Final Fantasy IV: The After Years Walkthrough :
This walkthrough for Final Fantasy IV: The After Years [WII] has been posted at 11 May 2010 by earthtaker and is called "Character Guide". If walkthrough is usable don't forgot thumbs up earthtaker and share this with your freinds. And most important we have 10 other walkthroughs for Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, read them all!
|
earthtaker |
Walkthrough - Character Guide
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Final Fantasy IV - The After Years
Character Guide
Version 4
Maintained by: ExaltedBen (email's the same, at hotmail)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SPOILER NOTE:
In order to provide a complete guide, some plot information may be revealed
in this FAQ. This includes the Table of Contents.
Please do not read any further if you are spoiler-sensitive.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table of Contents
(S.01) Section 1: Update Log
(S.02) Section 2: Notes and Q&A
(S.03) Section 3: Permanent Characters
(P.01) : Ceodore
(P.02) : Cecil
(P.03) : Rosa
(P.04) : Cid
(P.05) : Kain (Hooded Man)*
(P.06) : Rydia
(P.07) : Luca
(P.08) : Yang
(P.09) : Ursula
(P.10) : Palom
(P.11) : Leonora
(P.12) : Edge
(S.04) Section 4: Optional Characters
(O.01) : Calca*
(O.02) : Brina*
(O.03) : Gekkou
(O.04) : Izayoi
(O.05) : Tsukinowa
(O.06) : Zangetsu
(S.05) Section 5: Temporary Characters
(T.01) : Biggs
(T.02) : Wedge
(T.03) : White Mage
(T.04) : Black Mage
(T.05) : Kain (evil copy)
(T.06) : Monk A ("Anderson")
(T.07) : Monk B ("Brown")
(T.08) : Monk C ("Coleman")
(S.06) Section 6: Chapter Strategies
(C.01) : Ceodore's Chapter
(C.02) : Kain's Chapter
(C.03) : Rydia's Chapter
(C.04) : Yang's Chapter*
(C.05) : Palom's Chapter*
(C.06) : Edge's Chapter
(S.07) Section 7: Grouped Character Comparisons
(G.01) : Holy War Cecil, Kain, Ceodore*
(G.02) : Hammertime Cid, Luca*
(G.03) : Fight It Out Yang, Ursula*
(G.04) : More Pew Pew Rydia, Palom, Leonora*
(G.05) : Heal Plz Rosa, Ceodore, Leonora*
(G.06) : Deadly Vipers Edge, Gekkou, Izayoi, Zangetsu, Tsukinowa*
(S.08) Section 8: End-Game Party Ideas & Challenges
(E.01) : The Original Cecil, Rosa, Kain, Rydia, Edge*
(E.02) : All Grown Up Ceodore, Porom, Ursula, Palom, Leonora*
(E.03) : Robe Squad Rosa, Rydia, Palom, Porom, Leonora*
(E.04) : The Crusade Cecil, Kain, Ceodore, Rosa, Porom*
(E.05) : El Carnival Cid, Luca, Calca, Brina, Edward*
(S.09) Section 9: Legal, Copyright, Etc.
* These sections have not yet been completed.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(S.01) Section 1: Update Log
July 24, 2009 - Version 4
Completed Edge, Gekkou, Izayoi, Tsukinowa, Zangetsu, and evil Kain.
Finished the chapter strategies for Ceodore's, Kain's, and Rydia's
chapters. Updated some hosting authorizations for this guide.
July 22, 2009 - Version 3
Finished spell levels for Cecil and Rosa, finished level 30
capped stats for Cecil, Rosa, and Cid, plus Cecil's calculated stats.
Updated notes for White Mage and Black Mage. Recorded the starting
stats for evil Kain, and started info for Edge, Gekkou, Izayoi,
Zangetsu, and Tsukinowa. Recorded some interesting information about
leveling differences between the Hooded Man and Holy Dragoon Kain.
Currently, King_Tetiro is working on leveling the Hooded Man to 50
for me to get his full range of stats before Holy Dragoon status.
Updated Section 2 regarding HP and MP gains. Added a note to each
ability of each character to indicate how it is treated with regards
to moon phases (this is in progress, not finished). Added a section
for chapter strategies, wrote the strategy for Edge's chapter.
July 17, 2009 - Version 2
Updated ending stats with info provided by King_Tetiro, and
levels for magic spells for a few characters with info provided by
dark_deity9. Updated level 70 estimate calculations based on the new
ending stats. Completed the information for Palom and Leonora. Fixed
some of Yang's review, and info for a couple Bands.
July 15, 2009 - Version 1
Finally got this into a good state to submit. More updates
to come as I revisit Ceodore/Kain's chapter and Rydia's chapter to
get a bit more info there, and as I finish playing through Palom's
and Edge's chapters. I'll have that all done before the next set
is released, so I can focus on the new ones when they come out.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(S.02) Section 2: Notes and Q&A
What is this FAQ? Basically, detailed information about the abilities and
stats for the characters in this game. The purpose is to provide some fun
comparison and contrast between characters who can serve similar roles in
an end-game group, and provide some exploration of possible combinations.
Each character will include stats from the initial level, their max level,
level 40 (a common chapter-end level cap), and an estimate of level 70
based on the character's apparent growth rate in their stats from start to
cap (listed as "Avg. Gain"). In the original Final Fantasy IV, stats were
gained at random from level 71-99, so I am running with the assumption that
it will be the same in this game. Thus, you do not see an estimate of level
99 stats, since it would be impossible to estimate random gains.
HP and MP information is provided without the use of items which increase a
character's maximum HP or MP (Silver Apple, Golden Apple, Soma Drop). The
"Avg. Gain" in the case of HP and MP is a bit misleading, since for reasons
unknown, a character's HP and MP increases are lower at lower levels, and
higher at higher levels. As a result, the estimated level 70 values for HP
and MP may be significantly less than the character will actually have, but
the overall proportions character to character should be similar to the
estimates.
