[Hobbun]

I'm about 6-7 hours in and just about to leave the first area. I will say I was pretty shocked and saddened to see Fiora die. I actually kind of liked her. I haven't been surprised like that since FF VII (with Aeris). Was looking forward to seeing her relationship develop with Shulk.

But, so addicted to the game. I definitely have the 'oh, just a couple more quests to finish' syndrome, but then I pick up a couple more, so I can't ever get to the point of all quests completed. I think I have about 25-30 quests done now.

Right now I am thoroughly confused on how gem crafting works. I think there is a guide linked on the OP, will have to take a look at that.

Also, do you do anything with the collectables besides for trading? What is safe to sell and what you want to keep? Right now I have a TON of collectables and not sure what I can sell or should keep. And previous (lesser) armors, is it ok to sell them, as well?

You end up with a lot of gold by simply doing quests, keep those collectibles for quests or for giving them as presents to other character to improve their affinity. Items for quests will eventually have a blue or red ! on top of them.. although i still have no idea what the color mean.

Thanks! That really helps a lot on the collectables. But the problem is I don't know which collectables to keep to improve affinities, and which is ok to sell. And which are the 'best' to trade. Guess I'll just keep all of them.

[MetatronM]

Dunban IS a tank. Just a "dodging" type one rather than one with tons of HP. I dont think anyone really replace Sharla has a healer, you got Shulk and another one with a one or two healing skills, but that's it... unless the last character i have yet to unlock is another healer.

Sharla's the only healer because if you don't have Sharla in the party you don't NEED a healer.

Everybody else either does damage fast enough or has enough HP that anything beyond Shulk or Riki's healing techniques is overkill.

Related tip for people more than halfway through the game: Get, and liberally use, Monado Armour!

[DownWithTheShip]

Almost to Colony 6. Any advice for defeating Xord? I've fought him a couple times and he destroyed me. Some hints popped up suggesting that I use Break with a chain attack, but I can't seem to fill the meter enough for a chain.

[massoluk]

You can't lose hearts in a Heart to Heart. Depending on the options you pick you may end up getting less than if you pick all the "right" options but no matter what you increase the affinity with that party member by doing the Heart to Heart. Many of the "wrong" choices can lead to some pretty funny conversations anyways.

No, you can lose a bit if you pick the wrong choice. But yeah, just have fun with that heart-to-heart moments. Don't worry too much about it. The affinity isn't something limited and easy to obtain in a normal play-through.

[chaosblade]

Almost to Colony 6. Any advice for defeating Xord? I've fought him a couple times and he destroyed me. Some hints popped up suggesting that I use Break with a chain attack, but I can't seem to fill the meter enough for a chain.

Focus on the minions until the party gauge is full, then switch to Xord and chain attack. Make sure the party is Shulk->Reyn->Sharla so you can break, topple, then daze to get a couple extra seconds.

Raising the party gauge is key, the QTEs help a lot. Make sure you're hitting them as close to correctly as possible (you want to hit it exactly when the shrinking circle overlaps the static one, too early and you get nothing, too late and the effect is more minor, so better to do it a tad bit late if you can't hit it exactly).

[Firemind]

Sharla's the only healer because if you don't have Sharla in the party you don't NEED a healer. Everybody else either does damage fast enough or has enough HP that anything beyond Shulk or Riki's healing techniques is overkill. Related tip for people more than halfway through the game: Get, and liberally use, Monado Armour!

Your agenda to badmouth Sharla is getting old. Let people play with whoever they want.

[The Hermit]

Reading this thread is like having a massive deja-vu... people discussing what team should use, which character is worthless, the twists.

I am so happy everyone is enjoying this game. :D

2 tips:
1- NO ONE is useless, everyone has its own strength (except Ryan) but it depends on who do you have as sidekicks.

2- Topple is great, BUT there are some enemies who activate some nasty counters when toppled.

[Hobbun]

Focus on the minions until the party gauge is full, then switch to Xord and chain attack. Make sure the party is Shulk->Reyn->Sharla so you can break, topple, then daze to get a couple extra seconds. Raising the party gauge is key, the QTEs help a lot. Make sure you're hitting them as close to correctly as possible (you want to hit it exactly when the shrinking circle overlaps the static one, too early and you get nothing, too late and the effect is more minor, so better to do it a tad bit late if you can't hit it exactly).

Unless I’m doing it wrong, those QTEs are very difficult. I came VERY close one time in overlapping the outer circle, but haven’t done it yet. I’ve been late quite a few times and sometimes I’ve been too early (in trying to over-adjust being too late).

