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Yes NoComment No Thanks//////// Back to Top AP Trick FAQ by CronoRye *Version:* 2.4 | *Updated:* 07/23/02 | Search Guide | Bookmark GuideFINAL FANTASY X: AP TRICK FAQ07/23/2002By CronoRye (Ryan Charles)- Ryan@vortexonline.comwww.vortexonline.comVer 2.4I am currently no longer accepting any emails about the AP Trick.That includes any emails asking questions on where to get items,how to use the trick because you can't get it to work, or newmethods that you have come up with. There could be some updateson the trick soon so cross your fingers.Please do not DISTRIBUTE or host this FAQ in any form without my written permission. Do not use this AP TRICK or obvious derivationsin any PRINT FORMS OF MEDIA. No consent will be given. For example, a magazine such as PSM or GamePro would have no right to imitate, paraprhase, or reprint the intellectual propertycontained in this document.-----------------------------------------------A LITTLE ABOUT ME!!!!I'm a college grad who has written for www.vortexonline.com for severalyears. I'm an avid Square game player and I usually import the best Square has to offer. Thanks for reading this FAQ and be sure to checkout www.Vortexonline.com to see more of my work.-----------------------------------------------Version Updates2.4 - (07-23-02) Minor Updates to email rules and other corrections--2.3 - (01-19-02) Added "run-away" option--2.2 - (01-16-02) Minor changes--2.1 - (01-14-02) Added results from testing other Overdrives--2.0 - (01-13-02) Clarified DT method--1.9 - (01-09-02) Minor changes--1.8 - (01-07-02) Minor changes, Updated Alternative 2--1.7B - (01-07-02) Earliest way to gain mass AP --1.7A - (01-07-02) Minor changes--1.6 - (01-07-02) Clarified Alternative Method 2--1.5 - (01-04-02) Added new American Method, updated automated method--1.4 - (12-27-01) Minor changes--1.3 - (12-26-01) Added American AP trick info--1.2 - (08-29-01) Added other variations--1.1 - (08-17-01) Added method of acquiring "Alone" overdrive technique--1.0 - (08-09-01) First edition.................................................Layout-Note for US Players (Skip it if you want to just find out the DonTonberry Method for the American FFX)-Don Tonberry Method (U.S. FFX Method, Earliest Possible mass AP method)-Cactuar King Alternative-Alternative 2 (U.S. FFX Method 2)-Original Japanese AP Trick (Unaltered from August updates).................................................A NOTE FOR PLAYERS OF THE U.S. FINAL FANTASY XFor American game players:It is apparent that the Square/EA release of the American Final Fantasy X has an AP limit/cap that has been added. The cap in the Japanese version was so high that you reached the max S. Level of 99way before you reached the max. I don't know why Squaresoft purposelywent and hunted this out when it is only available during the latestages of the game and regardless is a legit use of the combination of processes programmed into the game. I never could have foreseen that the localization team would remove a little trick that I found while messing around in late July. Ultimately, we should be grateful that Square has provided us with another excellent Final Fantasy game rather than gripe about the removal of a leveling trick. Please remember that the Cap only limits certain overdrive methods. Because of that, the AP TRICK STILL EXISTS IN A DIFFERENT FORM.The short answer to the overall question is that the AP Trick as itwas once known does not work in the American Final Fantasy X. What I will provide are alternative methods. The first alternative is fast.The second alternative is slower but is automated so you can sit and let it do the work for you similar to the way the Japanese AP Trick worked.Apparently the cap on the AP Trick was only targeted by Squaresoftfor my particular AP Trick. The Loner (Solo/Alone) overdrive and theAlly overdrive method are the ones that are capped (coincidence? I think not). Apparently Hero is capped as well. With my continued work on the new methods for gaining AP in the post-AP-Trick era, I have discovered that Defender is also capped.It created gains of AP that were much lower than any other method anyway.The Daredevil mode is also capped (thanks to E_Cubed99@Hotmail.com)--------Don Tonberry Method (aka American Alternative 1)---------*This method can be done the earliest in the game of any methodavailable. It also yields more AP consistently than the Cactaur Kingmethod. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise, this has been thoroughlytested by myself and contributors.