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Tales of the Abyss
In-Depth Character FAQ: Tear Grants
For Sony PS2 and Nintendo 3DS
Copyright 2014 by Andrew (Andy) Pfeiffer
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This guide is subject to copyright of the original author. It may not be repro-
duced for any commercial purposes but may be printed for personal use. It may
not be posted publicly at another website without permission from the original
author. If you wish to inquire about this guide or its contents, please contact
me at the following email address:
KatanaStarlight [at] aim [dot] com.
When contacting me about this guide, please include "Tear Grants Guide" in the
subject line. If you do not, I will likely presume it is spam and delete it.
Thank you.
The only websites allowed to host this guide are:
www.gamefaqs.com
www.neoseeker.com
This is version 1.1 of this guide, adding additional information and playtest-
ing not in version 1.0. Future updates will be noted here.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Table of Contents
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
About Me.................................................................[abm1]
About This Guide.........................................................[atg2]
Character Analysis.......................................................[cay3]
Ways to Use Tear.........................................................[wut4]
Controlling Tear.........................................................[clt5]
Effectively Placing Spells...............................................[eps6]
List of Artes and FoFs...................................................[loa7]
Artes Analysis...........................................................[aal8]
Healing..................................................................[hea9]
Using FoFs Effectively..................................................[fof10]
Fonic Hyms..............................................................[fch11]
Building a Team.........................................................[bat12]
Battle Strategies.......................................................[bas13]
AD Skills...............................................................[ads14]
Capacity Cores..........................................................[cco15]
Fon Slot Chambers.......................................................[fsc16]
Conclusion..............................................................[cnc17]
Credits.................................................................[cre18]
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
About Me [abm1]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My name is Andy Pfeiffer, and I have been a GameFAQs regular since 2006. It is
because of GameFAQs in general that I discovered Japanese role-playing games
not called "Final Fantasy" - among them Tales of Symphonia and Tales of the
Abyss. I fell in love with this series and thirsted to contribute for it at
the site somehow. This led to my compiling the board sticky at the Tales of
Vesperia (360) board. However, I haven't been on that project in four years or
more now, and I've been kind of aching to get back into that business and I
don't even know why. Perhaps recently completing my fourth run of Tales of the
Abyss got me in the mood. Well, that and how much I really, really like Tear.
I find myself writing this very guide because I feel that Mystearica Aura
Fende, aka Tear Grants, is the character I am most proficient controlling.
Don't take this the wrong way - I'm not taking the easy way out. There would
be no point in this guide if it was simply "stand back and sing hymns all day"
or something to that effect. I've always enjoyed playing as battlemage class
characters no matter the game, and I feel that is the best way to play Tear.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
About This Guide [atg2]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This guide is covering my opinions and analysis of Tear Grants' artes, battle
style, AD Skills, and capabilities in general. Keep in mind these are OPINIONS
and not a "my way or the highway" kind of guide. I am merely trying to explain
the most effective ways of controlling Tear. As I have mained her consistently
across all of my runs of the game, I have a generally good idea what works,
what almost works, and what doesn't work, and at which stages of the game to
boot.
This guide is NOT:
-A step-by-step process
-A walkthrough for any dungeon or area of Tales of the Abyss
-A guide for battle strategies against any specific boss
-An in-depth guide on how to get any of Tear's titles
-A guide containing information such as "Tear was voiced by Yukana in Japanese
and Nicole Kerrer in English" (even though I just said that)
-A guide containing a rant about why Tear is "mah waifu" or anything stupid
like that (spoilers: I know she's not a real person, sad to say)
I merely aim to explain how to control Tear Grants in any situation, and will
cover my bases to the best of my ability. If I am missing anything or have made
any kind of error, please do not hesitate to email me with a correction or
question. I aim to help people with this and want this guide to be correct to
the best of my ability. Sending a correction will even get an acknowledgment in
the credits section at the bottom!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Character Analysis [cay3]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tear Grants has a diverse number of Artes at her disposal, primarily of the
following types:
-Strike
-Spell
-Healing
-Support
-Hymn
This allows for diverse utilization to fit any situation. Tear is an absolute
must in any party due to this versatility, plus her ridiculous Fonic Attack,
access to Resurrection, and high amount of TP when compared to Natalia, who
has the benefit of 100% accuracy of all of her standard healing artes. Tear
still gets First Aid to serve this purpose and a much wider arsenal of other
artes (plus the higher TP), so I feel that she is overall a stronger character
than Natalia (though Natalia is still very good).
Tear's main weakness is spell casting time, especially for hymns. This can be
circumvented with strategic thinking, which is a major focal point of this
guide.
I find Tear very fun to play as due to her quick transitional battle style from
caster to warrior, and her wide array of artes allows her to do this seamlessly
without difficulty. She's one of the most versatile characters I have ever
encountered in any RPG (along with Yosuke Hanamura) and once you get the hang
of how she operates, you too will have a blast.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ways to Use Tear [wut4]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There are two primary ways to use Tear: "The Hymnal" and "The Battlemage."
"The Hymnal" is simply standing in the back of the battlefield, only moving if
something comes close and casting hymns and spells endlessly, in addition to
healing allies whenever their HP is low enough to require it. Tear using this
strategy should have high Fonic Attack and Fonic Defense, and should have the
front line party members' (Luke, Guy, or Anise) strategy set to "Help Allies."
This guide will not go into much detail about this strategy, as it is very
self-explanatory and would not require an FAQ.
"The Battlemage" is the main focal point of this FAQ, in that Tear will utilize
everything that is at her disposal, react to the situation, exploit weaknesses,
and still return to her healing duties. This strategy requires diversification
of stats, high attention to surroundings, a wide array of arte usage, and less
focus on hymns and their lengthy casting times. You still need 50 uses of each
hymn for Fortune's Arc, but I will get into specifics on that later.
Yes, this is similar to Natalia. The main differences are that Tear has access
to spells that are not just for healing. Natalia is more physically oriented
outside of her healing artes, while Tear is oriented around casting. This plus
her strike artes makes Tear an ideal battlemage that can change gears on the
fly, which is what in my mind makes her such a blast to play as.
Weapons and armor will be upgraded as necessary throughout the game. Keep in
mind that the game will say something will "increase" her stats only with
Physical Attack and Defense. You want items that are more focused on Fonic
Attack with either playstyle, allowing Tear's later-game spells to hit hard and
heavy. Physical Defense and Fonic Defense are equally important and Agility is
good for focusing, too. Enhancement doesn't do anything but add AD skills - we
will get to those later.
Tear's ultimate weapon is the Blue Crystal Rod, found from winning Advance
Singles in Baticul Coliseum. However, if you follow the parameters of this
guide, you may be able to rack up so many enemy kills that an unlocked Unicorn
Horn (Tear's Catalyst Weapon) will deal nearly twice the damage of the BC Rod.
Getting the BC Rod early in Part 3 is still the best idea, since the damage it
does will come in handy against the Catalyst boss.
With either style, Tear's accessory should be Tear's Pendant. When you get to
Chesedonia the first time, talk to the coachman (he's by the shops on the
Malkuth side) to unlock this sidequest. Talk to him again after your second
visit to the Zao Ruins in the same spot and he'll tell you he sold it to a
merchant in Grand Chokmah. Fork over 100,000 Gald to return the pendant to its
rightful owner and watch the amazing buffs it gives Tear.
When you are playing as Tear Grants, you need to keep the following things in
mind at all times:
-Position of enemies
-Allies' remaining HP
-Your TP
-Tear's Overlimit gauge
-Whether or not another character is in Overlimit
-Fields of Fonons
-Type of enemy
Got all of that? Good, you're going to need to adjust to it, since it's quite a
bit to keep track of. You need to do this in order to adapt to situations to
the best of your ability; if you do not, Tear may not be effective for you.
By default, Tear is set to the back of the battlefield because the game sees
her as primarily a spellcaster, which she is. It is preferable to leave her
back there or move her up to the middle zone if you so choose, as a spell (but
not always a hymn) is typically the best way to start off a battle. Tear's
spells deal quite a bit of damage, especially Holy Lance once you get it. You
will need to start off using hymns in this role because that is all you will
have access to in the early stages. Pow Hammer, a strike arte, works from range
and is more effective in Abyss than in any other Tales game because of that. In
the early stages of the game, it may be best for Tear to remain in the back.
