JRPGs

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Derkon

Blackwing Lair Raider
2,513
1,269
I'd come back when you have a third party member, the combo system fleshes out a bit more when you have the full party. I'd just keep playing, the third character is a healer.
 

Omayga

Lord Nagafen Raider
186
123
I'd come back when you have a third party member, the combo system fleshes out a bit more when you have the full party. I'd just keep playing, the third character is a healer.

yeah, this 100%

having 2 chars is a pretty big disadvantage in that game early on, and the named mobs are several orders of magnitude tougher than a normal mob in both health and damage that they do. Shulk draws a lot of agro, when you start getting gems / gear choices getting some Arts Stealth or Agro Down stuff on him will help a ton. You will end up with a few characters who can tank pretty well and then Shulks own heal plus some of the other chars will really help out. Early on you want to stick with more of a holy trinity of tank / dps / healer setup and later on when you can gear / gem / talent out differently you can start to move away from it.

hitting that "B" button during those "active combat sequences" gives a bit of a heal if I remember correctly, so eventually when your arts start to get faster due to leveling them up you can get a fair bit of passive healing with that too. I think there are a few gems that have the "arts heal" ability but I'm pretty sure you get those late enough in the game it doesn't really happen.

some of the named carry a "spike" that is like a damage shield to you, I'm not sure when they start but those numbers come in with the purple color I think, and when you hit the first few of them they will absolutely wreck your shit if you aren't prepared.

its worth sticking with the game, XC1 starts off pretty slow and you feel very weak for a while and then you will hit a turning spot and it will pick up speed nicely
 

gshurik

Tranny Chaser
<Gold Donor>
2,517
-56
My biggest suggestion with XC1 is to switch your main character a bit. Each character is pretty fun to play and Shulk won't fit in with every group. It's not really a problem now but later on you might find that the AI sucks for certain characters and sadly Shulk is one of the characters who doesn't have the greatest AI, so don't feel like you have to have him in the group if you're not playing as him.

One more tip if you're finding certain bosses hard; Don't fall into the trap of just using Sharla, Reyn and Shulk when you have new and different options. It's tempting to run the DPS, Healer and Tank archetype but there's some fights where Sharla's lack of DPS options really leaves you in a bad situation, and even though she can make some fights easier with guaranteed healing, there are ways to get great healing later and being tethered to Sharla makes some encounters really tedious and difficult. It's all doable with whoever but try lots of approaches and don't be scared of trying healer free approaches once you have a bit of sustain through the combo system.
 

elidib

Vyemm Raider
2,280
4,205
Do I need to play #1 before I play The Legend of Heroes Trails of Cold Steel II?

Or will I be totally lost on the story?
 

Derkon

Blackwing Lair Raider
2,513
1,269
It’s a direct sequel to the first game, like II picks up right where the first one ended.
 

Vimeseh

Trakanon Raider
938
725
Yah, you can jump around between the series but I wouldn't recommend playing a trails series out of sequence. Too story driven.
 

AladainAF

Best Rabbit
<Gold Donor>
12,914
31,017
Do I need to play #1 before I play The Legend of Heroes Trails of Cold Steel II?

Or will I be totally lost on the story?

Falcom games, of the same -series-, are generally best to play at the very first and continue onward.

I don't know if you should play Trails of the Sky before Trails of Cold Steel though, because I'm still playing Trials of the Sky the 3rd (Still doing the doors). Someone else can chime in on that one. But if you're a JRPG story kind of person, you absolutely positively cannot go wrong with falcom games. Not only do they have stellar stories (including all the random NPCs have changing stories too!), but absolutely out of this world soundtracks too.

 

Pyros

<Silver Donator>
11,217
2,365
You might as well start with Sky since that series is actually done, while Cold Steel isn't. Since they take place in the same setting, there's probably a fair bit of references and stuff that you might not pick up on otherwise, which wouldn't ruin your enjoyment but getting them might make it more enjoyable.

