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	Please expand this article into a full one. This can be done by putting a list of monsters that is best/cheapest/easy to learn what ability/abilities, which monster role is best to infuse without screwing up/cheapest monster to level and infuse to get the hidden abilities, etc. This could get its own page. This request can be discussed on the associated discussion page.

"The weak must obey the strong. This is the inviolable law of Valhalla. Each monster that falls in battle becomes the servant of the victor. For those whose hearts brim full with chaos, the power to bend monsters to theirwill extends beyond the borders of the Unseen Realm."

—Book of Valhalla Fragment

Paradigm Pack (モンスター・レイド, Monsutā Reido^?, lit. "Monster Raid") is a gameplay term from Final Fantasy XIII-2. It allows a player to examine and maintain monsters collected through battles.

DatalogEdit

TutorialEdit

Monster CrystalsEdit

You have obtained a monster crystal!

New functions have been added to Party Paradigms and the Crystarium, and you can now access Monsters in the main menu.

Select Paradigm Pack within Party Paradigms and choose monsters to add into your paradigms. Monsters can also be developed in the Crystarium. Press / and select Monsters to customize your monstrous allies.

If you are not sure how to use these options, detailed information can be found in the Battle primers.

DatalogEdit

See also: Datalog/Primers: Battle (Final Fantasy XIII-2).

Paradigm PackEdit

You can selects up to three of the monster crystals you obtain in battle to add into your paradigms. These three monsters make up a Paradigm Pack.

To prepare your monster allies, open the main menu by pressing / and select Party Paradigms. From the Party Paradigms menu, select Paradigm Pack, and then choose the monsters you wish to add to your battle roster. You can now create paradigms that include the creatures in that Paradigm Pack.

Execute paradigm shift during battle to change the summoned monster you wish to fight with. Learn to use your Paradigm Pack and defeat even the most powerful opponents!

Monster HP and KO

During battle, if your current monster ally is wounded and you call upon another using paradigm shift, the replacement monster ally will also be wounded. The same rule applies for status ailments and KO'd monsters.

When you find yourself in a bind, make sure to heal your way back to health.

Obtaining Monster CrystalsEdit

It is possible to increase your chances of obtaining a monster crystal from battles.

Enemies defeated using a monster's Feral Link ability are more likely to become crystals. The more succesful you are in inputting the Feral Link ability commands, the higher this chance becomes.

Don't be shy about using monsters' special attacks to obtain monster allies!

Monster GrowthEdit

Like characters, monsters can be developed through the main menu. Press / to open the menu and select Crystarium. Use monster materials obtained from battles and other means to develop your monsters. Growth bonuses are directly related to the material used, so you can focus on raising a particular attribute.

Each monster has its own role and individual growth characteristics. The characteristics can be found under the status display on the right side of the Crystarium screen.

Monster Growth Traits

The most important traits for monster growth are as follows:

;;: Growth item grades.
Early Peaker:Maximum level of 20, but grows quickly.
Well-Grown: Standard growth.
Late Bloomer: Capable of reaching levels beyond 70.
Strong: Strength is easily improved.
Magical: Magic is easily improved.
Hearty: HP (Hit Points) are easily increased.

Keep your monsters' characterstics in mind when choosing which growth items to use.

Monster Growth Items

Items such as potent droplets, power droplets, mana droplets, and vitality droplets are used to develop your monster allies. There are different grades of items such as droplets, slivers, and orbs.

All monsters require grade-appropiate items for development. There are five grades, and the grade of each item, and the grade of each item will be shown in the description with this icon: . The required item grade increases along with the monster crystarium level.

Bots require different items than beasts. Use materials such as potent bolts, power bolts, mana bolts, and vitality bolts for development. Chips and engines are higher grade items.

Whenever you unlock a crystal, you gain a particular growth bonus, such as a Strength Bonus or Magic Bonus, depending on the material used. Decide which of a monster's attributes you wish to develop to make the most efficient use of the different monster materials.

ObtainingEdit

To obtain monster crystals, the player must defeat monsters in battle. If the player is successful in taming the monster, when it is defeated, its body will disappear with a glow, and a crystal appears in its place.

After the battle, the obtained creature is shown along with the items obtained during the battle. Certain creatures, such as Cie'th and bosses cannot be tamed, with the exception of Twilight Odin and DLC bosses from the Coliseum, like Gilgamesh or Omega. The chance of taming a monster depends on the individual monster, but the fragment skill "Monster Collector" adds 20% to the base probability. It is acquired by speaking to the Mystic in Serendipity after obtaining all fragments from the Vile Peaks in all time periods.

Some creatures are given a shortened name when tamed in battle; for example, when the Munchkin Maestro is tamed, it becomes Munchkin Boss. This is likely due to space constraints in the ally name field.

