• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Xenoblade |OT| Sorry I Kept You Waiting!

MBison

Member
Ok I'm finally starting this. Any advice to a total newb? Especially one who stressed out about missed side quests and "I really don't like to grind"?

Thanks!
 

chaosblade

Unconfirmed Member
Ok I'm finally starting this. Any advice to a total newb? Especially one who stressed out about missed side quests and "I really don't like to grind"?

Thanks!

There's a FAQ in the OP with tips, and my slightly more detailed one is linked along with it.

I don't think it's really mentioned there, but don't feel obligated to main Shulk or use the initial party throughout the game. The game encourages and rewards you for mixing things up and using a variety of parties and party members throughout the game, and they all play at least a little differently, so it can keep things from getting too monotonous.

Skills and skill links are your best friends, just as much as gems. Don't forget about them as you're playing.



Speaking of the FAQ, I might split it up and have a basic/newby FAQ, and then do an advanced FAQ. Just not sure if it's worth the time or effort since I'm not sure how many people would even bother reading it.
 

ozfunghi

Member
I just finished The Last Story this week... Never played a game that good that felt immensely disappointing due to not being able to live up to the standard of a game like Xenoblade. Xenoblade is just that good. Best Wii game for me.
 

2San

Member
Bought the game on release and have finally completed the game. It was pretty good all round, but I definitely liked the earlier portions more. While out there, the ending was satisfying. :D
 

Zornica

Banned
I just finished The Last Story this week... Never played a game that good that felt immensely disappointing due to not being able to live up to the standard of a game like Xenoblade. Xenoblade is just that good. Best Wii game for me.

yeah... I had the same problem 2 years ago when I played ToG and TLS right after XB. Couldn't finish either of them... only resumed tls with the european version a few month ago and it felt way better this time.
It's surely better not to play another rpg immediate after playing xb.
 

MBison

Member
Ok I'm finally starting this. Any advice to a total newb? Especially one who stressed out about missed side quests and "I really don't like to grind"?

Thanks!
 

Seanspeed

Banned
Ok I'm finally starting this. Any advice to a total newb? Especially one who stressed out about missed side quests and "I really don't like to grind"?

Thanks!
You're going to get a LOT of sidequests thrown at you. There's nothing wrong with doing the majority of them, but it can get tedious and its also easy to become overpowered/overleveled if you really just stick around and do all that you can before moving on. Realize that the very large majority of sidequests can be completed later on, so if you're getting burnt out or things are becoming too easy, dont hesitate to just move on with the story and come back later. The fast travel system makes it super-quick and easy to go back to locations later on without any tedious back-tracking.

As for grinding, you generally wont need to do much depending on how you play. Many of the areas are designed to give the option of either fighting your way through or to sneak around. Even if you're avoiding sidequests, you'll generally remain at an adequate level if you're fighting most of the enemies along the way so there's usually not a need to grind. You have to be actively avoiding sidequests and combat to become underleveled. There's a few places in the game where you'll experience a noticeable difficulty spike, but they're generally later in the game.

So really, its very much like Skyrim in that you can play at your own pace. There's no right or wrong way to do things.
 
Thanks a lot for the input, guys. I'm gonna pick this up sometime this week!

EDIT: I'm reading the GOTY thread on the regular gaming forum and this is on a few peoples' lists. Damn. I didn't realize it was that good. How has it sold? Is there a possibility of a WiiU sequel?
 

chaosblade

Unconfirmed Member
Thanks a lot for the input, guys. I'm gonna pick this up sometime this week!

EDIT: I'm reading the GOTY thread on the regular gaming forum and this is on a few peoples' lists. Damn. I didn't realize it was that good. How has it sold? Is there a possibility of a WiiU sequel?

We don't really have any sales data, even if it did make the top 10 in April (sliiiight possibility, given how abysmal that month was as a whole) NPD didn't count it since it was retailer exclusive.

The game's ending is kind of open for a sequel, even a direct one (I made a some points about this a few pages back) but it's pretty damn unlikely. I wouldn't be surprised if it got a sort of spiritual sequel that builds on what they did here though.
 

MBison

Member
I'm about 3.5 hours in and enjoying it a lot. Especially at 1080p on Dolphin. Some stuff is really impressive visually. Getting used to all the various elements. Combat feels a little chaos still but I'm starting to get the hang of it.

One thing im not that sure about is the skill tree. What should I be thinking about here, focusing on, etc. any quickie tutorials?
 

chaosblade

Unconfirmed Member
I'm about 3.5 hours in and enjoying it a lot. Especially at 1080p on Dolphin. Some stuff is really impressive visually. Getting used to all the various elements. Combat feels a little chaos still but I'm starting to get the hang of it.

One thing im not that sure about is the skill tree. What should I be thinking about here, focusing on, etc. any quickie tutorials?

Just focus on unlocking as many skills as possible at first. Start with the cheapest ones (the ones toward the top) and work your way down. Once you start getting to the more expensive ones you should have a better idea of how the game works, and you can focus on the ones that fit your playstyle best.

You can probably unlock every skill from the three starting trees by the end of the game for most characters. You'll want to do quests for the additional skill trees if you plan to tackle the post-game content.
 
I've almost completed my VI gem wishlist.

Today I mega heated 2 pairs of Debuff Resist VI and Double Attack VI gems. I also mega heated my 2nd Unbeatable VI pair, and with that I'm done farming Deinos Sauros.

Now all that's left are the Bleed, Chill, Blaze, and Poison Plus gems. After that, it's all gems from the boss uniques.
That 25% Crit gem from Despotic Arsene + Shulk's 75% crit rate Monado III... Oh god that'll be beautiful.

Question: Does Debuff Resist guard against instant death attacks, making Divine Protect gems useless?

Also, if I have Topple Up VI and Daze Up VI, do they stack when I topple + daze an enemy, meaning I'm doing 200% damage?
 

chaosblade

Unconfirmed Member
I've almost completed my VI gem wishlist.

Today I mega heated 2 pairs of Debuff Resist VI and Double Attack VI gems. I also mega heated my 2nd Unbeatable VI pair, and with that I'm done farming Deinos Sauros.

