Topic: Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition

I had this happen a time or two during my playthrough last summer. I assumed it was from wandering out of the monster's normal stomping range. Very annoying.

@Tyranexx Oh, that might be it. I wondered if it was because I took too long to defeat it but your suggestion seems more likely. I'm guessing that's more of an oversight from the developers rather than an intentional decision because otherwise you'd think there'd be some warning that you were going out of that monster's range.

@Dogorilla

Which unique monster was it? And what was the level difference between you?

@Dogorilla Not sure if it's intentional or not (or if I'm even right for that matter), but it could also be mixed in with the mechanics that kick in when one runs for dear life from a monster 50+ levels above them. XD

@Dezzy I don't remember the name but it was some kind of Mechon on (I think) Digit 5 Beach on the Fallen Arm, and it was about 2 or 3 levels higher than my team.

@thiz The first Xenoblade also has high level enemies in low level areas, but they're pretty easy to avoid. I think the first Xenoblade is a bit more linear in level design, 95% of the game is basically a straight path from the starting city to their destination. The areas within that path can be quite large, so maybe you could get lost within them, but there's always waypoints to direct you.

@thiz Finished Xenoblade a couple of weeks ago and its a great game. No chance you'll get lost as everything is marked with waypoints with the exact path shown on the map - you can even switch between quests and story and the waypoints/map change automatically. From what I've heard, this was one of the QOL improvements added in the Definitive Edition, but I'm sure someone that played the original version will correct me if that's not the case.

@thiz There are higher level enemies in the lower leveled areas, as it's a series staple, but in the first game they're way easier to avoid than they are in 2. I forgot if 2 does this, but the original marks what monsters are alerted by. Some are alerted by sight, so they have a sight icon above their head, an then some are alerted by sound, so you have to walk slower near them.

Xenoblade 2 doesn't have this feature and I really don't know why. This is part of the reason why I prefer Xenoblade 1 over 2.

@thiz Xenoblade 1 is VERY different from Xenoblade 2. As mentioned already the navigation system is astronomically better. No matter where you are on the map it'll give you a direct line to follow so you'll always know where to go.

As for high-level enemies, in Xenoblade 2 a majority of the enemies were aggressive towards you unless you were a really high level or you just turned enemy aggression off (this is option is only available after buying the DLC in XC2). In Xenoblade 1 there are many non-aggressive enemies. Satorl Marsh, Makna Forest and other areas all have enemies that are higher leveled but they won't attack you unless you attack them.

All the aggressive enemies will have some type of logo above their head (like @VoidofLight said) so you know they are aggressive in advance.

Sorry for reviving a semi-old thread, but I picked up Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition about two months ago, finished today, and wow…
Just wow…
This is probably my favorite RPG I’ve ever played. The story is engrossing and goes into great depths for world building. Amazingly, all the characters are interesting or likeable, I don’t even know how you achieve that. The combat is really fun and blends strategy with excitement well. The quest system is nothing mind-blowing, but really helps aid in exploring these really well-crafted worlds. The music is amazing as well, with Engage the Enemy being a particular highlight that heightens dramatic moments. I haven’t played Future Connected yet, but I can easily give this game a hearty recommendation if you’ve never played it before.

@JakedaArbok XCDE is my personal favorite in the series so I'm super happy to hear that you enjoyed it! Even after I 100% completed it sometimes I still go back to the game just to admire the scenery and music. To this day it still amazes me that such a game was originally released on the Wii!

12 hours in two days, lol. I knew if I didn't dive right into this I'd just hang it up again. Maybe I'll actually be able to finish the Switch version.

I'd forgotten just how much of a slog the entire sequence starting with the ether mines and ending with that Xord fight was. And then right onto Satorl Marsh, which I recall being another ridiculous slog. We'll see how that goes.

I will say, this game looks much, much nicer remastered on Switch than it did on 3DS.

@Ralizah I have to agree with long stretches of the game being pretty boring. Valak Mountain is easily the worst offender as far as boring areas go, imo.

You can literally beeline it and get the area behind you within an hour or so. Which is boring.

