Tales Of ... series - Vesperia out on Steam

[Emmanuel2]

Playing underlevelled by 20 (28 when defeating Melchoir), undergeared and maining anyone other than Velvet is a satisfying way to play when playing on intense and above. Switched to Chaos once I unlocked it from one of those Code Red hunts, the lowered exp helps alot and so does the boost in droprate.

I also found out that on Chaos against the final boss, it's pretty much impossible without grinding for proper gear. I guess I have to go find good gear, playing on lower difficulties is not my schtick.

Final dungeon also has enemies that do Hell Gate/Explosions that do 3k per tick on Chaos.

 

[Arkeus]

As an advice, well-enhanced gear >>> better gear that's not enhanced. It's worth noting that gear with great skills cost much more to enhance than the same type that has much worse skills, so unless you are drowning in money you should enhance the bad ones.

Basically, weapons all give +%10enhancement level damage against stun foes for example, which makes for a truly ridiculous advantage.

Also beginning a battle with 4+ souls and having 7+ max souls is another game changer.

 

[RuySan]

Is berseria really that much better than zestiria?

I'm in the mood for one of these games and berseria is still quite expensive

 

[Somberlain]

As far as the gameplay, structure and systems go, they are very similar games. I'm actually surprised by how much worse reception Zestiria got.

The main difference, and the reason why so many people seem to prefer Berseria as far as I can see, is that it has a very refreshing character cast. In Berseria, your party is made of near villainous anti-heroes compared to the typical heroic nice guys you find in other Tales games and jRPGs in general.

I also prefer Berseria's skill and combo system, but only slightly, and it's a matter of personal preference anyway.

 

[Arkeus]

Gameplay wise Berseria nailed having very specific types of battles each chars excell at (except Velvet who stomps everything), though I feel that they have also limited some of the crazier stuff you could do in Zestiria.

Story wise, they managed to make a light-hearted misfit-centered tale out of a dark world, which is much more popular than Zestiria which was a dark tragic tale of the sacrifices of heroes.

 

[Mark.L.Joy]

Finished it (story). Stopped trying to get red coded monsters after a while pain in the ass, bosses were hard, mobs were easy, nice balance, and the characters carried it along. Nice game.

 

[jungl]

They both similar. Berseria is a little better. They share annoying flaws like some party members being dog shit to use in combat while others being op and infinity easier to use. Tales fans being otakus were simply trying to justify their 50-60 dollar purchases.

 

[Heresiarch]

So I am itching for some JRPG after finishing NieR: Automata (currently on a complete replay). I need something less depressing to fill the void.

Steam kept recommending me Berseria. Tried out the demo and it was button mashing to the extreme. The main chick looks badass which is my type though.

I've never played any Tales game. In fact I've never played any of the more popular JRPG such as FF, DQ, Ys, Legend of Heroes, Persona, etc. I do have played Valkyrie Profile and Valkyria Chronicles and they are great. Would the combo mashing get better, preferably like Valkyrie Profile?

So how is Berseria in general? Most of the discussions in this thread are about comparison with the other Tales games but not a lot for a new player in the series.

 

[Somberlain]

The combat isn't as button mashy and simple as it seems based on the demo, though it's possible for less skilled gamers to play Zestiria and Berseria just by mashing buttons, thanks to the new combo/control scheme.

The demo is set up optimally for simple button mashing with its preset combos and semi-auto control which gives a bad impression for anyone who wants more depth. It's also disorienting for veterans of old Tales games, just like Zestiria at the start.

 

[Malpercio]

The demo is shit, this said the combat is pretty bad due to how broken stun is and how easy the game is.

 

[Crooked Bee]

It's definitely very easy for the first, like, 20 hours or so. Tales games are long and slow to get going. I also hear it gets more challenging if you control someone else rather than Velvet.

The game definitely isn't hardcore or anything, but I haven't played on the highest difficulty setting. Also I don't remember Valkyrie Profile being very hardcore either, but it's been a while.

