric summon), and my other characters mopped up with the rest. Again, stole poor Gafgarion's sword once he was close enough to my thief, and he was about as dangerous as a puppy. Leveled up a couple levels on him (with Ramza using Chakra to heal him).

Inside the castle had me Two turns total. Fat guy immediately cast Nightmare and affected three of my bunched up troops with sleep and one with death sentence. My wizard was okay, so I had him cast Ramuh, which dealt 200 damage. Fat guy targeted the same group and gave them all death sentences. Ramuh again, and the guy was toast.

Gave Ramza both of Gafgarion's swords (Blood Sword and Ancient Sword, I believe), and combined with Chakra I'm pretty sure there's no way he can die now.

I love this game, but it's pretty easy. I've started only using 3 characters for random battles for better leveling up and more challenge...

So, battled Velinus (Wiegraf). LOL, after dying the first two times against the Big Bad Billygoat I decided to take a different approach and used Ramza (monk) with Guts to basically run away from Wiegraf a lot while he Yelled and Accumulated a bunch. Got 40 speed and 50 attack, which in retrospect was way overkill (leveled him up 8 levels, though).

By the time I was ready to actually fight, I was dancing around Wiegraf (5 turns to his 1 turn). Took down Wiegraf with one punch (@999 damage), then Velinus the same way. And as a result of all my inadvertant leveling up, the Marquis went down in one punch.

Not that anybody remotely cares

Are you so disappointed that you would be willing to sell it?

Joshhinkle, I must now give you a mighty bitch slap. You have disparaged the greatest game ever.

Considering that I could probably never replace it, no. I've still got Shining Force CD on Sega CD as well. Its fun to give the old games a run every once in awhile.

Look at kvrdave busting out the old-school humor.

Long time no see, how've you been?

Doing good. I spend too much time on the Other, but lurk and post here quite a bit. I always enjoy your GC comments. I haven't taken the plunge to get one of the Big 3 yet because I know I won't get much chance to use it until the kids are about 2 years older.

Oh well. Life continues. How about you?

Same here. Haven't been to other in sometime though. Just finished my undergrad at WVU, and getting ready to go to University of Maryland for grad school.

Anyway, that's probably enough thread hijacking.