Basileus777
Member
Link level 5 is the max.
-
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The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel |OT| Class Warfare
- Thread starter Dandy Crocodile
- Start date
Link level 5 is the max.
OK, this is the best theory yet. lol
That's not a bad guess, though whatever form Aidios could take would be anyone's guess. Thankfully we'll be able to verify this in the year 2050
iRAWRasaurus
Banned
Wow the fps really takes a big hit during
the school festival.
SolVanderlyn
Thanos acquires the fully powered Infinity Gauntlet in The Avengers: Infinity War, but loses when all the superheroes team up together to stop him.
Fixed
SatelliteOfLove
Member
Ch. 5
Hey, it's Those Two Guys! One's dressed better, and one got held back and still sleeps in class! Good times.
The storm coming out of the Old Schoolhouse's foreshadowing and theming was NOT unnoticed.
The storm coming out of the Old Schoolhouse's foreshadowing and theming was NOT unnoticed.
mattiewheels
And then the LORD David Bowie saith to his Son, Jonny Depp: 'Go, and spread my image amongst the cosmos. For every living thing is in anguish and only the LIGHT shall give them reprieve.'
I just started this, and the first thing I've noticed after the first school dungeon is how tedious the regular battles felt. Tons of enemies with tons of health. Is this training for excessive use of those arts in your wheel? I always like to save those points for when it really matters, not trash mobs...
Basileus777
Member
You build up CP points quickly in this game, don't be afraid to burn them on regular enemies.
mattiewheels
And then the LORD David Bowie saith to his Son, Jonny Depp: 'Go, and spread my image amongst the cosmos. For every living thing is in anguish and only the LIGHT shall give them reprieve.'
Good to know this is the way the game wants it. I figured that's what they were trying to tell me with how the regular battles felt.
Basileus777
Member
They typically give you a recovery point before a boss too, so you'll know when you are about to fight one and will be able to restore HP/EP before hand, so there's little reason to hold back on using arts either.
The way the bonus XP system works also encourages you to wipe out enemies quickly with crafts or AOE arts.
Nightengale
Member
Also, the game's difficulty and ease of killing stuff is pretty much nonexistent 1/3rd into the game, and continues to be breezing easy with the exception of 2 Boss fights.
And even then, it's easy to break the difficulty the game's difficulty with the right micro management. I pretty much do none at all and it's still not hard.
And even then, it's easy to break the difficulty the game's difficulty with the right micro management. I pretty much do none at all and it's still not hard.
Nightengale
Member
Chaos2Frozen
Member
I was under the impression that the regular battles were intended to be over quick and easy, like Persona. It keeps up the pacing from being slow by the nature of turn based.
That being said, I learn early game that one bad 'ambush' encounter even with normal mobs can still wipe half your party and leave the other half in bad shape.
That being said, I learn early game that one bad 'ambush' encounter even with normal mobs can still wipe half your party and leave the other half in bad shape.
YianGaruga
Banned
Yeah, that's how I like it and that's how it was in TitS as well. Can't say much about bosses because I'm still only in Ch2, but regular battles don't have to be difficult imo
I had to use a Smoke Bomb a few times after being ambushed, 3/4 party members fainting before your turn isn't a great start
Nightengale
Member
That the core combat itself is so OP in your favour meant that status effects on you are also OP as heck.
I'm literally the dumbest person ever. I was so cocky with the ease of destroying enemies... The Floor 5 boss has wiped the floor with me 4 times. WTF he's really fucking hard. And because I was a cocky idiot, I didn't save. Is there a penalty for weakening enemies then retrying, any trophies tied to it or anything?
Basileus777
Member
There are no penalties or trophies, retries are just numbered in your battle record.
iRAWRasaurus
Banned
Ha true that. suprised the game was actually release like this. Welp guess fps is not that important in a jrpg..
/s
kubricks
Member
And since you lost all CP if you die, it makes perfect sense to S-craft immediately when ambushed.
Why do character lose all CP but retain EP after fallen is beyond me. ;/
Whew luckily I retried and got a little lucky and switched a character in and won.
Bring equipment to protect against freeze for that boss. And boost speed with Chrono Drive
Welp, came down with a fever and with the 'opportunity' to stay in bed for two days, I finished the game! That...took a long time.
Overall stuff:
- combat was waaay swingy at times. Put Domination on Laura and S-craft at the beginning of battle near the end of the game and you're looking at her doing around 50k damage in one shot. She's an absolute beast. But there were definitely some enemies where battles got really tough if they managed to get a leg up. Especially if you get ambushed by a big enemy...I learned very quickly that was a good sign everyone was going to die and that saving the s-crafts is not so good an idea.
