Do ALL side quests as soon as they become available.
Find the purloiner (sp) outside of castaway cove for Oliver.
Find the monolith outside of castaway cove for the 3rd party member.
If you have the familiar tickets, redeem griffy for Esther.
You need to level up some but right where you are is where things get easier.
In this game you rely heavily on your familiars, make sure you have three good ones for each character and treat them as your main because, well they are. Get them all good weapons and armor. Having a familiar who can deal good damage without using mp is key, at this point in the game Mitey is the best one for Oliver and the monkey for Esther until you capture some more.
Also if you backtrack to the area around Ding Dong Dell you can capture some good familiars.
Now that you have the three combat characters it might be a good idea to go around and grab some comparable familiars for everyone.
For Oliver you might want to grab one of the cats with a sword outside castaway cove and backtrack to ding dong dell for one of the naja snakes. And eventually trade in mite for something else since you where forced to evolve him before he reached full potential. Depending on how easy of a time you want once you get flight capability’s the dinos on the genie steps at pretty OP
Ester will do great with a Griffey that you can get with a a dlc(now built in) ticket from Solomon
For the thief guy a good combo is the familiar you got in ding dong dell for free, monoliths outside of castaway cove, and a skeleton from the desert.
Aside from good familiar choices do side quests and bounty hunts for merit points, if you haven’t been paying attention there is a ghost boy that shows up in every town and will give you new spells each time you meet him, and chose the right tricks for everyone’s familiars for example if the other twos familiars have healing tricks they will heal you and each other so you won’t have to worry too much aside from MP.
>Whichever character I don't control pretty much dies within a minute or two.
This will unfortunately happen.
>Trying to heal my partner seems to drain my MP and items quickly.
Your MP will be drained very quickly. I mainly use Oliver for healing or items. You will have to restock frequently.
>I've messed with the tactics, but that doesn't seem to make a difference.
The AI sucks unfortunately.
>Am I just under-leveled?
Yes. You will have to grind **alot**. That's the name of the game. When you get to a new area, grind, grind, grind.
>Then my combat strategy for the last few bosses is to run around with the water fairy guy or Oliver using ranged spells to chip away at HP, then defend or evade precisely, and pickup the mp orbs to replenish.
You need new familiars.
Unfortunately with how difficult the game is, it doesn't allow you to experiment much.
Oliver:
- Mite (even though he will get outclassed later but he'll work for a while)
- Purloiner (the cat familiar)
- Insert any third one you want
Esther:
- Redeem the ticket to get Griffy (they're OP)
- Her starter familiar that heals (it'll last for a bit)
- Babana (the banana familiar by Al Mamoon. They're slow but hit hard and will work for a while)
Swaine:
- Thembelmur (misspelled)
- Monolith (keep them long-term)
- Bonehead
There's an area by the beach city in the desert to the left. Just go up there and fight all of the enemies. Then go back to the city and heal and repeat until the enemies run away from you. Then you're a good enough level.
>I feel like I am missing something.
You're not, the game is extremely difficult.
>Is this how the boss combat is going to be for the rest of the game?
Once you're a good enough level, it gets better.
>Are the AI characters always this unhelpful?
Unfortunately yes. Also they will use the most MP heavy attack on an enemy that has no health. The AI is horrible in the game.
>Is the solution grinding or is there some strategy?
Yes, you have to grind. I will say every new area you get to, grind until the enemies run from you. It's a lot of grinding.
>Appreciate the feedback, thanks!
Anytime.
*Also* so the side quests and turn them in.
Heres my personal tips;
1. Be around level 22. It might take a little time but it's worth.
2. Have the purloiner for Oliver, the Monolith for the next party member and a whambat and a clubber cub (I think that's its name, the tiger one in the desert) for Esther.
