*Safer* (and probably) More Sufficient Way to Beat Baal 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsdPJHLjqzw

100% Route

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1avA9ZCTQZ3JGHEXMON0s5ut6W2wyMfPmKtI_gHS3H7k/edit#gid=573238365

I will not allow anyone to have permission to edit this spreadsheet, but you are free to make a copy of your own and arrange it however you like.

Any% RTA New Route as of 3/8/2019 (JP item/area translations included)

Disc 1-
https://www.dropbox.com/s/hv690zknf92muhz/Grandia%20Full%20RTA%20Guide%20Part%201%20Trad%20Jap%20%281%29%20NEW%20VERSION.docx?dl=0

Disc 2 - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bIX5H-7mrB5Lpyx1EuJjNRGmg7Hi4hx8oII8a__re2Y/edit

This is the newest version of the route. Japanese translations credit goes to Etsuna: https://www.speedrun.com/user/Etsuna

For best viewing of this document, I [big]**HIGHLY**[/big] recommend downloading it in a Word or Google document if you can. 

**Before reading:** As far as we know, we think the PSTV might be the best console to run the game on. Game has problems when it runs on PS2 hardware, such as freezing, sound looping and a lot of lag. If you cannot get a PSTV, I highly suggest running on PS2 until investing in a PSTV/the equipment to capture one with. As long as you save often on PS2, you will be okay. 

From now on, this is where all of the updates for this guide will go to. 

**-11/21/2017:** The time the new route was linked here on this site. 
**-12/15/2017:** Since I have been asked a lot about Master Chang. Our good friend, Etsuna, has a really good example of the fight in one of the runs he did here: 

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/175204566

So, in short:
-Diggin' Justin and Sue 3 times (hope he attacks Justin)
-Use Smarna Weed you bought in New Parm before Chang from Sue
-Attack with Justin as much as possible so Chang keeps away from Sue.
-Attack/Heal from Sue as much as possible/when needed.  
-GG

**-12/28/2017** Just in case no one gets lost, here is the directions for the Warp Space after beating Gaia Battler 2

https://i.imgur.com/U0uF0iM.png

**-3/8/2019.** Disc 2 guide has been updated

**Note** While the route might have changed a bit, it is still being worked on. So expect the links to change at some point in the future. It is still a beginner-friendly route, as long as you don't do the Lord's Ghost fight in Castle of Dreams.

How to Capture a PSTV

PSTV version is the current fastest version of the game. I made a guide how to capture one here: 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kuzpSclO_7ZsFtAFTWTrn2GlPh0UUzJ6XNTXTublxS0/edit

In-depth look at the consoles and regions

Since a lot of people ask about the consoles, I've decided to go in-depth about every version of the game. Just to note, all of the consoles have not been tested, we can only assume they're slow and also because they're obvious (like all PAL versions for example.

/////////////

Regions:
NTSC-U: The best version to use and what most runners use. 
NTSC-J: Bosses are harder. It's not faster than English, it's roughly the same actually
PAL: 50hz, lags a lot more. Thunder Arrow is not dropped by Ruin Guard, making Trinity fight with Saki, Nana and Mio very slow. 

/////////////

Consoles:

PS1 
Very slow loading.

PS3 (PSN version) 
Literally the PS1 version, as it's emulating its original speed making it as accurate as possible.

PS3 (Disc)
Almost the same as the PSN version, only slower. 

PS2
Technically, it's up there with being a 'fast' console, but there's one problem: It will ALWAYS freeze. No matter how far you get, no matter how long you play, the game will 100% freeze on you in a 13 hour run. If playing on this console, be sure to save anywhere you could. Fast disc speed is not the cause of the freezing nor is a case of having a scratched disc, it's simply because the game is horribly buggy to play on PS2. 

PSTV/PSVita/PSP
The best console that has been tested. The PSTV/PSVita/PSP versions are all the same or very identical. PSVita hasn't been tested, but the PSP has. The PSP and PSTV versions are the same. Fast disc reading is also an option (recommended!)

Sega Saturn
Perhaps the worst version of them all to use. Only released in Japan. Extremely slow load times, even slower than PAL PS1. 

/////////////

Overall, the fastest region to use is NTSC-U for any console you use. You can use the Japanese version, but the bosses are harder. So if you can, avoid it. 

So now I'm gonna list all the consoles from fastest to slowest:

Text directory:
> Means faster
/ Means it's the same

From fastest to slowest on PS1: NTSC-U/NTSC-J > PAL
From fastest to slowest on PS2: NTSC-U/NTSC-J > PAL
From fastest to slowest on PS3: NTSC-U/NTSC-J > PAL
From fastest to slowest on PSTV/PSVita/PSP: NTSC-U/NTSC-J > PAL

Overall from fastest to slowest: NTSC-U PSTV with fast disc reading/NTSC-J PSTV with fast disc reading > NTSC-U PSTV with standard reading/NTSC-J with standard reading > PAL PSTV with fast disc speed > PAL PSTV with standard disc speed > NTSC-U PS2 with fast disc speed/NTSC-J with fast disc speed > NTSC-U with standard disc speed/NTSC-J with standard disc speed > PAL with fast disc speed > PAL with standard disc reading > NTSC-U PS3  (PSN) with fast reading/NTSC-J PS3 (PSN) with fast disc reading > NTSC-U PS3 (PSN) with standard disc reading/NTSC-J PS3 (PSN) with standard disc reading > PAL PS3 (PSN) with fast disc reading > PAL PS3 (PSN) with standard disc reading > NTSC-U PS3 (Disc) with fast reading/NTSC-J PS3 (Disc) with fast reading > NTSC-U PS3 (Disc) with standard reading/NTSC-J PS3 (Disc) with standard reading > PAL PS3 (Disc) with fast reading > PAL PS3 (Disc) with standard reading > NTSC-U PS1/NTSC-J PS1 > PAL PS1 > NTSC-J Sega Saturn

/////////////

Japanese is not faster than English. All of the voice acting cutscenes are the same length as well as the text scrolling. So you do not need the Japanese version. 

Oh and avoid PAL if you can obviously.

Note for the Switch and PC versions: We won't go into detail until they're officially released. We might make it their own seperate category from all the PS consoles.

Nome	Autore
Safer (and probably) More Sufficient Way to Beat Baal 2	Eliminato 7 years ago
100% Route	Eliminato 7 years ago
Any% RTA New Route as of 3/8/2019 (JP item/area translations included)	Eliminato 5 years ago
How to Capture a PSTV	Eliminato 5 years ago
In-depth look at the consoles and regions	Eliminato 5 years ago