Topic: Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition

I can't wait to jump into this one...soon

@JaxonH Still enjoying the game? The story just keeps getting better and more involving the longer you go.

@Quarth I had a bit of stick drift when playing XC2 in 2018 but it somehow sorted it itself out, the dpad had problems with Tetris 99 rarely but apart from that it's been reliable. I have heard that the dpad is bad for the original batch for awhile but I haven't really needed to use it outside a few games so I haven't really noticed it until XCDE.

@Grumblevolcano Yeah, the d-pad on my first pro also messed things up in Tetris 99. The second one didn't (maybe a newer version?). But both are crap now.

One of XC's biggest plot twists just happened. I remember it being a huge surprise when I first played the game. Now I knew what would happen (will not spoil it), but it remains an emotional moment. Sure, the dialogue is a bit cheesy, but the characters are relatable and likeable, so it still resonates with me.

Yeah, once I started heading to Bionis' leg, I just shot through a ton. I'm already getting close to picking up Dunban again I believe? Though I'll admit, I haven't used anyone but Sharla since I got her, she's still a favorite. Dunban will probs replace Reyn, while Riki will probably replace Shulk for awhile when I get him, at least until I need the Monado. And then Sharla will finally roll out once Melia comes back in. I never made it past that point, so I'm not really sure how I'll rotate my party after that point? If XC2 tells me anything I'll just probably be switching my main character every so often and rotating one party member every time I do.

I haven't changed anyone out out at all. Still trying to figure out if it's worth it. Sharla is nice for healing and reyn is a power house. I've also only played as shulk..

When I played, I regularly switched characters, for variety at the very least. Though I did tend to prefer playing as four of them (eventually five when I realized how good Melia was at points).

I tend to stay with the "original" group, I'm usually satisfied with it. There were moments where I tried out a different character but would lack patience to make it work. It also felt weird not playing as the main character and somehow only Shulk's walking animation looked natural to my eyes. Which is big part of the game lol.

Same. I feel like I'm being boring with this, because Dunban and Melia are both great characters to use. But Shulk, Reyn and Sharla work so well as a trio, that I usually end up sticking with them most of the time.

@Tyranexx I've seen a few people complaining about Riki's voice, which honestly surprised me, I find him adorable. My notification sound on my phone is "You, Listen to Heropon!" XD

Many of Melia's conversations are great! One of my favorite post-battle comments is Melia, Sharla and Dunban. You'll probably know it when you hear it, so I encourage you to try that trio!

Also wow! You're level 40 in Makna! That's really high. I've been running around the next area for a few hours and I'm only a tad higher. I generally don't kill anything not needed for quests that doesn't attack me - aside from unique monsters. Speaking of which, at your level you might want to go back to Colony 9 and kill that big frog enemy on the far coast in the cave. And there's a few quests that have likely opened up to you now in that area.

How's your colony 6 coming? By Makna you should be able to have everything to level 1 and be able to invite one person from colony 9.

I also prefer Shulk/Reyn/Sharla, but I've also experimented with different group combos minus Melia; not entirely sure what to do with her yet. Going by her arts, she seems like a classic Mage with some healing abilities. My current combo is Shulk/Riki/Sharla. I've played around with maining Shulk, Reyn, Sharla, and Dunban so far just to get a feel for how they play. I still prefer Shulk overall, but I like the utility of the rest of them as well.

@Heavyarms55 Riki is actually starting to grow on me a bit. The voice still isn't the best, but it isn't as jarring as it was lol. He's been in my party lately, and the Shulk/Reyn/Sharla combo has some pretty funny dialogue about Riki being warned he might shoot off his paw if he tries a gun. Subbing Riki out with Dunban sparks another post-battle conversation where Shulk asks Sharla if he can try a gun sometime, and Dunban teases that he's already tired of swords. XD

All that said, I'm sure I'll rotate Melia in before long. I'm having fun experimenting with different party setups but almost feel like Sharla is crucial for a lot of situations at this point in the game.

I've been doing a ton of exploring, but I don't attack anything unless I need it for a quest, if it's a rare/unique monster, or if it attacks me first. Part of it too is I've been picking up almost all the quests I can find. Though if what you posted in the Chit-Chat Thread is anything to go by, I might loosen that compulsion a bit in the next area lol.

I've actually just started working on Colony 6 as of my last session, so I'm only in the beginning stages. The refugees have been moved back in, and now I'm trying to clean up my first round of quests before heading back in again. I also picked up and finished a few new ones around Colony 9. That plus being back at work will likely slow down my game progression a bit.

I always have Shulk as the main and then I switch the others around, but it's usually the combos Shulk/Reyn/Sharla or Shulk/Dunban/Riki. I don't use Melia that much.

@Tyranexx I tend to use Riki as an attacker in place of Melia or Shulk. Shulk tends to deal physical damage while Melia deal ether. Riki is a mixture of both but not as good as either. However many of his arts have useful secondary effects, blaze, chill, poison, slow, and he can even topple enemies without first inflicting break.

Melia is really awesome when used right and can deal massive damage. While her elementals do have useful buffs, she can dish out serious DPS if you upgrade them and focus on them instead of her various other arts. I've got a build of her right now with her ether maxed out as high as it can go with gems, and the rest of the gems boosting lighting damage. Her bolts dealing 13-15k damage each normally and she's only level 46. I've hit over 20k in a single attack with her after using her ability that weakens ether defense while also having an ether buff on her. That's early-mid game chain attack damage levels from a single art!

Her ether is the highest non-HP stat in my entire party, higher even than Reyn's defense with the best heavy armor I can find!

If you're in Makna forest right now then you should be able to get colony 6 to level 1 across the board. Then in the next area level 2 everything and level 3 for commerce and housing. You don't need to rush with it, but it's nice getting access to the stores and collectibles ASAP. You can get some art books more reliably this way too and it opens up more quests for you.

Okay guys, in Alcamoth, there is a quest giver named Naroth be sure to have Riki in the lead for his quest - the special conversation is one of the best in the game. Trust me, take the 3 seconds to switch Riki into the party lead, it's fantastic! So funny!

Pro controllers drift? Hmmm well I'm glad I sold mine then.

Melia is such a good character. You put in the time with her, and you'll find out she's a monster. Also, she works very well with Dunban and Reyn.

@Heavyarms55 I have been contemplating on subbing out Shulk more and have done it a time or two. I just like how he controls lol. In the name of experimentation, I'll stop using him as much lol. Reading through Riki's arts, some of them are certainly creative and have interesting effects to boot!

I probably need to stop spreading/balancing their stats so much and trying to prioritize/max a few out; it's a habit of mine as I prefer balanced characters vs. putting too much or too little into one thing or another. Though this tendency highly depends on the game and what I'm playing. As mentioned, I haven't worked on Melia too much but hope to mess with her/Riki more during my next session. That'll hopefully be this evening if I can get a bit of work out of the way.

Colony 6 is definitely my quest priority for the upcoming session. I almost can't stand looking at that scar of nothing, and I'm sure the NPCs feel the same.

@Tyranexx Yeah in this game you definitely want to emphasize characters' strenghs. As you progress through the game you will get better gems that means you'll need less to max out a buff and it will free up space for other boosts.

@Heavyarms55 You've reminded me that I need to 1. hit the forge again for a decent gem session and 2. really need to get going on that portable forge that's unlockable via questing.

@Tyranexx Honestly I almost never use that. I find the quests give better gems. I might be doing the mini game wrong. lol