The one exception of remaining in the back is because of enemies that are fast
and will quickly penetrate the front line due to their numbers. Your spell will
get interrupted if there are four wolf enemies and one goes straight for you.
Keep an eye on enemy patterns in any given area, and if one always comes right
for you, go right for it. Otherwise, keep in the back at the start of battle.
As you continue to level up and get more artes, however, Tear will become more
able to freely move about the battlefield and cause pain to an enemy's face.
Nocturnal Light, although effective from a distance, is more accurate when
nearby, and its FoF change is short-range only. Tear's stronger knife attack,
Severed Fate, is close-range only and effective at getting rid of those enemies
that penetrate your front line and get to Tear while she is casting.
Tear's strategy should be reactive, yet aggressively so. You should focus on
attacks that are more likely to hit at all times, whether they're spells or
strike artes. Start with a spell, but if the enemies are near, hit them with
all you've got using strike artes until they perish. Aggressively pursue them -
don't run in, run out, run back in, etc. Keep tapping that X or A button the
amount of times your Add Combo will allow you to (remember that this will reco-
ver 1 TP for every hit that connects), then hit with a strike arte. Rinse,
lather, and repeat until the enemy is dead. If you feel like it, you can go beat
up an enemy this way right out of the gate - provided that your allies' HP is
high enough and the enemy isn't a bird type that Tear has trouble targeting.
Those enemies can be stunned or downed via Pow Hammer or via jumping twice with
[] or Y and throwing a knife at their skull with the X or A button.
After an enemy that achieved penetration has perished, gauge the situation. If
your allies have healthy amounts of HP (50% or above), no other enemies are
near you, and no characters are in Overlimit, you should safely be able to cast
a spell if you so choose. If any character's HP is low (even if Natalia is in
the middle of casting Heal or Cure, because she may be interrupted), heal them
with First Aid or Healing Circle (we'll get to that one later). If another
enemy is near you, go after it and repeat the above process of button-mashing
attacks and artes (it's funner than that, though). If somebody is in Overlimit,
friend or foe, you should pursue another enemy physically and beat them up
because use of a Mystic Arte will interrupt a spell or hymn (which is why spell
casting time is so important).
Another point of advice: Abuse free run. Hold that button down and run amok. If
an enemy casts a spell aimed at you and you're not in the middle of casting (or
have the AD skills to make life easier if it's interrupted), get away. Don't
take damage if you don't have to. Jump if need be, or if you're close to a foe,
use Severed Fate because that jumps AND deals damage.
Also of note: Change targets as necessary. Try not to barrel through the enemy
front line just to keep the same target. Try to get rid of spellcasters first,
but be sure to not keep a target set in stone if it's going to cost you HP.
Also remember to keep enemy resistances in mind - the enemies that resist both
light and dark should get knives in the face. Those are more common later on.
If they just resist light, that's also a problem that should be circumvented by
strategic aggressive play or using Nightmare.
Evading enemies is always a top priority when you are in aggressive mode. If
you get surrounded, that's the perfect time to activate Overlimit to blow all
the enemies away. If you don't have Overlimit at the ready, jump up twice with
square or Y if you have multiple attackers; if not, Free Run out of there as
fast as you can. Or both, because you want to be facing enemies at all times so
your artes can damage at least one, preferably more than that.
You will want to have at least two additional artes set to the right control
stick or the touch screen (depending on your platform). Tear functions best
when she has instant access to more than four artes, as many of them serve dif-
ferent purposes as opposed to simply damaging an enemy. Choose a control scheme
that is comfortable for you.
Fields of Fonons should be used smartly, and you can fully utilize them to your
advantage. Holy Lance will instantly generate a Light FoF, which will give you
access to Wind and Fire - allowing you to run up to that enemy and use Severed
Fate or Banishing Sorrow with an FoF change. Two uses of Nightmare will do the
same for a dark FoF, allowing you to use FoF changes for Pow Hammer and Noctur-
nal Light. It is not recommended you run near an enemy to cast a healing spell,
even if there is an FoF there. Getting the spell off is the most important item
on your agenda, and until you amass the AD Skills that make Tear unable to be
staggered by anything other than a Mystic Arte, you should cast them in places
where the enemy will have trouble reaching you. If an Earth FoF appears in the
back of the field, say by Jade casting Ground Dasher and killing an enemy with
it, it may be optimal to cast Holy Lance from there. I will cover more on FoFs
in the appropriate section below.
Combos aren't necessary, and although with the proper AD Skills Tear can chain
two artes together (albeit with some difficulty), you shouldn't focus on them.
Guy or Luke can slash and you can tap X/A in the meantime, then use Nocturnal
Light or Severed Fate and hope to Yulia that the AI continues the combo, but
that is what it boils down to. Only Guy can spam combos on his own. There's
nothing like Vesperia's insane comboing here.
Using hymns at certain times is perfectly okay, however some are far more usef-
ul than others. Nightmare is a temporary arte that will not see much use later
in the game; even though it completely surrounds an enemy and may put it to
sleep, its damage is far outclassed by many of artes Tear acquires later, espe-
cially those with shorter cast times. After this, Holy Song and Judgment are
the only two that should see use; I will get into more detail in the Artes
Analysis section below.
Overlimit is essential, but should not be used hastily. For example, if you
are surrounded by three wolven enemies, use it to blast them all away to get
out of a jam. Innocent Shine is a good Mystic Arte that rarely misses (only
when an enemy is blown away or killed before Tear gets it off), but keep in
mind you shouldn't cast a hymn or Holy Lance until your OL gauge is half or
below. The stat boosts with it are pretty nice. Once you get Fortune's Arc,
using that one takes priority in regular battles, as its extension gives all
allies a stat boost for the entire battle (or until they're KO'd). During boss
fights, keep in mind that Fortune's Arc will revive your entire team when and
only when the extension is used, so you may want to save it for later. ALWAYS
hold X or A for that extension, as it makes an already powerful Mystic Arte
incredibly broken. You can only use Fortune's Arc once per battle due to its
immense power, so remember that the extension is mandatory to heal and buff
the team when you're in a bad spot. You can activate Fortune's Arc by casting
Judgment in Overlimit without any wait time, so it can't be interrupted.
If an ally is taken out and your level is above 27, use Resurrection on that
ally. Tear is the only one with access to this valuable arte and it is a free
bottomless Life Bottle, with TP being easily recoverable. If your TP is low,
refrain from using artes until it's higher, and in the meantime, use an Orange
Gel if you have plenty or go tap X/A in an enemy's face to recover TP manually
if the battle is drawing to a close. Remember, TP is recovered after a battle,
and cooking a noodle dish or Fruit Cocktail after the battle is hugely helpful
if multiple characters' TP is low.
In summary:
-Start with a spell or, if you feel like it, get in the enemy's face
-React to where your enemies are and the situation
-Try to avoid casting spells when a character is in Overlimit
-Only cast hymns when absolutely necessary
-Keep an eye on your TP and don't abuse artes
This is one of the trickiest parts of controlling Tear. Several of Tear's artes
require her to lay spells in specific areas. These include the following:
-Invoke FoF [four types]
-Healing Circle
-Eclair de Larmes
-Holy Lance
-Revitalize
-Grand Cross
Positioning them can be done in one of two ways. One is by targeting an enemy
or ally (in those cases, "TARGET" will appear below their HP/TP bars at the
bottom of the screen) automatically, the other is by manually moving the area
around, represented by a blue hybrid of a pool and a sumo ring, and leaving it
in the proper place where the arte is to be cast.
Invoke FoFs should be used sparingly in single-player, because their use would
require precise character switching, Sunlight Chambers, and a bit of luck. In
multiplayer (PS2 only), these are useful when a friend is in need of support
and/or a grey FoF of that fonon has already appeared (typically through one of
Jade's spells). In these cases, you want to place their center directly
between your ally and the enemy.
Healing Circle is tricky because of its casting time and how mobile some of
your allies may be. It's very easy to target yourself with it, then stand in it
and start casting another spell, and the same goes for Jade or Anise if they're
in the middle of casting something. Luke and Guy are usually moving around the
field, so unless a friend is controlling one, you have to place it smartly so
they at least get some HP recovery. The problem? The casting time and their
movements then. You want to see what enemy they are targeting and place the
arte in between them and that enemy. Natalia is a hybrid of everyone else, so
keep track of her movements. In most circumstances, First Aid works better for
your front-line fighters.
