History VideoGame / TalesOfXillia2

* BrokenAesop:
** In the first ''Xillia'', a major conflict is between [[ExpendableAlternateUniverse saving Rieze Maxia or Elympios by indirectly destroying the other]], and the party ultimately decide to SaveBothWorlds. However, in the sequel, while there's some objection to Ludger murdering millions of people with every destroyed Fractured Dimension, the original party concludes that while it's horrible, they still have to destroy worlds for the sake of protecting their own, directly contradicting the goal of the first game by sacrificing other worlds to save [[ProtagonistCenteredMorality the one the protagonists live in]].
** In Rowen's Character Episodes, he is seemingly willing to [[TheNeedsOfTheMany sacrifice himself for the sake of peace between countries]], and Elize and Ludger object that it's not right. Similarly, in a Chapter 12 skit, it's contemplated that a specific character's death is needed to improve the world when [[spoiler:Jude is murdered in a timeline where he perfected spyrite and resolved Elympios' energy problems]], but Prime Milla and Elle both object as the benefits would not be worth the loss of that character. In both cases, the potential sacrifice admits they're right. Come the main story, however, [[spoiler:Fractured Milla, Julius, and Elle]] all end up sacrificed in the process of saving the world, only Elle and Ludger seriously object to these deaths and argue for not letting the sacrificed person die, whereas the rest of the party treat it as tragic but ultimately necessary to save their world.

''Tales of Xillia 2'' is the fourteenth mainline entry in the ''VideoGame/TalesSeries'', and a direct sequel to ''VideoGame/TalesOfXillia''. The game was released on November 1st, 2012, exclusively on the UsefulNotes/PlayStation3. It received an international release on August 19th, 2014 in North America and August 22nd, 2014 in Europe.

All of the main characters from ''Xillia'' return, including some characters that were killed and make appearances in fractured dimensions. The combat system (''Cross Double Raid Linear Motion Battle System'') lets Ludger swap weapons and fighting styles on the fly, switching between [[DualWielding twin blades]], [[GunsAkimbo twin pistols]] and [[DropTheHammer a hammer]]. Link Artes have been split into Unique Artes and Common Artes, the latter of which can be performed between any two characters that have the appropriate move. Furthermore, Ludger now has a special LimitBreak gauge that activates his powerful Chromatus form, teleporting the battlefield into a parallel world where he gains incredible power for a short time.

* FantasticNamingConvention: In Elympios, middle names are inherited through one's mother, though this is obfuscated in the English localization, which [[BarelyChangedDubName omits them for most characters]]. Thus, Elle and her mother Lara have the same middle name, and before he changed it, [[spoiler:Julius]] had the same middle name as his mother, [[spoiler:Cornelia Wi Bakur]].

* BreakTheCutie: Elle's able to go through most of the game with a smile on her face despite missing her father, until Chapter 12, "Elle and I", when she actually does find him again. [[spoiler:Her mission to Canaan was a cruel plot by him, who's gone absolutely insane. He killed the party members she befriended in their dimension, and lured the party to kill prime Ludger, who was her first friend and a guardian to her. For added trauma, Ludger has to kill Victor for the Waymarker. Her father's behavior also causes her to believe [[CloningBlues she's a "fake" Elle]] due to Victor's desire to return to the Prime Dimension.]]

* CloningBlues: [[spoiler:When Elle finds out that she is a resident of a fractured dimension, she starts seeing herself as a "fake", in part due to her father sharing the same impression that the only way for them to live is if they're in the Prime Dimension. An interesting take in that the Prime Elle hasn't been born yet, meaning she sees herself as a copy of someone who doesn't even exist and possibly never will.]]

* BigScrewedUpFamily: Bisley describes the Kresnik descendants having fought and betrayed each other for generations in order to complete Origin's Trial and be granted their wish. [[AllThereInTheManual Supplementary material gives more detail on Ludger's immediate family]], detailling that [[spoiler:Julius' mother Cornelia was the previous Key of Kresnik, who died empowering Bisley's Chromatus, and Ludger's mother was her younger sister, Claudia, with whom Bisley conceived Ludger after Cornelia's death.]] A short story from fifteen-year-old Julius' perspective reveals he believes [[spoiler:his father slept with his mother's sister specifically to birth a child who could be stronger than Julius.]]

