Xenoblade Chronicles 3: all the details, pictures, videos from the official Twitter account

Announced during the Nintendo Direct presentation on February 9th/10th, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 will be released on July 29th on Nintendo Switch. Just like they did for Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Monolith Soft. are planning to share some details, pictures, and videos on the official Twitter account.

And on this page, you will find everything they share in one place! Naturally, we will keep updating this page as soon as something new is shared, so make sure to keep checking back!

Here’s a YouTube playlist with all the videos in one place:

May 20th

Today’s update shares some details about two of Noah’s Arts. His class is Sword Fighter, and his Arts are quite effective when hitting enemies from the sides or the back:

• Sword Strike: deal lots of damage when hitting an enemy from the sides
• Thrust Edge: deal lots of damage when hitting an enemy from the back

Today’s update also shares details about a returning feature: Landmarks. You will find lots of them all around Aionos, and once you’ve discovered one, you can skip travel to it. There’s also some rare landmarks called “Secret Area”, and it’s up to you to find out what kind of places they are!

May 18th

Today’s update introduces two more regions of Aionios:

• Great Cotte Falls: a region with a massive waterfall, and deep waters for you to swim in. You can see the Iron Giant of Colony Lamba (led by Isurd). The smell of imminent conflict hangs in the air…
• Maktha Wildwood: a region covered in lush forests, with massive trees. The fruits you can harvest there are quite simply scrumptious! It may be a good idea for you to keep an eye out for ingredients during your travels.

May 17th

Today’s update introduces another key character: Isurd (voiced by Tomoaki Maeno in Japanese), the commander of Colony Lambda and one of Agnus’ finest strategists. A straightforward man who has earned the respect of his subordinates. He is haunted by a certain event of his past — an event he feels guilty about.

In the past, Taion used to be his subordinate. Isurd had a lot of respect for him as fellow strategist, and so he taught him all he knew about tactics and the likes. So why is he now attacking his former protégé?

May 16th

Today’s update shares some details about additional party members.

As you progress through the story, you will encounter some special characters called “Heroes”. Those Heroes will join you party, and if they end up joining for good (which implies you have to “recruit” them first), they will fight alongside Noah and the others in battle as the 7th party member.

Here’s two of them:

• Riku (voiced by Sayaka Senbongi in Japanese), a Nopon from Colony 9 in Keves (like Noah and his friends), who sports some rather thick eyebrows. Back at the colony, he’s a mechanic in charge of both item crafting and the maintenance of the Iron Giant. He’s a keen Nopon who always keeps his cool, no matter the situation, and the advice he provides Noah and the others is well worth heeding. Weapons need some maintenance? Riku is your man Nopon!
• Manana (voiced by Aya Suzaki in Japanese), a Nopon who hails from Agnus and a companion of Mio and the others’. If her chef toque wasn’t clear enough, her specialty is cooking. Her skills are without pair, which is why it’s no big surprise she was in charge of cooking back at her former colony. Manana is literally obsessed with food, so if you come across something that could be used as an ingredient during your adventures, make sure to give it to Manana so that she can whip up one mouth-watering dish! Manana is bound to brighten your travels with her cheerful personality.

Riku and Manana take part in battle as a pair. Their battle role is Attacker, and they use their attacks to weaken enemies and change the flow of battle.

May 13th

Today’s update gives us a good look at two regions of the game:

• Millick Meadows: vast, sprawling grasslands traversed by a river. Be careful, as many monsters can be found near that river, including some ferocious plant-like monsters that attack on sight! All that nature is a balm to the soul…
• Eagus Wilderness: a desert area subjected to sandstorms. Unlike the Millick Meadows and their boundless nature, this is a harsh region for Noah and his friends, which is why you might want to spend some time at the oasis. It appears that a giant mechanical finger can be found somewhere in this region.

May 12th

Today’s update has more details about the battle system in Xenoblade Chronicles 3.

