Advice for my Newman...

[RuneseekerMireille]

My female newman is now level 70, and i'm having problems deciding which way to go with her type. I want her to be a guntecher, and I was wondering out of Force, Ranger, and Braver would be the best way to go towards that goal. In using Ranger right now and it feels alright, but considering how important buffing/debuffing is, I feel I would be missing the level 30 Shifta/Deband/Jellen/Zalure. And Braver's have the most EX Traps, but at the expense of both the level 30 buff/debuffs and the thrid bullet of cards. Any recommendations?

[Chuck_Norris]

Cards are great chain builders. I'd say Ranger, since you'll still be able to use okay techs, and can use them as finishing moves after building up a long chain with the level 3 card.

[Nero-Flow]

use braver best class for starter for newman lv up going pretty fast use ex traps at right moment in the mission also buff debuff heal lv 20 thats already enough to get trough this game offline and for online u just need a good party come to this chat if ya wanna party or questions am almost always on xD http://xat.com/PhantasyStarPortable2 ... my alt fem newman start with braver think i'll make it ranger after maxed braver cause PP+ 10 at lv 2 PP + 20 at lv 15 and PP restore at lv 25 that should make it up for ranger and the rest wel force i guess =]

[THOTH]

They're both pretty good. Braver will have a bit more survivalbility, better trap use and better techs...at the cost of some gun advantages. Melee is a bit more of an option. You may find yourself ditching second charge ability in favor of finishing with techs as a braver, thus freeing up some priceless ability points. Either way stay as a braver long enough to learn the bomb improvement ability, it will help both ranger and braver greatly.


Some melee is used for all PP dependent play styles...well... maybe a ranger with cards with PP save at level 30 and wand for teching may work, but generally you switch to the whip for some fast PP gain. A lil melee skillz doesn't hurt when that comes up.

[RuneseekerMireille]

So I guess that Force is completely out of the question then? Is lv30 Shifta/Deband/Jellen/Zalure is not needed? Level 20 bullets/techs are not a problem?

[Chuck_Norris]

I think it's more than Force overall is a party class. Buffs and debuffs are nice, but if you're soloing, or have someone else doing that for you, it's just time wasted where you could be killing. Techs are also just awful for building chains. So again, their final hit is usually only useful in a group, after the other players have built up a chain. And chances are, someone else would of broken it while you were casting.

You're going for a Guntecher build though, right? GT never had high level techs in the first place. They were always a gunner first and foremost.

[Deragonite]

Shizuru's Twin Daggers is the only melee you need. Kills, build chains, and regenerates PP.
Emilia's rod with resta zalure shifta deband is all the teching you'll need.
Twin Handgun is the only gun you'll need. Builds chains with good range and ATA.

Any class can use the above effectively, although I recommend Br because they are nearly invincible late game.

[THOTH]

Deragonite the original posted explicitly stated gun teching. Please don't become one of those obsessive "There's a distinctly fastest way to beat the game and EVERYONE SHOULD DO IT ANY THING ELSE IS POINTLESS" people, because it gets annoying to the rest of us.

Any way, if gun teching is the desired play method case cards+wand are the best way to go by default. Likewise rifles with ranged bullets will always be useful to a degree. Agree about twin handgun though.

Also Deragonite, remember that Newman rangers have EVP that's similar to cast bravers, so they are also nearly invincible.


Edit in forgot to say: Forces don't really use guns that well, to be frank...their accuracy is really bad. If you really want to tech alot and use a few guns a cast force may be the best way to go.

[Pillan]

If you want to play a Guntecher-like class, go with Ranger. It's got the stats of Fortegunner combined with the TP of Guntecher and MST of Acrotecher. Plus all your favorite guns are at half price to add with type extend. But, as mentioned above, you may wish to get Braver to 8 or so for the PP Boost and Burst Bomber.

[Neith]

Shizuru's Twin Daggers is the only melee you need. Kills, build chains, and regenerates PP.
Emilia's rod with resta zalure shifta deband is all the teching you'll need.
Twin Handgun is the only gun you'll need. Builds chains with good range and ATA.

Any class can use the above effectively, although I recommend Br because they are nearly invincible late game.

Last I recall, Guntechers weren't known for spamming Twin Daggers. The OP wants to play a class similar to Guntecher. Spamming Twin Daggers isn't even close to it as far as I'm concerned. I know this method is one of the fastest ways to play at high level, but not everyone wants to do it. The OP specifically asked for a class like Guntecher, not a melee class.