Eclair de Larmes, Holy Lance, and Grand Cross are light-based spells that targ-
et enemies. However, it is possible for them to move out of the way. You'll
need to keep the following in mind:
-The enemy's speed
-The enemy's target
-The enemy's size
-The allies nearby
If the enemy is fast, they'll often go barreling off the moment you cast your
spell and head for the hills. In this case, you want to place them near their
target. The bigger and slower they are, the nearer to their current location
the arte should be placed. Nearby allies may go into Overlimit or use a knock-
down arte at the most inconvenient times, so keep those in mind as well. Not
every instance of your light artes needs to hit. It's not the end of the world.
Revitalize covers a huge area, so all you need to do with that one is ensure
that all four of your active party members are covered by it. If that's not
possible, see which three have the lower HP and focus on them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List of Artes and FoFs [loa7]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I will list all of Tear's standard artes in the following table. Below that
will be another table detailing the FoFs.
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Arte | Type | Level | TP | Hit | FoF | Comment
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
First Aid | Heal | start | 08 | - | Water | Heals 25% HP to 1 ally
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Nightmare | Hymn | start | 08 | 3 | none | Creates 50% Dark FoF
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Pow Hammer | Strk | 5 | 04 | 1 | Water | May stun the foe
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Force Field | Hymn | event | 28 | - | none | Learned at Fubras River
| | | | | | 5 second immunity to area
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Invoke Ground | Supp | 9 | 08 | - | Creates 50% Earth FoF on field
Invoke Aqua | Supp | 10 | 08 | - | Creates 50% Water FoF on field
Invoke Flame | Supp | 11 | 08 | - | Creates 50% Fire FoF on field
Invoke Gale | Supp | 12 | 08 | - | Creates 50% Wind FoF on field
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Nocturnal Light | Strk | 13 | 09 | 3 | Earth | none
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Charge | Heal | 16 | 20 | - | Earth | Restores 15 TP to 1 ally
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Healing Circle | Heal | 20 | 32 | - | Wind | Heals in 5 intervals
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Holy Song | Hymn | event | 48 | - | none | Meet Layla in Yulia City;
| | | | | | Heals, buffs Phys. Atk
| | | | | | and Def by 10% for 60 sec
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Resurrection | Heal | 27 | 40 | - | Water | Heals 50%, living or KO'd
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Severed Fate | Strk | 31 | 14 | 4 | Wind | none
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Eclair de Larmes| Spel | 33 | 20 | 6 | Fire | Light element
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Enhance Cast | Supp | 37 | 18 | - | Wind | Target casts 20% faster
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Banishing Sorrow| Strk | 40 | 18 | 2 | Fire | Can steal with Grass FSC
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Revitalize | Hymn | 44 | 80 | - | none | Heals in 5 intervals
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Holy Lance | Spel | 48 | 34 | - | Earth | Light element
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Judgment | Hymn | event | 32 | 17? | none | Fire element; learned in
| | | | | | Ion's room ASAP after Luke
| | | | | | talks to Shu in Belkend
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Grand Cross | Hymn | 58 | 48 | 5 | none | Light element
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Mystic Arte 1: | Myst | 30 | 00 | 15 | none | Must be in Overlimit;
Innocent Shine | | | | | | Cast any Hymn or Holy
| | | | | | Lance, will cast quickly
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Mystic Arte 2: | Myst | -- | 00 | 6 | none | Use all Hymns 50+ times;
Fortune's Arc | | | | | | Cast Judgment in Overlimit
| | | | | | Must be second playthrough
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Fortune's Arc | Myst | -- | 00 | 6 | none | Hold X/A at end of Mystic
Extension | | | | | | Arte; revives, heals, and
| | | | | | buffs P. Atk, P. Def, and
| | | | | | F. Def (by 20%) all allies
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Field of Fonon artes are in the table below. TP costs are the same as above,
but are noted for easier reading.
Remember that a Dark FoF is equivalent to Water plus Earth and a Light FoF is
equivalent to Wind plus Fire.
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Original | Altered | TP | Element | Comment
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
First Aid | Meditation | 08 | Water | Heals 50% and cures status
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Pow Hammer | Frozen Hammer | 04 | Water | 7 hits
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Nocturnal Light | Inlay Nocturne | 09 | Earth | Close-range
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Charge | Tribute | 20 | Earth | Heals 15 TP to all allies
| | | | excluding self
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Healing Circle | Fairy Circle | 32 | Wind | Heals up to 60% HP and all
| | | | status within area and
| | | | damages enemies
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Resurrection | Regenerate | 40 | Water | Heals 75%, living or KO'd
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Severed Fate | Fatal Circle | 14 | Wind | Light element in Wind FoF
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Eclair de Larmes | Flamme Rouge | 20 | Fire | Same area of effect
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Enhance Cast | Witchcraft | 18 | Wind | Allies cast 20% faster,
| | | | enemies 20% slower in area
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Banishing Sorrow | Searing Sorrow | 20 | Fire | Cannot steal
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Holy Lance | Cluster Raid | 34 | Earth | Smaller area of effect
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Artes Analysis [aal8]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In this section, I will dissect each of Tear's artes and examine their purposes
and overall usefulness. This will be a guide to which artes to keep in rotation
and which ones to discard by the wayside. This will not cover Fon Slot Chambers
as those will be covered in depth in a later section.
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
First Aid
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Tear's standard healing arte. Keep this as an option on her at all times. As
it is guaranteed to heal someone, it is ideal for use on front-line fighters
that tend to move around a lot, namely Luke and Guy. Its quick cast time will
ensure your target is not knocked out before a Healing Circle could go off.
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Nightmare
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
The first of Yulia's Fonic Hymns, Nightmare is paltry in comparison to much
of Tear's arsenal. As I have stated previously, this is an arte to be used
only in the early stages of the game, and later on when you absolutely need a
Darkness spell (such as the final room of the final dungeon). Its damage is
not worth its cast time once Tear has Eclair de Larmes and should be replaced
with that arte in your lineup once you get it. However, when enemies resist
Light but not Dark, Nightmare could be good to go to if being aggressive does
not work.
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Pow Hammer / Pikohan
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
This is a standard arte for the heroine of every Tales game. Tear has one of
the most effective versions of it, given how it works from range. The issue
is that it only deals a single hit, but it may stun an enemy. This makes it
ideal to down some of the birds that Tear has problems targeting with her
other artes. After Tear gets a larger arsenal of strike, downing birds
becomes this arte's only effective use due to its low damage.
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Force Field
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
All Force Field does is grant five seconds of immunity to the area it was
cast over. Although the word "immunity" sounds like a winner, keep in mind
that this is a Yulian Hymn - the second - and thus has a ridiculously long
cast time. Is it worth the result? Not really. Keep this until you get Holy
Song - make sure you use it 50 times for Fortune's Arc and be done with it.
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Invoke Ground / Invoke Aqua / Invoke Flame / Invoke Gale:
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Remember that most enemies in this game can't use FoF changes, only the occa-
sional Energy Blast user or bandit mage so these "Invoke" artes can be used
to your advantage. However, it's often not worth it to wait for a 50% FoF.
Later in the game, you'll have access to damaging artes that make a Light FoF
appear, and with Jade getting access to artes that will make FoFs appear auto-
matically too, the use for these is only temporary. Seeing as you can't acti-
vate FoF changes in the gray circles until you get Sunlight Chambers late in
the game, these four artes aren't very useful, even if you team up with Jade
to create full FoFs. You should be focusing on directly dealing damage instead
of getting a chance at a slight boost - you never know what the AI will do,
after all.
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Nocturnal Light
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Decent strike arte with an extremely effective FoF change. Great at the end
of a combo because of its speed and distance, and its low TP consumption
makes it worthwhile. Weaker than Severed Fate, but still good in certain
circumstances after you obtain that arte.
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Charge
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Completely useless. You take 20 of your own TP to give 15 to someone else.
That is only enough for them to use a single arte, or two weak ones. Plus,
there's a cast time. Orange Gels are much more instant and aren't very expen-
sive, so it's best for you to stock up on those and have a character use them
rather than depleting your own TP when you could be attacking. The FoF change
is a more useful option but still should be used sparingly because, again 15
TP is a paltry amount to be restored.
