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  1. Default Tales of Xillia 2 General [In Stores Now]




    Systems:

    The Power of Choice:
    One of the main features of Xillia 2 is the choice mechanic available throughout the game. It will appear on the screen to choose either L or R for some event. It typically affects the dialogue small bits of the event, but I don't believe there are any significant changes to the gameplay. The most significant aspect gained from choices is character affection. If a choice is favourable towards a party member, their affection for Ludger will go up. More affection unlocks side chapters for those characters, and those side chapters typically unlock more affection. Maxing out affection for a character gives Ludger one of their artes and enables their Combination Mystic Arte.

    Allium Orb:
    Spoiler

    A new feature replacing the Lilium Orb, which are now non-functional. Equip an Absorber and pick up Elemental Cores to level a specific element. After a certain number of points, you will be able to learn a Skill, Arte, or Mastery Levels permanently.
    http://aselia.wikia.com/wiki/ToX2_-_..._Arrowcell_Orb
    An example of one is mapped out here. You can use Aselia Wiki as a refernce for all Allium Orb growths.
    Shown in the screenshot, the Orb is hexagonally radial. Each direction corresponds with an element, going clockwise from 12', Light, Earth, Water, Dark, Wind, Fire. Certain abilities require points in two adjacent elements, such as the one shown in the middle of the bottom right.
    As you get closer to learning an ability, it will appear visible on the Orb and in the list on the left for you to cursor over it and confirm what it does, how many points it will cost, and it will disappear from the orb to remove clutter after you've learned it, going into your skill or arte list.
    The list of Skills, Artes, and Mastery Levels are shown in the left, depicting what type of ability you're learning, what they do, and what element needs to be developed to learn it. The highest number of points required for each element is 16 680.
    Absorbers, shown in the list to equip in the middle, with its description at the bottom, convert Elemental Cores into points to learn skills. This one shown in the screenshot converts 1 Elemental Core into 1 Dark and 1 Water Point. There are a fair number of different Absorbers, many of which have different balances for distribution. I found it pretty fun balancing them around characters to get some meaningful Skill and Arte upgrades.
    Elemental Cores can be found from harvest points on the field, as well as earned from battles. The amounts found will grow with the level of the area, I believe monsters and harvest spots start by dropping 1~5ish range. Bacura drop a tremendous amounts when defeated as well, so you might want to enter the menu quick and set things up before you start a fight.

    Mastery Level:
    An Arte can be learned from the Allium Orb with a certain number of elemental points invested. For example, Ludger's default Arte is Azure Edge and his first two learned artes are at 15 Water points and 15 Light points.
    Every arte with the exception of those learned from items has four available Mastery Levels. These are learned from the same element as the arte came from, and simply require more points. Learning these increases the effectiveness of the skill by giving it a special bonus. For example, his Azure Edge is default, but its associated Allium Orb element is Wind. At 100 Wind Points, Mastery Level 1 is unlocked. This increases the damage done by Link Artes that are activated with Azure Edge. Mastery Level 2 is learned at 610 Wind Points, and has a chance to nullify the AC cost of Azure Edge.
    These Mastery Levels are an addition to Xillia 1's Arte Use Stars.
    Spoiler


    Crafting:
    A less featured system throughout the game, Crafting is available for you to convert your materials and existing equipment into better versions of themselves. This is typically a single upgrade to create the subsequent item, or a straight up creation of a new item. It can be helpful throughout the game as equipment is far and few between, rarely ever popping up in chests in dungeons. These can be decent upgrades, and often come with special effects on the items, and I don't think the costs are very high. There are a set of end-game Tales titled weapons that can be crafted from the bonus dungeon as well, though in my opinion, they failed the design as these weapons are heavily outclassed by the Devils-arm Style weapons that are basically required to clear the dungeon to begin with, and require a ridiculous amount of time investment, for what is actually a graphically beautiful, but ultimately useless weapon.

