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From the wiki: Be sure to get all 11 landmarks (6 on lower level, 5 on upper level; 2 of the upper level ones count as secret areas) as well as all those location labels (13 on lower level, 2 on upper level).
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Sep 6, 2014 21:01
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| # ? May 28, 2024 09:49 |
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I was missing the waterfall near the region exit for the longest time. Just remember that when you really do get them all, the full map unshadows.
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Sep 6, 2014 21:19
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It's been ages since I last played--I've got a save file near the end on a NG+, and I realize that I've missed some stuff (went to Mechonis Core a bit too early). If I go ahead and finish things up, will it let me start another NG+ based on my current playthrough? Or is that a one-layer-deep sort of thing? edit: Also, ditto on the earlier comment about the space samurai dragon armor (I'm so glad that at least one of her outfits tones down the goddamn fanservice), but it's a shame you won't see it until you fully fix Colony 6 
GOTTA STAY FAI fucked around with this message at 14:26 on Sep 7, 2014 |
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Sep 7, 2014 14:18
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You can NG+ as many times as you like. Just remember to carry over, or equip (since equipped stuff is automatically carried over), the Monado III since you won't be getting another one if you don't. Benefits to multiple NG+ include even more affinity coins for skill linking (you can get all the coins for first time kills of uniques all over again) and trying out different branching options in sidequests. Not the most exciting motivations in the world but they're there. (Affinity coins are hard capped at 999, which will take at least 6 playthroughs to get.)
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Sep 7, 2014 20:08
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Thanks! Picking equipment for a carryover game is tough, but this time around, I made sure I got something that provides decent coverage for Seven  , and the full set of I-forget-what-it's-called heavy armor for Reyn (Titan? Argos? I forget. I picked up the last piece I needed in a room in Prison Island). Time to deck everybody out nice and purdy and head for the end (again)!
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Sep 7, 2014 22:38
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drat this game is so good. 
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Sep 8, 2014 00:27
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I've got to the end of my save at about level 83, but I want to finish up a bunch of quests which involve killing level 99ish monsters - basically the skill tree quests and the Giants quest. Are there any quests I can find that'll bridge me from mid 80s to mid 90s?
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Sep 8, 2014 14:15
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Aston posted:I've got to the end of my save at about level 83, but I want to finish up a bunch of quests which involve killing level 99ish monsters - basically the skill tree quests and the Giants quest. Are there any quests I can find that'll bridge me from mid 80s to mid 90s? If I recall, I just piggybacked from the higher level monsters wherever I could. There are super high level monsters in every zone; the fish in Colony 9, the giant guys in Bionis Leg, etc. I think all you can try do do at 83 is try to find a sub 90 monster and grind on it.
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Sep 8, 2014 14:20
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Proceeding through the plot to the point of no return and upgrading Colony 6 will comfortably get you to low 80s. If you need some extra help, Bionis' Leg has varying enemies through the 70s in different parts of the zone. From there, I'd focus on grinding in, or doing quests that involve fighting in: 80-85: Satorl Marsh (quests are local) 85-90: Eryth Sea and Alcamoth (quests are local and in Frontier Village) 90-96: Tephra Cave (quests are scattered in Colony 9, Colony 6, and I think Bionis' Leg?) 96-99: Makna Forest and Valak Mountain (Besides that there are miscellaneous scattered quests as well, that don't tie in to any specific level range so much. It would be nice if quests had a recommended level on them.) Towards the higher end it's less about finding quests that send you to that particular area and more about farming the things that drop the specific rank 5 crystals you want for the really good gems. For example, crystals with Debuff Resist 5 on them are dropped by those level 98 dinos in Makna, that might have tried to ruin your day back when you were there for the plot in the low 30s.
