Zephyr Class Guide: Best Arts and Skills

Zephyr is a type of Defender class in Xenoblade Chronicles 3 and is the default class of Mio. Read on to learn more about the class, including its best arts, skills, characters, accessories, and gems, as well as find out how to unlock the class.

Zephyr Class Overview

Zephyr Basic Information

Class		Role	Default Character
Zephyr		Defender	Mio
Attack	Defense	Health	Support
B	A	C	B
Description
Zephyrs are highly evasive defenders useful in drawing out enemy aggro while dishing out counter-damage from a safe distance.

Character Class Rating

Noah	Mio	Eunie
A	S	D
Taion	Lanz	Sena
B	C	B

Class Rating is the speed at which each character ranks up an individual class, so the lower their Class Rating, the slower it takes for them to rank up the class.

How to Unlock Zephyr

Unlock Class Changing in Chapter 2

Zephyr is the starting class of Mio, one of the main characters in Xenoblade Chronicles 3, so their class will be available for other party members to equip once you are able to change classes.

Changing classes is unlocked after completing The Hillside Hulk Standard Quest during Chapter 2 of the game.

Mio Character Profile

Complete Side Story: Mio to Unlock Rank 20

After you unlock this class, it will have a rank cap of 10, so you are unable to upgrade its Arts and skills further than that rank. To break the rank cap and extend the limit up to Rank 20, you must first complete the quest Side Story: Mio.

Side Story: Mio Walkthrough

Best Zephyr Characters

Recommended Characters
Mio	Eunie	Sena

The Agility stat is extremely imporant for Zephyr builds. Among our main characters, Mio, Eunie, and Sena excel at this the most. At Rank 10, Mio has the highest Agility stat, followed by Eunie and Sena.

Best Zephyr Arts

Recommended Combat Arts

Art	Attack Type	AoE	Base Effect
Butterfly Blade	Physical Attack	One Target	Boosts aggro generated when using Art by 50%.
Air Fang	Physical Attack	One Target	Boosts damage dealt against attacking enemies targeting you by 50%.
Speed Demon	Stance	Self	Boosts evasion by 30% and reduces damage dealt by 15%.

Instead of just pure bulk, Zephyrs mostly rely on evasion to defend themselves from enemy attacks. It is important for Zephyrs to not only draw enemy aggro, but also increase their evasion or agility.

Since Defenders are usually the characters being targeted by enemies, Air Fang makes an incredibly useful Art for reducing damage.

Recommended Master Arts

Rank 1 and 10 Master Arts

Art	Base Effect	Class Rank
Crash Out	AOE / High Aggro	Heavy Guard Rank 1
Noble Taunt	Taunt	Guardian Commander Rank 1
Gale Slash	AOE / Aggroed ↑	Lone Exile Rank 1

We highly recommend using aggro-increasing Arts that also deal plenty of damage like Gale Slash or Crash Out. Noble Taunt is also useful to get several enemies to target you with a single Art.

Rank 20 Master Arts

Art	Base Effect	Class Rank
Blossom Dance	High aggro / Pierce	Lone Exile Rank 20

Though Zephyr already has an excellent Talent Art that works well with the class, if you plan on replacing it with a different Rank 20 Master Art, we recommend Blossom Dance since it ignores defenses and generates plenty of aggro.

Best Master Skills for Zephyr Builds

Rank 5 Master Skills

Skill	Effect	Class Rank
Defensive Soul	Boosts Physical Defense by 10%.	Heavy Guard Rank 5
Protector's Pride	Boost recharge speed by 30% when non-Defenders are targeted.	Guardian Commander Rank 5
Natural Selection	Reduced damage taken by 20% when HP is at 30% or lower.	Lone Exile Rank 5

Though the Zephyr class is primarily an evasive defender, Skills that reduce the damage they receive are recommended since they are never guaranteed to always dodge attacks. Protector's Pride is also a good choice to quickly recharge your Arts and draw in more aggro.

