Trails in the Sky the 2nd Reveals New System, but Is the 7-Slot Orbment Worth It?

According to Famitsu, Falcom updated the official website for Trails in the Sky the 2nd on June 18, revealing a substantial batch of new character and system details and confirming releases on NS2, NS, PS5, and Steam. This is a fully remade sequel to Trails in the Sky the 1st, and the key takeaway so far is that it does more than preserve the original game's structure. It keeps the classic story framework, but several core systems have been meaningfully reworked.

The clearest example is the tactical orbment system, which will do more than anything else to determine whether this remake changes more than the presentation. Falcom has fully overhauled the classic orbment into its latest model, expanding its slots from 6 to 7 and allowing players to strengthen individual slots to unlock higher-level Quartz setups and cast more powerful top-tier Arts. That matters less as spectacle than as design. The foundation is still recognizable, but party-building freedom looks noticeably broader, which suggests Falcom is updating the original carefully rather than burying it under flashy but superficial redesigns.

The website update also fleshes out more of Liberl’s political and military cast. Newly detailed characters include Cassius, General Morgan, Colonel Cid, and Queen Alicia, with Duke Dunan and his butler Philip added as well. In practical terms, that rounds out the royal household and army side of Liberl’s cast. For returning players, that kind of roster completeness matters, because the story’s tension depends on more than just its central cast.

The most interesting quality-of-life change, though, may be in cooking. The new system adds attack dishes, which can appear randomly when cooking fails. Instead of being a purely negative result, those failed dishes can now deal direct damage to enemies in command battles without consuming CP or EP. On top of that, food buffs gained in fast battles can carry over into command battles, and they can last for up to 2 turns. That turns failed cooking from a pure penalty into a situational tactical tool, while also adding a bit more unpredictability to battles.

As a remake, this is why the update works. Falcom is not using "a return to the classic" as an excuse to avoid real system work. The story framework stays in place, but the gameplay side is getting clear upgrades, especially the 7-slot orbment setup and the way cooking buffs persist across battle formats. Both changes can materially affect party construction and pacing. The caveat is that none of this says much about final balance yet. More freedom is only a strength if the full release avoids narrowing down to a handful of dominant builds, and that will depend on Quartz tuning and enemy design.

As for whether this belongs on your radar, players who kept up with the Trails in the Sky the 1st remake should absolutely continue watching it. The direction here looks disciplined, and it does not look like Falcom has rebuilt these legacy systems just for show. Newcomers can also treat it as a relatively friendly entry point, especially with versions planned for NS2, NS, PS5, and Steam and with the revised systems looking easier to grasp than in older releases. The safer call, though, is still to wait for more battle footage and focus on three things in particular: higher-level Quartz, single-slot enhancement, and the real strength curve of attack dishes. That is where this remake will either prove itself a thoughtful upgrade or start showing balance problems.