"Moon-Proof Attack" - What is it? This is a situation which occurs when a
character has a special ability which deals physical damage using their
equipped weapon (like Attack), but counts as a special ability regarding
the moon phase. Such characters can therefore fight without being hindered
by the moon phase! During Full Moon, when Attack is penalized, or during
New Moon, when special abilities get a bonus, use the special ability.
During Waning Moon when Attack gets a bonus, use Attack. During Waxing
Moon, use either. Basically, you can avoid ever having a penalty to attack,
and half the time you'll get a bonus.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(S.03) Section 3: Permanent Characters
All characters in this section will be available for possible use in your
end-game party. Most of these characters are from Final Fantasy IV, but often
have somewhat different stats or abilities compared to the original game. All
statistical data presented below is from Final Fantasy IV: The After Years,
not taken from the original game.
The "Avg. Gain" is the character's growth rate in a stat, based on growths
from the character's initial level through their chapter's level cap. This
average can then be calculated outward to estimate the character's stats at
level 70 (noted as "Level 70?"). In the case of Cecil, I have also estimated
his level 40 stats, for the sake of comparability with everyone else.
(P.01) : Ceodore
(P.02) : Cecil
(P.03) : Rosa
(P.04) : Cid
(P.05) : Kain (Hooded Man)*
(P.06) : Rydia
(P.07) : Luca
(P.08) : Yang
(P.09) : Ursula
(P.10) : Palom
(P.11) : Leonora
(P.12) : Edge
* These sections have not yet been completed.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(P.01) Ceodore
Equipment
Weapons : Swords, Spears, Bows, Staves, Shields
Body : Heavy, Light, Mage
Head : Heavy, Light, Mage
Hands : Gauntlets
Statistics HP MP Str. Spd. Sta. Int. Spi.
Level 1 80 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 7
Level 40 1624 | 215 | 31 | 29 | 28 | 17 | 31
Level 50 (cap) 2799 | 282 | 48 | 38 | 38 | 22 | 38
Avg. Gain 55.49 | 5.55 | 0.86 | 0.65 | 0.67 | 0.41 | 0.63
Level 70? 3909 | 393 | 65 | 51 | 51 | 30 | 50
Abilities
White Magic : Restorative and beneficial magic.
Cure L.1 One/All, minor HP recovery
Libra L.5 One, reveals HP & weaknesses
Protect L.12 One/All, physical defense up
Raise L.14 One, revives with low HP
Cura L.15 One/All, moderate HP recovery
Esuna L.20 One, removes status ailments
Float L.25 One/All, adds Float
Shell L.34 One/All, magic defense up
Blink L.40 One, avoid next two physical attacks
Reflect L.45 One, adds Reflect
Haste L.47 One/All, speed up
Curaga L.49 One/All, superior HP recovery
Awaken : Fully heals Ceodore and doubles all stats for three
combat turns or until the end of combat. When Awaken
ends, Ceodore's HP are reduced to less than 10.
Bands
Cross Slash (7 MP each, one enemy)
Ceodore (Event) Physical damage which is a little higher than
Hooded Man (Event) the combined normal attacks of both. This
Band cannot be used if Ceodore uses a bow.
Notes: Very useful against tougher enemies,
but considering the charge time and MP
cost to Ceodore (the Hooded Man doesn't use
his MP for anything else), attack-spamming
is probably more efficient. This Band is
lost once the Hooded Man becomes Kain.
Cross Slash Prime (20 MP each, one enemy)
Ceodore (Attack) Physical damage which is much higher than
Kain (Attack) the combined normal attacks of both. This
Band cannot be used if Ceodore uses a bow.
Notes: Very useful against tougher enemies,
but not really any more damaging than
having Ceodore attack and Kain use Jump.
The MP cost is also a bit high. Avoid.
Divine Heal (28 MP each, all allies)
Ceodore (White Magic) Extreme HP recovery, similar to Curaja but
Rosa (Blessing) available much sooner.
Notes: This is a great Band before Rosa gains
Curaja. Even then, it seems to have a lower
charge time than Curaja, and uses less MP
from Rosa (at the cost of Ceodore's MP and
his turn, though).
Rocket Launcher (12 MP each, one enemy)
Ceodore (Attack) Deals superior fire damage based on Ceodore's
Cid (Analyze) attack damage, but a bit higher.
Notes: Would be useful against a boss weak
against fire, such as the Curse Dragon at
the end of Kain's Challenge Dungeon.
Strategy & Notes
Ceodore is the star of his chapter and is always present, except
during a brief segment when the player controls Cecil. His chapter
is the "main story" and ends after completing the Mist Cave. In the
original version of Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, there was a
Challenge Dungeon for Ceodore and the Hooded Man at this point. In
the Wii version of the game, Ceodore's chapter flows seamlessly into
Kain's chapter, and the items from Ceodore's Challenge Dungeon are
included in Kain's Challenge Dungeon instead.
Ceodore is neither a white mage, nor a warrior, and thus excels at
neither. For a "hybrid" character, however, he is quite effective,
and with stat-boosting gear can become more focused on fighting or
magic, if the player wishes.
His selection of spells is sufficient for providing the party with
a variety of buffs, and for very efficient spot healing.
The primary advantage of Ceodore compared to other healers is his
high speed, meaning that in some situations he may be able to fill
gaps in healing due to the main healer's slowness.
As a main healer himself, Ceodore would need to be with an armored
group which will take low damage. In such a group, his moderate
healing abilities would be sufficient, and his fighting skills would
add to the prowess of the team. Some of his effectiveness as a main
healer will depend on the spells he gains after level 50, which at
this point, nobody knows. If he eventually learns Curaja and Arise,
he would be a very good choice.
