This is a list of the best skill links for each character in Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition (XC1) on the Nintendo Switch. Read on to learn the best skill links for each character, as well as the overall best skills.
List of Contents
Chosen Skill Links are based on combat optimization. Skill links like increased EXP and increased fever rate are not included in the list, although they are very useful outside of combat (such as for level grinding or gem crafting).
The skills we have also listed are simply the best options to choose from. You may not be able to equip all these skills but all of the skills listed below will surely boost your character's performance.
There will be some spoilers. If you haven't reached atleast chapter 9 of the game.
There will be several skills suggested in this page that will not be available to the player at the start of the game. These skills belong to that character's extra skill tree and must be unlocked and learned first before it becomes available to others via skill links. For more info about extra skill links, see the link below.
 Shulk
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These are the best skill links for Shulk. There will also be an explanation further below for why these are the best skill links for him.
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Battle Character (17 Coins) Skill Owner: Reyn |
Ultimate Strike (13 Coins) Skill Owner: Fiora |
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Opening Blow (6 Coins) Skill Owner: Fiora |
Deadly Determination (48 Coins) Skill Owner: Dunban |
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Natural Born Warrior (5 Coins) Skill Owner: Dunban |
Lightweight Expert (28 Coins) Skill Owner: Dunban |
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Always Ready (14 Coins) Skill Owner: Sharla |
Love Sun! (18 Coins) Skill Owner: Riki |
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Make it all Better! (12 Coins) Skill Owner: Riki |
Nutritious! (29 Coins) Skill Owner: Riki |
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High Speed (20 Coins) Skill Owner: Melia |
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| Battle Character | Increases attack power of equipped weapon (10%). | Owner Reyn |
|---|
A general buff to Shuk's already strong weapon. Shulk is a damage dealer, so having more damage is, of course, a welcome choice.
| Ultimate Strike | Increases damage of critical hits (20%). | Owner Fiora |
|---|
Equipping Critical Up Gems to Shulk and partnering it with Ultimate Strike will surely break the enemy's backs with a properly used Back Slash.
| Deadly Determination | Increases tension gained when using Arts (10). | Owner Dunban |
|---|
More Tension means a stronger character, and an art heavy character like Shulk can abuse this skill link. Make sure to get Deadly Determination at all costs.
| Opening Blow | Increases damage of the first strike of a battle (50%). | Owner Fiora |
|---|
Not the best Skill Link for Shulk against tough fights, but it will help when doing monster elimination quests. A single backslash can kill or severely damage an enemy, making your progress faster.
| Lightweight Expert | Improves physical and ether def. of light equipment (15%). | Owner Dunban |
|---|---|---|
| Natural Born Warrior | Reduces weight of equipment (5). | Owner Dunban |
Shulk has a rather low agility stat. Reducing it further with heavy equipment is a bad choice. Light Armor is the best equipment for Shulk, and skills like Natural Born Warrior and Lightweight Expert will further synergize with this build making Shulk a monster.
| Love Sun! | Reduces cooldown during the day (10%). | Owner Riki |
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Free Cooldown reduction just by adjusting the time of the game. This skill is a universal skill that every character should have. Just make sure to adjust the time to utilize it.
| Make it all Better! | Improves Healing Arts used on an ally with half HP (20%). | Owner Riki |
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A situational skill link, Make it all Better is best equipped if you don't plan to have a medic in your party. This skill link will make all of your light heals count and can save an ally from dying.
| High Speed | Increases agility (15). | Owner Melia |
|---|---|---|
| Nutritious! | Greatly increases strength (50). | Owner Riki |
| Always Ready | Increases agility (10). | Owner Sharla |
Mooooaaaaarr strength and agility. Seriously, everyone will benefit from these stats, especially agility.
These are the best skill links for Reyn. There will also be an explanation further below for why these are the best skill links for him.
