Bravely Default: Return of old school Final Fantasy

[Nick Hyral]

Yeah max is 999. And anyone looking for an easier time grinding out your job levels you can go to the Florem gardens in Chapter 5 onward and fight the Alruenes there. A group of six is 999 jp and if you use AoE you can slaughter the group in one turn for fast job levels.

I'd make some class recommendations but I'd rather keep it vague in respects to jobs, ability, and equipment for those not that far yet.

[Mirby]

Good recommendation. I might just go there.

[Doulifée]

For people who are not that far:

Any chapter with access to the fire crystal area. Kill the undead with the sage staff (item menu -> use staff ->target undead)

free life spell that doesn't cost anything. OK you have less than 999JP indeed, but you can access the area quickly and do it indefinitely. (minor some low damage when you're not quick enough)

useful in chapter 3, you can easily grind to level 9 all your job.

[Nick Hyral]

For people who are not that far:

Any chapter with access to the fire crystal area. Kill the undead with the sage staff (item menu -> use staff ->target undead)

free life spell that doesn't cost anything. OK you have less than 999JP indeed, but you can access the area quickly and do it indefinitely. (minor some low damage when you're not quick enough)

useful in chapter 3, you can easily grind to level 9 all your job.

Yeah the second floor of the mithril mine is a good area also. You can boost your encounter rate to +100% and run the outer circle. With decent equipment you can brave 4 times, use whatever you need per all your characters to clean out the map and then just use "auto" with the speed of the battle set to max. When I first encountered this I could take a job from 1 to 11 in 30 minutes.

[HoboKa]

For people who are not that far:

Any chapter with access to the fire crystal area. Kill the undead with the sage staff (item menu -> use staff ->target undead)

free life spell that doesn't cost anything. OK you have less than 999JP indeed, but you can access the area quickly and do it indefinitely. (minor some low damage when you're not quick enough)

useful in chapter 3, you can easily grind to level 9 all your job.

Nice, hopefully they won't patch it out! I'm not there yet, but I'll keep it in mind - thanks Doulife.

BTW...how do u get the sage staff?? =p

Yeah the second floor of the mithril mine is a good area also. You can boost your encounter rate to +100% and run the outer circle. With decent equipment you can brave 4 times, use whatever you need per all your characters to clean out the map and then just use "auto" with the speed of the battle set to max. When I first encountered this I could take a job from 1 to 11 in 30 minutes.

Cool! I'm before the crystal temple area...just after beating that evil knight dude. Yeah, I've put in less than 6 hours in actual game time...just been building the town/sleep moding it cuz I've been playing ffxii...idk why I like that game cuz it's so not FF ><

[Doulifée]

Nice, hopefully they won't patch it out! I'm not there yet, but I'll keep it in mind - thanks Doulife.

BTW...how do u get the sage staff

by rebuilding northrend weapon shop. don t remember the level but you can manage around chp 3..

[The Derrit]

why is somewhat-shadily leveling your entire team until the game isn't even close to challenging anymore fun?

did i miss something?

[Gollgagh]

beats me

not a fan of power leveling, myself

[Brandon Strader]

Welcome to rpgs

[Nick Hyral]

why is somewhat-shadily leveling your entire team until the game isn't even close to challenging anymore fun?

did i miss something?

The thing is you can still get your face stomped if your group comp/strategy isn't great. I was 24 at the end of Chapter 1 and walked into a rather harsh challenge in the forest on the way to chapter 2. Chapter 2 I was 39 at the end of and I will admit chapter 3 was smooth sailing until I went to the first quest dungeon where the challenge stepped up a bit. I finished that chapter at 61, and walking into chapter 4 hit a brick wall in a regular mob fight. I had to grind a bit to be on equal terms with those mobs and even then several bosses were just brutal. Chapter 4 is also home to a nasty side quest where the mobs you have to fight rip your face off even at my level of 61 and many people have to cheese those fights with a certain set up.

Then I did my New Game + on hard.. in most cases no amount of grinding mid chapter 3 onward can save you from slaughter if you don't pay attention. The grinding can't really make or break this game with certain set ups. But Chapter 4, and then chapter 7 hit some difficulty spikes.

[Gollgagh]

Welcome to rpgs

a well balanced RPG (of which I've played plenty) doesn't necessitate power leveling

[Malaki-LEGEND.sys]

Well considering that this is supposedly a throwback to "classic" Final Fantasy that everyone loves so much, that also includes "classic" level grinding,

If an RPG didn't include some form of level grinding and stat management, I don't really know that you could easily call it an RPG.

[The Derrit]

The thing is you can still get your face stomped if your group comp/strategy isn't great. I was 24 at the end of Chapter 1 and walked into a rather harsh challenge in the forest on the way to chapter 2. Chapter 2 I was 39 at the end of and I will admit chapter 3 was smooth sailing until I went to the first quest dungeon where the challenge stepped up a bit. I finished that chapter at 61, and walking into chapter 4 hit a brick wall in a regular mob fight. I had to grind a bit to be on equal terms with those mobs and even then several bosses were just brutal. Chapter 4 is also home to a nasty side quest where the mobs you have to fight rip your face off even at my level of 61 and many people have to cheese those fights with a certain set up.

