[DS] Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift

General Info from GameFAQs:

Originally Posted by Darksun45230

TABLE OF CONTENTS
[1] General Questions
[1.1] When is the US release date?
[1.2] Does this game compare to Final Fantasy Tactics Advance?
[1.3] Does this game compare to Final Fantasy Tactics?
[1.4] What’s the game about?
[1.5] Where can I find a map of Ivalice?
[1.6] Is there a bonus for having FFTA while playing?
[1.7] What is the difference between easy and hard mode?
[1.8] Is it true you can get to level 99?
[1.9] What are the maximum saves you can have?
[1.10] How do I soft rest?
[1.11] Is there WiFi?
[1.12] Can you name your characters?
[1.13] Are there any miss-able missions?
[1.14] Is Cloud in this game?
[1.15] Are Montblanc and Ezel playable?
[1.16] Is Ilua playable?
[1.17] Who are the hidden characters?
[1.18] Espers? You mean we get them here?
[1.19] Is there a geographical map of this game?
[1.20] I want to see what the new jobs look like!

[2] Clans, Job, and Tribes!
[2.1] What are the new Tribes?
[2.2] What are the new jobs?
[2.3] What’s changed since FFTA?
[2.4] How come I can’t unlock a job?
[2.5] Are laws in this game?
[2.6] What are Tribes?
[2.7] What are Jobs?
[2.8] There are job requirements? What kind?
[2.9] What are Clan Abilities?
[2.10] Help! The enemy keeps coming!
[2.11] What does Smash gauge do?
[2.12] I don’t like my team members, how do I replace them?

[3] Managing MP, and Auctions!
[3.1] Why is my MP 0!?
[3.2] What about support characters? Can’t they replace MP requirements?
[3.3] What is the Auction System?
[3.4] Is the Auction System worth it?
[3.5] How do I win Auctions?

[5] Resources
[6] Credits

[1] General Questions

[1.1] When is the US Release Date?
June 24th, 2008

[1.2] Does this game compare to Final Fantasy Tactics Advance?
If you liked FFTA then expect to have a good time. They're even certain references to FFTA.

There are various references to FFTA, directly or indirectly:
+The girl in the summer diary at the beginning of the game strongly resembles
Ritz.
+Ezel shows up as non recruitable character
+Montblanc is a recruitable character.
+Montblanc makes several references to Marche. If Montblanc falls in battle, he even calls out Marche's name.
+Mr. Mewt Randall is the librarian back in the original world.

In terms of difficulty, I'd say this game requires more effort than FFTA.
Earlier in the game you'll find it more difficult as the enemy starts with R-
Abilities; being that you just started you'll lack the proper means to heal.
However, once you've unlocked extra skills, jobs, and equipment you'll find it much easier.

There are some quests that are difficult, however gamers who seek a challenge should... well you could always play Hard mode. Otherwise, you can impose handicaps (Single Character Class Challenge is reborn!)

[1.3] Does this game compare to Final Fantasy Tactics?
Don't expect epic greatness like FFT. Instead expect a storyline doused with
water and seaweed. It’s the kid friendly version of Final Fantasy Tactics minus a relevant story.

[1.4] What’s the game about?
Just like Final Fantasy Tactics Advance and Final Fantasy XII, Final Fantasy
Tactics A2: The sealed Grimoire takes place in Ivalice. There are seven playable races in the game: Hume, Moogle, Viera, Bangaa, Seeq, Nu Mou and Gria. Chronologically, the game takes place some time after Final Fantasy XII.

Luso who lives in the real world, was punished for pulling a prank before summer break. Locked away in a library, Luso discovers an old book which takes him to Ivalice. Instead of seeking a way home, he wants to explore Ivalice (the real
Ivalice.)

[1.5] Where can I find a map of Ivalice?
Image:Ivalice map.jpg - The Final Fantasy Wiki has more Final Fantasy information than Cid could research

[1.6] Is there a bonus for having FFTA while playing?
Yes, you get the Clan Ability "Libra" for free when you have FFTA in the GBA
slot. That Clan Ability, if selected for a particular battle, will display all
hidden traps on the battlefield (if any) and color-code them according to type. That same Clan Ability can be obtained normally through Clan Trials later in the game, though.