- Speaking of hard battles (chapter 6 spoilers!)
- I barely used arts in this game. I remember saving up EP charges in Sky for casters like Kloe because their physical attacks were fairly weak, but Elliot and Emma hold themselves pretty well (and their recovery crafts are awesooome).
Aside from that, arts were just ridiculously expensive in EP cost, so I ended up not using them much.
- I had way more fun piling up stats with the master quartz system though. I was kind of liberal with it in Sky, but I was really trying to do the best I could with some characters here. As in, Laura was a beast and Fie was a speed demon.
- Link system was...I think I'm undecided about that. (ending spoilers)
I didn't really spend much time trying to optimize links and just spent time with characters I liked, even when they were maxed, so I didn't really play it very well. I probably would have preferred more bonding points! And not spent some
- (end spoilers)
- (final battle spoilers)
- It's still fresh right now, so opinions might change down the line, but I think I enjoyed the cast as a whole more than I did those in Sky, although Sky had more standouts. Estelle is also so much more enjoyable than Rean, it was sort of a letdown to get a cardboard box as a protagonist. The occasional quip from him was very much appreciated though.
- (chapter 6)
- I have to say, I enjoyed the voice acting quite a bit. A lot of the characters sounded much less anime than I would have expected, and I think they benefited from it. Unfortunately that did mean the few voices that did seem rather stereotypical stood out as a little grating, but most of those characters were minor enough that I didn't mind.
- I'm going to assume the models and animations are going to be improving in the future, so I won't say much about that. But uh...yeah. Framerate was...really bad at times, but thankfully this isn't the kind of game where that's anything more than slightly comical. Loading times were really just the worst part of it.
- I didn't like the old schoolhouse anywhere near as much as the field study parts, (final chapter spoilers)
All in all though, I enjoyed it. It was soooo long, probably because I spent so much time talking to everyone (think I missed, what, two quests at the beginning?), but worth it! I loved the academy and getting to know each character there, especially when I'd have quests that dealt with them and I could go "oh, I know that person!" and be able to find them without prompts. I can't wait for the second game, my only hope is it comes out when I'm on break so I won't be tempted by it.
Overall stuff:
- combat was waaay swingy at times. Put Domination on Laura and S-craft at the beginning of battle near the end of the game and you're looking at her doing around 50k damage in one shot. She's an absolute beast. But there were definitely some enemies where battles got really tough if they managed to get a leg up. Especially if you get ambushed by a big enemy...I learned very quickly that was a good sign everyone was going to die and that saving the s-crafts is not so good an idea.
- Speaking of hard battles (chapter 6 spoilers!)
C was really hard. His S-craft close to annihilated my party and then some, and more than once too. I don't know, maybe some warning would have been nice 
Getting your entiiiire party annihilated and just hoping you kill them before that happens is a pain, although Machias and Alisa's auto-recovery were decently nice for that.
Getting your entiiiire party annihilated and just hoping you kill them before that happens is a pain, although Machias and Alisa's auto-recovery were decently nice for that.I do wish someone had a recover S-craft though. Kloe and Kevin were absolute life-savers.
- I had way more fun piling up stats with the master quartz system though. I was kind of liberal with it in Sky, but I was really trying to do the best I could with some characters here. As in, Laura was a beast and Fie was a speed demon.
- Link system was...I think I'm undecided about that. (ending spoilers)
Wish I'd done...any bonding events with Crow, I guess. I KNEW TOO, but it was too late when I figured it out fully.
on Emma. For shame Rean.
worth it though, 'danced' with Jusis and was sent off with love. Or something about nobles? No ragrets.
Someone please tell me the mech battles are improved later? Or they never happen again? That was really annoying, and I still feel like I won due to dumb luck. C kicked my ass over and over again and it was really difficult to judge when to use crafts and when to attack. I felt like the battle wasn't really under my control the whole time considering most of it was new and the options were fairly limited, and it was just not a very fun send-off compared to say, the last schoolhouse boss. And anyway one-on-ones are never fun.
His sister though, that was...not welcome.
How exactly was that "find Fie" quest supposed to go? I literally walked in a straight line and right into the cutscene where Rean finds her. I didn't realize it was extra until I got 2 AP for it.
