@ElRoberico I'd go XC -> FC -> XC2 -> Torna, given that the mechanics for 2 are radically different from the first, and FC doesn't spoil anything of note for 2, unlike how Torna.
@ElRoberico Both of those play orders work fine honestly. I will say the director of Xenoblade said that Future Connected was supposed to show a glimpse into the future of the series so take that as you will. It's a little challenging to tell how without XC3 though 😅
I played them in release order and you certainly won't go wrong with that.
I'd think that the ideal time to play Torna though is after chapter 7 of XC2, where it was originally supposed to go before being de-scoped to the DLC. By that point, you've been drip fed most of what happens during it in flashbacks, so it's a good point to get the complete story before you launch into the last few chapters where it all comes together.
That said, I don't think playing Torna first is going to be utterly ruinous in terms of spoilers, and it feels way more balanced and player-friendly than the main game. There is, after all, one character in your party who lived through it and remembers it all too well, but just isn't particularly forthcoming about telling the rest of them about what happened. Either way, it's definitely not going to spoil the late game from chapter eight onward.
Future Connected is just a straight sequel to XC1, and it wouldn't make any sense to play it before the main game. You also go into it with high level characters and advanced mechanics that might be a lot to take on without familiarity with the main game.
XC1 and XC2 could be played in either order as there's very little crossover between them beyond the last chapter of either game and some non-canon side content like the DLC blades and the Land of Challenge.
Oh, and XCX has nothing to do with any of the rest, again barring non-canon side content, so fit that in whenever.
@VoidofLight Well, I doubt anyone hell bent on finishing the game will stop to take twenty hours out to play another. Still, that's where it fits story-wise. Maybe just think of it as a particularly big optional side quest, like the one you'd have to do to get Poppi's third form at around the same time.
@Matt_Barber I mean, that side-quest is different from stopping one game to play an entirely different game with new battle mechanics.
It's not an entirely different game though. It's DLC that's also sold separately, with the vast majority of mechanics remaining the same.
If you're a stickler for never interrupting a game to play DLC, sure, don't change. On the other hand, Monolith have been kind enough to tell us where it was supposed to fit in and I'm just putting that out there.
@Matt_Barber I mean, it is an entirely new game. It's 30 hours long, and while it shares in some aspects of 2, the combat is different enough for someone to play it and get confused when jumping back into things, given how all of the systems were changed. The reason why this was cut out of the original game was due to screwing with the pacing, so Monolith made it a DLC and standalone game instead.
"It is fate. Many have tried, yet none have ever managed to escape it's flow."
@VoidofLight You're entitled to your opinion. Still, Takahashi says it goes between Chapter 7 and 8 and it's his game.
"Speaking purely from a personal perspective, I’d say if you haven’t played either, you should start with the Xenoblade Chronicles 2 main game, finish up until Chapter 7, then play through Torna - The Golden Country, then finish the rest of the game from Chapter 8. That's sort of in line with our original concept that I outlined in my previous answer. But, of course, we designed both of these games to be able to be played by players who aren't as familiar with the series, but I would say that Torna - The Golden Country features a number of updates from the main game that may make it easier for new players to get into, so that might be another way for players to approach the series."
Now that I JUST finished XC2, I can finally re-follow this thread 🙂. Now sure when, or if I'll get to FC and torna, but I have both. So maybe sometime down the road. Overall, solid game and I enjoyed my time with it.
Xenoblade 2 was the first Switch game I ever purchased. Im here 4 years later finally about to beat it. Im on the final chapter. With Torna on the horizon. As well as playing Future Connected. Happier than ever when I saw the announcement of XC3 and excited to see how these two stories will converge.
After looking closer, it appears that the remains of Uraya and the Mechonis sword are both on top of a mountain? Idk if that actually means anything though lol.
@Vortexeo What I don't get is why Uraya is in this position, and why the Sword of the Mechonis is piercing it. This isn't how the worlds were left in Xenoblade 1 and 2 at the end of their respective games. Makes me feel as if something else is truly at play here, which caused some sort of instability.
"It is fate. Many have tried, yet none have ever managed to escape it's flow."
@VoidofLight Yeah, it really seems that way. I definitely have a lot of questions as well. It only recently occurred to me after seeing the key art but towards the end of Xenoblade 1 the mechonis sword breaks in half. So I'm curious how it ended up restored 🤔
@Vortexeo Yeah, the sword breaks in half within the original game, and then in 2, the titans form into a giant landmass which no longer resembles them.
"It is fate. Many have tried, yet none have ever managed to escape it's flow."
@VoidofLight Damn, the more questions I have the more impatient I get for the game! I quite literally have no theories for these questions either 😂😂😂
@Vortexeo I'm excited for it. I hope to be able to get the collector's edition of the game, if there is one, since I skipped out on the ones for Xenoblade DE and 2.
"It is fate. Many have tried, yet none have ever managed to escape it's flow."
@Matt_Barber The combat system is switched up. The cast is mostly different. The story is different. It features unique mechanics not found in the base game.
Torna is definitely more its own experience than a mere supplement to the base game, IMO.
As such, I also have to agree that playing it in the middle of XC2 isn't a great idea.
Currently Playing: Metroid Prime 4: Beyond (NS2); Corpse Factory (PC)
Forums
Topic: Xenoblade Chronicles 3
Posts 141 to 160 of 2,009
Please login or sign up to reply to this topic