** The Elle Ending, [[spoiler:Ludger wishes for all the Fractured Dimensions to be destroyed, but transforms into his Chromatus in order to become the millionth Catalyst and reverse Elle's transformation, [[TheHeroDies causing his death]]. However, Elle survives and the epilogue reveals the rest of the party are doing well.]]

* AdaptationalExplanation:
** In the game, Elle being attacked by the Seafall Phantom appears to be completely random. In the manga, it's explained that she cut her finger on a seashell and a drop of her blood fell into the water, drawing the monster to her specifically.
** In the game, the only threat to Rideaux's health is his existing illness and his augmented aspyrix organs that allows him heightened physical capacities. The manga addresses that [[spoiler:like Julius and Victor, he's also at the risk of turning into a Divergence Catalyst from overusing his Chromatus]].

* AnyoneCanDie: Barring [[ExpendableAlternateUniverse Fractured Dimensions]], the entire party can be killed off depending on the [[MultipleEndings ending]]. In the Ludger Ending, [[spoiler:Elle dies by becoming a Divergence Catalyst]], in the Elle Ending, [[spoiler:Ludger dies to stop Elle's transformation]], and in the Bad Ending, [[spoiler:the entire ''Xillia'' party dies at Ludger's hand to save Julius]]. [[TeamPet Rollo]], who survives every ending, also meets an early death in [[spoiler:Victor and Elle]]'s Fractured Dimension.

* KilledOffForReal: The body count by the end of the game [[AnyoneCanDie is surprisingly high]], with the parallel universes allowing for plenty of carnage. Of the main characters in the Prime Dimension though: [[spoiler:Fractured Milla dies no matter what you do. The entire party is killed by Ludger if you choose to save Julius. Julius has to die for the party to be able to go to Canaan. And either Elle or Ludger have to sacrifice themselves to complete Origin's trial]]. Pretty much the only main character who survives no matter what is [[TeamPet Rollo]].

* BagOfSpilling: ''Xillia 2'' is set a year after the events of the first game, but all the original playable characters are weaker than they were before. Justified, as the Lilium Orbs of the first gam, which gives ordinary humans the power to fight monsters, lost their power when the Schism was dispelled, and most of the cast are no longer in roles where they're routinely seeing combat.

* DubInducedPlotHole: A minor one occurs at the start of the J-code side quest, which involves finding mission logs a younger Julius left scattered around the world map. In the English version, 11-year-old Julius simply signs off as "Julius Kresnik", while in the Japanese version, [[ConvenientlyInterruptedDocument the sign-off message is cut off at "Julius Wi--"]] [[spoiler:in order to hide that his birth name is "Julius Wi Bakur", which he changed to "Julius Will Kresnik" at 13-years-old after killing Claudia Il Kresnik and adopting her son, Ludger.]]

** When Ludger meets Marvin, the old man who owns Julius Catstantine the Third and sponsors Leia's newspaper, neither of them recognize each other, though Marvin eventually realizes he's Julius's brother. [[spoiler:Marvin is actually Ludger and Julius' maternal grandfather, and Ludger actually met Marvin fifteen years ago after Julius killed Ludger's mother, and it was with Marvin's help that Julius took custody of him.]]

* WritersCannotDoMath: In a Fractured Dimension, an alternate version of Julius recognizes Alvin as a child he used to babysit, even addressing him as "Alfie", referring to Alvin's birth name. Prime Julius never brings this up, but Prime Alvin recalls that "this older kid used to babysit us [and] was always humming that song", and implies it's possible they also met in the Prime Dimension and [[ForgottenFirstMeeting simply forgot about it]]. Except that Julius is only ''one year'' older than Alvin, and would have have been seven years old at the most before Alvin disappeared through the Schism.
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Subverted. At the end of Chapter 13, Bisley informs Ludger that he has no further need for his Chromatus, to which Muzét will remark on if Ludger has outlived his usefulness, only for Bisley to clarify that Ludger has simply completed his duties.

* RedRightHand:
** While not exactly villainous, Julius's [[FashionableAsymmetry single glove]] is hiding [[spoiler:the divergence catalyst manifesting in his left hand.]]
** Victor wears a mask to hide the right side of his face, which is being [[spoiler:consumed by a divergence catalyst.]]

* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: Spirius justifies many characters' {{Improbable Age}}s due to their abilities, be that their ability to use the Chromatus, or sheer skill. Bisley simply gives [[spoiler:Ludger]] the position of Vice President [[HeroismEqualsJobQualification despite not being remotely qualified]] just because he [[spoiler:helped complete Origin's Trial]]. Then in the [[spoiler:Ludger Ending]], he becomes CEO himself.

** When Ludger meets Marvin, the old man who owns Julius Catstantine the Third and sponsors Leia's newspaper, neither of them recognize each other, though Marvin eventually realizes he's Ludger's brother. [[spoiler:Marvin is actually Ludger and Julius' maternal grandfather, and Ludger actually met Marvin fifteen years ago after Julius killed Ludger's mother, and it was with Marvin's help that Julius took custody of him.]]

* ArmorPiercingSlap: Subverted in the manga. [[BrattyHalfPint Elle]] punches Ludger in the stomach after he tries to renege on their promise to find Canaan together. He suffers AmusingInjuries, but otherwise remains firm on his decision and is not swayed by her outburst until Milla, armed with spirit artes, [[GetAHoldOfYourselfMan beats some sense into him]].

* RedSkyTakeWarning: Subverted. Once the Land of Canaan appears at Marksburg, the sky turns dark purple around the [[AlienSky fetus-shaped orb in the sky]]. However, this actually signifies that the Kresnik Clan has successfully collected the five Waymarkers of Canaan, and are on their path to completing the Trial and saving humanity.

* OffhandBackhand: At the end of the game, [[spoiler:Ludger defeats Bisley by unlocking his Complete Chromatus. Bisley still manages to get to his feet and staggers over to the two of them, attempting to attack Ludger [[InTheBack while his back is turned]] hugging Elle. Ludger stops Bisley by transforming again and reversing the grip on his lance, allowing him to hold Bisley at blade-point without turning around or letting go of Elle. Bisley finally concedes defeat and backs down.

** Completing their Character Episodes and selecting certain dialogue options will strengthen Ludger's friendship with his party members. This unlocks additional scenes with these characters during the main story, and eventually their [[LimitBreak Link Mystic Arte]] with Ludger.

* VillainsDyingGrace: Once he's about to become a Divergence Catalyst, he'll either let Ludger kill him or if the latter hesitates, grab his counterpart's spear to kill himself. He does this because he knows that he won't live long enough to enact his plan, meaning helping prime Ludger is his best chance at saving Elle.

* TangledFamilyTree: Downplayed. Ludger and Julius, who share the same father, had mothers who were sisters, making the two of them cousins in addition to half-brothers. By extension, [[spoiler:[[KidFromTheFuture Elle]] is both Julius' niece ''and'' first cousin once-removed]]. Add that the Kresnik clan has [[KissingCousins branches that have intermarried]]--Bisley himself married the Key of Kresnik from a long-lost branch of the family, and Elle's mother was from the known Marta branch and married [[spoiler:a Fractured version of Ludger]]--and you end up with every immediate relation of Ludger's being related to each other in at least two different ways, albeit some more distantly than others.

** In the FinalBossBattle, Jude argues that [[spoiler:Bisley's plan of enslaving all the spirits to serve humans is no different than Chronos' plan of letting the miasma turn humanity into [[EmptyShell mindless husks for producing mana for spirits]]. If Jude's [[CompanionSpecificSidequest Character Episodes]] were not yet completed, Bisley will retort that the difference between himself and Chronos is that Bisley won. If the episodes were completed, he'll instead ask Jude if Jude's own plans for spyrite won't also turn the spirits into tools, to which Jude admits it almost did, but he realised the method to perfect spyrite relies on cooperating willingly with spirits. Bisley just replies that stripping spirits of their will will make things easier for Jude then]].

** In Chapter 14, depending on how Ludger reacts to the plan to [[spoiler:stop Bisley from enslaving all spirits and save Elle, either Jude or Prime Milla will challenge Ludger to a fight in order to convince him not to give up.

** In the game, Elle being attacked by the Seafall Phantom appears to be completely random. In the manga, it's explained that she cut her finger on a seashell and a drop of her blood fell into the water, drawing the monster to her.

** The Perfect Guide explains that while other Chromatus users like Rideaux and Julius keep their usual weapons in their transformed states, Ludger and [[spoiler:Bisley]] use lances is because of Elle's Key of Kresnik powers.