Hopefully it will become easier with practice.

[SillyEskimo]

I've played aboit 30 minutes of it so far and I think it's pretty fun. Finally some innovation in a traditional JRP.

[TDLink]

No, you can lose a bit if you pick the wrong choice. But yeah, just have fun with that heart-to-heart moments. Don't worry too much about it. The affinity isn't something limited and easy to obtain in a normal play-through.

No. The "hearts going down" thing for picking the "wrong" choice means you lose from the potential amount you can gain from doing the Heart to Heart. You will never end up with less affinity after doing a Heart to Heart than you had before.

[zlatko]

4 and a half hours till I can play again. Work needs to go faster.

STRAIGHT INTO MEH VEINS!

[chaosblade]

Your agenda to badmouth Sharla is getting old. Let people play with whoever they want.

He kind of exaggerates, but he's right. It's a fair point to bring up because some people don't see how you can get through the game without Sharla since she's the only "real" healer. There's not really anything wrong with using her, but you certainly don't need to.

Anyway, I think I'll see about starting my Sharla-less playthrough tomorrow since I abused her the first time. Will definitely require a change of tactics in the early-to-mid parts of the game where you're arts/gems/skills are still limited.

[MetatronM]

Your agenda to badmouth Sharla is getting old. Let people play with whoever they want.

They can play how they want. Some people like using Sharla and should play as her if they do. But a lot of people think that they HAVE to use her because of the way the game uses the DPS/tank/healer setup as a sort of "training wheels" for the battle system and they end up either not exploring the battle system further or not learning different strategies or play styles that they might need later on. It's hard when you're playing early on and seeing how dependent your party is on Sharla's healing to think "I probably will be fine with her not in the party," yet if you don't think that, you're going to miss out on a lot of what the game has to offer.

As another example of this sort of thing (but in reverse), personally I really don't like playing as Melia much. I almost always have a preference for physical fighters in any game, and this one is no different. She's just not my thing. But I'll constantly suggest that people ought to give her a shot, mainly because people often don't because she's too confusing, unusual, or doesn't seem to fit in the DPS/tank/healer setup.

[PolishQ]

FINALLY got my order from Nintendo today! Looking forward to starting the game tonight or tomorrow.

[Firemind]

Why are you missing out on a lot of what the game has to offer if you go the DPS/tank/healer setup? You know there are characters who fill different roles who can substitute one another and you can shuffle characters as you go, right? You're implying, at least that's what I get from your tone, that having Sharla in a team is something noobs do. Get off your high horse, mate.

[ultron87]

I've never been a fan of three person parties in games like this. Shame they didn't give an extra slot since it would encourage people to try more of the characters.

[Zing]

Mainly, the Heart to Heart moments. As the choice options can lead to gaining, or losing, hearts. Should have saved beforehand, as I'm trying to gain affinity levels between the characters, and have "screwed" up conversation points.

The game is already an OCD playground. What you suggest is insanity!

[chaosblade]

Why are you missing out on a lot of what the game has to offer if you go the DPS/tank/healer setup? You know there are characters who fill different roles who can substitute one another and you can shuffle characters as you go, right? You're implying, at least that's what I get from your tone, that having Sharla in a team is something noobs do. Get off your high horse, mate.

There are other party setups that are just as effective, or even more effective, than the DPS/tank/healer party. And they can definitely be fun to use and can prevent the game from being monotonous. Sometimes, that sort of party is very ineffective, and I don't intend to offend anyone or anything, but a fear or unwillingness to explore different party setups definitely seems like a reason why a lot of people struggle with a particular late-game boss.

The game does take some blame here. I think early, after you get four or five characters, it should have restricted your party a few times. For instance, you have to do a small section without Sharla or Reyn and replace them with someone else. The game kind of does this with one character so you learn to use them, but it doesn't really take that concept any further.

[Bisnic]

Sharla's heals arent even that needed unless you're fighting something that hits really hard. I usually have Dunban, Shulk and Melia and even when i end up pulling 4 monsters by accident at once i can still win the fight. Dunban's avoidance, Shulk and Melia big DPS and light heals seems good enough.

Speaking of Melia, i wish they would have named her abilities differently, i can only take so much "SUMMON..." before i feel like telling her to shut up. Not to mention her "Bravo. Bravo." that sounds terribly... sarcastic. :lol

[Alchemy]

I think one issue is just how long you're stuck with specific characters. I'm 8 hours in, but only just got my fourth party member and its obvious that I'm still very early in the game (despite the fact I'd probably would have finished most current gen games in this time). I'm just used to Shulk/Reyn/Sharla, and I imagine developing that kind of play style is hard to break as new party members are slowly added to the mix.

