SaGa FAQ

If you're reading this FAQ I'll take that you're a complete newcomer and I'll try to explain the common mechanics in the series and general features in a simplistic yet exhaustive kind of way, if you do have more questions though I'd reccommend you to look at one of the in depth FAQs I've put in the pastebin.

1.0)What are the main features of SaGa?

Well,SaGa is an experimental series, throughout the titles the franchise has not only evolved but also tried to explore new kinds of mechanics and narrative styles.
While there are common features no SaGa game is similar to one another,with the exception of the early SaGa games on the GB.
SaGa predates from the classic tabletop game culture such as DnD and videogames like the Wizardry series making it a very unusual kind of JRPG, it might be considered in fact a full fledged WRPG by many players due to the heavy amount of WRPGs conventions and mechanics.
It also has some classic JRPGs elements that makes the game fresh and more easy to appreciate by both sides of the RPG player crowd.
The main features of the series are surely the presence of a large cast of playable characters,a simplistic story, non linear, complex gameplay, multiple endings, multiple main characters you can choose and a storytelling style that focuses heavily on the players' capabilities to infer the bigger picture and lore from implicit and explicit elements of the narrative.

1.1)Why would I play SaGa?

The strong points of the series are surely those who break from the classic JRPG.

>No random battles, enemies are present on the map and can be either engaged or ignored, if they see you they'll chase your ass though
>Focus on tactics and commands rather than level grind and stats, the game also highly encourages looting and managing your money in order to buy better equipment easily
>More focus on the gameplay rather than the story
>Lots of routes, endings and characters give the games good replay value
>Great mechanic depth
>Pseudo Sandbox world
>You're free to save anywhere, whenever you want
>Healing is immediate, no such things as Phoenix Downs if your character is Ko'd, just pump out any healing item or spell and you're good to go
>One of the earliest JRPGs with fast traveling, no more backtracking on the world map or waiting for airships to ease your pain
>You're often almost completely free to explore the world as you see fit from the beginning, very similar to sandbox games
>Your choices, both in the story and in your in-game behaviour shape the game and story
>No forced minigames
>No overworld map means you travel around really fast
>No cringeworthy stories and pretentious characterization
>No longass cutscenes with tedious story exposition, the longest cutscenes in SaGa last a maximum of 2/3 minutes.
>Extremely fun metagame
>Huge and varied cast of characters with lovely designs, from your knight in shining armor to classic Toku heroes,cops and robots
>The Rape Culture tier of difficulty of some games makes it an enjoyable challenge for hardcore JRPG players
>Sometimes things will get really bizarre

1.2)Why wouldn't I play SaGa?

The weak points of the series are ironically also those who break from the classic JRPG

>Story is kinda there and it's extremely cryptic most of the times,those who play games for the story would probably not like this series
>Literally no instructions or hand holding whatsoever, this might put off most players, whatever instructions you got from the booklets usually ends being counterproductive
>The game's lack of a strong main storyline makes people feel lost
>It's very easy to mess up and screw your game session,that may also require you to restart from the beginning.
>Characters are a hit or miss due to the old school characterization, they don't speak much and most of the characterization is cryptic and requires multiple playthroughs from other characters' point of view to be understood.
>Can't grind to win like other JRPGs, while it is theoretically possible the game openly discourages grinding and in some cases arbitrarily forbid it until endgame
>The game requires a serious amount of time and dedication to master,the mechanics are usually extremely deep and hard to properly master, not a choice for casual players who prefer more "immediate fun"ordon't have enough time
>Pseudo Sandbox world makes people feel lost
>The game is ruthless, enemies get stronger as you do and can and will use everything in their power to stop you, including "cheap" things like seven turns in a row, stopping time and repeatedly using nukes on your party.
>Some battle features usually put people off, like the fact that there is almost no mass healing spell or items and when there is one it's extremely costly or the fact that there can be pseudo Permadeath
>Almost no minigames for those who like ye olde Gold Saucer
>No overworld map, some people really like this
>Game is often too focused on metagaming
>There will be gratuitous rape situations when you least expect it, even going as far as making you doubt of your own potions or really useful rings
>Except a few gags the game doesn't have much humour or wacky stuff, it's rather serious
>Free exploration comes at the price of much too frequent surprise rape, see FFII/Wizardry for that
>Games are often noticeably unfinished and have a few bugs, though nothing gamebreaking
>IF I SEE THOSE FUCKING REELS ONE MORE TIME...aka Unlimited: Saga, one of the most despised JRPGs of all time, no really, check out the reviews.
>Sometimes things will get really bizarre

