13 Days Of FF13: Sazh

Sazh is the “old man” of the FFXIII series. He often comments on, “…being too old for this.” Whenever Sazh takes a wrong step or says the wrong thing, the baby chocobo is there to put him in his place.

FFXIII:

Roles:

Sazh has only one role he really excels at, Synergist. Haste makes his Synergist the most worthwhile at lower levels. He is also able to enhance his Eidolon’s attacks which is a definite bonus.

Sazh’s Commando and Ravager are his other primaries. Although he doesn’t really excel at these, he needs them for when the team splits up temporarily.

Eidolon:

Brynhildr, a completely new summon to the Final Fantasy series, is Sazh’s Eidolon. Brynhildr fills a role similar to that of the Ravager. Sazh can effect which element Brynhildr uses through his en-spells. Damage wise, Brynhildr isn’t the best Eidolon, but he does chain really fast.

Sazh’s Story:

Due to Fang and Vanille’s actions in the Euride Gorge energy plant, Dajh was turned into a Cocoon L’Cie. Sazh, knowing the fate of L’Cie, was frantically searching for a clue to Dajh’s focus. When Dajh randomly wanted to go to Bodhum, Sazh thought it might hold an answer.

With the Sanctum’s permission Sazh and Dajh went to Bodhum accompanied by Nabaat a high-ranking Sanctum military official. After arriving, the area of Bodhum was locked down due to the discovery of the Pulse Vestige.

It is unclear to me how Sazh ended up in the Purge lines when he was with Dajh and Nabaat.

While in line to join the Purge, Sazh meets Lightning and decides to stick close to her. Following Lightning Sazh ends up participating in the battle against Anima with her and the others. Thus Sazh becomes a Pulse L’Cie.

After the team splits, Vanille and Sazh head to Nautilus. In Nautilus, Vanille tries to tell Sazh she is responsible for Dajh becoming a Pulse L’Crie. She’s interrupted by a Sanctum attack, Sazh and Vanille run until they are backed into a corner. Dajh appears and “finds” Sazh and Dajh turns in to crystal. Afterwards, Nabaat reveals that Vanille and Fang were responsible for Dajh’s fate.

Playing as Sazh:

Sazh is one of the two best Synergists in the game. Make sure you take advantage of his early acquisition of Haste as he gets it before anyone else. I’d recommend alternating between Synergist and Ravager when leveling Sazh up. Make Commando the last option of the three.

An important thing to note about Sazh, in the later game Sazh is a great character to Stagger with. Using his ultimate skill and Stagger Maintenance weapons make him one of the best for staggering enemies.

Sazh starts out really weak but has the second highest HP pool in the game. He also benefits the most from gear he’s wearing, more specifically his guns. Sazh is really dependable in the late-game so make sure you keep his Crystarium up to date.

FFXIII-2:

Role in The Story:

Sazh has a very short role in the main story. All he does is take you to the last battle in Academia 500 AF. In Yaschas Massif, Hope comments on Sazh disappearing and nobody knowing where he went. It never explains within the story line where he went or how he ends up in Academia 500 AF.

Heads Or Tails DLC:

Sazh is unlockable for the Paradigm pack by playing the Heads or Tails DLC. This DLC has you play as Sazh in Serendipity to gamble. What you’re gambling for is to get Dajh who vanished after they went through the Paradox.

Lightning Returns:

A teaser of Sazh shows him interacting with Lightning and the baby chocobo in the Lightning Returns trailers. To prevent spoilers that is all I’ll say about Sazh in Lightning Returns.

For more FFXIII content check out my 13 Days of FF13 overview. Tomorrow I’ll cover Vanille’s role in the FFXIII series.