His ability Awaken, while possibly useful during boss battles, is
hindered by the dramatic self-inflicted damage when it expires. The
best tactical use of the ability is to use it when Ceodore is about
to die, since it fully restores his HP and can buy the player a few
turns of improved healing (due to the stat boost) to get the party
back onto their feet and prepared to heal Ceodore when Awaken
expires.
If he were paired with Cecil, and the party were fighting mainly
enemies who use physical attacks, Awaken could be used liberally.
Cecil would simply intercept the attacks aimed at Ceodore. Magic
attack would kill Ceodore quickly in this case, though.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(P.02) Cecil
Equipment
Weapons : Swords, Staves, Shields
Body : Heavy, Mage
Head : Heavy, Mage
Hands : Gauntlets
Statistics HP MP Str. Spd. Sta. Int. Spi.
Level 15 750 | 80 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 10 | 15
Level 30 (cap) 1404 | 125 | 32 | 21 | 30 | 17 | 21
Avg. Gain 43.60 | 3.00 | 1.07 | 0.40 | 0.93 | 0.47 | 0.40
Level 40? 1840 | 155 | 43 | 25 | 39 | 22 | 25
Level 70? 3148 | 245 | 75 | 37 | 67 | 36 | 37
Abilities
White Magic : Restorative and beneficial magic.
Cure L.15 One/All, minor HP recovery
Sight L.15 Zooms out world map view
Libra L.15 One, reveals HP & weaknesses
Cura L.15 One/All, moderate HP recovery
Teleport L.19 Exit a battle or dungeon
Esuna L.24 One, removes status ailments
Cover : Select an ally to cover (other than Cecil himself).
If the ally is the target of a physical attack, Cecil
will jump in the way, taking the hit himself. Very
useful during boss fights.
Cover Critical: This passive ability is not on his command list.
When an ally is in Critical status, Cecil will
automatically take hits for them, using his Cover
ability. This does not interrupt his normal use of
Cover, if you have used it to select someone else.
Bands
Holy Blade (20 MP each, one enemy)
Cecil (Attack) Deals superior holy damage based on Cecil's
Rosa (White Magic) attack damage, but a bit higher.
Notes: Would be useful against a boss weak
against holy, but there are none in
Cecil's segment. You'll need Rosa to be
healing, anyway.
Machine Break (7 MP each, one enemy)
Cecil (Attack) Physical damage a bit higher than the normal
Cid (Analyze) attacks of both.
Notes: Supposedly does additional damage
against machine enemies, but as far as I
can tell there aren't any available for
Cecil to fight, so I can't test this. Just
have Cecil and Cid attack, Cecil doesn't
need to be slowed down waiting for Cid to
charge up for this. Avoid this Band.
Strategy & Notes
Cecil is present during a segment of Ceodore's chapter in which the
player controls Cecil, and eventually Rosa and Cid. This segment is
short, and when it finishes the player resumes control of Ceodore.
Cecil is an effective warrior, and a poor healer. His healing will be
mainly useful in recovery after a fight. If his segment is played
through quickly, his healing will be almost necessary to defeat the
battle sequence he faces at the end of his segment. If his group has
reached or surpassed level 20, though, the battle sequence will be
easier and his healing will probably not be needed.
Cecil's armor makes a great upgrade for Ceodore, but the player may
want to equip Cecil with some old armor from Ceodore's inventory.
The inventory list is shared between them, so all you need to do is
make sure to have a set of armor (perhaps from Biggs and Wedge) in
the bag to swap out. Cecil's sword can be used by only Cecil (and
Kain during a very brief moment in his fight against his evil form,
but it's pointless), so leave it on him.
Currently, it's unknown whether leveling Cecil to 30 will have any
impact on future chapters. If Cecil is to return as a playable
character (which I am assuming, given his inclusion as a permanent
character on my list) in the final chapters, it would be fair to
assume he will return at a higher, preset level (as Rosa and Cid do
when you acquire them at the end of Kain's chapter).
NOTE: Due to his level cap being only 30, Cecil's "Avg. Gain" for HP
and MP are less than they should be, compared to other characters who
cap at level 40. Since HP and MP gains increase as level increases,
Cecil's average does not benefit from the higher gains of levels 31
through 40. Thus, his estimated level 40 and level 70 HP and MP are
likely substantially lower than they should be.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(P.03) Rosa
Equipment
Weapons : Bows, Staves
Body : Light, Mage
Head : Light, Mage
Hands : Armlets
Statistics HP MP Str. Spd. Sta. Int. Spi.
Level 15 320 | 180 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 11 | 22
Level 30 (cap) 984 | 309 | 24 | 17 | 18 | 14 | 37
Level 30* 930 | 250 | 24 | 17 | 18 | 14 | 37
Level 40 1571 | 333 | 30 | 23 | 24 | 16 | 48
Level 50 (cap) 2415 | 415 | 36 | 28 | 30 | 18 | 58
Avg. Gain 59.86 | 6.71 | 0.69 | 0.49 | 0.60 | 0.20 | 1.03
Level 70? 3612 | 549 | 50 | 38 | 42 | 22 | 79
* This set of level 30 stats are what Rosa has when
she rejoins Ceodore at the end of Kain's chapter.
Abilities
White Magic : Restorative and beneficial magic.