    Quests:
    Not sure if this is what they're really called. In every town, there is a set of missions available, typically involving killing monsters or getting a certain number of drops from them to earn Gald. As you advance further through the game, the missions can change, and some of them are time sensitive I believe. After you reach the end of the game, the missions will reset periodically to kill monsters in the bonus dungeon and final dungeon if I recall correctly.

    In particular, you will receive quests to kill Giganto monsters, similar to the ones in Vesperia. There's a lot of them, practically one in every region, and at one point, they will reset with harder versions. You can accidentally walk into one and die if you're underleveled. This happened to me once, because one of them is actually really really small, and I was like 40 levels below it, so it oneshot me. I also recall another fight that I spent nearly an hour on because my last save was ridiculously far away. So really fun stuff here.

    Cat Dispatch:
    Like many of the past Tales games, you can find cats throughout the world and get some sort of a reward for finding them all. In Xillia 2, when you find a cat, you're able to feed it and send it off to scavenge items for you in the area that you found it. Basically every town and area has a cat or two. You can hear them if you pass by close enough. Each area can give different items as you send the cats out, and their success depends on the quality of food you give them. The rewards range from basic cooking ingredients, to materials and sellable goods, and rare joke weapons and cosmetics.

    Debt:
    Imagine you got completely wrecked in a car accident and they rebuild you from the ground up. Then imagine you live in the United States with no health insurance.
    Ludger is in a 20 000 000 Gald debt. As you progress throughout the story, you're required to pay some of it off. Luckily, it's not the entire 20 000 000, and you can scrape by paying the bare minimum before starting each chapter. As you pay off your debt, you will get item rewards. It ranges from a type of cat food to Intimacy Potions, to Skill Books and a "Jacket Off" costume for each character. Ludger's Devil's Arm Hammer is also here. Paying it all off shows an alternate ending to the game.

    Combat:
    For people who have never played a Tales game before:
    Tales is a JRPG that features a real-time battle system in encounters. You control your character in a 3D arena to defeat your enemies. Attacking abilities are called "Artes". They have special effects and animations, with significantly more strength than your basic attacks, but cost TP (Technical Points), Tales equivalent to Mana or Magic Points. Chain together basic attacks and artes to quickly take down enemies with style.


    The Combat System uses the general engine of Xillia with several improvements. One of the best mechanics from Graces, High Chain Spell, has returned in Xillia 2 as a Skill. This allows you to convert combos into cast time reductions, allowing your spell casters to actually utilise their offensive artes, or simply chain spell better.
    Elemental Weakness bonuses from Graces also returns. When you hit an enemy with something it is weak to, you gain a Power Hit, which gives a timer underneath the combo counter. While this timer is up, you gain improved damage from all sources, and if you mix a different damage type in, the timer and damage bonus increases. Enemies under Power Hit also stagger more frequently, making it a powerful option against threatening bosses.

    Link System:
    Spoiler

    The Link System is identical to Xillia's, with the exception of Common Link Artes. Previously, Link Artes could only be performed if the two exact artes required were available. In Xillia 2, if a corresponding unique Link Arte isn't created when activating an arte, a generic Link Arte is used instead. This improved system helps newer players or those who are unfamiliar to the characters to be able to properly continue their combos in Overlimits, without suddenly dropping it by inputting an invalid arte.
    For example, none of Ludger's Dual Pistol Artes create a unique Link Arte with Jude. Instead, L Link Cannon: D (Japanese name) is used if this is attempted with Ludger as the Master, and E Link Charge: D is used if Jude is the master. The first letter denotes the element of the arte, i.e. Light, or Earth.
    Also new to the Link System are Combination Mystic Artes with Ludger and every other character, which look amazing.


    Characters:
    The entire cast of Xillia returns throughout the game. Their order is slightly different than in the prequel, and they've all received new artes to balance out their repertoire. Every character has been given a basic healing arte so you're not exclusively relying on Elize and Leia to heal in each battle. The non-spell casters also received new Arcane Artes.

    Spoiler
    Last edited by JoeTang; 2014-08-10 at 06:28 PM.

