First of all I’d like to mention that TrulyBigHeaded’s Ex Skill list is very comprehensive and indeed very good.
There are however many other interesting ex skill combinations which can be utilized to great effect. For the sake of completion and variety, I’ll list some as well.
(Thanks for the formatting BigHeaded
)
LloydSky Combo (4)
Ability Plus (4)
Follow-Up (4)
Sharp-Eyed (1)
Sky AttackJump ComboR. Arts (Recovery Arts)This first Ex Skill set is very similar to the one TrulyBigHeaded mentioned. However, by replacing Lloyd’s Personal ex skill (which allows you to run faster in dungeons and towns) by Sharp-Eyed, Lloyd gains two neat new abilities:
Jump Combo allows Lloyd to use normal attacks after landing (if you haven’t used them already in the same combo). For example, you could start a combo by using techs, finish with a tech which leaves you in midair (like tempest) and then attack normally.
Recovery Arts allows Lloyd to attack in midair after recovering from an attack. If you’re thrown into the air, simply press the guard button and follow up with a tech/ arte or a normal attack.
Guard Plus (3)
Follow-Up (4)
Ability Plus (4)
Spirit (3)
Counter ComboCounterTechnicalThis is probably the most popular Ex Skill set for Lloyd. When guarding and attacking a foe while it is about to attack you, you can counter its attack, dealing extra damage. The Counter Combo Compound Ex Skill allows you to follow up on this counter by using techs/artes.
The Technical Ex Skill reduces Lloyd’s TP consumption by 10%, which is quite a lot considering how quickly Lloyd tends to run out of TP.
ColetteVitality (2)
Spirit (3)
Stat Boost (4)
Eternal (3)
Life UpSpirit UpLife ThiefSpirit ThiefThis set is probably the most popular Ex Skill set for Colette. It is also overpowered as heck.
Life Thief and Spirit Thief make sure that whenever you hit an opponent multiple times ( a combo ), you recover some HP and TP. Spamming Para Ball makes her gain more TP than she spends.
It is nearly impossible to run out of TP and HP if you control Colette and at the end of each battle there’s a chance her TP and HP increase by 1% (because of Life Up and Spirit Up). While this may not seem like much, remember that 1% of 3000 HP is still 30 HP, and 1% of 300 TP is still 3 TP, which is half the cost of a Ray Thrust. But it adds up over time, and she can and will outshine the rest of your party in terms of TP and HP pretty quickly. Not that you’ll be likely to run out of TP either way with Spirit Thief equipped.
GenisTough (1)
Rhythm (3)
Speed Cast (4)
Spell Save (4)
RandomizerReducerConcentrate is a must-have for Genis and therefore TrulyBigHeaded’s Ex Skill set for Genis is much better in all but one situation: The Coliseum. This set however, can help you with that.
Speed Cast reduces the casting time for Genis’ spells, while rhythm allows you to reduce Genis’ casting time further by repeatedly pressing the Attack button (in a certain rhythm).
The Compound Ex Skill Reducer decreases the TP cost of the same spell used twice in a row by 25%, which is huge.
The real star of this build however, is Randomizer. Randomizer randomizes the casting time of Genis’ Spells, ranging from much shorter to much longer, depending on his LCK stat. Equip Genis’ Devil’s Arm to give him as low a LCK stat as possible, enter the arena, and start the spell you want to cast. If it doesn’t cast instantly, cancel the spell by guarding and try again.
That’s all.
Note:
Magical (1)
Guard Plus (2)
E. Guard (3)
Blood SpiritBlood spirit is awesome, as it allows Genis to regain his much needed TP whenever he takes damage, but sadly it can’t be used with other great ex skills.
The same goes for Nimble Mage, which allows Genis to move right away after casting a spell.
Add Combo (3)
Spell Charge (4)
Nimble MageRaineNeutralizer (2)
Spell Save (4)
Item Pro (4)
Happiness (4)
Quick SpellLucky MagicItem MasterAs with Genis, Concentrate makes the difference between Raine being near useless and Raine making the rest of your party near invincible. So again, it would probably be best to go with TrulyBigHeaded’s build for Raine. However, personally, I don’t use it. I use the one above.
Quick Spell gives Raine a chance to cast a spell without spending TP, while Lucky Magic gives her a chance to cast a spell without casting time.
Item Master increases the effectiveness of items used by Raine in battle.
I’ve been told that my way of utilizing Raine in battle is very odd, but then again, most often I use Kratos and Zelos to heal (free heals with spell charge!) and Raine for status buffs and item usage and minor healing.
Another set I’ve been experimenting with is the following:
Spirit (2)
Eternal (3)
Guard Plus (3)
Item Pro (4)
Spirit UpAuto AidTechnicalSpirit Up works the same way for Raine as it does for Colette, it gives her a chance to increase her max TP by 1% after each battle. This adds up over time a lot. Technical reduces TP consumption by 10%, which is also very nice. Auto Aid however, is brilliant. With it equipped, Raine will sometimes cast First Aid automatically when taking damage. It works really bloody well.
