Xenoblade

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Xenoblade 2 Part 21


Accidentally deleted a longer version of this post with a keyboard command, so you'll have to settle for an abridged version.  The main party for this session was Zeke, Nia, and Mòrag.  Lv 42 Blue-Eyed Korbin the Driver beast fell off a cliff when it was under a quarter HP, but still generated a Best Time tombstone of 04:16.  (Does Xenoblade 2 expect the strongest Uniques to take an hour to kill?)


Aegaeon's Core Crystal was bonded to Mòrag in case I needed its Field Skills of Leaping and Ancient Wisdom, but would never join the active party.  Aegaeon is a Water element katana TNK.  Lv 42 Spring-Shower Elliot was a humanoid Driver who liked to knock the party down with Hazy Moon or Bared Counter. Spring-Shower Elliott died honestly without cliff-diving in 06:12.


A pack of Lv 41 Idle Rodonyas killed the team when I was playing as Zeke the ATK, but switching to Mòrag the TNK resulted in victory and the acquisition of Flowers of Ice for The Writer's Assistant quest.  This indicates that the AI in Xenoblade 2 is lacking compared to the smarter cast of Xenoblade 3.  Xenoblade 1's teammate AI can be awful for certain characters, especially Melia.


Upon retrieving the Omega Fetter, Akhos, Mikhail, and Patroka tried to steal it from them in typical adventures story fashion.  They were all Lv 43-44, and Mikhail the "TNK" forced the party to attack him.  His Final Crow dealt considerable damage to Nia, though he ended up being Overkilled by a 51,001 Chain Attack.  Akhos was next, and he was vulnerable to Topple from Mòrag's Vajra Blow.  Splash Hazard led into a 127,164 power Chain Attack that destroyed most of Akhos's HP bar.  Patroka could be Toppled just like Akhos, though the one Chain Attack used against her was a pitiful 33,957 Overkill.  Couldn't get an element orb to appear due to the lack of proper Special alignment.


(Chain Attacks in Xenoblade 2 are more like the "Ponspector" specials from Future Connected as opposed to the turn-based tactical decisions of Xenoblade 1 and 3.  Just pick the Blade of the appropriate element, do the quick time event, and hope you break at least one orb.  Preparing for the Chain Attack and deciding when to use it is more interesting than the Chain Attack itself.)


Lv 46 Jin battled the party as a formality, but the game soon skipped to a cutscene where the team could do nothing against him.  Jin could control the movement of "particles" to move at the speed of light, and even Mythra's powers were useless.  Pyra agreed to take Jin to Elysium in exchange for sparing the party's lives, and Chapter 6 came to an end.

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Xenoblade 2 Part 22


Rex sulked for a while in Tantal about being too weak to protect Pyra, until Nia, Brighid, and Poppi talked (and beat) him out of it.  The ATK and HLR Blades in the party purchased Lodranite Chips that decreased their Block Rate in exchange for higher Auto-Attack and Critical Rate.  The herbs for the quest Cannadea's Troubles were actually part of a love potion.  In a later conversation, Cannadea's potion worked too well, and her love interest fell for someone else.


King Eulogimenos gave a long speech explaining the truth about Tantal.  Tantal's dynasty wasn't just a cadet branch, but a rival faction to Addam's who wanted to control Blades and Titans rather than live in harmony with them.  The Praetorium knew Tantal's secret, and agreed to keep quiet in exchange for Core Chips.  All the Core Chips in Alrest were produced in Tantal by siphoning ether from Genbu.  One side effect of draining ether from Genbu was the frozen climate of Tantal, which impoverished the citizens.  The phrase "chronic energy shortage" was used, probably to make the story fit the themes of the story.  Maybe Tantal symbolizes  the hypothetical shutdown of thermohaline circulation? 


Eulogimenos also revealed that there was a third Aegis sword too strong to use, a power beyond Pyra and Mythra.  The only chance the party had against Jin and his Torna terrorists was to look for the sword, and the only lead was in Leftheria.


In the northern area of lower Tantal inside a cave, the party tried to fight Lv 43 Muscley Damian.  My mistake was to use a Chain Attack just as Nia died, which forced Mòrag to hold out for an impressive length of time to revive her.  It also caused an automatic "Game Over" when Mòrag was knocked out when the Party Gauge was too low.  The fight was going well at first, if slowly.


Rex learned from Corinne that someone was embezzling 30,000 gold from the remittances sent to Fonsett.  Maybe he fell for the "payment in Steam cards" scam.  One Tantal Merc Mission was New Book, which had a client who wanted another novel after reading everything in the library.  The mission requirements were strange:  2 Humanoid Blades and 6 Females!  Boys sometimes read novels too, you know!  And the client probably thought "Four robot dogs are as much as I'll allow!" when she wrote the contract.  There are other Merc Missions that require Male Blades, so it's not just this mission that has silly gender stipulations.

