[Leezard]

Yep, in my original post I mentioned that I always enchant and continue to do so when necessary. The enemy parties growing too large is my biggest problem.

Before you get into a fight, if you press up/down on the center art skill button (the "fight" icon) you get a "lure from distance" option. You should be able to take at least one group at a time by doing that.

[Wichu]

Oops, missed that. I had a few problems around there as well; I tried to lure the bigger ones away from the group and kill them individually. Then, I could take out the weaker ones using Reyn's area-of-effect arts.

[schlew]

Awesome, thanks everyone. I think the problem is that when I did lure, the group would come, and not the individual enemy. My problem was thinking that luring wasn't working. I know now that if I lure the group, it's less likely another group will join in. Thanks.

[Snytbaggen]

Could anyone who finished the game tell me how far in I am in the game, in percent? I'm at the part when the emperor has gone off to the prison island and I'm going around activating some stuff on the islands so I can also get there.

[McNum]

Could anyone who finished the game tell me how far in I am in the game, in percent? I'm at the part when the emperor has gone off to the prison island and I'm going around activating some stuff on the islands so I can also get there.

30-ish% Maybe 40%.

[nan0]

Could anyone who finished the game tell me how far in I am in the game, in percent? I'm at the part when the emperor has gone off to the prison island and I'm going around activating some stuff on the islands so I can also get there.

Puts you about halfway through, a bit less.

[-GOUKI-]

Can someone also tell me how far i am

im at the imperial city finally

[Snytbaggen]

30-ish% Maybe 40%.

Puts you about halfway through, a bit less maybe.

Awesome, thought I was farther in than that. With this pace the game might easily end up over 50h for me.

[Bisnic]

Awesome, thought I was farther in than that. With this pace the game might easily end up over 50h for me.

Eh... im at 70h and still not finished.

But i blame me doing too many sidequests and wasting too much time with the vendors and gifts.

[-GOUKI-]

Can someone tell me how far in the game i am?

Im just arrived at the imperial city and saw Alvis again

[nan0]

Can someone tell me how far in the game i am? Im just arrived at the imperial city and saw Alvis again

In Agniratha? Pretty far, around 80%.

[Wichu]

In Agniratha? Pretty far, around 80%.

Pretty sure he means Alcamoth, which is maybe 30-40% in.

[chaosblade]

Can someone tell me how far in the game i am? Im just arrived at the imperial city and saw Alvis again

Depends on who answers, but I'd say probably somewhere around the 40% mark. Really just depends on how much sidequesting and exploring you do.

[Jive Turkey]

Before you get into a fight, if you press up/down on the center art skill button (the "fight" icon) you get a "lure from distance" option.

Holy shit...Holy shit!

[massoluk]

In Agniratha? Pretty far, around 80%.

Huh ? I'd say 50% myself

[-GOUKI-]

Pretty sure he means Alcamoth, which is maybe 30-40% in.

uhhh...

It's my first time in the imperial city

i hope im not 80% done the game

[nan0]

My bad, got Imperial City and Imperial Capital mixed up. The others are right.

[chaosblade]

Holy shit...Holy shit!

It's definitely helpful, but not 100% reliable. Sometimes enemies have "parties" and if you try to lure one, you'll still end up drawing 3+ enemies.

Still effective though, it makes a lot of near-impossible situations much more manageable.

[ElTopo]

uhhh... It's my first time in the imperial city i hope im not 80% done the game

Nah, roughly a third through.

[Jive Turkey]

It's definitely helpful, but not 100% reliable. Sometimes enemies have "parties" and if you try to lure one, you'll still end up drawing 3+ enemies. Still effective though, it makes a lot of near-impossible situations much more manageable.

Oh that's fine...It's the enemeies (mainly flying) that roam in very unadvantageous locations that annoy me. Having a melee character run himself over the edge of a cliff or the current player character be shoved off a narrow walkway kinda sucks. Pulling those enemies into a better position would really help.

[Roto13]

Yesterday I had to collect an item to progress the story, and there were two enemies near it, which was fine, but there was also another enemy that was part of an unrelated quest who was way stronger than my party and he kept wandering over and joining the battle. And Sharla wasn't in my party for story reasons.

So that was bullshit.

[Shaffield]

So I'm about 70 hours in at Mechonis Field. Should I be taking a break to go do some sidequesting soon?


Also, I'm running a main party of Melia/Dunban/7th right now, and equipping Dunban and 7th as Agility Tanks with Anti-Mechon weapons (since Shulk isn't in the party), and using Melia to rain down shitloads of damage with Wind and Lightning (considering adding Earth as well for the poison, is it worth it?) while Dunban and 7th dodge all day long. I was using 7th's Attack build, but I found that she was drawing too much aggro and the damage without a healer was a little unmanagable (I noticed that the AI doesn't use her Healing Aura very well.) I seem to be smashing through mobs with no problems, although it may be that I'm a bit overleveled (around 60).

