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Xenoblade |OT| Sorry I Kept You Waiting!

B

branny

Member
I think it gets better as you keep playing, but I know how you felt and don't blame you for wanting to quit. My main gripes were the structure of the game and its battle system. I've grown accustomed to both after revising my expectations. There are still a few things that bother me immensely, but they're no longer annoying enough to make me stop playing like I'd originally contemplated doing.

I did have incentive, though (I was intrigued by the story and wanted to see every new area). It sounds like you're not enjoying anything at all, so it might be best to just put the game down if it doesn't start clicking. You shouldn't waste time forcing yourself to play something that you're not finding fun. :(

That said, there are some games that I originally had trouble getting into (this being a somewhat recent one) but was happy when I eventually did. The best example I can think of for me is Dragon Quest VIII. I started and restarted that game more times than I can remember but finally "got" it and look back on it quite fondly, even if it's not one of my favorite games or anything. I'm probably not even halfway through Xenoblade yet, but its world is already something I'll never forget, something I think is worth pushing through any nonsense to experience at least once.
 
S

Spiffy_1st

Member
Yaboosh said:
I am 8 hours in and ready to quit. I absolutely hate the writing and voice acting, I find the battle system to be tiresome, the equipment system is a complete chore, the story is boring so far, I just don't like it at all. Does it get way better or am I just weird and dont like what everybody else loves? I am in the mines below Colony 6 having just met Otheron.
Click to expand...

Try changing it back to English.
 
A

AniHawk

Member
i'm having a hard time moving the story forward. instead i'm finding myself exploring for stupid glowy things and killing giant fucking enemies. i've made it my goal to do this instead of moving the story forward. so much like ffxii.
 
W

wsippel

Banned
Wyndstryker said:
Alright Xenoblade, you are now in my top 10 favorite RPG's ever. And I'm not even close to finishing the game yet.

Prison Island is the tip of the iceburg, Galahad Fortress and Fallen Hand sold me. And just for the record. I HATE ALCAMOTH! TOO DAMN BIG OF A CITY!

Oh yeah, Heropon awesome.
Click to expand...
The whole Nopon race is awesome once you learn more about them. Background spoiler, nothing about the main story:
Nopons are everywhere, know everyone, control all trade routes, are leading in the field of science and archeology. Organized crime as well, of course. Not to mention they are probably the most powerful warriors on Bionis. They are also the oldest race still in existence, even older than the High Entia. The reason they speak funny? It helps being underestimated.
 
A

Adam Prime

hates soccer, is Mexican
I'm at about ~65 hours and in the second to last area. I'm at the point where I'm debating to myself whether I want to sink in another ~40 hours and go after all the high level enemies, Art Books, quests, etc. or just wrap up the game in the next ~5 hours or so.

I've loved the ride of the game, but this always happens to me when I play a single player RPG like this. You get near the end and all of a sudden I don't know if I want to invest more time than is needed to just beat the game.

... I have The Last Story waiting unopened for me. I haven't wanted to start yet until I was finished with Xenoblade.
 
B

BlazingDarkness

Member
Adam Prime said:
I'm at about ~65 hours and in the second to last area. I'm at the point where I'm debating to myself whether I want to sink in another ~40 hours and go after all the high level enemies, Art Books, quests, etc. or just wrap up the game in the next ~5 hours or so.

I've loved the ride of the game, but this always happens to me when I play a single player RPG like this. You get near the end and all of a sudden I don't know if I want to invest more time than is needed to just beat the game.

... I have The Last Story waiting unopened for me. I haven't wanted to start yet until I was finished with Xenoblade.
Click to expand...

I left the endgame sidequests myself, it gives me more reason to go back and do NG+
 
W

wrowa

Member
Adam Prime said:
I'm at about ~65 hours and in the second to last area. I'm at the point where I'm debating to myself whether I want to sink in another ~40 hours and go after all the high level enemies, Art Books, quests, etc. or just wrap up the game in the next ~5 hours or so.

I've loved the ride of the game, but this always happens to me when I play a single player RPG like this. You get near the end and all of a sudden I don't know if I want to invest more time than is needed to just beat the game.

... I have The Last Story waiting unopened for me. I haven't wanted to start yet until I was finished with Xenoblade.
Click to expand...

You can't save after the final point of no return anyway (don't worry, the game will tell you that explicitly), so there's no reason not to finish the story now and do the endgame-content afterwards.