Then I did my New Game + on hard.. in most cases no amount of grinding mid chapter 3 onward can save you from slaughter if you don't pay attention. The grinding can't really make or break this game with certain set ups. But Chapter 4, and then chapter 7 hit some difficulty spikes.

look i know this i played and beat this game when it came out in japan last year. i played through it at a normal pace, did side quests, got people for my town rebuilding organically through streetpass, and had a great time. there were one or two points at which i had to do some leveling outside the story, but neither of them were for long periods of time, and honestly i probably could have powered through without farming levels if i had really put my mind to it.

my point is being like 'SIT IN THIS AREA AND LEVEL FOR 6 HOURS THEN YOU WILL BE UNBEATABLE FOR THE REST OF THE GAME' doesn't sound like fun, at all.

do you have to have good equipment and party setup? yes. do you have to sit there grinding forever until oblivion? no. you can if you want, but then you just have an easy-as-shit game. what's fun about that?

if this is what you people think is fun about RPGs then I can see why you all hated the 13 series, because it didn't give you the means to farm and break the difficulty curve of the game from an incredibly early point

Edited February 19, 2014 by The Derrit

[HoboKa]

by rebuilding northrend weapon shop. don t remember the level but you can manage around chp 3..

Aight thanks dude

The thing is you can still get your face stomped if your group comp/strategy isn't great. I was 24 at the end of Chapter 1 and walked into a rather harsh challenge in the forest on the way to chapter 2. Chapter 2 I was 39 at the end of and I will admit chapter 3 was smooth sailing until I went to the first quest dungeon where the challenge stepped up a bit. I finished that chapter at 61, and walking into chapter 4 hit a brick wall in a regular mob fight. I had to grind a bit to be on equal terms with those mobs and even then several bosses were just brutal. Chapter 4 is also home to a nasty side quest where the mobs you have to fight rip your face off even at my level of 61 and many people have to cheese those fights with a certain set up.

Then I did my New Game + on hard.. in most cases no amount of grinding mid chapter 3 onward can save you from slaughter if you don't pay attention. The grinding can't really make or break this game with certain set ups. But Chapter 4, and then chapter 7 hit some difficulty spikes.

Excellent...I love a challenge. It kinda reminds me of Breath of Fire 2 and 1. Didn't really matter how much you grinded, the end-game monsters can maul your team pretty badly if you don't have a good strategy (or I guess cheese it)...and the really high encounter rate didn't help. At least you can alter THAT in Bravely Default

[Nick Hyral]

Whoa there Derrit, that is a lot of bite coming from your post that wasn't even directed at you really. Your experience with the game had 100% no bearing on my comment as I was merely using it to assure him that he can grind and it not impact the game as much directly as in other RPGs and that group comp and strategy mattered a bit more. Nothing other than that.

And I don't appreciate the insult involving the thirteen series. Yes I do quite enjoy grinding in games. You see, I'm a player that enjoys stat crunching. I enjoy progressing to that next level, even if it means only seeing a six damage increase to my attacks. But to talk to me like I'm some simpleton that has to grind and remove all change to play a game is rather insulting and frankly uncalled for.

I didn't like thirteen because of bland, forgettable characters. I didn't care for it because Lightning is a pathetic character the developers herald as some amazing triumph when it comes to female recognition in the game. Oh she's so amazing she slaps people and talks like a drone. Add to it music that just exhausts my mind, and a mediocre story and you have why I didn't like the games. It has nothing to do with some difficulty curve I assure, and I'd appreciate it if your opinions stayed civil as I said absolutely nothing in my post to warrant that jab.

[The Derrit]

Whoa there Derrit, that is a lot of bite coming from your post that wasn't even directed at you really. Your experience with the game had 100% no bearing on my comment as I was merely using it to assure him that he can grind and it not impact the game as much directly as in other RPGs and that group comp and strategy mattered a bit more. Nothing other than that.

And I don't appreciate the insult involving the thirteen series. Yes I do quite enjoy grinding in games. You see, I'm a player that enjoys stat crunching. I enjoy progressing to that next level, even if it means only seeing a six damage increase to my attacks. But to talk to me like I'm some simpleton that has to grind and remove all change to play a game is rather insulting and frankly uncalled for.

I didn't like thirteen because of bland, forgettable characters. I didn't care for it because Lightning is a pathetic character the developers herald as some amazing triumph when it comes to female recognition in the game. Oh she's so amazing she slaps people and talks like a drone. Add to it music that just exhausts my mind, and a mediocre story and you have why I didn't like the games. It has nothing to do with some difficulty curve I assure, and I'd appreciate it if your opinions stayed civil as I said absolutely nothing in my post to warrant that jab.

and my post wasn't directed at you. you made the point that you can get stomped with bad party comp, i noted that i was aware of that, and moved on

i'm missing where your issue is

except for the clear 'jab' you're taking at my preferences

so there's that

Edited February 20, 2014 by The Derrit

[Nick Hyral]

why is somewhat-shadily leveling your entire team until the game isn't even close to challenging anymore fun?

did i miss something?

