This is a guide for the second part of the first boss fight in Chapter 1 of Xenoblade Chronicles 3, taking place in Alfeto Valley in the Aetia region.

How to Beat the Mysterious Enemy/Moebius¶

Phase 1¶

Fresh off the battle against the Agnus Soldiers, you’ll find yourself up against this juggernaut who is simply known as a Mysterious Enemy for now. This is a two-phase boss battle, with the second acting as more of a victory lap to introduce a new gameplay system. With that in mind, the first phase is very much your most challenging test yet and you’ll want to ensure you enter this battle with your party at least at Level 10 (higher if you’re on Hard).

Something you’ll notice from the get-go is that your former opponents in the previous battle are now aiding you in this against a common cause. You have no control over what they do, but their damage will certainly help against this imposing figure. Mysterious Enemy has a variety of Arts it will use against you, some of which are incredibly deadly at this stage of the game.

• Unstoppable Spear: This is arguably one of the most worrying Arts from Mysterious Enemy. The damage from the attack isn’t too much, usually around 150 HP, but it will inflict Blaze on the target and there’s no way to remove it at this stage of the game.

• Grim Rush: Mysterious Enemy will use a multi-hit combo on a single target. If the damage is taken from anyone but a tank, it can really hurt but hopefully Lanz has the attention to limit it.

• Doom Rain: Once you push Mysterious Enemy into its Enrage, it will use this Art. This will deal damage to your entire party and inflict Blaze on them all.

• Chaos Arch: Mysterious Enemy will dash across the arena in a straight line, dealing moderate damage to all targets in its path.

This first phase can be very challenging, especially if you’re under leveled. The main threat is Mysterious Enemy’s Arts that inflict the Blaze status, this is a potent debuff that, when coupled with his other damaging attacks, can easily kill Lanz and cause your battle strategy to descend into chaos. Grim Rush shouldn’t be too much of a problem, Lanz should be holding aggro and he’ll defend against this attack, causing it to only deal minor damage but Chaos Arch can be deadly if you happen to find yourself bunched up as he’ll dash through them dealing moderate damage to all.

You’ll be introduced to the Enemy Rage mechanic here too. If you take a look at Mysterious Enemy’s HP gauge, you’ll spot a flame in the middle. Once you inflict enough damage and bring it past this point, he will become Enraged, increasing his attack power. On top of this, he’ll gain access to his most devastating Art, Doom Rain. This will hit the entire party and inflict Blaze on them. At this point, the reminder of this phase is a race against time to defeat him before Lanz can succumb to the increased attack power and Blaze status.

Like the boss battle before this, your options are still rather limited at this stage of the game. You’ll be happy to know however, that Mysterious Enemy is susceptible to the Topple combo so be sure to use it whenever Sword Strike is available to hopefully Daze it and follow-up with Noah’s Talent Art. Once you defeat Mysterious Enemy, more scenes will take place and you’ll fight the second phase against Moebius.

Phase 2¶

There’s a drastic change to this second phase, you’ll find Noah and Mio have merged into their Ouroboros form which will massively increase their attack power and grant them new Arts. Phantom Slash will cause heavy Break damage, Dragon Tail is an AOE that causes attack down and Unison Strike has a high crit rate. Armed with these new Arts and a new Talent Art, Mega Spinning Edge, you’re more than a match for Moebius.

Moebius has access to Doom Rain from the start this time and will use it with greater frequency meaning Blaze remains a large threat, especially for Lanz. Aside from this, Moebius remains unchanged from your previous encounter and with the added firepower at your disposal, this battle is nothing more than a victory lap provided you’re making use of Mega Spinning Edge every time it’s available.