More Final Fantasy

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

FF 12 Zodiac Age Solo Machinist Part 14


Vaan's Adamant gear from the Phon Coast shop was the answer for King Bomb.  Don't know if the Fire resistance stacked with each piece of armor.  I'm a bad video game researcher.  But what mattered was that Vaan's Horology made King Bomb history, without even requiring Mateus summon backup.  King Bomb seemed to die before using the final Renew too.  One Elixir and many Hi Potions were needed to endure all the damage.


This victory only gave Vaan satisfaction, rather than any material benefits.  Both Nabreus Deadlands and Necrohol of Nabudis had enemies at the entrance that pulverized him with physical attacks in seconds, and the latter had a cutscene featuring all the characters explaining why they should turn back immediately.


Necrohol of Nabudis is far more significant to the original PS2 version, at least for the sort of people who optimize their equipment.  If the player does NOT open certain arbitrary treasure chests in Rabanastre, the palace in Rabanastre, Nalbina Dungeons, and Phon Coast, then a chest containing the Zodiac Spear will be available in Necrohol of Nabudis.  Zodiac Spear is the best weapon in the original FF12. 


Zodiac Age makes Zodiac Spear obtainable from either a rare Henne Mines treasure chest, or for sale for 999,999 gil after completing a Hunt Club sidequest.  It's no longer the most powerful weapon either.


All this Zodiac Spear talk is irrelevant to Machinists who have no Spear licenses anyway, but this update isn't very interesting.  Maybe some readers unfamiliar with FF12 will like the digression.  As for the plot, the game gives up and says "Straight northeast to Archades. . .I only wish it wasn't so far" on the map screen.  Mosphoran Highwaste. Salikawood, Phon Coast, and Tchita Uplands are filler areas, containing "palette swap" style enemies.  "Here's another Zu, wolf, snake, frog, etc. . ."  FF12 is so big it's no wonder Matsuno called it quits during development.


By Tchita Uplands, even 9 minute Horology wasn't killing enemies in one shot, as seen in one encounter with a Serpent.  Will Vaan reach a point where his best Technick isn't inflicting enough damage to offset his weak Hi Potion healing and minimal defenses?



Stats and Equipment
 

Level 55 Machinist
 

HP:  4788
MP:  438
Attack Power:  30
Defense:  36
Magick Resist:  31
Evade:  10
Magick Evade:  0
Strength:  56
Magick Power:  52
Vitality:  51
Speed:  31



Weapon:  Ras Algethi
Off-hand:  Silent Shot
Helm:  Adamant Hat
Armor:  Adamant Vest

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

FF 12 Zodiac Age Solo Machinist Part 15


Vaan's next stop on the pointless wandering segment of the game was Sochen Cave Palace, home of enemies like Wendigo, Pit Fiend, and Striker who forced him to chug Hi Potions after every encounter.  A mandatory "Hunt" requested by an NPC in Tchita Uplands against "???" turned out to be against Onion Queen.  This fight was a farce that involved much running around a 4X speed, whether to chase down the boss or run away and quaff Hi Potions.  


Onion Queen's main gimmick was Pollen, which violated the rules of Pokemon by putting Vaan to sleep while also poisoning him.  Horology didn't even reach the 9 minute mark before killing the boss on the successful attempt, though Vaan barely escaped alive.



Ahriman was the more "serious" boss of Sochen Cave Palace.  Final Fantasy players probably have a mental image of a flying one eyed bat.  But FF12 is weird in that it uses the name of the Zoroastrian devil for a generic ghost monster instead.  It struck in melee, cast the "-ra" elemental spells, and Divided to make more Ahrimans.  Horology alone wasn't sufficient, so Mateus the Ice summon was the true hero here.  Mateus even had the courtesy to cast Cura on Vaan before disappearing after the battle.


An evil emperor from FF2 may have been nice to Vaan, but not the programmers.  As soon as Vaan walked into the next room, he tripped a damage trap and dropped dead.  Good thing Zodiac Age has autosave between screens to compensate for sadistic game design!  Traps in FF12 seem to be random between save reloads, since on the next try to cross the room, the trap was Silence instead of damage.  FF12 players will loathe the words "Sten Needle" and "Fusillade" once they reach Sochen Cave Palace.