But, well, that depends on where you are exactly in the game. One area has quite a bunch of timed quests -- if those quests haven't expired yet, you'd be in for 5-10 hours worth of sidequests before you can continue the story. That part of the game is the only one where the sidequests are a little too bothersome imo.

Oh, and don't finish Xenoblade just for Last Story's sake. That game isn't worth it anyway. :p
 
S

SecretMoblin

Member
If you don't want to do all of the endgame stuff, at least do the quests in
the newly-opened area of Tephra Cave.
There are several hours of content, with good exploration, new enemies, and an interesting quest line.
 
J

jgkspsx

Member
Has anybody who ordered through Gamestop received theirs? I preordered literally day 1 but they said they hadn't shipped yet because they weren't sure they had enough artbooks. Sounds like BS to me.
 
J

Jive Turkey

Unconfirmed Member
BlazingDarkness said:
LOL

I nearly died at that part.
Click to expand...

Yeah so did I but I saw it coming...And yet did nothing to stop it. High AGI was the only thing that kept my team alive.

AniHawk said:
i'm having a hard time moving the story forward. instead i'm finding myself exploring for stupid glowy things and killing giant fucking enemies. i've made it my goal to do this instead of moving the story forward. so much like ffxii.
Click to expand...

Me too. And any time I have a timed quest in my queue I stop everything and do that quest. Even if it isn't an important quest it'll bug the hell out of me.
 
B

BlazingDarkness

Member
The only time I found the quests to become overwhelming was when I reached A
lcamot
h, because that place was such a large single area, with so many named NPCs at different times I just got very snowed under by it - it doesn't help that the main story takes a back seat here for a while. I think a few of us who played last year got a little burnt out here, but once you pass that area the story really picks up.
 
D

DrForester

Kills Photobucket
I thought I grinded enough between areas, but i'm starting to think I need to do more. Bosses are kicking the crap out of me.
 
M

MetatronM

Unconfirmed Member
Grinding is unnecessary. There is never a point in the game where you need to go kill enemies just for the sake of leveling.

What bosses are causing problems?
 
B

burgerdog

Member
I'm done with the Ether
Mine and I don't have any side quests left, I've done every quest in Gaur and there's probably very few that I missed in Colony 9 outside of the 3+ affinity only quests. Is it normal to not have any side quests for the mine and Satorl Marsh(just entered this area)?
 
P

Papercuts

fired zero bullets in the orphanage.
burgerdog said:
I'm done with the Ether
Mine and I don't have any side quests left, I've done every quest in Gaur and there's probably very few that I missed in Colony 9 outside of the 3+ affinity only quests. Is it normal to not have any side quests for the mine and Satorl Marsh(just entered this area)?
Click to expand...

I'm at the same spot as you, a little bit into the Marsh. You'll run into a caravan with some more quests.

But yeah, the mine had a couple of unique enemies. I'm guessing there's a quest attached to each one? So there's probably quests later to return.
 
P

Pancho

Qurupancho
Got the game yesterday and have spent a few hours pretty much wondering around the first area.
Any general advice/ pointers for a Xenoblade noob? The game is kind of overwhelming.
 
S

SecretMoblin

Member
There are no quests for that area,
because it becomes unavailable right after you finish it.

Many uniques don't have a quest attached to them.


Edit:

Pancho said:
Got the game yesterday and have spent a few hours pretty much wondering around the first area.
Any general advice/ pointers for a Xenoblade noob? The game is kind of overwhelming.
Click to expand...
Read the FAQ in the OP. YOU CAN QUICK TRAVEL BETWEEN AREAS. Explore the menus, read the in-game tutorials (twice if you need to), change up your party leader every now and then to keep things fresh, don't worry about doing all the quests once you get them, don't sell collectibles, keep at least a few pieces of every bit of loot you come across.
 
B

burgerdog

Member
Papercuts said:
I'm at the same spot as you, a little bit into the Marsh. You'll run into a caravan with some more quests.

But yeah, the mine had a couple of unique enemies. I'm guessing there's a quest attached to each one? So there's probably quests later to return.
Click to expand...

Alright, I'll head to the camp. It just felt like I was missing something since I'm not used to NOT having side quests in the game.
 
B

BlazingDarkness

Member
Pancho said:
Got the game yesterday and have spent a few hours pretty much wondering around the first area.
Any general advice/ pointers for a Xenoblade noob? The game is kind of overwhelming.
Click to expand...

