Damage Calculations

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1YzSX2XuH0MzfYGVlQHbW304UunGx9xd_HP0ZriuG1cY/edit?usp=sharing

The spreadsheet here is quite massive but gives details on which weapons and spells are better suited for which enemies. This should help newcomers to the run figure out which gear they should use.

The spreadsheet is basically another way to look at information from https://www.gamefaqs.com/genesis/563334-phantasy-star-iv/faqs/23221

Basically every weapon and spell has an "element" (for lack of a better term). There are 14 elements in the game and each monster has a strength or weakness to each of them. A "0" means they are immune to that element, a 1 means they take 1/2 damage, a 2 means they take normal damage, a 3 is 150% damage and a 4 is double damage. 

There are 3 weapons that have the F6 element (the "Light" Element): The Elsydeon, the Silver Tusk, and the Psycho Wand. ALL enemies in this game will take full or increased damage to this element, which is why those weapons are so good. There are also 4 techniques and 1 skill which share the element, all of which are used by Chaz: Tsu, GiThu, NaThu, Rayblade, and Megid. Keep in mind that the Profound Darkness' Megid is the same ability, and there is no item in the game that can mitigate that damage because of that.

Debuffs and Instant-Deaths are also considered in their own class of "elements", usually F8-F14 (minus F13 which is categorized as the Holy Element for St. Fire and Efess). Enemies with a 0 in that column indicate no effect by it, 1 means a low-chance of success, 2 means moderate chance, 3 means almost guaranteed. Each boss, which the exception of Iglanova, has full immunity to stuns, debuffs, and instant-deaths (unfortunately).

Use this chart as you will. Hopefully it provides some insight on what to use. Calculations are done with sort of an average number, but regardless of the number used for calculation, you should be able to see how each weapon and ability fares against each enemy.

Notes, glitches, and other Calculations

There have been some new bits of information come up in recent months that have changed the way one could look at this game as far as its mechanics go. I will do my best to explain these in an organized manner.

Contents:
1. Turn Order Calculation
2. Saner vs. Swift Helm
3. Stat Glitch
4. Forced Equipment Stat Glitch

====================
1. Turn Order Calculation
====================
Turn order has long been a mystery until recently, and though there is still absolutely no way to manipulate a perfect turn order, you can at least know what your chances are of having the order you need.

Step 1: The game finds the character with the highest agility (buffed or unbuffed, friend or foe) and creates a variable equal to half that agility value.
Step 2: The game grabs a random number between 0 and the number taken from Step 1.
Step 3: The game adds the value from Step 2 to a character's in battle (current) Agility. 
Step 4: Steps 2 and 3 are repeated independently for each character/enemy on the field at the start of the turn.
Step 5: The turn order is then determined by highest agility at the time of the entire process' conclusion.

For instance, if Rika has the highest Agility on the field at 50, then the number in Step 1 would be 25. Step 2 would then take a number between 0 and 25 and add that to a character's current agility (say Rika rolls a 12, her agility would be 62 for the turn). Say an enemy on the field in the same scenario has an agility of 40 and Step 2 rolls a 25 for it. That enemy's agility for the turn would be 65, meaning that it would have its move before Rika would for that turn.

The game has always relied on heavy RNG, and turn order is no exception. Having an agility-increasing ability definitely will help with turn order reliability, though it is still not a perfect guarantee that things will happen favorably.
====================
2. Saner vs. Swift Helm
====================
Both of these agility-buffs are extremely valuable in both casual runs and speedruns. Saner gives a flat increase to everybody's agility equal to the Mental stat of the caster: (AGI + Caster's Mental) = Buffed Agility. For most of the game, you will be relying on Rika's Mental state for Saner (which is also why the Psy Crown is very valuable as it gives bonus mental).

It was believed for a long time that Swift Helm, when used as an item, acted exactly like Saner and that it would raise the agility of the user by its own mental (meaning using it on Rune would have lead to him being super fast). It wasn't until recently that mor_mot informed us that Swift Helm raises the user's agility by a flat amount (that amount being 32). 

This means that the Swift Helm will give a higher gain for one character until Rika reaches level 33, in which case Saner will give a larger stat gain than Swift Helm and will grant it to the entire party). Most likely, when you're going up against the Profound Darkness, Rika's level will (hopefully) be higher than that, making Swift Helm's value a LOT lower at this point.

That's not to say the item is useless. During the 3rd Phase of the Profound Darkness, the boss can use Evil Eye on a character, putting them to sleep. Sleep and Death will reset agility to their natural state, and since Rika's TP is limited during the 3rd phase of the fight, it would not be in your best interest to re-cast Saner for one character, especially since Saner's TP is best kept when reacting to Cancelling. Chaz will never need to use this, nor will Rune unless you are going double-claw strats with Rika and using Rune as the support.

====================
3. Stat Glitch
====================
This is another discovery by mor_mot that has made runners look at their runs a little more carefully. It would appear that when a character levels up, the game doesn't recalculate their new stats until you either check their inventory or status screen, or unless the party order is changed (HP/TP is the exception to this rule). Depending on which route you are planning to do, this can either be used to a huge advantage or can be a big hindrance when playing your run. 

