Like a finely layered onion…or is it onions?

Hello!

Demetrius from the Treehouse here, and I would like to take some time to talk about the Xenoblade Chronicles 2 game. I’ve been playing this game for the past couple of months and have become well-versed in the game’s combat system and mechanics. They’re really deep and complex, which is great if you’re looking for a compelling, full-featured combat experience, but they can make the game feel a bit daunting when you first jump in.

A typical battle scene. Lots of information to digest!

That said, I thought it would be a good idea to lay out some of the things I’ve learned in a blog post. Hopefully all this info, presented in an easily digestible format, will give you the advantage you’re looking for when you pick the game up on December 1st!

BLADES

To begin with, let’s discuss Blades. Blades are synthetic beings who wield different weapons full of tremendous power. Each Blade is born from what is called a Core Crystal. When a person touches a Blade’s Core Crystal, he or she will bond with that Blade and, as a result, be able to command that Blade in battle. A person who has bonded with a Blade is known as that Blade’s “Driver.”

Here we see a powerful and mysterious Blade, Pyra, alongside her Driver, Rex.

Drivers can bond with many different Blades, but can only command up to three in battle at a time. This is a big point at which strategy comes into play—once you’ve bonded with multiple Blades, which will you take into battle, and who will you start with? An indicator at the lower left of the game screen shows you who your current three Blades are; the top position represents the lead Blade, who always enters battle first.

Here we see Pyra in the first position, with Finch and Kogoku in the second and third positions respectively.

A small amount of time must pass before you can swap to one of your other two Blades. There are ways to shorten this amount of time by using Blades more frequently or completing quests, but there will always be a bit of a wait. And which Blade you choose to start battle with should always be part of your plans.

From there, though, battle strategy gets even more complex. Think of it like peeling an onion—there are lots of layers to go!

First layer: Auto-Attacks

When a Driver battles, they will automatically attack enemies in range using their active Blade’s weapon. This is known as the Auto-Attack mechanic. The speed of auto-attacks varies depending on the weapon. Some, such as Knuckles, are fast, but do less damage compare to slower weapons such as Axe. Auto-attacks are very important, as each of these strikes builds up a meter that can be used to unleash stronger abilities known as “ARTS.”

Second Layer: ARTS

ARTS are special abilities that Drivers can use—which ARTS a Driver has access to at any given time all depends on his or her active Blade and that Blade’s weapon. Not only are ARTS more powerful than auto-attacks, but they can also cause a wide variety of status effects that can quickly disable foes. To efficiently use ARTS, you’ll need to understand where to best position your Driver and what type of status effect each ART may cause. If you really learn your stuff, you can chain ARTS together to cause massive damage.

Third Layer: ART Combos

There are many different ways to chain ARTS together, so allow me to illustrate with a specific example:

Thanks to her active Blade, Dromarch, a Driver named Nia uses an ART to temporarily afflict an enemy with a status effect called “Break.” While this status effect is active, a status indicator appears above that enemy’s name.



Seeing the status indicator, Rex quickly swaps to using Pyra as his active Blade and, thanks to her, uses an ART that afflicts that same enemy with the “Topple” status effect.



These two attacks chain together, knocking the enemy down and leaving it completely defenseless for a short period of time.



If party members are fast enough, they can change their active Blades to accomplish even more impressive combo moves. For example, they can work together to launch an enemy up into the air and then smash it back down, dealing tremendous damage while at the same time securing health regeneration and bonus items for themselves. This type of chained sequence is known as an ART Combo.

Fourth Layer: Specials

As Drivers use ARTS, they gradually build up a multi-level Specials meter that ranges from level one to level four. (More on the significance of levels later.) When a special is activated, the Driver stands back and lets his or her active Blade attack the enemy directly with a flashy attack. Specials inflict more damage than an ART and, more importantly, also inflict an elemental status effect based on the element of the Blade, so it’s a really good idea to use ARTS so you can unleash specials frequently.

Keep in mind that each Blade’s elemental affinity is key to the next layer of combat, Blade Combos. Deeper and deeper we go!

Fifth Layer: Blade Combos

Understanding how to perform a Blade Combo is key to taking down powerful enemies, and at first this system can seem a little daunting. However, once you understand the flow, it becomes very easy to pull off these killer moves.

To make things a little easier, here’s an example of a full Blade Combo:

Rex uses Finch’s level one Wind special to inflict a level one Wind status effect for a short period of time. While this status effect is active, an elemental tree appears at the top right side of the screen. This elemental tree shows a sequence of specials that, if executed correctly, will result in an incredibly powerful attack that prevents affected enemies from using abilities, self-destructing, or even using their own Blades.



The first part of the tree above, for our example enemy, shows the evidence of Finch’s level one Wind status effect. It also shows the elements needed for the next steps in the combo.

To continue this Blade combo, a party member now needs to use either a level two Wind or a level two Ice special before time runs out. Nia takes the lead, and uses a level two Wind special.



To complete this Blade combo, a party member now needs to use either a level three Earth special or a level three Lightning special before time runs out. We’ll assume, for the sake of this example, that someone in the party has enough saved up in their special meter and the right Blade to make that happen!



With all three steps completed, an incredible attack is unleashed that’s over 10 times stronger than a normal special attack!

After a Blade Combo is successfully performed, a small orb containing the last element used in the combo appears and floats around the enemy’s body.

If your next Blade Combo ends with the element contained in that orb, it will do significantly less damage. (So no spamming the same Blade Combo over and over again, people!) But if you’re ready to dive into the next layer of combat mechanics, you can burst that orb and get it out of the way.

Sixth Layer: Chain Attacks

Chain Attacks are the best way to deal damage in the game and are CRUCIAL in taking down bosses and special world enemies. When performed correctly, Chain Attacks can deal hundreds of thousands of points of damage. (And YES, some enemies really do have that many HP to spare.)

To perform a Chain Attack, you first need to fill your Party Meter—this’ll happen gradually as you battle enemies and perform a variety of other types of attacks.

Once your Party Meter is full, press the + Button to initiate a Chain Attack sequence. During this sequence, your Drivers will each take a turn attacking the enemy with a level one Special that has its attack power turned waaaay up!

Now, here where it gets really fun. If you have multiple orbs stacked on an enemy, you can try to burst them every time you attack during a Chain Attack sequence. It takes three hits to burst an orb, and each time you do so each of your three active Drivers gets to take another turn at attacking the enemy. If you time it right, their Specials meter will keep filling up and their attack power will keep climbing!

Burst three or more orbs and taking down a boss in the process is incredibly rewarding.

There is one more layer to combat—something called “canceling”—but I will save that for another day. I hope this explanation of combat is helpful for you all and that you have as much fun as I am when playing this game!

Take care,

—Demetrius B.