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Healing Circle
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
This healing arte is highly situational. It is not a good way to heal Guy
given how fast he moves, never staying in one place. It's great for healing
spellcasters, Tear herself included, while they are casting. Anise moves
slowly, so even if she is beating up an enemy, this arte is more likely to
cover her than it is most of the others. Natalia and Luke can benefit from
this sometimes, but this arte needs strategic placement. First Aid with a
Carmine FSC is preferable to anyone moving around, since the range of Healing
Circle isn't that great anyway. Outside of battle, Healing Circle heals ever-
yone by 40%, and it's an excellent choice to use it for that purpose when it
is necessary.
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Holy Song
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
One of the better Hymns. It heals 20% HP to everyone and increases their
stats for a minute's duration. That may not sound like much, but in boss
fights it is hugely helpful to get started off on the right foot. And unlike
Force Field, it is very much worth the cast time and TP cost. I recommend
using it against bosses and tougher enemies that seem to give you problems.
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Resurrection
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Absolutely essential. As I have said, this is a free bottomless Life Bottle.
40 TP is nothing later in the game. This can also heal 50% to an ally that
isn't KO'd, and although its cast time is kind of long for that, it's a prec-
aution if you think somebody's going to fall down. Keep this on a shortcut at
all times because it's that useful. Revival wins battles.
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Severed Fate
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Tear's best strike arte. Close-range with an excellent FoF change that can
make use of a light FoF spawned by Holy Lance or Grand Cross, and causes a
lot of damage. Keep this one on Tear always, since when you're going to the
front line to beat something to a pulp, it's the best way to finish a combo.
It also has the unique ability to jump while causing damage, so it is good
when an enemy is in your face attacking - you can dodge and attack at the
same time!
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Eclair de Larmes
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Essentially Holy Lance lite, and a much welcome spell to Tear's arsenal once
it is acquired. It's TP-effective and has a quicker cast time than hymns.
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Enhance Cast
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
I always forget Tear even has this one, because I personally never use it. I
don't really get the point of it, either. A 20% boost in cast time, which may
even be temporary, doesn't really make a major difference in most battles. It
may be helpful to Jade, Anise, Natalia, or Tear herself, but there are AD
Skills that serve this purpose better. Enhance Cast may be useful in certain
situations, but I have yet to find them.
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Banishing Sorrow
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Equip a Grass FSC on this one, because it grants the ability to steal. Always
equip a Grass FSC to the character you are controlling for a steal arte, no
matter who it is. This arte really should only be used for stealing items for
the collector's book or valuable things like Tutti from Nebilim. The problem
with it is its recoil time - it can't be chained onto other artes and Tear
is immobile for a brief time after, allowing the enemy to attack. Its TP is
also somewhat heavy for its overall effect, but it's still usable. It just
could be better.
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Revitalize
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
It's a Yulian Hymn in Abyss, and sadly it doesn't affect the entire field the
way it did with Raine in Symphonia. Its ridiculous TP cost - 80! - and long
cast time make its worth questionable, but it is guaranteed to heal at least
three active allies while in battle given its wide distance. Like Healing
Circle, this is highly situational - First Aid one at a time is often more
effective, unless everyone is backed into a corner and you have anti-stagger
AD Skills equipped. Use with caution, but make sure you get 50 uses out of it
for Fortune's Arc.
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Holy Lance
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
An amazing spell. Great damage with an effective element (Light) and spawns a
Light FoF afterward, allowing for Jade to use Explosion on the same foe and
many, many other possibilities. The damage is concentrated, so this is ideal
for slower enemies or static spellcasters. It requires luck to ensure it hits
and sometimes your allies will blow the enemy away before it does, but that
does not change that this is an amazing spell. You may have to run up to the
enemy and tap X/A to spam physical attacks to keep it in place so Holy Lance
does its maximum damage, but that depends on how much of a risk you are will-
ing to take. Gauge the situation and make your move.
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Judgment
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
You tend not to have an idea that this arte exists because the sidequest is
sort of random. But it's totally worth it. Judgment is a heavy-hitting Hymn
that wreaks havoc across the entire battlefield and is guaranteed to hit one
enemy at least once. Judgment's best perk is that using it in Overlimit when
the conditions are met (50 uses of each hymn, second playthrough), you get to
use Fortune's Arc, the best Mystic Arte in the game.
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Grand Cross
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Grand Cross is sort of a glorified Holy Lance that has a casting time 50%
longer and about the same amount of damage. Its coverage area is greater, but
when you risk getting interrupted, Holy Lance is preferable. Still get the 50
uses out of this for Fortune's Arc and use it against certain enemies, but in
most cases Holy Lance is the preferred option.
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Your slots should look like this with whatever order you are comfortable using:
The main pad:
First Aid
Nightmare --> Eclair de Larmes --> Holy Lance
Pow Hammer --> Nocturnal Light --> Severed Fate
Whichever other arte you use the most (rotation is okay)
Shortcuts:
Healing Circle
Resurrection
Holy Song
Judgment
Tear is a Seventh Fonist that can heal, which makes her an essential party mem-
ber whenever she is available. It's her abilities that make her such an asset.
If you're not controlling her yourself, she should be one of the AI players so
you have access to Resurrection.
However, as I have said, the AI is flawed and solely stands around casting all
day. Even then, the AI doesn't take arte placement into account and uses the
automatic "target" feature, meaning if you are playing Luke or Guy and walk
away from where you were when a Healing Circle goes off, you probably should go
back to it so you can restore your HP. Controlling Tear circumvents this issue
if you know how to place your artes correctly, or which ones to cast when.
Arte placement is important, but so is gauging what healing arte to use, when,
and where on the battlefield to cast it. First Aid is always the preferable
arte because it's guaranteed to connect and will heal 25% in a short time,
which means the character is less likely to get KO'd in that period of time.
Healing Circle works best for casters, and Revitalize if the entire party is in
trouble. Resurrection if someone is down, obviously - but if two or more player
characters are out, using a Life Bottle on one is preferable so you have an
ally distract the enemy so you can get the other one revived.
Keep in mind that you should be away from enemies so they don't interrupt your
casting. The closer you are, the more likely one will reach you before you get
First Aid off. This isn't a problem later, when you have certain AD Skills
available and turned on, but until then, keep this in mind.
If Natalia is in your party (as she should be for the toughest battles at the
very least), pay attention to what she's doing. If she says "O, soothing light"
or "O divine embrace that fosters life" then she's healing somebody - whomever
had the lowest HP when she started casting it. If you're casting a healing
spell at the same time, change your target as to not double up so you can heal
multiple characters and get everyone back in the action, unless that one
character is the only one that has taken considerable damage. It can't hurt to
over-heal them, after all. Keep that in mind.
Resurrection should be used sparingly when an ally isn't dead, as it is easy to
interrupt. Save it for when they're KO'd.
Allow your sword users to use Apple Gels if they request to UNLESS you and Nat-
alia are both healing at the same time. Apple Gels are merely a safeguard, just
in case things don't go well. If everyone is in trouble, that's what Specifics
are for. You want to ensure your team isn't wiped out, and items are designed
to prevent that from happening.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Using FoFs Effectively [fof10]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have touched a bit on this, but thought I would go more in-depth, especially
given how Tear has the unique ability to generate FoFs on her own if you choose
to use it. She also has Holy Lance to generate Light FoFs at the later stages
of the game, which allow for Fatal Circle and Searing Sorrow to be used quickly
and effectively.
If you choose to use the "Invoke" artes, you will need to cast them twice in
order for them to appear fully on the field. It's not a long wait, per se, six
seconds or so each time. It's also handy to know that if an FoF of that color
is already on the field that Tear will place ANOTHER one with an Invoke arte. I
playtested this and it works nicely - I used Invoke Flame in the same spot
twice and Jade used Flame Burst at the same time as I cast the second one. Both
left full fire FoFs primed for a blast from Searing Sorrow, the Flame Burst
having been boosted by the Invoke Flame.
Without using the "Invoke" artes, you can only summon light FoFs easily; it
takes two Nightmares to get a dark one. However, it will usually appear by the
enemy you targeted with Holy Lance or Grand Cross, meaning anyone else who is
targeting that enemy can utilize it, and they often do. Luke can get off a
Lightning Tiger Blade, Jade can use Explosion, and Guy can use Dragon Tempest,
to name a few examples. Those are all Wind-based - fire-based works too. You
can even run up and use Searing Sorrow or Fatal Circle, as I have stated above.
