-
Welcome to rpgcodex.net, a site dedicated to discussing computer based role-playing games in a free and open fashion. We're less strict than other forums, but please refer to the rules.
"This message is awaiting moderator approval": All new users must pass through our moderation queue before they will be able to post normally. Until your account has "passed" your posts will only be visible to yourself (and moderators) until they are approved. Give us a week to get around to approving / deleting / ignoring your mundane opinion on crap before hassling us about it. Once you have passed the moderation period (think of it as a test), you will be able to post normally, just like all the other retards.
The Legend of Heroes Thread - Trails of Cold Steel in the Sky
- Thread starter Crooked Bee
- Start date
Lyre Mors
Arcane
- Joined
- Nov 8, 2007
- Messages
- 5,426
Damn, what a prologue. Shit got me misty a few times already and I can't believe what a dream-team they start the game with.
Can't wait to see where all this is going. Seems like an absolute treat for anyone who has played all 8 games prior to it.
Can't wait to see where all this is going. Seems like an absolute treat for anyone who has played all 8 games prior to it.
Lol i just finished the prolouge too. I still haven't come around with the curse angle, but the payoff of following the characters for 6+years is really shining here.
Lyre Mors
Arcane
- Joined
- Nov 8, 2007
- Messages
- 5,426
I can't see how the curse would be too far-fetched for you considering all that has happened in this series. Not only that, but it hasn't even really been explained yet. I'd just give it time before you let it it dampen your enjoyment.
NerevarineKing
Learned
- Joined
- Jan 6, 2021
- Messages
- 315
The game has had some great moments so far, but Falcom have had a pacing problem for a long time that seems at it's worst in this title. (I might also be having some burnout after playing every Trails game.)
Lyre Mors
Arcane
- Joined
- Nov 8, 2007
- Messages
- 5,426
Yep, and I'm sure this is going to be my greatest problem with the game. If you've been playing the games non-stop through the series, I have no doubt this would be a HUGE problem for you. The games really weren't designed to be played marathon style. But yeah, the Trails games really need to reign in their pacing. I think what exacerbates it is the formulaic structure that most of the games follow. However, I'm almost certain Cold Steel IV is going to be one of my favorites, along with Trails in the Sky 3rd and Cold Steel II for the very reason that they adopt a slightly different format in their presentation.
- Joined
- Mar 22, 2015
- Messages
- 1,879
Hmm, I upped the difficulty, but break is VERY nerfed from CS3.
Not sure what the strategy to play through the game is now. If break is nerfed does that mean just wailing away with arts, instead of trying to break them? Or just target DPS with crafts?
Not sure what the strategy to play through the game is now. If break is nerfed does that mean just wailing away with arts, instead of trying to break them? Or just target DPS with crafts?
Lyre Mors
Arcane
- Joined
- Nov 8, 2007
- Messages
- 5,426
Is there a particular fight you're having trouble with? If it's Roselia, I don't think that's an indication for what's to come, and more a lesson in the extreme.
Siveon
Bot
- Joined
- Jul 13, 2013
- Messages
- 4,510
Falcom is their own company, they choose what DLC to push out. And plenty of lower tier AA JRPGs include this kind of DLC to make an extra dollar. Plus this DLC is available and sold in Japan.
I can't blame NISA for that one, sadly.
Lyre Mors
Arcane
- Joined
- Nov 8, 2007
- Messages
- 5,426
Seems that way. You can always revert to Hard if it's too much.
- Joined
- Aug 13, 2017
- Messages
- 1,644
CS4 is the easiest game in the whole series I died only once or twice in CS4 nightmare and only in challenge chests with unprepared party members
There are many ways to break the game to make combat too easy. Turn order manipulation is the most obvious way then stacking shitload of break + physical or magic dmg with buffs/debuffs (debuffs only last 1 turn vs bosses I think so buffing is more easier option). Think magic dmg is the most viable option since Ao, CS1-3 physical dmg is way better. The biggest downside of magic is no followup attacks -> no brave points.
Also if you aim to get max rank then you don't need to use walkthough no hidden quests in this game.
Last edited:
Arts are pretty good with Musse's brave order Arts celebration which also quarters the cost of lost arts as well as enhancing the damage, whilst Emma's brave order zodiac force is a great way to trivialize most magic oriented bosses as for a mere two BP points you get all magic based attacks to heal you for a reasonable number of turns.
