I picked this game up about a week ago, and while it is enjoyable, it's nowhere near as good as the first FFTA in my opinion (haven't gotten a chance to play the original FFT or its sequel, so I can't comment there). Maybe I'm just bitching, but I find a lot of the changes absolutely ridiculous: Nu Mou and Moogles can't enter water? You start with zero MP? You can't revive your party members should you break the law? I think the thing that annoys me the most are those stupid laws; I mean, at least in FFTA they were managable and you could see them in advance and circumvent them through law cards or just walking around, but now you can't see them in advance and they just get ridiculous at times. I know they want the game to be challenging, but what kind of reasonable challenge does making it illegal to knock back (crits), to not move exactly three steps every turn, to freaking miss (entirely luck-based)? It would be somewhat better if they at least penalized the opponents when they broke the law (I know in the first game it often didn't do anything but it would be nice if the game at least acknowledged it).
Anyway, other than that, I haven't finished my first playthough yet, so I don't have much to add. Right now I'm trying to figure out what I want to do with Luso (Level 35 Paladin right now) and my Moogles (got a level 30-something Juggler and a level 30 Mog Knight/Fusiler combo going). Also, does anyone have any good builds for Cid? Right now I have him as a Gladiator but I don't know what to do with him, really.
I have to agree, though, those Blood Price Summoners are beast.
First:
In regard to the original FFTA, Law Cards were pretty awesome. You pretty much needed to abuse them to win challenge games. In fact you could get non-leader enemies banned from battle if their weapon type was banned and you cast Berserk or Confuse on them.
Second RE: laws:
Missing is the most annoying one, but its only in that one Clan Trial. Just use Agilty up and hope the RNG doesn't screw you.
Knockback is only punished if a unit is actually moved a space as the result of an attack or ability. You can crit all you want as long as there's a unit on the opposite side.
Can't do anything above the Move X Panels. Those are probably the worst outside of Non-Elemental attacks.
High-end Magick attacks themselves are indescribably broken and thus difficult to access, but there is an easy way around it: Have someone with Arts of War and an elemental weapon use Rend MP on an ally with an absorbing equipment of that element, e.g. Fighter with Flametoungue Rend MP'ing an Illusionist with Blaze Robe. (Note, Soul Sphere and Manastrike do not work for this.)
Regarding Cid Builds: The only remotely viable one (that can't be outclassed terribly by recruiting another unit) I've been able to come up with is a Meltdown physical attacker. Just like Luso, Cid's starting class is really only good for tanking hits. Cid has an additional problem that unlike Luso he joins much later and after a long sequence, so restarting for stats is problematic. Actually a recruited unit can basically do this set with 2 more Speed, but there are far superior ways to build a Bangaa recruit. This at least allows Cid to be useful.
Level-Wise:
50 Warrior
33 Dragoon
15 Trickster
Projected ending stats:
Cid
Tank 98
Warrior(B) Levels
Warrior 50
Dragoon 33
Trickster 15
HP: 885
MP: 158
Speed: 116
Watk: 251(Cap 249)
Wdef: 223
Mpow: 168
Mres: 159
The most important stat for Meltdown is HP, since without the prerequisite HP you can't OHKO with Meltdown. Trickster basically exists for its huge .88 Speed stat. If you want to try your luck, you can use Master Monk with a .71 stat, which will overshoot your attack substantially but will provide more HP (900 Max) and 1 additional Defense. Full HP Meltdown will OHKO any unit except for an opposing Soldier or Warrior. Additionally your physical attacks will be at maximum strength.
Recommended Job: Defender/[Master Monk/Templar]
With Knightsword, Shield, and Robe equipments Defender is a much better primary class. Master Monk can use Withering Strike after a Meltdown and continue the high-powered assault, though its accuracy is suspect. Templar does the same thing with Lifebane. You with Sleep/Stop using allies.
When deciding between MM and Templar as a secondary, its your preference. Templar has the always-useful Haste and Astra, Master Monk has the obscenely powerful Pummel and Cross-Counter abilities, as well as self-healing/Esuna with Inner Focus.
