Party composition is essential to any JRPG, and the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 classes are no exception. Throughout this long adventure, you will constantly be unlocking new arts to deliver some game-changing amounts of damage, though having the correct class for an individual party member will further improve your chances of victory. However, despite damage being of high importance, having roles dedicated to tanking hits and healing your party is also crucial. With that in mind, here is a breakdown of the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 classes.
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Choosing A Class
In Xenoblade Chronicles 3, party members are not restricted to one specific class like in previous instalments, as you unlock the ability to change over to a completely different category of class. For example, Noah (one of the main characters) starts off as a Swordfighter in the Attacker class but can later be changed over to a Defender or Healer.
This allows you to learn arts from other classes and combine them with a character’s native class. However, this will only apply if you have ranked up a class to the maximum level and have access to Master Skills and Arts.
Being able to access this level of customisation will make your playthrough of the game entirely unique, especially when you start to dive into the combinations of arts for an individual party member. It’s unknown when this feature is made available to you, but I’d expect it to be implemented during a lengthy tutorial section like the series has done in the past with other mechanics.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Classes: Attacker
As the name implies, Attackers will of course be your main damage dealers during your playthrough, with their arts reflecting this during level up. At the time of writing, we know of six individual variations of the Attacker class: Swordfighter, Ogre, Incursor, Full Metal Jaguar, Stalker, and Yumsmith. Each of these learn different arts and have slightly different playstyles – Swordfighter is up-close and personal, while Full Metal Jaguar takes on a more ranged style of play.
Although Attackers are inherently good at dealing damage to your enemies, it also comes at a cost, as you’re more likely to draw aggro to that specific party member. To counteract this, you will want to take advantage of your arts strategically – don’t overuse them – and make sure that your Defenders are constantly distracting your target.
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Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Classes: Defender
Defenders are absolute Tanks – they’re used as damage sponges – and should be drawing aggro away from other classes. There are four types of Defenders: Zephyr, Heavy Guard, Lone Exile, and Guardian Commander. Zephyr is Mio’s starting class, as she uses Rings as a weapon to distract enemies. Then you have Heavy Guard, which uses a giant greatsword-like weapon to land deadly blows onto an enemy.
Nevertheless, Defenders will occasionally fall into the danger zone when it comes to hit points (HP), meaning you will need to prioritise healing them when the time comes. Xenoblade 3’s party consists of a varied bunch of heroes, so you will want to balance out the team with I’d say at least two or three Defenders. Personally, two would be ideal, as you want to make sure that you’re dealing constant damage to ensure victory.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Classes: Healer
Healers are essential to survival in Xenoblade Chronicles 3 and should be effective at restoring and reviving a party member’s health bar. There are four types of Healers: Medic Gunner, Tactician, War Medic, and Signifier. Those who have played the original Xenoblade Chronicles may be familiar with the Medic Gunner class, as Sharla was essentially tied to that class with a similar playstyle.
Healers can also be used to provide buffs and debuffs from a safe distance, allowing your party to succeed in dealing more damage while also avoiding potential tragedies. Again, you will want to make sure that Healers are not being targeted by enemies, so using your Defenders effectively will negate this possibility.
That’s everything you need to know about the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 classes before it launches on July 29th.