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Sep 8, 2014 15:56
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Aston posted:I've got to the end of my save at about level 83, but I want to finish up a bunch of quests which involve killing level 99ish monsters - basically the skill tree quests and the Giants quest. Are there any quests I can find that'll bridge me from mid 80s to mid 90s? If you find high level monsters near the edge of a cliff or something, kick them off for an instant kill. Hope this helps.
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Sep 8, 2014 18:43
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Vil posted:From the wiki: Late reply, but it seems I was missing Karshapa Falls this whole time. Thanks! 
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Sep 13, 2014 19:43
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Anything from TGS on this game? I found an article that touted a release date, but it turned out to be bullshit 
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Sep 19, 2014 18:38
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Kingtheninja posted:Anything from TGS on this game? I found an article that touted a release date, but it turned out to be bullshit Nintendo doesn't do TGS.
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Sep 19, 2014 18:57
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This is the thread to ask about Xenoblade right? I've really started getting into it, I'm close to reaching prison island. Thus far I have completely ignored gem crafting and most side quests. My two questions are how important is gem crafting, and how exactly does affinity work between members of my party? I really want to see those heart-to-hearts.
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Sep 24, 2014 17:44
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You're at the point where you should start to bother with gem crafting. If you haven't gotten the portable gem crafter yet, you have to restore Colony 6 a bit. Affinity is raised by doing quests, helping out each other/timing those b presses during combat, as well as gifting stuff through the collectables menu.
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Sep 24, 2014 17:49
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Gem crafting isn't vital, but you can get some nice bonuses such as an accuracy boost at night (used to help engage too-high level monsters earlier) or speed up your characters. Affinity is gained from sharing items, the B-prompts, and some conversation (incl. quest turn-in and heart to hearts). Mechanically, in combat lets you pull off better chains -- in addition to how it unlocks more heart-to-hearts.
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Sep 24, 2014 17:50
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Gem crafting serves two purposes: -Getting Melia's Lightning Plus gems on her weapon up to 100% -Increasing everybody's agility via Agility Plus gems because this thread told me to do it a lot of times?? I don't know if they're good but they seem good but I've been giving everybody Ether Protect and Physical Protect gems that decrease the damage by whatever percent right out of the gate.
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Sep 24, 2014 18:16
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Either way I'm taking time right now to do some side quests. Switching up my party to get higher affinity too
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Sep 24, 2014 18:52
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You can do a lot of neat stuff with gem crafting, but most of it is either for: - When you're struggling with some boss fight or other, want an edge, and don't want to grind levels to get that edge - Endgame/postgame optional hard poo poo (notably when levels alone won't help, either because of the enemy in question or because you're already 99 and can't level any more) - Self-imposed low level challenge runs For most of the plot you can just drop some reasonably justifiable gems on everyone, stay at an appropriate level for what you're fighting, and call it good. Granted, agility gems on physical attackers (and tanks, but they're also physical attackers) are really sweet, but you've also got room for strength/ether gems as well as more character-specific stuff. Affinity has three and a half general gameplay benefits: 1. Better odds of continuing a chain attack after the initial round. (Tension, skills, and B button timing also factor in to this.) 2. Better results when gem crafting (more crafting turns, more odds of the party joining in). 3. More slots for skill linking. 3.5. Unlocking heart-to-hearts (though aside from the characterization they add, in turn their only practical benefit is more affinity).
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Sep 24, 2014 19:17
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Two more questions: what the heck does tension do, and is there a way to find specific items? I've been walking around this swamp at 4/5 ether roses for a long time
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Sep 24, 2014 19:34
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There are spoilerific google doc spreadsheets and wikis around that list where you can get particular items with better odds of success, but generally speaking, don't sweat it. Some you can trade for with a particular NPC if you have the right plot conditions, affinity, and whatever.
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Sep 24, 2014 19:38
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At the same time, there are only specific areas of certain maps that spawn a certain item and generally at a certain percent (like 10% or 13%), so if you're struggling to find a specific item, see if it only shows up in a specific spot. For example, poisonous gourds in the Marsh only show up in the poison swamp, where something later in the game like a Rainbow Slug shows up in 5 random spots with a low success rate.
