Everything you need to know before venturing to Planet Mira.
Xenoblade Chronicles X is now available for a few days exclusively on Nintendo Wii U and we have seen how many players are grappling with the new game systems proposed by Monolith Soft, often more complicated than the average and almost never analyzed by an exhaustive tutorial able to make us aware of everything we need to know. Not even this little guide of ours will be able to solve all your questions (which you can still ask us in the comments, we will be more than happy to answer you), but it will enable you to understand every single mechanism set in motion by your actions.
The manual
It may seem stupid to say it, but in the digital age each of us has forgotten the usefulness of manuals, no longer physically present inside the packages but accessible only from our console and open game. Many of our readers will not know how to access the Wii U software electronic manual, yet it is very simple; in fact, it will be enough:
1. Launch the game;
2. Press the Home button;
3. Click on the icon with the book;
much of the fundamental information is found in the manual and before even starting to play it would be ideal to browse it and start learning something about the mechanics of the title.
Equipment is vital
As in any self-respecting JRPG, equipment is of vital importance; taking care of your characters and making sure they have access to the most advanced weapons and armor will guarantee us better survival. In Xenoblade Chronicles X it is also very important to remember to periodically check Techniques and Skills to be sure to always get the maximum results during the battles, whether they are simple encounters against low-alloy enemies or unique or story-related bosses.
From the party item of the main menu we will have access to the following you:
- State
From here it will be possible to view all the information about our characters;
- Ground Equipment
From here it will be possible to manage the weapons and armor of our characters;
- Skell gear
From here it will be possible to manage the equipment of your Skell (which will also affect their Arts) from the moment they are unlocked; it will also be possible to assign others to the members of our team, but only after reaching level 30;
- Techniques
This will be your daily bread: the Techniques will be essential to be able to survive along the course of the entire adventure and will be able to guarantee us buffs and debuffs essential for the success of a fight. It is essential to remember that almost at every level-up a new Art is unlocked, it will therefore be our duty to periodically check the Arts at our disposal and choose the ones we consider most useful; from this same menu, moreover, it will be possible to enhance the arts themselves through the Battle Points, guaranteeing us greater amounts of damage and buffs / debuffs with greater and longer lasting effects;
- Skills
As with the Arts, the skills can be equipped and grant effective bonuses; like Techniques, skills can be upgraded through Battle Points to get even better bonuses.
- Classes
From this menu item it will be possible to access the class tree that will allow us to differentiate the fighting style of our characters. New classes are available every 10 levels and it will be possible to choose between offensive, balanced or support branches. In case you believe you have chosen the wrong branch, we recommend increasing the level of other classes by facing lower level enemies, as access to the Arts is reduced at the lowest levels of a class.
- Soul Voices
During the battle some characters will react according to our actions and it is in these moments that the Soul Voices will come into play, guaranteeing us various bonuses. From this menu we will have access to the available Soul Voices and we will decide which ones we will see during the battles and the bonuses that will be assigned to us;
- Active Members
Although in the course of most of the quests dedicated to the story we will be forced to use Lin and Elma, in the remaining part of the cases we will be able to customize our team by making use of different characters;
- Return to the Skell
If we left our Skell behind and explored a long way on foot, this is the tailor-made option for us;
Explore the vast areas of the Planet Mira
After the first tutorials with very limited exploration possibilities, we will be catapulted into an immense and vast game world that will then be further explored thanks to the Skell, which we will get only after the first 20 hours of play and will be able to fly only after. 40; most of the exploration, therefore, will take place by making use of the characters.
Exploring is necessary because:
- The map on the Gamepad will be updated by discovering new areas, and using the Data Probes it will be possible to increase the "survey rate", necessary for the purpose of obtaining some quests and essential for obtaining new information on the surrounding areas;
- The discovery of new areas and the positioning of the probes guarantees a high quantity of experience points, often much higher than the quantity obtained by completing one of this secondary; we always recommend paying close attention to what surrounds us and always carefully evaluating the risk you run when facing higher level enemies. While exploration is at the core of Xenoblade Chronicles X, it is always good to consider stopping in order to level up and access areas with higher level enemies;
- It is possible to obtain a high quantity of objects, which are nothing more than the floating blue spheres that we see during the export; even if at first glance they may seem useless, many of the objects we will find will then be indispensable in the completion of some missions.
