Giant Robots Clash! “Divine Knight Battles” System
The Divine Knight that possesses great power, and the Panzer Soldats, which are based on the Divine Knight and have been mass produced. Battles using these giant, humanoid weapons are called “Divine Knight Battles.”
Divine Knight Battles first appeared in the original The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel, and will return in The Legend of Heroes; Trails of Cold Steel III. New elements, including group battles using multiple Panzer Soldats and a partner system, have also been added.
—Form your unit and head into battle: Construct a team of Rean’s Ashen Knight, Valimar, and Panzer Soldats piloted by the students of Class VII.
—Clash with Aurelia, who pilots the golden Panzer Soldat: Fight in a Divine Knight Battle against Aurelia, the principle of Thors Military Academy Reaves II Branch. Just how strong is the golden Panzer Soldat piloted by the high-powered principle?
—Previously unseen formidable foes: An unknown, blue-armored Panzer Soldat will also appear. Its heavy armor and strong arm blow make it a force to be reckoned with.
Attack: Attack the Enemy’s Weak Point to Perform a Link Attack
Enemy Panzer Soldats have three parts—the head, arms, and body—and you can attack by choosing a part to target. Among them are weak points, and when that weak point is attacked, there is a high probability the enemy will lose their balance. Just like standard battles, by using a “Link Attack” in a Divine Knight Battle, you can unleash a flurry of attacks. On the other hand, if you attack a part that is not a weak point, the enemy may guard or counterattack.
Even in Divine Knight Battles, it is essential to lower the enemy’s Break Gauge. The “Break Gauge” introduced in The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III is also present in Divine Knight Battles, and by attacking to lower the gauge, you can drive the enemy into a “Break State.” An enemy that enters the Break State is not only temporarily weakened, the probability of them losing their balance by an attack rises to 100 percent. Since there are attack methods to efficiently reduce the gauge, assessing the situation is essential during battle.
—Choose a body part to attack: Choose from among the three body parts to attack. The weak point part will change depending on the enemy’s stance.
—Strike their weak point to break their balance: If you successfully strike the enemy’s weak point, they will lose their balance. Just like standard battle Link Attacks, you can unleash a flurry of attacks.
—Deal great damage with a Link Attack: Normally this only consists of consecutive attacks, but if you have BP (Brave Points), it is possible to use stronger attacks such as “special moves” and “cooperative attacks.”
Defend: Reduce Damage and Aim for a Counter
Enemy attacks are very powerful in Divine Knight Battles. Sometimes it will be necessary to choose the “Defense” command in order to minimize damage to the Panzer Soldat. Since you can see which Panzer Soldat in your party is being targeted by the enemy by pressing the L2 button, you should use this while solidifying your defenses. For Rean’s Valimar, there is also the counterattack Craft, “Morning Moon.”
—Even when faced against a strong attack, you can reduce damage considerably by solidifying your defenses. This will be useful when facing boss-class enemies.
—By pressing the L2 button, you can check which ally Panzer Soldat the enemy is targeting. If their HP cannot take the hit, it would be best to defend.
Crafts: Use Powerful Skills in Divine Knight Battles
Craft Points (CP) can also be used during Divine Knight Battles to use Crafts with various effects, such as attack and support. Characteristics vary by Craft, from those that boast extremely high power to those that hit the enemy with a delay effect.
It should be noted that specific parts cannot be targeted when attacking using a Craft, and that each Craft has a set probability that it will break the enemy’s balance.
—Arc Moon Flash: Valimar’s exclusive Craft. It puts all of its power into its sword and swings it with a flash at surrounding enemies. It has a high probability of breaking the enemy’s balance.
—Gemini Blast: Juna’s Panzer Soldat-use Craft. It riddles several enemies with bullets shot at rapid speed. It has a high Break Gauge damage rate.
—Rain Slash: Kert’s Panzer Soldat-use Craft. It unleashes a vivid and dense summer rain slash. It also has the effect of delaying the enemy’s actions.
Partner System: Borrow Your Partner’s Strength
You can set a partner for each character piloting a Divine Knight or Panzer Soldat. When a Panzer Soldat has a partner, you can select up to three special commands:
EX Arts – Consumes EP to use attack Arts and increase the performance of your Panzer Soldat. Depending on the partner, the EX Arts you can use will change.
Charge – Significantly recovers the EP of your Panzer Soldat. It is an indispensable command for long-lasting battles.
Spirit – Consumes EP to recover your own HP and CP. It will be extremely useful in Divine Knight Battles with little means of recovery.
Not only can characters with partners use powerful Arts that consume EP, but since HP, CP, and EP can be recovered depending on the situation, partners are indispensable for Divine Knight Battles.
—EX Art: “Noire Barrier” – Altina’s exclusive EX Art. It has the same effect as the standard craft of the same name. It surrounds the player in a “black barrier” that reflects all physical attacks. Be sure to use it when the enemy is readying a powerful attack.
—EX Art: “Acide Rage” – Ash’s exclusive EX Art. Increases his STR (attack power), ATS (Arts attack power), and recovers CP, but doe so in exchange for reducing his own HP.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III is due out for PlayStation 4 on September 28 in Japan.
