Tales Series

underrated song

Eternia as a whole is kinda underrated

I am with you brothers. *salutes*

Westonbol gorge: finally this area is free from Heldalf's super thick miasma. The enemies are starting to get repetitive... the ruins nearby are longer than usual at 5 floors. A couple easy Discoveries and a crucible. Nothing much to say about this place, lets press on...

Wind trial: a guy falls from the tower, a Dullahan wants his soul, suddenly WILD ZAVEID APPEARS! He is less creepy than the Earth temple Guy, but still shows interest in Edna. Already inside, I say is more confusing than the Water one... so much I missed the discovery on my first climb. The boss was nothing out of ordinary since Fire mode hits all his weak points, but the reinforcements are the real headache.

(Weird thing is, you must go to Glaiven basin to continue the story, but the game does NOT stop you from going to Lohgrin's continent with Lionface's usual miasma. I heard this makes a medusa roaming here easier to kill with Dezel. Mmm...)

• Stheno: GORGON EYE! GORGON EYE! GORGON EYE! GORGON EYE! GORGON EYE!
• Sorey: *Damage Step stops 99% of her attacks*
• Me: Lol, I think this is a new Game-Breaker.

Pendrago revisited: GLUB! Gah. Whew. That's the plot giving me an infodump on Rose and Dezel, big enough to get stuck on your throat. Game should have been put her backstory in smaller doses, ya know? And Lunarre was gone for 30 hours just to come back now! And Symonne looks like an emo and a cocktease and should have become a dragon a hundred times over!

Yes, anger is how I cope with sadness... *sob* Okay Rose, now you can finally wear your civilian clothes and not Hyland's knight armor. You graduated from being another character's replacement to be your own person. Be happy, girl!

Edited by FlightMaster on Feb 10th 2020 at 9:56:51 PM

I got Eternia for like $20 ten years ago.

I feel bad about that sometimes, but not too much.

Edited by RodimusMinor on Feb 10th 2020 at 4:21:10 AM

I spent 20 bucks too, on this Zestiria used copy. Eternia is totally worth it... The judge is still out on this one though.

So I went killing some more Mutants and it keeps bugging me. You know the heroes have a pentagon in their stat screen showing their growth? Hellions have it too, and most Mutants' is a sharp arrow pointing up. Oh, Crap!, yes, but I discovered an easy way to deal with them, with Arrow Rain, Crown Fire and Earthshaker in this order of effectivenes. When is the Wind armatus going to get an offensive spell?

Disc 2 Final Boss: I warped to the middle Airfread grounds save point and found Mayvin? THERE?! Weird. Okay, Ganon'dalf resists neutral but hates earth. So Lion Howl is what they want you to use, but I used Earthshaker to not get close and pin him down. I guess 'blah blah Earthshaker' is this game's meme. Sorey does use Lion Howl in a cutscene and the dark lord is all 'THIS IS THE TRUE LION HOWL' and breaks his spine.

Trivia here... Heldalf uses a water stream at many points in this event. Is it... his version of Heavenly Torrent? Because you gotta know that to extend it into Lion Howl. Anyway, it soon becomes clear he's toying with us and Sorey realizes there is more to learn. At least Zaveid says openly that Maotelus is the key.

Well, act 3 is here. The hunt for the Triforce shards iris gems. Man, there are a dozen and half of them...

Edited by FlightMaster on Feb 12th 2020 at 2:06:55 PM

Oh yeah I forgot they renamed Beast for this game because lol consistency

Well, Beast has always been a rather poor localisation.

I don't recall the Wind Form getting much better. It's easily inferior to the rest. Th Fire Form is by far the strongest and easiest to break into little pieces, since getting Fides (double damage on Fire attacks) is quite easy.

I believe Water is the strongest, actually. Fire is a close second tho.

Anyway, Wind gets an offensive spell eventually IIRC. Pretty awful but it looks awesome.

Happy Day of Loneliness Aknowledgement.

