Rex Drives into Battle! (...As Pyra's Final Smash!!)

[Altais]

Phew, with finals out of the way, I can finally play this game in peace. Now that I've gotten mine hands on the game, I can REALLY see how Rex would work; I've already thought of a basic moveset for him.

Though not as good, in mine opinion, as Xenoblade X (mine favourite in the series so far), I am nevertheless enjoying Xenoblade 2. As usual, Monolith brings a very diverse and quirky cast of heroes and villains. I especially like Mòrag and Akhos. The former reminds me of Elma; stoic and reserved, stern but fair. And the latter is like an evil H.B.

The Blade/Driver system offers myriad possibilities for battle strategy. Since I generally prefer speed and range over power, I often find mineself using either the Knuckle Claws or the Ether Cannon, instead of Pyra/Mythra. Can't say I'm fond of the Core Crystal randomisation, however.

Anyhow, after recruiting every party member (or at least I think I have), I've found mineself taking mine sweet time exploring the maps, doing sidequests, and whatnot. I could probably zoom through the story if I wanted to, but I want to see what other secrets this game has.

 

[Sniper Maxter]

I could write up an entire moveset and detailed stats here if I wanted, but to keep it brief, the Smash Rex that I imagine is a simplified Zelda/Sheik or Pokemon Trainer style transformation character at his core. Down B switches between Pyra/Mythra standing in the background and modifies various attack properties, but most of his moves don't change animations so the only real difference is on hit. All his other stats and a handful of moves that don't use the Aegis sword remain unchanged.

The real things that set him apart are that his mode switch is nearly instant and has no cooldown, promoting full usage of both modes, and that he can also cancel out of or into a switch at the ends of most attacks on hit. He effectively gets 2 versions of his moveset for free and an overall really strong offensive presence. The downside is that he's somewhat lacking in other areas.

The rest of his specials are Rolling Smash on Up B, Double Spinning Edge on Side B and Sword Bash on Neutral B. Anchor Shot goes to his grab, covering all 4 of his Aegis sword arts.

 

[fogbadge]

im on chapter 8 now

 

[Nonno Umby]

I finished this game, and I can now say that I really want to see Rex and Pyra added into Smash Bros.

Btw am I the only one who thinks that Xenoblade has grown enough to get 3 characters, being Shulk, Elma and Rex?

 

[Sniper Maxter]

I finished this game, and I can now say that I really want to see Rex and Pyra added into Smash Bros.

Btw am I the only one who thinks that Xenoblade has grown enough to get 3 characters, being Shulk, Elma and Rex?

Nah. The issue is where we go after with future installments. Does Shulk get a reserved spot for being first? Do we replace Elma or Rex with the latest protag? Does Elma get special treatment as a representative of her own subseries? Do we just add another character for every game or do we stick to these first three until a new game proves especially popular or a character shows serious moveset potential?

 

[Nonno Umby]

Nah. The issue is where we go after with future installments. Does Shulk get a reserved spot for being first? Do we replace Elma or Rex with the latest protag? Does Elma get special treatment as a representative of her own subseries? Do we just add another character for every game or do we stick to these first three until a new game proves especially popular or a character shows serious moveset potential?

I don't think that "how we will handle it i the future instalments" is a real problem. I mean FE got 6 characters, and all of them has some reason to stay. Just look at the general Smash Switch doscussion to see how clueless everybody is about who will stay and who will be cut.

About those 3 Shulk is already in, and he is so unique that he is unlikely to be cut.
Elma as well is potentially unique, and X is likely going to get a direct sequel with the same characters, so Elma would be a recurring character in the series.
Rex is also unique, and 2 is getting supported for a whole year with DLC. He is going to stay relevant for a while.

Besides, if the series keeps on growing I don't see why it shouldn't keep receiving new characters, especially when they are unique as the 3 mentioned before.





Edit: Good Smile just announced that Pyra will get a figure!

I don't think there has been any Xenoblade merchandise before (besides Shulk's amiibo), which is another indication that the series is growing!

 

[Altais]

Currently in chapter 6.

