As one of my favorite JRPGs of 2021, Tales of Arise has a lot going for it. It’s an epically large game with tons of content to experience and some top-notch gameplay. Naturally, there’s a lot of information that can go by you without noticing or even stuff the game flat out doesn’t tell you.

That’s why I’ve collected 12 of the best tips and tricks to help you on your journey.

Second Mystic Arte

Mystic Artes are a signature gameplay element of the Tales series. Right off the bat, every character has one at their disposal, but they can also gain access to a second one. Arise makes it evident that Alphen has a second one. For the rest of the cast, you need to talk to them while at camp until you’ve exhausted the dialog options and a smiley icon appears next to them. This is all you need to do to unlock every character’s second Mystic Arte.

Explore Every Corner

As I described in my review, Tales of Arise’s world feels like an open one even though it isn’t actually. However, every zone can be explored to a great extent, and I highly recommend you do so. There’s a lot of valuable treasure hidden away around every nook and cranny, from powerful items to crucial materials.

Get Used to the Strategy Menu

During combat, Arise’s party AI leaves a lot to be desired, especially when you leave it to its own devices. The game does give you a dedicated menu to provide each party member with instructions to follow during combat. This Strategy menu can look a bit daunting, but you’ll be effectively gimping yourself if you don’t spend some time making adjustments to fit your playstyle.

Master the Dodge

Who said Dark Souls had a monopoly on dodge rolls? In Tales of Arise, dodging is just as necessary, if not even more so. It’s effectively your only actual defensive move and will save your hide when used well. Once you’re familiar with dodging, you’ll want to master perfect dodging to reap the added buffs.

Limitless Fast Travel

The fast travel system in Tales of Arise is one of the best I have ever encountered in a JRPG. The game knows its world can be painfully large to explore. As such, whenever you visit new areas, you effectively open up a new fast travel location. All you need to do, from there on, is open your map from anywhere, and you’ll be able to quickly travel to any place you’ve opened up without any limits.

Post-Story Content

As a bit of a noob when it comes to Tales, admittedly, this was newfound information for me. Even though you may complete the game’s main story quest, there’s still a fair bit of content to sink your teeth into, and that’s without starting a New Game Plus. So don’t go moving onto your next game just because the credits have rolled on Arise. Speaking of which…

Save Your Accessory Materials

Throughout your journey with Shionne, Alphen and company, you’ll gather a growing amount of materials used to make accessories. These aren’t that important for the main campaign as you’ll be more than powerful enough to take it on without them. Instead, save these materials until you get to the post-game, where the accessories you make are far stronger.

Keep Your Old Weapons

Tossing away old toys to make room for new ones is a standard practice in JRPGs. In Tales of Arise, though, you’ll want to hold onto your obsolete weapons. Later in the game, you’ll encounter crafting recipes that require lesser weapons as part of their materials. When that happens, you’ll be glad you didn’t give them away for pennies.

Divide and Conquer

Certain elite enemies can be found surrounded by other lesser enemies, meaning that triggering a battle can see you biting off more than you can chew. There is a trick to peeling these lesser minions away, though. Get as close to them as you can without triggering a fight and wait for them to begin approaching you. Then, walk away until you’re at a safe distance and start the battle.

Focus Target for Other Party Members

Okay, so we touched on the importance of learning the Strategy menu, which is a must for various reasons, excluding one: focus targets. Essentially, there’s no way to have your AI companions target the same enemy as you, which can be frustrating on many occasions. Fortunately, there is a trick, as roundabout as it is. During a fight, you can swap to controlling a party member then set their focus target to the one you want. When you change back to your main character, your party member will continue to attack the focus target you’ve given them.

Boost Attacks are Versatile

Boost Attacks in Tales of Arise are massively important because they can counter a variety of enemies. For instance, Shionne’s will knock flying enemies out of the sky. Besides these more obvious uses, Boost Attacks have a couple of other cool uses. For one, you can use them as combo extenders to continue pummeling your enemies. Also, Boost Attacks are great for getting your party members out of harm’s way.

Don’t Sleep on Artifacts

Out of all of the game’s various collectibles, Artifacts are by far the most important. Obtained through sub-quests, Artifacts in Tales of Arise can grant you some significant boosts, especially when you’re working your way to a full level 100 party. So, don’t go trashing them or ignoring certain side missions.