Leveling up Style?

[Conekiller]

On the other hand, Dragon Quest 8 is superbly balanced such that you always feel like the next tough boss or dungeon is just BARELY too powerful for you to tackle, so leveling isn't such a chore because you only tend to do a little of it at a time. Plus, you've got this huge beautiful world to explore while you level, with chests and unique monsters to search for, so it gives you something to do rather than just run in circles around a town and dash in whenever you need healing.

That's how leveling SHOULD be, IMO-- you follow the main story line until you reach a road block, and then you go off and complete some side quests until you're powerful enough to progress in the main story some more. That way the main story can retain a sense of challenge, but you never have to just mindlessly level so much that you get bored and the game seems more like a chore than a pleasure.

Exactly! I recently started DQ8 (I just got Angelo in my team, and I'm at the mourning castle) The game always makes me fee like "just a little bit more". Even with Jessica and Angelo trailing behind the Hero (I named him Hiro ^_^) and Yangus, they all level up at different intervals that it frequently feels as if SOMETHING'S happening.

My buddy has a different take on leveling up. He'll play thru the main part of the game, veering off only when something catches his eye, until he hits a boss that he cna't weasel his way around. He gets really super pissed and literally does nothing but level up for three days or so (not 24-hour days, but you know what I mean about 3-4 hours a day) till he's so grossly overpowred that he breezes thru the boss and the next few as well.

on the slightly off topic of GameSharks: Explain to me how hacking inot your game to make it do stuff it wasn't supposed to do is a good thing.

 

[Dark Fact]

Personally, I don't think I've played an RPG more tedious in leveling than Final Fantasy II's skill system. You need to have the patience of a saint if you want to cap everyone in all weapons and magic skills.

Oh yeah, and it's the Famicom version I'm referring to...not the Dawn of Souls version.

 

[Captain Highwind]

maybe that's where i'm talking about... hmm... it's been so long since i played golden sun 2. it is a place you need the boat to reach, i know that much. and the enemies you want to fight, the ones that give out the most experience, are like these blue/green phoenixes. hope that helps. anyway, there are other creatures in there that drop pretty cool equipment, too. for instance, this one creature drops something called a "valiance sword" or a "vagrant sword" that almost everyone can use. pretty powerful

I know what you're talking about. I think I'm lucky enough to get a Phoenix every 5 battles, but still...walking around the same 16-bit rooms over and over is maddening. And I don't think the game had any experience-boosting weapons either.

 

[Zero Kagayaki]

depend I like the battle system

 

[Shawn Hopkins]

I try not to overlevel. The games can get rather dull if there's no challenge. I like to be just leveled enough to beat the final boss by the skin of my teeth. Sometimes it's fun to try to win while underleveled, too. I used to try to beat Dragon Warrior at the lowest level I could. If you get lucky you can do it at a suprisingly low level.

 

[Jade_GL]

I usually hate leveling up. I usually just do enough to get by in a game, but no more than I absolutely have to.

However, I leveled past 70 in Kingdom Hearts II because there was a lot of interesting stuff to do (and I still have stuff to do). Also, I leveled very high in Final Fantasy I (the GBA revamp) but it was mainly due to the fact that I wanted to do all of the bonus dungeons and get all of the cool weapons.

However, for most games I just level up to where I can get through the area, and I don't sweat not getting to the maximum that a character can get to.

 

[Master Moron]

on the slightly off topic of GameSharks: Explain to me how hacking inot your game to make it do stuff it wasn't supposed to do is a good thing.

Well, I remember when I first saw Game Genie being advertised the commercials said you could jump over the flagpole in Super Mario Bros. When I was a kid I was fascinated by the idea of jumping over the flagpole. I had to know, what was beyond the flagpole? That's the point of Gameshark, to be able to discover stuff that you couldn't discover normally. Of course, years later someone told me that in one world it's actually possible to jump over the flagpole without Game Genie, but I've never done it. And of course, if you actually do manage to jump over the flag pole, the world just goes on forever.

Also, after you've beaten a really hard game, sometimes it's fun to just go and plow through the enemies with no trouble at all. I mean, it's fun to go up to bosses that have killed you over and over again before and be able to kill them with no trouble at all. Also, with Game Genie, you can get rid of random battles. Sometimes random battles can get incredibly annoying. I mean, you're exploring a dungeon, then you get sucked into a random battle, then when you get out of the battle you forget where you are and you have to start exploring again, then you remember where you are but you get sucked into another random battle, it's so annoying. I much prefer the battle system of games like Chrono Trigger where there are no random battles.

