Battle System and Combat Guide: Battle Mechanics Explained

Master the intuitive combat system in Xenoblade Chronicles 3 with our Combat Guide. Here we will explain the basic battle mechanics of XC3, such as Combat Roles Arts, Auto-Attacking, and Aggro.

Combat System Basics and Mechanics

Combat Roles

Aggro System

Basic Attacks

Learn Each Art Type

Combat Roles

Each party member takes on one of three Combat Roles in battles. Learning about the characteristics of each role is one of the keys to winning battles.
All Classes and Roles

Attacker

Attackers deal damage to enemies better than other classes. Make sure to attack enemies from the side or the back to improve the amount of damage dealt. Properly using Defenders will also reduce aggro from monsters.

Defender

These characters specialize in guarding and evading enemy attacks. These skills, as well as their high defense, make them the ideal candidate for drawing the aggro of enemies, allowing your Attackers and Healers to remain healthy.

Healer

Healers take on a mainly supportive role, their main duties being healing and reviving allies. Though they are usually not the strongest characters in your party, they are still very important during combat, especially against tougher enemies.

Aggro System

When characters with high Defense (such as Defenders) are being attacked, a Blue Target Line will be displayed

When characters with low Defense (such as Attackers or Healers) are being attacked, a Red Target Line will be displayed

The Color of an Enemy’s Target Line will determine what characters they are currently attacking. A red Target Line means that characters with lower defenses are currently being targeted, while a blue Target shows that Characters with higher defenses are being targeted.

Basic Attacks Are Used Automatically

Characters will automatically attack enemies when not given a specific command. Although these attacks are not incredibly strong, they do allow you deal damage to enemies while formulating a combat strategy so make sure to position your characters in their ideal attack range to avoid losing DPS!

Learn Each Art Types

Learning how to use each arts and art types is one of the most important aspects of learning the battle system of Xenoblade Chronicles 3! Each art offers different benefits and they all have their own unique mechanics so learn each arts and how to use them all effectively in battle!
Arts Guide: List of All Arts and Effects

Combat Guide and Tips

Use Quick Move to Create an Opening

Use Combo Attacks

Use Area-Based Healing and Revival Arts

Check the Health Bars of Enemies

Fight Enemies One-by-One

Master Cancelling Attacks

Use Quick Move to Create an Opening

The Quick Move action allows you to sidestep quickly in combat. This is a good move to use to keep your Attacker at the offensive advantage while reducing the damage they receive.

Use Combo Attacks

Using Combat Arts in tandem with your allies allows you to inflict various status conditions, giving you the advantage in battle. Make sure that the Arts that are equipped to each character have great synergy with your battle strategy.

Use Area-Based Healing and Revival Arts

One of the Arts of the ‘Medical Gunner’ Eunie is called Healing Circle. When activated, it creates a small circle that slowly heals the HP of any ally standing in it. Healers also can revive fallen units by constantly pressing A near them, allowing you to remain on the offensive.

Using healing arts like these and maximizing their value in battle can make battles much easier!

Check the Health Bars of Enemies

There are 4 categories of monsters found in Xenoblade Chronicles 3 that can be recognized by the icon found on the left side of their health bar. Use this to gauge how to handle the situation properly.

Fight Enemies One-by-One

Instead of fighting large groups of enemies at the same time, luring a single enemy away from their allies by taunting them allows you to defeat them with less effort. This can be helpful if you are trying to defeat Elite Monsters.

Master Cancelling Attacks

By successfully cancelling attacks (noted by a blue flash above the character's head), you can avoid taking necessary damage from enemies. This skill is particularly useful with slower characters like Sena, who is powerful but slow attacks can leave her open to being attacked.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Related Guides

Tips and Tricks

Tips and Tricks