Final Fantasy IV: The After Years guide

Final Fantasy IV: The After Years is a Wiiware sequel to the RPG Final Fantasy IV, available on multiple platforms. For the sake of spoilers, if you haven't beaten the original, then it is advised you do so before starting this up, but honestly, it's not really mandatory. Like some SNES RPGs, this has multiplayer in battles, as you are able to split who controls which characters, so if you and a buddy want to play this, but one of you doesn't have a Wii while the other does, you could take it on like that. This walkthrough/advice guide primarily deals with the final chapter, so if you haven't gotten to this point yet, DON'T READ FURTHER (actually, it's okay if you do, but expect some spoilers and waiting, since not all bands and characters are available from the start). Don't worry, depending on how many tales you choose to purchase, you can easily find yourself back here sooner than you think. Aside from the first and last, each Tale is about 2-3 hours long, depending on if you do the bonus dungeons or not. Back to the matter of this page... This specifically mentions the characters, Band skills, and parties you might consider making. This is all from personal experience, so my thoughts on certain aspects may differ from someone else's, which is perfectly fine. In all honesty, you should choose the characters and party YOU want, but this is meant for those who aren't entirely sure on what party they should go with, or who is right for what they want from a party. This is mostly meant for those who want an easier time in the game or something of an extra-challenging experience.

Contents
[hide]*1 Characters
 * 2 Bands
 * 2.1 "Normal" Bands


 * 2.2 "Special" Bands
 * 3 Party Recommendations
 * 3.1 5 Member Band Parties
 * 3.2 4 Member Band Parties


 * 3.3 Alternate Parties
 * 4 Conclusion and Notes

Characters


Obviously, you can't beat the game if you don't know your characters. This is a brief rundown on the characters and what they're capable of, along with some additional notes.

Ceodore- The de-facto hero of FF4TAY. A bit weak starting out but grows into one of the strongest in the game. He's a "Magic Knight", but with White Magic instead of Black. His real strength is in fighting. He deals and takes damage well, and alot of MP, letting him use lots of Bands. "Awaken" is like "Darkness" of FF4DS. It boosts all his stats for three turns, but after the 3rd action he does, he drops to single digit HP. It can only be used once per battle, but makes his Bands REALLY strong. A great ally and a nice addition to any party, especially since he bands well with many others.

Cecil- The Paladin of FF4. He has a miniscule amount of White Magic, but he's a top notch fighter. Cover lets him take damage for other allies, and automatically takes place for allies who are badly hurt (note the sweating icon). He can't use it for magic attacks, attacks that hit all allies, or when he's at low HP though. When it comes to raw damage, he deals nearly more than anyone. He also has a HUGE number of bands to use, but they're limited to the allies of FF4 and his family. If you want raw damage and use the FF4 allies, use Cecil; but if you use alot of the new kids, then don't.

Kain- The Dragoon of FF4. Jumping back into action, Kain has learned some minor, but handy White Magic. His trademark Jump still lets him avoid damage for a while to deal double to one foe upon returning. Like Cecil, he's mostly a great Band character, but mostly just for those from Baron/the "Vibra Prime" crew. He and Ceodore have powerful and MP cheap single foe Bands, which do ALOT of damage to one foe. With Rosa, he can use the mighty Saint Dive, dealing Holy damage to all enemies. If you have either of them in a party, nearly always have Kain in it. Otherwise, re-consider him.

Rosa- The White Mage of FF4. She's back and better than ever. Her White Magic is just great. She also uses bows and Aim to strike a foe with no damage loss. If you have status or elemental arrows, use them, especially since arrows are now infinite. Blessing makes Rosa a GREAT ally. It heals a bit of HP and MP for the party, and often works compared to Pray, making it great for Band spam. Unlike Cecil, Her white magic's great and she has alot of bands with other allies (mostly mages), making her great for any team. However, she takes a LONG time to remember her later spells and to level up.

Rydia- The Summoner of FF4. In the last chapter, she her Summon ability back. These spells deal high elemental damage to all enemies, and can't be reflected. She uses Black Magic VERY well; like Rosa though, she takes a LONG time to remember her better stuff. In terms of physical combat, Rydia is best left in the back row. She can't take or deal much physical damage at all. Outside of Summons, Rydia's strength is in her Bands. She deals some damn high damage and assistance with mages and the FF4 crew. Consider her if you go old-school or like a mage-heavy party.