  2. Orbital Bee Cannon Straight Male
    IGN: Musiphe
    Server: Reboot
    Level: 277
    Job: Hero
    Guild: Epic
    Alliance: Fatal
    Colorado

    Default Re: Tales of Xillia 2 General [Aug. 19 NA, 22 EU]


    This reminds me that I need to finish Milla's story since my sisters and I lost interest after starting our NG+ Unknown run.
    Ironically, although I'm super hyped for ToX2, I know little to nothing about the game other than the obvious "It's a sequel to ToX1".

    Does Xillia 2 have multiple stories, similar to Xillia 1 having Jude story and Milla Story? The EU trailer seems to imply that it's one story, but there's different endings.
    Also I'm guessing you'll be able to fully max out the Allium Orb similarly to the Lilium Orb.

  3. Default Re: Tales of Xillia 2 General [Aug. 19 NA, 22 EU]


    There's multiple endings, but it's one story. There's a bad ending if you lose a story fight near the end of the game. There's also a good ending and true ending depending on how do the final part.
    Throughout the game, you'll be given choices, which primarily serve to boost character's affections for Ludger. Maxed affection enables the Combination Mystic Artes if you have the skill equipped.

    Allium Orb can be maxed out as soon as you get Absorbers for each element, assuming you're willing to just farm harvest points for literally days. It's a pretty steady and smooth progression towards the end of the game, you will need to grind or harvest a bit more to max it out before the final boss fight if that's a goal.

  4. Default Re: Tales of Xillia 2 General [Aug. 19 NA, 22 EU]


    Elle is pretty cute, that's all I really need to be honest.

  5. Default Re: Tales of Xillia 2 General [Aug. 19 NA, 22 EU]


    hype to reskin every character as Presa.

    Tales of Presa 2.

  6. Default Re: Tales of Xillia 2 General [Aug. 19 NA, 22 EU]


    btw i'll post a picture of the Collectors edition stuff if nobody else does. I'm guessing someone will though since EU gets it a couple of days after NA.

  7. Default Re: Tales of Xillia 2 General [Aug. 19 NA, 22 EU]


    I'm pretty hyped too! Just not looking forward to the horrible debt system, but eh will have to deal with it : s

  8. Default Re: Tales of Xillia 2 General [Aug. 19 NA, 22 EU]


    Added some more info about systems I forgot.

    I never felt like the Debt was a problem in terms of game progression, but if you're going for paying off the entire thing, yeah it'll take a while.

  9. Orbital Bee Cannon Straight Male
    IGN: Musiphe
    Server: Reboot
    Level: 277
    Job: Hero
    Guild: Epic
    Alliance: Fatal
    Colorado

    Default Re: Tales of Xillia 2 General [Aug. 19 NA, 22 EU]


    The debt system reminds me of "Rebuilding Luin" in Symphonia.
    Cat Dispatch seems to be a mix between Katz expedition and dog hunting in Symphonia as well.

    Pretty interesting mechanics / systems.

  10. Default Re: Tales of Xillia 2 General [Aug. 19 NA, 22 EU]


    It's the 19th and the game should be for sale in North America.

    Was planning on starting a New Game+. Instead, I just spent the night killing the one Giganto I forgot (incidentally, it oneshot me so maybe I was waiting to level up even higher than 166) and trying to finish up the final pieces for the Title Weapons from the Bonus Dungeon. Drop rates are stupid low and tedious. Wasted literally half an hour on a boss fight before he just actually oneshot my entire party. Thank pineappleing God you get sent to the entrance of the bonus dungeon if you fail on the bosses in there. The one I was fighting heals when he blocks an attack. Which is to say, of the 1.5m HP it has, I slowly chipped away at it to 750k with my 10k damage Link Artes and 100k damage Mystic Artes, and then it blocked for five seconds and was at full health again. And there's a worse boss after that.

    I have to say, the post-game bosses are hard as pineapple on Unknown. I just want my sexy Title Weapons so I can pineappleing inherit them.