Hold L.15 One, adds Paralyze
Libra L.15 One, reveals HP & weaknesses
Sight L.15 Zooms out world map view
Protect L.15 One/All, physical defense up
Slow L.15 One/All, decreases speed
Cure L.15 One/All, minor HP recovery
Raise L.15 One, revives with low HP
Cura L.15 One/All, moderate HP recovery
Esuna L.18 One, removes status ailments
Berserk L.20 One, adds Berserk
Teleport L.21 Exit a battle or dungeon
Blink L.23 One, avoid next two attacks
Confuse L.24 One, adds Confuse
Shell L.29 One/All, magic defense up
Curaga L.30 One/All, superior HP recovery
Mini L.30 One, adds/removes Mini
Silence ** One/All, adds Mute
Dispel L.33 One, removes all status effects
Haste L.36 One/All, speed up
Float L.38 One/All, adds Float
Reflect L.40 One, adds Reflect
Curaja L.45 One/All, extreme HP recovery
** Silence is not learned by Rosa as of level 30 if
she is leveled during Cecil's segment of Ceodore's
chapter. When she rejoins Ceodore at the end of
Kain's chapter, however, she knows it. Strange? Yes.
Blessing : Recovers HP and MP for the entire party. The amount
recovered seems to be based on Rosa's Spirit. The HP
portion is somewhere in between Cure and Cura, and
the MP portion seems to be about 10% of the HP cured.
This ability doesn't always work, though considering
the MP recovery, one can refresh a party easily with
a little patience (see strategy below).
Aim : Requires a bow to be equipped. After a charge time,
Rosa attacks an enemy with 100% accuracy. Since this
is a bow ability, it can be used from the back row
without penalty.
Bands
Divine Heal (28 MP each, all allies)
Ceodore (White Magic) Extreme HP recovery, similar to Curaja but
Rosa (Blessing) available much sooner.
Notes: This is a great Band before Rosa gains
Curaja. Even then, it seems to have a lower
charge time than Curaja, and uses less MP
from Rosa (at the cost of Ceodore's MP and
his turn, though).
Holy Blade (20 MP each, one enemy)
Cecil (Attack) Deals superior holy damage based on Cecil's
Rosa (White Magic) attack damage, but a bit higher.
Notes: Would be useful against a boss weak
against holy, but there are none in
Cecil's segment. You'll need Rosa to be
healing, anyway.
X-Chaser (12 MP each, one enemy)
Rosa (Aim) Strong physical damage, may cause instant
Cid (Analyze) death to the enemy. Requires Rosa to be
using a bow.
Notes: Cid and Rosa are both pretty slow, so
if you don't need Rosa to heal, and she has
a bow, why not let them work together to do
a strong attack? This Band's a good choice,
but likely only during Kain's Challenge
Dungeon, since most people probably will
not use Cid in the later chapters.
Saint Dive (30 MP each, all enemies)
Rosa (White Magic) Hits all enemies with Kain's Jump attack. May
Kain (Jump) be doing Holy damage, will need to check.
Damage is similar to Kain's normal Jump.
Notes: Very useful for clearing out large
enemy groups, but the MP cost is very high.
If you're loaded up with Tents or Cottages,
use this to help grind up to the level cap,
but it's MP cost makes it a poor choice for
most situations, unfortunately.
Strategy & Notes
Rosa joins Cecil during his segment in Ceodore's chapter, and then
joins Ceodore during Kain's chapter at the end of the chapter. She is
present during Kain's Challenge Dungeon, also.
Rosa's level cap during Cecil's segment is 30, and during that time
any levels gained by Rosa are only for the purpose of making the end
battles of Cecil's segment easier. Her levels and equipment do not
carry forward into Kain's chapter when she rejoins.
When Rosa rejoins, she is automatically level 30, with a new set of
equipment. As you can see on the stats table above, her MP is much
lower than it would have been at level 30 during Cecil's segment,
and her HP is slightly lower also. The HP difference is small enough
to blame on the random nature of HP gains, but the MP difference is
rather unfortunate, since she clearly deserves more.
Rosa generally has two strategies: Focus her as a healer, or make her
capable of healing and some battle offense. The main difference is in
the items you equip. If she uses a bow, and armors that improve her
speed and strength, she can be a competant attacker. If she uses a
staff, and armors that improve her spirit, she will be a better main
healer. For someone who wishes to micro-manage, carry two sets of
equipment for Rosa, and use the bow and strength armors during random
fights, and before a boss switch to the staff and spirit armors.
Blessing is a great skill, in my opinion. Although it doesn't always
work, one can quickly replenish an entire party's HP and MP with a
bit of patience. The idea is to find a random battle with a large
number of weak enemies (as opposed to a small number of strong ones).
Kill all the enemies but one, then hit it with Slow, Hold, or Stop.
Use Haste on Rosa, and then just sit and use Blessing repeatedly
as much as you like. She's like having a tent with legs!
Aim is less useful for random battles than in the original Final
Fantasy IV, since in The After Years, you cannot set the game to
remember your cursor position, so you have to select it manually
each time (instead of just button mashing your way through random
battles). However, because it is a special ability, it gives Rosa
"Moon-Proof Attack" (see Section 2: Notes and Q&A (S.02)). That's
a big benefit for a healer.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(P.04) Cid
Equipment
Weapons : Hammers, Axes, Bows, Shields
Body : Heavy
Head : Heavy
Hands : Gauntlets
Statistics HP MP Str. Spd. Sta. Int. Spi.
Level 15 680 | 15 | 18 | 7 | 21 | 5 | 5
Level 30 (cap) 1520 | 15 | 27 | 13 | 32 | 5 | 5
Level 30* 1650 | 55 | 27 | 13 | 32 | 5 | 5
Level 40 2417 | 78 | 47 | 16 | 44 | 9 | 8
Level 50 (cap) 3196 | 102 | 65 | 21 | 52 | 12 | 10
Avg. Gain 71.89 | 2.49 | 1.34 | 0.40 | 0.89 | 0.20 | 0.14
Level 70? 4634 | 152 | 92 | 29 | 70 | 16 | 13
Abilities
Analyze : Displays the enemy's current and maximum HP, and
any elemental weaknesses. It's just like the spell
Libra, except with no MP cost.
Risk Strike : A low-accuracy attack, but if it hits, it's an
automatic critical hit.
