Hey everyone!

It has been a while since I posted my first beginner's guide - covering the basics of the game. I planned since then to do a 2nd part, covering other aspects of the game.

Well, IRL happened and I couldnt continue so I'll get it going now!

Again, I'll use the same kind of formatting. I recommend you put up this classic FF soundtrack this time - it is what I'm hearing as I write it - and go through the next steps of the game.

The guide index will be as follows:

1. The Game's Resources
2. Event types - Or Where to Get Said Resources
3. Effective Use - Meta vs Fun
4. Future Planning

1. The Game's Resources

First of all, I'll talk briefly about what is each of the game's currency. Brief overview of each one of those.

Lapis

Lapis is the game primary - and premium - currency. It is used for everything and is absurdly valuable. The best type of summons - step ups - need this to be done. Hold on to your lapis!

Summon Tickets

There are two main different summon tickets: Rare Tickets and EX Tickets.

Rare tickets need a banner to be used - which means it will have rate up for whatever unit is on said banner. The game's "rate up" isnt that good, tbh, but it is still a good thing if you hoard those to use as you want. They have different flavours: Rare Ticket (blue or higher), Golden Ticket (gold or higher), and the infamous 90/70% Blue 10/30% Rainbow Tickets.

EX tickets, on other hand, need to be used at the EX banner, which is basically a big big big banner, where all - no time limited - units are placed, with the same rates split between them all. This is updated every time a new unit is released to include them there.

Gil

Gil used to be something... not that much used before 7 star units were a thing. However, between 7 star awakenings (that cost 3 million gil) and ability awakenings/enhancements (same thing), it is a huge bottleneck for newer players. This is the famous "gold" from the Final Fantasy world.

Trust Moogles

Those cute little moogles are a big deal nowadays. The game evolved to a point where TMR farming isnt as needed, since we get a lot of moogles through all events and also through special things like our last 3rd Anniversary. Use those to get the unit's Trust Rewards, which is going to be an item (be it an equipment or materia) that is - most of the time - really good! Some of those are really really powerful.

Ability Crysts

Those little crystals are needed to upgrade older units' abilities. This is mostly a pity system from the game - but it happen to breath life into some units more often than not! Remember Balthier's time to shine - dealing Akstar's levels of damage - before it was cool?

They come in different flavours (support, tech, power, etc) and are quite grindy to get, but is imo a really good mechanic.

Enlightment Points

The new beloved system from Gumi, this basically is ability enhancements through another flavour. Those are imo easier to get - since it requires no Gil and all events give at least a small ammount of points - but fewer units have it. Some units receive quite neat abilities from those too!

Select Summon Tickets - or UoCs

Those little shiny goodies are amazing. After you collect 10 pieces, you'll be able to get any non time-limited unit! This is amazing and, even tho those are a bit rare, you should get them whenever they pop up.

2. Event types - Or Where to Get Said Resources

Now for the event types. Each event, usually, is really good to get some type of currency, while giving some of the other things.

The main rotation of events is as follows in the game:

King Mog -> Story Event -> Raid -> "free" week

They of course step away from these exact specifics more often than not, but should give you a way to think about it. Also, all events award lapis, some less (like raids), some more (like story events) but lapis is lapis and you should try to at least clear them once to get said currency.

King Mog

King Mog events are, imo, one of the most fun in the game. You need to actually go and pull units from the banner that is attached to speed up farming - but this leads to some nice surprise rainbows in between, which is always cool. Basically, these events are tied to one game of the main Final Fantasy series (For example, this friday we'll have a FF V event), featuring new units. You use said banner units to farm an event that will give you a special type of coin.

Said coin can be traded at the farplane (just click Vortex in the main screen, then go to "exchange" on the right top) for premium items, for example: Select summon tickets, event specific gear, summon tickets, ability crysts, exp cactuars and more!

Story Events

Story Events are cool things. Those are done for FFBE original units - like the game's main cast - to explain their background story. It is a "one and done" type of event, where you do some stages that gives a lot of lapis some tickets, along also event specific gear.

This event has two "singularities". First, the bonus stage, which is a semi-hard stage that awards some premium items like trust moogles and tickets after you clear it. Also, in the 2nd week of the event, other stages will spawn that are amazing for farming ability crysts! Be sure to farm those if you like any unit that needs enhancements, this helps a lot.

