FFX-2... the desert demon in chapter 5...

Akaran_D · Post by **Akaran_D** » December 28, 2003, 1:24 am

...can go blow himself.
Hour and a half against that damn thing, still lost. ><

Anyone have any tips for beating him? Tried my standard group, got erradicated; tried a specality group of 2 black knights with poison/confusionproof and a master cleric - using 2 Beaded Bangles and a Ribbon - and held it back for 90 minutes, still lost. Doing roughly 1k to 1500 per shot of Darkness, healing with anything and everything I have.

Character levels are in the mid 50's. Around 4k tops hp on each.

Trias · Post by **Trias** » December 28, 2003, 3:02 am

you mean the 3 demon dudes "angra mainyu, tawrich, and zarich" ?

if so...

Equip all of your characters with accessories that enable automatic protect and automatic reflect, or at least the ability to cast either spell...consider having two of your characters as dark knights and one as an alchemist...mastery of these dress spheres is not required...for the benefit of the alchemist, enter the battle with 99 potions and 99 hi-potions

even then, make sure your alchemist knows the mega-potion stash ability...it would also be wise to equip the alchemist with garment grids or accessories that bestow abilities such as auto-haste, sos haste, or the ability to cast haste...additionally, equip accessories or garment grids so that a character can perform white mage abilities...especially reflect

Start the battle by casting reflect and protect on your characters as needed...the two dark knights should perform darkness every round, while the alchemist mixes a potion and a hi-potion to achieve the effect of a mega-potion....even if the party seems to be doing all right, mix the mega-potion anyway. The party must stay healthy every round, just in case angra mainyu performs Perdition's flame, a devastating multi-attack that can cause up to 4000 HP damage to each character. Performing Darkness every turn, the two dark knights should be able to keep the sidekicks, tawrich and zarich, KO'd for most of the battle. Angra Mainyu cannot perform Perdition's flame unless the two sidekicks are alive.

While Tawrich and Zarich are inactive, Angra Mainyu must waste turns to cast Full-Life on it's helpers, so cast Darkness even if the two side helpers are dead for the moment. Zarich has the ability to drain MP, so it will be difficult to cast spells for any purpose other than to reinstate protect or reflect spells. While protect will reduce the damage from perdition's flame, Reflect will protect your character from Flare spells that can cause 9999 HP damage. In fact, Reflect will bounce the spell back at Angra Mainyu, causing 9999 HP damage to the boss! Even if your characters are around level 70, winning against the boss can take a long time.

courtesy of BradyGames Final Fantasy X-2 limited edition strategy guide

enjoy

Akaran_D · Post by **Akaran_D** » December 28, 2003, 11:27 am

Unfortunately I missed two imbeciles in chapter 2 in a rescue mission, thinking they were hiding behind Yo-Jimbo, and as such, I don't have the alchemist dresssphere.

Chain darkness is what I was using; tossing down protect / shell / reflect with Yuna, then using her to toss high potions out every turn, since Curaga gets reflected by Reflect. Tempted to hit Angra and co with a shot of reflect and bounce cures off of them..

Trias · Post by **Trias** » December 28, 2003, 1:18 pm

that's worth a try

Akaran_D · Post by **Akaran_D** » December 28, 2003, 1:20 pm

The bloody thing has over 300khp.
Tries don't matter a damn at this point, I want a win. =p

Trias · Post by **Trias** » December 28, 2003, 1:24 pm

i'll see if there is another way to obtain the alchemist sphere...there is supposedly a few ways to obtain each one

Akaran_D · Post by **Akaran_D** » December 28, 2003, 1:29 pm

Thanks man.
Let me know if there's a way to obtain FulL Throtle in chapter 5 aswell, or if I royally jacked that one.

Akaran_D · Post by **Akaran_D** » December 28, 2003, 11:09 pm

Ok, I got him.
Went to Bevelle, floor 40 of the 100 Level Dungeon, got the Catnip accessory. Went back to the desert, hammered him with darkness after the inital prepping, then switched to Gunner mode on Yuna w/Catnip.

He didn't do much after that..

Kargyle · Post by **Kargyle** » December 29, 2003, 9:30 pm

You don't get the alchemist sphere from the Yo-Jimbo sequence, atleast I've never seen it got that way. I always got the alchemist sphere from Clasko after you clean all the fiends out of the ranch. But if you are up to fighting Angra Mainyu then you already missed it, you'll have to get it on your next run.

