have just met Combat Ghandi after sneaking in through the ether mines. Shulk once again displayed his complete inability to tell any fucking person about his vision, but thankfully Reyn had his head screwed on right and addressed the issue. I never would have expected that Reyn would be the brains of this bromance.
Is this a cultural issue? Does Shulk's idiocy make more sense to the Japanese?
have just met Combat Ghandi after sneaking in through the ether mines. Shulk once again displayed his complete inability to tell any fucking person about his vision, but thankfully Reyn had his head screwed on right and addressed the issue. I never would have expected that Reyn would be the brains of this bromance.
Is this a cultural issue? Does Shulk's idiocy make more sense to the Japanese?
I would imagine most people would take a little while to determine whether they have actually gained an ability to see the future, or have just gone bat shit crazy.
Considering his low HP even if he does have decent physical defense if the dude gets hit hes in trouble. As others have mentioned upping his agi is way more important as hes a character that you need him to be dodging and not getting hit vs the meat shield role which is assigned to Reyn.
I would imagine most people would take a little while to determine whether they have actually gained an ability to see the future, or have just gone bat shit crazy.
But right from the early game, they established it was an actual ability.
Shulk relied heavily on it in combat from the moment he used the Monado, and from the way he and Reyn talk, they are well past doubting if it's an actual ability. Shulk has neither spoken or acted in any way to suggest he still doubts his power; he just refuses to tell anyone their life is in jeopardy for some bizarre reason.
But right from the early game, they established it was an actual ability.
Shulk relied heavily on it in combat from the moment he used the Monado, and from the way he and Reyn talk, they are well past doubting if it's an actual ability. Shulk has neither spoken or acted in any way to suggest he still doubts his power; he just refuses to tell anyone their life is in jeopardy for some bizarre reason.
I figured at that point it was because he was still coming to grips with the power and trying to work out how the best way to go about preventing the visions was. Outright telling the person involved may not be the best way in all cases, and he only really gets very small glimpses of a much bigger picture to begin with. Seems like you're letting it get to you too much, it becomes a non-issue later on anyway.
I figured at that point it was because he was still coming to grips with the power and trying to work out how the best way to go about preventing the visions was. Outright telling the person involved may not be the best way in all cases, and he only really gets very small glimpses of a much bigger picture to begin with. Seems like you're letting it get to you too much, it becomes a non-issue later on anyway.
Oh yeah, it's not stopping me from enjoying the game or anything. In fact, everything else in the game has been so amazing that this one sore spot just stands out like crazy to me.
I really hope they fix this in X. Cross-referencing the quest journal and affinity chart just to figure out who you need to talk to, when they're around, and where they are is really annoying.
Shulk's reluctance to tell anyone about the visions got on my nerves too. Thankfully it does all get sorted out relatively early on.
I'm 25 hours in now, about to enter Prison Island. (Name of that area's not exactly a spoiler, right?) The pacing here is... really wonky, guys. The story is trying to introduce a dozen things all at once while simultaneously throwing them out or brushing over them just a few hours later. The moment that stood out the most to me was when Reyn said something about (light spoiler)
Melia "not being that girl we found alone in the forest anymore."
. That happened, I don't know, just a few hours ago? I know I skipped the Nopon Village pretty much entirely but... yeah, wonky pacing. The voice work has also dropped off a bit. Lots of bored speak and one-off lines that just don't make sense.
Mostly Sharla for that last bit. I hate Sharla for no reason other than I hate Sharla.
Now, let me throw ALL THE GUESSES
I'm still waiting on Fiora to end up coming back, she's totally the pink "Goody Two-Shoes" as Metal Face calls them.
Mumkhar is Metal Face.
Alvis is very obviously not a good guy. Bad guy? Probably not. But he's right there with Dickson in the category of something ain't right.
And finally, Bionis is the enemy, not Mechonis. Not sure how/why, but that's just what I'm going to guess at.
I await to come back in the coming week to either guessing it all correctly or being completely off. Both scenarios work!
For once I made it through the Ether Mine with a Black Chip in one go.
First time I played the game it took me ten hours to find one. Second time, about two. third time, about three. This time, blammo, right in between the first and second elevator.
