Can You Start With Trails Through Daybreak? | The Trails Controversy Debunked 

"If this hobby starts to feel like a chore then, my friend, in my opinion; you're hobbying wrong." Sound advice!

I always feel people that are so strict about things like these forget that humans have the ability to connects the dots and fill in the blanks. It’s better to play a game that makes you want to go back rather than playing 9+ games just to play the one you want.

I think the best way to get into Trails is to just play any Trails arc at the beginning (FC, Zero, CS1, or Daybreak) and go from there.. if it’s something you fall for, you’re going to go back anyway like I did. I’m sticking of my plan of completing Sky Trilogy and NG+ runs of every game until Daybreak, and I’m so happy to be back playing the series. I’m on SC now and it’s fantastic seeing events firsthand and having everything contextualized after hearing about it in the later games has been a treat. It’ll be a bit before I get to the new installment, but it’ll make it _that much_ sweeter when I get there.

I started with Cold Steel, didn't finish it, then played the Crossbell games and am 75% done with Trails in the Sky FC. I've jumped all over, but I still absolutely love it. I can't wait to finally get to Reverie someday and then jump into Daybreak. It's a daunting task but it's so worth it!

Thank you for this. I'm a big fan of the series and the subreddit rubs me the wrong way with their "objectively good" play order. Personally, the franchise is kind of like Star Wars. You can start on any trilogy. You'll never get the full story unless you watch all of them but you'll get hints to the past that will pay off when you watch the other trilogies. You can encourage a proper order but always remember the golden rule

Life’s too short to care about what other people think. I started with Cold Steel and fell in so deep that I went back to play the entire series. And it’s now my favorite series.

One little correction; many of the old time fans in the west recommending Japanese release order aren't doing so because they did so themselves and cannot imagine anyone playing the series in a different order. They're doing so because they played the series out of order themselves and wish they hadn't. Back in the XSeed days it was kind of a begrudgedly accepted fact that the boat to Crossbell was permanently missed, so we might as well just enjoy what we can get and not lament the loss of the missing arc too much, and when folks got to the Divertissement chapter in Cold Steel II and Falcom rubbed several Weissmanns worth of salt in their wound, many of them found themselves wishing they knew what the heck those two new characters were talking about. It's not that they cannot imagine unintentional medias res has its charms. It's that they've experienced this medias res themselves and still wished they could have experienced the series in the order the Japanese did. Many of them experienced the series partially in order and partially out of order and are actually in a pretty good position to make comparisons on how they liked the experience best because they experienced both sides of the coin and know which one they liked better. I'm not one of the people who will tell potential new Trails fans that it's Sky FC or bust, but since what the Trails franchise is doing is relatively unique in a way new people might not fully grasp, I do usually go out of my way to stress that: Trails is not like Final Fantasy or Tales. While the series has several jump-in points, there absolutely is an optimal order and it's the Japanese release order. If someone wants to start with the installment that has the latest graphical bling and won't consider jumping in otherwise, I won't tell them to forget about it and jump back on the Squenix train. But if someone can be convinced that the Sky arc and Crossbell arc are NOT homework they have to do before they get to play outside, but rather very good games in their own right (in several ways better than the more technically advanced Cold Steel even) and can be convinced to consider the option of starting from square one so that the emotional investment that Falcom utilizes in later installments can be taken advantage of, I absolutely will take some time out of my day to try and do that convincing. Personally, playing sections like CS2's Divertissement for the first time left me feeling annoyed rather than intrigued while Falcom was carpetbombing me with references, but I acknowledge the fact that that was likely due to the choice to not play earlier installments was something that was forced upon me by circumstances so I realize that someone who willingly skipped those installments will probably feel differently.

Thank you so much for this. I am at about 39 hours on Sky, and just can't seem to get into it. I thought maybe the series wasn't for me, especially with the internet saying the Sky series was the best place to start. I'm thinking I will give daybreak a try, and see if a fresh start will get me hooked.

I have argued so much with people about this. I think it is better to play this series than never play it. I get that experiencing the story from sky is amazing and I loved every moment, but I want people to enjoy and experience this series. I definitely would recommend that people read up on the backstory and hopefully visit the older games at some point, but I think each game arc does a good job of building the story. I definitely think starting at the beginning of any arc is a good starting point!

