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What is your favorite Tales of game?
Why did you include a poll? This is dumb.
Tales of Xillia
Tales of Vesperia
Tales of Graces
Tales of Symphonia
Tales of the Abyss
One of the other ones.
View Results
 
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Phantasium
Dec 27, 2012

Brackhar posted:

Is playing on hard a bad idea?

I'd say no, with two exceptions, one of which is the final boss (who is a slog on hard) and another boss I can't quite remember but slogged through with auto-items.

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Endorph
Jul 22, 2009
Well, it probably felt half-assed to you because it was pretty rushed (though I liked the voice-acting.)

Anyway, this game is a sequel and reuses a lot of voice acting, so you might think of it as half-assed too.

Murodese
Mar 6, 2007

Think you've got what it takes?
We're looking for fine Men & Women to help Protect the Australian Way of Life.

Become part of the Legend. Defence Jobs.
I think my main problem with Xillia (and by extension X2) is the lack of overworld and joining areas. I'd rather have fewer, more varied and detailed areas ala Vesperia/Abyss than more procedurally-generated boring blobby areas with no distinguishing features, which is 80% of the areas in X1/2.

ApplesandOranges
Jun 22, 2012

Thankee kindly.

Amppelix posted:

If you don't like Alvin, you might be a fundamentally broken individual. Check with a doctor.

I've seen people dislike Alvin because of what that scene with him and Leia.

Of course, those who only played Millia's side have less reason to.

cathead
Jan 21, 2004

Alvin was kind of a poo poo in the first game what with his crazy betrayal spree, but after learning about his backstory you kind of understand why he ended up such a messed up dude. I still think the party overall was WAY too easy on him about the poo poo he did, but he eventually comes to admit it himself that he was a gigantic piece of poo poo and tries to make amends.

For that reason he's quite a bit better in this game and you can tell it's still kind of gnawing at him. Also it's pretty funny how the rest of the crew makes jokes at him about it and he just takes it because he knows he can't say poo poo.

Spiffo
Nov 24, 2005

ApplesandOranges posted:

I've seen people dislike Alvin because of what that scene with him and Leia.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joKGbjym43o

KoB
May 1, 2009
Elize sure got a whole lot older in 1 year jeez.

Kurui Reiten
Apr 24, 2010

Can someone explain the Alilililium Orb to me a bit better, please? The game seems to be saying that you just keep getting Ore, and it adds to whatever your Extractor is linked to, and I'm not sure where that maxes out or whatever. So I'm wondering if I'm supposed to just swap them around occasionally when I start receiving too little Ore to matter, or what. It would be nice if seeing future skills was a little less obtuse, or was even possible for that matter. I'm guessing Extractors make no difference in what skills come from what Elements, and just control what each Ore feeds into? So if I say, switch to a different Water one when I get one, I'll be feeding into the same set I already was, just at a differing rate?

I dunno, it sounds like it's simple and obtuse at the same time. Am I overthinking it?

Also I kinda don't wanna buy equipment since I've got this debt to pay off, but I'm guessing as I go on money won't become so much of an issue, right?

Clarification: I'm only at like Chapter 3, I think, when all I've got is still Jude and Ludger, and still only the twin swords for Ludger. So, really early still.

Caphi
Jan 6, 2012

INCREDIBLE

Kurui Reiten posted:

Can someone explain the Alilililium Orb to me a bit better, please? The game seems to be saying that you just keep getting Ore, and it adds to whatever your Extractor is linked to, and I'm not sure where that maxes out or whatever. So I'm wondering if I'm supposed to just swap them around occasionally when I start receiving too little Ore to matter, or what. It would be nice if seeing future skills was a little less obtuse, or was even possible for that matter. I'm guessing Extractors make no difference in what skills come from what Elements, and just control what each Ore feeds into? So if I say, switch to a different Water one when I get one, I'll be feeding into the same set I already was, just at a differing rate?

I dunno, it sounds like it's simple and obtuse at the same time. Am I overthinking it?

Also I kinda don't wanna buy equipment since I've got this debt to pay off, but I'm guessing as I go on money won't become so much of an issue, right?

Clarification: I'm only at like Chapter 3, I think, when all I've got is still Jude and Ludger, and still only the twin swords for Ludger. So, really early still.

What you get is fixed, either down one element or between two adjacent ones but basically you're always going to get attack and fire artes and whatever on Flame or Beacon or Lightning, or whatever. The reason to switch is because the spacing gets wider as you go deeper down each element, so at any given time you want to focus on the ones that have stuff coming up sooner, or if nothing interesting is forthcoming, the ones that are lowest because odds are they've got something relatively close, even if only because they're dragging a shared track down.

But your guess is basically correct that the only thing that matters are your point levels.

