History TearJerker / XenobladeChronicles2

* Ironically, [[BigBad Amalthus']] story ends up being very tragic in itself. Having her mother killed by bandits and later killing one of the bandits himself at a young age, he truly strived for a better world once, but time and time again, the world would just show him reasons to feed his MisanthropeSupreme status, like having one of the men he healed in battle be responsible of killing a family and leaving a baby behind or the existance of people trafficking Blades and using them for pleasure. Even if it doesn't justify his actions of effectively being behind the tragic stories of the Torna group and the titans dying as a result of his actions, you can't help but feel that it could've turned out different if the world wasn't so harsh around him.

* The entire side quest to recruit Vess becomes this as her Driver, Moban, asks the party to run some errands that he's become incapable of completing himself: namely, recovering some artifacts from his previous adventures and delivering them to his children. During this, the team gets to know him and Vess quite well and see how close they are as a family. Once everything is done, Moban closes his eyes and quietly passes away with a smile on his face while Vess, who is in the kitchen making dinner, returns to her Core Crystal completely unaware. It's also entirely possible to inform Moban's children of his death.

** The entire final battle with Malos' is this, revealing that he also grew beyond his programming and had suicidal feelings like Mythra. He hated watching Jin living in pain for years and found it cruel that he couldn't die because of Lora's dying words; and when Azurda points out that it was HIS fault and how Jin and Lora would have lived happily without him, [[ThenLetMeBeEvil Malos accepts role as the "evil monster"]] and [[DarkIsEvil ignores Pneuma's pleas since he's the "bad guy"]].

-->'''Nia:''' This whole time, it was always about "Pyra, Pyra, Pyra"!
-->'''Nia:''' We came all this way...and for what?!
-->'''Nia:''' Why didn't you take more notice of me?!

-->'''Morag:''' Niall...my people...this is ''all'' your fault!
-->'''Brighid:''' Deceiving blades with your pipe dreams...inexcusable!

-->'''Tora:''' Tora try so hard, but it was impossible to become real driver!
-->'''Poppi:''' Driver of Aegis? That is ''total joke.''

-->'''Zeke:''' Amalthus' plans were possible because of you! You put the whole world in danger!
-->'''Pandoria:''' You really think you were doing all this for Pyra, Rex?! You could never make ANYONE happy!

[[caption-width-right:350:"Rex. You're the driver of the Aegis. The whole world's gonna try and scalp you, you realize that?"]]

** The entire final battle with Malos' is this, revealing that he also grew beyond his programming and had suicidal feelings like Mythra. He hated watching Jin living in pain for years and found it cruel that he couldn't die because of Lora's dying words; and when Azurda points out that it was HIS fault and how Jin and Lora would have lived happily without him, [[ThenLetMeBeEvil Malos accepts role as the "evil monster"]] and [[DarkIsEvil tells ]].

** The entire final battle with Malos' is this, revealing that he also grew beyond his programming. Meeting Jin turned his artificial feelings of destruction into true loathing for the world. He watching Jin living in pain for years; and when Azurda points out that it was HIS fault for that pain, [[ThenLetMeBeEvil Malos accepts role as the "evil monster"]] and [[DarkIsEvil tells Pneuma it's not his role to be the one worried about their father]].

