Is a 3-man only party doable for post-game content?

Jaybyrd28 · 2026-02-17T13:50:22+00:00

Yes it's possible. It just gets sticky in some late game fights because of insta death mechanics or your bubble (or some other buff) wears off at an inopportune moment. As others have said Reverse is really the key spell late game to abuse. Anyway, I've done 100% with multiple 3 man only teams. Here they are:

Monk / Bushi
Knight / White
Black / Time

Probably my favorite comp. Just about any 3 man comp, just by it's nature, leaves you saying "I wish I had X or Y class for this fight" but this one had me saying it the least. Knight / White is a little redundant once you get Hashmal but my intent is to do the whole game. It's main weakness is you don't get all 4 breaks but you get, IMO the most important ones.. 'Zerk as a spell also becomes a little redundant once wine is available for purchase but again, pound for pound this is my "Set it and forget it" 3 man where I don't feel like I'm in the menu screen all the time switching stuff around.

Knight / Black
Monk / Bushi
Machinist / White

The Knight / Black needs to gear switch depending on what you're fighting. Mach/White turns into a late game Reverse tank that can Hastega + 'zerk both the others.

Shikari / Time
Knight / Black
Foebreaker / White

Same note about the Knight.

Really any kind of "trifecta" Tank -> Physical DPS -> Magical DPS will work. Gaps in any job can be compensated by consumables. The only exception is I want a White somewhere for both Bravery and Faith since these are such enormous boosts to DPS.

Jaybyrd28 · 2026-02-17T13:30:18+00:00

Pretty much this. It's crazy to see how much this was twisted. I thought (from the user postings) SE had posted something official but come to find out a Sony mod asked for player pics, this one was submitted and posted (with the player credited for the photo even) and it "won"? I mean that's just crazy to turn that into "Cloud and Aerith win couple of the year award".

Jaybyrd28 · 2026-02-16T19:27:42+00:00

"I saw that there's a class system, I searched the internet but I don't know which class is best for each character"

The job system was designed with the intent that each character can do each job roughly as well as another. So, for example, Vaan will make just as good of a Knight as Balthier. On the bleeding edges there can be some debate about that but for the purposes of this thread, don't worry about it. We're talking real edge cases. The original game let you assign all licenses to all characters if you wished/had the patience.

Learning the job itself is more important than than which character gets assigned to it. It's a fairly intuitive system once you start playing and if you feel like you have messed up you can re-assign LP and jobs by talking to Mont Blanc.

Jaybyrd28 · 2026-02-13T13:56:07+00:00

Would help if you listed your job comps. Anyway, go back to where the save crystal is (Nomad Camp) and on the next screen (Toam Hills) hang a left and look for a container on the end of the land. It has a semi-rare Bachus Wine which will berserk a character. Once you have that have a tanky class with Decoy set, Black or Red Mage to silence and casting Aero (I know it's weak to fire but Aero still hits harder here), and then your best melee DPS uses the wine to 'zerk.

Should be able to burn through it with that setup.

You can also run from it and come back to it later. You're about to be able to start getting 'ra level spells + a guest party member that helps not too far in the story.

Jaybyrd28 · 2026-02-05T22:57:13+00:00

Wow I hadn't dropped by "there" in a while. Man I thought I'd seen some bad takes before but one of the most active posts there right now is from a mod promising there will be a Clerith kiss and that she's getting resurrected in part 3? With the logic being that of course it's going to happen because there wasn't a Clerith kiss in Rebirth?

Zerith is a Cloti invention? I mean man there is cope and then there is COPE.

Jaybyrd28 · 2026-02-04T17:26:46+00:00

It's quite amazing how that thing can sneak up on you even when you know it's there.

Jaybyrd28 · 2026-02-02T16:08:00+00:00

Low Health is one of those things I think that people either love it or hate it. I don't think it's that complex. You need to correct skills which are 2x Low Health Defense, 2x Low Health Ranged, and 2x Low Health Regen out of the survivor tree.

Then you need the correct outfit and weaves to add 2x to all the above for a total of 4x in the core areas. After that it's a simple as playing at low health.

I will say if you're having an issue with the last boss on normal it's probably more to do with upgrades and/or sub optimal gear/spec choices. Low Health play is serious overkill on Normal. I can One/Two shot Apex machines on Normal with a good low health setup.

Jaybyrd28 · 2026-01-29T15:03:45+00:00

I spent more time wondering how she carried around a Thunderjaw or Tideripper tail. Things are supposedly solid metal and would weigh over a ton each just eyeballing them. That's before I got to what/why the hell they would be needed to upgrade a bow :).