If you just care about the variety of combos and amount of abilities you get, then both Zestiria and Berseria give you plenty - it's just that you don't really have to use them all or manage them very frequently (except perhaps on the highest difficulty, I dunno).

Also play Legend of Heroes Trails in the Sky if you haven't.

 

[Emmanuel2]

I also hear it gets more challenging if you control someone else rather than Velvet.

Yep. If you main any of the other characters, you'll get plenty of action and opportunities to utilize their mechanics to the fullest.

That said, using Velvet in Chaos mode will still give you a really hard time unless you manage the equipment + level grind.

 

[Heresiarch]

It's definitely very easy for the first, like, 20 hours or so. Tales games are long and slow to get going. I also hear it gets more challenging if you control someone else rather than Velvet.

The game definitely isn't hardcore or anything, but I haven't played on the highest difficulty setting. Also I don't remember Valkyrie Profile being very hardcore either, but it's been a while.

If you just care about the variety of combos and amount of abilities you get, then both Zestiria and Berseria give you plenty - it's just that you don't really have to use them all or manage them very frequently (except perhaps on the highest difficulty, I dunno).

Also play Legend of Heroes Trails in the Sky if you haven't.

I liked Valkyrie Profile not because it's hardcore, but because the combo system and how you can mix characters up was fun and even necessary to win difficult battles. The demo of Breseria was just me randomly pressing buttons and after a bunch of flashes enemies drop like flies. Occasionally I will see me doing combos with my party members...it feels even more random than Dynasty Warriors. But as you guys say, it could be just that the demo is bad.

Regarding Trails in the Sky...my little sister used to bug me to play that since 10 years ago. I dismissed the game because I was not into JRPG. If I'm going to play JRPG with cute girls I would play hentai instead. So...is Trails in the Sky good? Please note that Nier: Automata has massively increased my expectation for "good" JRPG now.

 

[HoboForEternity]

It's definitely very easy for the first, like, 20 hours or so. Tales games are long and slow to get going. I also hear it gets more challenging if you control someone else rather than Velvet.

The game definitely isn't hardcore or anything, but I haven't played on the highest difficulty setting. Also I don't remember Valkyrie Profile being very hardcore either, but it's been a while.

If you just care about the variety of combos and amount of abilities you get, then both Zestiria and Berseria give you plenty - it's just that you don't really have to use them all or manage them very frequently (except perhaps on the highest difficulty, I dunno).

Also play Legend of Heroes Trails in the Sky if you haven't.

I liked Valkyrie Profile not because it's hardcore, but because the combo system and how you can mix characters up was fun and even necessary to win difficult battles. The demo of Breseria was just me randomly pressing buttons and after a bunch of flashes enemies drop like flies. Occasionally I will see me doing combos with my party members...it feels even more random than Dynasty Warriors. But as you guys say, it could be just that the demo is bad.

Regarding Trails in the Sky...my little sister used to bug me to play that since 10 years ago. I dismissed the game because I was not into JRPG. If I'm going to play JRPG with cute girls I would play hentai instead. So...is Trails in the Sky good? Please note that Nier: Automata has massively increased my expectation for "good" JRPG now.

trails in the sky is awesome. It has great worldbuilding, good story and translation and goodbattle system

 

[Crooked Bee]

I thought you were just looking for a good JRPG so I mentioned Trails, because it's the best classic-style, story- and atmosphere-focused JRPG out there. But if you're not into JRPG thingies and stuffies it's probably not for you. Although the combat isn't bad, either. But it's not like NieR at all.

 

[Malpercio]

I also hear it gets more challenging if you control someone else rather than Velvet.

Yep. If you main any of the other characters, you'll get plenty of action and opportunities to utilize their mechanics to the fullest.

That said, using Velvet in Chaos mode will still give you a really hard time unless you manage the equipment + level grind.

I didn't touch Velvet, and 90% of the game was easy as hell in hard mode.

