What a fun question! In general, I’m always swapping our party members all the time, even ones I don’t like that much, because I have an obsessive need to use everyone. If a character is getting any kind of plot focus, I’ll usually put them in. So with all that in mind, a few quirks I tend to fall into…
VI: I like to group up people based on shipping haha. Terra/Celes, when they’re both available, is novel, and I like to keep Sabin with his old husband Cyan, and adopted son Gau. I throw Shadow in as his boyfriend. So when splitting the party it usually looks like Terra/Celes/Locke/Edgar, Sabin/Shadow/Cyan/Gau and Setzer/Relm/Strago/Mog.
Ship Potential: Terra/Celes/Locke/Edgar? Sure. I like almost any combo of these characters. Sabin/Cyan/Shadow/Gau? Nah. As we’ve discussed above, Gau is Sabin and Cyan’s son, and Shadow is their transient boyfriend. I… will not dignify the last group with a response.
VII: In disc one I have a fondness for using Cloud/Tifa/Aerith. They’re a strong party and an even stronger OT3. Aerith can so easily be the most ridiculously powerful character while she’s available, so it’s fun watching her whack people to death with that staff you can steal from a Hell House. Later in the game, I tend to default to Cloud/Cid/Vincent. Cid x Vincent are OTP, and even though Vince kinda sucks compared to everyone else, I love his ~aesthetic~.
Ship Potential: Yup to both!
VIII: Twinsies! I like using Squall/Zell/Rinoa the most too. When you have to split the party for half of Disc 2 I usually keep them together so they can kiss hang out at Garden while Selphie/Quistis/Irvine go kiss to the military base.
Ship Potential: Right there with you! Throw in Quistis and/or Seifer and you’ve got the perfect ship cluster. Backpeddaling to the Squall/Zell/Rinoa thing, I tend to imagine Zell and Rinoa are more in it for Squall, mostly because they give off strong “rich girl and her gay himbo bff” energy, but I think they’d be fine getting down and dirty in the same location if their emo boy toy is in the middle.
IX: The Zidane/Dagger/Vivi/Steiner group is classic and effective. Sometimes it’s fun to do a swap for Zidane/Eiko/Freya/Amarant.
Ship Potential: VIVI IS A BABY. EIKO IS A BABY.
X: I feel like the battle system really wants you to constantly swap to hit enemy weaknesses and level up appropriately. If I’m going for straight up damage though it tends to be Yuna/Wakka/Auron.
Ship Potential: Yuna/Wakka/Auron doesn’t really do it for me. Replace Yuna or Wakka with Tidus or Lulu and I’m sold. Hell, replace Yuna with Kimahri and I’m sold. For some reason, Yuna x Wakka just doesn’t do it for me.
XII: Constantly swapping… but I am partial to Balthier/Basch/Ashe, because they are my favs. Also sometimes do an all boys or all gals group.
Ship Potential: They be fuckin’. (And Fran is usually involved too.)
XIII: For gameplay, I feel like Light/Fang/Hope are the best. But I like to run Light/Fang/Vanille because all girl groups are fun, and they are OT3 vibes. (Strong “This is my girlfriend Fang, and Fang’s wife Vanille” vibes)
Ship Potential: They Be Fuckin’ 2: Lesbian Boogaloo
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VI: I like to group up people based on shipping haha. Terra/Celes, when they’re both available, is novel, and I like to keep Sabin with his old husband Cyan, and adopted son Gau. I throw Shadow in as his boyfriend. So when splitting the party it usually looks like Terra/Celes/Locke/Edgar, Sabin/Shadow/Cyan/Gau and Setzer/Relm/Strago/Mog.
Ship Potential: Terra/Celes/Locke/Edgar? Sure. I like almost any combo of these characters. Sabin/Cyan/Shadow/Gau? Nah. As we’ve discussed above, Gau is Sabin and Cyan’s son, and Shadow is their transient boyfriend. I… will not dignify the last group with a response.
VII: In disc one I have a fondness for using Cloud/Tifa/Aerith. They’re a strong party and an even stronger OT3. Aerith can so easily be the most ridiculously powerful character while she’s available, so it’s fun watching her whack people to death with that staff you can steal from a Hell House. Later in the game, I tend to default to Cloud/Cid/Vincent. Cid x Vincent are OTP, and even though Vince kinda sucks compared to everyone else, I love his ~aesthetic~.
Ship Potential: Yup to both!
VIII: Twinsies! I like using Squall/Zell/Rinoa the most too. When you have to split the party for half of Disc 2 I usually keep them together so they can
kisshang out at Garden while Selphie/Quistis/Irvine gokissto the military base.Ship Potential: Right there with you! Throw in Quistis and/or Seifer and you’ve got the perfect ship cluster. Backpeddaling to the Squall/Zell/Rinoa thing, I tend to imagine Zell and Rinoa are more in it for Squall, mostly because they give off strong “rich girl and her gay himbo bff” energy, but I think they’d be fine getting down and dirty in the same location if their emo boy toy is in the middle.
IX: The Zidane/Dagger/Vivi/Steiner group is classic and effective. Sometimes it’s fun to do a swap for Zidane/Eiko/Freya/Amarant.
Ship Potential: VIVI IS A BABY. EIKO IS A BABY.
X: I feel like the battle system really wants you to constantly swap to hit enemy weaknesses and level up appropriately. If I’m going for straight up damage though it tends to be Yuna/Wakka/Auron.
Ship Potential: Yuna/Wakka/Auron doesn’t really do it for me. Replace Yuna or Wakka with Tidus or Lulu and I’m sold. Hell, replace Yuna with Kimahri and I’m sold. For some reason, Yuna x Wakka just doesn’t do it for me.
XII: Constantly swapping… but I am partial to Balthier/Basch/Ashe, because they are my favs. Also sometimes do an all boys or all gals group.
Ship Potential: They be fuckin’. (And Fran is usually involved too.)
XIII: For gameplay, I feel like Light/Fang/Hope are the best. But I like to run Light/Fang/Vanille because all girl groups are fun, and they are OT3 vibes. (Strong “This is my girlfriend Fang, and Fang’s wife Vanille” vibes)
Ship Potential: They Be Fuckin’ 2: Lesbian Boogaloo