Skills (スキル Sukiru?) is the term used to refer to passive abilities in Tales series. They increase stats, grant additional effects to artes, improve characters' battle mobility, among other things. In some titles, in order for a skill to be active Skill Points (スキルポイント Sukirupointo?) were introduced.
Appearances in Original Titles[]
Tales of Eternia[]
In Tales of Eternia, skills are known as Power Ups (潜在晶霊術 Senzai Shoureijutsu?, "Latent Craymel Artes") and are exclusive to Meredy and Keele Zeibel. They are denoted with a "+" symbol at the beginning of their name. They can be created as with other Craymel Artes by fringing two Craymel Cages containing Greater Craymels, with the element of the resulting Power Up determining which user gains the benefits.
Tales of Symphonia[]
In Tales of Symphonia, EX Skills (EXスキル?) are passive skills that can be equipped on characters. Each character can have four EX Skills equipped at a time, each requiring an EX Gem to be expended. EX Gems come in four levels, which changes the available EX Skills. Each EX Skill is also associated with a style, Strike or Technical, which influences the techs that the character learns. Certain combinations of EX Skills allow access to Compound EX Skills (複合EXスキル Fukugou EX Sukiru?) which are additional effects that activate in addition to the component EX Skills.
Tales of the Abyss[]
In Tales of the Abyss, Additional Skills (アディショナルスキル Adishonarusukiru?), shortened to AD Skills (ＡＤスキル AD Sukiru?), are various passive skills that can add to a character's abilities and enhance gameplay. Most AD Skills are unlocked through gaining stats with Capacity Cores. The required stat values for a given skill are based on the bonuses that are granted by the equipped C. Cores, which are added a character's base stat values upon each level up.
Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World[]
In Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World, skills can be acquired through leveling and events and require SP to equip, though some skills cannot be unequipped. They are also attached to equipment, with some skills unique to them. Monsters are also able to learn skills through level or grimoires, and they are retained if that monster evolves. A character's max SP value is dependent on the value of their DEX stat: max SP is equal to 1/10th of user's DEX.
Tales of Vesperia[]
In Tales of Vesperia, skills are acquired through fighting with main and sub weapons equipped while earning LP. Skills need to be equipped for their effects to activate and require SP to do so.
Tales of Hearts[]
In Tales of Hearts, skills are acquired through the Soma Build system. At certain Somatic Bond levels, characters could also share skills with each other.
In Tales of Hearts R, skills require equipping them by expending SP which is increased by expending SBP in Soma Build.
Tales of Graces[]
In Tales of Graces, skills are earned by acquiring titles and mastering them. To rank up a title, SP are required which are earned by winning battles and are accumulated into a character's currently equipped title.
Tales of Xillia[]
In Tales of Xillia, skills are mainly obtained through Lilium Orb and in order to be active they need to be set with SP that can be increased with Lillium Orb. Some skills can only be learned through books.
Tales of Xillia 2[]
In Tales of Xillia 2, skill acquirement is fairly similar to its predecessor, but requiring the use of Allium Orb and extractors, with books being a secondary source. As opposed to Tales of Xillia, SP can be increased by defeating set numbers of enemies or learning new skills, where the max SP increases by 50% of the SP value of the associated skill. Skills need to be equipped for them to take effect.
Tales of Zestiria[]
In Tales of Zestiria, skills are named after normin. Equipment has fixed skills with possibility of random skills appearing on each when shopping or defeating a foe. Additionally, it is possible to activate Bonus Skills (ボーナススキル Boonasusukiru?), depending on the number of stacked and/or adjacent skills.
Tales of Berseria[]
In Tales of Berseria, skills are attached to titles. Additionally, weapons have Max Skills and Enhancement Bonuses.
Tales of Arise[]
In Tales of Arise, skills are learned through Skill Panels. A character earns SP in battle and are free to expend them on any available skill. Once learned they are active by default, although some skills can be disabled.
Tales of Luminaria[]
In Tales of Luminaria, passive skills are tied to weapons, armors and accessories. By getting more copies of said equipment via summoning or event rewards during the Fave Quest can increase the equipment's passive skill level.
Appearances in Crossover Titles[]
Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology[]
In Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology, skills are tied to the player's equipment. By refining the equipment with certain materials, random skills are granted to the equipment as well as turning the equipment's name color into purple but they cannot be refined again. Expensive material used for the refining yields better skills with higher values. Enemies that can drop a piece of equipment also have a chance to drop a blessed equipment without the need of refining it. Equipment that have a green or brown name have predefined skills that applies to all equipment with the same name but have different values. In the Japanese version of the game, exchange weapons and armors have predefined skills and values as free downloadable content, but was removed in the Global release of the game.
Tales of Link[]
In Tales of Link, each unit had a set of up to four skills, known as Passives. Gear also could have a passive attached, providing additional benefits beyond an increase in stats.
Tales of the Rays[]
In Tales of the Rays, skills can be obtained from the Tower of Ancient Progenitors. They always come in a set of three randomly generated skills that can be assigned to awakened characters.
Tales of Crestoria[]
In Tales of Crestoria, skills come in two forms: Awakened Skills attached to character units and unlocked with max Awakening and Memoria Skills (ストーンスキル Stoonsukiru?, "Stone Skill") attached to Memoria Stones that have ranks and levels.