First, we have Arts. They’re significantly more powerful than auto-attacks, but once you’ve used them, you need to wait for the gauge to refill before you can use them again. Knowing when to use your various Arts is key!

Next, we have an extremely important feature for players who don’t want to be wrecked by a mob of angry monsters (especially when trying to defeat a Unique monster): Luring. Instead of charging ahead without thinking, it’s recommended you lure enemies away, so you can defeat them one by one.

May 11th

Today’s update is about enemy types in Xenoblade Chronicles 3. There are 4 of them:

• Normal
• Elite: stronger than normal monsters
• Unique: even stronger monsters, who have their own surname (like everyone’s favourite from Xenoblade Chronicles: Territorial Rotbart)
• Lucky: they are more or less the same as Normal monsters (same strength, for example), but you’re more likely to get good drops by defeating them. Make sure to defeat any Lucky monster you come across!

You can tell at a glance the type of an enemy you’re facing by looking at the symbol to the left of its name (when targeting it).

May 10th

Today’s update introduces another character: Cammuravi (voiced by Taiten Kusunoki in Japanese). He’s the commander of Agnus’ Colony Delta.

His weapon of choice is a long, fiery spear. On the battlefield, he’s known as “Smolderin” due to his inferno-like ferocity. Cammuravi is a hot-headed man with the mindset and behaviour of a true warrior. He always fights battles honorably, and respects his enemies from Keves.

May 9th

Today’s update has some more details about the battle system, and more precisely target switch. Just like in past Xenoblade Chronicles games, the characters you’re not controlling will attack enemies on their own, automatically. When you’re fighting a lot of enemies at once, it’s recommended to switch targets and take enemies down one by one.

May 6th

Today’s update is about character switch. In Xenoblade Chronicles 3, you will be able to switch characters on the fly while exploring the world, without having to head to any menu.

We also get some more details about Ethel. In the past, she went and saved Noah and his friends (who were child soldiers of Keves at the time) from an Agnus attack. Since that day, Noah and his friends have looked up to her. But then, why is she now treating them as enemies?

May 2nd

Today’s update is about the Healing Circle. Eunie is a Medic Gunner, which means she can use that handy Art that allows you to heal allies from a distance. Any character standing inside that circle will recover HP gradually. Make sure to have an Attacker move inside the Healing Circle if their HP are running low!

Next: Revive. Healers can revive allies that have fallen in battle by moving next to them, and pressing + holding the A button. Only Healers can revive characters, so make sure they’re not the first to be incapacitated!

Finally, today’s update details a new element called Quick Move. It allows an Attacker to quickly jump to the side, which is pretty handy when you need to reposition them or when an ally needs some help. However, there’s a catch: this technique requires the Attacker to sheathe their Blade, preventing them from attacking for a few moments. Make sure to use this technique judiciously!

April 28th

Today, another character is introduced: Ethel (voiced by Atsumi Tanezaki in Japanese), who serves as the Military Commander of Keves’s Colony 4. She wields two slender swords. Stories are told of her subduing three colonies at once with just 100 soldiers. There isn’t anyone in Keves who hasn’t heard of “Silvercoat Ethel” (“Shirogane no Ethel” in Japanese).

Ethel is a woman of strong convitions, known for her intelligence. She has won the trust of many of her subordinates. Despite them being from Keves, she attacks Noah and his allies, going as far as calling them monsters.

April 26th and 27th

The latest Twitter updates are about the battle roles. Broadly speaking, there are 3 distinct roles, and naturally, each one has its own strengths and weaknesses. You need to keep those in mind in order to gain the upper hand in battle.

• Attacker: their strength lies in attack. They can deal lots of damage by attacking enemies from their flanks or their back. They are at the very heart of your team’s offense, but their high attack power makes them highly likely to be targeted by enemies (making it harder for them to hit weak points). Attackers need to be able to avoid attacks in order to hit enemies from an advantageous position.
• Defender: their strength lies in guarding and evading enemy attacks, but also in attracting the attention of enemies. They take enemy attacks head on, so that they don’t reach their allies. Attackers and Healers are likely to be targeted by enemies, which is why a Defender is a key member of the team as they can take heat off their allies!
• Healer: they support the team by using skills to recover HP and boost the attack and defense of allies. They even revive allies that have run out of HP. Enemy attacks can chip away at your team’s HP real fast, which is why the Healer role is a crucial one!

