School's starting tomorrow so I thought I should get this out while I can.
Okay, so I got more tips based on some experiences I have throughout my Brave Frontier F2P journey. These tips could be considered a rework of my old post, but I hope you guys can find this useful either way.
1. Boss/miniboss units DO NOT DROP for the most part.
If the boss in question is a RS unit, at least 3* in rarity, or is a storyline boss, chances are that they WILL NOT DROP. There are some exceptions, though. Lario's batch will not drop at the first map of Mistral. Mob boss units will not drop if you encounter them anytime after the first map of Mistral. Certain mob units/Lario's batch has a chance to drop if they're encountered as minibosses. Zebra, Mare, and Zurg, despite being storyline bosses, can drop if you're lucky enough. Mifa, fought in JP's latest map Rakshult, is a rather interesting case. He has a unit sprite like Mare and Zebra, so it's hinted that he IS capturable, but it's uncertain WHEN he'll be available for players to obtain.
2. Summon ONLY during Popular Units Rates Up (GLOBAL).
As of now, in Global, there is no such thing as a 'Rates Up' when units of a batch are first released. Popular Units Rates Up is when these units' rates are truly raised. If you want a shot at that Raaga you so desperately seek summon when his rates are up at that time.
JP has no rates up when a unit batch is initially released, but at least they have 2 summon doors, and the Super RS gate is 3 gems per summon when a new batch is released.
3. Starting out? Pick Selena as your starter.
No, seriously. Okay, I said that she was the weakest starter unit, with a mediocre HP pool and bad DEF, but now, she is OP. As a 7*, she is an absolute beast. Her ES allows her to survive an attack that would otherwise kill her, aka an Angel Idol effect, and boosts all her stats by 20% if Lexida is equipped. Lexida not only covers her poor HP pool, it also doubles her hit counts, effectively giving double HC and BC drops every time she attacks regularly. And to top it all off, Lexida is obtained through Selena's GGC, which is one of the easiest GGC to clear! She can solo Vargas's GGC AND is capable of being a one-woman army in Arena, and is a staple and, for the most part, a key unit in Quests (HoT buff + BC and HC drop) and Arena. She isn't dubbed the 'Queen of Arena' for nothing, you know.
4. This game is neither P2W nor P2P. It is an F2P game, and buying gems does make things easier, but it is by no means necessary to succeed.
Okay, I have had enough of this sh!t from non-BF players, or BF players who just don't know any better. I was watching some gameplay of Final Fantasy Record Keeper to see if it was actually worth downloading (it is for all you Final Fantasy nuts like me, but since it requires a minimum of iOS 7, I can't download it yet T_T), when I saw a comment on one of the videos, asking if the game was F2P like Brave Frontier. A comment reply said that yes, it's F2P, 'unlike Brave Sh!t'. I believe the comment was long since deleted, but I was laughing my @$$ off when I realize that hey, I'm an F2P player who's succeeding!
Brave Frontier is by no means a P2W game. Sure, buying gems makes things easier for players because buying gems = more Rare Summons = more chances at better units/better typings for your units. It doesn't mean that you NEED to buy gems to succeed. Sure, the strongest units start at 5* (Kira batch onwards), but most 6* units are still viable to use in late game, and all are still usable early on (yes, even Eric). I was still running around with Lucca lead, Darvanshell, Ragshelm, ORACLE 7* Colt with ES NOT ACTIVE, and 5* KANON in Celgrad in JP, after my long hiatus. And this was BEFORE the Oracle type buff in JP, so Oracle STILL was a cut in HP for higher REC. And only my Kanon and Darvanshell were at MAX level.
Point is, don't just regard the game as 'P2W' because you get 'horrible' units. Old units get 7* evolutions too you know, and most 7* units cover each others' weaknesses, even with similar skillsets. Just look at the LS sparker trio of Roa, Raaga, and Maharu! If gems are your problem, Global gives 1 every week through daily login, and it can be obtained starting at Group 8, while in JP, they have regular monthly gem giveaways. Frontier Hunter is also a good place to farm gems.
