Summary
- Feri Al-Fayed offers increased damage and CP regeneration, making her a valuable addition early on in Chapter 1.
- Judith Lanster can farm additional Sepith and charm foes with unique status effects, adding versatility in battle.
- Bergard Zeman, a veteran martial arts master with debuffing capabilities, joins late but brings incredible damage output.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak is the first game in the long-running Trails series' Calvard arc, taking fans of the franchise from the familiar environs of the Erebonian Empire to a brand-new part of Zemuria. Though the game initially came out several years ago in Japan, fans in the west have celebrated the game being localized in English.
Trails Through Daybreak features many playable characters, a number of which are either temporary guests or only join the party after a certain choice has been made late in the game. The main cast is formed by the eight employees of Arkride Solutions, and they are the only ones the player may freely use or customize as they please. For those curious, here are the best playable characters in The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak.
8 Ferida "Feri" Al-Fayed
Offers Increased Damage And CP Regeneration
- Joins in Chapter 1
Ferida Al-Fayed (also known as "Feri") is a member of the Warriors of Kruga, a Central Eastern Jaeger corps. She joins Arkride Solutions in order to broaden her horizons, and though she is young and innocent to the ways of the world, she is still an experienced fighter.
Feri's main utility in battle generally lies in her high speed and crafts, which can debuff her targets with effects like Slow or RES/ARES Down. Her most useful craft is her buff, Flaming Prayer, which grants both increased damage and CP regeneration. However, her lack of specialization in either physical or arts damage can narrow her utility in tough boss battles.
7 Judith Lanster
Can Farm Additional Sepith
- Introduced in Chapter 2, joins in Intermission
Judith Lanster is one of the hottest actresses in Calvard, recently appearing in Director Salvatore Gotti's Golden Blood. Her status as an actress, however, is a cover for her secret identity, which she dons in the darkness of the night.
Judith has a relatively unconventional moveset, with unique status effects like Bewitch, which can charm foes into assisting her. She can use Swift Larceny to farm extra sepith from monsters and can be both an effective physical attacker or arts caster. However, she can fall short when it comes to characters who can specialize in one type of damage.
6 Bergard Zeman
A Veteran Martial Arts Master With Debuffing Capabilities
- Joins in Chapter 5
Bergard Zeman is the last permanent party member to join Arkride Solutions, and he is also the oldest playable character in the game. A master martial artist from the unique Kunlun school, Bergard has had many different disciples over the course of his long life, with Van being one of them.
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Bergard is mainly a physical attacker with many powerful crafts that make him a juggernaut in battle. He can cancel arts with Lion's Roar and debuff defense with King of the Beasts. Unfortunately, he is really only available during the late-game, but his incredible damage more than makes up for it.
5 Aaron Wei
A Great Crowd Control Option
- Joins in Chapter 2
Aaron Wei is a young man living in the city of Langport, where he was born and raised surrounded by beloved friends and family. A charismatic leader who is beloved by everyone he comes across, Aaron may be arrogant and hot-headed, but he'll defend his city with his life.
Aaron Wei is a powerful physical attacker with a variety of crafts that demonstrate his offensive power. Myriad Slashes is a great crowd control tool that can delay enemies, and Falcon Talons is powerful enough to deal damage equal to an S-Craft given the right setups. Aaron can even boost his damage further with Bawanggong, which increases his damage depending on how low his HP is.
4 Quatre Salision
A Diligent Academic Who Offers Great Support
- Joins in Chapter 4
Quatre Salision is a researcher at the Basel Institute of Science, where Calvard's most cutting-edge research takes place. A student under the legendary Professor Latoya Hamilton, Quatre is dedicated to protecting his master's philosophies while pursuing his own studies.
Quatre is the second major arts caster among the main cast, with his damage output easily rivaling Agnes's. His crafts aren't anything to sneeze at either, with powerful support crafts like Laplace Code, which can drop damage-absorbing shields, and Satellite Cure, which can restore HP and CP, making him a battery for CP-hungry characters.
3 Risette Twinings
A Resourceful Concierge Who Can Protect Allies
- Joins in Chapter 3
Risette Twinings is an employee of the Marduk Total Security Company, and the main point of contact between the company and Van. Calling herself a concierge, Risette does her best to attend to his needs, especially after becoming an employee of Arkride Solutions.
Risette is capable of both dealing physical damage and arts damage, but her most useful utility lies in her support craft, Cobalt Curtain, which grants shields to all allies in a large area while also raising their defenses. With a low CP cost on top of all that, this makes Risette a must-have for setting up emergency shields, especially when battling against bosses with S-crafts.
2 Agnes Claudel
An Heiress Who Can Revive Fallen Comrades
- Joins in the Prologue
A student at Aramis Academy, Agnes Claudel kickstarts the events of Trails Through Daybreak when she enlists Van's help in tracking down a lost family heirloom. This search eventually compels her to join Arkride Solutions in order to find the others.
Agnes is the first arts caster available to the player and a potent one as well. While she has healing and shield crafts, her best asset is her S-craft, Brilliant Halo, which can revive and fully heal all allies. This makes Agnes capable of overturning a dire situation in a single move, resulting in her being invaluable.
1 Van Arkride
A Spriggan Who Serves As A Reliable Tank
- Joins in the Prologue (Main Character)
The lone proprietor of Arkride Solutions, Van Arkride performs work as a 'spriggan,' doing the kind of jobs that couldn't be brought to the police and the bracer guild. While the jobs he receives sometimes skirt the law, he always does his best to fulfill the client's wishes.
As the main protagonist, Van is naturally very effective in battle. A strong physical attacker with powerful crafts like Aerial Buster and Stun Slash, his most unique and vital craft is Coin Bullets, which lets him act as a tank to draw enemy attention, allowing the rest of the party to move as they please.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak
- Released
- July 5, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Nihon Falcom
- Platform(s)
- PC, Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4
- Genre(s)
- JRPG