* AmbiguouslyRelated: The original Kresnik clan two thousand years ago were an unrelated group of spirit channelers led by the Genesis Sage Kresnik, but by the present day, the clan's founder is referred to as the Progenitor Kresnik, with some in the clan calling themselves "Scions of Kresnik", and the Chromatus and Key of Kresnik abilities are [[SuperPowerfulGenetics inherited by bloodline]] and considered a familial trait, but it's never stated explicitly that the Bakur, Marta, and Kresnik families are actually related by blood, making it ambiguous if [[KissingCousins unions between those branches count as incest]].

* ArmorPiercingSlap: Subverted in the manga. [[BrattyHalfPint Elle]] punches Ludger in the stomach after he tries to renege on their promise to find Canaan together. He suffers AmusingInjuries, but otherwise remains firm on his decision until Milla, armed with spirit artes, [[GetAHoldOfYourselfMan beats some sense into him]].
* ArtificialBrilliance: Using a healing arte with an area of effect will result in characters directly moving into it, and even popping their own little area-of-effect healing arte to make sure everyone's back to full health. However...
* ArtificialStupidity: ... If the AI initiates a Link Arte, there is a 90% chance that they will initiate in a way that will make sure that zero enemies will get hit by it. It wouldn't be so bad if it didn't stop you from using a Link Arte at the same time, potentially screwing up a carefully set-up combo. However, you can change it so that AI-controlled characters don't use linked artes at all.

* ATeamFiring: The first Exodus agent Ludger encounters on the Striborg train is armed with a machine gun, yet not only does she fail to hit Ludger at all, Ludger manages to wind her while completely unarmed.

** Jude and Milla in the opening animation face off against a crowd of Exodus terrorists together.

* BagOfSpilling: The entire ''Xillia'' cast are weaker than a year ago. Justified as Lilium Orbs have lost their power.

* BlackEyesOfCrazy: Divergence Catalysts have their sclerae turn black, and their [[RedEyesTakeWarning irises and pupils turn pink]].

* BlessedWithSuck: On paper the Chromatus sounds like an awesome ability. However, continued usage risks turning the user into [[spoiler:a Divergence Catalyst, a painful process which will eventually create a Fractured Dimension]]. Oh and powering it up to further stages does it even faster.

* BookEnds: The very first and very last Fractured Dimension of the main story [[spoiler:both involve Julius as the Divergence Catalyst dying at Ludger's hands.]]

* BreakTheCutie: Elle's able to go through most of the game with a smile on her face despite missing her father, until Chapter 12, "Elle and I", when she actually does find him again. [[spoiler:Her mission to Canaan was a cruel plot by him, who's gone absolutely insane. He killed the party members she befriended in their dimension, and lured the party to kill prime Ludger, who was her first friend and a guardian to her. For added trauma, Ludger has to kill Victor for the Waymarker. Her father's behavior also instills CloningBlues in her, and she begins viewing herself as a "fake" Elle due to Victor's desire to return to the Prime Dimension.]]

* BulletCatch: The Great Spirit Chronos catches three successive shots between his fingers in his introductory cutscene. Justified, naturally, as he isn't human and has time manipulation powers.

* CantTakeAnythingWithYou: Chromatus users by themselves can't move anyone between worlds besides themselves, and cannot leave a Fractured Dimension without destroying it first, but those who are Keys of Kresnik can. However, even the Keys are limited by NeverTheSelvesShallMeet and OnlyOneMeAllowedRightNow rules if they move something from a Fractured Dimension to the Prime Dimension, though the inverse doesn't apply, such as [[spoiler:Fractured Milla's presence in the Prime Dimension preventing Prime Milla from returning, and Fractured Rollo entering the Prime Dimension while Prime Rollo is already there causes Fractured Rollo to disappear.]]

* CementShoes: PlayedForLaughs in one of Nova's calls if Ludger hasn't made a payment on his debt in a while:
--> '''Nova:''' They've got a bag of cement and they're asking about my shoe size as well as yours, so... Not a great sign, you know? Work with me here!

* ConvenientTerminalIllness: In Chapter 15, [[spoiler:Julius uses his imminent transformation into a Divergence Catalyst as a reason to kill him in order to create the Soul Bridge needed to save the world.]]

