Forum: gaming.stackexchange.com
Tags: <final-fantasy-13-2>
Title: What are the best end-game monsters of each role?
Question: As the question states, what are the best end-game monsters to use for each role (e.g.  COM ,  RAV ,  SEN , etc.), and where can they be obtained? This should be excluding any pre-order specials or content otherwise inaccessible to the general public...  If there isn't a clear-cut "winner" for a single role, please post the options and what you gain / lose with each one.

Answers:
sents: text: I can tell you now there isn't a clear-cut winner for each role.
text: But there are definitely monsters that excel more than others in their roles.
text: Here's a list with some great monsters and why (this is partially taken from the official guide and partially my own experience): Commandos: Chichu: Has very high strength stats and the valuable armor breaker and various "feeder" abilities.
text: Dragoon:
text: According to the guide the most cost effective monster (easy to max out and has some great abilities like Feral Speed 2, ATB charge 2, and Armor Breaker).
text: Red/Golden Chocobo: Both have excellent potential but it would be wise to infuse them with pack mentality.
text: Tonberry / Don Tonberry
text: : They are amazing all-around
text: Commandos but Tonberry is probably a bit better seeing as Don Tonberry continually has poison on him.
text: Twilight Odin: Probably the most lopsided in stat growth and incredibly expensive to max out.
text: However, once you do max him out his stats are almost peerless and he is one of the few monsters capable of a full ATB gauge of six elements.
text: Ravagers: Buccaboo: Great early peaker that is recruitable early game and the cheapest source of Gilfinder 2.
text: Apotamkin: It's an early peaker with fairly high stats and has access to all elemental spells of the first two tiers and all physical strikes as well.
text: Although the monster only has a 2% chance of being recruited.
text: Blue Chocobo: Is the best choice for an ultimate all-around Ravager.
text: Although you should try to infuse elemental spells that it does not learn naturally and infuse it with useful passives.
text: Sentinels: Pulse Knight:
text: As an early game Sentinel it's the best and easy to max out.
text: It also boasts the +25% HP passive which you can later infuse into another Sentinel.
text: Bunkerbeast: Is a good choice for a long-term investment.
text: It learns Challenge early on and boasts a massive HP pool (8000-ish).
text: The only downside is that he doesn't learn Mediguard but you can infuse that ability.
text: Silver Chocobo: Offers final stats similar to Bunkerbeast but at a lower cost.
text: It's also the best chocobo to race with in Serendipity.
text: Saboteurs: Black Chocobo , Chelicerata , Necrosis , or Dendrobium .The
text: first three have the improved debuffing passive.
text: Dendrobium is a cheaper alternative and in all other ways just as viable.
text: Synergists:
text: Amanojake
text: : Notable only for infusion fodder learning all three of the en- spells which have high damage boosting potential.
text: Gahongas: Earliest monster you will encounter that has both Bravery and Faith although you might be struggling to maintain its development.
text: Yakshini:
text: One of the better choices as your main offensive Synergist for a large portion of the game.
text: It's fairly cheap to develop, relatively durable, and built for offense.
text: Purple Chocobo:
text: Best choice for a level 99 Synergist but given the advantages of narrow specialization you may wish to keep other Synergists as well.
text: Medics:
text: Caterchipillar:
text: Only natural bearer of the passive skill Resist Elements +30% and therefore makes for good infusion fodder.
text: Flanitor: Probably the most accessible source of both Cura and Esunada and learns Improved Cure 2.
text: Green Chocobo: Best candidate for a level 99 Medic
text: : just be sure you infuse Esuna and Esunada from a Flanitor.
answer_details: author: gaming.stackexchange.com/users/19798/Serge Bekenkamp
score: 15
sents: text: Chichu is the best commando you can have: the other one I use isn't that great.
text: You can get Chichu by using Moogle Throw at a small group of flowers near the nomad camp in Archlyte Steppe.
answer_details: author: gaming.stackexchange.com/users/19551/Xion Rabbit
score: 1
sents: text: My Proto Behemoth has 1400 str at level 40.
text: It's pretty much the best COM
text: I've come across.
answer_details: author: gaming.stackexchange.com/users/20021/YouSlow
score: 1
sents: text: Golden chocobo in 'a dying world' is a very good commando.
text: He is even better if you have 'pack mentality' infusion skill, along with two other chocobos in your paradigm pack.
answer_details: author: gaming.stackexchange.com/users/20564/Toddly
score: 1
sents: text: For a decent early to mid game ravager you can't go wrong with a Gremlin.
text: Especially if you infuse some more spells!
answer_details: author: gaming.stackexchange.com/users/20895/Ropahe
score: 1
sents: text: Narasimha is a very good comander, can get him above 1000STR and has high HP, infuse him with 25% HP and is one of the few monsters that naterally can attain 6 ATB gauages, only downside is that his attacks are generally slower than other Coms despite him being a beast to have in battle probably the only monsters to rival chichu.
answer_details: author: gaming.stackexchange.com/users/20911/Tom
score: 1
sents: text: Gigantuar from the Archylete steppe is a good synergist.
text: He's the green cactus in the middle of the map.
text: Not too hard of a fight but hard to level.
text: He comes in as a grade 4.
text: I'm one of those gamers who has to do EVERYTHING in a RPG
text: so I've had him from the earliest point possible
text: and I still have yet to level him once
text: and I'm at Augusta Tower 200 AF.
answer_details: author: gaming.stackexchange.com/users/19814/Shannon grady
score: 0

Summary of the answers:
Chichu has very high strenght stats, Red/Golden Chocobo have excellent potential, Twilight Odin is lopsided in stat growth and expensive to max out, Buccaboo is a great early peaker, Blue Chocobo is an all-round ranger, Bunkerbeat is a long-term investment and Green Chocobo is a candidate for a 99 Medic.
While it is a complicated matter because of the complex mechanics, it seems that there are few monsters for each role that can be categorized as the best.