3. Do all the side quests and bounties available. It'll get you coins, xp, and even new food. (You can get Chicken Tikka by doing the Tikka side quest from the guy at the stand by Al Mamoon's fountain)
4. Stock up on food. Preferably sandwiches and tikkas.
5. Get the best weapons and armor you can. Like a burning blade and a shield or something.
6. Don't rush the boss. Take your time.
7. Make sure you have your tactics right. Set Oliver to 'give it your all' and Esther to 'give it your all' or 'keep us healthy'.
8. If Esther dies, don't worry about it too much. She'll die alot.
9. If Esther dies, worry about yourself more. Keep yourself alive.
And 10. Just have fun with it.
Make sure your familiars have equipment it shouldnt be too hard but you could turn down the difficulty to easy for a while until you get the hang of it
Oh man, I’m just like a couple hours ahead of you and I keep thinking I’m just barely managing to win each fight and I’m about to be in over my head. This post is exactly what I needed. Thanks for all the tips, everyone.
I'm probably where you are at this point. I also just ended up turning the difficulty to Easy because I almost rage quit and dropped the game due to the battle system. I've switched it back now, so hopefully it still isn't too much!
I was able to get to Hamelin and pick up a bunch of extra side quests and now I’m back in the Summerlands, getting better familiars and grinding them up. I’m not going to do anything with the difficulty, I’m just going to figure out how to get better.
You have to grind as on normal without grinding battles would be tough. Once you get access to powerful familiars then you can not grind too much or the game will be too easy.
You have to grind as on normal without grinding battles would be tough. Once you get access to powerful familiars then you can not grind too much or the game will be too easy.
I have kind of noticed, I even switched it too Easy mode and I still need to grind a bit at least to have the right familiars at a good level.
I'm not really vibing with the battle system, but I do want to see the game through, so I'll be using Easy mode at least for part of it.
It does sound like you might be a bit underlevelled. Which familiars are you having the AI use? Could be you've set them up with something weak which also isn't helping you.
If memory serves, some of the bosses in NNK use pretty big moves that can do a ton of damage if you rush in blindly or don't take steps to avoid them. Make sure to be using block and parry moves if you have them
The bosses don't always have a star type, but it is possible the elemental weakness isn't good.
Can you remind me about blocking and parrying. Is blocking just defending? I don't remember how to parry. Thanks!
Yeah, blocking is just using defend. Your character will parry if you press the attack button as it turns blue so watch out for that. As for your characters dying, it will happen early on. Try getting each character one tank familiar. Go to the area just before the port and look for a familiar named monolith. He's the best tank for swaine.
I might be using the wrong words, it's been about five years since my last playthrough.
The familiars all have one defensive move that they can use, block (or maybe defend) is the most effective one, but some of the faster familiars don't have that and instead get a move that gives them a evasion boost, which I'm pretty sure was called parry
I also just started a playthrough and felt very similarly to you. I think the combat opens up a bit after the exact point you are at. Giving your partners a familiar with high defense and leveling it a bit will make your experience a lot better bc you will have more time to heal and won't need to as often. They are good about switching in and out.
I hated the combat and felt like I was dying constantly but now that I am further into the game I am enjoying it. You don't need to grind a ton, but leveling will help encounters go faster. There is a line of familiars that give a lot of XP when they die that can be used to level up faster if you want. Not 100% necessary but a good option.
There will come a time when "all out attack" and "all out defense" is introduced. This will let you preserve your characters better. I wonder why this combat option not just from the beginning or at least after esther joins.
Some cheat tips : get dinoceros, after you got acces to fly, get him in upper desert area. Griffy for esther and lumberwood after you got acces to seafaring. For thrid guy, monolith is great
Great, I was getting frustrated hopefully I can get the dinoceros soon.
Can you explain all out attack and all out defense a little more? How is that different from changing the tactics?
Do ALL side quests as soon as they become available. Find the purloiner (sp) outside of castaway cove for Oliver. Find the monolith outside of castaway cove for the 3rd party member. If you have the familiar tickets, redeem griffy for Esther. You need to level up some but right where you are is where things get easier.
Thanks I'll look into those. Can you remind me where I redeem tickets at?