In most traditional methods of speedrunning the game (Tyler or Adgey strats), you will want to check equipment/stats/order before every boss fight so that you are not losing out on valuable stats (keep in mind that natural agility contributes to Defense/turn order and mental contributes to Magic Defense).

If you are going with Shadowblade strats, then this can be used to your advantage to keep Chaz's mental at its level 4 value even though you are leveling him up to give him more HP/TP and new Techniques. You would still have to keep an eye on everyone else's stats and make sure  you don't change the party order. These strats are also notorious to making a glass cannon out of Chaz.

====================
4. Forced Equipment Stat Glitch
====================
This goes along with the normal stat glitch, but there are times when characters have equipment forced onto them. So long as you do not look at the equipment/stats/order, then their stats will stay the way they were before the equipment was forced (Attack and Defense included).

The following are times of forced equipment changes:
*Getting Rune at the Ladea Tower
*Chaz getting Elsydeon
*Each of the final 5 characters at the Motavia Spaceport.

For instance, if you have the Guard Sword equipped when you grab the Elsydeon, Chaz will keep the +10 Strength and +10 Dexterity from the Guard Sword, but you will also lose the additional damage from Elsydeon (it does keep its element and instant-death ability though, oddly enough). This stat gain will maintain, again, unless you look at Chaz's equipment/stats or change the party order.

The only other plausible use (albeit unlikely you will need to use it normall) would be to not look at Kyra when you get her back at the end of the game (most likely she had two shields vs. Dark Force 2). She comes equipped when she returns with a Laconia Slasher and Moon Slasher, but if you don't look at her stat/equipment, the game will still see her stats and equipment from when she first left (level included). Theoretically, though, she will still be able to attack (though the damage would be very small since it would only calculate her natural strength at that point).

Optional Character strats... yeah, they exist.

Though Kyra is so far proven to be the fastest and safest character to use against the final boss, if one ever plans on running this game at a charity event, marathon, or other event where incentives are a key part, a big incentive may be to have the option to use one of the other four characters and alter your strategy accordingly. Or, perhaps you just want to mess around and try one of the other characters, especially if you know you won't PB. This guide should serve as the purpose of doing just that.

Generally, final boss Macros would look like this:
A: Wren - Barrier, Rika - Saner, Kyra - Warla, Chaz - Crosscut, Rune - Swift Helm 
B: Kyra - Medice, Wren - Flare, Rika - Attack, Chaz - Attack, Rune - NaWat 
C: Rika - GiSar, Kyra - Guard Rod, Wren - Recover, Chaz - Attack, Rune - NaWat 
D. Kyra - Medice, Wren - Flare, Rika - Double Slash, Chaz - Crosscut, Rune - NaWat 
E: Kyra - Star Dew, Rune - Guard Rod, Wren - Recover, Rika - Double Slash, Chaz - Crosscut 
F: Rune - Rever, Kyra - Medice, Wren - Flare, Rika - Double Slash, Chaz - Crosscut 
G: Chaz - Rever, Kyra - Medice, Wren - Flare, Rika - Double Slash, Rune - NaWat 

There is a slight variance where Rika takes the place of Rune in Macro E, depending on your strategy. Using this as a basis, you can change your strategy according to the notes below.
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Gryz
---------------
Gryz is actually probably the next safest character to use behind Kyra, but it requires you to also buy a bunch of Trimates in addition to what you already purchased. 8-10 Trimates would suffice... if you have the space. The other issue it runs into is that replacing "Krya - Medice" with "Gryz - Trimate" in these Macros would mean that you would have to manually enter commands if Wren is the one that needs healing. Other than that, "Kyra - Star Dew" gets replaced with "Gryz - Star Dew". Also, it sets you back about a turn because you would have to have Rika use Deban during the 2nd turn. During Phase 3, Cancelling will give you a harder time and you may have to forego using Deban during that phase entirely. Wren and Gryz should be able to withstand an unmitigated normal attack from PFD, others might not. Place Gryz behind Wren.

Giving Gryz the Guard Shield and Reflect Shield make him able to withstand any attack the PFD throws at him. His biggest problem is his speed. While Saner will give him a lot of agility, it still may not be enough. Equipping him with the Swift Helmet can help, but you'd be pushing it a bit for Rune to be able to help with healing as well. In this case, you may want to use Rika to aid in healing if you are finding that Rune isn't getting the Guard Rod out in time.

For downtime, Gryz can't do much on his own. This can be remedied a bit by taking Hahn's Mahlay Dagger from him and having Gryz use it as an item during battle. It does close to 160 damage per shot, which isn't much, but is better than nothing.

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Raja
---------------
Raja's build is quite a bit cheaper, but also much riskier. You would need him at Level 33-34 just to stand a chance of surviving Megid. Anything lower and you really risk Raja getting one-shot by Megid. He needs 2 Psychic Shields and a Psychic Circlet in order to up his MDef with hopes of surviving. A Phantasm Robe can help with agility issues, but it leaves Raja open to die from Megid. Keep Raja in the very back to make this work better.

