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Xenoblade |OT| Sorry I Kept You Waiting!

C

chaosblade

Unconfirmed Member
Starwolf_UK said:
DPS will vary throughout the game (Shulk can do lots with backslash) but probably the biggest damage you could do is with Reyn with Berserker Aura active (buffs strength at the expense of defense if you resist debuff you should cancel that last bit...), Magnum Charge active (makes next art used much stronger) and then using Sword Drive (his strongest art). I never used those but I'll try this playthrough.

The cooloff is horrendous on Magnum Charge (and bad on Sword Drive) so I guess its only practical if it ends the battle.
Click to expand...

Have the aura up, use Magnum Charge, and have Sword Drive as the fifth or later art on a red chain attack.

But yeah, that kind of comes off like the whole Melia with Fire+Wind+Bolt+Ice+Earth+Copy thing, sure, you have a ton of summons to deal a ton of damage (both directly and DoT) but you're missing out on other arts that would probably be a lot more useful in a lot of situations.

RagnarokX said:
But you're going to do those quests for rewards you don't want anyway because you want the rewards you get for getting max area affinity.
Click to expand...

That's true, I'm stuck in that situation right now, actually! If you're not doing anything beyond the final boss it doesn't matter though, since you can't really get max affinity in each area (and especially the main reward for it) until you beat the game anyway.
 
L

Liferebooted

Banned
Bisnic said:
I can never use any attacks of Shulk that require attacking from behind or the sides if i control him, since the tanks(Dunban and Reyn) sucks at keeping aggro if they're controlled by the AI. I hate controlling Shulk, unless its a boss that require special uses of the Monado.
Click to expand...

Use
fiora to tank, she holds aggro really good and if built right she will never die.
 
K

Korosenai

Member
After messing around with Melia for a bit, I really like her in these team combinations

Melia/Shulk/Dunban, Dunban/Shulk/Melia, and Melia/Shulk/Reyn.

All of my characters are at level 35, and I was at a Unique Monster in Makna Forest (It was a level 34), and the Melia/Shulk/Reyn combo is the only team combo that didn't actually die.

I also have one question. What should Dunban's agility be by the time he is a level 35?
 
Z

ZenaxPure

Member
NubInaTub said:
I also have one question. What should Dunban's agility be by the time he is a level 35?
Click to expand...

An exact number I couldn't tell you, but if he is dodging most attacks and only rarely dies his agility is high enough for wherever you are. I personally rushed my way to extra agility while being naked talent and then kept with that until I got to the point where gems+gear could pass it (which was a pretty long time with me).
 
R

Ridley327

Member
Just defeated
Mumkhar with relative ease at Sword Valley. Shulk had a total retard moment there, but at least the problem took care of itself. Props to Mumkhar, though; he really does not know when to quit, even as he faces oblivion.

All of the surprise missions in that area really make you feel like a badass once they're complete.
 
M

massoluk

Banned
Bisnic said:
The story took an... interesting... turn after the (late in the game)
Mechonis Core
.
Click to expand...

Ahh the Shyamalan Twist. Some think it's The Sixth Sense twist, the other thinks it's The Village twist. I'm going with The Sixth Sense. The latter part of the game is my least favorite though,
from grassy plain with clear sky, lush rain forest, desolate snowy peak to.... gears and gears and gears and some weird organic stomach things
 
B

Bisnic

Really Really Exciting Member!
massoluk said:
Ahh the Shyamalan Twist. Some think it's The Sixth Sense twist, the other thinks it's The Village twist. I'm going with The Sixth Sense. The latter part of the game is my least favorite though,
from grassy plain with clear sky, lush rain forest, desolate snowy peak to.... gears and gears and gears and some weird organic stomach things
Click to expand...

Without spoiling much, the story kept moving forward so fast i couldnt stop the game, and it was soooo cutscenes heavy!
 
E

Easystride

Member
I keep getting the message that my nunchuck is not connected even though it is. I just lost like an hour of gameplay because I had to turn off my console. And occasionally I lose control of my main character as s/he runs around in circles. Is my nunchuck and/or Wiimote done for, or is there some simple fix? I tried re-syncing the control, and that helped for a little bit...
 
