Triangle Strategy tips and tricks for beginners

Triangle Strategy Thrown Room
Triangle Strategy Thrown Room (Image credit: iMore)

Triangle Strategy is just as its name suggests; it's a tactical turn-based game of war that takes place among three major nations. Battles can be very tricky to win, and your decisions determine which playable characters want to join your party along with what happens in the story. Whether you're new to strategy JRPGs or just want some help when getting into Square Enix's latest HD-2D adventure, we're here to help.

Triangle Strategy Basic tips

Triangle Strategy Serenoa Ice Area (Image credit: iMore)

There are some things to keep in mind outside of battle if you want to get far in Triangle Strategy.

  • Decisions and consequences: As you go through this journey, you'll be asked to make decisions. The game focuses these decisions on a three-way system that includes Utility, Morality, and Liberty. Triangle Strategy characters are drawn to you based on the types of decisions you make. So, although there are over 20 characters, you might not get the chance to recruit them all based on the choices you go with.
  • Gather all the info you can: Between battles, you'll be given chances to explore. Make sure to take advantage of this time. You might find helpful info and items for your journey that you might miss otherwise.
  • Sidequests go away: Main missions are marked on the map in red, but optional sidequests are marked in green. Main missions will always be there for you, but sidequests are timely and will disappear after you've progressed far enough into the story. So if you want to get more involved with the world and understand the plot better, you should jump on those sidequests while you can.

Triangle Strategy Battle tips

Triangle Strategy Serenoa Attacking (Image credit: iMore)

The game's main gameplay focus is on strategic battles, so keep these tips in mind and you'll have the advantage while playing this amazing JRPG.

  • Weak vs. Resistant: Before finalizing your character's attack plans, you can tell if the move is effective or not. If "Weak!" appears, that means the enemy is weak to your attack. If "Resistant" appears, this means it won't work as well.
  • Surround the enemy: If you attack an enemy from behind, you are guaranteed to land a critical hit. On top of that, if you have a character in front of the enemy as well as a character behind the enemy, both of your characters will attack, making it easier to take the opponent down.

Triangle Strategy Roland Attacking From High Ground (Image credit: iMore)
  • The height advantage: Anyone attacking from a higher location than their opponent will land more powerful attacks, so when possible, place your team in areas that give you this advantage.
  • Terrain and element perks: The land around you also gives different advantages. For instance, you can spread lightning attacks through water to hurt your enemies. Similarly, you can turn ice into puddles using fire attacks. Use these elemental terrain types to give yourself a leg up.
  • Check who's in range: When moving one of your characters around within the blue squares, red arching lines appear stretching out from enemies letting you know who will be within range to attack you. Use this information to help get low-health allies out of range or to simply stay on top of where the battle will go. You might even want to lure an enemy closer to you by putting one of your allies in range and then having your team attack when the enemy approaches.

Strategy is key

A long and intricate story is waiting for you as you battle your way through Triangle Strategy. The choices you make have lasting consequences that determine where the story goes and which characters decide to join your side. It might feel daunting, but you'll get far by keeping these tips and tricks in mind.

Rebecca Spear
Gaming Editor

Gaming aficionado Rebecca Spear is iMore's dedicated gaming editor with a focus on Nintendo Switch and iOS gaming. You’ll never catch her without her Switch or her iPad Air handy. If you’ve got a question about Pokémon, The Legend of Zelda, or just about any other Nintendo series check out her guides to help you out. Rebecca has written thousands of articles in the last six years including hundreds of extensive gaming guides, previews, and reviews for both Switch and Apple Arcade. She also loves checking out new gaming accessories like iPhone controllers and has her ear to the ground when it comes to covering the next big trend.