Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter

Exploration

If you aren't prevented from exploring outside of your current area, use that time to look for optional items and areas. Once you pass a checkpoint to move from one region to the next, or from the final region to the final dungeon, you'll never be able to return.

If you do all of the optional quests, you will reach maximum Junior Bracer rank with a handful of points to spare as long as you get most of the bonus dialogue points. You will only be able to reach maximum rank at the very end of the game.

Don't forget the S-Break button shortcut, as it's available at all times and instantly interrupts turn order. For example, you can disrupt enemy initiative at the start of a battle and prevent bosses from acting immediately after Rage Boost. Try to keep SP above 100 for at least one character (preferably one whose S-Craft can remove enemy buffs) when bosses are under 50% health.

Stat buffs can stack up to 3x.
- Speed buffs are particularly important for acting multiple times before enemies can. Joshua's Clock Up and Clock Up EX are good for this, since they have almost zero casting delay.
- Sylphen Wing is the very best buff Art, targeting all party members and granting them the Foresight status buff, which drastically improves their evasion stat. You won't be able to equip enough elemental values to unlock it until late game, but once you can, try to get it on your best caster and use it as soon as possible against powerful enemy groups.

Pay attention to enemy vulnerabilities to status effects. Confusing and petrifying/freezing enemies susceptible to them is a great way to make them waste turns, or at least buy yourself some time.

If you explore the maps thoroughly and don't skip every mob, you will rarely need to grind. With that said, an efficient way to grind is to fight many enemies in a single Command Battle, particularly once you have a means to attack large groups with single attacks. Gather as many enemies as you can to your location in Quick Battle mode before starting a Command Battle, making sure at least one of them is stunned first.

Each region has a hidden cave with a large number of enemies in a single confined space. These caves are the best place to grind, and contain a Zeram Powder. You can temporarily decrease the game's difficulty if you aren't able to finish off the entire group easily (and aren't playing on Nightmare mode).

Characters who are below your party's average level will gain experience more quickly, so don't worry about large level disparities since they'll settle out before long.

Party members will frequently join and leave throughout the game, but their armor, accessories, and quartz will be returned to you when they leave. You'll need to re-equip them when they rejoin your party.

Before using Droplets and Elixirs that grant permanent stat increases, consider the fact that only Estelle and Joshua are in your party for the entire game.

Once the Orbal Factories start offering second and third-tier quartzes, the sepith costs to craft (customize) them are cheaper than buying them directly even if you need to buy lower-tier quartzes as material, provided you have the U-Materials to spare. Sepith is better spent unlocking Orbment slots for your preferred party members first.
- Focus on unlocking the Orbment slots for Estelle and Joshua first since they are always in your party.

If you collect all 11 Carnelia books, they can be turned in to the coffee shop in the final region of the game after the tournament to receive Estelle and Joshua's ultimate weapons. Everyone else's ultimate weapons are found in the final dungeon.
- If you have objective markers turned on, the blue ! icons on the map will point out locations where you can collect them. If you missed any, you can buy the most recent and the previous few volumes at the local general store at a high price. The exact time you can trade in the books will also be marked with a blue !, since the time window to do so is very short.