Topic: Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition

@DenDen Largely the characters and story. The relationships among the cast and the way the journey evolves throughout.
I love that initially Shulk and company are openly seeking revenge and actively want to kill those who attacked them. They don't hold back on that note or claim to be serving some higher ideal. No, they were attacked, many of their people were killed, and they're out to get revenge! The cast of the game evolve and grow as people throughout the game in a very big way. Shulk growing from timid lab geek into a real leader, Sharla dealing with the death of a loved one and coming to love again, literally everything about Melia's story. Dunban coming to terms with his injury... etc etc

I know overall the story isn't super original or anything but I feel that even the tropes in this game are some of the best examples of such that we've ever had in gaming and fiction.

It's also the package deal, the combination of the story and cast, the gameplay, the lore, the music all together in one game that never bores me, never frustrates me, always entertains me. It just clicks the most for me of the 3 Xenoblade titles and I have almost nothing I dislike about it beyond a couple of very tiny nit-picks.

Although I absolutely love XC2 and X as well, I have a handful of bigger complaints about those that hold them back from quite being as close to perfection as I consider XC1. Without getting into too much detail, I'm not a fan of the silent protagonist/insert yourself into the game style used in X(or in any game that does that, if you see my commenting on other games like, DQ11 for example or BOTW, I often mention not liking that style choice) and in XC2 I really dislike the way you get most rare blades. The RNG nature of it is the one thing that really stained the experience for me. It didn't ruin it of course, but it does hold XC2 back in my view.

@DenDen yea me too. Glad I gave it a shot. I never went back to finish secret of mana. One day, I will go back and do so.

@Knighty_IX Okay, so that was Riki and Melia, I wasn't certain. I completely didn't recognize Fiora though, whoops. Probably because I always immediately swap her out of her default outfit and into the lead slot when she's in my party. Is that Tora though? I thought Tora was on the right next to Pyra.

Just done the Prison Island scene. Always great.

Who's got the furthest?

Ok Valak Mountain is by far the least-improved area. They really haven't done much to it at all.

I finally figured out the Vision part. At least sort of. I didn't realize i had to go walk up to someone after the vision, and pick an action. Based on color of the enemy action, do you pick your own talent art of the same color?

Good news is I executed a few successful ones

I'm right at the end but clearing up side quests and challenge battle stuff before proceeding. Turns out a lot of the really rare collectibles like Rainbow Slug and Black Liver Bean can be purchased with Noponstones at the last portal.

@Grumblevolcano

where is the last portal? I was wondering about that, cos I never got any items that aren't weapons/clothing/gems as options to buy.

@Dezzy Prison Island before entering the room where you fight the dragon in chapter 17.

Ok I'm quite a way off then.

Now Prison Island is a location that looks a hell of a lot better than in the original.

@Dezzy I'm running around Eryth Sea right now doing all the side quests for it and Alcamoth. I played through the Tomb segment so that Melia would be in the party for the side quests and to build up affinity.

I'd be farther, but I've not devoted 100% of my free time exclusively to Xenoblade. Only about 80%. lol

I had forgotten just how many side quests are open to you in this region right away, even before prison island. It's like literally everyone in this area wants you to just slaughter everything that moves in the entire region. I'm surprised PETA hasn't attacked this game. XD Some are collection quests too, but I feel like most of them are lazy High Entia who were assigned monster quests and can't handle the job themselves.

@NintendoByNature
Your art colors just tell you what type of art it is (red is physical attack, pink is break, green is topple, gold is daze, blue is buff and orange is debuff).

Basically just use your Monado Shield for white attacks. Anything else, just use common sense to bulk up to weather the hit, or use an evasion buff in the hopes the attack will miss, or heal them all the way in the hopes they can tank the hit, or just a normal shield art to protect them, or have them use an art that lowers their aggro (like Riki’s Play Dead Art, just be aware that someone else will now likely be targeted by that attack). Heck, you can technically use the Monado Shield for any of them, but I wouldn’t roll the dice wasting that art because you might end up needing it to protect against a real talent art attack, which nothing else can really protect you from. You could also use character specific arts depending on the circumstance. If it’s Reyn, for example, you could have him use Last Stand which basically revives him with half health for any killing blow in the next 15 seconds. Stuff like that.

