Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter Guide & Walkthrough

Quick Answer

Use the chapter that matches your current location or story incident. A new run reaches Chapter 1 in Ruan, while a completed demo save can continue into Chapter 2 in Zeiss. For an A-Rank or 100% run, check quests, Bracer Points, and long-term achievement requirements before committing to major chapter transitions.

Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter keeps changing what kind of problem it expects me to solve.

One chapter is an investigation around a town. Another sends me through a dungeon, across several regions, or into a sequence of major boss fights. By the end of the game, the route has expanded from local Guild work to the nationwide Orbal Shutdown and finally the floating city of Liber Ark.

When I lose track of the next objective, I do not start by searching the entire map. I first match what I can currently see in-game to the chapter and incident below, then continue from that point.

Where Do I Continue After the Demo?

A completed demo save does not need to replay the opening stretch.

If your carried save already cleared Chapter 1, the important full-game progression resumes around Zeiss in Chapter 2.

Use the Chapter 2 walkthrough once the earthquake investigation begins.

A fresh full-game run reaches Ruan first. The White Shadow investigation, Jenis Royal Academy and the Old Schoolhouse belong to Chapter 1 – A Looming Shadow.

Which Chapter Walkthrough Do I Need?

• Chapter 1 – A Looming Shadow — Ruan, White Shadow sightings, Jenis Royal Academy, Old Schoolhouse
• Chapter 2 – The Raging Land — Zeiss, earthquakes, Elmo Village, hot spring source cave
• Chapter 3 – A Mad Tea Party — Grancel, Renne, Joshua’s letter, Gurune Gate, harbor pursuit
• Chapter 4 – Malevolent Mist — Rolent, coma cases, Perzel Farm, Mistwald
• Chapter 5 – That Which Must Be Protected — Bose, Ragnard, Ravennue, Nebel Valley
• Chapter 6 – The Whereabouts of Bonds — Valleria Lake, hidden research facility, Glorious, Joshua
• Chapter 7 – The Tetracyclic Towers — Arseille, four Shadow Towers, Beta Gospels, Aureole
• Chapter 8 – Land of Turmoil — Orbal Shutdown, Zero Field Generators, Jenis Royal Academy, Grancel, Haken Gate
• Final Chapter – Liber Ark & Axis Pillar — Liber Ark, Glorious, Axis Pillar, Core Sector, final battles

I use the location names more than the chapter number when I am coming back after a break. Seeing Mistwald, Nebel Valley, Glorious, Tetracyclic Towers, or Liber Ark usually tells me immediately which route I need.

Why Does the Story Sometimes Feel Like It Stopped?

Progression often changes after a report, conversation or investigation result rather than after reaching the largest landmark on the map.

Chapter 2 is a good example. The earthquake investigation needs enough measurements before it finally produces a useful destination. Chapter 5 can point toward northwest Nebel Valley while the practical route actually begins by finding someone elsewhere in the valley first. Later chapters change the rhythm again: Chapter 7 repeatedly sends the party back to the Arseille between tower operations, while Chapter 8 becomes an overland journey because normal airship travel has stopped.

When an objective appears to stall, I check three things:

• whether the previous task was fully reported;
• whether a required conversation has finished;
• whether the last story scene named a new destination.

Repeating a completed boss, dungeon or investigation area rarely fixes a missing progression trigger.

When Should I Stop for Quests and Bracer Points?

The important check is usually before a major regional or chapter transition, not after every conversation.

Some optional work appears late in a chapter, and bonus BP can depend on a dialogue choice, investigation answer, battle result or short quest window.

For the exact A-Rank requirement, maximum BP, chapter checkpoints, bonus conditions and all 87 quests, use the BP and quest guide.

I keep the main story route separate from those conditions. When a chapter is clearly preparing to move me into another region or a long sequence, that is when I check whether I still have Guild work I intend to finish.

Story Run and 100% Run Need Different Priorities

A story-focused run can stay close to the current objective. I finish the incident, restore the party when necessary and move forward when the game gives me the next destination.

A completion run has several requirements that accumulate across the whole game, so I keep an eye on them long before the ending.

The categories that matter most are:

• completed and reported quests;
• Bracer Rank;
• treasure chests;
• Combat Handbook entries;
• books;
• fish;
• dishes;
• quartz collection;
• orbment upgrades;
• combat counters.

The all 49 achievements guide gives the actual totals and requirements.

I do not treat every counter the same way. Being short on a repeatable combat action late in the game is very different from discovering that I missed something tied to an earlier area.

Do I Need to Grind Whenever a Story Fight Feels Strange?

Not necessarily.

Several important fights deliberately change the normal rules. The Gospel can interfere with orbments, some encounters are built around a scripted state, and later bosses can temporarily make ordinary damage look ineffective.

I only stop to grind when the weakness is showing up everywhere: normal enemies are consistently taking too long, routine damage is overwhelming recovery, or the active party cannot survive basic mistakes.

If the problem appears only in one unusual story fight, I first let the encounter reveal whether there is a mechanic or phase change involved.

That becomes especially important near the end of the game, where apparent immunity or impossible-looking pressure can be part of the intended sequence rather than evidence that the party is underleveled.

Can I Keep the Same Four Characters for the Whole Game?

The story repeatedly changes who is available and who matters to the current confrontation, so I do not build the entire run around one permanent four-person group.

Jyn becomes especially relevant around Walter. Sherazard has her own connection to Luciola. Joshua’s return changes the later party structure, and the Final Chapter gives the player another chance to choose who joins the exploration party.

I still invest more heavily in characters I use often, but I leave enough flexibility to adjust when the story puts somebody else at the center of an encounter.

What Changes in Chapter 8?

Once the Aureole appears, Liberl enters a nationwide Orbal Shutdown and normal travel changes with it.

The party spends Chapter 8 moving across the country again rather than immediately entering the floating city.

If you have just finished the Tetracyclic Towers and the shutdown has begun, continue with Chapter 8 – Land of Turmoil.

For a completion run, Chapter 8 is also a good place to be deliberate about unfinished Guild work before the story turns toward its final destination.

Where Do I Go After Chapter 8?

Chapter 8 ends once the immediate crises on the ground are contained and the Arseille is ready to move against the source of the shutdown.

The next destination is Liber Ark, the floating city above Valleria Lake.

From there, the game no longer follows the regional Guild pattern used through most of the story. The route becomes one continuous endgame sequence through the ancient city, the Glorious, Axis Pillar and the Core Sector.

Continue with the Final Chapter walkthrough once the Arseille leaves for Liber Ark.

If I am going for 100%, this is the point where I also check the achievement requirements one more time before treating the remaining route as a straight push to the ending.