The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky – Quartz/Arts Guide

Versions & Updates

• Version 1.0, December 22, 2014
• Guide is created.

Introduction

In this guide for The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky, I will be presenting you with information about quartz and orbal arts. While the basic information for quartz combinations are listed in-game, it is still a major mechanic that will often determine the game's difficulty. Trails in the Sky is very much a game where you should use arts to the best of your ability. The quartz system is surprisingly flexible, allowing characters to take on different roles at different stages of the game. In some parts, flexibility is actually a requirement, because using certain character in the same role for the entire game can lead to frustrating situations. Using the correct quartz combinations, you can get through any part of the game without knowing much else, making exploration fun and exciting, not tedious.

Attack Arts

Before we do some analysis, here's the damage formula:

• Damage = (4.1 * ATS + 3.3 * Base) * Weakness - 2.8 * ADF
• ATS: Arts power
• ADF: Arts defense

What do we notice? Each art's base damage is added to ATS, not multiplied. This means that higher tier arts such as Napalm Breath and Volcanic Rave adds the same flat bonus (3.3 * Base) to your damage. Here are two examples of what I mean.

• If Spiral Flare does 130 damage, then Volcanic Rave will deal 262 damage (+132 flat).
• If Spiral Flare does 700 damage, then Volcanic Rave will deal 832 damage (+132 flat).

This is assuming neutral elemental effinity. As you can see, as your ATS increases, the percentage of damage difference of higher tier arts and lower tier arts lessens. Before, Volcanic Rave did more than double the damage of Spiral Flare. But after, it's only 19% extra damage. The magic number for me in normal difficulty is 180 ATS. For most of the game, you don't need to worry about this. But for characters with very high ATS such as Olivier and Kloe near endgame, the damage difference between Spiral Flare and Volcanic Rave isn't that big.

You're probably asking why this matters. Normally, it doesn't unless you are low on EP on a high ATS character, then you realize that you can still cast weaker arts for nearly the same damage as stronger ones. But if you look at the quartz cost to obtain those arts, you can see the opportunity costs. Take Spiral Flare, which requires 5 fire, 2 wind, 2 space. You only need 2 quartz to get Spiral Flare, Attack 3 and Scent. For Volcanic Rave, you need Attack 3 + Seal/Strike, plus Defense 3 which is an expensive quartz, plus something else with space like EP 2. Those 2 extra quartz needed for Volcanic Rave restrict your slots when you could put in more useful quartz such as Action 3 or Cast 2. So in short, Volcanic Rave will deal more damage than Spiral Flare but it doesn't scale with ATS and takes up 2 more quartz slots. This is simply not worth it.

It's important to notice in the damage formula that elemental weakness is multiplicative with respect to ATS. This means that elemental weaknesses should be considered foremost when deciding what arts to cast. Let's say an enemy has 100 fire affinity and 150 water affinity. I would rather use the basic Aqua Bleed than the improved Flare Arrow. If we're in chapter 1, then they do similar damage; but in chapter 2 or 3, Aqua Bleed does more damage. You would also be saving 10 more EP casting Aqua Bleed for equal or more damage.

Now let's talk about cast time. Usually, an offensive art has a cast time of 30. The Cast column in the table indicates added cast time, so Napalm Breath has a cast time of 35. Compared to Flame Arrow, you are dealing 231 - 99 = 132 more flat damage while taking longer. Is this worth it?

• Assume your Flare Arrow does 799 damage.
• Napalm Breath will do 799 + 132 = 931 damage over 35 cast time, so 931 / (35/30) = 798 damage.

Therefore, after a certain point, Flare Arrow will deal more damage over time than Napalm Breath because of increased cast time and flat base damage bonus. Again, the magic number is 180 ATS. If you want to cast single target fire arts endgame, then stick to Flare Arrow.

Let's consider all of the single target damage, assuming our enemy has neutral elemental affinity. For casters, Flare Arrow is better than Napalm Breath as explained above. Note that Shadow Spear and Petrify Breath have terrible damage per EP, and are only used for their status afflictions. So we're left with Earth Lance, Blue Impact, or Flare Arrow. Earth Lance and Blue Impact are both better flat damage and better damage per EP than Flare Arrow, so I consider those two to be the best single target arts in the damage. Do note that Aero Storm and Hell Gate has the same damage as Earth Lance and Blue Impact, but they are AoE and costs more EP. Therefore, unless there is only one or two enemies left, try to cast AoEs instead. Of course, this doesn't apply if you're trying to target a specific enemy to kill.