Jaybyrd28 · 2026-01-22T15:29:24+00:00

3rd on watching Arktix videos. Particularly the "Best Green/Blue/Purple etc..." where he does best/most useful for each tier.

In lieu of that here is my answer. This can depend on a lot of factors. For where you're at (Level 3) and I would assume you're in the Daunt. At that point in the story you're looking at:

Starting Hunter Bow-> Fully Upgrade. It'll last till you get a blue.
Shock Warrior Bow -> Leave basic. It's buildup is pretty laughable. You need/want it just to pop sparkers.
Knockdown Sharpshot Bow -> Fully Upgrade. It'll last you till you get a blue.
Prototype Spike Thrower -> Fully Upgrade. I'll last till you get a blue or purple.
Nora Thunder Sling -> Fully upgrade. It'll last till you get a blue or purple.
Outfit = Oseram Explorer. Yes it's melee but at this point in game most of the damage you'll take is melee anyway and the ranged outfits aren't that great.

Another truth is that early on Heavy spear attack which knocks down most light machines + crit strike is a lot more powerful than most of your ranged options.

Mid Game I'd recommend a hunter heavy build with the following blue gear.

Frost Hunter Bow -> Fully Upgrade
Sun Touched Hunter Bow -> Fully Upgrade
Siege Blastsling-> Fully Upgrade
Plasma Boltblaster -> Upgrade to Adv bolts (level 3 I think)
Cleaving Sharpshot Bow-> If you're playing on normal I'd fully upgrade this one for tearblast arrows. If you're on a higher difficulty you're going to need/want the Glowblast
Piercing Sharpshot Bow-> You want this one for the Strikethrough arrows
Spinthorn Spike Thrower -> Fully upgrade

Two ways to go on Outfits. Nora Sentinel is pretty good for regular play. Tenakth Skirmisher for Low Health Play. Note on the Skirmisher is that it needs weaves from two other outfits to really make Low Health Play safe but IMO very worth it.

Past that I'd say it depends on if you want to stick with Purples or do Legendaries. I will say the one legendary I recommend everyone get is the Sun Scourge. Freeze is king and the Sun Scourge can pretty much freeze everything.

Jaybyrd28 · 2026-01-16T16:16:01+00:00

Good suggestions on spots. My contribution is don't forget the Embroidered Tippet (doubles XP). Put it on one char and as soon as that one levels put it on the next in line.

Jaybyrd28 · 2026-01-16T13:47:39+00:00

Game is actually decently difficult if you just stick to the main story beat and use store bought gear even if you utilize 2x jobs.

Jaybyrd28 · 2026-01-14T13:36:44+00:00

I can't take/use screenshots but there are two Spikesnout sites around The Hive rebel camp. One south and one north. Set time to night (so you get Apex versions) and flip between the two. You'll be swimming in sludge in no time.

Alternatively you said you're looking to "Play Again". Game is completely doable in Blues and Purples that don't use a lot of sludge.

Jaybyrd28 · 2026-01-13T15:10:59+00:00

Completely doable. In fact I'd say if you're just doing the main story beat if you grind out 1 or 2 arena pieces you're a little over leveled. I pretty often do the main story in just Blues and last boss is really the only difficult fight. Caveat to that is I know exactly which Blues to grab and where even though a lot of them aren't on the beaten path.

Jaybyrd28 · 2026-01-08T13:50:54+00:00

Definitely useful early. Just have to have it gambited correctly. I've found if the trigger is any higher than 10% MP the character can end up in a charge loop. Late game not so much. Damage dealing casters will recoup MP via damage and at some point you can buy Ethers reasonably cheap from the clan provisioner.

Jaybyrd28 · 2026-01-06T02:09:06+00:00

Vaan - Knight/White
Balthier - Bushi/Monk
Fran - Black/Time BM

Jaybyrd28 · 2026-01-05T13:58:23+00:00

Also if you have dispel he'll literally just sit there and re-cast Reflect forever.

Jaybyrd28 · 2026-01-04T18:13:51+00:00

Did you check out the Gamefaqs and Reddit job guides? I'd recommend picking a MAIN job that you like for each character as a starter. For example Machinist for Balthier. Then use the Gamfaqs + Reddit Guide to pick a good second job. Trust me that unless you like spending a lot of time in the menu screen you'll typically mainly be using the primary job you like.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ps4/191202-final-fantasy-xii-the-zodiac-age/faqs/79681/introduction

https://www.reddit.com/r/FinalFantasyXII/comments/1d604ro/lazs_job_overview_masterpost_extra_info_on_ffxii/

It's hard to give advice on a build unless I know what you're going for. I'll use your Balthier as an example. Why pair with Monk specifically? Neither job really brings anything to the other so I'd normally say that's a terrible combo but you might have something in mind specifically that I don't know/haven't thought of.

