Characters

Humans are the most balanced and straightforward characters in Final Fantasy Legend 2. They're solid fighters with good attack power and defense, making them reliable front-line characters. However, they can also be high-maintenance.

Humans don't gain experience points like in most RPGs. Instead, their stats increase based on what they do in battle. Using physical attacks can raise Strength, while actions that rely on speed can raise Agility. Their HP also increases gradually after fights, depending on how much damage they take or how long they stay active in battle.

Their biggest advantage is flexibility. Humans can equip almost any weapon, armor, or shield, giving you full control over how they fight. You can turn them into strong melee attackers, balanced all-around fighters, or defensive tanks depending on what gear you give them. They have eight slots in their inventory for equipment and items.

Weapons in a shop showing their amount of uses

The downside is that their weapons and shields wear out over time, so you'll constantly need to replace them. The game shows you how many uses you have with weapons and shields (they typically start at 40 or 50 uses). This information gives you enough time to plan ahead and be ready with a replacement when equipment reaches 0.

Even though they require more upkeep than other races, Humans are dependable and can handle most situations if you invest in them. They're a great choice if you like straightforward strategy and full control over your character’s growth.

Mutants are essential party members - you should have at least one! Or even better, two! They fill the role of classic RPG magic-users, boasting powerful magical abilities but low physical strength and defense. Their spells can target single enemies, groups, or even all foes in battle, giving them incredible versatility in combat.

Like Humans, Mutants gain stats like Strength, Agility, and Mana (Magic) through battle experience. They also have a unique trait: they randomly learn spells and abilities after fights. This can be both exciting and frustrating, since you never know what they'll learn next.

A mutant's inventory with 4 spells, a wand, and armor

Of the eight slots in a Mutant's inventory, the first four are reserved for spells and abilities. The latter four are for weapons, armor, and items. You need to be careful with how you use a Mutant's limited inventory. For most of the game, you should equip them with armor to offset their low defense. To survive long dungeons, equipping them with a Cure spell book is highly recommended.

Another key reason to include Mutants in your party is that certain bosses, such as Goddess Venus, can only be damaged effectively by magic—making Mutants vital for progressing through the game.

Important Note: As stated, the first four slots in a Mutant's inventory are reserved for spells and abilities. It's important to remember that the fourth slot is where Mutants randomly forget a spell/ability and replace it with another. If they learn a spell/ability that you want to keep, you can move it to one of the upper three slots to preserve it.

Robots are absolute powerhouses when it comes to strength and defense. These mechanical beasts can take and dish out serious damage. Unlike Humans and Mutants, Robots don't gain stats through battle or experience. Instead, you install their strength and defense by equipping items. Weapons raise their attack power, while armor raises their defense.

One of the coolest parts about Robots is that you can stack multiple copies of the same item to boost their stats even more. For example, equipping several Gloves (the cheapest piece of armor) can make a Robot nearly invincible early in the game. Their defense scales so efficiently that it's easy to make them shrug off most physical attacks entirely.

Re-equipping a Robot's armor to restore its HP

However, Robots have some serious weaknesses too. They're highly vulnerable to magic and special attacks like Dissolve, which can melt through their metal bodies. Another drawback is that healing spells don't work on them.

With smart item management, a well-equipped Robot can easily become your party's ultimate tank.

Pro Tip: There's a neat trick to restore a Robot's HP after battle. Just repeatedly equip and unequip pieces of armor. Their HP rises each time you do this, and the stronger the armor, the faster you'll reach full health.

Monsters are the wild cards of Final Fantasy Legend II. They can be tricky to manage. Their strength doesn't increase through normal experience like Humans or Mutants. Instead, Monsters evolve (or sometimes devolve) based on the type of meat they eat after battles.

Eating meat after a battle

Each time a Monster eats meat dropped by an enemy, it transforms into a completely different creature, changing its stats, abilities, and appearance. The results aren't always predictable. Sometimes they'll grow stronger, but other times they'll turn into a weaker form. The best meat comes from powerful enemies, especially bosses like Ashura, which can cause major transformations.

At first, Monsters can be surprisingly powerful, since a few good meals can boost them to strong forms early in the game. However, their usefulness tends to fade as the story progresses. Because their growth depends entirely on luck and monster meat, it's easy for them to fall behind while your Human, Mutant, and Robot teammates steadily grow stronger.

Managing Monsters takes patience and experimentation, but if you enjoy that kind of challenge, they can add a fun layer of unpredictability to your team.

Humans - You should have at least one Human (male or female).

• ✅ You're going to pick up lots of great weapons throughout the game (especially if you go through Nasty Dungeon). It would be advantageous to have a character who could fully wield them.
• ✅ A well-equipped Human is the best choice to lead your party and take on most of enemy attacks.
• ⚠️ They're expensive! You'll often need to grind to obtain enough money to buy them weapons and armor. The burden is higher if you opt to have two or even three Humans.

Mutants - You must have at least one Mutant (male or female).

• ✅ They're low maintenance. They learn enough useful attack spells that you pretty much only need to worry about buying them armor.
• ✅ In addition to their strong attack magic, they're also strong healers. Halfway into the game, enemies begin hitting you hard with attacks that inflict damage on the entire party. Having a strong healer is critical!
• ✅ The final battles are a breeze if equip a Mutant with a Wand, which heals the entire party when used.
• ⚠️ While Mutants offer the best benefits of any character, their weaker defenses require stronger characters to protect them. It's not recommended to have more than two Mutants in your party.

Robots & Monsters - The game is more fun if you have one Robot or Monster.

• ✅ It's easy to make them quickly become very strong.
• ⚠️ Their usefulness tends to fade as the story progresses. As enemies become stronger, they hit you with more attacks that Robots are weak against. As for Monsters, having their growth depend on luck makes them too risky to depend on for the latter half of the game.