- I'm going to assume the models and animations are going to be improving in the future, so I won't say much about that. But uh...yeah. Framerate was...really bad at times, but thankfully this isn't the kind of game where that's anything more than slightly comical. Loading times were really just the worst part of it.
- I didn't like the old schoolhouse anywhere near as much as the field study parts, (final chapter spoilers)
but going full circle with it was kind of nice, I guess. And the principal's letters turning into what they did was pretty funny.
All in all though, I enjoyed it. It was soooo long, probably because I spent so much time talking to everyone (think I missed, what, two quests at the beginning?), but worth it! I loved the academy and getting to know each character there, especially when I'd have quests that dealt with them and I could go "oh, I know that person!" and be able to find them without prompts. I can't wait for the second game, my only hope is it comes out when I'm on break so I won't be tempted by it.
kubricks
Member
That's a bit strange, I thought arts are way op in this games as you can either have that quartz which recovers EP on the field or have that M. Quartz which converts 2% of damage to EP; Combined that with the fast pace battle of CS, the EP practically never runs out.
Expect more Mech battles in CS2. Unfortunately they play exactly like the one in CS1, basically you test the weakness location of the particular stance and slash away. I was awestruck the first time I play the mech battle and quickly realized it was the low point in the CS' battle system. ;/
Yes, the sequel makes those kind of fights actually enjoyable. The one at the end of Cold Steel is more like a badly designed puzzle.
Yeah, I used them on bosses. They were strong, but since I didn't optimize for cast time very well, they ended up being cancelled or the caster died first. Some boss battles ended up being a rush to get Laura to S-craft, so if I play again I'll probably try harder to actually make all the characters good and not just the obvious ones. Reading through the thread it seems I screwed up Jusis and Machias since I just made them as balanced in physical attacks and arts as possible.
And...that's a shame, but
I'll be optimistic!
Treat it like a minigame, lol.
AledyHauser
Member
I think this where they didn't really explain that well for mech combat but basically every time C takes a stance 1/3 of the part can be unbalanced which will grants you an additional attack. Pretty much u want to get to rush mode asap for huge damage
Se7enSword
Banned
Please add endgame spoilers or some such warning.
Context is important for spoilers!
EDIT: Okay, you did just that disregard this. >_<
Generally speaking, Cold Steel II addressed most of my technical complaints with first game. There are also some narrative shifts, of course. One is that Rean will take the spotlight rather than his classmates and their hometowns/backgrounds, which formed the overall structure of the first game. Another is that the pacing moves from structured, slow-paced world-building to more fast-paced action in the world you've come to love and pretty much neglects the conventions of chapters the series has followed so far.
iRAWRasaurus
Banned
End game spoilers
so was anyone else kinda thrown off when S.S Ream summon a gundam
Oh, is that the VIta version?
The PS3 one runs fine and I haven't really noticed much slowdown outside of a cutscene that had some alpha effects.
I bought the Vita version for cross-save (so I can bring my progress from home with me while i'm at work, which works flawlessly), but i've only been doing the bonding event stuff while using that version.
Se7enSword
Banned
I kinda saw it coming, but that made me more excited when it actually happened. Playable Mechas in Trails? YES PLEASE!
R_thanatos
Member
Just saw the DLc costumes on the store.
It's weird , i really like the CLass VII uniform , i have no need to change them.
Am i weird ?
Not to say that the casual wears are bad , i think they are very good but i prefer the class VII uniform more.
How many set of Costumes was there in the japanese version ? More casual wears ? some falcom cameo costumes ?
It's weird , i really like the CLass VII uniform , i have no need to change them.
Am i weird ?
Not to say that the casual wears are bad , i think they are very good but i prefer the class VII uniform more.
How many set of Costumes was there in the japanese version ? More casual wears ? some falcom cameo costumes ?
YianGaruga
Banned
No I don't like most of them either. Probably would have only gotten Emma if the Vita wasn't account bound. The JP version also only had these costumes.
iRAWRasaurus
Banned
It was interesting.
i thought that might happen when George mention someone could fit in there but still I wasn't expecting that. Well maybe since I expecting a different type of ending. Crow being C was given away IMO I did like how you got to know Crow before he showed his true face.
P.s huge end game spoiler so be careful if you haven't finish the game.
BassForever
Member
I'm kind of irked that you can't change the costume of characters not actively in your party. I put everyone back into their winter clothes between the school house and chapter 4 except Emma so she keeps showing up in cutscenes looking out of place :X
It would also let me roleplay better putting everyone into their casual clothes for free days
It would also let me roleplay better putting everyone into their casual clothes for free days
I'm having some trouble, GAF. Minor Chapter 3 spoilers:
Just venting, I guess. I'll try again tonight or over the weekend.
