Branch-Combos...For Dummies ^_^

[darkrpger]

Hello everyone,

I could *REALLY* use some help from some of your more experienced Cross - Edge pros...

In the game (under the "Arcane Tome" Tab). is the list of all of the Branch-Combos/Team-Attacks.
Now, I'm not usually this slow in picking things up & understanding them, but, for the life of me...I just can't seem to make sense of/understand how to read and follow these 'charts' and info.

So, for example, if I wanted to use the Skill/Combo "A Thousand Deaths" which (in the strategy-guide) is broken down into:

"Skill One" --- "Attack Rank 4",
"Skill Two" --- "C-Skill 4", and
"Skill Three" --- "C-Skill 5"

How, exactly, can I read the chart in the "Arcane Tome"

In short...please give me the simplest way to be able to see

"Have __________(this character) use ____________(this skill)"
*next*
"Have ___________(this character) use ___________(this skill)
*and finally*
"Have __________(this character) use __________(this skill)
*so that*
"____________(this character) can ultimately use "A thousand Deaths"

Like I said, please break it down step-by-step as simply as possible.

Obviously (even to a 'dummy' like myself:)
-the entire game (especially the harder post-game battles) will become much more enjoyable once I have a thorough concept and command of how to interpret this tome and use the skills in it to my advantage...

Thank you (in advance) for any help that you can give me here!

[Daverost]

The Arcane Tomes actually make it pretty simple. Just select a combo in the list and, in the second menu, you can scroll through each required attack type, which will have a list of characters in your party and the attacks they've learned that can be used to activate that combo.

Simply pick one with a white or... I think it was blue color. White means your current party can perform it. Blue means you'll need to switch some skills around in your party... I think. I forget what yellow means. Maybe it means you need to switch party members out for it. It's fairly obvious once you're looking through the tome, but I don't really wanna go turn the game on right now.

Now for your specific example, A Thousand Deaths, that's AtkRank IV -> C-Skill IV -> C-Skill V. What that means is that you need to build a level 1 attack combo, then a level 2 off of that, then a level 3 off of that, then a level 4 off of that, then follow up with a C-Skill IV and then a C-Skill V to make it into A Thousand Deaths, a level 5 attack combo. Just go through the tome (or really, any combo listing, like this one) and look at what your party is capable of performing. You can do any combo, even if it's not listed in the tome.

As an example of building a higher level combo, my party is Meu, Morrigan, York, and Marie. Marie won't be used for this example, though. I'm looking to do a level 6 attack combo. Looking at my available skills, I break down the progression like this:

Level 1: Delta Attack = Double Attack (Meu) -> Sonic Edge (Meu)
Level 2: Cross Orbit = Follow up previous combo with Double Attack (Meu) -> Sonic Edge (Meu)
Level 3: Magnum Shell = Follow up previous combo with Sonic Edge (Meu) -> Shell Kick (Morrigan)
Level 4: Execution = Follow up previous combo with Shell Kick (Morrigan) -> Necro Desire (Morrigan)
Level 5: Annihilation Sphere = Follow up previous combo with Necro Desire (Morrigan) -> Square Cross (Meu) or Null Form (York)
Level 6: Fanatic Rave = Follow up previous combo with Square Cross (Meu) or Null Form (York) -> Cloud Form (York) or Bulk Revenge (Morrigan)

Now by the last two, where I have options, I generally have to accommodate my AP. By the level 5 combo, Morrigan runs out and Meu can only use one Square Cross. If I pick her to finish it, York has to start the level 6 with Null Form. If I pick York to finish the level 5, she starts with Square Cross. The combos are very flexible. Of course, like I said, Morrigan is out of AP by this point, so using Bulk Revenge as the closer is pretty much never going to happen unless I Overbreak the enemy and get an AP refill, which is usually not possible on bosses, so York generally has to finish.

Hopefully that will give you enough understanding and information to help you determine how to perform the combos you want within your party. If not, come back here with more questions.

[darkrpger]

Thanks, Daverost, that was very helpful!

My main concern when I asked was to get the "400+ Hits" trophy - and I'd heard that "1,000 Deaths" gave you a ton of hits.Anyhow, after reading your explanation, I was able to understand perfectly how to use/follow the Arcane Tomes...turns out that I was just over-complicating them when I looked at them. Oh well.

I've gotta' say that, as much of a Doublejump fan and supporter that I usually am, they *really* dropped the ball with this strategy guide.
Everything from unexplained/partially explained systems & explanations to a very vague, unclear, and indistinct "True-End" guide...(In a game that, if anything, needed an *extremely* detailed, specific, and clear guide on obtaining the true end.

One other question that I have (for an expert or very experienced player) is concerning the 1st part of the 1st world (Zeine 1).

In my guide, where it lists the events (and souls) for each area, there is 1 event here that I've never been able to trigger or see.
My guide has it listed as "E1 - Ahn Noel"...not to be confused with "E2 - Anfir Field".
On the guide's map, it is actually located just a bit south west of E-2.

What I'm wondering is this: Is it possible that since I'm now up to 5-3 (the true-end, post-game on hard difficulty) - could it just be an event that only triggers on a different ending or a different dificulty level?

[Daverost]

If you're on true end, you've kept up with hot springs scenes, and you have search level 10, there shouldn't be anything that you can't get, as far as I remember. There are some time limited things, but the only one I can remember that isn't tied to true end isn't in that area.

[darkrpger]

I'm on True End, I've kept up with (and seen) all of the Hotsprings scenes, and my search level is as high as it can get (I know this because I've already obtained all of the Lv. 10 souls as well as the true-end only, post-game souls).

Like I said the guide is faaaar from perfect.
I've found a couple of souls/items that weren't listed in the guide at all.

I suppose that it's possibly just a misprint in the guide (this event that I've been trying to trigger), or perhaps it was an event that was just cut out during localization?

[Daverost]

Going back to look, it should be the first scene in the game according to this:

http://www.gamefaqs.com/ps3/946194-cross-edge/faqs/56944

[darkrpger]

Okay. That makes sense. That event was automatically triggered when the game started. No wonder that I wasn't able to trigger it myself. Now I feel better, knowing that I didn't miss any events.

On another subject-
I've beaten all of the regular 5-2 bosses - but I'm getting my ass kicked by the 5-3 bosses (where it's like 3 of the 5-2 bosses at once)...
any tips for the quickest way to level up at this point, or to beat these bosses?

I'm sure that unless I gain (a lot) of levels, I won't stand a chance against the doppleganger battles (even if I could get to them).

Thanks for all of the help!