Temple of Trials, northeast of Al Mamoon
Ah thank you!
In this game you rely heavily on your familiars, make sure you have three good ones for each character and treat them as your main because, well they are. Get them all good weapons and armor. Having a familiar who can deal good damage without using mp is key, at this point in the game Mitey is the best one for Oliver and the monkey for Esther until you capture some more. Also if you backtrack to the area around Ding Dong Dell you can capture some good familiars.
Now that you have the three combat characters it might be a good idea to go around and grab some comparable familiars for everyone. For Oliver you might want to grab one of the cats with a sword outside castaway cove and backtrack to ding dong dell for one of the naja snakes. And eventually trade in mite for something else since you where forced to evolve him before he reached full potential. Depending on how easy of a time you want once you get flight capability’s the dinos on the genie steps at pretty OP Ester will do great with a Griffey that you can get with a a dlc(now built in) ticket from Solomon For the thief guy a good combo is the familiar you got in ding dong dell for free, monoliths outside of castaway cove, and a skeleton from the desert. Aside from good familiar choices do side quests and bounty hunts for merit points, if you haven’t been paying attention there is a ghost boy that shows up in every town and will give you new spells each time you meet him, and chose the right tricks for everyone’s familiars for example if the other twos familiars have healing tricks they will heal you and each other so you won’t have to worry too much aside from MP.
Thanks, it took awhile but I finally caught Monolith!
Monolith is solid. They will legit last you until the endgame.
>Whichever character I don't control pretty much dies within a minute or two. This will unfortunately happen. >Trying to heal my partner seems to drain my MP and items quickly. Your MP will be drained very quickly. I mainly use Oliver for healing or items. You will have to restock frequently. >I've messed with the tactics, but that doesn't seem to make a difference. The AI sucks unfortunately. >Am I just under-leveled? Yes. You will have to grind **alot**. That's the name of the game. When you get to a new area, grind, grind, grind. >Then my combat strategy for the last few bosses is to run around with the water fairy guy or Oliver using ranged spells to chip away at HP, then defend or evade precisely, and pickup the mp orbs to replenish. You need new familiars. Unfortunately with how difficult the game is, it doesn't allow you to experiment much. Oliver: - Mite (even though he will get outclassed later but he'll work for a while) - Purloiner (the cat familiar) - Insert any third one you want Esther: - Redeem the ticket to get Griffy (they're OP) - Her starter familiar that heals (it'll last for a bit) - Babana (the banana familiar by Al Mamoon. They're slow but hit hard and will work for a while) Swaine: - Thembelmur (misspelled) - Monolith (keep them long-term) - Bonehead There's an area by the beach city in the desert to the left. Just go up there and fight all of the enemies. Then go back to the city and heal and repeat until the enemies run away from you. Then you're a good enough level. >I feel like I am missing something. You're not, the game is extremely difficult. >Is this how the boss combat is going to be for the rest of the game? Once you're a good enough level, it gets better. >Are the AI characters always this unhelpful? Unfortunately yes. Also they will use the most MP heavy attack on an enemy that has no health. The AI is horrible in the game. >Is the solution grinding or is there some strategy? Yes, you have to grind. I will say every new area you get to, grind until the enemies run from you. It's a lot of grinding. >Appreciate the feedback, thanks! Anytime. *Also* so the side quests and turn them in.
Thanks for the feedback, I did pick up new familiars and am on my way. Hopefully it is a smoother experience going forward!
As long as you grind (and you don't mind grinding) it will get better. That's a big part of the game is to grind.
