Discover everything you need to know about the top 10 tips for beginners in Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition.

Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition is a bit of a different game when it comes to classes. Learning the unique mechanics and aspects is crucial for every player. As a beginner, you need basic knowledge to progress quickly. Knowing some tips and tricks while initiating the game to skyrocket your gameplay. From combat mechanics to exploring the world, everything in the RPG matters. This edition brings several enhancements and new content. Players can pilot and customize Skells to add a dynamic layer to exploration and combat. This is a massive game with so many different things going on. If you’re a fan of RPGs or JPGS then this is a must-play game. In this guide, we’ll discuss the top 10 best tips for beginners in Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition.
Top 10 Tips for Beginners in Xenoblade Chronicles X
Xenoblade Chronicles can be a hard game, especially early on. When you keep losing to the same enemy over and over, it might feel like you’re missing something. This can be the case when the game tries to teach you this many mechanics. Arts deal different damage depending on your position and responding to teammates’ Soul Voices boosts damage. You can build up TP and trigger Overdrive for powerful combos. However, timing Arts right after an auto-attack increases their effectiveness.
You need to focus on leveling up a single class early on to get access to the powerful Arts. Tension Points are required for Overdrive and Skell usage. You need to discover landmarks and data probes ASAP to speed up movement. Upgrade Mining Probes for more Miranium and Research Probes for money. You lack TP if your Skell is destroyed. Complete Affinity mission as some of them are required for story progress. You can boost affinity with NPCs by completing missions, unlocking new dialogue, and passive bonuses.

Here are 10 essential tips and tricks when you begin a new game in Xenoblade Chronicles X:
- Movement is a Key
- Skells Changes Everything
- Change the Class Whenever Needed
- Upgrade your Art and Skills
- Be Careful with Affinity Missions
- Learn How to Progress
- Use Data Probes
- Use Multiple Features
- Explore and Socialize
- Weather and Time Matters
1) Movement is a Key
Movement is everything in Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition. Well, it’s not everything but it is a lot of things you need to know. Your movement particularly the way that you traverse the environment is one of the most important aspects of the game. You may have noticed that it has a massive open world that’s been designed almost as a playground for you to run around in. Running, jumping, and leaping from great heights and even climbing are things that you’ll be doing a lot. Learning how to navigate tricky terrain can help you to avoid powerful enemies. Now what Xenoblade does is it tends to set your missions out and the missions are all ranked by level.
Invariably the route to get to a lot of these places sends you straight through high-rank territory. If you don’t learn how to navigate the terrain, you’ll just be getting killed over and over again. With that in mind, you need to switch off your classic JRPG brain. You even need to switch off your Xenoblade Chronicles brain if you played the other three games. There’s zero fall damage. Generally, if you can see a vague route up a cliff, you’re going to be able to do it. A good tip is actually to hug the sides of cliffs and just jump from one platform to the next. This allows you to avoid any of the enemies in a valley. Knowing when to fight and when not to is the main thing but point number one movement is everything.
2) Skells Changes Everything
The Skells are the game’s giant mechs. They completely transform the way that you explore the world but you won’t get those till about 20 hours into the experience. Early on you might find yourself stressing about getting them. If you focus on learning the game’s mechanics first, you’ll have a much more enjoyable time which also relates to point number one. Once you do get access, Skells will allow you to traverse the land much quicker, take on stronger enemies, and obviously unlock the ability to fly. One thing to consider though is fuel management. They can also be damaged or destroyed with all sorts of different things like customization to consider. They are a nice addition but they don’t act as the heart of the game.
3) Change the Class Whenever Needed
Combat is a little more complex than first meets the eye. The emphasis early on is on switching up your ranged and melee combat which can be done by the push of a button. You’ll be using different arts that have cooldowns. A key feature that could well be overlooked is the soul voice.
System. Timed responses to your allies’ prompts will grant you buffs and heals. Delving into the menus and customizing what happens for you is really important. Your soul voices can be tweaked to have a heavier emphasis on healing. The combat can change massively as you switch to new classes. Don’t be afraid to change class quite frequently and remember to mix and match skills from different classes to essentially make a hybrid build.
Through doing so you can really become a multi-skilled fighter rather than simply being one-dimensional. When your proficiency with the class reaches level 10, you will no longer be gaining experience in that class or any others. You could potentially be in the entire game and never get any of the other arts or skills because of this. Not exactly optimal for a game that encourages customization. There is a pretty good upside to focusing on one class tree though. If you manage to max out one of the blue classes to level 10, you can equip those weapons when you switch to another class. That way you can level up a different class with something you’re more familiar with before learning something new.
4) Upgrade your Art and Skills
Just like in any other Xenoblade game, you will be able to upgrade your art to make them stronger. Don’t forget to check on them every now and then and get them a little boost, so you can hit as hard as you can. You also have skills that you can level up in the game. These skills are tied to your selected class. The Drifter class aka the class you start with not only lets you set five skills but you can select any skills from any tree you’ve already basted. Skill Arts are the main source of damage and status effects during fights. We don’t recommend hoarding battle points as upgrades can improve overall efficiency.
5) Be Careful with Affinity Missions

