Lightning Returns Progress

[Love2FFgirls]

Another update. I'm on Day 11; two days to go. One thing I've learned is that alot of the side-quests and especially the "Canvas of Prayers" can be completed while you're routinely running around the four main territories; especially Dunes and Wildlands. The ones that probably take up the most time are the those that involve searching for NPCs like the Moogle one or herding the sheep. To this point I really haven't used much guidance; either by videos or written guides. I'm planning on getting the official book after I finish the game on Easy mode.

[Andromeda]

Yeah, a lot of the side quests will be things that you'll find or just naturally do as you play the game. Which does make it a lot more play friendly. Or you can break things like me and get most of done in the first few days and have nothing left to do for the rest of the time. You're almost to the end of the game.

[Love2FFgirls]

One side quest that has been dragging on over the span of at least five days is the "Songless Diva". I beat the monsters early on and got the item for the quest, but I can't seem to find the NPC I'm supposed to give it to in the Fountain Square of Yusnaan. Is there supposed to be a particular time to meet that person? I wish the sidequests at least gave hints as to when these NPCs would be available.

[Love2FFgirls]

Just an update to my progress. I'm on Day 14 of my first game. From what I understand, there's a special area in Dead Dunes that opened up for this "extra" day. All Last Ones and some kind of super boss. Yeah, I'll probably get my ass kicked six ways to Sunday.

[Michael Swayne]

I am currently installing the version 1.01 update for the game. I have already installed the Utsusemi, Cloud, and Aerith garbs. Anyway, my current playtime and location is -4 minutes and in my bedroom. I have the comfy lounger garb equipped with the LR pocket watch accessory. My adventure is about to begin!

[Love2FFgirls]

So I beat Ereshkigal in the Ultimate Lair (bonus 14th day) and after about 20 or so tries on my own to beat it, I got fed up and looked online for pointers. The easiest method was a combination of overclocking and staggering. Essentially you keep using magic until it staggers, debuff it, and keep overclocking and using Magic until you kill it. If you run out of EP, just use an Ether or Elixir. As you can see, I managed to beat it in less than 3 minutes (it helped to have the Yuna Summoner Garb with maxed Elementa).

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[Love2FFgirls]

Working on the last day; still in the dungeons of the cathedral. My progress is slow because I only play the game maybe a couple hours at most a night; after coming home from work. I'd assume I'll have completed the game this weekend, and then move onto the New Game+ in normal mode. I got my guide in the mail yesterday, and will use that to complete everything I missed in the first go-around.

[Andromeda]

Yeah, spamming magic is the primary thing you need to do for most of the bosses. Some just have more difficult stagger meters. The important thing to remember is that the system still functions like it did in FFXIII and FFXIII-2. Magic increases the stagger greatly while physical maintains the stagger/slows it's decay. So you need magic to hit the stagger, but you need a physical hit once and while just to make sure you're keeping your meter from completely disappearing while you recover.

The final day gets pretty rough with the new monsters introduced.

[Love2FFgirls]

What effect does the "Magic Slash" from the Miqo'te dress garb have on staggers; is that more physical, or magic, or both? It hardly does much damage, as I've noticed.

[Andromeda]

It's a very weird one. I noticed that when you have deprotect and deshell on, it does damage like you're hitting the enemy's weakness. But if you only have one or the other it doesn't. So it makes me think that it is even physical and magic damage. You know in the menu though where the points are assigned if it is better for stagger power or stagger duration or even. I don't remember which it is.

[Love2FFgirls]

I still like the garb because of the Medigard+ which automatically removes status ailments.

I've reached the area for the four "trials" before heading to the final boss. I gotta admit some of the monsters in these tombs I just run away from cause they're just too annoying.

[Andromeda]

It's true that it's a good garb. I used it until my second playthrough. But yeah, the trials are rough and the gaunt type enemy is really annoying there. Once you clear that it's not so bad. Though the final boss is really rough, but since on you're on Easy, it might not be so bad.

[01habbo]

Instead of lurking the forum I thought i would actually post.

I am on day 7 and I'm actually struggling to find things to do except exterminate monsters. I got most of it done in the first four days. I think I have clocked about 40 hours game time I'm currently going around doing canvas of prayers quests while I wait for certain npcs to appear to finish the other side quests. Lately just been hunting Earth Eaters I can't remember my exact set up.

