Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Direct: all about the world, story, characters and combat system

The Nintendo Direct of Xenoblade Chronicles 3 has given us 20 minutes of the game to delve into its story and characters, its world, the new combat system and even its expansion pass and amiibo. Monolith Soft's title is looking even better and the great news is that we won't have to wait long to get our hands on it, as it will be released on July 29th.

Story and main characters

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is set in the world of Aoinios, composed of two opposing nations: Keves and Agnus. In perpetual conflict, the inhabitants of Aoinios are raised as soldiers from birth. The game's story unites six soldiers, three from each side, who must lay down their weapons and join forces in the face of a common threat.

The chosen ones are Noah (the protagonist and a leader who easily wins the trust of his allies), Eunie (a smooth talker, but with a big heart), Lanz (a strong fighter specialized in hand-to-hand combat), Mio (a kind and compassionate eximia), Taion (a shrewd strategist) and Sena (small, but incredibly strong). The group will join forces to save the world, but their alliance and mission could not be seen in a worse light by the people of Keves and Agnus, who persecute them as traitors.

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Xenoblade Chronicles 3 world

The world of Aionios is home to a wide variety of environments. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is full of spectacular geographical features and diverse wildlife. But just like the lands they inhabit, the wild beasts of this world can be tame or very dangerous. Not to mention the hostile soldiers of Keeves and Agnus. Dozens of dangers and confrontations from which we will only be safe when we visit the colonies of both nations.

The colonies are the nerve centers and in them we can buy all kinds of objects and equipment, eat something (cooking whatever we want with the ingredients obtained), meet their inhabitants and discover snippets of the life of Noah and his friends in the resting places (unlocking several side missions).

The locations we visit will be saved as markers that we can then select to travel quickly from one place to another. An indispensable feature in a realm of such dimensions in that it is easy to get lost and cross paths with the wrong monster. In Xenoblade Chronicles 3, breathtaking landscapes, valuable objects and fearsome monsters await us. Traveling involves sliding down dunes, climbing, following tracks, sailing, jumping into the void and even confronting mobile colonies known as Ferronis, devastating weapons of war.

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Combat system

The formula of Xenoblade Chronicles 3 will be familiar to veterans of the game. Combat will begin when we pull out our weapon when we come across an enemy. We will automatically attack when we approach and the grace is to learn to master the different skills known as arts to win the victory. Arts that serve to, for example, destabilize the enemy and hit him in a position where he suffers more damage. Or to heal the team. Each one is assigned to a button, being able to use many with great ease.

Each character plays a different role in combat. Attackers like Noah inflict a lot of damage to the enemy, guardians like Lanz block enemy attacks and attract their attention, and healers like Mio restore health points. All of them have to do their job perfectly to get out of each combat successfully, and we can switch between them whenever we want.

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Linking arts trigger combos, there are chain attacks and each team member has a class that influences the way they fight. Attackers can be swordsmen or ogres, guardians can be zephyrs or fierce, and healers can be artillerymen or tacticians. As it can be expected, all of them are upgradeable, customizable and capable of being developed.

But in addition, the characters can be combined in the form of Uroboros, a kind of perfect transformation to sweep the battlefield. Depending on the combinations, one creation or another will emerge and their strengths and weaknesses will change. Unstoppable fusions against big bosses and essential to give the best critical hits.