Bands
Rocket Launcher (12 MP each, one enemy)
Ceodore (Attack) Deals superior fire damage based on Ceodore's
Cid (Analyze) attack damage, but a bit higher.
Notes: Would be useful against a boss weak
against fire, such as the Curse Dragon at
the end of Kain's Challenge Dungeon.
Machine Break (7 MP each, one enemy)
Cecil (Attack) Physical damage a bit higher than the normal
Cid (Analyze) attacks of both.
Notes: Supposedly does additional damage
against machine enemies, but as far as I
can tell there aren't any available for
Cecil to fight, so I can't test this. Just
have Cecil and Cid attack, Cecil doesn't
need to be slowed down waiting for Cid to
charge up for this. Avoid this Band.
X-Chaser (12 MP each, one enemy)
Rosa (Aim) Strong physical damage, may cause instant
Cid (Analyze) death to the enemy. Requires Rosa to be
using a bow.
Notes: Cid and Rosa are both pretty slow, so
if you don't need Rosa to heal, and she has
a bow, why not let them work together to do
a strong attack? This Band's a good choice,
but likely only during Kain's Challenge
Dungeon, since most people probably will
not use Cid in the later chapters.
Aiming Trust (12 MP each, one enemy)
Cid (Analyze) A physical attack which seems to be roughly
Kain (Attack) equal to Kain's Jump attack in damage. May
cause instant-death to the enemy.
Notes: Why wouldn't you just have Kain Jump
for no MP cost, and have Cid attack? The
instant-death chance doesn't seem worth it,
since most enemies would die from one or
two regular attacks anyway. This might be
more useful in later chapters, though.
Strategy & Notes
Cid joins Cecil during his segment in Ceodore's chapter, and then
joins Ceodore during Kain's chapter at the end of the chapter. He is
present during Kain's Challenge Dungeon, also.
Cid's level cap during Cecil's segment is 30, and during that time
any levels gained by Cid are only for the purpose of making the end
battles of Cecil's segment easier. His levels and equipment do not
carry forward into Kain's chapter when he rejoins. Interestingly,
during this time Cid gains no MP, and has no improvements in his
Intellect or Spirit.
When Cid rejoins, he is automatically level 30, with a new set of
equipment. As you can see on the stats table above, his MP is much
higher than it would have been at level 30 during Cecil's segment,
and his HP is slightly higher, enough so that it cannot be blamed on
the random nature of HP gains.
Cid hits hard and can take a lot of damage, but his speed is so poor
that Ceodore and Kain get two attacks for every one of Cid's, meaning
that Cid is doing half as much damage as either of them. His low
speed also hinders his attack and defense. Most of the time, random
battles can be finished entirely before Cid even has an opportunity
to act. Yikes.
Analyze is useless here, because Ceodore, Cecil, and Rosa all have
Libra. It's too bad they didn't give him the ability he had in the
Nintendo DS version of Final Fantasy IV, which made him able to use
elemental-damage items to make his physical attacks do elemental
damage... at least then he'd be able to be a boss-killer.
Risk Strike is, as it says, risky. Most of the time it just misses,
but when it hits, it hits hard. Over time, the bonus damage and the
times when it misses more or less balance out to making Risk Strike
roughly equal to just attacking. The key point of Risk Strike is that
it's a special ability, which means it gives Cid "Moon-Proof Attack"
(see Section 2: Notes and Q&A (S.02)). However, considering Cid's
terrible speed, wasting his turn missing with Risk Strike is painful.
You're probably better off just attacking even if you have a moon
penalty on Attack.
My only hope for Cid is that in the later chapters, he has a useful
Band with Luca that can make up for his poor performance otherwise.
If he doesn't, his main use in the game will be warming the bench.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(P.05) Kain (Hooded Man)
Equipment
Weapons : Swords, Spears, Axes, Shields
Body : Heavy, Light
Head : Heavy, Light
Hands : Gauntlets
Statistics
Hooded Man HP MP Str. Spd. Sta. Int. Spi.
Level 15 600 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 7 | 16
Level 40 | | | | | |
Level 50 (max) | | | | | |
Avg. Gain | | | | | |
Holy Dragoon HP MP Str. Spd. Sta. Int. Spi.
Level 15 600 | 20 | 21 | 18 | 18 | 14 | 16
Level 40 2948 | 151 | 46 | 32 | 38 | 25 | 32
Level 50 (cap) 4036 | 206 | 57 | 40 | 47 | 28 | 37
Avg. Gain 98.17 | 5.31 | 1.09 | 0.63 | 0.83 | 0.60 | 0.60
Level 70? 5999 | 312 | 79 | 53 | 64 | 40 | 49
Abilities
White Magic : Restorative and beneficial magic.
Cure L.15 One/All, minor HP recovery
Cura L.15 One/All, moderate HP recovery
Esuna L.15 One, removes status ailments
Teleport L.15 Exit a battle or dungeon
Haste L.15 One/All, speed up
Blink L.15 One, avoid next two attacks
Hold L.15 One, adds Paralyze
Jump : Leap into the air and land on an enemy for greater-
than-normal physical damage. The bonus damage is much
greater if a spear is equipped, so one should always
use a spear with Kain, even if a better sword or axe
is available.
Bands
Cross Slash (7 MP each, one enemy)
Ceodore (Event) Physical damage which is a little higher than
Hooded Man (Event) the combined normal attacks of both. This
Band cannot be used if Ceodore uses a bow.
Notes: Very useful against tougher enemies,
but considering the charge time and MP
cost to Ceodore (the Hooded Man doesn't use
his MP for anything else), attack-spamming
is probably more efficient. This Band is
lost once the Hooded Man becomes Kain.
Cross Slash Prime (20 MP each, one enemy)
Ceodore (Attack) Physical damage which is much higher than
Kain (Attack) the combined normal attacks of both. This
Band cannot be used if Ceodore uses a bow.