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Sep 24, 2014 19:40
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mabels big day posted:what the heck does tension do Straight up makes you better/worse. A character at super low tension will whiff tons of attacks and deal sub-par damage. And reverse for high tension.
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Sep 24, 2014 19:41
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Terper posted:Straight up makes you better/worse. A character at super low tension will whiff tons of attacks and deal sub-par damage. And reverse for high tension. Coupled with this, some abilities are straight up unusable until you hit high or even very high tension. Riki's Happy Happy springs to mind.
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Sep 24, 2014 19:42
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Shadow Ninja 64 posted:Coupled with this, some abilities are straight up unusable until you hit high or even very high tension. Riki's Happy Happy springs to mind. This is why I put a gem on Riki that boosts tension at the start of battle, so I could use Happy Happy right away.
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Sep 24, 2014 19:48
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In general it's a self-sustaining feedback loop whether it's going down or up. Doing well in battle makes tension go up, which makes the character perform better in battle, which makes their tension go up faster, etc. Similarly doing poorly in battle makes tension go down, which (if not cured by encouraging) makes the character perform worse in battle, which makes their tension go down faster, etc. Several arts are only usable (or have different effects) at higher tension, and several skills and gems kick in based on tension as well. Tension is shown by the character headshot expressions in the party list. This is consistent across all party members. Very high: head forward, mouth open, fiery background High: head forward, mouth open Normal: calm regular expression Low: head looking down Very low: head looking down, blue background One of my bigger complaints with the Dolphin emulated HD project is that in a noble goal of replacing the in-game artwork with higher-res official artwork, they kinda destroy that whole pattern of what expression means what tension. So then you have to memorize (on a character by character basis) that official artwork A means very high or high, official artwork B means normal, and official artwork C means low or very low.
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Sep 24, 2014 19:49
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Suaimhneas posted:This is why I put a gem on Riki that boosts tension at the start of battle, so I could use Happy Happy right away. Riki is fantastic for combos. He has Happy Happy, which fills the combo gauge, has nearly every color of move so he's great for building multipliers, and AND His DOT attacks get boosted for combo damage as well, so sticking Riki 3rd in the party can lead to plummeting enemy health bars.
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Sep 24, 2014 21:48
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Vil posted:For most of the plot you can just drop some reasonably justifiable gems on everyone, stay at an appropriate level for what you're fighting, and call it good. Granted, agility gems on physical attackers (and tanks, but they're also physical attackers) are really sweet, but you've also got room for strength/ether gems as well as more character-specific stuff. What are some good character builds when it comes to gems? In my first playthrough I made Shulk and Dunban Agility-focused, Reyn Strength/Defense-focused, and Riki, Melia, and Sharla Ether-focused. This time around I'm giving everyone Agility Up gems and then filling the rest in with whatever I can get (which is usually fluff, or Ether Up for Riki and Melia). Are there specific gems or gem combinations that work really well with some characters over others (barring some obvious ones, like Lightning Up or whatever)? It never occurred to me to give Riki something that raises Tension, for example.
