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[The_Darkest_Red]

You can't blame them, it's a risky game. Ignoring the fact JRPGs are pretty niche over here anyway it's a "real" game on the Wii. The perception is that gamers as a whole don't care about their Wiis anymore and then asking them to buy a JRPG? Hah.

I probably would of made a similar decision if I were in their shoes.

Eh, I don't really think the risk is that great, honestly, especially considering the fact that the game was already being localized by NoE.

JRPG's are niche this generation but that wasn't always the case. Why do you think that is? I can't say for sure but I honestly think it's simply because there haven't been that many great games in the genre in recent years, and many of the ones that are great have been relegated to the smaller profile world of handhelds. Xenoblade is a fantastic game in a genre that has been successful for fantastic games in the past, and I honestly think it would have done very well if it had been given some proper treatment by NoA.

And besides all of that, there are many elements of Xenoblade's design that seem to be very popular here in the West. As far as JRPG's go it really doesn't seem that niche to me.

 

[Bisnic]

They could have done some decent marketing with ads where they show quick shots of the combat, Bionis Leg, the Marsh at night or Makna Falls and some of the early epic cutscenes with Mechons while playing the Bionis Leg's day music or even the boss one, and it would have been enough to catch the eyes of any RPG fan.

Really, the only people who would refuse to play the game after seeing such an ad would be people going "lol, PS2 graphics, do not want!".

 

[Aexact]

JRPG's are niche this generation but that wasn't always the case. Why do you think that is? I can't say for sure but I honestly think it's simply because there haven't been that many great games in the genre in recent years, and many of the ones that are great have been relegated to the smaller profile world of handhelds.

Well, that'd be part of the risk, wouldn't it? If the perception is that there haven't been great games in the genre for years, it'd take some convincing to say that Xenoblade will change that pattern.

And besides all of that, there are many elements of Xenoblade's design that seem to be very popular here in the West. As far as JRPG's go it really doesn't seem that niche to me.

Yeah, but these are aspects that people already interested in Xenoblade might be aware of. The anime-ish design of it is what people will primarily judge it by rather then stuff you can't properly describe on the back of the box.

 

[ZenaxPure]

They've always been niche, never understood why people think otherwise. Yes there have always been a few break out successes, but most went by unnoticed. The only change this gen is many moving to handhelds to survive since the middle-tier console game is dead and all.

As for the actual risk, who knows but Nintendo. I have no idea how much the game cost to make and then localize. Specifically that is to say I have no idea if the European version actually made cash for them, I can't imagine it cost very much to bring it to North America given they changed nothing I am aware of so that couldn't have cost anything at all. Did Nintendo ever say the game was "worth it" in Europe, I've always been quite curious.

 

[The_Darkest_Red]

Well, that'd be part of the risk, wouldn't it? If the perception is that there haven't been great games in the genre for years, it'd take some convincing to say that Xenoblade will change that pattern.

Indeed, but I think some decent marketing would have allowed the game to speak for itself.

Yeah, but these are aspects that people already interested in Xenoblade might be aware of. The anime-ish design of it is what people will primarily judge it by rather then stuff you can't properly describe on the back of the box.

I don't know, I feel like you're basically saying that a game's appeal is almost entirely based on its visual style which I would disagree with. I think the large open environments and general structure of this game would have helped it appeal to a much larger segment of the RPG audience then something like, for example, a Persona game.

They've always been niche, never understood why people think otherwise. Yes there have always been a few break out successes, but most went by unnoticed. The only change this gen is many moving to handhelds to survive since the middle-tier console game is dead and all.

Really? I always got the impression that JRPG's were all the craze from the late SNES era through the PS era.

As for the actual risk, who knows but Nintendo. I have no idea how much the game cost to make and then localize. Specifically that is to say I have no idea if the European version actually made cash for them, I can't imagine it cost very much to bring it to North America given they changed nothing I am aware of so that couldn't have cost anything at all. Did Nintendo ever say the game was "worth it" in Europe, I've always been quite curious.

Yeah, it's definitely true that I don't have a solid idea of exactly what the risk looks like, I just feel like Nintendo should have had more faith in this game.

 

[Head of Vengarl]

I spoiler tag any area after Valak Mountain. And I don't really see a point in spoiler tagging Melia or Riki. I mean, both of them are in the game's manual as far as I remember.

With Dunban and Shulk (and really anybody except Reyn and Sharla) agility is great. Between attack improvement gems, they all basically just raise your average damage. Just use whatever increases it the most.

