It can be a bit daunting when you’re suddenly given 14 cadets to choose from and can only pick 3 for your mission squad. The thing to note about Final Fantasy Type-0 HD is that its combat system is going to take awhile to get used to. It also happens to be a rather challenging game.

Fear not, though. There are a few characters that are quite beginner-friendly and will help you get used to the battle system quickly enough.

Ace is a pretty decent starter character. His choice of weapon is a deck of cards that works well for both short and mid range attacks. The cards will home in on targeted enemies as well, making him a rather easy character to use for players who might not be too good at executing precise melee attacks. Depending on how you want to play Ace, his deck of cards can also be used for healing purposes or defense and attack boosts.

Queen, on the other hand, is a very solid close ranged fighter. With a decent strength stat, her attacks consist of stabs and jabs, making her a quick damage dealer. She also starts out with the Divine Judgment ability that enables her to summon a cross that spins around her, damaging any nearby enemies. As she damages enemies with Divine Judgment, allies’ HP will also be restored.

Alternatively, Machina’s also a rather effective close ranged fighter but I’ve found that his movements are just a tad slower than Queen’s.

Another starter character you can consider for your squad is Cater. This girl wields a magicite pistol and she can fire off bullets pretty quickly without having to reload. Though Cater’s strength stat isn’t very high, she more than makes up for it by being one of the most agile cadets on the roster. She evades attacks very easily and she can shoot quickly, making her one of the easier characters to use when you’re just getting started with the game.