Now all that's left are the Bleed, Chill, Blaze, and Poison Plus gems. After that, it's all gems from the boss uniques.
That 25% Crit gem from Despotic Arsene + Shulk's 75% crit rate Monado III... Oh god that'll be beautiful.

Question: Does Debuff Resist guard against instant death attacks, making Divine Protect gems useless?

Also, if I have Topple Up VI and Daze Up VI, do they stack when I topple + daze an enemy, meaning I'm doing 200% damage?

Debuff Resist does guard against instant death. The only thing it doesn't protect against is topple/daze. Makes pretty much every other defensive gem useless.

And I've never bothered with the "Up" gems. If Topple Up continues to work while the enemy is dazed, I assume they stack.
 
I can't for the life of me find all the Defense Force Soldiers of colony 9, required for an achievement.

Or worse yet, I double checked that I had a relationship with all colony 9 npcs via the xenoblade wiki, glitch or what?

Anyone with a list of the soldiers?
 
Debuff Resist does guard against instant death. The only thing it doesn't protect against is topple/daze. Makes pretty much every other defensive gem useless.

And I've never bothered with the "Up" gems. If Topple Up continues to work while the enemy is dazed, I assume they stack.

Excellent. What an awesome gem!

Hmm, I might have to test that. I'd love to see a 300% power Backslash by giving Shulk Topple Up, Daze Up, and Back Attack VI gems.
 
Gah. I just started this game, and I'm loving it. I tried looking through a FAQ to understand some game mechanics and read huge spoilers, which has me really angry. How hard is it to write a FAQ that respects the player? God damn it.

Sigh. Anyway, I'm absolutely adoring the game. I just finished
the Colony 6 mine
, which as a dungeon was a bit too long for my taste, and I felt like the difficulty wasn't really there for most of it. The vast majority of enemies were black or blue to me. Is that normal? I don't feel as though I've been overzealous in my leveling, I've just been grabbing all the quests I can and then playing the game normally, getting rewards as they happen to come in.

I was hoping GAF could help me with the bits of information I was looking for in a FAQ without spoiling anything for me:
1) What does Agility do? I even checked the manual, and there's nothing in there. I assume it affects evasion rate, but anything else?

2) I'm not entirely understanding how I use
the Monado to shield me from enemy attacks; sometimes I put up Shield and the boss just plows through anyway - what gives? Am I supposed to use Speed for physical, and Shield for ether?

3) I know this game has several points of no return with regard to quests. I also know that if you do too many quests, you outlevel the game heartily and everything becomes less interesting. I want my epic boss fights where I barely scape by, but I HATE MISSING THINGS. Especially if it's something important like
4th and 5th skill trees - can I miss those?
Right now I just finished
the Colony 6 mine
, and I'm worried about losing the opportunity to do all these quests and experience the full game. I would really appreciate some healthy feedback on this situation.
 

Zornica

Banned
1) What does Agility do? I even checked the manual, and there's nothing in there. I assume it affects evasion rate, but anything else?

2) I'm not entirely understanding how I use
the Monado to shield me from enemy attacks; sometimes I put up Shield and the boss just plows through anyway - what gives? Am I supposed to use Speed for physical, and Shield for ether?

3) I know this game has several points of no return with regard to quests. I also know that if you do too many quests, you outlevel the game heartily and everything becomes less interesting. I want my epic boss fights where I barely scape by, but I HATE MISSING THINGS. Especially if it's something important like
4th and 5th skill trees - can I miss those?
Right now I just finished
the Colony 6 mine
, and I'm worried about losing the opportunity to do all these quests and experience the full game. I would really appreciate some healthy feedback on this situation.

1) Agility is the most important stat in the game. it regulates evasion and accuracy. You should push it as high as possible.

2) If you see a vision, the name of the attack is colored either red, white or blue. Monado shield ONLY blocks white attacks. (they can't be blocked otherwise).
Speed
is for "red" colored attacks, and blue... well sometimes speed works, most of the time it doesn't seem to. I mostly just broke those visions with stun or sleep

3) you can't miss anything of importance. Missable things are marked with a small clock (quests).
skilltrees
aren't missable. I wouldn't worry to much as 90% of all players tend to get really underleveled near the end. there are a few major level spikes there, so don't worry. (the game also balances things by adjusting the xp if your level is high and you are doing lowlvl quests etc)

btw: reading a xb faqs is NEVER a good idea, they are all spoilery as hell, its better to ask here. what exactly got spoiled?
 
1) Agility is the most important stat in the game. it regulates evasion and accuracy. You should push it as high as possible.
Ah okay, so when I see that
Dunban
has a tree that gives him +30% agility for not wearing armor, that's viable? Does it affect the rate at which I inflict status effects at all? I've noticed Break and Topple get resisted sometimes.

2) If you see a vision, the name of the attack is colored either red, white or blue. Monado shield ONLY blocks white attacks. (they can't be blocked otherwise).
Speed
is for "red" colored attacks, and blue... well sometimes speed works, most of the time it doesn't seem to. I mostly just broke those visions with stun or sleep
Huh, that's weird. Surely there must be some way to interfere. Thanks for clearing that up for me, though.

3) you can't miss anything of importance. Missable things are marked with a small clock (quests).
skilltrees
aren't missable. I wouldn't worry to much as 90% of all players tend to get really underleveled near the end. there are a few major level spikes there, so don't worry. (the game also balances things by adjusting the xp if your level is high and you are doing lowlvl quests etc)
That makes me feel a bit better, but perhaps you could clarify what you mean by "anything of importance". Do you mean I can't miss out on top tier items/abilities? What about great stories about side characters? I know that the more affinity stars you get for a village, the more quests open up. Is it possibly to max those stars out even late game if you skipped a whole bunch of stuff? If it's just fetch quests I'm missing out on, with absolutely no consequences later, then I don't care. If it's anything more than that, it concerns me.

btw: reading a xb faqs is NEVER a good idea, they are all spoilery as hell, its better to ask here. what exactly got spoiled?
If you respond to this, please do so in such a way that doesn't cause any further harm, haha:
Fiora apparently comes back somehow? I saw that she has a 4th and 5th skill tree in a skill tree FAQ I was looking at, and I can't see how she could get those right away, which tells me that she either isn't dead or returns. I'm trying not to think about it because it keeps leading me to making connections between events that I shouldn't be.
 

chaosblade

Unconfirmed Member
Gah. I just started this game, and I'm loving it. I tried looking through a FAQ to understand some game mechanics and read huge spoilers, which has me really angry. How hard is it to write a FAQ that respects the player? God damn it.

