Party and Class Suggestions?

[MSG Commander]

Well I'm currently on my second (casual) play-through so I've already mastered all Classes for each character, and I have a boatload of Fruit of Vitality, so I can easily even out everyone's HP, VIT, and DEF...

But, for those who don't want to spend days mastering every Class, or endlessly grinding in the Adventurer's Cave - what are your guys' recommendations for party members and class choices?

I've actually played the game in its entirety about 5 or 6 times over the last few years (I really love it!) and for my final party, I typically choose Stacia, Niecks, and Damia. (I also like Pegoo, but you get him so late in the game it's a pain to have to get him the Classes I want.)

I go pretty heavy on Sparkling Ray, Adamantine Fist, and Meteor Explosion towards the end, (which are from Holy Knight and God of Battle), and I like God Hand because it restores HP every turn, but I don't honestly know if that's really important or if I just choose it because I think it's nifty.

I also try to get everybody to All Full-Cura and Revive (which means learning Advanced Thaumaturgist and Sage as well, but Sage also has Blaze Rondo which I think is cool as well.)

I've never bothered to really examine everyone's stats, and figure out who's the best choice for magic attacks, phsyical, etc... I generally just grind until I'm strong enough to beat the Boss (and then if I still can't beat him, I go grind some more lol).

I did take note of everybody's stats at Level 40, as Freelancers, and I can share that information if it's helpful?

[Islandi]

@MSG Commander
Can you share everybody's stats at Level 40 in their original form (un-altered, non-enhanced by equipment/fruits/seeds etc)?
Also share their weapons & armors. If you can screenshoot their status/equipment screen, it may be easier for you than typing everything. I'll see what I can recommend or suggest in detail although I haven't play this game yet.

I'll share on your questions below, which I will specify and address under 2 umbrella sections:
1. Characters' Role Identification & Allocation
2. Party Setup and Strategy

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Here's the methodology for Role Identification & Allocation, Party Setup and Strategy:

1. Identification of roles and/or classes for each character:

A. Physical Attacker (Fighters, Knights, Berserkers, Tanks etc)
Equipment: Typically Swords, Spears, Bows, Guns, Daggers, Shields, Light/Heavy Armor
Stats: High on MaxHP, Str or Phy and Attack power, Vit and Physical Def. Low on Int or Mag, Magic Atk power and Magic Def
Skills: Mostly physical attack skills, with a few low to mid level heal, cure, offensive and/or defensive buffs (Atk Up is offensive buff, Def Up is defensive buff). May have 1 or 2 magic attack skills mixed in.


B. Magic Attacker (Black Mage, Sorcerer, Wizard etc)
Equipment: Typically Staffs, Wands, Whips
Stats: High on MaxMP, Int or Mag and Magic Atk power. Low on Physical Atk power and Physical Def
Skills: Heavily leaning towards Magic Attack skills such as Fireball, Freeze, Meteor etc. May have 1 or 2 Support skills mixed in.


C. Support/Healer (White Mage, Cleric, Priest etc)
Equipment: Typically Wands and Staff. May be equipped with Bows (eg. Rosa from FFIV) or Guns.
Stats: Int or Mag and Magic Atk power higher than Physical Attackers, but may be lower than Magic Attackers. Same for MaxMP, but MaxHP is in between Physical and Magic Attackers.
Skills: Leaning heavily towards heals, cures, buffs, debuffs, revives and sometimes have 1 or 2 Holy Magic Attack skills near endgame. May have 1 or 2 Black Magic skills thrown in during early game.


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2. Party setup and Strategy:
Depending on your play style and game mechanism, you can formulate your party and strategy in 1 of the ways below, assuming there are 3 characters:

A. Balanced and focused
1x Pure Physical Attacker, 1x Pure Magic Attacker, 1x Pure Support/Healer


B. Balanced, with role redundancies built in:
This party setup has characters mastering 1 of each generic class and 1 more secondary role/class to cover/assist in times of need
(eg when Support/Healer is KO'ed, either Physical or Magic Attacker can fill in the role temporarily)

This is also the starting point of Hybrid-Classes and party setup.