Now, what about area of effect damage? First, note that some AoE arts are unit-targeted, meaning their AoE is centered around an enemy unit you must select. Stone Impact, Fire Bolt EX, Spiral Flare, Volcanic Rave, and Hell Gate has this mechanic. Other AoE arts are point-targeted, meaning you can target any square and the AOE is centered around there. Diamond Dust, Aerial, Aero Storm, and White Gehenna has this mechanic. It is easier to aim point-targeted AoE arts, meaning you can catch more enemies inside the AoE. Therefore, wind and time AoE arts usually hit more targets than earth and fire AoE arts. This alone makes Stone Impact and fire AoE arts not as useful as the likes of Aerial and White Gehenna.

Stone Impact is just terrible. It costs 50 EP, has low base damage, and no status effects. Diamond Dust has a nice status, but its AoE is very small. We have already discussed why Volcanic Rave is not worth it, and Titanic Roar is in the same category. Aerial is an amazing AoE. Not only can you get it early in chapter 1, but it is a medium AoE with no extra cast time. Compare this to Stone Impact. You can get White Gehenna pretty early also in chapter 2. Although it uses a lot of EP, it's point-targeted and the Faint status is amazing. Later, you will get Aero Storm, which has a huge AoE that covers almost everything you want to hit, for only 40 EP. Fire Bolt EX and Spiral Flare are usable before you get better wind quartz, but they should be replaced with Aerial when possible. I didn't bother much with line AoEs (Lightning, Plasma Wave) because they take more setup movement than I care for.

In summary, it's not as hard as I made it out to be. Focus on exploiting elemental weaknesses as your first priority. Use Aerial and other AoEs arts or crafts to weaken targets, then use your single target attacks to finish off stragglers. Don't try to get high level arts that takes too many quartz. Your bread and butter will be Aerial, Aero Storm, White Gehenna, Earth Lance, and Blue Impact. I may sound like hateful towards fire arts, but remember that it's only theoretical for endgame. You should use fire quartz while traveling to exploit enemies with fire weaknesses, and so on. Time arts like Soul Blur are neutral, so it's a good element to fall back on when an enemy resists many elements.

Support & Healing Arts

Many of you who play RPGs will have the mindset that dealing damage is better than inflicting status. For the most part, you are right. But there are some support spells that are just too good to pass up.

Clock Up and Clock Up EX is something I strive to have on most if not all characters. What this does is increases how often you act on the timeline, and more actions means more damage for later on. Casting this at the beginning of a boss battle makes it much easier in most cases, and in my final party, everyone has Clock Up EX along with White Gehenna. That should tell you how much I value those two arts.

Earth Wall is basically overpowered. Notice that in Tactics, you are able to choose your starting position. What I do is group everyone together, and have someone cast Earth Wall. Now all characters will completely ignore one attack. If I just cast arts, then my characters don't move and I can reapply Earth Wall over and over again. And that's what you should do. Start with Aerial or some other AoE, then when some of the enemies die off, reapply Earth Wall if needed, then move out to pick off the remaining ones. Put it on a hybrid character who doesn't mainly cast, so they can Earth Wall the party then move out for physical attacks.

Anti-Sept All is immensely useful, but you can't get it for most of the game. What it does is cast Mute in an AoE, which is very nice when you meet those pesky spell casters. You can get it with EP 3 + Action 3 + Cast 2, or EP 3 + EP Cut 2 + Cast 2 + Action 2. Nevertheless, they are much needed in the final dungeon when encountering those M-Series Doom.

Of course, I shouldn't have to mention it, but you will want healing spells. In a party of four, I usually have one dedicated main healer and another backup healer. You should get La Tear as soon as possible, and then aim for Teara when you can get those HP 2 quartz to drop from Wisdom or Giant Foot. Curia is very useful, but you can just buy the right accessories to block the effects from certain bosses. Revive is not really needed, since you shouldn't be dying a lot plus you can use items or food instead.

Quartz Setup Recommendations

Prologue

Rolent Sewers

• Estelle: HP 1, <sealed>, <sealed>, <sealed>, <sealed>, <sealed>
• Notable Arts: Tear, Aqua Bleed
• Joshua: Action 1, Attack 1, <sealed>, <sealed>, <sealed>, <sealed>
• Notable Arts: Soul Blur, Fire Bolt, Clock Up
• Notes: Synthesize HP 1, Action 1, and Attack 1 when the game prompts you to, then unlock Joshua's second slot.

