We got a look at Tales of Berseria’s newest characters, setting, and story in our earlier report, and Bandai Namco also provided an in-depth look at the game’s battle system.
Link Artes:
Link Artes can be done on the Artes Set screen, where you can freely put together a variety of links. Similar to what we’ve seen from the series thus far, these links can be done easily, even for beginners, and once you get used to the controls you’ll be able to use linked Artes freely than before.
Artes Set:
- The four buttons of circle, X, triangle, and square are used to set Artes.
- Each button can have up to four Artes.
- Artes can be set any way you prefer, and not restricted to type or order.
Keep in mind that your set Artes go in an order from 1st>2nd>3rd>4th, so you’ll want to have it set in a way that works well for you. The settings can be changed during battle, so you’ll also get to mix things around accordingly to your situation.
The Linking of Artes:
In battle, you’ll se Artes that are set to the four main buttons. You’ll start by pressing the the button for the Arte set on the first stage, followed by the Arte you want to use next as part of the link. You can pretty much link any Arte together as long as you’re still able to link Artes.
The above images provide an example. Pressing the triangle button starts the Arte, and you can press the four buttons to connect it to the next Arte. By changing up the orders, you’ll be able to pull off a variety of different links.
The number of links is determined by the number of “Soul” the given character has, and the more they have, the more they can link Artes. There will also be something that lets you go beyond the Soul limit for linking Artes.
By meeting certain conditions with Arte linking, you can activate various bonuses. These will revolve around certain orders or combinations of Artes that can provide you with more effective bonuses. There will also be some effects that let you take Soul from enemies, so once you get used to it, it’s recommended to aim for these bonuses while linking Artes.
Soul Gauge:
The Soul Gauge is something a new system that is different from your regular TP or CC. The SG is shown with Soul icons which show how much you have. All characters that participate in battle have Soul. The number of Soul a character has determines how many Artes they can link. While you can take Soul from opponents, they can also take some from you.
The number of Soul icons is 3 at the start of battle, but it can be increased during the fight by meeting certain conditions. Think of these icons as the number of times Artes can be linked, and by meeting certain conditions, they can be increased. This is what characterizes the battle system in Tales of Berseria.
Artes use up SG points, and it takes away the number of points accordingly when an Arte is used. (1 Soul is about 30 SG points). You can still use Artes when your SG is at 0, but there are some demerits such as attacks bouncing off, and such. The SG will fill up on its own, so you might want to consider going on the defense when it’s low, meaning an offense/defense playstyle will be important.
As previously mentioned, allies and enemies can steal Soul. That said, Soul will always go up and down throughout the fight, and you’ll need to keep an eye on it for success. There are several ways to increase Soul. For example, you can defeat an enemy, stun or inflict a status ailment, use certain items, or even pick some off the ground. You might lose Soul by getting stunned or being inflicted by a status ailment. We’ll learn more about how to gain and lose Souls in future updates.
While fighting bosses, it’ll be crucial to know which Arte-types and linking orders to use in order to steal Artes to give yourself an advantage. Again, the less Soul you have, the easier it’ll be for enemies to steal.
You’ll know when you’ve successfully stolen Soul from an enemy when you see the light-blue tracers flying towards your way.
You can sometimes gather Soul that is found on the floors, as shown in the above image.
One way of getting Soul is by successfully pulling off an evasive maneuver with the Around Step, which makes it possible to pick up Souls that show up on the battlefield.
Finally, here’s a breakdown on the basics of battle:
- Arte: Artes are attacks and magic that can be set on buttons. They vary for each character, and the characters will learn new ones by leveling up. Some Artes can stun, inflict status ailments, and hit weaknesses. By thinking about the orders they’re used, you can effectively take Soul from enemies.
- Soul: Icons that represent vigor and spirit power. The number you have determines how many Artes can be linked. You can steal these from enemies, and they can steal it from you, too.
- Guard: By pressing the L1 button, you can defend from an enemy attack and lessen the damage.
- Around Step: By pressing the left stick in any direction while holding down the L1 button, you can perform a step towards the corresponding direction. This move is used to evade enemy attacks, or as a way to swiftly move around. Again, by timing your evasion with the Around Step, you can activate some bonuses.
Rokuro In Battle:
Rokuro is a frontline fighter who fights using dual blades. He’s able to use a variety of Artes with different attributes.
Tales of Berseria is in development for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, and PC.
