If you do n’t need to be hopelessly lost in the traditional knowledge , you need to start out from the beginning .
If you ’ve act Trails in the Sky for the PSP at some distributor point or have recently picked up Trails of Cold Steel for the PS andNintendo Switch , bed that these game are n’t standalone narratives . They ’re part of Falcom ’s overarchingThe Legend of HeroesIP , which spans four country ( Liberl , Crossbell , Erebonia , and Calvard ) and over 10 game .
No matter where you start , you will definitely reach a level where you ’re lead to need noesis about ALL of them to understand the overarching plot . This is because all Trails stories are link up . Some game even come about simultaneously , just in different country . The Trails lore is also so vast that it needed to be tackled severally per serial . If you liked a Trails game and would like some linguistic context to everything you ’re missing , here ’s the proper ordering to play them .
How to play the Trails games in order
There is a right social club to play Trails . But for the longest fourth dimension , the community ’s bighearted result was the inaccessibility of most of these claim in the West . In fact , Trails from Zero was only localized in 2022 , when it contained integral quality to Trails of Cold Steel . If you ’re go into Trails just now , you ’re very lucky . Most games are available on modernistic console or on PC .
Liberl Arc (Trails in the Sky)
The Sky series follows the story of Estelle Bright and her adopted brother Joshua . They ’re mercenaries ( called “ bracers ” ) exercise hard to keep the country of Liberl ’s autonomy from the Erebonian Empire .
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Crossbell Arc (Trails from Zero and Trails to Azure)
Three months after the consequence of Sky the 3rd , a novel part is introduced — a cub police police detective named Lloyd Bannings . He leads the Special Support Section in the metropolis of Crossbell , which is an independent state . Crossbell is located between the infamous Erebonian Empire and the secretive Calvard Republic , so its reign is always under threat .
Erebonia Arc (Trails of Cold Steel)
Also know as the “ independent ” electric arc of The Legend of Heroes series , the Cold Steel series follows the level of an Erebonian military bookman name Rean Schwarzer . The first and 2d game happensimultaneously with the Crossbell ones .
After Cold Steel II , Rean alumnus from school and becomes a Thors instructor . Trails of Cold Steel III is set two age after and introduces the master cast from both Liberl and Crossbell . The Legend of Heroes ’ main story terminate with Trails of Cold Steel IV , tying most loose ends , lore , and graphic symbol arcs left behind in all previous game .
Trails into Reverie
Trails into Reverieis the next biz to toy in the series . It take place five months after Trails of Cold Steel IV , serve as the main series ' epilog and the prequel into the next arc . Every Liberl , Crossbell , and Erebonia principal part joins in on this “ last ” mission , aided by a orphic radical .
Calvard Arc (Trails through Daybreak)
All the Calvard game are n’t all localized yet ; there are two of them presently . The first game , formally titled as Trails through Daybreak , will get a westerly handout in summer 2024 .
There is no data about the second one at the bit , but it is uncommitted in Japanese as 黎の軌跡 II or literally " trail in the Dark II . " However , given Falcom ’s constitute sensory faculty , this will eventually be localize to Trails through Daybreak II in the West .
track through Daybreak is set a year after Trails into Reverie , featuring a fresh protagonist named Van Arkride , who works for the intelligence sector . It tackles Calvard postwar . The aurora seres is say to be a much shorter serial compared to Cold Steel , but with all the twists that Reverie brought into play , I ’m not so sure any longer .
Image via Nihon Falcom
If you ’re interested in similar traditional knowledge - hard , anime - like RPGs , check outFinal FantasyandEpic Sevenon Pro Game Guides .
Image via Nihon Falcom
Image via Nihon Falcom
Image via Nihon Falcom
Image via Nihon Falcom