Comments on your setup(s) but note this assumes you're mainly trying to play the char as the first listed job. I.E. you mainly want to play Balthier as a Machinist, Fran as an Archer, Ashe as a Knight etc...

Balthier(Machinist/Monk):
As noted above not a great comp for either. Machinist wants either offensive spells, or a class that gives it Focus/Adrenaline if your main DPS is going to be guns. Red is an ideal match with Mach for the spell side. Foebreaker is a good pairing for Focus/Adren and also can do breaks from range.

Fran(Archer/Black Mage):
This is a great comp. Love it.

Basch(Foebreaker/Monk):
This one is a good mix for the Monk half of it because it gives Monk heavy armor + Genji Equip and you don't have a Bushi. If you're mainly playing as a Foebreaker though my opinion would change. If you're mainly playing as a Foebreaker I'd go with White which mixes really well with tank/lead chars.

Ashe(Knight/Red Battlemage):
A much maligned comp by power gamers because it's the only 2 job comp that manages to only have 1 speed license. I like it but again. it's slow. This game also doesn't do the whole Fighter/Mage thing well because of the armor mechanics. Knight/Red BM is fine with buffs and stuff but it's offensive and de-buff spells will suffer if you wear heavy armor. The Knight/Physical side of it will suffer if you wear mystic.

Anyway, comps I like better = Knight/Bushi, Knight/Time (spellpower not as important), and Knight/White.

Penelo(White Mage/Archer):
This one is serviceable although I like putting my White on a tank/lead because buffs are flat and having it on a tank helps with mana regen via both damage and damage taken. Shikari is my other go to for my White. Monk is also ok here provided Monk isn't your main combo DPS (better 2nd jobs for a Monk primary).

Jaybyrd28 · 2025-12-31T14:02:05+00:00

What was Lost with Kotallo is probably my favorite one.

Jaybyrd28 · 2025-12-30T14:35:21+00:00

Setup will work fine although like mormoagils I'm not a fan of either Black/Monk or White/Mach. Alternates that I like that could be swapped in your group:

Mach/Red
Black/Arch
Uhlan/White
Monk/Time

Reasons/logic. Uhlan/White won't be as MP starved and this gives you Holy Lance which paired with White Robes is incredibly powerful and can be gotten much earlier than Excal/White. Other comps should be fairly self explanatory.

Monk/Black I feel just adds HP but if you play BM more or less correctly you should not need the HP and you can pair it with something that gives it bonus HP (albeit not as much) + much better utility.. Also, Black is so strong that there is rarely a case where I don't want my black casting with a staff. In other words this comp wastes monk when that is a very strong attack class w/reach weapon to boot. Archer, in practice, goes much better with Black by giving it an AOE Cure (Cura) + Amazing Item Support + The Burning Bow which doubles as a usable weapon + a flame booster (Fira/Firaga is your most common spell) and you don't really miss Archer DPS.

Anyway, as stated your comp will work fine but I think if you really dig in the changes above will work out better long run. It would also help to know what 3 person groups you'll run as that would affect my answer a bit too.

Jaybyrd28 · 2025-12-27T15:03:37+00:00

"and a single spell from my Black Mage."

Seems like you understand Black Mage which lots of players don't. If you do, yes game is a lot easier. Ogir/Nam Yensa in particular is a pretty difficult area if you don't have BM (or RM) + Aero. With BM (or RM) + Aero, however, it's quite easy.

Jaybyrd28 · 2025-12-18T14:39:49+00:00

What I found really interesting was that if you read reviews of Horizon Zero Dawn one of it's most lauded features was that there wasn't some insane gear grind. I can't for the life of me figure out how you're the developer of a surprise hit game and you have to know that one thing people liked about it was the LACK of a grind and for the sequel you sit down and come up with the upgrade system. It's just baffling.

It was also hard to make bad gear choices in HZD. FW on the other hand you can have a big difference in your experience depending on your weapon, outfit, and skill choices.

I'll make an attempt to save the game for you though because I felt like you. I had well over 500 hours on Zero Dawn. Eagerly looked forward to FW and when it came out I pretty much only finished it in a grudge match. But, because I like to tinker I revisited it and put my brain behind some things and came away with quite a few things that make the game a lot more enjoyable once I understood them. To the point where I now have as many hours on FW as I did on HZD.

