A guide to Arts, a mechanic in Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition (XC1) for the Nintendo Switch. Here you can find a list of all Arts, as well as an explanation on how to use and level up Arts.

List of Arts

Shulk

Tap to Close or Open

Name	Lv. Learnt	Effect	Power (%)	CD (sec.)
Turn Strike	1	Physical Art Heavy damage to a single target, and inflicts Break (10 sec).	500	-
Activate Monado	-	- Art Unleash the Monado's power to use a Monado Art.	-	-
Buster	-	Physical Art Use the Monado's full strength to attack all enemies in a line.	250 ~ 700	-
Enchant	-	Ether Art Causes attacks to pierce Mechon armour. Boosts damage slightly.	-	-
Shield	-	Ether Art Deflects enemy Talent Arts of the same level or lower.	-	-
Speed	-	Ether Art Envelop an ally in the Monado's power, improving evasion.	-	-
Purge	-	Ether Art Inflicts Aura Seal, removing enemy Auras and Spike effects.	200 ~ 353	-
Eater	-	Ether Art The Monado's power consumes enemies, including any buffs.	150 ~ 303	-
Armor	-	Ether Art The Monado's protection reduces physical and ether damage.	-	-
Cyclone	-	Ether Art The Monado's power attacks enemies all around its wielder.	300 ~ 408	-
Slit Edge	3	Physical Art Attacking from the side will reduce physical defence.	60 ~ 204	10 ~ 8.2
Back Slash	1	Physical Art Attacking from behind will inflict a large amount of damage.	200 ~ 380	20 ~ 14.6
Light Heal	1	Ether Art Gather the ether in the air to restore the HP of 1 party member.	216 ~ 423	25 ~ 18.2
Shaker Edge	23	Physical Art Slash at the enemy, inflicting Daze.	120 ~ 246	40 ~ 14.8
Air Slash	14	Physical Art Break the enemy's stance. A side attack may inflict Slow.	150 ~ 303	15 ~ 8.2
Shadow Eye	10	Ether Art Reduces aggro and increases physical Arts damage.	-	45 ~ 36.9
Battle Soul	32	Ether Art Sacrifice half of HP to fill Talent Gauge.	-	60 ~ 43.8
Stream Edge	5	Physical Art Swing weapon in front, attacking multiple enemies.	150 ~ 303	30 ~ 21.9

Reyn

Tap to Close or Open

Name	Lv. Learnt	Effect	Power (%)	CD (sec.)
Mad Taunt	1	Ether Art Taunt an enemy, drawing aggro and becoming the enemy target.	-	-
Hammer Beat	1	Physical Art Swing weapon, drawing aggro from enemies in range.	110 ~ 254	12 ~ 9.8
Wild Down	1	Physical Art Slice at an enemy's feet, inflicting Topple.	80 ~ 206	25 ~ 13.8
Guard Shift	9	Ether Art Use weapon to block attacks.	-	40 ~ 25.6
War Swing	8	Physical Art Full circle swing, dealing damage to enemies in range.	30 ~ 66	60 ~ 22.2
Sword Drive	16	Physical Art Stab an enemy, dealing a large amount of damage.	450 ~ 603	90 ~ 57.6
Berserker	19	Ether Art Aura that disregards defence to prioritise attack.	-	45 ~ 24.8
Shield Bash	27	Physical Art Hit the enemy with a shield, inflicting Daze.	60 ~ 186	30 ~ 8.4
Engage	11	Ether Art Aura that greatly raises aggro, drawing enemy attention.	-	90 ~ 49.5
Last Stand	23	Ether Art Aura that revives Reyn once before he is Incapacitated.	-	120 ~ 87.6
Rage	3	Ether Art Aura that lowers physical damage. Talent Gauge refills over time.	-	60 ~ 33
Magnum Charge	35	Ether Art Reyn gets fired up and his Arts damage increases.	-	80 ~ 65.6
Bone Upper	1	Physical Art Assault the enemy with a mighty punch.	50 ~ 194	8 ~ 5.8
Dive Sobat	31	Physical Art A paralysing kick. Use after Bone Upper to reduce agility.	130 ~ 256	35 ~ 19.2
Aura Burst	5	Ether Art Available when an Aura is active. Attack reduces enemy strength.	100 ~ 253	20 ~ 16.4
Anchor Chain	39	Ether Art Aura that prevents Knock-Back, Blow-Down and aggro reduction.	100 ~ 100	60 ~ 33
Lariat	43	Physical Art Deal damage to multiple enemies in front of Reyn.	200 ~ 353	30 ~ 16.5

