Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Video Game • Page 6

I can try, but currently not in a desktop (and oddly busy with rl at the moment, just moved into a new place). Maybe tomorrow I can do an in-depth or something.

The cooldown in the Blade Art is the number of normal attacks you have to do.

 

Appreciate it, you don’t have to go into detail but any quick tips would be appreciated

 

Just finished the boss battle right before chapter 3. The story reminds me so much of some of the classic JRPGs. I’m really enjoying it. an actual death? Pretty crazy
I still don’t understand the point of combo attacks. They never do much damage. What am I doing wrong?

 

BASICS OF COMBAT AND CANCELLING 101

Auto-attacking
- Triggered when you're locked on to an opponent and you press 'A'
- The 2nd hit is more powerful than the 1st, and the 3rd is the most powerful one. Then it resets, so the 1st and 4th hits and 7th (and so on...) are the least powerful. The counter resets when you interrupt via using an art, changing targets, moving, cancelling an attack (more on that later), etc.
- Each weapon has a certain rhythm when counting those 3 hits. Swords (Pyra) iirc are the most straightforward and has a fixed time between all three hits. Fists, though, are different in the sense that the first and second hit the opponent almost consecutively, with a pause before the third one. Same goes with other weapons. Knowledge of this will be used for cancelling attacks.

Driver Arts
- aka Active Skills. This is determined by the weapon type and the main character using the weapon. If Rex holds any sword weapon, he will always have the same driver arts, but if another character for example holds a sword weapon, that character will have a different set of arts.
- Have different descriptions: Status Effects, Healing, Stronger Attack depending on position.
- Attacks can either be PHYSICAL or ETHER-BASED. I don't think there's any difference between them other than determining which stat modifier the art willl use.
- Cooldown: the number written is the number of auto-attacks you have to accomplish
- Driver Arts are also used to fill up the Elemental Attack gauge, which can trigger a lot of buffs and debuffs: inflicting effects (like preventing bosses from summoning reinforcements), dealing elemental damage, triggering blade arts, etc.

Cancelling attacks into Driver Arts
- There is a small window after every auto-attack where its best to use a driver art. If you're able to use an art at that time, the art will fill up the Elemental Attack (aka the attack assigned to the 'A' button) gauge faster.
- Since every weapon type has different rhythms, each of those will have different window of opportunity to trigger.
- IIRC cancelling an the third attack will yield the best damage, but waiting every 3 attacks to use an art might not be practical since the Elemental Attack gauge will fill up very slowly that way
- For example:
1. Auto-attack #1
2. Cancel into a driver art. Auto-attack counter resets.
3. Auto-attack #1
4. Auto-attack #2
5. Cancel into a driver art. Auto-attack counter resets.
6. Auto-attack #1

BONUS: Cancelling Driver Arts/Weapon Switch/Elemental Attacks
- In every main character's skill tree, there is a passive skill you can unlock that will allow you to also cancel driver arts (and when switching weapons too!). This will allow you to chain a lot of attacks more efficiently.
- For example:
1. Auto-attack #1
2. Cancel into a driver art.
3. Cancel into a driver art.
4. Cancel into a driver art.
5. Cancel into an available weapon (Change weapon using the directional keys)
6. Auto-attack #1
7. Cancel into a driver art.
8. Use an Elemental Attack

Learning to cancel efficiently is the fastest way to rack up fuel for the Elemental Attack gauge (which would be used to rack up orbs which would lead to debuffs and also the way to deal ridiculous large amounts of damage). I could go into depth on those ones too, but definitely not doing that today (that could probably be combined with a BREAK -> TOPPLE guide too). If anyone has any correction, or wants me to clarify on stuff just hit me up. I haven't played in a while so I might've gotten a few things wrong. Hope this helps!

@Matt

 

Sometimes I follow the elemental combo tree, and one of my blades has the right element, so I use a driver art.. but nothing happens?

 

The Elemental Attack gauge level should be 1 higher than your last elemental attack.

So Fire I -> Second Elemental Attack II -> Third Elemental Attack III

But if you're doing that already then I have no idea lol.

EDIT: Oh wait, Driver Arts can't trigger the elemental combo tree. Only the attack assigned to the 'A' button

 

I confused the term, I used the a button attacks.

I understand your explanation, but how do I see if the one before mine was a I, II or III?

 

I mostly just remember it. But if you (or any party member) satisfy the condition, there will be a button prompt that will show up in the screen (along with the name of the Elemental Attack).

The only time that button prompt will disappear is if you no longer satisfy the condition.

 

Ah so I keep increasing from 0 to III until the A button pops up together with my face at the bottom of the screen?

 

Yup that is correct!

 

Why does that button pop up for me and my companions when there isn't even a tree going at the moment? Some other system at work? @zigbigwig

Thanks by the way!

 

I think it’s so they can be the one to start the tree. If you want to do the water tree and Rex doesn’t have a water weapon there’s no way you can trigger that otherwise.

 

....the water tree.... I thought the trees were random... this game man lmao

 

That was all super helpful. Thanks @zigbigwig!

 

Thanks for the post!

This game is really picking up now. One weird thing though, I played docked last night and there was a lot of lag... this happen to anyone else?

I got a new rate blade that looks like the guy from Big Hero 6.

 

But what do you do for an effective combo attack?

 

No idea here. I can’t come up with a reliable way to trigger them so I just distribute the effects to the party and hope something sticks. I usually just use it to prolong the timer.

Haha. So if anyone figures something out def post it

 

I’ve pretry much stopped using them because you’re screwed in big battles with no way to revive. And they don’t do much damage which makes me think I’m doing something wrong. One time there was an overdrive that appeared and I have no idea why.

 

Wait, are you referring to the chain attack? Or whatever it’s called.

I thought we were talking about the Break/Topple/Launch. Haha.

 

I’m taking about the chain attack.

 

When you do an elemental attack for the first time you can see a new UI on the top right of the screen with arrows that point to other elemental icons and ending with texts such as “Seal XXX”.

If you follow up your first elemental attack with an elemental attack that matches the one in that UI then you can continue moving until you reach the Seal ability. Once that happens you the monster is sealed and the elemental attack resets. You can tell this way by a colored orb floating around the opponent. Once you get enough orbs by doing different Seal debuffs you can start a chain attack and break them (iirc you can break them easily if you use a blade that is opposite the element you’re breaking). The damage bonus is dependent on the number of orbs you break.

 

The more I progress, the more I'm impressed by this game's ability to create meaningful, touching moments between all the nonsense (not nonsense in a bad way). Also, I rarely actually like JRPG characters, but I've kind of grown fond of this little crew.

I also found an attack loop that makes it very hard for me to loose currently, haha. It involves a rare blade I have, its healing special attack and an earth elemental combo tree.

 

lets show em a thing or three!

i like your attitude!

 

haha going through that ship in the second chapter just about killed me.

THINK YOU CAN TAKE ME

 

wouldn't be a xenoblade game if they didn't yell the same three phrases nonstop throughout battle