Poll: RPGs - Strategist or Brute Force?

[Deleted]

When plaing a JRPG, and you are faced with a tough boss/area. Do you..

a) device a strategy to make the best use of your strengths and exploit their weaknesses (so you can get by underleveled, this could also include min-maxing)

or

b) level up enough so that you can coast through with minimal forethought.

I usually do A but when it gets near the end of the game I just want to see the end and I feel like I had my fun so I grind.

 

[NiPah]

B, brute strength (mostly because I randomly explore in JRPGs so much I end up coming to a boss fight extremely overpowered).

 

[linwolf]

Strategy I love winning by using all the options I have availably.

 

[Telperion]

I like to pick a role (=strategy), and just go with it. Some games are built better to handle this, others less so. If I can pick and choose, then I usually go with some manner of character that can combine carrying around plenty of armor, a big sword and casting buffs / heals on himself. So, for example, once I get Witcher 2 downloaded I'll be putting my points into swordsmanship and alchemy.

 

[Catchy Slogan]

Mostly brute strength. I'm willing to admit I don't have the most tactical mind. I either completely suck at it, or end up totally over complicating it and screwing up anyway.

 

[Vitor Goncalves]

Strategist all the way. Specially when you play on the hardest modes. Makes it so much easier than brute force, although it requires much more patience.

 

[Scorekeeper]

Other. In an RPG (W- or J-), I devise a plan to make the most powerful character possible. I min/max and powerlevel.

 

[WrongSprite]

I despise grinding, so I try and trick my way through under-levelled.

 

[Trippy Turtle]

i just use brute force but i never grind either. in games like pokemon im usually at the elite four with level 50's always relying on opponents missing, critical hits and never missing with my attacks. so i have B but rely on luck not grinding.

 

[gideonkain]

If I can't kill 'em I wander around a little or make a full lap from town and back again, a well designed RPG provides you with about 90% of all the enemies you need to continue progressing, as long as you never run.

I remember being a kid and running from every other battle just to keep the story going but then I'd encounter a lvl 20 boss at lvl 12 and wonder how in the world they expected me to do this...they didn't.

Most required strategies in the run of the mill RPG aren't more difficult then: use Fire against Ice Monsters or Lightning against amphibians.

If you can't defeat a monster after several tries and equipment/tactic swaps you gotta go grind.

 

[Torrasque]

I was gonna say "well it depends on the game" but then I saw that it was about RPGs, not strategy games... lol, I have Fire Emblem on the brain.

When I play RPGs I always have a strategy for the fight I'm in, and change it up if need be, but I know the dreaded luck/RNG factor will come in, and my high-chance-to-hit attack will miss... alot...
So I go with this strategy: lvl in an area until the monsters you fight become trivial to defeat. Then move into the next area and do the same.
By doing this, any boss you come up against, will not be ridiculous to fight. Hard, probaby, but not "omfg, he 1-shots my character with the highest defence and hp!"

 

[Sleepy Sol]

I often try to devise a strategy before resorting to grinding. Grinding just seems boring to me and I don't want to decrease my enjoyment of a game because of it.

 

[Fieldy409_v1legacy]

well when me and my mate play borderlands im always bitching that we should stop doing all the sidequests because we level up too fast and make the main fights too easy. We do them anyway lol, then we roflstomp everything.

 

[SonofaJohannes]

I use both. I like being a higher level than my opponents, and if they have a weakness I'm going to use it.

 

[Taldeer]

Strategy as much as possible. There are some games which have peculiar gameplay for me, in which case I can't really do that so if the story interest me, I usually end up a mouthbreathing knuckledragger )

 

[hazabaza1]

Well, I've been playing a lot of Persona recently, and you can pretty much see when a boss has screwed you over if it's too strong. When that happens, I'll level up once or twice, just to get stronger, but not too strong.

 

[ratebbbbb]

Its both, you can either level up your party till they can kill anything with one hit, but at the same time the bosses in the game requires you to be as strong as posible to have a fair chance in killing the boss.

 

[Dyme]

Depends on how bad the game is balanced. If lifesteal is involved, I go for lifesteal and brute force my win. If casters are viable, I play caster which is more strategic, sometimes.