Xenoblade Chronicles X: How To Change Appearance & Customise Your Avatar

Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition is unique to the series in having you create your own bespoke version of the game's protagonist to rock throughout your adventure.

But what if we suddenly decide — and it's a very long game so we absolutely will — to switch up our styles entirely? Can you change your avatar later?

Yes, you can, although not immediately. Let's take a look at how to unlock Yardley's Lifepod and get access to the full character customisation suite at any time.

Xenoblade Chronicles X: How to Change Your Avatar - Step-by-Step Guide

To unlock the ability to change your avatar's appearance and gender once you've passed the character creation and are in the game proper, there are a few mission steps to follow.

Complete Yardley's Scheme

First things first! Make your way to the Outfitters Yard and hangar, which you can find in central NLA, as shown.

Speak with Yardley, who you'll find at the north end of the yard. Once you've spoken to him — he's angry about skell parts, and your dialogue choices don't change anything — he'll ask you to bring the following components to him:

L-002 Space Analyzer

Primordia is stacked full of these, so you'll just need to run around for a little bit.

Starfall Basin has reportedly got a slightly better drop rate, so perhaps head there first.

California Sunset

This one is easier! Head to Rock Cavern (location shown below) to nab this component. You can find it in any Primordia cave, but this is our go-to, as there is one to the right as you enter the cave proper.

Once you've got the items, take them to Yardley.

Now that this mission is done, and assuming you have reached and completed Chapter 5 already, you can head to the BLADE Mission Console in NLA to accept the House of Cards mission.

Note here that the mission may not show up straight away, especially if you haven't visited the console in a while. If it isn't there, don't stress, refresh the console as many times as it takes for House of Cards to show up in the new missions that appear when you re-enter.

Complete House of Cards

Once you accept this mission from the BLADE Mission console, you will need to find Yardley's Keycard.

So, with your back to the Mission Console, head right and follow our screens below, turning right again when you see Percilla, then jumping over the barrier beside C-01 elevator here to land on the highway below (shortcuts, baby!)

Head north along the highway here and turn right at the location shown below to enter the Restricted Hangar. Make your way through and up the ramp in the hangar. You will find the keycard hidden away behind the white and red storage crates here.

Now return to Yardley, who you can find in the afternoon only, by heading to the Barista Court landmark in NLA.

Once you reach him, there are a few conversation choices to play out. None of these make any difference to the outcome.

Now you'll need to go meet Yardley at his secret hangout to complete the quest.

Yardley's Hideout & Lifepod

To get to the hideout, you need to get below the Admin District in NLA, so jump down over the barrier of the highway you travelled along to get to the Restricted Hangar. Jump over, as shown, to land in the water, then swim to the white crate you can see off to one side.

Clamber over the crates here and you'll find the hideout.

Now make sure to set the time to late night, and Yardley will appear in a rather fetching getup to demonstrate the power of his Lifepod.

Now that the Lifepod is unlocked, you can travel here via a new Landmark at Armoury Alley.

Also note that you can only use the Lifepod during LATE NIGHT.

Congratulations, you can now change your appearance and gender whenever it takes your fancy. Hooray for progress!