Nightmare

[Nickademus]

I played all the way through CS I and 2 in Nightmare mode because I found the games too easy otherwise. I am doing the same thing for 3 and had no problem up until the first mech battle in the game going against Rean as his two students in Drakkens.

I am pretty sure the battle is literally impossible. Now I spent time leveling Rean to level 12 in the previous dungeon last night so Rean greatly out levels them. So I think I may have broke my game. Reans regular attack does 1/4 health of my health and his special attacks nearly 1/2. I save my Cs for impede so he doesn't get those off. I get off every strike as an imbalance and use my finishers every other turn but my damages is very poor I barely get him to half health if I get a lucky break here and there. I dont know what to do I will not lower the difficulty to trivialize the rest of the game.

[Nickademus]

Has anyone tried nightmare? Why would they have you level in a dungeon without your students and then have you go against yourself as the underleveled characters. What kind of backwards design is that?

There was never anything like that in the other games.

[lostsomething]

You've got healing items.

[Koby]

I'm pretty sure Rean's level while in your party has nothing to do with his stats when he's someone you have to fight. My Rean was also a lot higher level during these segments because he kept leaving the students behind... But I didn't find the battle that hard. You just have to keep healing and then slowly chipping away his HP in-between.

[Nickademus]

Yep thanks. I missed that there was healing items. That's new.

[Nickademus]

Ok. Now that I beat rean used up my healing items, how am I supposed to defeat ash, now that I have no healing items? Are all the mech battles in this game this poorly balanced? It's much worse than the last 2...

I finally did it but I had to go back and reload so I beat rean with one repair stone. This encounter was the worst trials experience I have had and I've played them all

[Koby]

Mech battles were pretty easy for me. Never seemed unbalanced... also I don't recall ever actually using items in Mech battles. Just the usual healing without the use of items was always enough. It just comes down to hitting the right spot, healing when needed, speeding yourself up, and using the ultimate attack when you get 5BP.

Did you equip your mechs with HP, Power, and Speed boost? I don't recall if they were available this early in the game or not.

If you're having too much trouble, don't play Nightmare. Why play hardest mode then complain about it being difficult? That's kind of the point isn't it? unfortunately Cold Steels Nightmare mode isn't really a challenge for those that actually wish it could give a challenge, because the battle system has so many methods of breaking battles.

[Evil Gambio]

In CS3, you have both access to items and spirit to kill enemies. You can just use spirit when needed. Guard has also been greatly buffed, granting an 80% damage resistance instead of 70% as in CS2. Using it basically negates any enemy attack in the game that doesn't apply burn.
Ash is a hilariously easy fight afterwards, shouldn't even need any items really for that one.

[lostsomething]

Yeah, restarted on Nightmare recently and I'm while I used 4 healstones on the student fight I'm pretty sure I beat Ash without using any. Much easier fight.

[Phinx]

Here's a difficulty balance mod. I played CS1 & 2 with a difficulty mod too. Since you can break the game in quite a few ways.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Falcom/comments/hhf824/trails_of_cold_steel_3_difficulty_mod_v_104/

[Mistfox]

Strange, I got through that easy which makes me think something is screwy, either a bug or a misunderstood game mechanic.

What's your orb layout like?

[lostsomething]

You don't have orbs at that point.

[Evil Gambio]

Originally posted by Phinx:

Here's a difficulty balance mod. I played CS1 & 2 with a difficulty mod too. Since you can break the game in quite a few ways.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Falcom/comments/hhf824/trails_of_cold_steel_3_difficulty_mod_v_104/

It's feels kinda weird to see people linking my own mod down here xD

[Mistfox]

Originally posted by lostsomething:

You don't have orbs at that point.

Oh ok, so he's not doing an NG+ run.

[Nickademus]

No this is not new game plus and it is nightmare. I'd like to see a video of the dude that says he does mech battles without healing. I think people must be higher level than me. I do no leveling and have no problems in any boss until the mech fights. Now I'm stuck on the final boss of chapter 1. I easily beat duvalier and the red haired chick and bam, Aion shows up and hits so freaking hard I have to heal and recharge almost every single turn or instant death. I am on the second part of the fight with kurt and rean v aion.

Tha thing has a million hp and all it takes is an unlucky string of 3 boss turns and he can kill one of us without me being able to react.
When I finally get him to below 50 Oct if I am lucky he starts using his ultimate move I have to get a lucky turn to react or I am dead. It took me an hour to get him that low and rng screwed me.

Are you guys leveling or something? I am at level 20 for the final boss of act one.

[Nickademus]

Also there are no healing item sc for this fight