Dunban

Tap to Close or Open

Name	Lv. Learnt	Effect	Power (%)	CD (sec.)
Blossom Dance	1	Physical Art Unleash the power within, slicing for as long as your focus endures.	150	-
Blossom Dance (2nd Strike)	1	Physical Art A follow-up for Blossom Dance triggered by timing a B press at the right time.	200	-
Blossom Dance (3rd Strike)	1	Physical Art Follows up Blossom Dance 2nd Strike, and hits twice.	125	-
Blossom Dance (4th Strike)	1	Physical Art Follows up Blossom Dance 3rd Strike, hits enemies within a close range and draws aggro.	450	-
Gale Slash	1	Physical Art Stab an enemy quickly and deeply inflicting Bleed damage.	100 ~ 208	15 ~ 12.3
Electric Gutbuster	1	Physical Art Deal a devastating kick. Inflicts Break if used after Gale Slash.	60 ~ 186	8 ~ 6.6
Peerless	1	Ether Art Aura of high spirits cures party of Confuse and increases strength.	-	45 ~ 24.8
Worldly Slash	1	Physical Art Combo lowering physical defence. After Gale Slash, lowers strength.	80 ~ 161	30 ~ 19.2
Battle Eye	1	Ether Art Fix your gaze firmly on a single enemy, creating an Aura of focus.	-	75 ~ 41.2
Steel Strike	1	Physical Art Pulverise the enemy with a precise attack, inflicting Topple.	200 ~ 353	30 ~ 16.5
Serene Heart	28	Ether Art A peaceful and focused Aura that increases Accuracy and Evasion.	-	45 ~ 24.8
Final Flicker	52	Ether Art Sacrifice HP to refill the Talent Gauge.	-	60 ~ 33
Jaws of Death	48	Ether Art Aura that recovers HP just before Incapacitation.	-	120 ~ 66
Tempest Kick	32	Ether Art Air waves deal damage. Removes enemy buffs after Gale Slash.	150 ~ 303	30 ~ 19.2
Heat Haze	36	Ether Art An inscrutable Aura removes all aggro and increases Critical Rate.	-	90 ~ 65.7
Spirit Breath	22	Ether Art Aura that removes debuffs and grants Haste.	-	45 ~ 20.7
Soaring Tempest	44	Physical Art Spin up into the air, striking foes all around with shockwaves.	60 ~ 114	90 ~ 49.5
Thunder	40	Ether Art A pulse attacks enemies behind. If used with an Aura, forces Daze.	250 ~ 403	40 ~ 22
Demon Slayer	56	Physical Art A powerful attack on one enemy reverberates to all others.	300 ~ 453	120 ~ 87.6
Blinding Blossom	24	Ether Art Impressive exploits draw aggro from a party member to Dunban.	-	30 ~ 21.9

