Most Difficult Final Fantasy to Master

[nickness89]

When i say master, i mean complete all side-quests, fully level up your characters, and obtain all possible weapons, abilities, accessories, armour, items etc. Personally i would say that VII was difficult to master, mainly because of the time spent trying to get a Gold Chocobo, and receiving the rare items including the Desert Rose.

However, Final Fantasy XIII is my most difficult to triumph. Obviously it is a linear game up until you reach Gran Pulse, so if you miss a treasure sphere, you are trumped straight away and have to start again. Well, usually the items from early on are available to buy later on, however there are one or two items unavailable more than once.

Post-game, and once the C'ieth stone quests are finished, trying to fully level up the Crystarium for every character, and obtain every item, accessory and weapon (all 8 weapons upgraded twice for all 6 characters) in the game becomes quite tedious. It is the most frustrating game in the series to fully complete 100%, including the time it takes to farm all the Oretoises to gain the sufficient Gil and catalysts to transform every accessory and weapon to it's highest level.

So for me ... Final Fantasy XIII

[Freya]

I'm currently about to master FFXIII - and it's not that hard. It's annoying and it robs away my time pretty much, but it's okay. If you know how to get CP, for example, levelling all characters isn't that hard. It's annoying, but not hard. (That does not mean that anyone who thinks it's hard is a loser - I just find it pretty easy... for know. I haven't completed everything yet. I'll probably be surprised to read this again after trying to get 100% and... failing. XD)

Way harder, at least for me, was FFX. I gave up dodging the lightnings for Lulu's weapon after... 50? <_< Really, I couldn't do it. Also, I tried to hunt those butterflies. I really tried. But I failed about 50 times and then I wanted to throw the controller away. I didn't even try the chocobo race a second time, because I knew I'd fail AGAIN.
So what did I do? I just hunted all monsters, didn't beat the monster which came then (I don't remember which one it was XD") - and I didn't find all lvl4-stops to level my characters to 100%. It was just TOO hard.

Also, I didn't beat Omega and... that other Weapon in FFVII. Just because I was too lazy. And I didn't get many GFs in FFVIII. But I didn't try that.

Oh and FFXII was the easiest for me to get 100% so far. (Though I don't have 100%. But I'm nearly done... I just lost interest ^^")

[Xanatos]

For well known reasons I'm going with Final Fantasy IX. You have exactly 12 hours to reach a specific area in Memoria to obtain Steiner's ultimate weapon, Excalibur II, needless to say it's hard, if possible at all to obtain every piece of equipment, and solve all of the sidequests in such short notice.

[nickness89]

I'm currently about to master FFXIII - and it's not that hard. It's annoying and it robs away my time pretty much, but it's okay.

I know exactly what you mean, it isn't a hard game by any means, it's just the time-consuming side of things that makes it difficult, like it takes so long that you just eventually give up.

And as for X, i agree with that also, it took me ages to get all the Sigils and Crests, i actually remember crying at one point trying to get 0.00 seconds on the Chocobo Catcher game for Tidus' Sigil or Crest.

But really i meant annoying and time consuming mostly, should have re-though the thread name ... the most annoyingly time-consuming Final Fantasy game to try and get 100% in

You have exactly 12 hours to reach a specific area in Memoria to obtain Steiner's ultimate weapon, Excalibur II, needless to say it's hard, if possible at all to obtain every piece of equipment, and solve all of the sidequests in such short notice.

I also agree with this to an extent, but i meant 100% in a universal term, like in more than one gameplay, for instance getting Excalibur II and also getting everything in another 1 or more playthroughs.

[the_savior21]

I would have to say X or IX

X has the sphere grid which takes forever to master it is absolutely impossible to do it without the guide book or some assistance cuz of the armor and the weapons you can never know when you have them also defeating the arena monsters including nemesis also the celestial weapons being activated with the sigils is really tough for some like lulu and tidus and if you have the international version you have to fight the dark aeons and penance ..... That's alot to do and also not at all easy I have 100% this game but it took over 160 hours

With IX it would be incredibly easy if you didn't have to do the Excalibur II quest but I have also 100% this game and it is not impossible but literally almost ever second counts I got the Excalibur II with literally less than 3 minutes to 12 hours but to do it you have to have alot of patience and get really really good at the mini games on your first few times through and you almost have to memorize the game it's been awhile since I updated my signature but I'm up to 9 times with IX and just the last time I perfected it and it defiantly was not easy

Another I forgot to mention is VIII but only because you can never really tell when you all the way done

[nickness89]

Yeah that's a good point saviour, but i didn't find the Sphere Grid all that challenging. And the Sigils and Crests were a challenge but they weren't all that impossible, just a couple of hours and some patience and you should get them, although i was practically screaming at my television

As for IX i agree also, the Excalibur II is frustrating, but i mentioned to Xanatos that 100% doesn't need to be in one playthrough, you can have the Excalibur II then get everything else in a different playthrough where you can take your time.