Malga Mine

• Estelle: HP 1, Impede 2, <sealed>, <sealed>, <sealed>, <sealed>
• Notable Arts: Tear, Aqua Bleed, Air Strike
• Joshua: Action 1, Attack 1, <sealed>, <sealed>, <sealed>, <sealed>
• Notable Arts: Soul Blur, Fire Bolt, Clock Up
• Notes: If you're doing all the side quests (which I highly recommend you to), then you should rank up to 7 and be rewarded with Impede 2. Unlock Estelle's second slot and give this to her.

Mistwald (Final)

• Estelle: HP 1, [ANY], <sealed>, <sealed>, <sealed>, [ANY]
• Notable Arts: Tear
• Joshua: Blind, [ANY], <sealed>, <sealed>, <sealed>, EP Cut 1
• Notable Arts: Hell Gate, Clock Up
• Scherazard: Impede 2, Action 1, <sealed>, <sealed>, Evade 1, Eagle Vision
• Notable Arts: Aerial, Clock Up
• Notes: After Scherazard joins you, unlock both Estelle and Joshua's last slots. Synthesize EP Cut 1 and Blind, which you may not have enough Time sepith for, but killing a few Shining Poms should do it. Start with Scherazard, since she has 4 slots. Giving her Action 1 improves her speed on the timeline. Giving her Impede 2 and Evade 1 allows for casting Aerial, a very good medium AoE that is useful throughout the entire game. The last slot is free, but I prefer Eagle Vision to see enemies from afar. For Joshua, Blind + EP Cut 1 allows him to cast Hell Gate. The last slot is free for any elemental quartz. Estelle is still your healer, so HP 1 is there, and the last two slots are free.

Chapter 1

Ravennue

• Estelle: Poison, Action 1, HP 1, <sealed>, <sealed>, EP Cut 1
• Notable Arts: Tear, Stone Impact, Clock Up
• Joshua: Blind, Action 1, EP Cut 1, <sealed>, <sealed>, [ANY]
• Notable Arts: Hell Gate, Shadow Spear, Clock Up
• Scherazard: Impede 2, Action 1, <sealed>, <sealed>, Evade 1, Eagle Vision
• Notable Arts: Aerial, Clock Up
• Notes: When you have enough quartz, unlock the third slot for Estelle and Joshua. Do NOT unlock any slots for Scherazard. First, make sure you are able to synthesize another EP Cut 1. Everyone should have Action 1 now to make them act faster on the timeline. However, Action 1 requires Time sepith which you may lack, so you could substitute it with any elemental quartz until you can replace with Action 1. Now that we have Poison, you can combine it with Ep Cut 1 on Estelle to gain the AoE art Stone Impact. It costs a lot of EP and should only be used in emergencies, but it's nice to have in a pinch. Also, Clock Up is good, and you should be casting it immediately in boss fights. Joshua now has Shadow Spear which can be used with resetting to slowly farm Shining Poms for sepith.

Valleria Lakeshore

• Estelle: Eagle Vision, Action 1, HP 2, <sealed>, Evade 2, Shield 1
• Notable Arts: Tear, La Tear, Aerial, Clock Up
• Joshua: Blind, EP Cut 1, [ANY], Action 1, <sealed>, [ANY]
• Notable Arts: Hell Gate, Shadow Spear, Clock Up
• Scherazard: Impede 2, Action 1, <sealed>, <sealed>, Evade 1, EP Cut 1
• Notable Arts: Aerial, Clock Up
• Olivier: Petrify/Poison, HP 2, EP Cut 1, [ANY], [ANY], <sealed>
• Notable Arts: Tear, La Tear, Stone Impact, Clock Up.
• Notes: You should have enough to unlock slot 5 for Estelle and slot 4 for Joshua now. Connecting Eagle Vision with HP 2 will let you cast La Tear, an AoE heal. Putting together Evade 2 from Thunder Quake with the Shield 1 will also let Estella cast Aerial. Olivier has a lot of EP, so giving him Stone Impact along with making him a second healer is a good idea. You will need to synthesize yet another EP Cut 1 for this.

