Bravely Default 2 is the turn-based JRPG we’ve been waiting for in a time where the genre is experimenting with other mechanics. Whether you’re a fan or just want to try out something different, it’s a ton of fun to play. However, it can also be quite tough and unforgiving at times. The game requires a fair bit of experimentation with the Job system as well as the Brave/Default mechanics.

Fortunately, we’ve got a few tips to help make the task a bit less daunting.

Speed Things Up with Settings

Okay, this is more of a quality-of-life tip but it’ll help keep things moving faster. Within Bravely Default 2’s settings, you can make a few tweaks that can help speed up some of the more tedious aspects of the game.

For starters, you can change the default movement speed from walk to run. Now instead of needing to hold down a button to sprint away, your party will move around at full speed. Frankly, it’s a bit silly to have this feature instead of just making running the only movement speed but, alas, I don’t make the rules.

Next, you can change the way dialogues behave. You can make it so that the game automatically progresses the dialogue so you don’t have to press buttons everytime someone is done speaking. On top of that, you can make text appear faster in the settings as well. This has helped during times where I don’t feel like waiting for the voice acting to catch up (not that it’s bad, just mood swings cause I’m old).

Max Out Freelancer

Don’t let the basic appearance of the Freelancer job fool you. This is an immensely important job to level up and use regularly. In fact, you’ll want someone running Freelancer as a sub job often because of its ability to scan enemies among other things. But even more importantly, you’ll want to max out Bravely Default 2’s Freelancer job on all of your characters because of JP Up and JP Up and Up. Both of these will significantly increase the rate at which you gain JP for the rest of your jobs. On top of that, the job itself has crazy good stats. In a pinch, a Freelancer as a main job might just give you the edge you need in certain battles.

Job Assignments

While every character in Bravely Default 2 can be any job, by virtue of their stats they are each better suited for specific categories. You can even tell by their appearance. Adelle and Seth are both at their best as melee and physical-based jobs. On the other hand, Gloria and Elvis scream magic users. There are jobs that can’t be simply classified as one or the other (Dragoon and Freelancer come to mind) so they can fit any of the characters. The bottom line, though, is to play each character to his or her strengths.

Gain the Upper Hand

You’ll probably know by now that you can make Seth swing his sword when out in the field by hitting the Y button. Apart from doing some weed and grass whacking, you can also use it to strike enemies you want to do battle with. Whenever you successfully do this, your entire party will start with 1 BP. There is virtually no reason not to do this so be sure to start your fights in Bravely Default 2 by gaining the upper hand.

Tents Over Potions

As silly as this may sound, potions aren’t really worth stocking up much – save for maybe having them as a backup during battle. Your money is generally better spent on tents. They cost just as much as a single potion and will completely revitalize your entire party as long as you’re on the map. 

Always Be Sailing

Once you unlock the boat borrowing mechanic in Halcyonia, you’ll be able to visit any boat dock in major cities to have it set sail. What your boat will do is gather important items for you without you needing to lift a finger. Even better, when connected to the internet, your boat will gather even richer rewards. A lot of the time, these will be things like JP boosts that’ll help you level up your jobs faster. The boat maxes out its haul after 12 hours so be sure to visit the nearest dock to collect the booty and have it set sail again.

Chain to Train

Combat chaining is Bravely Default 2’s way of making grinding faster and more bearable. Essentially, when you engage in battle with multiple enemies on the map, this will trigger consecutive fights. After defeating all waves you’ve chained, your experience will be multiplied depending on how big the chain was. In order to make this easier, you can use a variety of bait items, such as Beast Flesh. Using these items near clusters of enemies will cause them to make their way towards you, giving you an easy way to bunch up multiple enemies at once. Stock up with bait and gather large waves to speed up your grinding for every impending boss fight as they can be quite tough.