I remember there was some post on Gamefaqs regarding stats and how they felt about each stat.
I saw so many idiotic posts, it made me want to bang my head against a wall.
Anyways, here's how I feel about stats and how I'd rank them (I'm only talking of the 5 basic stats, and nohting else).
1) Agility - This is the difference between getting a turn against the EvilMask/Wicked Mask so the monster can take its own medicine.
This stat contributes 1/3 of the attack multipler and 1/3 of the magic defense multiplier, but all of the defense multiplier.
Most importantly, being able to input commands is more important in this game than in say FF6.
Since Agility doesn't grow on trees, I often hate the slow characters, particularly Cid, Tellah, and FuSoYa.. they are such pains in the asses to get anything done (though Cid IMO is the most useful of the bunch).
2) Strength - Even though I like magic, I'm ultimately partial to being able to use the Attack command at will at any time, if just for MP conservation purposes alone.
The extra attack power you get is more or less academic as the multiplier and the weapon you wield has the most impact and influence in terms of dealing damage.
Ultimately, this has more value on spellcasting characters than on fighters.. since you can make a seemingly weak Rydia be a pretty damn good fighter... (and Edward if you factor in FF4A)... probably arguably better than Rosa...
3) Will Power/Spirit - Even though this stat has technically the same impact that Wisdom does for spellcasting, the secondary purpose is to reduce the effectiveness of paralysis and sleep.. which are pretty annoying in their own right. Additionally, healing outside of battle is much more potent than healing within a battle... so it's hard to argue against those facts.
4) Wisdom/Intelligence - It's obvious this is the other side of the equation, making Edge look like a god at times with his Ninjutsu and Rydia... so it's not really that shocking. Besides, Palom's special ability makes this kinda cool too.
5) Vitality/Stamina - Ok, so this stat drives the Life spell and Poison/Gradual Petrification resistance. I understand that. The sad thing though is that gaining 1 point of defense for every 2 points of this stat is worthless. Here's a simple reason why.. it doesn't provide any extra protection for magic (neither does Wisdom and Will, so go figure), but ultimately, you are better off exposing elemental resistances and racial resistances, since they provide far more impact than this value. Rather than being able to top at 49 defense power, you are better of halving a monster's attack power due to racial resistance. Also, you can't forget the impact of evasion.. which reduces the need for this stat to be boosted. I've never been fond on Cid taking damage like a tank.. not that he couldn't, but other characters manage better than he can at doing the same thing...
Ok, that's enough of the rant. I had to get this off my mind.
Topic: FF4 - Stats Can't Get Away From Facts (Read 1280 times)