As people have said, go Ranger, but maybe go Braver until Br Lv8 to get Burst Bomber incase you want to use Traps.

[Deragonite]

All right then, sorry for my previous advice.

You want to guntech correct? Since techs suck so bad, you'll want to be FO if you want your techs to match your guns in damage.

Stick with a Rod, Bow, and Twin Handguns/Cards. The rod is for tech damage, the Bow is for linear mobs, the twin handgun is for single mobs. Cards are very situational but have a lot of potential in the situations they are good (twin hopping bosses anyone? but shhh it's a secret that cards pwn the living tar out of them).

However I HIGHLY RECOMMEND some melee to be effective. Use Shizuru's Twin Daggers for refilling PP since it regenerates about 100 PP + natural PP regen in one full normal combo. Let's not forget that twin daggers cost very little for FO's to use. A whip's normal combo is too slow and if there's only a couple monster it will regenerate less PP than Shizuru's Twin Daggers would. Even with multiple monsters I doubt the whip will gain much more PP than Shizuru's Twin Daggers would.

Last time I checked Guntechers don't spam traps either :o! It's clear the OP is gravitating towards powerful things with such a strong desire to use traps (the 2nd most broken thing in the game).

Why are Braver and Ranger bad choices for Gunteching (there's no need to mention HU)? The reasoning is very simple:

Braver - You'll realize that everything will die to traps. Why use Guns and Techs? When you have to use Guns or Techs, you'll realize it takes 4 times longer to kill the said thing with techs than guns. If you DO use primarily attack techs over guns, it'll be almost entirely for cosmetic purposes. It is more accurate to say that you'd be "TrapGunning".
Ranger - You'll realize that 1/2 the things will die to traps (since you still have 4 Burn EX's). When you have to use Guns or Techs, you'll realize it takes 10 times to kill the said thing with techs than guns. If you DO use primarily attack techs over guns, it's because you have a lot of time to spare, enjoy being frustrated when things kill you and when they don't die, or are in a party where everyone else can kill everything for you. It is more accurate to say that you'd be GunTrapping".

Force is a good choice because there will be many opportunities that techs will outperform guns and guns will outperform techs. This way you have an incentive to use techs besides the "techs look cool" reasoning or the "I want to guntech" reasoning.

Similar TP vs ATP/ATA does not mean that techs and guns will perform similarly. Techs are so underpowered that you could multiply a Newman FO's TP by 1.5 and it still won't outperform Death or Traps.

[Pillan]

With the lowest ATP, lowest ATA, and lowest bullet cap, Force will suffer heavily as Ranger. And since guns naturally have low ATA, not only will you have trouble missing but when you do hit your damage will be incredibly low due to the ATA multiplier.

Bows are never worth using. In the situation where you want long range single target damage, a rifle is better. In a situation where you don't need the long range, every other gun (minus shadoogs) is better. In the situation where you want linear damage, laser cannons (or even Barta, Zonde, and Megid) are better just because of the time needed to build up the combo and charge shot. This will make the already bad situation of PP drain coupled with more PP drain even worse.

As far as tech damage, just attach it to triangle. Guns build up chains faster than anything else and a chain-breaking tech is stronger than any charge shot. Combine this with the fact that you can get 3 techs in rather than 2 full-charge shots and it's a significant difference. (There are some exceptions to this rule, of course.) The main problems will be lag switching weapons and other people breaking the combo first online. It's a fair strategy that I would recommend to anyone with the desire to Guntech.

Yes, you have 4 Burn EX traps as an option as Ranger. Use them to make the boss or 4 large mobs even easier. The other 80% of your run, stick to Gunteching.

But I do agree on adding some melee for the PP drain plus more PP drain combo. Twin daggers, double sabers, spears, and slicers are decent options as Ranger or Force. All of them will give you fast and easy PP regeneration.

[kongajinken]

As far as tech damage, just attach it to triangle. Guns build up chains faster than anything else and a chain-breaking tech is stronger than any charge shot. Combine this with the fact that you can get 3 techs in rather than 2 full-charge shots and it's a significant difference. (There are some exceptions to this rule, of course.) The main problems will be lag switching weapons and other people breaking the combo first online. It's a fair strategy that I would recommend to anyone with the desire to Guntech.

What techniques do you use to end combos? I do about equal to more damage from a charged shot compared to a technique.(i usually use the long range spells that hit aoe to end a combo)

[Pillan]

What techniques do you use to end combos? I do about equal to more damage from a charged shot compared to a technique.(i usually use the long range spells that hit aoe to end a combo)

I take it back. You're right. I miscalculated apparently.