1.3)What are the games suited for beginners to the series

Most of the community agrees on the first SaGa Frontier for the PSone or the original trilogy on the GB, followed closely by Romancing SaGa 3 on the SNES.
They introduce you to the main mechanics of the series without being to brutal and have generally a decent level of complexity all around.
After those you might consider moving onto other titles such as SaGa Frontier 2 or Minstrel Song, the hardest games are probably Romancing SaGa 2 and Unlimited: Saga.

Consider these things and make your choice.



2.0)Things to know about the games' system

As I mentioned before, the game is very cruel and will give you no instructions on what to do and what does what and why.
I will therefore give you some tips on the general gameplan in SaGa

2.1)The Story
The story, with the exception of Romancing SaGa 2, SaGa Frontier 2and Unlimited: Saga is definitely not one of the strong points of the series.
Usually,you're given the choice of selecting a main character and start his/her quest, this will give you a Main Quest related to the protagonist, a Main Story quest and a pool of subquests.
To progress in the game you either have to follow the main story quest, a main character quest or both depending on which game in the series you're playing, for further information please check the FAQ for the title you're interested in.

2.2)The Characters
Usually, you have a definite pool of characters you can choose, certain protagonists might not be able to recruit certain characters or you might need a certain quest or even a certain quest ending or in the worst cases a certain level of proficiency in something to be able to recruit someone.
The good thing is that all characters are different, so you rarely end up with a team of 4 clones like most Final Fantasy games.
Since the games are so different from one another it's useless for me to write every single case here, so again, check the FAQs for this

2.3)The World
The world usually changes depending on the choices you make, you might get access to some areas or even permanently lose them for the rest of your playthrough, same things with characters and items.
Usually, SaGa doesn't allow a so called 100% playthrough due to its non linear nature, this obviously adds value to replay sessions.
One nice thing about SaGa is that you can usually see the world taking shape instead of reading walls of text and loredump like games such as the Kiseki series or ES.
You might even get to build your own cities or manipulate the stock market, there's lots to do in the worlds of SaGa.

2.4)The Monsters
Monsters are various in nature and behaviour, they are different from other series in the sense that they too get stronger, as you get better in the game they become stronger and get access to some really nasty abilities,in some titles such as Romancing SaGa2 even Bosses do this so beware.
One other thing most other games don't have is the Ecosystem feature,in some games such as Romancing SaGa or Unlimited: Saga, the monsters are part of an ecosytem, meaning that monsters change depending on what you kill, killing many Aquatic type monsters for instance means Birds(predator) will grow weaker and be less frequent whereas Insectsor Plants(prey) will thrive.
Monsters also fall into various types, sometimes they also have multiple types, but this will be explained later in the mechanics section of this FAQ

2.5)The leveling system
What leveling system? Jokes aside, SaGa doesn't have character levels, instead it lets your characters have proficiency levels.
Proficiencies are usually divided into Character Stats like Strenght,Intelligence etc., Weapon and Magic types proficiencies.
The characters therefore grow according to the actions they take in battle, a character that uses mostly swords will be good with Swords, have better STR and a higher HP pool than a character that uses mostly Magic for instance.
In some games characters'stats are locked and you might even not be able to see them,in other games they'll grow just like Weapon/Magic proficiencies.
Another thing you might want to keep in mind is that characters usually have one or more innate talent, be it a particular type of Magic or Weapon proficiency or a stat growth,in some cases they might even have innate resistances or commands!
Whatever the case, keep in mind that little to nothing happens by chance in SaGa, character growth is by far your own doing and your own fault.

