The combat in Tales of Arise is more fast-paced and even harder when compared to other JRPGs out there. One of the great features in the game, and in past series, is that you can control each of the characters directly. In Tales of Arise, each character plays and feels differently from one another.
You’ll most likely be using Alphen for most of the game as he’s the main character. He’s somewhat of the party’s trump card as he can use things other than use magic. The more you master using Alphen, the easier the game will be.
Alphen’s Boost Attack And Perk
Alphen’s Boost Attack is the most versatile of all of the party members. While the Boost Attacks used by the others are there to counter specific types of monsters, Alphen’s Boost Attack can take down all types of monsters, including bosses and Gigants. As this is the case, Alphen can easily save the party from serious trouble when the fight gets too tough.
Instead of spamming his Boost Attack, it’s often best to save Alphen’s at first, only using it in emergency cases or when the Boost Attack of a specific character fails to counter a monster. Many players have found that it’s beneficial to keep Alphen’s gauge full during boss fights as it can be used to stop bosses in their tracks if they are planning on using a powerful spell that takes time to cast.
Alphen’s Perk
His Perk is called Blazing Sword. It’s a double-edged ability that deals massive damage to enemies as a fire-based attack. On the other hand, though, Blazing Sword attacks also damage Alphen too. To use a Blazing Sword attack, you simply need to use an Arte of Alphen instead of tapping the button; however, you’ll hold it down. Alphen can be interrupted when using the Blazing Sword, so be mindful of that.
Pro Tip
It’s best to focus on getting the Burning Edge Boost and the Blazing Sword Artes on Alphen’s Skill Tree as soon as you can. The boosts will allow you to hold and charge the Blazing Sword for heavier damage, which means that Alphen will be taking more damage too. Be careful as you can bring Alphen’s HP to as low as 1 if you hold for too long.
To counter this, you should get the KO Prevention skill from Alphen Skill Tree. This special passive ability makes Alphen more durable against physical and elemental attacks as well.
Best Arte Set Up
Alphen has a ton of great Artes at his disposal. First off, you need to make sure that at least one of Alphen’s Artes is capable of launching enemies. You can determine this by checking whether or not that’s an upward arrow at the side of the skill’s name when checking from the menu. We suggest Lighting Thrust as aside from the additional elemental damage, it also features multiple hits. You should also consider using Rising Wyvern as it’s a good Arte to chase down enemies with.
Using an Arte that launches enemies is important because Alphen has several aerial Artes at his disposal. This will allow you to follow up Alphen’s ground Arte with something once the enemy is launched in the air.
Now, there are also some Aerial Artes that slam enemies down. This is a good way to end Alphen’s combo. A good combo for Alphen would be to start with Dragon Swarm, then Lighting Thrust, and finally Soaring Lightning Spear. Instead of letting Alphen drop down, have him use Rising Phoenix, which is an extension of Soaring Lightning Spear.
As the jack-of-all-trades for the party, Alphen will help save you from various problems in Tales of Arise. With these tips, you can effectively use him in combat, and you’ll be felling numerous Gigants along the way.