You first assumed this was the point of our leveling. But being the guru that played the game before most of us surely you understand jobs need leveled up to shine. I'm sorry taking a few minutes to bring a job up to par so you can see what it is worth is "game breaking." in you eyes.

"if this is what you people think is fun about RPGs then I can see why you all hated the 13 series, because it didn't give you the means to farm and break the difficulty curve of the game from an incredibly early point."

This isn't considered a jab? Telling us because we grind that we hated a game for our chosen play style? If this isn't a jab sir, by all means tell me what is. "You people" is generalizing those of us after your original post.

If I misunderstood, then my apologies.

[Kenogu Labz]

Grinding as a 'play style' turns an entertaining, challenging RPG into a visual novel with extended, repetitive combat cutscenes. I can't think of anyone who wouldn't yawn at ~40 hours of that.

More on direct topic, 4527-8707-7870 if anyone wants to add my low-level party...

Edited February 20, 2014 by Kenogu Labz

[arglactable]

Mandatory grinding is generally a symptom of a poorly balanced RPG. This game doesn't require a lot of balancing or grinding, because it's really not all that challenging. Though, to be fair, the last JRPG I played was an Etrian Odyssey game, so my perspective may be somewhat skewed in that respect.

[Kenogu Labz]

Caveat to the discussion at hand: I totally understand grinding for job levels. I wouldn't expect the game to give you the means to max all jobs on all characters by the end. What is puzzling is pushing for an early grind, which screws up all sorts of things in terms of the intended challenge curve.

[Nick Hyral]

Caveat to the discussion at hand: I totally understand grinding for job levels. I wouldn't expect the game to give you the means to max all jobs on all characters by the end. What is puzzling is pushing for an early grind, which screws up all sorts of things in terms of the intended challenge curve.

If you play it from A to Z you might max 3 jobs for your characters. What honestly disappointed me was that they gave you so little information as to what to expect for each class. While the small tutorial after you obtain it is nice, it speaks nothing of the passives which are a big part of your character game play. Aside from that I enjoyed each class getting a small story, an encounter to see what they are made of.. and finally a slight tutorial. The customization of your characters is rather nice.

[Kenogu Labz]

If you play it from A to Z you might max 3 jobs for your characters. What honestly disappointed me was that they gave you so little information as to what to expect for each class. While the small tutorial after you obtain it is nice, it speaks nothing of the passives which are a big part of your character game play. Aside from that I enjoyed each class getting a small story, an encounter to see what they are made of.. and finally a slight tutorial. The customization of your characters is rather nice.

I actually think that's a great idea on their part. Perhaps I wouldn't pick such a low number as three, but it adds replay value to the game: play it once more, but master a completely different set of classes.

[SwordBreaker]

I've been hooked on Bravely Default since the demo. Once in a while an RPG gets me so engrossed into its setting I get absolutely hooked. It happened with Xenoblade, Ni No Kuni, and now Bravely Default. What I love about the latter is the reinvention of the classic turn-based battle system. The combination of saving/overspending turns, auto-battling, fast-forward, and customizing the encounter rate makes the game so much fun to play whether you're grinding or taking your time to beat tough enemies strategically. I'm 16 hours in so far and I'm not finding myself bored playing it, despite the slow-paced blandish plot. Of course, the Final Fantasy Tactics-type depth to the job system makes leveling up and customization all the more addicting.

The visuals are absolutely artistic. Gotta love those pre-rendered environments which remind me of games like Baten Kaitos. The music is pretty freakin' kickass, too; going for a symphonic metal kind of vibe. The voice acting is pretty entertaining, save for Anges who seems kind of flat most of the time.

I'm dreading the final 1/3rd of the game as many people say it's pretty repetitive. I don't want to get there soon as I'm enjoying my time so much right now.

[Global-Trance]

Started a separate file from my normal play through on Hard Mode. I'm in the middle of Chapter 2. I have yet to gain EXP, JP, or money (from battles) nor have I used any summon friends.

It seems like I can get pretty far just with team comp and exploiting enemy behavior and weaknesses. (And Norende :3)

Time to see how far I can push this.

Edited February 23, 2014 by Global-Trance

[The Derrit]

Started a separate file from my normal play through on Hard Mode. I'm in the middle of Chapter 2. I have yet to gain EXP, JP, or money (from battles) nor have I used any summon friends.

It seems like I can get pretty far just with team comp and exploiting enemy behavior and weaknesses. (And Norende :3)

Time to see how far I can push this.

how have you done that? i'm unsure of how that would be possible.