It's best to ignore any OCD tendencies you may have, because there's a LOT of content in there
Just play how you're most comfortable :)

Also, don't forget you can instantly fast travel to any discovered location/landmark in the game. And you can change the time of day!
 
M

MetatronM

Unconfirmed Member
burgerdog said:
I'm done with the Ether
Mine and I don't have any side quests left, I've done every quest in Gaur and there's probably very few that I missed in Colony 9 outside of the 3+ affinity only quests. Is it normal to not have any side quests for the mine and Satorl Marsh(just entered this area)?
Click to expand...

I doubt you've actually done them all. I know there's at least one quest in Colony 9 that you can get early on that you can't actually complete for quite a long time, for example (it is impossible for you to have completed it at this point).

That said, some quests don't become available until you pass different points in the story, even if you have the necessary affinity.
 
P

Papercuts

fired zero bullets in the orphanage.
SecretMoblin said:
There are no quests for that area,
because it becomes unavailable right after you finish it.

Many uniques don't have a quest attached to them.


Edit:


Read the FAQ in the OP. YOU CAN QUICK TRAVEL BETWEEN AREAS. Explore the menus, read the in-game tutorials (twice if you need to), change up your party leader every now and then to keep things fresh, don't worry about doing all the quests once you get them, don't sell collectibles, keep at least a few pieces of every bit of loot you come across.
Click to expand...

Ah, good to know. I usually avoid uniques before a quest so I'll just start fighting all the ones I can take.

Also, I saw a lot of posts about timed sidequests. All the ones with a clock on it are timed, right? None just expire without that? I made sure to do all of the clock ones from the Leg.
 
A

andylsun

Member
Picked this up today in the USA. Played about 2 1/2 hours and really enjoying it. Getting the hang of break/topple/daze and for my first real-time JRPG, I'm doing ok. Glad it's actually a game where you can die - so many games you can play through without this happening.

Finding the CC Pro is great for this. I may switch to running under Dolphin on my sandy bridge macbook pro, so I can free up the TV. Is the game playable all the way through with Dolphin?
 
S

SecretMoblin

Member
Papercuts said:
Also, I saw a lot of posts about timed sidequests. All the ones with a clock on it are timed, right? None just expire without that? I made sure to do all of the clock ones from the Leg.
Click to expand...

You can do the ones without clocks at any time. Don't worry about them.

andylsun said:
Finding the CC Pro is great for this. I may switch to running under Dolphin on my sandy bridge macbook pro, so I can free up the TV. Is the game playable all the way through with Dolphin?
Click to expand...

Yep!
 
P

Pancho

Qurupancho
About the skilltree. Is every ability you've learned in the skilltree always active? Regardless of what branch you have selected?
 
Z

ZenaxPure

Member
I assume I am nearing the end (right? Surely...) as well in
Agniratha
currently, while I don't find the areas exhausting it feels like they kinda phoned it in or something with the level design. Maybe that's a bit harsh but the areas are much smaller and just involve running around in circles hitting buttons and unlocking doors, it feels really different compared to the rest of the game. That said I've been having a blast with the last few areas because there are just unique mobs everywhere and even a lot of the normal enemies can be rough if you don't watch out, I have had a lot of fun with it.
 
R

Ruas

Banned
I'm 50 hours in and just
I entered galahad fortress.
Sometimes it takes hours only to complete a couple quests by the time i find the right items,person,location ect. I love every area but the
snow region
is kinda bland and uninspired.
 
S

Seik

Banned
Ruas said:
I'm 50 hours in and just
I entered galahad fortress.
Sometimes it takes hours only to complete a couple quests by the time i find the right items,person,location ect. I love every area but the
snow region
is kinda bland and uninspired.
Click to expand...

Even during
The night?
 
B

BlazingDarkness

Member
ZenaxPure said:
I assume I am nearing the end (right? Surely...) as well in
Agniratha
currently, while I don't find the areas exhausting it feels like they kinda phoned it in or something with the level design. Maybe that's a bit harsh but the areas are much smaller and just involve running around in circles hitting buttons and unlocking doors, it feels really different compared to the rest of the game. That said I've been having a blast with the last few areas because there are just unique mobs everywhere and even a lot of the normal enemies can be rough if you don't watch out, I have had a lot of fun with it.
Click to expand...

The second half of the game focuses more on the plot and less so on explorative freedom, I think this is a good decision personally. And, of course, a plethora of endgame content opens for those wanting more variety near the end.
 