Also, if you intend to make it all the way to the bottom of the Via, you will be using the gunner/catnip combo quite a bit. You might even think about doing another run through so you can pick up a second catnip. It is also a good idea to put a speed bracer on your gunners as well as you can get a significant increase in trigger happy shots while hasted.

Psyloche · Post by **Psyloche** » December 30, 2003, 10:43 am

Where's the second catnip, I didn't get the first one from pushing tobli into the elevator.

Xzion · Post by **Xzion** » December 30, 2003, 11:10 am

You bought that stupid fucking game with those 3 little girls singing in the commercial?
God i hate FF games...

Psyloche · Post by **Psyloche** » December 30, 2003, 11:15 am

I bought that stupid game because I've bought every other FF game. I'd probably be the first to say I fucking hate it. The problem is I want to get the best ending, its like watching a bad movie... I gotta see the end.

Akaran_D · Post by **Akaran_D** » December 30, 2003, 12:51 pm

I loved FFX.
This game is kinda corny, and is awfully short, but I'm pretty damn intrigued.. also seeing what's happened to some of the characters in X-2 from X is cool, like Wakka and Lulu.

I love my girls.

Psyloche · Post by **Psyloche** » December 30, 2003, 1:11 pm

Akaran_D wrote:I loved FFX.
This game is kinda corny, and is awfully short, but I'm pretty damn intrigued.. also seeing what's happened to some of the characters in X-2 from X is cool, like Wakka and Lulu.

I love my girls.

I liked FFX too, but I hated Tidus til about the last portion of it. He was such a little bitch... with the possibility of him coming back, I was kinda interested. Seeing a continuation for FF games was a pretty neat idea, especially considering so many people bitched about the Main Character dying in the first one.

Akaran_D · Post by **Akaran_D** » December 30, 2003, 1:21 pm

I kinda respected Tidus. Here, for the first time in a FFX game, is a guy who DOESNT want to do the job. He didn't ask to be chosen, he didn't do somthing special to be "picked". It was the wrong sap at the wrong place at the wrong time, but he did it anyways because he cared for the woman he started to fall for.

The one thing about this game that makes it short for me, I guess, is the fact that you have 3 characters. That's it, 3 characters. You can change their abilities, but once you lock down a few special things - Cleric, Warrior, and a couple Dark Knights, maybe a Black Mage - the rest is just flavor. (Technically I didn't get the Dark Knight dressphere until after I had gotten to chapter 5 and figured out how hardcore it is. But I love 'em!)

I LOVE the music cutscenes tho. The first song is the *best opening ever* to a game. And the one in chapter 4 is just beautiful.

Props to SE for this, even if it is just an expansion pack with a FF name on it.

Psyloche · Post by **Psyloche** » December 30, 2003, 1:33 pm

If you haven't beaten the game, might want to skip my posts.

I thought the opener was cheesey lol. I liked FFX's opening with Tidus playing Blitzball to that weird ass music. Was pretty badass. As far as characters who didn't want to do the job... I don't think any of the main characters wanted to be the Hero. Cloud didn't want to be, at least from what I remember, its been so long... if I remember right, he was a rejected clone from Sephiroth that ended up kicking his ass. Omniblade was

. Oh btw, Shiyun's Omniblade type attack was pretty badass.

The first time I beat the game, I ran through and only unlocked 55% of the game and did it at a retardedly low level. I'm going back through now after realizing I need to take time and explore everything to get a decent ending. I'm curious as to how dumb you have to be to get the world to blow up as an ending... I've read there's 4 or 5 and I got the middle one.

Kargyle · Post by **Kargyle** » December 30, 2003, 2:02 pm

The game only seems short if you do not get everything, and you will need to get everything if you want to get the perfect ending. I got the perfect ending on my 3rd run through (save game plus is a great feature), and clocked in at just over 140 hours, and there's still plenty I could do if I wanted. About the only thing you don't have to do to get the perfect ending is beat the Via Infinito, but you must get episode complete every where else. I would suggest getting a guide as there are a couple of things that are pretty obscure that you must do. If you don't want to buy a guide check gamefaqs.com, but most of the guides there right ow are japanese translated to english, and there's some minor differences between the japanese release and the american release.

Oh, and you can only get 1 catnip per run through. So the only way to get a second catnip is to play through a second time using the save game + feature. I don't remember off hand what you get for pushing Tobli into the elevator, but it isn't catnip.

