Commandos

Monster Suggestions - By Episode

To start off we'll give a quick episode by episode breakdown of some good commandos that you should recruit to best make it through .

• Episode 2 - Urdimmu:Although Serah and Noel are very respectable commandos, you may find yourself in need of a decent commando (ie. for Cerberus paradigm). During this episode of the game you only have two options - the Meonekton or the Urdimmu. You will definitely want to go with the latter. The Urdimmu has by far the better stats and will work well for you until you can snag a different commando.
• Episode 3.1 - Behemoth or Gandayaks: This choice hinges on whether you want a long term investment or an Early Peaker. The Behemoth is a late bloomer but he boasts fantastic stats and the HP +25% passive. Gandayaks is an Early Peaker and has the Strength +16% passive but his stats are quite low so he won't be worth keeping around for long. His major selling point is the Armor Breaker ability (non-infusable).
• Episode 3.2 - Red Chocobo: The Red Chocobo is first available in the Archylte Steppe. He is somewhat difficult to defeat with low level parties but with some determination and use of Feral Links you should be able to acquire his crystal. Like most chocobos he is a Late Bloomer (level 99) so he takes more of an investment but can potentially be your permanent choice of commando. Note: if you find yourself unable to take down a red chocobo you also have the option of using a regular yellow chocobo as your commando.
• Episode 4 - Chichu or Dragoon: As soon as you can get Improved Moogle Throw from Serendipity you have the option of acquiring Chichu, arguably one of the best commandos in the game. He is found in the Archylte Steppe by throwing Mog into the patch of red flowers near the cactuar waystone in Plains of Eternity. He comes with a slew of great passives including Strength +25% and the Armor Breaker role ability. Keep in mind that he is one-of-a-kind so be smart when you level him up and infuse him with other monsters. Alternately, if you're looking for a cheap fix you can hunt down the Dragoon enemy that dwells in Augusta Tower 200 AF (or 13th floor 300AF). He has midling stats but is an Early Peaker who only requires grade 2 mechanical materials. He also has the coveted Armor Breaker ability.
• Episode 5 / Final Episode - Metalicactuar &/or Pick One: At this point in the game you should already have a few potential permanent commandos (ie. Behemoth, Red Chocobo, Chichu). If you're following a normal development of your party then these three are the only viable options of commandos to develop. There are a few others worth acquiring but they are extremely tough opponents and best left to post-story play. Also of note for post Episode 5 - Upon completion of A Dying World 700AF you'll have freedom to explore again. At this time you might want to head back to A Dying World to pick up the Metalicactuar. He has the rare ability Mind Piercer and boasts excellent magic stats. He's a good alternative for specialization in your Commandos.
• Post-Game - Tonberry / Don Tonberry & Twilight Odin: The two tonberry monsters are excellent commandos, two of the best in the game, but are very nasty opponents to fight. Thus, it's best to leave them until post-story play. Both have nasty combinations of their Feral Link and their auto role abilities. With their Feral Link abilities they hit opponents with various status ailments and their auto abilities include the non-infusible Chaser abilities. Essentially, you get a double punch with your feral link because they are weakened once and then hit harder by your commando because of the Chaser abilities. Don Tonberry is an overall better commando, but because of his Perpetual Poison locked passive you might rather opt for the regular Tonberry. Finally, we have Twilight Odin. He has some of the best stats in the game once maxed and can reach the max of six ATB segments. However, he is RIDICULOUSLY expensive to max and his levelling is so off balanced that he doesn't start to shine stat wise until he's almost maxed. Thus, it's best to wait until post-story play to pull out Twilight Odin and start leveling him.

Monster List

This table gives you a breakdown of every monster commando in the game. Note that this table is a work in progress and abilities will be filled in as soon as we're able. In addition to rough stats (assuming you use all Potent materials) we'll also tell you what grade of materials caps a monsters growth. We've also included sections for all the passive and active abilities that each monster can acquire. Any abilities in red are locked abilities and cannot be passed on through infusion. Active roles that are PINK are the Feral Link ability.