Category PvE

As the fall season approaches, the work, playtesting, and iterating of the 3.0 Beta builds are complete and today we are releasing the official update that we have been testing over the course of the past few months.

As stated in the v3.0 beta update article, this update includes Tactics League’s first-ever software modifications for Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions (PSP), focusing on improving both Melee and Rendezvous modes for a complete multiplayer experience.

Since much time has passed from v3.0 to v3.6 Beta, we won’t go over all that has been changed here but instead provide the changelog for what this official update brings. If you are curious about the work done, please head to the PvP Patch – Changelog.

To download the all-in-one package that includes the PPF file and save data, please visit Downloads. To learn more about how to apply the PPF patch, visit Tutorials.

Table of Contents

• PvP Patch v3.0 Official Changelog
  • Quality of Life Updates
  • Jobs
  • Abilities
  • Equipment – Gear
• Competitive Starter 4.0
• Rendezvous 2.0
• Generics Premade 4.0
• PvP Patch – Changelog (opens in new tab)

PvP Patch v3.0 Official Changelog

Our beta testing period is over, and with it comes a very jam-packed update. Not much has changed at the closure, but there is still a few tidying up to be done, and one quality change to make your battles even more intense!

Quality of Life Updates

• Soundtrack
  • The random battles background music has been refreshed and will now randomly play one of the following nostalgic battle themes, fitting the theme of PvP much better than ever before. Note that this change also affects random encounters in the world:
    • Trisection
    • Back Fire
    • Decisive Battle
    • Antipyretic

Jobs

• Holy Knight (Agrias)
  • Reverted the temporary HP multiplier from 160 to 140% now that her base HP has been increased to better transition it between jobs
  • Reverted the temporary PA multiplier from 120 to 100% now that her base PA has been increased to better transition it between jobs
    
• Samurai
  • Increased Move from 3 to 4
  • Increased HP multiplier from 85 to 100%
    A buff to Samurai to help it perform better; especially since they require to be up-close for both weapon attacks and Iaido. Samurai is now decently bulky with a higher base HP can be increased further with their access to heavy armor.

Abilities

• Tasks (Construct 8)
  • Dispose and Pulverize – Increased the recoil damage from ¼ to ⅓
    Recoil damage increased to increase the penalty Construct 8 receives from using its primary damaging abilities.
    
• Vengeance and Blade Beam (Beowulf/Cloud)
  • Increased the damage cap from 70 to 80% of your missing HP
    This should give these abilities more room but still restrict abuse where a player lowers their HP through team damage.
    
• Time Magicks
  • Gravity – This ability is now single target and instant cast
    This gives Time Mages an instant damaging spell if necessary, still subject to evasion/reflect, but potentially devastating against high HP targets.
    
• Bardsong
  • Nameless Song – Removed Bestows: Protect or Shell chance from this ability, improving the odds of Haste, Reraise, and Regen
    Since this ability doesn’t bestow both Protect and Shell together and this ability isn’t usually cast for these buffs that can be obtained via gear or Barrier/Kiyomori/Ward, this ability will no longer provide Protect or Shell improving its viability for the other buffs.

Equipment – Gear

• Cursed Robe – Increased MP from 100 to 150
  Since Wizard’s Robe had an increase in overall bulk due to the recent MP buff, Cursed Robe also needs a bit more, but its bearers should consider Mana Shield since they gain 0 HP from this item.

Competitive Starter v4.0 (Slot 3)

• All Characters
  • Learned Unholy Darkness (Mystic Arts)
    
• Agrias
  • Increased HP from 401 to 481 (+20% HP)
  • Increased PA from 13 to 15
    These changes are to adjust her stats as it was previously stated in v3.5.1B. The end result is that Agrias has a net gain of HP and 2 more PA that will transition to other jobs rather than being forced on Holy Knight if desired.

Rendezvous 2.0 (Slot 2)

• Luso – Set PA/MA to 15/15 to match Starter
  
• All Competitive Starter changes, including Unholy Darkness, have been applied to this slot
  
• Gear Restriction Update
  • NEW Banned – Invisibility Cloak
    Because the AI retains its vanilla functionality of not targeting invisible units, this item permanently removes such targeting allowing players to bypass aggression. Items that provide temporary/Initial: Invisible will remain as is since they wear off after action.

Generics Premade (Slot 1)

• Inventory
  • Removed Faerie Harp as an equipment choice for Armiger since squires can no longer equip instruments
    
• Replaced Movement abilities for most builds since Move/Jump +1 is no longer accessible. This will mostly improve mobility for most builds. This affects the following:
  • Ramza – Move +1 > Manafont
  • Delita – Move +1 > Lifefont
  • Balthier – Jump +1 > Fly
  • Beowulf – Move +1 > Lifefont
  • Shadow – Move +1 > Move +2
  • Hunter – Move +1 > Move +2
  • Parivir – Move +1 > Manafont
  • Armiger – Move +1 > Fly
  • Bouncer – Move +1 > Move +2
  • Sentinel – Move +1 > Move +2
  • Guardian – Move +1 > Move +2
  • Cleric – Move +1 > Manafont
  • Apothecary – Move +1 > Levitate
    