Rank 15 Master Skills

Skill	Effect	Class Rank
Fortified Ether Guard	Boosts Ether Defense by 10%.	Royal Summoner Rank 15

Though you may not have access to this Master Skill until the post game, it is an excellent skill to add to your arsenal once you have it available due to the increased Ether Defense.

Best Accessories for Zephyr Builds

Boosted Evasion while Stationary	Boosted Aggro after Evading	Boosted Damage when Enemies Targeting You
Metal Foot Protector	Signet Ring	Beastfang Necklace

Zephyrs rely on evading attacks as a means of defense, so boosting their evasion is best. Increasing the aggro they generate and boosting their damage are also great effects to grant Zephyrs.

List of Accessories

Best Gems for Zephyr Builds

Increased Agility	Increased Maximum HP	Shortens Auto-Attack Interval
Tailwind	Ironclad	Steady Striker

For Zephyr builds, it is best to equip Gems that either increase their agility, so they are better at evading attacks, or increase their HP, so they can better withstand attacks. Since it is an Agnus class, this class recharges its Arts with Auto-Attacks, so shortening their intervals allows for quicker recharge.

All Gems and Their Effects

List of Zephyr Arts

Talent Arts

Base Art Information
Gemini Strike	Area of Effect	One Target	Power Multiplier	500%
	Buff/ Debuff	-	Reaction	None
	Recharge Type	Role Action Recharge	Recharge Gauge	3
	Effect	Evades attacks. Also boosts aggro generated when using Art by 50%.

Combat Arts

Base Art Information
Butterfly Blade	Area of Effect	One Target	Power Multiplier	110%
	Buff/ Debuff	-	Reaction	None
	Recharge Type	Auto-Attack Recharge	Recharge Gauge	3
	Effect	Boosts aggro generated when using Art by 50%.
Air Fang	Area of Effect	One Target	Power Multiplier	145%
	Buff/ Debuff	-	Reaction	None
	Recharge Type	Auto-Attack Recharge	Recharge Gauge	4
	Effect	Boosts damage dealt against attacking enemies targeting you by 50%.
Wide Slash	Area of Effect	One Target	Power Multiplier	245%
	Buff/ Debuff	-	Reaction	None
	Recharge Type	Auto-Attack Recharge	Recharge Gauge	8
	Effect	While Art is active, evades enemy attacks at the cost of a low Critical Rate.
Glow Ring	Area of Effect	One Target	Power Multiplier	180%
	Buff/ Debuff	Target Lock	Reaction	None
	Recharge Type	Auto-Attack Recharge	Recharge Gauge	8
	Effect	None
Speed Demon	Area of Effect	Self	Power Multiplier	0%
	Buff/ Debuff	-	Reaction	None
	Recharge Type	Auto-Attack Recharge	Recharge Gauge	12
	Effect	Boosts evasion by 30% and reduces damage dealt by 15%.

Master Arts

Art	Rank Mastered
Wide Slash	1
Glow Ring	10
Gemini Strike	20

Arts Guide: List of All Arts and Effects

List of Zephyr Skills

Class Skills

Skill	Base Effect
Stormy Gale	Boosts Agility by 10%.
I'll Defend You	8% chance to prevent attacks on allies within a fixed radius.
Split-Second Counter	Deals 100% of Attack damage when you evade an attack.
Ether's Sanctuary	Boosts Ether Defense by 10%.

Master Skills

Skill	Rank Mastered
Split-Second Counter	5
Stormy Gale	15

List of All Skills

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Related Guides

All Classes and Roles

All Attacker Classes

List of Attacker Classes
Swordfighter	Ogre	Flash Fencer
Yumsmith	Full Metal Jaguar	Stalker
Incursor	Soulhacker	Martial Artist
Seraph	Machine Assassin	Royal Summoner

All Defender Classes

List of Defender Classes
Zephyr	Heavy Guard	Guardian Commander
Lone Exile	Lost Vanguard	Noponic Champion

All Healer Classes

List of Healer Classes
Medic Gunner	Tactician	War Medic
Thaumaturge	Strategos	Signifer
Troubadour	Lifesage	-