Z

zashga

Member
Just finished the
Prison Island
sequence and got the dramatic
Fiora
reveal. Am I halfway through the game yet? Having a hard time putting the controller down just now...
 
B

Bisnic

Really Really Exciting Member!
Well i just reached a little over 100 hours now... i'm at the
Bionis Interior at lvl 74. Is the only thing left this place and the 2nd visit to Prison Island?

I tried going to Tephra Cave for the quest i got outside Junks,
but its filled with lvl 92-94 monsters, so i cant do it! Is there any zones with monsters around lvl 80-90?
 
W

Wyndstryker

Member
Bisnic said:
Well i just reached a little over 100 hours now... i'm at the
Bionis Interior at lvl 74. Is the only thing left this place and the 2nd visit to Prison Island?

I tried going to Tephra Cave for the quest i got outside Junks,
but its filled with lvl 92-94 monsters, so i cant do it! Is there any zones with monsters around lvl 80-90?
Click to expand...

Satorl at night
 
C

chaosblade

Unconfirmed Member
Bisnic said:
Well i just reached a little over 100 hours now... i'm at the
Bionis Interior at lvl 74. Is the only thing left this place and the 2nd visit to Prison Island?

I tried going to Tephra Cave for the quest i got outside Junks,
but its filled with lvl 92-94 monsters, so i cant do it! Is there any zones with monsters around lvl 80-90?
Click to expand...
Alcamoth is the best spot for that once you hit 82 or so.
 
K

KuwabaraTheMan

Banned
Well, much of my day went towards this game today. The story is starting to pick up where I'm at. I arrived in
Alcamoth
earlier, and I'm currently going through
the tomb
, and the past few hours of the game have been pretty interesting and very different from what has come so far. There's suddenly a lot more intrigue going on. Not that the story earlier on wasn't enjoyable, but it feels like things are really picking up now. I haven't really had much time for doing sidequests as a result.

Without spoiling anything, can someone tell me if I at least will have a good window of time to do all these timed quests from this area?
 
T

The Awesomest

Member
Hum, need help a boss. Inside the Mechonis. Party level 60, Shulk/Dunban/Riki.

Fighting against Gadolt. I figured out the cover thing, but it does little good when the little mechons chip me down anyways. It's weird, I never had this much trouble against them everywhere else in the Mechonis. I haven't even made it to Gadolt yet, just been trying to reach him and dying repeatedly. I already know to hide behind cover.
 
S

SecretMoblin

Member
-GOUKI- said:
Just landed in
the fallen hand

Holi shit at the story. How far am I? 70% done the game?
Click to expand...

Around there, yeah. It's hard to put exact percentages on it. You're more than halfway done with the game, but there's plenty of story left.

KuwabaraTheMan said:
Without spoiling anything, can someone tell me if I at least will have a good window of time to do all these timed quests from this area?
Click to expand...

Yes. You will have a very large window of time.
 
D

DarkChronic

Member
Absolutely loving the game. Just finishing up the forest area. My only complaint so far is that some of the armors look absolutely ridiculous, lol. I'll equip weaker armor just because it doesn't look weird.
 
G

-GOUKI-

Member
DarkChronic said:
Absolutely loving the game. Just finishing up the forest area. My only complaint so far is that some of the armors look absolutely ridiculous, lol. I'll equip weaker armor just because it doesn't look weird.
Click to expand...

Yeah one of my complaints is the armor. It looks completely out of context with everything else in the game. Guess
 
B

braves01

Banned
I'm at 20 hours and I just got to Makna Forest, which is flippin awesome. So cool looking.

I've got a question about items though. My materials are full because I haven't been selling anything, and I get that exclamation points mean stuff is tied to quests, but is there any other reason to be careful about what I sell, or can I just dump every non-quest item?
 
J

Jive Turkey

Unconfirmed Member
The Awesomest said:
Hum, need help a boss. Inside the Mechonis. Party level 60, Shulk/Dunban/Riki.

