Trails Into Reverie: Best Starting Route

The Legend of Heroes: Trails Into Reverie marks the eleventh title in the Trails narrative of the franchise. It is the conclusion of the Crossbell and Erebonian arcs of the Trails saga, marking the beginning of the next chapter in the long-running story.

Related: What Order Should You Play The Legend Of Heroes Games?

It is also the first entry in the saga to feature multiple story routes, allowing players the choice to choose between three separate story paths to explore. Choosing the ‘right’ path can be a daunting task, and there is a bit to consider when doing so.

Understanding The Story Routes

Trails Into Reverie picks up a mere few months after the conclusion of Trails of Cold Steel IV and the Two Day War. Giliath Osborne is defeated and dead, and his right-hand man, Rufus Albarea, is confined to serve many years in prison. The ever-trodden city of Crossbell is on the verge of signing its independence declaration, something the denizens within never thought possible.

On the day of the signing, however, the Ebon Defense Force, headed by none other than the villainous Rufus Albarea, crashes the event and devastates the Special Support Section. Lloyd suffers a vicious wound, and the once strong SSS lay in shambles. As Rufus locks down the city and Lloyd drifts away into the unconscious, the prologue comes to an end, and players are offered a choice to choose the next story route.

There are three main routes to choose from:

• Rean’s Route: This route follows most of Class VII and the other important characters from the Trails of Cold Steel Erebonian arc. Rean’s story often runs parallel to and sometimes intersects with C’s route, as he and his friends attempt to understand why the Ebon Defense Force is besieging Crossbell and the greater effect they are having on the continent of Zemuria.
• Lloyd’s Route: This route follows the leader of the Crossbell Police Department Special Support Section and the main character of the Crossbell arc of games. The majority of Lloyd’s route is spent around the greater Crossbell area as he and the few comrades who escaped the EDF lockdown. His goal is to gather information regarding Rufus and his mysteriously powered soldiers while attempting to put together a team to liberate his home city.
• C’s Route: The prologue ends with an ominous video message from a person going by the moniker of ‘C.’ The original C was a terrorist and leader of the former Imperial Liberation Front, an organization dedicated to eradicating Giliath Osborne, the Blood & Iron Chancellor. Knowing that the original C is no more, this impostor draws the ire and intrigue of Rean, Lloyd, and their companions. This route consists of an unlikely partnership between C and allies Nadia and Swin. C’s goal is initially unclear, except that he wants to clear the world of the “muck and mire” of corruption.

Related: Trails Into Reverie: Tips & Tricks For Beginners

Best Route To Choose

Fortunately, Trails Into Reverie allows the choice of which route the player wants to explore first, but players will still experience each route in the game. This means that the player will not miss anything based on which route is chosen. Of course, many players will want to experience events in chronological order, so which route should be followed first? It should be noted that each route can only be followed to a certain point before the game forces the player onto another route, allowing the other characters to all reach certain story milestones together. This ultimately means the players will never advance too far in one route while leaving all the other stories behind, thus eliminating any unnecessary overlapping of content.

Still, if players are intent on playing in chronological order, it would likely be wisest to always start with Lloyd’s route. His path closely follows the events that occurred in the prologue, and his story rarely takes any large leaps in location or time. Rean should most likely go next, as his story follows its own path that runs parallel to Lloyd’s investigation. Lastly, C’s path runs on its own tracks, but it does intersect with both Rean and Lloyd’s routes. This means if C’s path is traveled first, much of what Rean and Lloyd also cover will be seen secondhand. C’s path works perfectly as the third route because it also offers enough standalone content to keep it fresh.

Whatever choice is made, developer Falcom have made sure that no player will be lost in the story. The freedom to choose is a nice addition and helps split up the 50 character ensemble that players will have to choose from, making early-to-mid game party compositions easier to piece together. Do not let this decision discourage quality gameplay, and enjoy each story route as it unravels.

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