[1.7] What is the difference between easy and hard mode?
The enemy's ability power (attacks and recovery) is increased by 1.5. It has also been suggested that choosing Power 2 (clan ability) will make things
'easier.' (What would be the point then?)

[1.8] Is it true you can get to level 99?
Yep, all characters can get to level 99 maximum as in the original Final Fantasy Tactics. Which means in comparison to FFTA, your characters are weaker then them at certain levels (max level was 50.)

[1.9] What are the maximum saves you can have?
Just two like in Final Fantasy Tactics Advance.

[1.10] How do I soft reset?
L + R + Select + Start.

[1.11] Is there Wi-Fi?
Nope, and yes we hate that fact too.
We can however trade items from close range DS.

[1.12] Can you name your characters?
We've had that right stripped from us like in FFTA.

[1.13] Are there any miss-able Missions?
There are only two available Light Lutes in the game; one crafted one given. The
Light Lute is an instrument Hurdy needs to learn "Magic Ballad" which recovers
MP.

The crafted Lute is available when Hurdy asks you to craft his instrument before
he joins. Instead of completing the instrument quest, right away do the side-
quest battle at Sandarusa Cliffs while the mission is still active. If you don't
you will not be able to acquire the material to forge the Lute; therefore losing
the ability to craft the Light Lute.

The other Light Lute is given after completing the "BN Wars ~W Side~" quest
(complete "BN Wars ~N Side~" quest three times to unlock.) To do this it would
take 2~4 years after Hurdy joins. "Magic Ballad" recovers MP, making him
one of the best support characters (other then Cannoneer.)

[1.14] Is Cloud is this game?
No, Cloud Strife is not in FFTA2 nor was he in the original FFTA. Cloud was only
a cameo character in FFT and FFT: WoTL (same game.)

[1.15] Are Montblanc and Ezel Playable?
Montblanc is indeed a recruitable character. Ezel however, is not.

[1.16] Is Ilua playable?
From what I can tell no, Ilua is not a playable character in this game.

[1.17] Who are the hidden characters?
Vaan, Penelo, Al-Cid are all unlock able characters in this game (along with
Frimelda who is not a recurring character but hidden.)

For more information go to: ffta2 wiki / SpecialCharacter

[1.18] Espers? You mean we can get them here?
Yeah, Espers make a return in this game as accessories. Most require you to
finish a tournament; so try to do as many as possible.

For more information go to: ffta2 wiki / Espers

[1.19] Is there a geographical map of this game?
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6..._world_map.jpg

[1.20] I want to see what the new jobs look like!
The official website shows you sample videos of every single job in action:
FINAL FANTASY TACTICS A2

See that menu bar on the bottom of that page? Click on the second button from the left; that's the "Characters" section. Once that page has loaded, there should be two link buttons northeast of the character cards; click on the lower button. Now select which race you want to see first, and all the jobs of that race will be displayed, each accompanied by a short in-game video of that job in action.

[2.7] What are jobs?
Jobs are basically the class of each member of your party. Unlike FFT, every
race has its own set of jobs. For example, only Viera can be Green Mages while
only Bangaa can be Dragoons.

For more information go to: ffta2 wiki / Jobs

[2.8] There are job requirements? What kind?
Unlike the job leveling system in FFT, your party members must learn from the
equipment they equip. When a weapon is equipped they gain AP for that weapon and
finally when the requirements are met they learn the ability. You can equip
weapons and equipment and be able to use the abilities even if you haven't
learned it however, if you remove it then you will no longer be able to
use that ability (until you have mastered said ability.)

For more information go to: ffta2 wiki / JobRequirement
For more information on abilities go to: ffta2 wiki / Ability

[2.9] What are Clan Abilities?
Unlike in the previous games FFT and FFTA, before battle begins you are allowed
to select ability. These abilities can give extra Power, Speed, Evasion, Luck,
Movement, Protective status, AP, EXP, Gil, and Clan points.

For more information go to: ffta2 wiki / Clan abilities

[2.10] Help! The enemy keeps coming!
Ahem, this section can be better explained by the guys at FFTA2.pbwiki.com
I take no credit for the following.

You are doing a chain of quest series for the Food Poisoning Society, which
required you to prepare certain food material, taken from defeated monster. Make
sure you have defeated the correct amount of monster before you speak to the
Bishop Guest and select the second option, if not you will fail the quest. First
option allow you to re-inspect the requirement of the food material.

