Welcome students, Professor RPG here! Need help understanding the Equipment Fusion system in Tales of Zestiria? Perhaps you would like a more deep dive into the history of Ivalice?  What in the world does the Intelligence stat do in that game you like? Stick around and let Professor RPG clear up the mysteries and help you in on your quest.

Late last year, the Nintendo Switch received its first exclusive gigantic Japanese RPG with Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (and no, I do not consider Breath of the Wild to be a RPG).  More story focused than the WiiU’s Xenoblade Chronicles X, XC2 returns to the more story and character focus of the first game.  One of the main mechanics of this game are the BLADES.  This guide will give you a basic understanding of the various mechanics of BLADES, hopefully shedding some light on some of the more complex systems within this amazing title.

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 follows the exploits of a young diver named Rex who, in usual RPG fashion, gets dragged into a conflict much larger than he.  After waking up a special BLADE, called the Aegis, he embarks on a quest to take Pyra, The Aegis BLADE, to the top of the World Tree.  Over the course of the next 60+ hours, you will meet new friends, do battle with vicious foes, and discover long lost secrets and twists that will leave you shocked.  Xenoblade Chronicles 2 can easily be played without playing any of the previous titles in the Xeno series, so have no fear.  Now Student-pon, let’s dive into how BLADEs work, shall we?

BASICS:

Think of BLADES as basically gatcha-weapons that you can further customize, level, and use.  During your adventure you will come across items called “Cores”, think of these as Pokeballs, except you don’t know what Pokemon is inside.  When you bind them (aka open them) they will turn into a random BLADE that will be a specific weapon type, element, appearance, and have their own skills and abilities.  There is also a chance that they will become a rare unique BLADE with a unique model and appearance that were designed by various Japanese artists!

TYPES:

When you use a core, a new BLADE is created with a random element, weapon, arts, and appearance.  The common, non unique blades, have 1-3 randomly chosen skills, an elemental mastery skill based on their element, and between 0-2 randomly chosen gathering or mercenary skills.  Below are lists for the different elements, weapon types, and appearances that your common BLADES could be!

• ELEMENTS:
  • Fire
  • Water
  • Ice
  • Wind
  • Earth
  • Electric
  • Light
  • Dark

• WEAPON TYPES:
  • Ball
  • Scimitar
  • Katana
  • Cannon
  • Great Axe
  • Knuckle/Claws
  • Lance
  • Shield Hammer
  • Twin Rings

• APPEARANCE:
  • Male
  • Female
  • Muscle-y male
  • Four legged panther/dog thing

AFFINITY:

During combat, you may will notice a tether linking a Driver to their blade.  This is called the “Affinity Bond”  As you land attacks and specials, the tether will continue to grow brighter and brighter until it changes from a blue to a golden color.  When the tether is gold, your affinity will be at its maximum, increasing the damage you deal and the speed in which you can activate your special attacks.  There are some Aux Cores that can further increase your stats when this affinity bond is at its max.  

Affinity also has an important role in the next mechanic of BLADES, the Trust value.

TRUST:

In order for your BLADE to truly develop and become stronger, you will have to increase it’s Trust in its assigned Driver.  As mentioned previously in the discussion on affinity, the two are closely linked together.  In order to increase the Trust value, you will be need to maintain a high affinity in combat.  When the bond becomes gold, the trust value will increase and by using specials to trigger their added effects (such as additional from hitting enemies from the side) will increase the value even moreso.

As the Trust increases, Key Affinity Rewards will unlock on the BLADES’s affinity chart, allowing them to learn new abilities and improve existing ones.  If you have any intention of using a BLADE for the long haul, unlocking these rewards is paramount.

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Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is an RPG that is packed to the seams with systems, mechanics, and depth that give it an incredibly customizable experience.  With this information at your fingertips, you will now have a better understanding of a few of the important systems to get the most out of your time with the BLADES.