1x Physical Attacker (main) + Support/Healing (secondary/sub)
1x Magic Attacker (main) + Support/Healing (secondary/sub)
1x Support/Healing (main) + Magic Attack (secondary/sub)

In table form:

Role / Char	Char #1	Char #2	Char #3
Physical	[center]X[/center]		[center]X[/center]
Support/Healer	[center]X[/center]	[center]X[/center]
Magic Attacker		[center]X[/center]	[center]X[/center]

C. Full Hybrid, with role redundancies built in
This party setup has all your characters mastering the 3 generic (physical, magic & support/heal) classes and have skills for all the 3 roles. You are free to play in any way you like, subjected to your play style, characters' equipment and monsters' attack patterns.


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By just reading your OP and quick research on the classes only, I'll go for God of Battle + Sage + God Hand classes for all my characters. It's the 3-class Full Hybrid party setup as shared above, so we can freely dish out Physical, Magical and Support/Heal skills. I think that covers almost every aspect of Physical Attack, Magical Attack, Support/Healing and HP Regen. I'll skip the classes and routes leading to Assassin and Ancient King, unless normal monsters and bosses dish out status effects often, which Ancient King's passive resistance skill helps. Plus, if there are accessories which can increase status effect resistance or even nullify ailments, then Ancient King class is redundant.

[MSG Commander]

Thanks, that is a lot to digest.



I've always gone the full blown "everybody master everything" route - and I don't mind it for a game I'm likely to only play once and then be done with. But games like this, that I've played more than once, and might end up playing again someday further down the road - well, it literally takes FOREVER to master all the various classes, and it's really not worth doing more than that first time, and then only so you can see what all the classes have to offer.

I actually have un-altered stats for each character I'm currently using - I have two characters who aren't up to level 40 yet but I never use them for the final boss so...

Anwyay, each of this is for that character as a Level 40 Freelancer, including what their ATK and DEF would be with NO weapon or armor equipped. (I should have screen shot-ed them but wasn't thinking lol... Anyway here they are:)
[tbody][th]Stats[/th][th]Hero[/th][th]Stacia[/th][th]Niecks[/th][th]Damia[/th] [/tbody]

HP	1548	1293	1776	1629
AP	384	583	354	501
STR	159	102	185	127
TEC	95	117	95	154
VIT	131	106	156	131
SRC	86	150	57	86
MND	108	199	107	107
AGI	74	95	57	123
ATK	206	160	232	204
DEF	178	164	203	208
MAG	226	399	167	225
MDF	259	473	242	257

STR and TEC influence ATK and DEF, and SRC and MND influence MAG and MDF, and skills are either ATK-based or MAG-based. The in-game help doesn't say specify betwen STR and TEC, which one has a greater impact on ATK, or which has a greater impact on DEF. Same for SRC and MND.

So I would speculate that the numbers to pay attention to are: ATK, DEF, MAG, and MDF.

(By the way, all stats also go up or down according to which Class you choose. I haven't really looked but I assume a Sage would have higher MAG/MDF than a God of Battle - like, a lot higher...)

Also there are some armors and accessories that will raise MAG/MDF even higher, and some accessories that raise ATK.

There are also armors and accessories that nullify different status effects, so yeah Ancient King could be redundant.

When I use my main hero and Niecks' Adamantine Fist (ATK-based), it does more damage than Stacia's, and Stacia's Sparkling Ray (Holy, MAG-based) does more than theirs. Even when they're all the same Class. Based on that, it seems like Stacia should be a high-level MAG Class, so her Sparkling Ray can do mega damage, while my Hero and Niecks should be a high level ATK Class, and use Adamantine Fist (or its counterpart, Meteor Explosion) on everything.

The one I can't figure out though is Damia. It seems like her Adamantine Fist AND Sparkling Ray both do about the same amount, so maybe she could go either way? MAG or ATK?

[Islandi]

You're welcome
Yes, mastering ALL classes for ALL characters when you are playing the same game multiple times isn't practical nor worth the time.
After examining the classes you like from Gamefaqs.com (https://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/826276- ... o/69980682) more closely, with the stats and info you've given, here's my input.

