Bravely Default Guide: What are the Best and Most Overpowered Job and Ability Combos?

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Did you know that the foppish merchant is vital to one of the game's best get-rich quick schemes? Or that it's possible to have a character spit BP the way Eminem spits rhymes? No? You bring shame on the name "power player", good person. Shame. But, no one has to know about said inadequacies. Restore your pride as a game-breaking, 9999-damage dealing power player by judiciously abusing these potentially reality-breaking job/ability combos.

The BP Generator

BPs are all but essential to combat in Bravely Default. Without them, quadruple Firagas and unleashing party-wide Protects would be a chore made in hell. And, if you're anything like me, you probably spend a lot of your time in Bravely Default thinking, "Man. If only I had more of those BPs."

Guess what? There's a way to get exactly what you want. However, it's going to require some leg work first. Lots of it. You're going to need to unlock the Red Mage asterix via one of the side quests. After that, either make sure you have a friend with a Red Mage at Level 9 to Abilink with or prepare for a long grind. You're going to want to make sure all your characters have BP Recovery, which raises your BP by 2 when you're hit by a status ailment.

We're still not done yet. Make sure someone in your party is a level 14 Black Mage. The Group Cast All ability, which you receive at that level, is also imperative here. Once these requirements are met, the fun begins.

Have everyone equip BP Recovery. The one who can moonlight as a Level 14 Black Mage? Give her/him Group Cast All. From there, it's a question of having said character hit Brave four times, cast Poison All three times before wrapping it up with a sweet little Esuna All. Everyone should then be immediately up 4 BP. Repeat at will.

The Ultimate Crowd Controller

Victoria might be an evil little tart, but it's hard to hate her. After all, without her, how would we gain access to the Arcanist asterix? The Arcanist, which you can acquire by mowing through the main narrative, is a status effect-focused job that is practically the Black Mage's soulmate. While plenty of guides tend to dismiss the Arcanist's potential in regards to boss fights, it's actually capable of both dishing out some damage and minimizing the dangers parcelled with every boss fight.

I'm getting ahead of myself, though. How do you turn your Arcanist into the ultimate crowd controller? First of all, you'll need said Arcanist to be a Level 14 Black Mage as well. Choose Status Ailment Amp and Group Cast All as your support abilities. When you're in the presence of regular enemies, it's simply a question of going Poison All, Sleep All, Exterminate and Twilight. Up against a boss? No problem! Use Fear, Poison, Sleep and Exterminate. Take heed, however. You'll need a significant amount of magic attack in order to ensure the character's attacks do not miss.

The Swordmaster Pirate

Arrr, me mateys! No monster in the Seven Seas is quite as terrible as the Swordmaster Pirate and his food-related shenanigans. As always, you're going to need to spend a fair amount of time grinding for the necessary JP. In order to pull this trick off, you'll need both your Swordmaster and your Pirate at level 14. Don't worry. The ordeal will be worth it.

Have everyone up to speed? Great! Time to reap the benefits. In your next battle, hit Brave as many times as possible. Your first turn? Utilize Free Lunch, which will negate all MP cost to zero for two turns. After that, it's a question of chaining Amped Strike, a lovely little skill which deals quadruple damage to a target of your choice. Ordinarily, Amped Strike would cost you 50% of your MP. But, thanks to Free Lunch, it's, well, a free lunch.

(P.S: This works great with the BP Recovery trick.)

Simon the Dark Knight Says

Believe it or not, this little trick is probably going to require even more time investment than the previously mentioned combinations. You're going to want to get Dark Knight, Thief, Freelancer and Monk maxed out for pretty much everyone. (Alternatively, make more friends who are fanatical about Bravely Default.)

The basic premise here is that you're going to want to use the Freelancer's Mimic ability to spam Black Bane, a nasty skill which deals 1.5x dark damage to all enemies in exchange for 30% of the user's HP. I know. It sounds like a dangerous bargain. But, bear with me here. The Dark Knight who opens the combo? He's going to need to take the hit to his health. Anyone using Mimic, however, won't have to bleed for it.

No, don't go away yet. We're still not done. Now, in order to make that first dude's sacrifice more meaningful, you're going to want to pick up support abilities that will maximize your party's performance. Give every character Natural Talent and Knuckle Lore. The guy with Black Bane will need Speed 30%. The rest of them? Install Gloom and Physical Attack +20%. You may want to swap Pierce Default in for certain bosses.

Find a group of enemy. Enjoy. Purportedly, this strategy is virtually failproof against anything but the end boss.

Grinding for Success Past Chapter 5.

Are you denting faces instead of smashing them? Do you find yourself lacking sufficient firepower in the later half of the game? Are there just not enough numbers on your screen?! No need to fear. We've got you covered.

Okay, so this one's rather easy. Have two or more character equip the Valkyrie's staring ability: Crescent Moon. Tweak the encounter rate in your configuration settings. You want it to be 100% encounters all the frackin' time. Begin running around in manic circles. Once you're in battle, make sure to have the appropriate characters use Brave and Crescent Moon twice. Hit Auto. Rinse and repeat until you're satisfied with your grinding capabilities.

Of course, there are always ways to make a good strategy even better. To completely optimize the auto-grinding procedure, have the Crescent Moon wielders load Two Handed and Physical Attack 20%, if possible. If you've been diligent about the Norende restoration project, chances are you'll have access to Lu Bu's spear as well. Use that. It will increase your damage against multiple targets. (P.S: Having JP Up equipped is a Good Idea.)