Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Switch)

[Ratatapa]

Got too many ice blades on Rex, maybe i should stop bonding because, unless i get alot of overdrives will be hard to give the good blades to goo people

[EternityEnd]

Did I glitch Ursula's progression? I was supposed to raise her skills to lvl 1 with merc missions. But I saw lvl 2 there to so I did them. Then I went to do the cutscene that was after lvl 1. Now it says to raise them to lvl 4 but theres no merc missions for it. Was I supposed to wait till after the cutscene to do the lvl 2 ones? D:

In general, I'd maybe warn against using Ursula as part of your endgame party, unless you're okay with her not being fully unlocked. Her affinity chart unlocks involve some of the most masochistic grinds in the game -- you'll eventually have to get 99 merc mission items, etc.

As for your current predicament, I don't remember even being able to do the subsequent levels of her merc missions before viewing that cutscene. Have you tried going to the Event Theater and seeing if it's under the viewable Blade Quests?

[Kirin]

Chapter 3:

Spoiler: show

Vandahm ;_;

Chapter 4:

Spoiler: show

I'm wondering now if this isn't a prequel or spiritual prequel to Xenosaga. We have Mythra's mech, which at first I thought looked an awful lot like Crescens but it really looks like a mix between Vierge and Xenogears.

Secondly, we have Cole/Minoth who is VERY similar to a Realian. He even looks similar to Virgil after the DME addiction took over.

Then, the cloaked guy at the start of Chapter 4, that church looks a lot like the inside of the Archon Cathedral - at least to me.

Story really picked up at the end of Chapter 3. And it needed it too...

Though I do like where it may be going. They don't hide the fact that this is very trope heavy, but theres nothing wrong with that when done right. And it's being done right.

Nabbed Kora and Godfrey as well for new blades. Do yall see better success keeping characters "pure" (Nia all healers, Rex all attackers, etc) or mixing them up. Was probably going to run Rex with 2 attackers/1 tank instead of attack/tank/healer. Rex is just getting a lot of blades and I don't want to have to juggle them too much with how sparse overdrives are.

Also getting more characters would help.

[Corrderio]

Getting to the factory in ch. 4 was a special kind of hell for me since I didn't notice the stairway by the barrels.

[Tyrath]

I only have 10 random blades left and still no KOS-MOS. Fuck this RNG

[Krandor]

Do yall see better success keeping characters "pure" (Nia all healers, Rex all attackers, etc) or mixing them up.

We don't really know what the status boosts from stacking the same types are, but I think generally keeping everyone with the same type is the best bet. Having a variety of break/topple/etc and elements is more important I think, and there's good tank blades that can provide a substantial damage boost as is (Perceval or any other blade with a damage boost when the enemy is facing forward).

Spoilers cause of party member names

Spoiler: show

I've kept Rex and Zeke as pure damage (not that it matters later on since Rex can eventually use every blade), and Tora and Morag as pure tanks. Nia I generally run as 2 healer/1 DPS (Boreas, Dromarch, and KOS MOS), mostly just for combo purposes with KOS MOS providing Light and because some of her specials also heal.

I did get some healing Blades on Zeke tho, so might switch it up just to help up level up some Field Skills and his Weapon Points.

[tenkiki]

At least for Rex, he really only needs his main blade. Once you get the galaxy cube from the Salvage rank ups at the trade guild and high affinity with the blade, place an arts recharge food in his pouch and watch him go to town, constantly using arts like a FFXI samurai. He will pull aggro repeatedly, so give him some accessories or 2 healer blades to help with that. Like Krandor, I gave him blades with launch and smash, along with multiple break blades on my other party members to constantly disable the enemy.

[Kachiko]

Freaking hell, the L3 Merc unlock quest was a bitch. I couldn't prevent my tank from being constantly disabled, and the NM would constantly put up evassion BS, so between the two, it was really hard to build up meter for specials. Plus, since the tank couldn't hold agro from being disabled so much, he would one-shot anyone else. Got a lucky streak and did enough chains to take him out, but due to the need to revive, I couldn't initiate any burst chains. One-shot the next fight even though they were higher level enemies.