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Hero
Class: God of Battle (main) + God Hand (sub) + Sage (sub, optional)

Hero's stats seems to be an all-rounder with slightly higher value for MAG.
Hero is more suitable for physical attacks since he/she deals higher damage from ATK-based skills than Stacia.
If Hero's weapon is sword, then his/her main class should be God of Battle.
God Hand is a hybrid of physical attacker, healer/support (Thaumaturgist) and magic attacker (Sorcerer), but I'm guessing it is leaning more towards physical since 2 of 4 basic classes are physical (Knight, Fighter). With the other 2 basic and more advanced class covering support/healing and magic (low to mid level ones?), you may be looking at an adaptable backup for the other 2 roles.
Class mastery also gives HP Regen passive skill, which works well for the party by lightening your main Support/Healer role's load.
Sage is an optional class to add on for high level Support/Heal + Magic Attack spells.

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Stacia
Class: Sage (main) + God Hand (sub)

From stats alone, she has low ATK but amazingly high MAG,MDF and AP.
I can already tell she is the lead MAG-based attacker and Support/Healer.
If heal spells also depend on MAG, then we also have a clear Support/Healer role under her.
If you really like to use Sparkling Ray (Holy, MAG-based) from Holy Knight, I'm guessing it's from Holy Knight class which you will already master by mid-game.

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Niecks
Class: God of Battle (main) + God Hand (sub) + Sage (optional, only for high level heals, buffs & revive)

Niecks' stats goes high on MaxHP and ATK, low on AGI and MAG. Obviously he is the lead Physical Attacker and Tank (if there are skills to draw attacks).
Among the 4, his AGI is the lowest, which is the typical tell-tale sign of a heavy physical attacker and Tank. I'm guessing he wears heavy armor.
Using MAG-based skills will be a waste for him since his MAG is only 73-74% of Hero's & Damia's, and less than 42% of Stacia's. The only time to use magic is for heals/cures (if they aren't MAG-based) and buffs/debuffs.

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Damia:
Class: God of Battle + Sage + God Hand

Free to choose 1 of 3 as main and the other 2 as sub? Are there any good skills for God Hand class?
Her stats show high MaxHP, AP, DEF (slightly higher than Niecks!), AGI. ATK, MAG and MDF are similar to Hero's.
A better all-rounder than Hero, possibly a better tank than Nieck too.
Could be both ATK-based AND MAG-based. My intuition (best/educated guess) tells me she can be dual-main. Need more info on her such as equipment.

Also, compare her Sparkling Ray damage with Stacia's, Adamantine Fist & Meteor Explosion with Hero's or Niecks'. That should give us a good idea how she ranks in the party with regards to both ATK-based and MAG-based damage. With Stacia's super high MAG, I suspect her Sparkling Ray's damage has a huge gap with Stacia's.

As to whether assigning her an ATK-based or MAG-based class, it depends on her equipment, damage comparisons with Niecks & Stacia and your personal preference/play style. Do you like more MAG-based skills AoE blasting or ATK-based skills pounding?

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In summary table form:

Class / Char	[center]Hero[/center]	[center]Stacia[/center]	[center]Niecks[/center]	[center]Damia[/center]
God of Battle	[center]Main[/center]	[center]---[/center]	[center]Main[/center]	[center]Main (your preference)[/center]
Sage	[center]Optional[/center]	[center]Main[/center]	[center]---[/center]	[center]Main (your preference)[/center]
God Hand	[center]Sub[/center]	[center]Sub[/center]	[center]Sub[/center]	[center]Main (your preference)[/center]

[Travelman31]

I used the main character (Holy Knight), Damia (Holy Knight), Niecks (Assassin) and Yuni (Magic Fighter) and I was happy with those 4 and happy with the classes they each had.

Main and Damia were level 62 and Niecks and Yuni were level 58.

The HP totals were anywhere from 5800 to 6800.
The AP totals were anywhere from 640 to 996.

[MSG Commander]

Yes, Sparkling Ray is from Holy Knight, and is my favorite all-around magic spell. Especially for late game, as most of the final bosses and enemies are weak against Holy spells. (Most, but not all, so the other late game spell I use is Blaze Rondo, which is Fire based, and is the last skill learned from Sage, so it's a perfect choice for Stacia.)

I will test out each of my four chosen characters with various final classes (God Hand, God of Battle, Sage, etc.) and see how those changes affect their stats and the damage they do with things like Sparkling Ray vs. Adamantine Fist. Of course, at this point I've already overloaded everyone with Fruit of Vitality, Strength, Technique, etc... so it might be a little bit harder to compare party members against each other. (You get free IAP points, 1 point for every 5 enemies killed, plus you get a ton of free Fruit of Vitality from the enemies in the Adventurer's Cave, so my stats now are wildly different from the Level 40 stats I posted above.)

