How balanced is easy mode?

[KFCBUCKETS9000]

I felt like sky 1 through 3 were way to easy on easy mode, and the cold steel games were a little more challenging on easy.

[Shadic]

this game is easier than those so I imagine easy will be easier too.

[Dr. Rudolf von Richten]

Why play on easy if you're worried it will be too easy? Normal isn't that difficult either, and even hard is much more doable than it was in Sky FC and SC.

Note that Sky FC (sky 1) doesn't actually have an easy mode, so you must have played it on normal at least.

[Alex]

As I see it, easy mode in TZ is even easier than TiS with diminished retries.
Go at least with Normal, it's still no challenge. Use Easy only if you don't want to kill everything in sight even for one run over the map.

[KFCBUCKETS9000]

Publicado originalmente por Dr. Rudolf von Richten:

Why play on easy if you're worried it will be too easy? Normal isn't that difficult either, and even hard is much more doable than it was in Sky FC and SC.

Note that Sky FC (sky 1) doesn't actually have an easy mode, so you must have played it on normal at least.

I did. I'm just worried that I'll get stuck on the final boss for way to long, and I don't want to ask someone for a link to there saves again.

[Dr. Rudolf von Richten]

Publicado originalmente por DOOMGUY64:

I did. I'm just worried that I'll get stuck on the final boss for way to long, and I don't want to ask someone for a link to there saves again.

Well, as I and several others have said, Trails from Zero on normal is not difficult at all. Still, you do have to play sensibly at points (like most boss fights) and use your options well; if you want to be sure to ROFLstomp the game, play on easy and enjoy the story.

For reference, when I played Sky FC for the first time (on normal difficulty and without using a guide or anything) I found the final boss gauntlet to be suitably tricky and IIRC had to retry it a few times, but I was never 'stuck' on it for real.

Apparently the gap between easy and normal is, for you, the gap between 'too easy' and 'too difficult', which is a conundrum that other people can't really solve for you. You can always ask for help and/or consult a guide if you do run into a wall, of course.

[KFCBUCKETS9000]

Publicado originalmente por Dr. Rudolf von Richten:

Publicado originalmente por DOOMGUY64:

I did. I'm just worried that I'll get stuck on the final boss for way to long, and I don't want to ask someone for a link to there saves again.

Well, as I and several others have said, Trails from Zero on normal is not difficult at all. Still, you do have to play sensibly at points (like most boss fights) and use your options well; if you want to be sure to ROFLstomp the game, play on easy and enjoy the story.

For reference, when I played Sky FC for the first time (on normal difficulty and without using a guide or anything) I found the final boss gauntlet to be suitably tricky and IIRC had to retry it a few times, but I was never 'stuck' on it for real.

Apparently the gap between easy and normal is, for you, the gap between 'too easy' and 'too difficult', which is a conundrum that other people can't really solve for you. You can always ask for help and/or consult a guide if you do run into a wall, of course.

This was a few years ago, I've gotten better at rpgs since then, So maybe I'll be fine. Do you think the game will be on sale on the 22nd for the holidays?

[Dr. Rudolf von Richten]

Publicado originalmente por DOOMGUY64:

This was a few years ago, I've gotten better at rpgs since then, So maybe I'll be fine. Do you think the game will be on sale on the 22nd for the holidays?

No clue about any chance for a sale. I guess it's too early, but that's no more than a gut feeling. You could easily wait of course, it's just a couple of days.

[Alex]

Publicado originalmente por Dr. Rudolf von Richten:

For reference, when I played Sky FC for the first time (on normal difficulty and without using a guide or anything) I found the final boss gauntlet to be suitably tricky and IIRC had to retry it a few times, but I was never 'stuck' on it for real.

I liked the Ao final bosses for that. They are tricky even on Normal.

[Wyrtt]

Publicado originalmente por DOOMGUY64:

Publicado originalmente por Dr. Rudolf von Richten:

Why play on easy if you're worried it will be too easy? Normal isn't that difficult either, and even hard is much more doable than it was in Sky FC and SC.

Note that Sky FC (sky 1) doesn't actually have an easy mode, so you must have played it on normal at least.

I did. I'm just worried that I'll get stuck on the final boss for way to long, and I don't want to ask someone for a link to there saves again.

There is an cheat engine table for this game. If you get stuck with no way out just use it to help yourself. Otherwise play on hard. Its rather easy even by this series standarts.

[Greyshm]

Trails in the Sky initially didn't HAVE difficulty settings, that was added after the fact and as such the game wasn't balanced for it.

Sky, as far as i'm aware, is only balanced for Normal difficulty.

[Greyshm]

Addendum:
by initially, I mean when sky was called
The legend of Heroes 6: Sora No Kiseki.
BEFORE Falcom dropped the 6 from the title and added the FC to the game.

Not sure if this applies to SC & the 3rd, but i wouldn't be surprised to find out those games
are also unbalanced on anything other than Normal.

[Dr. Rudolf von Richten]

Publicado originalmente por Greyshm:

Not sure if this applies to SC & the 3rd, but i wouldn't be surprised to find out those games
are also unbalanced on anything other than Normal.

SC is definitely unbalanced on difficulties above Normal, even moreso than FC, and for the same reason; it was not in the original version and not well playtested when it was implemented afterwards.

The 3rd (and all games after it) has been made with different difficulties from the start, and as such, those are far more balanced than in FC and SC. It's kinda telling how FC and SC don't have any difficulty-related achievements, and the 3rd and later games do.

[Hippias Minor]

Sorry to "necro" an old thread, but I'm a bit interested in this myself--mainly because I'd like to get that achievement for completing the game under level 40, and I'd like to do it on a *first* playthrough rather than mopping up later on. (Playing on normal while staying under level 40 seems stressful.)

But if easy mode is *stupidly* easy--as in, the monsters don't even attack you--maybe I'd change my strategy.

(I guess Alex's post above suggests that it really is stupidly easy. But then again, would the low-level thing be too hard on normal?)

[Dr. Rudolf von Richten]

The 'finish the game at lvl 40 or lower' achievement is very doable on normal. Basically, up to chapter 4 you play normally, without special measures. From chapter 4 onwards you need to fight each new enemy type only once (so you can scan them, avoid or run away from any other enemies) and try to keep your XP multipliers down.

Then make a backup save at the beginning of the final dungeon. Play it through once normally; fighting everything, opening all treasure chests, including the ones that summon monsters, etc, and finish the game, likely at lvl 43/44. Make a clear save for NG+

Then go back to the aforementioned backup save, let your 2 guest stars go KO against the first monster (then run away) and go through the dungeon again, avoiding all monsters except the bosses (you can actually run away from the 2 boss fight and avoid it thusly), and again keep your XP multipliers down. Only the first phase of the final boss fight gives XP, so if you're still at 40 or below, you've made it. Assuming you can win the fight, of course. ;-)

Note that you need to watch the ending again to unlock the record/achievement, as well as make another clear save, or the record won't be retained.

Good luck. :-)

[Stabbey]

You can play normally all the way through the end of Chapter 4. You can even do the "Under Level 40" achievement starting with the Final Chapter - as long as you're level 35 and it will take you at least 350 XP to reach level 36.

But once in the final chapter, you must run from all non-mandatory fights, which includes monster chests which have weapons and such in them. Buy lots of smoke bombs to let you flee from battle reliably. Once you enter the final dungeon, you'll get two new party members. They need to die and stay dead, because they'll go over level 40 from the last two bosses.