Jump to content

Looking for some advice (KH2FM Critical - 100% Journal)


Whirled03

Recommended Posts

So, like the moron I am, I decided to start off on Critical mode and what I was hoping to do was be efficient and get all the Journal entries done on the same playthrough. Unfortunately, I vastly underestimated the optional bosses, and I've hit a bit of a wall as to what I should be doing. I've considered starting over on Beginner and just re-doing everything (despite the time-sink it'll require), but I figured I should see if anyone wants to weigh in with their opinion about how I can progress.

 

This is where I am currently:

 

Sora is level 99, has 88 defense, 73 attack, and 70 magic. Journal is roughly...85% completed, mostly missing a few mini-game scores, and the majority of the Organization copies. Synthesis is almost completed (I think I need to make 1 thing). About half of the Mushrooms are done.

 

Is it worth starting over? I've already completed so much, it would be a shame to just give up. I just can't get over this huge difficulty spike with the Org copies. Does anyone have any idea about how to progress with them? Vexen, Marluxia, and Demyx are down so far, but they were quite a headache. Each of them took me about 15 minutes to figure out how to approach them.

 

Before anyone asks, yes I've read a number of different guides, but none of them seem to mention a starting point. I'm aware that max stats are all in the low 150s (and from what I've read it's not necessary to even go that high), but I don't know if I should be farming materials at this point. What I don't want to have happen is devote a huge amount of time into farming, only to find out that it's still a gigantic struggle mostly due to my low HP.

 

On the other hand, it would be equally awful to start out on Beginner, do all that work all over again, only to find out that a lot of the bosses I have left (Lingering Spirit for example) have OHKO moves anyway, making the extra HP and lessened damage kind of worthless anyway.

 

Anyone out there have any advice?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As someone who got the platinum doing 1 playthrough on Critical Mode honestly I just say stick with it especially considering how much you have done. With most of the Organization data battles you can basically destroy most of them by abusing Reflect and Limit form dood. Your attack stat is the same as mine was and your defense is actually much higher than my final stat count. What is your equipment setup?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for all the replies. 

 

As far as my equipment goes, I've got pretty much everything I can possibly get. I was running with all 3 Ribbons + 1 straight defense piece at first, but I've been experimenting with just full defense (3 Busters, 1 Cosmic...that thing with 6 defense). I have been using the Halloween Town weapon (for Combo Finisher damage) since it seemed to make sense. I didn't realize there was another weapon from completing the Mushrooms though, that does get me curious.

 

Anyway, I have made some progress so far. I'm down to my last 4 Org fights - Xemnas, Zexion, Lexaeus, and Xigbar. Lexaeus is turning out to be more of a hurdle than I thought (as I haven't been practicing with Reflect), but I'm also finding the guide I've been using hasn't been the greatest either. 

 

Partly why I've been struggling is because some of these fights I simply don't understand. When I wrote my first post, I was trying Axel and Xaldin, and those are two fights that I think you really have to understand what's going on. I did find out that some of the others can indeed be exploited a bit - I was surprised to see Larxene go down with 1 round of me in Limit Form spamming Sonic Blade.

 

If I do ultimately get stuck to the point I feel I can't progress, it doesn't really bother me to do an entire playthrough over again - it's much more comforting to me that they are indeed "10x easier". I enjoy the game enough to play it completely through again (although doing Atlantica again would make me sad).

 

As for the Lingering Spirit fight, I haven't really done much research since I haven't tried the fight yet. What is the exploit? All I've read is about using Limit Breaks or something.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for all the replies. 

 

As far as my equipment goes, I've got pretty much everything I can possibly get. I was running with all 3 Ribbons + 1 straight defense piece at first, but I've been experimenting with just full defense (3 Busters, 1 Cosmic...that thing with 6 defense). I have been using the Halloween Town weapon (for Combo Finisher damage) since it seemed to make sense. I didn't realize there was another weapon from completing the Mushrooms though, that does get me curious.

 

Anyway, I have made some progress so far. I'm down to my last 4 Org fights - Xemnas, Zexion, Lexaeus, and Xigbar. Lexaeus is turning out to be more of a hurdle than I thought (as I haven't been practicing with Reflect), but I'm also finding the guide I've been using hasn't been the greatest either. 

 

Partly why I've been struggling is because some of these fights I simply don't understand. When I wrote my first post, I was trying Axel and Xaldin, and those are two fights that I think you really have to understand what's going on. I did find out that some of the others can indeed be exploited a bit - I was surprised to see Larxene go down with 1 round of me in Limit Form spamming Sonic Blade.

 

If I do ultimately get stuck to the point I feel I can't progress, it doesn't really bother me to do an entire playthrough over again - it's much more comforting to me that they are indeed "10x easier". I enjoy the game enough to play it completely through again (although doing Atlantica again would make me sad).

 

As for the Lingering Spirit fight, I haven't really done much research since I haven't tried the fight yet. What is the exploit? All I've read is about using Limit Breaks or something.

