Board 8 > XenoblaDE Topic #2 - WE MEASURE! FIND TREASURE! PONSPECTORS TILL WE DIE!

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://twitter.com/shineget64/status/1275006285474222080

Just repeat on loop

---

I dont know what that is but Future Connected looks awful

---

meh-meh-meh!

---

https://twitter.com/shineget64/status/1275088753606848512

BUT MY CUTE NOPON ARMY

---

unironically the best part of FC

---

Just learned the truth about a certain character and wow this game is ramping up which is not something I say often about a game when I'm 55 hours in.

Also can y'all tag your spoilers because some of us haven't played it yet!

---

Okay I may be able to kill regular monsters at level 75 but the first sidequest upon inviting Nic is a level 78 unique monster and that's gonna be a no, lol.

Through my failed attempts, I was constantly giving encouragement, so at least I got a lot of affinity boosts. Enough to increase my affinity level with both teammates, so not a total waste of time.

---

finally 5*d Colony 9 aww yeah okay I'll go to Prison Island now (no further sidequests available atm on a quick day/night check with rushes through Colony 9 residents)

---

Not sure if there's anything yet worth spoiling in Future Connected that I've seen. The Ponspector stuff was all in the promotional material though.

---

Sadly I have to work tonight but hopefully I can finish it off tomorrow morning

---

FC looks a liiiittle too Nopon-heavy

---

I wasn't a fan of the Nopon in my first playthrough but they've grown on me

Maybe because Xenoblade X showed me how bad they could actually be

---

Yeah, my first impression on Riki was that he was going to be really annoying, but it turned out the Heropon could actually be relied upon for some really good moments of brevity.

---

Prison Island beated

gosh still as impactful as ever, and boy do I love the new chara models for these moments

---

Good moments

---

CaptainOfCrush posted...

FC looks a liiiittle too Nopon-heavy

impossible

---

Anyway future connected itself

My impressions so far are

Story - Nothing cool has really happened it's kinda just shulk and melia almost on a vacation of sorts with thier new nopon friends. While they have a threat to deal with no one seems too worried about it. Lacking in dramatic music during cutscenes too.

Battle system - I like having my nopon army and thier various summon attacks, but lack of skill trees leaves the active party members feeling weaker than they should

Exploration- This is the one part where I think the DLC actually shines. The Bionis shoulder is very well designed and I've had a blast exploring it and finding all its secrets

---

ninkendo posted...

Not sure if there's anything yet worth spoiling in Future Connected that I've seen. The Ponspector stuff was all in the promotional material though.

I have literally no idea what Future Connected is. I'm assuming it's some sort of post game something but I was more referring to stuff toward the end of the last topic.

---

It also doesn't help that shulk and melia are the 2 characters that suffer the most from be controlled by the AI

At least we got big sis nene in there acting as the reyn substitute. She is also the best character in this epilogue

---

Haha, I pretty much just soloed the level 70 UM in the Factory with Riki (lv 69). I had a team of Riki/Shulk/Sharla. It used the flamethrower attack to start and the blaze damage killed Shulk/Sharla right away. I didn't have any blue bar to revive them, so I basically just sat there doing DoT attacks and using You Can Do It whenever it refreshed. Towards the end I got a burst affinity so I revived Sharla (I didn't know who I was reviving, I just hit B near a body), but Riki was plenty tanky enough that I think I still would've won without her. Bless the Heropon's monstrous HP.

---

do you have to have the skill tree active for its effects to apply? never bothered to figure this out last time i played the game either

if no i've been wasting a decent amount of SP lately oops.

at the mechonis core now

---

Learned skills are always active

The stat bonus that each tree provides must be active to be applied

---

Grimlyn posted...

boy do I love the new chara models for these moments

100%

I had my doubts about the new models just because the Wii version is so nostalgic to me, but they all wound up being incredible. I could never go back to the originals.

---

https://www.rpgsite.net/feature/9799-xenoblade-chronicles-x-deserves-a-second-chance

Maybe one day

---

After playing this I have decided to give XC2 a second third chance. Well see how it goes.