On the plus side, I got Perun and Borealas; may just over-drive the later to Nia so she has three healers of three different element types, and give chapter 4 party member Finch and then use the Lucky Crystal so she has three different element tanks. Might move Perun over to the last party member when I get him, and use Beast Crystal for another three element attacker option, or just give him the Inherited Core and leave her be/go to Rex for now, since he needs one. Sort of saving my blade farming until my full party members are around and merc levels are a bit higher to go to town on their affinities and such.

[Scythiroth]

Been avoiding this topic until I beat the game, only took me 150 hours! (I may have left the game on while doing merc missions while doing other work and stuff for a lot of that though)

Overall, I'd say I enjoyed this game, but I do have some issues with RNG on unlocking blades and mostly just getting junk blades. The map also seems like it could have been a bit better. Felt like I was going through 20 menus to find where I was or where I needed to go sometimes. But yeah, I definitely enjoyed this more than X, but 1 may still be a bit better overall.

Oh, and I'm glad people figured out how to "farm" the Overdrive item for moving blades between characters since that seemed like it was going to be a limited item up until recently and that would have REALLY annoyed me with moving blades between characters if that were the case lol. Think it was posted on Reddit somewhere, but if you max out the affinity of a 4 star common blade and release it, it gives you an Overdrive, I guess.

edit: Now to waste a ton of time unlocking all the rare blades I'm still missing and finishing up sidequests/affinity charts.

[Insanecyclone]

Do you think you can take ME?

[Kaslo]

Weird thing for me and Xenoblade games... silly fights with 3-4 enemies are harder than boss fights.

[Corrderio]

Do you think you can take ME?

DON'T FORGET ME!

Also finished Chapter 4 last night and fuck that factory. Nothing more annoying than mobs attacking you through floors.

[Kaslo]

DON'T FORGET ME!

Also finished Chapter 4 last night and fuck that factory. Nothing more annoying than mobs attacking you through floors.

Also, BOSS > BOSS > Adds > BOSS > BOSS

[Kaslo]

DON'T FORGET ME!

Also finished Chapter 4 last night and fuck that factory. Nothing more annoying than mobs attacking you through floors.

Speaking of the factory, how were you suppose to get down there? I eventually ended up just outrunning level 81 mobs to get there.

[Corrderio]

Speaking of the factory, how were you suppose to get down there? I eventually ended up just outrunning level 81 mobs to get there.

I had to look up on a FAQ. There is a stairway near where you found the green barrels but it the plave has a few level 80 snakes in there and 81 birds outside as well as a giant level 35 spider. I pretty much just ran like hell til I got to the factory since fighting on catwalks is a big hell no.

Is it weird this game gives me FFXI vibes with enemy placement/cryptic maps?

[EternityEnd]

Speaking of the factory, how were you suppose to get down there? I eventually ended up just outrunning level 81 mobs to get there.

Apparently a lot of people had trouble with that -- I actually have no idea where the alternative path with level 80s is, haha.

You're supposed to use the stairwell beside the barrels. There's a door with a high field skill check down there, but that's not the right way. You'll find a key, and that key unlocks a door on the far end of the side room, on the first floor down. Really easy to miss.

[Kaslo]

Apparently a lot of people had trouble with that -- I actually have no idea where the alternative path with level 80s is, haha.

You're supposed to use the stairwell beside the barrels. There's a door with a high field skill check down there, but that's not the right way. You'll find a key, and that key unlocks a door on the far end of the side room, on the first floor down. Really easy to miss.

Haha well I did the death run like Corr.

[Kachiko]

Ya, the factory enemy levels, in that one spot, are bonkers, and they block the only path I know to a level 33ish NM, that's basically on a small steel walkway, really high above the ground. Might be able to pull him back to an excavation point and safely fight it, but I didn't bother. If you miss that stairway next to the barrels, it's a rough trip, but even the maze itself is really annoying, with basically nothing of real value to find except two NMs, one of which is a link crazy approach as you clear out everything before hand.

BTW, did anyone find the control panel key for the titan battleship, in Torgoth, or does that show up later, during a quest? That's about the only area I haven't been able to get into yet, after finishing a chapter.

[EternityEnd]

BTW, did anyone find the control panel key for the titan battleship, in Torgoth, or does that show up later, during a quest? That's about the only area I haven't been able to get into yet, after finishing a chapter.

If you go back to the airship, it's a red pouch on the ground in the hangar.

[Tyrath]

My first 2 legendary core crystals both gave me trash ;(

I only have 9 random blades left to get, still no KOS-MOS