[kongajinken]

Yea they really screwed over techniques in this game.

At least in PSO when you casted a spell it was guaranteed to hit everything in the room including breaking all the boxes.

[Deragonite]

Techs are terrible that's why I said use FO if you wanna "Guntech" :p.

Anyway, here are some tips on teching:

Keep in mind the following! As a FO, you will be standing still everytime you cast a tech. REMEMBER THIS WELL. Whenever you decide to use a tech, you are putting yourself in a completely vulnerable position for a period of time. Unlike melee which has movement, you cannot use the PA's movement to dodge enemy attacks. This is why Ohgamons and tech spitters are in all actuality MORE dangerous to FO's than to HU/BR/etc.

Gi-techs are probably the most UNIQUE thing that FO's have that other classes don't. Gi-techs can build up a 2 chain on 6(?) targets surrounding you. When dealing with a large group of monsters, I personally do the following (Gizonde/Gidiga/Gibarta on Square, Gizonde/Gidiga/Gibarta on Triangle). Use to Squares to build up a 1 Chain, and then use Triangle Triangle Triangle. This is the highest DPS to groups I could think of as FO.

As far as everything else, I don't have time to tell what I know atm.

[RuneseekerMireille]

Thank you for all of this input. I've been tinkering around (while trying to get Photon Boosters) and it seems that I will probably be going Ranger. Are bows really that bad? I really like them, but if there that much worse than the rifles, then maybe I will use those. And I also notice that Rangers get low Type Extend on Twin Daggers, so I will go on Deragonite's suggestion on that. A few more questions, though:

1. Any reason to use grenades? They seem incredibly weaker than they were in the first game.

2. Any spells suggestions for ending chains? Should they be single target, or AOE?

3. Should I still use buffing/debuffing spells, since they only go to level 15?

Thanks in advance.

[kongajinken]

Thank you for all of this input. I've been tinkering around (while trying to get Photon Boosters) and it seems that I will probably be going Ranger. Are bows really that bad? I really like them, but if there that much worse than the rifles, then maybe I will use those. And I also notice that Rangers get low Type Extend on Twin Daggers, so I will go on Deragonite's suggestion on that. A few more questions, though:

1. Any reason to use grenades? They seem incredibly weaker than they were in the first game.

2. Any spells suggestions for ending chains? Should they be single target, or AOE?

3. Should I still use buffing/debuffing spells, since they only go to level 15?

Thanks in advance.

1. I found them to be very weak

3. Every little bit helps and they don't take that long to cast for buffing. debuffing I dont waste my time since stuff dies so fast anyway.

I'm in the same boat as you I absolutely love bows which made me so incredibly disappointed when I realized how bad they actually are.

1. They use TP not ATP for increased damage (as well as accuracy too)
2. Their charged shot only hits once even if its a line other guns charged hits 3 times.

[Pillan]

1. Grenades are weaker, but they're also easier to use. Since they don't have the natural blow away, they're much better for any swarm of close enemies or multi-target boss. The main issue is they run out of PP really fast.

2. Single-target, you're guaranteed to be better off with a twin handgun, shotgun, machinegun, or crossbow. If you're going to use spells, stick to lots of targets that couldn't otherwise be optimized with a gun.

3. Buffs are always good since the store items are level 1 and every class gets level 2. Debuffs are questionable since they miss a lot more than they did in PSU.

[Izuna]

If you want to 'Guntech', which is definately the most difficult route in this game, I suggest keeping a Wand with Grants (on X) and Diga (on Y), with a Card or whatever you love using on the off-hand.

You're better off Being a Ranger or Braver; sticking to Rifles, the combo I mentioned above, and Laser Cannon. You won't be able to dynamically switch up your techs because you need to keep yourself safe, keep to projectile Techs unless you are fighting a couple or a single small enemy.

It'll be a lot of fun -- your techs won't be used to do more damage, but to inflict status effects and keep enemies away from you [Grants!]. Though, if you're going to be a Braver, slap on a Shield to go with a wand [with Diga or Grants] or single dagger/saber.

^^'

Unless you want to heal others around you, Don't learn anything other Resta lv 10!