FoFs aer a core part of the battle system here, and using them effectively is
part of the learning curve of any character. Tear has a great deal of access
and, unlike Jade, has intuitive strike artes that can speedily make use of them
after a spell goes off. It's why Tear is so fun to play as - she's quick to
transition from spellcaster to attacker.
Fonic Hymns are the most unique quality of Tear's - she sings the Yulian Hymns
as part of her battle strategy, one for each of the seven fonons. The Seventh
Hymn is unusable in battle, however, so you'll have to rely on the first six if
you choose to use them at all. This section will repeat some details above, but
it's for the people who want to know more about hymns and only hymns.
Like I have said, the AI loves these, but casts them unnecessarily. The point
of battles is to kill thine enemy, not continuously use defensive-oriented
artes that take eons to cast. You do need to use each of them 50 times to get
the game's best Mystic Arte (Fortune's Arc plus its extension), but after that
you shouldn't bother with some of them.
Nightmare is more effective when Tear uses it outside of battle to cause people
to take a nap. Monsters typically don't respond that way, or are woken up with
a sword in their face immediately after. It does darkness damage, but its use
withers with time because of how little damage it inflicts.
Force Field is automatically acquired at the Fubras River. Again, it's more
useful outside of battle. In battle, it's not worth casting a twenty-second
arte for a five-second immunity for a character or two.
Holy Song is acquired in Yulia City when Luke and Tear are leaving. Go to the
room underneath the conference room to meet with Layla, the woman who talked to
Tear before, and you'll get it. The one-minute stat boost and healing is worth
the cast time, especially when you need those stats against bosses or powerful
enemies. Just make sure you go all-out attacking something after it.
Revitalize is okay, and acquired by leveling up. It doesn't cover the entire
battlefield, but comes close enough to be worth it when you sense dire straits
ahead. The cast time is a problem, though, because one of the characters may
get KO'd before you get it off. Keep that in mind.
Judgment is badass, and although its accuracy is questionable at times, it will
deal plenty of damage whenever it hits. It rains down 17 times and typically
hits at least once. It's also the key to activating Fortune's Arc, which will
potentially save you in battle many a time. Judgment is acquired in Ion's room
after Luke talks with Shu in Belkend but before you return to the Absorption
Gate. It is missable, so be sure you get it.
Grand Cross is a glorified Holy Lance that takes longer to cast to deal extra
damage. I prefer Holy Lance because it's easier to cast and still hits hard,
but I can see Grand Cross being a feasible option for those wanting to sit in
the back for a while for the extra hurt. You get it leveling up.
Again, I'm not big on hymns - they're why some people say Tear is boring to
play as, but those people don't learn to appreciate her versatility because the
AI doesn't show it. It's typical of AI controlled allies to not realize their
full potential, and that's why guides like this exist. Use hymns sparingly once
you get faster-casting stuff, but throw in a Judgment or Holy Song when they
are most welcome.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Building a Team [bat12]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In a Tales game, you want to create a team that will complement the character
you are controlling as nicely as possible. You want to initiate combos and be
able to set up team plans - in this case with FoFs - as best as possible. If a
team doesn't complement each other well, it decreases the chance of victory.
Jade should be in your party at all times he is available. His access to spells
is unmatched, and many of the later-level artes he get create a free FoF for
anyone to come up and utilize, including you. If he casts Ground Dasher once,
you get an Earth FoF that you could use for Cluster Raid if the situation is
appropriate. Jade's elemental damage really helps balance any team, and that's
why I recommend he be in your party regardless of who you control.
Natalia is also a healer, and should be utilized in boss fights at the very
least. Having another healer to cover ground is essential in certain situations
and although Natalia is not available at the "wake up call" boss, she will come
in handy on many occasions. Her buffs are good too and have a quick cast time,
so you won't need to worry about casting Holy Song too many times in most batt-
les if Natalia is in the party. I recommend at least putting her in rotation,
but it ultimately boils down to personal preference.
Luke and Guy are both sword-wielders and at least one of them is necessary for
a front-line fighter. Which you use is up to personal preference. Guy is faster
and better at comboing and he can heal himself with Center, but his defense is
weaker which means he can be more of a liability. Luke is good in all departme-
nts and has a better Mystic Arte, although he doesn't excel the way he could
in any of them. Playtest to see which one you prefer.
Let me stress this: Combos aren't that important in Abyss. Yes, both Luke and
Guy can combo with Tear if you time everything perfectly, but that's not the
most important thing here. Use Luke or Guy based on which one works best for
what you want strategically based on enemy resistances and for dealing damage.
This leaves poor Anise by the wayside. Okay, maybe she's not so poor. Anise
lacks speed and doesn't make up for it with defenses the way she could. She
also serves similar roles as Tear, only with more focus on darkness spells, and
she is unable to heal unless she has a specific doll equipped for Resurrection.
Not worth it, since Tear is better at that and doesn't require taking up the
accessory slot for it, either. Seeing as Anise serves a hybrid role as well, it
is honestly better to bench her since she doesn't do it as well as Tear.
If you are playing on Normal, your party honestly doesn't matter, as you aren't
likely to be having any kind of problems, so Tear/Luke/Guy/Jade works just fine
there. On harder difficulties, I typically use Jade and Natalia and rotate Luke
and Guy, depending on where I am and what I am doing. Guy's Razing Phoenix is
fire-fonon, so use Luke in those areas and Guy where you need to outspeed fast
monsters or God-Generals or have enemies weak to fire.
Keep in mind that whomever is in the second slot will still be in your party
when a surprise encounter occurs (you never know when the game may register one
especially with certain kinds of enemies), so keep that in mind. I recommend
Jade or Natalia in that slot.
This does not refer to team construction, it refers to what options you should
set in the "Strategy" menu (a sub-menu of "Battle") for each character.
For "Target" at least one of the others - preferably not Jade - should be set
to "Help Allies" as that will help you and Jade get more spells off. Jade's
should be set to either "Flying enemies" or "Arte users" as those are the most
problematic things for Tear that Jade can deal with much more easily. The other
party member can be set to your choosing - but keep in mind if you go with the
"Same enemy" option that they may knock the enemy down right before your spell
goes off, causing it to miss. I'd advise against that setting.
For TP, everyone should be set to "Use 75%" because that way, you won't have to
deal with them going up to enemies without using artes just to restore their TP
(it can be an after-battle fix by cooking something instead). In some circumst-
ances like difficult bosses, Jade can be set to "Use 100%" so he doesn't stop
barraging them with spells.
For "Action," set Luke or Guy to "Normal" and Jade to "Fonic Artes." Natalia
works best under "Strike Artes" or "Normal" given her arsenal. Anise depends on
why you have her in the party - "Strike Artes" if you want her to be fighting
in the front, "Fonic Artes" if you want to have her cast Bloody Howling and
Miracle Hammer a lot, or "Normal" if you want a hybrid.
"Items" are sort of weak to set because each character will only ever use them
on themselves, even after they get the "Item Thrower" AD Skill. Luke and Guy
should watch HP and Natalia, Anise, and Jade should all have "Up to you" as
their setting, because everyone needs to watch their HP but TP can run in
short supply at times.
Everyone should be set to "Use it" for the "OL" option - not having Overlimit
on means no Mystic Artes and makes your life harder, even if it interrupts
spells. If you want a challenge, by all means let yourself be the only one who
can use these, but most players should set it to "Use it" for all.
For your formation, Tear can be moved up a spot if you find yourself going all-
out frontal assault more often than not. Natalia and Anise are good in the
third row from the left, and Luke and Guy should be nearest the monsters. Keep
Jade in the back so he's apt to use his spells.
That's really the gist of it. Be smart with protecting yourself and making a
formation and you'll win battles and influence people.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AD Skills [ads14]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tear has access to every AD skill in the game except for "Guardian" and this
helps amplify her diverse prowess considerably.
AD Skills are learned via stat boosts from Capacity Cores. You will need:
+80 Physical Attack (+200 for all four combo skills)
+70 Physical Defense
+70 Fonic Attack
+60 Fonic Defense
+90 Agility
+90 Enhancement
To get all of the obtainable AD Skills (except the combo ones, as stated).
In this FAQ, I will be listing every AD Skill Tear has and rating them on their
effectiveness when Tear uses them. The rating for some AD Skills may differ
from character to character, whereas for some they're awesome across the board.
Keep this in mind when you read this section.
