Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (no not X)

[Mickeymac92]

Literally the worst waypoint/map system in any video game I have ever played.
Astonishing.

Aren't they fixing that, though? I know I saw an article on that somewhere...

[Aeolus]

@Aeolus Don't stop doing merc mission.  Points carry over to the next level even if you haven't beaten the quest yet and you need 20k for rank 5 eventually.  Takes a while.

I was wondering if I had asked this question earlier or not. Fortunately, I finally powered through the Rank 3 Quest quickly enough once I had some time to actually spend on the game (and not continue to be hooked on Tiger! Tiger!). Two levels are a hell of a drug in this game (it also helped that I targeted the Axe Guy first since the Lance Guy is more Counter Happy).

Also, I should recommend to everyone playing to buy the Deed for the Fabric Store in Merc Village Games Store in the Kingdom ASAP as it provides an extra 5% boost to Running Speed. There's a ton of ground to cover in Chapter 5's territory and not very many Landmarks to quick travel to, so every little bit helps.


Edit: Fixed erroneous information.

[Agent D.]

Literally the worst waypoint/map system in any video game I have ever played.
Astonishing.

it's really not even that godawful. The only thing that grates on me is how the waypoints give inaccurate directions at times. Still have the map itself to show you where to be, and....though the secret areas are really secret at times.

[Electricb7]

Literally the worst waypoint/map system in any video game I have ever played.
Astonishing.

it's really not even that godawful. The only thing that grates on me is how the waypoints give inaccurate directions at times. Still have the map itself to show you where to be, and....though the secret areas are really secret at times.

The way points being inaccurate is the worst part. I had to look on youtube more than a few times just to see what the hell I was doing wrong. But it all starts with the blank no icons map. I shouldn't have to open menus to see one with more details. Its buried for no reason.

[Aeolus]

So I wound up accidentally breaking Percival's sidequest. Triggered the last fight against the Bloody Lobsters and then the quest just failed to load (although the boss fight music made it so I ended up wandering around Argentum with it blaring in the background for awhile before attempting to fix the issue; sadly I was unsuccessful so I'm going to reload and try again; I am pretty sure I had saved very recently; hopefully since that fight against the UM on the island southeast of Rex's hometown).

Either way, I've picked up a few more Rare Blades and even a Legendary Core Crystal. Unfortunately, I seem to have hit my Blade Limit for now so my fourth Driver has only his default Blade and a few generics.

[Marshmallow]

I bought this on release but we only opened our Switch yesterday so I finally got a chance to dig into this game.  I'm only just past the tutorial-ish part but I'm liking it.  My only major peeve so far is that the X button on the switch controller opens the fast travel and not the menu.  I must have mistakenly opened fast travel a dozen times so far.

[Electricb7]

Is anyone having bad luck getting rare blades? Is it based on the luck stat or what?

[Marshmallow]

From what I understand, luck plays a part but also the type of core crystal you use.  I've used about 20 common crystals and only got common blades, but I used one rare crystal and got a rare blade.  I imagine if you have decent luck you can get a rare blade out of a common crystal.

[Aeolus]

From what I understand, luck plays a part but also the type of core crystal you use.  I've used about 20 common crystals and only got common blades, but I used one rare crystal and got a rare blade.  I imagine if you have decent luck you can get a rare blade out of a common crystal.

I burned two Legendary Core Crystals on Zeke while he was equipped with Luck boosting accessories and stocked with Boosters.

Spoiler: show

All I got was generic trash.

Basically, from what I've been seeing and hearing:
Luck is the general influence (but even stacking 500+ Luck on Rex and burning a Rare Core Crystal doesn't guarantee jack).
Ideas (Compassion, Bravery, Justice, Truth) are the main gates into which pools you can draw from
Boosters exist primarily to help bolster your chances at a higher tier of a draw pool of that Idea type (they can also influence element of a Generic).
I suspect that Story Progression is a factor as well.
As well as simple diminishing returns.

[Ranadiel]

I suspect that Story Progression is a factor as well.

It is not. It is possible to get any rare blade as soon as you have access to cores. The earliest I would recommend grinding for them all is after the story events in Temperentia as you can then easily grind Gold Chips, which raise drop rates. Get one of those on each of your active party members, and you basically guarantee common core and rare core drops from some enemies (plus Gold Chips are fairly strong).