Notes: Very useful against tougher enemies,
but not really any more damaging than
having Ceodore attack and Kain use Jump.
The MP cost is also a bit high. Avoid.
Saint Dive (30 MP each, all enemies)
Rosa (White Magic) Hits all enemies with Kain's Jump attack. May
Kain (Jump) be doing Holy damage, will need to check.
Damage is similar to Kain's normal Jump.
Notes: Very useful for clearing out large
enemy groups, but the MP cost is very high.
If you're loaded up with Tents or Cottages,
use this to help grind up to the level cap,
but it's MP cost makes it a poor choice for
most situations, unfortunately.
Aiming Trust (12 MP each, one enemy)
Cid (Analyze) A physical attack which seems to be roughly
Kain (Attack) equal to Kain's Jump attack in damage. May
cause instant-death to the enemy.
Notes: Why wouldn't you just have Kain Jump
for no MP cost, and have Cid attack? The
instant-death chance doesn't seem worth it,
since most enemies would die from one or
two regular attacks anyway. This might be
more useful in later chapters, though.
Strategy & Notes
Kain joins Ceodore as the Hooded Man after Ceodore's airship crash-
lands, and remains with Ceodore for the rest of his chapter, and
is the main character of his own chapter which immediately follows
Ceodore's in the "main story".
Until the end of Kain's chapter, he is under the guise of the Hooded
Man, and does not have access to his White Magic or Jump. During a
story event at the end of Kain's Chapter, he gains access to Jump,
and after the story event is over he has access to White Magic. When
he becomes a Holy Dragoon, Kain gains a permanent base stat increase
of +2 Strength and +7 Intellect.
During an experiment, I completed the chapter using only Ceodore, and
kept the Hooded Man in KO status at all times. During the brief part
of the Mist Cliff wherein he is alone, I ran from the two battles I
encountered. This enabled me to complete the chapter with the Hooded
Man at his starting level of 15, and converted into a level 15 Holy
Dragoon. My hope was to determine what level he acquires his spells,
and to my surprise, he began with all of them even at level 15.
Interestingly, the Holy Dragoon has much higher HP and MP gains when
compared to the Hooded Man. Since items exist in the game which can
provide permanent boosts to HP and MP, however, this is not anything
worth restarting the chapter over, unless you just want to have Kain
with the highest "natural" HP and MP possible.
Level 40 and 50 stats for the Hooded Man will be available soon, to
provide comparison versus the Holy Dragoon.
Generally, Kain's White Magic is weak for healing, but importantly,
he has Haste and Blink, two very excellent buffs for your party. This
makes his White Magic notably better than Cecil's, since he can help
the main healer with buffs at the beginning of a tough boss fight.
Jump is, as one might expect, a powerful special ability. In addition
to making Kain have "Moon-Proof Attack" (see Section 2: Notes and Q&A
(S.02)), while in the air he cannot be affected by enemies (though he
will also miss out on any effects from allies), and the attack deals
additional damage if he is using a spear. Kain proves that in the
world of Final Fantasy IV, white men CAN Jump. Ha-ha. Lame joke.
Sadly, his two useful Bands both suck up his MP quickly, limiting
their potential. Even so, Kain has high stats, and is fast, so he
can kill enemies rapidly even if just attacking.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(P.06) Rydia
Equipment
Weapons : Whips, Rods, Daggers
Body : Light, Mage
Head : Light, Mage
Hands : Armlets
Statistics HP MP Str. Spd. Sta. Int. Spi.
Level 15 330 | 175 | 8 | 11 | 7 | 19 | 14
Level 40 (cap) 1277 | 406 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 39 | 36
Avg. Gain 37.88 | 9.24 | 0.52 | 0.40 | 0.52 | 0.80 | 0.88
Level 70? 2413 | 683 | 37 | 33 | 36 | 63 | 62
Abilities
Black Magic : Damaging and debilitating magic.
Fire L.15 One/All, minor fire damage
Blizzard L.15 One/All, minor ice damage
Thunder L.15 One/All, minor thunder damage
Sleep L.15 One/All, adds Sleep
Poison L.15 One/All, adds Poison
Stop L.15 One, adds Paralyze
Toad L.15 One/All, adds/removes Toad
Warp L.15 Escape battle, or move up one floor
Fira L.15 One/All, moderate fire damage
Blizzara L.15 One/All, moderate ice damage
Thundara L.15 One/All, moderate thunder damage
Pig L.20 One/All, adds/removes Pig
Osmose L.26 One, reduces MP and restores caster's
Bio L.32 One/All, non-elemental damage, Sap
Drain L.36 One, reduces HP and restores caster's
Summon : Calls an Eidolon to create an effect.
Goblin From "Goblin" rare dropped item
One enemy, weak physical attack
Cockatrice From "Cockatrice" rare dropped item
One enemy, physical attack, adds Petrify (partial)
Mindflayer From "Mindflayer" rare dropped item
One enemy, physical attack, adds Paralyze, Sap
Bomb From "Bomb" rare dropped item
One enemy, superior fire damage
Bands
Lightning Brain Buster (7 MP each, one enemy)
Rydia (Black Magic) Deals superior thunder damage based on Luca's
Luca (Attack) attack damage, but a bit higher.
Notes: Would be useful against a boss weak
against lightning, but there are none in
Rydia's chapter. Generally better to have
Luca attack or Big Throw while Rydia uses
magic.
Strategy & Notes
Rydia is the star of her chapter and is always present.
In the original Final Fantasy IV, Rydia was both a summoner and a
black mage. However, due to the events of The After Years, her usual
summoning abilities have been blocked, so she can only use black
magic. There are four summon spells she can obtain from items dropped
by enemies, however, but this requires a substantial time commitment
since the drop rates of the items are very low. She is perfectly
capable of completing her chapter without them, so it's up to the
player's discretion whether or not they wish to hunt for them. In my
opinion, it's not worth it, her black magic is fine and she will
likely regain her other (read: much more useful) summons in later
chapters, rendering the time spent on the dropped summons wasted.