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Sep 25, 2014 00:15
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I realize none of these are builds, but that's mostly because there are So Many Interesting Options... For endgame/postgame there are some big standouts like Debuff Resist, Spike Resist, Topple Resist or Daze Resist, and so on. But I get the vibe that your question is more about throughout the game. Agility Up: Good for everyone except Melia and Sharla, who are mostly only affected insofar as the evasion benefit (and they don't evade that well to begin with). Ether attacks ignore agility in their hit rate calculation. Strength Up: Good for physical attackers (debatably Riki if you set up his arts that way), especially useful for Seven due to fast weak weapons. Ether Up: Like Strength Up but for ether users (again, Riki depends on how you set up his arts), also benefits healing. HP Up can be occasionally useful (especially on squishies like Melia). Muscle Up and Ether Def Up aren't quite so crucial; generally you're fine just keeping your armor reasonably up to date. And now on to more interesting gems. Note that the majority of these only go in weapon gem slots, which a. limits your options and forces you to pick between them and b. still leaves you with armor slots for the more basic stat gems. Attack Plus raises a weapon's damage high end; Attack Stability raises its low end (but no higher than its current high end). Note that there's a bug such that high end damage can't effectively be any higher than low end +99, so generally Attack Plus is useless unless paired with Attack Stability. Attack Stability can be useful on its own for those weapons with wide damage ranges, especially if the damage range is wider than 99 points so you don't even get the full range naturally due to that bug. Electric Plus has obvious benefits to Melia and should also be used on Sharla if you want to try to make her vaguely useful at doing damage. Blaze/Chill/Poison Plus are useful to both Melia and Riki. Bleed Plus is less worthwhile since the characters who can inflict bleed do a much greater percentage of their damage through other means. None of the things in the above paragraph should be confused with their respective Blahblah Attack gems, which basically just tack on a bit of extra damage to auto-attacks and are nice enough but kinda yawners in comparison to more interesting things. For boosting physical damage output, some other highlights include: - Phys Def Down, which applies a debuff to the enemy - stacking with other people's Phys Def Down gems, as well as art-based sources of physical defense down - that makes it take a percentage more physical damage - Double Attack, especially when synergized with Seven's skill to make double attacks crits and Dunban's skill to make crits heal you - Critical Up (again, see Dunban's skill) - Haste, which makes you dish out faster auto-attacks For boosting any damage output, also consider Back Atk Plus (on your controlled character with another character competently tanking), which improves any damage dealt from behind an enemy, not just from back-specific arts like Back Slash; works well with Melia. If you want to try your hand at "topple locking", then Topple Plus (affects duration of topple) and Topple Up (affects damage dealt to an enemy while it's toppled) are really nice. Ditto with Daze Plus and Daze Up but daze is harder to use. But that's more of an endgame thing. Note that things like Back Atk Plus and Topple Up affect all qualifying damage you do, while many of those others only affect a subset (e.g. electric attacks, DoTs, auto-attacks...). If you can set up the appropriate scenarios to use them, they do give you more bang for the buck in the gem slot. Heat Sink visibly improves Sharla's uptime if you use her, especially if you have her under AI control since the AI never cools off her weapon until it overheats and it's forced to (and an overheated cool off takes longer than a pre-emptive one). Aggro Up is good for tanks and either Aggro Down, Arts Stealth, or Auto-Atk Stealth is good for non-tanks, if you're having trouble making threat go where you want it to go. While Aggro Down decreases aggro from all actions (both auto attacks and arts), it's also at half the effectiveness per gem than the more specific ones. Someone auto-centric like Seven would benefit more from Auto-Atk Stealth, while someone arts-centric like Melia would benefit more from Arts Stealth. Shulk's kinda split (though leans more towards arts), so you could make a case for him to use generic Aggro Down. Talent Boost can be useful if you care more about filling the talent gauge than about the character's auto-attack damage. Melia is a super obvious example of this. Night Vision is fantastic for endgame purposes (really helps your accuracy against super-dodgy things because of level difference or just because the thing's super-dodgy in general), but won't shine that much while leveling.
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Sep 25, 2014 01:06
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Is there a way to set a sidequest as my current quest so it tells me what direction to go? Often times when I need to talk to a specific person I can't find them at all.