But good on you for being able to master all the side-quests/mini-games AND get the Excalibur II, that's quite a feat

[Zidane77]

I don't think that's a mastered save, having 1 incomplete save with the sword, i'd rather be wanting to play the other save and enjoying the sword as well, otherwise the game doesn't feel mastered.
That's why i think FFIX is the hardest to master, it's possible to do everything in the US version, even do the Hippaul racing but it takes so much effort, i only know about 2 on the planet that have done it. (Dont know them personally).

[Tepsha]

FF9 by far. There was just sooooooooooooo much to do in that game haha

[FF9isthebest]

FF9 because if I could perfect it I would but I can't...

Easiest to perfect could be FF8...

[Lily]

FFIX - never have and never will be able to get that excallibur, theres no way id get there in anywhere near the time never mind 12 hours.

FFXII is a bugger as well, i was stuck trying to get the gabranth sky medal for an absolute aaaaaaage

[Locke4God]

I'm going to say 10 just because of the scope of some elements. How long does it take to complete the grid for everybody. get every weapon. Find all the albhed letters, finish capturing. Defeat all the captured special creatues. Its a ton!!!

[Lavos]

Good question. VII seemed easy, because I gave Red XIII cure materia and only gave Cloud and Vincent 2 HP plus, abusing the 7777 trick to take down Emerald easy. Then with all the Master materia, Ruby wasn't all that hard. IX and X were tough for me, IX due to Excalibur II (And even Excalibur I due to I can never get that damn Magical Fingertip) and the giant death marble in the sky, and X due to 200 FREAKING LIGHTNING DODGES. I would have to say IX, because it is so hard to hit 100%. Every Mognet letter, Chocograph, armor, weapon, 100 jump ropes, Ozma and the other secret boss (can't remember his name) and every card, all in 12 hours? No thank you.

[Zidane77]

X and XII take some time to master, but X is piece of cake, just super easy compared to FFIV, which is ridiculous especially the DS version (and dont forget FFIX, probably the hardest game to master that has been made). XII takes hundreds of hours (could take 400 hours to get everything down).
DoC is really hard to master, too many playthroughs. I've beaten the game countless times but still have so many secrets to find and also super hard side-missions.
Also really incomplete of a full game experience fun game (just doesn't have the feel of a fun game overall to master)

I've spend 25-3000 hours in FF games through the years, but mastering IV DS and IX is something that i gave up on.
The people that have finished that 100% (let alone without walkthrough), are machines.

I,V,VI, VII and VIII were pretty easy to master.

[markandrewkinzett]

I say 10 mainly due to the amount of hours you need to put in to be capable of defeating the Arena Monsters and Dark Aeons. Also some of the sidequests when gaining the Celestial Weapons are easy to play but difficult to master.

[ZenMonkey59]

IX because of the time limit!

[Treize]

Everyone said what I was was going to say, but I chose IX and X, too.

The 12 hour time limit makes IX near impossible, especially if you plan to master it in one play through. There are a lot of things that are impossible to get/do by the time you get to Excalibur II, so it's not just getting there in 12 hours.

I also chose X because it takes so long and is just frustrating in general. You could probably master I-IX in the time it takes to master X.

[nickness89]

Ok, so I agree IX would be the hardest if it was for one playthrough, it would take many attempts, and most would probably give up very quickly. But i'm talking in two playthroughs like i said before, nobody can master a game on their first playthrough, that's just madness.

So for IX, you could master everything except Excalibur II, then a second playthrough where you rush through to get Ex II ...

There should maybe be another thread for "mastering in one gameplay"

[Illusion]

When you put on the terms of finishing everything, I would have to say that for me, it's all of them. I have never fully completed every quest, obtained every item, reached maximum levels, so on and so forth. Once I'm done with a game, it's pretty hard for me to go back for a second go-through or simply to finish side quests and what no. I have too many other games waiting on my shelf.

That being said, I'll with Dirge of Cerberous, saying that only because I find the gameplay awkward.

[The_Dream_Recluse]

I'd say X was the hardest game to master for me - i still haven't completed it. Mainly the arena and the weapons/armor making - i didn't have the patience to hunt for the items to make good customisations

[loaf]

Hardest to Master?

FFII.

One for PS1, since it's the real version of II and not the dumbed down versions like the PSP or GBA.

Maxing out all the stats, weapons, magic. It may seem a bit easier, but the time it takes is beyond crazy imo.

[Hero without a Name]

To actually master, I'd have to go with IV and X, I say IV just because it was hard on the moon to get Edge's final weapons. Compared to other games it's not as hard, but the bosses in IV were both hard/cheap...then again all the old school FF were.

As for X, not so much the game, but the final weapons....seriously? Some of these were easy to get like Yuna and Wakka (Wakka is a little more time consuming), but to get the weapons and then the power up, it's almost impossible. I just used the most powerful I could customize.