Megadimension Neptunia VIIR Basic Mechanics Guide and Tips

Wanna know how VIIR’s new mechanics work versus the original VII? Then you’ve come to the right place.

Сохранение

You cannot perform manual saves in VIIR. The auto-save feature is the only way the game can save your game. Be very careful of this, because if you happen to click on “Новая игра” in the main menu by accident, that could potentially wipe your entire save data. I have not verified this myself, but a Steam Review I read said that this situation happened to them, так что имейте это в виду.

Теоретически, the game should auto-save after doing practically anything, но чтобы быть в безопасности… When you’re done with your session, open the menu and head back to the title screen (NOT the Player Room). This will save the game before leaving, then you can exit the application with ease of mind.

Story Routes

And if not being able to manually save worries you…

Насколько я знаю, VIIR has the true ending as it’s one and only story. You cannot get the normal end, bad end, any other end. This may or may not be a good thing for you depending on how you feel. I just figured I should mention that if that’s something you want to consider.

Визуальные эффекты

This one will be short. VIIR uses a new engine, and there is a noticeable difference on the game’s visuals because of that. Whether that looks better or not is up to you.

This video by R3D Gaming shows off the general differences in the game’s graphics, so go watch that if you’re interested.

(Примечание: The frame rate is capped at 30FPS on PS4, and is 60FPS on PC)

On a personal note, the performance of the PC version is pretty terrible if you decide to leave shadows and post-processing effects. I have a PC that FAR exceeds the recommended spec and it struggled to even maintain 50FPS most of the time, much less a smooth 60. There were lots of hitches too. Однако… I found that disabling both those options does increase the performance quite a bit, though the game will look pretty different.

The Player Room + VR Visits

This is really the only NEW new content in VIIR. The Player Room might as well be your main hub. You can play VII, watch some VR Visits, or take a look at the gallery.

Now it’s worth noting right now: You DON’T need a VR headset to experience the VR Visits. The only difference is that your movement will be heavily restricted, only being able to look around with the right stick, and moving very slightly with the left stick. С учетом сказанного…

The VR Visits are small 3D cutscenes where Adult Neptune + тот 4 Goddesses visit to have a chat with you. If you’re more of a diehard fan of the series, you’ll likely get a kick out of these. В противном случае, they’re just inoffensive little cutscenes to enjoy for a brief moment. You unlock more as you progress through VII, and you can only view Adult Neptune’s visits by progressing through the story. She’ll usually pop in to talk with you after every Nepstation section.

There’s really not much to say about these as they are just cutscenes at the end of the day. It’s a pretty minuscule amount of content compared to the rest of the game.

Боевая система – АП & PP Basics

This is potentially the biggest change in the game, and changes the way you go about combat pretty drastically.

Во-первых, something to note: Your party always enters a battle with full HP and 0 СП. This goes for any battle in the game, normal or bosses, so you don’t need to waste items on the field at all in this case.

Сейчас, as opposed to VII just being raw turn-based combat where you choose an action to perform and end your turn, VIIR is still turn-based, but chooses to utilize an Action Points (АП) система. This means that during a character’s turn, they can spend AP to perform various actions, including doing multiple things on the same turn. Или… you could not spend your AP at all and immediately end your turn, and all the AP you didn’t use will be combined into that character’s next turn.

This also applies to enemies who can also save up on AP and perform many attacks at once.

Here’s the basic rundown of how AP works:

