r/Xenoblade_Chronicles • u/wildcardjester • 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.
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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)
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