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Xenoblade 2 Part 23


I'm trying to get through the rest of the main story quickly, because I think a Rare Blade only playthrough would be more interesting.  They'll be the Rare Reactionaries.  Common Blades are versatile, giving many weapon types and whatever role you want, but don't have the gimmicks that Rare Blades do.  A Rare Blade challenge would make Rex, for example, play as a TNK or HLR on occasion if he draws one of those from a Core Crystal.  It would go faster since I'll know more about the game and can skip all the cutscenes.


Gramps revealed that the other name of Fonsett Village was Hero's Rest, since Rex's hometown was the true heir of Addam's legacy.  That's the reason various Aegis-related locks, such as the door to Pyra's chamber on the Ancient Ship, were restricted to Leftherians.  The pillar known as the Village Guardian concealed a staircase to the center of Leftheria, Spirit Crucible Elpys.  Meanwhile, Malos plotted to restore his Core Crystal to full power by stealing power from Pyra.


Spirit Crucible Elpys was a long dungeon with a poor ingame map that couldn't account for height well.  The reason no one had returned from Spirit Crucible Elpys in the past was that the cave's particles absorbed Ether, weakening Blades.  Only Poppi was unaffected since she wasn't a true Blade, so Tora was the best character to play as here.  Nia and Zeke were his AI companions. 


The ether draining effect was so drastic that the Lv 51-54 party was annihilated by the first enemies before even crossing into the cavern proper.  Lv 44 Seveeto Laia monsters knocked me off the cliff as revenge for the Uniques who fell to their deaths, and I died again in a normal fight.  The solution was to grow Tora and Nia to Lv 54, and Zeke to Lv 59 with side quest and Merc Mission experience at an inn.  Some monsters in Spirit Crucible Elpys ignored the party afterwards, though they still had to flee from various Uniques such as Lv 48 Hard-Bitten Xavier and Lv 50 Glamorous Alfred when they proved too strong for my team.


Zeke's secret was revealed when he was exhausted in the cave.  He almost died in the woods, only to be rescued by Amalthus.  Indol preserved some of Justicium's Flesh Eater technology, and implanted part of Pandoria's Core Crystal in his chest to keep Zeke alive.  Zeke jokingly called himself a "Blade Eater" since the situation was reversed from Flesh Eaters. 


Nia was getting tired too, so Rex suggested that she "empty her mind" like he did while salvaging at high undersea pressures.  Nia replied "You mean I have to start acting as daft as you?"  Rex would later help her with an emergency oxygen supply from his salvager supplies.  She told everyone that her father was once a Gormotti lord, and her education was mostly about "which fork to use".  Her sister was sickly, and the lord lost his status and money after failed attempts to find a cure.  When he died, Nia awakened Dromarch to remember him.  Jin came to Nia's aid, and that's why she joined Torna before Rex's visit to the Ancient Ship.


Vile Howard the Lv 47 plant was inside a pool of poisonous water, and the only way to fight it safely was on a bridge.  At least until someone died and fell down.  Vile Howard knew how to take advantage of terrain!  The party wasn't able to beat it, and Vile Howard knew the Pokemon move Seed Bomb.


One special door opened for the part of Pyra's Core Crystal that Rex had on his body.  Tora and Poppi suggested "incendiary barrage" as a joke solution.  One staircase required a Read Ancient Writing check, and I had to swap Zenobia into the party to pass a Kindle Flame check to burn a web.  Zenobia went back onto the Rare Blade bench afterwards.  


The "boss" for Spirit Crucible Elpys was a horde of Lv 44 Phantasms that looked like shades of Addam.  I was wondering if I was trapped in an endless battle for a while.  Tora used Poppi Alpha for most of the fight since that generally worked better than Poppi QT.  Rigid Shield recovered HP and reduced damage for a few seconds.  Spinning Cutter hit multiple Phantasms at once and drew their aggro, and Big Boost Toppled them if another party member Broke them.  A few Chain Attacks were used, and most of the Specials used Stone as a basis.  Specials never got as far as, say, Lightning Quake because the combo timer ran out before that could happen.


Nia revealed her true form as a Blade, which looked like her Queen of Agnus design from Xenoblade 3.  Rex talked to Addam in the illusion Elysium, and Addam questioned Rex's motives.  Rex said he wanted power to protect everyone in true Japanese RPG hero fashion.  (If you want to see the worst case of this, play Tales of Graces and drink every time Asbel says "protect".  Never finished that game, in part because the characters were too annoying.)


The third Aegis sword dissolved when Rex grabbed it, but Rex said that didn't matter because now he knew what to do to save Pyra.  Nia could now become a Blade for Rex if I wanted that to happen, but I chose to keep her as a Driver for the rest of the game.  If I do the Rare Blade only run, I'll be sure to test out Blade Nia.


In the Affinity Chart, Tora learned Grin and Bear It for a 50% chance to survive with 1 HP once per battle, Rex took Drive to Win to fill up the Party Gauge a bit with criticals, and Nia learned Tooth and Claw to cancel Driver Arts into each other.   


The next destination for the party would be the "rotting Titan" Morytha close to the World Tree, which inspired legends about the "land of the dead" according to Dromarch.  Mikhail and Patroka discussed using the last Tornan warship Marsanes against "non-mortal opponents".