Unclouded
Jul 14, 2012

I'm only about Chapter 6 myself and gradually the debt ceiling rises so you can afford more expensive equipment without always getting your money taken from you. Still haven't found many items to buy yet so it's not that big of a deal.

Also yeah you are over-thinking the Alilium Orb thing at least in my opinion. You get better multipliers later on and through jobs occasionally that will give you upgrades faster. Basically, what I've been doing is if on one of the slides they have only one upgrade and it's at least a 100 away I swap it out with another. However, if you see something on the upcoming list that you really want feel free to aim for it. I know I did that with the Lottery skill even though it was a long ways off.

ImpAtom
May 24, 2007

The debt ceiling is a complete nonissue. I regularly have enough cash to buy every piece of equipment while also completing the debt ceiling twice per chapter. It's really really not worth stressing out about.

Endorph
Jul 22, 2009
Yeah, the debt's another one of those things in games that's more for flavor than actual gameplay effect but people still blow out of proportion. Just relax about it and you'll be more than fine.

Momomo
Dec 26, 2009

Dont judge me, I design your manhole
Do the single element orbs give the same amount of points as the double element ones? Is there a reason to use Soot over Undertow, for instance?

ImpAtom
May 24, 2007

Momomo posted:

Do the single element orbs give the same amount of points as the double element ones? Is there a reason to use Soot over Undertow, for instance?

Nope. Once you unlock customization you'll even be able to upgrade some of those into better or multi-element ones.

Cake Attack
Mar 26, 2010

Having Muzet in the party is pretty fun because the fact she used to be kinda nuts and tried to kill you all just sorta hangs over everything she does.

Oh look Muzet is making sexual innuendo, let's hope she doesn't bribe Alvin into murdering Jude again.

Skeezy
Jul 3, 2007

What's the max level this time? 99 or 200?

KoB
May 1, 2009

Skeezy posted:

What's the max level this time? 99 or 200?

The DLC level up things implied 200, which it typical for a Tales game.

Dimix
Aug 1, 2004
Ahhh a bowel movement joke. A good game.

Eddain
May 6, 2007

ImpAtom posted:

The debt ceiling is a complete nonissue. I regularly have enough cash to buy every piece of equipment while also completing the debt ceiling twice per chapter. It's really really not worth stressing out about.

Yeah the equipment doesn't seem crazy overpriced like in Xillia 1.

So for every 20 cats you have you get a 10% bonus to finding poo poo on the Dispatch. Once I got over 20 I finally started completing the item sets for areas and most of them are attachments, but some give Ludger these joke weapons. They give a pretty hefty +2 AC bonus and they look really weird (Ludger gets dual Cat Tails as his joke weapon).

Mokinokaro
Sep 11, 2001

At the end of everything, hold onto anything



Fun Shoe
Man they REALLY want you to play as Ludger don't they? Once he gets a second weapon set he just becomes so much fun.

I'm not even sure if I'll be able to go back to Milla once she joins. He's just too much.


Edit: \/ not yet. Just got the pistols at helioborg

Mokinokaro fucked around with this message at 03:31 on Aug 23, 2014

MonsterEnvy
Feb 4, 2012

Shocked I tell you

Mokinokaro posted:

Man they REALLY want you to play as Ludger don't they? Once he gets a second weapon set he just becomes so much fun.

I'm not even sure if I'll be able to go back to Milla once she joins. He's just too much.

Have you gotten the 3rd weapon set yet.

Murodese
Mar 6, 2007

Think you've got what it takes?
We're looking for fine Men & Women to help Protect the Australian Way of Life.

Become part of the Legend. Defence Jobs.

Mokinokaro posted:

Man they REALLY want you to play as Ludger don't they? Once he gets a second weapon set he just becomes so much fun.

I'm not even sure if I'll be able to go back to Milla once she joins. He's just too much.


Edit: \/ not yet. Just got the pistols at helioborg

That is the third set.

e; oh, maybe not depending on your choices? I forget whether the other one was in a choice-swap chapter.

Dastardly
Jun 14, 2011

Fresh outta hecks.
I wish I had never noticed that the mutton guy is back. Now I can't stop hearing it

ImpAtom
May 24, 2007

Mokinokaro posted:

Man they REALLY want you to play as Ludger don't they? Once he gets a second weapon set he just becomes so much fun.

I'm not even sure if I'll be able to go back to Milla once she joins. He's just too much.


Edit: \/ not yet. Just got the pistols at helioborg

Yeah, the game is basically "play as Ludger, maybe you can get a friend to play as the crappier characters?!" It is my biggest problem with it so far beyond the fact that it is like 120% recycled contented.

Even the recycled content would bother me less if not for the fractured dimensions which mean you're not only going through the same areas as Xillia, you're doing it multiple times.

Eddain
May 6, 2007

ImpAtom posted:

Yeah, the game is basically "play as Ludger, maybe you can get a friend to play as the crappier characters?!" It is my biggest problem with it so far beyond the fact that it is like 120% recycled contented.