For Reyn, I'd user HP up first (HP helps against any enemy), then Muscle Up (most of the time defense is more important than ether defense). I'd only use ether defense gems on him if you're struggling against an enemy that's really hurting him with ether attacks.

Speaking of defense, I generally use light or low weight medium armor on pretty much every character except Reyn until you unlock things that would make other setups more beneficial. Reyn gets whatever has the best defense, and Dunban always gets light armor.

Ok thanks, I'll keep that in mind once I get to Valak Mountain. I haven't heard it mentioned yet so it's probably a little ways off. I'm at the part where you're headed toward the Nopon village in the jungle. I'm really digging this area so far; it kind of reminds me of the Un'Goro Crater in WoW.

I don't think they're in the manual but they are definitely on the reversible cover. Which is also why Dunban isn't a big spoiler because he's standing right there with the team. Even though I'll admit that I originally thought he died in the opening scene where he rushes the Mechon army with Dickson. (I'm not even going to spoiler that because you find out within like 5 minutes of playing the game that he survived.) The only twist to that picture is (early game spoiler)

Spoiler

that Fiora is in it, and in reality she never reaches the area where you look over at the Mechonis.

Yeah, I have Dunban decked out in all Agility Up gems right now, but since Reyn is the main tank I was thinking of giving Dunban more damage-focused gems like Atk Up, Strength Up, etc. Isn't agility a purely defensive stat? I figure if Dunban isn't doing much tanking he doesn't need so much of it. Which is why I also have to ask: why Agility Up on Shulk? He's purely a damage-dealer so right now I have a bunch of Strength Up gems on him, plus a couple Initial Tension Up and Aggro Down gems. Duly noted about Reyn. Good point, I'll take off the Ether Defense Up gems and replace them with Hp Up ones. And yeah I do the same: Light on Dunban, Medium/Light on Shulk and Sharla, Heavy/Medium on Reyn.

 

[AniHawk]

Well I hope it just managed to turn a profit is all, I want to believe they can so Nintendo will actually realize releasing our silly niche games is worth it. I will say though 270k (even as a guess) is more than I figured it would. I was going to guess around 100k.

100k lifetime would have been impressive. we're talking one retailer selling a game that wasn't advertised, on what is pretty much a dead console.

honestly i was thinking 10k-20k for the month, based on how sin & punishment 2 did.

if this actually hits #3 in npd, single-sku or otherwise, even on a slow month, it'll be super impressive. that's kinda why i don't think it'll happen. it's just unreal.

oh, and 20k would be more than enough for nintendo to make their money back on this. the amount they had to spend to localize this was very minimal.

 

[chaosblade]

Ok thanks, I'll keep that in mind once I get to Valak Mountain. I haven't heard it mentioned yet so it's probably a little ways off. I'm at the part where you're headed toward the Nopon village in the jungle. I'm really digging this area so far; it kind of reminds me of the Un'Goro Crater in WoW.

I don't think they're in the manual but they are definitely on the reversible cover. Which is also why Dunban isn't a big spoiler because he's standing right there with the team. Even though I'll admit that I originally thought he died in the opening scene where he rushes the Mechon army with Dickson. (I'm not even going to spoiler that because you find out within like 5 minutes of playing the game that he survived.) The only twist to that picture is (early game spoiler)

Spoiler

that Fiora is in it, and in reality she never reaches the area where you look over at the Mechonis.

Yeah, I have Dunban decked out in all Agility Up gems right now, but since Reyn is the main tank I was thinking of giving Dunban more damage-focused gems like Atk Up, Strength Up, etc. Isn't agility a purely defensive stat? I figure if Dunban isn't doing much tanking he doesn't need so much of it. Which is why I also have to ask: why Agility Up on Shulk? He's purely a damage-dealer so right now I have a bunch of Strength Up gems on him, plus a couple Initial Tension Up and Aggro Down gems.

Agility affects your dodging and your accuracy. For that reason it's the most important stat in the game for essentially any character, especially if you're playing in a party without Sharla. The only reason it's pretty useless for Reyn is because his agility is natively so low it's better to just play to his strengths (defense and HP) and let him eat damage when you use him. He's not going to dodge well even if you load him up with agility gems (Shulk can, though), and unless you're fighting monsters 4-5+ levels higher than you, the accuracy benefit/detriment shouldn't be a big deal for him.

