Lightning Returns: Combat Tips

Lightning Returns: Combat Tips

Posted by on Feb 18, 2014 in Guides |

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Stagger

Similar to the past FFXIII games, you still do the most damage when your target is staggered. To do this, the general rule is to hit them with physical attacks to extend stagger time then follow-up with magic attacks to actually stagger them. By the time you run out of ATB for your spells, your opponent should be staggered. If not, then nearly so.

You can tell the stagger status by the pulsing wave that appears on their health bars. The more violent the oscillation, the closer the target is to staggering.

If you’re having a tough time dealing with a particular monster, hitting R2 or RT will bring up Libra, which will give you info about your target. Stagger information is at the bottom of that screen.

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Lightning Returns: Tips and Tricks

Lightning Returns: Tips and Tricks

Posted by on Feb 16, 2014 in Guides |

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Since you’re always working against the clock, NPCs and quests that are bound to specific times can be difficult to keep track of. You can use map markers to solve this problem. I usually mark the NPC or quest location, then name it using the time I’m supposed to be there. Now if only it had an alarm of sorts.

Quests

The game does not follow traditional leveling. Lightning does not level up nor does she gain experience points. She powers up by getting stat bonuses from doing quests, so get as many as you can and accomplish them. Aside from the main story, there are two other ways to get quests: taking quests from Chocolina and by talking to NPCs. Chocolina is always near the train stations, marked by a yellow box in your map. NPCs that have quests have stars next to their names, with the number of stars indicating the difficulty of the quest.

Stock Consumables

Make sure you have a full stock of potions at the beginning of the game. As if the clock isn’t enough of an indication, Lightning Returns can be unforgiving at times. You don’t want to end up spending precious time just to use Escape to get away from combat too often.

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Rants and Raves: Final Fantasy XIII-2

Posted by on Aug 21, 2012 in Commentary |

I have to admit that I completely ignored Final Fantasy XIII-2 the moment I learned that Lightning wasn’t going to be the lead. I found her cold, no-nonsense attitude very appealing. She was strong, determined and hell-bent on completing her mission. Her demeanor was a refreshing change from the young, male protagonists from previous titles of the series. As if not having her as the main character wasn’t bad enough, she was replaced by her sister Serah, the damsel in distress whose purpose was to merely give Lightning somebody to rescue.

Why did I buy it? Because I couldn’t pass up on a premium title that was being sold at one-third of its price. So a couple of weeks ago I found myself the owner of Final Fantasy XIII-2. I had no idea how good it was going to be back then.

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Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning: Crafting Epic Gems

Posted by on Feb 26, 2012 in Guides |

Notes:

  1. The quality of the shards determine the value of the result. If you want the best results, combine 2 pristine shards.
  2. The formulas are commutative. Fire shard + magic shard = magic shard + fire shard.
  3. “X” = variable used to represent a number, the value of which is determined by shard quality.
Shard 1Shard 2Result
PhysicalPhysical+X% damage and +Y% damage resistance
PhysicalFire / Ice / Lightning / Poison+X% gold drops
PhysicalMagic+1 to all unlocked Might abilities
PhysicalProtection+X% experience bonus
MagicFire / Ice / Lightning-X% mana costs
MagicPoison+1 to all unlocked Finesse abilities
MagicProtection+1 to the first 4 tiers of unlocked Might, Finesse and Sorcery abilities
MagicMagic+1 to all unlocked Sorcery abilities
ProtectionMagic+Y% experience bonus (lower than physical + protection)
FireIce / Lightning+X% fire, ice and lightning damage
PoisonFire / Ice / Lightning+X health and +X mana
ProtectionProtectionX% chance to stun enemies when attacked
FireFireX% chance to burn enemies when attacked
PoisonPoisonX% chance to poison enemies when attacked
LightningLightningX% chance to shock enemies when attacked
IceIceX% chance to freeze enemies when attacked

Let me know if I missed anything.

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