I am really annoyed at the Overdrive mechanic. Since blade bonding is completely random (you can influence the element, but not the weapon), I think we should have been allowed to pass blades between party members whenever we wanted. But instead, you have to find a rare item--which, from what I've heard, is limited until endgame. Personally, I find this to be a major design flaw.

Also, what kind of an RPG doesn't have a bestiary? Especially when certain tasks require you to kill a particular monster.

Ranting aside...

Btw am I the only one who thinks that Xenoblade has grown enough to get 3 characters, being Shulk, Elma and Rex?

Just check mine signature.

Despite being a young series, every Xenoblade game so far has been fairly well-made. Furthermore, every titular character has the potential to bring a never-before-seen playstyle to Smash. If Smash for Switch does get made (which I'll be surprised it doesn't), now is the perfect time to advertise the Xenoblade series, especially if Xenoblade X gets ported to the Switch.

 

[Armagon]

Btw am I the only one who thinks that Xenoblade has grown enough to get 3 characters, being Shulk, Elma and Rex?

You're not alone. I think adding Elma and Rex into Smash would be perfect for Xenoblade representation. All three reps would play very differently. And it's gonna be a while before we get the next Xenoblade (unless that new project Monolith teased is Xenoblade 3) so it's fine for now. Plus, even if every Xenoblade protag was added in the future, they'd all probably play uniquely so no need to worry about clones but people would complain about "too much Xenoblade" and "too many swords".

I am really annoyed at the Overdrive mechanic. Since blade bonding is completely random (you can influence the element, but not the weapon), I think we should have been allowed to pass blades between party members whenever we wanted. But instead, you have to find a rare item--which, from what I've heard, is limited until endgame. Personally, I find this to be a major design flaw.

I personally don't think it's that big of an issue. The AI party members will still work competently with whatever Blades you give them. Yes, there are optimal builds, but nothing that'll make or break the game. Not once have i ever felt the need to use an Overdrive Protocol. This game doesn't punish you for the "wrong" builds because there are no such thing and that's honestly what i love about the series as a whole. Yes, there are optimal set-ups, but you can still play however you want and still succeed.

 

[Altais]

I personally don't think it's that big of an issue. The AI party members will still work competently with whatever Blades you give them. Yes, there are optimal builds, but nothing that'll make or break the game. Not once have i ever felt the need to use an Overdrive Protocol. This game doesn't punish you for the "wrong" builds because there are no such thing and that's honestly what i love about the series as a whole. Yes, there are optimal set-ups, but you can still play however you want and still succeed.

Hmm, this is true. Despite personal preferences in terms of unique blades, ultimately the lack of Overdrive Protocols doesn't hinder the player's progress. I guess I'm really just being anal-retentive, as usual. I always thought that once I unlocked every unique blade, I would set up mine perfect team--but that's hard to do without Overdrive.

Anyhow, I FINALLY managed to scrape together 500'000 gold for a certain Blade. Wasn't hard, but it was sure as hell tedious. Decided to give it to Zeke, since I like his arts with that particular weapon.

 

[Armagon]

I always thought that once I unlocked every unique blade, I would set up mine perfect team--but that's hard to do without Overdrive.

So it turns out, there actually is a way to farm Overdrive Protocols, it's just time-consuming and the amount of time you spend will vary. What you want to do is max out a 4-Crown Common Blade's Affinity Chart, then release them. You'll get one Overdrive every time you do that. It'll still take a while so it's still effectively a non-renewable resource.

But, if you do want that perfect team, you have a way. Just be prepared for the grind.

Anyhow, I FINALLY managed to scrape together 500'000 gold for a certain Blade. Wasn't hard, but it was sure as hell tedious.

Get ready to fork over another 500,000 gold for a certain quest. Getting 500,000 Gold isn't that hard though; it's pretty easy with Salvaging if you have Gold Cylinders. Salvage Mastery also helps.

 

[Altais]

So it turns out, there actually is a way to farm Overdrive Protocols, it's just time-consuming and the amount of time you spend will vary. What you want to do is max out a 4-Crown Common Blade's Affinity Chart, then release them. You'll get one Overdrive every time you do that. It'll still take a while so it's still effectively a non-renewable resource.