Dunban does enough damage natively that you don't really need to prioritize offense. And he's a fantastic tank since he can dodge just about any non-ether attack, so letting him hold some aggro for Reyn isn't a bad idea. I ran with Shulk/Dunban/Reyn for quite a while (probably nearly half the game) and it actually worked surprisingly well. Throw in his fantastic auras (remove debuffs + haste, agility, and strength+aggro up) and he's an all around great character on offense and defense. He just can't heal or provide much in terms of support.

Shulk can pretty much do anything except tank, he'll play key support roles as well as damage dealing and even healing depending on your party setup.

 

[Head of Vengarl]

Agility affects your dodging and your accuracy. For that reason it's the most important stat in the game for essentially any character, especially if you're playing in a party without Sharla. The only reason it's pretty useless for Reyn is because his agility is natively so low it's better to just play to his strengths (defense and HP) and let him eat damage when you use him. He's not going to dodge well even if you load him up with agility gems (Shulk can, though), and unless you're fighting monsters 4-5+ levels higher than you, the accuracy benefit/detriment shouldn't be a big deal for him.

Dunban does enough damage natively that you don't really need to prioritize offense. And he's a fantastic tank since he can dodge just about any non-ether attack, so letting him hold some aggro for Reyn isn't a bad idea. I ran with Shulk/Dunban/Reyn for quite a while (probably nearly half the game) and it actually worked surprisingly well. Throw in his fantastic auras (remove debuffs + haste, agility, and strength+aggro up) and he's an all around great character on offense and defense. He just can't heal or provide much in terms of support.

Shulk can pretty much do anything except tank, he'll play key support roles as well as damage dealing and even healing depending on your party setup.

Thank you for the info. I would have looked this kind of stuff up already via GameFAQs, Wikia, etc. but I am really worried about spoilers. I've almost had some stuff spoiled for me in this thread, like a page back where that person put the YouTube link that shows up on NeoGAF mobile. I looked away quick enough so that I didn't see much. Anyway...

You've convinced me to replace Shulk's Strength Up gems with Agility Up ones. Dunban already has the full +50 agility bonus so he's good, and I'll keep them on. I might replace one of them with a Haste II gem I got last night, because I'm under the impression that Double Attack and Haste gems are really good on Dunban (and probably Shulk too). When I play tonight I'm gonna take a little trip to that green ether deposit on the Bionis' Leg that gives large wind crystals, so I can hopefully craft some level III Agility Up gems. (How often to those ether deposits replenish, anyway?)

Yeah that's the team I've been running as well, and it's great. Their Skill Trees really compliment each other too, so I'm really trying to build up affinity between the three of them. I like how Dunban has the ability to tank so even if I pull aggro from Reyn I don't have to worry. Unlike when I'm Shulk, because he dies more easily. I am having a lot of trouble deciding who to replace for Melia. Dunban is awesome for the reasons you noted above but Shulk has some really nifty arts, especially that new Monado art I just got (#5)

Spoiler

Purge

, which is looking like it'll be really useful. For the time being I'm thinking it'll be Dunban, Reyn and Melia. I'll report on how that goes when I post here after playing tonight.

 

[Bisnic]

At one point, you'll only really need one or two agility gem so you can go back to strength ones. I think an Agility V gem gives like 30 agility, which already puts you at 60% of the cap.

 

[Johnlenham]

I'm 160+ hours in and that still hasn't gotten boring to me.

Good to know! I like the random gear you get. Does S and U on the stuff mean anything? I was to engrossed in killing things to read the help section!

 

[Instro]

100k lifetime would have been impressive. we're talking one retailer selling a game that wasn't advertised, on what is pretty much a dead console.

honestly i was thinking 10k-20k for the month, based on how sin & punishment 2 did.

if this actually hits #3 in npd, single-sku or otherwise, even on a slow month, it'll be super impressive. that's kinda why i don't think it'll happen. it's just unreal.

oh, and 20k would be more than enough for nintendo to make their money back on this. the amount they had to spend to localize this was very minimal.

Yeah I was of the same mind. More than 20k-30k seemed highly unlikely for the first month considering it was not advertised and only sold at Gamestop. Of course as you said that would have been easily enough to justify the localization. The fact that it now might have done many times that amount to get the 3rd spot in NPD is pretty shocking.

 

[Leezard]

Good to know! I like the random gear you get. Does S and U on the stuff mean anything? I was to engrossed in killing things to read the help section!

S means that there are slots in the armor.
U means that there are pre-filled slots in the armor, like an armor that always has a Spike III gem equipped, and you can't unequip it.

 

[McNum]

Good to know! I like the random gear you get. Does S and U on the stuff mean anything? I was to engrossed in killing things to read the help section!

S means the item has gem sockets.
U means the item has gems equipped that you can't change.