* ConvenientlyTimedAttackFromBehind: Occurs twice to Exodus agents on the Striborg train, the first time Jude knocks them out with his gauntlets, saving Elle and Ludger. The second time occurs in a Fractured Dimension mimicking the original scenario, only with [[BadassBystander Nova]] knocking a guy out with a baton and saving Elle and Ludger and Jude.
* TheCorruption: Divergence catalysts, which empower their hosts but eventually consume them. [[spoiler:It is later revealed that the use of Chromatus causes one to become a divergence catalyst, and the only way to avoid this is for a Key of Kresnik to act as a conduit... in which case, ''they'' [[TransferredTransformation become a divergence catalyst instead]]]].

* CrushFilter: PlayedForLaughs in the Ichiban Kuji manga story, where Nova sees Julius complete with BishieSparkles, giving her a charming smile, and enthusiastically engages with him in conversation about studying with Ludger, only for him to assume they're busy and lock himself in his room.

* DemotedToExtra:
** Everyone from the original game except Jude and Milla. There's still the Character Episodes, but aside from that, they don't have a major involvement in the story arc itself.
** Taken even further in the manga, due to excising the Character Episodes and because Ludger is no longer a HeroicMime and thus doesn't need other characters to react to dialogue in his stead.

** Depending on Ludger's dialogue choice, either [[spoiler:Jude or Milla]] will challenge Ludger to a one-on-one near the end of the game. Part of it is to test his resolve, but the other part is to make sure he can still use his chromatus after [[spoiler: Elle leaves him to head to Canaan.]]

* EarnYourBadEnding: In Chapter 15, if [[spoiler:Ludger absolutely refuses to let Julius die to create the Soul Bridge, he has to fight the entire party to stop them from trying, resulting in an 8-on-1 FinalBoss fight, four characters at a time.]] Made worse in that ''Xillia''[='=]s token battle mechanic is based on linking your character with one of the other party members to unleash your more powerful artes. So while your opponents are linked up to do extra damage against you, you're stuck flying solo with only basic attacks, no Overlimit, no Linked Artes, and no Mystic Artes. Even your Chromatus is of little use because the time it takes for it to charge is more than enough to get yourself killed, and it doesn't charge while you're trying to free-run your way to safety.
* EasterEgg: Playing around with the camera on the Striborg train will reveal Julius standing in the front car in Level 3 Chromatus. The same occurs with his Fractured version.

* ExpendableAlternateUniverse: The game acknowledges that Fractured Dimensions ''are'' reality to those who inhabit it, and that Fractured Milla is a real person in her own right, especially to Elle and Ludger, who have never met Prime Milla, and thus to them Fractured Milla is the "real" Milla. They're both quite upset when [[spoiler:she is sacrificed to save Prime Milla]], more evident for Ludger in the manga adaptation, where he breaks down in tears over it. And this point is underscored by TheReveal that [[spoiler:Elle herself is from one of these parallel worlds. Her father's view of the two of them being "not real" causes her to believe she's just a fake version of Elle, and that Ludger will prefer the "real" Elle he's meant to father over her, leading her to sacrifice herself instead]]. However, this is ultimately DoubleSubverted, as [[spoiler:either Ludger or Elle will wish for the destruction of all Fractured Dimensions.]]

** Near the end of the game, either [[spoiler:Jude]] or [[spoiler:Milla]] will fight Ludger to snap him out of a HeroicBSOD.

** When you leave a town, your party remains the same and you can't change it unless you return to town despite the characters being there and commenting on events. Especially odd since in the first game you could switch in the middle of battle.

* HealthcareMotivation: A variation, where Ludger and Elle are only healed once by Rideaux, but it incurs a massive bill that forces Ludger to work to pay it off.

* ItsAllMyFault: Fractured Milla defends her sister's abuse of her because she blames herself for Muzet going blind when she protected Milla in a battle.

** In the English localization of the Frères Apartment landlady's sidequest, she offhandedly mentions that Julius used to bring girls back to the apartment. However, her original line in Japanese is actually her saying that Julius' fan club used to stalk the building, which is why in Chapter 15 [[spoiler:her Fractured counterpart can be heard complaining about the exact same thing.]]