At some point, Vaan equipped an Embroidered Tippet accessory to double his experience gain once it was seen in the inventory while looking for a trap immunity item or something.  He probably got it in the Nam-Yensa Sandsea.  To replenish his stock of Hi Potions, Vaan teleported to Phon Coast via red save crystal at the end of the dungeon, then warped back.  Aldebaran, the next gun, came from that shop too.


EDIT:  Guns are practically ceremonial weapons by now.  Vaan is hard-pressed to defeat his foes even with Horology, let alone with inferior weaponry.  This means a lot of time spent in the menu waiting for Horology to reach an acceptable time while browsing Internet articles.




Stats and Equipment
 

Level 57 Machinist
 

HP:  4919
MP:  455
Attack Power:  34
Defense:  35
Magick Resist:  31
Evade:  10
Magick Evade:  0
Strength:  58
Magick Power:  53
Vitality:  45
Speed:  32



Weapon:  Aldebaran
Off-hand:  Silent Shot
Helm:  Adamant Hat
Armor:  Adamant Vest
Accessory:  Embroidered Tippet

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

FF 12 Zodiac Age Solo Machinist Part 16


Vaan entered Archades and began a weird quest that involved talking to people about their problems to gain 3 "pine chops" to ride the taxi to Draklor Laboratories.  Is this sequence a reference to a real city circa 2005-2006, or did Square Enix just need more filler for an already long game?


Draklor Laboratories itself was a "point of no return", as suggested by the save crystal message.  GameFAQs helped Vaan navigate the red and blue bulkheads by flipping the correct switches.  The "stormtroopers" quickly beat him down if he tried to shoot them with Aldebaran instead of reverting to Horology. 



In perhaps the most ignoble moment of the playthrough, a swarm of rats chewed Vaan to death. . .twice.  At about Level 58, 20 above the recommendation for a normal party.  It took 8 minute Horology or stronger to restore his reputation as "Vaan Ratsbane" that Dalan gave him as a joke at the beginning of the game!    


Now I'm wondering if Light Armor sucks that much, if "random battles" in FF12 are more hostile to solos than other installments, or if there's another factor involved.  Machinist does have the disadvantage of not being able to use Shields because they're expected to use 2-handed Guns.  And there's quirk in the equipment system:  Armor provides Defense, while Helms are strictly for Magick Resist.  Whatever defensive bonus a hat would give you against a rat bite in other FF games is absent here.


Cid the machinist is a recurring character in Final Fantasy, and in FF12 he happens to be a villain.  Cid mostly shot at Vaan with his gun while Hastening his action speed.  His attempts to reduce damage with Greater Barrier were meaningless with Horology.  Cid's cutscene S-27 Tokamak attack was a flashy move used on occasion.


When the boss was at around 1/2 HP, Vaan's Hi Potions could barely keep up with Cid's shots.  It was time to call Mateus again, and he didn't disappoint with his 1500-1600 damage Flash-Freezes.  One X-Potion obtained from a drop helped Vaan's odds of survival, and he escaped the Draklor Laboratory trap.


After the cutscenes, Vaan wound up in Balfonheim Port, home of "The Leapin' Bangaa".  This shop was the first in the game to sell X-Potions, and they weren't sold cheap.  520 Gil apiece emptied Vaan's wallet, even after he sold most of his superfluous equipment.  Hopefully those will be enough to last him through the rest of the game.


Stats and Equipment
 

Level 59 Machinist
 

HP:  5118
MP:  466
Attack Power:  34
Defense:  38
Magick Resist:  34
Evade:  10
Magick Evade:  0
Strength:  59
Magick Power:  54
Vitality:  46
Speed:  35



Weapon:  Aldebaran
Off-hand:  Silent Shot
Helm:  Officer's Hat
Armor:  Barrel Coat
Accessory:  Embroidered Tippet

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

FF 12 Zodiac Age Solo Machinist:  Observations During a Grinding Session


This afternoon, I had Vaan dash around Golmore Jungle, Paramina Rift, and Stilshrine of Miriam to level up.  It's sometimes relaxing to do things like this when you have Gambits and a 4X speed option.  Not all of this was for the gain in power:  Vaan didn't have enough Gil to pay for the 180 Gil flight from Balfonheim Port to Nalbina.    