In battle, when an enemy is targeting a character, a line called “Target Line” shows up on the screen. That line can be of two colours:

• Red: if an Attacker or Healer (who are not as good at defense as Defenders) is being targeted, then the Target Line turns red. If that’s the case, you need to be careful!
• Blue: if a Defender is being targeted, then the Target Line turns blue. That’s a good thing, as it means the enemy is targeting the characters with the best defense.

Attacker can deal lots of damage to enemies by attacking from their flanks or their back. If an Attacker is being targeted by an enemy, they might get in trouble, so you need to have a Defender step in to protect them as soon as possible. In order to gain the upper hand in battle, you really need to keep in mind the strengths and weakness of each battle role, and reposition your characters accordingly depending on the flow of battle.

April 25th

The latest Twitter update shares details about two characters:

• a mysterious enemy seen in the second trailer. As Noah, Mio, and the others were fighting each others on the battlefield, this giant suddenly attacked them all. Just who is this extremely powerful enemy who belongs to neither Keves nor Agnus?
• Guernica Vandham (voiced by Tesshou Genda in Japanese): an equally mysterious man who suddenly appears in front of Noah and the others as they’re fighting each others on the battlefield. He tells the group that their real enemy isn’t Keves or Agnus, and urges them to reach for “The Land Where the Giant Sword Lies.”

April 22nd

The latest Twitter update shares some details about the weapons soldiers of Keves and Agnus use in battle: Blades. Soldiers can materialise their own weapon at will. They can take various forms depending on their personal characteristics: swords, guns, shields, hammers, and more.

Aionios is home to a large number of monsters, and just like in past Xenoblade Chronicles games, it’s up to you to decide whether to battle them or not. To start the battle, simple take our your Blade! But you need to be careful: some enemies may be far too strong for you, and if that’s the case, it’s highly recommended you flee right away. Knowing which enemies you can take on and when to flee is key to survival!

Here’s the footage shared along with this update:

April 21st

The latest Twitter update gives us another look at the various Ouroboros you will be able to control in battle:

• Noah and Mio’s Ouroboros wields a large and rather impressive sword
• Lanz and Sena’s Ouroboros sports large shields on its arms, allowing it to fight while defending allies
• Taion and Eunie’s Ouroboros can use powerful healing arts that can revive allies that have run out of HP.

Also, Monolith Soft. specifies that only specific pairs can Interlink and turn into an Ouroboros.

April 20th

The latest Twitter update shares details about what can be seen in the second trailer for the game.

In this trailer, we get to see Noah and Mio: they used to be enemies, but they suddenly find themselves targeted by the world. The six characters (Noah, Mio, Lanz, Sena, Eunie, and Taion) targeted by both Keves and Agnus decide to join forces in order to uncover the truth about their world, Aionios.

The trailer also showcases a new feature called Interlink, which allows two characters to fuse and turn into a giant form called Ouroboros. When they do, their strength increases dramatically, and they can use special techniques. You can trigger this fusion at any time during battle, but you can only hold it for a certain amount of time before you overheat (which cancels the fusion). Noah and Mio can fuse together, just like Lanz and Sena, and Eunie and Taion.

Finally, Monoltih Soft. shared an infographic showing the relationships between the various characters that appear in the trailer:

February 18th

The latest Twitter update introduces some more characters:

• a mysterious man who, in the trailer, tells Noah, Mio, and the others that they are not enemies. He certainly looks familiar… And just what is that land where the giant sword stands?
• the Nopon are back in Xenoblade Chronicles 3! There’s Riki and his brushy eyebrows, Manana and her chef toque, and others. What do those two look like in this game?