But, if you do want that perfect team, you have a way. Just be prepared for the grind.


Get ready to fork over another 500,000 gold for a certain quest. Getting 500,000 Gold isn't that hard though; it's pretty easy with Salvaging if you have Gold Cylinders. Salvage Mastery also helps.

Hmm, I suspected it was possible to get Overdrive Protocols from Blades, after I learnt they give you things when you release them. Glad to know I wasn't wrong. As long as I still get the protocol in the end, I'm willing to put the time into it. Cheers for the info.

For the gold, what I did was collect a bunch of Black Ash and Emperor Beetles, then sold them for 110g apiece. With Agate & Brigid's keen eye and mineralogy skills, the process was much quicker than it would otherwise have been. There was a digging spot right next to a warp point, so all I had to do was rinse and repeat.

 

[Deleted member]

After having completed Xenoblade 2, I'm wondering if a Rex+Pyra duo character would work properly...

Not talking about gameplay potential, which I'm not afraid of, but rather how their gimmick would work? Does Pyra stay on the background? Does she stay on the stage when Rex is ejected?

Also wondering how it would be with 8-player dittos.

 

[Altais]

I've already devised a unique moveset for Rex that easily incorporates both Pyra and Mythra--which, I hope, wouldn't be too hard to code. Though, like Shulk's moveset, it does have a steep learning curve. However, I think I'll wait until I've finished Xenoblade 2 before writing it.

 

[fogbadge]

when you think about it switching between pyra and mythra doesnt change your arts it only changes the element so it would make sense for rather than being a different set of specials in smash it would make sense instead switch the element

dont suppose itd be that special but no other character can do it

 

[Blackwolf666]

when you think about it switching between pyra and mythra doesnt change your arts it only changes the element so it would make sense for rather than being a different set of specials in smash it would make sense instead switch the element

dont suppose itd be that special but no other character can do it

True, however there are some blade skills like foresight that can definitely be reworked into a special move for smash.

 

[Deleted member]

The transformation gimmick should better stay away from Smash.

I'd rather think however you can choose between Pyra and Mythra on the CSS. It will influence some of Rex's specials and Final Smash. That would be a new concept.

 

[Vyrnx]

Just finished this game and loved it! The cutscene that opens chapter 10 is one of the best cutscenes I have ever seen. Third Switch game I've played after Odyssey/botw, liked it way more than both.

Also, please play this game with Japanese voices rather than English. There is just no comparison.

Let's make 20RexRex a reality

 

[Armagon]

Also, please play this game with Japanese voices rather than English. There is just no comparison.

No thanks. I'd much rather play this game in English where all the various accents make the world feel so much more alive and unique. I also want to actually understand the voices outside of cutscenes. The Japanese voice acting is generic as heck and this is coming from someone who regularly watches anime subbed.

Rex's yelling aside (and even that gets good near the end), English voice acting>>Japanese voice acting.

 

[Vyrnx]

Agree to disagree, I guess. I definitely wasn't willing to get past English Rex in a game with ~14 hours of cutscenes. Or the Nopons.

But ftr I've never watched an anime, so I may not be the best judge of the Japanese voice acting's quality. Felt very solid, though.

 

[Nonno Umby]

I played the game with the English voice acting and I don't regret it. While some parts are a bit rough on the edges (like Rex's scream, but to be fair he is a 15ish years old boy dubbed by a full grown men, it is extremely hard to pull a convincing scream without sounding off), others are impressive, like Malos, Pyra, Vandham, Zeke, Nia, Dromarch, Azurda...


And also

They are so cheesy that I just love them.

 

[fogbadge]

personally i love that morag has genuine scottish accent

 

[NintenRob]

Morag is probably my favourite character in the game.

"There's a reason they call me special enquisitor"
"why don't you die in a fire Zeke"
"This is the result of negligence, it will not happen again"

I want to her as an assist or something.

 

[Spazzy_D]

I'm just going to leave this here:

http://sourcegaming.info/2017/12/02/ds-rex-pyra/

(Worth checking out just for the Kirby hat).