• Zaveid: Hey babes. What kinda guys do you like?
• Rose: The ones who don't even ask!
• Edna: Nor the ones who call us 'babes'.

Remember when I said the Iris gem hunt was filler?

Hah hah, just kidding. By the time the McGuffin hunt starts you should have about a dozen out of 15. Most are in the hands of Mutants, and you don't want to fight them on anything over Easy. It goes from 'good fight' to 'abso-f*cking-ly impossible without OP skills'. Anyway, the strategy is to xross up quickly, put Rose into 'dont battle' and use the bulkiest seraph as healer. Suckers will spend the fight chasing her and being tapped in the ass. Took only 4 hours to round up the whole set.

Lohgrin: here goes another dose of superthick plot dump, this time focused on Sorey and Mike that will make you liver turn into foiegras. Here come the bosses of act 3's war sequence.

VS Mayvin: this guy has a skewed stat growth, like the Mutants, but his preferred stat is Focus, and he will (not a question of 'if' but 'when'.) stun you into a combo and have you watch your first enemy Mystic arte. Arrow Rain was my choice here, this guy has amazing range with his Draw Sword style (taken from Asbel) so Mickey is best.

VS Maltran: again a Focus based one, so put Alisha on 'GTF away' strat (she comes with the latest equips, thankfully) and never let het go with Crown Fire. This time I noticed how the game likes to totally change my character setup before starting the fight, making me lose precious time. After the game-over I use the seraphs I wanted from the start and all went smoother.

VS Illusion Sergei: the big guy isn't very tough, but brings his zombie mages to join the fun... the key is not let anyone get any hit with your favorite mage killer: Blah blah Earth shaker! If you need to heal, backstep + fairy circle. If you keep up casting the gang will die basically at the same time. By far the easiest of the bosses.

VS Lunarre: Rose will take her sweet time before joining the battle, so I xross with Mikleo and try to survive with normal attacks and heal Blast. You need fast heals and artes to overcome his speed. He is not tough to hurt, but very very very VERY annoying! Those stupid seconds of Mercy Invincibility bosses get when escaping a combo are what usually foils a good run.

Edited by FlightMaster on Feb 14th 2020 at 4:09:09 PM

When you want to bump the topic but not double post... agh. You made me do it. Namco, why would you not say ANYTHING about Arise?

I tried this exploit to see if it works... warping between ruins with Treasure Restore, used to spawn mimics, should give you a decent batch of equipment for battle (well, duh...) to sell for shop upgrading or to gift to your Lords of land. You don't need to wait for the postgame!

• Sorey: Isn't it presumptious to call it 'grinding'?
• Rose: I know. Call it The Poor man's Pilgrimage!
• Lailah: The Cycle of Loot?
• Edna: The Nerds' Errand.
• Zaveid: Huh, eh... Ransac-King's Quest!
• Meebo: Your names are horrible...
• (his slip of paper reads 'Treasure chest simulator'.)

VS Tiamat: whoa whoa whoa a FRIGGIN GODZILLA! We need the Megazord! *starts battle* Oh wait, its smaller. But still hits like.... a dragon. The best Armatus is... wait for it... Wind! Paralysis is a threat, so have Mike as healer. After two cutscenes both armies will find their Courage! It causes that HP tank to be easily stunned, and since its slow Banish Blasts are more cost effective than Mystic artes. Well, for me at least.

Night before the battle: the epic music, character building and feelings! Our heroes' final goal is made clear. For Sorey, no matter the outcome, is a suicide mission. Sad... but then I noticed that I have been beating bosses on Normal since the Earth temple and I feel happy again. It was about that time the combat finally clicked, I think.

Remains of Melchior: this place is in no man's land... the only monsters are slimes... and it has a chest with a Monocle attachment 'that makes you look evil'... I think the game is trying to say something...

Edited by FlightMaster on Feb 16th 2020 at 3:07:27 PM

By this point I'm cold on Arise because eh. The Tales series as a whole is just there.