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Resilient Warrior (11 Coins) Skill Owner: Shulk |
Ultimate Defence (65 Coins) Skill Owner: Shulk |
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Immunization (45 Coins) Skill Owner: Shulk |
Physical Resilience (30 Coins) Skill Owner: Fiora |
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Strength of Will (30 Coins) Skill Owner: Fiora |
Body of Steel (49 Coins) Skill Owner: Dunban |
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Firm Defence (18 Coins) Skill Owner: Sharla |
Nutritious! (29 Coins) Skill Owner: Riki |
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Cuddly Hero! (43 Coins) Skill Owner: Riki |
Amplified Healing (3 Coins) Skill Owner: Melia |
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Palace Guard (7 Coins) Skill Owner: Melia |
Heavyweight Expert (45 Coins) Skill Owner: Melia |
| Firm Defence | Boosts physical defence (5%). | Owner Sharla |
|---|---|---|
| Body of Steel | Reduces physical damage taken (15%). | Owner Dunban |
| Strength of Will | Reduces Ether damage taken (10%). | Owner Fiora |
| Physical Resilience | Reduces physical damage taken (10%). | Owner Fiora |
| Ultimate Defence | Boosts physical and ether defence for the party (10%). | Owner Shulk |
| Resilient Warrior | Boosts physical defence and ether defence (5%). | Owner Shulk |
Reyn is the ideal damage taker for all your party members. Boosting his high defenses further will improve his tanking capabilities.
| Immunization | Grants immunity to debuffs that reduce stats. | Owner Shulk |
|---|
One of Reyn's weaknesses is stat reduction debuffs. Defense Down and Ether Down in particular may prove fatal to Reyn. Preventing Reyn from getting afflicted by these debuffs allows him to tank even the toughest enemies.
| Nutritious! | Greatly increases strength (50). | Owner Riki |
|---|
Making Reyn stand there and take aggro is enough to make him fulfill his role. Adding Strength to Reyn's arsenal will allow him to tank and deal damage at the same time, improving his performance.
| Cuddly Hero! | Increases resistance to all debuffs (30%). | Owner Riki |
|---|
Same with Immunization, Cuddly Hero gives resistance to all status ailments. Disabling Reyn with status ailments will prevent him from taking aggro, which can make your team's formation collapse.
| Amplified Healing | Increases HP received from Healing Arts (15%). | Owner Melia |
|---|
Reyn's HP tank is huge! Squeezing out more HP from healings will allow him to stay in the heat of battle for longer durations.
| Palace Guard | Improves block rate (15%). | Owner Melia |
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Unlike Dunban's evasion tank style, Reyn relies on taking damage. Finding ways to reduce these damage is the key to using Reyn, and improving his block rate is one of the best ways to do this.
| Heavyweight Expert | Improves ether defence the more heavy equipment is worn (30 each). | Owner Melia |
|---|
Reyn's ether defense is lower than his physical defense. Getting Heavyweight Expert for Reyn allows him to equip high defense armor while improving his Ether defense.
These are the best skill links for Sharla. There will also be an explanation further below for why these are the best skill links for her.
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Healing Wisdom (8 Coins) Skill Owner: Shulk |
Ultimate Defence (65 Coins) Skill Owner: Shulk |
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Resilient Warrior (11 Coins) Skill Owner: Shulk |
Bodybuilder (6 Coins) Skill Owner: Reyn |
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Wall of Muscle (14 Coins) Skill Owner: Reyn |
Physical Resilience (30 Coins) Skill Owner: Fiora |
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Strength of Will (30 Coins) Skill Owner: Fiora |
Heavy Equipment (15 Coins) Skill Owner: Dunban |
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Body of Steel (49 Coins) Skill Owner: Dunban |
Make it all Better! (12 Coins) Skill Owner: Riki |
| Make it all Better! | Improves Healing Arts used on an ally with half HP (20%). | Owner Riki |
|---|---|---|
| Healing Wisdom | Healing Arts restore more HP (15%). | Owner Shulk |
As the healer, boosting Sharla's Heal Arts makes her more effective in her role.
| Body of Steel | Reduces physical damage taken (15%). | Owner Dunban |
|---|---|---|
| Strength of Will | Reduces Ether damage taken (10%). | Owner Fiora |
| Physical Resilience | Reduces physical damage taken (10%). | Owner Fiora |
| Ultimate Defence | Boosts physical and ether defence for the party (10%). | Owner Shulk |
| Resilient Warrior | Boosts physical defence and ether defence (5%). | Owner Shulk |
Sharla is the party's medic. Her abilities, however, are enough to heal the party without any boosts to Ether. The best way to build Sharla is to improve her defense and not make her die while she attempts to not make your party die. Equipping her defensive skill links will greatly increase her survivability, and in turn, increase her healing capabilities as well.
| Wall of Muscle | Further increases Max HP (10%). | Owner Reyn |
|---|---|---|
| Bodybuilder | Increases Max HP (5%). | Owner Reyn |
Same as increasing her Defense and Ether Defense, increasing her HP will make her not die, and in turn, allows her party to live longer as well.
| Heavy Equipment | Allows heavy weight armour to be equipped | Owner Dunban |
|---|
Sharla has her own heavy equipment skill, but linking a Heavy Equipment to Sharla can allow her to equip heavy armors early in the game.