Fighting against Gadolt. I figured out the cover thing, but it does little good when the little mechons chip me down anyways. It's weird, I never had this much trouble against them everywhere else in the Mechonis. I haven't even made it to Gadolt yet, just been trying to reach him and dying repeatedly. I already know to hide behind cover.
Click to expand...

That's really all there is to it. Just make sure to fight the mechon in a safe area and to remember to use the Monado's powers if someone strays too long outside.
 
A

AniHawk

Member
so for later-game spoilers

i finally figured out the point of 7th's attacks. got them equiped with max daze gems and some double attack ivs (42% chance of hitting). upgraded the haste art, and they're doing a ton of damage all the time. found the refuge which was a good place to get some customizable and much-needed upgrades too). can't wait to get the double-attacks-turn-into-crits skill
 
W

Winnie the Pimp

Member
craaap this all sounds so awesome i really need to start this game up :( I have waited too long and now Diablo 3 is about to come out so i won't have time for this damnit
 
R

reektann

Member
Quick question. Is there a detail that I'm missing somewhere in the UI that lets me know what sort of armour/gems to slot for a specific character? I mean the original chaps it's pretty fine as one was a tank and one was DPS but I'm not entirely sure what stats I should be focusing on for all these other members I've been picking up?

Cheers y'all!
 
Z

Zornica

Banned
reektann said:
Quick question. Is there a detail that I'm missing somewhere in the UI that lets me know what sort of armour/gems to slot for a specific character? I mean the original chaps it's pretty fine as one was a tank and one was DPS but I'm not entirely sure what stats I should be focusing on for all these other members I've been picking up?

Cheers y'all!
Click to expand...

you should be focusing on what you need for your style of play. in general it's a good idea to focus on agility for every character, aside from that, you should look at youｒ arts. are they strenght or ether based? do they have a specific element? is my auto attack stong or do i want my white middle circle to build up faster? it's really up to you.
It's recommended to improve one characters strong points than to try to negate his weaknesses. If a character has low health and high agility for example, don't use hp gems, use agility gems instead.
 
J

Jive Turkey

Unconfirmed Member
reektann said:
Quick question. Is there a detail that I'm missing somewhere in the UI that lets me know what sort of armour/gems to slot for a specific character? I mean the original chaps it's pretty fine as one was a tank and one was DPS but I'm not entirely sure what stats I should be focusing on for all these other members I've been picking up?

Cheers y'all!
Click to expand...

Nope. The best way I found to figure out equipment for each character is to get a feel for them by playing with them as the leader.

EDIT: And everything Zornica said too.
 
U

upandaway

Member
So I started playing this two days ago. I'm about 7 hours in and I'm ready to set out from Colony 9.
For context I'm pretty sure it's my first 3D JRPG (as in, a JRPG that isn't in the vein of Earthbound/Dragon Quest, full on animations and cutscenes and all that). I wouldn't have ever bought it but my friend did, and he won't play it till August, so there I am.

For a good while since the beginning I was really, really lost. The scale and tranquility kept me going a while longer but I was seriously lost. I didn't get the combat at all and I hated the cutscenes and I didn't know what to do with all the NPCs and sidequests.

Then that big cutscene happened, I was finally "freed" from the short-term plot objectives, and at the same time all enemies became either black or blue which let me get on top of things. 2 hours of equipping, gathering, buying/selling, and talking around town later and I really like the game now. Though I still don't feel comfortable changing skill trees or characters, so I think I'll stay with the defaults for the rest of the game.
The best thing about it is still the scale though. As a concept having areas that empty doesn't sound good but I love it.
 
N

nan0

Member
upandaway said:
Though I still don't feel comfortable changing skill trees or characters, so I think I'll stay with the defaults for the rest of the game.
The best thing about it is still the scale though. As a concept having areas that empty doesn't sound good but I love it.
Click to expand...

I would slowly get used to the mechanics of the game. You'll have a lot of time, but I imagine not changing skilltrees or characters will make everything very hard towards the end. It's not required for the first 30 hours or so, but you would miss a lot out later.
 
U

upandaway

Member
nan0 said:
I would slowly get used to the mechanics of the game. You'll have a lot of time, but I imagine not changing skilltrees or characters will make everything very hard towards the end. It's not required for the first 30 hours or so, but you would miss a lot out later.
Click to expand...
30 hours is definitely a long time.