    Anyways, if anyone has questions, I can field them here.

  11. Default Re: Tales of Xillia 2 General [Aug. 19 NA, 22 EU]


    3 days to releas in EU.

  12. Default Re: Tales of Xillia 2 General [Aug. 19 NA, 22 EU]


    Is there a ton of postgame dungeon stuff unlike the first? I don't recall running into anything anywhere near that difficult in any other Tales games. Is the difficulty of postgame on Unknown comparable to postgame on Chaos in SO4, for example? I've really been looking for a game where even with perfect gear the postgame is almost impossible, and I've already beaten SO4 tons of times so I don't wanna replay through that...I haven't beaten 8wing EQ on Chaos yet, but the final dungeon has too many freeze bugs for me to risk wasting 5+ hours without savepoints just getting to her then freezing over an hour into the fight like I did last time.

  13. Default Re: Tales of Xillia 2 General [Aug. 19 NA, 22 EU]


    No, in my opinion, the post-game dungeon itself is terrible in Xillia 2. There's literally three maps. It's extremely repetitive. This differs from Xillia 1, which had many varying maps, though you would basically always take the same path. I preferred Graces f, Hearts, and Symphonia's random dungeon style to this. Vesperia's Telescopic Graveyard is by far the best bonus dungeon I think.
    I believe the other post-game content involves hunting the Gigantos, the Arena, and a couple of sidequests.

    I found the extra bosses to be a lot harder than Xillia's or Graces f's as a comparison, but I think part of it is because they can just deal so much damage. Some things can still oneshot me, and other things are just bad combos that can happen. Or that bullpomegranate healing. The boss I was stuck on heals 10% HP every time he blocks an attack. If your AI is doing anything other than nothing... The final Arena battle was tricky as well because it's a 4v4.

    I doubt it's the type of difficulty you're looking for? Though I remember the first time I stepped foot inside the Bonus Dungeon, it was nearly impossible for me to kill anything in a timely manner, and one of the maps is timed...

  14. Default Re: Tales of Xillia 2 General [Aug. 19 NA, 22 EU]


    yeah not really. Is Elle playable, by the way?

  15. Default Re: Tales of Xillia 2 General [Aug. 19 NA, 22 EU]


    Yay it's here!
    Spoiler


    I'd post the pics with stuff inside but with my brief glancing to refrain from spoiling anything, I managed to see @Remoir;s post so I'll let you show the insides.

  16. Default Re: Tales of Xillia 2 General [Aug. 19 NA, 22 EU]


    Feel free to show the contents! I've got another 3 days till i get mine.

  17. Default Re: Tales of Xillia 2 General [Aug. 19 NA, 22 EU]


    If you say so!

    Excuse the bad quality on some of the pictures because I suck with my phone camera (or just cameras in general)

    It's in the order I took them out btw
    Spoiler

  18. Default Re: Tales of Xillia 2 General [Aug. 19 NA, 22 EU]


    What was better about your unboxing than me doing it is that the EU one doesn't come with a plushie ;(

  19. Default Re: Tales of Xillia 2 General [Aug. 19 NA, 22 EU]


    Wasn't the collector's edition like 130 bucks or something?

  20. Orbital Bee Cannon Straight Male
    IGN: Musiphe
    Server: Reboot
    Level: 277
    Job: Hero
    Guild: Epic
    Alliance: Fatal
    Colorado

    Default Re: Tales of Xillia 2 General [Aug. 19 NA, 22 EU]


    Hoping to pick up the game today myself. I played Xillia 1 this entire past week and finally got platinum..

    Also, it's hard to make "Unknown" difficult without amping stuff to ridiculous levels. Since you obviously need to beat the game to unlock it, it usually means you pretty much know how every boss works. GMK was a total peach to beat on Hard for the first time in X1, but when I fought him again on Unknown, he wasn't that bad since I knew exactly what to expect and how to counter each attack. It also helps to not transfer over the Devil Beast weapons, but that just prolongs the fights since it only affects damage.

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