Tips for Playing Xenoblade Chronicles X

Xenoblade Chronicles X for Wii U is the biggest entry in Monolith Soft’s role-playing series, as you’ll spend dozens of hours exploring the massive planet of Mira (as well as New Los Angeles), taking on creatures big and small while having new people join your party. Additionally, you’ll eventually gain access to the Skell mech unit, which significantly changes how you play. 

On that note, use the following Xenoblade Chronicles X tips to get off to a great start. 

Understanding Combat

The fights in Xenoblade Chronicles X take place in real time, as you’ll battle enemies on an interactive battlefield while relying upon your main and secondary attacks. Your main attack is easy enough to access, and your secondary attacks are located at the bottom of the screen. Most of the enemies you’ll come across in the beginning of the game are small, but soon enough they ramp up in difficulty. 

First, don’t engage tough enemies in combat, at least initially. If you see a Level 55 based character, you don’t want to pick a fight with it unless you’re absolutely ready. Otherwise, your battle party will get slaughtered. Leave these guys alone until you level up adequately – and don’t worry about getting there, the world of Mira is big enough that you’ll have plenty of opportunity. 

Next up is the ability to choose your character class however you see fit. There isn’t a wrong choice per se, but rather one that defines that your style of play. With each class you select, there’s a skill tree that grows with every level you increase. For instance, by level 10, you can really open up the number of choices available. 

Classes

Below are some of the classes you’ll have available in the game, and the style of play they’re best suited for. 

Striker 

This class is ideal for melee. If you prefer striking enemies up close, you’ll want this class, as you’ll increase both your attack power and HP bonus count with each encounter you get into. The standard arms for this class involve a longsword and an assault rifle, but obviously you can open up your range with new Arts and Skills learned with each additional level, including the Power Dive, Tornado Blade and Furious Blast, among others. There are various routes you can take as you rank up, including Shield Trooper and Samurai Gunner, so be sure to look into each one and see what they have to offer.

Commando

This one’s more for the precision sort of player, as Commando will teach you the basics when it comes to finding good maneuvering during a fight. You’ll have dual swords and guns for this class, with improvements that can be made in terms of accuracy and evasion. It too has its own class system, with different tiers available to choose from as you rank up, including Winged Viper and Full Metal Jaguar, among others. 

Enforcer 

This particular class is more about support than onslaught, as you’ll be able to make more decisive choices with your battle party. As such, your weapons are probably the weakest of the bunch with this class, with only a Raygun and Knife to choose from. That said, if you become a master, you’ll have choices available later on, like being able to disable enemies with the Psycorruptor and carrying large energy weapons with Blast Fencer. 

The choice is yours, and there isn’t a bad one available, but be sure to experiment. You might learn a new favorite play style if you take a different path than what you’re used to. 

Using Soul Voices 

As a BLADE operative, you’ll have options when it comes to battle – but one you don’t want to ignore is the Soul voice. This is a dialogue choice that can provide a secondary aid whenever you get into combat, offering an extra amount of damage, 

We’ll break down the Soul Voices further in an upcoming article, but these can provide a number of perks in battle, depending on which dialogue choice you make. Some offer additional damage, while others reduce your cooldown period or even inflict staggers so your enemy is left wobbling long enough for you to deliver an extra hit. 

You’ll eventually be introduced to Soul Voices as the game goes along, so don’t be worried about becoming overwhelmed by them. Sometimes the best conversational choice will suit you best in battle. 

Building the Right Party

Speaking of party members, you’ll run into different characters over the course of Xenoblade Chronicles X that will help suit your play style. Each of these characters provide two signature Arts you’ll be able to add to your battle style, and the more you work with them, the better Affinity you’ll build with them, creating more of a bond as a result. 

There are 18 different members to choose from, each bringing something new to the table. For example, Alexa is a Partisan Eagle Plus class with powerful Overclock and Maximum Voltage abilities, as well as random arts and skills that can be applied in battle. 

Again, experimentation can go a long way with these characters, as you can see who meshes well over the course of the game and build up Affinity to help make your battle party even more complete.

Save Some Side Quests for Later 

The world of Mira contains five different continents that offer their share of challenges and side quests. That said, you should take the time to look around and see what’s offered before jumping into missions. 

In fact, you can save some of the missions and enemies for later on, when you’re more adequately equipped for the job or have a battle party that can handle bigger enemies. Going up against higher-level creatures, for instance, is like signing a death warrant if you aren’t prepared.

By all means tackle the main quests, since they’ll help you level up efficiently and introduce characters you can add to your party. Again, these will make all the difference as you get better and eventually deal with some of the more dangerous enemies in the game. 

It Never Hurts To Get More Information 

With the vast world presented in Xenoblade Chronicles X, it never hurts to seek more information, as you can use it your advantage when it comes to locating side quests, as well as hidden locations where you can find items for your character. 

To do this, visit to all the districts you can in the area and talk with whomever you run across. There are a number of people with key information to help you get ahead, even if it’s something as small as how to defeat a monster. 

It also never hurts to take notes due to the sheer volume of info in the game. That’s a good thing, though, as you’ll be able to locate some of the better side quests and prepare yourself for a good monster challenge when the situation calls for it. 

Collect, Collect, Collect 

Finally, you’ll be able to find collectibles throughout the world, which you can put into your Collectopedia. From there, you can visit locations in the five provinces and see which ones are rarest. Also, make sure you stock up on blue gems, because these will come in handy as you come across Affinity missions in the game. By having an ample collection of these, you’ll be able to finish up most of these missions with no problem, and have others join your group right away, instead of grinding to gain their trust. 

There are many collectables you’ll be able to acquire, including Vegs, Fruits, Flowers, Animals, Bugs, Nature, Parts and other Strange items. There are a ton of these throughout Mira and New Los Angeles, so don’t feel bad if you miss something – you can always go back and keep looking without penalty.

By collecting all the items in a certain row or category, you’ll earn rewards, including a special weapon and/or armor type that you can equip to your character. It certainly pays to look around and see what you can find, if only to complete your collection and boost your arsenal. 

For more tips, visit our free Xenoblade Chronicles X Guide.