But I don't get it, are the other skill trees just better or something? Or... does it still count if you "got" the icon even if the skill tree is not selected?
If it's the latter, well uh, I'll just change them whenever I max one out.
 
B

Bisnic

Really Really Exciting Member!
Something i'm wondering with skill trees, even after 100 hours im still unsure.

You can select all 3-4-5 skill trees to unlock different skills, my question is... are the only skills active the ones in the current selected tree, or does that only affect the little extra stat mentioned at the top like "improved critical hits" and "improve ether defense"?

Like if Dunban have unlocked every skills in his 4 trees, i should only select the one improving the best stat for him, and all his 20 skills will be active no matter what anyway?


By the way, i hate how i can miss some of the battle QTEs because the Wii decided to have slowdowns at that moment, screwing my chances. Its even worst when it happen during a chain attack or Dunban's 3 hit combos.
 
E

edeo

Member
Haven't been feeling motivated to play this game past the first town area. Sounds like the story gets a lot better.

But from what I've seen so far, this game has been hugely overrated by most critics. This is not deserving of a 92 on Metacritic. Being one of the few traditional JRPGs this year should not automatically vault this game to this level of untouchable glory.

Graphics do matter. And the art design reeks of modern Final Fantasy wankery. The camera is fucking awful. This is mostly the fault of the Wii controller. Someone told me it works better if I use the classic controller. My thumb must be stubby because it feels super awkward to reach from the A button to the directional pad.

I'd give it a 7/10 so far.
 
N

nan0

Member
upandaway said:
30 hours is definitely a long time.

But I don't get it, are the other skill trees just better or something? Or... does it still count if you "got" the icon even if the skill tree is not selected?
If it's the latter, well uh, I'll just change them whenever I max one out.
Click to expand...

They are just alternatives to each other and give different boni to you character. Changing them when one is maxed out is a good idea, because the skillpoints will be discarded if you stay on a maxed out tree. But it is also possible to unlock the first two or three skills of each tree to quickly get multiple boni.
 
P

Palmer_v1

Member
upandaway said:
30 hours is definitely a long time.

But I don't get it, are the other skill trees just better or something? Or... does it still count if you "got" the icon even if the skill tree is not selected?
If it's the latter, well uh, I'll just change them whenever I max one out.
Click to expand...

The latter. Any skill you unlocked will work from then on, regardless of which tree you ahve selected. Your selection choice only affects which ones you learn first.
 
P

Palmer_v1

Member
edeo said:
Haven't been feeling motivated to play this game past the first town area. Sounds like the story gets a lot better.

But from what I've seen so far, this game has been hugely overrated by most critics. This is not deserving of a 92 on Metacritic. Being one of the few traditional JRPGs this year should not automatically vault this game to this level of untouchable glory.

Graphics do matter. And the art design reeks of modern Final Fantasy wankery. The camera is fucking awful. This is mostly the fault of the Wii controller. Someone told me it works better if I use the classic controller. My thumb must be stubby because it feels super awkward to reach from the A button to the directional pad.

I'd give it a 7/10 so far.
Click to expand...

You've barely seen ANYTHING. It's like rating a movie based on the opening title.
 
U

upandaway

Member
edeo said:
Graphics do matter. And the art design reeks of modern Final Fantasy wankery. The camera is fucking awful. This is mostly the fault of the Wii controller. Someone told me it works better if I use the classic controller. My thumb must be stubby because it feels super awkward to reach from the A button to the directional pad.
Click to expand...
The Wiimote camera is really, really awkward. I wouldn't have played the game if I couldn't switch to CC, because the camera there is great (you basically use the right analog, and you don't have to press any other button to change angles).

And by the way about the graphics, my CRT usually does really well with Wii games (better than any LCD I tried), but it looks pretty bad with this game. I'm still fine with it (since I don't like the art style anyway) but I wonder what's up with that.
 
B

Bisnic

Really Really Exciting Member!
edeo said:
Haven't been feeling motivated to play this game past the first town area. Sounds like the story gets a lot better.