That and I still feel like I can't get rid of Shulk, so there are really only two party slots to play with and the physical DPS role ends up being filled by him so if anyone else fills that role (even if they're mechanically different) they're still not as useful as Shulk.

I'm really hoping that at some point in the future I don't have to worry about dealing damage to Mechon.

[zlatko]

I think one issue is just how long you're stuck with specific characters. I'm 8 hours in, but only just got my fourth party member and its obvious that I'm still very early in the game (despite the fact I'd probably would have finished most current gen games in this time). I'm just used to Shulk/Reyn/Sharla, and I imagine developing that kind of play style is hard to break as new party members are slowly added to the mix. That and I still feel like I can't get rid of Shulk, so there are really only two party slots to play with and the physical DPS role ends up being filled by him so if anyone else fills that role (even if they're mechanically different) they're still not as useful as Shulk. I'm really hoping that at some point in the future I don't have to worry about dealing damage to Mechon.

8 hours in and you just got the 4th? God damn. I'm like 23-24 hours, and just wrapped up the Colony 6 stuff to obtain the 4th.

Shout outs to side quests adding in so many hours.

[chaosblade]

I think one issue is just how long you're stuck with specific characters. I'm 8 hours in, but only just got my fourth party member and its obvious that I'm still very early in the game (despite the fact I'd probably would have finished most current gen games in this time). I'm just used to Shulk/Reyn/Sharla, and I imagine developing that kind of play style is hard to break as new party members are slowly added to the mix. That and I still feel like I can't get rid of Shulk, so there are really only two party slots to play with and the physical DPS role ends up being filled by him so if anyone else fills that role (even if they're mechanically different) they're still not as useful as Shulk. I'm really hoping that at some point in the future I don't have to worry about dealing damage to Mechon.

At the point in the game you're at, you should be fine switching out Shulk and experimenting. Should be fine for a while. And remember that even if you do need to kill a couple (like revisiting areas where there are some wandering around) you can kill them without Shulk with a quick topple.

[MetatronM]

Why are you missing out on a lot of what the game has to offer if you go the DPS/tank/healer setup? You know there are characters who fill different roles who can substitute one another and you can shuffle characters as you go, right? You're implying, at least that's what I get from your tone, that having Sharla in a team is something noobs do. Get off your high horse, mate.

All I'm saying is that there are lots of options and ways to play, and if you just stick to one way of playing then, yes, you are missing out on a lot the game has to offer. That stands to reason, doesn't it? If you play Super Mario Bros. 2 as only Mario and never play as other characters, are you not missing out on lots that the game has to offer? Is that really a controversial statement or something?

Regardless, I know plenty of people who stick with and even main Sharla. Her cool down mechanics make her inherently unique, she plays a range game like nobody else in the party, has up close attacks and the ability to debuff, and is, of course, the game's primary healer. She's certainly an interesting party member to use. But even those things you wouldn't really know very well about Sharla by just sticking with how the game naturally sets things up.

The simple point is: explore. That's all. No need to get so defensive about it.

[Lonestar]

I'm like 50 hours in, and just got into Mechonis' chest, after the battle with Gadoit

Wonder how much further I have :lol

Oh, and randomly unlocked a hidden skill tree branch for a character...didn't even know they existed!

Now I have to find them all....wonderful...

[Firemind]

There are other party setups that are just as effective, or even more effective, than the DPS/tank/healer party. And they can definitely be fun to use and can prevent the game from being monotonous. Sometimes, that sort of party is very ineffective, and I don't intend to offend anyone or anything, but a fear or unwillingness to explore different party setups definitely seems like a reason why a lot of people struggle with a particular late-game boss.

It shouldn't matter if they're more effective or not, as long as you don't die and have fun. It's like picking a lower tier character in a fighting game and sticking with it even though people are harassing you to pick a better character. People just like certain characters. Even moreso considering certain character combinations have amusing banter that are unique to them.

Dying to a boss is enough of an incentive to change and experiment your setup. It's not like not having Sharla around is going to get much easier against bosses. And you can easily beat that particular boss with a dps/tank/healer setup. Melia is a dps. Maybe not in the WoW sense, but if you take the term literally, Melia has one of the highest damage per second in the game, if not the highest.

