Currently playing through FFX and was looking through some guides on ultimate weapons before triggering the final area, and was disappointed. I have no interest in torturing myself for hours doing boring mini games and capturing fiends.

To mentally prepare myself, how is FFX-2 in this regard? If it is similar, I'll be able to enjoy the game more if I go into it with the goal of just completing the story.

This is my first time playing through these games (only played 13), so if this is a pattern that all FF's have, sorry for the naive question.

I don't know about ultimate weapons, but I do know if you're going for 100% completion in X-2 you can screw yourself out of it within the first five minutes of gameplay, or much later in the game during certain cutscenes if you don't hit X at the right moments completely unprompted or hinted at by the game. X-2 is the definition of a game designed to sell strategy guides.

Yeah, from what I understand, X-2 is much worse about its 100% completion demands. That says a lot, consider the insane amount of grinding that needs to be done in FFX to be able to defeat the toughest enemies it has to offer.

I tried playing X-2 Remastered, but I stopped, I simply don't have the attachment with it that I have with X. But if I were you, I would simply do what is enjoyable, don't bother making sure you get literally everything possible or even looking at guides or whatever.

it's bad, it takes a minimum of 2 playthroughs to see the entire story due to a faction choice. One is bad enough since X-2 retreads X's environments...

Also make sure you sleep in the cabin on the Airship every chapter. I had a Prima strategy guide for the game and there was a printing error that neglected to mention you needed to do it until it was too late.

http://www.gamefaqs.com/ps2/562386-final-fantasy-x-2/answers/338935-100-completion-problem-cannot-view-brother-barkeep-scene

I actually cannot believe I went through the trouble of getting the ultimate weapons in FFX. A sliver of my brain is still dodging lightning I think.

Different time for me.

@geraltitude: that fucking music has never left my head.

hahaha, yep. Thunder Plains!

Seriously, that was just such a cruel and evil way to gate an ultimate weapon.

Makes me wonder, what are the top 5 shitty ultimate weapon gates in Final Fantasy?

FFX is a bit more grindy if you want to 100%, but if your after the ultimate gear of FFX-2 you have to do some pretty tricky parts and a horrible boss at the end of a quite difficult dungeon. I'd say you should avoid the grind as I feel your not the type and go for story completion.

I havn't played through every FF but a lot of them require some serious effort for those ultimate weapons / gear.

I feel like this image sufficiently expresses my feelings on ffx-2. Was trying to platinum, was excruciating.

First with X:

It's totally fine not getting all the celestial weapons, none of them are required to beat any of the bosses (including optional ones). While they are unique in that they ignore defence, they also have a set-back where their damage out-put is dependant on the character's HP. at 100% HP, all characters (except Auron because he has to show off) they do 100% (normal) damage, and at 1HP they drop to 9.1% damage (i.e. the lower their health, the weaker they become). For Yuna and Lulu, they are the similar except depend on MP rather than HP. Auron is different, his Masamune has a unique damage formula that means his output is 50% at full HP, 100% at 70% HP, and then his increases to a maximum of 216% damage when he has 1HP (i.e. the lower his health, the more damage he does).

Other than this, they're abilities can all be created through customisation or dropped from enemies (including dark Aeons and Battle Arena Creations) so you can make suitable weapons for each character (which, while having a lower maximum output, will be much more consistent). This is especially important since the best strategies focus on dealing the most damage through overdrives of a few characters (namely, Wakka and Tidus, mostly) so having customized weapons for more useful abilities on the others would aid you more in battle.

As for X-2:

As others said, this game has a lot more specific about requirements for 100%. Also, unlike X, it is a requirement to see the "perfect" ending. That said, it is a myth that it is impossible on your first playthrough (though it is significantly easier to do in two, since the latter actually allows for 105% to accumulate, meaning you can get the "Perfect" ending on the second playthrough even if there are a few sections/minigames you never did). % is also accumulated and remembered, so it means if you put a lot of effort into completing a section/mini-game perfectly the first time, you don't have to redo it the second time. That said, I'll reiterate that you don't need 2 playthroughs. Also, the game isn't as unforgiving as people think it is, you can get 100% without even getting all of the dresspheres for instance.

My advice is to play through once as you normally would, see the normal ending (or the slight variations on "Good" endings if you do the whistling responses with X at the key story moments) and then decide whether you want to see the rest (including beating the super bosses) to see the best ending. It's here that you should look at your %complete value and see how close you are to 100%, then I'd look up a guide and go through the game doing the things you missed (or picking the other choices to what you did the first time).

My advice for your first playthrough to follow which should be enough (and not require a guide): If you are an especially curious player (who isn't afraid to level for the toughest bosses) you might even get 100% without any extra help.

• Never Skip Cutscenes/dialogue
• Talk to everyone
• Keep lots of Saves
• If you get to a minigame and fail, try it a few times (may require reloading), because most of them aren't as difficult as they seem on first glance. You can save yourself time by looking up optimal strategies as well.
• Go to every location each chapter before heading to hotspots
• Sleep in the cabin every Chapter
• Don't go digging excessively in Bikanel Desert before Chapter 5 (too much before Chapter 5 powers up a boss that stops you doing a requirement for 100%)
• Give the Sphere to the Youth League
• Hear a whistle (will happen at key scenes with only Yuna), press X to whistle back (O button in the Japanese version).
• Never Skip Dialogue (seriously)

Alternatively, playing the game in parts and then checking with a guide to compare with aftwerwards, reloading if you messed up, might be a good middle ground that will allow you to 100% in one playthrough with help, without having the constant feeling of having to follow it to the letter.

Have Fun!

Thanks for the feedback all! I won't aim for the ultimate weapons, and certainly not 100%. Will be able to sit back and enjoy the game now.

@dixavd: Special thanks for the short and concise pointers. I can follow these at least, they don't seem like too much of a hassle.