★ DLC Expansion Pass Wave 2 out now!
┗ New Hero: Ino | New Class: Noponic Champion
┗ New Mode: Challenge Battles | New Outfits: Swimsuits
★ List of All Hero Quests | List of All Ascension Quests
┗ Ino's Hero Quest: Champion of the Nopon
★ Best Hero Tier List | Best Arts | Best Classes
Heavy Guard is a type of Defender class in Xenoblade Chronicles 3 and is the default class of Lanz. 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.
List of Contents
Class | Role | Default Character | |
---|---|---|---|
Heavy Guard | Defender | Lanz | |
Attack | Defense | Health | Support |
C | S | D | B |
Description | |||
Heavy Guards use their massive weapons to defend allies. Alternatively, because of their high Defense, they are often used to draw out enemy aggro. |
Noah | Mio | Eunie |
---|---|---|
B | C | B |
Taion | Lanz | Sena |
D | S | A |
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.
Heavy Guard is the starting class of Lanz, 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.
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: Lanz.
Recommended Characters | |
---|---|
Lanz | Sena |
Lanz and Sena make excellent Heavy Guards due to their high amounts of HP and excellent defensive stats, allowing them to outlast many other characters.
Art | Attack Type | AoE | Base Effect |
---|---|---|---|
Bull Rush | Physical Attack | One Target | None |
Crash Out | Physical Attack | Frontward AOE | Boosts aggro generated when using Art by 50%. |
Solid Stance | Stance | Self | Reduces damage taken by 25% and damage dealt by 25%. |
As a Heavy Guard, you'll need to draw in enemy aggro to keep attacks away from your allies, while also making sure you can withstand attacks. Bull Rush is also kept in so you can still execute combos.
Unlike Zephyrs who have high evasion, Heavy Guards actually need to take all the damage the enemy inflicts on them, so Solid Stance is vital in this case.
Art | Base Effect | Class Rank |
---|---|---|
Glow Ring | Target Lock |
Rank 10 |
Mighty Beat | AOE / High aggro / Smash |
Rank 10 |
Flamelord | Front attack ↑ |
Rank 1 |
Other Defender Master Arts that can draw in aggro and force enemies to lock their target onto you are best for this class. Since this class will likely stay on the front lines, Flamelord also works well for them.
Art | Base Effect | Class Rank |
---|---|---|
Blossom Dance | High aggro / Pierce |
Rank 20 |
Though Mad Taunt is an excellent Art that draws in plenty of Aggro over a wide area, it does not inflict any damage to enemies. Blossom Dance is an equally great Talent Art for Heavy Guards, so it is also recommended.
Skill | Effect | Class Rank |
---|---|---|
Fighting Prowess | Boosts damage dealt by physical Arts by 30%. |
Rank 5 |
Protector's Pride | Boost recharge speed by 30% when non-Defenders are targeted. |
Rank 5 |
Natural Selection | Reduced damage taken by 20% when HP is at 30% or lower. |
Rank 5 |
Defender Master Skills are recommended for Heavy Guards since they are constantly being attacked by the enemy. Fighting Prowess is also a decent skill to equip since many of the Arts in the class are Physical Attacks.
Skill | Effect | Class Rank |
---|---|---|
Mind for Guarding | Increase damage reduction rate when blocking by 10 percentage points. |
Rank 15 |
Com an' Get Me! | When blocking, deals 100% of Attack damage to enemy drawing aggro. |
Rank 15 |
Fortified Ether Guard | Boosts Ether Defense by 10%. |
Rank 15 |
There are plenty of excellent Skills for Defenders that are available after Rank 10, so make sure to break the class limits of these classes to gain access to their Master Skills.
Among these, Fortified Ether Guard is the best skill to equip since the class already has a Physical Defense boosting skill, so it lacks defenses in Ether Attacks. However, this skill is only available in the post game.
Increased Maximum HP | Increased Block Rate | Increased Damage when Targeted |
---|---|---|
Titanium Temple Guard | Solid Weak Guard | Dragonfang Necklace |
As a Defender, Heavy Guards will need to withstand plenty of enemy attacks, so it is best to equip them with gear that increases HP and Block Rate. Since they will constantly be targeted by enemies, a Dragonfang Necklace, or an accessory with similar effects, is also recommended.
Increased Block Rate | Increased Maximum HP | Boosted Aggro from Arts |
---|---|---|
Steel Protection | Ironclad | Brimming Spirit |
Increasing the Block Rate and HP of Heavy Guards is ideal since they are constantly being attacked by enemies. Brimming Spirit is also great to have to draw in more enemy aggro.
Base Art Information | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Mad Taunt | Area of Effect | AOE around User | Power Multiplier | 0% |
Buff/ Debuff | - | Reaction | None | |
Recharge Type | Role Action Recharge | Recharge Gauge | 4 | |
Effect | None |
Base Art Information | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Bull Rush | Area of Effect | One Target | Power Multiplier | 200% |
Buff/ Debuff | - | Reaction | Topple | |
Recharge Type | Time Recharge | Recharge Gauge | 30s | |
Effect | None | |||
Crash Out | Area of Effect | Frontward AOE | Power Multiplier | 200% |
Buff/ Debuff | - | Reaction | None | |
Recharge Type | Time Recharge | Recharge Gauge | 20s | |
Effect | Boosts aggro generated when using Art by 50%. | |||
Uppercut Slash | Area of Effect | One Target | Power Multiplier | 300% |
Buff/ Debuff | - | Reaction | None | |
Recharge Type | Time Recharge | Recharge Gauge | 24s | |
Effect | Boosts aggro generated when using Art by 50%. | |||
Variable Turret | Area of Effect | One Target | Power Multiplier | 200% |
Buff/ Debuff | - | Reaction | None | |
Recharge Type | Time Recharge | Recharge Gauge | 30s | |
Effect | Blocks enemy attacks while Art is active. | |||
Solid Stance | Area of Effect | Self | Power Multiplier | 0% |
Buff/ Debuff | - | Reaction | None | |
Recharge Type | Time Recharge | Recharge Gauge | 50s | |
Effect | Reduces damage taken by 25% and damage dealt by 25%. |
Art | Rank Mastered |
---|---|
Crash Out | 1 |
Solid Stance | 10 |
Mad Taunt | 20 |
Arts Guide: List of All Arts and Effects
Skill | Base Effect |
---|---|
Defensive Soul | Boosts Physical Defense by 10%. |
I'll Protect You | Reduces damage taken by allies in a fixed radius by 20%. |
Aggravator | Accrues Aggro every second. |
Tenacious Blocker | Boosts Block Rate by 30% when HP is at 30% or lower. |
Skill | Rank Mastered |
---|---|
Defensive Soul | 5 |
Tenacious Blocker | 15 |
List of Attacker Classes | ||
---|---|---|
Swordfighter | Ogre | Flash Fencer |
Yumsmith | Full Metal Jaguar | Stalker |
Incursor | Soulhacker | Martial Artist |
Seraph | Machine Assassin | Royal Summoner |
List of Defender Classes | ||
---|---|---|
Zephyr | Heavy Guard | Guardian Commander |
Lone Exile | Lost Vanguard | Noponic Champion |
List of Healer Classes | ||
---|---|---|
Medic Gunner | Tactician | War Medic |
Thaumaturge | Strategos | Signifer |
Troubadour | Lifesage | - |
Heavy Guard Class Guide: Best Arts and Skills
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