The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel PS Vita and PS3 and PS4 platinum guide

PS Vita / PS3 / PS4

The trick at Thors is ending each day without losing AP, conversations, scans or chests. Use the first run to cover the academy and field studies. Save Nightmare and remaining bond scenes for New Game Plus, when you can select carryover bonuses.

51 trophies in the archived PS3, PS Vita and PS4 lists. The original Western PS3/Vita edition arrived in Europe in January 2016; PS4 is a later port.

A0 rank: 430 out of 440 AP in one run.
Chests: All in one run, before areas close.
Difficulty: Nightmare is required and also satisfies the Hard trophy.

Keep a log for each day at Thors

At the start of a free day, read assignments and upcoming deadlines. Finish hidden quests and verify bonus-AP answers before leaving for field study. Compare AP against your log at each results screen. A0 leaves little room for lost points, so fix mistakes before overwriting that slot.

Keep a save before departure and another before the result screen.

Pair chests, scans and books with the route

Open chests as you travel and record each side room. Use Analyze or a Battle Scope on bosses and summoned enemies too. Seeing an enemy name during battle does not fill the entry. In towns, look for Red Moon Rose chapters, recipes and updated conversations after story events and before leaving.

Do not combine chests from two playthroughs for Chest Grabber.

Hand in reports for Heart of a Lion

From Chapter 5, visit Mary, Beatrix and Makarov in the main building. Each checks different progress: character notes, quests or monsters encountered. Return when eligible and claim the three medals. In the final chapter, see Principal Vandyck before finishing academy business and collect the linked reward.

Record the Master Quartz chosen and the one to pick next run.

Save before the final bond selection

Spend bonding points on different characters and track who joins the party. Before the final event, make a separate save. View one eligible scene, reload and select another eligible character. That is easier than repeating the story for one choice. Prepare any names missing from the menu in a later run.

Consider the New Game Plus bonding-point bonus for remaining events.

Carry useful progress into Nightmare

Load clear data and choose the bonuses that help, such as equipment and bonding progress. Set Nightmare before starting the new campaign and leave it there. Progress S-Breaks, cancellations, Rush, Burst and follow-ups during ordinary battles. Combining these counters avoids replaying fights with no other goal.

Check the 28 Master Quartz and the battle and time counters before finishing.

Trophies to watch

Valedictorian

Achieved student rank A0.

Track 430 AP and correct days before saving past them.

Heart of a Lion

Received the Lionheart Medal of Heroism from Principal Vandyck.

Collect the three instructor medals and speak to Vandyck.

Chest Grabber

Opened every treasure chest in a single playthrough.

Use a chest checklist for one full campaign.

Crown of Nightmares

Completed the game on nightmare difficulty.

Start a second campaign on Nightmare from your clear data.

Frequently asked questions

How much room do I have for A0?

The threshold is 430 of 440 AP. Aim to max each chapter rather than relying on a late recovery.

Can I finish every bond from one save?

Reload before the selection to see each eligible scene. If someone is absent, prepare their points and conditions in another run.

Do I need DLC?

No. AP, bonds, Nightmare and collections all come from the base campaign.

Sources

Trophy lists

Buying the game

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Open the interactive guide