• Ramza
  • Replaced Resilient (Parry) with Soulbind
    
• Shadow (Damage)
  • Replaced Assassin’s Dagger with Chaos Mace since knives can no longer be dual-wield
  • Replaced Headgear with Green Beret
  • Reduced SP from 15 to 14
    
• Lancer (Damage)
  • Reduced SP from 15 to 14
    
• Sentinel (Tank)
  • Reduced MA from 20 to 12
    
• Specter (Tank)
  • Replaced Sage’s Robe with Cursed Robe to give back his original undead theme
  • Reduced MA from 25 to 19
  • Added Delirium and Unholy Darkness
  • Added Venetian Shield since Mystics can now equip shields innately
    
• Distractor (Support)
  • Replaced Parry with Reflexes
  • Reduced PA from 20 to 15

Today, we release a PvP Patch update that includes making changes to FFT WotL’s Rendezvous mode (co-op) to be up-to-date with the changes and additions we have for Melee mode and setting up Rendezvous for a more challenging experience than ever before.

To read about all of the Rendezvous changes: check out our Rendezvous Guide.

✅Setting Expectations and Endgame Rendezvous

The goal with these changes to Rendezvous missions is to set them to “endgame-level” rather than how they were originally designed based on them being unlocked through story progression. Similarly to how Tactics League’s PvP is considered endgame, this mode is also getting the treatment; making a fun and more challenging experience when coupled with the balancing of the PvP Patch. This is what to expect when playing with our modified version of Rendezvous:

• Missions are considered “endgame” instead of being originally based on the main story progression and party level.
• Includes all of the changes from the PvP Patch, including balancing, Weapon Power standardization, item limitations, jobs and abilities unlocked, gear gender equality, and some skillset changes, such as the reworked Aim.
• NPCs are all set to Level 99, with all generic units set to 60 Bravery and Faith.
• Bosses and unique characters will have their own uniquely set Bravery and Faith.
• Most NPCs have Protect/Shell gear to further their resilience.
• NPCs are all assigned abilities and gear instead of it being randomized.
• NPCs will have a random zodiac sign, but because the Tactics League-defined party roster is all Serpentarius, there is always neutral compatibility.

⚙️User Interface Changes

In addition to updating the missions with the PvP Patch changes, some of the UI elements were also updated. The flavor text has been removed for updated missions and will now display the mission’s objective and 5-star conditions. Missions that are currently updated will also have a BETA tag associated with the mission name to communicate which ones have been changed, starting with the first five as of the version 3.4 Beta update. Once we have made adjustments based on feedback and we are out of this current beta phase in its entirety, the BETA tags will be removed during the official update.

🏆Challenges Ahead

As previously discussed in a past article, the long-term goal is to create a competitive scoring and leaderboard system for Rendezvous. Harnessing the changes sought by the community via the PvP Patch, we can make a better, balanced, and impactful Rendezvous for all that will require strategy and careful planning to get those ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐and bragging rights once we have a leaderboard system in place.

If you have not joined the Tactics League Discord, this is definitely the time to hop in, playtest with other members with these new beta missions as they continue to be updated, provide feedback, and really put your strategic skills to the test in what is easily the hardest PvE battles you will ever come across in Final Fantasy Tactics.

As part of our community mission to provide a home for multiplayer Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions, we wanted to include a save that hones in on some of the game’s toughest PvE battles that you can take on with a buddy online wherever you have an internet connection and ZeroTier/PPSSPP. This supported save is included with our latest v2.5 save data update which you can read more about here.

✅Features

• All 15 Rendezvous missions unlocked (game cleared)
• This save is built similarly to how Starter is; the inventory is limited in quantity and characters have all jobs and abilities unlocked
• Ramza is listed as R-Ramza so you can track multiple Rendezvous saves within the Tactics League save data if needed

📃Important Details

• The PvP Patch must be disabled as this mode was designed with “vanilla” or original gameplay in mind
• It is highly recommended to have an original version of your FFT WotL backup ready so you can play with original text/descriptions
• Characters on the roster should not be modified, except via gear and abilities, and should retain their original Br/Fa values and stats
• Any stat changes, including EXP/JP, while in Rendezvous are reset after the mission ends
• Arithmeticks are disabled automatically in Rendezvous
• Characters that “crystalize” are not permanently removed from the party roster
• Multi-part missions, such as Brave Story, do not reset HP/MP, KO’d characters or status effects, inventory changes (such as katana breaks)

🏆Challenge and Scoring

You can always take on these missions with a friend casually, but why not add a little extra difficulty for added fun and strategy? The game’s Treasure Wheel dictates not only how many chests you get from completion but also your “Star Rating.” This Star Rating or the number of chests increases the fewer units you and your partner take on a mission together in addition to completion.

To go for a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐score:

• Ideally, both players bring no more than 1 unit each. However, this may vary from mission to mission
• Have zero party members KO’d by the time the mission ends (reviving does not penalize scoring)
• KO as many enemy characters as possible

At a later date, we are working on featuring a competitive-style Rendezvous challenge for everyone in the Tactics League Discord to participate in, so make sure to start learning these missions and prep to show your PvE prowess. If you have not already joined our Discord hop in and find a partner!

