Sword/Shield/Staff?

[Gram]

I picked shield. Back in the original I tried all of them [very first being the sword] but now a days I always go with shield. Wanted that stun impact and guard soon as possible. xD

 

[Moonlight Aqua]

;A; Now I feel dumb...

I ALWAYS picked the sword then sacrificed the shield. Mostly the reason was because I always boosted my Defense with equipment. So by the time I was out and about, I would always be on level with defense. I NEVER sacrificed magic because I am the most dependent on magic in KH!

For the questions, I always picked the middle, because if you pick the fastest, you'll get to the higher levels faster, but it will slow down later... Pick the slowest, could help, but you'll be really low leveled during the first areas and won't get higher until later. That's how I feel. But that's just me. I just did how I played it like 9 years ago, exactly the same... no fixings.

 

[Lnds500]

No, don't pick the sword. Here are the bonuses you get for your pick:

Sword = +1 item slot
Shield = +2 item slots
Staff = +2 MP

As you can see, there is no reason to pick the sword over the shield.

The game pretty much tricks you into thinking the sword is the best pick, because aesthetically it makes the most sense to see it in Sora's hand.

The tiny amount of STR you sacrifice when ditching the sword can be compensated for later on, either by boosting your stats with the proper equipment or by simply being able to take out many enemies in one swipe with a powerful spell and survive longer with more opportunities to use a cure spell.

Your big choice is between getting a very nice bonus of 2 extra MP, or 2 extra item slots. The only real downside to picking the staff is that many good abilities are not learned until much later on in the game, but unless you plan on doing a speed-run I'd say that you want to look at long-term goals and not what's best for you during the opening hours.

EDIT - Found this:

Source: GameFAQs: Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX (PS3) FAQ/Walkthrough by noz3r0

I think I'll start on Proud with Rod and I will sacrifice the Sword. I need the extra 2 MPs. I'm kinda anxious as to whether I'll need the defensive abilities early on but I'll take my chances.

Strangely, that's the way I've always done it.

 

[Nazo]

Well, don't I feel dumb now. I picked the Sword and sacrificed the staff (as I did in my original playthrough of KH1) and I'm playing the game on Proud Mode. I've already made it to Atlantica, but I'm dying rather frequently. I guess this explains it, haha. What I wouldn't give to have Leaf Bracer.

 

[Divine Past]

Picked the shield in my first play-through and dropped the sword. I like it other then not getting scan until level 21 which is a bummer.

 

[Gonzales95]

I picked the shield and sacrificed the staff on Final Mix difficulty, and I went with the slower level option because this is going to be my 100% playthrough because I want to earn the secret ending

Just beat the confusing Wonderland and I think I'm at level 13 atm, going to go to Deep Jungle underleveled and try to get to about 18 there (might take a while), so that Olympus Coliseum is really easy as I remember struggling there, and I'd like scan ASAP - definitely before I move on to the next set of worlds.

 

[Memory Master]

They changed how the sword, shield, and staff work from KH1 to KH1 Final Mix. In Final Mix the shield gives you the second chance ability at either level 39 or 36, so I always pick that one in Final Mix since I can get second chance the quickest that way.

When it comes to the questions, it works like the following (And I forget this when I played the HD remaster so I went back before I got too far in the game and got the answer I wanted)

Your Journey Begins at Dawn = Quick Level Up from Level 1-50 / Slow Level Up from Level 51-100
Your Journey Begins at Midday = Evenly Balanced Level Up from Level 1-100
Your Journey Begins at Nightfall = Slow Level Up from Level 1-50 / Quick Level Up From Level 51-100

I went back and got the last answer because i'd rather level up faster in the second half of the game so it's easier to prepare for the secret bosses.

 

[ChibiHearts249]

I've always picked the staff and dropped the sword. Every game I've ever played, even if the magic was a total bummer, I ALWAYS pick it. I never have any other reason for doing this besides the fact that my mind thinks: magical tank. I love magic, but I don't want to sacrifice defense, so my secondary offense is always the one to go.