Edge- The Ninja of FF4. Edge is the most improved returning member from FF4. His Throw remains ever handy for throwing shurikens or old weapons for high single foe damage, Ninjutsu has become a damn good alternative to Black Magic, and Smash and Grab deals damage, attempts to steal from a foe, and can't be counterattacked! His bands are limited to his new Ninja crew and the FF4 final party (the 4 above him+him) and Yang, but he's still damn handy to have around regardless. One of the best characters (except for White Magic) and perfect when you don't know who else to fill a slot.

Yang- The mighty monk is ready to kick more ass. He's taken a cue from Cecil with his new Cover Counter skill, which acts like Cover, but counter-attacks the attacking foe. Unlike Cover, it must be activated, as Yang doesn't auto-cover. Focus lets him hit harder after some wait-time. Kick, as always, strikes all foes for decent damage, but less than a single target-hit. Yang's claws can be switched from the item menu, giving him great variety for enemy take downs. He's got Bands mostly for the FF4 crew, but he's a pretty good addition to any party, mostly due to Cover Counter and Kick.

Cid- Good ol' Engineer Cid is back and ready for more. His Analyze skill basically casts Libra for free on all enemies, letting you see their HP, MP, level, and weakness. Risk Strike is basically a normal attack that can potentially do high damage. His MP is low, meaning he can't do many bands until later levels, but all of his are pretty cheap, yet powerful; but, are mostly for Vibra Prime members. Use Cid if you want to use Vibra Prime, a powerful band, but otherwise, use him if you want a bit of a challenge or another hard hitter, but be warned, compared to some allies, he's kind of slow-moving.

Edward- The Spoony Bard you know and love. He's gotten alot more badass. Salve uses 5 of one HP healing item type on all allies. Escape (Hide) lets him briefly exit and reappear later, VERY handy when a boss is gonna use a strike-all last resort. Bardsong is a free random song that buffs your party or gives foes ailments. He has limited Bands, so you should always stick him with someone he has one with. He is kinda weak until getting Loki's Harp which is effective against ALL enemies, but remains a bit frail. A character that's great for strategy play, but a risky ally otherwise. Your call.

Palom- That snotty brat from FF4 became badass. Palom is the best Black Magic caster in the game. He learns it faster than anyone and deals the most damage with it. Bluff can pump up his magic stat even further and sometimes cause enemies to weaken a bit. Physically... he sucks, so keep him in the back, but give him the Assassin Dagger. It makes him faster and can instant KO enemies, and often will. His bands are mostly with mages, but have some others as well. He works best with the "Palom in the Sky", "Makeshift Cannon", and "Infinity" crews. He is 1 of 3 who can learn Dualcast.

Porom- That snobby brat from FF4 became... Rosa from FF4. Like Palom, she's the ace at White Magic, learning it fastest and doing it best. She learned Rosa's old Pray which, unlike Blessing, only heals the HP of all allies. She doesn't have Aim, but still uses bows decently, so keep her in the back row. She has Bands mostly with mages, mostly White Magic users, but all of them are incredibly powerful. Like Palom, she works best with the "Palom in the Sky", "Makeshift Cannon", and "Infinity" crews but is a damn handy addition in any part. She is 1 of 3 who can also learn Dualcast.

Leonora- A new mage. She learns White Magic and Black Magic, is a decent fighter, and has some great Bands. She's weak at physical combat, and abit worse than most mages at casting until later on. She's part of the "Palom in the Sky" and "Infinity" crews, but still works well with nearly any party due to her fulfilling roles of both magics. Do note that she takes a LONG time to learn the best Black Magic. She's best used as a White Mage unless she only hits single foes with spells. She is the last of the 3 who can learn Dualcast. Note that ONLY ONE of the 3 can learn it. Choose wisely.

Harley- Harley is a scholar, and does well at her job. Piercing Sight lets her remove buffs from one foe and give it a new weakness (not sure if it works on bosses). Gil Toss is the classic skill that throws money at enemies for high damage (assuming you have alot of cash). She's decent at fighting, better than Edward and most mages, but by no means as good as the main "Fighters". She's best used when you have ALOT of money as a result of the last dungeon monsters. She's a member of the "Call Me Queen" crew, and is best stuck with them and Edward, who she also shares a band with.

