Here is a collection of some general tips and tricks that can be useful for beginners and even those who are quite familiar with the game.

• The number one rule of any RPG is to save often. While you only get three save slots for this version of Xenoblade Chronicles, in addition to the autosave, you should still save every chance you get, especially since you can pretty much save anywhere.

• Read all of the tutorials in the game to better understand the mechanics. There are a lot of things going on in this game, so it’s important to know what you’re doing (of course, you’re reading this guide to know how to do things).

• Named NPCs, who are marked with a green dot on the map, are important for a multitude of reasons. Not only does talking to them register them on your Affinity Chart, but it will also increase the Affinity with that area. In turn, this will allow you to do more sidequests and have more items to trade for with those same NPCs. You always want to talk with each NPC twice, as well as after completing a sidequest, as this might help with more Affinity.

• Speaking of sidequests, you should do as many as possible, as you will get valuable items, money and experience. Also, unless the sidequest is coming from a named NPC, then it will most likely be completed automatically without you having to return to the NPC. You also get a boost to Party Affinity when doing named NPCs’ sidequests, as well as boosts to an area’s Affinity.

• Once you get enough party members, you aren’t forced to have Shulk in the party at all times, as he can be switched out. This can be especially important when trying to raise their Affinity with one another, as you can switch them out when doing the named NPCs’ sidequests.

• It’s best to keep all materials and generic drops from monsters that you get. Not only can be these be used for trading with named NPCs, but they will also be used for a major sidequest later on in the game.

• Speaking of trading, it can be especially good when doing some Collection Quests or when filling out the Collectopaedias for areas. Some items might appear harder to find, due to being a little rarer than others, but named NPCs might have those items. This is connected to doing sidequests, since you increase an area’s Affinity and thus, make more items available for trading. Also, the NPCs have access to an unlimited amount of trading items, although you will have to do it one-by-one.

• Gold is not a huge issue in this game and shouldn’t be spent on equipment from shops. This is because you will be getting a lot of equipment drops from enemies, especially if you go after the Unique Monsters. You will want to save your money for the various Arts books that you can find on sale from vendors, as they will allow you to further upgrade Arts.

• Do not forget to spend AP on leveling up your Arts. A tough battle might become a little more manageable just by leveling your Arts. Doing this not only makes attacks stronger, but it can make buffs and debuffs last a little longer.

• Levels are an important stat in this game, solely because it can affect your evasion and hit rate when fighting monsters. If you’re fighting an enemy that’s 6+ levels above you, then you are going to have a severe penalty to hit rate and evasion. On the opposite end, you will have a great boon to your hit rate and evasion if fighting enemies 6+ levels below you.

• With the note above, Agility can be one of the most important stats to have on your characters. This is because it also affects your accuracy and evasion, so if you find yourself missing a lot or taking hits very often, then you might want to start looking into Agility Up gems.