2.6)The Battle Rank
The Battle Rank is a thing that often scares new players away, basically, the stronger you get the nastier the enemies you'll encounter.
The Battle Rank usually goes from 0 to 8, each rank encompasses a variety of enemiesyou'll encounter, you can't fool the BR,the only thing you can do is exploit it.
Usually, the BR is affected by your characters'HP, in some cases it's also simply based on how many encounters you won,in Unlimited: Saga it's bound to the Ecosystem...there's a lot to talk about here, so you'll want to look at a more specific FAQforthegame you're interested in.
Another thing that is quite common is that certain parts of the world have a set battle rank range,so you might want to be careful about this, rape is always around the corner in SaGa.

2.7)What is Glimmering/Sparking?
Sparking, officially translated as Glimmering, is a key mechanic in SaGa, it generally refers to the act of learning an ability, usually a Waza, by triggering it in battle with the use of various actions.
Sparking comes in many kinds, the most common kind of sparking in the series is learning an offensive Waza through either selecting the Attack command or through the use of a base Waza, you can also spark Evasion Commands though, these will spark randomly in response to a certain attack,once you spark that command a character will dodge that attack with 100% accuracy unless he/she is suffering from certain statuses like paralysys.
Through the series Sparking is perhaps the only feature that has always appeared and it also has rarely changed much.
Usually, each character has a particular Sparking Table with its unique chances at sparking each possible technique, some characters will be therefore better than others at sparking certain Waza, usually it's very easy to identify which character can spark a certain type of Waza, though it's also true that characters also have more subtle talents, Ellen in Romancing SaGa 3 was mainly considered a good Axe Waza sparker, but not many knew that she was also extremely good with Martial Arts Waza.
In Romancing SaGa 2, sparking was still a bit "primitive", all characters had really rigid spark tables and were only able to learn certain Waza,to make matters worse, this table also combines with a subtable that associates a certain Waza spark bonus to a certain enemy, making Sparking much less frequent compared to other games in the series.
From Romancing SaGa 3, sparking bonus tables are associated with general BR, the higher the BR the higer the possibility of sparking Waza.
In SaGa Frontier, there is also a pseudo Sparking associated with Gun Waza and certain Spells, after the battle ends the game calculates through a reel the chances you have at learning a Gun Waza or higher Spell but you can only learn something after the battle, opposed to Sparking which only happens in-battle.
A curious addition to orthodox Sparking was added in SaGa Frontier 2, where almost every Waza is composed by a series of base attack types that can be used in Duel battles, meaning that if you knew the combination of attacks you had even higher chances of sparking a Waza(Very curiously,the game manual had a complete list of those combinations...).
In Unlimited: Saga, the usual Attack has been deconstructed in attack types, very similarly to SaGa Frontier 2 Duel mode, meaning each attack type can spark its own set of Waza.
Remember that in most games you can only spark Waza if you have at least a free slot in your Waza Equip menu, if no free slots are available you will NOT spark Waza.

2.8)The Game Flow
SaGa is a game where you have to go with or make the flow, it's a game where the weirdest stuff can happen, like jogging in a forest and getting run over by a Tank or have a character suddenly reach fighting Nirvana and save your ass from a certain defeat.
Whatever the case, the most important thing is to see the bigger picture, everything you do has consequences, things will only get harder the better you get.
The best course of action is usually avoiding battles as much as possible and concentrate on doing quests and getting loot, this is however very hard until you get a guide and it kinda sucks out the fun when you follow one.
I'd say that the game has a steep learning and difficulty curve, in the beginning you might have either an easy or a hard time, things get progressively uglier so you have to keep up, you'll sometimes reach a perfect balance between yourself and the enemy, sometimes it will be a one sided slaughter from either your or the enemy's side, it's all in the flow.
However, it is possible to become "almost" unstoppable, when you do you've reached the "threshold" of SaGa, which usually means you have a good, stable 90% chance of easy victory whatever you'll fight.
It is also possible to kind of go beyond the "threshold" in some games, those are usually the easiest games but don't feel bad about it if you do, on the contrary you should try to break the game in whatever way you can.



3.0)The Battle System
The battle system in SaGa is one of the most complicated in the Turn Based RPG genre, it can vary from deep and engaging to King Crimson tier of "Idon'tknowwhatthefuckisgoingon."
As it changes quite a bit depending on the title I'll only list the basic main and common features of the games, for further references check the other FAQs.

