Usually, battles in this game consist of one character at a time taking a turn. Using a "Chain Burst" allows your allies to link attacks, swinging the fight in your favor.
First, to start the Chain Burst, attack monsters until the gauge on the left fills up.
During Chain Burst mode, if allies have turns consecutively, lines like in the top right will connect their icons, allowing you to preemptively input their turns and chain attacks.
If the "Linkage" in the top left reaches 130%, and 3 or more allies chain together, a Chain Strike activates. The first character to attack will follow up with a special attack.
Chained skills and items will quickly be carried out one after another. The "Linkage" rate will increase according to the actions performed, adding bonus damage. Only skills and items that target the enemy can chain together.
Linkage is a vital point for "Chain Bursts". When the rate reaches a certain value, you will be able to choose a character at the end of the combo to perform a powerful and extravagant finishing attack, adding even more damage to the chain.
You can continue linking attacks as long as enough of the gauge remains. Watch the turn order, find the most suitable time and combination to start your chain, and swing the battle in your favor.
Special Attacks from a Combo
Chain Finish for a Brilliant End
When "Linkage" in the top left reaches 150%, and 3 or more allies combo together, a Chain Finish activates. The character who attacked first will perform an ultimate attack to deal huge damage.
Firis's ultimate is Corundum End. She seals the enemy inside a huge crystal, which then shatters.
Ilmeria specializes in controlling fire. Her Alchemic Buster engulfs the enemy in flames, burning them to ash.
Revy bestows magic power into his blade while fighting. His Final Enhance strengthens his sword to the utmost level, for a magnificent finish.
Characters take action when their turn comes up during battles in this game. Since you choose actions individually, you can respond more easily to the current situation. Some item effects, as well as monster actions and abilities, are now affected by the time of day and weather.
The top icon on the right of the screen represents the character that takes a turn next. You also know exactly when monsters will take turns, so act accordingly.
Select an action to attack monsters. Wait time until the next turn is determined by the action your perform, so the turn order could change.
Characters act in battle when their turn comes up. You will have an advantage if you can stop the movements of your enemy. When fighting a powerful foe, aim to "Break" them to stun them, preventing them from taking actions.
Countless powerful items to hit monsters en masse are part of the true thrill of battle. Characters who aren't alchemists can also use certain items, so it's important to consider which items to take with you.
Breaking a monster stuns it, causing it to be unable to act for a while. You can either attack it for big damage, or leave it stunned while you make preparations.
As you attack and perform other actions, the gauge on the left fills up. When it's full, a "Chain Burst" activates, allowing you to unleash powerful combo attacks.
Each ally you travel with has a unique and powerful set of skills and abilities to use. These don't necessarily just deal damage. Many of them have effects to give you an advantage in battle.
Oskar's skill: "Super Spin Dive". Attacks all enemies in a wide area at once.
Drossel's skill: "Instant Bisection". Uses a heavy axe to quickly chop though the enemy!
Liane's ability: "Beauty of Nature" explodes! This ultimate attack activates after the Linkage rate exceeds a certain value.
Besides their main weapon, each character can equip a sub-weapon as well, usually a choice between 2 types. Weapons deal different kinds of damage, and also provide skills to use. Understanding which weapons to equip to fight monsters is key in this game.
Ilmeria can use a gun as her sub-weapon. Guns have many unique skills tied to them, many of which consume MP to perform powerful attacks.
The swordsman Revy can also use a spear. Spears have many technical skills, such as lowering enemy stats.
Liane fights using both a bow and sword. Swords are all-purpose weapons that are effective against most monsters, and also have attacks that sweep a wide area.
*Images are from the PlayStation®4 development version.