*Via this method it is possible to get 99 S. Levels via one battle.Quick SummaryRequirements-Overdrive to AP ability -Monsters captured in Cave of the stolen Fayth-Comrade overdrive methodOptional-2x or 3x AP ability -Double/Triple Overdrive Ability-Auto-Phoenix ability(The easiest way to get the 3x AP Ability is as follows: capture 4 of each flying eye monsters. Omega Ruins, Mi'ihen, Thunder Plains, Gagazet, and Macalania are the 5 regions you should target. You'll unlock One-Eye at the monster arena, and fighting him over and over again should yield weapons already with Triple AP.)****Start obviously with the overdrive to AP ability. If you don't have it and need to know how to get it, you need to eitherA) Bribe the "mech leader" enemy in the Gagazet mountains. The bribe should be 74,000 gil. Please note that the bribe is slightly randomizedin the American version, so sometimes you'll need to bribe with a secondtime with a little more money. You should receive 2 Doorways to Tomorrow,but on occasion you'll get 1. 10 are needed to activate the Overdrive to AP ability.B) Capture at least one of every enemy from any 6 areas (The Monster arena guy will reward you with 99 Doorways to Tomorrow)C) Steal them from the Ultima Weapon in the Omega Ruins (one-time event)Supplemental abilities such as 2X/3X AP and Triple overdrive are recommended but not necessary. Capture all of the enemies using the capture equipped weaponsin the Cavern of the Stolen Fayth. By doing so you will unlock Don Tonberry in the Monster Arena. Don Tonberry is the key to leveling up.His counterattack can take 99,999 against your weaker party characters.Set your overdrive method to COMRADE.Next, fight Don Tonberry in the Monster Arena. Make sure the character you are leveling up has the Overdrive to AP ability. Auto-Phoenix is also very helpful and is necessary if you want to reach 99 S. Levels in just one battle. Have the two characters who have killed THE MOST fiends in battle with the single character you want to level up (ex: Tidus is the one you want to level up, and most likely Auron and Wakka would be the sacrificial characters). If possible, try to make sure the two are semi-fast. His powerful counter Karma is based on your kills and damage inflicted. If possible, try to make sure the two g are semi-fast. Taking them on Tidus' path or giving them the Auto-Haste ability will help.Essentially, those "weak" characters will attack and Don Tonberry will counter with up to 99,999 worth of damage. Keep bringing them back to life manually or better yet use auto-phoenix to maximize the amount of turns you'll get before Don Tonberry stops counterattacking. Once he stops counterattacking, just kill him. Enjoy all the AP you get. It is possible given that you are fast enough and have auto-phoenix to reach 99 S. Levels.If you are at low levels, then just RUN AWAY after he gets close. Use Tidus' flee ability for best results. You will still get all the AP you earned for the target character with the overdrive-to-AP ability.You WILL run out of certain spheres, especially Power Spheres. In the import, you could overkill Kottos in the Monster Arena to getsomething like 40 of any sphere. I think this still works in theAmerican version but be advised that you'll need to be fairlypowerful to beat/overkill it. A sphere distiller (available at someitem shops), makes it so you can get any sphere type that you want.Personally I embark on the capture quests and before you know it,your spheres are back up to par.I am working on more alternatives right now. Obviously something like Avenger, which gives you AP for every time someone dies, might work well in a similar Don Tonberry (any overpowered enemy) way.****If you are playing FFX and you want to know what method of gaining a lot of AP can be done the EARLIEST IN THE GAME, it is the Don Tonberry method. The Don Tonberry method can be done as soon as you get to Mt. Gagazet for the first time! The Don Tonberry Method is great for people who can't get past Mt. Gagazet Seymour and Yunalesca!