Alphen is the first character players will control inTales of Arise, and given his wide array of powerful skills, it is likely that many players will keep him in their party right until the final boss. Although he has little memory of his past, Alphen is incapable of feeling pain which is reflected by the way some of his most powerful attacks reduce his own health as well as that of his enemies.
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As withall the other party members inTales of Arise, Alphen has access to a number of skill panels offering a range of different stat buffs. These ‘titles’ are accessed after completing specific chapters, andupon unlocking them players will receive the first skill for freewith the option to purchase more skills or artes with SP. Alphen has 18 different titles he can upgrade to unlock a wide range of useful artes and buffs inTales of Arise.
18Beach Hero
Unfortunately, the three DLC skill panels that players can unlock inTales Of Ariseare some of the least useful. In general, it is worth saving SP for skills from the main game as they will help far more with improving Alphen’s combat ability.
It is a grand tradition in anime for there to be an episode where all of the characters spend a day at the beach, and Tales of Arise continues this tradition with the Beach Time Costume Pack. The skill tree that is unlocked for free upon adding this DLC, is as superficial asthe costumes it unlocksas it is one of the only skill panels with only three skills. The new arte, Howling Azure Storm can be useful, but otherwise, the most useful aspect of this panel is the third level which allows players toinflict more damage to enemies with physical ailments.
17Straight Laced Schoolboy
Many of the titles are designed to reflect an aspect of each character’s personality. Often they will be earned after crucial story moments or side quests and be named after the events that unlocked them. As such the Straight-Laced Schoolboy panel might seem somewhat incongruous next to Alphen’s other skill titles.
This panel has 5 skills but two of them are exactly the same, offering to increase boost gauge upon defeating an enemy for 1000 SP. Players willreceive the arte Plasma Shock for freeupon unlocking this title which is done automatically upon purchasing the School Life Costume Pack DLC. This attack will paralyze enemies, whileall the other skills in this tree focus on improving Alphen’s boost gauge.
16Blazing Blow
Every party member inTales of Arisehasspecial moves called artesthat they can activate during combat. The player’sAG, or artes gauge, determines how many of these attacks can be executedin a given amount of time. As such, skills that boost AG are incredibly useful for all party members, especially Alphen.
The Blazing Blow panel has some useful skills however many of them are very situational. The first skillincreases Alphens boost gauge upon downing an enemy, while the second enhances both defense and elemental defense when the player is near death. As both of these buffs indicate, many of the skills in this title are only effective under certain conditions, making them less useful than many of the more consistent skills that are available.
15Undefeated Swordsman
Of all the skill titles that Alphen can choose from, Undefeated Swordsman has one of the most accurate names. No matterwhich sword he is using, Alphen’s prowess in melee combat is second only to Laws.
Despite its aggressive name, this panel doesn’t have many exceptional combat buffs except thelast skill which costs 1320 SP for faster AG recovery. This title is unlocked by Alphen clearing the novice solo training ground mission. The special arte from this panel isVoid Blast, this ability costs 440 SPand will cause all enemies within a given radius to helplessly levitate while the entire party gets an opportunity to attack.
14Infernal Tongue
According to the description for this skill panel, even though Alphen can’t feel pain, he does still possess a sense of taste. Indeed his taste buds may work better than ever since he lost his ability to feel other sensations.
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The Infernal Tongue title is unlocked bymaking Alphen roast a chicken. Upon doing so the player will getthe free skill Recover, which will allow them to use the evade button to avoid being knocked pronewhen sent flying by strong enemies. Although many of the skills in this panel are somewhat situational, with the attack boost only activating when near death, they can beuseful for improving Alphens counterattacks.
13Power Of A Sovereign
Some titles are unlocked by completing main quests, meaning the player will definitely unlock at least their first skill as they progress through the game. Power of a Sovereign grants the player anincrease to their boost damage when they complete the Unliberated quest.
The best ability in this panel is also the most expensive.Flaming Edge Burst allows the player to charge Alphens innate perk, this makes his strongest attacks even more powerful, although at the cost of more health. The arte offered by this panel is called Vacuum Blades and causes Alphen to execute a rapid string of one-two slashes, which can be very effective against large numbers of enemies.
12Veteran Samurai
Unlocked as part of the Warring States Costume Pack, the veteran samurai title is the only DLC panel that offers the full complement of five, different, skills. Unfortunately, many of these skills are powerful but highly situational with three of them only activating under specific conditions.
As well as the free arte Orochi’s Galeforce Fury, this panel contains three skills thatbuff the player’s attack and elemental attack when they are low on health, at full health, or surrounded by enemies. If players can afford all three of these skills they may have consistently higher damage output, andthe final skill is great for preventing Alphen from being knocked proneby powerful attacks.
11Comrades Of Freedom
Tales of Arisehas several references to previous games, and although the combat has significantly evolved over the years some aspects, such as Over Limit, have remained the same. As players take damage and perform perfect evades and dodges, they will start to accumulate a blue aura. Once the character is fully glowing blue they will have enteredOver Limit meaning their artes temporarily no longer cost AG to activate.
Thefree skill in the Comrades of Freedom panel increases Alphen’s max AGwhich is a common but useful perk to have. This title is unlocked upon completing the mission Kisara’s Ideals. Thethird skill is worth the 560 SP it costs as it increases the duration of Alphen’s Over Limit, which when combined with the first skill allows the player to cast more artes during a battle without running out of AG.
10Vanquisher Of The Four Lights
Alphen has access to a number of different swords, some of which have considerable penetration power. The more penetration an attack has the more chance it has to knock enemies prone.
As well asboosting Alphen’s max AG with the first skillthe Vanquisher of The Four Lights title has several skills that make it easier to down enemies and deal more damage to those that have been downed. As the name suggeststhis panel is unlocked by killing all of the four lights; Efreet Malum, Grand Gnome, Procella Sylph, and Luo Undine.
9Arms Sommelier
This panel can beunlocked by forging the sword Atonement Edge. While many of the skills in this title are very useful, they are also extremely expensive.
The free skill from this titleincreases the number of attacks Alphen can perform. If players have enough SP, it is worth getting all five skills from this panel, especially the one that makes evading easier, and thefinal buff that speeds up AG recovery in exchange for 2040 SP. There isn’t an arte that can be unlocked from this panel, but maxing it out will increase Alphens damage output as well asgranting the completion bonus of +40 penetration to any weapon.
