Update: Final Fantasy V

Grinding.

I have a habit with RPGs, or really any games with unlockables that are put right in front of my face. For example, in Assassin's Creed II (decidely not an RPG, but fantastic nonetheless) I'll get to a new location and immediately hunt down every single viewpoint to "open the map up" for myself.

So, in FF5, we have jobs with skill points that you accrue to permanently unlock some of the skills for each job that you can bring with you for other jobs. Specifically, you have a job slot (usually a special command function you use in combat), and a "free" slot to plug in whatever active or passive abilities you've "learned" from your other jobs. Sometimes they stack to create stupidly powerful character classes, like when you can use a Ranger's !Rapid Fire (a command ability, marked by !, that lets you hit four times but at half power per hit) and a Samurai's Two-Handed (a static ability that lets you equip a weapon to each hand) to get eight hits per round for a total of four times as much damage than average. Later in the game is when you can harness the game's Freelancer job, which allows you to equip a total of three skills, instead of having to pick a job based on the skill you want to have access to. I can only imagine what it's going to be like at that point.

But, of course, this requires grinding. So in our first "I'm going to take an idea from every other blog and actually encourage reader(s) to reply to a post" I'd like to know: How much grinding is too much? Do you like your games to have some kind of grind (as long as it's substantially rewarding), or would you rather set the controller down and walk away while the game makes big numbers at you?

Let us know.

- E

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