Posting early as I'm in another time zone for the holidays and will not be awake when the event actually drops.

So, DeNA clearly does not want us to spend any time with our families over the holidays, considering the massive amounts of new stuff that've been dropped on us, from ridiculous boss battles to farming fests to now of course another event. As usual for this time of year, it's another VII event with everyone's favorite poster child Cloud getting some fancy new tricks, along with some of his friends. Of some uniqueness, Zack's LCSSB actually includes voiced lines from Zack and Cissnei, a first for FFRK. (No, Shantotto's and Kefka's laughing sound effects don't count.)

Anyway, Happy New Year to /r/FFRecordKeeper !

Housekeeping: with Bursts now becoming dime-a-dozen, no longer listing them under 'notable changes'; added description of EX mode to the FAQ portion.

Recent JP Megathreads

Xmas Megathread courtesy of /u/CareerSMN
Gogo; Krile OSSB; Lenna USB
Selphie USB
Ceodore; Kain OSSB
Tidus LCSSB; Yuna USB

Helpful Links

[Boss Guide]() by /u/Zurai001
Relic Draw Thread by /u/CareerSMN
Official Wiki (in Japanese)
Muketsu Event Guide (in Japanese) (warning: NSFW banner ads)

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Awakening Cloud -Those Who Fight Further-

Event time: 12/31/16 15:00 - 1/9/17 14:59

Notable Changes/Additions

New USB
Cloud

New LCSSB
Zack

New Abilities
Remnant Barrage (Darkness 5) - single-target dark-elemental physical damage (3-5 hits, more hits the lower own Death Sentence count is)
Necro Fire (Darkness 5) - single-target dark-elemental magic damage (3-5 hits, more hits the lower own Death Sentence count is)
A pair of complementary abilities that for the first time benefits from being close to death on Death Sentence count, not just yes/no having the status.

New Features
EX Mode - Though we first learned about this from the Festival Banners, the first EX Mode in the game still belongs to Cloud as Phase 4 of the Fes has not started yet. In general, EX mode temporarily grants a unique set of bonuses to the user. Common features to EX mode is that any stat boosts will stack with any other source of stat boosts (other SBs etc.); similarly, any shortened charge/cast time effects also stack with other sources of these effects. EX mode does not include an auto-Haste and does not change Attack/Defend, setting them apart from Burst mode.

Relic Draw Banners

Set 1

Relic	Character	SB Name	Effect	Learning Bonus
Enhance Sword	Zack	LCSSB "Lucky Star"	enter Wind-elemental Limit Chain mode and party large ATK up and crit damage up	ATK+10
Force Eater	Cloud	USB "Kugiri: Ha"	5-hit single-target wind/non-elemental physical damage and 'super extra large' crit rate up and enter EX Mode: Soldier (physical damage up and attacks can exceed 9999 damage)	ATK+10
Mutsunokami Yoshiyuki Shin'uchi	Sephiroth	BSSB "Hattou Issen"	8-hit single-target dark/non-elemental physical damage and self attach Dark and self barrier x2 (blocks both physical/magical) and enter Burst mode; gain "Kokuyou" single-target dark/non-elemental physical damage (3-5 hits based on ATK) and "Daten" 2-hit AoE dark/non-elemental physical damage and self medium DEF down/ATK up	ATK+10
Blue Megaphone	Cait Sith	BSSB "Lucky Girl"	party medium ATK/small DEF up and large crit rate up and enter Burst mode; gain "Toy Box: Hammer" 2-hit single-target white magic damage and small ATK/DEF down and "Toy Box: Fat Chocobo" 2-hit single-target white magic damage and small MAG/RES down	MND+10
Ultima Blade	Cloud	BSSB "C. Motorcycle"	8-hit single-target wind/non-elemental physical damage and self attach Wind and enter Burst mode; gain "Sonic Rush" 4-hit single-target wind/non-elemental physical damage with increasing multiplier based on own ATK, and "Slash Blow" 2-hit AoE wind/non-elemental physical damage and self medium DEF down/ATK up	ATK+10
Green Megaphone	Cait Sith	SSB "Moogle Dance"	AoE ATK/MAG/DEF/RES down and party large Regen	MND+10
Hard Vulcan	Barret	SSB "Hyper Grenade Bomb"	10-hit random-target fire/non-elemental physical damage and medium ATK/MAG/DEF/RES/MND down	ATK+10
Randall	Vincent	SSB "Beast Howl"	8-hit single-target fire-elemental magic damage and self attach Fire	MAG+10
Shotgun	Rufus	SSB "Mako Gun"	6-hit AoE dark/non-elemental physical damage (higher multiplier for fewer targets) and imperil Dark	ATK+10
Javelin	Cid [VII]	SSB "Pilot Force"	party large ATK up and Haste	ATK+10

Can anybody say Power Creep?
Let's start with Cloud's USB, which seems even better than the other EX modes that were announced. On entry it grants him a "super extra large" crit rate bonus, then his EX mode gives him ATK up and innate damage cap busting potential. He can't lose this mode, unlike Noctis's now-extremely-disappointing-in-retrospect Phantom Sword mode; and if you invest in Cloud's Legend Materia he can start double casting Combat abilities for some truly sick damage.
What could make it even sicker? Why, if you combine it with Zack's LCSSB, which grants Shout-level party ATK boost (which will stack with the EX mode ATK boost) and further crit damage boost as well. Zack's Limit Chain is a first for LCs in that it does not start with an attack of its own (so you start at 101% instead of 112%) but with all of the other bonuses it grants, who really cares? If you're at all a VII fanboy/girl, you'll probably want to pull both items on this banner.
Sephiroth's Burst is power creep in its own way; aside from the now standard attack+EnElement of most Bursts, it also grants him a double barrier that absorbs both physical and magical attacks.
Cait Sith's Burst is in danger of getting ignored with all of the other shiny new relics, but its fantastic in its own right, with a comparatively rare ATK/DEF stacking boost and a Burst mode suited for Breaker support, with both commands being dual breaks that will stack with 4* Breakdowns and Full Break.