Vaan's increase in Defense since the last visit to Golmore Jungle was so dramatic that enemies like Gargoyles and Malboros inflicted 0 damage.  No satisfying "tink" sound like when an enemy's Iron Lance glances off a General in Fire Emblem, but it was still nice.  


According to my Switch screenshots that I can't upload here because Nintendo is stupid, Vaan slashed a White Wolf for 1247 with the Sword of Kings and shot one with Aldebaran for 1331.  Sword of Kings has a 7% chance of multiple hits vs. any Gun's 5% critical hit.  And the Sword of Kings has faster action speed, so it should be superior to a Gun in theory.  But I stuck with Aldebaran during the grinding session, and it granted 10 Evade during Horology anyway.


Weapon classes are NOT eligible for both critical hits and combos according to Maltzsan's mechanics guide for the PS2 version.  (That's the only one I can easily find:  all Zodiac Age changes come from a wiki.  Don't know where they got their information from. . .) 


Ice Elementals in Paramina Rift were as dangerous as ever, and Vaan died once when he was foolhardy enough to attack one.


To test the difference that armor made in damage, Vaan stripped off his Barrel Coat and faced a Gargoyle bare-chested.  The Gargoyle clawed him for 182 damage on a low roll that I got a screenshot for, as opposed to 0 with the armor on.  So even Light Armor has noticeable value if you're overleveled for the area.


Light Armor is still the worst category for a class to be stuck with, as seen by comparing defensive values from the Balfonheim Port Shop:


Light Armor

Chakra Band-37 Magick Resist
Power Vest-41 Defense


Mystic Armor

Hypnocrown-44 Magick Resist
Jade Gown-44 Defense


Heavy Armor

Giant's Helmet-38 Magick Resist
Carabineer Mail-53 Defense


Heavy Armor is better suited against physical attacks, while the Mystic Armor for mage classes protects against spells.  Light Armor is inferior to both.  Consider that Machinists are also bereft of Shields for evasion stats and any kind of Cure spells, and you have a character that dies quickly in spite of its many HP bonus licenses.


The results of this leveling session are below:


Stats and Equipment
 

Level 67 Machinist
 

HP:  5523
MP:  514
Attack Power:  39
Defense:  41
Magick Resist:  37
Evade:  10
Magick Evade:  0
Strength:  67
Magick Power:  63
Vitality:  49
Speed:  33



Weapon:  Spica
Off-hand:  Silent Shot
Helm:  Chakra Band
Armor:  Power Vest
Accessory:  Embroidered Tippet



(No, Vaan STILL doesn't have any stronger ammo than the default.  Is there a specific shop that sells them in Zodiac Age?)

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

FF 12 Zodiac Age Solo Machinist Part 17


Vaan's experience in the Feywood proved his time spent training was necessary.  Cerberus was yet another variation of the Wolf enemy, and Basilisk was a generic snake.  Maybe St. Patrick should have gone to Ivalice instead of Ireland.  Golem was a stronger Treant, and Mirrorknights were birdmen that tried to keep themselves alive with Reflect and Curaga.  Preying Mantis was common in the later areas, and one of the more dangerous foes if it appeared in groups.  Behemoth drove an Ice Spike into Vaan in the same areas where Preying Mantis dwelled.



The Sword of Kings finished off the lesser monsters, though Vaan was severely injured after each battle and had to chug Hi Potions or X-Potions.  Even with a high minute Horology, some fights were close.  Vaan often tapped himself with Gilt Measure to gain Protect status before combat.


Rafflesia, however, was an easy boss since it relied on ailments rather than high HP or direct attacks.  8 minute Horology sped up the circle of life, and no summons or Quickenings were required.  Vaan left the arena with only 310 max HP due to the combination of Disease and Sap from Nectar Volley and some other move I didn't catch.  Vaan would have been in trouble if he were a warlock, since the arena drained MP.


