Thanks to a complete translation of the last Xenoblade Chronicles X presentation and a recent interview, we have more details on the game’s online features, a huge number of which are asynchronous.
Doll Features
Before that, let’s run down some interesting traits of the Dolls. It turns out the Dolls have slots for the different weapons they have, and these weapons determine the Arts they use. There are slots for the hand, arm, spare weapons, back and shoulders. You can buy weapons, but not Super Weapons, which you have to manufacture yourself when you get their blueprints. Super Weapons fill out your slots, but are incredibly powerful.
Dolls Tactics include Catch, Cockpit Mode, and Overclock Gear. Dolls use Catch after Break, immobilizing your enemy and giving you extra damage, all of which is guaranteed. Cockpit Mode instantly recasts your arts but comes up randomly. Overclock Gear gives Dolls bonuses like faster Recasts and suspended fuel use.
Dolls have a special effect on other party members called Doll Defense. This is a defense boost on party members on foot, that goes up with every member that rides a Doll. If only one character is left without a Doll, his or her defense goes up as high as a Doll’s.
Asynchronous Online
While you can play with others live, most of Xenoblade Chronicles X’s online features are asynchronous. At the basic level, you’re always connected to the Network, so you can run across other players in the field to Scout and add to your party. They earn EXP, and this adds you into one of many 32 member Squads.
You can interact with others in your Squad, via Blade Report, to tell other players where you found an item for them to pick up, and Treasure Deal, which lets you give away items you found but don’t want.
Squad Quests And World Monsters
If you are online at the same time, you can play Squad Missions, earning a number of kills or items under a time limit. Finishing a Mission opens up the game’s synced online feature, the Squad Quest. Squad Quests are played by teams of four, but you can always get Elma or Lyn to join in in case you can’t connect with other players. You can find players in BLADE Home.
As you finish Squad Missions and Squad Quests, you increase the global Conquest Domination level, but this also draws out World Enemies, creatures more powerful than Overed. They are hard to fight, but also yield high value rewards, namely the best Dolls and equipment. Some World Enemies only come out at specific times.
New Squad/Union Information
You don’t join Squads at the onset, but only after a specific point in the game. You can still choose to play the Squad portions of the game solo or multiplayer. You can also join Squads your friends are in.
All Doll owners join a Union, which have their own function. Perform the action assigned to your Union and you will raise your rating. For example, Pathfinder Union is supposed to set up data probes and Interceptor takes out enemies. You will occasionally receive Uniongrams telling you which Unions are working hardest.
Unions provide a daily Union Salary, which offers things like repair tickets for Dolls who’ve run out of insurance. Depending on what you need at any one time, you may want to switch Unions. You have to pay a set free for this, so think carefully about what action you take.
Xenoblade Chronicles X will be released exclusively on the Wii U in 2015.