* PlotBasedVoiceCancellation: If Ludger's RelationshipValues are high enough by Chapter 11 [[spoiler:Fractured Milla]] tells Ludger something just before a HeroicSacrifice, though the lines are muted. The English version of the game doesn't make it very clear what she's talking about, but the manga reveals [[spoiler:she was telling him the recipe to the soup she wanted to make for Elle]], which aligns with [[LostInTranslation the dialogue choice in Japanese]] where [[spoiler:Ludger is specifically telling her to hold on because she promised to make a soup for Elle]].

* PreFinalBoss: In Chapter 16, [[spoiler:Chronos is fought first to complete the Trial, and is ultimately defeated by Bisley, who stabs him with a lance powered by the Key of Kresnik after the party distracts Chronos. However, Bisley then reveals his true wish to enslave all spirits, turning the party against him for the actual final boss of the game]].

* AnyoneCanDie: Barring [[ExpendableAlternateUniverse Fractured Dimensions]], the entire party can be {{killed off|For Real}} depending on the [[MultipleEndings ending]]. In the Ludger Ending, [[spoiler:Elle dies by becoming a Divergence Catalyst]], in the Elle Ending, [[spoiler:Ludger dies to stop Elle's transformation]], and in the Bad Ending, [[spoiler:the entire ''Xillia'' party dies at Ludger's hand to save Julius]]. [[TeamPet Rollo]], who survives every ending, also meets an early death in [[spoiler:Victor and Elle]]'s Fractured Dimension.

** In the game, if Ludger agrees to hear out Julius' pep talk, he laughs at Julius' attempt and Julius playfully pushes Ludger's head down with his hand, causing Ludger to duck away from him.
** In the manga, he gently pats Ludger on the head before hugging him when Ludger is devastated by [[spoiler:the prospect of sacrificing Julius for the Soul Bridge]].
* AfterlifeWelcome:
** In the manga adaptation, [[spoiler:Ludger]]'s final moments has him seeing apparitions of [[spoiler:Fractured Milla and Julius standing behind Elle]].
** An ensuing omake is PlayedForLaughs, [[spoiler:Fractured Milla jealously demanding to know who Elle's mother is, prompting Ludger to beg Victor to explain while Julius cries about how much Ludger's grown]]. It's eventually revealed to be an ImagineSpot by Elle, based on Alvin and Muzet's suggestions.

* FakeLongevity: Early in the game, Ludger obtains a 20 million Gald debt that must be paid off over the course of the game, but a certain amount must be paid off in order to advance along the story, which requires grinding for money and doing other monster and item fetch quests.

* FlingALightIntoTheFuture: Over ninety thousand years ago, a society of AdvancedAncientHumans used highly sophisticated technology that doesn't run on spyrix to digitize themselves and save themselves from an unknown calamity, becoming known as the Ark of Time. The AI guardian, Odin, hopes that one day they'll be rediscovered and it will be possible to restore them. Unfortunately, the ruins containing the Ark collapsed in the Prime Dimension, and while it survives in the Fractured Dimension of Chapter 10, the party is forced to destroy that world in order to take the Waymarker.

** [[spoiler:Victor]]'s single-handed massacre of [[spoiler:the ''Xillia'' party and his blood family]] to protect [[spoiler:Elle]], despite their motivations of trying to save the world, can be repeated by [[spoiler:Ludger]] in the Bad Ending to protect [[spoiler:Julius]].

** The manga is even more overt with the parallels. Ludger attempting to [[LockedOutOfTheLoop keep Elle away from danger]] culminates in realizing (with Milla's [[GetAholdOfYourselfMan help]]) that he's just done to Elle what Julius has been doing to him, and he explicitly highlights that his protection of Elle is something he learned from Julius. In the final battle he throws himself over Julius' pocketwatch to protect it from [[spoiler:Bisley]], in the exact same way that Elle does when Julius tries to take her father's watch.

* GodIsEvil: Bisley suggests that Origin brokered the pact between the Three Primordial Spirits and the Kresnik clan because the Great Spirits delighted in humanity's suffering. Jude initially objects, but recalls how apathetic the Maxwell of the first game was to using Milla as a decoy and manipulating her into believing that she was actually Maxwell. Although the end of the game reveals that [[spoiler:the strongest spirit, Origin, does truly love humanity, Bisley nevertheless dies believing that the Trial was simply a game to the Primordial Spirits]].