---

XCX definitely deserves a second chance. Rip WiiU games :(

---

XC2 is good. However, the first 8 hours or so have a fair bit to answer for. Push through it, and don't worry about optional blades on your first time through, and you'll have a great time. Every single aspect of the game gets a lot better starting with Chapter 3 and then again with Chapter 5. But I'm not going to tell you those early bits aren't a little bit of a slog! It has a much lesser version of the FFXIII problem where it gates its mechanics behind too much time, though not that bad.

I think if it was paced like XC1, took out the gacha and polished a few aspects mainly in the early game, it would absolutely be up there with the first game in terms of reception!

---

I feel like this game tries to be twisty but I dont have enough attachment to these characters to care. Like I got to the part where

melias step mom turns out to be working with that one guy who also uses the monado right before we go to prison island

And Im like....ok?

The game just doesnt give motivation in the characters enough for me to care.

---

Lightning Strikes posted...

XC2 is good. However, the first 8 hours or so have a fair bit to answer for. Push through it, and don't worry about optional blades on your first time through, and you'll have a great time. Every single aspect of the game gets a lot better starting with Chapter 3 and then again with Chapter 5. But I'm not going to tell you those early bits aren't a little bit of a slog! It has a much lesser version of the FFXIII problem where it gates its mechanics behind too much time, though not that bad.

I think if it was paced like XC1, took out the gacha and polished a few aspects mainly in the early game, it would absolutely be up there with the first game in terms of reception!

Ive played the game up through Chapter 6 twice, and then just ended up falling off it for various reasons, so I do know what Im getting into.

---

Cooldowns in XC2 are too slow at the beginning, but then by the end it's basically an action game

that's why I'm looking forward to NG+ just to have that at the beginning.

---

masterplum posted...

I feel like this game tries to be twisty but I dont have enough attachment to these characters to care. Like I got to the part where

melias step mom turns out to be working with that one guy who also uses the monado right before we go to prison island

And Im like....ok?

The game just doesnt give motivation in the characters enough for me to care.

FWIW I dont think youre supposed to see that as more than just table setting.

The Mana Sword posted...

Ive played the game up through Chapter 6 twice, and then just ended up falling off it for various reasons, so I do know what Im getting into.

Fair enough! That was effectively the point I went from feeling fine about it to being unable to put it down haha

ninkendo posted...

Cooldowns in XC2 are too slow at the beginning, but then by the end it's basically an action game

that's why I'm looking forward to NG+ just to have that at the beginning.

NG+ is hilarious as they do not gate anything at all, so it leads to bizarre story/gameplay clashes.

---

Maybe I'll like it more now that I can play it in docked mode.

I still don't think I'll bother with every side quest but we'll see!

Question - I've spoiled myself about 7 (sorry), how much game is there after they join the party?

---

Lightning Strikes posted...

NG+ is hilarious as they do not gate anything at all, so it leads to bizarre story/gameplay clashes.

Like that?

---

Peace___Frog posted...

Maybe I'll like it more now that I can play it in docked mode.

I still don't think I'll bother with every side quest but we'll see!

Question - I've spoiled myself about 7 (sorry), how much game is there after they join the party?

they join about....60% through the game?

---

_stingers_ posted...

Like that?

"SHE'S BEHIND YOOOOOOOU!"

Pretty much. You can also fight bosses with themselves which I love.

Incidentally I think one of the things 1 actually does do better than 2 is tying the mechanics and the narrative together. 1 has probably the most harmony between the story and gameplay of any RPG I have ever played, while 2 lost that a bit, like with the way it handles boss fights you are supposed to lose or the way visions are handled between both games.

---

Two items away from completing the Collectopaedia, but one is something I missed in a now-inaccessible area, and doesn't seem to be available via trade. Now I can only hope that one of them shows up in Colony 6, I guess. (The other is the Love Source, of course)

Meanwhile, Colony 6 is completely rebuilt, repopulated, 5*, and there don't seem to be any more side quests available, so now I'm off to build affinities and hunt Uniques.

mnkboy907 posted...