****----------------------King Cactuar Trick----------------------------*This method is good, but it is not better than the Don Tonberry method.King Cactuar has a randomness factor that could result in you dyingbefore you even get to anything about 100,000 AP. It consistently yieldsless average AP than the Don Tonberry method*Obviously you'll need the Overdrive to AP ability. See the Don Tonberry section to find out how to obtain this. Also make sure you havethe overdrive method set to Stoic or Comrade. Unlike the Don Tonberry method, having the auto-phoenix ability is essentially a must. This will useyour phoenix down items so keep that in mind. 2x or 3x AP abilitiesare optional but will help greatly.Your objective is to capture King Cactaur. This can be done by capturingthe fiends on the Thunder Plains. Follow a method similar to Don Tonberry by fighting Cactuar King in the battle arena. Make sure you pay attentionto keeping people alive, especially keeping an eye on which charactersare alive and have the auto-phoenix. You'll want to attack and let peoplebe brought back to life. Be careful not to get yourself killed. You canrun away and still get AP thanks to the Overdrive to AP ability. When I was doing this, I found auto-haste to be useful on the "sacrificial"characters. I've been told to use hastega but since you don't stay with thehaste attribute after dying, it's sort of a waste.So to summarize:Overdrive to APAuto-Phoenix on at least one characterCapture the fiends at the Thunder Plains (at least it's not avoiding the200 lightning strikes!)Comrade or Stoic overdriveThanks to some of the AP TRICK FAQ readers submitting this method and helpingwith the FAQ (Chocobo91, Dantonel, etc) and ultimately the Internet users Orca782 and Gamepro2817 whom the King Cactuar method originated from, I'm adding the King Cactuar method (by popular demand). It is very similarto the Don Tonberry method. Keep in mind that it can't be done very earlyin the game. You'll definitely need to be late enough in the game totravel freely and it doesn't yield as much AP on average.--------------Automated AP Trick: American Alternative 2--------------This automated trick is listed next for those who want to leave their PS2s to level up for them and get a snack, go out, or otherwise continue with their lives. The closest I can figure as of now to create mass AP generation automatically (like my first Japanese AP Trick) is via the following trick. You'll require a turbo controller and some tape. This works better at later stages of the game when your team is a relative powerhouse in comparison to many of the region's enemies. Simply find an area where you can face a wall and tape down your turbo controller in the direction of where you can continually walk but not actually go anywhere. Right seems to workbest. On a secondary menu the game will want to move in the direction you have taped down. So to use Yuna's Pray for example (which is semi-important since it gives you HP restoration at no cost to her), you'll want it to be the last skill in her Special menu. Once you get past a certain point on the Sphere Grid, it might not be. At that point, you should be powerful enough to get past these battles without Pray. Obviously, you'll need to tape down the x button so that you'll automatically select commands. If you are powerful enough, the Omega Ruins are ideal. Random battles will ensue simply because you are walking in place. Actually the real key is to find a spot on an angular portion of theterrain. You're aiming for a place where the screen starts to shake left and right but you are really technically running in place. Try the Gagazet mountain cave for a couple of those if you are having real troubleand want to see it working. Try using an up/right taped down combination for best results for those who can't do it.Hopefully you can utilize characters with a strong attack or use a reduced MP ability on Lulu when you get around to using her. I warn you,it's a tricky affair for using her since her attack is weak and you'll haveto use either her first or last magic in her menu list. I would suggestusing her with two really strong characters to back her weak attack. Ideally you would want a region that maximizes AP but enemies inflict little damage. Once you have reached a certain level of statistics, feel free to move on to the next hardest region that you can kill people rather quickly with the amount of AP you can get maximized. When you're doing this for a while, another problem that pops up isthat you will run out of inventory space if you do it for toolong of a time (thanks to ianmajor@hotmail.com for using Alternative 2 for a long enough period of time). Keep that in mind and try to clearup inventory space. The game will ask you which item you want to keepor remove, thus messing up the trick.The amount of time you will need to leave your PS2 on doing this toreach S. Level 99 (max amount of S. Levels) depends on if you are using the APx2 or APx3 abilities and the Overdrive-to-AP and the regionyou are fighting in. Essentially, the options are limitless for planning out methods using the Overdrive-to-AP in conjunction with this method. Obviously other overdrive methods will work better than Loner so please experiment. This is the end of the American portion of the AP Trick FAQ. Just in case you didn't know already, the Japanese version would have allowed you to get to S. Level 99 in less than 10 minutes with haste cast upon the intended character. Thankfully the alternative methods provide something very similar and in some cases just as fast (alternative method 1).Thanks for reading my FAQ. If the trick works out well for you, pleasefeel free to email me.