3.1)Stats and proficiencies
>HP
HP are your health points, once they're depleted the character will be KO'd and won't be able to accept commands.
HP are the stat with the easiest growth rate, almost anything you do will give you a chance of HP growth.
HP are also a factor in damage formulas.
HP are also a factor in calculating your Battle Rank
In Unlimited: Saga however, HPs are quite weird, even if you reach 0 HP a character won't faint, instead it will be more susceptible to LP break! They're also used as "fuel" for all your battle commands,be it magic or melee, so be advised!

>WP
Known in the west as Weapon points, they're the Waza Points, they're used each time you use a Waza/Battle Art.
WP grow mainly with the use of weapons
WP are also a factor in weapon damage formulas
Once they're depleted you won't be able to use Waza
In SaGa Frontier 2 and Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song, you can still use Waza even at 0 WP,but they'll deplete your LP instead!
Some weapons use also LPs for attacks

>JP
The Jutsu points, ye olde MPs.
JP grow with the use of magic, they grow slower than WP though.
JP are also a factor in Magic damage formulas
Once they're depleted you won't be able to use Magic
In SaGa Frontier 2 and Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song, you can still use spells even at 0 JP,but they'll deplete your LP instead!

>LP
The so called Life Points, they symbolize a character's life, once they run out your character will either permanently die(Romancing SaGa 2) or be unable to fight until you stay at an inn.
LP NEVER grow, certain quests can however grant a little permanent bonus to the LP pool or even permanently remove some
LP usually drop by one each time a character is KO'd
A character can be KO'd by certain attacks but not lose LP
A character receives LP damage each time it's hit by an offensive attack when in the KO status, yes, not even the dead can know peace from this evil
LP can be directly attacked by certain attacks like Life Steal or Soul Steal
LP can be indirectly attacked via LP Break in some games
LP Break can and will remove more than one LP
LP Break can stack with KO LP damage
LP are usually replenished by staying at an inn or via certain rare consumable items
LP can be consumed by using a magic or waza with an empty/insufficient JP/WP pool in SaGa Frontier 2 and Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song
Certain Weapons consume LP for attacks
The Cursed Ring in Romancing SaGa 2 has a lot of good effects but depletes all your party LPs by one each time you stay at an inn, once it's equipped you can't remove it until the character who has it dies
If your main character's LP drop to 0, it's game over, except in the main storyline of Romancing SaGa 2
Enemies have LP too since Romancing SaGa 2, however due to certain glitches or late design changes you can't attack LP in some games even though they're still present in the games'data in some cases.
In Unlimited: Saga enemies can only be defeated by depleting their LP as HP are infinite, NO EXCEPTION, mind that this is also true for you
In Unlimited: Saga being hit by traps or hazards on the map screen can and will damage LP

>DP
These are Durability Points, they represent a weapon's durability, they became a staple since SaGa Frontier 2
DP can be increased or decreased by a blacksmith with the use of certain materials
DP are consumed each time you attack successfully, it the attack misses DP aren't consumed, if it's blocked they are consumed
DP depletion can be altered in Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song by increasing weapon Proficiencies or through a Blacksmith with certain materials
When DP drop to 0 the weapon breaks
In SaGa Frontier 2 when the weapon breaks it can still be used in battle but the efficiency drops greatly,it will be converted into chips once the battle ends and will no longer be in your inventory
In SaGa Frontier 2 each time you repair a weapon it's maximum DP pool decreases
In Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song and in Unlimited: Saga you can and will consume more than one DP for attack, opposed to SaGa Frontier 2
In Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song when the weapon breaks it can't be used in battle until the DP are replenished by a Blacksmith, it will not disappear from your inventory however
In Unlimited: Saga every piece of equipment has DP, yes, even helmets and rings
In Unlimited: Saga when a piece of equipment breaks it can't be used in battle until the DP are replenished by a Blacksmith, you also won't be able to access the commands and abilities/bonuses bound into it
In Unlimited: Saga it's possible to partially repair a piece of equipment by yourself anywhere if a certain Panel or Magic is learned and as long as the item isn't at 0 DP
Enemies have equipment too even if you can't see it
Enemies' equipment doesn't have DP, whatashame.jpeg

