Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is a biggie. Yes, just like every other entry in Monolith Soft's superlative franchise, this latest entry is going to require you put aside a fairly hefty amount of time if you want to see everything the world of Aionios has to offer.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 - How Long Does It Take To Beat?
How Long Does The Main Story Take To Beat?
So, first things first, there are a total of seven main story chapters in Xenoblade Chronicles 3 and a generally relaxed playthrough of these that sees you complete the core campaign should take you in the region of around 90 hours.
We took a little longer than this, but that's most likely down to constant stopping to note down guide info and take screenshots for our review and guides. Of course, if you're really blazing through the game, ignoring side quests and zeroing in on main quests only, you could definitely knock this time down to around 70-80 hours without too much trouble.
How Long Does It Take To 100% Complete?
100% rinsing Xenoblade Chronicles 3 for every last piece of content it's got to offer is going to take you significantly longer than if you just breeze through the story. As things currently stand we're now 180 hours into our playthrough and we still have a few bits and pieces to mop up. Again, we've been super-methodical in playing through for guides and a ton of screenshots, so without the need to worry about these things we reckon you're looking at 150-160 hours.
If you check out our guide to 100% completion, you'll get a better picture of what's involved here, with Unique Monsters - of which there are a whopping 140 - taking a good long while to find and kill. Unlocking every class for every party member and completing some lengthy late-game quests will also take you quite a long time so settle in and get a brew on if you're looking to find everything this one's got to offer.
This article is part of our Xenoblade Chronicles 3 walkthrough and guide series. We'll help you survive your journeys across Aionios with information you'll need to make the most of the game, such as How to Unlock Traversal Skills (Wall Climbing, Rope Sliding, Scree Walking, Hazard Neutralization), How to Unlock and Upgrade All Heroes and Classes, 16 Tips & Tricks We Wish We Knew Before We Started, How to Get Affinity and XP Rewards from Collectopaedia Cards, How to Gain 100% Completion, and How to Unlock the Nopon Coin Xchange.
We'll also let you know where to find Every Rest Spot Location, All Secret Area Locations, Every Ferronis Hulk Location, and All Unique Monster Locations (including Aetia Region Full, Aetia Region Upper & Elgares Depths, Fornis Region, Pentelas Region, Keves Castle Region, Cadensia Region, and Origin Interior), plus All Meal Recipes, Effects & Where to Find Them.
We can also help out with specific sidequests, such as How to Complete the 'Uniting the Seven Nopon' Quest, and How to Complete the Nopon Register Quest, tell you how to make the most of Chain Attacks and the Soul Hack ability, and offer advice on if you should play the previous Xenoblade Chronicles games before starting XC3, How Long to Beat the Game, and How to Take a Screenshot Without the HUD
And finally, you can check out our review and Where to Buy Xenoblade Chronicles on Nintendo Switch, if for some reason you haven't yet picked up the game!
Comments 8
I love this game, but it’s hard to play on the go because you never know if the next cut scene is gonna be 20-45mins it feels like.
I sank over 400 hours into Xenoblade 2 (averaging maybe 100 hours per playthrough), and I still haven't unlocked everything or leveled everyone up to full strength. I chalk that up mostly to the time spent farming for core crystals and random blade draws, and getting my rear handed to me in the challenges.
Say what you want about the games, but at least you get your money's worth out of them.
Sweet glorious goodness me... I knew it'd be long but this looks to be about the longest game yet...
I'm 19 hours in and only mid way thru chapter 3.
😅
Wish me luck boys.
@Immovablegamer6669 you can pause at any time with the home button?
I don’t like stopping mid cut scene
What's the score with missable items/quests? I liked how XC1 had the little clock icon on quests to remind you not to leave them undone for too long, but I'm pretty sure I snagged most of them
I've seen people saying you can beat the game in under 50 hours so it's pretty interesting to see (what I at least consider to be) an actually reliable source say that it's almost double the length.
I assume it's just a difference in people's definitions of the words "main campaign". I can see why you would count hero quests for example as main missions.
FWIW, I just started Chapter 5 on my first playthrough and already at 80hrs. I've also been chasing after every single side quest I can find while also really pushing myself to level up and take on all the higher leveled enemies I can find until I can take them out. So I'm also way overpowered by maybe ~20 levels. But I'm still having an absolute blast and still find myself intrigued by where the story is going.
Been playing RPGs for 30+ years and this is by far one of the best ones I've ever experienced, personally. For me it's been worth every minute.
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