That and Namco also announced that Gundam Extreme VS Maxi Boost On was coming to PS 4 and overseas to boot which got me way more excited than any other new Arise party member. Granted if the cameo costumes turn out to be completel ynew I'll take another look but...eh.

Did more Vesperia.

Got the Yeager / Reagey reveal and am now in Mantaic. There's a lot of stuff I want to synth that I can't right now due to not having the right materials (like older weapons that I already used to synth other stuff). When I get the chance, I'm going to grind for cash and materials.

That being said, any advice on that? I also need better ways to hold onto my healing items, Seems like I'm using them up like crazy all the time.

All the weapons used in several synth recipes are buyable. If not now, later in the plot. More materials are dropped when you finish enemies with Fatal Strikes.

The next 'dungeon' is a desert that houses both of the materials needed for the lvl 3 Overlimit, but wait until the boss is dead and you can go back to farm without the pressure of the 'water gauge'.

Weird, as long as Estelle is doing her job you should not be running out of gels... you have good Strategies?

EDIT: FEB 17th

Arondight forest revisited: the place is now full of lvl 50+ monsters! And most of them are the zombie mage type, the 2nd fastest after the werewolf. Leave me alone already! Either Gramps is losing his touch... or the worst happened. CERBERUS OUT OF FRIGGIN NOWHERE! At least the seraphs are OK. Rose got a sizeable list of conversations, so... Give me a minute.

(A couple hours later...)

What is worse than a petrify spammer medusa? TWO at once! But it was fun trying Armatus spells. And the Wind armatus learned Cloudburst just in time to use it on the Legendary wyvern. The Wind armatus is not The Load anymore, yay!

And I got this golden victory quote...

• Sorey: No one...
• Rose: ...can stand...!
• Zaveid: ...ME!
• (So Zaveid is both Zelos AND Pascal, lol.)

VS Symonne: she is totally a dark element (Gramps is Light?) She made the mistake of sending two Armatus forms as enemies. I can stop their spells with Damage Step, but they can't! And mine are faster because I dance the Magicarena! (Don't Explain the Joke) She does it twice. Stupid bitch, you are only making me stronger by throwing exp at me! So when she finally takes matters in her own hand I utterly overpower her. She never got to use her Mystic.

Weird, I thought I would want to punch her like Rose said, but I find myself wanting to HUG her. This messed-in-the-head brat is comparable to Xillia 1 Muzet. Except the latter had a whole new game to redeem herself after solving her daddy issues. Namco finished milking the Zestyverse, so Symonne will always remain as the annoying pest in a Horny Devils costume.

Edited by FlightMaster on Feb 17th 2020 at 2:49:33 PM

The complete silence on Arise worries me.

A few years ago I would have been hyped because "Omg they take so much time for this, its gonna be a big ass polished game full of content."

But nowadays I realized that this is just a big red flag and a sign that the production must be troubled.

Namco has their attention divded. Tekken 7's probably gonna get another season, Season 2 of Soulcalibur 6 is still very much underway, Rays is still going on and they're definitely working on Gundam Maxi Boost On, all of which probably diverted their focus from Arise. But the complete silence as opposed to little information is what's kinda draining my hype for it. That

I’m kinda worried about the silence too, but if they have good stuff to show when they do bring it up again, I’ll be OK with it. But I do wonder if something’s going on that they don’t want to make public. If there’s something wrong, I’d rather they delay it than half-ass it, but I’m not sure what Bamco’s track record is with that.

Yeah. I mean I remember this happened last time with that one Tales switch game which was probably just the Switch port of Vesperia. Namco...don't really seem to like this series.

They have been quiet lately. Maybe the backlash with Zestiria has soured them on the value of Tales. The last new game in the series was prequel to that game, and Zestiria did leave some questions unanswered that'll probably stay that way after everything that happened with it.

I got Estelle healing regularly. Maybe I need to do better with having someone to watch her back.

That backlash was ages ago and in the West.

Meebo and Sorey still get all kinds of love at their Live Tales of Events in Japan.