Chapter 2

Bose

• Estelle: Evade 2, Eagle Vision, HP 2, Mind 1, Action 1, Shield 1
• Notable Arts: Teara, La Tear, Curia, Aerial, Clock Up
• Joshua: Blind, EP Cut 1, Evade 1, Action 1, Impede 2, HP 2
• Notable Arts: Hell Gate, Shadow Spear, Tear, Aerial, Clock Up
• Notes: After getting a plethora of Fire sepith from the hideout, you should be able to unlock everything for Estelle and Joshua. Synthesize a Mind 1 for Stelle. With this setup, you unlock Curia (status recovery) and Teara (better heal). I kept Hell Gate and Shadow Spear on Joshua, and gave him Aerial plus Tear for emergency healing. With Eagle Vision, you should see enemies coming and always get a preemptive strike, then cast double Aerial to eliminate most things.

Sapphirl Tower

• Estelle: Eagle Vision, Strike/Seal, Evade 2, Impede 2, Action 1, HP 2
• Notable Arts: La Tear, Aerial, Flare Arrow, Fire Bolt EX, Clock Up
• Joshua: Cast 2/Blind, EP 2, Scent, Action 2, Evade 2, Haze
• Notable Arts: White Gehenna, Hell Gate, Shadow Spear, Aerial, Clock Up
• Kloe: HP 2, Mind 2, Evade 2, Heal, EP 2, Shield 1/Action 1
• Notable Arts: Teara, La Teara, Curia, Blue Impact, Aerial, Hell Gate, Clock Up
• Notes: After getting Kloe and Scent quartz from the Sapphirl Tower, synthesize Seal, EP 2, another EP 2, Mind 2, and Action 2. Kloe is now your main healer. The above setup gives her amazing heals plus Blue Impact (very good single target damage) and two AoE arts. Estelle will also have two AoE arts, one being the new Fire Bolt EX plus being a backup healer and having Flare Arrow (good single target damage). Joshua now also has Aerial with the addition of White Gehena. From my experience, Haze cancels the negative effects of Scent, and with constant preemptive attacks and spamming Aerial, nothing should live. Whenever you have enough sepith to synthesize Cast 2, replace Blind for it.

Varenne Lighthouse

• Estelle: Eagle Vision, Seal, Evade 2, Impede 2, Action 1, HP 2
• Notable Arts: La Tear, Aerial, Flare Arrow, Fire Bolt EX, Clock Up
• Joshua: Cast 2, EP 2, Scent, Action 2, Evade 2, Haze
• Notable Arts: White Gehenna, Hell Gate, Shadow Spear, Aerial, Clock Up
• Kloe: HP 2, Mind 2, Evade 2, Heal, EP 2, Action 1
• Notable Arts: Teara, La Teara, Curia, Blue Impact, Hell Gate, Clock Up
• Agate: Strike, Attack 2, Action 1, <sealed>, <sealed>, <sealed>
• Notable Arts: Flare Arrow, Napalm Breath, Clock Up
• Notes: Nothing has changed much here. Kloe will not have Aerial, but don't worry, she doesn't need it. She can just target the main boss of every fight with Hell Gate or Blue Impact, since it only takes Aerial + White Gehenna from Estelle and Joshua to kill the underlings. Agate only has 3 slots open and low EP, but his Crafts are really nice. That's why you only need to equip him with Action to be faster, and have Napalm Breath as backup. Of course, don't even think of unlocking more slots for Agate.

Mayor's Residence

• Estelle: Mind 1, Strike/Seal, Evade 2, Attack 2, Action 1, HP 2
• Notable Arts: Teara, Napalm Breath, Fire Bolt EX, Clock Up
• Joshua: Cast 2, EP 2, EP Cut 1, Action 2, Evade 2, Haze
• Notable Arts: White Gehenna, Clock Up EX
• Kloe: HP 2, Mind 2, Evade 2, Heal, EP 2, Action 1
• Notable Arts: Teara, La Teara, Curia, Blue Impact, Clock Up
• Notes: This fight is actually incredibly easy...all you have to do is cast Clock Up EX on Kloe and she will outheal all damage. That's why you should swap out Scent for EP Cut 1 to get Clock Up EX on Joshua. Just make sure you have at least Action 1 on everyone...or if you can afford it, Action 2 on everyone. Napalm Breath is really nice single target damage on Estelle, as well as equipping Mind 1 to gain access to Teara for emergencies.

Chapter 3

Kaldia Tunnel

• Estelle: Eagle Vision, Action 1, Evade 2, Impede 2, Mind 2, Heal
• Notable Arts: Teara, La Teara, Curia, Blue Impact, Aerial, Clock Up
• Joshua: Cast 2, EP 2, Scent, Action 2, Evade 2, Haze
• Notable Arts: White Gehenna, Aerial, Clock Up
• Notes: Like before, with only two in the party, Estelle goes back to being a healer with Aerial. Joshua should have Aerial as well.