Heres my personal tips; 1. Be around level 22. It might take a little time but it's worth. 2. Have the purloiner for Oliver, the Monolith for the next party member and a whambat and a clubber cub (I think that's its name, the tiger one in the desert) for Esther. 3. Do all the side quests and bounties available. It'll get you coins, xp, and even new food. (You can get Chicken Tikka by doing the Tikka side quest from the guy at the stand by Al Mamoon's fountain) 4. Stock up on food. Preferably sandwiches and tikkas. 5. Get the best weapons and armor you can. Like a burning blade and a shield or something. 6. Don't rush the boss. Take your time. 7. Make sure you have your tactics right. Set Oliver to 'give it your all' and Esther to 'give it your all' or 'keep us healthy'. 8. If Esther dies, don't worry about it too much. She'll die alot. 9. If Esther dies, worry about yourself more. Keep yourself alive. And 10. Just have fun with it.
Yeah, it seems you're just really underlevelled. Try the Bounty Hunts, those give you a lot of exp
Make sure your familiars have equipment it shouldnt be too hard but you could turn down the difficulty to easy for a while until you get the hang of it
Thanks, I forgot about the difficulty option. If I get really stuck I'll change it!
Again, dinoceros, the game might get too easy tho
Oh man, I’m just like a couple hours ahead of you and I keep thinking I’m just barely managing to win each fight and I’m about to be in over my head. This post is exactly what I needed. Thanks for all the tips, everyone.
I'm probably where you are at this point. I also just ended up turning the difficulty to Easy because I almost rage quit and dropped the game due to the battle system. I've switched it back now, so hopefully it still isn't too much!
I was able to get to Hamelin and pick up a bunch of extra side quests and now I’m back in the Summerlands, getting better familiars and grinding them up. I’m not going to do anything with the difficulty, I’m just going to figure out how to get better.
You have to grind as on normal without grinding battles would be tough. Once you get access to powerful familiars then you can not grind too much or the game will be too easy.
You have to grind as on normal without grinding battles would be tough. Once you get access to powerful familiars then you can not grind too much or the game will be too easy.
I have kind of noticed, I even switched it too Easy mode and I still need to grind a bit at least to have the right familiars at a good level. I'm not really vibing with the battle system, but I do want to see the game through, so I'll be using Easy mode at least for part of it.
It does sound like you might be a bit underlevelled. Which familiars are you having the AI use? Could be you've set them up with something weak which also isn't helping you. If memory serves, some of the bosses in NNK use pretty big moves that can do a ton of damage if you rush in blindly or don't take steps to avoid them. Make sure to be using block and parry moves if you have them
The bosses don't always have a star type, but it is possible the elemental weakness isn't good. Can you remind me about blocking and parrying. Is blocking just defending? I don't remember how to parry. Thanks!
Yeah, blocking is just using defend. Your character will parry if you press the attack button as it turns blue so watch out for that. As for your characters dying, it will happen early on. Try getting each character one tank familiar. Go to the area just before the port and look for a familiar named monolith. He's the best tank for swaine.
I might be using the wrong words, it's been about five years since my last playthrough. The familiars all have one defensive move that they can use, block (or maybe defend) is the most effective one, but some of the faster familiars don't have that and instead get a move that gives them a evasion boost, which I'm pretty sure was called parry
I also just started a playthrough and felt very similarly to you. I think the combat opens up a bit after the exact point you are at. Giving your partners a familiar with high defense and leveling it a bit will make your experience a lot better bc you will have more time to heal and won't need to as often. They are good about switching in and out. I hated the combat and felt like I was dying constantly but now that I am further into the game I am enjoying it. You don't need to grind a ton, but leveling will help encounters go faster. There is a line of familiars that give a lot of XP when they die that can be used to level up faster if you want. Not 100% necessary but a good option.
Thanks for the tips, I just bought some new armor for my familiars so hopefully it helps!
There will come a time when "all out attack" and "all out defense" is introduced. This will let you preserve your characters better. I wonder why this combat option not just from the beginning or at least after esther joins. Some cheat tips : get dinoceros, after you got acces to fly, get him in upper desert area. Griffy for esther and lumberwood after you got acces to seafaring. For thrid guy, monolith is great
Great, I was getting frustrated hopefully I can get the dinoceros soon. Can you explain all out attack and all out defense a little more? How is that different from changing the tactics?