>STR
Strength, duh, do I really have to tell you what it stands for?
Strength usually grows by simply attacking or attacking with certain weapons and Waza such as swords or axes
Strength is a factor in most Waza damage formulas

>VIT
Vitality, again, nothing new here, your standard defense stat
Vit usually grows by attacking, taking hits or by using certain weapons such as axes
Vit is a factor in defense formulas

>INT
Not /int/ that's for sure, your spells need this baby
Intelligence usually grows by using spells or certain weapons such as rods/maces
Intelligence is a factor in Spell damage formulas and in some rare cases Waza too

>MND
Mind, your spell defense stat
Mind usually grows by using spells or certain weapons such as rods/maces and taking damage from spells
Mind is a factor in Magic defense formulas

>DEX
Dexterity, symbolizes a character's skill in handling weapons, affects hit rate
Dexterity usually grows by attacking or using waza with weapons such as Guns or Rapiers
Dexterity is also a factor in certain damage and Waza damage formulas, mostly with guns, rapiers and certain Martial Arts

>CHA
Charm, indicates a character's capability of causing and resisting Mental status effects such as Confusion or Charmed
Charm doesn't grow in the games in which appears as a stat
Charm only affects hit rate and evasion rate of all Mental Ailments



WORKINPROGRESS






>Weapon Proficiency
Each type increases with the use of the weapons that fall into that category
Higher proficiency means higher damage and higher percentage of success in embedded Waza abilities such as debuffs
Higher proficiency also helps in sparking better Waza in some games
In some cases each point in a weapon proficiency adds WP to the WP pool

>Magic Proficiency
Each Magic School proficiency increases with the use of the spells under that category
Higher proficiency means higher damage and higher percentage of success in embedded abilities such as debuffs and debuffs/Status ailments
Higher proficiency also unlocks better spells in some games
In some cases each point in a magic proficiency adds JP to the JP pool



3.2)Weapon types

While weapon types vary from game to game this list will give you a general idea of all the weapons you can get and how they work

>Swords
Your average weapon, deals cutting damage and is therefore good against most things, it has great Waza lists and it's a staple in all games, sometimes Great Swords, Scimitars and Katanas fall under the same proficiency type.
>Great Swords/Bastard Swords
Higher damage than Swords but usually heavier and have kind of harder to use Waza, Damage type may vary from Cutting to Cutting+Crush, may fall into the same proficiency as Swords
>Short Swords
Wannabe Rapiers that also share Waza with Swords, with rare exceptions they're not as good as neither Rapiers nor Swords but due to the fact that they have a Piercing damage modifiers they're good to have around, very light too and have some decent exclusive Waza
>Scimitars
Subcategory of Swords with a few exclusive and sometimes really good starting Waza
>Katana
Weird Great Sword/Sword hybrid with some really great exclusive Waza but usually inferior damage potential to most Swords/Great Swords

>Axes
Hands down the weapon type with biggest damage potential and really good but hard to spark Waza, dominant Blunt+Cutting damage modifier, sometimes includes Hand Axe, Poleax and even Hammers in its proficiency
>Hand Axe
Lighter version of the Axe with inferior damage potential but still a great list of Waza, nice to have around
>Poleax
For those who want the ooomph of Great Swords, very heavy though and sadly it doesn't really have the best ofboth worlds imho
>Hammers
The best Blunt weapon, spooky skeletons and stone enemies will tremble in fear, extremely high damage single target Waza and the notorious Grand Slam make this weapon really worth it

>Spears
Your best Piercing type melee weapon, extremely good Waza and able to hit from the back rows of your formations without penalty, a must have when dealing with Aquatics or Reptiles
>Polearms
A weird Piercing+Blunt weapon, not as good as Spears but has a few exclusive Waza that might come in handy
>Rapiers
Yes, they fall under the Spear proficency, rapiers have probably the best specific Waza you can find together with bows and the fact that they use DEX instead of STR as main damage modifier means that you can slap one on a Mage too

>Rods/Staffs
Blunt type modifiers makes it a good weapon against undead, though the Waza are mostly the same as hammers you'll usually want a rod for the built in abilities on the weapon rather than the Waza, though they're very reliable in SaGa Frontier 2
>Hammers
Sometimes they fall under the Rod category