It's good to start with Cold Steel first, because when you experience the low of the low, then everything is start getting better from that point.

I recently started the series with Trails From Zero, and I love it! I don’t feel lost, but I definitely want to go back and play the Sky games because I’m loving the world and the characters!

I honestly think it doesn’t matter where you start. The games themselves do a good job at telling you all you need to know. They also emphasize certain events and they still make them emotional from a new person perspective.

I'm the kind of person who likes to start from the beginning so I'll buy daybreak but Im waiting for the sky series to be available were I can play it.

Emily sent me over since I've been feeling pressured into playing Trails from the very beginning from hardcore Trails fans 😅 Sorry I didn't see this video in my inbox earlier, I'm usually up to date with RU-vid buddies. But yeah, love your points made in this video, I feel more inclined to try Trails coming from your perspective Branden. Much appreciated my dude~

You and David are two of my fav rpg guys on YT.

I played them out of order. Mostly due to translation release schedule. It still became one of my favorite series...however I wish I had the option to play them in order which recently became available to all English speakers. I'd still say sky fc is the best starting point, but daybreak appears to be another great on ramp! 2nd best place to start based on what I know.

Well said!

It’s always kind of funny to me hearing people argue where to start with in Trails and then I remember there’s a bunch of people who started from Cold Steel 3 because that’s the first Switch Trails game 😂

Oh...and to your point (and I will ignore any discussion of current...um...issues) but this is exactly how Star Wars was brought to the public...it started with episode IV (though they only called it that later but I was alive for it...boomer alert)...and thats what everyone loved about it...being brought into something that already existed - angry internet guy

It really is accessible and enjoyable. Brandon’s advice about taking your time and taking breaks, do it.

Hard agree with all of this! And congrats on the panel Branden!

Really needed this one. Been taking this game on and off my wants list due to time and the overwhelming nature of the game.

I mean, yes, ideally the best way is to start with the very first game in this long series. It's the best set up for it all, and lets you experience all the reveals as intended. I haven't gotten to the other arcs yet but the start of any of the arcs still all seem great to start with! I hope more people get into the series with this new release. (I do hope they'll go back to the older games if they're interested, man do I love Estelle and crew ;-;) Also I for one am so excited to play all the Trails games I have still to play, the Steam Summer Sale is going to be my Trails delivery system.

You can Start either Crossbell arc or Cold steel Arc, they are at the same time so you can start either one. Then go through reverie and then daybreak. You can always go back to liberl anytime you want

Great video. I wish everyone in the jrpg community could be so non-gatekeep-y. I’ve been wanting to try this series for a while, but I only have a Switch, and keep getting told I can’t possibly start with Zero, else I’ve ruined the whole experience for myself. Based on this video, I think I will give Zero a try.

I just watch the whole playthrough of cutscenes of the older series, to know the context of the newer series.

Thank you so much Brandon. Will definitely put this game on my list! Finally will be able to play my first Trails game. Also hopefully you are keeping cool with this mini Chicago heat wave!

Trails trails trails what a series what a fanbase

Play Trails. That's it. I guess the only addendum I would make is pick the first game of any arc and rock that mfer. This series NEEDS and DESERVES more fans!

Daybreak is a decent starting point if u dont want to start at sky. But if u want to play daybreak 2 after daybreak thats gonna be a mess for reasons. Not to mention daybreak 3/kai from what we know is gonna be like u need to play them all.

Brandon: I am planning on attending Anime Expo in LA. What time is your panel on the 6th? I'll try as hard as I can to make it.

Having already played Daybreak, I honestly think its by far the best entry point aside from sky since it's not happening along side any other arc. It has its references to past games but I didn't feel like they would alienate people if they don't know stuff because the party effectively is learning about the world similar to the perspective of a new player while Van acts as the knowledgable character who knows more about the world and others. Meanwhile, I struggle to recommend crossbell as a starting point because without sky it hurts probably the most powerful scene I've seen in a game (chapter 3 of zero) and while cold steel is better to start with I found the news was the highlight of the game for me personally due to the crossbell stuff which would've been completely lost on me had I started there. With Daybreak there was no point where I felt like the game would've been hindered without knowledge, it only added to my enjoyment.