• When a character’s turn begins, они получают 4 АП, ally and enemy. Your party members also gain a handful of SP at the beginning of their turn, грубо 25. Both AP & SP have a cap on how much can be saved, so don’t do nothing when either gauge is maxed out.
• An ally’s turn will end when you choose to defend. You have to do this to end your turn no matter what (unless they’re afflicted with a status effect that renders them unable to act), and a regular defense costs 0 АП. There are other defensive actions you can do to end your turn that will cost AP, but will provide some sort of benefit, like giving more SP at the start of their next turn.
• Performing regular combo attacks cost 2AP per attack; you don’t need to perform the entire combo if you don’t want to, you can do only the 1st or 1st and 2nd. Performing a full combo would cost 6/8AP for example. Keep this in mind for enemies with low health as performing more attacks after their HP is already at 0 is just a waste of AP that hurts you.
• Once you’ve spent AP to perform any attack, your movement range will be drastically reduced, so think about where you wanna end up before committing.
• Performing individual skills (Like Neptune’s “Cross Combination”) will require you to have the required amount of AP along with the required amount of SP to perform it. You can perform skills multiple times in the same turn if you have both the AP and SP to do so.
• Performing cooperation skills (Like Neptune & Nepgear’s “Violet Buster”) will require ALL party members participating in that attack to have the required AP & SP to perform it, so it takes some pre-planning to actually pull those off. They also must all be in the same form (Human or HDD) and be in the appropriate formation to perform it.

Следующий, let’s discuss Pocket Points (ПП)

Every character has a certain amount of their own PP, that number indicating how many more times they can use an item in a single battle. По сути, it’s just how many items left that you can use. Everyone’s PP is refreshed to the maximum after the battle is over.

Using items requires AP, but it’s generally a very small amount, and your movement is not hindered after using them. Так например, если у тебя есть 4 АП и 4 ПП, you can have Neptune use Healing Grass 4 times in a row to heal your entire party up, but then that means Neptune won’t be able to use any more items for the rest of the battle because she doesn’t have anymore PP. Using items at just the right time can turn the tides of battle as it allows you to heal/get buffs while also still being able to attack in the same turn, or saving your remaining AP for the next turn.

Технологический уровень, Item Ranks, and Crafting Plans

Before we get to the more complicated stuff, small note…

You can sell your items at literally any time using the menu. Выбирать “Инвентарь” then press the left stick to enter “Cash Mode” and select which items you want to sell for credits. You don’t need to go to a shop to sell things, so it helps keep a good flow whenever you buy a bunch of new items. Не волнуйся, you can’t sell items that are currently equipped by somebody.

Также, you can freely report quests you’ve finished and send out scouts to dungeons via the menu as well. It’s your all-in-one hub.

Now let’s talk about Technology Level.

По мере развития истории, or if you invest in a nation, the technology level of that area will go up.

Что это значит? Хорошо, it means that most items sold at shops will have a higher rank. A higher ranked item typically means it has better stats, эффекты, and passive buffs than lower ranked ones, even if it’s the same item you already own. Just to use an example, a rank 4 weapon might have 200 ATK with a +5% STR buff, but a rank 10 weapon will have 400 ATK and a +15% STR buff; it doesn’t matter if the weapon has the same exact name, it WILL be better if it’s a higher rank. It’s a good idea to regularly update your weapons and accessories as the technology level rises.

Конечно, you can just buy new things, или… use the new crafting system.

VIIR adds many materials used to craft new items and increase your gear’s rank. Before you can craft though, you need Plans. You typically get plans through various methods like buying them from shops or obtaining them naturally.

A basic example is crafting the blocks in the above screenshot using the ore you find in dungeons via treasure chest pickups (This is a good incentive to fully explore dungeons, кстати). You can craft as much as you’re able to make. These blocks can then be turned into Weapons, аксессуары, and Costume enhancement items to raise the rank of your current gear. If you’re unable to raise the technology level and need better stats, this can be a good method to upgrade your current gear. There is a hard limit as to how many times a single piece of gear can be upgraded, but it’s doubtful you’ll hit that cap as it’s in the hundreds. Just be sure to upgrade the gear you’re able to stick with for a while because if you’re cruising through the story and continue raising the Technology Level, it’s more economical to just wait and enhance when you’ve come to a slower point the story.

Вдобавок ко всему, you will also have a “Rank Limit” for any enhanceable item. The number indicates the maximum rank any of your stuff can be until the limit is raised. В большинстве случаев, this means raising the Technology Level.

Также… Unlike VII, VIIR has stats on previously cosmetic-only slots like Costumes and Accessories. Don’t forget about this as they directly affect your defense.