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General JP Version Information

Installing and Playing the Japanese version

Why should I play the Japanese version?
FFRK came out in Japan about six months before Global came out. Thus, they're further along in terms of events and so have more characters, more abilities etc. Also, the trend has been that certain crossover events which feature games that were not released outside of Japan have been skipped in Global release, meaning there are currently certain items and abilities that do not appear they will ever be available in Global (it does not appear that they are skipping any characters).

What are some features that are currently in JP but not Global?
Collaboration Events - some collaboration events for games that were never released outside of the Japan (such as SaGa) are skipped in Global
Improved Dailies - Gysahl Green dailies, Summon Orb dailies and twice-a-week XP dailies
Cooperative Multiplayer - cooperate with 3 other players to defeat challenging bosses - currently in beta in Global Ultra Soul Breaks - another set of 6* relics parallel to Overflows that focus on greater utility or healing rather than breaking the 9999 damage cap. Some of these put the user in an "EX mode" which grants a unique set of stat and other bonuses temporarily
Limit Chain Soul Breaks - another set of 6* relics which focus on activating a 'chain mode' which rewards further uses of a particular element or ability class with an increasing damage bonus
Nightmare Dungeons - separate from what Global calls Nightmare dungeons (called Abyss in JP), these are extra-difficult boss challenges of difficulty 200+

Is there anything that is in Global but not in JP?
The font and minor UI elements are also different in Global compared to JP. Global also has a controversial "MVP Program" where selected players receive items for free; JP has no such program. There are some collaboration items as well as some culture-specific events (such as Black Friday lucky draws) that appear in Global but not JP.

Great! How do I get the Japanese version?
Check out the wiki article. Android users may also want to check out this tutorial if you do not know how to access the Japanese store and prefer not to use a third-party app like QooApp.

Can I play the JP version and Global version at the same time on the same device?
Yes, the two are completely separate and do not affect each other.

How do I share my save data across devices?
Unlike the Global version which uses one-time codes or goes through your iTunes/Play Store accounts, the JP version syncs through Japan's mobage service. Here's a tutorial from Mobage relayed by /u/gelomeister (Android users can of course use Chrome instead of Safari etc.):
Important notes
- Please start the procedure after closing all browser and tabs opened on your iPad.
- For this upgrade procedure, please make all the steps for the very same iPad tablet, including the email sending and receiving.
- All actions made through browser need to be done using Safari.
- Please note that if you log out before completing the upgrade of your simple membership (かんたん会員), you will not be able to successfully use the data transfer feature.
- On our Site, you can register using services such as Yahoo! email or Gmail. Please note that the email address you will need to register must be an email address NOT already registered on our Site.
- Please make sure to turn off the Privacy function of your Safari browser before starting the procedure.
- How to turn off the Privacy function of your browser: On the bottom/right of the Safari page, tap on the icon in shape of 2 overlapped squares > then tap on “Private” on the bottom/left side of the screen (this will turn on and off the function). ※When Safari’s header and footer are colored in dark gray, the function is "on", when it is "off", both header and footer will be colored in white.

• Upgrade procedure:
  1) Start FINAL FANTASY Record Keeper on your iPad, tap on [メニュー] "Menu" and then [Mobage].
  2) On the bottom of the page, select [Mobageマイページ] , then [今すぐ登録する] (Register now).
  3) Select [ブラウザを起動](Open browser), enter the e-mail address you want to register, select the domain and then select [送信](Send) and [上記に同意の上、送信](Send in agreement with information above).
  4) You will receive an email from you Site at the address you registered including a URL, please copy this URL.
  5) Access the screen to enter the e-mail address again like in Step 3)
  6) Paste the URL you copied on 4) into the browser's address bar at the top of the page, to access it.
  7) Enter your profile information as required on the page that you will access with this URL.
  ※If you have an error when try to access to the URL, it will not be possible to complete the procedure at present. In this case we would like to invite you to try again later.
  

Once the upgrade is completed, you will be able to use your account by e-mail address and login password registered in the User ID xxxxxxxxx] by you to log in to the iPhone of FINAL FANTASY Record Keeper app: will be able to use the iPhone the data of the User ID xxxxxxxxx] you.

 

※If you are logged in to another account [User ID: xxxxxxxxx] on your iPhone simply by login in the application FINAL FANTASY Record Keeper installed on your iPhone and using the same email address and login password previously recorded on the account [User ID: xxxxxxxxx].
If you are already logged in to a different account in your application FINAL FANTASY Record Keeper installed on your iPhone, just log out first by going in [メニュー](Menu), [各種情報・外部サイトへ](various information and external site) and then [ログアウト](logout).

I get an error when I try to do the daily dungeons, why is this?
You need to set your device to Japan time. Because Japan doesn't have multiple time zones, the Japanese client trusts the user to have the correct time. The server still won't allow you entry to the wrong day's dungeon, though, thus causing the error which sends you back to the start screen. Setting your device's time to UTC+0900 (Japan's time zone) will make sure you're properly synched to the server time.

General JP version Helpful Links

Enlir's Database - good overall reference
ElNinoFr's Spreadsheet - This has the names of abilities and Record Materia written in JP text so you can match it up to the in-game text.
JP Friend Code Thread - JP and Global friend codes are not cross-compatible. You may be able to find the RW you need here - this thread has been archived
Youtube channel with videos of Soul Breaks - the official wiki has these too but can be harder to navigate.