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Xenoblade 2 Peasant Revolt FAILURE


Just like in a real peasant revolt, the Xenoblade 2 Commoners were crushed by the system.  The end came in a way I never expected when I started the playthrough.  In the Cliffs of Morytha, there were several Field Skill checks that the party had to complete to reach Pyra and Malos.  The first was a High Jump involving Wind Mastery and Leaping.  The team could pass this one by shuffling Rare Blades like Zenobia into the active party, then putting them back on the bench.


The same couldn't be said for a wall jump off a vine, which needed Earth Mastery and Leaping.  No combination of Blades in my party could achieve that.  Common Blades didn't have the skills to make it work.  Rare Blades needed to be treated as active party characters rather than Merc Mission fodder in order to upgrade their abilities.  (Even if some Merc Missions are related to specific Blades, especially Godfrey.)  For example, Zenobia gains power by killing specific Uniques which are mentioned on the Affinity Chart.  Finch enhances Leaping by visiting places like Dawnview Grotto in Gormott.


Any progress from here on out would effectively render the challenge pointless.  If Common Blades can do it (Leaping aside), the correct ones must be so hard to draw that it would be easier to get a Rare Blade.  Each Field Skill check is limited to three Blades as well, not all the Blades you have in your party.


Oh well!  Even failed challenges can be fun sometimes, if only for the stories that come out of them.  I still remember the pre-Realms Beyond Monk challenge in Bravely Default that choked right at the end of the game.


The Rare Reactionaries who will use the Common Blades as their Merc Mission indentured servants should come in another post.  Since I don't have to cover the plot up until Cliffs of Morytha, it'll be more gameplay and less story.

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Xenoblade 2 Rare Reactionaries Part 1


The Peasant Revolt has fallen, and Rex von Metternich has suppressed the rabble.  From now on, the Rare Blades would make sure the Common Blades would know their place as Merc Mission peons.


On the Ancient Ship, I had Jin and Malos as the companions just for the novelty of having two villains on the team.  The battles there were only a formality.  Rex's first Rare Blade had the following stats:


Pyra

Weapon:  Aegis Blade
Element:  Fire
Role:  ATK
Auto-Attack:  17
Block Rate:  10%
Critical Rate:  11%
Phys. Def.:  5%
Ether Defense:  10%
Strength:  25


Affinity Chart (first tier)

Flame Nova:  +60% damage to beasts
Prominence Revolt:  +100% damage to Toppled foes
Blazing End:  +25% critical damage
Purifying Flames:  Special has 5% chance to instantly kill enemy with 20% HP or under (no bosses)
Resplendence:  +24% Blade Combo damage
Flaming Edge:  +10% critical damage


Field Skills

Fire Mastery
Focus
Cooking


I had to look up the difference between Blade Combos and Driver Combos.  Blade Combos are the A button Specials, and Driver Combos are the Break-Topple-Launch-Smash sequence.  Rare Blades have favorite Pouch items that are necessary to upgrade certain abilities.  For example, Dromarch likes meat, while Pyra likes drinks.  None of the drinks in Argentum Trade Guild satisfied the conditions for Pyra's Focus upgrade.  As for Nia's Blade, these are his base stats:


Dromarch

Weapon:  Twin Rings
Element:  Water
Role:  HLR
Auto-Attack:  12
Block Rate:  10%
Critical Rate:  4%
Phys. Def.:  5%
Ether Defense:  35%
Strength:  10


Affinity Chart


Raging Tiger:  Absorbs 60% of critical damage dealt to enemy as HP
Aqua Wave:  Heals party for 30% of damage dealt to enemy
Wild Roar:  Generates an HP Potion, with a 60% chance to make 2 potions
Celestial Gift:  -30% Blade Combo damage from enemies
River's Blessing:  Heals 3% HP when using Driver Art
Howl of Calm:  25% chance of healing 4% HP when you get hit


Field Skills

Water Mastery
Botany
Ancient Wisdom


Botany is a Field Skill that lets you collect more items from certain spots, so expect to see it activated a lot.  [Element] Mastery is based on the Blade's element, and even Common Blades have it.  Ancient Wisdom is used for ancient artifacts, which come up often in a game based on salvaging ruins of old civilizations!  Focus can open locks.


In Gormott, the party died a couple of times on the field before even reaching Torigoth.  Some of the enemy placements were cruel, such as the fast flying Lv 16 Ligar Rhogul.  At Lv 6-7, Rex and Nia were too weak to beat Brighid and Captain Padraig, so they had to warp to Argentum Trade Guild and use some side quest experience to grow to Lv 10.  The usual tactic was Steam Bomb, where Rex would cast Heat, and Nia would use Dromarch's A button Special.  After Nia was captured, Rex increased his Strength and Agility by 20 in his Affinity Chart.


