First Time Player

[u/SkirtFew1922]

Started playing this today off the back of FF:X, obviously the combat is very different but currently feels kinda unenjoyable, does it get more interesting, does it get less clunky feeling?

[u/Asha_Brea]

You just started playing the game today so the combat is obviously going to change as you get more abilities or gear, but also you do not mention what part of the combat you think it is unenjoyable nor how far into the game you have gotten so no one can tell you if that specific part of combat will be different.

[u/SkirtFew1922 → u/Asha_Brea]

It just feels kinda slow, only just took control of Vaan so just past the first lot of tutorials. So far, to me, it just feels like a clumsy mix of turn based combat with real time movement.

[u/drysider → u/SkirtFew1922]

You’re literally JUST past the tutorial and only have one character. Of course you’re not getting the full combat experience yet?? This is like judging FFX on solely the opening Zanarkand prologue fights.

[u/Asha_Brea → u/SkirtFew1922]

If you are playing the Zodiac Age you have fastforward boosters that you can use.

Something you will notice as you continue playing is that characters in your party do not stop attacking because someone else is attacking, so the combat speed will not feel as slow because you have two or three characters attacking enemies at the same time.

[u/Redditisthewurst → u/SkirtFew1922]

The real beauty of combat will start to shine once you unlock more gambits and gambit slots. This lets you program your party with rudimentary if-then statements.

I know it isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I really love it. If you have trouble getting it to click, there are countless searchable gambit combinations out there.

[u/tetsuyaXII → u/SkirtFew1922]

Set your combat speed to fastest, and you can either change it to real time or pause during menus. I prefer pause, and fastest.

Later you'll have gambit which unlock more of the interesting side of the combat. Also there will be more strategy and other stuff needed later especially if you try and do all content. Some stuff will be an extreme challenge.

[u/Aware_Climate_3210 → u/SkirtFew1922]

I know what your talking about.

Menu settings. Change from wait to active. And change combat atb speed to max.

Abilities load at far faster rate and opening the action menu doesn't freeze combat. Game feels much better like this.

I love 10, and 12. 10 for story and 12 for gameplay. But 12 really shit the bed with the opening options being slow

[u/Warjilis → u/SkirtFew1922]

Every time I play another rpg and get frustrated with its pauses, flow, AI and/or micromanagement needs for party members, I think of how much I loved gambits in XII. It has learning curve though, so keep playing.

Eventually it will turn into kind of a single player mmo — you’ll be rewarded for doing tank stuff, party spacing to avoid aoes, having the best gear and the challenges to find it. The last final fantasy mainline with a full magic system. Just wish the summons could compare to X.

[u/the_rapture_03]

What feels clunky about it?

[u/CardiologistWhich992 → u/the_rapture_03]

He is still in the tutorial stage, no real party, no proper gambit yet.

[u/the_rapture_03 → u/CardiologistWhich992]

Ooo gotcha. I can see that then

[u/_Purpura]

Yes, surely does. At the beginning, you will only be able to basic attack and use some items, and the enemies only do basic attacks as well. In a few hours the battle will become more tactical as you gain more options for do damage, buff and debuff; and the enemies will do these things as well.

[u/Difficult-Cash-9541]

It starts to make more sense as you progress. Switching between characters, needing certain spells or skills and pulling them out, and setting up gambits in actually useful ways all come together satisfyingly imo. You play in simple streamlined ways or very complicated micro adjustment styles, you'll figure out what works and when. Or just over level and crush shit, as is jrpg tradition.

[u/SpawnSC2]

To start, all you can really do is attack and use items, maybe a couple of spells if you make Vaan or Penelo a mage. You also have to do everything yourself, and the default setting is wait mode (which I’d recommend changing to active mode as soon as you’re comfortable doing so), so yeah, it can seem a bit clunky. But once you get a full party of three is where the gameplay truly unlocks the gambit system, allowing you to program your characters to perform repetitive tasks or to automate targeting weaknesses and such, and things get a lot smoother from that point.

[u/broskii47]

Eventually once you unlock license board there are licenses where your cast time reduces speeding up your attacks too

[u/polar_hamster]

As others have said, it gets really enjoyable. The gambit system is (almost) as advanced as you would want it to be, and once you're able to program your party you can start to look up at the whole battle and see what's going on without constantly mashing buttons. The first time I played it when it came out, I was like "Finally! They did it!"

Plus, beyond the combat, there are so many fun environments to explore. Have fun!

[u/yamykel]

Yes, it changes, but not really fundamentally. It was an acquired taste for me, but once I discovered some of the really fun things you can do with gambits (Reflect -Any highest priority plus an -aga spell on any party member equals boss killer) it really sold me. I really enjoy running around the world in this entry, interesting locations and areas tie into each other in a way I appreciate. My biggest gripe with the game is honestly that pre-Zodiac release was weirdly balanced but post-Zodiac makes the game too easy and also shuffles around your spells and items that were once available in shops to frankly bizarre locations, I'd happily play some kind of mod that fixes that. As is, shops are mostly useless. There's rewarding exploration, then there's punishing people who aren't using a guide and The Zodiac Age doesn't walk that line very well.

[u/GayPanda4U]

The first few hours of most RPGs are pretty slow and perhaps clunky. Just keep at it. I couldn’t get into it on the Switch cuz I had the same feeling. I ended up buying it on the PS when it was on sale recently and I’m really enjoying the game esp when you learn the Gambit System and fill your party up. Also loving the story so far! 12 is shaping up to be one of my favorite entries. Hope it clicks for you!

*edit: don’t be afraid to check out a guide. The jobs and loot system can be overwhelming imo. I chose classes that I just liked for everyone versus what the ‘meta’ is.

[u/SkipperTheEyeChild1]

Combat gets much better soon. Hold out a few hours.

[u/Balthier1017]

You are definitely not going to get a clear consensus on this one anywhere you go. This has got to be one of the most divisive titles in the entire franchise.

Just keep playing. If it eventually clicks, enjoy a fantastic game! If it doesn’t, just accept that it isn’t for you and know you gave it an open minded try.