Sigh. Anyway, I'm absolutely adoring the game. I just finished
the Colony 6 mine
, which as a dungeon was a bit too long for my taste, and I felt like the difficulty wasn't really there for most of it. The vast majority of enemies were black or blue to me. Is that normal? I don't feel as though I've been overzealous in my leveling, I've just been grabbing all the quests I can and then playing the game normally, getting rewards as they happen to come in.

I was hoping GAF could help me with the bits of information I was looking for in a FAQ without spoiling anything for me:
1) What does Agility do? I even checked the manual, and there's nothing in there. I assume it affects evasion rate, but anything else?

2) I'm not entirely understanding how I use
the Monado to shield me from enemy attacks; sometimes I put up Shield and the boss just plows through anyway - what gives? Am I supposed to use Speed for physical, and Shield for ether?

3) I know this game has several points of no return with regard to quests. I also know that if you do too many quests, you outlevel the game heartily and everything becomes less interesting. I want my epic boss fights where I barely scape by, but I HATE MISSING THINGS. Especially if it's something important like
4th and 5th skill trees - can I miss those?
Right now I just finished
the Colony 6 mine
, and I'm worried about losing the opportunity to do all these quests and experience the full game. I would really appreciate some healthy feedback on this situation.

This is precisely why I was planning to adjust the one I wrote to cover more stuff. I'm like 99% sure mine didn't have any spoilers so I assume you're not referring to it.

1. Agility is related to both accuracy and evasion. There's not really much else to day without getting into some really gritty details about how the game works. Simply put, it's the most important stat in the game for most characters, so you'll usually want to beef up their agility as much as possible.

2. Not bothering spoiler-tagging this because it's pretty basic gameplay mechanics, and others have sort of asked about it as well in the past. Could help someone else.

Shield only works for Talent Arts. They appear in white text and always have a roman numeral beside them indicating the level of the talent art (thus, the required shield level). It doesn't work on anything else.

Speed only works for enemy arts with red text (physical arts). It's not 100% guaranteed to make them dodge the enemy attack, but it's very effective regardless. The chance of it not working is very, very slim.

Blue enemy arts are ether-based, and there's no way to really block those. Sleep works, but all it does is change the vision tag and you could just end up with another blue one, or even the same art. Later on you can get an art that helps with these, but it's optional and requires you to do a couple quests to unlock it.

3. There's only one point of no return that's not preceeded by a "Do you want to continue" sort of question (but not all of them indicate a point of no return).

You have ample time to do all of the timed quests. The ones you have now expire at your choosing, unless you wait until a point near the end of the game.

The next big set you'll come across expires quite a bit later in the game than when you get them, so don't be afraid to not complete them all while you're initially in that area. Just go back to them whenever you feel like it.

Timed quests beyond those (they'll be after the halfway point or so), it's probably best to do them ASAP, but there aren't a whole lot more of them anyway.


Edit: Beaten while GAF was acting up for me.

Ah okay, so when I see that
Dunban
has a tree that gives him +30% agility for not wearing armor, that's viable? Does it affect the rate at which I inflict status effects at all? I've noticed Break and Topple get resisted sometimes.


Huh, that's weird. Surely there must be some way to interfere. Thanks for clearing that up for me, though.


That makes me feel a bit better, but perhaps you could clarify what you mean by "anything of importance". Do you mean I can't miss out on top tier items/abilities? What about great stories about side characters? I know that the more affinity stars you get for a village, the more quests open up. Is it possibly to max those stars out even late game if you skipped a whole bunch of stuff? If it's just fetch quests I'm missing out on, with absolutely no consequences later, then I don't care. If it's anything more than that, it concerns me.

1. That's more of a gimmick than anything. I wouldn't bother with it until late in the game (if at all) when you can stack a few more things with it. Practically all of your defense comes from your armor, not your base stats from leveling up. So no-armor can be quite risky since getting hit is a huge deal.

2. There's another art that's reasonably effective against enemy ether arts. Doesn't completely block them, but it helps. Sleep is probably the best bet if you have someone in your party that can use it, but all that does is change the vision tag.

3. Only timed quests are missable, and I don't think any of the rewards for them are all that great or important. I don't know if you'll actually be able to max out affinity with each area if you miss the quests, but those also aren't required for any major rewards. The area with the most missable quests only requires 3 star affinity for the "big" reward for that area, IIRC, and you can get that even if you skip every single timed quest, I believe, though it would probably require you to do every other possible quest.
 

Zornica

Banned
Ah okay, so when I see that
Dunban
has a tree that gives him +30% agility for not wearing armor, that's viable? Does it affect the rate at which I inflict status effects at all? I've noticed Break and Topple get resisted sometimes.


Huh, that's weird. Surely there must be some way to interfere. Thanks for clearing that up for me, though.


That makes me feel a bit better, but perhaps you could clarify what you mean by "anything of importance". Do you mean I can't miss out on top tier items/abilities? What about great stories about side characters? I know that the more affinity stars you get for a village, the more quests open up. Is it possibly to max those stars out even late game if you skipped a whole bunch of stuff? If it's just fetch quests I'm missing out on, with absolutely no consequences later, then I don't care. If it's anything more than that, it concerns me.


