Paradigms Guide

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Roles

 

Skill in fighting in Final Fantasy 13 comes from switching to the right Paradigms at the right time. Commandos slow the stagger bar from dropping and do the highest damage of any role including during staggers. Ravagers build the stagger bar at the fastest rate by casting Magic and performing Magic Strikes. Sentinels will keep your party from taking a high amount of damage when a boss is about to use a powerful attack. Synergists cast buffs on your party and Saboteurs debuff your enemies. Medics focus on healing your party and dealing with negative status ailments. That's all of the paradigm roles, below you can find how to best use them in Paradigms to get through the entire game including the extra content missions.

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Two Person Party

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War & Peace (Commando and Medic) and Slash & Burn (Commando and Ravager) are the best paradigms for a two person party. The Commando will do the highest damage of any role in the game, the Ravager will help with staggering enemies, and the Medic will heal your party.  Lifeguard (Sentinel and Medic) should be used when a boss is about to perform a powerful attack. Divide & Conquer (Saboteur and Commando), Supersoldier (Synergist and Commando), Symbiosis (Synergist and Medic), and Sap & Salve (Saboteur and Medic) are used for buffs and debuffs during fights.

 

Staggering

 

Relentless Assault (Commando, Ravager, Ravager) and Diversity (Commando, Ravager, Medic) are paradigms that can be used if you are going for a stagger. The Commando is used to slow the stagger bar and deal damage, and the Ravager is used to quickly build up the stagger bar. Thaumaturgy (Ravager, Ravager, Medic) can be rarely useful when a Commando has already attacked the enemy to slow the stagger bar and you want to finish off a stagger.

 

When Staggered

 

Tireless Charge (Commando, Commando, Medic) or Cerberus (Commando, Commando, Commando) are used when an enemy is staggered for high damage. Commandos can also be used on the quick fights for high damage when you don't need to stagger.

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Defensive

 

Solidarity (Sentinel, Commando, Medic) is a defensive paradigm that you can switch to when you know a boss is about to use a powerful attack. Sentinels are your best defense against bosses that are about to deal heavy damage to your party. A Commando is preferred in the Solidarity paradigm to maintain the stagger bar while the Sentinel is defending the party.

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Buffs and Debuffs​

 

Later in the game it's typically a good idea to start fights with Evened Odds (Saboteur, Synergist, Medic) to get the buffs and debuffs rolling for the fight. Very late in the game you can also use Recuperation (Synergist, Synergist, Medic) for party buffs and then Safe Subversion (Saboteur, Saboteur, Medic) for debuffs but very few fights in the game require this paradigm setup.

 

Death Spell

 

If you are attempting to kill a very tough enemy with Vanille's Death spell you should use Safe Subversion (Saboteur, Saboteur, Medic). The Death spell will have its chance of landing increased by 1% for each Saboteur in the party and 1% for each status ailment present on the enemy.

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Recommended Party

 

In the early game the best three person party consists of Fang, Hope, and Lightning. Fang has early access to Sentinel and is the best Commando, Hope excels at Medic and Synergist, and Lightning is a well rounded character that can fill in as a backup Medic when needed. Hope is used for his early access to the Synergist, Ravager, and Medic roles. You have the option of switching to Fang, Vanille, and Lightning as the strongest party later in the game once Lightning has mastered the Synergist role. Vanille has much higher hp than Hope and is the best Medic and Saboteur in the game. Snow is the best at the Sentinel role but has low damage when compared to the other characters. Sazh is the best Synergist in the game but generally is not used because he isn't as strong as Fang in the Commando and Sentinel roles.

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And that's all for the Final Fantasy 13 Paradigms Guide. For more on Final Fantasy XIII you can check out the Best Weapons Guide, Best Accessories and Synthesis Groups Guide, Gil and Leveling Guide, and Components Guide.

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