Zeiss

• Estelle: Scent, Action 2, Attack 2, Impede 3, Mind 2, EP Cut 1
• Notable Arts: Teara, La Teara, Blue Impact, Flare Arrow, Fire Bolt EX, Aerial, Aero Storm, Clock Up
• Joshua: Cast 2, EP Cut 2, Eagle Vision, Action 2, Seal/Strike, Haze
• Notable Arts: White Gehenna, Flare Arrow, Clock Up
• Tita: EP Cut 1, HP 2, Impede 2, Range 1, Evade 1, Action 2
• Notable Arts: La Tear, Aerial, Hell Gate, Clock Up
• Notes: Go ahead and unlock of all of Tita's slots, and synthensize until you have three total Action 2 quartz. Tita's orbital lines aren't impressive, but this setup gives you Aerial for general AoE. HP 2 makes her a backup healer as well as boost her terrible HP. Estelle is now a wizard. She can heal, cast AoE Wind, AoE Fire, and AoE Water spells. Joshua's setup with EP Cut 2 makes him able to use White Gehenna generously. Seal/Strike is there to give him a good single target attack; Flare Arrow is better than Shadow Spear without the random KO.

Carmelia Tower (Items)

• Estelle: Scent, Action 2, Attack 3, Impede 3, Mind 3, EP Cut 1
• Notable Arts: Tearal, La Teara, Blue Impact, Flare Arrow, Aerial, Fire Bolt EX, Spiral Flare, Clock Up
• Joshua: Cast 2, EP Cut 2, Eagle Vision, Action 2, Seal/Strike, Haze
• Notable Arts: White Gehenna, Flare Arrow, Clock Up
• Tita: EP Cut 1, Mind 2, Evade 2, Range 1, Shield 1, Action 2
• Notable Arts: La Tear, Aerial, Hell Gate, Clock Up
• Notes: After you loot Mind 3 and Attack 3 from here, upgrade to Attack 3 and Mind 3 on Estelle. Note that Mind 3 alone lets you cast Teara and La Teara now.

Zeiss Central Factory

• Estelle: Scent, Action 2, Attack 2, Impede 3, Mind 3, EP Cut 1
• Notable Arts: Tearal, La Teara, Blue Impact, Flare Arrow, Aerial, Fire Bolt EX, Clock Up
• Joshua: Cast 2, EP Cut 2, Eagle Vision, Action 2, Seal/Strike, Haze
• Notable Arts: White Gehenna, Flare Arrow, Clock Up EX
• Tita: EP Cut 1, Mind 2, Evade 2, Range 1, Shield 1, Action 1
• Notable Arts: La Tear, Aerial, Clock Up
• Agate: Attack 3, EP Cut 1, Evade 2, Action 2
• Notable Arts: Flare Arrow, Fire Bolt EX, Spiral Flare, Forte, Clock Up
• Notes: Because Agate's longest line has only 3 slots, we can't get Napalm Breath without sacrificing AoE. Therefore, with this setup, Agate can get Spiral Flare when needed, plus Forte for a STR buff. You will have sto move Attack 3 from Estelle, but that's fine. If you want, remove all of Tita's quartz since she will be leaving temporarily, or just move Action 2 to Agate like I did.

Carmelia Tower (Story)

• Estelle: Scent, Action 2, Attack 2, Impede 3, Mind 3, EP Cut 1
• Notable Arts: Tearal, La Teara, Blue Impact, Flare Arrow, Aerial, Fire Bolt EX, Clock Up
• Joshua: Cast 2, EP Cut 2, Eagle Vision/EP 2, Action 2, Seal/Strike, Haze
• Notable Arts: White Gehenna, Flare Arrow, Clock Up
• Agate: Attack 3, EP Cut 1, Evade 2, Action 2
• Notable Arts: Flare Arrow, Fire Bolt EX, Spiral Flare, Forte, Clock Up
• Notes: There's no need to change anything.