If you respond to this, please do so in such a way that doesn't cause any further harm, haha:
Fiora apparently comes back somehow? I saw that she has a 4th and 5th skill tree in a skill tree FAQ I was looking at, and I can't see how she could get those right away, which tells me that she either isn't dead or returns. I'm trying not to think about it because it keeps leading me to making connections between events that I shouldn't be.

not wearing any armor with dunban is often recommended until you hit ~level 50. the gems you can get at that point are usually better this skill. As far as I know, inflicting status is not related to agility. It's probably strengh/ether OR a specific gem.

@missing stuff: you aren't far enough yet, so I keep this brief: there is an area which houses a lot of quests, and they are all timed. they are mostly fetch quests and except for sidestories and mediocre items you won't gain anything from them. But the "timelimits" are mostly more than generous, and the points of no return are mostly unmistakably marked. You should probably ask again when you reach that zone.

@spoiler: don't worry, it's just a NG+ easteregg.
there are far worse things that could've been spoiled, so you better stay away from faqs now ;)
 
Another question:
Can I have any influence over what my partners do, aside from choosing which skills they use? Reyn's tanking is really frustrating for me right now because I don't think the AI starts the fights off right, and I'm wondering if there's some way I can prioritize abilities.

Also, throughout fights I get opportunities to perform a Battle Affinity (I think that's what it's called), but I don't actually know what this is doing. What is it doing? Does it matter when I hit "b", as long as it's within the blue circle?

This is precisely why I was planning to adjust the one I wrote to cover more stuff. I'm like 99% sure mine didn't have any spoilers so I assume you're not referring to it.
It was a general "skill tree" FAQ. I was trying to find a way to know whether I might miss a quest related to them.

1. Agility is related to both accuracy and evasion. There's not really much else to day without getting into some really gritty details about how the game works. Simply put, it's the most important stat in the game for most characters, so you'll usually want to beef up their agility as much as possible.
On this note, do auto-attacks work like I think they do? It seems like if I spam a bunch of arts, auto-attacks never come out. So my highest DPS option is to stagger arts between auto-attacks.

2. Not bothering spoiler-tagging this because it's pretty basic gameplay mechanics, and others have sort of asked about it as well in the past. Could help someone else.

Shield only works for Talent Arts. They appear in white text and always have a roman numeral beside them indicating the level of the talent art (thus, the required shield level). It doesn't work on anything else.

Speed only works for enemy arts with red text (physical arts). It's not 100% guaranteed to make them dodge the enemy attack, but it's very effective regardless. The chance of it not working is very, very slim.

Blue enemy arts are ether-based, and there's no way to really block those. Sleep works, but all it does is change the vision tag and you could just end up with another blue one, or even the same art. Later on you can get an art that helps with these, but it's optional and requires you to do a couple quests to unlock it.
I know you were beaten to the punch, but thanks for typing all that out.

3. There's only one point of no return that's not preceeded by a "Do you want to continue" sort of question (but not all of them indicate a point of no return).

You have ample time to do all of the timed quests. The ones you have now expire at your choosing, unless you wait until a point near the end of the game.

The next big set you'll come across expires quite a bit later in the game than when you get them, so don't be afraid to not complete them all while you're initially in that area. Just go back to them whenever you feel like it.

Timed quests beyond those (they'll be after the halfway point or so), it's probably best to do them ASAP, but there aren't a whole lot more of them anyway.
Ah, good. I'll return once I get to the big town with all the quests to ask where that hidden point of no return is.

3. Only timed quests are missable, and I don't think any of the rewards for them are all that great or important. I don't know if you'll actually be able to max out affinity with each area if you miss the quests, but those also aren't required for any major rewards. The area with the most missable quests only requires 3 star affinity for the "big" reward for that area, IIRC, and you can get that even if you skip every single timed quest, I believe, though it would probably require you to do every other possible quest.
Great! Does affinity carry over in NG+? I miss the days when people wrote FAQs that really were just FAQs.

not wearing any armor with dunban is often recommended until you hit ~level 50. the gems you can get at that point are usually better this skill. As far as I know, inflicting status is not related to agility. It's probably strengh/ether OR a specific gem.
K.

@missing stuff: you aren't far enough yet, so I keep this brief: there is an area which houses a lot of quests, and they are all timed. they are mostly fetch quests and except for sidestories and mediocre items you won't gain anything from them. But the "timelimits" are mostly more than generous, and the points of no return are mostly unmistakably marked. You should probably ask again when you reach that zone.
Will do, thank you.

@spoiler: don't worry, it's just a NG+ easteregg.
there are far worse things that could've been spoiled, so you better stay away from faqs now ;)
Oh wow, you just made my day. Utter glee over here that it wasn't a "real" spoiler. Does NG+ have all enemies at the same level, or do they scale? What's the reason to do NG+, spoiler-free? I tend to look at FAQs because I absolutely hate it when people post in threads to ask basic questions that can be answered elsewhere. Like asking what Agility does, etc. But the threat of spoilers terrifies me.

Also, I read your character tutorial for Melia (I'm fine with knowing I get a character named Melia on my team because I know nothing about her - just that there's a "someone" out there that will join eventually), and it was pretty awesome. Do you have tutorials for the others? I tried searching "Character #1 Tutorial", but GAF's search engine isn't very reliable, and I got nothing.
 

chaosblade

Unconfirmed Member
There's no such thing as a dumb question, so don't be afraid to ask. This game can be a bit complex and difficult to wrap your head around at first.

Another question:
Can I have any influence over what my partners do, aside from choosing which skills they use? Reyn's tanking is really frustrating for me right now because I don't think the AI starts the fights off right, and I'm wondering if there's some way I can prioritize abilities.
Not really. You can select the arts they have in battle, and you can manually choose their arts in chain attacks obviously, but that's it. The AI generally does a good job, but they have their off moments. Except Melia, who the AI just sucks with.

Also, throughout fights I get opportunities to perform a Battle Affinity (I think that's what it's called), but I don't actually know what this is doing. What is it doing? Does it matter when I hit "b", as long as it's within the blue circle?
Okay, there are two different "b" button QTEs. In any case, you want to hit them as close to the static white circle as possible without hitting it too early. Hitting it early means no bonus. Right on it means max bonus. Late means a lesser bonus, based on how late you hit it.

