Lost Vanguard Class Guide: Best Arts and Skills

Lost Vanguard is a type of Defender class in Xenoblade Chronicles 3 and is the default class of Monica. 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.

Lost Vanguard Class Overview

Lost Vanguard Basic Information

Class		Role	Default Character
Lost Vanguard		Defender	Monica
Attack	Defense	Health	Support
C	S	B	A
Description
A stout Defender, guarding allies all around with shield and Arts, while crushing foes with a mace.

Character Class Rating

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

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 Lost Vanguard

Recruit Monica by Completing Their Hero Quest

Lost Vanguard is the default class of Monica, a hero in Xenoblade Chronicles 3. To unlock this class and equip it to your main characters, you must first complete their Hero Quest: Vandham's Heir.

Vandham's Heir Walkthrough

Complete Promise to the Future 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 Promise to the Future.

Promise to the Future Walkthrough

Best Lost Vanguard Characters

Recommended Characters
Lanz	Sena

The best character for Lost Vanguards are extremely bulky tank characters that can withstand plenty of hits. High defense and HP characters like Lanz and Sena make amazing Lost Vanguards.

Best Lost Vanguard Arts

Recommended Combat Arts

Art	Attack Type	AoE	Base Effect
Shockwave	Physical Attack	One Target	Enemies performing Arts will be knocked back.
Taunt Pulse	Stance	Self	Deals continuous damage to enemies in a fixed radius and draws in more aggro.
Mighty Beat	Physical Attack	Frontward AOE	Boosts aggro generated when using Art by 50%.

Aggro-increasing Arts that also deal damage are best for Lost Vanguard builds since they draw enemies to them while also whittling down their health. Taunt Pulse is especially great at performing this task and is highly recommended.

Recommended Master Arts

Rank 1 and 10 Master Arts

Art	Base Effect	Class Rank
Crash Out	AOE / High Aggro	Heavy Guard Rank 1
Solid Stance	Def. Up / Atk. Down	Heavy Guard Rank 10
Gale Slash	AOE / Aggroed ↑	Lone Exile Rank 1

Like in Combat Arts, Aggro-increasing Arts are best for the Lost Vanguard class since damage does not matter much for the class. Solid Stance is also highly recommended since the decreased Attack barely effects them.

Rank 20 Master Arts

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

The Talent Art of Lost Vanguard only really works well when attacking Machine enemies. When attacking other enemy types, an aggro-increasing Art like Blossom Dance is much more ideal for Lost Vanguard builds.

Best Master Skills for Lost Vanguard 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

Lost Vanguards will constantly be battered by attacks from enemies, so Master Skills that help them last longer on the battlefield are ideal. Defensive Soul is the best skill of the buch, but is not as necessary since the class already has incredible Physical Defenses.

Rank 15 Master Skills

Skill	Effect	Class Rank
Tenacious Blocker	Boosts Block Rate by 30% when HP is at 30% or lower.	Heavy Guard Rank 15
Mind for Guarding	Increase damage reduction rate when blocking by 10 percentage points.	Guardian Commander Rank 15
Fortified Ether Guard	Boosts Ether Defense by 10%.	Royal Summoner Rank 15

When they become available, it is best to replace most if not all your Master Skills with the Rank 15 Master Skills listed above. Fortified Ether Guard specifically is the most recommended Master Skill since the class has lower Ether Defense than other Defenders, but it is only available in the Post Game.

Best Accessories for Lost Vanguard Builds

Increased Maximum HP	Increased Block Rate	Boosts aggro from Auto-Attacks
Iron Temple Guard	Heavy Weak Guard	Lazure Vambraces

Accessories that are fit for Defender classes are ideal for Lost Vanguard builds, especially those that increase their HP and Block Rate as these are especially important for the class.

List of Accessories

Best Gems for Lost Vanguard Builds

Increased Maximum HP	Boosted aggro from Arts	Deals damage when Damage is Taken
Ironclad	Brimming Spirit	Ultimate Counter

The most vital stat for Lost Vanguards is their HP, so increasing this stat with Gems is ideal. Ultimate Counter is another highly recommended Gem due to how many hits the class can withstand.

All Gems and Their Effects

List of Lost Vanguard Arts

Talent Arts

Base Art Information
Thunder Steel	Area of Effect	Frontward AOE	Power Multiplier	500%
	Buff/ Debuff	Bind	Reaction	None
	Recharge Type	Role Action Recharge	Recharge Gauge	3
	Effect	Boosts damage dealt to Machines by 70%.

Combat Arts

Base Art Information
Shockwave	Area of Effect	One Target	Power Multiplier	180%
	Buff/ Debuff	-	Reaction	Knockback
	Recharge Type	Auto-Attack Recharge	Recharge Gauge	7
	Effect	Enemies performing Arts will be knocked back.
Taunt Pulse	Area of Effect	Self	Power Multiplier	0%
	Buff/ Debuff	-	Reaction	None
	Recharge Type	Auto-Attack Recharge	Recharge Gauge	12
	Effect	Deals continuous damage to enemies in a fixed radius and draws in more aggro.
Mighty Beat	Area of Effect	Frontward AOE	Power Multiplier	165%
	Buff/ Debuff	-	Reaction	Smash
	Recharge Type	Auto-Attack Recharge	Recharge Gauge	4
	Effect	Boosts aggro generated when using Art by 50%.
Shield Wall	Area of Effect	Self	Power Multiplier	0%
	Buff/ Debuff	Ether Anchor	Reaction	None
	Recharge Type	Auto-Attack Recharge	Recharge Gauge	8
	Effect	While performing guard Arts, periodically recover 3% of HP.
Electro Field	Area of Effect	AOE around User	Power Multiplier	0%
	Buff/ Debuff	Armor Veil	Reaction	None
	Recharge Type	Auto-Attack Recharge	Recharge Gauge	8
	Effect	Field range of effect - small

Master Arts

Art	Rank Mastered
Shield Wall	1
Mighty Beat	10
Thunder Steel	20

Hero-Exclusive Arts

Base Art Information
Geo Breaker	Area of Effect	Frontward AOE	Power Multiplier	195%
	Buff/ Debuff	-	Reaction	Smash
	Recharge Type	Auto-Attack Recharge	Recharge Gauge	3
	Effect	Boosts aggro generated when using Art by 70%.
Bolt Flinger	Area of Effect	AOE around User	Power Multiplier	0%
	Buff/ Debuff	Armor Veil	Reaction	None
	Recharge Type	Auto-Attack Recharge	Recharge Gauge	8
	Effect	Field range of effect - medium
Lightning Strike	Area of Effect	One Target	Power Multiplier	325%
	Buff/ Debuff	-	Reaction	Blowdown
	Recharge Type	Auto-Attack Recharge	Recharge Gauge	7
	Effect	Boosts aggro generated when using Art by 70%.

Arts Guide: List of All Arts and Effects

List of Lost Vanguard Skills

Class Skills

Skill	Base Effect
Com an' Get Me!	When blocking, deals 100% of Attack damage to enemy drawing aggro.
Now That's Tactics!	At start of Chain Attack, increase TP by 5.
Never Again!	Grants 10% chance to absorb attack dealt to allies within range.
Stay Right There	When taking damage, 10% chance to inflict Knockback on assailant.

Master Skills

Skill	Rank Mastered
Now That's Tactics!	5
Com an' Get Me!	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	-