Raids

Raids are another grind-ish type of event. Unlike King Mog events, Raids are usually a "damage race". You need to kill a single boss to clear it, but the closer to the 999,999,999 damage cap you cap, the higher coins you get from it!

Raids uses its own type of "energy" - Raid Orbs - and also gives coins. Unlike the King Mog coins tho, Raid coins are used on a "free" summon banner. This is an amazing source of trust masteries - since the raid summon gives moogles for the banner units - and gil/exp! Be sure to farm those as much as you can. They arent too hard to one-shot with a lower geared team. With time you'll begin hitting the damage cap :P

Newer Events

Aside from the basic events described above, Gumi has been introducing new types of events every now and then. I'll list the three major ones here.

Steel Castle Melfykia - AKA Item World

Item World is amazing. It uses its own energy thing - equipment enhancements orbs - and you're able to take any weapon you own with you. Said weapon will receive a lot of passives, which includes HP/MP/SPR/DEF/ATK/MAG boosts, as well as some other minor passives, making your party overall a lot strong. This also awards good ammounts of gil.

Elemental Wave Battles

This is a new-ish type of event. It is basically what would happen if King Mog and Raid events had a baby!

You use energy to run it, and units from the banner does give you bonus coins, which you'll use like raids. They're fun, and an amazing source of Gil (I made myself 15 million from the last one that's running right now in only a week!) and exp, since bonuses make you get more currency than raids.

Series Boss Battles

The infamous SBBs, those are more like trial-oriented content. However, you get a good ammount of keys from clearing these up, which will make your units stronger through Latent Abilities (the enlightment points system). These ones are really hard tho, but every time one drops, units from that game (for example, we're expecting Neo Exdeath there, which is from FFV) will get new, shiny skills!

3. Effective Use - Meta vs Fun

Now that you know everything you can obtain through grinding, comes the bigger question. How do you use your stuff?

First of all: This game has some hardcore meta players. Basically, best unit or bust. But that doesnt mean you need to be that way.

Take as an example Lapis. It is really valuable, since with a full step up you're almost guaranteed the unit.

Now lets talk meta-wise.

Olberic, from today's Octopath Traveller banner, is a good tank. However, we know Galuf is coming soon, and he'll be a lot stronger.

You're an Octopath Traveller fan tho, and with full step up you're guaranteed either Primrose or Olberic at 7 star.

You can then either:

a) Ignore Octapath Traveller completely, play it "meta", and save your Lapis for Galuf.

b) Pull on Octapath's banner, get Olberic, and still have a good tank, just not as meta as Galuf.

This is something however that only you can decide. Not having that shiny new unit that decimates everything can be sad, but also does missing your favourite protagonist. What is more important tho is, always, to have fun. Don't be sad to skip Olberic just because Galuf is better. If you like him, summon him, and use him. The game will be a loooot funnier this way. Always follow your heart! :P

 4. Future Planning

However, there's a way to be both meta and nostalgic.

We have the "foreshadow" of JP's version crystal ball. This basically lets us know, more or less, when we're expected to get some unit.

Global has twisted that crystal ball a lot tho. Starting with Esther, lots of Global Exclusive, meta-shaking units dropped on, along buffs to units that werent relevant anymore, that made us stand at a completely different point right now.

However, lets say you're a die hard fan of Noctis. We know Prince Noctis is coming up, and you can save enough resources to go for him. After that, you're free to chase the meta, or other units you want for nostalgia, or global original units of any sorts! That's amazing for all players, I bet you. Just be sure to not be caught with your pants down when your favourite unit comes into FFBE!

 Closing Thoughts

I'll just copy-paste what I did on the first guide (the one hyperlinked at the beginning, in case you missed it)'s ending, since I cant come up with anything better than it! Sorry :P

If all this was crappy to you (really, feel free to express yourself), you're still completely welcome on the Daily Help Thread to clear any remaining doubts you have. There's plenty of cool people here in the sub that will willingly answer all your questions as long as you don't end them with F2P BTW.

Anyway. that is a really long post. I'll post edits below here as I push them down. If I posted any bullshit, please correct me, I'm really correcting stuff on the post.

Also, all this is collected info from different sources and by personal experience. If you disagree with anything, just keep a calm and cheerful discussion in the comments so that everyone can participate on it.

And that's it. Thanks for your attention if you really read it. Hope it helped you in some way. Have a good day!