Z

ZenaxPure

Member
BlazingDarkness said:
The second half of the game focuses more on the plot and less so on explorative freedom, I think this is a good decision personally. And, of course, a plethora of endgame content opens for those wanting more variety near the end.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I don't really have a problem with it personally but it's vastly different from the first half of the game and feels a bit weird.
 
B

burgerdog

Member
Woah, question about Dèsirèe's father:

She said her father Xord disappeared one year ago during a mechon battle. Is it the same Xord that dies in the Mine?
 
B

Bisnic

Really Really Exciting Member!
Just got done with
Prison Island.
The twist was kinda expected, but still was nice to see.

I suppose im like at 60-65% of the game or something? Will i ever
step on Mechonis
or is that like just the last 5-10%?

Also, i feel like ignoring more and more of the sidequests unless they are on my way for the main story. There's just too many of them.
 
B

BlazingDarkness

Member
Bisnic said:
Just got done with
Prison Island.
The twist was kinda expected, but still was nice to see.

I suppose im like at 60-65% of the game or something? Will i ever
step on Mechonis
or is that like just the last 5-10%?
Click to expand...

I THINK you're more like 40% of the story. But 55-60% of the game. And yes, you will visit Mechonis ;)
 
T

The Technomancer

card-carrying scientician
ZenaxPure said:
I assume I am nearing the end (right? Surely...) as well in
Agniratha
currently, while I don't find the areas exhausting it feels like they kinda phoned it in or something with the level design. Maybe that's a bit harsh but the areas are much smaller and just involve running around in circles hitting buttons and unlocking doors, it feels really different compared to the rest of the game. That said I've been having a blast with the last few areas because there are just unique mobs everywhere and even a lot of the normal enemies can be rough if you don't watch out, I have had a lot of fun with it.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I want to say you're nearing the end. My gripes with the end-game really start with the area you're going to go to after that.
 
E

Effect

Member
Looks like I"m going to be doing a lot of the side-quest. The way combat is setup I get the feeling I'm going to be more comfortable playing this game and enjoying the story if I don't have to worry about struggling during combat outside of boss fights.
 
M

MetatronM

Unconfirmed Member
Bisnic said:
Just got done with
Prison Island.
The twist was kinda expected, but still was nice to see.

I suppose im like at 60-65% of the game or something? Will i ever
step on Mechonis
or is that like just the last 5-10%?

Also, i feel like ignoring more and more of the sidequests unless they are on my way for the main story. There's just too many of them.
Click to expand...

You're around 50%. Give or take. Maybe slightly less.
 
Mikey Jr.

Mikey Jr.

Member
My tips that you probably don't know (Newbie tips)

1. You can talk to everyone twice.
2. Putting things in your collectopedia consumes that item.
3. People that have unique names can be traded with by pressing 2 on the wiimote when near them.
4. You can lure enemies from their groups if you don't think you can take them all on at once.
5. When switching out gear, the gem stays with that piece of gear. Remove the gem before you swap out allies gear.
6. Using the monado powers uses up the chain gauge. (I was wondering why I never have enough chain lol)

Thats all I got so far. Mind you, I'm only like 25 hours in, haha.
 
B

branny

Member
SecretMoblin said:
Read the FAQ in the OP. YOU CAN QUICK TRAVEL BETWEEN AREAS. Explore the menus, read the in-game tutorials (twice if you need to), change up your party leader every now and then to keep things fresh, don't worry about doing all the quests once you get them, don't sell collectibles, keep at least a few pieces of every bit of loot you come across.
Click to expand...
Can someone explain this a bit? I've been selling pretty much any equipment I don't need anymore. =\
 
Mikey Jr.

Mikey Jr.

Member
branny said:
Can someone explain this a bit? I've been selling pretty much any equipment I don't need anymore. =\
Click to expand...

You know those blue orbs you get that turn out to be "Beetle legs" or "Yellow Gear". He means don't sell all of those to a merchant. You will get a quest 50 hours down the road that will want "5 Beetle legs".
 
Z

Zekes!

Member
Ruas said:
I'm 50 hours in and just
I entered galahad fortress.
Sometimes it takes hours only to complete a couple quests by the time i find the right items,person,location ect. I love every area but the
snow region
is kinda bland and uninspired.
Click to expand...

It's not so much bland as it is just ugly. The music at night more than makes up for it, though.
 
B

branny

Member
Oh, gotcha. Since "don't sell collectibles" was right before it, I was worried it extended to equipment for some obscure endgame reason about needing multiple pieces to smelt into a super armor or set or something, lmao.
 
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