 

 

It really comes down to learning how the bosses work. What makes them auto-counter and such.

 

I've watched a lot of speedrun videos and streams so I've gotten familiar with a number of different techs that you could use. Some are much easier than others.

 

Xigbar = you really just have to learn how to time Guard/Reflect combos so you can keep stunning him.

 

Lexaeus = other than the fact that he opens with the same move, you really just keep an eye on how much you're hitting him so you know when he'll auto-counter. Eventually, you'll also be able to see when he's doing his other moves. You also never want to be too close to him, or else he'll grab you.

 

Zexion = the strategy that speedrunners use in LV1 Data Org RTA will wreck Zexion. Hard.

 

Xemnas 1 = this fight isn't that difficult; you just need to use Guard faster. Once you get the timing down, he's a joke.

 

Final Xemnas = 2.5 has RC problems. When you're doing the whole Reversal nonsense, just use Session since the Reversal RC won't always come up.

 

Lingering Will = this guy will take quite some time to figure out. This fight is a matter of learning where the boss leaves an opening. The gimmick with his HP is that the more you combo him, the more damage each successive combo does, until he starts attacking again. Learning how to deal with each of his moves, particularly when he's in the phase where he tries to seal your commands, is a whole other story.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@insanegamer

 

I actually managed to finish it up last night. I got the plat, and those Gummi Ship missions were surprisingly relaxing after all that nonsense I went through.

 

But you're absolutely right - when you figure them out, they get a lot easier (most of them). Lexaeus turned out to be extremely easy when I figured out what I needed to Reflect. Xigbar has always given me problems - he's just always been so aggressive and if you're timing is off he just stun-locks you, which is annoying.

 

Zexion on the other hand was just ridiculous. I tried legitimately at first, and it was just too aggravating. I never really understood what the deal was with getting the Dispel RC to appear on his "book" form - it seemed to just randomly disappear, or you would have to be really close to him to actually get the RC to work, which was a huge pain to even accomplish with how much he's porting around. I had a few attempts where he would just get me in a loop of his desperation move and then he would use that cheap flame move, even though he was sitting at 1 hp the entire time. 

 

I did end up using the Firaga trick on him, and I was impressed it worked so well.

 

2nd form of Xemnas was bad, until I just sorta gave up and did exactly what you said. I gave Riku and myself a bunch of Elixirs and just spammed the heck out of the Limit Break. I think I managed to get a few Sonic Rushes in there too when I was in Limit Form too.

 

Lingering Spirit/Will was just...idiotic. In all seriousness, that it probably one of the worst designed fights I have seen in my gaming. I remember one attempt on him when he just sat there and spammed his Key Glide move on me; he did it like 10 times in a row. The ridiculously small window you have to damage him just made him boring. I didn't actually beat him "legit" - I watched a video of some guy just reducing his combo to 1 (Fenrir and such) and just using Jump + Attack, and it stun-locks him if you get the rhythm of it right. Took me a couple tries to get down (since it's still hard to get that window to attack), but I'm glad it's over.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@insanegamer

 

I actually managed to finish it up last night. I got the plat, and those Gummi Ship missions were surprisingly relaxing after all that nonsense I went through.

 

But you're absolutely right - when you figure them out, they get a lot easier (most of them). Lexaeus turned out to be extremely easy when I figured out what I needed to Reflect. Xigbar has always given me problems - he's just always been so aggressive and if you're timing is off he just stun-locks you, which is annoying.

 

Zexion on the other hand was just ridiculous. I tried legitimately at first, and it was just too aggravating. I never really understood what the deal was with getting the Dispel RC to appear on his "book" form - it seemed to just randomly disappear, or you would have to be really close to him to actually get the RC to work, which was a huge pain to even accomplish with how much he's porting around. I had a few attempts where he would just get me in a loop of his desperation move and then he would use that cheap flame move, even though he was sitting at 1 hp the entire time. 

 

I did end up using the Firaga trick on him, and I was impressed it worked so well.

 

2nd form of Xemnas was bad, until I just sorta gave up and did exactly what you said. I gave Riku and myself a bunch of Elixirs and just spammed the heck out of the Limit Break. I think I managed to get a few Sonic Rushes in there too when I was in Limit Form too.

 

Lingering Spirit/Will was just...idiotic. In all seriousness, that it probably one of the worst designed fights I have seen in my gaming. I remember one attempt on him when he just sat there and spammed his Key Glide move on me; he did it like 10 times in a row. The ridiculously small window you have to damage him just made him boring. I didn't actually beat him "legit" - I watched a video of some guy just reducing his combo to 1 (Fenrir and such) and just using Jump + Attack, and it stun-locks him if you get the rhythm of it right. Took me a couple tries to get down (since it's still hard to get that window to attack), but I'm glad it's over.

 

Getting "Dispel" to appear requires using a Finisher on the correct book that would normally bring it to zero HP. Then you just have to be close enough to trigger it. If he does the DM, you just simply time your aerial combo so you'll still be on him when the DM ends, assuming you did it successfully.