IIRC that place has the most quests there, no? :/
Certainly doesn't help their names are like Pipipopo and Bakupaku and shit like that....damned adorable munchkins.
For whatever reason, there was a collectable in Sword Valley I couldn't pick even after travelling that place for whatever stupid amount of time ---- so I traded for it.
Certain items I definitely feel are worth trading for if it's just that much easier. Rare monster drops and such. I don't think it's THAT integral, but a great last resort when you give less a fuck to hunt it down.
Shulk's reluctance to tell anyone about the visions got on my nerves too. Thankfully it does all get sorted out relatively early on.
I'm 25 hours in now, about to enter Prison Island. (Name of that area's not exactly a spoiler, right?) The pacing here is... really wonky, guys. The story is trying to introduce a dozen things all at once while simultaneously throwing them out or brushing over them just a few hours later.
First, yeah I'm glad they had the cutscene, I think that was an early milestone of XB breaking the 'barrier' of common story telling --- and it feels so "Japanese" to "carry the burden oneself" that I was happy they avoided it and play it up well from then on.
As for the second part, I won't get into too much detail, but I actually really agreed with this one reviewer who said Xenoblade is, at times, TOO spoilery; it loves and lives to tell a story that just breaks everything down.
But right from the early game, they established it was an actual ability.
Shulk relied heavily on it in combat from the moment he used the Monado, and from the way he and Reyn talk, they are well past doubting if it's an actual ability. Shulk has neither spoken or acted in any way to suggest he still doubts his power; he just refuses to tell anyone their life is in jeopardy for some bizarre reason.
Shulk is extremely confused about his visions. They show that a lot. Them showing precisely that is what has you bothered right now. Several times he has been completely unable to change them, many times, they are so vauge that he has no idea what they are really about, up to the moment they happen (For example, the one with Otharon is so vauge, many people dont understand what happened even after that point in the game
(Its a mechanical failure of the crane vehicle, it has nothing to do with any mechon attack, which is actually over by that point in the game),
to top it off, everybody who has come into contact with the monado that he has tried to talk to about it, has no idea what he is talking about, including the greatest monado wielding hom hom in existance.
Shulk isnt sure if hes actually the one changing the future, or if its the will of the Monado. If the people he saves, are really saved by him, or if its the monados will, or if the people he cant save, are his failures, or its simply not in the will of the monado to save them, if hes in control of fate, or being controlled by it, and if its fate, if its the will of the Monado, and not him, is there really a point in telling anyone? (This is kind of a huge on going underlining plot point of the game, not this specific context, but the general philosophy behind it). To complicate matters, Dunban (greatest mightiest hero and role model in the known universe) himself told shulk, right after saving the world, that it wasnt him that did it, that the monado in fact controlled him during the battle of sword valley. And Reyn... Reyn just doesnt think into things that far. At all. Not even close. Which is exactly what this particular situation needed. Later situations that arise on the other hand...... yeah....
Poor Shulk, no one ever believes him until after he saves them by changing the future anyways. And Colonol Otharon was kind of a dick and chewed him out when he tried to speak up. If youll notice, no one else spoke up to the Colonol about shulks vision either. No one said, hey, Otharon, he has visions of the future! They kept it between themselves, because they knew he would think it was garbage nonsense until he saw it in action for himself.
As for the second part, I won't get into too much detail, but I actually really agreed with this one reviewer who said Xenoblade is, at times, TOO spoilery; it loves and lives to tell a story that just breaks everything down.
I know right? I mean come on, A monad is totally just a monoid in the category of endofunctors, AND the Monad Begat the Dyad, which Begat the numbers that begat the points, that begat the lines, that begat 2d forms,that begat 3d forms, that begat the four elements that comprise the world. So blatantly obvious, its in the symbology from the beginning of the game! I mean, who doesnt have some casual experience with Haskell, and Pythagorean religion/mathematics, and Leibnitz Philosophy? Come on Takahashi, put some effort into it.
Are their any guides to how to optimize the art setup for ai-controlled characters? I don't really feel like finding out what movesets the ai handles well and whatnot. Been thinking about rocking Dunban, Shulk and Riki but that last one has a lot of options and I just want him to do well as an ai.