Even the recycled content would bother me less if not for the fractured dimensions which mean you're not only going through the same areas as Xillia, you're doing it multiple times.

The game reminds me a lot of FF13-2, 'cept instead of fixing the timelines we're outright destroying worlds.

Axle_Stukov
Feb 26, 2011

Stylin'
Man the bosses in this game get absolutely insane after a point, gently caress I'm on Normal too and these guys are murder gently caress incarnate. I was forced to use an All-Divide to just survive against Chronus Round 2.

Selenephos
Jul 9, 2010

I'm surprised so many people were so down on Xillia and this game. I always felt the games before Graces required you to have a walkthrough open if you plan to do any sidequests because the triggers were so arbitrary and stupid and Graces fixed that but the story and characters grated on me that I was just playing it for the gameplay.

ImpAtom
May 24, 2007

Mr. Fortitude posted:

I'm surprised so many people were so down on Xillia and this game. I always felt the games before Graces required you to have a walkthrough open if you plan to do any sidequests because the triggers were so arbitrary and stupid and Graces fixed that but the story and characters grated on me that I was just playing it for the gameplay.

I enjoyed Xillia more than I was expecting and I certainly enjoyed it more than a good chunk of the Tales games. It isn't my favorite but I'd replay it over Abyss any day of the week, let alone real stinkers like Legendia.

I'm a bit cooler on X2 but the sheer amount of recycled content is a little wearing. I think I'd feel better if I was coming to it after playing a different Tales game first or something where it would feel more like "oh, I'm back here" instead of "this place again?"

Skeezy
Jul 3, 2007

I never finished Graces so after I finish my first Xillia run I'll probably go back and finish Graces.

Since these games take me so long to finish I'll hopefully be able to buy X2 when its cheaper and the recycled content won't bother me as much since I'm not jumping in straight from X1.

Endorph
Jul 22, 2009
The recycled stuff doesn't bother me, but for some insane reason Xillia 1 is my favorite game of all time, so I'd probably take a game that was just that again only with Ludger lazily photoshopped over Jude.

Mokinokaro
Sep 11, 2001

At the end of everything, hold onto anything



Fun Shoe
While the maps and such are heavily recycled I do find Xillia 2 does a lot more with the characters themselves. It's nice to see folks like Leia who were heavily sidelined in XIllia 1 actually get their deserved moments.

Murodese
Mar 6, 2007

Think you've got what it takes?
We're looking for fine Men & Women to help Protect the Australian Way of Life.

Become part of the Legend. Defence Jobs.
Teepo also remains the best loving character in both games, at least.

Eddain
May 6, 2007
I managed to get Ludger to learn all his skills by Chapter 9 (that DLC extractor is totally worth it) and started playing as Gaius now. He is a total beast and super fun.

Skeezy
Jul 3, 2007

Ludgers last name is Kresnik right? Is that just a little easter egg or is there a reason for it?

Cake Attack
Mar 26, 2010

It's part of the plot, yeah.

wdarkk
Oct 26, 2007

Friends: Protected
World: Saved
Crablettes: Eaten
I think what makes the first Chronos fight especially awful is that literally all your party is close ranged (Ludger could use guns, but the boss is strong to them so NOPE). His AOE attacks can hit your entire team at once, making things particularly awful.

Is it possible to buy treats later on in this game? I liked the ability to auto-item a treat if I was taking massive AOE like that.

ImpAtom
May 24, 2007

wdarkk posted:

I think what makes the first Chronos fight especially awful is that literally all your party is close ranged (Ludger could use guns, but the boss is strong to them so NOPE). His AOE attacks can hit your entire team at once, making things particularly awful.

Is it possible to buy treats later on in this game? I liked the ability to auto-item a treat if I was taking massive AOE like that.

You've got Leia who can be set to long-distance healing and the AoE attacks can be Magic Guarded.

wdarkk
Oct 26, 2007

Friends: Protected
World: Saved
Crablettes: Eaten

ImpAtom posted:

You've got Leia who can be set to long-distance healing and the AoE attacks can be Magic Guarded.

The giant shockwave thing is a MAGIC attack? poo poo no wonder it kept smashing me. I thought it was physical.

DarkstarIV
Apr 6, 2010

OFFICIAL RACIST
From what I've seen, the only way to get treats/specifics (outside of certain boss fights) is by crafting them. Also just a heads up. After you beat the game, you unlock the EX version of elite monsters. Don't try facing them right away as they will gently caress you up. Lowest level ex elite mark is around level 138.

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wdarkk
Oct 26, 2007

Friends: Protected
World: Saved
Crablettes: Eaten
By the way, could someone list what elemental levels you need to get res spells for the characters that have them? It'd be really nice to have one.

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