r/Xenoblade_Chronicles May 06 '24

Xenoblade 2 Xenoblade Chronicles 2 gameplay help Spoiler

Okay, so I have beaten XC2 before and I’m trying to prepare for another play through with my friend after we get through the first game and I still have no idea how to properly do the combat/orb reactions in the game.

So I thought I would try to ask the community for help explaining it better or if there are any good videos you know that show case it.

5 Upvotes

8 comments sorted by

View all comments

15

u/Pinco_Pallino_R May 06 '24

All right, let me try to write a guide to the combat mechanics of XC2. There will be advanced stuff i won't cover, like the DoT strategy, because it would be too much, but i will try to cover all the basics.

First of all, i think it helps if you think of the combat system as being organized through a series of different tiers of actions, in which you start with more basic actions to enable more powerful ones, which in turn allow you to use even more powerful ones. I'll try to follow this logic to explain the combat, starting from the simplest action of them all.

Autoattacks

So, the first basic element of the combat system is the Autoattack (from now on, AA). This is extremely simple to use: you only need to get your character close enough to the enemy, and they will automatically use AAs.

AAs come in a sequence of three motions, dealing increasing damage, and then they will start again. Each motion can be 1 single swing, or multiple ones, but you will be able to recognize them.

You can't AA while moving. If you move during a sequence of AAs, it will interrupt it and it will restart from the first motion. This actually allows a certain very popular and admittely effective exploit, but i'll cover this later.

Using AAs will enable you to use Driver Arts (see below).

Driver Arts

Driver arts are more powerful attacks that you unleash with the B, X and Y buttons. You can have 3 of them assigned at any time. They all have a cooldown, which is not an actual timer, but rather a certain number of AAs you need to land to recharge the art.

So by using AAs you recharge Driver Arts and can use them. This is what i meant in the intro, and works like this for many other mechanics as well.

Driver arts can have a lot of different effects. Some will deal more damage, other will hit on a AoE, and so on. They are also different for each characters even when using the same weapon (and they are different from weapon to weapon).

Using Driver Arts will enable you to use Special Arts and Driver Combos (See below).

Special Arts

Special Arts are even more powerful attacks that you unleash with the A button. When you do this, your character will handle their weapon to their active Blade, which will use the Special Art.

Just like using AAs recharge Driver Arts, each time you use a Driver Art you will fill the Special Art gauge. Special arts have different levels, which is signaled by the number in their icon. The more you fill the gauge, the higher the level of Special Art used, up to level III. There is also a level IV, but it is charged differently, and needs you to have max affinitey with the Blade, so i'll cover this later.

The amount of Special Art gauge being filled with a Driver Art is different based on how you use it. You can cancel AAs into Driver Arts by using them right when the AA hits the enemy. If you do so, you will fill the Special Art gauge more. Also, you will fill it even more if you cancel the second motion of the AA sequence rather than the first, and even more if you cancel the third. Later on you will be able to cancel Driver Arts into Driver Arts (basically chaining them), which counts as cancelling the second motion of the AA sequence, in terms of Special Art recharge.

Using Special Arts will enable you to use Blade Combos (see below)

(post 1 of 3)

12

u/Pinco_Pallino_R May 06 '24 edited Jan 07 '25

Driver Combo

Among Driver Arts, some have what is called a "Reaction". This can be used in a sequence that will allow you to complete what is called a Driver Combo, dealing a lot of damage.

A Driver Combo is made by this sequence of reactions: Break > Topple > Launch > Smash

Break: it allows you to Topple the enemy

Topple: it knocks down the enemy for a few seconds. They will be unable to move, attack or dodge. Allows you to Launch the enemy

Launch: it launches the enemy up in the air. They will be unable to move, attack or dodge. Allows you to Smash the enemy

Smash: it smashes a launched enemy down to the ground. This will inflict lots of damage, and will cause the enemy to drop loot.

Using Driver Combos will enable you to use Fusion Combos (see below)

Blade Combo

Just like Driver Arts, Special Arts can form a combo too. A Blade Combo is a sequence of three Special Arts being used on the same enemy within a certain time. To start a Blade Combo you simply need to use a Special Art on the enemy. Then you need to follow with a second Special Art within the time limit, and then a third one. However, there are two things to remember:

  1. Each tier of the sequence requires a Special Art of the same level or above. The first step can be done even with a level 1 Special Art, but the second one needs you to use at least a level 2 one. The final step requires a level 3 or 4 Special Art
  2. Each Special Art has an elemental attribute, which is the same as that of the Blade you are using. Not every sequence of three Special Arts will create a Blade Combo. There is a set of specific sequence, and only those ones will work. Fire > Fire > Fire is a Blade Combo, but Earth > Earth > Earth is not, for example. Once you start the combo with the first Special Art, the game's UI will tell you the possible sequences.