In her chapter, Rydia has three interesting combat options. The best
is probably to equip rods and focus on improving her Intellect for
more potent Black Magic. The player might also choose to use a whip
for better random battle attack-spamming (whips can be used without
penalty from the back row, and can paralyze the enemy), or use a
Dancing Dagger (available from Kokkol's forge), which can cause good
damage when used as an item in battle.
Once she obtains the Osmose spell, life becomes easier. Particularly,
enemies of the Lamia type are vulnerable to Stop, and have a nice
pool of MP which Rydia can Osmose out of them. Battles with a Lamia
quickly become like a visit to the gas station, you just take a
moment and fill up, then move on.
When Rydia gains Bio, the chapter becomes quite easy. Unlike most of
her spells, Bio has an extremely short casting time, and does very
good damage.
Rydia's primary weakness is that she has poor defense and HP, and
since the only healer in her chapter (Brina) is unreliable and can't
heal outside of combat, stock up on lots of potions.
One should also take full advantage of healing pots in Rydia's
chapter, for easy leveling (free maximum HP and MP). There is a
healing pot located in the back entrance of the Dwarven Castle, and
a healing pot in the Agart Mines on the surface. I recommend hanging
out at the dwarven castle healing pot until the entire party is at
least level 20 and you have bought 99 Potions and 99 Hi-Potions, just
for safety. The healing pot in the Agart Mines is a great place to
get Rydia and Luca up to level 30, or beyond with some patience.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(P.07) Luca
Equipment
Weapons : Hammers, Axes, Bows, Shields
Body : Heavy, Light
Head : Heavy, Light
Hands : Armlets
Statistics HP MP Str. Spd. Sta. Int. Spi.
Level 10 400 | 25 | 15 | 8 | 16 | 4 | 4
Level 40 (cap) 2208 | 88 | 48 | 23 | 44 | 4 | 4
Avg. Gain 60.27 | 2.10 | 1.10 | 0.50 | 0.93 | 0.00 | 0.00
Level 70? 4016 | 151 | 81 | 38 | 72 | 4 | 4
Abilities
Analyze : Displays the enemy's current and maximum HP, and
any elemental weaknesses. It's just like the spell
Libra, except with no MP cost.
Big Throw : A regular physical attack that can be used from the
front or back row without penalty. The game claims it
does higher-than-usual damage, but it doesn't.
Bands
Lightning Brain Buster (7 MP each, one enemy)
Rydia (Black Magic) Deals superior thunder damage based on Luca's
Luca (Attack) attack damage, but a bit higher.
Notes: Would be useful against a boss weak
against lightning, but there are none in
Rydia's chapter. Generally better to have
Luca attack or Big Throw while Rydia uses
magic.
Go! Calcabrina! (10 MP each, all enemies)
Calca (Jive) Deals moderate physical, fire, and thunder
Brina (Dance) damage (three separate attacks).
Luca (Analyze) Notes: Very effective, if the party doesn't
need Brina to be healing. Slow charge time
reduces it's efficiency, though.
Strategy & Notes
Luca joins shortly after the start of Rydia's chapter, and remains
with Rydia for the rest of her chapter.
A powerful physical attacker, Luca can choose to remain in the front
row to benefit her Attack, or can fight from the back row using her
Big Throw ability. If she remains in the front row, she benefits from
"Moon-Proof Attack" (see Section 2: Notes and Q&A (S.02)). If the
player acquires a Tomahawk for her from Kokkol while still in the
underworld, she can also Attack from the back row without penalty,
meaning she also has back-row "Moon-Proof Attack".
While Calca and Brina are present, their defense is much lower than
Luca, so it's generally best to put both of them (and Rydia) in the
back row and use Luca in the front row. Once the group has left the
underworld and it's just Luca and Rydia, stick Luca in the back row
with the Tomahawk.
For an easy Tomahawk, just collect 4 Kokkol Ores (there are 12 in the
underworld, so this should be easy) and loot the Battle Axe from a
chest in the Sealed Cave. You can exit the Sealed Cave and get the
Tomahawk right away, or, just wait until after you finish the Sealed
Cave, you don't need to leave the underworld immediately.
In Rydia's chapter, Analyze is actually a decent ability, since there
are no characters with White Magic around to use Libra.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(P.08) Yang
Equipment
Weapons : Claws
Body : Light
Head : Light
Hands : Armlets
Statistics HP MP Str. Spd. Sta. Int. Spi.
Level 15 600 | 20 | 17 | 11 | 20 | 4 | 5
Level 40 (cap) 2854 | 83 | 50 | 24 | 48 | 8 | 15
Avg. Gain 90.16 | 2.52 | 1.32 | 0.52 | 1.12 | 0.16 | 0.40
Level 70? 5559 | 159 | 90 | 40 | 82 | 13 | 27
Abilities
Focus : At the cost of some charge time, Yang deals
(n/a) additional damage to a single enemy. NOTE: The game
does not indicate that Focus is affected by moon
phases, but since it is just an augmented "attack",
it seems logical that it inherits the benefits or
penalties applied to "attack" during moon phases.
Kick : After a charge time, Yang attacks all enemies. This
(Attack) attack does less damage than his normal attack, but
is very useful for clearing out weak enemies.
Cover Counter : Select an ally to cover (other than Yang himself).
(n/a) If the ally is the target of a physical attack, Yang
will jump in the way, taking the hit himself, and
countering with a normal attack of his own. Very
useful during boss fights. NOTE: The game does not
indicate that Cover Counter is affected by moon
phases, but it seems logical that the damage of the
counter-attack, since it is just a basic "attack",
inherits the benefits or penalties applied to
"attack" during moon phases.
