Xenoblade Help

[Dice]

Alright.

Here's the deal.

Need mah dear forums help and I don't want to read Gamefaqs or whatever.

Be concise.

I haven't played Xenoblade basically since I got it.  Then I sold it.  Regretted it.  Bought it back from dear Klyde Chroma.

I was already about 7 hours in when I got to the Bionis' knee, but I don't know what the fuck is happening and I really, REALLY don't want to start it all over.

So:
(1) What are gems and how the fuck am I making them?  I just select a bunch of things and I think good stuff happens.... and weirdly supportive dialogue between Shulk and Reyn while they look like they're doing some sort of mechanical squats.

(2) For completing Missions, do you always have to report back?

(3) What on earth is happening again when Shulk can see the future of your painful death?  And how do I prevent it?

(4) Any big issues if you're killed by something 40 levels higher than you?

(xyz) Any general battle tips?  Any way I can kick ass fast?  If this were Tales of Graces I'd be all like: Muthafucken PUSH EVA AND ACC STATS, STAT!

More to come maybe...

Reward: An earnest thanks for Dice and her support in whatever you do.

[Klyde Chroma]

I responded to you over in the journal because even though I saw this last night, and I played through Xeno start to end, I am ill suited to answer your questions.

Truth be told, I LOVED XENOBLADE for the narrative and characters. But I'll be the first to admit that I never really "got" the meat and potatos of that game (in a manner of speaking.)

A technically sound player could answer your questions "correctly".

But if you want Klyde's simplistic and broken answers here they are...

1) I ignored the finer aspects of crafting and just combined to MAKE SURE I started with a percentage that damn near ensured I would create what I was aiming for. When it came to selecting my shooter and engineer I just picked characters with highest affinity. While the affinity rating doesn't impact the creation process as much as selecting characters based on their bonus and flame you will discover combinations that work better than others through trial and error via this method. This is all I did, and then I stuck with the winning creation-teams I discovered through trial and error.

2)If I recall that is mission specific. As in some you do, some you don't. I do not however recall it being difficult to differentiate between the two.

3)Here is how I handled visions. A) See a vision of death B) Run over to character and cue an action or command that cancelled the enemies, healed allies, or changed the enemies target (I remember using sleep inducing techs, attacks and spells as well as whatever the Xeno equivelant to taunt was).

4) Just avoid the high level enemies. You will be returning to locations throughout the game. Some of those enemies are still capable of dwarfing you even while you are tending to end-game quests.

XYZ) No advice on general battle tips. Its been a hair too long to remember precisely how I handled battle I'm afraid. Sorry.

[Yoda]

I hope you all can help Dice be the premier Xenoblader of our time.

[Starmongoose]

I havn't played it since I reviewed it. It's all gone completely out of my head.

[Klyde Chroma]

I havn't played it since I reviewed it. It's all gone completely out of my head.

Glad to know I'm not the only one who experienced some difficulty with xeno-recall  whilst trying to tend to Dice's question... When I forget things about games I play I feel fearful that I'm "losing it" or something. Truly, it causes me anxiety. Its comforting to know, in some sense, I am not the only one who "forgets" a bit.

[Dice]

I havn't played it since I reviewed it. It's all gone completely out of my head.

Glad to know I'm not the only one who experienced some difficulty with xeno-recall  whilst trying to tend to Dice's question... When I forget things about games I play I feel fearful that I'm "losing it" or something. Truly, it causes me anxiety. Its comforting to know, in some sense, I am not the only one who "forgets" a bit.

I get that with books.  I love recommending them because I knew what I loved then, but explaining it at another time causes me to seriously blank.

Thanks so much for the pointers though, I assume if you remembered it this far in, it's vital. :)

I hope you all can help Dice be the premier Xenoblader of our time.

I 'chortled'

[Tomara]

(xyz) Any general battle tips?  Any way I can kick ass fast?  If this were Tales of Graces I'd be all like: Muthafucken PUSH EVA AND ACC STATS, STAT!

Stick to the basics at first. Get the hang of making different types of jewels and just boosts whatever stats. Have fun trying different stuff. The details don't matter much. Later on, especially when certain skills become available, agility gems will soon become your best friend. The agility stat can make a huge different when fighting enemies of higher levels.

Another tip: Once you get more characters, you'll probably notice not all AIs are all that smart. Magic Girl in particular is kinda really stupid. She's great when you control her yourself, though. If you get stuck because of a boss or a group of enemies, try maining a different character.

[Dice]

Thanks for that Tomara!  I'm noticing the AI bit now.   I was in a pretty unwinnable fight till I took control of Reyn, and I'm realizing Dunban is quite the damage King too (with some Bleed gems and being able to inflict Topple on his own)

I'll keep the agility gems in mind though and I'm waiting for magical girl to get some better equips available.

Is it possible to get back down to the lower levels from the big Ocean map? 

[Tomara]

Dunban is awesome. With the right set-up he can be an awesome dodge tank as well. Dunban's AI won't do anything stupid, so it's good to have him around.

[Starmongoose]

If I remember, my Dunban was naked most of the time.

I can't remember if that was a battle choice, or a Starmongoose choice.

[Dice]

If I remember, my Dunban was naked most of the time.

I can't remember if that was a battle choice, or a Starmongoose choice.

He does looks like a Spanish-Japanese, English-speaking Jesus.   Mmm....

How do you make a character a tank?  Is it just a ton of HP and defence?

And I've actually heard "naked" as a term on the GameFaqs.  Is that like a way to play them?

Right now I'm killing it with Riki (I guess as a tank), Shulk (his healing comes in every ten seconds and he's "perfectly average" in all other aspects), and Melia who can actually kill those elemental puffs.

Sharla aside, everyone is pretty effective.

[Aurian]

Reyn can be your traditional tank - lots of HP and defense.

Dunban is more of a dodging tank - his high agility makes it hard for enemies to hit him. Some people make him naked to raise his agility further since there are skills to give boosts to the naked.

[Starmongoose]

See I'm not just a perv.

[Tomara]

He does looks like a Spanish-Japanese, English-speaking Jesus.   Mmm....

How do you make a character a tank?  Is it just a ton of HP and defence?

It takes two things:
1. The ability to take a few hits or dodge them nearly constantly.
2. Enough force/skills to keep the enemies focused on them.

Dunban dodges really well with the right skills and his awesome damage output makes him a favourite target for enemies.

And I've actually heard "naked" as a term on the GameFaqs.  Is that like a way to play them?

There's a skill called Inner Peace that ups agility by 30% when not wearing any armor. Since agility makes such a huge difference in Xenoblade, it's enough to turn Dunban into a good tank for most of the game. Since he won't be wearing armor, Dunban will be running around in his underwear, hence the term 'naked Dunban'.

Though skill linking you can give other characters this ability as well, but it won't be as effective.

Sharla aside, everyone is pretty effective.

Sharla has her uses, especially when you decide to undress Dunban. He won't get hit often, but when he does, he'll lose a good chunk of his HP. It's nice when you can heal him up in one go.