5. Unit > Type.
By now, most unit's base stats are amazing. So, if you get a particularly good unit such as Aaron, Krantz, Nadleeh, Chalice, or Maharu, don't just ditch the unit because it's an Oracle/Breaker/any type you don't want, especially if you NEED that particular unit or if that was your first. Remember, type doesn't really matter since there are imps, and spheres such as the Heresy Orb, Fallacy Orb, and Veragando can help with stats.
ONLY when you get a double unit the type starts to matter, and even then, ESPECIALLY if your first unit is already imped/dual-sphered/has UBB and their type is worse than the second one you pulled, you might want to keep the one with better typing as a side project.
But still. If you have the Anima, keep the Anima. A LOT of people will have your head if you ditch the Anima, unless you already have the Anima as your first summon and you kept it.
6. Just because his level's higher than you does NOT mean he's a better player.
(This here is a retelling of a story from one of the Brave Frontier groups I'm part of. My friend from the Confirmation Sacrament at church shared this to me.)
So, you got an Elza. She's a good unit, especially early on and for Arena. She's got high hit counts, can curse, and her drop check's pretty good. Nice LS too. You go to your higher-level friend, and he says, yes, put her as leader. So you do.
But then, you summon a Zelnite. And a Lucca. AND a Raaga. You get your Raaga to 6* and then you go to your friend. He suggests you keep your leader as 5* Elza because of cost issues. You do that.
Fast-forward to a few days later. You're talking to a friend and she says you should've used Raaga as your lead. You say no, your cost is not enough, and your higher-levelled friend said himself that you should keep your lead as Elza. And, since she's at level 120 and your friend is at level 154, you're going to follow your level 154 friend's advice to win, since he's a better player.
You, my friend, need to know this. A higher-level friend does not mean he's a better player!
Let's put this into perspective, shall we? There are level 40 players with 7* units, and level 150 players who died a lot during Mecha Totem runs. Level 140 players with Ark, level 120 with Xie'Jing, and level 190 who hasn't cleared Seria or Afla Dilith. Level 140 who has 6* Grahdens, and level 200 who doesn't. Level 200 at Arena Rank of General, and level 180 at Cherubium. Level 175 who hasn't finished Quests, and level 145 who cleared all Quests and bonus dungeons.
In Brave Frontier, PLAYER LEVEL DOESN'T MEAN SH!T IF YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE PLAYER'S SUCCESS! It isn't about how high your level is. Sure, he's got a high level, but if all he's been doing is spamming the Monday dungeon, Fourfold Pillar, or Changing the World, then it isn't that impressive now is it? Player level only matters in team-building and energy in higher levels.
Part of the fun in Brave Frontier is making your OWN team to suit your OWN needs. Play around with your available units, see what works best for you. Read Leader Skill and Brave Burst effects, see what your team needs and who you can cut to save cost. For example, Raaga can cover Rosetta and Feeva/Zelnite if set as leader, while Lucca is a more effective LS BB gauge supporter compared to Elza if you don't have much BC production. If you're sh!t at sparking, maybe you'd want Zelnite, Feeva, Lucca, or Elza as your leader, but if your team is build around sparking, the Raaga, Rosetta, Maharu, or Roa is the better leader.
Don't just blindly follow a higher-levelled player's (make that ANY PLAYER'S) advice. Asking advice from other players is part of the learning process, but if it's just one person, then that's not exactly much now is it?
Look, I could've followed my friend's advice to bring my Anima Ruby for Seria (in JP). Instead, I used Raaga lead, Colt, Elimo, Selena, Feeva, and Bestie friend, and I won with relative ease compared to him, who wasted all his Crescent Dews and Revive Lights!
I guess that's all for now, folks! Back to IB life, here I go...