IIRC that place has the most quests there, no? :/
Certainly doesn't help their names are like Pipipopo and Bakupaku and shit like that....damned adorable munchkins.
I think it does, too. I'm trying to beat it 100%, or as close as you can come to 100%. Some of the stuff would be damn near impossible without a guide.
This was apparently a mistranslation and was really talking about the Model Viewer.
The Xenoblade wiki is a good source for finding random collectables and monster drops. I know some people don't like using guides, but if anyone is wanting to do as many quests as they can without going totally insane, I'd highly recommend using the wiki.
I think it does, too. I'm trying to beat it 100%, or as close as you can come to 100%. Some of the stuff would be damn near impossible without a guide.
It's good that the people on Miiverse are giving pointers on how to handle those audio glitches, I forgot that there was that resource for new players if it happened. But still, coming across glitches to begin with, just makes me wary.
IIRC that place has the most quests there, no? :/
Certainly doesn't help their names are like Pipipopo and Bakupaku and shit like that....damned adorable munchkins.
I've actually come to enjoy the Frontier Village quests, there's something hypnotic about going up and down and down and up and sometimes even nonchalantly jumping off into the Sacred Altar to get to someone down below, and there's those wooden contraptions and all the colorful stuff. It becomes a game in itself to land in the Altar correctly without dying. The Nopon that say "greet-ings!"are my favorites too Eventually I got good at predicting which Nopon looked like the kind that say "greet-ings" so I'd sometimes talk to them just to hear it, haha
Are their any guides to how to optimize the art setup for ai-controlled characters? I don't really feel like finding out what movesets the ai handles well and whatnot. Been thinking about rocking Dunban, Shulk and Riki but that last one has a lot of options and I just want him to do well as an ai.
Just give him status effect moves, like fire, ice and poison, his topple gamble (It randomly topples, and if that fails, binds, everytime, so its never really an inopportune move to use) and a heal move. Then I guess some attack moves, pink or red, doesnt really matter just make sure he has some stuff to link off of once or twice for chain attacks, and some heal moves. I really wouldnt trust an ai with any kind of aura move, or aggro reducing move (They always use them at the most inopportune times).
He should just spam his status moves, giving the enemy stacked poison, fire, and ice damage every second or so for brutallystupid amounts of dot, and then spam attack moves and repeat, he might randomly topple the enemy. He might even heal the party when they get hurt.
Model viewer is in the "Collection" menu from the title screen. The spreadsheet is a helpful resource, or the Xenoblade wiki. Especially for accurate NPC times and locations. If it's your first time playing I'd take it easy with those though, to avoid spoilers. I think the wiki is worse with that, a lot of unmarked spoilers there.
Just give him status effect moves, like fire, ice and poison, his topple gamble (It randomly topples, and if that fails, binds, everytime, so its never really an inopportune move to use) and a heal move. Then I guess some attack moves, pink or red, doesnt really matter just make sure he has some stuff to link off of once or twice for chain attacks, and some heal moves. I really wouldnt trust an ai with any kind of aura move, or aggro reducing move (They always use them at the most inopportune times).
He should just spam his status moves, giving the enemy stacked poison, fire, and ice damage every second or so for brutallystupid amounts of dot, and then spam attack moves and repeat, he might randomly topple the enemy. He might even heal the party when they get hurt.
Poor Shulk, no one ever believes him until after he saves them by changing the future anyways. And Colonol Otharon was kind of a dick and chewed him out when he tried to speak up. If youll notice, no one else spoke up to the Colonol about shulks vision either. No one said, hey, Otharon, he has visions of the future! They kept it between themselves, because they knew he would think it was garbage nonsense until he saw it in action for himself.
Sorry, just in the interest of space and readability, I didn't quote the entirety of your post. Thanks for the detailed response though, I appreciate it
Firstly, in regard to Colonel Ghandi, the scene plays out slightly different from how you're remembering it.
The others didn't speak out when he was chewing Shulk out because they didn't know. It was only after he stormed off that Reyn figured out Shulk was acting funny because of his visions and told him they should handle it as a team.