Limestone Cave

• Estelle: Scent, Action 2, Attack 2/Attack 3, Impede 3, Mind 3, EP Cut 2
• Notable Arts: Tearal, La Teara, Blue Impact, Flare Arrow, Aerial, Fire Bolt EX, Spiral Flare, Clock Up
• Joshua: Cast 2, EP Cut 2, Eagle Vision/EP 2, Action 2, Attack 2, Haze
• Notable Arts: White Gehenna, Flare Arrow, Clock Up
• Tita: EP Cut 2, Mind 2, Evade 2, Range 1, Shield 1, Action 2
• Notable Arts: La Tear, Aerial, Hell Gate, Clock Up
• Zane: Petrify, Evade 2, Impede 2, Action 2, EP Cut 1, Defense 2
• Notable Arts: Aerial, Earth Lance, Clock Up
• Notes: By now, you should be able to afford a second EP Cut 2 for Estelle (or Tita). Zane's orbal lines are as bad as Agate's. The good news is that the two required Earth quartz will let you use Earth Lance, a very good single target damage attack. Action 2 is obvious, EP Cut 1 is there for Stone Impact, and for the two connected slots I decided to give him Aerial. If you managed to unequip Attack 3 from Agate, then give it to Estelle.

Zeiss Central Factory

• Estelle: Scent, Action 2, Attack 2, Impede 3, Mind 3, EP Cut 2
• Notable Arts: Tearal, La Teara, Blue Impact, Flare Arrow, Aerial, Fire Bolt EX, Clock Up
• Joshua: Cast 2, EP Cut 2, Eagle Vision/EP 2, Action 2, Seal/Strike, Haze
• Notable Arts: White Gehenna, Flare Arrow, Clock Up EX
• Tita: EP Cut 1, Mind 2, Evade 2, Range 1, Shield 1, Action 1
• Notable Arts: La Tear, Aerial, Clock Up
• Agate: Attack 3, EP Cut 1, Evade 2, Action 2
• Notable Arts: Flare Arrow, Fire Bolt EX, Spiral Flare, Forte, Clock Up
• Notes: This is the same setup as Zeiss Central Factory.

Chapter 4

Grancel

• Estelle: Scent, Action 2, Attack 3, Impede 3, Mind 3, EP Cut 2
• Joshua: Cast 2, EP Cut 2, Eagle Vision/EP 2, Action 2, Attack 2, Haze

Grand Arena

• Estelle: EP Cut 3, Action 2, Heal, Mind 2, Impede 3, Evade 2
• Roles: Main Healer, AoE damage, Blue Impact
• Notes: Synthesize your one EP Cut 3 for Estelle, who will be your jack of all trades. With Tearal and La Teara she is a strong healer. She has Aero Storm for large AoE and White Gehenna for medium AoE.
• Joshua: Cast 2, EP Cut 2, EP 2, Action 2, Defense 3, Hit 3
• Roles: Mixed Attacker, Clock Up Ex, Earth Lance
• Notes: He's mainly here for Clock Up Ex and physical damage, casting White Gehenna when needed. Defense 3 is there to give him Earth Lance for single target damage. EP 2 and Hit 3 are good for boss fights, but keep using Eagle Vision and Haze in those slots during travels.
• Olivier: EP 3, Action 2, Cast 2, Range 1, Shield 3, Mind 3
• Roles: Backup Healer, Clock Up Ex, AoE damage, Blue Impact
• Notes: This setup doesn't have Aero Storm, but he doesn't need it due to White Gehenna and Aerial having a larger AoE with Range 1. He can buff with Clock Up Ex too, and has Diamond Dust for more elemental coverage. He doesn't need EP Cut because of his humongous EP pool.
• Zane: Petrify, Evade 2, Scent, Attack 3/Hit 3, Action 2, Defense 2
• Roles: Physical Attacker, Tank, Earth Lance
• Notes: Here's your usual bruiser. Attack 3 will make him hit harder, but Hit 3 makes him more accurate and tanky, which may be more useful. He does have AoE arts such as Aerial and Stone Impact, but they're purely for emergencies.

Joshua's Group

• Joshua: Deathblow 1, EP Cut 3, Heal, Action 2, Move 2, Evade 3
• Roles: Mixed Attacker, Backup Healer, Clock Up EX
• Olivier: EP 2, Action 2, Evade 2, Range 1, Shield 1, Mind 3
• Roles: Main Healer, Clock Up EX, AoE damage, Blue Impact
• Zane: Petrify, Evade 2, Scent, Hit 3, Action 2, Defense 2
• Roles: Physical Attacker, Tank, Earth Lance
• Notes: Be sure to remove all of your Cast 2, Defense 3, Shield 3, and replace EP 3 with EP 2 on Olivier. Joshua can still use White Gehenna, and Olivier loses Aero Storm but still has Aerial. For the journey through the sewers, you can replace Evade 3 for Haze.

