History NightmareFuel / XenobladeChronicles2

-->'''Rex:''' I'm...I'm fine...
-->'''Gramps:''' Could it be...Pyra is in trouble?

* Amalthus' true nature. For most of the game, he comes off as a fair-minded, if slightly cold and ruthless leader. But at the game's climax, its revealed that he was so broken by watching mankind succumb to its worst and darkest impulses of years that he's become a bitter, deranged OmnicidalManiac, convinced that condemning Alrest to oblivion would not just be a mercy, but also the will of the Architect.
** The scene where his true colors are revealed. After dispatching a group of suddenly hostile Indolines, Amalthus appears and, in a tone angrier than he's ever been before, ''demands'' that Rex use the Aegis to open the way to Elysium. When Rex questions this, Amalthus ''loses it'', his eyes glowing red as he madly declares to entering Elysium and receiving the Architect's blessing is ''his'' right, not Rex's.

** Even after it's revealed afterwards that everyone except Pyra and Mythra were manifestations of Rex's worst fears, there's still some added FridgeHorror. The others, including their blades, had very similar visions, which are not seen.

* In a flashback, Amalthus and Zeke discuss about some bandits who Zeke thinks that could steal Pandoria, and explains how due to Pandoria looking very much human, that she could be selled as a core with pictures of how they look awakened. Essentially, he's describing how they are putting blades as possible ''[[SexSlave sex slaves]]''. Due to this very dark fact, Amalthus mentions how horrible humanity can be, saying that "as soon as people are denied of something, they try to take it by force".

* In a flashback, Amalthus and Zeke discuss about some bandits who Zeke thinks that could steal Pandoria, and explains how due to Pandoria looking very much human, that she could be selled as a core with pictures of how they look awakened. Essentially, putting blades as possible SexSlaves. Due to this very dark fact, Amalthus still mentions how horrible humanity can be, saying that "as soon as people are denied of something, they try to take it by force".

** This ends up temporarily turning Pyra into an empty shell by the time Rex comes to save her. However, Earlier on in a scene with Patroka and Akhos, it's implied that [[KickTheDog Malos didn't even need to erase Pyra's memories to restore his Aegis powers,]] which only adds to how Malos is depicted much more monstrously in this scene.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/2018100922103700_659b13f48903294ae2b3fa4f12da9898.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:This is what happens if you fuse a Blade with a human, kids.]]

!! Torna: The Golden Country
* Mythra in her UnstoppableRage is absolutely terrifying, not only can Addam not control her because of their less-than-ideal bond, but Addam is still getting electrocuted after touching the third sword even when it's no longer in his hand. It's very similar to Dunban's pain of not being able to use the Monado. Then there's Mythra's screams, which shows she is in absolute agony. The only thing she wants until she snaps out of her RoaringRampageOfRevenge is to make Malos suffer.
** As if beating Malos wasn't enough dread for players who already know what's going to happen, one notable detail is that after Mythra enters said rage and awakens the third sword, [[EmptyEyes her eyes lose their glint]], and she also has a [[DullEyesOfUnhappiness dead-looking expression]], making Mythra appear almost soulless. This is the same facial expression she had in the brief flashback at the start of chapter 4 in the main game. This is also the [[FiveSecondForeshadowing first detail]] that shows something has snapped inside her, and the only time it changes before the end of the fight is when she completely loses it inside her siren to fire at a downed Malos.
* Torna: The Golden Country ends with a fight against Gort, who has been turned into one of the first Blade Eaters, a titan-like abomination that's a more deliberate but intelligent version of a Guldo, courtesy of Indol. His human face embedded in the beast's mouth sports a horrifying SlasherSmile). It gets worse when it's shown Indol made several of them to attack the remnants of Torna.
-->'''Gort:''' I'll use your blood as a balm for my wounds. How about it? Sound fair? Yeah?! *Pops a [[WolverineClaws Wolverine Claw]] out of his prosthetic arm* I'll start with you, you Tornan Blade! I'm paying you back for cutting my arms off, you dog! I'll have me arms back... And I think I deserve... some interest, too... I'll take your ears and nose as well!
** Even his last words are creepy, as he says the following as he weakly tries to slash Team Lora once last time. Despite not a lot of time passing, what starts off as a petty DefiantToTheEnd moment quickly sounds way less like himself and more like the sadistic monster he was turned into at the last second.
-->'''Gort:''' But I...! I still wanted...I still wanted to play...!
-->'''Lora:''' Shameless, till the very end...

