Red Mages Only: Final Fantasy 12

[@Xephrost_Gaming]

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[@pockystyx4087]

Red Mage in 1: Jack of all trades, master of none. Red Mage in 3: Master of none. Red Mage in 5: Dualcast? nah, Rod Smash! Red Mage in 12: ARDOR.

[@sir.raphimrevelator8644]

Oil, expose

[@RTMP_]

Don’t forget Achilles!

[@One.Zero.One101]

Also Burning Bow from archer class.

[@mattmelton7389]

Maces doing magic damage makes me think of a canister of magic-flavored pepper spray.

[@chrism4403]

Not that kind of mace 😂

[@Externica]

From a design perspective, red mages are easily some of my favourite classes in final fantasy. The sad part is, they're usually not very good. In the first they're a good enough substitute for Black Mages with added utility and a decent attack power, so they can conserve magic uses. And then came Zodiac Age and just removed their usual restrictions and made them really, really good. Job combinations probably helped. But overall, I'm just happy the red mages can really shine in FF12.

[@Balio2-y3e]

Yeah I hate the fact that Red mage never have the best magics available.

[@dandelionspulp3725]

Everything in this game is wonderful. The best FF ever.

[@mhc706]

my first time seeing a video by you and i really enjoyed it! great work, gonna have to go back and watch some more

[@TheFlyingV]

The reason the dual sandseas work, for me, is being blown away that I was in the second sandsea, and could still see Rabanastre in the skybox. An easy trick, but it worked on me at the time. Gives such a sense of a long journey. Also, you sidetrack yourself in the caverns.That sense of adventure is cool. Doing video challenges can, for good reason mind you, miss the wandering that can make an area.

[@Xephrost_Gaming]

That's very true. The experience is very different when I know where I want to be and what few things I want in a given area.

[@242sighting]

@@Xephrost_Gaming For my part, Lhusu Mines were the first time I got to really grind out some LP and the sansea was the second. It was a great playground for experimenting with all the options that opened up. Not sure it has that role in TZA, and it certainly doesn't in a challenge run.

[@ZephWraen]

I think I remember reading in an interview that the reason Red and Time mages are Battlemages in IZJS / Zodiac Age was because they wanted to really give them more of an Ivalician vibe and lean into the mixed attacker angle (and also I'm sure from a practical standpoint they had so many weapon types, being able to spread 2 more weapon types out - maces and crossbows - probably made the job balance a little more even). As an aside, they also really wanted a Spear user but didn't think Dragoons made sense (Bangaa can be Dragoons in the two Ivalice Tactics Advanced games, but there's no Jump skill in XII and what's a Dragoon without a jump?) hence the Uhlan being pulled from history to fit the role instead.

[@jackbarnes3076]

Please name the two italics tactics advanced games

[@jackbarnes3076]

Ivalices*

[@ZephWraen]

@@jackbarnes3076 Final Fantasy Tactics Advanced, and Final Fantasy Tactics: A2

[@damianporter942]

all the times the game asks you to walk through a couple long in game areas to get to the next story beat are the times where you unlock bundles of side content. Optional bosses, new hunts, new side quests or new advances in previous side quests. If you ignore side content and just run to the next story beat those parts will feel like baren and pointless but thats cause the point is to take a break from the story and explore everything new and maybe backtrack a bit since youre stronger.

[@rikaclawfal4835]

A FF game that actually made a good version of Red Mages. Interesting that they made them a hybrid of an Arcanist (FFTA2), Black Mage, White Mage, Green Mage, and Sage (FFTA2) classes.

[@Xephrost_Gaming]

Agreed. FF12's classes are all a bit of a hodge podge. Both because Ivalice and because they were tacked on later.

[@GaNopper]

Red Mages in FFXII are stupid solid. They may be slow sometimes but nearly unkillable, and Ardor is the highest damage modifier spell in game.

[@steveozone4910]

Ardor + Oil was always a great combo 😂. Plus you could get oil for the Redmage. Drain is also a handy Green magic.

[@Xephrost_Gaming]

Yup. It's such a great combo.

[@D3ityCthulhu]

Larsa is invaluable when it comes to grinding. His ability to use unlimited potions allows you to power level quickly. I did every hunt available each time as well.

[@Xephrost_Gaming]

Yeah, the guest characters are so useful for grinding. And Larsa is great at keeping the party healed.

[@TARDISES]

Because guests are controllable as of IZJS, they don't have infinite items anymore as they don't have their own supply. He's still a useful support though because he comes with white magic, and even some sources black magic so he's a stronger attacker now.

