Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Redux

I restarted XC2 a couple of days ago, and I've already poured 40 hours into that new playthrough. Addictive game is addictive! As I expected (and hoped), that second run is infinitely more pleasant and engrossing than the first: I get a real kick out of knowing exactly what to do and being able to anticipate roadblocks and successfully circumvent them. Without further ado, here's a quick rundown of the activities I decided to focus on during that second playthrough.

Common Blade Grinding: Things are working pretty neatly on that front. I rotate my Commons in Merc Missions and have teams dispatched at all times; as a result, I've been able to rack up a number of Field Skills that I could only dream off during my first playthrough. Which leads us to...

Using Field Skills: I've been able to access a variety of places locked behind Field Skills this time around. The pay-off is not always stellar, mind you: most of the time, I'm only granted a safe or an item for my efforts. The pay-off doesn't matter, though, because the thrill lies in the act of exploring the world and uncovering secrets. Which leads us to...

Exploration: I want to leave no stone unturned this time: no matter how long it takes, I'll explore Alrest's every nook and cranny. Nothing compares to the thrill of discovering a hidden tunnel or being able to reach a cliff that seemed inaccessible at first — and let's not even talk about all those "Secret Viewpoints". I have a soft spot for Mor Ardain, which literally bristles with hidden areas and tantalizing places that challenge you to reach them.

Side Quests: Since I've been harnessing Field Skills, I can tackle side quests much more easily this time around. I've also been careful not to dive into questing too fast: first I explore, progress the story and level up a bit, and then I come back to formely explored areas to take care of quests. That tactic works like a charm, and I have a good number of cleared side quests under my belt as I'm writing this.

Area Development: I managed to make some good progress on the development front, mostly through trial-and-error. (Want to develop Gormott? Just shell out 500,000 golds for the Inherited Core Crystal at Margia's Odds&Ends in Torigoth!) Overall, area development seems to be tied to a mix of investing money — heaps of it — into local shops and clearing side quests, with a couple of extra arcane requirements thrown into the mix. I'm determined to Develop on my own and not resort to FAQs, because it's more entertaining and rewarding that way.

Affinity Chart Grinding: I was reluctant to grind Blade Skills during my first run, mostly because it screamed 'micromanagement' to me and I was already quite overwhelmed by the game's many features. However, raising Blade Affinity is actually quite fun and really not that demanding once you get the hang of it. I just use Merc Missions to grind all the Blades that can be dispatched, which leaves me ample amounts of time to pore over Pyra's, Dromarch's and Poppi's charts. And talking about Poppi, I was really determined to customize her this time around, but... I can't even beat the first stage of Tiger Tiger on easy mode! Why does that game need to be so hard? It's just an optional mini-game to obtain extra parts for a Blade that doesn't even really need them in the first place, darn it! Oh, well; screw Tiger Tiger, my Poppi is doing just fine as she is.

Miscellaneous: Remember when I said I would rewatch all cutscenes with the english dub? Yeah, about that... I found out that I just cannot bring myself to sit through them again. So I'll just resume where I left off, i.e. at the end of chapter 7. On the graphical front, I cranked up the brightness to the max in a flash of anger, as I was yet again stuck in an infuriatingly dark building; and not only could I suddenly see much better, but I also really liked the result. It gives the game a subtle cell-shaded look reminiscent of Breath of the Wild; and as a gamer who laps up stylized aesthetics in games, I can only approve of that new look. 

In a nutshell, that second playthrough is infinitely more enjoyable than the first, which confirms that this game does have indeed a lot of replay value. I was in a bit of a rush during my first playthrough, but I finally understood that XC2 is meant to be an epopee à la Dragon Quest IX, in which you take all the necessary time to build up your character and fully explore the world. That's exactly what I'm doing now, and I'm deeply enjoying the ride; and with that said, dear fellow gamers, I'll see you soon for more XC2 tidings. Thanks for reading, and be my guest anytime!