For more information head to: ffta2 wiki / FAQs

[2.11] What does Smash gauge do?
Full Smash Gauge enables Totema Summon, if Totema accessory is equipped on
that character. Having a higher Smash Gauge also seems to result in more bonus
EXP gain at the end of battle, but I do not know of the exact formula.

[2.12] I don't like my team members, how do I replace them?
The recruitment quest respawns fairly quickly and is the most reliable way
recruit which job you want (as long as you know exactly how to answer).
Otherwise, you can find recruitment events at certain locations depending on the
month. For both the recruitment quest and the recruitment events, the race you
get is based on the month.

Hume
--------
Months: Black Winter and Clear Winter

Locations:
Talgo Forest - Soldier, Thief, White Mage, Black Mage, Archer
Gareria Caves - Paladin, Fighter, Blue Mage, Hunter
Sendarusa Cliffs - Yojimbo, Ninja, Illusionist, Devout

Bangaa
-----------
Months: Green Spring and Red Spring

Locations:
Bateisuto Hills - Warrior, White Monk, Dragoon, Gladiator, Bishop
Aisen Plains - Defender, Master Monk, Templar, Cannoneer, Trickster

Nu-Mou
----------
Months: Peach Spring and Yellow Summer

Locations:
Glass City - White Mage, Black Mage, Beastmaster
Mouraberera City - Time Mage, Arcane Mage, Illusionist, Sage
Nazen Ruins - Alchemist, Scholar

Moogle
----------
Months: Gold Summer and Silver Summer

Locations:
Bisuka Greens - Animist, Thief, Black Mage
Gou City - Moogle Knight, Gunner, Gadgeteer, Time Mage
Nezurou Tunnels - Chocobo Rider, Juggler, Magic Cannoneer

Viera
--------
Months: Grey Autumn and Blue Autumn

Locations:
Kamoa City - Fencer, Archer, White Mage, Green Mage, Red Mage
Ruby Mountain - Elementalist, Magic Fencer, Summoner, Assassin, Sniper

Gria
------
Months: Red Autumn and Purple Winter

Locations:
Frogis City - Hunter, Raptor
Zedori Forest - Bastard, Geomancer

Seeq
--------
Months: Red Autumn and Purple Winter

Locations:
Arudana Mountain - Berserker, Ranger
Doramedeino Swamp - Lanista, Viking

[3] MP Tricks and Tips!

[3.1] Why is my MP 0!?
The new MP system in this game dictates that all units on the field start with
zero MP; but each time a turn passes you'll recover a certain amount. You
may think this puts Illusionists and other high MP users to death and for the
most part its true, but listen to what this person has to say.

There are many ways to get around the new MP system. Clan Abilities, for one,
can reduce the MP usage; when combined with skills like Half-Mp the effect
increases. "MP Boost" boosts MP regeneration from 10 to 20 every turn. "MP
Conservation" reduces spell cost by 50%. If stacked with "Half MP" it would
result with 25% MP usage. Both Illusions and Summoning is possible by the first
turn.

Viera receive "Magic Consume HP" as an S-ability which allows the cost to
be taken not from MP but HP allowing Double-Cast immediately. Since HP healing
is so abundant, it's not a big problem.

Devout's "Damage recover MP" lets you recover MP depending on the damage done to
you. Finally, since characters recover MP on each turn, using Smile or Quicken
constantly will allow the character to gain full MP before the battle has even
begun.

The S-Ability Geomancy (Absorb > Null > Half > Normal > Weak) along with the R-
ability "MP Absorb" is an alternative to Devouts "Damage Recover MP."

[3.2] What about support characters? Can't they replace these MP requirements?

This method is more practical; specifically for spell casters who would rather
do higher damage with then conserve MP. The benefits of this are enormous,
allowing Clan Abilities to be used for a more practical purpose (such as Power
Up Lv5.) You can choose the ability "MP Turbo" allowing greater damage with
spells. There is a small flaw though.

The weakness of said support characters, such as Bard (Hurdy), Magical Gunner,
and Cannoneer is speed. The classes have low speed growths, so it takes training
to raise them; however the results are worth it.