It seems the first Common Blade you draw is always Wind, though this one was named Tomae instead of Arai.  Tomae would remain on the bench since it wasn't forced into the party.  Pyra bought a Wing Chip that decreased her Block Rate but noticeably improved Auto-Attack and Critical Rate.  Rex gathered the parts necessary to build Tora's artificial Blade:



Poppi Alpha


Weapon:  Drill Shield
Element:  Earth
Role:  TNK
Auto-Attack:  13
Block Rate:  25%
Critical Rate:  4%
Phys. Def.:  30%
Ether Defense:  25%
Strength:  9


Affinity Chart


Poppi Spinning Slash:  Depends on Poppiswap
Noponic Storm:  Depends on Poppiswap
Poppi Drill:  Depends on Poppiswap
Noponic Iron:  +5% defenses
Guard Shift:  +10% Block Rate
Emergency Mode:  +20% Block Rate when at 30% HP or below


Field Skills

Leaping
Nopon Wisdom
Superstrength


Leaping's uses should be obvious.  Nopon Wisdom is a kind of "lore" skill used for various purposes, while Superstrength can break or lift objects.


Since Poppi Alpha is artificial, she has her own unique mechanics.  To upgrade her, you go into the Poppiswap menu and spend Ether Crystals or equip parts.  The different slots are Energy Converter, Role CPU, Element Core, Arts Cards, Skill RAM, Specials Enhancing RAM, and Skill Upgrade.  Energy Converter determines how much capacity you have for upgrades.  Role CPU determines whether Poppi is an ATK, HLR, or TNK, and increases stats accordingly.  Element Core is there if you want Poppi to be a different element, though for now Fire combines well with Earth in Blade Combos.


After playing a few rounds of Tiger Tiger and Crystallizing unwanted parts, Poppi Alpha equipped Tank Mod II for better Ether Defense and AB Affinity Boost II for +70 Affinity upon casting a Special.  Tora got +200 HP and +20 Dexterity from his Affinity Chart.


(Crystallizing is a merciful feature.  Otherwise I'd be spending hours playing Tiger Tiger!)

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Xenoblade 2 Rare Reactionaries Part 2


The water supply for Torigoth's farms was poisoned BEFORE Rex and Poppi pulled down the water tower, as Tora found out when he stepped in the pond.  For reasons I don't know, Gormott's Development Level increased to 1 when Tora walked onto Kloom Farm.  Perhaps discovering locations gives a minor bonus?  While fighting through Titan Battleship, Rex summoned a new Rare Blade:


Kora

Weapon:  Knuckle Claws
Element:  Electric
Role:  HLR
Auto-Attack:  13
Block Rate:  10%
Critical Rate:  15%
Phys. Def.:  10%
Ether Defense:  30%
Strength:  14



Affinity Chart


Electric Pompom:  +100% damage to Launched foes
Vivid Love:  Creates an HP Potion, with a 60% chance to create two
Angelic Drop:  Heals entire party for 30% of damage dealt
Stop Thinking:  60% chance to prevent enemy from moving for 3 seconds after casting Special
Walking Joy:  Heal 4.5% HP per second while moving
Potion Hoarder:  HP Potions disappear 60 seconds later


Field Skills

Girls' Talk
Electric Mastery
Lockpicking


Keep in mind that all the Affinity Chart listings for Blades show the first tier passive bonus.  They can be upgraded 5 times, more than what Commoners get.  The first three bonuses in the Affinity Chart are tied to specific Roman numeral levels of the Blade's A button Special.


Rex's current Knuckle Claws moves are Feral Uppercut for a 50% damage bonus after an Auto-Attack cancel, Grand Smash for HP Potions, and Bullet Punch the generic area of effect attack.


To access further areas in Titan Battleship, Poppi Alpha and Pyra were needed to pass a Brute Force Check.  I backtracked and purchased Wing Chips for Kora and Poppi Alpha to upgrade their Auto-Attack and Critical Rate, then returned and fought many Ardainian soldiers.  Dughall was a joke at Lv 11-12, and the main Blade Combo was Mega Eruption.  Mega Eruption followed the Earth-Fire-Earth route with Poppi Alpha and Pyra.


In the characters' Affinity Charts, Tora increased his HP Potion effect by 20%, while Nia augmented her ally revival HP by 15% and her Agility by 20.  It took many tries, but Nia eventually drew her second Rare Blade before fighting Mòrag:


Azami


Weapon:  Ether Cannon
Element:  Dark
Role:  ATK
Auto-Attack:  16
Block Rate:  5%
Critical Rate:  8%
Phys. Def.:  0%
Ether Defense:  15%
Strength:  20


Affinity Chart


Nightmare Rondeau:  +100% damage when at 30% HP or lower
Shadow Rhapsody:  +100% damage when at 30% HP or lower
Decadent Finale:  +100% damage when at 30% HP or lower
All for Love:  Specials are stronger the lower HP you have
Pain of Longing:  +15 Affinity when another Driver takes damage
Vendetta:  180% Ether damage counterattacks


Field Skills

Dark Mastery
Botany
Clairvoyant Eye


I've never seen a Girls' Talk check yet, and Clairvoyant Eye is a mysterious ability that only Azami has.  Azami is clearly meant for risky tactics, which is strange when it has a long range weapon.  To use it properly, you'll probably have to set it up to take aggro, and prevent the other party members from acting as a TNK.  Or have another of Nia's Blades be the TNK, and then switch to Azami when at low HP.