Any advice? (I'm still experimenting with 7th, considering going back to Shulk.)

[Bentendo]

Alright, quick question (on mobile btw - nice mobile site): when I die in the game and go back to the checkpoint, do I retain all of my experience and items?

[bozeman]

S You're probably underleveled to fight the caterpillar at the moment. Named enemies are much harder than most bosses.

But what about the big lizard? I thought that was the whole reason I had to go to the 1st cave in the first place. Am I supposed to be able to beat it?

[Jipan]

This game still has an iron grip on me. I did a massive marathon from around 2PM until 5AM (I think I've broken world records with my sessions). Went from getting Dunban to getting Riki. This game is amazingly addictive.

The exploration in this game puts the most recent RPG's to shame; the closest JRPG that I played this gen that is similar to the size of this game is Infinite Undiscovery. It reminds me more of Rogue Galaxy in terms of size and seamless load times minus a certain character tellling you the player to stop playing after a certain amount of hours. They're both very similar and I wouldn't be surprised if the devs played Rogue Galaxy while researching.

However, there's something about this game that makes it way more satisfying to explore than in Infinite Undiscovery and dare I say it, Mass Effect as much as I played the hell out of that game. I would say the exploration is on par with this gen's two Fallout games, except that there's something new to see every time versus the copy-and-pasted interiors of the said games.

I have a question concerning a hunt for a monster. So I'm supposed to fight this monster that's in the northern part of Spiral Valley. The only problem is that there's a ridiculously strong Immovable Gonzalez standing in front of the entrance. Is that monster behind him or is it somewhere near that area? The reason that I ask is because I want to move the people from the refugee camp to Colony 6, but if I do then, I miss the quest. Should I just pass up on doing the quest? I only have characters at level 36-35 for reference.

[MetatronM]

Alright, quick question (on mobile btw - nice mobile site): when I die in the game and go back to the checkpoint, do I retain all of my experience and items?

Yes.

[Zornica]

But what about the big lizard? I thought that was the whole reason I had to go to the 1st cave in the first place. Am I supposed to be able to beat it?

no, you aren't supposed to fight it, you are supposed to follow the red arrow.
you can fight the lizard, but you don't have to.

This game still has an iron grip on me. I did a massive marathon from around 2PM until 5AM (I think I've broken world records with my sessions). Went from getting Dunban to getting Riki. This game is amazingly addictive. The exploration in this game puts the most recent RPG's to shame; the closest JRPG that I played this gen that is similar to the size of this game is Infinite Undiscovery. It reminds me more of Rogue Galaxy in terms of size and seamless load times minus a certain character tellling you the player to stop playing after a certain amount of hours. They're both very similar and I wouldn't be surprised if the devs played Rogue Galaxy while researching. However, there's something about this game that makes it way more satisfying to explore than in Infinite Undiscovery and dare I say it, Mass Effect as much as I played the hell out of that game. I would say the exploration is on par with this gen's two Fallout games, except that there's something new to see every time versus the copy-and-pasted interiors of the said games. I have a question concerning a hunt for a monster. So I'm supposed to fight this monster that's in the northern part of Spiral Valley. The only problem is that there's a ridiculously strong Immovable Gonzalez standing in front of the entrance. Is that monster behind him or is it somewhere near that area? The reason that I ask is because I want to move the people from the refugee camp to Colony 6, but if I do then, I miss the quest. Should I just pass up on doing the quest? I only have characters at level 36-35 for reference.

If I remember correctly, there is a secret path from the valley beneath. a big rock is blocking it and you need to tell the quest giver about it. he will give you some tnt to destroy the rock. I don't remember how it went exactly... just jump down and see for yourself.

Alright, quick question (on mobile btw - nice mobile site): when I die in the game and go back to the checkpoint, do I retain all of my experience and items?

there is no penalty for dying

[Cloudy]

I'm on the 3rd level of the Ether Mines right now. Really loving playing as Sharla. So strategic to just hang back while curing and buffing/de-buffing with the occasional attack thrown in.

I don't think I'll be using Shulk again anytime soon unless something in the story forces me too :p

[Adam Prime]

2nd prison island visit spoilers

ok so I just stood in front of a mirror switch and now the quest marker is somewhere in the middle of the central hall but I have no idea how to get up there

HELP!

[Jipan]

no, you aren't supposed to fight it, you are supposed to follow the red arrow. you can fight the lizard, but you don't have to. If I remember correctly, there is a secret path from the valley beneath. a big rock is blocking it and you need to tell the quest giver about it. he will give you some tnt to destroy the rock. I don't remember how it went exactly... just jump down and see for yourself. there is no penalty for dying

Oh, I didn't know that at all. I went through the area that you're talking about (Wind Cave) and went up to the rock that you're talking about but I didn't have the materials. So I'm supposed to go back to the guy at the camp then? I'll definitely do that, thanks.

