Final Fantasy X (North American Release) Blitzball Tech Tips: Key Techs, Specialty Techs, and Using TECH FIND Version 0.9, Sunday, July 24, 2005 (never published) Version 1.0, Sunday, November 19, 2006 Copyright (c) 2006, S. L. Richardson (a.k.a. Falconesque) CRIB SHEET ========== Blitzball Techniques, Page One Jecht Shot Wither Shot Wither Pass 2 Jecht Shot 2 Wither Shot 2 Wither Pass 3 Sphere Shot Wither Shot 3 Volley Shot Invisible Shot Venom Pass Volley Shot 2 Venom Shot Venom Pass 2 Volley Shot 3 Venom Shot 2 Venom Pass 3 Venom Tackle Venom Shot 3 Nap Pass Venom Tackle 2 Nap Shot Nap Pass 2 Venom Tackle 3 Nap Shot 2 Nap Pass 3 Nap Tackle Nap Shot 3 Wither Pass Nap Tackle 2 Blitzball Techniques, Page Two Nap Tackle 3 Anti Venom 2 Brawler Wither Tackle Anti Nap Pile Venom Wither Tackle 2 Anti Nap 2 Pile Wither Wither Tackle 3 Anti Wither Regen Drain Tackle Anti Wither 2 Good Morning! Drain Tackle 2 Anti Drain Hi Risk Drain Tackle 3 Anti Drain 2 Golden Arm Tackle Slip Spin Ball Gamble Tackle Slip 2 Grip Gloves Super Goalie Anti Venom Elite Defense Aurochs Spirit BACKGROUND ========== At the start of a blitzball game, at Halftime, and before any Overtime periods in Tournament play, techs may be specified for each player from among that player's "learned" techniques. At Level 3, a player may have one blitz tech assigned for use in the game. As the player's Level increases, more techs may be selected until, at Level 30, the maximum of five techs is reached. To specify which tech(s) a player should use in the game: 1. Select the player. 2. Select the technique to change or an available slot. 3. Select the tech to use. Each of the two tech screens contain thirty (30) blitzball technique "slots". Each slot may display either, 1) the name of a tech ("Jecht Shot"); or, 2) a series of underscores ("_ _ _ _"); or, 3) the slot is completely blank. Named techs have already been learned and may be selected; underscores indicate the slot is "available" and the tech may be learned via Techcopy (at Level 3 or higher) or as a Blitzball prize in League or Tournament play; blank slots indicate techs that can't be learned by any means, not yet at least. Techs displayed on these screens always appear in the positions indicated in the tables, above. Learning players' Key Techniques makes more tech slots available so those techs may be learned. For example, Tidus's tech slot for JECHT SHOT 2 remains blank until all three of his Key Techs are learned; when his Key Techs have been learned, the slot then displays underscores. Even with all three Key Techs learned, tech slots may still appear blank. This may be overcome by using TECH FIND. ABOUT TECH FIND =============== TECH FIND is a prize attainable in either League or Tournament play. TECH FIND "unlocks" or changes a blank, empty tech slot into a series of underscores and makes the tech "learnable". TECH FIND does not learn the tech; the tech must still be learned via Techcopy or won as a prize. FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions ================================ Q: How does Tidus get his JECHT SHOT technique? A: JECHT SHOT can be learned on the boat from Kilika to Luca, by approaching the blitzball on the forward main deck. Tip: SAVE FIRST, below decks, so you may reset (L1+L2+R1+R2+Select+Start) and try again if you flub the Jecht Shot Mini-Game. The upcoming Goers game CAN be won without it, but JECHT SHOT makes getting on the board MUCH easier, so successfully completing the mini-game before arriving in Luca is worth the extra effort. Q: Why can't Tidus's JECHT SHOT be selected before the Luca Tournament? A: Techs can only be specified for use in a game for players who have reached AT LEAST Level 3. At the beginning of the Luca Tournament, Tidus is at Level 1. To use the JECHT SHOT in Luca, spend the first half of the game passing the ball to Tidus or otherwise using Tidus enough ("Shoot like crazy!") for his Level to increase sufficiently by Halftime, when EXP is computed. Before the second half begins, techs again may be selected. Q: Can TECH FIND be used to learn JECHT SHOT, JECHT SHOT 2, or AUROCHS SPIRIT? A: No. JECHT SHOT can only be learned aboard the S.S. Winno, whether before first seeing Luca or afterward by taking the boat between Kilika and Luca. JECHT SHOT 2 and AUROCHS SPIRIT can only be earned as blitz prizes in League or Tournament play -- and even then these two techs can only be successfully learned if Tidus or Wakka has learned ALL of his respective Key Techniques; TECH FIND won't override that requirement. Q: How about with using Techcopy? A: Again, no. Techcopy can't be pointed at your own team. Tidus is a permanent member of the Aurochs and can't be "released" to play for another team. Though Wakka is a Free Agent, Wakka is also a diehard and won't play for any team but the Besaid Aurochs. Q: How about players on other teams using Techcopy? A: No. JECHT SHOT and JECHT SHOT 2 are uniquely Tidus's, while AUROCHS SPIRIT is exclusively Wakka's specialty. No other player can swipe these techs and use them against the Aurochs, so use them freely. Q: How about players on other teams winning JECHT SHOT 2 and AUROCHS SPIRIT as prizes? A: They can win the prize, but no one on their team will be capable of learning the techniques. Q: Why can't any Aurochs use JECHT SHOT 2 and AUROCHS SPIRIT after winning the techs as prizes? A: Only Tidus and Wakka, respectively, can learn these techs, and ONLY after learning ALL THREE of their Key Techniques. Q: How and why does Techcopy fail? A: Techcopy fails in three ways: 1. Monotone no-go sound: No reason given. 