Ursula- Yang's Daughter. Like him she's a monk, but more technical than raw power. Kick works the same as Yang's hitting all foes for decent damage. Tenketsu lets her charge up to potentially deal a critical hit, elemental weakness strike, or instant KO. Chakra lets her heal an ally for free, also removing some ailments. She has Bands with her dad, Ceodore, and the younger heroes. Ursula's multi-roll capability makes her a decent choice for several parties, but she is best utilized with the "Makeshift Cannon" crew or a raw Power-centric party.

Luca- The Dwarven Princess gone mechanic. Luca is similar to Cid, but more technical. Analyze is the same as Cid's, getting info on all foes for free. Big Throw makes Luca very versatile. She can cause the same amount of damage from the back row by boomeranging her weapon at an enemy. Although she's also a "Makeshift Cannon" member, she has bands with some allies from FF4 as well. Definitely a character to consider when you want an extra power-attacker. Although she's not the strongest, she can deal and take more than the usual share of damage other youngsters might.

Calca- One of Luca's dolls brought to mechanical life. Calca tends to be more of a fighter type than his "sister". He does have the skill Jive which uses enemy skills like "Blue Magic"; but, which enem(y/ies) it targets and what skill is used is random, and CAN'T be influenced. They tend to be ailments, but some are rather powerful. Calca works best with Luca, Cid, and Edward as he has bands with them, but also include Brina, who he should never be without. If you like a gamble and don't mind slightly weaker allies, consider Calca and Brina. Otherwise, you may not want to risk using them.

Brina- One of Luca's dolls brought to mechanical life. Brina is a speedier gal than her "brother". She also has the skill Dance which casts random White Magic healing or buffs on all allies. However, what spell is used is random. Brina works best with Luca, Cid, and Edward as she has bands for all 3, but also include Calca, who she should never be without. If you like a gamble and don't mind a slightly weaker allies, consider Calca and Brina. Unlike Calca, Dance tends to be more handy, so you COULD include her in a party sans Brina, at the expense of not being able to use Bands without him.

Gekkou- The "leader" of Edge's Ninja crew, the Eblan Four. Aside from Tsukinowa, none of them can double-weapon. Gekkou makes up for this with his great strength and use of axes/hammers. Unlike Edge, he can only throw Shuriken(s) and use fire Ninjutsu. However, his Payback Wave is pretty potent if used at the right time. Sadly, outside of Payback Wave, he sucks at magic. He's best paired with Edge and the Eblan Four since they have the most Bands together. Seperate from them, he and Yang have a decent Band together, which hits all enemies with a strong Fire Element attack.

Izayoi- Another Eblan member. She has Illusions and Water Ninjutsu. Illusions is essentially casting Confuse for free. Some say it's better, some say it's the same success rate (I don't know either way). In addition to Water spells, she can do single target healing, but against White Magic, she's lacking. She's a decent caster, but best used for her Bands, which she has some pretty good ones. "Call me Queen" and "Frost Wave" are her best, and "Phantom Nightflies" is good, but risky. Unless you want a challenge, at least have Leonora with her, as Frost Wave can be relatively powerful.

Zangetsu- Another Eblan member. Human Kite lets him emulate Kain's Jump with a ninja kite. His Lightning Ninjutsu is pretty good, but limited. He's still the best Eblan caster though. He's not as strong as Kain, but good as a second Jump-er, especially if you strategize with Jumps. He's not too a great fighter, but still pretty good. He's best paired with Tsukinowa, as they have the "Gale Rush" Band, to cast Haste on all allies. Keep him with Tsukinowa and/or Kain, and you'll have a pretty useful member. Also consider Luca for "Mecha-Kite", which hits all foes. One of the best Eblans.

Tsukinowa- Another Eblan. Tsukinowa recalls Edge's old moves. He can Double-Weapon, use Wind Ninjutsu, and Steal (note that he takes damage if he fails). He's a bit frail, but can deal physical damage pretty well, especially from the back row with Boomerangs, but is literally the fastest ally in the game. He also has pretty good Band variety, notably "Gale Rush" mentioned above and "Wild Moon" with Edge, an MP cheap strike-all-foes hit. Keep him with either of them to really utilize him, or mix him with Porom for a healing Band or Ceodore&Palom (as in both) for some extra damage.