>Bows
the most common Ranged weapon, Piercing type, with awesome Target All and Single Target Waza, more useful for utilities and support damage rather than raw damage output

>Guns
Handguns and rifles fall under the main gun category, these are basically bows for Mages as they work mainly on INT/DEX as damage modifier and also help INT growth, not a great list of Waza but the few you get are top tier Combo material, do note that they use Ammo
>Cannons
Cannons/Vulcans are a special snowflake in the sense that they don't usually have Waza by themselves, they either share Guns' Waza or have their own built in Waza depending on the weapon.

>Martial Arts AKA Bare Hands/Kung Fu
Blunt type weapon(?) For the hot blooded Toku Hero, the bad cop or the serious monk, martial arts are king in eradicating undeads, spooky skeletons and demons alike, XBOX HUEG list of Waza including Wrestling moves and real nice utilites, you'll rarely get bored with Martial arts, not to mention you don't have to worry about ammo or DP...

>Chainsaw
You kill God with this,'nuff said.



3.3)Enemy types

Enemies comes in different flavours, each family has its own characteristics you might want to keep in mind.
Enemies appear in the map with Symbols or Avatars much like the player's character or NPCs, if they spot you they'll chase you down.
Certain enemies, like Birds or Reptiles move very fast while others such as slimes or ghosts are very erratic, keep that in mind and don't get yourself cornered.
Enemies's symbols will decide the main monster type you'll fight, they will however be accompanied by other types depending on the habitat or Ecosystem you fight in, it won't be unusual to encounter a Skeleton Type and get into a fight with Skeletons and Ghosts/Undeads or humanoids.
Some enemies have characteristics of multiple families, Lizardmen or Werewolves have usually both Humanoid and reptile/beast traits

>Beasts
Usually symbolized by a wolf/boar, beasts are usually all about pure physical damage, sometimes they can cause a few status ailments. decent stats all around, no particular weakness except those based on the habitat, extremely common monster type
>Insects
Symbolized by various insects, these little fuckers are pretty fast and will deal annoying debuffs or ailments, low HP and usually weak to a few elements though some of the higher BR Insects like the Kaiser Ant are quite formidable on all fronts so be cautious.
>Birds
Flying bastards symbolized by a bird, they're essentially faster and more elusive Beasts, high BR birds can be quite strong depending on the game so be careful, bows usually make short work of them
>Reptiles
Symbolized by lizards, this family also encompasses Lizardman, frogs and Dinosaurs/Turtles, they're tankier beasts, most of the times they're extremely dangerous melee wise and have quite a few immunities, Piercing weapons work well against most of them
>Snakes
Symbolized by a Snake, they usually include Worm type monsters as well, Snake/Worms are particularly nasty since they're decently fast and have generally good movesets, higher BR Snakes can mean fights against Hydras or Desert Worms which can be quite strong, so be careful about this monster at all BR
>Acquatics
Symbolized by a fish, they have quite a lot of HP most of the times and are fond of water/lightning based attacks, they also love to blind or stagger you and have access to fearsome hit all attacks, Piercing weapons are often very good against them
>Plants
Symbolized by a moving plant/flower, the most annoying, obnoxious faggots you can ever come across, kings of status ailments, they absolutely love to fuck you in the ass with titillating OP tentacle attacks and spam all kind of status ailments alldayeveryday effectively shutting you down like a little bitch, fearsome when they support Lizards or Beasts, take them out ASAP, luckily they have low HP and are very weak to Cutting damage
>Undeads
Symbolized by a Zombie, undeads come in all flavours, dragons, humans, whatever you can think. Undeads are more of a nuisance than a real menace except some cases like the Lich or Mad Chariots, but their glaring weakness to martial arts and most magic makes them a relatively little problem
>Skeletons
Symbolized by a Skeleton, who would've thunk it? While they're undeads, Skellies have their own class due to their inherent spookiness, varied in type but all quite weak to a punch in the face or a good beating with a hammer, Light magic works wonders too, keep in mind that high BR Skellies are often surprisingly dangerous
>Ghosts
Symbolized by a ghost, they're wannabe skellies with quite a few immunities and are mainly magic oriented, depending on the game they can be quite a troublesome foe however, like all undead, martial arts and Light magic is the way to go
>Humanoids
One of the most varied and numerous types and no definite symbol, Ogres, giants, goblins, elves, humans,Werebeasts and sometimes Lizardmen fall into this family, humanoids are frankly the most jack of all trades monster you can fight, no real strength but no weakness either, some of those can be quite a handful though, especially sneaky ninjas and wizards,not to mention that some Ninjas are literally Ninja Wizards
>Demons
usually symbolized by a winged demon, these guys are quite a foe, they're good at everything and have little to no weaknesses, high BR demons can fuck you in the ass no problem, no definite strategy against those, but luckily they're usually rare compared to other monsters
>Fairies
Symbolized by a fairy, this class is kind of an Angel class, in fact most of the high BR Fairy monsters are angels, they're the holy counterpart of demons so again, exercise caution, they usually have Elementals in their ranks as well so keep your magic ready for those.
>Dragons
Usually have their own XBOX HUEG avatar, Dragons are exactly what you don't want to fight, high stats all around, powerful attacks, you're lucky they don't have much variety in their moveset, give them hell with everything you've got.
>Unknowns
Their symbol is that of an Eyeball monster, they're...well, not that much of a threat, they go down without problems most of the times
>Slimes
Symbolized by a slime, they're almost always immune to blunt attacks, sorry Karl ;_;, love to use debuffs and a few status ailments but are not a real threat even at high BR
>Robots
These comes in a lot of different avatars, Robots are kinda tankish and kinda strong, gunfire ain't gonna work that much on them, you might want to punch them instead or nuke them with Thunder magic