 

[Blackwolf666]

No thanks. I'd much rather play this game in English where all the various accents make the world feel so much more alive and unique. I also want to actually understand the voices outside of cutscenes. The Japanese voice acting is generic as heck and this is coming from someone who regularly watches anime subbed.

Rex's yelling aside (and even that gets good near the end), English voice acting>>Japanese voice acting.

Agreed, I downloaded the Japanese voices and changed the voice settings only to immediately change it back because of some of the same reasons you listed. I've wasted a GB of space on my switch for something I plan to never use again.

 

[QrowinSP]

So I haven't gotten too far into the game, so it's not gonna encapsulate too much of what Rex can do by the end, but I do have an idea for how a moveset could generally work. I tried to make a mix of what their gameplay is like in the game itself and the general way they act in cutscenes.

Mechanics:

• Rex and Pyra work similarly to ice climbers: Both are on the stage and Pyra follows Rex around. However, she's slower than rex and responds to his movement with some delay.
• There is a link between Pyra and Rex that gets stronger over time, increasing Rex's damage, knockback, and making him harder to launch. If Rex moves too far away from Pyra, the bond will break, removing this buffs. However, if the bond is reformed soon enough, it will be just as strong as when it broke. Break it for too long, however, and its strength will quickly decay. The bond strength resets after getting knocked off.
• Rex can survive after Pyra is knocked off. However, if Rex is knocked off, you lose the stock and Pyra respawns with you. Ice Climber rules, apparently.
• There is a technique similar to Ice Climber Desynching that lets you have some control over Pyra's movement.
• By default, Rex has the sword. The sword is used for his side special, up special, smash attacks, dash attack, tilts, and all aerials but his neutral air. His neutral a combo, his nair, and his grabs do not use his sword.
• His grab is a tether grab. Using it in the air has a rather long range, and it can stick into any wall for a decent period of time.
• Using his down B, he throws his sword to Pyra. This lets her use all of his attacks involving the sword. Whenever you input for one of those attacks, Pyra does it instead. She does not gain any buffs from the bond between her and Rex. However, some of her attacks have special properties, such as a portion of certain aerials spiking when she does them. Using down b again will give the sword back to Rex.
• While rex has no sword, he can still use his nair, neutral a combo, and grabs.
• Rex's side special and up special are "Arts". He can use it to cancel the animation of any of his sword attacks, and when he does, he fills up a special gauge. If the gauge is full and Pyra uses one of the two 'art' specials, then it gains increased range and significantly increased knockback, expending the gauge.

Specials:

• Neutral B: Holding this down causes Pyra to charge up a fire projectile that she shoots out upon release in the direction you are holding the control stick.
• Side B: An art. Rex or Pyra lunges forward with the sword, dealing damage and moving a fair distance. Deals more damage and launches further from behind.
• Up B: An art. Rex or Pyra throw the sword up into the air, grab it, and then come crashing down to earth.
• Dowb B: Rex throws the sword to Pyra or vice versa.

Final Smash is Flaming sword, and it's basically a big ****-off AOE attack.

Once again, want to stress I'm barely past chapter 2, so no one spoil me if they respond to this.

 

[ItsMeBrandon]

I've been waiting to come in here and pledge my support until I beat Xenoblade 2, and I finally did.
I think Rex (with Pyra) is my most-wanted 1st-party newcomer now- not only did I love his character and Xenoblade 2's story, but the boy has a lot of (obvious) moveset potential.

As for how he'd play, I think Pyra will definitely have to be there with Rex, seeing as one can't really work without the other.
I don't know about Blade switching because that might lend itself to transformation mechanics somewhat, but they could design it to be more like Shulk's Monado Arts instead, just with a twist of some sort.

Rex's Final Smash could be a number of things, but as much as it'd probably be a huge attack with Pyra/Mythra, I'd kind of like to see it be a Chain Attack, if only for cameos of the party members.

 

[Sniper Maxter]

Down B switching between Pyra/Mythra standing in the background and only slightly changing Rex's moveset is more like a fancy stat changing system (i.e. Monado Arts or Limit) than a full transformation. I think it would be fine, even taking into account potential processing power issues for a handheld version.