[Love2FFgirls]

I completed the trials, and exterminated the Archangeli. I thought you could exterminate the Set, but I read that there's no Last One of that. I'm hoping to exterminate the Chimera, but they're hard to come by. It looks like you need to kill like 15, but they're very rare to spawn in that area.

[Andromeda]

They might spawn more often in the area back with Fang, not sure though. But yeah, the Set are like the Anubus, they will always be around. Something to kill even if you kill everything else. Can't exterminate everything in the game, though they are most chaos spawn I think. So it sort of makes sense why they can't be exterminated.

[Love2FFgirls]

Came, saw, KICKED IT'S ASS! Beat the game (Easy Mode). I won't spoil it for anyone who hasn't played through yet, but I will say I was completely satisfied. No one does epic endings like Square-Enix does.

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Now it's on to New Game+. I notice how the EP costs of most abilities have gone up. Do you still earn EP after giving enough Etro to the tree on the Ark? If that's the case, does that mean you can keep cycling through New Game+ again and again to earn an unlimited amount of EP?

[Andromeda]

Well the souls you earn from the main quests are still used for the tree. But yeah, on Normal you spend more on some EP abilities and enemies give half as much EP. So you need to fight more often, but still even on Normal it isn't so back. It's a little harder on Hard, but even there it wasn't so bad.

Congrats on beating the game! Yeah, it's very epic and over the top.

[01habbo]

So I was very mistaken I wasn't about 40 hours I was about 50 hours, but now I can give you my exact set up now that I've paused the game.

Game Time: 54:14
Gil: 470,600
Location: Dead Dunes Station
Day and time: Day 7, 1:05 am

Schemata setup

Miqo'te Dress
Femme Fatale
Pendragon
Ghostly Hood
Windwalker Bracelet
Crimson Flower

Poison Lv. 2
Mediguard+ Lv. Star
Magic Slash Lv. star
Slow Lv. 3

ATB 140
HP 12,180
Attack 5
Magic 5
Speed 85

At the moment this one acts as my tank and Saboteur, pretty much only use magic slash to keep up the stagger if needed but mostly use Mediguard for healing.

Black Mage
Chaos's Revenge
Hesperides
Guard's Cravat
Pretty Orb
Crimson Flower

Aerora Lv. 2
Steelguard Lv. 3
Rapid Fire Lv.2
Quick Freeze Lv.2

ATB 190
HP 10780
Attack 1540
Magic 1670
Speed 100

I've used this garb for a long time it's the only one that stays in my set up if I cater to a specific enemy, it can stagger really quickly too.

Vengeance
Shadow Hunter
Juno Sospita
Mage's Turban
Runic Ring
Black Tattoo

Beat Down Lv. 3.
Guard Lv. 3
Blizzard Lv. 2
Galestrike Lv. 2

ATB 170
HP 10080
Attack 1210
Magic 1229
Speed 100

I use this garb for the Beat Down ability and when combined with the weapon turns into Jump which I love. I've seen it hit for about 12000 damage.

This setup was catered for the Earth Eater which is why it looks a bit odd having the first set up as a tank really worked for me as I could focuses on healing and getting rid of those nasty status effects quickly. I had to get 10 desert roses from them. Now that I have done most of the side quests it feels like a bit of a grind fest now to exterminate monsters and collect items from them.

There is one quest I'm struggling on and that is the stuck in a gem quest, I've tried it about 10 times but the cats keep stealing my item, I have kinda a pet hate for mini games because I can't do them lol. I kinda wish Lightning could just kill the cats lol. I'm glad the monsters are starting to get harder cause I have felt over powered for a long time.

[Love2FFgirls]

I just read the maximum EP for the game is 9, so I only have one to go. As I said I'm going by the book now in New Game+, so I'm taking my time to complete everything. After already seeing the game's ending on Easy mode, what's left is to earn trophies. The funny thing is that I'm still three trophies short on XIII - I did go Platinum on XIII-2. XIII is really time consuming trying to forge weapons for the "hold every weapon" trophy.

[Andromeda]

The quest with the cats, I usually lure them away from the kid a little then sprint around them all and hand in the quest before the cats can catch back up.

Yeah, you get one more EP in New Game plus. But you still get stats from all of the quests, just not as much. And you get all of the upgrades to the weapons, shields and accessories now.