FFBE has ended its service for Global for almost three months now, but I still wanted to say my good-byes and share some of my highs and lows. It was my first gacha game.
DIVING INTO MY FIRST GACHA GAME
I was introduced to FFBE by one of my friends. It was around February of 2017. He showed me some of his characters, particularly the characters from FFVI since we both love that game. I thought the pixel art was nice. I was also impressed that I could recognize the characters despite the sprites being fairly small. Thinking I had nothing to lose, I installed FFBE onto my phone and I was hooked!
-The nostalgia (I loved being able to play with characters from older Final Fantasy games. There were tons of collabs, too, so some of those were nostalgic for me as well)
Until next time! :)
One of the prettiest sights to see in FFBE back in 2017. A rainbow crystal.
THE HIGHS
There was a lot to enjoy about FFBE. It was like playing an old-school RPG that never ended, because new events and new characters kept coming. I didn't know those were common things for gacha games back then, so I appreciated them. Below were some of the things I really enjoyed about FFBE:-The artwork (it was really high quality pixel art. If you can recognize which character is which, you know they did a good job with the art)
-The nostalgia (I loved being able to play with characters from older Final Fantasy games. There were tons of collabs, too, so some of those were nostalgic for me as well)
-Exploring towns (I love exploring in video games so I enjoyed this a lot)
-The beautiful soundtrack (there were times where I'd start up FFBE and just leave it on the title screen so the music would keep looping)
-Strategizing (there were some difficult bosses and challenges that really made me think about optimal team and gear set-ups)
-Various forms of upgrading (there were many things to upgrade -- weapons, equipment, abilities... there were even event towers [Steel Castle Melfikya] that added enhancements to a weapon of your choice)
-Fun events (many of the events were varied and fun. One of my favourites was The Enchanted Maze where you go through random doors to find treasure. Another favourite was The Egg Seekers where you gather eggs for Easter)
This event was so nostalgic for me.
Something that was tedious but I didn't mind was grinding for the Trust Master Rewards from certain characters. In FFBE, every character came with an extra something (materia or gear) that would be rewarded when the character's Trust Master reached 100%.
Me grinding and getting the Trust Master Rewards.
If you are wondering why I didn't mention the story, well... there were definitely some good instances in the story, but I didn't really like the main character (Rain). I thought he was too much of a flirt with multiple ladies. I liked the other characters much more, like Lasswell (aka Lassworm), Raegen, and the Finas.
I thought this was a cute sight.
The first time I ever had to contact customer service. I did get my weapon back, thank goodness!
THE SUMMONING WOES
With the highs were also the lows, and by lows, I really mean my summoning woes -- the bane of almost every gacha game. For those who don't know, a gacha game is a game with a system (it is usually called a banner) where if you spend a certain type of in-game currency (usually called a roll or pull), you'll receive a random reward, and it could be one of several possible rewards based on certain % chances. Usually the most desired reward has the lowest % chance. Imagine rolling a 20-sided die where maybe 10 sides of that die represent the lowest tier rewards, 6 sides represent the second-lowest tier rewards, 3 sides represent the third-lowest tier rewards, and only 1 side of the die represents the highest tier reward. The chances of that 20-sided die landing on a side representing the lowest tier is more likely because there are more sides representing the lowest tier rewards.
I was lucky that my friend gave me tips on what banner types to prioritize and which characters to aim for if I wanted to be strong. He also told me that there was always a chance of NOT getting the character I wanted, because rolling would only give a chance of getting it.
Early on, I devised this strategy: if there was no certainty with getting what I wanted from these banners, then I'd have to save a lot of currency to get more rolls. This should increase the likelihood that at least one of the rolls could be lucky. From there I developed a habit of doing maybe 10-20 rolls on event banners and saving the rest for banners I really wanted to roll on. When Step-up Summon banners got introduced, a gacha system that guaranteed a 5-star character on the last step, I sometimes rolled on those. For the most part, my strategy worked. But -- there were two major instances where it didn't and woe, anguish, and frustration came for me very strongly.
Example of a Step-up Summon banner. They weren't always available alongside the other banners. This wasn't available for either of the two instances below.
Instance #1: When going through the content and events for FFBE, there was usually an option to take a friend's character with you. When I was just starting out, I often had to rely on other people's characters to get through some of the harder stages. One of my friend's character was a scythe-wielding girl with purple pigtails. I instantly liked her design. Later I found out that she was Elza, a character from another game called Brave Frontier. When I found out that the Brave Frontier banner was coming back, I saved as much lapis (FFBE's in-game currency for the gacha system) and summoning tickets as I could.
When the banner came, I had about 100 rolls. I thought it'd be enough. It wasn't. Over the course of the banner's run, I tried to get as much lapis as I could from the game's content. I used everything I had, but it still wasn't enough.
Distraught, I knew there was another way to get lapis... I could spend money on lapis bundles. But there weren't any bundle sales going on right now, I thought. If I bought any lapis now, it'd be at regular price and that would be expensive. Elza was a limited character, meaning that once the banner leaves, it may never come back again. If I wanted her, I had to get her now.