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Torna: The Golden Country]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lora_cry.PNG]]
[[caption-width-right:350:"I made this for her myself...she...kept it, all this time..."]]
* Due to the ForegoneConclusion of the game, several events and pieces of foreshadowing become this.
** Lora talking about what she'll do after the war with Jin and Haze. She wanted to have a family with them and take in war orphans like Mikhail. Minoth ended up taking that dream and fulfilling it for her...
* Lora discovering her mother is dead, the voice acting and music really enhancing the sense of grief (especially considering we don't really know her mother as a character). Jin comforts her in a CryIntoChest moment, which is pictured.
* Hugo, the emperor of Mor Ardain and Addam's best friend, shields Addam from a massive explosion caused by Mythra's final attack. When next we see them, Addam is cradling Hugo's body while sobbing, the black crystals that were once Brighid and Aegaeon lying beside him.
* The game's incredibly bleak DownerEnding. Malos uses an attack that blows up much of the capital city of Auresco, which is where most of the NPC's you've been going on side quests for live, as well the two [[TagalongKid Tagalong Kids]] the party left behind for their own protection. This instantly makes Mythra access Pneuma's sword and the true depths of powers, and after a short fight, she enters her artifice for an airborne battle with Malos. But consumed by her pain and grief Mythra is out of control, and ends up killing the Tornan titan with her most powerful attack, while her actual target, Malos, falls into the depths of the Cloud Sea; his body half-melted and Core Crystal damaged, but still very much alive.
** Adding to this is that the game requires you to complete enough side quests to gain a certain Level of Community before you can even attempt to fight Malos. Xenoblade has a reputation for creating interesting sidequests with fleshed out stories, so it's not hard to get attached to some of the NPC's if you bother to listen to their stories. After Torna sinks into the Cloud Sea, you're not given any indication of where all the people in your Community went. You have no idea if they sank with the Titan, got killed in Amalthus's attack on the refugee camp, or escaped to Tantal.
* And just to twist the knife further; Mythra doesn't find out for sure that Milton died from Malos' attack until later. Specifically, when she's on board Hugo's old warship, now housing the few survivors of Torna, watching in horror as the Titan and the country she was trying so hard to save sinks below the Cloud Sea in flames because of her. It's only then that she notices Mikhail on board -- cradling Milton's corpse. This last revelation is the final straw that completely ''breaks'' poor Mythra, as she screams a BigNo to the sky while radiating power that eventually completely obscures her.
** Making her feel all the worse, before she fully loses her composure, Mythra initially tries to reach out to touch Milton's body, still in disbelief that he is dead, only for Mikhail to angrily shield him from her, reinforcing Mythra's perception that its all her fault.
** In the very next scene, Pyra is there instead of Mythra, implying that moment is when a guilt-ridden Mythra sealed herself away.
*** On top of that, Pyra surprisingly [[ElectiveMute doesn't even speak]] in her only moment of screentime in this DLC, only giving a parting gesture before setting off with Addam. Given that she shares Mythra's memories as the main game shows, this could possibly imply she's still processing everything that just happened.
* Sometimes after winning a battle, Brighid will ask Lora whether she's thought about keeping a diary. She replies that she's happier keeping her memories [[ExactWords in her heart]]...which hits much HarsherInHindsight when you consider where her heart [[EmergencyTransformation ends up]].
* Poor, poor Mikhail. It’s jarring to see the [[CasanovaWannabe flamboyant flirtatious]] ButtMonkey as an emotionless and despondent child, and even more considering what changes him. He begins as a slave for a village that he was ultimately the sole survivor of when it was attacked and burned to the ground by pillagers. He’s taken in by Jin and Lora, who try their best to help him come out of his shell, and when they later join up with Addam’s team he meets Milton, a Gormotti boy that is determined to befriend him and make him smile. Over the course of the game Milton and Mikhail grow close, with Milton eventually succeeding in getting a [[WhenSheSmiles small smile out of Mik,]] becoming arguably close as [[VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles1 Shulk and Reyn.]] And then the final battle comes around, and Mythra convinces them to stay in Auresco, away from the battle and safe. Unfortunately, [[DramaticIrony Malos targets the city,]] and we see the boys hugging as Malos’ attack surges towards them. When we next see them, Mikhail is cradling Milton's dying body on an Ardanian ship as they evacuate Torna. When the rest of the party meet up with them, Milton is dead and Mikhail simply looks up with DullEyesOfUnhappiness. The person who cared for him most is dead, and he blames Mythra. What’s worse, when it looks like the worst is over, Amalthus attacks the Tornan survivors, murdering Lora and Haze, and Jin disappearing. He is then kidnapped, experimented on, and then disposed of, only he is once again the sole survivor. 500 years later, when we meet Mikhail again, [[HarsherInHindsight his actions seem a lot less funny]] knowing how dramatically he's changed and how much his present behavior is simply a front he puts on.
* Jin burning down Ornelia's house, which survived the destruction of Torna. Inside, he also burns the photo with Ornelia, the diary he wrote in, and the photo with Lora and the party. And throughout this, he laments about how he doesn't want "forever", he just wants to be with Lora again.