Bangaa Cannoneer is a good choice, as his Ether Shots replenish 60 MP from a
long distance, without actually costing you an Ether (ergo, broken.) If you are
looking for the right job to raise a fast Cannoneer, try a Master Monk or even a
Trickster. Moogles, as Magic Cannoneer's, have to waste a turn to load ammo.
Hurdy's (Bard) speed stats are terrible, however if raised as a Juggler then he
will be able to compete with spell-casters.

[3.3] What is the Auction System?
Auction occurs once every year in the month of Red Autumn. The auction for each
region takes place at the major city in that region. There are five regions
total, each color-coded and composed of 3~4 smaller areas.

Think "Monopoly"--each area is a property, and each region is all properties of
the same color. Once you've become a region king by monopolizing a region,
during auction next year you get to compete for equipment/item prizes in
addition to ownership of the areas.

If you manage to repeat and monopolize a region again, you even get an
additional bonus prize for "sweeping" victory. But that's not all--after you've
obtained ownership of certain areas or the entire region, you get to collect
extra bonus rewards from inhabitants of the area/region!

[3.4] Is the Auction System worth it?
The Auction system is highly recommended; in the twenty days of the auction you
should literally stop your regular business to participate. They take place in
all five major cities across Ivalice and all should be monopolized. Competition
isn't easy; that's why its reccomended you save and reload. The sooner you
monopolize a region, the sooner you reap the rewards so be sure to win them all!

Each region has rewards that are random at the start of auction month. A good
tip is to save 1~2 days before an auction begins; so if you do not get what you
want you can reload. With this method you can receive high-end equipments much
earlier than you can craft them, such as the katana that teaches "Dual Wield"
and the rapier that teaches "Doublecast".

[3.5] How do I win Auctions?
During auction bids, your competition always give a tell regarding how many
chips they intend to put down during that round:

5-point chip - sprite has "!" exclamation mark
3-point chip - sprite strikes an attack pose
2-point chip - sprite walks
1-point chip - sprite stands still
Pass (0 chip) - sprite has head down

Reading the tells and responding accordingly put you at a great advantage and
allows you to conserve your own chips for later rounds. In your first auction
you'll need a bit of luck and nail a few Bonus markers in order to monopolize
regions, but after that you'll gain more overwhelming advantages that allow you
to have a strangle-hold on every monopoly and easily blow all competitors away,
year after year, reaping you tons of great prizes.

For more information on Auctions go to: ffta2 wiki / System

[5] Resources?
(Large English Database) ffta2 wiki
(Official Website) FINAL FANTASY TACTICS A2
(Translation Project)
FFTA2 Translation - Weukeukeu
(Trailers, and Gameplay Footage) YouTube.com
(where you can buy the Japanese game) Play-Asia.com
(Japanese Wiki) FFTA2 Éõ·ê¤Î¥°¥ê¥â¥¢ ¹¶Î¬Wiki

[6] Credits
sarcasteak
Terence
Klarc
Master_Gamer
Play-asia.com
Yuna10
penguin_knight
archaicsentinel
theforkwiz
ZeroHiei
LaevateinQED
FonCodeD
MaxDarkSoul
Deufeufeu and the translation project staff
ffta2.pbwiki
and Wikipedia!

The game is apparently getting a slight bump-up, showing up in stores tomorrow rather than Wednesday. As a staunch... despiser of the original Tactics Advance, I'm going into this game with large amounts of skepticism. However, I've ended up purchasing it because of certain changes that have been confirmed (faster AI movement, more references to the real Ivalice, Seeqs).

So, as the last game in the Ivalice Alliance, is anyone else planning on nabbing it?

I really liked the original FF Tactics Advance and played it to completion back when it was released. I'm currently unemployed, so I cannot afford to buy games right now, but when I have the money I'll definitely get my hands on this baby.

FFTA was my shit, I played the fuck out of that game. Of course this may largely be due to the fact that I spent a lot of time on public transit at the time and needed something to pass the time during long train/bus rides, but I eventually ended up beating it 100% and doing all the bonus quests and shit. A million hours of game play.

NYR has my cart of it now, so no save bonus for me ;_;. Definitely tempted to run out and buy FFTA2 today, even though I'm still working on my backlog of other stuff.

Does Paladin + Double Sword still = lololol or did they fix that this time around.