Nia's main Ether Cannon moves are Breach Shot for a 50% Auto-Attack cancel bonus, Leopard Blow for Break and 50% chance to "annul defense", and Cattle Driver for a 100% bonus against Launched enemies.  The other move that goes against Azami's strategy is Pulse Fire, which has a 100% damage bonus with at least 90% HP.


The Rare Reactionaries fought against Mòrag at Lv 11-12, and cast Lightning Quake via Kora.  Lightning Quake is an Earth-Earth-Electric path.  Azami cast Gravity, but couldn't upgrade to Black Abyss before the battle ended.


Afterwards, I spent a while completing Gormott side quests which I've mentioned before.  Salvaging upgraded Gormott's Development Level to 2.  Development Level makes items cheaper and unlocks Merc Missions later in the game.  A character named Sulya provided the reason that monsters had gold:  "That's 'cos they really, really like collecting shiny things!"  Other characters alluded to later plot twists, like Nia being raised by a lord.  Xenoblade 2 has decent foreshadowing.


One weird fact is that the Blade Album still had pictures of Blades from deleted save files.  Godfrey, Aegaeon, and Wulfric were still there even though the Commoner file was no more.  Before pressing on with the main story, everyone grew to Lv 17 at the Torigoth inn.  I'd already fought too many Nose Gogol apes before doing that.  Xenoblade 2 enemies can be intelligent enough to call for help, or run towards their allies if they have "scout AI". 


The last part of the session was playing a few sessions of Tiger Tiger to upgrade Poppi Alpha.  One reward was Tank Mod III for higher Phys. Def. and HP.  Specials Enhancing RAM opened its II slot, which I filled with Affinity MAX Barrier III for a 20% max HP barrier for the party.

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Xenoblade 2 Rare Reactionaries Part 3


Sniping Brent interrupted Star-Crossed Lovers as the party was fighting the Lv 14 Tirkins.  Then a Lv 22 Dont Rhogul joined the battle later in the fight to cause more mayhem.  Nia shot at the Tirkins with Azami in the first part, and switched to Dromarch against the flying birds.  Never doubt the white tiger when he can keep a Lv 17 team healthy against Lv 18 and Lv 22 opponents pecking them at the same time!  Sniping Brent was Toppled multiple times before dying in 06:07 minutes.  Mega Eruption from Poppi Alpha blasted Dont Rhogul.  Mega Eruption is an easy Blade Combo to make since all you need are Poppi Alpha and Pyra.


In the Affinity Chart, Nia increased her Ether by 20,  while Tora increased his Luck by 20 and Rex increased his Ether by 20 and ally revival by 15%.  Dawnview Grotto was much easier to find the second time since I knew much more about Gormott geography.  Nia awakened the Rare Blade that would replace Azami in the active party for the rest of the session:


Boreas

Weapon:  Bitball
Element:  Wind
Role:  HLR
Auto-Attack:  12
Block Rate:  10%
Critical Rate:  11%
Phys. Def.:  20%
Ether Defense:  30%
Strength:  15


Affinity Chart


Open Wide!:  Restores 60% of critical damage dealt in HP
Snack on This!:  Heals 10% of damage dealt when you cast a Special
Gobble 'em Up!:  Heals 30% of damage dealt to the entire party
Tasty Snack:  Restores 40% of party's HP after killing an enemy
Look Out!:  Boosts evasion by 15% at max Affinity
Twang!:  +30% Knockback chance when an enemy is attacking you


Field Skills

Nopon Wisdom
Salvaging Mastery
Fleet of Foot


I've no idea what Fleet of Foot is for, but Salvaging Mastery is the salvaging version of Botany.  Since salvaging is the main source of money in Xenoblade 2, this will be useful.  Nia's useful Bitball moves are Dolphin Spin for HP Potions, Healing Circle for direct healing, and Acrobatic Bomber for Break.  As you might have guessed from the name of the passive bonuses, Boreas loves to eat, and upgrades after using edible Pouch Items.


Before setting out for Uraya, I bought Wing Chips for the remaining Blades.  Poppi Alpha got a Spinel Chip instead, which gave a drastic Auto-Attack improvement.  36-100!  The Block Rate bonus was the reason Poppi Alpha got the Spinel Chip instead of an ATK.  A key item called Nimble Nopon Get Girls unlocked new parts for her.  Be careful when you switch the time of day within the game, because it froze once and forced me to reset.  Save early and often!


Boreas soon became useful in Uraya because it was the finale of the Volcanic Storm combo of Earth-Fire-Wind.  Fighting against Vandham, Zuo, and Yew was too easy to be worth describing in spite of their 1-3 level advantage against the party.  Volcanic Storm scalded Vandham and proved that Nia was a better mercenary.  In Garfont Village, everyone except for Poppi Alpha got Scale Chips. 