These are the best skill links for Dunban. There will also be an explanation further below for why these are the best skill links for him.
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Ultimate Teamwork (18 Coins) Skill Owner: Shulk |
Glorious Future (28 Coins) Skill Owner: Shulk |
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Battle Character (17 Coins) Skill Owner: Reyn |
Rampage (20 Coins) Skill Owner: Reyn |
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Ultimate Strike (13 Coins) Skill Owner: Fiora |
Always Ready (14 Coins) Skill Owner: Sharla |
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Like Sun! (7 Coins) Skill Owner: Riki |
Nutritious! (29 Coins) Skill Owner: Riki |
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Pretty Stars! (7 Coins) Skill Owner: Riki |
High Speed (20 Coins) Skill Owner: Melia |
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Unadorned Beauty (12 Coins) Skill Owner: Melia |
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| Ultimate Teamwork | Increases chain attack damage (25%). | Owner Shulk |
|---|
Dunban has the nastiest talent art in the game. It further shows its effect during Chain Attacks where his 4 strikes can deal astronomical damage on each hit. Increase that damage by 25% and no one will stand in your way.
| Glorious Future | Talent Gauge will be at max after a vision. | Owner Shulk |
|---|
A free blossom dance is always nice. It can also be used as a signal on when to use a Chain Attack (Dunban gets a full talent gauge due to Visions, so use a Chain Attack and hit the enemy for a gazillion damage).
| Battle Character | Increases attack power of equipped weapon (10%). | Owner Reyn |
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Self explanatory. More damage for Dunban is always good.
| Rampage | Increases chance of a double attack (10%). | Owner Reyn |
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Equip Dunban with Double Attack Gems, then equip Rampage and Dunban turns to a killing machine.
| Ultimate Strike | Increases damage of critical hits (20%). | Owner Fiora |
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Only equip when your weapon has a good critical rate. This Skill Link becomes better if partnered with a Critical Up Gem.
| High Speed | Increases agility (15). | Owner Melia |
|---|---|---|
| Always Ready | Increases agility (10). | Owner Sharla |
More Agility and Strength is always welcome for Dunban.
| Pretty Stars! | Increases strength during the night (15%). | Owner Riki |
|---|---|---|
| Like Sun! | Increases strength during the day (10%). | Owner Riki |
Make sure to not equip both at the same time. Both Skill Links are great for Dunban, but you'll have to choose which time to fight.
| Unadorned Beauty | Strength, ether, agility and HP up if no gems are equipped (20%). | Owner Melia |
|---|
Unadorned Beauty is a great skill link for Dunban if you plan to make a naked Dunban build. 0 equipment, just a strong weapon, and Unadorned Beauty is definitely a viable build for Dunban.
These are the best skill links for Melia. There will also be an explanation further below for why these are the best skill links for him.
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Stealth Warrior (30 Coins) Skill Owner: Shulk |
Chain of Friendship (45 Coins) Skill Owner: Shulk |
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Forced Mercy (30 Coins) Skill Owner: Shulk |
Ties of Friendship (14 Coins) Skill Owner: Reyn |
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Shoulder to Shoulder (25 Coins) Skill Owner: Reyn |
Friendship Heals (20 Coins) Skill Owner: Shulk |
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Explosion of Energy (80 Coins) Skill Owner: Fiora |
Decisive Follow-Up (10 Coins) Skill Owner: Sharla |
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Ether Expansion (8 Coins) Skill Owner: Sharla |
Ether Assault (20 Coins) Skill Owner: Sharla |
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Love Sun! (18 Coins) Skill Owner: Riki |
Ether Explosion (25 Coins) Skill Owner: Sharla |
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Amazing Stars! (13 Coins) Skill Owner: Riki |
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| Forced Mercy | Reduces aggro when damage is taken (25%). | Owner Shulk |
|---|---|---|
| Stealth Warrior | Reduces aggro drawn from using Arts (10%) | Owner Shulk |
Melia relies on the time she buffs her allies to let aggro steer away from her. Unfortunately, sometimes, it's just not enough. Equipping Stealth Warrior and Forced Mercy to Melia will allow her to disengage much easier.
| Ties of Friendship | Increases chance of a Chain Link (5%). | Owner Reyn |
|---|---|---|
| Chain of Friendship | Increases the chance of a Chain Link (15%). | Owner Shulk |
Melia has the best talent art for increasing the Chain Link multiplier. Increasing the chances of Chain Link occurring is one of the best skills you can give Melia.