2. Monotone no-go sound and text message: "...Techcopy failed." 3. Monotone no-go sound and text message: "...level is too low." Timing is usually the reason for the first two failures. "Techcopy" blinks between white and cyan. Tap the controller ONLY when "Techcopy" appears white. If the tech still won't copy, try the second or a later white blink; Sphere Shot, for example, copies better on the last blink. The last failure means the level of the player being copied from is higher than your player's level. Failure is NOT a foregone conclusion, however! Trying to Techcopy from a higher-level player is simply less LIKELY to succeed, but it can succeed on occasion, so it's still a better choice than selecting No Mark. Q: Why does Techcopy fail with Tidus and Wakka's Key Techniques? A: For both Tidus and Wakka, their Key Techs MUST be learned in order, from left to right (or top-down, on Team Data and Scout screens). Q: Why can't Tidus learn NAP TACKLE 3, for example, early on? A: Tidus must learn all three of his Key Techs before the NAP TACKLE 3 slot becomes available and the tech may be learned. Learning each Key Tech makes more tech slots available. Advanced techs can be learned sooner, however, if you win TECH FIND in League or Tournament play. Q: Why are some slots still blank, even with all three Key Techs learned? A: Some players have a limited tech selection by default. Keepa, for example, can learn only eighteen of the sixty techs. Use TECH FIND to increase his available tech slots. Q: What does TECH FIND do? A: TECH FIND makes a blank tech slot available. TECH FIND only makes the tech "learnable"; the technique must still be attained via Techcopy or as a prize. Q: Why doesn't TECH FIND ever turn up as a prize? A: TECH FIND isn't terribly rare. You can wait for it or you can stack the deck in your favor. Q: Stack the deck how? A: After completing a Tournament, or after a few League games if Tournament is ignored, "Tournament" appears dimmed on the menu and remains dimmed through two League games. Tournament prizes are set when "Tournament" again becomes available on the Blitzball menu. With a little preparation, this can be used to your advantage. 1. Play until "Tournament" is dimmed and can't be selected on the menu. 2. Play a League game. 3. At the end of the game, select Continue. 4. "Tournament" should still appear dimmed. 5. Play another League game. 6. At the end of the game, select Back and return to the Save Sphere. 7. Use the Save Sphere to Save your game. 8. Use the Save Sphere to Play Blitzball. 9. Highlight (but do not select) Tournament. 10. If TECH FIND is among the prizes, select Tournament to lock in the prizes and play on. 11. Otherwise, reset (L1+L2+R1+R2+Select+Start), reload your game, and try again. [Note that this sequence varies from earlier reports and perhaps changed in the North American release.] Q: Hey, wouldn't this work for Wakka's Reels or the Jupiter Sigil? Yes, many rare blitz prizes can be had this way. The sigil won't appear until after Wakka has won ALL of his reels, however, and some of the reels may not turn up as prizes until a certain number of random battles have been waged in the game's main storyline. Element Reels: No requirement; Wakka's default Overdrive Attack Reels: No requirement; appears very quickly Status Reels: After 250 random battles Aurochs Reels: After 450 random battles The numbers are nothing extraordinary, unless you're playing a battle- limiting challenge or otherwise avoiding fiend encounters, and Wakka's participation isn't required. No indicator in the game reveals EXACTLY how many battles have been fought (though a few approximations are favored on the Blitzball message board; feel free to ask there), so if the prize doesn't appear after a number of resets don't drive yourself nuts. Go capture a batch of fiends for the Monster Arena and try again later. Q: Wouldn't this work with League prizes, too? A: Yes, but because "League" never appears dimmed in the menu, at the end of a League's tenth game be sure to select Back and Save. Then check the prizes, and you can safely reset and reload as needed. Q: How is TECH FIND used? A: After being awarded TECH FIND at the end of the game, carefully select a player -- you can't return to the players list once a player is selected. Then select the desired BLANK slot in the player's tech lists. DO NOT select a slot already displaying a named technique ("VENOM PASS"); DO NOT select a slot already showing underscores ("_ _ _ _"). Use Next and Previous as needed to reach the appropriate slot (see the tables, above). ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ================ Techcopying Tidus's VENOM TACKLE kept failing. I went hunting for information (timing flubs, argh), cobbled together the preceding, and plugged in whatever else I learned through game play. I play more blitz than the average Joe, but I'm no blitz expert. I enjoy the challenge of playing an all-Aurochs team (reaping the full benetfits of AUROCHS SPIRIT) and the team is rarely beaten. Thanks to everyone who has ever written a FAQ or walkthrough for Final Fantasy X, including CB! (brilliant blitz tech FAQ), Sephiroth101, StoneKotr, Split Infinity, Diomedes, Spira (excellent chart), dingojellybean, SinirothX, and AlaskaFox (great usage tips), who all at least mention TECH FIND. And of course thanks to CJayC, from whom all good GameFAQs things flow. All rights reserved. Permission to post given to GameFAQs alone. Contact: Please direct any questions, comments, or corrections to S. L. Richardson (a.k.a. Falconesque) or via web (http://www.esque.com/slr/gamefaqs/). FIN.