I have used EChang's FAQ to double-check my data. Special thanks to EChang for
the hard work, too!
Backstep (Level 2):
Use []/Y plus L-stick Backward to backstep.
Rating: A
Recover (Level 3):
Prevent being knocked down with []/Y when knocked away by an enemy.
Rating: A
Critical Guard (Level 4):
"[]/Y + L-Stick Forward" reduces the damage from enemy physical attacks.
Rating: B+
Magic Guard (Level 7):
"[]/Y + L-Stick Down" reduces the effect of enemy magical attacks.
Rating: C (why use this when you can Free Run away from it? Good for some
Mystic Artes, though)
Free Run (Level 5):
PS2: Hold the L2 button to move around freely with the L-Stick.
3DS: Hold the L button to move around freely with the circle pad.
Rating: A+
Over Limit (Level 15):
Go into Over Limit with R2/D-Right when the gauge is full.
Rating: A+
Taunt (Level 22):
When the gauge is not full, use R2/D-Right to increase Over Limit by a fixed
amount.
Rating: C (honestly not the most useful)
Special (Level 30):
While in Over Limit, hold X (PS2) or A (3DS) after using an arcane arte or use
a high fonic arte or hymn to cast a mystic arte.
Rating: A+
Combo Force (P. Atk +30):
Mitigates damage from a basic combo attack.
Rating: C (requires enemies to combo, which only some do)
Power Charge (P. Atk +40):
Hold the L-Stick or Circle pad down while taking no action to temporarily
increase P. Atk.
Rating: C+ (better to not wait, but great when someone else is using a Mystic
Arte or you absolutely need to)
Critical Up (P. Atk +50):
Increases chance of inflicting Critical Damage.
Rating: A-
Heavy Hit (P. Atk +60):
Increases chance to stun an enemy with a physical attack.
Rating: A-
Roll (P. Def +20):
Decreases incidental damage taken when knocked to the ground.
Rating: B+
Guard Plus (P. Def +30):
Decreases damage taken while guarding.
Rating: B-
Rear Guard 1 (P. Def +40):
Reduces the chance of an enemy causing Guard Break.
Rating: B-
Void Attack (P. Def +50):
Occasionally will not stagger when receiving a physical attack.
Rating: B-
Immunity (P. Def +60):
Decreases the chance of receiving status effects
Rating: A-
Endure (P. Def +70):
Decreases amount of time needed to recover from a stagger hit.
Rating: B+
Critical Magic (F. Atk +20):
Inflict Critical Damage when casting a spell attack.
Rating: B (because it's not guaranteed)
Lucky End (F. Atk +30):
Decreases the amount of time of being unable to move after casting a spell.
Rating: A
Heavy Magic (F. Atk +40):
Increase chance to stun the enemy with a spell attack.
Rating: A
Lucky Magic (F. Atk +50):
Occasionally decreases the amount of TP consumption when casting a spell.
Rating: C (luck-based, after all)
Speed Cast (F. Atk +60):
Decreses spell casting time.
Rating: A
Magic Charge (F. Atk +70):
Hold L-stick or Circle Pad down while taking no action to temporarily increase
F. Atk.
Rating: B- (again, best while a Mystic is going off or you're well-guarded)
Void Magic (F. Def +20):
Occasionally will not stagger when receiving a spell attack.
Rating: C- (easy to avoid spells)
Resist (F. Def +30):
Occasionally prevents status effects.
Rating: A-
Anti Element (F. Def +40):
Occasionally decreases damage from an elemental atack by half.
Rating: A
Magic Guard Plus (F. Def +50):
Reduces damage received while using Magic Guard.
Rating: C- (again, FREE RUN! Use only for Mystics)
Stat Boost (F. Def +60):
Increases the effect of magical status boosts.
Rating: A (for herbs and other AD Skills, heck yeah)
Life Up (Enh +20):
Occasionally increases Max HP after battle.
Rating: A (always happens after a boss, they add up a lot)
Spirit Healer (Enh +30)
Increases amount of TP recovered after a battle.
Rating: A+
Happiness (Enh +40):
Occasionally increases EXP after battle.
Rating: B
Life Healer (Enh +50):
Recover HP after a battle.
Rating: A+
Mind Up (Enh +60):
Occasionally increases Max TP after battle.
Rating: A (almost always happens after a boss, they add up)
HP Recovery (Enh +70):
Increases effectiveness of HP recovery.
Rating: A (5% boost to all gels, food, and healing artes)
TP Recovery (Enh +80):
Increases effectiveness of TP recovery.
Rating: A (that 5% boost is great)
EXP Plus (Enh +90):
Increases amount of EXP earned after a battle.
Rating: A- (it can make the game easier or help avoid grinding)
Dash (Agl +20):
Increases mobility during battle by 20%.
Rating: B+
Run Away! (Agl +30):
Reduces the time needed to escape. Doubling up with other characters increases
effectiveness.
Rating: C (I rarely escape battles)
Comeback (Agl +40):
Tap []/Y repeatedly to shorten the stagger period.
Rating: C
Item Pro (Agl +50):
Decreases the amount of time character is unable to move after using items.
Rating: B+
O.L. Boost (Agl +60):
Increases the duration of Over Limit by 25%.
Rating: B+
Landing (Agl +70):
Decreases amount of time character is unable to move after landing.
Rating: B
Quick Turn (Agl +80):
Able to turn around instantly even when dashing.
Rating: B+
Aerial Jump (Agl +90):
Jump in midair.
Rating: A+
Rebound (P. Atk +20, Agl +20):
Able to attack during the effects of Recover.
Rating: C
Jump Combo (P. Atk +30, Agl +30):
Hit X/A to link attacks after landing from a jump attack.
Rating: C
C. Combo (P. Atk +40, P. Def +40, Agl +20):
Able to link combo attacks to Counter.
Rating: B
C. Counter (P. Atk +40, Agl +40):
Damage increases when attack hits an attacking enemy.
Rating: A-
Counter (P. Atk +30, P. Def +30):
Hit X/A as soon as the character guards to attack without any lag time.
Rating: B (hard to execute but worth it to learn)
E. Plus (P. Atk +20, F. Atk +20):
Occasionally increases damage of elemental attacks.
Rating: A
Flash (P. Atk +30, P. Def +30, F. Def +30):
Impervious to stagger when hit between special combo attacks.
Rating: B
Step Away (P. Def +20, Agl +20):
Avoid staggering if hit during Backstep.
Rating: C
Resurrect (P. Def +50, F. Def +50):
Occasionally revive automatically.
Rating: A (it's like a 15% chance, but that can save your skin)
Reflect (P. Def +4, F. Def +40):
Occasionally reflects damage from an attack while guarding.
Rating: C- (you only guard occasionally, so...)
Nullify (P. Def +30, F. Def +30):
Occasionally nullifies a spell attack.
Rating: B-
Lucky Soul (P. Def +20, F. Def +20):
Occasionally recover TP when knocked to the ground.
Rating: B
Blood Spirit (P. Def +45, F. Def +45):
Recover TP for the amount of hits received when attacked with a combo.
Rating: C (requires 3 hits undodged and you to stay alive)
Rebirth (P. Def +30, F. Def +30, Enh +30):
Gradually recover HP equal to half of the last damage received.
Rating: A+ (free healing!)
Angel's Tear (P. Def +60, F. Def +60, Enh +50):
Revive automatically once per battle.
Rating: A++ (absolutely broken)
Glory (P. Def +60, F. Def +60, Agl +50, Enh +60):
Avoid staggering from all attacks.
Rating: A++ (absolutely broken)
Reprise (F. Atk +20, F. Def +20, Agl +40):
Reduce casting time when a spell is used twice in a row.
Rating: A
Spell Save (P. Def +30, F. Atk +30, F. Def +30):
Decreases casting time of the same spell fi the spell is interrupted by an
enemy.
Rating: A
Reducer (F. Atk +30, F. Def +30):
Decreases TP consumption by 25% when a spell is used twice in a row.
Rating: A+
Rhyrhm (F. Atk +20, F. Def +20, Agl +20):
Tap X/A repeatedly while casting spells to decrease casting time.
Rating: A- (it's not much, but it is something)
Dash Guard (F. Def +40, Agl +40):
Avoid staggering when hit with magic while dashing.
Rating: C
Item Master (Agl +30, Enh +30):
Increase the effectiveness of items used during a battle.