** As if beating Malos wasn't enough dread for players who already know what's going to happen, one notable detail is that after Mythra enters said rage and awakens the third sword, [[EmptyEyes her eyes lose their glint]], and she also has a [[DullEyesOfUnhappiness dead-looking expression]], making Mythra appear almost soulless. This is the same facial expression she had in the brief flashback at the start of chapter 4 in the main game. This is also the [[FiveSecondForeshadowing first detail]] that shows something has snapped inside her, and the only time it changes before the end of the fight is when she completely loses it inside her siren to fire at Malos.

Despite being LighterAndSofter than [[{{VideoGame/Xenogears}} previous]] [[{{VideoGame/Xenosaga}} Xeno]] [[{{VideoGame/Xenoblade}} series]] [[VideoGame/XenobladeChroniclesX games]], ''Xenoblade Chronicles 2'' is still at it when it comes to including content that makes the [[UsefulNotes/EntertainmentSoftwareRatingBoard ESRB's T rating]] dubious at best.

* [[AndIMustScream Klaus' fate]]. Half of his body is trapped in [[VideoGame/{{Xenoblade}} another universe]], while he remains in his home dimension. Physically, only half of his body is visible, with dimensional rift covering the other half. Not only that, but his other half doesn't just refer to his body, but also toward his [[LiteralSplitPersonality evil split personality]], whom he sees and hears through, and knows every thought of. Oh, and Klaus himself is also unable to die as long as his other half is still alive.

Despite being LighterAndSofter than [[{{VideoGame/Xenogears}} previous]] [[{{VideoGame/Xenosaga}} Xeno]] [[{{VideoGame/Xenoblade}} series]] [[VideoGame/XenobladeChroniclesX games]], ''Xenoblade Chronicles 2'' is still at it when it comes to including content that makes the [[UsefulNotes/EntertainmentSoftwareRatingsBoard ESRB's T rating]] dubious at best.

** As if beating Malos wasn't enough dread for players who already know what's going to happen, one notable detail is that after Mythra enters said rage and awakens the third sword, [[EmptyEyes her eyes lose their glint]], and she also has a dead-looking expression, making Mythra appear almost soulless. This is the same facial expression she had in the brief flashback at the start of chapter 4 in the main game. This is also the [[FiveSecondForeshadowing first detail]] that shows something has snapped inside her, and the only time it changes before the end of the fight is when she completely loses it inside her siren to fire at Malos.

** Even after it's revealed afterwards that everyone except Pyra and Mythra were manifestations of Rex's worst fears, there's still some added FridgeHorror that the others, including their blades, had very similar visions, which are not seen.

* Pyra's brutal MindRape by Malos to restore his Aegis powers, has this in various ways.
** The scene opens with Pyra, restrained by the artifical blades, screaming and trembling in agony. To further drive in how much pain she's in, there's also bright, yet sickly looking purple lines all over her body caused by Malos. Not a pretty sight from the get-go.

** After a brief exchange between the two, Malos is suddenly in front of Pyra, almost like something out of a horror film. Malos takes this time to finish the job, but not before Pyra pleads him to stop.

** This ends up temporarily turning Pyra into an empty shell by the time Rex comes to save her. However, Moments before in a scene with Patroka and Akhos, it's implied that [[KickTheDog Malos didn't even need to erase Pyra's memories to restore his Aegis powers,]] which makes Malos' actions more cold-blooded from his end.

** As if beating Malos wasn't enough dread for players who already know what's going to happen, one notable detail is that after Mythra enters said rage and awakens the third sword, [[EmptyEyes her eyes lose their glint]], and she also has a dead-looking expression, making Mythra appear almost soulless. This is the [[FiveSecondForeshadowing first detail]] that shows something has snapped inside her, and the only time it changes before the end of the fight is when she completely loses it inside her siren to fire at Malos.

-->'''Gort:''' I'll use your blood as a balm for my wounds. How about it? Sound fair? Yeah?! *Pops a [[WolverineClaws Wolverine Claw]] out of his prosthetic arm* I'll start with you, you Tornan Blade! I'm paying you back for cutting my arms off, you dog! I'll have me arms back... And I think I deserve... some interest, too... I'll take your ears and nose as well!