 

[AlphaDragoon]

Holy crap the

Spoiler

Mechonis Field

has the most awesome music in the game thus far. A party of

Spoiler

Shulk/Dunban/Fiora is ridiculously OP in terms of DPS, but you're pretty screwed without Sharla in some situations. My Fiora will never be as broken as she can be though as I hate that stupid fanservicey bullshit Speed Frame and refuse to use it, default Robo-Fiora look is the best.

 

[Rebel Leader]

Neogaf thread: PiperJaffray: April's NPD will be lead by ME3. Then Prototype 2 and.... Xenoblade?

Wow

EDIT: I see it's already posted... oh well

 

[burgerdog]

Oh, wow, a surprise quest with voice work. Didn't expect this.

 

[Bisnic]

Oh, wow, a surprise quest with voice work. Didn't expect this.

Is it the one near Colony 6? Yeah, i was surprised by that, especially since it can easily be missed since it only show up near the end of the game, and not everyone go back to Colony 6 by that point. Was kinda surprised by the voices too.

 

[burgerdog]

Yep, that one. Shock x2, it is quite a lengthy scene, this is awesome.

 

[Rebel Leader]

Oh, wow, a surprise quest with voice work. Didn't expect this.

The voices sounded better then I thought.

 

[Man God]

At one point, you'll only really need one or two agility gem so you can go back to strength ones. I think an Agility V gem gives like 30 agility, which already puts you at 60% of the cap.

If you are fighting things higher level then you the agility will mean more then any amount of strength. Use whatever gems possible to cap it in that case.

 

[burgerdog]

There's not enough slots to really bother with strength gems at all. Haste, Double Attack, Topple up+plus, Agility, Debuff Resist, Unbeatable, etc should all have priority.

 

[tetrisgrammaton]

I'm convinced this game is terrible and you all have horrible taste in games. I just got to

Spoiler

Valak Mountain

. I was level 43, creatures started to catch up to me but it seemed like pretty even leveling. I basically gave up on side quests because they're all horrible kill/collect padding, even the more important side quests that add to story or

Spoiler

help rebuild Colony 6

are just basic and bland kill/collect missions.

So I'm chugging along, and all of sudden there is this level jump in mobs and they all out level me 2-3 levels. That was a great sign of things to come because I finally reach

Spoiler

Mumkhar

and he out levels me by 5 levels and I can't even manage to land topple during a chain attack because of all the misses. Oh boy.

So now it is back to grinding to play catch up, but combat isn't exactly a strong point for the game. It is a notch below mediocre honestly. The lack of control over your team is beyond frustrating. How am I supposed to feel when I wipe because my healer decided to run into melee range and stand in front of a cone attack that got her killed? Or when my other partners are spamming topple skills on things with no break, wasting their cool downs?

Yes, there is a lot of the game but most of it isn't anything special. You have to grind the affinity system to make good use of the skill trees and crafting is beyond tedious. I would hardly say this is the best JRPG of this generation. I'm starting to believe a good portion of the hype around this game was just from the fact it was a decent attempt at a AAA JRPG on the Wii and not another Just Dance game.

I managed to get up to around 44.5 before turning the game off out of pure boredom. I'll probably give the boss fight another try and hope to hell it isn't still a missfest so I can topple the bastard, but I'm not sure I can put up with grinding in this game and might just have to shelve it. Which is unfortunate because the plot is decently entertaining and I wanted to see it the whole way through.

Hopefully I can get over this hump but if not, I at least have Disgaea 3 on the way.

This man speaks truth.

 

[The Technomancer]

I'm convinced this game is terrible and you all have horrible taste in games. I just got to

Spoiler

Valak Mountain

. I was level 43, creatures started to catch up to me but it seemed like pretty even leveling. I basically gave up on side quests because they're all horrible kill/collect padding, even the more important side quests that add to story or

Spoiler

help rebuild Colony 6

are just basic and bland kill/collect missions.

So I'm chugging along, and all of sudden there is this level jump in mobs and they all out level me 2-3 levels. That was a great sign of things to come because I finally reach

Spoiler

Mumkhar

and he out levels me by 5 levels and I can't even manage to land topple during a chain attack because of all the misses. Oh boy.

So now it is back to grinding to play catch up, but combat isn't exactly a strong point for the game. It is a notch below mediocre honestly. The lack of control over your team is beyond frustrating. How am I supposed to feel when I wipe because my healer decided to run into melee range and stand in front of a cone attack that got her killed? Or when my other partners are spamming topple skills on things with no break, wasting their cool downs?