*BEGIN JAPANESE VERSION FAQ*This Mini-FAQ is about a method to building up your S. Level to itsmaximum. There are ways to vary this technique so I've listed some of the wildcards within the trick. To help those playing the importthat do not understand much Japanese, this will be a step-by-step guide.The overall purpose of this is to build yourself up to S. Level 99; themaximum S. Level you can have at a given time. Final Fantasy X hasreplaced the traditional experience and level system with the AP and S.Level system. The S. Level trick will raise your level to 99 after only10-20 mins of battle!First and foremost you need the following item:Doorway to Tomorrow (x10)This can be acquired in two methods. The first is a one-time acquisitionby stealing from the Ultima Weapon boss in the Omega Ruins. You caninput the airship coordinates for Omega Ruins (X-74 Y-36 Z-doesn'tmatter) through the third option on the airship map screen. The secondmethod would be to use the bribe command on Gagazett Mountain. Gagazettis the snow-covered mountain just past the Nagi Plains. When you fightthe three robotic enemies while climbing in the snowy region, the smallerone should be Auto Commander. You'll recognize him because he has 3700 HP.Bribe him with 20 times that amount (74,000 gil). He'll run away and dropDoorway to Tomorrow x2. Repeat as necessary.Add Drive to AP:With 10 Doorway to Tomorrows, enter the menu screen and find theweapon-augmenting screen. Make sure you already have a pretty good weaponon Tidus for example. You might want to have more than one slot open onthe weapon in order to add APx2 or APx3 if you have the items for it.We'll use him as the test case. Now find the weapon he has equipped andbring up the abilities menu. Near the bottom of that menu should be somefairly recognizable abilities such as APx2 and APx3. You should also seeanother one with "AP" clearly in the name. That one is Drive to AP ability.It should cost 10 Doorway to Tomorrows. Obviously equip that ability. Change Overdrive Type:After that you'll want to move to the overdrive menu from the main menu.You'll want to change the method that leads to overdrive. One of thesemethods is the alone method. The second option on the top of the overdrivemenu screen allows you to change the type. Alone should be near thebottom. It is very easy to tell if you have it. The only way your overdrivemeter will build is when both of the other characters in a battle aredead. Obviously the person with the alone overdrive must be alive.Then it will build up with your commands.Frequently Asked Question:Question-"Dear CronoRye, I've tried everything on that menu but I don't seethe Alone type for a certain character!"There's a good chance that Yuna and Lulu won't have the Aloneoverdrive. To teach them it, enter into a battle with a weakenemy and kill off everyone else in your party. Obviously you can only do this with one character that needs the overdrive method at a time.Then just sit there and keep hitting triangle over and over again.Cast curative and defensive spells accordingly. It will take a few minutes of doing this so be patient. Eventually a messagewill show up telling you that you've learned the overdrive technique 'alone.'Choose your Battle:I chose Bisaido Island as the destination because of the weak enemies. Youcan take your airship there or if you are doing this in the middle of thegame, try to go back to an area with weaker enemies assuming that you canacquire the necessary materials. You can compensate for stronger enemiesby casting shell or augmenting your defense against the type of enemiesyou're most likely to encounter. To continue with Bisaido as the testexample, you'll need to head towards an area with encounters. Beforeyour first battle, make sure this new weapon with the Drive to AP ability is NOT equipped. Equip anything else you want. I know you can switchweapons in battle but this is the easiest method for any importers withlittle to no knowledge of Japanese. Walk into a battle and proceed tokill off