| Shoulder to Shoulder | Heals the party after a chain attack (10%). | Owner Reyn |
|---|---|---|
| Friendship Heals | Heals the party slightly after a chain attack (5%). | Owner Shulk |
Melia's heals revolves around her using her own life to heal allies. The only way to regain her lost health is to use Aqua and regenerate her lost health, or discharge it to drain some HP from her enemies. Equipping Skills that give health after a chain-link reduces her reliance on Aqua and allows her to focus on damaging enemies instead.
| Explosion of Energy | Increases tension by one level when using Talent Arts. | Owner Fiora |
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One of the best Skills you can equip to Melia. Since Melia relies heavily on her Talent Art, this on is a no brainer. Equipping Explosion of Energy to Melia allows her to keep her tension at maximum during the whole fight.
| Ether Explosion | Greatly increases ether (75). | Owner Sharla |
|---|---|---|
| Ether Expansion | Increases ether (25). | Owner Sharla |
Ether stat increases are always good for Melia.
| Ether Assault | Increases damage dealt by ether Arts attacks (20%). | Owner Sharla |
|---|
Melia's Talent Art is considered as an Ether Attack. Increasing her talent art's damage by a flat 20% value is incredibly good.
| Decisive Follow-Up | Grants Ether Up buff when an ally defeats an enemy (20%, 30 sec). | Owner Sharla |
|---|
Great against multiple enemies. This skill can grant Melia a flat 20% ether buff during fights with lots of enemies.
| Amazing Stars! | Reduces cooldown during the night (15%). | Owner Riki |
|---|---|---|
| Love Sun! | Reduces cooldown during the day (10%). | Owner Riki |
Cooldown skills are great for Melia, who loves spamming elements. Make sure to only equip one of them, and only fight when they're active to maximize your stats.
These are the best skill links for Riki. There will also be an explanation further below for why these are the best skill links for him.
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Healing Wisdom (8 Coins) Skill Owner: Shulk |
Chain of Friendship (45 Coins) Skill Owner: Shulk |
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Ultimate Defence (65 Coins) Skill Owner: Shulk |
Glorious Future (28 Coins) Skill Owner: Shulk |
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Ties of Friendship (14 Coins) Skill Owner: Reyn |
Shoulder to Shoulder (25 Coins) Skill Owner: Reyn |
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Medical Knowledge (12 Coins) Skill Owner: Sharla |
Always Ready (14 Coins) Skill Owner: Sharla |
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Bedside Manner (5 Coins) Skill Owner: Sharla |
Hearty Cry (44 Coins) Skill Owner: Sharla |
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Amplified Healing (3 Coins) Skill Owner: Melia |
High Speed (20 Coins) Skill Owner: Melia |
Overall, Riki is a character that can do his job just with levels alone.
| Glorious Future | Talent Gauge will be at max after a vision. | Owner Shulk |
|---|
Visions usually occur during tough fights, and its against tough enemies where the most precious items are located. More Yoinks during these kind of battles means more chances at landing rare items.
| Ultimate Defence | Boosts physical and ether defence for the party (10%). | Owner Shulk |
|---|
Riki is a support character, and giving him a skill that buffs the whole party can never go wrong.
| High Speed | Increases agility (15). | Owner Melia |
|---|---|---|
| Always Ready | Increases agility (10). | Owner Sharla |
| Ties of Friendship | Increases chance of a Chain Link (5%). | Owner Reyn |
More Agility to accompany his high agility stat makes Riki nearly unkillable.
| Amplified Healing | Increases HP received from Healing Arts (15%). | Owner Melia |
|---|---|---|
| Bedside Manner | Healing Arts restore more HP (10%). | Owner Sharla |
| Medical Knowledge | Greatly boosts power of Healing Arts in chain attacks (25%). | Owner Sharla |
| Healing Wisdom | Healing Arts restore more HP (15%). | Owner Shulk |
Riki only has a single healing art, but it can heal a ton! Amplifying its heal value can make Riki restore everyone's HP to full health.
| Hearty Cry | Heals the party slightly after a successful Burst Affinity (10%). | Owner Sharla |
|---|---|---|
| Shoulder to Shoulder | Heals the party after a chain attack (10%). | Owner Reyn |
| Chain of Friendship | Increases the chance of a Chain Link (15%). | Owner Shulk |
At the later stages of the game, healing won't even be necessary anymore. Using Chain Attacks after Chain Attacks while equipping Hearty Cry and Shoulder to Shoulder can keep everyone's HP up.