** Generally speaking, Spirius doesn't seem to care much about age or qualifications when recruiting talent, Chromatus users or not.
*** Julius has been destroying Fractured Dimensions since he was 11, and became ''Director'' of the Department of Dimensional Affairs at only 20.
*** Ludger himself, in the Ludger Ending, where [[spoiler:he becomes [=CEO=] after Bisley's death]], also at only 20. After being [[spoiler:Vice President for at best a few ''days''.]]
*** Vera may be YoungerThanTheyLook, but she is also only 20 years old and yet has immediate access to details concerning Fractured Dimensions as Bisley's ''head'' secretary.

* InternalRetcon: In ''Xillia'', Kresnik was merely a notable follower of Maxwell who joined him in Rieze Maxia and became the ancestor of the Nia Khera villagers. ''Xillia 2'' [[spoiler:establishes she was a woman and was important to Maxwell, but she actually lived in ''Elympios'' and is the ancestor of all Chromatus users]] and that this information was intentionally purged from history. This is due to [[spoiler:part of the Kresnik clan leaving Elympios with Maxwell to save the spirits]].

** Dr. Howe, the man who developed spirit artes, turns out to have done so because of his attempts to woo [[spoiler:Celsius. This discovery gives Jude the epiphany he needs to perfect spyrite technology.]]

** Despite Ludger's SupremeChef skills being outright plot-significant and defining several of his relationships through the story, the game lacks the series' staple cooking mechanic and all the food is obtained through buying them at inns or [[InexplicablyPreservedDungeonMeat finding them in dungeons]].

* AnyoneCanDie: Barring [[ExpendableAlternateUniverse Fractured Dimensions]], [[spoiler:the entire party]] can be {{killed off|For Real}} depending on the [[MultipleEndings ending]]. In the Ludger Ending, [[spoiler:Elle dies by becoming a Divergence Catalyst]], in the Elle Ending, [[spoiler:Ludger dies to stop Elle's transformation]], and in the Bad Ending, [[spoiler:the entire ''Xillia'' party dies at Ludger's hand to save Julius]]. [[TeamPet Rollo]], who survives every ending, also meets an early death in [[spoiler:Victor and Elle]]'s Fractured Dimension.

* ArmorPiercingSlap: Subverted in the manga. [[BrattyHalfPint Elle]] punches Ludger in the stomach after he tries to renege on their promise to find Canaan together. He suffers AmusingInjuries, but otherwise remains firm on his decision until Milla, armed with spirit artes, [[GetAholdOfYourselfMan beats some sense into him]].

* DeclarationOfProtection: Screams that he'll protect Julius [[spoiler: when the player is locked into the Bad Ending. He proceeds to make good on this promise by killing the rest of the party, all by himself.]]

** The Bad Ending, with [[spoiler:Julius]] even saying so directly. [[spoiler:Ludger]] has murdered [[spoiler:all his friends]] to save [[spoiler:his brother]] only for it to be shown that [[spoiler:Julius]] is ''still'' dying [[spoiler:from his transformation into a Divergence Catalyst]]. To make things worse, [[spoiler:the path to Canaan remains locked off, allowing either [[TheBadGuyWins Chronos or Bisley to win]], dooming either humanity or spirits respectively]]. The event summary even acknowledges that they won't have long together.

* ForWantOfANail: The game initially implies that Fractured Dimensions diverge from the Prime Dimension when one event changes, such as Fractured Milla's world being one where Gilland and Alvin weren't on the Zenethra, causing Exodus to be easily defeated before they became militant, and another world where Jude's father was never on the Zenethra and remained in Elympios, so Jude was never born. However, it's eventually revealed to be a subversion, Fractured Dimensions are created when [[spoiler:a Chromatus user overuses their powers, transforming them into a Divergence Catalyst and creating a world based on [[YourHeartsDesire what they wanted most]], allowing anything from Milla Kresnik seeing a world where Maxwell still believed in her and her clan didn't devolve into infighting, to Julius' Fractured Dimension being outright impossible.]]

** Inverted with Ludger if, [[spoiler:after being told that Julius needs (and ''wants'' to, as he's [[ConvenientTerminalIllness already dying]]) to sacrifice his life to create the Soul Bridge the party needs to save the world, Ludger refuses to let him die. Gaius proceeds to state that he'll do the deed himself, and things [[EverybodysDeadDave get ugly from there]].]]

