Xenoblade Chronicles

Uhh, how is there a problem with that?

• Round 1: 2 characters break one orb, third character inflicts some amount of damage on any other orb (doesn't even need to be strong against that element).
• Round 2: Someone exploits weakness to break the orb that the third person damaged in round 1. Other two characters do whatever as long as it doesn't result in all orbs being either destroyed or at full HP.
• Round 3+: Things are simple.

Edited by justinkal on Dec 1st 2018 at 10:05:13 AM

You just need to remember who has the duplicate and what the duplicate element is.

Still, I wish there were Electric/Earth blades to spice things up.

I don't think whether the Blades are refreshed to attack again is luck-based, actually. Pretty sure it's consistent and based on one of their stats?

The main complication is that if you have every elemental orb up, they'll automatically attack the one that's opposed to theirs, and if not, it's randomized. There are workarounds like that aux core though. It's just a pain to set up.

Edited by JapaneseTeeth on Dec 1st 2018 at 10:33:26 AM

From what I looked up it was entirely on my team being ordered awkwardly- breaking an orb refills half of everyone's special gauges, and the button prompt for extending the Chain Attack also refills half their gauge.

If the team that doesn't break an orb goes last then when it's their turn again they'll only be half topped on whoever went during the first turn. Everything's more manageable and flows better if you set your team order up so the third person breaks the first orb.

Yeah, I always forget to do that when I move my characters around and it rarely ends up being ideal.

EDIT: Random question: In the Torna DLC, after you beat the last boss, what point does the game leave you at?

EDIT 2: Finished the Torna DLC.

The annoying:

• The main plotline has some pacing issues (it feels like it's less about stopping Malos and more about doing a bunch of odd jobs while he waits for you).
• I miss the Heart-to-Hearts (Milton in particular could've done with a few more scenes interacting with the party; would've made his death hit that much harder)
• The community system is nice, but either the requirements for proceeding should've been lower, or some of the missions should've been incorporated into the main plot (i.e. the evacuation missions, the bit where you help build the shelter, etc.)
• Overall I think the battle system has been improved, but I did miss the customization options from the main game.

The good:

• Aside from the Community Gate, I really like how it handled the sidequests. The community setup and summaries of each person you help makes them way more memorable than in the main game, and it's great how they build on each other as you proceed in the game. Gave me some Xenoblade X vibes, in a good way. Most of the sidequests themselves are pretty interesting as well.
• The combat system is great; it gives you more incentive to switch between characters and blade combos are much easier.
• Lots of nice quality-of-life updates (collection points showing what you get from them, making collection faster, showing tombstones on the map, etc.)
• The crafting system is way more convenient for getting pouch items and other upgrades, and it gives some bonus opportunities for characterization too.

TL;DR Overall feels like an upgrade as far as sidequests and mechanics go, but the main storyline is a bit thin. It's great when it's there, but it feels pretty minimal at points.

Edited by JapaneseTeeth on Dec 3rd 2018 at 10:21:42 AM

So I’ve finally pulled Dahlia, leaving just KOS-MOS left before I jump to NG+. Buuut I could use some advice:

I pulled both Dahlia and Ursula on Morag, and want to OD one - not both - of them over to Nia, but I’m not sure which would work better on which driver. Any tips to consider?

Ursula is a much better Blade than Dahlia, and upgrading Ursula requires sending her on a gigantic number of merc missions, so you want her on Nia so that you can get started on that really early in NG+.

Yeah, Ursula fits really well on Nia. Definitely do that.

Will do! Now to get back to grinding/legendary farming. Incidentally, is Cloud Sea King Ken supposed to be way easier than Relentless Arduran?

If I were to keep any of them on Morag, it would be Dahlia, as Morag benefits little from Knuckle Claws. Of course, you could Take a Third Option and move Dahlia to Nia and Ursula to Zeke.

Eh, Zeke already has Perun.

Also, just got my first 8-orb full burst. So this is what UNLIMITED POWAH feels like.

Full 8-orb bursts are amazing. Just in case you thought you couldn't snap the game in half without Overdrive or infinite loop chain attacks.

Infinite loop chain attack? I'mma need you to explain that one to me.

Edited by TheAirman on Dec 9th 2018 at 11:09:15 AM

I would personally move Perun to Rex, to give all drivers Ice coverage.

I would move Perun to Rex just because I like Rex's lance arts more than I like Zeke's. They're just so slow... especially the smash art.

Or, you could save an overdrive and wait until Chapter 8.

Edited by Serac on Dec 10th 2018 at 11:21:18 AM

I’ve already finished the story half a year ago, not gonna waste any overdrives or pulls on Rex.

Besides, he already covers everything with Pneuma.

Edited by TheAirman on Dec 10th 2018 at 11:26:38 AM

That'll change in New Game Plus.

Probably the only Lance I use on Zeke is Praxis. Wulfric and Perun go on Rex, and Vale goes on Morag. That's how I roll anyway.

Obviously he won’t have her at the start of ng+. But, he’ll have level 99, and everyone is already diverse enough that I’ll have full element coverage in short order anyways.

Honestly I just wish the blades had more class diversity, i.e. instead of having a couple elements have 2 healers and the rest none, have each element have 1 healer.

It's extremely noticeable when you don't have a single Dark or Light healer, for example.

KOS-MOS isn't a healer? News to me.

She technically isn't classed as one, and her weapon is normally of the attacker type. She remains the only attacker blade with a healing art.

(If you're joking, I'm merely playing along)

Got back access to my Wii U, and since I've been extolling the the virtues of X ever since 2 came out, I figured I might as well go back to it. Feels great to run and fly quickly wherever I want. Finally got around to grinding the squad tickets (still people playing amazingly) and materials needed for the Ares 90. Immediately went and fought Elvira to test its might. Almost got myself killed somehow, but I won the day in the end. Hopefully me going back to X means the port is getting announced soon.

X's multiplayer still being alive is one of those thing I don't get why but am very happy about.

X's multiplayer won't die until it gets ported.

And unlike Splatoon, it will die.

Or maybe, there will be a small player base because people won't want to pay for Switch Online.

Edited by tclittle on Dec 27th 2018 at 7:05:39 AM