 

[GolisoPower]

Well, considering there's only about 38 Rare Blades, it shouldn't be too hard to incorporate them. Here's how: make the Core Crystals an item. Basically, the Pokeball/Assist Trophy, but for Xenoblade.

So I’ve thought about that, and I think I’ve figured out two of the potential functions:

1: The Elements

I’m only gonna leave out the Light element for two reasons: 1) Because Mythra might be a part of Rex’s moveset, and 2) KOS-MOS might be added as a playable character in the next game. Now anyways, onto the other 7: Fire would obviously deal Fire damage, and Ice would freeze. Earth could bury opponents, Wind could add an additional windbox, Dark would seal Darkness damage, Lightning would stun and Water deals water damage seen in Corrin’s Down-B.

2: The Blade Weapons

Blades bestow their Drivers with a weapon, as you guys already know. When a character picks up a Core Crystal, they resonate with it and temporarily become the Driver of a Rare Blade. All Rare Blades except for story-driven Blades and KOS-MOS can be found in a Core Crystal. There are three different kinds of roles a different Blade can assume:

ATK Blades: These Blades give you a Weapon with disgusting damage output and knockback. ATK Blades are for those who want a quick and easy KO. Greataxes go slow and have less range, but have larger hit boxes. Megalances only do some decent damage, but make up for it with great range. Ether Cannons function similarly to the Raygun, but charging it makes it fire a smaller ray of ether similar to a weaker Daybreak Cannon. Examples include Gorg (Water Greataxe), Wulfric (Earth Megalance) and Herald (Lightning Ether Cannon).

TNK Blades: These Blades give their Drivers super armor in their attacks and have unique Smash Attacks similar to the Ore Club, but their damage and knockback is significantly weaker. TNK Blades are for those who want to shrug off anything the opponent has. Shield Hammers give the player Smash Attacks similar to King Dedede’s while the Chroma Katana gives the player a Smash Attack that streaks forward. Examples include Electra (Lightning Shield Hammer), Perceval (Dark Chroma Katana), and Finch (Wind Shield Hammer).

HLR Blades: These Blades give the player a sort of heal-over-time effect similar to the Medic from TF2: becomes more effective the longer you go without taking damage, but resets the moment you do. HLR Blades are for those who want to recover from damage easily. Knuckle Claws give the player ground normals similar to Little Mac’s (Minus the Super Armor), while Bitballs function like a Soccer Ball that hovers nearby the Driver that wields it. Examples include Boreas (Wind Bitball), Dahlia (Ice Bitball) and Kora (Lightning Knuckle Claws).

Note: For the Bitball, at first I thought of having it work similarly to Menat’s Crystal Ball from Street Fighter 5, but when I saw the attack animations for it, I then decided to make it similar to the Soccer Ball.

 

[Altais]

Personally, I only see Foresight being another generic counter move, which I think we have enough of.

Quick question...

Spoiler: Chapter 8 spoiler

"Which name will you use?"

Does it make a difference, gameplay/storywise, or is it just a matter of preference? Unlike most people, I'm much more governed by mine mind rather than mine heart, so I'm in a bit of roadblock here.

And crap. If I knew Rex would eventually be able to use any Blade, I would have used all mine Core Crystals on the other party members. Oh well.

 

[Armagon]

Personally, I only see Foresight being another generic counter move, which I think we have enough of.

Quick question...

Spoiler: Chapter 8 spoiler

"Which name will you use?"

Does it make a difference, gameplay/storywise, or is it just a matter of preference? Unlike most people, I'm much more governed by mine mind rather than mine heart, so I'm in a bit of roadblock here.

And crap. If I knew Rex would eventually be able to use any Blade, I would have used all mine Core Crystals on the other party members. Oh well.

Spoiler: Ch.8 spoiler

It determines which Affinity Chart is used for Pyra/Mythra's true form.

 

[fogbadge]

well ive reached the start of the final chapter

Spoiler

i knew we were going to fight amalthas the second i saw him

 

[NonSpecificGuy]

Whoooo-we I walked in here to see how Support for Rex was going and get beer with a **** ton of spoiler tags. Good in you guys though.

I support Rex. I'll be picking up Xenoblade 2 real soon, but until then I should probably avoid this thread like the plague.

