The Legend of Heroes Thread - Trails of Cold Steel in the Sky

[Hyperion]

If you don't care about the writing and don't like the characters, there's no point in keeping playing. I mean, it's the strong point of the Trails series.

I didn't care for most of the female characters like Estelle, Kloe, and Shera in TitS FC, but perseverance paid off in playing SC after FC, which was charming, and fun, even if it began to drag in the end. Combat wasn't deep enough in TiTS to warrant the style of 3rd, especially if you went and tried to grind for the rare item drops. Kevin, while I really enjoyed his limited presence in SC, is way too much of a Gary Sue that even bleeds into his combat role - he's far more of a complete character than Joshua ever was, and is too powerful for a character that never really leaves the party. I ended up stopping after

Spoiler

Richard

joins the group, because I couldn't take it anymore.

Problem is, the tropey characters of TiTS were charming enough that I could tolerate it, Estelle's incestuous feelings while stupid were realistic enough that I appreciated the development. In ToCS on the other hand, I hate Machias, Fie, and Jusis. I can already tell where Machias, and Jusis are going, and have a feeling Fie is going to be somewhat similar to scythe-girl from TiTS. I would actually respect the writing more if Machias instead of the usual realization of #NotAll doubles down on being an uptight cunt and just hates every noble he comes across, but it's dreadfully obvious that isn't going to happen. I'm waiting for the "awww puppies" moment that melts everyone's heart and comes to realize Jusis isn't just a preening twat either. And honestly, being fully voiced is the one thing this series did not need in the slightest. I want to turn the voices off (maybe it'll be better that way) but I'm always hesitant to do so ever since I played Arc Rise Fantasia, and I kept getting shit on by random bosses because I didn't have the voices on to warn me of their big attacks that require you to bolster defenses, interrupt them, etc. etc.

 

[Valestein]

Not liking Schera? Fuck out of here with that.

 

[Momock]

and have a feeling Fie is going to be somewhat similar to scythe-girl from TiTS.

I see why you think that, but no.

 

[Ysaye]

Finnished CS3 last week, was better than CS2 and maybe even better than CS1.

What difficulty? I downgraded from nightmare to hard and have hit a stumbling block.

Spoiler

Principal Aurelia on the free day in Chapter 2. I’m sure I have to beat her if I want full points.

I had difficulty with this as well - have you tried setting up Rean as a magic user, going with Rean's Divine (something) Order twice that allows you to instant cast for 6 rounds(?) (so roughly each spell was doing 1K of damage), casting offensive spells (and the occasional heal) until you have knocked off 6-7K then use your S-break.

 

[Endemic]

Problem is, the tropey characters of TiTS were charming enough that I could tolerate it, Estelle's incestuous feelings while stupid were realistic enough that I appreciated the development. In ToCS on the other hand, I hate Machias, Fie, and Jusis. I can already tell where Machias, and Jusis are going, and have a feeling Fie is going to be somewhat similar to scythe-girl from TiTS. I would actually respect the writing more if Machias instead of the usual realization of #NotAll doubles down on being an uptight cunt and just hates every noble he comes across, but it's dreadfully obvious that isn't going to happen. I'm waiting for the "awww puppies" moment that melts everyone's heart and comes to realize Jusis isn't just a preening twat either. And honestly, being fully voiced is the one thing this series did not need in the slightest. I want to turn the voices off (maybe it'll be better that way) but I'm always hesitant to do so ever since I played Arc Rise Fantasia, and I kept getting shit on by random bosses because I didn't have the voices on to warn me of their big attacks that require you to bolster defenses, interrupt them, etc. etc.

They aren't fully voiced though, that's only for main plot scenes.

Spoiler

Jusis does get more development in chapter 2, when you're sent to his home city. As for Machias, I don't think the antagonism towards nobles really works, he's too one-note. As I understand it, he stays like that for multiple chapters. Fie's child soldier\mercenary backstory is fine I think.

 

[Momock]

Machias doesn't changes his views on nobles. He kind of "accepts" Jusis because

Spoiler

we discover that he is a bastard and is treated like shit by the other nobles

and he bows before Laura because he is a beta. By the end of ToCS2 he is still full reformist, he just stops his juvenile way to express it screaming like an antifa bitch.

 

[Valestein]

Laura can only be handled by a real man that knows how to swing his sword, like Rean.

 

[Deleted member 7219]

Finnished CS3 last week, was better than CS2 and maybe even better than CS1.

What difficulty? I downgraded from nightmare to hard and have hit a stumbling block.

Spoiler

Principal Aurelia on the free day in Chapter 2. I’m sure I have to beat her if I want full points.

I had difficulty with this as well - have you tried setting up Rean as a magic user, going with Rean's Divine (something) Order twice that allows you to instant cast for 6 rounds(?) (so roughly each spell was doing 1K of damage), casting offensive spells (and the occasional heal) until you have knocked off 6-7K then use your S-break.

Will try this. Thanks!