A short puzzle after the boss required Vaan to run to the different "gazebos" and spot the forest illusion to find the correct path.  At the end, he needed to summon Belias to open the Gigas Gate, a detail I remember from the PS2 version.  This is the only point where summoning is required in the story, and I wonder if this mechanic was meant to appear for more Espers, but was scrapped due to development woes.



Stats and Equipment
 

Level 69 Machinist
 

HP:  5588
MP:  527
Attack Power:  39
Defense:  41
Magick Resist:  37
Evade:  10
Magick Evade:  0
Strength:  68
Magick Power:  64
Vitality:  49
Speed:  33



Weapon:  Spica
Off-hand:  Silent Shot
Helm:  Chakra Band
Armor:  Power Vest
Accessory:  Embroidered Tippet

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

FF 12 Zodiac Age Solo Machinist Part 18


Daedalus guarded the dungeon of Giruvegan, and did so fiercely with Darkra, Smite of Rage, Rage, Tremor, Tri-Attack, and the final Ice Break that impaled Vaan on an icicle.  A few attempts later, and it was clear that another leveling session was necessary. 


Vaan exterminated the local wildlife in Golmore Jungle until he grew to 75, then defied Daedalus again.  A Dispel Mote removed the boss's Haste, our hero whacked himself with Gilt Measure, and the exchange of blows ended in Vaan's favor.  Barely, but he managed it at least.


Giruvegan proper contained many Behemoths for brute force.  Combined with Malboro-type Vivians whose breath attacks once Petrified Vaan and Disabled his Item option, and you can see why it was better to flee from combat instead of waiting for 8 to 9 minute Horology.  


But the worst was yet to come.  Tyrant seemed like an ordinary dragon boss at first, but then the following lines appeared on the screen:


"A magick field falls over the party!  Characters cannot use Technicks!"


No Horology made Machinist Vaan into a feeble physical attacker who barely scratched Tyrant with 1257 power Spica rounds.  Mateus's Flash-Freeze exploited Tyrant's Ice weakness for 4381 damage, but even his superior stats weren't enough to take all of the dragon's attacks.  Belias's Painflares singed Tyrant for a minor 846 damage, but the boss made the sheep into vellum after a few hits.


Now, it is possible to summon the same Esper more than once during a fight.  I found this out when Vaan slowly regenerated Mist after wasting his final original Mist point on a 1700s Red Spiral Quickening that didn't roll a chain.  


Tyrant raked Vaan for 924 with Sonic Fangs, crushed him with a 2911 Piercing Graviga, shocked him with 1455 power Thundagas, and clobbered him with high 700s to low 900s melee.  Having to drink X-Potions to restore 2850 HP after every couple of attacks was a losing strategy.  I'm not sure Vaan would win with weapon attacks even at Level 99.


There may be a way out of this predicament.  Many optional Espers can be found throughout Ivalice, and Vaan should take more advantage of his informal !Summon subjob. . .




Stats and Equipment
 

Level 75 Machinist
 

HP:  5822
MP:  557
Attack Power:  39
Defense:  42
Magick Resist:  37
Evade:  10
Magick Evade:  0
Strength:  72
Magick Power:  67
Vitality:  59
Speed:  34



Weapon:  Spica
Off-hand:  Silent Shot
Helm:  Chakra Band
Armor:  Power Vest
Accessory:  Black Belt

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

FF 12 Zodiac Age Solo Machinist Part 19


Vaan's first step on his Esper quest was Zertinan Caverns, close to Jahara.  Adrammelech the Lucavi served as the Ramuh replacement, and cast Thundara accordingly.  Thundaja was its "cutscene attack".  Bleed threatened to slowly drain Vaan's HP with Sap status.  The biggest annoyance during this battle involved the Shambling Corpses that had a knack for "-ra" elemental spells.


After several failed attempts with just Horology, Vaan summoned Mateus and chained 2 White Whorls to acquire his 3rd summon.  It won't be useful for Tyrant, since it's a Thunder-based boss.


To find the first 2nd tier Esper, Vaan first had to defeat White Mousse in a Hunt in Garamsythe Waterway.  White Mousse was a Flan-type monster notable for casting constant Aquagas when it was at critical HP.  Horology was sufficient to defeat White Mousse, and no Espers were needed.