Golbez- Yeah, you know this guy. He's back and he's pissed. Unlike other mages, he has the strength to use the BIG weapons and the HEAVY armor. Pressure can paralyze a foe without needing MP, Taunt draws enemy attacks at himself, a sort of alternate Cover, and of course his high level Black Magic raises some elemental hell. Cool as he is, he only has Bands with Cecil (along with Ceodore for one; and later, one with Kain.), so be sure to always pair the two if you use him. Otherwise, he's probably best used defensively to help other mages from being targeted by enemies with Taunt.

Bands
Like Chrono Trigger, party members can combine skills and utilize powerful attacks or support opportunities. It's different here though as not every single skill combination has a band to be made. Usually, it would take some experimentation, but thanks to this handy list, you don't have to! Do note that this only has Bands of those in the final chapter. Characters and bands not present in it will not be listed. In case you forgot, bands learned are automatically listed in each allies Band list, and can be arranged in the out-of-battle menu screen. Remember! No magical bands are affected by Reflect (that I'm aware of), "(Event)" bands must be learned in the story and cannot be performed by any normal combination, and that for the first and ONLY THE FIRST time discovered, a Band costs no MP.

"Normal" Bands
(without any notable special conditions to consider other than elements, over 9999 damage, etc.:)

"Special" Bands
Mostly those with conditions that particularly stand out and should be noted before use:

Party Recommendations
You know the characters and their bands, but what's really best for the party you seek? This section mainly uses 4-5 member Bands as a starting point, and goes on from there. It also evaluates how well specialize in areas such as:

-Physical Strength (and defense)

-Elemental Damage

-Healing Capability

-Band Availability between members

-Other Specialties

5 Member Band Parties
Final Fantasy (The Classic IV final party): Cecil + Rosa + Kain + Rydia + Edge

A very well-rounded party. Cecil, Kain and Edge on the front lines all deal out great Physical Damage and can take quite abit as well (even Edge now!). Rosa and Rydia provide great elemental damage, support, and healing from the back row, where its safe from physical harm. Bands run rather high in this group, and are somewhat balanced between offense over defense. In addition, the variety of each's personal abilities and specialties give you different options on how to fight. The best party? Depends on your preferences. But if you don't know who to choose you can always count on the OGs.

Ultimate Art: Advent of Phoenix: Edge + Gekkou + Izayoi + Zangetsu + Tsukinowa

The Eblan Four and their fearless leader have a pretty good variety of skills and specialties. However, most of their offense and support power comes from Bands which can be kind of risky, especially when the already risky Phantom Nightflies is your main healing source. Physically, the team's pretty good, though their defense is kind of lacking. They do have a variety of bands among them though, which is always nice. Unlike Final Fantasy, this team leans more towards offense, but can be a decent defensive one if you're tactical. Use these five if you want a bit of challenge.

Vibra Prime: Ceodore + Cecil + Kain + Cid + Rosa

The sheer physical power of this group would make the old Baron King Odin proud. 4 physical smashers and a steadfast healer to keep them healthy after they take alot of lickings. Most of their bands are Holy-Element, but with Cid you can strike single foes with Fire and Lightning elements as well. Be sure to keep Cid and Ceodore buffed, since they don't get any from Effect Form. The only real fault I have with this party is how they're somewhat lacking in the Black Magic department, which can prolong some random battles. But if all you want from them is a hard hitting party, who cares?

Makeshift Cannon: Ursula + Ceodore + Luca + Palom + Porom

The "Season 2" heroes. Roughly the second best well-rounded 5-member Band party. Though they lack Jump and stealing, all members have a bit more variety than a typical "units". Ursula can help with elemental offense or healing, Luca can deal heavy damage in both rows, and Ceodore is good at healing single allies. Palom and Porom do their casting jobs well, but give Palom the Assassin Dagger, and he can insta-KO foes quite nicely and Porom can use status effects/elements with different arrows. Consider this party if you want more variety per member and don't mind a slight loss in power.