Or you spend several hours doing side quests, which is boring. I don't know why but everything about Valak just feels like it drags for me.
No joke, when I first played Xenoblade I ACTUALLY fell asleep when I played through that part. Between the day visuals being hella bland and that incredibly calm, monotonous day theme I legitimately started zoning out until I fell over on my couch and napped for a good two hours or so lol

On the second playthrough with the remake it was not as painfully boring to me because I knew it wouldn't take long until I can ignore the area again but it was still rough on me, especially because I tend to be a bit more tired in general during my work weeks 😂

I think Sword Valley comes right after and I think that is where XC1 sloooowly starts to really come into its own and it doesn't slow down once you get to the Fallen Arm. I ADORE that second half of the game. Bionis is kind of lame in general outside of how cool the setting was initially.

I'll say as far as snowy regions go XC2 did it WAY better because, while Tantal looks very similar to Valak in general, that music to go with it just keeps you engaged, I THINK it's the day theme that goes super hard.
Then again, all of the musical themes you hear in Tantal are absolute bangers. Easily my favorite batch of songs in that game.
I don't really have a solid opinion on XC3's take on the area theme but they at least made it fairly condensed and...the three big quest lines in that area are all great. "THAT" moment in particular is my personal high point of the game because I'm a sucker for "nostalgia" (none of the trilogy is really old enough or influenced me enough to hit the kind of nostalgia highs I get from stuff like the Yoshi's Island track they showed for MK8D, got actual goosebumps during that part of the latest direct 🙈)

@Dom_31 Yeah, thinking about it, XC1 has a ton of really boring sections, and many of them are in the first half of the game, lol.

Aside from the horrible side-quests, my biggest criticism of the original has always been that it's a linear JRPG with these uselessly gigantic regions that give you very little incentive to explore them, as other then killing enemies and finding new landmarks, there's nothing to do in them.

XC2 addressed this by making areas denser, so that there's less pointless openness to deal with. XC3 might be more sprawling than even XC1, but it's loaded with stuff to see and do, so it ended up being a great experience.

This'll be my third go at the game. I got past Sword Valley in the original before just sort of dropping it on the 3DS, and couldn't even bother to get to Gaur Plains in the Wii version. I'm determined to seal the deal this time.

@Ralizah I definitely think everything past sword valley is damn good. You still won't get good writing out of Riki or Sharla if you don't grind for the heart to hearts but the story itself is great and the twist is one of the better ones of its type.

Hope you can pull through, I think the QOL and visual upgrades make it much easier to play tho.

And I say that as a huge xenoblade fan, just don't agree with the "consensus" that it's the best one or even just better than 2.
Very much a series that got all around better as it got more entries to me.

@Dom_31 Same. Nearly every Xenoblade has improved significantly on aspects of the games that came before it, with XC3 in particular being a top ten overall gaming experience for me. I loved it that much. The side-content, in particular, is the best I've ever seen in a JRPG.

XC2 was the first Xenoblade game I became properly invested in. The more interesting characters, improved H2Hs (affinity grinding is the bane of my existence in XC1, and I'm not even going to attempt to do it in XCDE), and incredible soundtrack kept me going through the frustrations unique to that game. It was a flawed, messy, but overall far better experience to me.

And Torna's only major failing was that it was so short. It removed everything bad about XC2 and maintained most of what made it fantastic, which is why, until XC3, it was my favorite entry in the series.

XCX... I don't know how I feel about it. Ultimately, I think, it was too complex and involved, but with too little payoff, to feel like it was worth investing a significant amount of my time in. I pretty much quit after 40 hours in, or whenever it is that you gain access to skells, which were kind of a pain in their own right.

@Dom_31 I'm surprised you think Valak Mountain is the worst area in the game! Personally, I really enjoy it. It's home to 3 of the highest leveled bosses in the game and I LOVE the ice physics 😂

Edit: Can't forget about jakt geyser too!😂

lol Something about Alvis' design in the remaster just makes him feel like a Kingdom Hearts character to me.

I've actually been completing most of the sidequests this time. The trick is to only do them when I'm watching TV or listening to a podcast and need something repetitive and mindless to do. The game does a great job of highlighting EXACTLY where you need to go to complete them.

Gotta say, after having my gigantic party with me all the time in XC3, only being able to have three characters in my party at any one time feels like a pretty big limitation.

@kaisu Oh wow, so he did! I thought it was weird I didn't remember a Zohar necklace from the original.