Edited by OmegaRadiance on Feb 16th 2020 at 10:48:31 AM

Ah? The West? I thought the Japanese were the ones who raged at the bait and switch heroine. They are the ones who consume merch before the game was out and treat Voice actors as idols and game events / conventions like Serious Business.

Meanwhile the West disliked the game due to a crap ton of ass backwards mechanics and grindy gameplay.

Of course Sorey and Meebo are liked, since Graces the Tales fandom has been overrun by Yaoi Fangirls.

Don't worry, the backlash gained because of Zestiria was pretty much undone by Berseria, it solved many of the previous game's bullshit, and Vesperia's localization (AND port to every console and PC.) built up a lot of good will. Er... what questions were unanswered at the end, pray tell?

Okay, Zestiria progress.

Artorius' throne: this is it. The Very Definitely Final Dungeon. If you evade all those random mobs (or use a holy bottle) and bother with erasing the 6 optional bosses from existence you will get the last HP boosters and a bunch of levels. Its funny I got the 'watch xxx skits' trophy just at the entrance! (And the 'register xxx monsters' after the Angel fight.)

I confirmed that you can get a Normin skill on refilled chests! So no need to fight hundreds of battles in the vain hope that they drop, or grinding Lords' level. I plan to get at least Sorey, Rose and Lailah 3 or 4 Lindwers. And I know just the right guy to try them on...

VS Eizen: I checked, and when you find a mimic on a chest, it escapes and you reload, that chest will ALWAYS have a mimic. Anyway. This lizard is so big Rose's mines will set off instantly, and only pure Wind spells are viable. So Wind armatus it is! Its super hard to proc a mystic arte... The battle will be long and ardous, but Lindwers make it easier. (Edna: Goodbye brother.) Player Punch right in the gonads.

VS Phoenix: I Knew It!! I knew that plushie was alive! Since the moment Edna mentioned the Normins' leader dissapearance. He's a Large Ham, emphasis on 'ham'... he only gets large when using artes. He will revive 3 times. Gigaton smash is useful since he resists all but Earth and buys you time until healing arrives. Kinda Bragging Rights Reward, since Phoenix cannot be transferred to NG+.

VS Dark Turtlez: oooh. Memories of old times, of a better game... and better Super Mode gimmick. You need to buy all Turtlez maps and discover Katz Korner first. This try ended in TOTAL DEFEAT. Spent all life bottles to bring him from 80k HP to 10k. The stupid AI simply can't cope.

VS Rose + Zaveid: nope nope nope. Quoting Rose here. Double the bosses with half the playable heroes? Lol nope. I almost killed Zaveid and he gifted me with a Mystic Arte to the face... and if I try a no armatus run I simply get destroyed. Sorry Rose, you will never get your 'answer'.

Crucibles: no problem here, monsters are too weak by this point. See ya soon.

Edited by FlightMaster on Feb 19th 2020 at 4:11:24 PM

Guys. This is the Videogame Cold War. No one wants to show their cards before the others. The lack of a Nintendo Direct is almost memetic by now.

• Peppy: It's quiet... too quiet.

But I have to post this or my veins will pop! Agh!

This is it. The Final Boss. *breath*

I will not lie to you: since I knew of his instakill gimmick years ago, it is the thing I have researched the most since starting my run. I have studied this guy to an obsessive degree. I watched a million videos. Some strats were used a lot, so I will try to explain it here. I was level 70, I had Topaz gear, played on Normal.

Form 1: this form is harder than the second! He starts out slowly, with telegraphed attacks, but when he Turns Red he begins to spam. Lion howl, earth spikes, and the most dangerous: a lightning beam which is a sure KO to stupid CPU's... and Rising Phoenix, since he chains it into his mystic arte. That thing has an inmense AOE, block instead of steps! Other than that he is a typical boss. Dont waste too many bottles, though...

Form 2: the nightmare of many noobs. The game has been nice letting you reach this point, but is NOT gonna let you see the credits so easily. I had 4 Lindwers on Lailah and 3 on Sorey and Rose. At the start of the battle, control Rose, fuse with Lailah and NEVER drop her. She must 'depart' the last. Stay far away from the boss and spam Ancient Nova. When he starts casting revive Sorey (at least) right-stick 'total offense' and go close to spam Calamity Flare. When Lailah is alone control Sorey, but stay in Armatus!

