There are several systems for players to improve their characters and change the way they play in Tales of Symphonia. In addition to earning experience points and Gald - the in-game currency - players will also earn Grade points.
Grade points can only be used once players have finished the game and started in New Game Plus mode. Depending on how many Grade points the party has earned, they can purchase several bonuses to make the game easier, like inheriting their EX Skills or making it more challenging by restarting Tales of Symphonia with minimum health.
How To Earn Grade
Tales of Symphonia's Grade Points are earned by performing well in battle. The less damage the party takes, the more they will accumulate. Ideally, Lloyd and the other characters in Tales of Symphonia will defeat powerful enemies within seconds to gain points, but players won't always be that lucky. It is also worth noting that taking lots of damage, overusing Tech skills, or having a battle that lasts too long can result in the game penalizing Grade Points and putting the score in the minus.
Farming Grade Points
There is no easy way to earn Grade Points in Tales of Symphonia, but when the party can freely travel anywhere on the map, they can pick easy battles to earn more Grade Points. They should travel to the first village and pick fights outside, and the party should be capable of destroying the monsters in one hit. They won't gain much EXP, but the trade-off in Grade Points is worth the reward.
The Grade Shop
Tales of Symphonia features a New Game Plus mode that lets players restart the game with bonuses that carry over from their first playthrough. Before doing so, players must purchase the perks using the Grade Points earned in battle.
|
Grade Bonuses |
Grade Cost |
Effect |
|---|---|---|
|
400 |
EX Skills Carry Over |
|
|
Ex Gems |
600 |
EX Gems Carry Over |
|
Affection |
10 |
Relationship levels carry over |
|
Gald |
1000 |
Gald carries over |
|
Increased Tension |
100 |
Increased tension for all characters is carried over |
|
Memory Circle |
20 |
All unlocked Memory Circles carry over |
|
Recipes |
50 |
Unlocked Recipes carry over |
|
Cooking Ability |
50 |
Cooking ability is carried over |
|
Titles |
1000 |
All earned Titles are carried over |
|
Monster Book |
10 |
Monster book information carries over |
|
Figurines |
10 |
Figurines carry over |
|
Collector's Book |
10 |
Collector's Book information carries over |
|
World Map |
10 |
The revealed map carries over |
|
Mini Games |
10 |
Data from the mini-games carries over |
|
Battle Info |
10 |
Battle information is carried over |
|
Tech |
1000 |
All unlocked Tech skills carry over |
|
Tech Usage |
25 |
Tech usage values carry over |
|
Max HP |
250 |
New Game Plus will increase the character's HP by 500 |
|
Min HP |
10 |
Starts New Game Plus with minimum HP |
|
Combos |
50 |
Increases combo value and sets EXP value to 1 |
|
1/2 EXP |
1000 |
Decreases the value of earned EXP by half |
|
2x EXP |
1000 |
Increases the value of earned EXP by two |
|
10x EXP |
3000 |
Increases the value of earned EXP by ten |
|
Grade |
100 |
Increases the number of Grade Points earned in battle |
Tales of Symphonia Remastered is available now for the PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.