Bands
Five Star Crimson Palm (9 MP each, one enemy)
Yang (Attack) A very strong physical attack, Basically as
Ursula (Tenketsu) potent as the two abilities used to cause
it, but seems slightly stronger. Reduces
the enemy's speed. May cause instant-death
to the enemy.
Notes: Possibly good, but only if the timing
is such that Ursula is not stuck waiting
for Yang to charge up. The main benefit is
the debuff to the enemy's speed, which in
Yang's chapter, cannot be accomplished by
Yang or Ursula any other way aside from
using a Spider Silk.
Twin Wing Frenzy (6 MP each, one enemy)
Yang (Event) A strong physical attack, slightly more
Ursula (Event) potent than two separate attacks.
Notes: Possibly good, but only if the timing
is such that Ursula is not stuck waiting
for Yang to charge up.
Strategy & Notes
Yang is the star of his chapter and is always present, except during
the Adamant Isle Forest when he and Ursula operate separately.
Although somewhat slow, Yang hits hard, and can take a beating. His
combat mechanic is unique in that by switching out his claws in the
middle of a fight, the player can change what elemental damage or
status effect will be added to his attacks, including Focus and Kick.
This provides a great deal of flexibility and enables Yang to easily
strike his enemy's weak point if the player knows what it is.
Focus is a powerful skill, but due to the charge time, it may work out
that Yang would do more damage over time just attacking. Even if that
were the case, Focus is still very useful against enemies who counter-
attack, since Yang can get a larger hit per enemy counter. According
to one report, this ability is not counter-attacked by enemies who
are able to do so. I'll need to test it.
Cover Counter, however, is an excellent ability, since it enables
Yang to get in a few extra hits on the enemy, at the cost of his HP,
which are high enough to endure the extra hits. During Yang's chapter
this should be used on Ursula to help her stay alive, and she can use
Chakra if needed to heal Yang.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(P.09) Ursula
Equipment
Weapons : Claws
Body : Light
Head : Light
Hands : Armlets
Statistics HP MP Str. Spd. Sta. Int. Spi.
Level 12 360 | 21 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 4 | 7
Level 40 (cap) 1955 | 94 | 41 | 32 | 34 | 12 | 26
Avg. Gain 56.96 | 2.61 | 1.00 | 0.64 | 0.79 | 0.29 | 0.68
Level 70? 3664 | 172 | 71 | 51 | 58 | 21 | 46
Abilities
Kick : After a charge time, Ursula attacks all enemies. This
(Attack) attack does less damage than her normal attack, but
is very useful for clearing out weak enemies.
Tenketsu : At the cost of some charge time, Ursula attacks a
single enemy. This attack might deal normal damage,
might deal improved damage, might be changed to the
enemy's elemental weakness, or might have an instant-
death effect. The benefit of this ability seems to
be random, but generally useful.
Chakra : Ursula quickly unleashes a moderate heal to a single
ally (or herself), which also removes some status
ailments. The amount healed seems similar to Cura.
Bands
Five Star Crimson Palm (9 MP each, one enemy)
Yang (Attack) A very strong physical attack, Basically as
Ursula (Tenketsu) potent as the two abilities used to cause
it, but seems slightly stronger. Reduces
the enemy's speed. May cause instant-death
to the enemy.
Notes: Possibly good, but only if the timing
is such that Ursula is not stuck waiting
for Yang to charge up. The main benefit is
the debuff to the enemy's speed, which in
Yang's chapter, cannot be accomplished by
Yang or Ursula any other way aside from
using a Spider Silk.
Twin Wing Frenzy (6 MP each, one enemy)
Yang (Event) A strong physical attack, slightly more
Ursula (Event) potent than two separate attacks.
Notes: Possibly good, but only if the timing
is such that Ursula is not stuck waiting
for Yang to charge up.
Strategy & Notes
Ursula joins early in Yang's chapter, and remains available for most
of the rest of the chapter, except during the invasion of Fabul, and
the Adamant Isle Forest when she and Yang operate separately.
Ursula is tough, strong, and fast, able to hit hard and quick. Her
combat mechanic is unique in that by switching out her claws in the
middle of a fight, the player can change what elemental damage or
status effect will be added to her attacks, including Kick and
Tenketsu (though Tenketsu's effect may over-ride the element, but
this would always be in the player's favor if it does). This provides
a great deal of flexibility and enables Ursula to easily strike her
enemy's weak point if the player knows what it is.
Chakra would also be an excellent pinch-heal in a full party, and
Ursula has the Spirit to make it potent. Presumably, there may be
equipment available to her later which will improve her Spirit, in
addition to improvements to her physical stats.
Tenketsu is a very good ability, although somewhat random in effect.
The overall damage potential of the ability is superior to a normal
attack (if you average the "normal damage" instances with the higher
damage occurrences), though of course it has a charge time. The most
|
Comments
Sorry, to fulfil this action you have to be CheatsGuru User
|
Another Final Fantasy IV: The After Years Walkthrough :
|
|
|
• Moshi Monsters cheats, Android • Plants vs. Zombies cheats, NDS, XBOX 360, PS3, IPHONE, Android • Pokemon Heart Gold Version cheats • Pokemon Soul Silver cheats • The Lord of the Rings: War in the North cheats, XBOX 360, PS3 • Shogun 2: Total War cheats • BioShock Infinite cheats, XBOX 360, PS3 • Darksiders 2 cheats, XBOX 360, PS3 • Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 cheats, PC, NDS, WII, PS3 • Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim cheats, XBOX 360, PS3 • Torchlight II cheats • Borderlands 2 cheats, XBOX 360, PS3 • Temple Run cheats • Jagged Alliance: Back in Action cheats • XCom: Enemy Unknown cheats, XBOX 360, PS3
.