[@argetistalrí]

Hey hey! ^^/ FF12's my favorite game of all time, so its super cool to see someome doing content on it - I just came from the Black Mages only run :) Keep up the good vids! I'll be sticking around for sure ^^

[@VorpalTiger]

Your remarks on bosses dealing huge damage when they are in crit hp, you are meant to strip their str with wither, technicks (and the foebreaker job) makes the huge amount of damage these bosses can do reduce them down to much more manageable, not to mention wither got super buffed in zodiac age as it can be used on any enemy now, and its stackable

[@Wajulillo]

As I said in other videos. Red mage is best class 😎😎😎

[@MakoTenseii]

I just finished this game. So I can finally engage with content about it. And this is great!

[@calciferblack2409]

That's awesome! I bought FFVII Rebirth day one but wasn't able to finish it until last month, so I know exactly how that feels. I trust you've enjoyed your time with XII so far? :)

[@tricmagic]

2:24 Well you are Captain Basch. On a side note, the Sandsea is more spectacle and links to the Ozmone Plains via the underground. Along with the double supermob dragons and wind esper being located there. ... Honestly the entire cave feels like a puzzle to get through to the rewards tucked away. Or a stealth mission in my case cause man is it annoyingly high level. And trapped.

[@KelluehazeDSOO]

you dont have enough views/subs, your channel is great

[@Omega-jg4oq]

When they introduce these new jobs, there's literally endless amount of possibilities you can try and select different jobs for each characters each time..

[@RoninCatholic]

Canonically this is the same setting as Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. Somehow over time the Red Mage was made not a Viera-only profession...switched weapon preference from rapier to mace and picked up dark elemental spells for some reason. It's like the class is made out of leftovers of other classes this time around.

[@reith6073]

I would love to see all the classes for this

[@Xephrost_Gaming]

Doing a run with every class is on my list to do.

[@noahhobson4521]

While there are several things I don't like about The Zodiac Age, that quickenings now have their own charges instead of draining your MP is a change I love. It makes quickenings usable without disrupting healing and maintaining buffs.

[@Xephrost_Gaming]

I totally agree. Quickenings were of very limited use in the original release (basically, if you think it will kill a boss, do it. otherwise don't). Whereas in the zodiac age version there is a lot more of a strategic consideration.

[@Fine_Mouche]

why i can't put the video in a playlist ?

[@delandel5496]

At the very beginning of the game you can buy a mace in a fortress or on the coast in the north.

[@NotTheWheel]

Love these videos I see you also do Pokemon type lock challenges. Could you do my favorite type? Poison someday. Many generations have a very good selection of Poison types or half poison. Gen 1, Gen 5 and Gen 7 all can host pretty great poison teams.

[@Xephrost_Gaming]

Poison only is on my list. Good shout on which games might work though, I've haven't decided on that yet.

[@Terins917]

I did this as well. Hard due to the limitations of the class, but quite fun

[@CottidaeSEA]

I actually really liked the Sandsea for some reason

[@maybayV2]

Ugh imma have to play this damn gane again now

[@Fine_Mouche]

21:15 i don't understand why u use levitation on this boss ?

[@Xephrost_Gaming]

2 of Hashmal's attacks (Roxxor and Quakeja) are both earth element attacks. So float negates their damage completely.

[@Fine_Mouche]

@@Xephrost_Gaming so levitation spell is not only to avoid traps :o

[@twinkgauntlet8389]

A game that you could do the same kind of challenges in would be bravely default. It also uses the class system

[@delandel5496]

At the beginning of the game you can unlock and buy the spell darkness. After that you can go to the banquet to Wayne. With the spell Darkness attacking the horse with huge damage, half of the game is easy. But the undead can be killed with a mace.

[@nexmeles8023]

Ooohhh this is going to be interesting!

[@chelsthegameruiner8669]

Wait, Machinist was a pre-existing job that originated in this game? I thought the name was original in FFXIV

[@Xephrost_Gaming]

The first appearance of Machinist was actually FF Tactics, and was likely included in Zodiac Age because of the Ivalice connection. Debatably, Edgar from FF6 would be the first Machinist in the series, but I don't recall if that term is actually used in game. My understanding is that the ff14 devs pulled in a lot of Ivalice influences into FF14 (which is good. Ivalice rocks).

[@KelluehazeDSOO]

it would be cool to see someone do an "all 1 job" challenge but actually do the whole game, like the hunts as the main game bosses and the main game is very easy, no matter the restriction (except for insane ones like NLBLLG) , it would just be nice to see people go for omega, yiazmat, hell wyrm, BK, fenrir etc in these challenges

[@bubbz127]

Hope you grow! Videos are awesome👍

[@prct6768]

Did you ever consider making one of the Red Mages (Vaan) a physical damage dealer?

[@Xephrost_Gaming]

I did. But the only physical weapons red mages can equip (other than starting weapons) are greatswords. The licenses for which are locked behind Chaos, Ultima, and Zodiark. All of which are harder than the final boss, so there wasn't really any point.

[@Fine_Mouche]

YEh i wanted it and i get it ! What about only white mage next time ?

