Description: Balthier has an Oaken Pole and Basch has a Hand Axe for the upcoming Tiamat battle. I didn't bother getting the Ancient Sword for Ashe, which would have made the Tiamat battle faster, probably. Saved on the Leviathan in under 2 hours and it took 5 minutes to be done with the Leviathan.Judges: 59 seconds to a minuteJudge Ghis: 57 secondsSpeed Run info: FFXII beaten in 8 hrs 52 minutes and 36 seconds. Not exactly the best time for a speed run. Best time claimed was 6 hours/8 hours. In the Japanese report guide : http://ultimagarden.net/report/cole_f..., the Japanese version of the game was beaten in 8 hours and 38 minutes without the Zodiac Spear and Dustia Leveling. I've tried following the guide after translating it correctly, but I could not keep up with the times. First step was to level by chaining Dustia within 26 to 28 minutes after starting the game. Within 30 minutes, I chained 66 Dustias, gained 22 levels, and earned 20,000+ gil. I went through the game rather quickly, until Tiamat.Equipments used for the speed run were a Mage Masher for silencing Bomb King and Gabranth, and 3 Shielded Armors bought in Jahara before going to Tiamat. Three Ice Shields, a War Hammer as a starting weapon for Basch, and 2 Lohengrin swords for Vaan and the sweet Penelo were purchased in Mt Omiscace after Tiamat and the first round of Flan chaining. Since Vaan and Penelo used magic most of the time, 2 Lamia Tiaras were bought for them. Basch had a Head Band for added HP. I purchased 1 Icebrand and a Demonsbane after Judge Ghis and before Bomb King. Murasame was purchased in Phon Coast for Basch in order to defeat Bomb King quickly and without having to use quickenings. In Necrohol, the Zodiac Spear was acquired for Basch. Next upgrade was done in Balfonheim: 3 Carabineer Mails, 2 Golden Hairpins for the magic users and 1 Thief's Cap for Basch. One Deathbringer was obtained from the chest in Feywood for Vaan. All these served me well until the end of the game where I upgraded to 2 White Masks and Aegis Shields for Penny and Vaan, and a Rubber Suit and Crown of Laurels for Basch.Important abilities/magic: Cura, Raise, Berserk, Haste, (float, but it was optional and wasn't really needed because the flans in Henne Mines drop float motes), Firaga for most of the bosses near the end, protect, libra, and charge. Curaja was not used often since it costs too much mp. The final boss would have been easier if I had purchased protectga and bubble and used Firaga more.Important items: Hi potions, X potions, 50 Phoenix Downs purchased in the Bazaar, eyedrops, vaccines, echo herbs, smelling salts, 1 Elixer, and 1 Megaelixer found in Stillshrine. I didn't get the Megaelixer and didn't even bother. Instead I received an Elixer from the chest.