[Zornica]

2nd prison island visit spoilers ok so I just stood in front of a mirror switch and now the quest marker is somewhere in the middle of the central hall but I have no idea how to get up there HELP!

follow the path :P
from the arena down to the kitchen, climbing down a ladder beneath the stairs... hard to explain... there is a grate which you can open..

look at the map, 2F, on the right side

[Adam Prime]

Pft I'm a moran, got it thanks

[AniHawk]

so halfway-through spoilers

maaaan those surprise quests in sword valley were kicking my ass a bit. it was pretty awesome when i accidentally pulled about six mechon towards one of them and somehow survived the encounter

[cooljeanius]

My parents said my copy came in the mail back home... can't wait till the semester's over!

[Roto13]

Sidequests have me googling a lot.

[Bisnic]

When exactly should i do the Alcamoth quests? I heard that they should be done before i reach a certain point, but what is it? I'm at Central Factory right now.

[ElTopo]

When exactly should i do the Alcamoth quests? I heard that they should be done before i reach a certain point, but what is it? I'm at Central Factory right now.

You should do them before you fight Egil.

Actually you should do all (timed) quests before that.

[MetatronM]

When exactly should i do the Alcamoth quests? I heard that they should be done before i reach a certain point, but what is it? I'm at Central Factory right now.

You're getting closer to it. You still have to clear the next couple of sections before they get cut off. If you were just going to go straight through the plot from where you are right, the cutoff would maybe be in a couple hours, I think.

Clearing Agniratha is a cutoff point for a couple places in Mechonis. Clearing the zone and major boss that comes after Agniratha is the cutoff for the Alcamoth quests, among other things.

[Bisnic]

You're getting closer to it. You still have to clear the next couple of sections before they get cut off. If you were just going to go straight through the plot from where you are right, the cutoff would maybe be in a couple hours, I think. Clearing Agniratha is a cutoff point for a couple places in Mechonis. Clearing the zone and major boss that comes after Agniratha is the cutoff for the Alcamoth quests, among other things.

So i guess that once i reach Agniratha, i should go back to Alcamoth and clear everything i can.

[ElTopo]

So i guess that once i reach Agniratha, i should go back to Alcamoth and clear everything i can.

Pretty much.

[picklecannon]

So I just got Dunban and I was just wondering when you're intended to fight the giant spider protecting one of those red collectables (giants mirror i think) . I ended up getting the thing but I ran out of there and don't know when to head back, and I'm afraid that if I ever do end up getting that particular quest I'll complete it right away without killing the giant spider like i was intended.

[Ridley327]

So I just got Dunban and I was just wondering when you're intended to fight the giant spider protecting one of those red collectables (giants mirror i think) . I ended up getting the thing but I ran out of there and don't know when to head back, and I'm afraid that if I ever do end up getting that particular quest I'll complete it right away without killing the giant spider like i was intended.

You have the option of running away, and you're not required to kill it, but where's the fun in that?

Protip: stay away from the ledge.

[Adam Prime]

Finished the game this afternoon, clocked in at 76 hours (finished the game in 51 days, started on March 2nd). Fought the final battle at Lv 79 with Melia, Riki, and You-Know-Who. Last boss was no freaking problem, I think maybe I had one character get KO'ed, we just destroyed it.

... Yeah, who couldn't enjoy this game? The final 10 hours or so the plot got a little WTF PLOT DUMP but the surprises were nice and it the game managed not to get its head up its ass with philosophical exposition (XENOGEARS ANYONE?!). I must admit up until the final couple of areas I was starting to get bored with the story and think, "Yeah, I know where this is going!". But the game took a 180 direction without getting silly on itself. One of the few video games in general where it seems like the plot was completely thought out from start to finish. Yeah there's definitely NO WAY anyone would've guessed the direction this game was heading, even when you think you KNOW about halfway through the game. The story from start to finish was very impressive and the ending was satisfying for a game with this kind of scale and magnitude.


In the pantheon of all-time great JRPGs, I don't think anyone who has finished this game could deny its position among the all-time greats.

This game had two weak links for me:
1) the characters - unless you go out of your way and do all the heart-to-hearts there's very little character development along the course of the main story line. Again, maybe if I had done more heart-to-hearts I would feel definitely about the characters. But really none of them stand out to me at all... except maybe... Melia? Yeah, I dunno.
2) the combat - fighting enemies at or below your level was really not engaging. Unfortunately this describes about 75% of your combat in Xenoblade. The only time combat was really fun, and it really IS fun, is when you're fighting uniques above your level. This game does truly shine when you're in a good battle, and it's fun too. This game however is paced extremely well so just when you feel like "Man I've been kicking everyone's ass, I'm so badass" you'll run up against a monster that requires your full concentration in battle.