* [[spoiler: [[AndIMustScream Klaus' fate]]. Half of his body is trapped in [[VideoGame/{{Xenoblade}} another universe]], while he remains in his home dimension. Physically, only half of his body is visible, with dimensional rift covering the other half. Not only that, but his other half doesn't just refer to his body, but also toward his [[LiteralSplitPersonality evil split personality]], whom he sees and hears through, and knows every thought of. Oh, and Klaus himself is also unable to die as long as his other half is still alive.]]

* Like in the previous ''Xenoblade'' games, it is possible for [[BossInMookClothing Unique Monsters]] much higher-leveled than you to JumpScare you.

** Next, there's a brief BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind, except it's framed much more like a HopelessBossFight thanks to the ominous visuals, as we see a terrified, defenseless Pyra attempting to run away from Malos as he does an UnflinchingWalk along a dark fog covering all of Pyra's memories.

** The scene opens with Pyra, restrained by the artifical blades, screaming and trembling in agony. There's also bright, yet sickly looking purple lines all over her body caused by Malos.

* Like in the previous ''Xenoblade'' games, it is possible for [[BossInMookClothing Unique Monsters]] much higher-leveled than you to attack you by surprise.
* When you are out salvaging, you may sometimes end up fishing some monsters along with some treasure. Most of the time, these are small or medium-sized monsters like Crabbles or Crustips, but other times, you'll be fishing up beasts large enough to swallow a man whole such as Lexos, Aspids, Serpronds and Marrins. Salvaging is a very dangerous occupation in Alrest, to say the least, so it's no wonder Rex was armed even before becoming a Driver.
* When the party enters Torigoth for the first time, they witness Ardanian soldiers making a recruitment drive for potential Drivers, which serves to demonstrate how Blades awaken. However, it also shows that [[OnlyTheChosenMayWield not just anyone can resonate with a Core Crystal]], and those who don't qualify get long-lasting nosebleeds at best or die from ruptured insides at worst. And the qualifications for becoming a Driver aren't clear even in-universe, making it a potential life-or-death gamble. With this scene, you'd be forgiven for thinking Mor Ardain is an EvilEmpire [[spoiler: at first]] if not for the fact they aren't really drafting people to become Drivers.
* The rule of thumb for each area is this: If a unique weather effect is in play, the strongest enemies will emerge. Most of them are high-level versions of other enemies in the same species but there are several unique and disturbing ones. This is especially true for when Tantal is foggy and the lower area is filled with Squoods, giant, squid-like ''things'' that have dragon-like heads and any one of them is bigger than the full party combined. They alone make Tantal the scariest area in the game to traverse during its unique weather. In some of the bleaker parts of Alrest (namely Temperantia and the Cliffs of Morytha), it's possible to accidentally fish up one of these monstrosities while salvaging.
* Learning about Nia's backstory when going for the third Aegis sword. While Nia tells the group that her father was very kind and that she loved him, the actual flashbacks shown have him come across as very creepy and possibly mentally unstable with him telling Nia to call him "father" and that her "sister" lives on through her. Not hard to see why when one considers that Nia is the ReplacementGoldfish for his real daughter, but it makes you wonder what kind of state he was in at the end of his life.
* How Nia attempted to kill Malos at the Cliffs of Morytha. By giving him a [[HarmfulHealing hyper-fast acting cancer that causes his muscles to repeatedly explode with clouds of black fluid.]] It is awesome, but undeniably brutal and horrifying. Goes to show that even the good guys do not shy away from invoking this trope.
* Pyra's brutal MindRape by Malos, which ends up temporarily turning her into an empty shell by the time Rex comes to save her. What's worse is that [[KickTheDog Malos didn't even need to erase Pyra's memories to restore his Aegis powers]]. On top of all that, Pyra's screams of agony can be hard to sit through for some players.

* Continuing the horrors of Morytha, Rex comes across the corpse of the Torna Titan. Inside of it, he learns of the life-cycle of Blades and Titans, with broken eggs and the bodies of stillborn Titans as a visual aid.