The player can acquire only one of each type of monster at a time; if the player wishes to obtain a new monster of the same type, one must release the previous monster, or infuse it into another monster. The sole exception to this rule are chocobos; the player can tame multiple chocobos of the same color. This may be because chocobos have another use than being used in battle; the chocobo racing minigame.

Not all monsters are obtained by defeating them in battle; some monster crystals can only be found by performing an advanced Moogle Throw in some areas. The crystal containing a Gold Chocobo is found in a treasure sphere in A Dying World, and Sazh can be recruited after completing the Heads or Tails downloadable content episode. All of these crystals are one-of-a-kind items, and therefore they cannot be obtained again if the player releases or infuses them. Twilight Odin is also one-of-a-kind, and the player cannot recruit another Gigantuar once the only three encountered in a playthrough are defeated.

Paradigm PackEdit

When making use of monsters in a party's Paradigm system, the player must place monsters in their Paradigm Pack before use. The Paradigm Pack may fit up to three monsters of the player's choice. Once the monsters are chosen, the player is taken to the Paradigm section to customize their paradigms.

Once customized, when in battle, the monster selected for that paradigm will appear in battle. If the player shifts to a paradigm with a different monster, the old monster will switch out and the new monster will take its place.

Feral LinkEdit

Main article: Feral Link

Each creature has its a Feral Link ability, comparable to a Limit Break ability, which may be used once the Feral Link bar is filled. The bar, located below the creature on the status list, gradually fills over time, but it can be helped along by building chains with the monster present.

If a creature's bar is filled, the borders of its picture on the right side of the screen will be orange. If the bar is filled, pressing the button on PlayStation 3 or the button on Xbox 360 unleashes the ability, which can be powered by successfully filling out a given input mechanism. This bar carries over between battles, and if a creature has a full Feral Link gauge, its border in the menu will glow with varying green colors.

CrystariumEdit

Main article: Crystarium System

Each creature's stats can be increased via its personal Crystarium system. Instead of requiring Crystarium Points, items must be used on monsters to raise their role levels. Organic creatures require items such as droplets, slivers or orbs, whereas mechanical creatures require items such as bolts, chips, or engines.

Each such item has a prefix to determine which bonus the item gives in addition to increasing level. Power items increase a monster's strength, mana items increase its magic, vitality items increase its HP, and potent items increase all three stats. Unlike Serah and Noel, each creature's ability crystals are preset on their Crystarium, in addition to other crystals that grant bonuses to a certain type of defense for the monster.

As a creature increases in level, it gradually requires more items of each grade to level up. Once it makes its full way around its Crystarium, it gains a choice between a role boost for its role and an additional ATB bar. If the creature is not an Early Peaker, it then works its way around the Crystarium again with its grade increased.

TraitsEdit

Each type of monster obtained has a different set of traits unique to that particular species of monster and even creatures of the same general species and role can be different from one another.

There are four growth traits, each of which fall under one of these three types:

• Grade: This refers to the level of items required to level up a monster, represented by a stylized monster face, from one to five. The lower the grade, the lower the quality of items required.
• Level Trait: This trait shows how far a monster may be raised. There are three types; Early Peaker, Well-Grown, and Late Bloomer. Each have their own advantages and disadvantages, as the Early Peaker has a maximum level of only 20, but has fast growth, leading to its use in early situations.
• Type Trait: This trait hints at the sort of upgrades or special traits a monster might find on their Crystarium. The table below displays type traits that can describe monsters' attributes in battle. Other type traits not listed below do not influence battle.

These stats are constant among a specific breed of monster, with the exception of the monster's grade, which rises along with their Crystarium.

CustomizationEdit

The monster section of the menu allows the player to do a number of things, such as adding adornments to a creature or infusing its crystal and abilities with another monster. A creature's name may be altered as the player desires.

AdornmentsEdit

Main article: List of Final Fantasy XIII-2 Adornments

Adornments, obtained in a variety of ways, allow for a player to decorate their creature however they like. The adornments are for aesthetic purposes only, and serve no role in combat.

InfusionEdit

A creature that has served its purpose may be infused with another creature, which allows the target to make use of abilities that the infusing creature possesses. Not all abilities may be infused onto another creature; only abilities which are not locked. If a creature is continually infused with the abilities of a creature with a different role, it will learn a hidden ability.

Hidden AbilitiesEdit

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ReleaseEdit

If a creature is not desired, it may be released at will. Only creatures which are not currently in a player's Paradigm Pack may be released.

GalleryEdit

Gremlin's Crystarium tree.

Choosing which abilities should be infused into other monster.

Showing learned auto-abilities through infusion.

TriviaEdit

• Human "monsters" are only available through downloadable content.

See AlsoEdit

• List of Final Fantasy XIII-2 Paradigm Pack Monsters