Best AP farming method?

[OverHypedG]

I am now on chapter 15 on Hard, but saw that in order to defeat last bosses should level up haste, prayer and time materia. Should I just go to chapter 17 and level up in VR missions?

Equip AP up and play with all characthers?

 

What were your methods for quick and easy farming...?

[DemonicDraco]

3 vs mayor is best for a few hours worked for me. No real reason to play as everyone.. i just set it it to classic and went back and forth between actually trying, and just letting the ai do the work.

[Astray404]

In Chapter 14 go to Corneo's Colosseum, there's a 3-character stage. I used this stage in Classic difficulty to level up all my HP up materias, I think it's about 50 sec to 70 sec and it brings you about 160 AP each run. You could start the chapter in hard mode. I think there might be an AP boost in hard mode?

[OverHypedG]

Yes, there is. Okay, I ll go back, it is relatively quick to enter the colloseum in chapter 14. Thanks!

 

I just need to have equipped materia I want to upgrade, no need to use them like weapon profficiency?

[Astray404]

15 minutes ago, Rakinho993 said:

Yes, there is. Okay, I ll go back, it is relatively quick to enter the colloseum in chapter 14. Thanks!

 

I just need to have equipped materia I want to upgrade, no need to use them like weapon profficiency?

Yep. But there's an AP up materia that is evolved from a 5000-step materia. Make sure to also use this one to boost your AP, although it only works for one at a time lol

[DrakeHellsing]

1 hour ago, Astray404 said:

In Chapter 14 go to Corneo's Colosseum, there's a 3-character stage. I used this stage in Classic difficulty to level up all my HP up materias, I think it's about 50 sec to 70 sec and it brings you about 160 AP each run. You could start the chapter in hard mode. I think there might be an AP boost in hard mode?

Gonna have to use this way myself too for this last materia.  This revival materia, still need like 1,500 AP on it.  I do have that AP boost materia and have linked it to said revival materia.  So that might help it too.

[lesk8vaincra]

the best way to grind:

 

- equip the materia that speeds up AP/XP gain

- load chapter 16

- follow the main road for like a minute to get into the parking

- win the first 3 fights (lots of ennemies, easy and quick to defeat). Once its done, reload chapter and repeat

[S-A-U-S-I]

1 hour ago, lesk8vaincra said:

the best way to grind:

 

- equip the materia that speeds up AP/XP gain

- load chapter 16

- follow the main road for like a minute to get into the parking

- win the first 3 fights (lots of ennemies, easy and quick to defeat). Once its done, reload chapter and repeat

Either that or the collapsed highway on chapter 14. Each run you get 255 Ap for your materia, and the enemies are much easier, thus quicker to kill. It would be nice to actually compare both methods on the clock, to see which one is more efficient.

[OverHypedG]

Will try both of them to see.

[Seraphim_Rez]

I'm doing the 2 person team versus High Flyers or whatever it's called VR combat mission in Chapter 17. Reason being that the first round has you going against a bunch of beetles and since they start all bunched together you can use Cloud's Triple Slash right away and take out the whole group. That right there is 48 AP. Next round gives 36, then 54, then 30, then 21 giving a total of 189. A materia linked to the AP Materia will get double that making it 243.
Select the easy difficulty and you can finish the 5 rounds in like 40 seconds or less (2 minutes when taking into account loading and what not (yes I timed it)). I used Cloud and Aerith since her spells will just one shot anything Cloud misses. Then when it displays your final time and rewards, you can just hit Triangle to replay it.

Edited April 20, 2020 by Seraphim_Rez

[Optinooby]

5 hours ago, Seraphim_Rez said:

I'm doing the 2 person team versus High Flyers or whatever it's called VR combat mission in Chapter 17. Reason being that the first round has you going against a bunch of beetles and since they start all bunched together you can use Cloud's Triple Slash right away and take out the whole group. That right there is 48 AP. Next round gives 36, then 54, then 30, then 21 giving a total of 189. A materia linked to the AP Materia will get double that making it 243.
Select the easy difficulty and you can finish the 5 rounds in like 40 seconds or less (2 minutes when taking into account loading and what not (yes I timed it)). I used Cloud and Aerith since her spells will just one shot anything Cloud misses. Then when it displays your final time and rewards, you can just hit Triangle to replay it.

 

Ch16 gets you more because you have 3 characters, you're nerfing your farming by doing it with less than 3.

 

Ch16 garage is a slog, but its the fastest way unfortunately ;(

[Seraphim_Rez]

It's really not that bad. I didn't really bother grinding AP until the end of my Hard playthrough when most of my materia was maxed out anyway so really I could stick all the materia that didn't get maxed out with only two characters. Or you could of course do any of the 3-person VR combat missions.

I don't see how chapter 16 is faster since you have to travel on foot for a bit then after the three fights, you have to wait for the chapter to reload then do it again.

With the method I did, you're getting almost 200 AP (without AP materia) every 2 minutes including loading times.

Edited April 21, 2020 by Seraphim_Rez

[Optinooby]

1 hour ago, Seraphim_Rez said:

It's really not that bad. I didn't really bother grinding AP until the end of my Hard playthrough when most of my materia was maxed out anyway so really I could stick all the materia that didn't get maxed out with only two characters. Or you could of course do any of the 3-person VR combat missions.

I don't see how chapter 16 is faster since you have to travel on foot for a bit then after the three fights, you have to wait for the chapter to reload then do it again.

With the method I did, you're getting almost 200 AP (without AP materia) every 2 minutes including loading times.

 

Garage only takes a bit longer, but it gets you loads of AP/EXP/GIL

 

2 man method you are getting 20 x AP a time, but 3 man you are getting 30 x AP a time.

 

I really wanted to utilise the VR as its so simple to do, but I just couldnt get it going faster than garag e

 

 

[KN_Kirai]

One quick question: does difficulty increase the amount of AP you gain? When people mention the garage method are they implying that you should be doing it on Hard?

I can't seem to find a clear answer about that.

Edited April 21, 2020 by KN_Kirai

[Optinooby]

1 hour ago, KN_Kirai said:

One quick question: does difficulty increase the amount of AP you gain? When people mention the garage method are they implying that you should be doing it on Hard?

I can't seem to find a clear answer about that.

 

On easy, but complete game first so you get 3 x AP.

 

Setup for garage is Cloud with elemental + fire on weapon, Magnify + fire, First Strike, ATB stagger.

 

Just spam Triple Slash on all mobs, you will be staggering loads and killing some in 1 or few hits. Shield guys at end, cast fire spell first on middle one, should kill all 3, then back to spamming triple slash on what's left.

 

Got me through pretty quick, probably like a 3 minute cycle or something. 

[KN_Kirai]

Just now, Optinooby said:

 

On easy, but complete game first so you get 3 x AP.

 

Setup for garage is Cloud with elemental + fire on weapon, Magnify + fire, First Strike, ATB stagger.

 

Just spam Triple Slash on all mobs, you will be staggering loads and killing some in 1 or few hits. Shield guys at end, cast fire spell first on middle one, should kill all 3, then back to spamming triple slash on what's left.

 

Got me through pretty quick, probably like a 3 minute cycle or something. 

 

Thanks, I'll try it out.

[SwicySauce]

Chapter 17 2-man VR mission called "high flyers" worked well for me