 

[River26]

Well, games like FFIX can get pretty difficult dispite those videos that GameFAQs holystar showed.

Which I try to balance the characters. Like when I reach a certain level. Say like 5, or 10. Then I would switched to my other benched characters. But Gizmaluke's dragon boss and the Black Mage fights can be pretty tough. And it's in this case that I'd would keep leveling up.

 

[Artimus Gigan]

Well, games like FFIX can get pretty difficult dispite those videos that GameFAQs holystar showed.

The best tactic was to fight dragons near the library and use Quina's LVL 5 instant death move, hence you get a ton of EXP and Freya's Final Dragon Move would increase in power and eventually hit 9999 for a mere 15 MP.

Ecven the Final Final Boss was no match for the constant hits of 9999, that Dragon Move hit that consistantly reguardless of any natural defence the bosses had.

 

[Noukon]

I try to locate a spot where I can get a lot of XP and rewards in less time (sometimes this will be one repeatable enemy), and concentrate there for a while. Gets some grinding out of the way.

 

[guerillacropoli]

I try to locate a spot where I can get a lot of XP and rewards in less time (sometimes this will be one repeatable enemy), and concentrate there for a while. Gets some grinding out of the way.

The metal slimes and metal babbles are a godsend in DQ/DW. I imagine other games have similar monsters.

 

[NewGenious]

The metal slimes and metal babbles are a godsend in DQ/DW. I imagine other games have similar monsters.

FFIX had those big green dragons that were out of the other cave's exit near Burmecia. Kill one of those and you get like 4000 xp per character (If I remember correctly) and like 4 ap points.

 

[guinaevere]

It depends on the game. With a game like FF6/FFT/FF9/FF7 where abilities are learned/mastered over constant fighting, I'll keep on fighting to get new abilities.

Wasn't VI the draw system where you had to pull the skills out of the enemies? That had to be the most annoying system ever.

 

[Mr. Pedro]

Wasn't VI the draw system where you had to pull the skills out of the enemies? That had to be the most annoying system ever.

FF VIII had the system where you drew magic out of enemies. So absolutely tedious.

As far as personal preferences go, I normally level up as I go along, unless the battle system is enjoyable enough that I don't mind sittin' and fightin' for a few hours (ToS and The Mario Super Saga games come to mind).

 

[guinaevere]

FF VIII had the system where you drew magic out of enemies. So absolutely tedious.

*snaps* That's right. Thanks for the correction, amigo.

 

[Zach]

I level up as I go along, but I might power level if I feel i'm to weak to enter a certain fight. I usually beat RPGs with a fairly low level. (I beat FF6 with my characters in the high 20s early 30s)

 

[Conekiller]

The metal slimes and metal babbles are a godsend in DQ/DW. I imagine other games have similar monsters.

In DQ8, I have yet to figure out how to keep em from running away. And even then, I only do piddly damage >_>

 

[Vermunium]

In DQ8, I have yet to figure out how to keep em from running away. And even then, I only do piddly damage >_>

They're meant to do that. Once you get Metal Slash, they become a breeze, or if you can intimidate them, they might not run off.

 

[Mynd Hed]

In DQ8, I have yet to figure out how to keep em from running away. And even then, I only do piddly damage >_>

Critical hits do full damage to metal creatures, so try using attacks like Thunder/Lighting Thrust and Hatchet Man / Executioner if you don't have Metal Slash. Skills that attack twice like Multishot, Multithrust, Multifists, Twin Dragon Lash, and Falcon Slash as well as the falcon weapons are good too, to double your chance of randomly getting a critical hit.

It can still be tough to kill them before they run away, but that's the way to max out your chances. It's all a numbers game; even if 3/4 of the time they get away before you can kill them, the massive experience they give still makes it worth the attempt.

 

[KRnut82]

I try to level up normally on my first time through a game, I only try to do extra leveling if I can't beat a boss. Sometimes I'll accidentally over do it from frustration and cakewalk through the next 2-3 bosses.

The 2nd and/or 3rd time through a game I deliberately overlevel for fun and kicks.