Board 8 > The Official Xenoblade Chronicles Topic [ninkendo][tranny][spoilers]

(+) Yeah! (+)

Oh there's a post game?

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Ayuyu posted...
Oh there's a post game?

I just mean sidequests and stuff. There are quite a few monsters more powerful than the final boss.

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EndOfDiscOne
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Are they unlocked after beating the game though?

Cause that's not really postgame otherwise.

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Not sure if they're unlocked aftewards or not.

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EndOfDiscOne
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most secret monsters are unlocked after you pass one of the Points of no Return
so no, there is no technical Postgame, just the general sidequest bump before the final dungeon/boss type of deal

and a new game +, but that seems mostly useful for skill trees to me

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Oh yeah, there's a point of no return.

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Eww.

Those things shouldn't exist ever, even in linear games such as this one.

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From: Theon_Greyjoy | #1256
Oh yeah, there's a point of no return.

That's really too bad. Final Fantasy X is not only a great game because of how great it is, but because you can always go back and do anything. They did an incredible job in that regard.

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Tornadoman78:
tornadoman and tornadogirl like to kick box each other in my tornaolayzers and she dosent even mind getting hit

Well they tell you where the PONR is and I don't think they let you save after it. PONR's are necessary in a lot of games that have a story.

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EndOfDiscOne
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Yeah, and they're always bad.

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Tornadoman78:
tornadoman and tornadogirl like to kick box each other in my tornaolayzers and she dosent even mind getting hit

Yeah let's just have a tame story instead where the ending doesn't really matter.

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EndOfDiscOne
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I like points of no return. There are games that can pull off a great story without them but there are games where not enough change to the setting makes it all feel far less resonating for me. That's usually how things go.

Hell, Xenogears much?

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"Later..." <Toonami> <4/1/2012> <Never Forget> ~SCP~
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like I said, there is a faq for that
it doesnt lock out major quests at least, but its going to be painful for item collection

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FC 1849 0634 8041
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The point of no return locks out only two areas, and there's really not much going on in those areas anyways. You'll just want to make sure you finish all the quests/collect all the collectibles/discover all the locations in those areas before you trigger the PoNR. I believe there are some items for certain quests that you'll no longer be able to get if you don't get them there. Though there aren't any quests after those areas get locked out that are like "lol I hope you have 8 of this collectible you can no longer get!"
It also changes two areas fairly substantially and you'll lose the timed quests for those areas as well. Pretty much any timed quests you have before the PoNR you'll want to finish when they warn you late in the game.

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well thats only the first PONR
the second takes direct access away to 3 more areas
and the 3rd permanently removes them along with a 4th area

but I believe Colony 6 spawns collectibles too

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FC 1849 0634 8041
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Yeah the final point of no return that lets you save afterwards cuts off a LOT of things. That's what all those timed quest markers are for.

The way I have my characters set, Shulk, Reyn, and Sharla roll over everything. No need to switch it up.

Wow, this sounds like a horribly boring way to play the game. Why one earth would anyone want every battle to be the same thing? Switching up the party a couple of times per hour is the only way to go. Not to mention that using characters like Reyn in major plot battles that really call for some Dunban and Melia is just wrong.

Also, Shulk-Reyn-Sharla is known as the Noob Team for its complete inefficiency.

to be fair one plotboss really would be dangerous without Melia as your main

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Is combat the best way to build affinity between characters, with the lead character getting the most opportunities to boost relations?

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So, question here, what's you guys opinion on FFXII? Because we're all aware that both games are similar in a lot of ways and FFXII is hated while this one is loved, why?

Vaan?

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well no Vaan does help a little
or rather it helps that all party members feel equally developed even if some have slightly less relevance to the main plot
it also helps that the plot/gameplay ratio isnt as bad as FFXII's
and landmarks, oh I love me those landmarks

also to answer Barons answer
you can boost affinity also by giving characters certain collectibles
but the best way comes available in late-game where you take abuse of certain monsters who have status spikes that you can remove by cheering your allies on

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From: Ayuyu | #269
So, question here, what's you guys opinion on FFXII? Because we're all aware that both games are similar in a lot of ways and FFXII is hated while this one is loved, why?

Vaan?

I don't hate FFXII. I do hate its plot/gameplay ratio and how it totally forgets it even has a plot for a long time only to crash and burn at endgame. while setting up for a sequel that I have to believe was originally envisioned as a bit more... luxurious than Revenant Wings.

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From: Takfloyd_mkII__ | Posted: 4/11/2012 3:00:59 PM | #266
Also, Shulk-Reyn-Sharla is known as the Noob Team for its complete inefficiency.

Do you not understand what the term "roll over" means? I have yet to come close to dying on anything except the super high level enemies with that party, I find it very efficient. However, I do change my characters out at times, mainly so I can increase affinity.

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I pretty much never switched out my party. I switched Reyn out permanently once I got Seven, but kept the same party the whole time otherwise. I just never really felt it necessary to switch, and since you don't directly control your party members, I liked that I was intimately familiar with how their AI behaved.

That's unlike my other favorite JRPGs of the past ten years, the Persona series, where differences between party members can be hugely important, if only for type vulnerabilities. And also where even if you don't control them directly, you can indirectly control them fairly well and/or predict what they do with a high degree of success. I switched out party members for the Persona games all the time.

