Topic: Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition

@Matt_Barber
I maxed all classes and am currently using Drifter as it grants 5 skill slots!

@Spider-Kev Yeah, it's the best class, at least so long as you aren't still running the Knife and Assault Rifle with it.

Anyway, it sounds like you've got all the tools to give an Infinite Overdrive build a shot.

Between Skyrim crashing more frequently than I care for, Monster Hunter Wilds being done until Title Update 2, and the mandatory card tournament in Final Fantasy IX I'm not interesting in playing, I figured it was time to fire this up. I think I remember not even reaching my skell during the original release? I probably played ten to fifteen hours or so back then?

I was probably too eager to play something else and XCX got lost in the shuffle.

Anywho, four hours in. Just questing around NLA. Probably will be doing that for a while I assume.

Fifteen hours in, around level twenty. At the end of chapter four or the beginning of chapter five, I'm not sure. I forgot that XCX had a passive or recurring revenue system with the probes. Games that have systems like this (Assassin's Creed III, Saints Row III, Vostok Inc especially, etc)? I tend to like them a bit more than other games in same genre.

Just something about accruing resources on the side, with zero effort, makes me feel like a wannabe entrepreneur.

Thirty-five hours in, began chapter six.

Just lazily galavanting around the world completing missions and checking boxes.

@Magician
Having the passive income is helpful, particularly the Miranium and the precious resources which are needed to craft various augments.
The precious resources become the limiting factor since if you ever need Miranium, you can quickly do a support mission from the Network Console in the barracks to get some. Definitely pay attention to which FrontierNav probes can yield which precious resources, as some of them are only available in certain regions like Bonjelium in Cauldros.
The credits on the other hand, aren't particularly useful aside from buying some of the higher level skells.

Wandering Mira to complete missions and check boxes is a huge part of the game's substance and is just a nice thing to do, though it usually doesn't require much thinking because the markers tell you precisely where to go and what to do.

End game, a good FrontierNav set-up can mine and store over 100k Miranium, which is a good thing to aim for as there's a certain craftable thing that costs 100k Miranium, but also that it's enough to cover unlocking augment slots for level 60 gear three times.

Do you guys reckon this game would be enjoyable enough in handheld mode?
Or do you really need to play it on a television?

@Uncle_Franklin Yes, you'll be fine.

I played a fair amount of it handheld on the Wii U, even, as it'll run entirely from the GamePad without having to turn the TV on.

The Switch version just does it better. It's running at a higher resolution, the HUD has been redesigned to be more readable, and there are a bunch of extra quality of life features. It's quite possibly the best Xenoblade to be playing handheld now.

@Uncle_Franklin I played the entirety of the game in handheld mode just fine.

Cheers gang.

I feel like this game is a blackhole of content for me. I am 210 hours in and just now have gained access to chapter 13. I have done all side quests and completely mapped mira with only like four segments across the entire map exempted atm. Got all my allies to max hearts. Am of course very highly overly leveled. I dunno why but I vastly preferred the way the game felt on foot, so unless the game forces you to use a skell to reach something or on a mission then I always just hoof it on foot.

And half the time don't bother to use fast travel lol

@Quantumz00 Trust me, being over-leveled with a good build by Chapter 13 is where you really should be. I wasn't, and I couldn't even beat Chapter 13.

45 hours, level 35, chapter seven, finally took the time to get the skell license.

Questing. Oh so much questing.

@Magician
I'd definitely suggest doing the "New Skell on the Block" affinity mission asap, the Skell you unlock from clearing it is very useful for exploration as it has great mobility pre-flight upgrade.

Damn, only just started this game and I'm constantly dying.

Are you taking on mobs higher than your level? If the enemy level is in red text, you'll have a tough time early on. Your priority should be locating and unlocking the drill sites. Level up your manufacturing for better gear options. And fighting mobs at or slightly above your level.

@Uncle_Franklin
Like Magician said, don't pick fights you can't win.
Do however try to beat enemies with yellow health since they'll yield lots of EXP.
Early game, just making sure that you respond to "Soul Voices" by using an art of the same colour is good enough to help keep you and your team alive. This is how you replenish HP mid-battle, outside of using special green arts.

Be sure to check your party often, make sure you're equipping newer and better ground gear, make sure you're upgrading your arts and your skills with the battle points you're earning, and also make sure to actually equip the skills too.
Also, when your current class reaches max rank, it's strongly recommended to change your class so you can work on a new one, which lets you unlock new skills and new weapons. Mastering classes lets you use different melee and ranged weapon combinations.

Yellow, not red.

Cheers guys.

@Uncle_Franklin
In the Xenoblade games, the level system incurs penalties when you're a certain number of levels below an enemy. For Xenoblade X, your attack accuracy and your evasion gets nerfed when you're facing a higher level enemy, with yellow, red, and purple indicating they're 10, 20, or 30 levels above your party leader. You can always equip weapons or augments that increase your melee or ranged accuracy too.
There's also the Night Vision augments that boosts both, but only during night time (9pm to 5am).

Enemies with yellow levels are usually manageable, and enemies that you might expect to be easier in general (like smaller flying insects) are good targets, compared to really big scarier looking beasts of the same level.

In the original Wii U release, the player's maximum level was 60, but monsters went up to level 99.
In Definitive Edition, you too can reach level 99 now, so you can be on a level playing field with the optional super-bosses. Throughout the Xenoblade series, there famously are a lot of super-bosses with levels that exceed the player's maximum level of 99, so you need to fight at a disadvantage and figure out how to get around the accuracy penalties.