Ventidius
Arbiter
- Joined
- Jul 8, 2017
- Messages
- 552
The ToCS IV early game is a bit slow. The pacing is at its worst during that part of the game. However, it also does have the most pressing objective story-wise (and gameplay-wise, in a sense) driving you forward, plus some of the toughest encounters (due to limited options). I personally think it's the weakest part of the game, despite following on the heels of an amazing intro. It's not bad by any means, but the game IMO actually gets going after a certain key point in the story (you'll know it when you see it) that comes around mid-game. After that, it all comes together nicely, not just the game, but arguably the series. Those who are feeling the grind of the game's slow pace should just press on till they reach that juncture, the game doesn't let go after it.
When in doubt, buff. Make sure you rush (both in the sense of obtaining the quartz and fitting it into your setup) Adamantine Shield, Crescent Mirror, and Shining as soon as you can. Some strategies work better than others on certain encounters, and even though the nerfs are real, there is a lot that is still viable (including Break strats), not to mention that there certainly are more optimal strategies than buff stacking. However, buff stacking works almost universally, so it's a good backup plan to have on hand when you just wanna get over with a fight, even if it can be a slow grind to actually implement it at times, given how bloaty enemies can be.
When in doubt, buff. Make sure you rush (both in the sense of obtaining the quartz and fitting it into your setup) Adamantine Shield, Crescent Mirror, and Shining as soon as you can. Some strategies work better than others on certain encounters, and even though the nerfs are real, there is a lot that is still viable (including Break strats), not to mention that there certainly are more optimal strategies than buff stacking. However, buff stacking works almost universally, so it's a good backup plan to have on hand when you just wanna get over with a fight, even if it can be a slow grind to actually implement it at times, given how bloaty enemies can be.
Last edited:
Sarathiour
Cipher
- Joined
- Jun 7, 2020
- Messages
- 3,276
Might as well finally wrote this review of CS3 difficulty mod while cs4 i installing.
Like many people, i found CS3 to be quite easy once you know a bit the mechanism of the fight system. The mod i tested , made by SoftBrillant, tried to answers to that. This mod has two difficulty settings : hard and nightmare. I played the whole thing in hard, with the following carry-over for my previous save : max bonding point and extra sephith. It gave me a bit of an edge in the early game and spare me some farming.max bonding also mean that rean got few more stat bonus at the end, but it's barely worth mentioning and nothing some autistic fishing session can't fix.
So , what does this mod do ?
I/ What changed
Firstly, it overhaul craft and art, especially the power scaling of those. The usual system rank craft and spell power using letter : C, B, A, S and up to 4S for big dick energy like gaius S-craft. So now, instead of a letter, you directly got the damage multipicator, which are all nerfed. For exemple, 4S craft in base version are 450% damage, and are now "only" 275%. The purpose is to both prevent casual OS or "breaklocking", which was really easy to do in CS3. Besides that craft have not be touched more than that, contrary to art.
Mp cost of all art are upped, but more importantly, most source of EP regen are also nerfed : BO, item and MQ. So for any boss fight, you have to find a way to kept your caster supplied in MP. He alos tried to change the effect to give niche use to art like crest or forte, but honestly, they still suck. Still regarding art, tier 2 bells are changed , they don't reduce delay but boost damage instead, and a bug exploit where all bell stacked (regardless of the element) was fixed. Chrono burst, which was one of the most broken thing, is nerfed in an interesting way : it also consume 75% hp upon use, meaning that you must plan ahead if you want to use it.
Also, other obvious OP tool are nerfed : all evasion item take an huge nerf, and are reduced up to a third of their evasion value. Insight only last 2 turns instead of 4, and is no longer an aoe buff. Break effect are nerfed, which mean the % of extra break on quartz, MQ and BO are nerfed. Accelerate and reduce delay BP are nerfed or changed, Altina's absolute reflect only last 2 turns, damage resistance BP (rean, elliot, millum) are nerfed ... You get the general idea.
Last thing to be changed are the monster and boss themselves. DEF ADF and HP are pretty much the same, but ATK and ATS are much beefier , which mean a lot more atttack are now threatening. On the base game, you could pretty much tank and heal anything besides S-craft (and even those were easily mitigated with BO) and status effect, even in nightmare. It's not the case anymore. Speed is also hugely buffed, which cause problem that i will talk about later on. Finally, "break health" also is now 210% of base value, which, combined to all the other nerf, make thing way harder to break. A bit too much sometimes, you're probably being able to stun big shot like McBurn only once or maybe twice in a fight.
Opponent also use way more art than before, which make art dodge and absorb way more useful than before. Few even got gimmick art, like McBurn which got a more powerful version of Zeruel Cannon.
In order to be able to face all of that, status effect are also overhauled. Resistance of all monster is changed, they are now vulnerable to way more thing, trash mob always have at least an obvious one like stun, sleep, frozen ... The duration was also changed. On base game, it's 4 turns for any status effect, which are reduced to one for bosses. It's now a range between 2 to 5 turns, and boss follow the same rule as everyone, which make S-down status WAY more effective on them.
