It’s time to engage the enemy — the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Direct delivered a good deal of new info about its battle system and finer points, including a couple new bits about the Ouroboros mechanic. Much like previous games, Xenoblade 3’s fights take place in the open world, characters auto-attacking while the player inputs more powerful Arts for the characters to use. As previously shown, character roles are split between Attacker, Defender, and Healer, with each class the characters wield fulfilling a specific role (and characters able to change class freely). The Break-Topple-Launch-Smash combo from Xenoblade 2 returns, looking just as goofy as ever.
There are some new wrinkles, however. You can swap character control mid-battle freely for the first time in the series. Chain Attacks return, with new “Chain Orders” boosting the properties of each one depending on your choice. If you play with certain classes on the battlefield enough, you’ll rank up and learn Master Arts, which can be used in other class sets besides the one you learned it from, allowing you to mix and match loadouts as you please. You can also combine compatible Arts mid-battle to form powerful Fusion Art attacks which combine the effects of two Arts at once.
As previously detailed, the Ouroboros system allows certain pairs of characters (Noah and Mio, Lanz and Sena, Eunie and Taion) to fuse into powerful forms mid-battle. New is the information that Ouroboroses can swap forms to resemble the other member in the fusion at will, changing appearance and attacks to match. You can also upgrade the Ouroboros in a skill tree-like system. Wielded properly, it can turn the tide of battle in an instant.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 launches July 29th.
Looking to secure a copy? Check out our Xenoblade Chronicles 3 pre-order guide to view a list of retailers!
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Written by Amelia Fruzzetti
A writer and Nintendo fan based in Seattle, Washington. When not working for NinWire, she can be found eating pasta, writing stories, and wondering about when Mother 3 is finally going to get an official localization.