Blades can be transferred to another Driver if you use a key item called Overdrive Protocol, but I guess they are in short supply.  I warped back to Tora's house and played Tiger Tiger for a bit so Poppi Alpha could equip AC Damage Absorb III.  In the Garfont Village inn, the party grew to Lv 21-22.  Pyra's Steam Explosion finished off the Rampaging Ardun that was meant to be the Topple tutorial.  Kora made sure to kill 6 Bunnits in Uraya to upgrade her Electric Pompom.


Elder Arachno fell victim to Lightning Quake from Kora (Earth-Earth-Electric) and Volcanic Storm + Final Disaster (Water-Earth-Wind) from Boreas.  Akhos was an easy boss since he served as the Chain Attack tutorial training dummy.


After so many hours, I think I understand the battle system properly.  Use Arts whenever possible, and switch between equipped Blades often because Affinity is a stat for the Driver, not the Blade.  If your controlled character has high Affinity, try to save them for the end of a Blade Combo.  Wait to use Chain Attacks when your opponent has at least one element orb from a completed Blade Combo.  Topple can extend a Blade Combo's time if you don't think you can build up Affinity quickly enough.  These tips may sound simple, but they're not intuitive if you're accustomed to the rest of the series.

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Xenoblade 2 Rare Reactionaries Part 4


One of Pyra's favorite items to build up her Focus turned out to be Jenerossi Tea from Garfont Village.  For once the "Blushy-Crushy" Heart to Heart wasn't just there to embarrass the player with some of the worst writing in the game, as Pyra gave a hint about the tea at the beginning. 


Zeke's first encounter was another easy boss with the help of Kora's Lightning Quake and a Steam Bomb from Dromarch at the end.  One Chain Attack hit him for 38,977.  Afterwards in the Affinity Chart, Nia raised her Dexterity by 20, Rex raised his Luck by 20, and Tora unlocked his X button Art at the beginning of combat.


Back in Argentum Trade Guild, I learned from an Informant what the Stench ailment does:  it repels Blades from their Drivers, which can prevent you from casting Specials.  Salvaging on the flight deck forced the party to fight several monsters that sent them to Lv 23-24.  Force-feeding Poppi Alpha items from the Staple Foods category like Juicy Samod gave her the 2nd level of Superstrength.


Tricolor Rocks were much easier to find in this second attempt at a Xenoblade 2 playthrough, probably because I hadn't activated the quest that required them yet.    


The Commoners failed to defeat Lv 24 Cunning Saggie in Uraya, but this was an easy if annoying task for the Rare Reactionaries.  Cunning Saggie loved to fart a Vile Blast that sent the party flying into the air, running out the time they needed for Blade Combos.  Still, Dromarch and Boreas kept the team alive long enough to cast Volcanic Storm, a 64,210 power Chain Attack, and a Mega Eruption.  Cunning Saggie also summoned a Lv 22 Melz Runner that Nia and friends had to kill, but the Unique was down in 04:51.  They failed to Unearth a treasure in the area because they didn't have an Earth Mastery user yet, but they'll return.


Story Blades aside, it's possible to generate a Rare Blade well before the game intends for you to have it.  Boreas is an obvious example of this.  Blade Affinity Charts have various conditions to unlock each tier of bonuses, and to get the second ring for Boreas, you have to buy the warehouse in Argentum for around 100,000 gold.  The Nopon who sells the warehouse isn't available at this point in the game if my memory is correct.  Story Blades like Dromarch are more lenient since you only have to build up their Trust, which comes naturally.


(Do any of you think the developers debated about whether Boreas should be Ice or Wind?  They're actually opposing elements in Xenoblade 2.  Earth + Electric are opposites, as are Fire + Water and Light + Dark.)

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Xenoblade 2 Rare Reactionaries Part 5


Dromarch and Kora upgraded a couple of their passive bonuses from killing the common Volff and Igna enemies in Uraya.  Dromarch would reach the 2nd tier of Water Mastery after killing five Karlin Skwarors, who loved to summon hordes of other enemies when attacked.  This wasn't as bad as it sounded, since Xenoblade 2's combat system was best in longer fights where the team could build up Blade Combos.  One example was a Lv 23 Karlin Skwaror calling a Lv 24 Melz Runner, Lv 21 Dalva Armus, and a couple of Lv 22 Nomad Rhinons.  Kora cast Thunder Gale after two Winds set up a Cyclone, and Boreas cast Volcanic Storm.


Lv 23 Violent Driver in Fonsa Myma was unworthy of even a mini-boss battle.  Kora's Lightning Quake and an Overkill 76,297 Chain Attack forced him to yield.  In the Affinity Chart, Nia and Rex unlocked their X button Art for the start of each fight, and Tora gained 10% max HP.  At the Core Chip shop, most Blades purchased Spinel Chips.  Harula pointed out the bright red Saffronia trees, which Xenoblade 3 references in Taion's side quests.