Sharla

Tap to Close or Open

Name	Lv. Learnt	Effect	Power (%)	CD (sec.)
Cool Off	1	Ether Art Cools an overheated Ether gun.	-	-
Heal Bullet	1	Ether Art A shot of recovery ether, restoring some HP to target.	198 ~ 549	25 ~ 18.2
Thunder Bullet	1	Ether Art Two-hit combo, critical against flying enemies.	90 ~ 207	20 ~ 11
Shield Bullet	1	Ether Art Releases a special barrier of ether that absorbs some damage.	-	90 ~ 49.5
Cure Bullet	1	Ether Art Removes debuffs from target and grants temporary debuff immunity.	-	30 ~ 16.5
Drive Boost	50	Ether Art Reduces cooldown of all Arts except Drive Boost.	-	120 ~ 66
Heal Blast	14	Ether Art A shot of recovery ether, restoring a large amount of HP to target.	330 ~ 924	90 ~ 33.3
Heal Round	18	Ether Art Shoot recovery ether into the air, restoring HP to the entire party.	220 ~ 616	60 ~ 49.2
Head Shot	42	Physical Art A critical hit, inflicting Instant Death on enemies suffering Daze.	300 ~ 453	120 ~ 33.6
Metal Blast	16	Physical Art Shoot a powerful bullet in a straight line, inflicting Break.	120 ~ 255	60 ~ 49.2
Aura Bullet	34	Ether Art A special ether bullet that extends the duration of an Aura.	-	60 ~ 38.4
Heat Bullet	22	Ether Art Releases special ether bullet that increases the tension of the party.	-	30 ~ 16.5
Head Shaker	30	Physical Art Pistol whip the enemy, inflicting Daze.	200 ~ 380	90 ~ 57.6
Covert Stance	26	Ether Art Aura that stops you gaining aggro, reducing attacks from enemies.	-	45 ~ 32.8
Heal Counter	38	Ether Art Create a special ether barrier that restores HP when attacked.	-	60 ~ 43.8
Tranquilliser	12	Ether Art An ether bullet with hypnotic qualities, inflicting Sleep.	-	40 ~ 22
Cure Round	46	Ether Art Removes debuffs, grants a period of debuff immunity to the party.	-	45 ~ 24.8

Riki

Tap to Close or Open

Name	Lv. Learnt	Effect	Power (%)	CD (sec.)
Yoink!	1	Physical Art Steal something that Riki likes from the enemy.	100	-
Happy Happy	1	Ether Art Riki does his happy dance, filling the Party Gauge.	-	90 ~ 67.7
Bitey Bitey	1	Physical Art Riki bites out, inflicting Bleed. From behind extends duration.	150 ~ 231	30 ~ 24.6
Sneaky	1	Physical Art Riki sneaks up from behind, dealing lots of damage.	100 ~ 208	15 ~ 12.3
Play Dead	1	Ether Art Riki plays dead. Enemies ignore him, allowing a surprise attack.	-	90 ~ 49.5
Lurgy	1	Ether Art Riki chews poisonous grass from Makna and spits it out in a cloud.	40 ~ 67	45 ~ 32.8
Hero Time	1	Ether Art The Heropon charges ahead with a blessed Aura surrounding him.	-	30 ~ 16.5
Roly-Poly	1	Ether Art The bigger you are, the harder you fall!	-	60 ~ 33
Behave	1	Ether Art Riki throws petals from Makna, making any enemy placid.	-	50 ~ 27.5
Riki is Angry	47	Ether Art This Aura lets enemies feel the pain of a Heropon's wrath!	-	120 ~ 55.2
Bedtime	35	Ether Art Riki spins his weapon, sending all enemies in range straight to sleep.	-	120 ~ 66
You Can Do It	27	Ether Art Restore HP to the party. The more debuffs, the more HP restored.	216 ~ 441	30 ~ 19.2
Peekaboo	51	Physical Art Gleefully thwack the enemy. As a side attack, Confuses Mechon.	200 ~ 353	25 ~ 13.8
Say Sorry	55	Physical Art Removes debuffs from enemy, but deals extra damage for each one.	200 ~ 353	60 ~ 43.8
Burninate	43	Ether Art Riki spits out fire, scorching all enemies in range.	100 ~ 172	90 ~ 25.2
Freezinate	31	Ether Art Riki spits saliva that instantly freezes around an enemy.	50 ~ 158	10 ~ 8.2
Tantrum	40	Physical Art Riki lashes out at enemies, inflicting Break.	50 ~ 152	20 ~ 11

