Xenoblade Chronicles X Details How To Fight And Give Commands

Monolith Soft had plenty to share about Xenoblade Chronicles X’s battle system in their recent presentation, and the official website gives us more info with another look at how battles play out, along with some of the key details involved with the combat system.

Planet Mira is filled with gentle creatures and other races, but there are also dangerous animals and hostile races from other planets, so sometimes, you’ll be forced to fight for your survival. As previously reported, attacks are split into both melee and ranged attacks, with an option to perform auto-attacks. You can destroy parts off of enemies to make fights easier, and also for a chance to acquire some items after battles from breaking parts.

Melee weapon-types include: Knife, Long Sword, Shield, Dual Sword, Javelin, Photon Saber, and more. The shooting weapon-types are: Assault Rifle, Dual Gun, Sniper Rifle, Ray Gun, Psycho Launcher, and more.

The image above shows us a little bit more on how to understand the battle UI. The top-left shows your character information, while the upper part shows more on the enemy, such as how they aggro, their level, name, and HP.

On the bottom, you have the Arts Palette, followed by what type of weapon you’re currently using, and an indicator that tells you your position against the enemy you’re facing or have targeted.

TP (Tension Point): fills up when you auto-attack.

Inner Level: indicates the character’s raw power.

Class Rank: indicates the character’s current class rank.

Here are some basic commands that you’ll use during battle:

• Target Enemy: Selects the closest enemy to target.

• Draw Weapon: Unsheathes weapon to commence combat.

• Target Lock: Will have character and view focus on the target.

• Switch Target: Used to switch targets when there are multiple enemies.

• Parts Lock: Used to continue aiming for a certain part of an enemy.

• Switch Weapon: Switches between melee and shooting weapons.

• Arts: Launches a special ability from the character. Again, by using 1,000 TP, they’ll use an even more powerful Arts (the Tension Arts).

• Help Up: By using 3,000 TP, you can revive a fallen comrade.

• Ally Commands: Give orders to your party, such as “concentrate attacks” or “gather,” and more.

• Indicate Battle Menu: Give specific commands to individual party members or the entire party. Some of them include “go with melee,” “go with shooting,” “get in your Doll,” and other specific commands. There’s also an emergency escape option that will take 15 seconds to make a run, leading you to the nearest landmark.

• Retreat: Makes you stop attacking, allowing for a retreat to safety.

Xenoblade Chronicles X will release in Japan on April 29, 2015 for Wii U. The game will also release in North America and Europe later this year. You can read more about the game’s advanced battle techniques in our earlier report.