 

[Emmanuel2]

hard mode.

Hard is basically still Easy in Berseria. Intense is the normal mode and Chaos is the true hard mode IMHO.

 

[Krraloth]

hard mode.

Hard is basically still Easy in Berseria. Intense is the normal mode and Chaos is the true hard mode IMHO.

How are the bosses in Chaos difficulty? Zestiria was basically a dps check in some battles and the ai being braindead didn't help much. Is it more of the same?

 

[Emmanuel2]

hard mode.

Hard is basically still Easy in Berseria. Intense is the normal mode and Chaos is the true hard mode IMHO.

How are the bosses in Chaos difficulty? Zestiria was basically a dps check in some battles and the ai being braindead didn't help much. Is it more of the same?

I never finished Zestiria since it was becoming tedious but I did unlock the highest difficulty for the first ng cycle. It was tedious because of iron stance bullshit among other things.

It's everything I want a hard tales game to be minus the massive gear/grind check for the final boss but otherwise, the bosses are very enjoyable. You'll have to actually dodge things or get raped and since stun and ailments thresholds are far, far higher than Hard or Intense, managing souls suddenly become very important, actual combo-ing rather than mashing buttons became essential, etc.

The AI in this entry is actually really good and can hold their own in the higher difficulties unlike Zestiria.

Healing spells became obsolete; healing circle does 200 per tick on Normal and Hard, it does ~30-40 on Intense and 20 on Chaos. I never used items in combat unless it's to unlock mechanics (and especially had to use them when unlocking Chaos due to the nature of that red code monster) but I did notice that the item timers are far, far longer so that's a plus.

 

[Somberlain]

Difficulty setting affects many things, including enemy aggressiveness, item cooldowns, enemy cast speed etc.

https://www.gamefaqs.com/ps4/167071-tales-of-berseria/faqs/74291#section2

 

[Reinhardt]

Got it today. I like it much more than Zestiria. Yes, Velvet is easy mode, but i like her and like her fighting style, so who cares.

 

[Heresiarch]

So I've played Berseria for almost 40 hours. Just reached the main quest part to escort a certain VIP to an old dungeon.

The first 7 hours were a drag to go through, especially since I have just freshly finished Nier: Automata. The sceneries were super bland, music barely existing, characters way too anime-trope, graphics feel like from 2007, battles are complete clusterfucks...ergh, but I might as well see how it goes since I've spent 50 EUR on it.

Suprisingly, after like 15 hours, I start to get...attached to the game. I thought the game would be fucking full of semi-hentai fan-services and the characters would all be edgy/try-hards, but both turn out to be false. The characters all have reasonable personalities and are all quite intelligent. Once I look past their flashy design, I find them to be all very likeable, especially Laphicet who I initially dislike a lot (I disliked shotas in anime/games in general...until now). The gameplay opened up once more artes became available and I could mix-match combos. The story is not very special but the writing is good. The more I play the more I want to know about the characters and the plot. After like 25 hours I could just not stop playing it.

I do not think I will play other Tales games in the short future but Berseria so far is great.

 

[Reinhardt]

Magilou is best girl.

Looks like i near the end. Sidequests everywhere, Katz Korner is available. Should i finish quests now if i plan ng+ on chaos or just go for the ending?

 

[Heresiarch]

Magilou is best girl.

Looks like i near the end. Sidequests everywhere, Katz Korner is available. Should i finish quests now if i plan ng+ on chaos or just go for the ending?

Mind telling me how many hours you're in and how much I have left? Starting from Thursday I won't have access to a good desktop for three weeks and I don't know if I can finish the game with 3-4 hours each day before that, or I'll just hanging somewhere before the end which is kind of a cockblock for me.

Edit: looked up to some discussions and it seems I still have like 40% of the game left. This game is huge.

 

[Reinhardt]

It's still a good chunk of the game left. I have almost 70 hours right now but, well, 17 hours in menu.