Elemental affinities play a role in Final Fantasy Tactics’s story and an even more significant role in PvP. This article covers the intricacies of how these affinities work and what each type of bonus does in combat.

Table of Contents
● Different Types of Elements
● Elemental Modifiers (Boost, Halve, Absorb, Negate, Weak)
● Status Effects and Weather
● Equipment with Elemental Support

Different Types of Elements

In Final Fantasy Tactics, there are eight elements: fire, lightning, ice, water, wind, earth, holy, and dark. By themselves, they don’t mean much other than the type of damage they are considered, but once you factor gear or if you are going up against a monster things can change quickly.

Most monsters in the game are weak to a particular element and may be resistant to others. This is where elemental affinities can become an advantage in the story. In the Monsters Premade format for PvP, one of the main focuses on the roster is using elemental advantages to deal double damage so you can bring down your opponent twice as fast.

We will explore how you can take elements one step further by going more into modifiers.

Elemental Modifiers

There are five types of modifiers that can either increase or reduce or eliminate elemental damage: boost, halve, absorb, negate, and weak. It is important to know how they function especially in PvP as this can deter or enhance the damage you deal to your opponent’s team! We will cover what each one does below:
● Boost – Increases the damage done with the element by 25%.
● Halve – Decreases the damage taken from the element by 50%.
● Absorb – Restores HP instead of taking damage from the element. Whatever the damage total would be is healed instead.
● Negate – Nullifies all damage taken from the element.
● Weak – Increases the damage taken from the element by 50%.

These modifiers do not stack with themselves. For example, having 2 Boost: Fire does not mean 50% damage but still only increases your fire damage by 25%. The same applies to halve, absorb, negate, and weak.

Status Effects and Weather

Some status effects and even weather conditions can play a role in elemental affinities. Though we won’t go into too much regarding weather since we published an in-depth weather guide already, we will instead highlight weather interactions as well as how some status effects here below:
● Float status – Immune to earth attacks while also being treated 1 height higher.
● Oil status – Take double the damage from fire attacks. This status is removed once fire damage is taken.
● Thunderstorm – Fire damage dealt decreased by 25% and lightning damage dealt increased by 25%.
● Snowstorm – Ice damage dealt increased by 25%.

Equipment with Elemental Support

Now that we have gone over the types of elements and modifiers that can affect them, let’s go over the gear in the game that either deals its damage as a particular element or has a modifier built-in:

Did you know that certain weather conditions can actually affect battles? In this article, we go over how the random elements of weather can play a role in battles and how you should take advantage of it if you come across it.

What Are Weather Effects and the Ivalician Calendar

Weather effects can occur randomly on outdoor maps only and have a few positive and negative effects depending on the weather. Weather cannot stop or change once it has been started. Here are a few tidbits regarding weather depending on the mode you are playing Final Fantasy Tactics in:

● In story missions and multiplayer Rendezvous mode, each battle has its weather determined and is not randomized.
● In random battles, the weather is considered random and follows the Ivalician calendar. In multiplayer Melee mode, weather on outdoor maps is considered random and does not seem to follow the Ivalician calendar.
● Indoor maps and the Midnight Deep dungeon cannot have weather. There are also no accuracy penalties against Bow and Crossbow attacks in these locations.

Ivalician Calendar

Chance for Weather (Day or Night)

Clear Weather (Indoor and Outdoor)

Weather can sometimes not occur on an outdoor map and it cannot happen at all on indoor maps. All indoor maps are treated as “clear” as well as the Midnight Deep dungeon areas.
● During night-time with clear weather, the evasion rate against Bows and Crossbow attacks is multiplied by 1.80. Note: Midnight Deep does not increase the evasion rate against Bows and Crossbows even though the area appears dark.

Rainstorms and Thunderstorms

Rainstorms and thunderstorms are both similar in nature; the game depicts them as heavy rainfall and thunderstorms add flashes occasionally to the background to indicate it as such. The following positive and negative effects occur during rainstorms and thunderstorms:
● Evasion rate against Bows and Crossbows attacks are multiplied by 1.33 (or 1.80 if at night).
● Fire-element damage is reduced by 25%.
● Lightning-element damage is increased by 25%.
● Movement through swamp tiles costs 2 Move per tile in rainstorms and 3 Move per tile in thunderstorms. These movement penalties can be ignored via Mystic’s Ignore Weather movement ability.
● Don’t be confused by light rain, it is depicted as slower-moving rainfall animations and is considered “clear” weather, causing no positive or negative effects.

Snowstorms and Light Snow

Battles that take place on snowy terrain have a chance to cause light snow or snowstorms. When either of these weather conditions occurs the following takes place:
● Snowstorms are depicted by horizontal and vertical snowfall animations and increase the damage of all ice-element attacks by 25%.
● Light snow is depicted by only vertical snowfall animations and is treated as “clear” weather.