[@Xephrost_Gaming]

White Mages only is definitely on the list for a future series.

[@unlimitedslash]

You could've used archer as a subclass and equip the burning bows for +50% fire damage with ardor.

[@CrimsonMage-flare]

if you were to play normally, what other fun job combination would you do with your red battlemage ?

[@Xephrost_Gaming]

That's actually tough. Red Mages do really well in a solo class challenge, but I feel like that versatility doesn't actually mesh well when a character has 2 classes. Since usually if you're shoring up the weakness of a class, another class is going to do that better than red mage. That being said, I'd probably go Machinist for item lores, Shikari for the quickness augments, or Bushi for a better weapon based off magick.

[@jamesburnworth4333]

I am currently playing this game on the switch using monk only.

[@Xephrost_Gaming]

I'm excited to do monk only at some point. Not a class I use that often in 12, but it is bulky and can get some great healing mid-late game.

[@chiakinanami3080]

Does the Base Magick stat really matter late game? Equipment and Magick Lores usually make anyone hit 99 after mid game, so Max HP would be the better stat to focus on

[@noyoucantnoicantnowecantsostop]

Even in OG Max HP becomes a late game problem, my Basch has bubble belt on him for the entire duration of the game and when i switched it for something else related to berserk katana combo build he has his HP barely above 5K while the rest are barely above 4K. Stats growth doesn't matter the equipment's the one that makes the difference, but MHP is pretty much the only thing to take care of, not even high def / magic def can cover it alone

[@Xephrost_Gaming]

So, from checking my character's magic stats were 75, 75, and 72, respectively. I don't know offhand if the stat screen includes magick lore bumps. Even if it did, none of them would be maxed. Also, while I don't mention it, mp totals vary a lot. Basch at lv 50 has 259-439 whereas penelo has 343-577, which could be a pretty big difference. If Vaan's magick were weaker, I would have used Basch, but Vaan has much better magick and pretty comparable HP.

[@chiakinanami3080]

@@Xephrost_Gaming Sorry about that, I’m guessing that it’s probably because Red Mage gets a lot less Magic Lores than the other magic classes and no bonus magic from their weapons. I forgot just how massive the bonuses are from Staves over Maces.

[@Xephrost_Gaming]

Yeah, maces are based off magick for damage but don't give any bonus to magick (which is pretty hefty). I also finished the game at a lower level than would be expected, so base stats were more influential that normal. There is definitely optional hunts/etc. that would require me to be a higher level and Basch would be the better choice.

[@VorpalTiger]

Using the second license board with proper gear set up you will hit 99 magic power, on my playthrough right now my vaan and fran have 99 magic power vaan being blm+monk fran being whm+time mage. Just with cura my fran heals for 5-6k hp

[@thomasrink2469]

I love your videos! ❤

[@MaliciousMalcontent]

How about a "Canon Jobs Only" run? There's some caveats that have to be made, since Ashe and Penelo don't have jobs that fit them well, but they do have other appearances. Ashe is a Time Mage in Revenant Wings and Penelo is a Dancer/White Mage. Though if you want to go less obvious you could do Penelo as a Monk since its the most "dancer"-like job and gets healing as well. I think Monk might be more interesting since the White Mage job is almost too good at keeping you alive. Vaan - Shikari Balthier - Machinist Fran - Archer Basch - Knight Ashe - Time Battlemage Penelo - White Mage (Monk)

[@Joe_334]

Yeah, they only ever allowed Blue Mages in another area of Ivalice, in Jylland, lol.

[@fortello7219]

I do love Red Mages. This is a great example of why

[@mck35303]

I wish this was still playable on PlayStation Premium 😭

[@fargonotic]

kind of makes sense that red mages would not have an awfull time in FF12, since they initially designed the game expecting all characters to have access to the entire talent grid, Zodiac Age built on that but some of that dna might still be in there. a group of generalists end up doing better here than a group of only specialized casters the real MVP might just be the spell availability and proper equipment, though, this really felt like a proper rpg - advancing through stages instead of making due with whatever is available to you

[@Xephrost_Gaming]

Red mage is interesting because it feels awkward in a normal playthrough (where everyone gets two classes), but is absolutely great when you can only use one class.

[@nesoukkefka1741]

​@@Xephrost_GamingYeah it's kind of a victim of having access to 2 Jobs, as oppose to the original IZJS version on PS2 where you could only choose one class per characters.

[@TheBlackSeraph]

@@Xephrost_Gaming Zodiac Age is basically just an enhanced version of IZJS where you could only play one class per character. I started playing Fran only playthroughs and my first run had an RBM and a combat class just to see how well it would go. Even on a solo character run, RBM+anything wasn't much of a challenge and I didn't even know about mace damage calculations.

