Party based games have created many unique team configurations, but one thing remains consistent between them: someone has to deal the damage. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is no different. Specifically, the damage dealers in this series are known as the attackers.
As expected, attacker classes have a host of abilities that let them melt enemy health bars. But in Xenoblade Chronicles, they also have to worry about positioning, enemy aggro, and proper use of their limited arts slots. Arts, being the series’ main abilities, are competing for limited slots. Thus, it’s good to know which ones are the most reliable for the various playstyles the game allows players access to. Here are the best options for the party's main offense.
8 Way Home
Burst combos are a new feature in XC3. They combine XC1’s daze combos with XC2’s elemental bursts, providing a way to get extra drops from enemies. Most of this combo is available from the start of the game, but the final step, Burst, takes time to obtain.
Burst is usually locked behind certain talent arts, and healer classes. For those looking to farm enemy drops though, having Burst on a normal art is very valuable. For this purpose, Way Home is an art from the Troubadour class, which allows faster and easier bursts by taking up a less valuable slot.
7 Acceleration
XC3 has a collection of characters known as 'Heroes'. These characters add a 7th member to the main party, as well as providing new classes to play with. The first of these is Ethel, with her fast-paced, "Flash Fencer" class.
Acceleration is one of the class’ buffs that helps speed up its playstyle. It makes both arts and auto-attacks faster. This means more damage, as well faster recharge on agnus arts which recharge via auto attacks. The thing holding it back, though, is that it belongs to a Keves class, whose main arts can’t be recharged through auto-attacks.
6 Aerial Slash
Within XC3’s combat system, debuffing enemies is usually left up to the party’s healer classes. However, anyone looking for more debuffs can find great use in the Incursor class, despite it being an attacker class.
For this playstyle, Aerial Slash is a tricky art that deals a good amount of damage, with the extra effect of spreading debuffs from the enemy being attacked to every other enemy in range. This can make dealing with large groups far easier, as they can all be debuffed consistently at the same time.
5 Saber Strike
Returning to the Flash Fencer class, its primary talent art provides a very consistent way to end smash combos. These combos deal way more damage than burst combos, but take longer to fully gain access to.
Saber Strike is the first access the party gets to Smash, and will be the only source of it for much of the game. In addition to its use in combos, Saber Strike deals a great amount of damage, and Flash Fencer’s skills allow it to be almost instantly available at the start of battle.
4 Jackal Claw
Attackers should ideally not be the focus of enemy aggro, as they are rather frail, and can’t properly exploit directional attacks when targeted. Sometimes overuse of arts or AOE enemy attacks does mean they will be taking damage.
For these situations, having access to evasion is a good way to keep attackers healthy. Jackal Claw is an art from the Martial Artist class that offers an on-demand evade. It also has a high critical hit rate and high damage, making it a safe option for any attacker.
3 Giant Swing
While useful effects are a big part of a lot of arts’ value, when playing an attacker, damage is the highest priority. So, it helps to not load up too much on secondary effects. Attackers should seek to have at least one simple, high damage attack.
One of the best options for this is Giant Swing, which also has the added benefit of being accessible fairly early in the game. The art has a huge damage multiplier, and can also knock back enemies, interrupting their attacks.
2 Sword Strike
A lot of powerful arts and skills are locked behind classes that only unlock further into the game. However, the six starter classes hold a lot of value, due to their well-balanced abilities and easy access.
A great example of this is within Noah’s beginner class, Swordfighter. Sword Strike is one of Noah’s first arts, and applies break to enemies when attacking from the side. This both allows Smash combos and Burst combos to be started, but also helps charge attacker talent arts. So while it is available from the start, it stays consistently useful and keeps the Swordfighter class valuable.
1 Dead Set
A lot of attacker classes can be easy for players to get carried away with. Their arts deal a lot of damage, and they don’t have to worry about supporting the party. Overuse of arts will, however, draw enemy aggro, which is the last thing an attacker wants, especially against XC3's stronger challenges.
Fullmetal Jaguar is an attacker class unlockable during chapter 3, and provides a convenient solution to this. Dead Set removes aggro from the user, freeing them up to use their arts much more without worrying about drawing too much attention. This inevitably means attackers are free to unload their other arts and keep the damage coming.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is out now on Nintendo Switch.