 

[Deleted member]

Whoooo-we I walked in here to see how Support for Rex was going and get beer with a **** ton of spoiler tags. Good in you guys though.

I support Rex. I'll be picking up Xenoblade 2 real soon, but until then I should probably avoid this thread like the plague.

Don't also forget to erase your YouTube history.

And to unsubscribe from YouTube channels which are likely to upload spoilery videos.

And to not visit fan-art websites either.

 

[Sniper Maxter]

Spoiler: Ch.8 spoiler

It determines which Affinity Chart is used for Pyra/Mythra's true form.

I'm not sure if that's actually true.

 

[NintenRob]

So I had a thought on how Rex and Pyra would work on Screen.

You control Rex while Pyra just follows you around, similar to Nana
Rex is stronger while Pyra is close by, in fact he's excellent. But when the bond line thing is broken Rex's loses power in his sword and becomes much weaker. Think Levin Sword Vs Bronze Sword.

I think that concept would be a decent basis to build a moveset from. It's not that overly complicated and it references a mechanic from the game.

You could still include other concepts though. Although I'm thinking Mythra might be limited to Final Smash while Pyra is just there otherwise.

Spoiler

The final form is probably too late game to include at all, although I do want that final outfit for Rex as an alt

 

[Nonno Umby]

So I had a thought on how Rex and Pyra would work on Screen.

You control Rex while Pyra just follows you around, similar to Nana
Rex is stronger while Pyra is close by, in fact he's excellent. But when the bond line thing is broken Rex's loses power in his sword and becomes much weaker. Think Levin Sword Vs Bronze Sword.

I think that concept would be a decent basis to build a moveset from. It's not that overly complicated and it references a mechanic from the game.

You could still include other concepts though. Although I'm thinking Mythra might be limited to Final Smash while Pyra is just there otherwise.

Spoiler

The final form is probably too late game to include at all, although I do want that final outfit for Rex as an alt

The more I hear this idea of Pyra following around, the more I want to see them in Smash. This mechanic is so unique while it captures the essence of Xeno 2!

 

[Sniper Maxter]

Personally, I feel like an Affinity tether system would only serve to slow Rex down and make him not as fun to play. I'd rather he had something that embodied the speed and timing aspects of XC2's combat.

 

[SS2000]

I've finished all of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 now and do think Rex could be a neat addition if they feel that franchise needs another rep. I imagine Rex having having Pyra/Mythra/whatever blade (if more than two, the other story-obtained ones might be best) follow him around in the background would be most likely way for him to work. Maybe his gimmick could be having better/more options when he is close to his blade with a small trail of light connecting them and staying close long enough makes it gold which is even better. Maybe that could gradually fill up some gauge (fill slowly with white connection, quickly with gold connection) that has multiple levels to it that is for performing a co-op move with the blade jumping in to assist; press dowb B to switch blades, and each one has a different set of neutral B co-op moves (based off those A button multilevel moves from the game) that they can perform and are the stronger moves the higher level the gauge got (which resets after usage) by building affinity. The gauge slowly builds up to level 3 by fighting and staying in close range and it doesn't go down until used, but level 4 is the tricky one to fill where it only fills when gold and losing connection causes it to instantly drop right back down to 3, making it hard to reach level 4, but doing so enables the strongest move which could be like a mini final smash (with the actual final smash being ascended mode). I think that is one way he could be somewhat unique and have a style based right off his game.

I wonder what they'd do for the amiibo?... We wouldn't want to leave him all alone. lol

And If he does make it in, hopefully he doesn't end up stealing a certain someone's meme...

Spoiler

 

[fogbadge]

i think anchor shot would be a decent neutral special, perhaps with effect of making those it hits drop an item they're holding like how it makes enemies drop hp potions

i suppose it could make people trip like how it does topple but im not sure what theyd have instead of brake unless they have another special that afflicts break

also ursula is adorable

 

[NintenRob]

Does anyone have any good full body pics of Rex and Pyra together? I'm looking for something I can use with other characters I like but I don't want to use their official art because the other characters use 3D artwork while theirs are 2D.

It'd be cool if they got Smashified.