Yes, there is a lot of the game but most of it isn't anything special. You have to grind the affinity system to make good use of the skill trees and crafting is beyond tedious. I would hardly say this is the best JRPG of this generation. I'm starting to believe a good portion of the hype around this game was just from the fact it was a decent attempt at a AAA JRPG on the Wii and not another Just Dance game.

I managed to get up to around 44.5 before turning the game off out of pure boredom. I'll probably give the boss fight another try and hope to hell it isn't still a missfest so I can topple the bastard, but I'm not sure I can put up with grinding in this game and might just have to shelve it. Which is unfortunate because the plot is decently entertaining and I wanted to see it the whole way through.

Hopefully I can get over this hump but if not, I at least have Disgaea 3 on the way.

Honestly? You're probably not going to finish the game. You're nearing the linear slog end-game, the part of the game I disliked the least, and I love the game overall.

 

[Seanspeed]

I beat

Spoiler

Mumkhar the other day with Dunban/Riki/Sharla

. At first, I was like ok,

Spoiler

he's not in his Mechon suit, so I dont need Mechon weapons/Shulk and went in with the group I mentioned. Found out very quickly that I did need all that stuff and was only doing 1 damage other than a few of Riki's attacks. But I was gaining a ton of affinity, so I just figured I'd do it for a while, die, then do it properly. But I was actually slowly beating him and stuck with it. He wasn't that tough. Got 4th tier affinity from Dunban to Riki and Dunban to Sharla now

!

 

[Croc]

Late game village spoilers (and question):

Spoiler

I'm doing some questing in Hidden Village to try and get Fiora's 4th skill tree and I just completed that Wilted Flower quest. I wasn't really paying attention and the NPC gave me a key item called the Mechonis Key and I was just wondering if anyone could tell me what it does.

Edit:

Also,

Spoiler

everywhere I read said you need 3 stars with Hidden Village to get Fiora's quest but I still have only 2 and just got the quest.

 

[burgerdog]

Haha, the damage with this stuff equipped is ridiculous, just need to get a debuff resist VI gem and I'm all set. I have unbeatable vi as well, just not equipped.

 

[Bisnic]

^^
How the hell do you get so many stats green? Does gear at lvl 98 have 2 gem slots or something?

Late game village spoilers (and question):

Spoiler

I'm doing some questing in Hidden Village to try and get Fiora's 4th skill tree and I just completed that Wilted Flower quest. I wasn't really paying attention and the NPC gave me a key item called the Mechonis Key and I was just wondering if anyone could tell me what it does.

Edit:

Also,

Spoiler

everywhere I read said you need 3 stars with Hidden Village to get Fiora's quest but I still have only 2 and just got the quest.

If its the key i think,

Spoiler

it opens a sealed door east of Digit 5 with like 3 or 4 waves of mechons appearing everytime you defeat those who are here.

Think there is an unique one there too.

 

[burgerdog]

^^
How the hell do you get so many stats green? Does gear at lvl 98 have 2 gem slots or something?

No, the VI gems usually max out the buff that they give you.

 

[Effect]

Haven't had that much time to play but did get back to the game this evening. Gotta know how far I am. I'm currently level 26 and 14 hours clocked. I've made it to

Spoiler

Nopon caravan landmark in Satorl Marsh

. Am I moving really slow at this point? Should I worry about getting higher in level for where I'm about to head next?

Haven't been spending a lot of time on side quest but currently doing the few I just got now. Was thinking of heading back and trying some others or just exploring in the previous area for a big.

Thanks.

 

[SafeinSound]

Haven't had that much time to play but did get back to the game this evening. Gotta know how far I am. I'm currently level 26 and 14 hours clocked. I've made it to

Spoiler

Nopon caravan landmark in Satorl Marsh

. Am I moving really slow at this point? Should I worry about getting higher in level for where I'm about to head next?

Haven't been spending a lot of time on side quest but currently doing the few I just got now. Was thinking of heading back and trying some others or just exploring in the previous area for a big.

Thanks.

A good barometer for knowing if you're under/over-leveled is just by the monsters in that zone. I don't really remember what level those monsters are, but I'm sure you're fine. I think I had about the same about of time played when I was there as well.

 

[Bisnic]

If monsters are grey, you're just at the right lvl. If its red, go back and do some quests/kill monsters. If its black, they're a joke, and even the ones with an eye above their head will ignore you, unless its an unique monster.