I understand and agree with you that the visions are vague and often unhelpful. I think where we diverge is that I am frustrated by Shulk's passivity and inaction. It's one thing to be confused about what best course of action to take, but Shulk's reaction to his vision is to not tell anyone and put the vision to the back of his mind without at least considering the possible lead ups to his vision and how to avert them. Him keeping it to himself would have made more sense if everyone doubted him, but Reyn had always believed him and by that point Sharla was willing to believe him though she remained more doubtful.
In regard to Shulk doubting whether he really has the ability to change the future, I don't think the narrative has successfully pushed that angle. From memory, these are all the visions and their outcomes I have encountered so far:
At present, the only vision that Shulk failed to change after being made aware of the Monado's power is JuJu's kidnapping. Everything else had been changed by him acting at the last second. Even if Shulk isn't fully convinced he has the power to change the future, he shouldn't be doubting at this point that the future can be changed.
In addition, changing the future is an active part of the gameplay in random combat. Obviously RPGs have always had an issue with gameplay and story segregation, but the fact remains that it's difficult for a player to be convinced of Shulk's doubts when s/he is encouraged to change the future in battle.
I'm trying to disable battle soul on Shulk but I don't have enough arts available to swap it out for another one and there seems to be no button to disable it totally. Does anyone know how to do it?
Sorry, just in the interest of space and readability, I didn't quote the entirety of your post. Thanks for the detailed response though, I appreciate it
Firstly, in regard to Colonel Ghandi, the scene plays out slightly different from how you're remembering it.
The others didn't speak out when he was chewing Shulk out because they didn't know. It was only after he stormed off that Reyn figured out Shulk was acting funny because of his visions and told him they should handle it as a team.
I understand and agree with you that the visions are vague and often unhelpful. I think where we diverge is that I am frustrated by Shulk's passivity and inaction. It's one thing to be confused about what best course of action to take, but Shulk's reaction to his vision is to not tell anyone and put the vision to the back of his mind without at least considering the possible lead ups to his vision and how to avert them. Him keeping it to himself would have made more sense if everyone doubted him, but Reyn had always believed him and by that point Sharla was willing to believe him though she remained more doubtful.
In regard to Shulk doubting whether he really has the ability to change the future, I don't think the narrative has successfully pushed that angle. From memory, these are all the visions and their outcomes I have encountered so far:
At present, the only vision that Shulk failed to change after being made aware of the Monado's power is JuJu's kidnapping. Everything else had been changed by him acting at the last second. Even if Shulk isn't fully convinced he has the power to change the future, he shouldn't be doubting at this point that the future can be changed.
In addition, changing the future is an active part of the gameplay in random combat. Obviously RPGs have always had an issue with gameplay and story segregation, but the fact remains that it's difficult for a player to be convinced of Shulk's doubts when s/he is encouraged to change the future in battle.
I always felt that one of the biggest things bugging Shulk at that particular vision was that
he didn't understand/know if it Otharan's words meant that Juju and Galdot were both dead or about to be killed. I'd imagine he probably thought saying something about that might drastically altar the events that he saw.
I'm really enjoying the game, but the UI is distractingly awful.
It really sucks that they didn't scale the name plates that pop up over enemies to a smaller size. It's difficult to see what's going on due to this lazy oversight.
The fact that 80% of the screen is covered with this UI at times is just absurd.
Sorry, just in the interest of space and readability, I didn't quote the entirety of your post. Thanks for the detailed response though, I appreciate it
Firstly, in regard to Colonel Ghandi, the scene plays out slightly different from how you're remembering it.
The others didn't speak out when he was chewing Shulk out because they didn't know. It was only after he stormed off that Reyn figured out Shulk was acting funny because of his visions and told him they should handle it as a team.
Thats exactly how it went down, the punctuality is completely irrelevant. At anytime in the hours upon hours of descending the mines after that, they could have stopped and told him. They decided not too.
I understand and agree with you that the visions are vague and often unhelpful. I think where we diverge is that I am frustrated by Shulk's passivity and inaction. It's one thing to be confused about what best course of action to take, but Shulk's reaction to his vision is to not tell anyone and put the vision to the back of his mind without at least considering the possible lead ups to his vision and how to avert them. Him keeping it to himself would have made more sense if everyone doubted him, but Reyn had always believed him and by that point Sharla was willing to believe him though she remained more doubtful.[/spoiler]
That is not what happens at all, Shulk is constantly stopping and falling behind the party thinking about the various things the vision could possibly mean. Its almost like hes a budding savant in category theory.