Melia

Tap to Close or Open

Name	Lv. Learnt	Effect	Power (%)	CD (sec.)
Elemental Discharge (Electric)	1	Ether Art Fires off the element summoned through Summon Bolt and attacks the enemy.	250 ~ 403	-
Elemental Discharge (Fire)	1	Ether Art Fires off the element summoned through Summon Flare at the enemy and attacks the enemies within range with Blaze Damage.	90 ~ 153	-
Elemental Discharge (Ice)	54	Ether Art Fires off the element summoned through Summon Ice in a circle around Melia to inflict Chill Damage to enemies in the area.	120 ~ 201	-
Elemental Discharge (Wind)	38	Ether Art Fires off the element summoned through Summon Wind and attacks enemies within the area.	150 ~ 303	-
Elemental Discharge (Earth)	46	Ether Art Fires off the element summoned through Summon Earth to attack and poison enemies.	60 ~ 114	-
Elemental Discharge (Water)	30	Ether Art Fires off the element summoned through Summon Aqua and attacks the enemy, absorbing their HP.	20 ~ 47	-
Summon Bolt	1	Ether Art Electricity increases ether. Discharge inflicts large damage.	250 ~ 403	15 ~ 12.3
Summon Flare	1	Ether Art Fire increases strength. Discharge inflicts Blaze damage.	90 ~ 153	30 ~ 24.6
Summon Ice	56	Ether Art Ice reduces ether damage. Discharge inflicts Chill damage.	120 ~ 201	45 ~ 16.7
Hypnotise	1	Ether Art Wrap the enemy in warm ether, sending them to sleep.	-	60 ~ 33
Spear Break	26	Physical Art Throw the enemy back. Physical attack.	120 ~ 255	25 ~ 13.8
Shadow Stitch	29	Ether Art Ether from the ground restricts movement of enemies in range.	-	120 ~ 87.6
Summon Copy	38	Ether Art Resummon the last summoned elemental.	-	45 ~ 24.8
Reflection	50	Ether Art A special ether barrier that causes attacks to rebound on the enemy.	-	30 ~ 16.5
Summon Wind	41	Ether Art Wind increases agility. Discharge inflicts area damage.	150 ~ 303	25 ~ 18.2
Summon Earth	47	Ether Art Earth reduces physical damage. Discharge inflicts Poison damage.	60 ~ 114	90 ~ 49.5
Summon Aqua	33	Ether Art Water causes HP regeneration. Discharge drains enemy HP.	20 ~ 47	15 ~ 12.3
Healing Gift	35	Ether Art Sacrifice own HP to restore the HP of a party member.	100 ~ 100	10 ~ 8.2
Starlight Kick	44	Physical Art A devastating kick. Physical close-combat attack.	150 ~ 312	40 ~ 22
Power Effect	53	Ether Art An Aura that excites elementals, boosting the range of their effects.	-	45 ~ 32.8
Burst End	1	Ether Art Release latent power, reducing the defence of enemies in range.	-	60 ~ 33
Mind Blast	-	Ether Art Release internal strength to seal enemy Arts.	300 ~ 453	90 ~ 57.6

Seven

Tap to Close or Open

Name	Lv. Learnt	Effect	Power (%)	CD (sec.)
Cannon Drones I	-	Ether Art Drones form a cannon, unleashing a large beam in a straight line.	1000	-
Cannon Drones II	-	Ether Art Drones form a cannon, unleashing a large beam in a straight line.	1500	-
Shield Drones I	-	Ether Art Drones become a barrier, granting Fiora the Shield effect.	-	-
Shield Drones II	-	Ether Art Drones become a barrier, granting temporary debuff immunity.	-	-
Gun Drones I	-	Ether Art Drones surround Fiora, firing deadly beams in all directions.	120	-
Gun Drones II	-	Ether Art Drones surround Fiora, firing deadly beams in all directions.	180	-
Sword Drones I	-	Ether Art Drones turn into four arms, slicing viciously at the targeted enemy.	100	-
Sword Drones II	-	Ether Art Drones turn into four arms, slicing viciously at the targeted enemy.	125	-
Sword Drones X	-	Ether Art Drones turn into four arms, slicing viciously at the targeted enemy.	150	-
Double Blade	1	Physical Art Attacking from behind will inflict a large amount of damage.	120 ~ 255	15 ~ 12.3
Healing Energy	1	Ether Art Removes debuffs and creates a Regenerate Aura.	-	60 ~ 38.4
Spear Blade	1	Physical Art Heavy damage on enemies suffering Topple.	240 ~ 393	30 ~ 24.6
Cross Impact	1	Physical Art A kick attack in a cross formation, inflicting Daze.	160 ~ 259	45 ~ 24.8
Speed Shift	61	Ether Art Aura reduces attack intervals and grants double attack opportunity.	-	120 ~ 87.6
Zero Gravity	1	Ether Art Produces a special field that inflicts Paralysis.	240 ~ 384	90 ~ 65.7
Lock-On	46	Ether Art Lock Fiora's sights onto a single enemy, creating an Aura of focus.	-	90 ~ 49.5
Ether Drain	1	Ether Art Special field that absorbs ether.	-	30 ~ 16.5
Double Wind	42	Physical Art A dual-bladed outward slash, striking enemies in front.	200 ~ 335	40 ~ 29.2
Mag Storm	49	Ether Art Release an ether wave striking all in range. Inflicts Daze on Mechon.	200 ~ 344	60 ~ 49.2
Shutdown	52	Physical Art Strike an enemy, inflicting Sleep.	150 ~ 303	45 ~ 24.8
Air Fang	1	Physical Art Vicious fang attack, inflicting Break.	200 ~ 308	10 ~ 8.2
Power Drain	58	Ether Art Create a special field that absorbs strength.	-	25 ~ 16
Guard Shift	55	Ether Art Protective Aura that shifts priority from attack to defence.	-	50 ~ 32
Second Gear	43	Ether Art Tense all the muscles in the body, increasing physical Arts damage.	-	120 ~ 44.4
Final Cross	-	Ether Art Release a massive ether wave to annihilate enemies.	300 ~ 408	180 ~ 115.2