Kora, Dromarch, and Poppi Alpha swapped out their Core Chips for Amethyst Chips once I remembered I had them in my inventory.  Amethyst Chips had extra passive attacks in addition to upgraded stats, such as reduced aggro gain from Auto-Attacks for Nia, 500 HP for Rex, and +50% Auto-Attack aggro for Poppi Alpha.


Akhos and Malos were more irritating than dangerous.  Akhos's Checkmate inflicted Shackle Driver which prevented the party from doing anything for a few seconds.  Malos had high HP and defenses and sent the team flying with Chakra Burst.  Before Mythra appeared in her first cutscene, Boreas cast Volcanic Storm and a Chain Attack struck for 52,107 damage.


Mythra herself wasn't as powerful as the game liked to suggest, since Light as an element wasn't as reactive in Blade Combos as Earth, Fire, or Wind.  Malos was Overkilled for 23,170 in a weak Chain Attack since his HP bar was almost gone and the Party Gauge would have gone to waste.  Tora had to be revived at least once.


When the third Blade slot was unlocked at the start of the next chapter, Rex and Nia activated Core Crystals.  These were the results:


Finch


Weapon:  Shield Hammer
Element:  Wind
Role:  TNK
Auto-Attack:  14
Block Rate:  25%
Critical Rate:  4%
Phys. Def.:  20%
Ether Defense:  30%
Strength:  19


Affinity Chart

Blast of Fresh Air:  +60 Affinity when casting Special
Whoopsie Crazy:  +60% aggro for casting Special
Wake-Up Whirl:  +100% damage to Toppled foes
Did I Do That?:  +10% chance to instantly cool down a move after Driver Art or Special
Doesn't Ring a Bell:  30% chance to rest enemy's Art cooldown when casting Special
Surprise!:  +100% damage for surprise attack


Field Skills

Entomology
Leaping
Birdbrain


Entomology is equivalent to other gathering skills like Botany.  Leaping is necessary for movement in certain places, not just a luxury for side quests.  Birdbrain allows Finch to "instantly forget anything", which will come up at some point.  Several of Finch's upgrades require visiting particular areas or using Cosmetics and Vegetables as Pouch Items.  As much as I dislike Shield Hammer for its slow Auto-Attacks, Finch makes up for it since it can randomly ignore cooldowns, and makes use of the versatile Wind element.


Rex's Shield Hammer Arts

Iron Wall:  Heals percentage of HP and guards, and cools down other Arts
Diving Swing:  Increased aggro from Driver Arts
Power Hammer:  Damage bonus from front
Mighty Beat:  Damage bonus to Toppled enemies


Godfrey

Weapon:  Shield Hammer
Element:  Ice
Role:  TNK
Auto-Attack:  14
Block Rate:  25%
Critical Rate:  4%
Phys. Def.:  30%
Ether Defense:  25%
Strength:  15


Affinity Chart

Tough Break:  +60% damage to enemies targeting Driver
Cold Judgment:  +100% damage to Toppled foes
Justice Blizzard:  +100% damage when at 30% HP or less
Got the Guts:  -24% damage taken when at 30% HP or less
Fierce Fervor:  +20% damage to higher level enemies
Light of Justice:  Heals 0.6% HP per second when at 30% HP or less


Field Skills

Passionate Soul
Justice-Loving Soul
Kind Soul


Godfrey seems like the TNK equivalent to Azami, and benefits from being at critical HP.  Though if you're using a TNK, you should have decent enough healing in the first place where Godfrey's passives are for rare emergencies.  Ice combines well with Wind both for Blade Combos and breaking orbs in Chain Attacks.  Too bad Godfrey can't cool down Shield Hammer Arts nearly as fast as Finch.


Nia's Shield Hammer Arts


Rumbling Smash:  Damage bonus from front
Elephant Press:  Increases aggro from Driver Arts
Buckler Slam:  More damage to Toppled foes
Hammerhead:  Inflicts Knockback, but otherwise an ordinary move


Both Finch and Godfrey bought Turquoise Chips at Fonsa Myma since they were meant for TNK Blades.  Lv 23 Implacable Dylan pulverized the Commoners several times, but the Rare Reactionaries could beat this Unique on the first try at Lv 27.  The "secret" was unintentionally drawing Implacable Dylan's attention while fighting another enemy nearby.  This let both Rex and Tora fight on dry land away from Uraya's stomach acid ponds.  Nia's stupid AI caused her to stay in the acid throughout the fight, though the damage only dropped her to 1 HP instead of killing her.  Tora must have been a good distraction!   The advantage of having both Finch and Boreas in the active party was easy setup for Sandstorm, a Wind-Wind-Earth spell.  The first Chain Attack hit for 40,009, and Poppi Alpha called another Sandstorm.  The Overkill Chain Attack landed for 54,985 damage at 05:41.


Boreas's Electrofire Storm and Volcanic Storms destroyed the Lv 32 Lazy Parisax's in one side quest with the help of Chain Attacks.  Azami participated in the first Merc Missions, but returned to Nia's side temporarily when Godfrey needed to complete Allies of Justice 1 to upgrade one of its passive bonuses.  The conditions necessary to unlock Azami's 3rd tier of passives is listed as ???.