** Vandham dying at the hands of Malos, all while urging Rex to take Pyra and run away. Rex simply doesn't want to do this, wishing to aid Vandham instead. Nia briefly considers [[spoiler:revealing herself as a Flesh Eater in order to bypass Obrona jamming the other blade's ether connection and heal Vandham]] but can't bring herself to do it.

** Iona's SurvivorGuilt afterwards as she not only feels completely responsible for Vandham dying, but talking to her and Cole later reveals that she's been suffering from nightmares since and all he's been able to do is give her books to read as a means of doing ''anything'' to take her mind off it. Cole knowing he doesn't have much longer to live makes it even worse for the poor girl. [[spoiler: On a positive note there is a side quest you can take to improve his health and extend his life to a degree.]]

* Jin and Lora's story in its entirety. To recap: it all starts with Lora being nearly killed by her (presumably) father for accidentally awakening Jin from his core crystal. Even though the two share a few happy years together, it only goes downhill from there. Between Jin's identity issues, Lora's fear of him forgetting her, Indol's attack on Torna and Jin becoming a Flesh Eater, it's no wonder the poor guy [[DeathSeeker just wants to disappear by the end of it]]. The shot of Jin sitting in a dark alley, in pouring rain, right before Malos finds him is quite possibly one of the saddest images in the entire game, and that's saying something.

*** Before going to confront Theory, you have the choice of either telling Praxis what she was before, or keeping her in the dark. Although she doesn't let it bother her too much, she's understandably shocked that [[AmnesiacDissonance she was such a horrible Blade in her past life]].

* Once you can utilize [[spoiler: Blade Nia]], she will admonish Rex for taking a particularly nasty hit by shouting, "Stop it! Stop being so reckless!" Both the genuine fear in her voice and her recent LoveConfession can make it hard pill to swallow.
* Some post battle dialogue with Vandham reveals that he previously had a son, who is implied to have [[OutlivingOnesOffspring died sometime before the party meets Vandham]]. One post battle conversation even has Vandham on the verge of tears as he recounts his deceased son.

* The game's incredibly bleak DownerEnding. Malos uses an attack that blows up much of the capital city of Auresco, which is where most of the NPC's you've been going on side quests for live, as well the two [[TagalongKid Tagalong Kids]] the party left behind for their own protection. This instantly makes Mythra access Pneuma's sword and the true depths of powers, and after a short fight she enters her artifice for a airborne battle with Malos. But consumed by her pain and grief Mythra is out of control, and ends up killing the Tornan titan with her most powerful attack, while her actual target, Malos, falls into the depths of the Cloud Sea; his body half melted and Core Crystal damaged, but still very much alive.

* And just to twist the knife further; Mythra doesn't find out for sure that Milton died from Malos' attack until later. Specifically, when she's on board Hugo's old warship, now housing the few survivors of Torna, watching in horror as the Titan and the country she was trying so hard to save sinks below the cloudsea in flames because of her. It's only then that she notices Mikhail on board -- cradling Milton's corpse. This last revelation is the final straw that completely ''breaks'' poor Mythra, as she screams a BigNo to the sky while radiating power that eventually completely obscures her.

*** On top of that, Pyra surprisingly [[ElectiveMute doesn't even speak]] in her only moment of screentime in this DLC, only giving a parting gesture before setting off with Addam. Given she share's Mythra's memories as the main game shows, this could possibly imply she's still processing everything that just happened.