The first time I played, I picked staff and got rid of sword because it made sense to me. I don't think I ever picked anything else, honestly...And I answered the questions as I would have normally chosen. My adventure began at midday. Msybe I'm just naturally balanced? Playing on Proud, JUST got Scan, don't have Guard...It'll be hard. I'll see if I can forego tradition and do shield minus sword next time. But I'm not gonna give up on my choices. Even with the perks.

 

[Sagman12]

I picked Proud and chose the sword. I admit it was a mistake as leaf bracer is a necessity when fighting ice titan but i drove on and beat the bosses; i just need to face sephiroth next, i am level 77 so im going to grind a bit more till 80 then try him

 

[Haeralis]

Shield gives the best abilities the earliest IMO. Sure you don't get MP Rage until level 90, but you get Second Chance, Leaf Bracer, and Lucky Strike extremely early. It all comes down to what you prefer, but honestly despite the Sword having a great order for the abilities, it has by far the worst end game stats.

 

[Santiago]

Shield gives the best abilities the earliest IMO. Sure you don't get MP Rage until level 90, but you get Second Chance, Leaf Bracer, and Lucky Strike extremely early. It all comes down to what you prefer, but honestly despite the Sword having a great order for the abilities, it has by far the worst end game stats.

They changed it so you get MP Rage at level 90 with the Dream Shield? That's a huge change from the original level 57 unlock.


Now the Rikunort is going to be infinitely harder with that in mind.

 

[Haeralis]

They changed it so you get MP Rage at level 90 with the Dream Shield? That's a huge change from the original level 57 unlock.


Now the Rikunort is going to be infinitely harder with that in mind.

I beat Rikunort on my first attempt without MP Rage. Of course, I know this game like the back of my hand considering I've owned it for years. You still have Leaf Bracer and Second Chance, so its not that bad. Dragon Maleficent is more difficult IMO.

 

[Max]

I've always enjoyed taking the Dream Shield and ditching the Dream Rod, I don't really bother with magic much other than healing and the occasional aero. The shield provides good stats and gives the really important abilities early in my opinion

 

[Taochan]

I went with the Shield for the first time ever for my Proud playthrough. Hopefully this works out in my favor!

 

[Max]

I went with the Shield for the first time ever for my Proud playthrough. Hopefully this works out in my favor!

The leaf bracer alone on final mix makes the shield worth it, you shouldn't be disappointed!

 

[Reagan Rayden]

Kind of realizing it at this point that the sword is utter trash.

I beat Rikunort on my first attempt without MP Rage. Of course, I know this game like the back of my hand considering I've owned it for years. You still have Leaf Bracer and Second Chance, so its not that bad. Dragon Maleficent is more difficult IMO.

Rikunort is way easier than Dragon Maleficent if you have Guard and/or Counterattack.

 

[ChibiHearts249]

I dunno. The sword has a couple of decent abilities at the beginning. It's just the ones that count for toughness that you get later.

 

[Gram]

[
Rikunort is way easier than Dragon Maleficent if you have Guard and/or Counterattack.

Agreed, I was kinda surprised that I beat him so easily today after actually dying on other things like DI.

 

[Korai]

Kind of realizing it at this point that the sword is utter trash.




Rikunort is way easier than Dragon Maleficent if you have Guard and/or Counterattack.

so... does anyone else realize that zantetsuken and that gravity break arent on here?
EDIT: I just realized you get those specially, never mind.

 

[Rytackle22]

The MAJOR problem with the Rod in KHFMPR is not getting Second Chance until level 90. That's a real killer. I'm doing a playthrough with no continues, equipment changes, and on proud. I picked the Rod for the MP boost however I'm starting to think the Shield may have been a better option.

Reason being is that you can get accessories at Max Lvl to max out your MP, but nothing can increase your Item slots. Also not having Second Chance for basically the whole game is awful. Totally awful.