Quick Links
As you finish any task inXenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed, you unlock points to spend on your Affinity Growth Abilities. These Abilities allow you to unlock more Arts, empower your other Arts, get new passive abilities, and increase your stats. With tons of Affinity Growth Abilities available, it’s easy to get confused and not know which ones to pick.
Related:Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Complete Guide
You must balance the points between six characters so none of them become overpowered and draw too much aggro. If you don’t know which to pick, you’re able to make it easier by using a guide and seeing which ones are the best to unlock first.
Each Character’s Stat Boosts
Each of your party members has two stat boostsin the bottom row on the right side, so you should unlock them first. Even though they seem simple, they canmake a significant difference early in the game. On top of that, they only cost five points to purchase, making them a cheap option for quick boosts.
To put it into perspective, defeating enough enemies of a particular type gives you six points, soyou can easily earn enough points within a few minutes to get all the stat boosts for your characters.
They’ll become less valuable as you progress, but since they make a severe difference at the start,you should get them early. Otherwise, if you want to fill out your Ability Growths later, you’ll spend points on them, but won’t notice a difference.
Matthew and Rex
A and Glimmer
400 HP
Related:Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Best Fusion Arts
Best Secondary Arts
You should also consider the Secondary Arts available as you look into characters. They’re helpful since you canuse them for Fusion Arts, combining them with your main Arts for additional damage.
Matthew
Raging Force
A physical attack with a30 percent chance to ignore the target’s defense.
Not only do you dealsevere damage that scales off Matthew’s physical damage, butthe potential to ignore defensemakes it an excellent choice in most situations, especially boss fights.
Skyfoil
An ether attack that inflicts enemies with Attack Down.
A can always use additional damage, and a way to lower the enemy’s damage. If your team gets swarmed by enemies,the reduced attack can make a differenceand help your teammates survive.
Machine Clap
Nikol applies a defense increase to himself.
Nikol already has great defense, so you could buff it further tohelp him retain aggro. The boost can help him survive long enough for A or Glimmer to cast a Healing Art.
Glimmer
Burning Ballad
Glimmer offers acritical chance increase to all teammates in the area.
A higher critical rate willhelp Matthew and Rex hit harder, especially considering Rex’s naturally high crit stats.
Shulk
Monado Purge
A physical attack that damages around himself. He also increases his damage by50 percent against enemies attacking him.
Shulk is an agility tank, so he candeal decent damage while drawing aggro, making Monado Purge ideal. Since he can retain aggro, he’llquickly take down enemiesas they struggle to attack him.
Rolling Smash
A front-facing AoE attack that deals physical damage.
Rex is one of the best damage dealers in Future Redeemed, so you want to maximize his damage, making the AoE and high percent power multiplier essential.
Even though you can only equip one Secondary Art at the start of the game,you’ll unlock more slots to have them all later, so unlock some of them early.
Best Passive Skills
Matthew’s Flashing Fists Passive Skill
The skill allows you toincrease your attack speed with each chained auto-attack. You also shorten the auto-attack interval, meaning you’ll build up Matthew’s auto-attacks to deal more damage.
Flashing Fists is a double-edged sword since Matthew will draw more aggro, but he’ll have more damage.
While Breaking Waves can be great if you plan to control Matthew, Flashing Fists will always activate since it’s based on auto-attacks, soyou can let the AI handle the character and get value out of it.
A’s Quicksilver Blade And Life-Saving Sword Passive Skills
Quicksilver Bladeincreases her damage dealt each time she heals an ally, up to 100 percent of a damage boost. When you use this alongside A’s two healing arts, one of which applies an AoE, it’ll quickly fill up in any fight.
Life-Saving Sword allowsA to restore health by using her auto-attacks, which can go as high as 100 percent of her Healing Power. Since A will draw aggro as she attacks and heals, she needs a way to restore her health. Even if you don’t play as her, this passive will help her survive.
Try to get both of these passive as soon as possible.Go with Life-Saving Sword first to help A survive. You should also prioritize it over other passive skills since you’ll have A at the start of the game and need to keep your healers safe.
Nikol’s Safe And Sound Passive Skill
The skillreduces damage by 20 percent for the allies near Nikol. The skill’s simple but an effective way to help your teammates survive if Nikol loses the aggro.
This abilitypairs well with his Whirlwind Art, since he can draw aggro, take damage for a while, and offer the teammate’s additional defense if any enemies join the fight.
The skill becomes more effective as additional party members join the team.The ability also synergizes with Shulk, since he has high evasion, allowing him to minimize damage while also dodging attacks.
In that way, Nikol not only tanks, but becomes a support tank to Shulk, allowing them to keep the Attackers and Healers safe.
Related:Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Every Attacker Talent Art, Ranked
Glimmer’s Soothing Fire And Healing Genius Passive Skills
Since Glimmer is a Healer, this passive will allow her toheal her nearby allies whenever she uses an Art. This goes up to 30 percent of her Healing, so even non-damaging Arts can let her heal the team.
This allows her torestore HP in short bursts, meaning you can switch to her and heal your teammates in a pinch. This also encourages her to not always use Fusion Arts, since you may want to use each Art separately to offer more healing.
As for Healing Genius, itboosts her healing from Arts by 20 percent. This synergizes well with her Arts, so using it alongside her Soothing Fire can maximize your healing, ensuring your teammates stay alive.
While you should unlock them both,attempt to get Soothing Fire firstsince it’ll offer more consistency.
Shulk’s Natural Born Warrior And Right Back At You Passive Skills
Since Shulk’s your tank-damage hybrid, you want to maximize those strengths and help him maintain aggro.
Natural Born Warriorincreases how much damage Shulk deals for each opponent targeting him, reaching a maximum of 300 percent. With Shulk’s physical attacks, he can effectively dispatch opponents while allowing Matthew and Rex to add to the damage.
As for Right Back At You, this skill lets Shulkattack an enemy that hit a nearby ally. The attack will deal the same damage the enemy dealt to the partner, allowing Shulk to not only contribute to fights, but help draw the aggro away, allowing it to synergize with Natural Born Warrior.
Unlock Right Back At You firstsince it’ll help Shulk tank.
Rex’s Lightspeed Blade And Initiative Effect: Launch Passive Skills
Since Rex prioritizes critical hits, Lightspeed Blade will maximize his damage. It lets himignore the enemy’s defense whenever he lands a critical hit. It also boosts his critical hit damage by 30 percentage points, so he’ll deal even more damage.
However, you shouldunlock the tank passives firstand equip Nikol and Shulk with aggro accessories and gems. Otherwise, Rex may deal too much damage, causing him to get attacked.
As for Initiative Effect: Launch, you shouldunlock this as soon as possible. If you start a battle by hitting an enemy from the side, you’ll Launch them. If you pair this with the right Unity Skills, Rex will deal double damage to these enemies, allowing you to dispatch them quickly.
