Sub Quests serve as the side quests in Tales of Arise. They’re typically either monster hunts, material gathering, or cutscene observing missions. For the most part, these aren’t that special, aside from the dialogue that comes during and upon completion of these quests. However, the sub-quests that go above and beyond expectations should be experienced, especially by newer players.
10 Claiming A Bounty
Upon reaching the Traslida Highway, the party gets access to chaining battles. By successively fighting monsters, better rewards can be obtained. Most players will learn this information, then go on chaining enemies throughout the entire field just for the bonuses. This is, as they discover, a trick that leads them to get ambushed by a massive dragon zeugle. At this point, the party either gets wiped or manages to escape the battle.
This dragon is discovered to be a quest monster, as a quest giver in Viscint will offer the player a reward for slaying the beast. This is quite the endeavor, but not any more difficult than the other rare zeugle hunts obtained at the same time. Claiming A Bounty stands out because of how the game sets it up, and the fact it can even be cleared before the quest is obtained. As one of the few hunts where this is feasible, it’s a neat treat.
9 Mixed Feelings
A majority of the game’s best sub-quests are found in the third act of the game. These serve to resolve story arcs, provide great dialogue, or throw tough battles at the party. Players who explored the Iglia Wastes likely wondered what was behind the guarded rock. Even after getting Law’s field skill, this rock still can’t be broken. Upon taking “Mixed Feelings” in Ulzebek, the mystery is solved.
Mixed Feelings sends the party out to hunt the zeugle that was being contained. A hard-shell zeugle, Law is the perfect party member to bring along to dispatch this fiend. This quest helps to expand on Law’s regrets and his relationship with his father and helps to provide some closure for the troubled young man. As a reward, Law gets an exclusive accessory and a special cosmetic gauntlet.
8 Missing Lover and Their Future
Although these are two separate quests, they share the same questline and are bundled together in Ganath Haros. After reaching the third act, the party can find this quest in the village of Thistlym. A worried woman is looking for her fiance and asks the party for assistance. The party discovers that the fiance in question is a Renan, the upper class and imperial operatives in Dahna. Love crosses all boundaries, and the party agrees to help with the search.
Once the husband is found, a character that the party briefly spoke to during a past mission, the couple is reunited. Once more of the story unfolds, another quest appears for their wedding. They ask for Dohalim to preside over their wedding. It’s a simple cutscene sub quest, but there are a couple of cute moments with Shionne and Alphen that are worth watching.
7 The Phantom Flower of Nevira
While stumbling through the library in Viscint, a cutscene will interrupt the player. Rinwell discovers information about a “Phantom Flower of the Nevira Snowplains,” and convinces Law to help her investigate. The quest is heavily Law and Rinwell centric in its dialogue, and fans of those characters will enjoy seeing their interactions.
The investigation will lead to a rather entertaining and challenging battle with a giant deer. Upon clearing the fight, the party discovers exactly the true nature of the Phantom Flower of Nevira. Without spoiling the mystery, it can be said that Law and Rinwell share a cute moment. The little character moments make the tough battles worth it in the end.
6 Dahna’s Tastiest Pancake
After clearing Elde Menancia, players will likely obtain a quest from the library in Viscint to share books with a book-obsessed woman. The quest won’t be completed until much, much later during a regular playthrough, as the final book she requests is one of the last books Rinwell can obtain. This gives the player a pancake recipe. After cooking this recipe, a new quest will pop up in Viscint.
Dohalim Pancakes, a new delicacy in Viscint styled after their beloved Lord, inspires the party to battle it out to see who is the champion of pancake baking. The skit is rather long but light-hearted and fun. The whole party gets to interact, and there are three new recipes learned as a result. Who wins the pancake contest? In the end, friendship always wins.
5 Beyond The Grave
This quest is truly hidden in a spot most players are unlikely to revisit. After returning to the Tuah Seashore, the party discovers a message in the bottle. They theorize who could have written the message, but decide to follow through and see where it leads. After speaking to the friendly boatsman, they arrived at an Uninhabited Island.
This spot is home to some challenging enemies, rare items, and the last Dahnan Owl to obtain in Mahag Saar. The quest, however, resolves a lingering plot thread and shows a grim consequence the conflict has had on the people involved. It’s a notable quest, and the story it helps resolve is worth seeing through.
4 The ‘Wedge’ Quests
In the final act of the game, the party is alerted to four “wedges” that have pierced Dahna. One they inadvertently investigate during their adventure, but the other three are spread throughout the world. There are three quests related to the wedges: Spirit Temple, Farewell Mage, and Untamable Rage. These are late-game quests, and likely can’t be cleared when they are obtained. When the party is strong enough, it’s entirely worth it to clear these quests.
Each quest provides a new area to explore. The Spirit Temple is the most extensive, featuring a full dungeon that’s entirely in combat. The other two, however, are still cool locales to explore. In the end, the party will confront one of the Elemental Deities featured throughout every other Tales entry. These are massive boss fights, mixing both gauntlet battles and a fight with a giant zeugle. They feel straight out of Final Fantasy XIV in all the right ways and are easily the coolest fights the game has to offer. Do not skip or forget to clear these quests.
3 A Humbling Lesson, Brave New World
These two are for all the anime fans out there. While Tales of Arise may be devoid of many lazy anime tropes, it couldn’t escape the allure of the Hot Spring Episode. That’s right, Tales of Arise features not just one, but two cutscenes at a hot spring in Cysloden. These quests are obtained after clearing the ‘Wedge’ Quests and Phantom Flower, so make sure to knock those out.
Brave New World is the first, featuring the guys in the party hanging out in a hot spring, appropriately six feet apart, discussing their muscles and dreams. A Humbling Lesson features the ladies of the party, along with showing the consequences of a lewd attitude. They’re both funny cutscenes, even though they’re certainly very atrociously anime. They exist for the fans; that’s why it’s called “fan-service.”
2 Otherworldly Visitors
After finishing the game, two quests become available. The first is Otherworldly Visitors. Deep in the heart of the Spirit Temple lies a stranger trying to travel to other dimensions. However, he dropped all his interdimensional keys on the floor, and it’s up to the party to go round them all up. It’s a rather simple premise, but the quest itself is for long-time fans of the series.
The party will travel to other dimensions, specifically those of previous entries in the Tales series. Familiar locales, music, characters, and bosses pop up during the sub quest. It’s designed for fans to clap upon recognizing things, but even those who aren’t familiar with the series will get a kick out of the extra bosses and “new” dungeons to explore.
1 The Reminiscence Device
The other post-game sub-quest pops up in the second-to-last area the party visits during their adventure. A researcher has invented a device that allows the party to battle enemies from their past. Essentially, the device creates a boss rush of revamped fights from the adventure. These are super bosses that push the game’s excellent combat to its limits.
These fights are later than the late game. The inflated levels and HP will require quite a bit of grinding to match, but an under-leveled party can still clear the fights with enough determination and healing items. The reward for clearing the quest is entirely just fluff, but it still feels good to clear such a challenging gauntlet of battles.
MORE: The Best Things About Tales Of Arise (& The Worst)