Raine’s Personal Ex Skill is also very nice, in that it decreases the cost of all of her rates to 1 TP whenever you’re standing on a Memory Circle. Abuse this by switching a level 2 Ex Gem to Personal whenever you want to heal up and then switch it back.
SheenaProlong (3)
Guard Plus (4)
Speed Cast (4)
Blood SpiritSheena also has Blood Spirit (Recover TP by taking damage), but while it sounds cool, it isn’t all that useful because of its lack of synergy with other ex skills. Don't use it.
Strong (1)
Vitality (2)
Spirit (3)
E. Guard (3)
Life DrainSpirit DrainThis set increases the amount of HP you recover with Life Seal and the amount of TP you recover with Spirit Seal. While it’s nothing to sneeze at, there’s a better set:
Tough (1)
Dash (2)
Add Combo (4)
Speed Cast (4)/ Prolong (3)
Jump ComboCombo ForceQuick Turn/ Hard HitAdd Combo adds another basic attack to Sheena’s repertoire of normal attacks, which honestly, she needs badly. Jump Combo allows her to continue a basic combo after landing, which is also nice. Lloyd also has this Compound Ex Skill.
With the Level 4 Speed Cast Ex Skill equipped, you get Quick Turn, which is nice if you want to turn around instantly while running across the battlefield. It’s great for dodging slow attacks, but Hard Hit might be better. With Prolong equipped, you’ll get Hard Hit, which increases the stagger duration of an opponent when Sheena attacks it while it is attacking.
The most important Compound Ex Skill though, is Combo Force. Combo Force is a very important Ex Skill. It negates mitigation of damage in a combo. In short, each successive hit in a combo will deal less damage than the previous one because of a hidden modifier which decreases your damage the more hits you deal. Combo Force makes sure they all deal full damage. For this reason alone I believe Combo Force is one of the best Ex Skills in the game.
Kratos/ZelosI have nothing to add. Aerial Spell is awesome and I swear by it.
Zelos’ Personal Ex Skill is too good to pass up on though. Equip two rabbit’s feet on him and go wild!
PreseaThere’s four roads you can walk with Presea. Two of them are only accessible if you control her yourself, while the others can be used by the AI as well.
Vitality (2)
Guard Plus (3)
P.Charge (3)
Heavy Hit (4)
P. DefenseSuppressThe P.Charge Ex Skill enables the use of P.Charge. You trigger P.Charge by holding down the Attack button for a short amount of time (you’ll get a visual hint). While in P. Charge mode, Presea will have increased attack power.
P.Defense makes sure she can’t stagger while being dealt damage in P.Charge mode.
Suppress is the real gem here though. It negates all damage below a certain threshold. This means that at higher levels, she won’t take damage, period.
Presea’s AI will never use P.Charge, ergo, it can’t use this ex skill set properly.
Taunt (1)
Dodge (2)
Rear Guard (2)
Revive (4)
Hot ShotT. CancelHealingWith this Ex Skill set, Presea can actually heal herself by either Taunting, or standing still in battle. I believe Taunting counts as standing still as well, but I’m not entirely sure. T. Cancel is there to allow Presea to cancel her Taunt by guarding.
It’s a fun, controversial set to use, but I’m not sure how strong it would be. I’ve yet to test it, but it’s on top of my list.
I have never seen the AI taunt, but maybe that’s because I’ve never had the Taunt ex skill equipped on an AI controlled character for a long time.
Vitality (2)
Endure (3)
Guard Plus (3)
Revive (4)
GloryGlory is amazing. Nothing can stagger you. Sounds great, but I often forget I’m taking damage while using glory, so it’s not the best Ex Skill for me personally. I die a lot while using it, and therefore I cannot recommend it. Go with Suppress.
Strong (1)
Vitality (2)
Guard Plus (3)
Heavy Hit (4)
VariableSuppressVariable increases Presea’s ATK stat depending on her HP. Suppress nullifies damage below a certain threshold. Don’t take damage at high levels and increased attack power? Hell yes! Recommended for AI Presea.
RegalSharp-Eyed (1)
Add combo (3)
Sky Combo (4)
Flash (4)
Jump ComboAerial JumpCombo ForceJump Combo allows Regal to continue a basic combo after landing (Like Lloyd and Sheena). Aerial Jump allows Regal to jump when he is already in the air, which is fun if nothing else, and very useful when chaining techs/artes together.
And hey! It’s Combo Force again!
Seriously, go with Combo Force. It’s fantastic.
Tough (1)
Taunt (1)
Eternal (3)
Guilt (4)
HP RecoverHealer TauntRegal can become a bit of a tank with this Ex Skill set. HP Recover allows him to gradually recover half of the last damage he received, while Healer Taunt allows him to recover both HP and TP while taunting. It’s quite a nice set, and often overlooked in favor of:
Vitality (2)
Guard Plus (3)
Guilt (4)
Flash (4)
GloryGLORY!!!
Meh. Glory again. Not all that useful in my opinion.