Topic: Xenoblade Chronicles 3

I have finally gotten around to picking this up today. Looking forward to finishing up the series (so far). I have a question about the DLC. Is there a reason to get it already, like there is stuff you can do from it while playing the main game (like BotW)? Or is it pretty much entirely postgame stuff for Future Redeemed that can wait until I've beaten the game? And is there any physical option like there was with Torna? Thanks.

I just recently jumped back into this game, after about a year away from it, and wanted to ask a question; only because I can't find it in the game menu for all the tips/guides.
Can anyone explain to me how the chain attack meter fills? Sometimes it fills outrageously fast and other times it takes forever, so is there something that I missed/forgot about how this thing fills. Most of the arts gauges fill due to some arbitrary in battle movement depending on the "Tribe" that the Class is from.

@Xyphon22 I did a run of the game with all the DLC installed, it has some of both, but the stuff that's put into the main game is pretty minimal compared to Future Redeemed. You get some nopon coins, two new heroes (unlockable from Chapter 3 and 5), and the challenge battles, where you can unlock some new costumes for the gang, including swimsuits.

Future Redeemed is enormous though, (no physical sadly) and the lack of DLC in the main game will be easily forgiven because of how good that one is. I like it better than the main game sometimes!

@jedgamesguy Thanks for the info. I was absolutely planning on getting Future Redeemed, I was just wondering if there was a reason to get it now or if it could wait until I beat the main game. I absolutely do not care about things like coins and costumes, and might try a challenge battle like once just for fun but wouldn't really care about those. But the two new characters and corresponding quests sound like exactly what I'm talking about and even if they are somewhat minimal would still be extra gameplay content worth getting early if I'm going to get it anyway. (Un)fortunately, I've got some time, because I'm currently playing Witcher 3 and would like to finish that up before starting this, which who knows how long that will take.

@Unit_DTH It builds as you play "properly". Basically, whenever you start combos (Break, Topple...), cancel attacks, or play your characters' roles.

@Xyphon22 You're welcome. I'd recommend waiting till you've beaten the game, I was like that too... well, am like that with every DLC pack that's structured this way. I always wait till the whole thing's out so that I can get actual value for my money instead of getting piecemeal content early on. I've done it with XC3, XC2, FF7 Remake, FF16, both Smash Fighter Passes, MK8 Booster Course Pass, and I plan to do it with Persona 3 Reload once Episode Aigis comes out.

By all means take your sweet time, it'll be worth it.

@jedgamesguy But if I wait until I've beaten the game, does that mean I will never get to see those two extra characters or do their quests? Because I can honestly tell you I already have no plans to replay the game given how long I assume it is, especially if the only reason I am doing it is to see two more characters. I guess now that I know about them being in the DLC, I am asking is there any real reason to wait to get it since I know I will get it anyway? You said you like to wait until the whole thing is out so you don't get it piecemeal, but the whole thing is out now, so that's not an issue anymore.

@PedroMatos Thanks for the simplification. Kinda silly that they would even allow Class changes at all if that's considered NOT "playing properly". I usually set my teams to be able to break, topple and launch pretty fastidiously, so I will just go back in and set my team back up to be more "in sync" with this "playing properly" concept. I appreciate it!

@Unit_DTH
What PedroMatos means by "playing properly", is that each role (attacker, defender, healer) has their key role actions that builds their talent gauge and the chain attack meter.

For attackers, this means attacking enemies from behind, meeting the criteria for getting the bonus effects from arts like attacking from behind or the side, or landing critical hits.

For defenders, this means drawing aggro successfully, especially when taking attention away from attackers or healers.

For healers, this means using arts that heal or buff allies, reviving allies, or setting field effects (those rings that heal, raise evasiveness, etc).

Any character should be capable of fulfilling their role actions when changing to any class, though some are better at performing role actions than others.
Martial Artists for example, have a very high crit rate, and their arts flow into each other well. The caveat for that is they draw aggro a lot faster in doing so.

@RupeeClock Thanks for the more in-depth description! I think that the in-game tutorial about this was not that great when I first started playing, or maybe I just didn't pay close enough attention. Either way, I really appreciate the insight and info. Thanks very much!

I'm finally getting ready to start playing Xenoblade 3, and I have a question before I begin. The previous games (particularly X and 2) had pretty significant elements of the battle system that were very poorly explained or even not explained at all in-game that made it difficult to do well, especially against bosses. Is there anything like that in 3 that I should be aware of before I start? I don't want any spoilers, and if it is explained in the game then you don't need to mention it (I've seen the just above discussion, so I guess that's good to know). Thanks.

@Xyphon22 the game does a much better job of explaining its mechanics than 2 (haven’t played X so I can’t speak to that game’s tutorials). Combat is somewhat similar to XC2 (with many differences), so if you were able to eventually grasp that game’s combat you should be good. I will say that the game’s difficulty modes don’t really describe their changes very well. I played the game on Hard and found certain enemies and bosses to be a bit more damage-spongey and tedious than I would have liked. I would say start with Normal and only bump it up if you feel like the game is too easy.

@SplatRay001 Oh, I pretty much always play games on Normal difficulty when there is a choice. And I was able to grasp most of 2s combat, there were just some mechanics that I didn't fully understand for a long time until I came on these forums and asked around, so I thought I'd just get ahead of the curve this time. Breaking the different colored orbs and the like. And there was some kind of elemental burst or whatever that I didn't know about until I was literally fighting the final boss of the game, and once I learned that I took him down pretty easily. But yeah, the basics have pretty much been the same throughout the series, so I'm sure that won't be a problem.

@Xyphon22 I hope you enjoy the game! I don’t want to get your hopes up or anything but this is definitely my personal favourite in the series.

I started this up today, and I clearly haven't made it very far yet, but I already think it may be the best game in the series for one simple reason: you can fight while swimming in the water! No more not being able to reach the enemies in the lakes. Hooray!

@Xyphon22 Glad you're enjoying it. It's better than the other games for a variety of reasons. One of the greatest JRPGs ever made!

XC3 addresses nearly every complaint people had about the older games, and one of those is very clearly the lack of clear explanations for major aspects of the combat systems in these games.

It blows my mind how XC3 even runs on the switch considering all the content it has to offer. It really is an incredible game. And being able to change class roles for characters is an awesome addition.

The fact that it looks this visually stunning with so much going on on-screen is insane to me. The really knew how to push the Switch to its limits.

So I've reached the point where I can swap classes and learned how to set Master Arts and Master Skills and all that jazz, and I just have to ask, is it really worth doing all that? I don't really understand the point of it all, and it just seems like a lot of work. It seems like it would be better just to level up everyone's natural class and make them as strong as possible. Is it actually good and useful to switch classes and level them all up for each person?

@Xyphon22 Just to finish the story, you don't need to do a huge amount with classes. Most of the starting classes are pretty good and you can get everyone a special weapon that makes them even better prior to the final boss fight.

That said, if you're intending to do much in the post game, particularly taking down the superbosses, you'll need to pay a bit more attention to your builds.

Also, once a class is maxed out, your CP is going to waste if you don't switch to another one. Again, it's much easier to grind in the post game, but you can still give yourself a bit of a head start if that's your ultimate intention.