Coming from Ryza backward into this series, not knowing a guide really gave me a blow to the stomach because I failed the main game objective without a guide this time around.

And that roughly describes the game. While you do get lots of time post-game after you completed the core game objective, if you don't actively craft better gear or have a specific team compo at a specific moment, you will end up missing events leading to missed endings.

Unfortunately, I like having endings unlocked so yea, I just hope Escha and Logy isn't as bad when it comes to time management...