 

[Rush2thestart]

If monsters are grey, you're just at the right lvl. If its red, go back and do some quests/kill monsters. If its black, they're a joke, and even the ones with an eye above their head will ignore you, unless its an unique monster.

Good way to go by things, but it isnt really that strict. I've faced some red enemies that were a good 5 levels above me, Gogols even.

 

[Bisnic]

Good way to go by things, but it isnt really that strict. I've faced some red enemies that were a good 5 levels above me, Gogols even.

That's what red means actually. 5 lvls and above. I usually stay away from them since they'll just kill me. You'll find them in every zones anyway, they're basically there for those who want to do more things after they reached the end of the story, but they're easy to avoid.

 

[Rush2thestart]

That's what red means actually. 5 lvls and above. I usually stay away from them since they'll just kill me. You'll find them in every zones anyway, they're basically there for those who want to do more things after they reached the end of the story, but they're easy to avoid.

Thats not exactly what I meant. I meant that you dont necessarily have to run from reds if youre around 5 levels away. Play smart and you can defeat one. Facing two is more difficult, cant remember if I actually got away with that.

 

[Like the hat?]

24 hours in, just got to

Spoiler

Ereth Sea

Percentage wise, how far into the story would you all say I am?

Characters are at lvl 37 currently

 

[burgerdog]

Thats not exactly what I meant. I meant that you dont necessarily have to run from reds if youre around 5 levels away. Play smart and you can defeat one. Facing two is more difficult, cant remember if I actually got away with that.

Yeah, I leveled up on gogols 8 levels higher than me. Dunban with agi really helps you stay alive.

 

[Papercuts]

I just put speed armor on the 7th. What the fuck am I looking at.

 

[Bisnic]

I guess it depends on which "reds" you're fighting... as long as there isn't other monsters around. Like those (late spoilers)

Spoiler

lvl 90 flying Telethias in Alcamoth. I was fighting 2 yellow lvls ground Telethias and that big red one come out of nowhere, no way i could defeat all 3.

I just put speed armor on the 7th. What the fuck am I looking at.

Spoiler

dat ass

 

[Exeunt]

Haven't had that much time to play but did get back to the game this evening. Gotta know how far I am. I'm currently level 26 and 14 hours clocked. I've made it to

Spoiler

Nopon caravan landmark in Satorl Marsh

. Am I moving really slow at this point? Should I worry about getting higher in level for where I'm about to head next?

Haven't been spending a lot of time on side quest but currently doing the few I just got now. Was thinking of heading back and trying some others or just exploring in the previous area for a big.

Thanks.

I don't know how you would really define "slow" and "fast" in this game since you basically set the pace yourself. Looking back at one of my earlier posts in the thread, I was at level 27 and 20 hours into the game when I was about to enter the

Spoiler

Satorl Marsh

. I do pretty much all the quests that are available in each area so you'll definitely be moving faster if you pick and choose the ones that you undertake. The level you're at should be fine for most of the normal monsters in the area that you've reached, with certain enemies perhaps posing a greater challenge as you advance. In any case I think you've managed yourself fine this far. A little tip for the area you are in (not too spoilery, but ignore if you want):

Spoiler

at least at the beginning of the swamp, there are more enemies that will attack on sight during the day than at night. You can use this to your advantage to avoid or provoke fights

. I have yet to beat the game, but from what I've been told I would guess that you are maybe 20% through the game.

In terms of my progress, my party is at level 54 right now and I think I'm about 74 hours in (I am getting out of the habit of checking before I post it seems). I am beginning to explore

Spoiler

Sword Valley

but only reached the second landmark so far (

Spoiler

Ged Fortress

); most of my playtime since I last posted was spent doing quests that involved a lot of exploration. I love the daytime music here and it definitely feels like the tension is rising. The game still managed to impress me when I emerged

Spoiler

on top of a gate and saw a giant level 52 Mechon waiting to fight me below

which, after over 70 hours in is more than welcome. Ever since I reached

Spoiler

Alcamoth

I feel like the story has really picked up the pace much like it did around

Spoiler

Spiral Valley in the Bionis' Leg

and it's beginning to get more complex.

Spoiler

Dickson seems really sketchy right now and seems to be in league with Alvis, the latter of whom is really questionable in terms of motives. I don't quite know what to think of these two. There's also the whole "Lady Meyneth"/Fiora thing happening in the background. Can't wait to continue.

Also, quick question for the thread: the game made a really big deal about

Spoiler

being prepared for this area, but is it necessary to buy the anti-Mechon equipment that Dickson crafted? I'm guessing "no" especially when you have Shulk in the party but I just don't want to screw myself over for an upcoming boss fight/unique enemy. I sense a definite difficulty spike forthcoming.

