What good is an RPG if it doesn’t have at least a few inexplicable stats that are impossible to discover the meaning of without thorough research? Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition is no stranger to this, though to its credit, the majority of its stats are self-explanatory in what they actually mean.
Related
8 Best Easter Eggs And Hidden Details In Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition
Xenoblade Chronicles X has lots of little details you might have missed. Here are some of the most significant.
It’s what they do that’s a bit more misleading. From giving numerical values that don’t directly correlate to the idea it presents, to stats that don’t really hint at what they actually do, there is a fair amount of confusion you might feel working out what each stat does. So let’s break them down, and see which are the best to focus on.
Every Stat And What It Does
There aren’t too many stats in Xenoblade Chronicles X, and most of them, at least at first glance, seem fairly self-explanatory. However, the way in which they are calculated is what makes them so odd. Here is each of them below.
|
Stat |
What It Does |
|---|---|
|
Total Melee Attack |
Your character’s overall melee attack stat, combing the base stat and weapon bonuses. |
|
Melee Attack |
Your character’s base melee stat, respective of their level and class. |
|
Melee Accuracy |
The chance to land a melee attack. This based on a formula that takes into account the enemy’s evasion stat. |
|
Total Ranged Attack |
Your character’s overall ranged attack stat, combing the base stat and weapon bonuses. |
|
Ranged Attack |
Your character’s base ranged stat, respective of their level and class. |
|
Ranged Accuracy |
The chance to land a ranged attack. This based on a formula that takes into account the enemy’s evasion stat |
|
Potential |
Boosts the amount of healing gained from Soul Voices, and the damage dealt by TP Arts |
|
Defense |
This reduces the damage you take by the indicated number. |
|
Evasion |
Your chance to avoid an attack. This is part of a formula that takes the enemy’s accuracy into account. |
|
Attribute Resistances |
These are percentage resistances to each attribute. A positive number reduces damage, while a negative number increases it. |
In the early game, you shouldn’t worry too much about prioritising ranged or melee weapons since they will overall be fairly unspecialised until you start unlocking more Arms Manufacturers. At this point, once you have unlocked plenty of classes and their skills, you can make a more refined build, and play around with these stats.
One stat that is a bit different is Defense. You would logically think it is a central stat, like it is in most games. However, Defense in this game is only useful early on. Taking on a high Defense armour is useful still, but it is much better to prioritise the stats and traits on a given piece of gear over the Defense stat.
The Best Stats To Invest In
While you will naturally try to build out all of your stats, any good party system will have you choosing just a few to excel in to really bring the most out of any character. In this sense, you should decide with your class if you want to primarily focus on ranged or melee Arts, and build your stats from there. However, there are two stats in particular you will want to invest in no matter what build you go for.
- Potential – Potential is one of the most powerful stats in the game. With Soul Voices one of the only means of healing, this ensures you stay alive, and deal high damage with your most powerful Arts.
- Attribute Resistances – The Defense stat is helpful in the early game, but its damage reduction is a pure numerical value rather than a percentage, and drops off incredibly quickly in the later game. Attribute Resistances should be built around the respective enemy you battle.
Potential is helpful for every build with the increased healing, but also means you have to rely less on tanks and healers. The aggro system of Xenoblade Chronicles X is significantly less complex than that of its predecessor, and so it is instead more viable to let everyone have highly damaging moves. Potential means everyone can dish out high damage, and keep the whole party healed up without any specific Arts.
As Defense wanes in usefulness, your various Attribute Resistances wax. These work off percentages, giving dramatically more protection than the base numbers of the Defense stat. This also means that if you have 100% resistance to a specific attribute, then you will only take a single point of damage, no matter how powerful the attack is.
You, of course, won’t be able to build all of these resistances to 100%, but it is valuable to pick an attribute and stick with it, or even build out multiple sets that you can swap to fit the occasion.
Next
Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition – Complete Overdrive Guide
Overdrive is overpowered, but also overly complicated. Here’s how to use.