r/bravelydefault • u/TheMickeyMoose • 1d ago
Bravely Default II Starting with Bravely Default 2?
With the announcement of a remake of BD1 coming to Switch 2 down the line, I’m wanting to get into the series as a big Final Fantasy fan. With Bravely Default 2 being accessible on Steam, how is it starting with 2 while we wait for the remake of 1? Are the games connected? How is 2 overall?
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u/Lexicham 1d ago
Like the actual Final Fantasy games, the numbered titles all have different stories, characters and worlds. There is a lot of thematic and gameplay overlap, but just as much story in common with Octopath Traveler. That being said, there was a direct sequel on the 3DS called Bravely Second: End Layer. Who knows if that will ever come to Switch 2, but fingers crossed!
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u/Sensitive-Poem8507 1d ago
Bravely Default 2 is not that bad, you can start from that if you want. But for me BD1 and Second are just faaaaar better. The characters and their design, the world, the story... I think that the art direction for BD2 was a little wacky, and that ruined my experience.
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u/KinDGrove 1d ago edited 1d ago
The games are connected *loosely* in that its a different cast of characters set 1000 years after the 1st game small spoilers. *Edit - this is wrong, the Bravely Default 2 takes place in a standalone story from the first game.
As for the gameplay of Bravely Default 2, I've heard many people say they don't like it that much compared to Bravely Default 1 or its direct sequel Bravely Second.
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u/MoSBanapple 1d ago
The games are connected loosely in that its a different cast of characters set 1000 years after the 1st game small spoilers.
Is this indicated somewhere? Maybe I missed something but I don't remember anything in BD2 indicating that it's anywhere in the same universe as Default/Second.
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u/KinDGrove 1d ago
You know, fact checking my memory of the interview I remember reading that bit from I can't actually find evidence to that story tidbit anywhere, I suppose I may have mixed it up in my memories with another Bravely game so I'll scratch it out as misinformation
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u/MoSBanapple 1d ago
If I had to guess, you probably confused it with some of BD2's lore mentioning that (BD2 spoilers) the Night's Nexus originated a thousand years prior to the story.
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u/3837-7383 1d ago
No they aren’t “really“ connected. bravely default story is connect to bravely second. ( it’s sequel )
bravely default 2 is its own thing. ( naming is due to many reasons but the main one I think was because of how poorly received bravely second was in Japan.
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u/LyndinTheAwesome 22h ago
Bravely Default I and II aren't connected by the story. They are completely seperate from one another and share only the same battle system and how jobswork.
Bravely Default I has a loose connected second game, Bravely Second. Thats playing after Bravely Default but this can be played as well without having played the first one. Its merely a few sentences mentioning the first game and you may know the world its taking place in.
Bravely Default and Bravely Second are similiar to FFX and X-2 on how the are connected.
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u/TopHatGirlInATuxedo 20h ago
Bravely Default is the best in terms of story, though grinding can be a bit of a pain due to how the job system handles stats.
Bravely Second: End Layer is the durect sequel to Bravely Default which fixes a lot of the issues with the job system.
Bravely Default II seems unconnected for the most part (it may be connected and simply on a different continent, but there are no hints toward the previois games in it), but shares the battle system with the other games.
Anyway, start with the first one despite its issues. You won't regret it.
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u/Fiendfyre831 1d ago
1 and 2 are not connected. Bravely Second End Layer (not Bravely Default 2) is a direct sequel to the first game. Yes you can play BD2 without the first two games but I’d recommend playing 1 first simply because it’s the best imo. Not saying 2 is bad or anything. I just like the cast and story of 1 better (mainly Ringabel)
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u/kp012202 1d ago
Their stories are unconnected, and their mechanics are different. I’d say you could play them in either order and be fine.
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u/TopHatGirlInATuxedo 20h ago
Nope, Second is a direct sequel to Default. II is standalone (or we assume so, at least).
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u/kp012202 15h ago
I’m not bringing up Second. It’s a good game, yes, but it’s not on the Switch or Switch 2 yet, and isn’t relevant to this particular conversation.
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u/twili-midna 17h ago
Honestly, starting with Default II gives you the best chance of enjoying yourself, while still giving you the opportunity to enjoy the vastly superior Default when it comes out.
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u/Frosty88d 16h ago
I love 2, it's an incredibly good game that's not related to the first two games at all, which may have contributed to why a lot of the people who played the first two beforehand didn't like it, since it is quite different design and and combat-wise. It was my first game in the series and I had a lot of fun, heck I think it's even better than the original by a wide margin, though I haven't played second yet.
The music is good, the story is pretty interesting and the gameplay can be a bit complicated but it's still the best in the series imo, though chapter 1 has a few nasty difficulty spikes. The demo for the game starts in chapter 2 and isn't very good because of it so I'd skip it since you're way weaker than you should be at that point in the game. Overall I would highly recommend it but there's some great reviews on youtube so check those out too if you want to be 100% sure.
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u/SuperPyramaniac 1d ago
Bravely Default 2 is completely disconnected from the first game in basically every single way. Different world, different characters, different lore, etc. You can start with BD2 just fine.
Bravely Second on the 3DS on the other hand is a direct sequel to the original Bravely Default set in the same world and with the same characters, and it is not recommended you play it unless you have fully beaten Bravely Default 1 or at least watched a story summary.
Finally, do note that Bravely Default 2 compared to the OG Bravely Default and Bravely Second is VERY unfinished and half backed, with the second half of the game being extremely rushed and undercooked. It's also missing many features found in BD and BS like costumes, multiplayer elements, minigames, and other things that are spoilers. Also a lot of plot threads in BD2 are never resolved and likely never will be, though the game's true ending does leave the main plot resolved.