The other potential "factors" are nebulous as to their benefit. Ideas/Boosters are supposed to impact the element of the drawn blade, but they are certainly not guarantees. I remember one instance where I drew two rare blades in four draws on Nia. I was using 5 of the Electric/Earth booster and both of my rare draws were Fire (and of course neither of them were healers). The game says that Luck impacts the strength of drawn blades, but I suspect (with no confirmation) that this refers more to RNG for 1-4 rarity with rare blades just having a flat chance.

I ended up getting all rare blades sometime around chapter 6, and I never bothered with luck boosting (so my luck was around 300 on all characters). Last couple of rare blades took me 80 or so cores, but I read manga while I was salvaging for Krables, so it worked out.

[Aeolus]

Ignoring my bullshitting about the Blade Gacha for a moment (although, knowing what I now know, most of this is irrelevant as you get enough guaranteed Rare Blades that you don't need to fish too much as long as you either don't do it all on Rex or know what you're getting out of the guaranteed ones so that you give what you need to who needs it most), I've finally polished off the Walky-Walky questline and got a swank accessory that allows you to revive allies when you trigger a Chain Attack (i.e. you can save your meter when things start getting tight to fish for a Chain Attack Finish instead and not have to worry about going into it gimped).

Also dicking around Tantal (which sounds like a cross between Zeal and Shevat during the night and almost Sawano levels of bombastic during the day) and have capped my Dev Level for Gormott (i.e. not-Gaur Plains), while everybody at this point has at least 3 non-generic Blades (aside from Tora) and I've reached A-Rank Affinity with Dormarch and Poppi Alpha. Does anybody know what you're supposed to find behind that Steam Engine Door in Argentum

Spoiler: show

other than a Nopon-in-a-Hamster Wheel joke?

[ScottC]

There is a quest in that room later in the game that is part of a chain quest.

[Electricb7]

I like how my field skills are always too low to do literally fucking anything I come across -_-

[Aeolus]

There is a quest in that room later in the game that is part of a chain quest.

Yep, I see it now. Lol. I just needed to be in Chapter 7 first (although I think I may have broken another quest in that I can't read the wall at Indol now that I've started the quest that makes it relevant; and on that note, I like how I've made Wulfric's Affinity quest uncompletable for now due to plot happening, whoops).

I like how my field skills are always too low to do literally fucking anything I come across -_-

The end of Chapter 4 will net you three blades that have critical field skills.


Edit: So the infamous progress blocking Skill Check is Keen Eye (with an auxiliary in either Ancient Wisdom or Lockpicking or somesuch which posed no problem at all due to having like 4 or 5 Blades able to contribute to said Check). Yeah, that's a bitch if you didn't pull Agate or another Rare Blade with the skill (the one guaranteed Blade you get that has the skill can only just barely unlock the necessary level to clear it on her own by the time you arrive at the check; the problem is that said unlock requires finding 140 named locations throughout the game, yuck).


Edit: Made it to Chapter 8.

Spoiler: show

And here I thought Megaman Rex's outfit was goofy looking before...

Also, I feel robbed that I can't gaze upon Pythra's/Myra's final form in the Blade Catalog.

Also, with my Mercenary Rank maxed out, I used the extra space to pull three more Rare Blades (and then had to burn an Override to send Sheba to Rex due to the fact that I had three Water Blades on one Driver (I know, I should've sent her to Nia, but everybody has at least one Water Blade and those two were the only ones without a Cannon Rare Blade; plus Sheba belongs on a Male Driver Peon dammit, and I really wanted to keep the newly pulled Chef where he was)).

[Ranadiel]

Also, with my Mercenary Rank maxed out, I used the extra space to pull three more Rare Blades (and then had to burn an Override to send Sheba to Rex due to the fact that I had three Water Blades on one Driver (I know, I should've sent her to Nia, but everybody has at least one Water Blade and those two were the only ones without a Cannon Rare Blade; plus Sheba belongs on a Male Driver Peon dammit, and I really wanted to keep the newly pulled Chef where he was)).

I would not have done that considering how valuable Overdrive Protocols are. You only get 3 from chests, 5 from maxing character affinity charts, and 1 for each 4 star blade you release (who has a complete affinity chart). Really all Rex needs is his sword, an axe (Edit: and late game there is an alternative to using an axe), and dual scythes. Oh well, I guess I'm late on giving this advice. >.>