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From: htaeD | #270
you can boost affinity also by giving characters certain collectibles

I can do what?!

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check the sheet posted on page 4
the first section covers which collectible boosts which characters affinity by how many points

just be careful with some, as they are rare and sometimes required for quests

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FC 1849 0634 8041
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also I wouldnt be able to stand using the same characters all the time
guess I could envy that ability

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FC 1849 0634 8041
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I mean, I didn't even know that this is a thing that can be done.

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yeah it can be done
just go to the item screen and click the collectible

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It's like a whole new game!

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Love FFXII

Love Xenoblade even more

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dontcha just love surprises

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though like I said, late-game you can just visit rare monsters or those ether monsters who are hard to hit and keep cheering your allies on

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Gifting collectibles is one thing the game NEVER tells you that you can do.

And since you generally can't "use" items in this game aside from Art Books, few people think to press A on collectibles in the menu.

I'm a bit more observant than most people, so I glanced from the Achievements list that it was possible soon after I started playing, but it took more than half the game until I actually figured out how to do it. I thought it was something that would unlock later on or something.

even with that I figured the game would tell you about it at some point so I never tried it.

Didn't figure it out until around the time I picked up Melia

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Just started the game lets goo

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*Need 5 items from Tephra cave*
*Kill the 5 monsters in one hit with an AoE, loot 1 of the item*
*Save and reload*
*Rince and repeat until I have 4/5, one last time*
*The 5 monsters drop the item*

My luck never happens at the right times.

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Finally picked up my pre-order

artbook GET <3

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Do materials do anything or is it just loot to sell

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Most are just good for selling, some are quest related.

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if its quest related, most of the time you get a vision warning

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Couple questions so far...

1. If I die, is there any penalty except getting reset to the last landmark? Do I lose any exp, items or completed quests? I feel like I don't but want to be sure.

2. What is the point of hitting b during battle? Am I trying to get the circle in the other circle? How come this happens sometimes midbattle?

3. I can't seem to figure out how to chain attacks, they said something about the same color of technique but that doesn't work for me.

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From: Menji76 | #291
2. What is the point of hitting b during battle? Am I trying to get the circle in the other circle? How come this happens sometimes midbattle?

The way I understand it, there is a somewhat hidden meter during battle called tension. When you start a battle and time the B correctly (right on the circle or inside it), your tension improves. When a character misses, you lose tension, but then the circle comes up again and gives you an opportunity to regain the tension with timing. It also comes up when someone deals a crit. As far as I know, tension just improves your crit and hit rate.

3. I can't seem to figure out how to chain attacks, they said something about the same color of technique but that doesn't work for me.

Same here. Seems like a waste of 3 revives at this point. Maybe later in the game it becomes more useful.

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It can also increase the affinity between the character you're controlling and the character you're cheering.

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1. If I die, is there any penalty except getting reset to the last landmark? Do I lose any exp, items or completed quests? I feel like I don't but want to be sure.

I dont think you lose anything

2 has been covered but I will add that there are also certain skills on the skill tree which will give bonuses if you manage to start off with the B button pressed correctly

3. I can't seem to figure out how to chain attacks, they said something about the same color of technique but that doesn't work for me.

once the blue bar is full (3 revives worth), the chain attack button becomes available, which is underneath the middle button (where Shulk has his Monado > Taunt > Flee actions)
pressing that immediately initiates a chain attack, which if done properly will fill your blue bar quickly anyway

late game its almost required to inflct break and topple on some of the harder enemies who are usually immune to those effects. It also allows you to break vision
in regular battle flow its hard to coordinate a break(pink)>topple(green)>daze(yellow) combo

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of course Melia's Spear Break>Knee combo topples almost anything instantly besides flying enemies

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Chain links are related to affinity, so the higher the affinity between the party members, the more likely a chain will link after the initial round. I believe it also might be affected by tension levels, though I can't say for sure. Tension isn't completely invisible, though. Look at the character portrait during a battle and you will see that they change as tension increases. Once there is fire under a character portrait you are at full tension.

I found chain attacks very useful, especially once I began reliably linking them. If you're playing as Shulk, lower the enemy's physical defense before starting the chain, then get behind the enemy. Shulk's back attack is strong the first round, but if you wait until the second it rips enemies apart. Sharla learns one powerful attack later on that you can use, and Seven has some nutso strong attacks of her own.

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"It's a magical world, Hobbes ol' buddy...let's go exploring!" - Calvin
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I haven't played much since I got Seven, I take it Seven is pretty good in a fight then? Might use her a bit and see if she'll replace on of my main party.

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RayDyn on his Droid, probably at work.

From my experience (disclaimer I'm not at the end of the game) Seven can replace Shulk pretty easily as the main damage source in your party. Seven starts out a little weaker since their skills are all underlevelled, and I personally value the Monado powers quite highly, but Seven holds their own quite well.

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It's generally accepted that Melia-Sharla-Riki is the best team if you use a certain gimmick. I haven't tried it, maybe they're only good late game.

http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/960564-xenoblade-chronicles/62279497

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I think there's a team that pretty much lets you infinite topple guys, but I forget what the combination is.

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