your two other allies. Then hit the triangle button to defenda few times until your overdrive meter has filled up. Once it is full,go ahead and kill the enemies. Next, go to your menu and switch toyour weapon with the Drive to AP ability. Walk around to encounteranother battle. Make sure you keep the same characters that died sincetheir 1-HP will make them easier to kill for the enemies and yourself.Once again, kill your other two allies off. At this point, you'llprobably find it easiest to leave the Dingo (the orange wolf-like one)as the lone enemy. Proceed to cast Haste on yourself and slow on theDingo or enemy of your choice. You should now have several turns ina row.The Method:At this point, the AP trick is up to you. Every time you press triangle(defend), you'll accrue a lot of AP. A weak enemy like Dingo won'tsubstantially hurt you the few times he'll have a chance to hit you,so don't worry about your HP. Just keep hitting triangle to defend.Personally I use my old PSOne turbo controller and tape down thetriangle button. Anyone who remembers the FF3 (6) waterfall leveling uptrick with Banon will remember doing something similar. If you don'thave a turbo controller for PS1 or PS2, then it is up to you to manuallyhit triangle over and over again. Regardless, the amount of time youleave your controller doing it or you yourself do it is arbitrary. I'dsay to do it for about 10 minutes at first and see where you end upsince APx2 or x3 can really speed this whole thing up. After you decide you've had enough, go ahead and kill the enemy. You'llsee your AP is a ridiculous amount and surely you'll get to S. Level 99.Most likely it will take you a few times of doing this to get around theentire Sphere Board. Clearly you can do this with every character so have fun. My AP Trick is an extremely effective way to gain AP. You can also mirror thismethod by using the Ally mode against any enemy. It is much slower but thebenefit is that you can level up three at a time instead of one. Obviouslyrepeat the Alone methods set up with overdrive to AP and a turbo controller.There are also some small variations with other overdrive but both of theseare enough to last.Problems:The biggest problem you'll encounter is running out of regular sphereboard pieces. You'll be so powerful that you might as well fight severalrandom battles in any place you feel will yield the most. The second problem you'll run into is that you'll be at 9xxx HP andyou'll still have more than half the board left. I suggest consultingDokiWaku's excellent Secrets guide. You'll find out how to exceed MaxHP (up to 99,999) and exceed Max Attack (up to 99,999), etc. Just a notethough, some of the ultimate weapons have these properties intrinsically.For example, Tidus' ultimate weapon already has the exceed Max Attackattribute. I hope this helps everyone who is playing. Honestly though, I suggestnot using this until after you've beaten the game and want to exploresince the regular FFX bosses are rather challenging all the way throughif you aren't doing every single monster quest, using this trick, orusing the Magu 3 Sisters. You'll still be no match for some of thespecial monster trainer battles though!Credits and Thanks:Thanks to John-Luke who sold me his Japanese PS2. Thanks to DokiWaku for the solid tips in the secrets FAQ.Thanks to Muni Shinobu for the Steal FAQ (the Ultima Weapon steal)Thanks to Rocki for being an angel.Thanks to Squaresoft creating another spectacular Final Fantasy.This document Copyright 2001/2002 Ryan Charles. Do not reprint this in any form of print media. I will not grant permission for use of anytext contained in this guide, or the uploading of this guide to anywebsite other than gamefaqs.com or www.vortexonline.com. Please do not email me asking for permission. Sorry but if you'veread earlier versions of this FAQ you'll know what happened andwhy I'm simply not even offering the chance of permission.The term "AP Trick" was coined in July 2001 by Ryan Charles during thecreation of this guide.Currently, only www.VortexOnline.Com and www.GAMEFAQS.com are allowed to host this file.FAQ Display Options: Printable VersionGameFaqs.com //facebook.com/GFAQs//twitter.com/GameFAQsHelp / Contact UsChange Colors // * Blue (Default) * Blue on Black * Red * Red on Black * Green * Green on Black * Orange * Orange on Black * Purple * Purple on Black * Cloudy Blue * Grayscale * Sepia * Cotton Candy gamespot.com giantbomb.commetacritic.comgamerankings.com 2015 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved.SitemapAdvertisePrivacy PolicyAd ChoiceTerms of Use