Be Patient
The beginning of Xenoblade Chronicles X can be particularly rough because of its lengthy tutorial. This is to be expected, though. The game has so many mechanics and systems that it takes several hours to get you properly acquainted with the ins and outs of the world.
Yes, you’ll be aching to just finally get out there and do whatever you want, but there’s a certain way players should approach this game if they don’t want to just end up meandering about the terrain in search of something to do. The tutorial is there to help you; pay attention, really give it your all in everything they throw at you, and then remember that you’re not even scratching the surface. Soon enough, you’ll be running and jumping and flying and driving everywhere your heart desires, the way you want to. The payout will be well worth it.
Collect As Much As You Can
Don’t worry about picking up too many things. You really can’t be over-encumbered by items in your inventory, so go nuts.
Some fetch quests don’t take you directly to the objects, and you’ll have to hunt for them on your own. Some NPCs may drop hints about the item you’re seeking in regards to where, what time, and what certain weather conditions it can be found in. Once you start picking up a ton of different missions, you might even have accidentally already completed one because you unknowingly picked up the object a while back.
Plus, building up that Collectopedia for Tatsu will net you some pretty sweet exclusive items. If you’ve just started the game, don’t worry, you’ll meet Tatsu soon enough. Tatsu will make sure of that…
Learn the Lingo
As Xenoblade Chronicles X is a massive game inside and out, it practically has its own encyclopedia or terminology to learn. Let’s go over some of the most confusing terms, though:
- Soul Voices are commands that you and the rest of your party will shout out in the heat of battle when certain criteria are met, providing different effects.
- Where many other JRPGs give you MP, allowing you a set amount of energy to spend to unleash attacks, XCX uses TP instead. Any Arts you unlock that have the small TP in the corner are ones that use TP, naturally. All others, which consists of the majority of the game’s Arts anyway, are free to use at will and at no cost.
- Total Ranged Attack and Total Melee Attack stats are just the power of your ranged weapon or melee weapon added to your Ranged Attack or Melee Attack, respectively. This does not, however, take the speed of the weapon into consideration, just the general Attack power.
- A weapon’s TP Gain is how much TP will be recovered when the weapon is used in combat.
- Stability determines the range of damage that your weapon will be inflicting. For example: if a rifle inflicts 50 Attack and its Stability is ±3, then the rifle’s attacks will inflict damage ranging from 47 to 53.
- Potential raises the power of Soul Voices and TP Arts. Let’s talk a bit more about this…
Raise Your Potential Stat
Arguably, one of the most confusing stats in the game is the Potential stat. It’s not entirely recognizable right from its name, and it’s hard to see exactly what it does when you raise and lower it. Trust me, though, it’s handy.
Potential basically raises the power of Soul Voices and TP Arts. By now, you might have noticed that you can heal from Soul Voices by using those timing prompts you might find in the middle of battle. It’s not much, but you’ll want to be able to heal like that on the fly.
Similarly, TP Arts may not seem like much at first, but they can be very deadly when combined with high Potential stats. Raising this stat will increase the power of those arts, so be wary of equipping items that lower your Potential. It can be a lot to sacrifice.
Learn to Use Soul Voices
Once you start getting the hang of combat, you’ll be more inclined to use specific strategies for different situations, and that’s where Soul Voices come in handy. Under the Party menu, you can change your Soul Voices at will, and, I know, there’s so many options that the mere concept of changing anything there can be especially daunting. Don’t worry, though, each description spells it out for you.
Eventually, you’ll see what stats you’d like to prioritize in regards to your specific style of play. Of course, you can change these Soul Voices right off the bat, but it will be pretty confusing before the game introduces to you what any of it means. Nevertheless, they can provide those minute advantages that end up turning the tides of battle in a big way.
You Can Optimize Party’s Gear Yet Still Look Fly
Personally, I’m a fan of manually fine-tuning my party’s gear, but you can also automatically equip the strongest gear to your party members automatically from within the equipment selection screen. Naturally, this will only apply to your Primary Gear, not your Fashion Gear.
If you haven’t heard yet, one of the coolest things about Xenoblade Chronicles X is the ability to equip garments to you and your party members as Fashion Gear. This allows you to change their outfits at will, providing only cosmetic changes. You can keep that super strong, yet not-to-your-tastes, helmet on for its stats and still only seem like you’re wearing badass, heart-shaped shades.
These tips are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to everything that Xenoblade Chronicles X allows you to do, but consider this the starter pack to help you get on your feet, get up, and make it happen.
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