Haha, I pretty much just soloed the level 70 UM in the Factory with Riki (lv 69). I had a team of Riki/Shulk/Sharla. It used the flamethrower attack to start and the blaze damage killed Shulk/Sharla right away. I didn't have any blue bar to revive them, so I basically just sat there doing DoT attacks and using You Can Do It whenever it refreshed. Towards the end I got a burst affinity so I revived Sharla (I didn't know who I was reviving, I just hit B near a body), but Riki was plenty tanky enough that I think I still would've won without her. Bless the Heropon's monstrous HP.

"Riki can win by himself!"

---

DanKirby posted...

Two items away from completing the Collectopaedia

This along with the topic title reminded me that completing the Collectopaedia in Future Connected is mind numbingly tedious. Would not recommend. Specifically the one for Alcamoth, not the Shoulder.

---

DanKirby posted...

"Riki can win by himself!"

Working together is our greatest strength!

Heropon also greatest strength.

---

DanKirby posted...

"Riki can win by himself!"

I can't believe I didn't think of this line after it happened.

---

Just wanna say that after replaying for 100 hours in 2020 (still a ways before I actually beat it), this is still one of the greatest games of all time. A real gem.

Have you guys felt the same way over the past few weeks? I feel like most of us in here are replaying it after several years, so I'd love to hear some other opinions as to how well the game held up for you.

---

I played it more in 3 weeks than I did Animal Crossing in 3 months

so that's probably your answer right there

---

My only qualm as a new player is that I wish the battle system were a little deeper. It's fine but literally every fight, whether it's a normal mob or a boss, has the exact same strategy. Wouldn't mind a few wrenches thrown in so that you actually have to mix up what you're doing but it's not really possible with this battle system.

Mixing up your main characters helps with the staleness but it doesn't do anything for the strategy.

---

also whoops got so distracted by New Game+ Expo stuff I didn't finish FC this morning. Will have to try again....tomorrow morning!

---

It didn't hit me as hard as the first time. I think the spectacle and wonderment at this huge RPG world to explore resonated a lot more back in 2011 than it does in 2020 when its been done many more times since. The tedium with the sidequests seemed to set in a bit more this time around too, and I realized that I don't actually find the combat super engaging. I still had a great time with it, but the memories were fonder than the reality.

---

No second playthrough ever hits as hard as the first playthrough. I struggle to think of a game - or piece of media in general - where this doesn't hold true.

With that said, I'm still loving it.

---

I mean, yes, that's true. Still, the gap here was definitely larger than I expected going in. I've definitely revisited other games where the feeling is a lot closer than I experienced here. It's still really good, but prior to this replay my memory of XC put it solidly in my top 10 games of all time, while post-replay it's for sure been knocked down a bit.

---

I finished another 100% playthrough on 3DS a couple years back so it hasn't been that long but as mentioned I'm really loving the updates, graphically and for QOL features (even if they could've gone further)

Even still just reentering Satorl Marsh I've again been taking my time soaking up the environments all over again (just a bit ago entered Valak at night <3). It's not like I'm just doing a replay going through the motions. And yeah I already covered what the new models are doing for me, that intro of shall we say Meyneth got me hyped for what's still comin'!

---

RE:Battle System, XB1 has certainly aged behind X, 2, and Torna by now but I'm fine with that. I really liked the 2 system with elementals and building up orbs to smash in the chain attacks, all incorporating Blade Combos and mixing in Driver/Fusion Combos. Going through Battle Challenge mode was a blast.

---

I don't know how you would do it without slowing the combat to a crawl but being able to issue commands to your team would go a long way in making the combat deeper.

I almost never use Melia because I can't rely on the AI to cast the right spells at the right time but I also don't find her enjoyable to play. It's a shame because she has some really cool mechanics and ideas that are wasted by the AI just going ham.

Also maybe I'm wrong but Sharla feels like she has to be a permanent fixture because she's basically the only healer. Regen from water elementals doesn't really count because of the AI issues with Melia. Is the encouragement system supposed to replace healing if you don't use Sharla?

---

You can definitely get through most of the game without heals if you build things right. Using Dunban as a dodge tank doesn't require too much, Shulk's ability is usually enough to handle things in that case.

---