[@InimicalWit]

14:03 This moment intrigues me. 💙 It was explicit to not give Basch a board; I accepted you had implicitly imposed a limit to active party only. However, then we come to this moment, and you sound like you’re thinking free, but restricted by an arbitrary previous decision. First of these videos I’ve watched, so I’m not familiar with the “routine”, but am here out of curiosity. Really wish the Gambit system would make another appearance in the franchise Thanks for the video 💙

[@Xephrost_Gaming]

So, there wasn't a rule to only limit to 3 party members. I did so for the most part because it's faster to level 3 characters than 6 (and when they would all be limited to the same class it's not worth the extra effort). So, yes, this was mostly just me realizing I never even bothered to assign his license board. And I second the desire to bring the Gambit system back. There are say many fun ways this could be iterated on.

[@bronysaiyan5236]

Red Mage best mage. Mix time mage and get a Red Time Battlemage and that unit becomes an absolute unit

[@justsomeguy28]

Just found you and am now subbed ❤

[@victorgustavo4366]

Fran is so weak in magic atributte.

[@MechaOracle]

I did a Mechanist only run and it made an absolute joke of this entire game. Also, I like skipping the forest dragon just because I find it funny that you can.

[@Xephrost_Gaming]

You can skip the forest dragon!?

[@theorenfrench5240]

Yep, rather than exiting Golmore Jungle to the east towards the Paramina Rift, instead exit south into the Feywood, then proceed east from there until you reac( the Paramina Rift

[@Xephrost_Gaming]

Oh, of course. I hadn't even thought of that.

[@doll5274]

Please do more job challenges in final fantasy xii the zodiac age. Would love to see the white mage and machinist jobs fully occupied.

[@Xephrost_Gaming]

I will definitely be doing more job challenges in FF12. It's just so good for them.

[@doll5274]

@@Xephrost_Gaming dumb question to peak my curiosity. Do you play FF12TZA cause of the gambit system to better support the use of job mechanics or the flexibility of a semi open linear story as a whole?

[@Xephrost_Gaming]

If you mean rather than the original, the original didn't have a job system at all, so it doesn't qualify. If you mean why include 12 at all, it's because this is the only mainline 3d Final Fantasy with a job class. That's not an MMO at least. (X-2 would also be in the running if you count it as "mainline" but X-2 doesn't have red mages).

[@prodbyANT]

Bummed that you barely used the main character Balthier in this run.

[@Xephrost_Gaming]

I would have, but Balthier's magick stat is just awful. It's really bad.

[@Omega-jg4oq]

Balthier as a magic user is definitely something you don't wanna try.. 💀 he is the leading man, not the supporting man Lol

[@rhaennys7707]

my favourite part about ff12 its those long walks that nothing happens noooo

[@Xephrost_Gaming]

Lol. Fair enough. I'm glad there are people who enjoy those sections.

[@medigoomnis]

Lol some weird pronunciations in this, like Mateus...anyway, I kind of like the exploration areas between story beats but I absolutely understand that's not for everyone and probably seems like a slog for many. That's probably why ff13 is a hallway sim...

[@Xephrost_Gaming]

When it comes to pronunciations, I do always try my best. My best is often not great though. lol.

[@GamingPenguin4545]

Funnily enough I really like the sandseas, dont know why really

[@Xephrost_Gaming]

They may not be for me, but I'm glad some people like them.

[@KitsuneRagnell]

RDM Mains rise up

[@redmage08]

HELL yea

[@daltbrad2990]

that looks a lot harder with nails

[@aaronammann4236]

I don't know if XIV was on the list for the Red Mage only run but if it is. Choose a class that starts in Ul'dah first.

[@Xephrost_Gaming]

Much as I would love to do FFXIV, it's outside the scope of this series. And would take too long to do.

[@aaronammann4236]

@@Xephrost_Gaming understandable. and I heavily agree with you on the length of it all. Would be interesting to see a magic only run with Final fantasy 2 though.

[@Xephrost_Gaming]

I may or may not be working on a video about that right now. ;)

[@big_red01027]

Vaan, you sly dog!

[@Marcas-pj9jl]

red mage vs yazamet

[@sirgouki6207]

shoulda subbed WAR for swords, for the true RDM gear set up. Too bad this only copied the battle stuff from XI...

[@jetkirby]

Daedelus is always a joke of a boss for me because I'm always over leveled, I didn't know he was dangerous for casual playthroughs

[@Xephrost_Gaming]

Yeah, I'd never had any issue with Daedelus prior to these runs. I was very surprised to get absolutely destroyed.

[@gilgamesh2882]

Just beat the whole game with fists coward.

[@crispboi2457]

Red and i think dragoon(forgot the name) suffer the most from dual jobs imo. They feel good enough alone but just seem strange to pair with anything else. I ended up blk+knight for a suped up red and drag+wht since i just wanted a "staff" that actually dealt damage 😂