* Poor, poor Mikhail. It’s jarring to see the [[CasanovaWannabe flamboyant flirtatious]] ButtMonkey as an emotionless and despondent child, and even more considering what changes him. He begins as a slave for a village that he was ultimately the sole survivor of when it was attacked and burned to the ground by pillagers. He’s taken in by Jin and Lora, who try their best to help him come out of his shell, and when they later join up with Addam’s team he meets Milton, a Gormotti boy that is determined to befriend him and make him smile. Over the course of the game Milton and Mikhail grow close, with Milton eventually succeeding in getting a [[WhenSheSmiles small smile out of Mik,]] becoming arguably close as [[VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles1 Shulk and Reyn.]] And then the final battle comes around, and Mythra convinces them to stay in Auresco, away from the battle and safe. Unfortunately, [[DramaticIrony Malos targets the city,]] and we see the boys hugging as Malos’ attack surges towards them. When we next see them, Mikhail is cradling Milton's dying body on an Ardanian ship as they evacuate Torna. When the rest of party meet up with them, Milton is dead and Mikhail simply looks up with DullEyesOfUnhappiness. The person who cared for him most is dead, and he blames Mythra. What’s worse, when it looks like the worst is over, Amalthus attacks the Tornan survivors, murdering Lora and Haze, and Jin disappearing. He is then kidnapped, experimented on, and then disposed of, only he is once again the sole survivor. 500 years later, when we meet Mikhail again, [[HarsherInHindsight his actions seem a lot less funny]] knowing how dramatically he's changed and how much his present behavior is simply a front he puts on.

** Rex crying over Vandham's death after the villains retreat. Rex's English voice actor, Al Weaver, may get criticism for his shouting, but he portrays his indignant, dry-heaving sobs incredibly well as the realization that Vandham, someone who he considered a mentor over the course of the chapter, has died.

* Poor, poor Mikhail. It’s jarring to see the [[CasanovaWannabe flamboyant flirtatious]] ButtMonkey as an emotionless and despondent child, and even more considering what changes him. He begins as a slave for a village that he was ultimately the sole survivor of when it was attacked and burned to the ground by pillagers. He’s taken in by Jin and Lora, who try their best to help him come out of his shell, and when they later join up with Addam’s team he meets Milton, a Gormotti boy that is determined to befriend him and make him smile. Over the course of the game Milton and Mikhail grow close, with Milton eventually succeeding in getting a [[WhenSheSmiles small smile out of Mik,]] becoming arguably close as [[VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles Shulk and Reyn.]] And then the final battle comes around, and Mythra convinces them to stay in Auresco, away from the battle and safe. Unfortunately, [[DramaticIrony Malos targets the city,]] and we see the boys hugging as Malos’ attack surges towards them. When we next see them, Mikhail is cradling Milton's dying body on an Ardanian ship as they evacuate Torna. When the rest of party meet up with them, Milton is dead and Mikhail simply looks up with DullEyesOfUnhappiness. The person who cared for him most is dead, and he blames Mythra. What’s worse, when it looks like the worst is over, Amalthus attacks the Tornan survivors, murdering Lora and Haze, and Jin disappearing. He is then kidnapped, experimented on, and then disposed of, only he is once again the sole survivor. 500 years later, when we meet Mikhail again, [[HarsherInHindsight his actions seem a lot less funny]] knowing how dramatically he's changed and how much his present behavior is simply a front he puts on.

[[caption-width-right:350:"I made this for her myself...she kept it, all this time..."]]

** Rex crying over Vandham's death after the villains retreat. Rex's English voice actor, Al Weaver, may get criticism for his shouting, but he portrays his indignant, dry-heaving sobs very well as the realization that Vandham, someone who he considered a mentor over the course of the chapter, has died.

* Dismissing any Blade -- common or rare -- can invoke this, depending on how much of their Affinity Chart you’ve completed. Their responses can range from heartfelt farewells to angrily chewing you out.

'''Vess:''' I just wish I didn't have to forget all the time we spent together.

** Rex crying over Vandham's death after the villains retreat. Rex's English voice actor, Al Weaver, may get criticism for his shouting, but he portrays his indignant, dry-heaving sobs very well as the realization that Vandham has died sets in for Rex.

** Rex crying over Vandham's death after the villains retreat.

** Rex crying over Vandham's death after the villains retreat. Rex's English voice actor, Al Weaver, may get criticism for his shouting, but he portrays those dry-heaving sobs that you can't hold back without feeling dizzy and making your jaw numb absolutely perfectly.

** Iona's SurvivorGuilt afterwards as she not only feels completely responsible for Vandham dying, but talking to her and Cole later reveals that she's been suffering from nightmares since and all he's been able to do is give her books to read as a means of doing ''anything'' to take her mind off it. Cole knowing he doesn't have much longer to live makes it even worse for the poor girl. [[spoiler: On a positive note there is an side quest you can take to improve his health and extend his life to a degree.]]