Well, seems like The Legend of Heroses is a series where no newcomers are allowed if they want to get the most out of the story. Odd choice that falcon would not want to grow their IP and let newcomers in the door but I guess I'm out if that's the case. Thanks for the suggestions people. Unicorn Overlord it is.

Both are fantastic... either way you go, you win.

If I had to choose Id go with UO, but thats just me. It has the best gameplay of strategy jrpgs out there, and no, its not overrated. Theres a reason it had such a good reception in the community despite its very simple narrative and not particularly great characterization. It is that addictive. but thats me, ive always prefered an Ogre Battle-type gameplay than a Fire Emblem type gameplay, and this game satisfied me immensely. 

Having that said, Ive also played Trails through Daybreak and despite not being particularly a fan of the Trails series (a series I consider C-Tier among jrpg franchises) this particular game is really good. Im waiting for the worldwide release of the sequel the next year. I disagree heavily with the notion that you need to play the other games to get into this one, this is a good entry point for anyone.

So If you are already into jrpgs id recommend getting both games if thats an option.

Trails is one of my favourite series of video games in general, so based on that I'd suggest Trails through Daybreak, but as others here have also pointed out, it's the 11th game in a series with a consistent overarching plotline in addition to each sub-series having its own self-contained story, so while you can probably jump in at the start of any of the series (Trails in the Sky, Trails from Zero, Trails of Cold Steel, or Trails through Daybreak), you will likely miss some references and details that carry over from one series to the next, and also lose some context for a lot of the major events.

I'm curious, what kind of attempts does the game make to bring people up to speed? I guess the most basic level would just be a bibliography of sorts that you can read if you feel like it but are also easily ignored, but I'd think a long standing series like this would be better off doing an actual recap at the beginning of the game. Some like what later Mass Effect games did.

It's been a while since I've played some of the games, but if I remember correctly the Cold Steel games do have a kind of "story so far" option in the start menu where you can read up on what happened in the previous games, and I think Trails to Azure has one that recaps Trails from Zero, though I'm not entirely about that. Some of the games do recap certain events from previous games as well, but usually only the most significant events.

Part of that is that some of the subseries take place around the same time in-universe, so technically recapping certain events would constitute as spoilers for the game's own story every once in a while if people hadn't played the other games before. That's why they don't tend to do big recaps of what happened in the other series, but they do reference a lot of those events during the story itself.

Unicorn Overlord, it's not close. I'm a fan of the Trails franchise. I'm currently in the midst of my first Daybreak playthrough. I couldn't put Unicorn Overlord down. I ran through that game twice before I picked up something else. Daybreak not so much. Despite my attachment to the universe and liking the new cast of characters, something about Daybreak's battle system just doesn't click with me. The battle system of the franchise has always evolved. Up until, It would take me a few hours to adjust and I'd be all in. That said, you need no prior knowledge to get the best experience with Unicorn Overloard. You lose something in the Trails games when you haven't played the previous ones. Part of the charm with the series, at least in my opinion, is seeing the evolution of the characters over the years.

I am with you 100% on Daybreak. I have started and stopped my playthrough several times since July. Something is just missing from it and I don't feel the same with this entry. I am in the middle of chapter 5 now and once I am done with it i am going to take break from this series and wait awhile after Daybreak 2 comes to play it. 

Honestly, why has no one brought the fact that Falcom is litteraly remaking the first game in the Trails franchise ?
Trails in the Sky should and will be the game to recommend to new people willing to experience the franchise.

I mean, personally, that'll be my first Trails game anyway because there's no way I'm jumping in the middle of an arching story while barely understanding it's world.

Unicorn overlord for sure was going to buy on series x but got it for my switch instead better choice I think even though series x is my main gaming device