3.4)Playable Character Types

3.5)Waza and Magic for the Educated Gentleman

The last section of this FAQ will be dedicated to how Waza or Battle Arts and Magic work, this is meant as a mere introduction as things, especially regarding Magic can get quite complicated depending on the game.
I do reccommend checking an in depth FAQ at all times if you wish to broaden your knowledge on these subjects.

3.5.1)Waza
Waza are your best friend and the easiest way to deal damage, Waza can only be learned through Sparking, in most games after you spark a Waza, you'll be able to master it and it will be available for other characters to use, other games don't havethis mechanic so you'll have to Spark a bit more for each character.
Waza have different types and different properties.
First of all, each weapon type has its own unique Waza(though Minstrel Song has also shared Waza for subcategories of weapons), You won't be able to use LifeSprinkler with a gun even if you have it equipped for instance.
Secondly, Waza are divided into Attack Waza, Counter Waza and Support Waza.
Lastly, Waza can create a Combo, an uninterrupted, very strong chain of Waza or even Waza and Magic spells

Attack Waza are Waza meant for direct offense, once selected they'll be activated ASAP depending on a number of factors
Certain Attack Waza help a lot in Sparking High Tier Waza
Certain top tier Waza can only be sparked by using other Waza
The DSC (Dream Super Combo) Waza in SaGa Frontier is an anomaly in the fact that it can't be sparked but will appear if you equip the right Waza that compose it, it's also ungodly strong and awesome to watch, it's also the only Attack Waza that doesn't combo with anything
Most high tier Attack Waza also have innate Debuffs or Status Ailment chances which makes them a cornerstone of combat.
There are cases though when Attack Waza also have turn priorities, the Spear Waza Aiming for instance only activates as the last action in a turn, meaning it can screw up your combo an battle plans, so be careful.
In Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song, Attack Waza have a chance at triggering stronger alterations of the base waza, these are called Surge or Reverse, it's also possible to trigger a combination of these two and perform a Surge Reverse Waza which is obviously very strong and quite rare.
Attack Waza also have a particular type each, it might be a Charge Waza, a Slash Waza or a Downward Waza, combining them in the right sequences creates a Combo, which leads to astronomical damage and can even let you stack the innate debuffs or Status Ailments of the Waza used in the combo!
Attack Waza are and should be used in combos, Waza can also be used in a combo with Offensive Spells.
There are a handful of very specific Waza that have really nifty bonuses against specific enemies, the Rapier's Screwdriver inflicts more damage on female enemies and Sidewinder OHK frog type enemies for instance.
Martial Arts Waza gain power the less WP you have
Enemies also have access to Waza
Enemies can and will try to make their own combo

