You can switch characters in Tales of Arise before battle and even during combat by pressing and holding down the L Shoulder Button. Read on to learn how to switch a character on the start of battle, switch the character you play, switch out party members, and also how to change the party leader.

How to Switch Characters in Combat

Switching Player-Controlled Character

To change the character you are currently controlling, you must move the red flag marker. This marker indicates that the character in place is your player-controlled character. You can change this in a variety of ways.

Switching Character Before Battle

To switch to the character you wish to control before the start of battle, go to the menu and press the Edit button. For controllers, press R shoulder button, while for keyboard users, press the E key.

While in the Edit screen, hover to your chosen character then press the Square button or F key for controllers and keyboard users, respectively.

Switching in Battle

In the middle of battle, you can choose to switch your currently controlled character to a different character.

For controllers, you can do this by holding down L shoulder button, then hit the D-Pad to place the red flag marker to your chosen character.

For keyboard users, hold down the Left Alt key, then press 1, 2, 3 or 4 keys according to your chosen character.

Switching on the Battle Menu

You can also change your current character by opening your battle menu, then cycle through your current characters with L and R shoulder buttons (for controllers), or Q and E (for keyboard).

Switching Out Party Members in Battle

Switch Party Members While in Battle

If you have more than 5 members in your party, you can switch out one of your party members by holding down L shoulder button and the D-Pad, then hold the D-Pad to the character you wish to control.

Note that the swapped character will finish their queued actions first before your chosen character takes over. This is indicated by a glowing left and right arrow symbol on their character image.

Change Party Members on Edit Screen

You can also switch out multiple characters at once by entering the Edit screen on the battle menu. While on the Edit screen, highlight the Support Member you want to be in battle and place it on the Battle Member you wish to switch out.

How to Switch Party Leader on Field

Change Party Leader via the Menu

The Party Leader being controlled on the overworld is indicated by a green flag beside their name. To change this, go to menu and cycle the flag on the character you wish to control by pressing the Square button or F key for controllers and keyboard users, respectively.

Does Not Carry Over Into Battle

Changing the character you control in the overworld does not change the character you will control upon entering a battle. The character controlled in battle needs to be changed separately.

Tales of Arise Related Guides

Tips and Tricks

Beyond the Dawn Tips and Tricks

Game Mechanics

Tier Lists

Farming Guides

Combat Guides

Collectibles