***Spoilers Ahead***

After you do the Djose Temple sequence at the end of chapter 3 where Yuna gets knocked in to the big hole and winds up in the farplane there is something you have to do to get the perfect ending. After she screams, she'll have a dialogue and says something like "I'm all alone." Right then you have to hit the X button, and you'll hear Tidus whistle, and I think you see a gold outline of him walking, as soon as he disappears you have to hit X again. You have to hit X a total of 4 times. To be safe you can just keep hitting X, I don't think the game cares how many times you hit it as long as you hit it in the right spots.

Then, after you've beaten Vegnagun Yuna is once again in the Farplane, and you need to his the X button, at this point the Fayth show up, and if you have 100% you'll get the perfect ending. Then ending goes the same as the others at first, so don't be fooled. You have to wait for all the credits to roll and you get new scenes afterwards.

Akaran_D · Post by **Akaran_D** » December 30, 2003, 2:09 pm

I heard the whistle, but that wasit.

Fegh, ok.

Kargyle · Post by **Kargyle** » December 30, 2003, 2:13 pm

Could be right after the first whistle is when you hit X, it has been several weeks since I did it, so the details are a bit hazy.

Psyloche · Post by **Psyloche** » December 30, 2003, 2:26 pm

Eh? Where's the first catnip then. I was told pushing Tobli into the elevator, which I didn't do because I saw him in Chapter 1.

Kargyle · Post by **Kargyle** » December 30, 2003, 5:11 pm

As far as I know the only place to get catnip is from level 40 of the Via Infinito.

Psyloche · Post by **Psyloche** » December 30, 2003, 5:17 pm

Ok... what the hell is that? lol

Akaran_D · Post by **Akaran_D** » December 30, 2003, 6:23 pm

It's bevell's 100 level dungeon. You can access it in chapter 5, and it's a nightmare.

100 very reptitive "levels" with a ton of random encounters that get harder the further down you go. (Tho I will caution you that they don't get too hard until the 40's to 50's.. such as a spawning of the Ultima Weapon, among other things). The boss you fight for the Catnip is a real joke; the accessories you get from him are not.

Downside to this is you cannot save easily. You have to find a portal in the level you wish to save in, take it back outside, save, then when you come back you are put at the begining of the level again.

Annoying.

Kargyle · Post by **Kargyle** » December 31, 2003, 12:04 pm

I guess I just got unlucky with the level 40 boss. That bastard killed me 4 or 5 times in a row, kept leading off Ultima and wiping out everyone in a single shot, maybe I was just too low level the first time I went down there.

Akaran_D · Post by **Akaran_D** » December 31, 2003, 12:52 pm

Toss on protect then reflect.
Darkness till yer bored.

Kargyle · Post by **Kargyle** » December 31, 2003, 1:09 pm

I didn't even get a chance to get a spell off, I ended up having to throw up Moon Bracers (Auto-Reflect accessory). After that it was no problem.
I just found it very annoying that it would keep casting Ultima before I could get any action off. My roommate has killed it 3 times, and has yet to see it cast Ultima, guess I'm just unlucky.

Psyloche · Post by **Psyloche** » January 2, 2004, 3:20 am

Hey are the minigames in Thunder Plains to calibrate the towers necessary? I'm stuck on Tower 7 and can't for the fuckin life of me get 30. I can get 29 every so often but I fucking hate that game with a passion.

Akaran_D · Post by **Akaran_D** » January 2, 2004, 4:48 pm

edit:

I r idiot.

Kargyle · Post by **Kargyle** » January 4, 2004, 5:46 pm

No, you only need to attempt each tower. However, during a later sequence there's a box next to each tower, and what is in the box is based on how well the tower was calibrated. Also, if you do 5 towers perfectly before going and talking to the al bhed in the travel agency he gives you a garment grid. Honor of the Samarai or something. Or if you manage to get all 10 towers perfectly and talk to him you get something special, but I don't remember what it is. I got to the point where I just give them one good try and move on.

Psyloche · Post by **Psyloche** » January 4, 2004, 11:16 pm

Well I'm a genius and only see 9 towers.

Kargyle · Post by **Kargyle** » January 5, 2004, 12:08 am

You can't find the tenth tower until you've attempted all the others, I think. It is on the screen of towers closest to makalania woods. It is far off to the left, in fact you can't actually walk up to it because it is technically off the map. You have to calibrate from a distance. Just follow the left edge of the map from the travel agency, you'll run into it.