No, it's mostly the same. What was nerfed was Concentrate, making Double Sword undisputed.

Excellent. Sad to hear Concentrate getting the nerf stick though. I rather liked that one too.

I'm going to sound retarded saying this, but the only thing that kept me from enjoying FFTA more was the fact that the menus felt too cluttered, and I could never get a handle on what the FUCK was going on with my character's equipment. As long as that is fixed, I can see myself spending gobs of hours on this.

Aws yeah. FFTA was my jam back in the day. I fucked the shit out of that too (fuck? shit? too?). Like Tails, it was a commute game. Then again, that's the case for all my DS playtime.

I'm almost done 100%-ing The World Ends With You, so this game is coming at a perfect time in my selection of next DS game to play. Since I'm having it shipping, I get a few extra days to complete.

Final Fantasy Tactics was a game that when people asked you about it, you could sit down and explain it to them and sell them on it. Its not a perfect game but I'll say its one of the very few PSX games that you can detail as the best of the system (and for those of us intellectuals - as one of the greatest games ever made.)

FFTA is the kind of game you played while no one was looking.

Now, if you enjoyed FFTA - more power to you. Liking fun things is what life is about, but the fact that you went from a deep, interesting story with phenominal battle system to a "kids game" (Im using that loosely) with an awful Judge system to hamper the gameplay was like walking out of a fine dinner and stepping in dog shit.

FFTA2? I hope a lot of people enjoy it - but truth be told, I'm considering getting a damn PSP off of Ebay just to play FFT; I won't buy a DS for this - even though its easily the better handheld.

LeHah: The judge system is much more lenient this time around. It's no longer involving jail or incredibly draconian penalties. Major plus.

Downside is, I've seen one review mention one of the rules they go to be "Don't let enemies steal gil from you." What the hell? I hope there's not one that says "Don't get hit."

Originally Posted by Mo0

Downside is, I've seen one review mention one of the rules they go to be "Don't let enemies steal gil from you." What the hell? I hope there's not one that says "Don't get hit."

Yeah, I'm not really sure if you can say the game is less draconian if its going to have the AI set the rules in its favor.

The law system in this game is fixed, meaning each mission , quest, trial, what have you has a set Law specifically for it that you cannot change unless you action replayed it into a different law.

Laws do not apply to enemies. The Laws themselves are extremely frustrating and retarded at times, but the worst penalization you get is the loss of any type of Revive.

Examples:

Do not Attack
Do not Attack someone of a lower level
Do not Attack any Males // Females (separate Laws)
Do not Miss
Do not deal more than 20 Damage

so on and so forth.

Wow, those Laws are rough. I was going to say... In FFTA, the Laws sucked. There were battles you'd fight, and end up having to break the law several times, landing a bunch of characters in jail. In FFTA2, though... Well, the punishment for breaking the Laws doesn't seem all that severe. You can't revive for the rest of the battle.

What I didn't know is that in A2 the Laws are fixed to each battle. I like that. The fact that you used to be able to just move around the map a couple spaces to skip a tough Law made the game a lot easier.

I've only played past the first mission, but I'm really liking it so far. Question for those who are farther: Do you place cities on the map, and build your own Ivalice as in FFTA? If so... does it generate items the same way? I remember there being some items you could only get by placing cities in certain places.

Originally Posted by Sousuke

Well, the punishment for breaking the Laws doesn't seem all that severe. You can't revive for the rest of the battle.

You also lose your Clan Privilege and whatever bonus item the Judge would have given you.

Both are insignificant in the long run because Privileges just make the battle easier and bonus items you can just create later at the Bazaar.

By the looks of it, Square-Enix unlocked the Tactics Advance load-in bonus. You have Speed Up 2 right from the start, and TA has never even been in my DS.

Nope, I'm just retarded, which Lace has pointed out.

I agree with LeHah on this. The judge system left a bad taste in my mouth. To add to things, I REALLY didn't like playing as some elementary-school aged kid I know games are meant to cater to the youth or age brackets, but I'd prefer the main character to be a bit older. Otherwise, I don't see how the story can mature and be enjoyable to me.

FFT had a dark, complex story that sits next to Xenogears as one of my PSX favorites. However, when you progress it away from church conspiracy and turn it in to little Tommy looking for his Cripple Friend in an imaginary world or some shit, I go "wtf".