Next came the Cúchulainn sidequest, which involved opening and closing sluice gates in a manner worthy of a puzzle in Ocarina of Time's Water Temple.  This boss wasn't based on the mythical Cúchulainn, but rather "Queklain" the Lucavi from Final Fantasy Tactics.  Its specialty was Poison, and even its sewer arena came with the following message:


"A magick field falls over the party, slowly draining HP!"


Cúchulainn came with a variety of ailment spells, like Bio, Immobilizega, and Disablega.  Its "undead Flan" Foobar companions joined the fight, potentially using spells like Darkra, Sleep, and Toxify.  It was hard to tell what happened since Vaan didn't last one round in the ring.  Even after trying Adrammelech after the first failure.  Machinist Vaan cannot defeat a mid-tier Esper. . .at Level 75.    


Most of the better Guns and Measures seem to be rare treasures in Cerobi Steppe, an optional area near Balfonheim Port.  But Vaan will probably still be better off leveling up.  Espers scale to their summoner's level, and the Sword of Kings will get better with more Strength.  Even though it's the weakest Greatsword apart from the joke Excalipur.


No need for Stats and Equipment this time.

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

FF 12 Zodiac Age Solo Machinist Part 20


Vaan trained himself and his Lightning Esper Adrammelech to Level 85, mostly in Cerobi Steppe and Nabreus Deadlands.  Adrammelech's Flash Arc zaps and Cura healing carried the summoner through areas where he would have died if left to wander alone.  This was clear when the traditional Baknamy greeting at the Nabreus Deadlands nearly killed Vaan, and that was at full 9 minute Horology power.


Finding weapons in Cerobi Steppe treasure chests is rare enough that you're better off gaining levels, assuming the goal is to clear the game rather than finish every side quest.  Most of the time you'll get Knot of Rust or Gil instead.


The first rematch with Tyrant showed some improvement.  Mateus's Flash-Freezes turned the temperature down to 5500s damage.  Vaan's Sword of Kings gashed Tyrant for around 1129, and rose to 1371 after applying a Domaine Calvados for Bravery status.  "Bravery" is a reference to the Final Fantasy Tactics stat that doesn't exist in FF12.  Instead, "Bravery" increases physical power by 30%, and can be combined with Berserk status from Bacchus Wine if you wish.


Mateus was too frail to survive repeated attacks from Tyrant, and Vaan was doomed once all his Mist charges were exhausted.  Vaan's duel with the Sword of Kings proved he was no St. George, and Tyrant slew him still having less than 1/4 HP.


Solo Vaan won the next round with Tyrant using an unconventional tactic:  siccing the Lightning Esper on the Lightning dragon.  The first use of Adrammelech was unintentional, and came from pressing the confirm button too quickly.  It was a happy accident rather than planning.  Adrammelech was smart enough to avoid casting Flash Arc on Tyrant, and instead pounded the boss with melee.  Tyrant ignored Adrammelech for most of the fight for some reason.  Vaan was most effective as an X-Potion guzzling decoy, though he contributed to the victory with Sword of Kings slashes.



Stats and Equipment
 

Level 85 Machinist
 

HP:  6330
MP:  600
Attack Power:  53
Defense:  41
Magick Resist:  37
Evade:  0
Magick Evade:  0
Strength:  77
Magick Power:  72
Vitality:  75
Speed:  35



Weapon:  Sword of Kings
Off-hand:  Nothing
Helm:  Chakra Band
Armor:  Power Vest
Accessory:  Agate Ring

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

FF 12 Zodiac Age Solo Machinist Part 21


Vaan's "reward" for pointing Adrammelech in the direction of Tyrant was the Great Crystal, a dungeon that confused many players in 2006.  The in-game map was useless and didn't show which direction Vaan was pointing.  And all the rooms had fake Sanskrit names.  For example, the starting room had the moniker "A Prama Vikaari", while one of the connecting rooms from a later point was called "Kabonii Jilaam Avaa".


This is one of many instances where Final Fantasy developers take something that sounds "exotic" and uses it completely out of context.  *Looks at Bahamut the dragon*  To navigate the Great Crystal, I used the following link for a map:


http://finalfantasy.istad.org/2013/11/ff...t-crystal/


It should be noted that the treasures have changed for the Zodiac Age version.  Vaan picked up a Speed-increasing Ninja Gear in one chest, which is listed nowhere on the map.