II/Impression
So, how does thing go when you actually play the game ?
First thing that i was afraid was trash mob being too tedious. It's not the case, they are dangerous if you let them act too much , but you can pretty much still trash them in the same amount of time. The problem is tied to the massive speed boost. On act 3, my team could often act only after 1 or 2 opponent move WITH triple advantage. fighting trash without at least double advantage is extremely tedious, if you get ambush you will basically get your team wiped out if you does not use S craft or aegis shenanigan. So you're doomed to use dragon vein and break stuff. Also, nerfing break also have another consequences : you will earn a lot less money than before, you probably won't break monster in a fight started with double advantage, which mean no automatic drop
Boss fight are way more challenging and interesting than before. Basically, all secondary boss (magic knight, cryptid ...) will have some gimmick, but you don't need a special setup for them. It will help if you have trouble, but i defeated all of them without having to resort to that. I did not want all boss fight to become " endure the gimmick the first time so that you can reload and change your setup", which would have bore me really fast.
End chapter are harder and actually feel like a threat, and i don't have to hold back for several turn just to see what are their moveset. A lot of them have new pattern, Mcburn for example gain a new nasty skill.
The biggest problem is still tied to the random turn order at the start of scripted combat. When a boss is alone, it's not that bad, he will move two or three time before you. It's way more problematic if they have 4 or more, if you get bad rng, you will pretty get fucked without solution beside reloading, S-breaking will just put you deeper in the shit. Sadly, it's tied to the way the game is built, and not much can be done regarding that.
Last boss of chapter 4 and finale are hard, but they rely on some really cheap trick and bullshit, it's probably piss off few people. The magic knight fight for the all-guest team is also terrible : is only vulnerable to blind, and as you can't change the setup of guest character, you're pretty much forced to play with rean,ashe sara and tita, which is a shame. Other fight boss goes from decent to great.
Solo battle are still pretty bad, but they are balanced in order to be beatable with any setup despite the nerf. Divine Knight battle remain unchanged, and so does vantage master
.
In conclusion, it's pretty good for anyone who want to replay CS3 while waiting for hajimari. A version for CS4 is on her way, and he plan to release it in about 4 months.
Well download is over, have a nice night everyone.
Like many people, i found CS3 to be quite easy once you know a bit the mechanism of the fight system. The mod i tested , made by SoftBrillant, tried to answers to that. This mod has two difficulty settings : hard and nightmare. I played the whole thing in hard, with the following carry-over for my previous save : max bonding point and extra sephith. It gave me a bit of an edge in the early game and spare me some farming.max bonding also mean that rean got few more stat bonus at the end, but it's barely worth mentioning and nothing some autistic fishing session can't fix.
So , what does this mod do ?
I/ What changed
Firstly, it overhaul craft and art, especially the power scaling of those. The usual system rank craft and spell power using letter : C, B, A, S and up to 4S for big dick energy like gaius S-craft. So now, instead of a letter, you directly got the damage multipicator, which are all nerfed. For exemple, 4S craft in base version are 450% damage, and are now "only" 275%. The purpose is to both prevent casual OS or "breaklocking", which was really easy to do in CS3. Besides that craft have not be touched more than that, contrary to art.
Mp cost of all art are upped, but more importantly, most source of EP regen are also nerfed : BO, item and MQ. So for any boss fight, you have to find a way to kept your caster supplied in MP. He alos tried to change the effect to give niche use to art like crest or forte, but honestly, they still suck. Still regarding art, tier 2 bells are changed , they don't reduce delay but boost damage instead, and a bug exploit where all bell stacked (regardless of the element) was fixed. Chrono burst, which was one of the most broken thing, is nerfed in an interesting way : it also consume 75% hp upon use, meaning that you must plan ahead if you want to use it.
Also, other obvious OP tool are nerfed : all evasion item take an huge nerf, and are reduced up to a third of their evasion value. Insight only last 2 turns instead of 4, and is no longer an aoe buff. Break effect are nerfed, which mean the % of extra break on quartz, MQ and BO are nerfed. Accelerate and reduce delay BP are nerfed or changed, Altina's absolute reflect only last 2 turns, damage resistance BP (rean, elliot, millum) are nerfed ... You get the general idea.
Last thing to be changed are the monster and boss themselves. DEF ADF and HP are pretty much the same, but ATK and ATS are much beefier , which mean a lot more atttack are now threatening. On the base game, you could pretty much tank and heal anything besides S-craft (and even those were easily mitigated with BO) and status effect, even in nightmare. It's not the case anymore. Speed is also hugely buffed, which cause problem that i will talk about later on. Finally, "break health" also is now 210% of base value, which, combined to all the other nerf, make thing way harder to break. A bit too much sometimes, you're probably being able to stun big shot like McBurn only once or maybe twice in a fight.