The first is Battle Start Affinity. This is the one that pops up when you engage an enemy in battle, before the fight starts. This increases your tension (which will probably bring up a whole new question!) and activates some of your skills. The closer to hit it to the static circle, the more tension you get.

During battle, you'll have something that looks the same called Burst Affinity. This also raises tension, increases affinity between party members, and fills the party gauge. A few skills also activate on burst affinity. The closer you hit it to the static circle, the more affinity you gain, the more tension you get, and the more the party gauge fills. You can fill an entire bar of the party gauge if you hit it right on the static circle.

On this note, do auto-attacks work like I think they do? It seems like if I spam a bunch of arts, auto-attacks never come out. So my highest DPS option is to stagger arts between auto-attacks.
Yes, you won't auto-attack if you're constantly using arts. And if you're not autoattacking, your talent gauge won't fill.

Great! Does affinity carry over in NG+? I miss the days when people wrote FAQs that really were just FAQs.
Affinity between party members does. Affinity with areas does not.

Oh wow, you just made my day. Utter glee over here that it wasn't a "real" spoiler. Does NG+ have all enemies at the same level, or do they scale? What's the reason to do NG+, spoiler-free? I tend to look at FAQs because I absolutely hate it when people post in threads to ask basic questions that can be answered elsewhere. Like asking what Agility does, etc. But the threat of spoilers terrifies me.
NG+ is basically the same, but with all your levels, gear, skills, arts, etc. It's mainly for rushing through and doing everything you missed out on the first time through, and maybe getting revenge on those super-high level enemies that gave you trouble early on.

Also, I read your character tutorial for Melia (I'm fine with knowing I get a character named Melia on my team because I know nothing about her - just that there's a "someone" out there that will join eventually), and it was pretty awesome. Do you have tutorials for the others? I tried searching "Character #1 Tutorial", but GAF's search engine isn't very reliable, and I got nothing.
IIRC he did, but they weren't posted here and aren't in English.

The only reason that one was posted was because that character is a bit unique. She plays very differently than the others and as a result a lot of people either asked about her, skipped over her entirely since they didn't get how she worked. And that's kind of a mistake, since she's a great character (at least when you use her manually).
 

Exeunt

Member
I tend to look at FAQs because I absolutely hate it when people post in threads to ask basic questions that can be answered elsewhere. Like asking what Agility does, etc. But the threat of spoilers terrifies me.

I've Googled some really simple questions but looking at some stuff after I beat the game, I could've been spoiled on countless occasions had I run certain searches rather than asking on GAF. As far as I know, nobody's really had an issue with my questions in here so I wouldn't worry too much if I were you. Not everything is explained that well in-game and here's a pretty safe place to seek clarification. You can get a fair bit of information from reading the tutorials again (not to mention the ones you aren't forced to read) but GAF really comes in handy for other mechanics.

IIRC he did, but they weren't posted here and aren't in English.

The only reason that one was posted was because that character is a bit unique. She plays very differently than the others and as a result a lot of people either asked about her, skipped over her entirely since they didn't get how she worked. And that's kind of a mistake, since she's a great character (at least when you use her manually).

I remember asking the same question way back when, and I agree that you don't really need guides for the rest of the characters. Sure there are tips here and there for using them most effectively, but they all use the Art system much more conventionally and you can generally find a good set-up by looking at your team's needs. Melia is lots of fun when you control her, so I definitely recommend giving her a shot once she is in your party!
 
Now continue enjoying the game Karsticles and don't spoil anything else!!

The game constantly throws new things at you (gamplay and plot) no reason to ruin the experience of them.


Reposting from previous page:
I can't for the life of me find all the Defense Force Soldiers of colony 9, required for an achievement.

Or worse yet, I double checked that I had a relationship with all colony 9 npcs via the xenoblade wiki, glitch or what?

Anyone with a list of the soldiers?
 
There's no such thing as a dumb question, so don't be afraid to ask. This game can be a bit complex and difficult to wrap your head around at first.
I'll hold you to that sentiment, haha. Random question: does my party choice affect cutscenes at all? I really hope not.

Not really. You can select the arts they have in battle, and you can manually choose their arts in chain attacks obviously, but that's it. The AI generally does a good job, but they have their off moments. Except Melia, who the AI just sucks with.
Gotcha. Is there a post somewhere that explains how the aggro system works? I've played WoW, so the idea isn't unfamiliar to me, but every game does it different. The reason I asked about character control is Reyn starts every fight with this attack (I don't know its name) that takes forever to wind up. So I need to tell everyone to fight, and then wait for Reyn to walk over slowly, and then attack with Shulk finally, which still tends to pull aggro. It's not a big deal aside from making my DPS drop, but I suspect that later on it might matter to have a better solution.

Also, is there a way to make my party always attack what I'm attacking? After we kill something they tend to go do their own stuff, and it pisses me off. "Reyn, get back here and tank this damn it!", is my constant thought. Sure, I could just play Reyn, and I might do that later.

Okay, there are two different "b" button QTEs. In any case, you want to hit them as close to the static white circle as possible without hitting it too early. Hitting it early means no bonus. Right on it means max bonus. Late means a lesser bonus, based on how late you hit it.

The first is Battle Start Affinity. This is the one that pops up when you engage an enemy in battle, before the fight starts. This increases your tension (which will probably bring up a whole new question!) and activates some of your skills. The closer to hit it to the static circle, the more tension you get.

During battle, you'll have something that looks the same called Burst Affinity. This also raises tension, increases affinity between party members, and fills the party gauge. A few skills also activate on burst affinity. The closer you hit it to the static circle, the more affinity you gain, the more tension you get, and the more the party gauge fills. You can fill an entire bar of the party gauge if you hit it right on the static circle.
Hahahahahaha, it's a good thing we had this conversation. Using ye olde Kirby Super Star logic, I thought the goal was to hit "b" right when the circle surrounded the "b" button. That must be why my affinity has been going up so slow, and Reyn and the third party member you get are still neutral toward each other.