And now, some little advice for novice explorers:
- Some parts of the planet are only accessible by using Skells; if we have already explored and could not find a way to climb a mountain, probably the only way to do it is by flying;
- The sea also plays its part; some areas are connected by land (Primordia, Noctilum, Oblivia), but through the sea it is possible to reach two areas belonging to another continent (Sylvalum, Cauldros) and it is possible to acquire very useful objects;
The various missions
In Xenoblade Chronicles X we will have the opportunity to face a large number of missions, many of which will not be in any way related to the story but which will grant us access to new characters or equipment. Specifically, the missions are divided into:
- History Missions
Self-explanatory, they serve to continue with the plot within the title; they can be taken one at a time;
- Affinity Missions
As with the story missions, the affinity missions can be taken one at a time and are the most important side missions within the title; through these missions, in fact, they are essential to unlock new chapters and missions of the story;
- Normal Missions
Acceptable through the BLADE terminal can be a maximum of 20 at the same time and develop stories of their own in the enterprise of helping the citizens of New Los Angeles, often involving the collection of objects or the killing of certain beasts;
The missions also unlock the various areas of New Los Angeles, full of secrets and hidden places; exploration, therefore, is also indispensable in this area of the game which, if approached in the right way, will be able to give us numerous satisfactions and a high amount of secondary missions; citizens with blue or yellow bubbles on their heads will be able to give us clues or allow us to access new missions. Furthermore, the mini-map in the upper right corner will allow us to see these indicated with a “!”;
Online Game
As you well know, Xenoblade Chronicles X also boasts some online game features that will allow us to tackle some quests in the company of other players. The choice to play online or not will be made at the start of the game but will not affect the single player game which can still be dealt with in the same way, but will guarantee access to more features.
With the online game, in fact, the various divisions of the BLADE are enhanced, able to guarantee different bonuses according to the various types of challenges that we will face; it will therefore be essential to change them to be able to get the maximum compensation.
Furthermore:
- During the export it will be possible to see the "Team Tasks" at the bottom right, these can be viewed by pressing R and scrolling through the L key; by contributing to these tasks you will get "Tickets" which can then be exchanged at the Blade Shacks;
- It will also be possible to contribute to the growth of your division by playing alone and completing missions in single player; also in this case we will be rewarded with Tickets;
- Team Missions will be unlocked by taking part in Team Tasks; during a mission it will be possible to join a team or create your own;
- In order to participate in the Nemesis Battle it will be necessary to have reached a certain level and have obtained a Skell, as well as medals that can only be obtained by participating in the Timed Team Tasks;
- Timed Missions can be undertaken alone with the help of your companions commanded by the Artificial Intelligence and can be repeated indefinitely. With these it is possible to obtain more experience points than normal, becoming indispensable in case it is necessary to level up;
Final Tips
- The affinity table is essential to be able to start some Affinity Missions it is our duty, therefore, to develop relationships with each member of our team;
- The map should be used both in the exploration of New Los Angeles and in the vast lands of Planet Mira; in both cases we will have access to a broad and detailed spectrum of information that we would not otherwise be able to see;
- Data Probes are very important and should be used above all to discover the materials available in certain areas; in the event that materials other than Miranium are available, it would be a good idea to also use the Mining Probes to be able to obtain them, considering that some Affinity Missions require certain minerals;
- Asking for help is not a shame. The large game world can surprise and perplex more than once and in case you are in trouble there may be someone willing to help us. Ask and let help be provided to continue;
- Pay close attention to the Skells: the first 3 times they are destroyed in battle, they will be repaired for free, but then the repairs will be paid for. Better a damaged Skell than a broken Skell, if the battle gets too hard, you better jump out of the Skell before it's too late! It is possible to recommend to your companions the propulsion from the Skell by accessing the combat menu via the Start button.
That's it for our beginner's guide. If you have any ideas or suggestions, feel free to write them in the comments area and don't forget you can reach us on both Facebook and Twitter (@Soultricks).
