Hunting

Advantageous (sneaking up from behind)

Disadvantageous (party is taken by surprise)

Engaging Local Wildlife

Touching a monster while moving around the field will trigger the start of battle.

Tip: Depending on how you initially come into contact with your prey during the main game, you may enter into battle with a tactical advantage or disadvantage. If you manage to sneak around behind the enemy and touch it from the back, you will take the upper hand at the start of combat; if, instead, the enemy manages to sneak up on you and touch one of your party members' backs, the enemy will take the upper hand.

Flow of Battle

Once battle begins, all player characters and all enemy characters will take turns entering commands until one side or the other has been completely wiped out. The order in which combat commands are entered is determined by the SPD (speed) attribute of each participant. In the end, if all enemy characters are defeated while at least one player character remains alive, then you've won the battle. If all player characters are defeated, however, it's Game Over.

Tip: Retry Offset [Off/On] This setting in the [Options] tab determines whether or not enemies will grow weaker each time a battle is retried. If you find yourself unable to survive a particular battle, selecting the "On" option might give you that little extra help you need.

Choosing a Target

After selecting a battle command for one of your characters, you'll be prompted to choose a target for that command. Some commands target specific enemies or allies, while others target a specific ground location or area of effect.

Tip: When selecting an enemy target for an attack, art or craft, you can press and hold the □ button to view detailed information about that enemy, as well as place an HP bar beneath every battle participant (for easy reference at a glance).

Turn Bonuses

When in the heat of battle, sometimes a bit of luck can be plucked from the air if you play your cards right. During each battle, bonus effects are randomly attached to certain combat turns on the AT bar. When the corresponding turn comes around, the participant set for that turn (be it player OR enemy) will receive the bonus indicated. When the order of characters on the AT bar is modified by an art or S-Break, however, the AT bonuses remain unmoved, making it possible to cast or break your way onto the bar and steal an enemy's bonus.

Advanced Techniques

Battle veterans may want to employ a new, and more powerful, move in the field known as Chain Crafts. This technique allows several people to attack a target simultaneously for exponential damage. To use a Chain Craft, select the party members to join in and then an attack target. The more participants in the attack, the greater the range. Additionally, characters further back in the combination attack will have greater attack power. Just remember, party members must have a minimum level of CP to participate.

Extra Tactics

The starting locations of your party members upon first entering combat can sometimes spell the difference between victory and defeat—so make certain you take the time to adjust them whenever any changes are made to your party makeup!

Battle Position: Before engaging your targets, take a moment to review your battle formation. The 7x5 grid depicted here represents the basic formation your characters will take upon first engaging enemies in battle. To change any character's position, simply move the cursor to the space occupied by that character and press the X button, then move the cursor to the desired location and press the X button again. Note that the lower-left edge of this grid represents the direction from which enemies will be advancing, so it's likely best to ensure that long-range attackers and lightly-defended characters occupy positions closer to the opposite edge.

Leisure Time

Cooking

Thanks to advancements in the culinary arts, making food is no longer just a household chore. As long as you have a Recipe Book on hand you can create tasty dishes to cure fatigue, temporarily raise abilities when in the field, or even defeat enemies. That's right. Food has been weaponized, and we encourage you to learn these revolutionary recipes and try them in battle.

Tip: Recipes can be learned by eating food at inns or restaurants, or by using food items. Sometimes they can even be found moldering in treasure chests. Once learned, just gather the necessary ingredients listed and get to cooking!

Reading

To stay abreast of the various goings-on in Liberl's many regions, it's recommended that visitors pick up a copy of the Liberl News. This highly acclaimed publication is packed with hot political coverage, local happenings, and in-depth interviews with some of Liberl's most influential people. It's printed weekly, so be sure to grab a copy off the nearest newsstand. And if reading's your pleasure while you enjoy some idle time by Valleria Lake, there are also many new books available such as the whimsical Doll Knight, and the suspenseful tale of Gambler Jack.

Fishing

The Fisherman's Guild is looking for some new recruits! All you need to join this illustrious club is a Fishing Book, rod, and bait. Once you're properly equipped, check any water with ripples to begin your journey to becoming a master fisher. Every region in Liberl has its own unique spots, and every fish has its own requirements to catch, so be sure to try different rod/bait combos for different habitats.

Gambling

Ruan's newly renovated Lavantar Casino & Bar is finally open! By exchanging mira here for "medals," you can play several games of skill and luck, so be sure to stop in and try your hand at winning some amazing prizes.