 

[Hiltz]

Yeah, gotta make sure no one is around ya when you've got that character in you're party. I don't know what it is with the Japanese, but they love that pervy shit.

 

[burgerdog]

Yeah, gotta make sure no one is around ya when you've got that character in you're party. I don't know what it is with the Japanese, but they love that shit.

If you're zoomed out you can't see anything anyway, unless you get caught in cutscene and it shows her butt crack.

 

[Hiltz]

Also, quick question for the thread: the game made a really big deal about

Spoiler

being prepared for this area, but is it necessary to buy the anti-Mechon equipment that Dickson crafted? I'm guessing "no" especially when you have Shulk in the party but I just don't want to screw myself over for an upcoming boss fight/unique enemy. I sense a definite difficulty spike forthcoming.

It's been a long time since I played, but it's a good idea to get those weapons, otherwise you'll be forced to rely on using Shulk in your part with Monado Enchant. If I'm not mistaken, characters that use regular weapons against mechon without enchant will only do 1 point of damage with their auto-attacks. I forget what effect it has on their arts, if any. You may even be able to get better types of those weapons from monster drops in the area.

If you're zoomed out you can't see anything anyway, unless you get caught in cutscene and it shows her butt crack.

That's true. Although, I zoomed in on the ass while controlling the character on the field. It's just mesmerizing. I don't remember what my sister said, but she gave me a weird look when she saw that zoomed up view and I just gave her an equally weird look back like I wasn't expecting to see that. However, she probably figured it out since I was meticulously trying to get the right camera angle view while the character was standing still.

 

[Bisnic]

If you're zoomed out you can't see anything anyway, unless you get caught in cutscene and it shows her butt crack.

I admit, its kinda hard to take dramatic cutscenes seriously when you have that particular armor.

 

[Papercuts]

In terms of my progress, my party is at level 54 right now and I think I'm about 74 hours in (I am getting out of the habit of checking before I post it seems). I am beginning to explore

Spoiler

Sword Valley

but only reached the second landmark so far (

Spoiler

Gad Fortress

); most of my playtime since I last posted was spent doing quests that involved a lot of exploration. I love the daytime music here and it definitely feels like the tension is rising. The game still managed to impress me when I emerged

Spoiler

on top of a gate and saw a giant level 52 Mechon waiting to fight me below

which, after over 70 hours in is more than welcome. Ever since I reached

Spoiler

Alcamoth

I feel like the story has really picked up the pace much like it did around

Spoiler

Spiral Valley in the Bionis' Leg

and it's beginning to get more complex.

Spoiler

Dickson seems really sketchy right now and seems to be in league with Alvis, the latter of whom is really questionable in terms of motives. I don't quite know what to think of these two. There's also the whole "Lady Meyneth"/Fiora thing happening in the background. Can't wait to continue.

Also, quick question for the thread: the game made a really big deal about

Spoiler

being prepared for this area, but is it necessary to buy the anti-Mechon equipment that Dickson crafted? I'm guessing "no" especially when you have Shulk in the party but I just don't want to screw myself over for an upcoming boss fight/unique enemy. I sense a definite difficulty spike forthcoming.

I skipped them, just know you'll need to enchant every fight(or topple atleast) to get damage done.

I had issues at this area, but I was level 48. I think I just sorta sped through the previous area and avoided fights for the first time, so it ended up being the only time I was underleveled. You should be perfectly fine in comparison.

I admit, its kinda hard to take dramatic cutscenes seriously when you have that particular armor.

I've actually had this crop up a few times in this game. I've sometimes avoided better gear because it looks completetly stupid, particularly the giant swords dunban can get, I always stick with the normal swords.

Also early on the swimming lotion stuff was really good for some reason, but I didn't use it because having a nearly nude Shulk when early game stuff went down didn't look right at all.

 

[Exeunt]

It's been a long time since I played, but I think you do need to get those weapons otherwise you'll be forced to rely on Shulk's Monado Enchant. If I'm not mistaken, characters that use regular weapons against mechon will only do 1 point of damage with their auto-attacks. I forget what effect it has on their arts, if any.

I skipped them, just know you'll need to enchant every fight(or topple atleast) to get damage done.

I had issues at this area, but I was level 48. I think I just sorta sped through the previous area and avoided fights for the first time, so it ended up being the only time I was underleveled. You should be perfectly fine in comparison.