Form 3: worry not, the worst has passed. Chug an arcane bottle to recover Blast points and fight with mostly arcane artes. At around half health he will be easier to trap into a Mystic arte, and that will end the fight with a cutscene. DONE!

Well, its over. Now I need to grind like a motherhugger to get better gear and levels so that the monsters in the Bonus Dungeon don't chew me to pieces right at the start, lol. See ya.

Edited by FlightMaster on Feb 21st 2020 at 3:37:10 PM

Right. So yesterday I did a bit more work in Switch-speria.

Bought the Artes....thingy...can't remember it's name, but it lets me set a second set of arts with and activate them by pressing L with the other buttons. Haven't used it much though, but it'll be useful.

I'm also using Overlimits more now for better stats too. Before I felt like it was too risky to try because I felt like I was wasting it, but I feel more comfortable about it now so I'm giving it a shot.

Working on doing more Fatal Strikes as well. Got some abilities that let me recover TP and HP when I do one, so that's useful. Still not good at stringing together longer combos right now, but I'll work on that.

My biggest issue is equipping all the abilities I really need. I never have enough points for all the ones I want and it's kinda irking.

Beyond that, I purposefully went back through the Weasand of Cados to farm materials for more gear. I look forward to when I can get back on my boat for that as well and buy older weapons to help make even more stuff.

Right now I'm only really using Yuri and Rita. I may have to try others at some point though, but not sure who. Perhaps Flynn when I have him for long enough.

I use the Overlimit defensively (spend one bar > spam Nurse) or to rack up combos (Yuri's Cerberus fang add more punches the more you use it) To use it for offense would mean Mystic artes.

Fatal Strikes are very nice. Birds and bugs are weak to 'down', plants and fishes to 'up', beasts to 'forward'. You don't need artes: just move the stick in the desired direction.

Flynn joins in the last dungeon of every Act. And Patty should have joined you permanently by now. They were my go to team for a long time.

No one is saying anything about how I beat the most bullshit Final Boss in the Tales Series? Okay. Moving on...

Hexen island: I dunno mates, but my game's monsters are super BUFFED here. I have to put them on Easy to get by until I find Adamant equips (Dark Turtlez sells them at 4 stars... I think?) to alleviate the pain. I noticed they are filthy RICH too: 5000 gald per battle. I used all my Drop bottles on the first boss and it left behind a 600k gald prize!

I used the dough to level up the island's and Lohgrin's lords to 10. My goal is 13 at least, for all of them. I am 2 levels from being able to find mimic golems. I can slowly buy Drop bottles to use on these bosses, but its a bad idea to dick around Sophie (she guards the 2nd chalix, Jade is in the 4th and the 8th has both, right?)

Meanwhile, I got 2 Adamant daggers and Caliburn with Lindwer AND Deemun! I can say that the best you can do (after adjusting level with Normins) is to use Mystic artes on the monster you want to farm, ONLY on it. After 5 or 6 mystics the drop rate is decent.

Zaveid's crucible is totally impossible. Hellions have far too much HP and resistance. Screw it.

I don't think Graces was the first instance of Tales being overrun with yaoi fangirls. They've been around since Symphonia at least (and probably longer, I seem to recall the author of the original Tales of Destiny manga was previously known for writing yaoi).

Played more Vesperia. Made it to Yormgen.

You know, considering what he knows, and how he feels about humans, I'm surprised Duke didn't try and kill Estelle right then and there to keep her from becoming a threat.

Ironically enough, his refusal to talk (probably because he wanted to keep them from screwing things up since at that point Duke didn't trust a single human as far as he could throw them) actually did more harm than good. If Estelle had known what her powers due to Entelexia, Belius' death could have been completely avoided.

So it's arguably on him as much as it is anyone else involved in that debacle.