Counter Waza are specific Waza that might trigger in response to a certain attack, The Spear's Windmill Waza or the Martial Arts Counter are the most common Counter Waza you can find.
Counter Waza do not usually have 100% chances of activation though, more like 80%/90%.
Counter Waza do not combo with anything
Counter Waza are also innate Waza in certain games such as SaGa Frontier 2 or Minstrel Song, you don't have to learn them and they are specific to certain weapon types.
Counter Waza are sometimes the easiest way to win certain fights, do not underestimate them
Most Enemies have Counter Waza too, and they usually hit VERY hard

Support Waza
These are really only a few Waza that are neither Counter nor Attack Waza,the most common one is the martial arts' Chi/Concentration which lets your character cure his/her HP for free, they can be a lifesaver though
Support Waza do not combo with anything
Some Enemies also have Support Waza

3.5.2)Magic/Jutsu

Magic is...very complicated, it works very differently from most JRPGs in the sense that it's mostly focused on shenanigans and almost pure metaplay most times, almost Card Game-like in some cases.
While there is of course offensive Magic, most of the times its damage potential is either only good in the short run or in the long run and it's very rare to find a spell that can outdamage a Waza, though they're generally better suited for Multiple Target Damage.
Many players usually forego the offensive aspect of Magic to focus on the rest, which can really only be defined as CrazyShit&Shenanigans as a whole, from ZA WARUDO and great Firewalls of China to becoming a cute snowman and creating Shadow clones, SaGa's Magic can be a whole lot of fun compared to the usual Attack and Buff/Debuff spells.
Good Mages also tend to be better suited than warriors for Solo Runs due to the huge variety of tools they have access to, and even Warriors Solo Runs can't be done without magic.
TL;DR, Magic is best used as utility rather than pure damage and its invaluable.
As Magic is an extremely complex and vast subject I will only list very general characteristics here, do check in-depth FAQs for Magic if you want to understandit a bit more.

Magic is generally learned by either buying a spell or learning new magic after a battle ends,in Unlimited: Saga you can only learn Magic from Magic Tablets, a random enemy drop
Magic is divided into schools, with certain rare exceptions, you can't use magic from opposing schools on the same character(No Light and Dark magic at the same time)
Magic schools have proficiency levels, the higher the level the better the magic
Certain Spells have evolved variants once you reach a certain proficiency level or stat, they can either gain multitarget properties, be cheaper or have innate Status Ailments
Spells also works like Waza in a sense, they are divided into Offensive, Defensive and Support Spells
Offensive Spells can combo with other spells or Waza
Spells can also combo as long as they're not Defense or Support spells, meaning that even Debuffs who don't cause any real damage can be used in a combo
Defensive Spells have a lot of nifty sub-effects like giving you total immunity to Fire Spells or attacks in the case of Fire Wall
Elemental Magic is often very strong in the beginning of the game but becomes obsolete later
Healing Spells are a must, do not forget to put these on a few characters in your party as items are a waste of time, money and equipment slots
There are certain support spells that are rather powerful and can really turn the tide of battle when used wisely, FireWall, Shadow Servant and Overdrive are the most famous ones
Support Spells like Shadow Servant, Simulacrum or Overdrive can be real gamebreakers in the right hands
Enemies have all those nifty spells too though...
In Romancing SaGa 2, Romancing Saga: Minstrel Song and Unlimited: Saga you can synthesize higher spells from a combination of base spells
Buffs are not really that good in most cases, but can still help you out
Debuffs are weirdly more Waza territory than Magic
A mage with a good Spellset can be either an invaluable ally or a terrible foe, never underestimate mages
JP usually grow more slowly than WP, making Mages a bit harder to build.
If you really want to use Offensive Spells concentrate on Multi Target Spells as single target spells are outdamaged by Waza 90% of the times
There are REALLY strong single target offensive Spells but they're also rather rare and costly, Tower comes to mind.
In Unlimited: Saga, certain spells have unusual uses, like repairing a weapon.
Offensive Spells gain power the less JP you have