I'm insane fella I'm starting with Gagnarv trilogy

I started with Cold steel 1. No wait scratch that, I started with Ys played most of them and then went to cold steel 1 about 10 or so odd years ago. There's a demo for daybreak like you mentioned but its only on ps4, ps5, and switch and it took me about 7+ hours to clear the demo and it carries over to the full game.

Falcom knows that the older games aren't available on modern consoles. They are all stuck on old hardware and PC. We need them on everything now legally without having to do mods.

It’s weird to start with Trails Through Daybreak when Calvard takes a huge role in the Erebonia ark. I started with Trails of Cold Steel. Persona 4 Golden is how I got into The Legend of Heroes games. I’m excited for the third Trails through Daybreak game because there’s a screenshot of Yun Ka-Fai I’m glad I started with Trails of Cold Steel.

This is exactly right, the developers intentionally design it so that you CAN jump in to any arc. Something about myself....I hate to admit this but... when I started CS1 (I started with TitS:FC), the most recent release was CS4. I had this weird feeling that if I kept going too fast, I was going to "run out" of Trails and then I wouldn't have anything to look forward to anymore. I got all nervous about finishing all of the active releases, and so after CS2 I stopped and took a break. And I haven't been back since! Yup, I still have not finished Cold Steel.. now that Daybreak is coming out I think I can finally give myself "Permission" to actually finish. (also the fact that Cold Steel feels kind of bland to me compared to the previous played a pretty big role too) But I really am excited to actually finally finish the arc.

It’s a new arc separate from the first 10 games (FINALLY) so i think yes you can, unlike reverie for example you definitely can’t start with that one since it’s a finale game!

I’m relatively new to the trails games and I’m really enjoying them.

So, my 'journey' is like follows; Got Cold Steel 1 on release for the Vita, could not get into it. The world sounded very interesting, so tried CS1 again a year later on PS4. Dropped it at around the exact same point for the same reason. Got myself a gaming PC 2 years ago, and so finally access to Sky. Tried first game.....instantly hooked. Playing them all in order, currently going through Cold Steel 4, taking my time and playing other games in between, but I guess in order is the thing that actually worked best for me personally.

maybe Trails Through Daybreak will be my first game of Trails series, even my first game of The Legend of Heroes franchise cuz it said "The first part of the Trails Through Daybreak arc. Considered the halfway point of the Trails series." in wikipedia. For how the game will deliver the story to make me interest into their previous series is later when i played it cuz the strong point of JRPG is the Story.

Do you have a physical copy of Exist Archive? And did you like it?

Hardest part for me is that I don't have a PC, steamdeck, or older Playstation hardware. I only use the Nintendo Switch these days. The Trails in the Sky trilogy and Trails of Cold Steel 1&2 are not available. Trails of Cold Steel 1&2 got Switch ports in Japan and Korea but those haven't been brought over to the West. The most frustrating thing is that XSEED still own the rights to Falcom titles like Trails and Ys and they have expressed no interest in bringing anything to Switch. I hope NISA will work something out with them but I have doubts about that...

I dont think its silly its just starting from the beginning makes the best sense to experience the story from start to where it is now and you also see the evolution of the games system and mechanics along with graphics. Its just an easy method but jump in however you want as in todays age u have wikipedia and youtube to fill in the gaps of information you may be confused on while starting somewhere like day break. The whole series is an emotional roller coaster and i feel people could miss out those crucial connections with certain characters but hey i could play this entire series twice but never touch the xenobalde series 😂

Sorry to say they you got this completely wrong, the correct place to start is with the first audio drama, and no deviation from this is allowed. I hope they're filming that panel!

