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Xenoblade Chronicles X Skells Make Exploring Its Open World Better
The Xenoblade Chronicles series always featured plenty of exploration. So many quests take you on journeys to far-fledged corners of the map. From wandering across the severed arm of a mechanical titan or the ruins and depths of a skyscraper-filled city overgrown by a deep jungle, Monolith Soft asks you to wander, see strange things just out of reach, and wonder how to get there. Xenoblade Chronicles X featured Skells, pilotable mechs that act as a second layer for each playable character, and they help both to enhance combat and open up exploration. To start, Xenoblade Chronicles X opens with your avatar being very small and fragile. You barely survive the crash of the White Whale shop. The things you'll notice first when wandering around Mira is how big the creatures are, how many things are out of reach, and how outmatched you are in a fight against many of the threats. Big animals and Ganglion scouts can kill you in very few hits. As Xenoblade tradition dictates, a gigantic, monkey-shaped, level 81 enemy named Hayreddin the Territorial is in the very first area you can access. So many areas are set up like this. You get exposed to dangerous environments or roadblocks you can just barely get past with your normal movement and strength or cant even traverse at all. That's where the Skells come in. Image via Monolith Soft The Skells are dangled in front of you from the moment you set foot in New LA. The units help with construction, with riding through the streets, and when standing guard across the town. However, you need to earn the license to use one. After completing chapter 6 of the main story, you can show your mastery of the things a member of the BLADE organization needs to know. Stepping into your first Skell is a major turning point that opens up the world. You can use the Skell's boosters to go faster and farther than ever before, jumping over things in its vehicle or mech state. It opens up a new layer to combat. In previous Xenoblade games, overcoming obstacles either required finding the right wall to climb, tunnel to follow, or field skill to unlock. Skells instead are both like getting a new party member as well as a mount that can carry you to places where, even if the mech might not be fully outfitted yet, your characters' skills might be able to keep you safe. That's all before flight is unlocked. Later in the story, a flight unit for the Skells is developed. If you're willing to brave some very high level creatures lurking in these out of reach areas, you can go anywhere. All the massive hanging structures and geographical formations that were out of reach are now within your grasp. You can find new, important resources and see beautiful sights. You can finally explore places that contain great gear for your characters and the Skells. In previous games, you would be hopping from fast travel point to fast travel point, walking to try and find the one location you missed or the clearest path. The ability fly flight eliminates that frustration completely. Image via Monolith Soft This continues into combat, as there are some enemies and rare bosses that can only be fought inside a flying Skell. In addition, the upgrades mean enemies that once terrorized you on foot now may now be an even match. New strategic options open up with super weapons. Do you focus on the basic rifles and missiles or use a railgun the size of a building strapped to your back? Do you get up close and personal with a rocket-powered drill spear or keep the enemy stunned with a shock field emitter? Both exploration and combat are far more layered with Skells than without. This helps keep every combat encounter fresh since you experiment with different loadouts for both your Skells and characters. Image via Monolith Soft The Skells are one of Xenoblade Chronicles X's most important assets. They are a prime example of Monolith Soft's desire to put exploration and adventure at the forefront of the game. It not only offered options to mix and match ranged and melee weapons on foot, but the Skells crack it and the exploration open even further. With Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition on the horizon, I'm most excited to take flight once again to uncharted areas to experience whatever dangers and wonders they hold. Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition releases for the Nintendo Switch on March 20, 2025 The post Xenoblade Chronicles X Skells Make Exploring Its Open World Better appeared first on Siliconera.
The Xenoblade Chronicles series always featured plenty of exploration. So many quests take you on journeys to far-fledged corners of the map. From wandering across the severed arm of a mechanical titan or the ruins and depths of a skyscraper-filled city overgrown by a deep jungle, Monolith Soft asks you to wander, see strange things just out of reach, and wonder how to get there. Xenoblade Chronicles X featured Skells, pilotable mechs that act as a second layer for each playable character, and they help both to enhance combat and open up exploration.
To start, Xenoblade Chronicles X opens with your avatar being very small and fragile. You barely survive the crash of the White Whale shop. The things you'll notice first when wandering around Mira is how big the creatures are, how many things are out of reach, and how outmatched you are in a fight against many of the threats. Big animals and Ganglion scouts can kill you in very few hits. As Xenoblade tradition dictates, a gigantic, monkey-shaped, level 81 enemy named Hayreddin the Territorial is in the very first area you can access. So many areas are set up like this. You get exposed to dangerous environments or roadblocks you can just barely get past with your normal movement and strength or cant even traverse at all.
That's where the Skells come in.
The Skells are dangled in front of you from the moment you set foot in New LA. The units help with construction, with riding through the streets, and when standing guard across the town. However, you need to earn the license to use one. After completing chapter 6 of the main story, you can show your mastery of the things a member of the BLADE organization needs to know. Stepping into your first Skell is a major turning point that opens up the world. You can use the Skell's boosters to go faster and farther than ever before, jumping over things in its vehicle or mech state. It opens up a new layer to combat. In previous Xenoblade games, overcoming obstacles either required finding the right wall to climb, tunnel to follow, or field skill to unlock. Skells instead are both like getting a new party member as well as a mount that can carry you to places where, even if the mech might not be fully outfitted yet, your characters' skills might be able to keep you safe.
That's all before flight is unlocked. Later in the story, a flight unit for the Skells is developed. If you're willing to brave some very high level creatures lurking in these out of reach areas, you can go anywhere. All the massive hanging structures and geographical formations that were out of reach are now within your grasp. You can find new, important resources and see beautiful sights. You can finally explore places that contain great gear for your characters and the Skells. In previous games, you would be hopping from fast travel point to fast travel point, walking to try and find the one location you missed or the clearest path. The ability fly flight eliminates that frustration completely.
This continues into combat, as there are some enemies and rare bosses that can only be fought inside a flying Skell. In addition, the upgrades mean enemies that once terrorized you on foot now may now be an even match. New strategic options open up with super weapons. Do you focus on the basic rifles and missiles or use a railgun the size of a building strapped to your back? Do you get up close and personal with a rocket-powered drill spear or keep the enemy stunned with a shock field emitter? Both exploration and combat are far more layered with Skells than without. This helps keep every combat encounter fresh since you experiment with different loadouts for both your Skells and characters.
The Skells are one of Xenoblade Chronicles X's most important assets. They are a prime example of Monolith Soft's desire to put exploration and adventure at the forefront of the game. It not only offered options to mix and match ranged and melee weapons on foot, but the Skells crack it and the exploration open even further. With Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition on the horizon, I'm most excited to take flight once again to uncharted areas to experience whatever dangers and wonders they hold.
Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition releases for the Nintendo Switch on March 20, 2025
The post Xenoblade Chronicles X Skells Make Exploring Its Open World Better appeared first on Siliconera.