Infinity: Palom + Porom + Leonora + Rosa + Rydia

Wow. You must fucking hate dealing and love taking physical damage if you use this crew. On the bright side, you can use some of the best bands in the game. Pure White Magic, Tri-Disaster, Holy Burst, and of course INFINITY will help you clean up enemies like Motherfucking Fist of the Magic Star. As expected, this group doesn't have too much variety in terms of secondary skills, but is the absolute best at what they can do well. My biggest recommendation before using this crew it to choose your rows wisely and to have some DAMN GOOD armor. Very risky otherwise, but very satisfying.

4 Member Band Parties
(+1 extra ally is recommended; but not mandatory... but still worth thinking before jumping into the fray. If you want a challenge though, go for it with 4 alone.)

Wheel of Elements: Gekkou + Izayoi + Zangetsu + Tsukinowa (Recommended ally for Fifth Slot: Edge; Porom or (much later) Leonora)

Each of these characters is decent alone, but without Edge, it's hard to take advantage of them. Sure, you could theoretically use Luca, Leonora, Yang, or Porom to add an extra Band, but none of them have the variety Edge can give the party, especially since he gives each ally an extra band instead of just one of them. If you were to add anyone except Edge, I'd say add Porom since, along with Tsukinowa, she can add some good healing power to an otherwise vulnerable party. Leonora is a good secondary choice once she gets all her White Magic and Dualcast, until then, it's riskier to use her.

Call Me Queen: Rydia + Leonora + Harley + Izayoi (Recommended ally for Fifth Slot: Cecil or Yang; Porom or Rosa)

The infamous domination team has some good variety going for it. Harley can help casters deal extra damage with her skill or throw gil when you have the spare cash. Leonora and Izayoi can Band for some potent Ice damage. Rydia can clear out random enemies with ease thanks to Summons. However, they still lack a good healer (if Leonora lacks Dualcast) and a good physical ally. Cecil/Yang can protect allies from physical assaults and add a great band with Rydia. Porom/Rosa can keep the team healthy and add some extra Holy power on offense. It's your call on who wraps things up.

Palom in the Sky: Palom + Luca + Leonora + Porom (Recommended Ally for Fifth Slot: Cecil, Yang, or Golbez; Ursula, Tsukinowa, Cid, or Zangetsu)

Like Call me Queen, this band has some good variety in skills and magic. However, it's also a bit vulnerable physically.Use Cecil, Yang, or Golbez to draw damage away from your mages and add some extra punch to your physical force. If you want to spice things up a bit, use Ursula to add Petal Whirlwind as a secondary power Band and extra support on all fields, Tsukinowa for extra healing, offense, and stealing, Cid for a stalwart physical striker who can stay alive to use items on whoever needs them, or Zangetsu for a tactical Jump-striker along with Mecha-Kite's handy physical shitwrecking.

Petal Whirlwind: Ursula + Porom + Leonora + Luca (Recommended Ally for Fifth Slot: Yang; Palom; Golbez, Tsukinowa, Cid, Zangetsu, or Ceodore)

A good parallel to Palom in the Sky. Include Palom to use it along with adding some magical power. Yang can be a nice defender and offense force with Ursula. For some extra variety, consider Golbez to draw attacks toward him, along with dealing physical and magic damage. Tsukinowa, Cid, or Zangetsu have the same roles they had in Palom in the Sky.Ceodore is helpful because of his handiness with Ursula and Luca, along with adding some extra White Magic for single allies. It's best to consider what you'll be fighting before setting out with your final ally, in order to specialize or add variety.

Final Calcabrina: Cid + Calca + Brina + Luca (Recommended Ally for Fifth Slot: Edward; Leonora; Edge; Zangetsu; ...Geez... this one's really tough...)

A true gambler's party. Calca and Brina are healing and elemental gamblers and if they'll pull you through depends on pure chance. Cid and Luca act as good physical attackers and can both take alot of damage. Edward can add extra effects with C+B, so pick him if you feel lucky. Leonora can act both roles of magic fairly, especially with Dualcast. Edge is the all-arounder, but limited when supporting allies, having to rely on items for buffs. Zangetsu can add some extra physical and magical punch, but has the same issue as Edge. Like this party, you may just take a chance with the 5th slot...

