Xenoblade X

The world that players are tasked with exploring in the upcoming Xenoblade Chronicles X is certainly one to be looked forward to. While the setting may not be nearly as original as exploring the surface of the lifeless body of a titan, the alien world of Mira promises to be filled with secrets and new experiences galore. After all, it is promised that Mira will be roughly five times larger than the already massive environment of the Bionis.

Just recently, Monolith Soft updated the Japanese website for Xenoblade X with several new details (translated by Siliconera) on how exploration of Mira will unfold. Exploration is organized under “Frontier Net", a system used by the humans to keep track of everything discovered on the alien world. Scattered about the world is a region-based checkpoint system called Frontier Net Spots, which gifts the player with rare materials or upgrades for Data Probes upon being located. Data Probes are add-ons that can be installed at Frontier Net Spots which grant certain benefits over the particular region of the map for that Frontier Net Spot. These are some of the different Data Probes:

  • Mining Probe: Increase production and the amount of Miranium that can be gathered.
  • Research Probe: Discovering secret areas will yield bigger profits.
  • Battle Probe: Players will be given various buffs and effects.
  • Storage Probe: Increase the maximum amount of Miranium that can be stored at once.
  • Power-up Probe: Increase the functionality of other nearby probes.
  • Copy Probe: Copies functions of nearby probes

All of the management of Frontier Net Spots, as well as fast-travel, will be handled via a hexagon grid - called the Segment Map - on the GamePad. Different regions on the Segment Map will be marked according to objectives pertaining to that area, such as quest beginnings, unique monsters, treasure chest locations, and sidequests.

As players won't have immediate access to mechs, the Hopper Camera will be an overhead camera controlled like a drone that can be used to scope out environments, plot paths, and find secret areas. If players ever have a difficult time finding where the next main story objective is located, the Navigation Ball - a Navi the Fairy-like tool - can be used to guide the player towards the next objective.

All of this sounds like Monolith is certainly stepping up its game in creating a dense, vast world; this is starting to sound like it could rival Hyrule. What do you think? Are you excited for the enhanced exploration this game will have? Blaze a trail in the comments below.

[source siliconera.com]