Even with that said, the combat and characters are more sophisticated than most of my favorite JRPGs. This game is 5/5 , 10/10 , 30/30 if you are a JRPG fan. It's tough to find things to nit pick about this game.

... oh and one more thing: for a game that is so open and "go at your own pace" there was literally only ONE time in the entire game that I got freaking stuck and didn't know what to do(see my post about 10 replies above). Again, super impressive for a game like this!

[Jarsonot]

Stayed away from this thread to avoid spoilers, but I've played enough now to have finally googled where something was (a collectible piece I needed for a side quest), spoilered myself minorly anyway, and then said fuck it. This game is too damn good, I want in on the conversation! =)

Reading some posts further up makes me think you'd all rate me at about 50-60% done. I'm at sword valley, fiora's alive! and I've done quite a bit of side quests. Every time I get a quest now I add it to my notepad, each area gets a page: 1 column for monsters to kill, 1 column for other quests. Now when I go back to an area I have an easy way of what I keep an eye out for, and I love it.

Love this whole game. Exploration is awesome, battle has really grown on me, I am just starting to give a shit and be concerned about making good crystals, and I'm anal about exploring every nook and cranny.

Story is great, the world you're in is great, voice acting is great, and for me all of it adds up to make the graphics more than acceptable. I'd love to see an HD version but what I've got now is awesome. The vastness and scale of everything is incredibly awesome.

So that's where I'm at. =)

[Adam Prime]

A few more thoughts on the game:

1. MONEY IS POINTLESS. Seriously, the ONLY thing you EVER need money for is buying Art Books. Even then, I guess you could completely skip Itermediate Book skills if you just played a certain way with certain characters, until you get to the end of the game and just pick up the Advanced Skill books. I don't know if this is truly possible, the game would be way harder.... but I'm getting off my point.

2. Gem crafting can be skipped altogether at low levels. I don't think I ever crafted a Lv1-3 gem the entire game. The gems that you actually use are ones you find or ones that are in Unique gear. Gem crafting at Lv4+ is... obviously very useful.

3. Grinding EXP through combat is inefficient, slows the game down, and sucks the fun out of the combat. I think it's no design flaw that you gain so much EXP through exploring new Areas, Landmarks, and Secret Areas. That's the best part of this game, and is way more enjoyable than just running through areas over and over again fighting the same monsters for EXP. I never did that once in this game, but had a great time trying to uncover every pixel of the map.


.... last thing:

4. This game is almost TWO years old! It was released in Japan June 2010. I think this game is going to have great staying power along the likes of SNES/PSX era classics. In this era of modern gaming we are asking things like, "Will this game still be relevant in a couple of years?". Hell games like Metal Gear Solid 4, Borderlands, Assassin's Creed, Modern Warfare, Skyrim,etc. we wonder if those games will still be on our minds in just a few short years, and Xenoblade has already answered those questions.

Hopefully in 2020 we are demanding a HDHDHDD Remake on our Super WiiPii U consoles!

[SafeinSound]

Eryth Sea is beautiful. I kind of rushed out of Makna Forest because I wasn't feeling that area at all. Reminded me of Ungoro Crater from WoW, kind of.

[burgerdog]

How do I get to the area where the monsters roam in Antol Cave - Valak?

edit
nm, I had to pull off some super mario stunt.

[Hiltz]

How do I get to the area where the monsters roam in Antol Cave - Valak? edit nm, I had to pull off some super mario stunt.

Warp to the Hollow Bone landmark on upper level of Valak Mountain. Go into the cave directly in front of you . Go down the ice slide and jump twice at the end of each one. You'll end up in Antol Den if you do it right. By the way, the unique monster monster there is lvl. 47.

[Jive Turkey]

1. MONEY IS POINTLESS. Seriously, the ONLY thing you EVER need money for is buying Art Books. Even then, I guess you could completely skip Itermediate Book skills if you just played a certain way with certain characters, until you get to the end of the game and just pick up the Advanced Skill books. I don't know if this is truly possible, the game would be way harder.... but I'm getting off my point.

There is one other use for money in the game and it's far more important than arts books.

3. Grinding EXP through combat is inefficient, slows the game down, and sucks the fun out of the combat. I think it's no design flaw that you gain so much EXP through exploring new Areas, Landmarks, and Secret Areas. That's the best part of this game, and is way more enjoyable than just running through areas over and over again fighting the same monsters for EXP. I never did that once in this game, but had a great time trying to uncover every pixel of the map.

Is this a complaint? The fact that the game emphisizes exploring and questing over grinding is a great thing and one of the game's biggest strengths.

[ACE 1991]

About 2 or 3 hours in, does the story get better? It's just standard jrpg drivel right now.