Right. I had a feeling that I was going to be facing

Spoiler

all-Mechon enemies

and I guess constant Enchanting does sound like it can be pretty tiresome

Spoiler

besides, I'd rather be able to use Shield more often if I find myself in a pinch

. I'm not hurting for cash right now but I do want to afford the

Spoiler

highest-level Arts books and Colony 6 upgrades

; I doubt

Spoiler

this purchase will break the bank

. I also don't remember what effect (or lack thereof) Arts have on Mechon so if anyone wants to chip in here that would be welcome!

I've actually had this crop up a few times in this game. I've sometimes avoided better gear because it looks completetly stupid, particularly the giant swords dunban can get, I always stick with the normal swords.

Also early on the swimming lotion stuff was really good for some reason, but I didn't use it because having a nearly nude Shulk when early game stuff went down didn't look right at all.

I don't have the seventh (

Spoiler

though I'm all but certain it'll be Meyneth if that's even how you spell her name

) but I have noticed this as well. Right now

Spoiler

only Riki is rocking oil

because it feels a little awkward doing that to anybody else. I know this applies to both the males and the females in the party but I find it a little disappointing that Monolith Soft thought it was necessary to go into that much detail in the models. There's certainly the comedy option of playing with your team in their underwear but when you have things like

Spoiler

Sharla's breast physics and skimpy outfits

plus what you guys have stumbled upon it's pretty clear what the intent behind the outfits is.

 

[Hiltz]

Yes. the swimming outfits are silly. Quite frankly, the majority of the equipment looks ridiculous. The only ones I really like were the jungle outfits especially on Sharla and Dunban.

 

[Bisnic]

Right. I had a feeling that I was going to be facing

Spoiler

all-Mechon enemies

and I guess constant Enchanting does sound like it can be pretty tiresome

Spoiler

besides, I'd rather be able to use Shield more often if I find myself in a pinch

. I'm not hurting for cash right now but I do want to afford the

Spoiler

highest-level Arts books and Colony 6 upgrades

; I doubt

Spoiler

this purchase will break the bank

. I also don't remember what effect (or lack thereof) Arts have on Mechon so if anyone wants to chip in here that would be welcome!

I just bought the weapons personally, gold isnt hard to get and i dont always want to have Shulk in my group, and i do not want to rely too much on his enchant ability either.

Spoiler

Beside you will get other anti-mechons weapons later so its not like you're stuck with them forever.

Also, dont bother buying that weapon for Melia,

Spoiler

her elemental arts will do damage on mechons, anti-mechon weapon or not.

Unless you wanna use her melee abilities.

 

[Exeunt]

Yes. the swimming outfits are silly. Quite frankly, the majority of the equipment looks ridiculous. The only ones I really like were the jungle outfits especially on Sharla and Dunban.

The definite downside to your characters' appearance changing with new weapons and armour is that more powerful armour can also look way less appealing than whatever you had on earlier. I'm sure a lot of people can just look past it and a lot of the outfits don't bother me, but it's still kind of disappointing when your new armour makes your character look silly. That said,

Spoiler

if Riki ever gets a mushroom cap like the other Nopon have

I would have to face the tough decision of whether that was awesome or terrible. I actually hated the jungle outfits to be honest, but I think I still have Dunban wearing part of one for the stats.

I just bought the weapons personally, gold isnt hard to get and i dont always want to have Shulk in my group, and i do not want to rely too much on his enchant ability either.

Spoiler

Beside you will get other anti-mechons weapons later so its not like you're stuck with them forever.

Also, dont bother buying that weapon for Melia,

Spoiler

her elemental arts will do damage on mechons, anti-mechon weapon or not.

Unless you wanna use her melee abilities.

Well I figured I wouldn't be able to use those weapons forever, seeing as how I'm only level 54 at this point! I'm leaning towards buying right now since they seem like they will be useful and not leave me wanting for cash later. With Melia I

Spoiler

use Spear Break and Starlight Kick but that's more for Topple than for damage so I don't really care what her melee damage is

. I've actually been using her a fair bit lately and both she and Shulk seem borderline overpowered as party leader compared to the other characters, but that could also be attributed to my level or playstyle I suppose.

 

[chaosblade]

As a whole I don't really think anti-mechon weapons are worth it. Remember that they are weaker than normal weapons and enchant gives a damage boost. It doesn't take much AP to get it to level 4-5 and you get a 200-250 damage boost. And it lasts long enough for the vast majority of battles.

Best bet is Melia (main), Shulk, and whoever else since those first two don't need them. You could optionally use one for the other character since AI Shulk is sometimes slow to enchant.