The Bracer Guild in Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter hides more than story battles — the request board, fishing spots, casino tables, and kitchen recipes form a parallel progression system that rewards you with rare quartz, weapon upgrades, and thousands of mira. Skipping these trails in the sky 2nd chapter side quests means missing out on the game's best accessories and the satisfaction of watching your Bracer rank climb.
Every chapter in the SC remake refreshes the request board with new tasks, and the minigames tied to those quests — fishing, poker, and cooking — are the fastest way to build wealth before the difficulty spikes in the latter half of the story. This guide breaks down every trails in the sky 2nd chapter quest type, the rewards you can expect, and the strategies that make the grind feel effortless.
The Request Board and Faction Reputation
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Standard — full chapter duration, 1-3 Bracer Points, mira, consumables, and quartz.
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Emergency — 1-2 story beats only, 3-5 Bracer Points, rare equipment and unique quartz.
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Hidden and Triggered — specific NPC conditions, 2-4 Bracer Points, exclusive accessories.
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Fishing Bounties — unlocked via rod upgrades, 1 point each, fish trade-in items.
The request board in each town serves as your hub for trails in the sky 2nd chapter quests, splitting tasks into two categories: standard requests and emergency requests. Standard requests are the bread-and-butter side content — fetch quests, monster hunts, and NPC errands that refresh each chapter. Emergency requests appear only during specific windows and often involve time-sensitive battles that affect the local story.
Understanding the board's rhythm matters because compulsory quests (the main story missions) and optional quests share the same chapter timeline. If you leave town without clearing the board, those trails in the sky 2nd chapter optional quests vanish permanently, locking you out of their rewards and Bracer points.
| Request Type | Availability Window | Bracer Points | Reward Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | Full chapter duration | 1-3 points each | Mira, consumables, quartz |
| Emergency | 1-2 story beats only | 3-5 points each | Rare equipment, unique quartz |
| Hidden/Triggered | Specific NPC conditions | 2-4 points each | Exclusive accessories |
| Fishing Bounties | Unlocked via rod upgrades | 1 point each | Fish trade-in items |
The request rank up system tracks your cumulative points across all trails in the sky 2nd chapter side quests, moving you from Junior Bracer through the ranks. Each promotion unlocks new shop inventory and grants bonus sepith, and the final rank in a playthrough determines your New Game+ bonuses — a fact that completionists should note before rushing the finale.
Ranking Up Your Bracer License
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Junior — 0 points at start, Chapter 1, basic guild shop access.
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Senior — 15 points, Chapters 2-3, discounted healing items.
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Advanced — 35 points, Chapters 4-5, rare quartz sale.
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Master — 60 points, Chapters 6-7, exclusive armor set.
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Legendary — 90 points, Final Chapter, New Game+ bonus items.
Your Bracer rank isn't just a title — it gates access to better equipment and higher-tier requests. The rank thresholds follow a predictable curve, with each chapter providing just enough points to reach the next tier if you clear every available quest.
| Bracer Rank | Points Required | Chapter Availability | Key Reward |
|---|---|---|---|
| Junior | 0 (start) | Chapter 1 | Basic guild shop access |
| Senior | 15 | Chapter 2-3 | Discounted healing items |
| Advanced | 35 | Chapter 4-5 | Rare quartz sale |
| Master | 60 | Chapter 6-7 | Exclusive armor set |
| Legendary | 90 | Final Chapter | New Game+ bonus items |
According to player reports, the Master rank armor set outperforms most mid-game equipment and carries you through the final dungeon's early floors. Since the points carry over between chapters, planning your request board clears around these thresholds ensures you never fall behind the difficulty curve.
Fishing Minigame Rewards and Rod Upgrades
The fishing minigame in Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter side quests starts as a simple tap-timing exercise but evolves into a deep collection system with 40+ fish species. Each town's fishing spot offers different catches, and the fishing rod upgrade system expands both your casting distance and your ability to land rare fish.
You begin with the basic rod, which limits you to shallow-water catches. Completing fishing bounties — special trails in the sky 2nd chapter side quests that ask for specific fish — earns you rod upgrade materials. The second rod extends your reach to mid-water, while the third unlocks deep-water fishing where the rarest species hide.
| Fish Tier | Rod Required | Bait Type | Trade-in Reward |
|---|---|---|---|
| Common | Basic Rod | Worm | Mira, low-tier quartz |
| Uncommon | Improved Rod | Insect | Healing items, sepith |
| Rare | Expert Rod | Lure | Unique accessories |
| Legendary | Master Rod | Special Lure | Exclusive armor pieces |
The fishing rewards scale dramatically at higher tiers — a single legendary fish trade-in yields more mira than five standard quests combined. Community data suggests that the Ruan harbor spot offers the best early-game balance of catch variety and difficulty, making it the ideal training ground for the later fishing bounties.
Recipe Buffs From Cooking
Cooking in the SC remake ties directly into the request board through recipe quests. Each chapter introduces new cooking recipe locations — hidden ingredients scattered across town maps that unlock permanent meal options. These meals provide battle buffs that stack with quartz effects, creating powerful synergies for boss fights.
| Recipe | Ingredient Location | Battle Effect | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hearty Stew | Bose market crate | HP regen per turn | 3 battles |
| Spicy Curry | Ruan inn kitchen | +15% ATK | 5 battles |
| Sweet Parfait | Grancel cafe | +20% SPD | 3 battles |
| Royal Feast | Chapter 6 hidden chest | All stats +10% | 5 battles |
The cooking effects become essential during the game's notorious difficulty spikes, particularly the Chapter 4 boss gauntlet. Since ingredients are finite per playthrough, prioritizing the ATK-boosting curry recipe early gives you a measurable damage advantage that carries through multiple chapters.