These are the best skill links for Seven. There will also be an explanation further below for why these are the best skill links for her.
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Epic Evasion (45 Coins) Skill Owner: Shulk |
Ties of Friendship (14 Coins) Skill Owner: Reyn |
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Critical Drain (50 Coins) Skill Owner: Dunban |
Ardent Strike (7 Coins) Skill Owner: Dunban |
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Equipment Expert (10 Coins) Skill Owner: Dunban |
Always Ready (14 Coins) Skill Owner: Sharla |
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Like Sun! (7 Coins) Skill Owner: Riki |
Love Sun! (18 Coins) Skill Owner: Riki |
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Nutritious! (29 Coins) Skill Owner: Riki |
Amazing Stars! (13 Coins) Skill Owner: Riki |
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Pretty Stars! (7 Coins) Skill Owner: Riki |
High Speed (20 Coins) Skill Owner: Melia |
| Epic Evasion | Increases chance of Burst Affinity after evasion (5%). | Owner Shulk |
|---|
Seven's agility isn't the highest among all characters but it's still pretty high. This allows her to dodge more often and getting more Burst Affinity from those dodges will always help.
| Ties of Friendship | Increases chance of a Chain Link (5%). | Owner Reyn |
|---|
More Chain Link is always great. It also goes even better with a topple lock party to ensure all those topple skills land during a chain attack.
| Critical Drain | Restores HP when dealing a critical hit (2%). | Owner Dunban |
|---|
| Ardent Strike | Increases tension gained after a critical hit (10). | Owner Dunban |
|---|
Critical Drain can sustain Seven's HP greatly, and Ardent Strike can cause Seven's tension to increase and will further increase the number of critical strikes she can do. With her high attack speed and multi-hit arts, these bonuses will go a long way.
| Equipment Expert | Greatly reduces weight of equipment (10). | Owner Dunban |
|---|
Reducing Seven's equipment weight allows her to fully utilize her above-average agility stat. Partner this with agility boosters, and you'll get yourself a fast damage dealer that can tank too.
| High Speed | Increases agility (15). | Owner Melia |
|---|---|---|
| Always Ready | Increases agility (10). | Owner Sharla |
Simple, but good buffs to her agility stat.
| Pretty Stars! | Increases strength during the night (15%). | Owner Riki |
|---|---|---|
| Like Sun! | Increases strength during the day (10%). | Owner Riki |
A flat strength bonus by changing the current time. Pair it up with the appropriate time from Love Sun and Amazing Stars to ensure the best effects for Seven.
| Amazing Stars! | Reduces cooldown during the night (15%). | Owner Riki |
|---|---|---|
| Love Sun! | Reduces cooldown during the day (10%). | Owner Riki |
Cooldown is great for Seven. Just make sure to only equip one of the two.
| Nutritious! | Greatly increases strength (50). | Owner Riki |
|---|
More damage is always great.
These are skill links that can pretty much be equipped by anyone. These Skill Links must be prioritized and equipped by any of your party members!
| Amazing Stars! | Reduces cooldown during the night (15%). | Owner Riki |
|---|---|---|
| Love Sun! | Reduces cooldown during the day (10%). | Owner Riki |
A time-based skill that gives buffs to your characters just by having the time set to night or day. Make sure to equip only one type of skill to your characters and fight at the time of your chosen skill.
| Ties of Friendship | Increases chance of a Chain Link (5%). | Owner Reyn |
|---|---|---|
| Chain of Friendship | Increases the chance of a Chain Link (15%). | Owner Shulk |
Chain Attacks are strong, and it gets even stronger the more links you chain. Chain of Friendship and Ties of Friendship can increase the chances of Chain Links occurring.
| Shoulder to Shoulder | Heals the party after a chain attack (10%). | Owner Reyn |
|---|---|---|
| Friendship Heals | Heals the party slightly after a chain attack (5%). | Owner Shulk |
The skills that make a no healer party feasible. If Friendship Heals and Shoulder to Shoulder are equipped to all participating combatants, you can heal everyone for 45% of their HP every Chain Attack, which is massive.
Beginner's Guide to Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition
I think they listed it as the best skill links to choose. Doesn't really mean you equip them all since some skill link choices costs too much affinity coins to be equipped.
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A strong skill to link to Dunban is with Seven. Double Attack alwasy are criticals. Add the skill link Rampage, Haste and Double Attack Gem. He will attack quick which in turn proc more double attack which in turn proc more criticals which in turn heal Dunban with Critical Drain. Dunban can be killed no more and will tank like if tomorrow will never happen.