Vaan either used Horology on the enemies or fled.  Many of them fought as dirty as I have in this playthrough, including Reapers who cast Death outright.  


Every Raithwall dungeon needed an Esper, so the last encounter in Giruvegan/Great Crystal was Shemhazai.   She was intended to be an anti-mage boss, indicated by her abilities to Syphon MP and change her elemental weakness and absorption.  Shemhazai's offensive tactics relied on Shock, Disease-inducing melee, and the ultimate Black Magick spell Flare.  All those Machinist HP licenses paid off as Vaan endured Flares and survived the 2nd attempt with 2113 max health while Diseased.  Vaan won honestly with Horology, and didn't need an Esper to bail him out.


The plot weapon for Giruvegan was the Treaty-Blade, a Greatsword with 67 Attack, 30 Evade, and no license.  Not impressive for melee classes, but Machinist Vaan welcomed it as an upgrade to the Sword of Kings. 


Shemhazai's license opened the path to Hand-bombs 3, making Vaan eligible for Caldera and Volcano.  Hand-bombs use the same damage formula as axes and hammers, which checks for the user's Strength and Vitality vs. the enemy's Defense.  What makes them interesting is that the random variable in the multiplier starts from 0 rather than 1.  It reminds me of the Flail from FF5.  (Am I thinking of the right weapon?)


It's unlikely that Vaan will ever use Hand-Bombs, since Caldera is in a rare treasure chest on Cerobi Steppe.  One of the original FF12's failings is the random treasure chest mechanic, and they didn't fix much of it in Zodiac Age.  Our hero will probably stick with Treaty-Blade and Horology for now.  Shemhazai will probably be pressed into service before the end of the game. . .


Stats and Equipment
 

Level 85 Machinist
 

HP:  6400
MP:  600
Attack Power:  67
Defense:  45
Magick Resist:  37
Evade:  30
Magick Evade:  0
Strength:  75
Magick Power:  72
Vitality:  62
Speed:  39



Weapon:  Treaty-Blade
Off-hand:  Nothing
Helm:  Chakra Band
Armor:  Ninja Gear
Accessory:  Black Belt

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

FF 12 Zodiac Age Solo Machinist Part 22


This episode almost ended Machinist Vaan's adventure.  Everyone who's completed the original FF12 loathes the Pharos tower near the end of the game, and Zodiac Age hasn't tamed it except for the autosave feature.  Once you start to climb Pharos, the only way to return is a one-way trip to the bottom.  Think of it as a "soft" point of no return.


Hydro the undead dragon greeted Vaan just before the entrance with Bio, Darkra, and Sonic Fangs.  Disease, Poison, and Sap ailments were common, and Vaan's Horology had to be supplemented with Shemhazai's Devour Soul. 


I had no idea how the damage formula for that move worked until I looked it up.  Devour Soul works by dividing Shemhazai's max HP (9999 here) by a random number between 1-10.  Guess that explained why some casts were much fiercer than others.  Devour Soul is yet another gimmick move improved by Zodiac Age, since in the PS2 version, Devour Soul is based on current HP rather than max health.  Devour Soul is also non-elemental although it looks like it should be Dark type.


Fighting regular enemies was required in the First Ascent because they dropped Black Orbs needed to activate a few altars.  Chimera Brains served as the "Cockatrice" type monster, and Mimeos occasionally appeared as fake treasure chests.  Brainpans were the spellcaster enemies with Aquaga, Aeroga, and Darkra, and with careful positioning Vaan could take them out one at a time.  The monsters were still weak enough for Vaan to kill them with the Treaty-Blade, but later Ascents were crueler.


Pandaemonium the giant tortoise was a guardian of the First Ascent.  It was mostly a physical attacker, but sometimes tried to petrify our hero with Stone Gaze.  Melee and Horology helped for most of the fight, but Shemhazai had to rescue Vaan near the end of the battle.


