there is a future we wish for

Tales of Xilia 2 functions with a choice system for its protagonist. One can press R1 or L1, and this can decide on elements like how much the characters you're with care for you and whether or not you murder your brother. Despite the seriousness of what I just ended with there, the options between the R1 and L1 paths are generally consistent. One may be more overtly sassy or blunt, and the other may be more careful or sensitive, but ultimately, it is just the illusion of choice, and Ludger will generally have the same personality. Options almost never lock you into losing other kinds of responses, so Ludger can be blunt in some elements and more cautious in others. (Generally, I tend to play as being agreeable enough to go along with most things for most of the journey, in that he can read the mood and take a guess at which kind of reaction will be most helpful to the person he is with. He has, as Julius says, 'a kind heart.')

No matter what, Ludger is a bit of a perfect house husband in a lot of ways. He is very reliable and protective, making him a great caretaker for Elle as well as a trustworthy partner for anyone in the party who wants to depend on him to help them out. Certainly, he is always willing to help the party, in that classic RPG protagonist way of going on any sidequest that other people will drag him into. He is often agreeable and will look after other people because he wants to protect others as Julius has protected and looked after him all of his life.

This makes him a total loser. Ludger is basically a sucker, as the plot is a just a story of him being bullied or harassed into doing things he doesn't exactly want to. People with power over Ludger, like Rideaux and Bisley, usually have no problem twisting his arm to get along with it. It doesn't mean he doesn't resent it; while Ludger doesn't seem to mind going along with bullying from people like Milla, which is friendly and affectionate, the blackmail and coercion from the Spirius Corporation sparks some very angry, frustrated expressions from Ludger, and potentially some pretty aggressive responses. It's just that a certain point in the downward spiral that is his life, Ludger just got very used to only being presented the illusion of choice. He is capable of shutting down and doing the job, even if the job means annihilating hundreds of alternate worlds.

This, while he isn't vocal about it, is very stressful. While Ludger may (depending on dialogue options) say that he is fine after Milla is sacrificed and Ludger has to kill his alternate version future self, alternate choices reveal that Ludger cooks soup therapeutically and had basically just mentally shut down and started cooking. Ludger has had a very difficult past little while, and being forced to kill his brother in order to save his AU daughter has only contributed to the stress. In this sense, his sacrifice to save Elle at the cost of his life is both a hope for her future and a chance to finally remove himself from a cycle of not really being given any choice at all.

That isn't at all to diminish the love and affection he has for Elle. Of three endings, only one really has Ludger abandon Elle. In that one, he goes on an uncontrolled murder spree, so maybe he isn't thinking straight. In the other two paths, he either decides to die to save Elle or fails to save her but, it is implied, becomes an evil version of himself in an attempt to bring her back. The path where Ludger saves Elle is considered the 'True' path. Here, when asked, "You are not afraid of vanishing away?" he has to answer, "R1: I'm more afraid of something else."

It isn't all awful and sad. Occasionally, Ludger comes up with sassy little remarks, although usually he will keep his comments to himself. Ludger is generally a silent protagonist in a definitive sense, where other characters comment on how he doesn't really talk much. He can speak, but he tends to prefer to vocalize with only a few comments here or there and a lot of gestures. Sometimes, these gestures are outright dweeby, like when he makes stupid faces or mimics Ivar. Or literally backflips away from an awkward situation. This is the kid who, when he was brutally dumped by a girl he liked, ran away and then made friends with a cat in an alley. He's a dweeb.

Over all, Ludger is a caring, reliable, kind-hearted kid who has been forced to make brutal choices and often given little choice at all. The important thing is now he's dead on a fishbase and no Gods are messing with his life. Hopefully.

Weaponry
Ludger can use three different kinds of weapons: twin swords, for maximum swiftness and precision in attacks; twin pistols for long range attacks; and a hammer for the purpose of hitting things really hard. Each can be infused with mana to produce a variety of artes (attacks) based on different elements, with Ludger having access to the full range of elements including fire, water, wind, earth, light, and dark. These cost in TP (technical points) which he has to hit things with without artes in order to recover.

Chromatus
This ridiculously overpowered ability initiates a timestop so that only he and his enemies are active. During the timespan, Ludger goes into one-on-one combat in his Chromatus form (now up to level 2) where he takes no damage (but any time he gets hit, his amount of time in Chromatus mode is reduced for that round) and he wields a spear against his enemies. THIS IS NIXED.

Partner Skill
Ludger can copy the partner skill of the person he is linked to. (This basically only applies to ToX characters.)

Other
Ludger can cook and is great at odd-job fetch-quests. He'll get URSULA 20 bear asses, no hesitation!