FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

The following are questions that I was asked by mates on my Friend List and players in the Clan I play with along with the answers to them.  These are restricted to information that you need, and as I will not be editing this list after publication, any questions that you ask via email - while I will make every effort to answer - will likely not be appearing in this list.

Q1. How do you unlock the Gamer Pictures? (XBox 360)

A1. Gamer Pictures are unlocked by completing specific Achievements.  To access these after unlocking them select Extras Mode from the Main Menu of the game.  They unlockable pictures and the associated achievements are:

• Hope Estheim (Hopu Esutohaimu) - Instrument of Change Achievement
• Lightning (Raitoningu) - Superstar Achievement
• Oerba Dia Vanille (Oruba-Daia Vanira) - Instrument of Faith Achievement
• Oerba Yun Fang (Oruba-Yun Fangu) - Treasure Hunter Achievement
• Sazh Katzroy (Sazzu Kattsuroi) - Lore Master Achievement
• Serah Farron (Sera Faron) - All Achievements
• Snow Villiers (Suno Viriasu) - L'Cie Paragon Achievement

To see what the Gamer Pictures look like, visit the Gamer Pictures Site at http://gamer-pics.com/final-fantasy-xiii/ for a preview of each.

Q2. How do you unlock Themes?  (PS3)

A2. Themes are unlocked by gaining specific Trophies.  The unlockable Themes and the associated trophies are:

• Hope Estheim (Hopu Esutohaimu) - Instrument of Change Trophy
• Lightning (Raitoningu) - Superstar Trophy
• Oerba Dia Vanille (Oruba-Daia Vanira) - Instrument of Faith Trophy
• Oerba Yun Fang (Oruba-Yun Fangu) - Treasure Hunter Trophy
• Sazh Katzroy (Sazzu Kattsuroi) - Lore Master Trophy
• Serah Farron (Sera Faron) - Ultimate Hero Trophy
• Snow Villiers (Suno Viriasu) - L'Cie Paragon Trophy

Q3. What components should be used to upgrade my kit?

A3.  The simple answer is any - the complicated answer is that while you can use any to upgrade, you should never use a component that says in its description "This can be sold for a premium" because those components are worth WAY more selling for Gil than for upgrading.

When you are upgrading make sure that you save before major upgrades so that if you end up using a high value component worth more than the actual cost of the cap upgrade you can back off and use something else.  There is no sense in spending 500 EXP to cap an item that only requires 30 EXP.

Another note - some items add X multipliers - you will need to experiment with them to learn which.  Obviously you want to make strategic use of those items.

Q4. When should I start farming Gil? / Where should I farm Gil?

A4. First this is not a simple question because you should always combine farming Gil with grinding CP.  Having said that, you really should not worry about serious farming until after Chapter 10 as that is where you get more convenient groups and most of your jobs are unlocked.  What that translates to is that after Chapter 10 you will be doing serious grinding *anyway* so you might as well combine that with farming Gil!

Right!  So now to the question of where - believe it or not this is not as important as how.  How is simple enough - you want to get 5-star battles each time, because the number of stars you get for each battle has a direct relation to what you get in spoils - or perhaps what your chances are of getting good loot is a better way to say it.

Before you start any serious farming you are going to want to have the Collector's and the Connoisseur's Catalogs in your possession first, and as both are obtained in Chapter 11 - you should start to see the logic here.

As far as the best farming spots, according to the consensus on the boards, Eden Hall and the Orphan's Chamber are the best places for farming.  YMMV.

Q5. I cannot upgrade this job/weapon/accessory!  What gives?!

A5.  This game is a little different than the other games in the series in that the ability to upgrade jobs is really based on how far into the game you have gotten.  You do not even unlock most of the jobs until late in the game anyway, and if you think about it this is a good thing, as otherwise to keep them all capped off you would spend more time grinding CP than playing the game!

Try not to stress on your levels - your jobs (if you keep them capped) are completely appropriate for each area, and you will be able to raise job levels when you need to.  It really is that simple!

As for upgrading kit - this is something you really need to put some study in to before you start doing it anyway!  Sure, it can be as simple as plowing through your resources until you get each of the items you want upgraded to their cap, but doing that will actually cost you XP points because some of the resources are simply better used strategically.

I strongly recommend that you read one of the many upgrade guides online!  The subject is simply too complex to be included as a section of this walkthrough and you will be better served by consulting a featured upgrade guide.  I may end up writing one but if I do it will be in addition to this guide and not part of it!