Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Xenoblade Note Vol. 5 (Heroes, Cooking, Gem Crafting, new music tracks)

Nintendo have shared the 5th Xenoblade Note blog post on their Topics website, providing us with some more details about Xenoblade Chronicles 3. This time, the focus is on Heroes, extra activities (such as Cooking and Gem Crafting), and music (with some new music tracks to listen to!).

Here’s the list of blog posts available:

• Xenoblade Note Vol. 2 (Battle System)
• Xenoblade Note Vol. 3 (Exploring the world)
• Xenoblade Note Vol. 4 (Battle System: Arts and Fusion Arts, Classes and Class Change, Cancelling, Chain Attacks, more)
• Xenoblade Note Vol. 5 (Heroes, Cooking, Gem Crafting, new music tracks)
• Xenoblade Note Vol. 6 (Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Direct)
• Xenoblade Note Vol. 7 (Overview trailer, Battle System, Ouroboros, Heroes)
• Xenoblade Note Vol. 8 (Side activities, Expansion Pass, Commercials)

Let’s start right away with the music. The first track featured in Xenoblade Note Vol. 5 is A Life Sent On. A deeply moving tune played by Off-Seers like Noah and Mio for those who have fallen on the battlefield. The sound of the flutes give a gentle but sad feeling to this track.

The second track is new: it’s called The Weight of Life (Japanese title: Inochi o Seotte). The quiet melody of this track quickly gives way to a more tense, up-tempo tune. You can really feel the emotions of the 6 party members as they fight, each harboring their own thoughts and feelings.

Finally, the third track (which is also new) is called Keves Battle. It’s a track you really should be quite familiar with if you’ve already watched one of the many videos shared by Monolith Soft. on Twitter. As the name indicates, it’s one of the battle themes. The flutes at the beginning sound like they’re signalling the start of battle!

Next, here’s the footage from this 5th Xenoblade Note blog post:

Unfortunately, there was no new video clip this time (it was all previously shared via Twitter), but at least, said footage is now available in top quality (1080p/60fps)!

Heroes, the 7th Party Members

As you progress through the story, special characters will join Noah and the others as the 7th party member. Those characters are called Heroes, and when you recruit them and they officially join your party, they will fight alongside you in battle. However, there’s a big catch: you will not be able to control those Heroes directly!

Here’s the various Heroes revealed so far:

• Riku and Manana: they join your party as a pair. Their Class is “Yamsmith” (role: Attacker). A versatile pair of Heroes who can use their attacks to weaken enemies and change the flow of battle.
  • 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 as the Head Chef 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!

• Valdi (voiced by Yuu Kobayashi in Japanese): he specialises in support. He can use Arts to heal the other party members, but also boost their abilities. As a War Medic (Healer), he can use an Art that heals all allies at once. Valdi hails from Keves, and he’s a mechanic who excels at developing and maintaining weapons. His love for weapons is without equal… so much so that he gives a name to each and every weapon he puts his hands on. Maybe that love is the very reason he’s so skilled at developing quality weapons! In a cutscene, we see him attacking Noah and his companions for their being able to transform into Ouroboros, but then he seems to change his mind…

• Zeon (voiced by Ryouta Ousaka in Japanese): his Class is Guardian Commander (a Defender), and he uses his sword and shield to fight and protect his allies. Zeon hails from Keves, and while he seems to have known Noah and the others for a long time, he now seems to have a grudge against them. He’s described as a reliable ally who can hold his ground against strong enemies, what with his abilities being enhanced in tough situations (against enemies that are stronger than him). It appears that food shortages have become a major issue for Zeon’s Colony back in Keves. Every day is a struggle for him, and he’s always thinking about the lives of his friends.

• Juniper (voiced by Rie Kugimiya in Japanese): her class is Ghostbow (an Attacker), and she can hit enemies’ blind spots with her bow, dealing massive damage. She can safely hunt enemies by hiding her presence. While Juniper (Yuzuriha in Japanese) appears to be from Agnus, she usually lives a quiet life in the forest. She’s a friendly person who has earned the trust of the inhabitants of her colony. Juniper is pretty agile and can swiftly move across trees and thin ropes with relative ease — she’s really at home in the forest!

This Xenoblade Note Vol. 5 blog post confirms that those are not all the Heroes in Xenoblade Chronicles 3: there are more of them for you to meet in the game!

Taking a break in your adventure – Rest Spots

Next, the Xenoblade Note Vol. 5 blog post goes over the Rest Spots. Once you’ve discovered one, you can skip travel to it at any time, just like any other Landmark. Therefore, before you go and explore an area, it’s recommended to find a Rest Spot first.

Here’s some of the activities you can take part in at Rest Spots:

• Cooking: Manana will cook some delicious dishes for you… provided you bring her the required ingredients. Cooking is pretty important, as it can grant temporary bonuses like extra EXP or rewards at the end of battles depending on the dish you picked up. Also, Manana may occasionally have some flashes of inspiration, and come up with ideas for new dishes.

• Gem Crafting: Gems can be crafted from items found during your travels or obtained from enemies as drops after defeating them. To craft some Gems, talk to Riku at a Rest Spot. Gems are powerful pieces of equipment that can boost your attack power, improve the recovery rate of your characters, and provide various boosts in battle. Each character can equip their own set of Gems.

But that’s not all: there are more things to do at a Rest Spot, but those will be revealed at a later date!

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

Source: Nintendo