And hes struggling with indirectly learning a concept no homs has ever come remotely close to comprehending, or has ever been exposed too... and its like, hard and stuff.
And hes completely obsessing over it in an extremely introvertive manner like hes some kind of.... Nerd.
On top of that, the rest of it is related to a story arc related to Shulks behavior thats directly alluded to when you were leaving colony 9. Again, it is directly related to the philosophy of whether you are in control of fate, or whether fate controls you. Its... not a passive metaphor in this game...
In regard to Shulk doubting whether he really has the ability to change the future, I don't think the narrative has successfully pushed that angle. From memory, these are all the visions and their outcomes I have encountered so far:
There are also all the times the player fails to change the outcome of a vision during gameplay.
And none of this adresses whether it is shulk doing these things, or, as dunban said was his experience, the Monado. If Shulk is in control of his fate, or if fate is controlling shulk (Its like this is a big repeating theme)
At present, the only vision that Shulk failed to change after being made aware of the Monado's power is JuJu's kidnapping. Everything else had been changed by him acting at the last second. Even if Shulk isn't fully convinced he has the power to change the future, he shouldn't be doubting at this point that the future can be changed.
And all the gameplay visions that failed to be changed.
And again, is Shulk changing the future? Or is it the will of the Monad(o). Was it really just bad luck, that shulk was completely unable to do anything to save fiora despite seeing it in advance, when he had no problem avoiding instant unavoidable death moments earlier? If shulk had saved fiora... would he have set out on his adventure? Conversely, if shulk hadnt aced his first combat vision and died, would he have set out on his adventure?
In addition, changing the future is an active part of the gameplay in random combat. Obviously RPGs have always had an issue with gameplay and story segregation, but the fact remains that it's difficult for a player to be convinced of Shulk's doubts when s/he is encouraged to change the future in battle.
Yes, changing the future IS an active part of the gameplay, and there are many times the player fails to change the future in gameplay.
Changing the future is also a visual/interactive metaphor of a chain of nested Monads.
This rabbit hole goes REALLY deep.
But it boils down to, yes Shulks almost like... I cant even really say the words, you arent there yet, Im only saying things that should be observed up to where you are. Shulks behavior makes sense in the context of the game, and yes, it was already directly alluded to earlier in the game.
Is Shulk controlling his fate? Or is fate controlling Shulk?
Story Veterans Only:
Shulk behaves certain ways throughout the game, particulalry early on in the game, because its not shulk, its Zanza. Shulk has been dead for years, he is merely a vessel for zanza, who subtly comes out and controls shulk down his predetermined chain of events, until Shulk begins to figure out how to do these things himself, and starts deviating from Zanzas path, with a jump start/direct intervention , training, and assistance, from the Monad itself (Alvis). Guess Zanza really screwed up when he didnt consider shulk as a sentient being who had his own will, (That, after all, was a right reserved for Gods) and might just choose to become a nerd capable of eventually indirectly comprehending functional computer programming logic after being immersed in it... Giving Shulk the tools to fight Zanza at his own game. Programming reality, via the Monad I/O. The ability, to control his own fate, instead of the one Zanza laid out for him.
I passed the swamp and am now in this forest area, still enjoying this! I've gotten a hand for the battle system now, pulling off topples is a cynch now and defeating enemies is becoming easier and more fun. Shulk is probably going to remain my leader for the whole game, but I may experiment with different combos of characters and such.
More than anything, this game is just relaxing to play for me, and a treat to explore. The world is vast and beautiful, and its just... convenient. I love that I can dive off a cliff into an ocean, swim around for a bit, then teleport right back up to the top. Being able to save at any time is awesome as well. The game marries a lot of classic gaming ideologies with contemporary ones in a very unique way. It's perfect for the 3DS too, I didn't expect it to me so easy to pick up and play.