But from what I've seen so far, this game has been hugely overrated by most critics. This is not deserving of a 92 on Metacritic. Being one of the few traditional JRPGs this year should not automatically vault this game to this level of untouchable glory.

Graphics do matter. And the art design reeks of modern Final Fantasy wankery. The camera is fucking awful. This is mostly the fault of the Wii controller. Someone told me it works better if I use the classic controller. My thumb must be stubby because it feels super awkward to reach from the A button to the directional pad.

I'd give it a 7/10 so far.
Click to expand...

Dude, you're still in Colony 9. You have literally seen NOTHING.

And yes, the camera is better with the classic controller. I still dont like how it always reset behind the character unless you constantly move the right stick though.
 
C

chaosblade

Unconfirmed Member
upandaway said:
30 hours is definitely a long time.

But I don't get it, are the other skill trees just better or something? Or... does it still count if you "got" the icon even if the skill tree is not selected?
If it's the latter, well uh, I'll just change them whenever I max one out.
Click to expand...

I would not recommend taking that approach. You can unlock the first 3 skills in each branch pretty quickly, but the next two area going to take a very long time early in the game. You're much better off switching regularly and unlocking as many as possible as early as possible. Plus it's likely you'll forget about them if you don't keep in mind to check on them and switch them up. Even though it pops up with a message when you learn a skill, it's still easily overlooked.

Skills and skill links can make a huge difference since they have a huge variety of benefits. More EXP and AP. Permanent and temporary stat boosts. Improvements to your arts and chains.

I'd say skills are actually more important than gems early on in the game. Most of the rank 1 and 2 gems you'll get for nearly the first half or so of the game are honestly not big improvements for your characters. But some of the skills you can unlock even early on are very useful.

Bisnic said:
Dude, you're still in Colony 9. You have literally seen NOTHING.

And yes, the camera is better with the classic controller. I still dont like how it always reset behind the character unless you constantly move the right stick though.
Click to expand...

That's kind of annoying. I just checked because I thought there was a way to disable that but it doesn't look like it. You definitely want angle correction off sometimes, but the battle camera setting is probably best left on or you might not be able to see what some enemies are doing.
 
U

upandaway

Member
chaosblade said:
I would not recommend taking that approach. You can unlock the first 3 skills in each branch pretty quickly, but the next two area going to take a very long time early in the game. You're much better off switching regularly and unlocking as many as possible as early as possible. Plus it's likely you'll forget about them if you don't keep in mind to check on them and switch them up. Even though it pops up with a message when you learn a skill, it's still easily overlooked.

Skills and skill links can make a huge difference since they have a huge variety of benefits. More EXP and AP. Permanent and temporary stat boosts. Improvements to your arts and chains.

I'd say skills are actually more important than gems early on in the game. Most of the rank 1 and 2 gems you'll get for nearly the first half or so of the game are honestly not big improvements for your characters. But some of the skills you can unlock even early on are very useful.
Click to expand...
So basically switch trees whenever I get the first 3 skills, alright. That's not complicated.

This might change as we go on but right now I'm fine with grinding out any inappropriate thing I do with the battle system. It just seems way too much after being used to handheld-sized turn based stuff.
 
Z

Zornica

Banned
upandaway said:
So basically switch trees whenever I get the first 3 skills, alright. That's not complicated.

This might change as we go on but right now I'm fine with grinding out any inappropriate thing I do with the battle system. It just seems way too much after being used to handheld-sized turn based stuff.
Click to expand...

you shouldn't base your skilltree switching on some numbers or a specific order. just read what the first skills are, and decide which ones could help you progress.

for example:

skill tree 1 has a great 2nd skill but 3 and 4 suck, 5 is allright
skill tree 2 has a great 1st skill and a great 5th one.
skill tree 3 5 overall "good" but not great ones.
start with skill tree 2, fill up the first one, switch to 1 again, fill it up to the 2nd skill, switch to the 3rd, fill it completely, go back to 2 and than to 1. ore something like that.

for my first playthrough I just filled them all up one by one after each other, and that wasn't a problem either.
 
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