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Sep 25, 2014 04:55
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mabels big day posted:Is there a way to set a sidequest as my current quest so it tells me what direction to go? Often times when I need to talk to a specific person I can't find them at all. No, and it's a frustrating oversight in an otherwise great game. I resorted to just googling NPC names and looking up their locations on the Xenoblade wikia that way. Edit: I forgot to mention that you can check the Affinity Chart for a vague location for most characters, so there's that at least. Shadow Ninja 64 fucked around with this message at 05:56 on Sep 25, 2014 |
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Sep 25, 2014 05:45
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mabels big day posted:Is there a way to set a sidequest as my current quest so it tells me what direction to go? Often times when I need to talk to a specific person I can't find them at all. If you look at the quest, it will say what area the NPC is at (not the time of day though). As the above poster said, just wiki it because they'll list the times. If you want to he honest about it, go to the area and then change the in game time to add 3 hours at a time and they'll eventually show up. Question: I just recruited the Heropon, and found he can farm affinity nicely with his Happy Happy ability to get continuous combo attacks, provided he has high tension. What's the best way to get high tension? I'm kind of obsessed with raising affinity within my party and I don't know why...
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Sep 25, 2014 06:40
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Earn or craft Initial Tension gems. You can also get Tension Swing gems as they shorten the gaps between all tension levels. You should also have Riki make friends with the people who have Skills he can link that cause him to start with higher tension when you successfully do the B prompt at the start of a battle you initiate.
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Sep 25, 2014 06:43
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seiferguy posted:If you look at the quest, it will say what area the NPC is at (not the time of day though). As the above poster said, just wiki it because they'll list the times. If you want to he honest about it, go to the area and then change the in game time to add 3 hours at a time and they'll eventually show up. hold off farming affinity until you can get Fiora's skill tree quest that sends you into Tephla Caves. The boss there sleeps upon hit so you can spam wakeup on the person getting hit. Just run away when the boss takes too much damage. it takes around 5 minutes per affinity link to bring it to max.
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Sep 25, 2014 06:49
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That's probably a pretty big spoiler for him considering where he's at, Taint Reaper. Besides, there's an easier Unique to abuse that on on a cliff in Eryth Sea anyway.
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Sep 25, 2014 06:55
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Shadow Ninja 64 posted:That's probably a pretty big spoiler for him considering where he's at, Taint Reaper. Besides, there's an easier Unique to abuse that on on a cliff in Eryth Sea anyway. Are we seriously spoilering a 3 year old game(5 years old in japan).
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Sep 25, 2014 07:03
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The Taint Reaper posted:Are we seriously spoilering a 3 year old game(5 years old in japan). For someone who's obviously on their first playthrough, I don't see the harm in doing it.
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Sep 25, 2014 07:06
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It's also about to see a re-release in all regions on the 3DS since it came out at the end of the Wii's lifespan.
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Sep 25, 2014 07:16
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The Taint Reaper posted:Are we seriously spoilering a 3 year old game(5 years old in japan). I've accidentally spoilered myself reading the wikia for this a few times especially when I glance over the page for Dickson. Oops. I'll wait for the unique bosses to do the trick, but I'll get Riki those high tension connections since chain attacks own.
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Sep 25, 2014 14:24
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| # ? May 28, 2024 09:49 |
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Well, one thing you can do to abuse Riki is this: 1. Play as Riki. 2. Initiate battle from a safe distance. (Read: so you can do the rest of the stuff below before your allies get close enough to piss off the enemies.) 3. Try to get your B-button timing down for battle start affinity. 4. If you did, use Happy Happy, then "flee" the battle. 5. If you didn't, just "flee" the battle. 6. Wait for allies to get back to you, then repeat from step 2. If you're patient enough you can start every regular battle with a full chain attack gauge. If you die on a boss, you can also fast travel elsewhere, do this method on one or another group of random enemies, then fast travel back to the boss to start the boss fight with a full chain attack gauge. Unless it's one of those bosses where you're stuck there and can't fast travel, but on the whole those tend to be fairly easy too. Granted, it's generally not that hard to fill up the gauge in battle either, so this is more along the lines of "neat trick you can do" than "super abusable mechanic that lets you do poo poo you couldn't otherwise".
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Sep 25, 2014 16:44
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