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Chain Attacks are essential in every Xenoblade Chronicles game, especially if you want to maximize damage. With that in mind, you’ll notice that the Chain Attacks inXenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemeddon’t work the same. While they have similarities, the differences can make activating your Unity Combo Orders challenging.
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On top of that, you have other mechanics to consider, such as Battle Manuals and Tactics Manuals, which affect your Chain Attacks. If you want to maximize damage with your Chain Attacks and activate your Unity Combo Orders, you must remember various points and understand how they work.
The Importance Of Status Effects
Unlike in the main game, your Unity Combos at the end of Chain Attacks willinflict Burst and Smash. These Status Effects require you to Launch your opponent, or you won’t deal as much damage during your Chain Attacks. That leaves you with two options as you fight enemies:inflict Launch before you begin the Chain Attack, or activate it during the Chain Attack.
you may inflict Launch on an enemy byapplying Break, then Topple, and ending with Launch. If you activate your Chain Attack while the enemy has Launch imposed on them, the game will pause the Status Effect, so you’ll automatically start Burst or Smash if you perform a Unity Combo.
On the other hand, you’ll need to inflict each Status Effect and end with a Unity Combo to deal more damage, so you’ll want touse the following characters and their corresponding Status Effects.
You should attempt toinflict Launch immediately, so you won’t have to work around the other characters during a fight.
You Can’t Change Classes
you’re able to’t change your characters' classes in this DLC, so each character must stick with their original classes. That means Matthew and Rex are your Attackers, Nikol and Shulk are your Defenders, and A and Glimmer are your Healers. Each class hasdifferent passive abilities you can utilizeas you use them during Orders.
With that in mind,start the Order with Matthew’s Break, use A’s Topple to avoid going over the threshold, and finish with Nikol’s Launch.
If the enemy resists Matthew’s Break, try to use Shulk’s Break and continue with the Chain Attack. That order works better since you won’t risk A ending the first Order since she’s a Healer.
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The Orders And When To Use Them
Every character has a Chain Attack order, which has effects on your Chain Attack to help you during a fight or to maximize damage. Since each character has different orders, you’ll want to understand what they do, so you’ll know when to use them during a fight.
When To Choose It
Matthew
Have a 60 percent chance for your attacks during the Chain Attack to be unblockable.
Choose this order if you plan tomaximize your damagesince enemies won’t be able to block as many attacks.
A
You’llreactivate an additional characterwith a 10 percent chance to reactivate another.
This one works best as your second Order since it can help you get enough reactivations to reach the Unity Combo Order.
Nikol
Reduces the aggro of your Attackers and Healers by 60 percent.
Choose this if you have red aggro lines, indicating enemies are targeting your Attackers and Healers.
Glimmer
Heal your teammates for30 percent of their HPwhile also applying Regenerate.
Pick this one if you have any characters low on health and don’t think the Chain Attack will kill the enemy.
Shulk
Increases your damage ratio by 100 percentage points and applies Power Charge to everyone.
attempt to use thisat the start of a Chain Attack to maximize the damagewhile applying a damage boost to your characters.
Rex
Reduces the enemy’s physical defenseby 45 percentage points for the rest of the Chain Attack.
This works best against enemies with high defense, such as bosses, so you’ll deal more damage overall.
Unity Combo Ordersall do the same thing: you lower theenemy’s physical and ether defense by 30 percent, so focus more on Unity Combo effects and Unity Skills.
Recommended Unity Combos For Chain Attacks
If you want to maximize your Chain Attack damage, you should use some of these character combinations to establish your Unity Combos.
For the first setup, considerMatthew and Glimmer, A and Rex, and Nikol and Shulk. This combinationgives you access to Slash Bomb, which deals severe damage and is agreat way to end your Chain Attack.
It also offers a damage boost,increased damage to Toppled and Launched targets, and more defense. Pick this Chain Attack if you plan to face a unique monster since you’ll deal more damage but can also deal with any monsters that join the fight.
If you want a different combo, you may go withMatthew and Shulk, A and Glimmer, and Nikol and Rex. It gives you access to all the Unity Combo Status Effects. Matthew and Shulk can use their Unity Combo early on, making it perfect for weakening enemies before a Chain Attack. Theslower debuff timers and damage boosts for buffscan help you take down weaker enemies or a single target.
For the last combination, you can chooseMatthew and Nikol, A and Shulk, and Glimmer and Rex. You can use Burst to deal damage, though you have alarger AoE range and effects. The boost to your accuracy and evasion helps alongside the critical rate increase. This combo works well against most boss fights.
Once you find a combo you like, avoid using two characters in a pairing in the first two turns. Doing so will require you to use your Unity Combo Order on the third turn. If you use two characters of different pairings during the first two Orders, you’ll then pick one of their teammates in the third turn to get four Orders in a Chain Attack, maximizing your damage.
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Utilizing Battle Manuals And Tactics Manuals
If you go to a character’s Accessories, you’ll notice a fourth accessory slot dedicated to Battle and Tactics Manuals.Battle Manuals add a Heroic Chain to your characters, while Tactics Manuals givenew Completion Bonuses.
Battle Manuals are great since you’re able to add additional effects if you choose a character during an Order. For example, if you equip Matthew with Battle Manual, vol. 1, he’ll get a150 percent TP boost if he’s the first to attackin an order. This allows him to boost his TP further, so if you end the Order with a Defender, you’ll get Matthew reactivated.
You can then use Tactics Manuals with different Completion Bonuses based on your style and preferences. For example, if you don’t like Glimmer’s healing Order or want to boost your damage, you give her Tactics Manual, vol. 1, so Chain Attacks have a 100 percent chance to bypass defense.
These make a difference since your TP gains are lower than in the base game, so you canuse Battle Manuals to get more TP, so you’ll complete more Chain Attacks. Tactics Manuals let you gain different or improved Orders since you don’t have heroes to give you more tactics.
However, if you equip a Battle Manual to a healer, the character will function like a Heroic Chain. That meansthey’ll go past the 99 percent threshold and finish the move, so you can complete more Orders, but you can’t use Healers to maximize the damage.
You’ll come across Tactics Manuals that are better versions of the party’s usual Orders, so pick them if you don’t want to change any of the Orders but want to improve them.
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