Rating: A
Pow Hammer / Pikohan Revenge (P. Atk +40, P. Def +40):
Occasionally counter with Pow Hammer when attacked.
Rating: C (minor counter, but it s something)
Auto Aid (P. Def +60, F. Def +60):
Occasionally cast First Aid automatically when damaged.
Rating: C+ (it helps, but the chance is small)
Ability Plus (P. Atk +80, Agl +80):
Follow a base arte with a second base arte once per combo.
Rating: B+ (lets you cast Nocturnal Light twice in a row)
Item Getter (Agl +40, Enh +40):
Increases chance of acquiring items. Doubling up with other characters increas-
es effectiveness.
Rating: B
Item Rover (P. Atk +20, Agl +40):
Increases chance of stealing an item.
Rating: B
Status Guard (P. Def +40, F. Def +40):
Reduces the effect of magical ailments.
Rating: B
Resilience (P. Atk +60, F. Atk +60, Agl +40):
Avoid staggering while casting a spell.
Rating: A++ (extremely broken, no interruptions!)
Super Chain (P. Atk +60, Agl +60):
Able to link arcane and base artes.
Rating: A (can follow Nocturnal Light with Severed Fate, for example)
Rear Guard 2 (P. Def +60, Agl +50):
Prevents Guard Break.
Rating: B+ (makes guarding foolproof when you do use it)
Condition Guard (P. Def +30, F. Def +30):
Reduces the effects of physical ailments (Poison, Weak).
Rating: A-
Back Action (P. Atk +25, P. Def +25, Enh +10):
Able to take action immediately after Backstep.
Rating: B+
Item Thrower (P. Atk +40):
Able to use items on an ally.
Rating: B+ (good for using Apple Gels when you have too many targets to heal)
Long Step (P. Def +20, Agl +20):
Increases the stepping distance of Backstep by 30%.
Rating: B
Magic End (F. Atk +30, Agl +30):
Able to move immediately after casting a spell.
Rating: A
If you have already pilfered Tutti from Nebilim in a prior playthrough and
carried it over, you don't really need to worry about this section. Give Tutti
to Tear from the getgo and rotate it around, but always give it to her during
boss fights and whatnot - make her your priority. Keep doing this until you get
all the AD Skills or 150+ stats in everything - again, the stats you need:
+80 Physical Attack (+200 for all four combo skills)
+70 Physical Defense
+70 Fonic Attack
+60 Fonic Defense
+90 Agility
+90 Enhancement
If you don't have Tutti, then you need to know what stats to prioritize and
what C. Cores are most helpful for those stats.
Tear's initial C. Core, Nocer, provides for P. Def +1, F. Atk +1, and F. Def +1
which is good to start. If you've carried over any from prior playthroughs,
definitely start with your best one (the one at the bottom). You definitely
want to focus on Fonic Atk and Physical Atk because you'll be dealing damage
and changing modes on the fly. Try to boost Agility too early on if you can.
There is no shame in increasing various stats with multiple C. Cores so you can
get all the AD Skills.
Priority-wise, Tutti is the highest, followed by Grandioz and Lunatito. Largam-
ente also is valuable and can be obtained from Din's Shop (I can't explain that
place very well; I suggest using Hikari62's FAQ because she does a great job)
You cannot get most of those until late-game, so, again, if you are trying Tear
on a second playthrough or later, make sure you have at least one of these.
It takes Tutti 23 levels to unlock the AD Skills that aren't Add Combo 2-4.
It takes Grandioz 45 levels to unlock all AD Skills that aren't Add Combo 2-4.
It takes Lunatito and Largamente 90 levels to unlock all AD Skills. If you use
Lunatito, make sure to change it out occasionally for something to boost P. Def
and Agl more, such as Ballacido. For Largamente, sub it for Parlanto if you can
or anything to boost Agl and Enh.
If this is not a second playthrough, I am going to assume you have no EXP boost
or C. Cores already in your possession. In that case, I suggest the following
algorithm, equipping these as you obtain them:
Nocer (Default): P. Def +1, F. Atk +1, F. Def +1
Stre Forte (Zao Ruins): P. Atk +3, F. Atk +1
Esprit Forte (Daath): Agl +2, Enh +2
Alca Forte (Nephry's): P. Atk +2, Agl +3
Strecido (Mt. Zaleho): P. Atk +4, P. Def +1, F. Def +1
Nocercido (Mt. Roneal): F. Atk +4, F. Def +2
Ballacido (Absorption Gate): P. Atk +2, F. Atk +2, Agl +2, Enh +1
Lunatito (Radiation Gate): P. Atk +3, P. Def/Agl +1, F Atk/Enh +2, F Def +4
Grandioz (final dungeon): P. Atk/P. Def/F. Atk/F. Def +3, Agl/Enh +2
You may want to grind when you get Grandioz so you can boost some stats. It's a
tricky business, honestly, and it isn't easy to get all the AD Skills in your
first run without a painful amount of grinding. I highly suggest you carry C.
Cores over every time you play, as they are a valuable tool.
I'm not that great at math, but I estimate you'll have about the following
boosts at the end of the game using the above:
P. Atk 96
P. Def 28
F. Atk 75
F. Def 50
Agl 64
Enh 30
Using them in this order should get you a good supply of AD Skills except for
some really good enhancement ones (those higher-level Enh ones aren't the best
on a first playthrough but are great on later ones), as you are likely to be
level 67-69 or so when you finish the game Carry over C. Cores to your next
playthrough to allow all of the party to get plenty of AD Skills - you are
going to need them if you ever want to try Unknown.
Be smart with your C. Cores and remember to give priority to the one you are
controlling.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fon Slot Chambers [fsc16]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As this is an in-depth FAQ for Tear, I will exclusively cover what the possible
Fon Slot Chambers are for each of her artes, as well as recommend what you do
with each one of them. I will also explain what priority something is, given
the limited supply of these things.
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
First Aid | Learned at start | 08 TP | Water FoF
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carmine: Increase the amount of HP recovered.
Cobalt: Reduce the time it takes to recover after casting.
Grass: Add a poison healing effect.
Sunlight: Enable the ability to use FoF artes in a low-level FoF.
Verdict: Carmine should be the main one here, and throw on a Grass instead
when you find yourself getting poisoned too often. That shouldn't be
often, though, and you do have Natalia to use Recover, so stick with
Carmine as much as you can.
Priority: Very high. This should be one of the first ones you equip.
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Nightmare | Learned at start | 08 TP | No FoF
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carmine: Increase the amount of damage to the enemy.
Cobalt: Reduce the time it takes to recover after casting.
Grass: Reduce the amount of TP used.
Sunlight: No effect.
Verdict: The first two are the most useful on any hymn, since it takes a bit
for Tear to recover after she casts. Once you have the proper AD
Skills, however, Carmine is the only way to go.
Priority: Low. You won't be using Nightmare much late-game, after all.
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Pow Hammer | Learned at lv 5 | 04 TP | Water FoF
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carmine: Increase the amount of damage to the enemy.
Cobalt: Increase the ability to push, lift, or send the enemy flying.
Grass: Reduce the amount of TP used.
Sunlight: Enables the ability to use FoF artes in a low-level FoF.
Verdict: Pow Hammer knocks the enemy once, so Cobalt isn't that good. This
has very low TP also. I could see Sunlight being usable, but Carmine
is probably the best option, even if it isn't much.
Priority: Low. Pow Hammer doesn't need to do that much damage once you have
Nocturnal Light.
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Force Field | Learned by event | 28 TP | No FoF
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carmine: Reduce the time it takes to recover after casting.
Cobalt: Increase the length of effectiveness.
Grass: Reduce the amount of TP used.
Sunlight: No effect.
Verdict: Don't bother with any of them here. The "length of effectiveness" is
short as it is, and adding more time doesn't make it seem longer.
Priority: Very low
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Invoke Ground | Learned at lv 9 | 08 TP | Creates 50% Earth FoF
Invoke Aqua | Learned at lv 10 | 08 TP | Creates 50% Water FoF
Invoke Flame | Learned at lv 11 | 08 TP | Creates 50% Fire FoF
Invoke Gale | Learned at lv 12 | 08 TP | Creates 50% Wind FoF
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carmine: Increase effectiveness.
Cobalt: Increase the length of effectiveness.
Grass: Reduce the amount of TP used.
Sunlight: No effect.
Verdict: "Increase effectiveness" does nothing. Since there's nothing that
will let Tear instantly summon a full FoF, don't bother.