Estelle's Group

• Estelle: Impede 3, Cast 2, EP Cut 3, Action 2, Shield 3, Defense 3
• Roles: Mixed Attacker, AoE damage, Clock Up EX
• Kloe: HP 3, Heal, Cast 2, Mind 2, EP Cut 2, Defense 3
• Roles: Main Healer
• Scherazard: Impede 2, EP Cut 2, EP 3, Cast 2, Shield 3, Action 2
• Roles: Magical Attacker, Clock Up EX
• Notes: Schera should come with a Shield 3 and Kloe should come with another EP Cut 2 and EP 3, which helps. Everyone has a combination of HP 3, Shield 3, and Defense 3 to survive the barrage of attacks from the boss so you can use your S-Crafts. Everyone has Earth Lance for that good single target damage. Kloe doesn't have White Gehenna, but she should be healing (almost) full time anyways. The Impede quartz is to cancel the boss' casts. Estella and Schera's setups gives you enough quartz for Clock Up EX, which you should abuse to easily win fights. Synthesize your Cast 2 and Defense 3 to get this setup.

Sealed Area

I decided to go with Estelle, Joshua, Olivier, and Kloe, and you're probably asking why. Apart from the two mandatory, Olivier is an easy third. Arts are extremely powerful this game and having a caster with a huge mana pool and only one quartz restriction is amazing. Not to mention, he's ranged and has an AoE S-Craft. So who should the fourth be? Zane and Agate are out because you can't make meaningful quartz combinations with them. Tita has no HP.

So we're left with Schera and Kloe. At first glance, Schera is amazing because her quartz restrictions are Wind and we all know Aerial/Aero Storm is amazing. And to be honest, I would have no problem replacing Kloe for her. Kloe is worse than Schera from a quartz perspective because she has three restricted slots to Water quartz, and we only need two for a good main healer. Plus, I prefer a damaging S-Craft over her healing S-Craft. But what puts her over the edge for me is Kaempfer, her craft that reduces STR and DEF, which can hit anyone in the entire field. This makes the other three S-Craft hit as hard as if there were four, and weakens the boss' crafts significantly. I pick Kloe mainly because of Kaempfer, which is just too good to pass.

• Estelle: EP Cut 3, Hit 3, Shield 3, Impede 2, Action 2, Cast 2
• Roles: Mixed Attacker, Support Buffer, Clock Up EX
• Joshua: Cast 2, EP Cut 2, EP 3, Action 2, Defense 3, Shield 3/Cloak
• Roles: Physical Attacker, Earth Lance, Clock Up EX, Anti-Sept All
• Olivier: EP 3, Action 2, Impede 3, Scent, Cast 2, Mind 3
• Roles: Magical Attacker, Backup Healer, Blue Impact, Clock Up EX
• Kloe: HP 3, Heal, Action 2, Mind 2, EP Cut 2, EP 2
• Roles: Main Healer, Blue Impact, Clock Up EX
• Notes: Everyone here has Clock Up EX and White Gehenna, because those two spells are that good. I try to put Action 2 and Cast 2 on everyone. Kloe doesn't get Cast 2 because of the three required Water slots, but if you cast Clock Up EX on her she should be fine without Cast 2. Olivier doesn't need EP Cut 2 because he already has a huge mana pool, and this setup makes him become a flexible caster with Aero Storm and Diamond Dust as well as having healing capabilities. Joshua is there for most physical attacks, which is why he wants Defense and Shield. Estelle also has Shield to be a bit tankier. You can replace any Shield 3 with Evade 3 if you wish.

Sealed Area (Third Floor)

After defeating Amalthea, you will be able to synthesize quartz without backtracking. If you've been opening monster chests for gear, then you probably notice the huge sepith rewards. Use this opportunity to get better quartz. Our arts setup is perfect, but you may want to upgrade some quartz for stats, such as Action 2 -> Action 3. Likely candidates for upgrades are getting two Action 3 quartz and a Mind 3 quartz for Kloe. If Joshua keeps missing attacks, then replace Shield 3 with Hit 3. If you think Estelle needs more defense, then replace Impede 2 with Evade 3. It's a pity you cannot synthesize Impede 3 though.