Psyloche · Post by **Psyloche** » January 12, 2004, 11:19 am

Finally ended up going through the rest of this shit trying to solve every thing I could. Right now I still haven't got Episode complete in Malcania (sp?) woods (even though I got Oaka's shop to open with his brother), Bevelle (haven't hit the 100th level yet, will eventually), Djose temple (I killed the machine once in chapter 5, I'm guessing I have to kill it at all levels?), and I think there's one more spot I'm missing episode complete. Problem is I'm fuckin sitting at 89% story complete though. Oh I also didn't do the PR campaigns and I'm assuming its too late to finish now, so I'll probably miss that as well. Anyone know how high you have to get for the best ending? I'd heard 99 or 100%, which will blow cause I'll need to go BACK through again, I think to get the PR shit done.

Akaran_D · Post by **Akaran_D** » January 12, 2004, 3:43 pm

Guides I read said 100% for the perfect end.

Psyloche · Post by **Psyloche** » January 12, 2004, 4:00 pm

Oh dear god. I doubt I'd be able to get 100% without an actual guide... Though I did end up destroying that desert fiend this thread originally talked about. He really wasn't hard with 2 dark knights and an alchemist.

stash mega potion

Trias · Post by **Trias** » January 12, 2004, 5:25 pm

Akaran_D wrote:I kinda respected Tidus. Here, for the first time in a FFX game, is a guy who DOESNT want to do the job. He didn't ask to be chosen, he didn't do somthing special to be "picked". It was the wrong sap at the wrong place at the wrong time, but he did it anyways because he cared for the woman he started to fall for.

negative sir...Tidus is only a dream of the fayth, and didn't really have any will of his own

Psyloche · Post by **Psyloche** » January 12, 2004, 6:21 pm

He is now a meat popsicle

masteen · Post by **masteen** » January 12, 2004, 7:06 pm

Psyloche wrote:He is now a meat popsicle

There's pr0n in this FF? Why am I the last to know?!?

Kargyle · Post by **Kargyle** » January 12, 2004, 7:40 pm

You will pretty much have to have a guide to get 100%, there's quite a few percentage points tied up in the Comm Sphere network in chapter 4, and some of them have to be watched in a specific order I believe. You do not have to make it to the bottom of the Via Infinito to get 100% completition.

Psyloche · Post by **Psyloche** » January 14, 2004, 10:26 am

Fought down to level 100 and beat Trema after getting stomped a few times. Those fights get rediculous. I can't even imagine doing it without using trigger happy + cat nip, hell I even tossed on a speed bracer. The other two turned into berserkers so they had a shitload of hp to be support with evade and attack. I did get 1% for getting to level 40ish? I think... Its where Payne first talks about Trema being there probably. Trying to finish out Djose temple, I talked to an old guy who gave me a machina repair manual, but its the only one I can find so I guess I gotta go dig shit up in the desert to get the machina to its highest level so the episode will be complete. Also, I swear it said Episode Complete when Oaka reopened his shop with his brother, but now when I go there... it says The Woods are dying, how much longer will they remain and I have no fuckin clue how/what to do...

BTW, I swear berserkers own for just clearing trash... dunno why you'd wanna use Dark Knights with how long their timers are for trash.

Kargyle · Post by **Kargyle** » January 14, 2004, 7:23 pm

Macalania Woods is one of the few (maybe only, I can't remember) lpaces where you can get more than 1 Episode Complete. I seem to remeber that you need to go back the lake that is to the right of where you enter the woods. There's a cut scene with Yuna, and then you get the episode complete, I think.

For Djose you must beat the big machina with all of its subsystems at level 5. You will probably need somewhere around 70 to 90 digs in the desert to get all of the parts.

I have actually found that the best thing for clearing trash is having a gunner do scatterburst. Equip them on the highroad winds garment grid so they get first strike, and give them an MP stroll item so you don't have to worry about their MP from using scatterburst all the time. A kaiser knuckle is also a good idea, it will give you a significant damage increase.

Edit - Since you've beaten Trema just stick Yuna in gunner and give her the Iron Duke accessory, all will fall before you.

Psyloche · Post by **Psyloche** » January 14, 2004, 9:07 pm

I'll try that part of the lake, I don't think I went there, but who knows. I might not have done something earlier which prevents it too, which is really fucking annoying... much like the PR campaign. Scatterburst or whatever it was is ok. I just figure throwing berserkers on with high attack items and first attack they'll either wipe'em quick or counter and kill after. Much much

for evade/counter and magic counter.

On a side note, Via Infinito or whatever fucking blows towards the end. Elder Dragons or Drakes, can't remember atm, make baby jesus cry with how fast and hard they hit.