* The final fight in Vale's sidequest becomes dark ''very'' fast. Throughout the quest, Vale's been witnessing rather clumsy Nopon satanic rituals, all of which so far have been played for laughs. The third and final ritual, however, gets serious, with troubling non-Nopon like behavior with a deep-voiced Nopon threatening the party with a genuine summoned monster. Doesn't help that said ritual takes place in Spirit Crucible Elpyss.
* Klaus’s test for Rex at the beginning of Chapter 10. Continuing on from the empty desert that is Elysium now, the Architect wants to [[SecretTestofCharacter test our heroes]]. Rex gets to fight all the party members. All the while, they voice Rex’s doubts, from Nia’s feelings to leading his friends on a wild goose chase, to getting Tora's hopes up about being a "real" Driver, to [[NiceJobBreakingItHero very nearly handing Amalthus his complete victory]]. You can hear Rex’s voice get more and more confused and scared as it goes on. Sure, it ends with a touching scene with Pyra and Mythra, but even at the end of that, Rex breaks down. It’s too much for Pyra. And the rest of the party experienced similar visions.
** The very sight of fighting your party members can be very unsettling. Even the music is distorted sounding and unnerving, it almost sounds like something out of ''VideoGame/{{Mother 3}}'''s final boss theme.
* One side mission in Torigoth involves finding what happened to a team of soldiers. Naturally, you end up finding their corpses. You track down what attacked them, and find ''their'' corpses. So you start tracking again, and...[[ThisIsGonnaSuck Oh boy that's a]] ''[[TyrannosaurusRex BIG]]'' [[TyrannosaurusRex footprint]].

* Mythra in her UnstoppableRage is absolutely terrifying, not only can Addam not control her because of their less-than-ideal bond but Addam is still getting electrocuted after touching the third sword even when it's no longer in his hand. It's very similar to Dunban's pain of not being able to use the Monado. Then there's Mythra's screams, which shows she is in absolute agony. The only thing she wants until she snaps out of her RoaringRampageOfRevenge is to make Malos suffer.
* Torna: The Golden Country ends with a fight against Gort, who has been turned into one of the first Blade Eaters, a raving titan-like abomination that's practically a more deliberate but intelligent version of a Guldo, courtesy of Indol. And under his insanity, he's [[AxCrazy absolutely ecstatic about killing Jin in a gruesome manner before Lora]] (and his human face embedded in the beast's mouth sports a horrifying SlasherSmile). It gets worse when it's shown Indol made several of them to attack the remnants of Torna.

* Klaus’s test for Rex at the beginning of Chapter 10. Continuing on from the empty desert that is Elysium now, the Architect wants to [[SecretTestofCharacter test our heroes]]. Rex gets to fight all the party members. All the while, they voice Rex’s doubts, from Nia’s feelings to leading his friends on a wild goose chase. You can hear Rex’s voice get more and more confused and scared as it goes on. Sure, it ends with a touching scene with Pyra and Mythra, but even at the end of that, Rex breaks down. It’s too much for Pyra. And the rest of the party experienced similar visions.

-->'''Gort:''' I'll use your blood as a balm for my wounds. How about it? Sound fair? Yeah?! *Pops a [[WolverineClaws Wolverine Claw]] out of his prosthetic arm* I'll start with you, you Tornan Blade! I'm paying you back for cutting my arms off, you dog! I'll have me arms back... And I think I deserve... some interest, too... I'll take your ears and nose as well!
* Mythra in her UnstoppableRage is absolutely terrifying, not only can Addam not control her because of their less-than-ideal bond but Addam is still getting electrocuted after touching the third sword even when it's no longer in his hand. It's very similar to Dunban's pain of not being able to use the Monado. Then there's Mythra's screams, which shows she is in absolute agony. The only thing she wants until she snaps out of her RoaringRampageOfRevenge is to make Malos suffer.

* The Land of Morytha, a post-apocalyptic modern city full of nightmarish, humanoid monsters known as Guldos, and they are the only organic monsters present in the land aside from Parisax in the Titan carcasses. It is later revealed that these feral abominations used to be [[WasOnceAMan the original humans of Earth]], who tried to make themselves immortal through overuse of Core Crystals (which were designed to replace dying brain cells). [[GoneHorriblyRight They succeeded]] and survived the creation of Alrest, [[BodyHorror but they've mutated so drastically]], the only thing human about them is their shape, and some such as the Infernal Guldo, don't even look close to human anymore. These creatures and the ruins of Morytha are all a result of [[AndManGrewProud human folly]].