[Lonestar]

It shouldn't matter if they're more effective or not, as long as you don't die and have fun. It's like picking a lower tier character in a fighting game and sticking with it even though people are harassing you to pick a better character. People just like certain characters. Even moreso considering certain character combinations have amusing banter that are unique to them. Dying to a boss is enough of an incentive to change and experiment your setup. It's not like not having Sharla around is going to get much easier against bosses. And you can easily beat that particular boss with a dps/tank/healer setup. Melia is a dps. Maybe not in the WoW sense, but if you take the term literally, Melia has one of the highest damage per second in the game, if not the highest.

I'd say the next closest "healer" after Sharla, is Riki. Melia's healing seems to be at the detriment of her own health. Riki has the "if you aim at the right angle, you can heal your whole team!"

Solid teams I've been going with have been Melia/Shulk/Dunban, Riki/Shulk/Reyn. Really, just Melia or Riki under user control. Though, bosses I tend to want Shulk, to better control the future outcomes, and to mess em up with the Monado Buster.

[Zekes!]

I've been using 7th/Riki/Shulk and the only downside to the team so far is the lack of a topple attack, though Riki has Roly Poly which sometimes inflicts topple. But I've been ravaging shit so it's not a deal breaker.

[Junie12]

Okay something weird just happened today...

I managed to sneak in some playing time today because I want to beat the boss so badly, but when I was fighting Disciple Lorithia my Wii just decided to reset itself. I thought my Wii was about to die but when I turned it on again it seems everything is just fine.

Did the framerate issues in that boss battle cause it to reset or is it something else?

[chaosblade]

I've been using 7th/Riki/Shulk and the only downside to the team so far is the lack of a topple attack, though Riki has Roly Poly which sometimes inflicts topple. But I've been ravaging shit so it's not a deal breaker.

Replace Riki with Dunban and that was my post-game party. Last character you get is pretty amazing once you get everything in place. Good tank + probably highest DPS in the game + self-heals without any skills. Can a character get any more broken?

[Slair]

I'd say the next closest "healer" after Sharla, is Riki. Melia's healing seems to be at the detriment of her own health. Riki has the "if you aim at the right angle, you can heal your whole team!" Solid teams I've been going with have been Melia/Shulk/Dunban, Riki/Shulk/Reyn. Really, just Melia or Riki under user control. Though, bosses I tend to want Shulk, to better control the future outcomes, and to mess em up with the Monado Buster.

Once i switched to melia, learned how to actually use her and let the ai control dunban and shulk, i started winning fights i would've normally lost. That team just deals out so much damage.

[Firemind]

All I'm saying is that there are lots of options and ways to play, and if you just stick to one way of playing then, yes, you are missing out on a lot the game has to offer. That stands to reason, doesn't it? If you play Super Mario Bros. 2 as only Mario and never play as other characters, are you not missing out on lots that the game has to offer? Is that really a controversial statement or something?

This is a ridiculous thing to say and a terrible analogy, since you can play as any character with a dps/tank/healer setup if you consider Melia a dps. Who's to say you have to keep playing with the same character? You can easily swap Shulk for Melia and Reyn for Dunban if you so please and you can play as any of these characters. You can even use Riki as a faux healer. All you seem to be saying is that you don't need Sharla, so you can go triple dps or whatever which is totes important, because otherwise you'll miss out on the game.

[AwShucks]

I've played aboit 30 minutes of it so far and I think it's pretty fun. Finally some innovation in a traditional JRP.

You apparently missed out on Radiant Historia

[Alchemy]

8 hours in and you just got the 4th? God damn. I'm like 23-24 hours, and just wrapped up the Colony 6 stuff to obtain the 4th. Shout outs to side quests adding in so many hours.

Hoooooow? I feel like I've done a good majority of the side content, though definitely not all of it. This is feeling like my Mass Effect 3 play times all over again, I did all the side stuff everyone else did but everyone else seems to have 10+hours on me.

At the point in the game you're at, you should be fine switching out Shulk and experimenting. Should be fine for a while. And remember that even if you do need to kill a couple (like revisiting areas where there are some wandering around) you can kill them without Shulk with a quick topple.

Topple is nice, but annoying when dealing with multiple Mechon at once. I'm just not terribly fond of the damage restrictions for Mechon, and really expect[ed] at some point to not be an issue with gear or skill upgrades. I'm totally cool with having different strategies for killing different creatures, but fighting Mechon doesn't really involve much outside of spamming that enchant and fighting like normal or spamming topple.