* MacGuffinSuperPerson: The Key of Kresnik is a person born every few generations in the Kresnik clan, who possesses the power to move matter from the Fractured Dimensions into the Prime Dimension, as well as channel Origin's PowerOfTheVoid. The last Key of Kresnik in the Prime Dimension was Cornelia Wi Bakur, Bisley's late wife, [[spoiler:Julius' mother, and Ludger's aunt]]. During the course of the game, Bisley and Chronos both believe the Key of Kresnik is Ludger, but it's actually Elle, [[spoiler:a Key from a future Fractured Dimension]].

* PanUpToTheSkyEnding: The Elle Ending ends featuring [[spoiler:an adult Elle walking off humming the Hymn of Proof with Pollo following her]], silhouetted by the bright blue sky.
* ParentalAbandonment:
** In a skit with Elize, Ludger can tell her he's also an orphan, though he never personally elaborates on what happened to his or Julius' parents. Supplementary materials reveal he doesn't know the details himself. [[spoiler:Their father is Bisley, who married Julius' mother, the previous Key of Kresnik who perished empowering Bisley's Chromatus, and her sister became pregnant with Ludger and ran away to keep his Chromatus out of Bisley's hands, and died when she attacked a teenaged Julius and he killed her in self-defense, causing Ludger's TraumaInducedAmnesia.]]
** Inverted with Julius himself, [[spoiler:he cut ties with Bisley after killing his aunt and moves out to Frères Apartments at thirteen with Ludger.]]
** Supplementary material reveals that Rideaux was abandoned by his parents after his medical bills put them in debt. He was eventually found by Bisley due to his Chromatus abilities and became an agent.
* ParryingBullets: Ludger wields twin blades against Exodus agents armed with guns, and manages to block their bullets with the flat of his swords.

* ShipTease: Ludger's [[DialogueTree dialogue options]] during cutscenes or skits are ripe with these, with the skits themselves teasing as good as any pairing that can come up in the party. Particularly when Muzét's in the skit or talking about [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBT9hmEq6cg tethering-up]] with another.

* TomatoInTheMirror: People in Fractured Dimensions usually don't know they're from one. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, neither do the fractured versions of the Kresnik clan, at least until they gather the Waymarkers and attempt to reach Canaan, only to be [[ShaggyDogStory denied entry]] because Canaan is only in the Prime Dimension.]] In a Drama CD, Julius has already guessed that he's in a Fractured Dimension because [[RevealingContinuityLapse Ivar of all people became CEO of Spirius]], and he's actually relieved to know he's not beholden to Origin's Trial. On the other hand, [[spoiler:the Fractured version of Ludger who would become Victor suffers SanitySlippage after seeing the Elle he travelled with die for no reason and then being threatened with losing the Elle he fathered. He then becomes obsessed with entering the Prime Dimension and becoming the "real" Ludger.]]

* TransformationTrinket: The pocketwatches Chromatus users are born with are needed to trigger their transformation, though it is possible to use someone else's, either to [[AmplifierArtifact boost one's Chromatus level]], or as a replacement for one's own missing watch, as demonstrated by [[spoiler:Victor]]. A Spirius NPC notes that he was using someone else's watch to transform instead of his own, and supplementary material reveals it's the watch that belonged to [[spoiler:a Fractured version of Bisley, who Victor had killed]].

** In the game, little concern is shown for bringing an eight year old child along on the journey, whereas the manga makes it an explicit point that the Key of Kresnik is needed to move Waymarkers into the Prime Dimension, and so Ludger refuses to take Elle with him to destroy Fractured Dimensions. Elle objects to this, and Ludger eventually concedes upon realizing that he's [[LockedOutOfTheLoop keeping her in the dark]], the same thing he resents Julius for doing to him.

* PuppyDogEyes: A {{Yonkoma}} features Elle convincing Ludger to take her on a trip by giving him a cute pleading expression. Jude and Alvin comment that only a little girl could pull that off... only for the next panel to show Ludger himself pulling this on Julius, with Julius caving instantly.

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/TalesOfXillia2_3283.jpg]][[caption-width-right:300:A tale where your choices spin the future.[[note]]Clockwise from the bottom-left: Ludger Kresnik, Jude Mathis, Leia Rolando, Alvin, Muzét, Gaius, Rowen Ilbert, Elize Lutus, Teepo, Fractured Milla, and Elle Marta.[[/note]]]]