And in all cases, when you warn them, you get to tell them what skill of theirs to use. So if they have their own shield art or evasion art, have them use that. Then once you gain control again use whatever arts you have to supplement. Monado Shield for white talent art attacks, common sense strategy for anything else.

@JaxonH makes more sense when you explain it that way, Thanks. I also did some guide reading to get some more information, so i think I got it now. It just happens so quick sometimes, It's hard to react.

In the marsh, I had a boss( electrically charged named enemy) giving me trouble. Died about 4 or 5 times even though i was about 3 levels above him because he kept spamming chain attacks. But i landed a couple successful attempts, and beat him thankfully.

@NintendoByNature Are you talking about that guy in the fortress? I hate that guy, I always put off fighting him until I have a considerable level advantage, and even then, I use the lure command to pick off his grunts first - since he doesn't seem to care if you murder his friends. The guy has an instant death attack that is really hard to deal with without cheesing him.

@Heavyarms55 not that guy, it was a guy on a hill. But... I do know what guy you're referring to, as I faced him once, and had the same technique you did (luring his goons), and i actually beat him. He was around my same level(28-29).

I left the building and did some other side quests. Came back since i had to go back in the building for the key side quest, and the dude was there again, but at level 31!! Naturally, I did the same sont and dance of luring them until it was 1 on 3, and he smoked me.

So I reloaded my save file I made just before I faced him, and he was no longer there! Very odd lol

@NintendoByNature Unique monsters respawn on an RNG system that varies by monster. And the game has some means of tracking save scumming. I tried again in this version to see. I collected some items and reloaded to see if they were different, and they were just not there at all! So I'm guessing they do that for enemies too, to make it a little harder to get rare drops.

@Heavyarms55 that's very interesting. Well, I guess im not complaining since I DID beat him Once already 😋.

@NintendoByNature Enemys with lightning around their names are called unique monsters, and they have something that makes them harder than the others of that type. In exchange for that increased difficulty they normaly drop good stuff, and the first time you beat them you get an affinity coin. After beating them once they will only sometimes spawn.

@iskim good to know, thank you.

Does anyone know whether loading a save file after beating the game sends you back to before the final boss as if you hadn't beaten the game like in XC2 and Torna or does it put you back to the start of the game like Wind Waker?

I got jumped and was grossly outmatched by a boss of one of those lizard dudes when trying to beat up one of those giant birds. Things were going pretty well before that point. I was playing as Reyn at the time and was having trouble keeping aggro even though I tried hitting any and all offending parties.

Satorl Marsh itself is brilliant. It's pretty meh-looking during the day, but at night...wow. I really like the music that plays then, too. I'm listening to all original tracks for now and will go back to other areas later to listen to the remastered segments.

@NintendoByNature Yep, explored a lot of Satorl Marsh in my 2+ hour session earlier. I was also hoping to play this evening but joined up with a group for some late raiding in Pokemon Go. Then I got sucked into the internet black hole. XD My whole party is comfortably sitting at level 30.

I've been drafted into the "Mom needs help shopping for Grandma" corps tomorrow since my sister started her summer job, so I don't think I'll be able to play very much. At least lunch somewhere is on the table lol.

@Heavyarms55 I haven't met up with Riki yet, but I sense that it won't be too long before I do. I'm definitely closer in age to Dunban; IIRC, I think you and I are the same age, or at least very close lol. I made a mental note to check the other party members' ages when they come along. I'm guessing Melia is older than she appears in the trailers. XD

I did actually manage to complete that quest I was complaining about. I fast traveled back to the leg just to clean up a couple more quests and lucked out on the thunderstorm lasting long enough for me to find the creature I was looking for. Before, I wasn't able to get to the spawning area in time before the storm faded out. Needless to say I was annoyed.