Xenoblade Chronicles 3: The Best Upgrades to Get First

For fans of the action role-playing game Xenoblade Chronicles 3, knowing which of the game’s countless upgrades to get from the Soul Tree first can be a bit of a challenge. Developed by Monolith Soft and Nintendo, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 was practically made for the Nintendo Switch. As the fourth installment of the Xenoblade Chronicles franchise and the eighth main entry in the Xeno series, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 has been very popular since its 2022 release.

Despite Xenoblade Chronicles 3 auto-selling abilities once players have reached the 20 upgrade cap, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is still considered one of the best RPGs of 2022. Although it seems impossible to gather every upgrade, there are loads of early-game skills that players should grab first. As Interlinking characters is an important feature in Xenoblade Chronicles 3, the Art Cancel skill makes for an important ability that starting players should focus on collecting from the Skill Tree early, as it paves the way for later abilities.

The Best Upgrades to Get First

Heat Gauge: Time

The Heat Gauge in Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is an orange meter that appears under interlinked characters’ portraits. During the Interlink process, powerful Ouroboros Arts can be utilized without limit, but the Heat Gauge will slowly increase over time. While players link powerful party members in Xenoblade Chronicles 3, the Heat Gauge: Time ability slows the rate in which the Heat Gauge fills up, therefore giving players more time to use powerful Talent Arts.

Arts Canceling

After upgrading the Heat Gauge’s drain time, players should focus on Arts Canceling in Xenoblade Chronicles 3. When players cancel an Art, they are able to slice the end off an animation while still delivering the full damage form the previous attack, plus some bonuses from whatever they cancel into. With the Arts Canceling skill equipped, a faint circle will appear to indicate that the player pulled off the Arts Cancel correctly. For players to master canceling Arts in Xenoblade Chronicles 3, they need to repeatedly press the button for the second Art during the first Art’s animation.

Heat Gauge: Arts

As players utilize Interlinking in Xenoblade Chronicles 3, the Heat Gauge: Arts ability will give them an incredible bonus. When characters Interlink, their new forms gain access to the Ouroboros Arts, which will begin to fill the Heat Gauge. The Heat Gauge: Arts upgrade allows the Interlink level to reach a maximum of three, therefore giving players greater use of their Ouroboros Arts in battle. If this is the strategy, players need to remember that filling the Heat Gauge ends the transformation, causing the worst and best heroes in Xenoblade Chronicles 3 to return to their normal forms and classes.

In conclusion, going for Arts Canceling and Heat Gauge upgrades in that order takes players through useful skills in Xenoblade Chronicles 3. One important node players can obtain after Heat Control and Arts Canceling is Eunie’s skill that gives up to +500% damage based on the number of buffs on the party. Players can link this ability to Taion as well, making their finishers astronomically strong in chain attacks if all their healers use party buffs in the final round.

Source: YouTube/NintendoAmerica

• Xenoblade Chronicles 3

  Franchise: Xenoblade Chronicles

  Platform: Nintendo Switch

  Released: 2022-09-30

  Developer: Monolith Soft

  Publisher: Nintendo

  Genre: Action RPG, Open-World

  ESRB: T

  Summary: Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is the third mainline entry in the Xenoblade Chronicles franchise, set in the new world of Aionios. In this open-world action RPG, the two nations, Keves and Agnus, are constantly at war. At the center of it all are young adults with limited lifespans due to the nature of their upbringing. Nearing their final years, two groups of youths led by a young man named Noah and a young woman named Mio find the true enemy is not each other but the puppeteer controlling their lives. Together, they will travel the land to unmask a conspiracy and regain control of their lives.

  How Long To Beat: 61Hours

  Expansion Packs : Expansion Pass Volume 1, 2, 3, 4

  Prequel: Xenoblade Chronicles 2