Slyt the fish had Regen status and a high-PSI bite.  Vaan became a chew toy within seconds, even with Horology and Adrammelech's help.  The 1 Mist cost Espers were becoming obsolete, and it was clear that Shemhazai needed to intervene.  Protect status from Gilt Measure self-bludgeoning allowed Vaan to weather Slyt's physical attacks.  According to one guide from Jegged, Slyt's Sleep weakness was removed in the Zodiac Age version.  Not all changes made the game easier, apparently.


The Square Enix employees who programmed Second Ascent must have anticipated variant play, except for one renegade who slipped in an merciful option.  All players will have to choose one altar to "sacrifice" an ability in order to advance.  Alter of Wealth removes Item, Altar of Steel blocks Attack, and Altar of Magicks disables Magick.  But solo Vaan took Altar of Knowledge instead, which. . .turned off the minimap.  But not the regular map on the pause screen!  


Fenrir looked more like a white weretiger instead of a Norse wolf.  As you'd expect, it mostly struck with physical moves such as Ram and Ice Break.  Without Espers, Machinist Vaan entered an "X-Potion death spiral" when Fenrir was at about 2/3 HP where he had to drink items more than he could attack.  Vaan managed to count Fenrir down to about 1/2 HP with Horology just before expiring.  A couple of attempts with summons failed, until Vaan barely managed a victory with Shemhazai and about 8 X-Potions.


Third Ascent was a teleporter maze based on the sigils from earlier Ascents.  Instead of trying to solve the riddles, I used the Jegged guide.  Purobolos from FF5 appeared as a regular Bomb type enemy here, instead of a "boss" that revived fallen allies.  Necrofiends, Zombie Warlocks, and Dead Bones were so tough that Shemhazai along with high minute Horology were necessary if found in large groups.  The "solo" part of the challenge looked more like a technicality than a true variant.


Hashmal the Lucavi challenged Vaan as the Earth Esper.  I have vague memories of a summon using the old meme attack "Roxxor" in the FF12 demo, and it seems to have come from Hashmal.  Jegged helped a lot with this boss because it reminded me I had a Float Mote in my inventory to dodge Quakeja and Roxxor.  Bubble Mote increased Vaan's max HP and protected him from Disease-infected melee attacks.  Gilt Measure gave Protect, Hermes Sandals provided Haste, and Shemhazai was Vaan's backup.  Even then, the battle was still difficult and required many attempts. 


Each failed try required Vaan to wait for a few minutes before the battle to get the right Horology, he needed to use Ethers to slowly refill his Mist, and occasionally he encountered a Tower miniboss after loading the autosave which forced him to reload.  This was so frustrating it almost doomed the challenge.  And stupid Reddas the Guest had to Block or Parry every other Attack when Vaan needed to get rid of him.


Gabranth at the top of the tower, however, was so easy that Vaan didn't need to summon at all.  The top Judge used mainly physical moves, and could be taken out with Horology.  The tricky part came when Dr. Cid appeared immediately after Gabranth croaked.  Hashmal came out of his Poke Ball to throw Roxxor at Balthier's father, until Cid revealed his own summon:  Famfrit the Totema from Tactics Advance.  Dr. Cid was immune to damage at this point in the fight, while Famfrit cast Water element spells.  Hashmal had to tag out to Shemhazai, with the help of an Elixir to refill the Mist gauge.  Dr. Cid preferred cutscene attacks like Gatling Gun, though he was easily defeated when his Esper was banished.


Pharos was so harsh on Vaan, he had only 3 X-Potions remaining after returning to Balfonheim.  If I do another challenge playthrough of FF12, it's probably going to be "3 party members with the same job with minimal Quickenings and Espers" rather than a solo.  Future solo runs would be too similar to each other because of the general difficulty of the late game requiring Espers.


Only one more dungeon to go!  Perhaps Vaan will level up some more to be on the safe side. . .


Stats and Equipment
 

Level 87 Machinist
 

HP:  6732
MP:  607
Attack Power:  67
Defense:  44
Magick Resist:  46
Evade:  30
Magick Evade:  0
Strength:  79
Magick Power:  73
Vitality:  56
Speed:  40



Weapon:  Treaty-Blade
Off-hand:  Nothing
Helm:  Chaperon
Armor:  Ninja Gear
Accessory:  Hermes Sandals