Wincing, I spent $139.99 for the highest lapis bundle. At the time, the thought of spending over $100 in a game was ludicrous (it still is). That was more than a PS4 game (it still is). I still didn't get Elza. I spent another $139.99. I felt sick to my stomach, disgusted with my actions. I spent over $200 trying to get just one character. As I rolled I felt miserable. I was down to my last roll. It was like slow motion, me pressing the summoning button. It was a rainbow crystal. It was Elza. I got her!!! T_T
I never wanted to spend money like that again. To prevent getting into this same situation in the future, I needed to save a whole lot more rolls...
Instance #2: When I heard that FFBE JP (FFBE on Japanese servers) got a banner for Valkyrie Profile -Lenneth-, I knew I was going to roll on it when it came to Global. Then and there, I knew what I had to do: save.
While I was saving as many summoning tickets and lapis as possible, I read online that FFBE would eventually introduce a way to turn certain 6-star characters (the current strongest level) into 7-star characters, which involved merging two copies of the same character. I also read that two 7-star Freyas would be super powerful for harder content. I thought: I'm going to get 4 Freyas and get myself two 7-star Freyas when that feature becomes available. With all the lapis and summoning tickets saved up, I'd definitely be able to do it.
Then came the banner. I had over 466 rolls. There's no way I wouldn't be able to get what I want with those many rolls. Oh, how wrong I was...
With my over 466 rolls, I was getting a number of 5-star characters... but many of them weren't the 5-star characters from the banner! I was aghast, seeing rainbow crystal after rainbow crystal -- and getting characters I could get from any other banner! Why would this happen? Who thought it'd be a good idea to include off-banner 5-star characters in a limited banner?!
In the end I had three Freyas and at least one of Lenneth and Arngrim, the other 5-star characters in the banner. I also had about 5-7 off-banner 5-star characters. One of those could have been my 4th Freya! I was very pissed off and frustrated. >:[
In that situation, I saw little point in spending money because there was a chance I'd just get another off-banner 5-star character.
All the summoning tickets and lapis that I had for the Valkyrie Profile -Lenneth- banner (it totalled just over 466 rolls). Surely that'd be enough for me to get 4 copies of Freya, right? Riiight??? >_>'
For another story about summoning woes, here is a Reddit post that recounts their experience with FFBE and going into debt.
QUITTING
After maintenance one October in 2019, I had difficulty logging in. Apparently many others had the same issue, while some were able to login fine. Thinking that it might be fixed later in the day I did other things for a while and tried again. I still couldn't get in. I started getting worried. My energy was full and I was near breaking my login streak. I was also missing whatever event was going on at the time. I tried logging in an hour later. Still a no go. My friend told me it might be possible to login if I used another app. I didn't want to do that. I shouldn't have to figure out a workaround for the issue -- it was the developers / publisher's job to make sure the game was accessible.
I couldn't login to FFBE for about a week, despite trying everyday. That wasn't my quit moment, but it was then that I decided to be more casual with FFBE. There was a fair amount of compensation but my login streak was broken. The event that ran wouldn't be re-run. I missed out on some daily rewards, as well as anything I could have gotten from farming the event. The habit of logging in daily and making sure I kept on top of things was broken.
Around March of 2020 when news that FFBE would eventually be introducing Neo Vision, the next highest level for a character, I quit. I couldn't see that decision as anything other than a ploy to get more money from players. I didn't feel good at the thought that the current characters I put lots of time and effort into building up would eventually be considered average, mediocre, or underpowered.
BRIEF RE-VISIT
When I found out that FFBE Global was ending its service on October 30th, 2024, I checked in on it a couple times. After being away for four years, so much changed. I checked the banner section and was overwhelmed. There were so many banners! O_O There were three tabs in the banner section! Why were there three tabs in the banner section?! O_O I saw a daily free 10 summon pull so I did that and left that section right away. Then I poked around my account and took some screenshots and screen-recordings.
According to one of my friends who also re-visited FFBE before it ended, there was an event that could be farmed for currency that could be used to buy up to 999 copies of the NV 10 unit summoning ticket. At least the developers / publisher weren't so stingy with the players at the end.
My last 10 summon. I didn't realize it at the time, but I might have acquired my first genuine Neo Vision character.
MY SPENDING
Aside from the two times where I purchased the most expensive lapis bundle at regular price, I would sometimes buy a bundle if it was discounted or whenever the monthly bundle was available, because that was the most worth it for the lapis. Over the course of me playing FFBE, I purchased 59 bundles totaling $1,780.91. Compared to how much I spent in SINoALICE ($8,646.24), it's not as much... but $1,780.91 is still a lot. I could have bought 20 $70 video games with $1,780.91! Here is how the $1,780.91 broke down:
Just by going off the pack names I have no idea what the packs contained other than some amount of lapis. I'm pretty sure the Gold Chest was the monthly bundle.