Opponent also use way more art than before, which make art dodge and absorb way more useful than before. Few even got gimmick art, like McBurn which got a more powerful version of Zeruel Cannon.
In order to be able to face all of that, status effect are also overhauled. Resistance of all monster is changed, they are now vulnerable to way more thing, trash mob always have at least an obvious one like stun, sleep, frozen ... The duration was also changed. On base game, it's 4 turns for any status effect, which are reduced to one for bosses. It's now a range between 2 to 5 turns, and boss follow the same rule as everyone, which make S-down status WAY more effective on them.
II/Impression
So, how does thing go when you actually play the game ?
First thing that i was afraid was trash mob being too tedious. It's not the case, they are dangerous if you let them act too much , but you can pretty much still trash them in the same amount of time. The problem is tied to the massive speed boost. On act 3, my team could often act only after 1 or 2 opponent move WITH triple advantage. fighting trash without at least double advantage is extremely tedious, if you get ambush you will basically get your team wiped out if you does not use S craft or aegis shenanigan. So you're doomed to use dragon vein and break stuff. Also, nerfing break also have another consequences : you will earn a lot less money than before, you probably won't break monster in a fight started with double advantage, which mean no automatic drop
Boss fight are way more challenging and interesting than before. Basically, all secondary boss (magic knight, cryptid ...) will have some gimmick, but you don't need a special setup for them. It will help if you have trouble, but i defeated all of them without having to resort to that. I did not want all boss fight to become " endure the gimmick the first time so that you can reload and change your setup", which would have bore me really fast.
End chapter are harder and actually feel like a threat, and i don't have to hold back for several turn just to see what are their moveset. A lot of them have new pattern, Mcburn for example gain a new nasty skill.
The biggest problem is still tied to the random turn order at the start of scripted combat. When a boss is alone, it's not that bad, he will move two or three time before you. It's way more problematic if they have 4 or more, if you get bad rng, you will pretty get fucked without solution beside reloading, S-breaking will just put you deeper in the shit. Sadly, it's tied to the way the game is built, and not much can be done regarding that.
Last boss of chapter 4 and finale are hard, but they rely on some really cheap trick and bullshit, it's probably piss off few people. The magic knight fight for the all-guest team is also terrible : is only vulnerable to blind, and as you can't change the setup of guest character, you're pretty much forced to play with rean,ashe sara and tita, which is a shame. Other fight boss goes from decent to great.
Solo battle are still pretty bad, but they are balanced in order to be beatable with any setup despite the nerf. Divine Knight battle remain unchanged, and so does vantage master
.In conclusion, it's pretty good for anyone who want to replay CS3 while waiting for hajimari. A version for CS4 is on her way, and he plan to release it in about 4 months.
Well download is over, have a nice night everyone.
- Joined
- Nov 19, 2014
- Messages
- 1,229
If you're like me and have deleted CS 1, 2 and 3 from your machine a looong time ago, but would like the save/clear bonuses at the start and dont want to download the full games again, you can download just the save files from https://store.steampowered.com/account/remotestorage
And then just place them at:
CS1 - C:\Users\<username>\Saved Games\Falcom\ed8
CS2 - C:\Users\<username>\Saved Games\Falcom\ed8_2
CS3 - C:\Users\<username>\Saved Games\Falcom\ed8_psv3
Looks like it's just sepith and items this time though?
And then just place them at:
CS1 - C:\Users\<username>\Saved Games\Falcom\ed8
CS2 - C:\Users\<username>\Saved Games\Falcom\ed8_2
CS3 - C:\Users\<username>\Saved Games\Falcom\ed8_psv3
Looks like it's just sepith and items this time though?
hahaha i miss this guy
i hate time limit AP requirement for chapter 1 boss battles :/
the fight itself aren't hard but i can't just do them on time especially when you try to complete monster log so you spend the first 4 turns scanning enemies
the fight itself aren't hard but i can't just do them on time especially when you try to complete monster log so you spend the first 4 turns scanning enemies
osborne's VO is great. the one in the flashback
godess or fiend! please listen!
Damn, i didn't even know this was out until yesterday and luckily before the week one bundle ends tomorrow. I'll buy digital deluxe later today.
I'll likely do my long overdue CS3 NG+ run and nab the remaining chievos i have there before i jump into 4 though.
I'll likely do my long overdue CS3 NG+ run and nab the remaining chievos i have there before i jump into 4 though.
Also....
Swimsuit Sara
As an Amazon Associate, rpgcodex.net earns from qualifying purchases.