As far as healing magic goes, Sage also has the spell "All Full-Cura," which as suggested, fully cures all party member's HP. So if one is so inclined, you can have multiple characters learn that spell and then anybody can use healing... but again you would have to invest the extra time to first master Advanced Sorcerer and Advanced Thaumaturgist, as those two are required for Sage. (However, I personally would at least have a few members master Advanced Thaumaturgist, which has All-Cura, Full-Cura, and Revive, so that if my one healer does get killed or silenced, somebody else can at least heal her.)

Also worth noting - the class "mastery" bonus is non-transferable (i.e. you only get the bonus as long as you have that class selected.) Since God Hand is the one that restores HP every turn, I typically use that as the "Main" class for everybody at the end of the game. However, I may be hurting myself in doing so, as the stat bonuses for God Hand may not work as well as the stat bonuses for God of Battle/Sage. What I mean is Sage might give a better MAG boost, thereby making Sparkling Ray far stronger, and God of Battle might give a better boost to whatever stat effects Meteor Explosion and Adamantine Fist. In fact it probably does, since both of those skills come from God of Battle...

So, there's a lot that you've shared that I can see will help with this game, and with other games as well. 9 times out of 10, my approach to an RPG is if I can't beat the boss I'm currently facing, go level up 5-6 times and try again. So, being able to step back and actually assess each character's strengths and weaknesses could actually be beneficial (which, I know a lot of hardcore players are like, "Duh!" But, hey, I'm a casual player, after all, so sometimes it takes me longer to get interested in all the details...)

Anyway, thanks for sharing.

[MSG Commander]

[quote=20184]I used the main character (Holy Knight), Damia (Holy Knight), Niecks (Assassin) and Yuni (Magic Fighter) and I was happy with those 4 and happy with the classes they each had.[/quote]

Was that all the way up to the Demon King? If so, I'm impressed.

[Islandi]

In that case, the simplest party configuration for you is very likely to be 2 main physical (Battle of God) + 2 main magical (Sage).

Hero & Niecks taking physical class God of Battle as main and equipped with All-Cura, Full-Cura & Revive from Advanced Thaumaturgist class.
If you want to use Sparkling Ray for both of them late game, get Holy Knight class and use fruits to boost their MAG and AP.

Stacia as Sage (+ Holy Knight as sub) and focuses on dishing out magical attacks (Sparkling Ray, Blaze Rondo). Can be Support/Healer too.

Damia is up to you to assign. (Hint: She has high AP, but average MAG like Hero's).
If you want her to be another "Stacia", you'll have to boost her MAG to match Stacia's. If so, you'll have whooping time demolishing monsters and bosses with 2 Sages.

However, if you're starting a new game (from scratch) and wants another candidate for Sage, take a close look at Will, who joins you early. His MAG and MDF are about 2x of Hero's when both are at Freelancer Lv 8. The 1st 2 skills are Fire and Thunder, so that about confirms his affinity towards Magic Attack type classes.

One more issue you will want to consider is buffs and debuffs (ATK Up, Def Up, AGI Down, Silence, Reflect etc), which are Support skills in general. I'm not sure whether the classes leading up to and including Sage has buffs and debuffs. Support skills do come in handy to boost your party's performance and handicap the monsters'. So experiment this when you're figuring out your play style and strategies to have a feel. If God of Battle, Holy Knight, Sage and God Hand don't have any and you're considering integrating into your strategy, re-look at your 4th character to fill in this role.

[Uninvented]

Something I think I noticed about (not) increasing Class levels. Please tell me if I'm wrong, because I don't want to keep assuming this if it's incorrect.

When a battle ends, the result screen doesn't always show. When my party was early-twenties levels, that's when I noticed about the missing result screen. I also realized that it happened when I was trekking through areas with weaker mons. It has left me to wonder that if we are battling mons weaker than the party, then the battle result screen doesn't show. And if it doesn't show, then that means the party isn't earning Class level points.

What have you noticed, or what do you think?

[jesusalva]

You stop earning class points WAY before the result screen stop showing...

For example, if you are on level 33 the desert region gives you about 900 exp (iirc) - but you won't get a single class point because your level is too high.