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| Trent Argirov |
Utilise the ARCUS II system for maximum pain!
09.17.17 - 11:31 AM
Falcom has unveiled both new information and screenshots on The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III, detailing the ARCUS II battle orbment system. Let's get into the nitty gritty of it, shall we?
The battle orbment, a device familiar to fans of the Legend of Heroes series, will allow players to enhance their physical abilities, and give them access to usage of the Arts: techno-magic used to support friends and damage foes. In The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III, Rean and his comrades will fight using the ARCUS II, the latest version of the "ARCUS" system used in previous titles within the series, as seen below.
A battle orbment enhances and manifests abilities by the placement of crystal circuits called "quartz" into empty slots. As players slot "quartz" within the ARCUS II, various stats and abilities will increase, in conjunction with unique setups found within The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III, listed below.
- Master Quartz: A special quartz that levels up, gaining abilities as players' battle. Within The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III players will be able to equip two at the same time.
- Quartz: Crystal circuits that are sealed with both Arts and effects. Quartz comes in normal, rare and S quality rarity.
- Orbment Configuration: Several slots within ARCUS II are connected by lines, unique to each user within the game, affecting their fighting style. When a slot is opened, a user's EP (Energy Points) will increase. If slots are connected by lines, opening them will net a greater increase to a user's EP.
- Quartz Set Effect: Quartz, slotted into the ARCUS II, will net effects and stat increases for the player, and are able to be reviewed and checked in the lower left of the quartz configuration screen.
As it stands, two Master Quartz can be set in the ARCUS II at any given time, as outlined above. Referred to as the 'Main' and 'Sub', both of these crystal circuits will level up as players' battle, the 'Main' gaining 100% of experience obtained, while the 'Sub' will only gain 50%, to reach a maximum level of 7.
The interesting twist on the system, for players, comes through the combinations available when matching different Master Quartz with each other, enhancing strength and abilities even further. Some of the abilities given by various Master Quartz, available to the player, are listed below.
- Sculd: Increases the HP and EP of the user. In addition to allowing the user to use earth attribute Arts such as "Needle Shot," the more HP the user has, the higher amount of Break Damage the user will deal.
- Sirius: Increases the speed of the user and enables use of wind attribute arts such as "Air Strike." It also hits enemies with several times the standard amount of damage when an evasion counter is activated.
- Regulus: Increases the Strength and Defense of the user. In addition to enabling the use of fire attribute arts such as "Forte," the amount of CP (Craft Points) obtained when taking damage will increase. By increasing this quartz's level, you can also cut the cool-down period for using an "S Craft" in half, allowing for greater attacks in greater frequency.
Lastly, within The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III, new Arts will grace the stage of battle, consuming Energy Points on use, and unleashing elemental blitzkriegs on the foes that players will face. Some of the new Arts, as well as gorgeous screenshots of the attacks themselves, have been outlined for your pleasure below. Check them out!
A dark heavenly body that devours all appears and brings destruction to space and time. It can inflict a "deathblow" and "delay" effect.
A dark storm shadows enemies overhead, striking them down with tines of lightning. It has a high probability of inflicting the "seal" effect.
Countless lasers, rife with red-hot energy, slamming into the enemy, ending with a bright blow, at maximum light exposure. This attack has a 100% probability of inflicting the "burn" status ailment.
Like other RPG's that have come before it, The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III is set to have a competitive card game within its playtime, titled Vantage Masters.
Players will get the opportunity to participate in card-battling action once both a certain point in the story has been reached, and a deck has been obtained, allowing Rean to fight against other characters present within The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III.
Vantage Masters' game flow revolves around players taking turns to draw cards and use Mana, that recharges every turn, to activate attack and skill cards to defeat their opponent's 'Master Card'. The field layout, as seen below, revolves around two rows of cards: the front and the back.
Players can summon 'Natiel' cards, comprised of one of four elements (Earth, Water, Fire, or Heaven) as its type, to attack an opponent's 'Master Card' or use a 'Magic' card to upend and change the status quo of the field.
If the player is successful in Vantage Masters against other opponents, stronger cards can be obtained, allowing players to upgrade the limitations of their starter deck. This is also dependent on the severity and difficulty of the opponent, as to what rarity or strength of cards a player can receive. Alternatively, players can purchase cards from the Thors Military Academy Reaves II Branch bookstore.
Continuing in the series tradition, fishing will make a splashing and dashing return in The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III, boasting an updated and revamped way to catch watery game.
Like in previous games, as players explore the towns and dungeons, fishing spots will be uncovered, allowing players to throw hook, line and sinker into various ponds, lakes and spots around Zemuria. As players cast their line, the mini-game activates, causing players to follow a chain of events for a successful fish as outlined, by Falcom, below!
- Press the Circle button at a discovered "fishing point" to automatically cast the fishing line.
- When the reverse rotating outer ring falls in line with the hook, press the Circle button to get a successful HIT on the fish.
- The mini-game will then switch over to the HIT screen. Long-press Circle to reel in the fishing line.
- By reeling in as far to the left edge of the gauge as players can, they will successfully catch the fish. The caught fish is registered, and as a bonus, the fish may spit up items that the player can obtain.
Players will have the opportunity to purchase various upgrades to their fishing gear, such as the make of their rod, line tension, and the rotating ring. These upgrades will make it easier to catch bigger game, with bigger rewards, as players' progress throughout the story.
Phew, that's certainly a lot of info to digest! Personally, as a fairly recent convert to Falcom games at large, I'm impressed at the slew of information that's been coming for The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III over the last few months, and I can't wait for more, and for you, our readers, to see it!
If you're curious for more, check out our updated gallery for The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III!
If you want to know what RPGFan thought about the previous entries of theThe Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel series, check out reviewer Derek Heemsbergen's thoughts on the first and second entries!
Stay tuned to RPGFan for all news Falcom!