Priority: Very low
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Nocturnal Light | Learned at lv 13 | 09 TP | Earth FoF
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carmine: Increase the amount of damage to the enemy.
Cobalt: Increase the ability to push, lift, or send the enemy flying.
Grass: Reduce the amount of TP used.
Sunlight: Enable the ability to use FoF artes in a low-level FoF.
Verdict: Carmine. Damage is the only thing to worry about with this arte.
Priority: Medium
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Charge | Learned at lv 16 | 20 TP | Earth FoF
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carmine: Increase the amount of HP* recovered.
Cobalt: Reduce the time it takes to recover after casting.
Grass: Reduce the amount of TP used.
Sunlight: Enable the ability to use FoF artes in a low-level FoF.
*not an error
Verdict: I actually don't know what the Carmine chamber does, but I believe
it is absolutely nothing. Grass is the most tempting, but even then,
transferring TP seems like a waste when you can use an Orange Gel.
Priority: Low
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Healing Circle | Learned at lv 20 | 32 TP | Wind FoF
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carmine: Increase the amount of HP recovered.
Cobalt: Reduce the time it takes to recover after casting.
Grass: Reduce the amount of TP used.
Sunlight: Enable the ability to use FoF artes in a low-level FoF.
Verdict: Extra HP healed makes Healing Circle more useful. 32 TP isn't bad
later in the game, either. I'd say go Carmine, but honestly any of
them is a doable option.
Priority: High
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Holy Song | Learned by event | 48 TP | No FoF
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carmine: Increase effectiveness.
Cobalt: Increase the length of effectiveness.
Grass: Reduce the amount of TP used.
Sunlight: No effect.
Verdict: This is delicious. All of these are useful. 48 TP will eat quite a
bit out until the later stages of the game, and it can never hurt to
have extra time or extra buffs. Any of the three will do just fine!
Priority: High
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Resurrection | Learned at lv 27 | 40 TP | Water FoF
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carmine: Increase the amount of HP recovered.
Cobalt: Reduce the time it takes to recover after casting.
Grass: Reduce the amount of TP used.
Sunlight: Enable the ability to use FoF artes in a low-level FoF.
Verdict: Sunlight for this isn't very good. Go Carmine or Grass - when you
need Resurrection, it's a good idea to lower the TP it requires bec-
ause chances are it's going to be a longer fight. Either saving your
TP or making the revived ally less likely to die is a good idea.
Priority: High
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Severed Fate | Learned at lv 31 | 14 TP | Wind FoF
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carmine: Increase the amount of damage to the enemy.
Cobalt: Increase the ability to push, lift, or send the enemy flying.
Grass: Reduce the amount of TP used.
Sunlight: Enable the ability to use FoF artes in a low-level FoF.
Verdict: Carmine is again the most useful for damage. Severed Fate strikes
enemies directly, rather than sending them flying, so Cobalt isn't
the best idea. You won't need the Sunlight effect anyway because you
will get Light FoFs soon enough.
Priority: Very high
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Eclair de Larmes | Learned at lv 33 | 20 TP | Fire FoF
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carmine: Increase the amount of damage to the enemy.
Cobalt: Reduce the time it takes to recover after casting.
Grass: Reduce the amount of TP used.
Sunlight: Enable the ability to use FoF artes in a low-level FoF.
Verdict: It's not Holy Lance, but Eclair de Larmes getting a Carmine boost is
great until you do. Sunlight is better here than most other places
and Cobalt's usefulness evaporates later. Carmine is the #1 option.
Priority: Medium
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Enhance Cast | Learned at lv 37 | 18 TP | Wind FoF
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carmine: Increase effectiveness.
Cobalt: Increase the length of effectiveness.
Grass: Reduce the amount of TP used.
Sunlight: Enable the ability to use FoF artes in a low-level FoF.
Verdict: Tear has this arte? I always forget about it. I don't think any of
these can help its cause, either, since the boosts aren't very
substantial.
Priority: Very low
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Banishing Sorrow | Learned at lv 40 | 18 TP | Fire FoF
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carmine: Increase the amount of damage to the enemy.
Cobalt: Increase the ability to push, lift, or send the enemy flying.
Grass: Enable ability to occasionally steal from an enemy when attacking.
Sunlight: Enable the ability to use FoF artes in a low-level FoF.
Verdict: Grass. This is Tear's only stealing arte, and the one you control
needs to have something to steal with.
Priority: High
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Revitalize | Learned at lv 44 | 80 TP | no FoF
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carmine: Increase the amount of HP recovered.
Cobalt: Reduce the time it takes to recover after casting.
Grass: Reduce the amount of TP used.
Sunlight: No effect.
Verdict: Grass. The TP cost of this is outrageous and having even a little
less can make a world of difference.
Priority: Medium
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Holy Lance | Learned at lv 48 | 34 TP | Earth FoF
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carmine: Increase the amount of damage to the enemy.
Cobalt: Reduce the time it takes to recover after casting.
Grass: Reduce the amount of TP used.
Sunlight: Enable the ability to use FoF artes in a low-level FoF.
Verdict: Carmine preferably. Those are the most common, and that makes Holy
Lance pack an amazing punch that's about even with a standard Grand
Cross, only with a shorter casting time and 14 less TP.
Priority: High
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Judgment | Learned by event | 32 TP | no FoF
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carmine: Increase te amount of damage to the enemy.
Cobalt: Reduce the time it takes to recover after casting.
Grass: Reduce the amount of TP used.
Sunlight: No effect.
Verdict: Carmine or Cobalt. Judgment is a hymn you'll be using more often,
and Cobalt Chambers are best for those. Once you have certain AD
Skills, though, Carmine by a longshot.
Priority: High
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Grand Cross | Learned at lv 58 | 48 TP | no FoF
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carmine: Increase the amount of damage to the enemy.
Cobalt: Reduce the time it takes to recover after casting.
Grass: Reduce the amount of TP used.
Sunlight: No effect.
Verdict: Any of them work for this one. 48 TP is quite a bit when you stack
up this one with Holy Lance, so reducing it isn't harmful. Since it
is a hymn, Cobalt can be used until the AD Skills are ready, and
Carmine, of course, boosts damage too.
Tear Grants may be beautiful, but she's a very formidable battler and is ideal
for controlling if battlemages are your forte. Her abilities are expansive and
essential to any team in the game, and even then I find her extremely versatile
and fun to play as because of that versatility. Playing aggresively while
reacting to enemy locations and the situation, still keeping healing and FoF
use in mind, is the best way I can describe her battle style. It's complex but
very effective for those that can master it.
Start with a spell, or if the enemy is fast and barreling for you, attack it
head on. Change your targets as enemies near you and clear anything that penet-
rates the backfield, using Severed Fate to jump and attack at the same time and
pounding X or A to refill some TP. Once there is room to maneuver, cast a spell
like Holy Lance. Use Holy Song against bosses and Judgment when you are not
likely to be staggered. Make sure to get 50 uses of each hymn (and carry Arte
Usage over for 10 Grade every time) so you can use Fortune's Arc, the best
Mystic Arte the game has to offer. Always use the extension with FOrtune's Arc
so your team gets fully healed and buffed.
And most importantly, have fun playing as Tear. Don't stand around as a Hymnal
when you can show flexibility and badassery. Use spells when distant from the
enemy and change gears as the situation allows. Have fun being versatile - a
healer, an attacker, a spellcaster, anything!
This guide is copyright 2014 by Andy Pfeiffer. Any unauthorized use of this
guide or its contents for commercial purposes or web page views is prohibited.
If you wish to inquire about this guide, please contact me at:
katanastarlight [at] aim [dot] com
Changes in 1.1:
-Fixed the Innocent Shine casting clarification
-Added information about weapons and comboing
-A few miscellaneous elaborations
All information in this guide was researched and provided by the original offer
except for the following:
-Exact buff percentages, which were found at aselia.wikia.com
-AD Skill stat amounts, researched via EChang's AD Skills FAQ and translated
into the English version of the game by the author
For those that did work before me, thank you.
Special thanks:
-Namco Bandai's Tales Studio for making an amazing game and amazing character
-CJayC for founding GameFAQs and SBAllen & Devin Morgan for maintaining it
after his departure.
-Leo Chan at Neoseeker for expressing his interest in this guide
And lastly, to my readers - thank you for reading!