And yeah definitely don't play them out of order within a series. They are direct sequels to each other, picking up right after the events of the first one ends and ending on cliffhangers, each of the series is basically one big game split into multiple games because no one wants to play a 200hours game and it isn't realistic to make one either.

gshurik made a post a while ago about the chonological order of trails games
If you're talking proper chronological order:

Trails in the Sky
Trails in the Sky SC
Trails in the Sky 3rd
Zero no Kiseki (not in english) = Trails of Cold Steel
Ao no Kiseki (not in english) = Trails of Cold Steel II
Trails of Cold Steel III (not in english).

So basically, you'll want to complete the sky trilogy followed by the cold steel duology. You won't miss much not playing the Japanese only titles, but if they were in English you could play them before or after cold steel as they take part at roughly the same time period.

Though that is the chronological order, it's fine to start with Cold Steel if you have it, but you will be missing out on slight references (it's set in a different country) and obviously some of the flavour text will spoil the story from Trails in the Sky FC and SC. (3rd is kind of it's own thing).
 

dyadestrant

Molten Core Raider
264
890
Getting in to the first Trails in the Sky and I'm digging it so far.

Unrelated, but I'd love to have another Grandia game. Still my favorite battle system in a JRPG
 
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Noodleface

A Mod Real Quick
38,272
15,094
Only 6 hours into Xenoblade but really loving it. I like walking by and being uncomfortably close to level 73 mobs
 
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Noodleface

A Mod Real Quick
38,272
15,094
I'll definitely be picking up a switch for xc2. Is xcx something different than 1? Worth emulating (not buying a Wiiu)?
 

Derkon

Blackwing Lair Raider
2,513
1,269
I'll definitely be picking up a switch for xc2. Is xcx something different than 1? Worth emulating (not buying a Wiiu)?

XCX has a bigger focus on exploration and combat. You eventually get a giant robot you pilot that can fly, so it has a really nice progression of exploring on foot to exploring on a mech later in the game. You start off with ground combat in the early parts of the game, there are classes and several different weapon types you learn skills from. Mech combat was mostly fun, I actually felt the ground stuff had more depth to it but it's great fighting giant monsters with a group of mechs.

Biggest issue I had with XCX was the characters and story were both sorely lacking, at least in comparison to the first game. You create a character this time and it all feels very wooden; you just get text prompts when the side characters ask you questions and stuff like that. The main story felt like a big sidestory until the post credits twist ending which was cool but then you realize it will probably never be followed up on. The side characters felt mostly flat and the comic relief character is terrible.

It's worth giving a shot if the emu actually works with the game(last I heard it doesn't? or at least not very well).

XC2 was great and you get a nice payoff at the end if you played the first game all the way through.
 

Pyros

<Silver Donator>
11,217
2,365
Dragonquest XI announced for the west, PS4 and Steam version(no 3DS in the west apparently), September 4th. Switch version much later.
 
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Pyros

<Silver Donator>
11,217
2,365
Yep nice surprise, especially the simultaneous release rather than a delayed release like they've done for FF and stuff.
 

Lodi

Blackwing Lair Raider
1,481
1,494
Dragonquest XI announced for the west, PS4 and Steam version(no 3DS in the west apparently), September 4th. Switch version much later.


latest
 

Vorph

Silver Baronet of the Realm
11,492
5,242
I've never figured out the attraction of the DQ series. At least the world looks pretty in this one (offset by Toriyama's typical character design, unfortunately) but everything else seems dull as shit.
 

Rezz

Mr. Poopybutthole
4,486
3,531
Think I've figured out why you can't figure out the attraction of the DQ series. It's hidden in the "offset by Toriyama's typical character design, unfortunately" comment, haha.

If you don't like Toriyama artwork, you wouldn't like the series most likely. Especially with the 8th entry. But not liking the first DQ(dragon warrior in the west) when it came out in 89 is borderline criminal. It and Final Fantasy were very unique at the time in western gaming.