Edit2: just to be of more help, Burst Shot for the Rifle knocks enemies over, you'll be able to knock over an enemy and attack with a crossbow or if you like, Shotgun.
Freezing enemies is a great way to keep yourself safe, so the fact that you can have 10 Freeze Traps is very helpful for you.
Beware that Guns use a LOT of PP, so PP Restorite is a must, and because you'll be very unsafe with techs, PP Escape Save will give you more of a chance to save your life. You can Block with the Rifle, but if it isn't done at the right time (and just reduces damage) the PP you'll lose will probably have you running out of the room to recharge (if you're solo that is).

Because you're a Newman, you'll be safer if you use the escaping effectively more than any other race.

If there are any small issues you have with the character, the easiest way out is to switch up with melee attacks.

[Pillan]

Note that Ranger can't use Freeze Traps or Stun EX Traps, so there's no way to stop the enemy from moving without weapon/tech status effects. Also note that it takes 100 seconds for PP Restore (Braver 25) to be better than PP High Boost (Braver 15) as a female Newman. Since most battles don't require you to spam attacks for nearly 2 minutes straight, PP Restore isn't really worth it.

[Izuna]

Note that Ranger can't use Freeze Traps or Stun EX Traps, so there's no way to stop the enemy from moving without weapon/tech status effects. Also note that it takes 100 seconds for PP Restore (Braver 25) to be better than PP High Boost (Braver 15) as a female Newman. Since most battles don't require you to spam attacks for nearly 2 minutes straight, PP Restore isn't really worth it.

PP Restorite and PP High Boost both take the same amount of points.

Burn EX Traps as a Ranger is good enough, and all other traps buy you enough time to run and knock the enemy over.

Pillan, how many times do you start actually fight with Max PP?
Imagine you're out of Mates, Resta takes PP, so does escaping; as a Ranger/Caster, they'll be many instances where the PP drops completely, (leaving the player's only choices to be to run, guard, or melee).

PP High Boost is not better than PP Restorite -- combined, it's nice, but not needed whatsoever for Human/Newmans.

[Pillan]

Look it up on the JP Wiki.

PP High Boost is PP + 20 and PP regen + 4 every 5 seconds for a female Newman. PP Restore is a static + 5 PP every 5 seconds regardless of race, class, and gender. As I said, regardless of how fast you drain through your PP, if you end the battle in less than 1 minute and 40 seconds, you would be better off with PP High Boost. But under the conditions that you are below 250 for longer than that, it will begin to pay off. Things like Just Attack will bias this report even further in favor of PP High Boost.

And, yes, usually by the time I've picked up whatever items the enemy dropped and walked down the hallway to the next room, my PP is refilled. Of course, that report is biased by being a Cast, which has higher regeneration and lower PP, so it takes a lot less time for the bar to refill (literally 17 seconds from zero to full).

EDIT:

Female Newman has a natural 250 PP and 45 PP regeneration every 5 seconds. Also it might be interesting to note that PP High Boost actually raises PP regen more than PP Restore as a Cast.

[kongajinken]

Can you post a link to where your getting that information from?

[Pillan]

You can get it here (http://spoiler.sakura.ne.jp/srv/psp2/E382A2E38393E383AAE38386E382A3E382ABE382B9E382BFE3 839EE382A4E382BA2FE6A49CE8A8BC.html#zd273b4b). Run it through Google Translate for English.

In other news, I was off. Apparently PP Regenerate is less than 5 for Newman and PP Restore is less than 4. But the difference between the two is still (less than) 1 extra PP every 5 seconds, which means that there's at least a 100 second delay before PP Regenerate is worth more.

[kongajinken]

On boss fights the PP restore might be worth it since you will almost always be out of mana. From the looks of it though the +20 max pp is pretty nice.

[THOTH]

Gun teching is really that rough huh? I guess that ability to increase the odds of status getting inflicted would be useful (also if you get sick of it and want to spam instant death...does skull sorcerer also have instant death?)

How are lasers in this game? Can bravers make effective use of them, or is it more ranger turf? Which is generally better, laser or grenades?

[Izuna]

Gun teching is really that rough huh? I guess that ability to increase the odds of status getting inflicted would be useful (also if you get sick of it and want to spam instant death...does skull sorcerer also have instant death?)

How are lasers in this game? Can bravers make effective use of them, or is it more ranger turf? Which is generally better, laser or grenades?

Laser Cannons are good, even as Braver. I don't use them because when I need to use a Range attack the Rifle is really fast and can knock down, and Save Shot works great for Bosses =).

If you're <lv 100 < class lv 20 you should use the Ultimate C rank Laser Cannons ^^'.