February 17th

The latest Twitter update shares details about Aionios, the world you will get to explore in Xenoblade Chronicles 3. It’s home to two hostile nations: Keves and Agnus. Just like in past games, there’s vast areas to explore with fields, oceans, and more… not to mention the usual giant creatures populating them. Players will be able to swim in the sea, but it looks like they will also be able to make use of some boat-like vehicle. It looks like you can even glide on tightropes to get around the world!

The armies of Keves and Agnus are both centered around huge mobile weapons called “Iron Giants”. There’s dozens of them in each country, and each own has its own regiment and living quarters.

The Iron Titans, where soldiers live, is called a Colony. Each colony is numbered, and has its own specific role such as manufacturing weapons instead of simply fighting.

February 16th

The third Twitter update introduces two more characters:

• Eunie (voiced by Megumi Han in Japanese): an 18 years old soldier from Keves, who wields a gun-shaped staff called Gunrod in battle. A childhood friend of Noah and Lanz whose specialty lies in healing during battles. Those wings on her head sure feel familiar… Eunie is rather outspoken. She’s the rudest member of the group, but also a quick learner. She respects Noah, and she gets on well with Lanz because she can speaks her mind with him. She has a strong sense of responsibility towards her friends.
• Taion (voiced by Ryouhei Kimura in Japanese): an 18 years old soldier from Agnus who wields a mysterious origami-like weapon called Katashiro. He loves it so much, he’s actually given it a nickname: Mondo! He’s a level-headed tactician who excels at providing support. The black glasses and the orange scarf he wears are his trademark. Tyon is an ally of Mio and Sena, who fully trust his insight and tactics. He can also be rather cautious, and tends to get blunt when his patience runs short.

February 15th

The second Twitter update introduces two more characters:

• Lanz (voiced by Kousuke Tanabe in Japanese): an 18 years old soldier from Keves, just like Noah. His large physique is a definite plus in battle, especially when it comes to swinging around that huge sword of his (which can also be used as a shield). He’s a reliable ally who fights while protecting his friends. Lanz is a childhood friend of Noah, and due to a certain incident in their past, he’s vowed to protect his friend at all costs. Because of that vow, he often tends not to worry too much about his own life, and often acts rather recklessly.
• Sena (voiced by Miyuki Satou in Japanese): an 18 years old soldier from Agnus, who wields a massive hammer in battle. She’s an ally of Mio. Her hair and parts of her body have a mysterious blue glow. Sena has spent a lot of time together with Mio, and she looks up to her like an older sister (she’s 1 year younger than her). Her hobby? Muscal training! She’s rather proud of her strength, and while she’s usually cheerful and full of energy, she’s rather shy and suffers from a lack of confidence.

February 14th

The first Twitter update introduces two key characters:

• Noah (voiced by Ryouhei Arai in Japanese): an 18 years old soldier from Keves, whose bright red weapon will certainly feel familiar to fans of the Xenoblade Chronicles series. He’s not exactly the beefy type, but nonetheless, his physical strength truly is nothing to scoff at. The way he holds his weapon sort of makes him look like a Samurai. Noah is Keves’s off-seer, an individual who mourns for soldiers who have lost their lives on the battlefield. He has seen many friends die on that very battlefield, which is why he’s fighting against this world where the only way to survive lies in taking the lives of other people.
• Mio (voiced by Minami Tsuda in Japanese): an 19 years old soldier from Agnus, who wields twin rings as weapons. Her speed is without pair, which is why dodging attacks is her specialty. She has a pair of really distinctive ears. Just like Noah, she’s an off-seer. She’s a sincere and kind person, well-liked by her peers, but she does have the tendency to keep her problems to herself.

In this world where people live to fight, and fight to live, you never really know when you or your friends will lose their lives. The sound of Noah and Mio’s flutes is both beautiful and sad, and has sent off countless souls.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (Switch) comes out on July 29th worldwide.

Source: Monolith Soft. (Twitter)