I'm considering transferring Finch and Godfrey to Mòrag when she joins, since her Brighid is a TNK too.  Kora might go over to Nia due to its HLR role.  Roc is Wind element and has useful Field Skills, so it will probably be linked to Rex for much of the playthrough.

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Xenoblade 2 Rare Reactionaries Part 6


Our heroes murdered Lv 8 Moonlighting Elwyn in 00:29 just because they wanted to see its gravestone.  Afterwards, they killed Red Volffs in Gormott to increase the power of Finch and Dromarch's passives.  Vandham's old Blade awakened when Rex activated its Core Crystal:


Roc

Weapon:  Twin Scythes
Role:  ATK
Auto-Attack:  80
Block Rate:  5%
Critical Rate:  36%
Phys. Def.:  5%
Ether Defense:  5%
Strength:  12


Affinity Chart


Death Wing:  +60% damage to aerial foes
Crushing Twister:  +100% damage when at 30% HP or below
Feather Typhoon:  1% chance for instant kill against aerial enemy, but not for boss or Unique
Sickle:  -20% aggro buildup from Auto-Attack
Storm and Stress:  +60% damage 30 seconds after fight starts
Swoop:  +20% damage from behind enemy


Field Skills

Wind Mastery
Miasma Dispersal
Lockpicking


Rex's Dual Scythe Arts


Cyclone Smash:  Bonus when at 30% HP or under
Wild Scythe:  Hurt yourself for 10% of current HP, dodges attacks during animation
Wing Smash:  Can Smash a Launched enemy
Vortex Edge:  Higher damage against aerial foes


Roc seems like a mix of Azami's low HP gimmick and an anti-aircraft weapon.  Wind fits into Blade Combos well, and only Roc can destroy miasma barriers.  Roc is worth having on the team for both utility and combat purposes.


In Mor Ardain, Nia activated the Beastly Core Crystal, but soon transferred the Blade to Rex because it was actually an ATK rather than a TNK:


Wulfric


Weapon:  Megalance
Element:  Earth
Role:  ATK
Auto-Attack:  15
Block Rate:  5%
Critical Rate:  19%
Phys. Def.:  5%
Ether Defense:  5%
Strength:  24


Affinity Chart

Brutal Lance:  +100% damage to Toppled foes
Termination Blast:  +100% damage when at 30% HP or lower
Hellbound:  +60% chance of a "guard-annulling attack"
The Preternatural:  +50% damage to Toppled or Launched foes
Power Unleashed:  +60% damage at max Affinity
Critical Strike:  +10% critical damage


Field Skills

Superstrength
Earth Mastery
Focus


Earth is so far my favorite element in Xenoblade 2 because the easier Blade Combos depend on it:  Mega Eruption, Lightning Quake, Sandstorm, Final Disaster, and Volcanic Storm.  Megalance allows Rex to Break enemies, which is nice if enemies try to resist Nia's Twin Rings.  Earth Mastery is required for at least one point in the game, and Superstrength + Focus can supplement Poppi and Pyra during skill checks.


In Mor Ardain, the party bought a Coil Chip for Poppi Alpha and Chain Chips for everyone else.  I spent much of this session doing side quests for Gormott and Mor Ardain, and salvaging in Mor Ardain earned enough money to buy the warehouse in Argentum Trade Guild for 99,990 gold.  The purpose of this was to appease Boreas by filling up its food hoard with purchased Pouch Items.  Boreas's passives were both expensive and easy to upgrade!


While trying to recruit another Bitball peasant for Merc Mission purposes, Nia accidentally awakened another Rare Blade:


Nim

Weapon:  Knuckle Claws
Element:  Earth
Role:  HLR
Auto-Attack:  13
Block Rate:  10%
Critical Rate:  15%
Phys. Def.:  5%
Ether Defense:  35%
Strength:  20


Affinity Chart

Fierce Healer:  Heal party for 30% of damage dealt
Wild Grappler:  Creates HP Potion, with a 60% chance to make 2
Organic Automata:  Heal party for 30% of damage dealt
Restorative Fusion:  Restores party's HP when starting a Fusion Combo
Synthesis Lore:  +25% Fusion Combo effect
Wild Familiars:  +40% damage to beasts


Field Skills

Earth Mastery
Icthyology
Phonex Linguistics


You already know my opinion of Earth Blades.  I had to look up what a Fusion Combo was, and it's what occurs when you use Blade and Driver Combos at the same time.  So with Nim you get more of an effect from Toppling an enemy while you're casting A button Specials.  Icthyology is like Botany, but for fish.  Phonex Linguistics is probably used for Merc Missions or something. 


At the end of the session, Godfrey had to go on Allies of Justice 2, and Boreas joined the Merc Mission because there were only 2 Bitball eligible Blades.  Kind Soul was one of the Field Skills that Allies of Justice 2 checked for.  None of the "boss" fights, like the bandits in the cave, were worth mentioning because they were too easy.