Replacing "Krya - Warla" with "Raja - Blessing", "Kyra - Medice" with "Raja - NaRes" and "Kyra - Star Dew" with "Raja - GiSar" should take suffice. You can also replace Macro G with "Chaz - Rever" to "Raja - Regen" then move Chaz further down the Macro with "Chaz - Crosscut". Regen acts as a Sol Dew at a hefty TP cost. During the 2nd turn, Raja NEEDS to use the Swift Helm in order to keep up. After Cancelling in Phase 3, use your normal buff Macro, but if you take Megid to the face, have Rika use the Star Dew in place of Raja for the turn while he uses the Swift Helm, then return to your normal strategy.

During downtimes, Raja can throw out St. Fire. I recommend doing this on the first two phases to try to bring them down sooner. If you wanted to, you could take Hahn's Mahlay Dagger and use that for damage outside of St. Fire. Other than that, Raja should use Ataraxia if his TP drops below 120 and you have downtime.

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Hahn
---------------
Hahn's speed is the biggest factor here and you may be put at the mercy of the RNG even moreso. Level 33+ would be the most ideal, so you would need to grind a bit more if you are using him. His equipment is actually really good, and giving him the Plasma Field in place of his Mahlay Dagger will help with the process and should negate PFD's normal attack. The only way to get him to work in battle is by making him use the Swift Helm. Put Hahn behind Chaz but in front of Rune. He could possibly go behind Wren and in front of Rika, though I haven't tested that yet.

Replace "Kyra - Warla" with "Hahn - Vision" this is the only buff he can give the party, which should make Chaz and Rika's normal attacks hit and increase the crit chance slightly. On the 2nd phase, you will need to have Rika use Deban and Hahn use the Swift Helm. Other than that, treat this fight like you would if you had Raja. "Kyra - Medice" is replaced by "Hahn - NaRes". "Rune - Guard Rod" is replaced by "Rune - Star Dew" and "Kyra - Star Dew" is replaced by "Hahn - Guard Rod". Much like using Gryz or Raja, you will have to manually enter in a command if Wren is single-targeted.

During downtimes, Hahn isn't much different than Kyra. NaWat is quite powerful, but if you're getting low on TP, use Astral, though barring straight physical attacks, you shouldn't have to worry about using up Hahn's TP. During Cancelling, you will have to do the same thing you would do with Raja. Use your buff Macro as normal, use Rika as your main healer while Hahn uses the Swift Helm.
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Demi
---------------
Not likely coming anytime. Demi makes the battle go a lot longer and becomes very difficult to get it working right. Demi offers NOTHING to the party other than a mass revive. Her Barrier is weaker, she doesn't have much more HP than Rika, her only means of attack are her gun and Phonon, IF you picked it up. If not, you'd have to go to the Plate System to get it and even then you only would have 3-4 charges at her current level. Not only that, having her in the party pretty much makes the final battle HARD mode at this point. You end up losing a human, so it means you have to change your strategy entirely. 

NOTE: The following strategies have not been tested and probably won't work. 

Demi needs to be at least at Level 34-35 to even have a chance of out-turning PFD. Her role would be damage dealer, but not a good one. Mahlay Dagger might do more damage than her normal attacks. Rika would be forced to become the primary healer and you would need a TON more Star Dews (close to 20). "Kyra - Medice" would become "Rika - NaRes" or "Rika - Trimate" while Demi would just Attack in just about any Macro. Megid would be ugly as both Wren and Demi would need to use Recover while Rika and Rune would be forced to heal, technically cutting the damage you would do by 25-50% per turn. In such cases, you may be better off just leaving Demi dead.

There are a couple of small benefits to Demi, however. Putting her behind Wren gives you a second tank who can self-heal, meaning Rika can get her chances to attack. Demi can also be used in a mass-revive Macro, having her use Medical Power and someone following up with a Star Dew. Hopefully you don't have that situation arise, however.

Phantasy Star 4 - Any% Route

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tjcilzRXz7l3Z2YZDmhRgNUKV4fYgFKwk5B_IBIBaJw/edit

Phantasy Star 4 any% NMG route

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ul18rB3z6yEbnFxzm-r9XWmuE861mhJgZRQNPhU6nWU/edit?usp=sharing

Phantasy Star IV - 100% Route and Notes

Phantasy Star IV any% NMG Route

This route has Chaz and Rika gain EXP at the Sandworm.
Original Notes by Greffery. Additions/edits by StupidSecksyFlanders based upon his routing.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ReMTBSqVT9o_BK9QTuS7YNxn1WD1Go9SRLkvu3afkWM/edit?usp=sharing

Nome	Autore
Damage Calculations	LadyErianna 8 years ago
Notes, glitches, and other Calculations	LadyErianna 7 years ago
Optional Character strats... yeah, they exist.	LadyErianna 7 years ago
Phantasy Star 4 - Any% Route	Jiseed 9 years ago
Phantasy Star 4 any% NMG route	Eliminato 6 years ago
Phantasy Star IV - 100% Route and Notes	LadyErianna 7 years ago
Phantasy Star IV any% NMG Route	StupidSecksyFlanders 4 years ago