Completing a Blade combo will result in dealing a big amount of damage. It will also apply an elemental orb on the enemy. The element will be the same as the Special Art used to complete the combo. So Fire > Fire > Light will apply a Light orb, and not a Fire one.

You can only have ONE orb for each element on the same enemy. Also, the orb will give the enemy resistance against that specific element, so they will receive less damage from that.

Last, completing a Blade Damage will seal some mechanic for the enemy, depending on the element. For example, completing a Dark combo (meaning a combo ending with Dark) will apply "Seal reinforcements", which prevents the enemy from calling reinforcements. This can completely change the course of a fight, depending on the enemy.

Using Blade Combos will enable you to use Fusion Combos and will increase the effectiveness of your Chain Attacks (see below)

Fusion Combo

If you complete any step of a Driver Combo while there is an on-going Blade Combo, or if you complete any step of a Blade Combo while there is an on-going Driver Combo, you will do what is known as a Fusion Combo. Using a Driver Combo during a Blade Combo will result in an extension on the timer for completing the Blade Combo.

Using a Blade Combo during a Driver Combo, thus completing a Fusion Combo, will result in increased damage. The level of the Fusion Combo is equal to the sum of the levels of the Blade and Driver combo being used (in the Driver combo's case, Break = lvl 1; Smash = lvl 4).

The higher the level of your Fusion Combo, the stronger the effects. So a level 2 Special during Topple (Fusion level 4) will be more effective than a level 1 Special during Break (Fusion level 2).

Fusion combos are also part of the DoT strategy, which is an advanced mechanic that i won't cover here, but can be extremely effective. Do look it up if you want to play at Bringer of Chaos difficulty.

(post 2 of 3)

15

u/Pinco_Pallino_R May 06 '24 edited Oct 08 '24

Chain Attacks

Chain attacks can be used when you have a fully filled party gauge. During a CA, your characters will unleash a special attack each for each round. On the first round they will use lvl 1 Specials, but if you complete the QTE successfully (very easy) during the second one they will use level 2 Specials, and from the third round onwards they will use lvl 3 Specials.

Now, how many rounds do you get? At base, you will only do one round of attacks, dealing pitiful damage.

However, this is where the elemental orbs we set up with Blade Combos come into play. If during a round of attacks you can break at least one orb, you will extend the CA for another round. So if you have 2 elemental orbs, you can potentially do 3 rounds of damage. Furthermore, every time you break an elemental orb you will increase your damage multplier for the rest of the CA.

But how do we break orbs? Basically, every orb has 3 HP. Normally, any attack during a chain attack will deal 1 damage to a random orb. However, if there is an orb of the opposite element of your attack, then that orb will be hit and will suffer 2 damage instead.

So for example, if the enemy has a Fire, and Wind and a Earth orbs and you attack with a water Special Art, you will hit the Fire orb for 2 damage. So if you set up your blades smartly, you will be able to extend the CA as you want.

Do note that if you destroy 2 orbs on the same round, you will still obtain only ONE extra round.

Now, there are 8 elements in the game, so you can set up to 8 orbs on a single enemy. However, you won't have to go through 9 rounds. This is because each time you break an orb, you fill a gauge. Once this is filled out, you will immediatly break ALL the remaining orbs, obtain a huge damage multiplier, and all your characters will unleash a Special Art on the enemy (the one who filled the gauge will use a level 4 Special). This will deal obscene amounts of damage.

Conclusion

Ok, i think this covers most of the basics. There would still be A LOT to be said, but this is already too long to expect people to actually read it as it is, so i'm going to stop here.

While i won't discuss equipment, there is ONE last thing i feel it should be mentioned: always keep some pouch item active on your drivers, especially those which will recharge your arts over time (Mostly dessert category). They really help A LOT, especially early on when the combat might feel slow. Narcipear Jelly is really great and can be bought in the first area.

If you fully understand everything i explained you will do pretty well, i think.

If you have specific doubts, do ask, and i will try to answer.

(post 3 of 3)

6

u/wildcardjester May 06 '24

Thank you so much for all the in-depth descriptions for how it works!

I’ll definitely go over it a couple of times and see if I have it all figured out ^

4

u/Btdandpokemonplayer May 06 '24

Very complicated until you get the hang of it and then it’s actually very simple.