Tales of the Abyss
Tales of the Abyss

Grade Shop Details

Plan your New Game+ in Tales of the Abyss using the Grade Shop. Acquire powerful bonuses and customize your next playthrough with accumulated Grade.

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Grade Shop Details

Welcome, future Lorelei! The Grade Shop is your reward for completing Tales of the Abyss and is absolutely essential for optimizing subsequent playthroughs. After defeating the final boss and watching the credits, you'll be prompted to save your clear data. Do so! This clear data is what unlocks the Grade Shop options for your New Game+.

Upon starting a New Game, you'll be taken to the Grade Shop menu before the game truly begins. Here, you'll spend the Grade points accumulated during your previous playthrough. Grade is earned through various actions in battle, such as achieving high combos, using Mystic Artes, and avoiding damage. The more efficiently and stylishly you fight, the more Grade you'll earn. Max Grade for a single playthrough is typically around 4000-5000, but can be pushed higher with diligent play.

Recommended Grade Shop Purchases for First New Game+

For your initial New Game+, focusing on quality-of-life improvements and experience boosts is highly recommended to make subsequent runs smoother and faster. Here’s a breakdown:

  • 2x EXP (1000 Grade): This is arguably the most important purchase. Doubling your experience significantly reduces grinding time, allowing you to focus on story, side quests, or simply enjoying the combat without worrying about being under-leveled.
  • Inherit AD Skills (100 Grade): This allows all characters to start with any AD Skills they learned in the previous playthrough. This is a massive time-saver and lets you immediately utilize advanced combat mechanics.
  • Inherit Titles (50 Grade): Carry over all acquired titles. While some titles are purely cosmetic, others grant stat bonuses or unlock new costumes. This ensures you don't have to re-earn them.
  • Inherit Collector's Book (10 Grade): Keep your completed Collector's Book data. Useful for tracking items and monster entries, especially if you're aiming for 100% completion.
  • Inherit Play Time (10 Grade): Carries over your total play time. Mostly for bragging rights, but useful if you like to track your overall progress across multiple playthroughs.

Advanced Grade Shop Strategies

Once you've completed a few New Game+ runs and accumulated a substantial amount of Grade, you can start investing in more specialized options to further enhance your experience or tackle higher difficulties.

For Speedrunning/Efficiency:
  • 10x EXP (3000 Grade): If you have the Grade, this is the ultimate experience boost. You'll be over-leveled for most of the game, making battles trivial and allowing you to rush through the story.
  • Inherit Gald (1000 Grade): Start with all the Gald you accumulated. This is fantastic for immediately buying the best equipment available early on or funding expensive synthesis items.
  • Inherit Capacity Cores (500 Grade): Carry over all Capacity Cores. This allows for immediate and precise stat customization for your characters from the beginning of the game.
  • Inherit Artes Usage (250 Grade): Keep your arte usage counts. This helps in unlocking higher-tier artes and titles that require specific arte usage thresholds.
For Challenge Runs/Completionists:
  • Half EXP (10 Grade): For those seeking a greater challenge, this option halves all experience gained, forcing you to rely more on strategy and equipment.
  • No EXP (10 Grade): The ultimate challenge for experienced players. Battles will be significantly harder, requiring mastery of combat mechanics.
  • Inherit Monster Book (10 Grade): Carry over your Monster Book data. Essential for completing all monster entries across multiple playthroughs.
  • Inherit Recipes (10 Grade): Keep all learned recipes. This saves time in gathering ingredients and allows immediate access to powerful cooking effects.
  • Inherit World Map (10 Grade): Start with the entire world map revealed. Useful for quickly navigating to specific locations without needing to explore again.

Maximizing Grade Earnings

To ensure you have enough Grade for your desired purchases, keep these tips in mind during your playthrough:

  • Achieve High Combos: Longer combos yield more Grade. Practice linking artes and using unison attacks effectively.
  • Use Mystic Artes: Successfully executing Mystic Artes grants a significant Grade bonus.
  • Avoid Damage: Finishing battles with minimal damage taken, especially if no characters are knocked out, increases Grade.
  • Overkill Enemies: Defeating enemies with a powerful final blow or a high-damage arte can sometimes grant bonus Grade.
  • Fight Optional Bosses: Many optional bosses, like the Nebilim, offer substantial Grade rewards upon defeat.

Careful planning with the Grade Shop can transform your subsequent playthroughs, whether you're aiming for a quick story clear, a challenging expert run, or a 100% completionist journey. Choose wisely, and enjoy the enhanced experience!