 

Lingering Will gave me trouble until I learned precisely how he worked and how to deal with the moves he uses, and knowing when you have a window of attacking him. Once you figure that out, he's a lot more bearable than you give him credit for, especially since you'll probably figure out how to loop him which, in turn, makes the fight even easier.

Edited by insanegamer00
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Getting "Dispel" to appear requires using a Finisher on the correct book that would normally bring it to zero HP. Then you just have to be close enough to trigger it. If he does the DM, you just simply time your aerial combo so you'll still be on him when the DM ends, assuming you did it successfully.

 

Lingering Will gave me trouble until I learned precisely how he worked and how to deal with the moves he uses, and knowing when you have a window of attacking him. Once you figure that out, he's a lot more bearable than you give him credit for, especially since you'll probably figure out how to loop him which, in turn, makes the fight even easier.

 

Really? I was under the impression that all you had to do was bring Zexion down to 1hp in his book form and Dispel was just supposed to show up as a RC afterwards to finish him off. The first 2 Dispels always seemed to work like that, but the 3rd one and beyond I always had problems with getting it to show up. If it had something to do with combos though, then that would make more sense as to why I was having issues.

 

Oh, if anyone else happens to come across this post, I thought I should add the answer to my original question to what the starting point should be:

 

The stats in my original post were pretty much my starting point, but my final stats ended up being 85 Str, 80 Magic, and like 110 Defense (and I am unsure if that was even necessary). As it turns out, it does "softcap" in a sense - you can still increase your stats, but you'll eventually get to the point where the stat increases just don't really improve the damage intake/output. Although Defense is fairly easy to farm for, I would say Str/Magic is slightly more beneficial. However it is important to realize that most fights are still scripted to a degree - it doesn't matter how much damage you deal, you will still be forced to deal with Desperation Moves and RC commands, which is more often than not what you have to do properly in order to finish the fight.

 

As far as Defense goes, it does help slightly to farm for it, but there's always at least one of two problems present:

1) Most bosses are aggressive and love to combo. Most combos hit so many times that it kind of makes Defense irrelevant (not always though).

2) If you fail the RC stuff, usually you pay the price in damage. Again, it usually hits so hard (or leaves you stunned to be combo'd) Defense doesn't make much of a difference.

 

I wouldn't say Defense is absolutely pointless though. Having a decently high Defense stat can be beneficial because it can still give you some wiggle room in case you screw up when those two things above don't apply. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Really? I was under the impression that all you had to do was bring Zexion down to 1hp in his book form and Dispel was just supposed to show up as a RC afterwards to finish him off. The first 2 Dispels always seemed to work like that, but the 3rd one and beyond I always had problems with getting it to show up. If it had something to do with combos though, then that would make more sense as to why I was having issues.

 

Oh, if anyone else happens to come across this post, I thought I should add the answer to my original question to what the starting point should be:

 

The stats in my original post were pretty much my starting point, but my final stats ended up being 85 Str, 80 Magic, and like 110 Defense (and I am unsure if that was even necessary). As it turns out, it does "softcap" in a sense - you can still increase your stats, but you'll eventually get to the point where the stat increases just don't really improve the damage intake/output. Although Defense is fairly easy to farm for, I would say Str/Magic is slightly more beneficial. However it is important to realize that most fights are still scripted to a degree - it doesn't matter how much damage you deal, you will still be forced to deal with Desperation Moves and RC commands, which is more often than not what you have to do properly in order to finish the fight.

 

As far as Defense goes, it does help slightly to farm for it, but there's always at least one of two problems present:

1) Most bosses are aggressive and love to combo. Most combos hit so many times that it kind of makes Defense irrelevant (not always though).

2) If you fail the RC stuff, usually you pay the price in damage. Again, it usually hits so hard (or leaves you stunned to be combo'd) Defense doesn't make much of a difference.

 

I wouldn't say Defense is absolutely pointless though. Having a decently high Defense stat can be beneficial because it can still give you some wiggle room in case you screw up when those two things above don't apply. 

 

No, you absolutely need to strike Zexion with a Finisher that would "kill it" to make "Dispel" appear and escape the book world.

 

Also, while your stats will get capped by the game when facing bosses, this cap does not affect abilities such as Combo Boost and such, which will indeed add to your damage output. I want to say that it doesn't affect equipment, either, as I have fought Terra multiple times to farm Manifest Illusions.

 

To loop him, I would do two hits and then a finisher, and do this a total of four times. During my farming, this would take out a little over a bar of HP (due to Terra's gimmick).

 

After finishing my farming, and equipping Sora with four Full Bloom+'s, this same combo I use four times ended up taking out almost two full bars of HP off of Terra.

 

Yes, I was LV99 in both scenarios. No, I did not use any Power, Magic, or Defense Boosts at all in my playthrough. The only thing that changed was the addition of Full Bloom+'s. No, I'm not 100% certain on the equipment. Abilities, however, I know are not affected by the cap.

Edited by insanegamer00
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
  • 6 years later...

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...