What Are Arts?

Powerful Battle Attacks

Arts are essentially active specials, and unlike auto-attacks, you will have to select Arts when you want the character you control to use one. Arts can deal damage, restore HP to party members, cast buffs or debuffs, provide protection, and more, helping to define that character's role. Arts can be classified as either Physical Arts (relying on a character's Strength stat), or Ether Arts (relying on a character's Ether stat).

Your teammates will use their attacks and arts automatically, so other than selecting the ones that they have set, you cannot choose which Arts they use outside of a Chain Attack. Arts all have cooldown, which needs to recharge before you can use them again. Additonally, using Arts to attack the enemy rapidly will increase your Aggro, making you the target of your enemy.

Two Types of Arts

There are two main types of Arts: Battle Arts and Talent Arts. A character can set up to 8 Battle Arts at a time, while their Talent Art is fixed.

Battle Arts

Except for Shulk, who will always have the same Arts set, each character can set up to 8 of these. They are usable from the start of battle, and have a specific amount of cooldown, which is lowered by leveling up the Art with AP. These can have a wide array of effects, and the color of their icon indicates something about what they do.

• Red: Physical attacks that often have an additional effect, such as inflicting Bleed.
• Pink: Inflicts Break on an enemy, making them susceptible to Topple.
• Green: Inflicts Topple on an enemy (usually one who has been inflicted with Break).
• Yellow: Inflicts Daze on an enemy (usually one who has been inflicted with Topple).
• Blue: Heals or buffs party members.
• Purple: Ether attacks.
• Orange: Auras that grant some kind of boost.

Talent Arts

Each character has one of these, and it sits in the middle of their Arts. It is typically their most unique Art, and does something totally different for each character. Unlike Battle Arts, which have a fixed cooldown, Talent Arts fill via varying methods, depending on the character. For most characters, the Talent Gauge fills via auto-attacking or using other arts that charge the meter.

These are black colored, and in a chain attack, they can be chained with other Arts to increase the multiplier of whatever color comes before it and after it. It is essentially a wild card in chain attacks, allowing you to link different colors.

How to Level Up Arts

Leveled Up Through AP

Battle Arts (and Shulk's Monado Arts) can be leveled up by manually spending AP (Art Points). Like EXP, these are collected via battling and finding new landmarks. You can spend this AP through the Arts menu.

AP Farming Guide

Each time you level up an Art, its effect will increase and its cooldown will shorten. The amount of AP required to level up depends on the Art, and it will increase with each level up. This means you should prioritize only your best Arts, so you don't waste AP on skills you never use.

Best Arts | Which Arts Should You Level Up?

Use Art Books to Level Further

Arts have a certain limit to how many times they can be leveled up. At this point, Art Books can be purchased in shops to raise arts to intermediate levels. Higher levels of arts also become available after defeating unique monsters!

Art Books are generally the only thing you'll want to spend money on, but you'll need to farm a bit of gold to buy them all.

How to Farm Money

Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition Related Links

Xenoblade Chronicles Wiki Top Page