• Estelle: EP Cut 3, Hit 3, Shield 3, Impede 2, Action 2, Cast 2
• Roles: Mixed Attacker, Support Buffer, Clock Up EX
• Joshua: Cast 2, EP Cut 2, EP 3, Action 2, Defense 3, Shield 3/Cloak
• Roles: Physical Attacker, Earth Lance, Clock Up EX, Anti-Sept All
• Olivier: EP 3, Action 3, Impede 3, Scent, Cast 2, Mind 3
• Roles: Magical Attacker, Backup Healer, Blue Impact, Clock Up EX, Anti-Sept All
• Kloe: HP 3, Heal, Action 3, Mind 2, EP Cut 2, EP 2
• Roles: Main Healer, Blue Impact, Clock Up EX]
• Notes: I put Action 3 on Olivier and Kloe because they are casters who will need to get their spells off faster. Joshua is already fast, so he doesn't really need it. Estelle is...well, she does what she does with mediocrity. This gives Anti-Sept to Olivier, which is a good way to silence those casting robots in monster chests, especially the M-Series Doom.

Quartz Drops Locations

Italicized locations indicate a one-time event, such as a boss fight or monster chest. Reload if necessary. This list includes drops and rewards only, and not quartz that you can synthesize from sepith at a factory.

• Impede 2: Orbment Replacement (quest)
• This is a very important quartz worth 3 wind. It will unlock Aerial when combined with Evade 1 or Shield 1. Make sure to get this because Aerial is very good!
• Poison: Sky Bandit (Mistwald Forest)
• This is the fight at the end of the prologue. Make sure to reload until you get one, because it will unlock Earth Wall for a character next chapter for free.
• HP 2: Wisdom (Krone Trail, East Bose Highway, New Ansel Path)
• Having one HP 2 in combination with Mind 1 will unlock La Tear, an AoE healing art. I strongly recommend grinding until you get one.
• Evade 2: Thunder Quake (West Bose Highway)
• This quartz will unlock Aerial for another character. That's amazing, reload until you get it!
• Poison: Sky Bandit (Ravennue Abandoned Mine)
• Get one more if you want, but it's not necessary. There will be plenty of Poison drops later on.
• Poison: Sky Bandit (Sky Bandit Stronghold)
• You fight so many that it can be treated as random encounters. You should be able to loot a couple without trying.
• Evade 2: Jabba (Gull Seaside Way)
• You don't need to reload for this, because you can grind more from Night Nautilus below.
• Evade 2: Night Nautilus (Gull Seaside Way)
• Evade 2 gives more characters Aerial. Aerial is good, so stock up on them, depending on how many characters you want learning it.
• Attack 2: Find the Prototype (quest)
• This might be the first time you encounter a good fire quartz, so make good use of it. Just equipping it gives you Flare Arrow, which is the best single target damage art that you can learn right now with just one quartz.
• Scent: Monster Scent (Sapphirl Tower)
• Fifth floor.
• Range 1: Monster Chest (Sapphirl Tower)
• Third floor.
• Impede 3: Temp Librarian Plus 3! (quest)
• This is from the last of a series of hidden quest that follows from the quest Temp Librarian. This quartz will help you unlock Aero Storm, so I would definitely get it. You don't get it as a reward for a quest, but rather at Sanstheim Gate, when finding the book needed for the quest.
• Mind 3: Monster Chest (Carnelia Tower)
• Second floor.
• Attack 3: Monster Chest (Carnelia Tower)
• Fifth floor.
• EP 3: Monster Chest (Kaldia Limestone Cave)
• This is an amazing quartz that could be combined to unlock lots of abilities, especially White Gehenna, Anti-Sept All, and Clock Up EX. Don't miss this chest!
• Mute: Blue Penguin (Kaldia Limestone Cave)
• At this point, you should have plenty of Poison, plus Petrify and Defense 2 quartz, so you can pass this up. Add one to your collection if you must.
• Sleep: Red Penguin (Kaldia Limestone Cave)
• Same as above, you should have plenty of Evade 2 and Impede 2 quartz, so you don't really need Sleep.
• Cloak: Monster Chest (Grancel North Sewers)
• It's definitely useful for its effect. You don't want to random encounters during the final dungeon because you have lots of monster chests to fight (and get lots of experience from).
• The follow quartz will be awarded after reaching a certain Junior Bracer Rank:
• Information (rank 8)
• Eagle Vision (rank 7) - vision is good in this game, and this quartz helps you avoid surprise attacks
• Petrify (rank 6)
• Haze (rank 5) - incredibly good, gives you preemptive strikes always because enemies don't chase you
• Strike (rank 4)
• Deathblow 1 (rank 3)