Best Equipment & Builds
Maximizing your party's potential in Tales of Arise involves more than just leveling up; it requires strategic equipment choices and thoughtful character builds. This section will guide you through acquiring top-tier gear and optimizing your characters for various combat scenarios.
Understanding Equipment Crafting
Crafting is your primary method for obtaining powerful weapons and armor. you'll unlock new crafting recipes and materials. Always prioritize upgrading your gear at the blacksmith in towns like Ulzebek. Keep an eye out for rare monster drops and mining points, as these often yield crucial components for high-end equipment.
- Materials: Collect everything! Even common materials can be vital for early-game upgrades or later-game accessory crafting.
- Blacksmiths: Visit blacksmiths regularly. New weapons and armor become available as you advance the story and collect new materials.
- Accessory Crafting: Don't overlook accessories. These can provide significant stat boosts and resistances. Experiment with different combinations to suit your playstyle and the challenges ahead.
Early Game Essentials (Calaglia Region)
During your initial journey through the Calaglia Region, focus on foundational upgrades to ensure a smooth progression. The goal here is to establish a solid base for your party.
Alphen: The Blazing Sword
- Weapon: Crude Sword (Crafted in Mosgul or Ulzebek). This is a basic upgrade that will significantly boost Alphen's attack power over his starting weapon.
- Armor: Leather Armor (Crafted in Mosgul or Ulzebek). Provides a decent defense boost.
- Accessory: Warrior's Emblem (Crafted from various monster parts found in Iglia Wastes). Focuses on increasing physical attack, which is Alphen's primary damage source.
- Strategy: Keep Alphen's weapon and armor updated as soon as new options appear at the blacksmith. His early game build should prioritize raw attack power to quickly dispatch enemies.
Shionne: The Astral Healer
- Weapon: Basic Rifle (Crafted in Mosgul or Ulzebek). While Shionne's primary role is healing, a stronger weapon helps her contribute to damage when not casting support arts.
- Armor: Leather Cloak (Crafted in Mosgul or Ulzebek). Offers better elemental defense, crucial for a mage.
- Accessory: Mystic Crest (Crafted from various monster parts). Reduces AG consumption for Artes, allowing for more frequent healing and offensive Astral Artes.
- Strategy: Ensure Shionne has sufficient AG to keep the party healed. Prioritize accessories that enhance her healing output or reduce casting costs.
Mid-Game Power Spikes (Beyond Calaglia)
As you move past the initial regions, more complex crafting recipes and stronger materials become available. This is where you can start specializing your characters more effectively.
General Tips for Mid-Game
- Sub-Quests: Many sub-quests reward rare materials or even unique equipment. Always check the quest boards in towns.
- Dungeon Exploration: Thoroughly explore every dungeon, like the Zionne Mine Tunnels or Fagan Ruins, for hidden chests containing valuable items and crafting components.
- Boss Drops: Bosses often drop unique materials that are essential for crafting powerful weapons. check their loot!
Example: Alphen's Offensive Mid-Game Build
- Weapon: Flaming Sword (Requires materials from Calaglia region bosses and stronger monsters). Offers a significant attack boost and often comes with a fire elemental property, useful against many enemies.
- Armor: Plate Armor (Crafted from tougher monster hides). Provides superior physical defense.
- Accessory: Attack Ring (Crafted from various ores and monster parts). Further amplifies Alphen's physical attack, making him a formidable damage dealer. Consider equipping two for maximum impact.
- Strategy: Continue to focus on maximizing Alphen's damage output. Look for weapons with high attack stats and accessories that boost his physical attack or critical hit rate.
Example: Shionne's Supportive Mid-Game Build
- Weapon: Elemental Rifle (Crafted using elemental cores from various regions). While still not her main focus, an elemental weapon can help exploit enemy weaknesses.
- Armor: Mage's Robe (Crafted from finer fabrics and magical components). Enhances elemental defense and sometimes boosts AG recovery.
- Accessory: Spirit Ring (Crafted from rare gems and spiritual fragments). Increases her Elemental Attack and Elemental Defense, making her spells more potent and her more resilient to magic. Alternatively, a Resist Ring can be useful for specific elemental resistances against challenging bosses.
- Strategy: Shionne's build should prioritize her healing and support capabilities. Look for accessories that increase AG recovery, reduce casting time, or boost her healing effectiveness.