Does Battle Start Affinity affect character affinity? Basically, I want to know if there's a consequence to going around and 1-shotting low level stuff with Shulk. It's a pain to start the battle normally, since I can't backstab right away then because Reyn is so slow.

You're right that I want to know what Tension is. Especially since
Sharla
just got an attack that boosts tension for my party. On the topic of skills that activate based on Battle Start Affinity, a lot of them say they have a 50% or so chance of happening. Is that 50% the max possibility if I hit the white edge around the circle? Does Burst Affinity have a chance at procing those?

Yes, you won't auto-attack if you're constantly using arts. And if you're not autoattacking, your talent gauge won't fill.
Like most RPGs that use this system, I suspect there's an internal timer that determines how often I auto-attack. So my question is: is that timer still ticking while I use arts, or does it start over any time I use an art?

Affinity between party members does. Affinity with areas does not.

NG+ is basically the same, but with all your levels, gear, skills, arts, etc. It's mainly for rushing through and doing everything you missed out on the first time through, and maybe getting revenge on those super-high level enemies that gave you trouble early on.

IIRC he did, but they weren't posted here and aren't in English.

The only reason that one was posted was because that character is a bit unique. She plays very differently than the others and as a result a lot of people either asked about her, skipped over her entirely since they didn't get how she worked. And that's kind of a mistake, since she's a great character (at least when you use her manually).
Thank you.
 

Exeunt

Member
I can't for the life of me find all the Defense Force Soldiers of colony 9, required for an achievement.

Or worse yet, I double checked that I had a relationship with all colony 9 npcs via the xenoblade wiki, glitch or what?

Anyone with a list of the soldiers?

Are you sure you have met literally every NPC in Colony 9? I'm seeing 45 in the spreadsheet (which you should not look at yet if you want to avoid spoilers) but I can't parse which ones are with the Defence Force at just this moment. I know at least one is kind of difficult to find but he isn't in the Defence Force anyway. There are some stationed in the Commercial and Residential Areas as well—I take it you've met those? I think Dorothy and Minnie are two of them but I don't remember everyone offhand unfortunately.
 

chaosblade

Unconfirmed Member
Now continue enjoying the game Karsticles and don't spoil anything else!!

The game constantly throws new things at you (gamplay and plot) no reason to ruin the experience of them.


Reposting from previous page:

Trying to remember... I don't know if the scientists count or not.

Dorthy
Minnie
Jan, the old guy
Andreas
Miller
Emmy Leater
Kantz
Nic?
Raoul

Any others? That's not including the scientists. The game MIGHT include
Desiree
as a defense force member, but I don't remember. IIRC I got this without her.

I'll hold you to that sentiment, haha. Random question: does my party choice affect cutscenes at all? I really hope not.
Not at all.

Gotcha. Is there a post somewhere that explains how the aggro system works? I've played WoW, so the idea isn't unfamiliar to me, but every game does it different. The reason I asked about character control is Reyn starts every fight with this attack (I don't know its name) that takes forever to wind up. So I need to tell everyone to fight, and then wait for Reyn to walk over slowly, and then attack with Shulk finally, which still tends to pull aggro. It's not a big deal aside from making my DPS drop, but I suspect that later on it might matter to have a better solution.
I don't think there is. And I haven't actually messed with it.

But I'm pretty sure it's based on damage dealt, at least as the base. So it's not out of the question for Shulk to steal aggro, especially early on. There are other factors though, since things like healing arts also increase aggro (sometimes rather substantially).

It gets more complex when you start taking into account other things though. Shulk's Shadow Eye will reduce his aggro by a percentage. Reyn has a lot of arts that increase aggro by non-standard amounts. So once the battle really gets going, it's hard to gauge aggro well. Your best bet might be to try and boost Reyn's strength to increase his DPS, and try to focus on arts that raise aggro and fill the talent art for more Mad Taunt usage. Berserk might be a good option, since it raises strength/DPS and gives him AoE attacks+Mad Taunt.

Also, is there a way to make my party always attack what I'm attacking? After we kill something they tend to go do their own stuff, and it pisses me off. "Reyn, get back here and tank this damn it!", is my constant thought. Sure, I could just play Reyn, and I might do that later.
Yeah, you can hold L (I think?) and it will give you some basic party commands to choose from on the d-pad. One is focus attacks, the other is to attack at will, and the last one is stop attacking.

Does Battle Start Affinity affect character affinity? Basically, I want to know if there's a consequence to going around and 1-shotting low level stuff with Shulk. It's a pain to start the battle normally, since I can't backstab right away then because Reyn is so slow.
Nope, no affinity with Battle Start, which kind of makes the name sound silly.

You're right that I want to know what Tension is. Especially since
Sharla
just got an attack that boosts tension for my party. On the topic of skills that activate based on Battle Start Affinity, a lot of them say they have a 50% or so chance of happening. Is that 50% the max possibility if I hit the white edge around the circle? Does Burst Affinity have a chance at procing those?
Tension can be a little complicated. It basically affects your stats (notably agility) dynamically so with higher tension your characters will fight better. Just to throw the gist of it out there, there are five "levels" of tension:

Very low - character portrait is sad/depressed, with a purple aura. Your hit rate is reduced to 0, so you want to encourage the character ASAP.
Low - character portrait is sad/depressed. -50 agility, not sure about other stats. This can hurt, especially in fights with higher level enemies.
Normal - standard character portrait. No change to your base stats.
High - more intense character portrait. Stats are boosted a bit.
Max/Very high - intense portrait with flames. Stats are boosted more.

You increase tension by using arts, along with burst/battle start affinity. Initiating a chain attack raises tension I think. Probably some other things I'm not thinking of as well.

Some enemies will lower it when you hit them (especially those ether enemies), and it goes down when attacks miss.

Like most RPGs that use this system, I suspect there's an internal timer that determines how often I auto-attack. So my question is: is that timer still ticking while I use arts, or does it start over any time I use an art?


Thank you.
I think using arts resets it, so you have to wait the full time like you would between two auto-attacks.
 

aceface

Member
Fucking spike damage. That's all I have to say.

