Winning multiple battles in quick succession will cause the Battle Chain level to rise. The higher the level gets, the more benefits come into play. These benefits include greater EXP and SP gain per battle, as well as better loot and rewards.
Unlocking The Battle Chain Mechanic
It’s very easy to unlock the Battle Chain mechanic, as it’s part of the natural progression of the main story. Upon first entering Trasilda Highway in Elde Menancia, a cutscene will start playing which introduces the mandatory sidequest, Refreshing Roughhousing. For this side quest, you simply have to click through the dialogue and defeat several monsters across a handful of easy battles that the game will start for you. After finishing this side quest, the Battle Chain system will become available.
How To Use The Battle Chain
In a nutshell, whenever you complete a battle, a small amount of Combat Points will be added to the Battle Chain. All you have to do to raise the Battle Chain is to continuously get into as many fights as possible in the shortest amount of time. You’ll be able to see your Battle Chain level as represented by the number in the small diamond just below the mini map (pictured above). Once your chain reaches level 5, the central number will disappear and the diamond will glow a bright blue color. Note: The Battle Chain gauge will deplete over time. So it’s important to find new enemy encounters as quickly as you can. Once you reach level 5 it will run out even faster. Besides grinding up the level by fighting regular battles, there are several other ways to increase the Battle Chain. Soon after acquiring the Battle Chain system, certain merchants will begin selling the Happy Bottle. This item boosts your chain by at least two levels, and popping two of them will bring you up to level 5 in a jiffy. It’s worth always having at least two or three of these Happy Bottles on hand. Another method involves a spot of rare monster hunting. While out on the field, you’ll occasionally run into otherwise regular looking monsters which stand out due to their bright, golden glow. Getting into a fight and taking out these gilded creatures will also drastically increase your Battle Chain by around three levels.
Benefits of a Higher Battle Chain
Firstly, keeping a high chain is very useful for grinding level-ups, artes, and abilities. Because raising the chain level increases the amount of EXP and SP gained at the end of each battle. As a result, it becomes significantly easier to grow stronger in a shorter amount of time if you maintain a battle chain of level 5 for as long as possible. And as previously mentioned, another benefit is that it can increase the amount of loot that you’ll receive at the end of a battle. Gald is rather difficult to come by in Tales of Arise compared to other JRPGs, so you’ll want every battle to be as lucrative as possible. Note: These benefits also apply to bosses, so be sure to bring along two Happy Bottles to chug before a boss fight, assuming you aren’t going into the encounter with a level 5 battle chain already. A fantastic place to make full use of the battle chain mechanics appears rather shortly after first unlocking them. It’s in the Autelina Palace upon the party’s second visit as part of the main story quest-line. In this dungeon, there are Menancia Armored Swordsmen practically falling over each other, resulting in it being very easy to keep a Battle Chain going. Not only will they give good EXP and SP once the level 5 Battle Chain has been achieved, but they also drop Silver Dog Tags which sell for 800 Gald apiece. To make sure that there’s always a fresh supply of these fellas, feel free to quickly pop into one of the many side rooms and back out again to respawn a new batch of them. This is an early opportunity to take full advantage of the Battle Chain system and set yourself up to leave the third realm with the most expensive gear available and an inventory chock-full of supplies. Note: This farming strategy is only available for the duration of this dungeon, so make sure that you have gotten everything you want from these enemies before fighting the boss, because once you do these enemies will disappear forever.
How To Keep a Chain Going (Things To Avoid)
There are a few ways that your battle chain can be reset, causing you to have to start from level 0 again. Of course, the first way is simply by running out of time between battles, wherein the gauge runs out before finding another encounter. This is a particular problem at level 5 as you’re on a much shorter timer. From levels 2 to 4 the battle gauge will decrease one level at a time as it depletes. For levels 1 and 5, once it depletes it will reset to 0, and you’ll have to start over. Another thing to avoid is resting. Spending the night at a campfire or at an inn, while good for your health, is naturally not too great for the flow of battle. Resting will reset your chain to 0, so be sure to only do it once you’re finished reaping the rewards of your current Battle Chain. Additionally, don’t flee from battle if you can help it. Fleeing won’t totally kill the chain, but it will reduce it by approximately one level. And one final tip: Moving between areas does not reset the battle chain as long as you do so on foot. If you use fast travel, even if it’s to a nearby location, it will break the Battle Chain. So feel free to walk out of an area and promptly return to respawn enemy encounters, just don’t reset the area via fast travel.
