Thread by @Richmond_Lee

Sure sex is great, but have you ever successfully stolen the entire Genji Gear set from Elmdor in Final Fantasy Tactics?
#FFTactics #ファイナルファンタジータクティクス #GOAT

Throughout the history of Final Fantasy, "Genji" equipment has always been the best in any game that it appears in. It is always top tier.

The only way to get the full set of Genji Gear in Final Fantasy tactics is to steal it off of Elmdor, who is already one of the more difficult bosses in a fairly challenging game (especially when compared to other Final Fantasy games).

Simply defeating Elmdor and his assassins, Celia & Lede is already hard enough. Elmdor has powerful AOE and ranged attacks and Celia & Lede can one-shot anyone up close while also casting "stop" at a distance. They can easily wipe out your entire party in 2 turns!

But actually *stealing* all 5 pieces of Elmdor's equipment is an order of magnitude more difficult. This means you have to defeat Celia and Lede while keeping Elmdor alive. And you have to STAY ALIVE while trying to steal from him.

Oh and Celia and Lede resurrect as demons after you defeat them. So you have to kill them TWICE! Meanwhile Elmdor is capable of teleporting anywhere and attacking anyone (while also conferring negative status effects such as turning your party members into bloodthirsty vampires!)

On top of all this, Elmdor uses sword skills from the Samurai class, which means there's a chance he might BREAK HIS OWN SWORD (you know, the one you're trying to steal!) as he's fighting you! So time is limited there too!

The final showdown with Elmdor, Celia and Lede is really fun because by this point in the game, you've probably already figured out how to overpower your party with the right mix of abilities. And now you're pitted against an enemy party that's done the same!

It took me about a week to assemble the proper party with the proper abilities for this battle. And then when I finally attempted the fight, I had to throw almost everything out the window because Elmdor and co kicked my ass so badly.

I never stole the Genji set from Elmdor on my first playthrough of the game (oh gosh decades ago!). Heck I didn't even know it was possible! Replaying the game this year, I got so invested in not just the story, but the gameplay itself. I simply HAD TO do this!

It took me 13 tries (I recorded all of them to study) but I finally did it. And my god, actually getting that entire set was SO SATISFYING. It required a deep understanding of the job system, optimizing abilities and equipment, and then perfect execution during the battle itself.

My face when I finally turned the tide on Elmdor. Moments like this are one of the best parts about gaming!

In order to get all 5 Genji items, you have to truly understand the intricacies of Final Fantasy Tactics' gameplay. And then you have to put together, then execute the perfect game plan. It's rare for me to get THIS into the gameplay of an RPG, but this game has me hooked!

All of this is a really good example of how to properly build difficulty into a game. This is probably the single most difficult thing to pull off in the game, and it's completely optional. In fact, it's a secret that it's even possible. All of that actually makes it more fun!

Rather than force an insane difficulty spike on the player, it's much better to let those who are super invested into the gameplay opt in. All great RPGs understand this (for instance the WEAPON in FF7)

Anyway, if you haven't played it, or if it's just been a while, I super duper recommend Final Fantasy Tactics. The art, music and gameplay are timeless. Absolutely sterling. But what really surprised me this time around is how RELEVANT the story is today.

Playing Final Fantasy Tactics as a kid in the 90s, I was blown away by the game's open criticism of religion. But as an adult ("adult"), I was really shocked by its overt themes of class conflict. It's an incredibly well written game. But ... that's a thread for another day!

I'll say this though. Algus is one of the biggest pieces of shit I've seen in fiction in a while. Really convincingly so too. His selfishness and dedication to a system that grinds most people into dust for the benefit of the nobility is really wretched and totally believable.

Quick note about Algus. If you look at his stats during the brief time that he's in your party, it's clear he's actually more naturally gifted as a magic user (high faith, low brave). But he's convinced himself he MUST be an elite knight. Great way to tell story through gameplay!

Anyway, great game. One of the best of all time, easily. Final Fantasy Tactics. Play it!