I think this is an important video for the series. My case wasn't a good experience. A lot of players said thta i should know about Sky, at least watch some playthrough. That was almost as the fans giving me homework, first mistake. I followed the "advice" pushed me ro watch almost two hours of summaries; and then started Zero. Needless to say i was overwhelmed and a bit tired (it was a lot of names that I won't remember). And tbh, i could do without knowing the fact that the couple of the first game were raised as brothers and even have the same surname haha... When i started playing Zero, the game itself gave me most of the tid bits that i needed (there's even various books around crossbell that gives you more info about the world). At the end i haven't finished Zero, and i found the romance and the harem-ish tropes extremely annoying, thing that maybe i wouldn't have minded if i started more fresh without my brain burning bc i have the biggest info dumping session some days before lmao.

one thing you havent said is its normal to be spent after a trails game. If you just think you should rush through the previous ones to play the last, don't, just choose one and take your time, and give up if you dont enjoy. Videogame gatekeeping and rules is the dumbest shit, do you and follow whats entertainin to you. Even if thats not "the official best game/ way to play"

Honestly, I just want people to play whatever trails game will get people hooked. The more fans of the series, the more games they will bless us with!! 🥰

I think, for the most part, everyone who says that people should start with Sky FC, including myself, is doing it on a positive note. Anyone can play the games in the order they want, no one is deniying that, but objectively the best way to experience the plot is starting from the beggining. Thankfully that's not the only option since this series has a new starting point in each arc. So, starting an arc, like Daybreak, is also a good option as well. Even not playing the olg games is a good option as well, but from what I have seen, most people go back to the old ones at some point or another. this series is that good. Regarding how long the series is. I don't get that. If you enjoy the series, it's nice to have a lot of games to look forward. I think it's better to play at your own pace as well. I think I took 3 years to play all the games, and that was a great experience in itself. I never rushed them because I was enjoying them.

I started with Cold Steel 1 to 3 (whilst i might recommend gping back before 3 unlike me who watched the first 10 minutes of 4 and went oh shit i should go back) I think you can play daybreak and then go back to sky 1 Itll be a fine game introduce you to the series And if you are playing it on playstation its not like currently you can go any further

You can start wherever you want and that´s better that not starting, so start at the beginning of the arc you want by all means, but saying it will be as good of an experience would be lying. For example, one of the best moments from Trails from Zero is a conclussion arc of the two main characters of Sky. For someone who hasn´t played those it is just an okay scene. For someone who watches that and decides to play the previous games, they already have spoiled several characters identity and how that arc ends. This happens all the time trought the games. For those who haven´t jumped into the series by all means, do it wherever you can as long as it is at the starting point of an arc but ask yourself a question: Would have the end of Endgame have had the same impact if you had started with Civil War instead of Iron Man? This is the same but on steroids.

New fan to series. Was temped to get Trails from Zero (and I will next time it goes on sale), but, for now, I ignored your (and other’s) smarmy advice and started with Trails in the Sky FC.

is this game has romance like previous title?

It sounds like starting with Daybreak will be similar to CS 1. Yes, there are some name drops and some lore references, but the game itself can be enjoyed on its own as a starting point. I just hope Daybreak moves along faster than CS1 did. And if someone is interested in the other games... there probably be plenty of time to get to them before Crimson Sin is actually localized 😉

I honestly only went in order because I had followed the games since the non kiseki games. I think any one of the starting games, or really any game at all is a good place to start. If you played SC without FC, sure you miss important things, but you can catch up pretty well and a lot happens that unique to SC. I dont think you lose so much that you can't enjoy SC. 3rd probably sucks without the others though. Even cold steel I feel you could start with the 2nd or 3rd game and it's not a deal breaker, it's just a little confusing. Zero and Azure...you do miss an important plot point if you skip Zero...but its not the end of the world. Azure stakes are so high, that the "revelation" is shocking anyway. Edit: I take that comment about 3rd back...Kevin and Ries stull make that...even if you don't know the other characters

Something weird is going on with your sound on this video. For instance around 2:49, the sound dips a couple times e.g. on "I can tell", "dropped into a", "Characters".

I started at cold steel 1 and it was meh. Went back and played them in order and it was like night and day for my enjoyment

So same reasoning can applied to FF7 Rebirth as well Oh you dont need play the remake if you haven't, dont listen to people. Just play it, backstories provided with RedXIII voice

NO!!! Play them in order....🤦🏾‍♂ U wont start on Season 3 out of 5 when watching a tv show do you?? Or if u want to understand only half of it listen to this guy.....

hell no