MY FINAL SEND OFF
I had good times and bad times with FFBE. Despite everything, I am ultimately thankful for the experience. The nostalgia was great and it was fun discussing strategies with my friend. I am also grateful that my first "whale"-ish experience of spending money just to get a certain character was not as costly as I know it could be. It is a lesson I've never forgotten and has served me well with other gacha games. FFBE, thanks for the memories! *bows*That's pretty much it! Thanks for reading! :)
Below are some miscellaneous photos and videos, a selected character gallery, and some of my raid summon totals. There could be some spoilers so I added some scrolly things.
Take care, stay safe, and until next time! :)
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MISC PHOTOS/VIDEOS
Here are some miscellaneous photos and videos that didn't fit anywhere else in the blog, but I wanted to share. Some of it could contain spoilers, so you've been warned! :x
I thought this dialogue was amusing.
One of my favourite event stories.
I love this couple so much.
Proof that I went over 100 consecutive wins for PvP. I didn't really like the PvP much in the game but did it for the daily rewards.
A pic that I submitted to a contest on Facebook during one of FFBE's upcoming anniversaries. Submissions would be voted by other players. I didn't submit to win. I just wanted to enter. I was super surprised that I ended up in 4th place! In case you are wondering, that is me face down on the pillow, haha.
The reward I got for 4th place. Free lapis is free lapis!
My units, Part 1. There are tons of duplicates. This video is about 2 mins long.
My units, Part 2. This video is also about 2 mins long.
MY SELECTED CHARACTER GALLERY
Here is my selected character gallery. I had over 1000 characters (many duplicates) so it was difficult to highlight only some. I may not have commentary for every character.Also, please forgive the difference in image sizing. I changed my phone model partway through playing FFBE, but I wanted to group the characters by series instead of when I got the character.
Proof that I got Elza... but was she worth $279.98? My heart says yes but my heart also aches at the thought. u_u
Akstar. I liked all the nicknames he gave to Lasswell in the story.
Cupid Artemios. I liked his design and used him often.
Lotus Mage Fina. She was my staple on my teams. I had levelled two copies of her to 7-star and maxed out everything I could.
Luka. I thought her design was nice and relaxing (sitting on a bubble).
Raegen. He was one of my favourite characters in FFBE. I had to pull for him.
King Edgar of Figaro.
Monk Sabin of Kolts.
Locke. Woo, my favourite character in FFVI <3
Assassin Shadow.
Trance Terra. I used her a lot.
Thancred. I do like thief characters in video games.
Kurasame. I really liked his character in FF Type-0.
2B from Nier.
A2 from Nier. I like her pose.
Flammie! I played Secret of Mana when I was young.
Randi from Secret of Mana.
One of my three Freyas from Valkyrie Profile -Lenneth-.
Lenneth from Valkyrie Profile -Lenneth-.
Alphonse Elric from Fullmetal Alchemist.
Edward Elric from Fullmetal Alchemist.
Below are some screen recordings of certain characters and their in-game animations. I would have loved to include all characters, but that would have been too many.
Elza.
A2.
Lenneth.
Freya.
Liquid Metal Slime. I thought having it as a character was amusing.
Randi.
Flammie.
Cupid Artemios.
Kurasame.
Minfilia. I like her LB a lot.
Y'shtola, the Sorceress. The screen recordings with CG LBs commence.
Maritime Strategist Nichol.
Raegen.
Hyoh.
Citra.
White Lily Dark Fina.
Lotus Mage Fina. I saw her LB a lot.
Summer Folka & Citra.
Summer Fina & Lid.
Crown Prince Noctis.
Cobalt Blade Noctis. My only genuine Neo Vision unit. I had no idea what "Brave Shift" meant so I didn't realize it was interactable.
MY RAID SUMMON TOTALS
Below are the totals I got from almost every raid summon I did. Raid summon was an event where you could farm for certain currency to do raid summons. It was another form of gacha, but didn't really cost money (unless you wanted event characters) -- it really costed your time and efforts to farm frequently and efficiently.This isn't very interesting to look at but I wanted a record of it here. It does give an idea of some of the collabs that came and went for FFBE.
Nier Automata.
Final Fantasy XV.
Lara Croft.
Final Fantasy XIV. I made sure to get every character from the raid summon.
Vision of Bahamut.
Fan-submitted characters. There was a contest and then players voted for their favourite characters. I thought this was very neat.
King's Knight.
Just Cause 3. 'Cuz why not, lol.
Star Ocean anamnesis.
Deus Ex Mankind Divided.
Dragon Quest.
FFBE Raid - Darkness Awakens.
Valkyrie Profile -Lenneth-.
Nier Automata came back.
Kingdom Hearts. I remember a lot of people getting really excited for this collab. I wasn't affected since I've only played the first Kingdom Hearts game by that time.
Star Ocean anamnesis came back.
Da-chao Statue. I thought the visual bug in my total coins was amusing.
If you are here, you are amazing.
Until next time! :)
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