Ohh you area winning this battle everything is going great OH guess what you are dead. Pisses me off. (guess I had more to say)
 

StAidan

Member
Well, I'm about 80 hours in, near the beginning of Agniratha, and I just finished picking up the last of the fourth skill trees.

I'd love to get as close as possible to 100%-ing this game, but am now starting to consider just soldiering straight to the end. It's just really hard to justify this much gaming time with all the other things that pull at my free time as a family man.
 
Well, I'm about 80 hours in, near the beginning of Agniratha, and I just finished picking up the last of the fourth skill trees.

I'd love to get as close as possible to 100%-ing this game, but am now starting to consider just soldiering straight to the end. It's just really hard to justify this much gaming time with all the other things that pull at my free time as a family man.

What level are you? I did a lot of sidequests and I maybe had one of the 4th skill trees by that time. You might want to start playing more linear and focusing on the story, especially if you're overleveled.
 

StAidan

Member
What level are you? I did a lot of sidequests and I maybe had one of the 4th skill trees by that time. You might want to start playing more linear and focusing on the story, especially if you're overleveled.

Rapidly approaching level 68. The previous few areas were basically a breeze thanks to the sidequesting I did after reaching Sword Valley. I've been accepting every single quest I could find (who doesn't?) throughout the whole game, and until Agniratha last night, my new/current quest list was empty.

I've also been switching between party members a lot to build affinity, mainly so I could see all the heart-to-hearts, but I think I'll even have to forget about that at this point. (Don't get me wrong -- I've had loads of fun with the game and I really want to keep going, but it's time to move on.)
 
Rapidly approaching level 68. The previous few areas were basically a breeze thanks to the sidequesting I did after reaching Sword Valley. I've been accepting every single quest I could find (who doesn't?) throughout the whole game, and until Agniratha last night, my new/current quest list was empty.

I've also been switching between party members a lot to build affinity, mainly so I could see all the heart-to-hearts, but I think I'll even have to forget about that at this point. (Don't get me wrong -- I've had loads of fun with the game and I really want to keep going, but it's time to move on.)

That's actually really impressive. I took my time but I definitely never had an empty quest log. What I'd do if I were you is kill all the unique enemies in the area that you haven't taken out yet (for those delicious affinity coins), and then just attack the main quest. You generally want to be level 79-80 when you face the final boss. If you just focus on the story you'll probably be close to that anyways, since you're a little overleveled (I think).
 
Picked this up yesterday. Having a blast. Been playing as Reyn since I usually play tanks in RPGs. I also feel like an idiot, because I just realized that Muscle Up gems are what increase defense. I've been waiting for "Defense Up" gems.

It's really a ton of fun. It's a great blend of Eastern and Western concepts. It really seems like this is the direction JRPGs should be going. Once you get a hang of the battle system (which does take a while), fights are fast and engaging. Love the voice acting, too.
 

aceface

Member
Well, I'm about 80 hours in, near the beginning of Agniratha, and I just finished picking up the last of the fourth skill trees.

I'd love to get as close as possible to 100%-ing this game, but am now starting to consider just soldiering straight to the end. It's just really hard to justify this much gaming time with all the other things that pull at my free time as a family man.

Wait a second. I just got to Agrinatha and I have not seen anything about new skill trees. I take every quest that is offered and the only ones I don't beat are random collecting/kill monsters one. What did I miss?
 

chaosblade

Unconfirmed Member
Wait a second. I just got to Agrinatha and I have not seen anything about new skill trees. I take every quest that is offered and the only ones I don't beat are random collecting/kill monsters one. What did I miss?

How is your affinity with each area? More quests become available as it increases. Most of them require 3-4 star affinity with their respective area. If you have high enough affinity, then you just overlooked the quests.

And I wish I had more time to put into continuing, nearly finished up the events at Eryth Sea with my party around level 20 and 30 (first three characters around level 20, next 3 characters around 30).
 

Exeunt

Member
Picked this up yesterday. Having a blast. Been playing as Reyn since I usually play tanks in RPGs. I also feel like an idiot, because I just realized that Muscle Up gems are what increase defense. I've been waiting for "Defense Up" gems.

It's really a ton of fun. It's a great blend of Eastern and Western concepts. It really seems like this is the direction JRPGs should be going. Once you get a hang of the battle system (which does take a while), fights are fast and engaging. Love the voice acting, too.

I'm glad you are satisfied with your purchase so far! You will probably want to check the different gem descriptions the first time you get them if you wish to make the best use of the system; I found there are some effects that are a little unclear at first even if they weren't that complicated. I agree with you that it's a great game for sure and I'd love to see more RPGs like this in the future.

How is your affinity with each area? More quests become available as it increases. Most of them require 3-4 star affinity with their respective area. If you have high enough affinity, then you just overlooked the quests.

And I wish I had more time to put into continuing, nearly finished up the events at Eryth Sea with my party around level 20 and 30 (first three characters around level 20, next 3 characters around 30).

If he's skipping the collection and monster quests, it is probably the case that affinity is too low like you mentioned. But there is also the chance that he simply hasn't unlocked the relevant quests because they are in a line that involves some of those "random collecting/kill monsters" quests. I'm not sure exactly how aceface defines those (maybe he means ones from unnamed NPCs, in which case my addition is largely irrelevant) but it is possible that the right quests haven't been completed.

Unless I'm mistaken, you will know which quests will lead to a new skill tree because the NPC wants to talk to a particular character. I'm pretty sure there are a few false positives here and there but largely it is obvious when an NPC has a quest for a given character.
 
Wait a second. I just got to Agrinatha and I have not seen anything about new skill trees. I take every quest that is offered and the only ones I don't beat are random collecting/kill monsters one. What did I miss?

You gotta talk to the right people with different lead characters. There's a guide on gamefaqs regarding skill trees. Look at it.
 

chaosblade

Unconfirmed Member
Would anybody consider the additional skill trees spoilers? I mean, I really don't think they are, but some people are spoiler-crazy and consider anything after the first two hours of the game spoilers, including gameplay mechanics.