You’ll gain new characters to join your squad based on a few different things. Sometimes it’ll be part of the story but others it’s linked to the affinity system. Higher affinity unlocks special affinity missions which in turn may lead to new abilities, stronger relationships, and new characters joining your party. You can spot these mission types quite easily on your map as they’re the orangey ones. Another tip as well rather than just run around like a headless chicken, go into the map and then just hover the cursor over the ones that you’re interested in.
It will tell you if you meet the requirements. Affinity can be affected by doing the missions, certain dialogue options in conversation, and fighting alongside characters. But there’s a further system called the heart-to-heart conversations. Heart-to-Heart moments give you more of an insight into your other party members. They can also be quite ludicrous but they give the game more heart.
Be careful when accepting the Affinity quests. They are like the hero missions of Xenoblade Chronicles 3. Unlike in three where you can basically do whatever you want, you must complete the Affinity quest before being able to accept any other Affinity quest or main story mission. A very good example of how this can be detrimental to you is The Repair Job (Affinity Quest). A very RNG-based collect quest that can take you either 5 minutes or 50 hours. Just be very mindful when you accept these and prioritize the main story first.
6) Learn How to Progress
Progression feels more like an MMO than a standard JRPG. Xenoblade Chronicles X doesn’t have a traditional linear progression. What I mean by that is usually in a JRPG you have your main story quest that you follow almost in a straight line from one moment to the next. Chronicles X feels more like an MMO in that you have optional quests all over the place. Doing those will you hit arbitrary gates that then allow you to further progress the main storyline. At first glance, it might feel restrictive especially if you’re a player expecting that more traditional Xenoblade style. However, once you embrace the game systems it’s actually quite freeing. You get to choose how and where to progress. You take those quests, you go and perform them, and your focus shifts from just progressing the story to building your character.
There’s always that next unlocked class or that new piece of gear. Gear and weapons play a big part in this series. Armor and gear massively change the look and appearance but also if you don’t like the way something looks you’ve got the same system they use in the Monster Hunter series where you can essentially paint. Embrace that slightly unusual MMO progression if you want to have a more enjoyable time. Otherwise, you may find yourself frustrated by those level gates.
7) Use Data Probes

You get taught how to use data probes. You have nodes all over the map and you install data probes on top of them which will afford you several different things. One is a mine and it will mine that Miranium which is so useful if you want to get some of the better gear. It’s also used as fuel and you just don’t realize how important it is. It’s one of those systems that new players might completely overlook. The reason it’s an issue is that there’s a cap on the amount of Miranium that you can have. You use those nodes put storage points down and get that cap raised nice and early. It will just be a pain otherwise it won’t be a huge issue but it will be you’ll be missing out on some potential upgrades, paths, and fuel.
Your map in this game isn’t just a map because it also helps you gather resources too. Throughout the game, you receive different type kinds of data probes. You can place them at the location known as FN sites. Placing probes is as simple as selecting a location and choosing a probe to plant. Once planted, every couple of minutes or so, you’ll receive some resources from the probes you placed. You can also place multiple of the same probes in a sequence of three or more to amplify their power. There’s a lot to gain from using data probes, so don’t forget to use them when you can.
8) Use Multiple Features
You can recruit other players’ avatars. Now, Xenoblade Chronicles X includes multiplayer elements as you know. This affords you the ability to recruit avatars from other players’ squads. You can do up to three of those and then they can be used in your single-player experience offline. As well as recruiting avatars, you can join online squads working towards collective goals with squad missions. This involves fighting unique enemies and gathering specific resources. Those recruited avatars will work just like normal AI party members.
The reason they’re so useful is if you have a particularly difficult enemy to fight, you can bring in a powerful avatar. They are potentially a higher level or more skilled in a certain area and it can be the difference between life and death. With this Definitive Edition as well, you don’t really need to worry about not having all of your party members used. The reason is that all party members will gain experience regardless of whether they’re on the front line.
9) Explore and Socialize
If you ever see someone you can talk to them, talk to them. There are even some quests that will not progress that will not progress unless you speak to particular NPCs. Get out there and start yapping. As far as exploration goes, if you see something then go towards it. You can run in this game by clicking on the left stick. You even get a higher jump on it. Many of the regions unlock after chapter 3 so be aware of them as it will lead you to certain challenges. Learning the map is crucial as you can obtain several unique items as well.
10) Weather and Time Matters
The game has a dynamic weather system and a day-night cycle. Both of which significantly affect gameplay. Certain enemies only appear at specific times of the day. Some of the affinity in story missions require a set time of day. Sometimes a weather conditions you might have to fight an enemy that will only appear when it’s raining. This can actually be a bit of a pain. With that in mind, it’s worth having a look at what missions you’ve got that require that. If it starts to rain and you find yourself in there doing something else, it’s worth pivoting and meeting that challenge. You can go into the menus as well and manually change the time of day, so that’s completely uh not an issue at all anymore. Something that is cool and perhaps a little more nuanced is that certain weapons will actually work better in different weather conditions.
FAQs for Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition: Top 10 Tips for Beginners
What is Character Creation in Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition?
Character creation is a unique feature in Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition that allows you to craft a personalized avatar. This serves as a protagonist throughout the game.
How long does it take to 100% Xenoblade X?
You are likely to spend around 251 Hours to obtain 100% completion.
Should I play Xenoblade 1 before X?
No, there’s no need to play Xenoblade Chronicles 1, 2, or 3 before playing Xenoblade Chronicles X.
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