Sword and Fist: Cecil + Ceodore + Yang + Ursula (Recommended Ally for Fifth Slot: Rosa; Kain or Luca; Cid, Gekkou, or Rydia)

You want power? You've got it with these 4. Their Bands are good at ripping foes up, and changing weapons or using Tenketsu can let them strike various weaknesses as well. The dads can also cover their kids from harm. One issue is the lack of healing, so use Rosa to keep them peped up and add some Holy damage as well. OR use Luca or Kain to Band and deal major damage on a foe. Gekkou and Cid add extra power to the elemental fray by banding with all but and Rydia can also help buff Yang or help slay foes with Cecil or Ceodore. Just make sure that SOMEBODY can heal in a pinch.

King's Quad: Cecil + Edge + Yang + Edward (Recommended Ally for Fifth Slot: Porom; Rydia; Harley)

Cecil's a great damage dealer and can cover his pals, Edge can has physical and magic offense, Yang can help cover and dish out beatings, and Edward can buff and heal his pals, even fall back to avoid damage. Still, even kings ask for help. Porom can supply great White Magic support, even better with Dualcast. Rydia adds a Band to each of the King's repitoires and adds her own elemental fury. Harley can help Edward heal, and clear out any enemy buffs and even give foes a magic weakness for Edge to tackle, and use some excess gold to deal hard damage as well. It's good to be King.

Alternate Parties
(In short, parties that don't really fit any of the prementioned stuff above, but some you may consider regardless, along with some nicknames I've given them.)

"Lunar Family": Ceodore + Kain + Cecil + Rosa + Golbez

This is just a well-balanced party mostly. Thanks to Effect Form, your three main forces can stay alive longer. Ceodore and Golbez can use that Banding time to cast buffs and offense spells. Saint Dive, Vibra Prime and Golbez's magic clear out enemies easily and quickly. With Vibra Prime, equip the Assassin Dagger to KO normal enemies with ease and the Limit Ring on bosses to cause huge damage thanks to the several hits. This party can also equip some great armor, and the Lunarian blood members have access to the very strong "Lunar" armor set. I used this team quite often.

"Escapee GO!": Edward+Zangetsu+Luca+Kain+Tsukinowa

Kain and Zangetsu supply Jump-ing power to evade attacks and deal extra damage. Luca can strike hard from the back while reducing damage she takes. Edward can heal well with items, more so with the Economical Ring, add buffs, and hide from party-striking assaults as well. Tsukinowa can strike with boomerangs, use Mirage to evade physical damage, Band with Zangetsu to assure the party is Hasted with Gale Rush (less risky and less time-consuming than hoping for Hastemarch), and use Smoke to assure a quick escape. As the fastest ally, he's most reliable at dodging and party escapes.

"Classic Party": Cecil+Palom+Porom+Yang+Edge

A party styled after the Final Fantasy 1-esque choices. Cecil acts as the classic Knight, fighting well and protecting allies. Palom and Porom perform their proper casting jobs to strike/debuff foes and heal/support allies. Yang is the old fashioned Monk, good at punching/kicking ass. Edge is arguably both Ninja and Red Mage due to his improved versatility, especially when using item and Katana effects to support the party. Of course, thanks to FF4TAY's improvements to each character from the old days, they're more useful then ever. Still, something to consider if you want to roll old school.

"My Personal Party": Ceodore+Kain+Palom+Leonora+Edge

This is the party I beat the game with, using my favorite allies. Despite only having a few 9999+ skills, I still loved this party and had little trouble. Ceodore and Kain Double-Jumped like madmen. Palom moved fast and could take some nice damage thanks to his Assassin Dagger and Adamant Armor. Leonora had Dualcast and the Twin Stars, therefore was able to heal and Holy twice as fast at half the cost. Edge dealt supplementary magic and physical damage,and threw shurikens at strong foes. He actually dealt the last blow to the final boss by throwing the infamous Knife. Use this if you want to.

"Your Personal Party": ????+????+????+????+????

Who do you like the best among all these characters? That's for you to decide, of course! Even though I've given suggestions so far, it's your call on who you choose in the end. Are you willing to sacrifice certain roles and strengths for the sake of your favorites or might you even include some you don't like as much for the sake of balance or power? Decisions, Decisions... Whoever you choose, it really is best to stick with one focused party once you start because you can easily end up having aliies left in the dust if you constantly swap out. Alternatively, consider a party for enemies and one for bosses.