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Even though the party characters in Tales of Symphonia fight in a linear 2D space, they can target the next enemy and automatically engage them in the 3D space. The Tales series didn't allow free 3D movement until Tales of the Abyss launched in 2005. Despite the beat-em-up roots, Tales of Symphonia has a deep system with a lot of mechanics to understand.

One of the ways to take advantage of the fighting system in the game is by swapping characters in battle. Unfortunately, Tales of Symphonia never informs the player how this is done. This guide will show players how to switch Tales of Symphonia characters in combat and on the field.

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Switching Characters In Battle

Tales of Symphonia changing party members

As stated above, Tales of Symphonia does not tell players how to change their characters in the middle of a battle. To change characters in the middle of combat, use the following steps:

  • Ensure all the characters are set to Auto - so the AI takes over and fights for the player. If the characters are set to Manual or Semi-Auto, players won't be unable to switch characters.
  • Press the Triangle button for PlayStation, the Y button for Xbox, or the X button for the Switch, then select Tech - which are abilities similar to Artes in later Tales games.
Tales of Symphonia select Auto on the Tech screen
  • Press the up button and change each character Auto - Press R1 on PS, RB on Xbox, or R on the Switch to cycle through characters.
  • During a fight, Press the Triangle button for PlayStation, the Y button for Xbox, or the X button for the Switch.
  • This will pause the action and open the battle menu.
Tales of Symphonia switching back to Lloyd in combat
  • Now, Press the Options button on the PlayStation, Start on the Xbox, or the + button on the Switch to cycle through different characters and control them manually.

Changing The Lead Character On The Field

Tales of Symphonia display party members - Lloyd flagged

Lloyd is the default main character in Tales of Symphonia's story, but if players want to change their lead to explore towns or on the field for a change, that's possible, and once again, this is not explained in-game. To change the field character, the following steps:

  • Press the Triangle button for PlayStation, the Y button for Xbox, or the X button for the Switch to access the menu.
  • In the character screen, highlight the character to be displayed in towns and the overworld and press the X on the PS, A on the Xbox, and B on the Switch.
Tales of Symphonia select the controlled character
  • This will set a red flag on the controlled character.
Tales of Symphonia Using Kratos as lead on the field
  • The Selected character will be visible on the screen instead of Lloyd.

Tales of Symphonia - Remastered is available now for the PS4, Switch, and Xbox One. Previous versions are available on the GameCube, PC, and PS3.

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