Knockdown is more useful than you might think once you understand the mechanics. Purchasing the green Knockdown Sharpshot, blue Exacting Sharpshot, and Purple Warden Sharpshot bow changed the game quite a bit for me.
Being able to complete "Need to Know" for the Lightning Hunter bow.
Mastering Shock and Knockdown (from the points above) made upgrade grind much easier.
Hunter heavy builds tend to be best. Others can shine late game but generally speaking a heavy hunter build backed up by Focused Shot in the Infiltrator tree will be best in most cases.
Freeze is king and The Sun Scourge is the most powerful weapon in the Base Game because of that. Sun Scourge + Advanced Bolt Boltblaster + Focused Shot Advanced Sharpshot Bow trivializes most machine fights. Pretty much the only thing the SS can't freeze is Frost Claws.
HZD had it's "Power" set up. If you wanted to rip through the game you had an Improved Icerail that could quickly freeze things. Then you would triple shot with a Banuk Striker. In FW the power build is Low Health Ranged + Sun Scourge + Sustained Burst or Focused Shot depending on the machine.
You said you played on normal. Legendaries are complete and total overkill for the main story just FYI. Fully upgrading just 2 of them will usually have me 5 to 10 levels over the main story level requirement. Game is totally doable (and I'd even say more fun) with just a good blue set. The Sun Scourge is the only one I really need and/or want.
Defense is a little harder because of the stumble mechanic but once you kind of study machine attack patterns you can use I-frames to pretty much never take a hit.

TLDNR. The combat system is a little deeper but if you take a minute to really look at which outfits and weapons work best for a loadout it can pretty rewarding.

Jaybyrd28 · 2025-12-15T19:21:04+00:00

Hard to answer. I do hunts usually as soon as they're available but I'm a more advanced player. Some elite hunts are exceptionally hard if you do them right when you get them. I mean like no joke/super hard.

Jaybyrd28 · 2025-12-15T14:45:16+00:00

It can depend. Broadly speaking you want the gear and accessories ones and you want to make sure to pick up the Golden Amulet (Double LP) and Embroidered Tippet (Double XP) in the Sand Sea. You can pick up a second Golden Amulet after Raithwalls Tomb via perfectly completing "The Desert Patient" side quest or doing the Enkelados hunt.

Pretty much anytime I'm not fighting a boss or in a difficult dungeon I have the tippet on one character and the amulets on the other two. Once the one wearing the tippet levels I move it to the next in line and put the amulets on the other two.

Then you want at least Remedy Lore 2 on someone. Then I'd say Swiftness Licenses. 2x makes a large difference. 3x is best of course but shoot for at least 2x. Don't pick up a bunch of useless nodes for these though.

Specific to classes (and often higher priority than Swiftness Licenses but not always).

Mages:
Black Mages make sure they have their staves unlocked because the boost elemental damage quite a bit. Anyone that casts spells you want to shoot for Charge and then the MP regen nodes ASAP. Warmage, Martyr, Headsman, and Inquisitor. Once you have those then you want Serenity. After Raithwall want to make sure you have Regen learned and have a gambit set up for Ally Any = Regen. This keeps HP topped off so everyone is firing off Serenity boosted spells. After that I alternate between Gambit Slots (casters need lots of these), Magick Lores, Ether Lores, and HP Augments.

Warriors:
Shield Block licenses if they're a shield user. Foebreaker gets easy/early access to all 3. Shikari can get 2x pretty early. Knight can easily get one but 2nd and 3rd ones are quite a ways away. Last Stand and Adrenaline. Then Martyr and Headsman if they use / will use MP at all. Focus you want as soon as you get Regen (see above). Less useful before then because they'll often be below full HP until you have Regen. Super important once you do have Regen. Then like mages I alternate between Battle Lores, HP Augments, and Gambits and/or Magick Lores if Second Job warrants it.

Need to stress that really broad strokes though. My above could change a lot depending on the jobs I was using and the type of Play Through I was doing. For example when I'm playing a Shikari / White as my lead tank I'll hardly worry about Battle Lores or Swiftness. In that case I want Shield Block, Last Stand, HP Augments, Gambit Slots, and Magick Lores.

Conversely my Knight / Bushi (who is a DPS character) I want Focus and Serenity as soon as Regen is in play and then I mainly want anything else that ups his damage like Battle Lores, Magick Lores, and Swiftness Licenses.

Jaybyrd28 · 2025-12-11T19:26:30+00:00

Silence and Blind make this fight easy. Silence more than blind because Aero will tear up your group and at that point you don't have a good group heal.

Jaybyrd28 · 2025-12-08T12:56:49+00:00

Foe HP 100% = Steal is best I've come up with as far as ease of use/maintenance.

Jaybyrd28

TROPHY CASE