I have almost 20 hours in it, I didn't expect to put so many in so quick. I'm not really invested in the story at all, really. I was at first but right now I just want to continue delving into the beauty of the game's world, it's really worth exploring and admiring, even on such a small screen. I noticed that there seem to be two skies in this world, one that's right beneath what seems to be the shell of the beat you're atop, and the actual sky of... earth? If that's the planet we're on in this game. Really cool.
I don't usually like huge RPGs, but this is very good and I plan on finishing it at some point. Perhaps not too soon, I can imagine myself taking a break, but I will get it done at some point. The world is too great to pass up!
I'm really enjoying the game, but the UI is distractingly awful.
It really sucks that they didn't scale the name plates that pop up over enemies to a smaller size. It's difficult to see what's going on due to this lazy oversight.
The fact that 80% of the screen is covered with this UI at times is just absurd.
I always thought it made a lot of sense for Shulk to stay quiet at the beginning. He's introduced as a nerd who obssesses over his research and spends entire days working in his lab without eating. Then suddenly he gets this power that no one knows anything about and he just gets absolutely stuck on over thinking and overanalyzing it. He obviously wants to do the best thing but he just starts obsessing and overthinking and overanalyzing and doubting and just being kind of OCD over what the BEST action would be that he ends up being unable to say anything until the last minute... And then he gets a new power and the cycle continues. I dunno... It just made so much sense to me that this would be his character flaw because it fits so well with his quiet, keep things to myself type of personality. Also makes for some great contrast with Reyn who is the act first think later (or never) kind of guy. And makes for a really sweet scene because it's Reyn's support and words that finally help Shulk snap out of it. And makes for some good character development for Shulk as he learns to open up and trust people more as well as become far FAR more decisive in his actions and decisions. Seriously endgame Shulk has some terrifically badass lines.
So yeah... tl;dr just think of it as setting the stage for character development. You're probably not even a third of the way in. Don't get stuck on this haha.
But it boils down to, yes Shulks almost like... I cant even really say the words, you arent there yet, Im only saying things that should be observed up to where you are.
I mean, you're not really. You're stating things that won't be observed by a lot of players until much later game on their own without any kind of outside influence.
You're looking back at that point in the game with the knowledge you have after completing it and doing research on the terms and imagery used in the game world (All of which make a tonne more sense after seeing the ending).
To say that most players will have noticed all this at what is essentially still a very early point in the game is disingenuous and I think you're spoiling a bit of the discovery by laying it all out for people like that.
For example, this is a much better example of how to explain that point in the game, and it is what most people will observe with what they've been told up until that point:
I always thought it made a lot of sense for Shulk to stay quiet at the beginning. He's introduced as a nerd who obssesses over his research and spends entire days working in his lab without eating. Then suddenly he gets this power that no one knows anything about and he just gets absolutely stuck on over thinking and overanalyzing it. He obviously wants to do the best thing but he just starts obsessing and overthinking and overanalyzing and doubting and just being kind of OCD over what the BEST action would be that he ends up being unable to say anything until the last minute... And then he gets a new power and the cycle continues. I dunno... It just made so much sense to me that this would be his character flaw because it fits so well with his quiet, keep things to myself type of personality. Also makes for some great contrast with Reyn who is the act first think later (or never) kind of guy. And makes for a really sweet scene because it's Reyn's support and words that finally help Shulk snap out of it. And makes for some good character development for Shulk as he learns to open up and trust people more as well as become far FAR more decisive in his actions and decisions. Seriously endgame Shulk has some terrifically badass lines.
So yeah... tl;dr just think of it as setting the stage for character development. You're probably not even a third of the way in. Don't get stuck on this haha.
I mean, you're not really. You're stating things that won't be observed by a lot of players until much later game on their own.
You're looking back at that point in the game with the knowledge you have after completing it and doing research on the terms and imagery used in the game world (All of which make a tonne more sense after seeing the ending).
To say that most players will have noticed all this at what is essentially still a very early point in the game is disingenuous and I think you're spoiling a bit of the discovery by laying it all out for people like that.
For example, this is a much better example of how to explain that point in the game, and it is what most people will observe with what they've been told up until that point:
Im looking at the game with knowledge of its source material that existed decades to centuries, to milennia before the game ever existed. Believe it or not, the game itself is a lot more obscure than the material it covers. And even comprehensive knowledge of the source material (Which is not required, a very casual reference of the source material is more than enough) will mean nothing until the story events take place. The only reason it means so much to you, is because youve already seen said events.