[BlazingDarkness]

Why is anybody getting hung up on who plays as what characters? I'd say like, 95% of JRPGs feature more characters than you can use at any one time, and the vast majority of people will stick to the same roster in their party for various different reasons.
Unless someone is coming in here claiming there isn't enough variety in combat while admitting they've only used the same character through the whole of the game, then there's really nothing to discuss.

[cametall]

I just beat the Telethia boss in Makna forest and couldn't do it without Sharla. By the time I got it to half HP my team would start falling apart (ie dying).
So maybe Sharla becomes useless but in that instance I could not do it without her.

I love Riki though, I may try controlling him instead of Shulk for a while. When I first got him I thought I'd use him a few minutes and shelve him, but I like his suite of Arts quite a bit.

Also I cannot get the hang of Melia. I can see why she is/becomes so powerful but right now it doesn't feel like the damage gets output enough, maybe I'm playing her wrong.

For reference I'm level 35 and just outside the Imperial City (I think that's what it is called)

[chaosblade]

Hoooooow? I feel like I've done a good majority of the side content, though definitely not all of it. This is feeling like my Mass Effect 3 play times all over again, I did all the side stuff everyone else did but everyone else seems to have 10+hours on me. Topple is nice, but annoying when dealing with multiple Mechon at once. I'm just not terribly fond of the damage restrictions for Mechon, and really expect[ed] at some point to not be an issue with gear or skill upgrades. I'm totally cool with having different strategies for killing different creatures, but fighting Mechon doesn't really involve much outside of spamming that enchant and fighting like normal or spamming topple.

You should be high enough level that you can avoid them too. You won't be running into Mechon for a while from where you are, unless you go back to areas with them (Like the mines, or that party of them on Bionis Leg).

Why is anybody getting hung up on who plays as what characters? I'd say like, 95% of JRPGs feature more characters than you can use at any one time, and the vast majority of people will stick to the same roster in their party for various different reasons. Unless someone is coming in here claiming there isn't enough variety in combat while admitting they've only used the same character through the whole of the game, then there's really nothing to discuss.

I don't even really know what happened with that discussion. Firemind got hung up on people suggesting that you can play without using a dedicated healer (Sharla) and overreacting as if "we" were trying to tell people to play the game differently.

Also I cannot get the hang of Melia. I can see why she is/becomes so powerful but right now it doesn't feel like the damage gets output enough, maybe I'm playing her wrong. For reference I'm level 35 and just outside the Imperial City (I think that's what it is called)

You should never be auto-attacking. Early on she's not quite as good since her cool-downs are still kind of long and you don't have a lot of elements to summon. Bolt is still great though, especially when you tack on lighting damage+ gems. (Not the ones that add lightning, the ones that increase it by x%). Also, that quick-topple!

[Firemind]

Melia doesn't become good until you stuff her with gems and skills that boost her magic and level up her arts to deal more damage with decreased cooldowns. So you still have ways to go before that.

[Lonestar]

Riki's got high HP and some good spells/arts, can steal items, and has skill tree items to increase xp and ap.

But that's about all I like him for. I hate "those" characters in RPGs. Just annoying little made-up-things.

I know alot of JRPGS have them, but it seems like a prerequisite - Google Search for any game that comes with the use of "xeno-" in it's title...

On thing about Melia. I've tried this, not even sure it actually works like this, but when you double up with an element, specifically the Fire/Strength one, do the effects stack, for "Strength up x2"?

[Firemind]

I don't even really know what happened with that discussion. Firemind got hung up on people suggesting that you can play without using a dedicated healer (Sharla) and overreacting as if "we" were trying to tell people to play the game differently.

It wasn't directed towards you. I was responding to MetatronM who, if you've been keeping up with the thread, tries his/her hardest to take Sharla down a peg at every given opportunity.

[chaosblade]

Riki's got high HP and some good spells/arts, can steal items, and has skill tree items to increase xp and ap. But that's about all I like him for. I hate "those" characters in RPGs. Just annoying little made-up-things. I know alot of JRPGS have them, but it seems like a prerequisite - Google Search for any game that comes with the use of "xeno-" in it's title... On thing about Melia. I've tried this, not even sure it actually works like this, but when you double up with an element, specifically the Fire/Strength one, do the effects stack, for "Strength up x2"?

Edit: Doh. I see what you mean, yes, her buffs from the summoned elements stack. This is why it's recommended to summon copy bolt and have two available right from the start, then summon and use something else like fire/wind since it will do even more damage.

