Jude:
Jude probably received the fewest new artes since he had some of the most in X1. H has a nice new Light option since Sun Spark was so bad, and a new landing arte that's Ice (Earth + Water), Frost Breaker (Asbel). Many artes' power and cost were adjusted since their progression is different compared to X1, but all the great fast combo are still available. His new Arcane Arte is a great aerial to aerial option, which he's lacking in since Milla and Leia are the queens of the sky.
Milla:
Milla also received few new artes. Her new Martial Artes provide wider area of effect than her previous, though I personally feel they were unnecessary. She also got some rebalancing to several artes. You can no longer infinite with Sigil Spear, and her healing spell is Undine. She also receives a new Arcane Arte as a spell (the only one), which also has a Spirit Shift (Or is it vice versa?).
Alvin:
Alvin has a new special arte that allows him to charge his sword while attacking, and smoother transitions between artes. He's overall more versatile, being able to use his Charged Artes abilities without having to withdraw from combat as frequently as before. Aside from Ludger, he is the only character with access to every elemental and weapon damage type in the game. Both his old and new Arcane Artes have Charged forms, allowing him to dump his Charge into an even more powerful burst. His new Arcane Arte is a shooting ability, increasing his versatility as both a close quarters specialist as well as a ranged option.
Elize:
Elize has gotten a couple of Martial Artes to help strengthen her non-magic game, as well as a two new lower tier spells to provide more than the wide AOE that Negative Gate was spammed for. These are perfect for when she doesn't have room for a long cast time, or needs something fast to build her High Chain Spell up. Sadly, she does not gain a new Arcane Arte.
Leia:
Leia's overall combo game has been improved vastly. Many of her Xillia 1 artes left her in midair unable to connect further, or knocked enemies down. She now not only has launchers and aerial chases, but landing skills as well. Her Soulstoke Spin also has a sick bonus animation after 200+ uses if you hold down the Artes button through it, and her Eagle Rage (from Farah, Tales of Eternia) is one of my favourite artes in the series. She has a lot of attacking and combo versatility now. Probably my favourite character to play when I'm not smashing everything to bits with Ludger.
Rowen:
Rowen has his Martial Artes over doubled, receiving 5 new ones on top of his existing 4. Like Elize, these give him strong options outside of casting to not only deal damage, but inflict damage types and build his High Chain Spell. Many of Rowen's higher level spells with High Chain Spell become deadly area of effects with huge amounts of crowd control, especially Roche Waltz which can lockdown even bosses weak to Earth.
Ludger:
Features 3 different weapons that are interchangeable in battle, <-> Twin Blades <-> Hammer <-> Dual Pistols <->
Twin Blades have fast, one hit artes that execute quickly and chain well to one another, as well as a few multihit options that flow smoothly into combos. Extremely good for high combos and fast movement.
Hammer uses slower, high knockback hits that typically knock enemies down or into the air. Very good for breaking guard or knockdown for keeping the situation under control.
Dual Pistols uses range to deal high damage with a wide variety of elements. Ludger's walking speed is very low while using Pistols, but the range and area of effect are superb, allowing him to sit back to deal damage.
Each weapon has two Arcane Artes, providing some very strong burst damage, and he has Combination Mystic Artes with every character, allowing his Overlimits combos to reach ridiculous levels.
Ludger also uses the Chromatus transformation, which sends Ludger into a different dimension to fight the enemies with a more powerful set of artes and Mystic Arte. If you're looking for a challenge, try keeping this to a minimum. If you're looking to wreck pomegranate, spam this all day.
Gaius:
Gaius's ability is called Revenger. When you guard an enemy attack, if you Front Step afterwards within 1 second, Gaius will unleash a powerful strike instead of a Front Step. The activation opportunity is indicated by a glowing red light around Gaius for one second. There is a Skill that enables the use of [L1 + O] to activate a different attack instead of using Front Step. (O is the default for basic attack in the Japanese version, and L1 + O activates a strong, non-continuous hit or something like that. There is a skill that transforms this into an attack with a small sidestep.)
Gaius's weapon is a 長刀 (Naginata, though the appearance resembles the Chinese changdao or choutou rather than the traditional halberd style naginata)
Gaius's link ability is Spread Force. Gaius will guard himself and the master against certain attacks from enemies, and the following conditions will be applied
Next link combo will cost 25% less TP
Next basic attack will be an element/type the enemy is weak to
Next basic attack will break super armor/penetrate and cause stun
Gaius's playstyle utilises powerful sweeping blows to emphasize the length of his blade. He has access to some incredibly fast combo skills that can chain back and forth quickly, as well as some slow powerhitters. He also has a strong counter arte that can OHKO enemies. He has a variety of artes that range from high speed and high range, to low speed and no range. One of his defining characteristics is his high speed comboability with certain artes. He has two Arcane Artes.
Muzet:
Muzet's ability is called Reave Assault. When you flinch, you can use Front Step or Back Step to teleport away from an enemy, becoming invulnerable, avoiding all attacks for a short time. After warping, you have the ability to counterattack (i.e. there's an opening now since you're not being targeted). There are skills available to reduce the cast time of spells, and the TP cost of artes when used with Reave Assault.
Musee's weapon is her hair.
Muzet's Martial Artes are much slower but have a variety of elements available. They emphasize keeping the enemy away rather than building up physical combos, and they set up well for defense as well as High Chain Spell. She has a special ability to perform a melee attack in the air if she attempts to cast a spell without Aerial Spell. This attack takes on whatever element was being cast. Muzet has access to a many spells, sharing most of them with Rowen and some from Elize. Her own unique spell, Gravity Well, is also one of her two Arcane Artes. Combined with Rowen, the two can lockdown the entire map with High Chain Spell and Roche Waltz.
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