Topic: Xenoblade Chronicles 2 difficulty modes.

Does Xenoblade Chronicles 2 have an easy mode or just the custom difficulty to make things easier?

@Fujin I’m too lazy to check my copy just now, but I will say I don’t think XC2 needs an easy mode. It’s a very time-consuming game, but not a particularly difficult one. Highly enjoyable, though!

@Fujin Easy and Normal are with the base game meanwhile Bringer of Chaos and Custom are part of the expansion pass. Note that when on the options menu you change options using the left and right directional buttons, moving the sticks left or right does nothing.

Thanks a lot guys.

There is an easy mode but I would stay away from it if you really want to get the most out of the game.

You can control the difficulty yourself in several ways.

1. There are two ways to level up — one occurs automatically as you win battles, the other is done at your discretion as you complete side quests. If you want to make things easier, do a bunch of side quests and then use the experience points you get for doing them to level up at an Inn.
2. Level up your blades by completing their affinity charts.
3. Level up weaponry through the driver interface as well as adding more powerful chips in the blade interface.
4. Use accessories, pouch items and cores that enhance drivers/blades.

Doing it this way you get more value from the game while reducing the challenge as needed.

There is a lot of information available online to help you through all of this. I’m not a fan of wandering for hours to find an item for a fetch quest, so I have used web searches quite a bit for these types of side quests and affinity goals.

@billsfanno1 Plus, you get bonus XP from simply exploring. It's why you don't get direct XP from discovering new locations anymore (unlike Xenoblade 1 and X) - they get added to your bonus XP. So you don't even need to do side quests, just explore.

Also, once you unlock them in Chapter 3, Chain Attacks give even more XP if you kill enemies with a strong Chain Attack. It's why the current 6 hour speedrun still has levels on par with the final boss, just slightly lowered.

Does Torna The Golden country also have an easy mode?

@Fujin Yes, just like the main game the base difficulties are Easy and Normal. The only requirement that's different is for Bringer of Chaos and Custom.

Torna is much easier in general. But I'll be honest, I never cashed in any of my bonus XP in the base game and it was a good enough challenge. But I think if I had gotten my bonus xp it would have been much easier.