 

[Jermu]

Finnished CS3 last week, was better than CS2 and maybe even better than CS1.

What difficulty? I downgraded from nightmare to hard and have hit a stumbling block.

Spoiler

Principal Aurelia on the free day in Chapter 2. I’m sure I have to beat her if I want full points.

Spoiler

Nightmare whole game. Beat her at second try after changing build, just get shitload of hp / spd / str and and other stat increasing orbs and keep -50% dmg order on all time and for healing use that earth magic pulse thing which heal fixed % of hp. for damage basic attacks or crafts were my choice of dmg. Think she only used once her s-craft so no need to worry about it after that. Edit. other option is probably getting alot of hp&dodge and staying close so you can counterattack but not sure if there is enough gear for that yet in chapter 2.

 

[Somberlain]

Spoiler

Almost all the bosses in Cold Steel 3&4 who use S-crafts only use them after they reach low enough Hp and give some special line of dialogue. Then they do some power-up move and S-craft next turn. It's more telegraphed and easier to defend against than in the previous games, since you know when to use defensive Brave Orders and other abilities.

 

[Endemic]

I see the cosmetics are getting quite elaborate:

Spoiler

 

[HoboForEternity]

Lyoid outfit is great. i adore that Dana clingy plushy too <3

 

[Dodo1610]

Trails of Cold Steel 3 is coming to Switch in Spring 2020 still no news about PC

https://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-legend-of-heroes-trails-of-cold-steel-3-is-com/1100-6471839/


Why release the game on switch but not on Pc where the rest is already available? At least the port looks good.

 

[Urthor]

To be fair, the PC sales of CS2 were pretty bad last I checked, low teen thousands

Putting games on the Switch is actually printing money as well because the Switch's library is pretty small since it's not beefy to run AAA ports, people are thirsty for games.

Also weebs play gameboys

 

[Jinn]

To be fair, the PC sales of CS2 were pretty bad last I checked, low teen thousands

Putting games on the Switch is actually printing money as well because the Switch's library is pretty small since it's not beefy to run AAA ports, people are thirsty for games.

Also weebs play gameboys

Too bad. Might be the death of the series for me.

 

[Readher]

To be fair, the PC sales of CS2 were pretty bad last I checked, low teen thousands

It did a few tens of thousands on Steam. The series doesn't really sell that much overall. I mean, it does better on consoles, but that's mostly because the main audience is in Japan. The PS4/PS3/Vita numbers aren't that great considering two of the three games we have data on are on all three platforms and used copies are also counted.

 

[Ysaye]

Cold Steel 3 = 220,000 sales
Dark Souls = 1,200,000 sales
Dragon Quest XI = 2,400,000 sales
Skyrim = 6,200,000 sales
Final Fantasy XV = 7,400,000 sales

Reminds you why you are on the Codex - despair is made to be embraced.

 

[Readher]

Cold Steel 3 = 220,000 sales
Dark Souls = 1,200,000 sales
Dragon Quest XI = 2,400,000 sales
Skyrim = 6,200,000 sales
Final Fantasy XV = 7,400,000 sales

Reminds you why you are on the Codex - despair is made to be embraced.

Skyrim sold over 30kk. Your numbers seem to be very conservative.

 

[Modron]

Skyrim sold over 30kk. Your numbers seem to be very conservative.

He probably just pulled that data from steamspy for only one of Skyrim's numerous versions and rereleases instead of totaling all the other different appids.

 

[Ysaye]

Cold Steel 3 = 220,000 sales
Dark Souls = 1,200,000 sales
Dragon Quest XI = 2,400,000 sales
Skyrim = 6,200,000 sales
Final Fantasy XV = 7,400,000 sales

Reminds you why you are on the Codex - despair is made to be embraced.

Skyrim sold over 30kk. Your numbers seem to be very conservative.

I just used the same playstation website as Readher and yes I didn't add the VR edition.

 

[HoboForEternity]

At the very least switch already have emulator and will just get better. If worst came, just yuzu'd it.

Tho i will miss the higher fidelity and turbo mode

 

[Urthor]

CS3 to CS4 has save transfers doesn't it?

 

[Readher]

Cold Steel 3 = 220,000 sales
Dark Souls = 1,200,000 sales
Dragon Quest XI = 2,400,000 sales
Skyrim = 6,200,000 sales
Final Fantasy XV = 7,400,000 sales

Reminds you why you are on the Codex - despair is made to be embraced.

Skyrim sold over 30kk. Your numbers seem to be very conservative.

I just used the same playstation website as Readher and yes I didn't add the VR edition.

But Skyrim without VR has 17kk on that site...

 

[Steamboat Willie]

Fuck if the game is already localized they should release a PC port.

 

[Readher]

It does work in fact, but the game has to correctly use rather new (IDXGIFactory5) presentation facilities.

I do know for a fact that a JRPG releasing on PC in spring next year will work just fine with non-exclusive G-sync (and adaptive sync for that matter)

https://metacouncil.com/threads/met...me-youre-looking-for.1669/page-13#post-111284