Final Fantasy XIII/Combat

The battle system in Final Fantasy XIII is a new one, but not that much of a departure unless the last game by Square Enix you played was Kingdom Hearts or The World Ends With You. If you're having trouble with what's what in battle, read on. If you're not, skip this.

Stagger
The stagger bar is the bar at the corner of the screen. You'll notice that when members work together and make chains, attacking the enemy non-stop, the bar will start to fill with orange. If the bar fills up orange all the way, your enemy will go into Stagger mode. Stagger can sometimes be considered a life-saver in battle, and, when versing stronger bosses, may be your only hope to getting the enemy's health bar down. This is a big opening for you and your team because now, every time you attack your enemy, your attacks do much more damage to the enemy. The enemy may also be weaker in stagger--they may freeze or their attacks might just be weaker. While in Stagger mode, the orange bar starts to go down. This is a countdown to how long the enemy will be in Stagger mode. Take note that, when an enemy is just about to perform an attack that may be life-threatening to your team, when entering Stagger mode, the enemy's attack is always stopped. Stagger is a very important factor in battle. Also take note that Ravagers increase the stagger bar the fastest and Commandos stop the bar from decaying too quickly. A combination of a Commando and one or more Ravagers is always the best way to get your stagger bar up. Not the only way, but the best way.