I just finished taking the midterms and the third floor of the Old Schoolhouse. I went though the next story/free part and wound up in my next practical exam. You know, the one against Patrick and his three bootlickers.
Problem is, I'm playing on Hard and it seems to be one of the harder boss fights in the game. Each of the four opponents can use instant-activate crafts that hit multiple nearby targets for ~800 along with a larger range arts spell that hits for ~1100. Even with HP quartz, I'm averaging about 3500 HP. The worst part is that I'd like to get the bonus objectives so no one is allowed to fall and I can't use any goddamned arts.
This might be doable but I'm forced bring Elliott, Mathias and Gaius, the latter two are three levels below the rest of my group with comparatively few quartz slots unlocked. If I want to level them up, I have to load an earlier save since the Old Schoolhouse is currently closed. Thankfully, I kept a nearby save so I won't lose too much time.
Anyway, fuck this fight. Fuck the restriction on arts in particular. Elliott's healing craft (30% heal per turn) is great but it's not enough to avoid getting pasted if the enemies decide to gang up on one target. I guess I can also use Mathias' healing craft but it's not as useful since it only works for a single turn and it only affects other party members. Oh, the enemies also like to use Speed Down and the restriction means that It's hard to counter.
ALSO, I can't cheese the fight with S-Crafts since Rean is the only character in my party that can use them, and it's not powerful enough to one-shot anyone.
ALSO ALSO, I've been keeping a full monster guide so I'd have to waste four turns casting Analyze or using battle scopes to see each opponent.
Problem is, I'm playing on Hard and it seems to be one of the harder boss fights in the game. Each of the four opponents can use instant-activate crafts that hit multiple nearby targets for ~800 along with a larger range arts spell that hits for ~1100. Even with HP quartz, I'm averaging about 3500 HP. The worst part is that I'd like to get the bonus objectives so no one is allowed to fall and I can't use any goddamned arts.
This might be doable but I'm forced bring Elliott, Mathias and Gaius, the latter two are three levels below the rest of my group with comparatively few quartz slots unlocked. If I want to level them up, I have to load an earlier save since the Old Schoolhouse is currently closed. Thankfully, I kept a nearby save so I won't lose too much time.
Anyway, fuck this fight. Fuck the restriction on arts in particular. Elliott's healing craft (30% heal per turn) is great but it's not enough to avoid getting pasted if the enemies decide to gang up on one target. I guess I can also use Mathias' healing craft but it's not as useful since it only works for a single turn and it only affects other party members. Oh, the enemies also like to use Speed Down and the restriction means that It's hard to counter.
ALSO, I can't cheese the fight with S-Crafts since Rean is the only character in my party that can use them, and it's not powerful enough to one-shot anyone.
ALSO ALSO, I've been keeping a full monster guide so I'd have to waste four turns casting Analyze or using battle scopes to see each opponent.
Just venting, I guess. I'll try again tonight or over the weekend.
Nightengale
Member
Hmmm...
[Character Speculation based off the entire game]
feels especially suspicious imo.
[Character Speculation based off the entire game]
Thomas
Through all the conversations with all the NPCs throughout the entire game, you pretty much learn about the upbringing and general family history of Makarov, Heinrich, Mary.. but not Thomas.
You don't learn about the familial history of Vandyk, Beatrice, Sara and Neidhart, but we do get a general idea of where they were, who they are before joining Thors... but not Thomas.
Also, among all the Instructors, even though Makarov and Thomas both weren't military/bracer-experienced, only Thomas was the one called out by Neidhart for possessing combat abilities, which implies he's more like Mary/Heinrich and was hired for his academics, not any sort of combat know-how.
You don't learn about the familial history of Vandyk, Beatrice, Sara and Neidhart, but we do get a general idea of where they were, who they are before joining Thors... but not Thomas.
Also, among all the Instructors, even though Makarov and Thomas both weren't military/bracer-experienced, only Thomas was the one called out by Neidhart for possessing combat abilities, which implies he's more like Mary/Heinrich and was hired for his academics, not any sort of combat know-how.
