Tales of Symphoniaisone of the most popularTalesgamesin the long-running JRPG franchise, with iconic characters and an emotionally resonant story. While severalTalesgames have still never been released in the west,Symphoniahas seen several ports and re-releases, including the recent remaster for modern consoles.
EX Skills are a unique mechanic inTales of Symphoniathat grant party members unique abilities and effects based on the types of EX Gems they equip. The best EX Skills are Compound Skills made by utilizing a certain sequence of gems, which might be difficult for new players to figure out. Here are the best EX Skills in the game, compound or otherwise.
8Glory
Glory is a compound EX Skill that is unique to Presea and Regal, two of the party’sstrongest pure physical attackers. Glory’s effectprevents its users from being staggered by enemy attacks, allowing them to continue combos without being interrupted.
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Glory does not work against every attack, so care still has to be taken when approaching difficult enemies. Despite that, this EX Skill certainly makes things easier for these characters to deal damage without being interrupted by a flailing enemy.
7Life Up/Spirit Up
Life Up and Spirit Up are two very similar Compound EX Skills. They have similar effects:Life Up allows Max HP to occasionally increase by a small amount after each battle, andSpirit Up does the same for Max TP.These effects might seem small, but they will build up as time goes on.
Life Up and Spirit Up are common Compound EX Skills available for all characters, and are a good EX Skills to use when others don’t seem all that useful or appealing. Of the many Compound EX Skills, Life Up and Spirit Up are easy to obtain despite their incredibly helpful effect.
6Ability Plus
Ability Plus is the only normal EX Skill on this list,and one that is exclusive to Lloyd. This EX Skillallows Lloyd to chain a Level 1 Special Attack with another Level 1 Special Attack, allowing him to perform combos that no other character will be able to do.
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Ability Plus isn’t available until the player has obtained Level 4 EX Gems, which likely won’t happen until near the latter half of the game. Lloyd’s already impressive combat capabilities only become more powerful with this EX Skill, so players should consider making it a priority.
5Angel’s Tear
Colette has a variety of strong EX Skills, and one of them is the Compound EX Skill Angel’s Tear. Angel’s Tear is an upgraded version of her normal EX Skill Resurrect,which gives her a chance to revive when she hits 0 HP.
Angel’s Tear allows Colette torevive automatically once per battle. This is a strong effect because Colette is rather fragile in exchange for having a lot of utility and magical power. Angel’s Tear can keep Colette alive longer in dangerous situations against difficult bosses.
4Super Blast
Super Blast is a Compound EX Skill unique to Kratos and Zelos that works in conjunction with the Slasher EX Skill. Slasher gives Kratos or Zelos the ability toperform a basic combo of up to six strikes; however, they can only link to Special Attacks on the fourth attack.
Super Blast allows Kratos and Zelos to connect Special Attacks all the way to the sixth attack, making those two extra attacks useful. With this, Kratos and Zelos can become physical powerhouses with very long combos. With Super Chain allowing both characters to link Special Attacks regardless of level, these two characters can create very interesting combos.
3Exp Plus
Exp Plus is a Compound EX Skill that is available to all characters.It increases all gained experience for that character only.It’s a decent EX Skillthat makes it easier to grind levels, though it will only work for the character who has it active.
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Exp Plus A is an upgraded version of this skill unique to Colette, and it works a little differently. It allows theentire active party to gain increased experience, though the boost does not stack with the regular Exp Plus skills. Exp Plus A makes leveling much easier, and it allows the other party members to free up their slots for other EX Skills.
2Item Getter
Yet another Compound EX Skill exclusive to Colette, Item Getter is essential for players who are looking for rare items and drops. The skillguarantees that Colette will steal something when she uses her Item Thief or Item Rover skills.
Item Getter will work so long as the actual attack associated with Item Thief or Item Rover succeeds, meaning that the attempt can fail if the target blocks the attack. Still, that does change the utility of Item Getter, which makes item collecting that much easier.
1Concentrate
This Compound EX Skill is exclusive to both Genis and Raine,the resident mage and healer of the party. Concentrate prevents them from staggering while they are casting artes, which would then cause the arte to be canceled.
This EX Skill is obviously vital to the magic users, as being constantly interrupted would hurt their utility in battles. Concentrate is heads and shoulders above any other EX Skill Genis and Raine can use, as it essentially saves them from being relegated to the bench.