Poker and Casino Minigame Strategies
The poker minigame and broader casino minigame systems offer the fastest mira generation in Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter side quests, but they operate on a separate currency — casino chips. You convert mira to chips, play hands, and redeem chips for exclusive items that appear nowhere else in the game.
The casino in Grancel hosts both poker and a slot machine variant. Poker follows standard five-card draw rules with a twist: the dealer's AI plays conservatively, which means aggressive betting against weak hands yields consistent profits. The poker rewards include the Gambler's Jacket, an accessory that boosts critical hit rate by 10% — a significant edge for physical attackers.
| Casino Item | Chip Cost | Mira Equivalent | Practical Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gambler's Jacket | 5,000 | 50,000 | +10% crit rate |
| Silver Medal | 2,000 | 20,000 | Sell for profit |
| Rare Quartz Pack | 3,500 | 35,000 | Random high-tier quartz |
| Sepith Bundle | 1,500 | 15,000 | Fast element farming |
The casino rewards follow a predictable pricing curve, and the Silver Medal resale trick — buying medals at chip value and selling them for mira — remains the most reliable profit loop according to community testing. Players report that the casino's poker tables have a house edge of roughly 5%, meaning skilled play can overcome the rake through hand selection alone.
Arena Battles and Combat Challenges
The arena battles system offers a competitive alternative to the request board, pitting you against increasingly difficult monster waves for rare drops. Unlike trails in the sky 2nd chapter side quests that send you across the map, the arena stays in one location and focuses purely on combat efficiency.
| Arena Tier | Wave Count | Enemy Level | Unique Drop |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bronze | 5 waves | Level 30-35 | Arena Token |
| Silver | 8 waves | Level 38-42 | Rare sepith |
| Gold | 12 waves | Level 45-50 | Exclusive weapon |
| Platinum | 15 waves | Level 52+ | Ultimate armor piece |
The Platinum tier arena weapon outperforms most endgame equipment found in chests, making the arena a mandatory stop for players chasing the Legendary Bracer rank. Since arena battles consume no quest points, they serve as an infinite farming source for sepith and mira between story chapters.
Maximizing Rewards From Side Quests
Efficient completion of trails in the sky 2nd chapter side quests requires understanding which tasks compound in value. The request board should always be cleared first, because Bracer points unlock shop tiers that reduce your overall spending. After that, fishing bounties take priority for rod upgrades, which unlock deeper fishing spots and better trade-ins.
The map guide for each region highlights quest-giver locations and hidden ingredient spots, making route planning straightforward once you understand the layout. Combine your quest routes with the comprehensive quest guide to track every optional objective without backtracking.
Mini Game Tips for Maximum Efficiency
The mini game tips that matter most come down to timing your sessions. Fishing and poker both have optimal windows — fishing during chapter transitions when rare species migrate, and poker after clearing the arena for a confidence boost. According to player experience, the early morning in-game time produces the highest rare fish catch rate.
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Fishing: Upgrade your rod before attempting bounties; the casting distance directly affects catch rarity.
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Poker: Fold aggressively on weak hands; the AI punishes loose play more than it rewards aggression.
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Casino: Convert mira to chips in bulk to avoid repeated conversion fees.
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Cooking: Cook in batches of five to maximize ingredient efficiency.
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Arena: Bring status-curing items; later waves inflict poison and blind.
The fishing rod upgrade path specifically rewards patience — each rod tier unlocks new species that trade for exponentially better items. Players who rush the main story often miss these trails in the sky 2nd chapter side quests entirely, then struggle with endgame equipment gaps that the side content would have filled.
For players targeting the platinum trophy, the achievement list shows which side quests feed into specific trophies — several fishing and cooking milestones require completing every bounty in a single playthrough. The bracer requests guide breaks down each chapter's full request lineup, ensuring you never miss a time-sensitive task. And if you're planning a New Game+ run, the side quest walkthrough covers the optimal order that preserves all optional content.
The official Steam page for Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter confirms the side content scope — fishing, poker, casino, and cooking systems all ship with the remake's feature set. Falcom's original Japanese site details the Bracer Guild request structure that the SC remake preserves.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best trails in the sky 2nd chapter side quests for rewards?
The fishing bounties offer the best reward-to-effort ratio because they combine the fishing minigame progression with trade-in items that scale in value. Completing all bounties in a chapter yields rare quartz and equipment that outperform most store purchases, making them the priority for efficient players.
Do trails in the sky 2nd chapter optional quests expire?
Yes, every optional quest expires when you advance the main story past a chapter's midpoint. The request board shows a timer indicator for urgent tasks, but standard requests vanish silently. Clear the board before progressing story beats to avoid losing Bracer points and exclusive rewards.
How does the request rank up system work?
Your Bracer rank increases based on cumulative points earned from trails in the sky 2nd chapter quests, with thresholds at 15, 35, 60, and 90 points. Each rank unlocks new shop inventory and bonus sepith. The final rank achieved carries into New Game+, so reaching Legendary before the finale provides lasting benefits.
What is the fastest way to earn casino chips?
The poker minigame at Grancel's casino offers the highest chip-per-minute rate when you fold aggressively and only bet strong hands. The Silver Medal resale loop — buying medals with chips and selling them for mira — converts poker winnings into usable currency efficiently.
Which cooking recipe should I prioritize first?
Prioritize the Spicy Curry recipe from Ruan’s inn—its +15% ATK buff spans five battles and stacks with quartz. With finite ingredients, early investment pays off through mid-game difficulty spikes, especially during the Grancel arena side quests where every hit counts.