[Lonestar]

In the "gem stats" section where it shows all your buffs you're getting, as long as the writing isn't in green you can keep stacking gem effects. If it's green you've maxed out whatever the gem bonus is for that stat. So you can put a bunch of Ether Up gems on Melia for a maximum of +200, for example. I think the Lighting damage up and the like go as high as 100%, so you can double your damage output with gems. I think that's in the Google Docs thing.

Not on the gem side, I mean in battle, using the "summon fire" buff. If you doubled up the buff (which was a Strength up), would you in turn get double the "strength up"

[state_vector_collapse]

That faq posted on Melia a couple of pages back - is there one for each character and are they listed together anywhere? I'm searching the old thread, but using the word tutorial doesn't even throw up the Melia one never mind for the rest of the cast? Thanks

[ZenaxPure]

Why is anybody getting hung up on who plays as what characters? I'd say like, 95% of JRPGs feature more characters than you can use at any one time, and the vast majority of people will stick to the same roster in their party for various different reasons.

Well to be fair can you name many other single player RPGs in general where there are avoidance tanks who are great? To someone who doesn't play many RPGs or hasn't played ones with weirder combat mechanics Xenoblade may just seem impossible to them if you don't have a dedicated healer. I mean 90% of the generic run of the mill turn based RPGs always have the dedicated healing character. Not using one might be a strange concept for a lot of folks. The game never really does a good job of telling the player other party setups exist, especially since they dish the characters out very slowly.

I don't think I would really call it a problem but I'd bet a large majority of people who play the game spend the entire game using Reyn/Sharla/_____.

[chaosblade]

That faq posted on Melia a couple of pages back - is there one for each character and are they listed together anywhere? I'm searching the old thread, but using the word tutorial doesn't even throw up the Melia one never mind for the rest of the cast? Thanks

I think Zornica did write some, but they weren't in English and that was the only one he translated since all the other characters are pretty straightforward by comparison (to an extent, all of them have some cool things they can do). Which characters are you wondering about specifically?

[Meier]

http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/96056...icles/62466640

Fantastic! Just curious, have any GAFfers successfully done this?

[Lonestar]

I've tried to do the whole "naked Dunban" dodge tank strategy. Guess it works, but more often than not, Shulk or Riki would end up getting all the aggro, and Dunban with just 1,2, or 3 Agile Up gems on his sword and nothing else, just feels like a wasted spot.

So give me an armored and gem'd out Dunban with 160-ish Agility, over a 230+ agile Naked Dunban, anyday.

Plus, makes for strange cutscenes.

Nope, sorry Fellow College Footballian.

BTW: Urban SUUUUCKS ;P

[chaosblade]

I've tried to do the whole "naked Dunban" dodge tank strategy. Guess it works, but more often than not, Shulk or Riki would end up getting all the aggro, and Dunban with just 1,2, or 3 Agile Up gems on his sword and nothing else, just feels like a wasted spot. So give me an armored and gem'd out Dunban with 160-ish Agility, over a 230+ agile Naked Dunban, anyday. Plus, makes for strange cutscenes. Nope, sorry Fellow College Footballian. BTW: Urban SUUUUCKS ;P

Hey, I still lurk that thread. Just don't have much to say during the off-season.

And I don't really think the Naked strategy is worth it either. The gem slots are infinitely more useful.

[Lonestar]

Hey, I still lurk that thread. Just don't have much to say during the off-season. And I don't really think the Naked strategy is worth it either. The gem slots are infinitely more useful.

Maybe if I can craft some high level aggro up gems, and use them instead of agility up, Naked Dunban would work better.

[ZenaxPure]

I've tried to do the whole "naked Dunban" dodge tank strategy. Guess it works, but more often than not, Shulk or Riki would end up getting all the aggro, and Dunban with just 1,2, or 3 Agile Up gems on his sword and nothing else, just feels like a wasted spot.

I have that problem with every tank to be honest. The AI annoys me to no end when it comes to tanking, my biggest problem being that they never seem to want to use lock on auras. Even if I remove every single other aura they still refuse to use lock ons even if they lose aggro. Problem was solved when I just said screw the AI and played him myself.

On a funnier note when I finally got to the point where I could get more agility from gems than being naked(+other bonuses) I put on my best armor which happened to be some of the oil-type stuff so I ended up with a naked Dunban who had a headband... I got a pretty good laugh out of it.

[Firemind]

Use Peerless whenever you can. Have it be the only aura if AI controlled. It really helps to keep aggro.