Topic: Xenoblade Chronicles 2

I'll probably try and replay this eventually, seeing as the first time didn't explain the combat that well, and I'll probably have an easier time through the second go. However, I'm probably going to play with the Japanese audio on, since I really can't stand Rex's voice. I get the guy who voiced him is a new voice actor, but.. it just feels off until you get to the end of the game.

I've determined that needing level 2+ field skills for later parts of sidequests is the worst part of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and its not even close. I hate it. Good system in theory, this use of it is trash.

You need it for the main quest at one point too, which is just bad game design when they'd only ever used it for side activities through most of the game.

A lot of the complaints about this game don't resonate with me at all, but the way field skill requirements are implemented into the game is just a straight-up flaw, IMO. It was really annoying early on when I'd be doing a sidequest and had to quit because I didn't have the skill requirements to finish it.

Been playing a few hours of dragon quest 11 but this whole time I've been craving to play more Xenoblade lol. Was hoping it would scratch that itch but no luck so far, hopefully it will click later in the game. Otherwise I'll just have to replay XC2 a third time and have a second playthrough of the first game. I think one thing I'm sorely missing is the soundtracks, they're just so good.

Right now, I'm listening to a Xenoblade music compilation at work. It is great ahahahahha

I shat on this game quite a lot and as we all know it has its highly annoying quirks. But all in all, looking back now I remember it very fondly and am already quite nostalgic about the story, characters, music and beautiful worlds. Among the top 5 Switch RPGs for me.

I'm fine with leaving a sidequest for later on rare occasion, but the fact that it seemingly happens far more than the original game despite having less sidequests is a bad sign.

Figuring out I can apparently manipulate some of it with putting some different generic blades in my team only made me double down on my opinion. Because at least improving my team to get field skills is a cool idea, menu management for my team for a barrier to sidequesting is bad in theory and execution. And also what a boring solution that would be. At this point I'm just sticking with Wind Mastery via Roc and upgrading Merc Group.

I should state that obviously I'm enjoying this game a lot, and its the most I've consistently played one game in a long while. Its just the type of game where there's enough amazing stuff that my various complaints can't really ruin it exactly.

Field skill checks are just bad design. For every one that's in the game they passed up to use some other method to gate off that area that would have advanced the story, such as completing a quest or battling a mini-boss. It's not like XC1 was the worse for doing that, and XCX pretty much pulled it off just using the landscapes as natural barriers which I still think is utterly awesome.

On the whole though, I like the way the game implements skills generally. They're almost always advanced by doing something that adds to the underlying character, like finding out their favourite foods, using skills already gained, or completing quests. Had they restrained field quests just to things like gathering resources or helping out on merc missions, they'd actually be a pretty good mechanic.

On a more positive note, the 3 boss fights at the end of chapter 5 were really solid. I especially liked the first one, which was actually kind of a puzzle boss, and when I realized what I needed to do, it was really cool. Like a genuinely neat realization. The battles that don't fall into being obnoxious (the first boss after you enter Mor Ardain is a weird and bad difficulty jump), are probably the best part of the game...? Like the sense that even if you die, you almost have it and next time you'll figure it out or just have that extra bit of luck or good timing.

Probably the best story cutscene so far at the end of it too, so that's nice and hopefully a sign for how the rest of the game will go. I can't say I'm surprised a JRPG story would improve later on.

finally gets Wind Mastery 2 after like 30 hours

goes to place I needed it to jump to a higher level for sidequest

takes me to another one that needs Wind Master 3

Man, its rare that a game does such an effective job of telling me "**** you". I'm impressed.

@kkslider5552000 you can add common blades with wind affinity to your party to get through the barrier though

You can also sort through the list of blades by field skill to find them quickly, which beats searching through the entire list every time.

It'd be better still if you didn't have to equip them, but we can't have everything.

Same. It will never leave as positive memory as XC1 for me, because I think that's so close to a perfect RPG, but XC2 is still a very positive memory.

I think partly because there still aren't that many epic JRPGs like that on the Switch. Certainly not exclusives anyway. DQ11 is brilliant too, but that's a downgraded port. XC2 is still quite unique in this particular sub-genre

I should point out that this hilarious revelation about this one sidequest and Wind Mastery 3 was preceded by easily the best acted scene thus far at the start of chapter 7. Brighid should get more dramatic lines in this story.

I need to get this game at some point, Uh I want to ask one thing. Do I need to play the first one, or is starting here good for a first timer to the series?

I don't personally know about any plot connections that may or may not exist to the first game (for as far as I've gotten into 2) but I just flat out think the first one is the better game to get into anyway.

Not just because I like it more, but because Xenoblade 2 is more complicated and more difficult to fully appreciate as a video game.

They are loosely, yet also directly, connected and it's hard to define this more without spoiling too much. You can play 2 without having played the first and not really miss out, but there is one key scene that won't make any sense at all unless you know the plot of the first (this was a 'wow, that's cool' moment for me in 2) and there are some other plot points that make more sense if you've played the first.
Torna is very much connected to 2.
For a quick jump in to the mechanics, as DomGC said, Torna is a good spot, as it's much, much shorter (I think I did 36 hours for Torna VS almost 200 for XB2). But it's like a Star Wars point for me - the prequel more appreciated knowing the later outcome and it was released as 'DLC' for 2, so the assumption was you'd played 2 already and already know some of the plot points that would serve as spoilers for 2.

Ideally, release order is the way to go here for the overall plot. 1, 2, Torna.

It's not quite like a Final Fantasy situation where there's absolutely no connection at all.

@Snatcher I'd start with the first. You can play them in any order, but the second one has a scene in it that can only really be understood if you play the original. Torna is a prequel, but you need to play that after 2, since it spoils most of the plot-twists in 2.

The order I'd probably play it in is: Xenoblade Definitive Edition, Xenoblade 2, Xenoblade 2: Torna.

@Snatcher Play XCDE first!

I played XC2 first and while I enjoyed it, I do admit it can be a bit harder to get into for newcomers. As others have mentioned before the best order to play them is pretty much the release order: 1, 2, and Torna