BassForever
Member
Give Gaius the Quartz that lets his attacks have a chance to seal an opponent then use his craft that can seal opponents 50% of the time. S/L till it sticks to 2-3 of them on the first attack and then target fire down the ones that aren't sealed. Impede anyone who tries to cast magic. Resounding beat can be used twice to stack the def buff so do that asap. Also since you can't use arts rearrange master quartz on Elliot since 1.5x healing arts is useless in a no arts battle, give him fie's speed increase or Machias def buff and give machias Laura's and combined with Rean's motivate craft so he can deal a lot more damage with his aoe regular attack. Also stock up on cooked food items both healing and offensive since you take less of a penalty after using them.
Fedora Royale
Member
Not at all. I much prefer their default uniforms. Pretty disappointed by the DLC offerings. Oh well... thankfully they are not necessary.
Se7enSword
Banned
What made me extremely curious is that
he said he knew his way with a staff because he was quite engrossed with ancient magic or something like that during the scene where he and Makarov comment at Neithardt about their skills.
I really do wonder what kind of history he possesses. As a history teacher it IS ironic we don't know his.
I really do wonder what kind of history he possesses. As a history teacher it IS ironic we don't know his.
That's good advice. I had no idea that buffs stacked like that, and I didn't know that cooked food is used faster. I haven't even bothered making any food even though I probably have all of the recipies so far!
Orbal staff? Ancient magic? That hair colour? Sounds a lot like another character to me.
SatelliteOfLove
Member
This game's balancing is after some thought VERY much like Atlus' recent games in that there's no fighting for control of a fight there's "get advantage, OP them down" and that works for enemies too. I wonder if the same criteria led them here as Atlus did.
I just call it in my head the "super meter". Makes more sense that way.
Se7enSword
Banned
I like to think of this fight as a lesson in using the various status effects to crowd control the enemy. Spam the linear AoE Gaius has on as many of them as you can. It has a fairly decent chance to shock the enemy (which makes them lose their turns). Elliot can also do this with his lullaby craft after using his regen (try to avoid attacking enemies who're sleeping of course). Use Rean's crafts to delay any enemies who aren't shocked. Machias and Rean can guarantee an impede to interrupt enemies when they try to cast aerial with Break Shot and Autumn Leaf Cutter respectively.
Also one of the biggest mistakes I've seen alot of youtubers make is ignoring the Move command. It's easy to feel like its a waste of a turn to move but it really helps you mitigate the damage from large AoEs for a very, very short delay (it has like half the delay of a regular action). If you can't impede the enemy in time, move as many as you can out of the AoE circle and you'll be able to reduce the damage you take to something manageable.
In terms of formation, keep Rean as the sole person in the front line so that they focus on him as much as possible. If you're following the rest above you shouldn't typically have more than 1 or 2 enemies able to attack him at the same time. It also helps to group all the enemies together as they will all move to focus on him in melee. My formation at the start was something like the below:
XXXRXXX
XXXGXXX
XXXXXXM
EXXXXXX
*Note: Rean will move around alot when using Autumn Leaf Cutter so outside the first 2 turns he'll typically be really far away from the rest of the group.
Also one of the biggest mistakes I've seen alot of youtubers make is ignoring the Move command. It's easy to feel like its a waste of a turn to move but it really helps you mitigate the damage from large AoEs for a very, very short delay (it has like half the delay of a regular action). If you can't impede the enemy in time, move as many as you can out of the AoE circle and you'll be able to reduce the damage you take to something manageable.
In terms of formation, keep Rean as the sole person in the front line so that they focus on him as much as possible. If you're following the rest above you shouldn't typically have more than 1 or 2 enemies able to attack him at the same time. It also helps to group all the enemies together as they will all move to focus on him in melee. My formation at the start was something like the below:
XXXRXXX
XXXGXXX
XXXXXXM
EXXXXXX
*Note: Rean will move around alot when using Autumn Leaf Cutter so outside the first 2 turns he'll typically be really far away from the rest of the group.
I want to add something to this comment. I'm just putting it into spoilers because the response is, as well.
People absolutely DO forget about Move. They also forget that you can just move a character to fiddle with the AT Bar, too. Moving generally has the shortest delay in the game, and as a result, you can keep enemies from certain bonuses by just moving to bump their position on the AT bar, or to get yourself into a more appropriate position.
Random lore lesson:
EP is energy in the orbment itself. A character's orbment will still retain energy regardless of whether they fall or not.
iRAWRasaurus
Banned
If
Random thought on the 3rd game
Rean somehow use the power of friendship to make Crow become "good friends " again...
Random thought on the 3rd game
based on anime cliches.