It is VASTLY more enjoyable, and offers an immensely greater sense of discovery when you have knowledge of even just one of the games base themes before or during playing, and can begin to understand whats happening as it unfolds, rather than lamenting about 'a simple story about a boy and his magic sword'.
The only things Ive laid out, are tools to be used at the appropriate time.
Shulk behaves certain ways throughout the game, particulalry early on in the game, because its not shulk, its Zanza. Shulk has been dead for years, he is merely a vessel for zanza, who subtly comes out and controls shulk down his predetermined chain of events, until Shulk begins to figure out how to do these things himself, and starts deviating from Zanzas path, with a jump start/direct intervention , training, and assistance, from the Monad itself (Alvis). Guess Zanza really screwed up when he didnt consider shulk as a sentient being who had his own will, (That, after all, was a right reserved for Gods) and might just choose to become a nerd capable of eventually indirectly comprehending functional computer programming logic after being immersed in it... Giving Shulk the tools to fight Zanza at his own game. Programming reality, via the Monad I/O. The ability, to control his own fate, instead of the one Zanza laid out for him.
Man this shit sounds so bonkers and so much cooler than the rote-as-fuck hero journey it starts as. I wish they telegraphed this stuff more.
I love a story that makes you excited to go read source texts. Like True Detective got me to go read The King in Yellow. I want this game to inspire me to go read this stuff you're referring to but here I am just short of Nopon village and there's nothing to indicate anything you've explained here.
That's a gameplay mechanic, don't really need spoilers.
It depends on the vision. A vision tag with white text is a talent art, that's what you use Monado Shield for.
If it has red text, that's a physical attack. Monado Shield won't do anything for these. Shield Bullet, Monado Armor, and Reflection are good choices for taking the hit, and you can use Monado Speed or something like Serene Heart to increase agility and avoid the attack.
Blue text is the wonky one, it stands for ether attacks. You can't avoid the attack, but you can reduce it using the same methods as physical attacks - Shield Bullet, Monado Armor, Reflection.
You can also daze the enemy and it will shatter their vision tag, and a different attack will be used. This is a good idea for blue/ether visions since the other two are much more easily avoided.
Also, "warn" is kind of bad. You're better off trying to manage the vision yourself rather than spending part of the party gauge to have another character do it. Shulk can deal with anything, so he should never need to warn an ally.
I'm lv 23 at the marsh now. So much fun and so many challenges.
Xord
is very challenging.for me when my level is 21 and retried for 4 times. Until now, the most difficult unique monster for me is Solid Konev (lv10) in Tephra Cave.
I feel so dumb; after 3 playthroughs, I still d not understand Ether attacks. I think it's safe to say that the Ether stats on a character point out their capability of defending themselves from them or dishing them out, but i still do not understand what those specific attacks entail. Shit the terminology can be somewhat confusing. I remember Aura not making sense at all my first time through.
"Ether" is basically synonymous with magic in this case. For your arts, anything with a gray line through it is an ether art and will be impacted by the ether stat.
Light Heal has it:
Back Slash doesn't:
Art color is also an indicator.
Blue arts are generally ether-based support arts, like healing, curing, or other status-related stuff. Purple arts are damage-based ether arts, like Reyn's Aura Burst. Auras are also always ether-based.
Red arts are physical attack arts, they will never be ether based.
Don't remember if any break arts are ether-based, but topple and daze arts can be either physical or ether.
Best to sell the items with small bag icons. Those are common drops and are easily replaceable. The big bag ones with the star on them will be harder to re-collect if you end up needing them.
"Ether" is basically synonymous with magic in this case. For your arts, anything with a gray line through it is an ether art and will be impacted by the ether stat.
Light Heal has it:
Back Slash doesn't:
Art color is also an indicator.
Blue arts are generally ether-based support arts, like healing, curing, or other status-related stuff. Purple arts are damage-based ether arts, like Reyn's Aura Burst. Auras are also always ether-based.
Red arts are physical attack arts, they will never be ether based.
Don't remember if any break arts are ether-based, but topple and daze arts can be either physical or ether.
