Tales of Graces/Gameplay

Tales of Graces, like most JRPGs, has differing gameplay for field and battle. On the field, battles can be triggered by approaching enemies, usually outside towns or within dungeons. Battle mechanics are similar to other Tales games, but also differ in many ways. But first and foremost, there is the field, where the story is progressed and preparations for battle are made.

Field
It is here that you can speak to people and view story segments, whether they be cutscenes (usually accessed by approaching an objective), sidequests (usually marked by a floating star), or skits (conversations between party members that can be seen with, usually found by discoveries, save points, or inns, but location can vary). You may also speak to a shopkeeper or Turtlez to sell, purchase, or dualize items (see recipes for more information), which may come in handy for battles or inn requests.

It is in the menus that the party can be swapped around (depending on who you want to play or preferred party formation), equipment and titles can be set to them, and items can be set to the Eleth Mixer. To begin with, the Mixer has only a few slots and a low amount of Eleth; you must use it regularly in order to level it up, giving you more use out of it and, if you manage to max it out, netting you a trophy. Set dishes to it and the Mixer will cook those dishes during or after battle, giving your party some benefits depending on the dish; this will allow you to increase the amount of Eleth that your Mixer can hold. Set consumables (such as Gels or Life Bottles) to the Mixer and it will create these items as you walk around the field; this will allow you to increase the amount of slots in the Mixer. Lastly, there are books, which can be set to the Mixer for certain bonuses concerning the Mixer, field, or battles.

Battle
The in-battle HUD consists of character portraits representing the party (with corresponding health and CC alongside them), the Eleth Gauge to the left, the attacks being performed to the top of the screen, and the party's combo to the top-right. CC (an abbreviation for Chain Capacity) represents the length of a combo; once you are out of CC, you must wait a short while for it to recharge before performing another combo. This is in place of the TP system of preceding Tales games, giving this game more of an action RPG feel than that of a traditional JRPG. Recharge your CC by staying back/guarding or dodging an enemy attack at the right moment.

Attacks are done using A-Artes and B-Artes. A-Artes are the standard attacks performed using a direction and a button (each direction leads to a different combo, viewable via the combo tree in the Artes menu. B-Artes, on the other hand, must be set once they are learned, and are also performed using a direction and a button but can also be set to psx: neutral rstick in f for even more attack variety. B-Artes consist of spells, which must be charged before being performed, or attribute attacks.

Eventually, you will gain access to Mystic Artes (performed by pressing during a combo), special attacks unlocked throughout the story that are impossible to interrupt. Build up a combo to trigger an Eleth Burst, at which point a number will be shown by the Eleth Gauge. As no CC is spent during an Eleth Burst, keep fighting to build that number up further, as this number represents the number of Mystic Artes you can use; if the gauge is filled to 3, you can use one level 3 Mystic Arte, three level 1 Mystic Artes, or one level 2 in combination with a level 1 Mystic Arte. As long as this number is kept up, you and anyone else in your party can keep using Mystic Artes, that is, as long as the Eleth Burst is kept up. Keep in mind that the enemy may also trigger an Eleth Break, barring them from being staggered and also allowing certain bosses to utilize their own Mystic Artes.