Curious because I'll probably put that in my updated FAQ/Guide. Planning on dividing it up into a three sections, with the first two (general tips/information for people just starting and general gameplay mechanic details) being "spoiler-free." The third section will be the more advanced information and will probably contain some non-specific spoilers - character names, some locations, etc. but no actual story spoilers.
 
Suddenly unlocking Sharla's 4th tree was a pretty awesome experience as I didn't expect it at all, so in some way it could be considered a spoiler. But it's not really one.
 
Two small questions:
1)
I'm at the point where I'm about to complete the ritual, and Colony 6 wants to rebuilt itself. Juju is offering to move everyone there, and it's giving me a "Are you sure you're done with everything here?" kind of question - is this a point of no return for Refugee quests? Will I lose access to some of them?
2)
Some of these Refugee quests are mind-boggling. One, for example, wants me to collect webs from arachnids so he can fix a child's toy, but I only see artols (I think that's their name). They look like spiders though, so I've killed about 50 and not gotten a web - what am I missing here?

Thanks in advance, and thank you for the help everyone has been giving so freely.

You gotta talk to the right people with different lead characters. There's a guide on gamefaqs regarding skill trees. Look at it.
Oh, that matters?

Would anybody consider the additional skill trees spoilers? I mean, I really don't think they are, but some people are spoiler-crazy and consider anything after the first two hours of the game spoilers, including gameplay mechanics.

Curious because I'll probably put that in my updated FAQ/Guide. Planning on dividing it up into a three sections, with the first two (general tips/information for people just starting and general gameplay mechanic details) being "spoiler-free." The third section will be the more advanced information and will probably contain some non-specific spoilers - character names, some locations, etc. but no actual story spoilers.
It's a spoiler, but it's not the kind of spoiler that really upsets me.
 
Would anybody consider the additional skill trees spoilers? I mean, I really don't think they are, but some people are spoiler-crazy and consider anything after the first two hours of the game spoilers, including gameplay mechanics.

Curious because I'll probably put that in my updated FAQ/Guide. Planning on dividing it up into a three sections, with the first two (general tips/information for people just starting and general gameplay mechanic details) being "spoiler-free." The third section will be the more advanced information and will probably contain some non-specific spoilers - character names, some locations, etc. but no actual story spoilers.

I was pretty spoiler-crazy but I wasn't bothered when I learned that there were 4th and 5th skill trees. In fact, I wish I had learned sooner, because by the time I learned of them I was almost at the end of the game. I only got a few 4th skill trees before beating the final boss.
 

djtiesto

is beloved, despite what anyone might say
Picked this up yesterday. Having a blast. Been playing as Reyn since I usually play tanks in RPGs. I also feel like an idiot, because I just realized that Muscle Up gems are what increase defense. I've been waiting for "Defense Up" gems.

It's really a ton of fun. It's a great blend of Eastern and Western concepts. It really seems like this is the direction JRPGs should be going. Once you get a hang of the battle system (which does take a while), fights are fast and engaging. Love the voice acting, too.

I absolutely love the game but I think it's disingenuous to say this is where RPGs should be "going", like there is a set path. The best thing about (Japanese) RPGs is their diversity in gameplay styles. Making everything the same, and it becomes as dull as the FPS genre has gotten recently.

I'm about 120 hours in, just made it to the Point of No Return, finished rebuilding Colony 6 and am doing the last few quests in that area... all that's left are the
Tephra Cave quests, Replica Monado quests,
and then maxing affinity between party members and seeing all the Heart-to-Hearts. Hopefully I'll be finished this 4th of July vacation. But we'll see...
 
Two small questions:
1)
I'm at the point where I'm about to complete the ritual, and Colony 6 wants to rebuilt itself. Juju is offering to move everyone there, and it's giving me a "Are you sure you're done with everything here?" kind of question - is this a point of no return for Refugee quests? Will I lose access to some of them?
2)
Some of these Refugee quests are mind-boggling. One, for example, wants me to collect webs from arachnids so he can fix a child's toy, but I only see artols (I think that's their name). They look like spiders though, so I've killed about 50 and not gotten a web - what am I missing here?
1. Yes you will not be able to complete any timed quests after this (quests with a redish clock symbol).
2. When they say arachnids they just mean any spider. If I remember correctly just kill off the Basin Antols at the forest near the camp. Usually for quests the items needed are uncommon or rare drops. In order to increase your chances of better drops, try to aggro as many mobs at once. This usually results in less chests but better drops.

Regarding the later skill trees. You will know when a certain member is needed once you run into one.

I was pretty spoiler-crazy but I wasn't bothered when I learned that there were 4th and 5th skill trees. In fact, I wish I had learned sooner, because by the time I learned of them I was almost at the end of the game. I only got a few 4th skill trees before beating the final boss.
Even knowing about the 5th skill tree, besides of the ones I got pretty easily, some of the other trees require some pretty damn high levels, which means I wont really get them until I'm a good bit into the post game... why reward me with stuff good for battles when I'm almost done with the game?
 

EulaCapra

Member
I've at level 82, clocked in at 130+ hours, finished all the quests I'm permitted to do before I reach
The Mechonis Core
, which I should've reached like 40 hours ago lol.

I don't want to reach the beginning of the end...
 
1. Yes you will not be able to complete any timed quests after this (quests with a redish clock symbol).
2. When they say arachnids they just mean any spider. If I remember correctly just kill off the Basin Antols at the forest near the camp. Usually for quests the items needed are uncommon or rare drops. In order to increase your chances of better drops, try to aggro as many mobs at once. This usually results in less chests but better drops.

Regarding the later skill trees. You will know when a certain member is needed once you run into one.

Even knowing about the 5th skill tree, besides of the ones I got pretty easily, some of the other trees require some pretty damn high levels, which means I wont really get them until I'm a good bit into the post game... why reward me with stuff good for battles when I'm almost done with the game?
FYI, arachnid =/= any spider to the game. I farmed almost 100 Atols (sp?) and got nothing, but found a cave and got a silk off the first 3 arachnids I killed. Thank you for your help, regardless.
 
Top Bottom