Xenoblade Chronicles™ 3D

1 Important Information

Basic Information

2 amiibo

3 Note to Parents and Guardians

Getting Started

4 Prologue

5 Characters

6 Beginning the Game

7 Save Data Management

Playing the Game

8 Controls

9 Exploring the Field

10 Selecting Targets

11 Menus

Battles

12 Combat Basics

13 Party Affinity

14 Art Icons

15 Buffs

16 Debuffs

17 What Do I Do...? (FAQ)

StreetPass and amiibo

18 Collection Mode

Troubleshooting

19 Support Information

1 Important Information

Please read this manual carefullybefore using the software. If thesoftware will be used by children,the manual should be read andexplained to them by an adult.

This software can only be played ona New Nintendo 3DS/New Nintendo3DS XL system.

Also, before using this software,please select in the HOME Menuand carefully review content in"Health and Safety Information." Itcontains important information thatwill help you enjoy this software.

You should also thoroughly readyour Operations Manual, includingthe "Health and Safety Information"section, before using this software.

Please note that except whereotherwise stated, "Nintendo 3DS™"refers to all devices in theNintendo 3DS family, including theNew Nintendo 3DS,New Nintendo 3DS XL,Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo 3DS XL,and Nintendo 2DS™.

This title supports three differentlanguages: English, French, andSpanish.The in-game language depends onthe one that is set on the system.You can change the systemlanguage in System Settings.◆ In-game screenshots in this

manual are of the English versionof the software.

Language Selection

Your Nintendo 3DS system and thissoftware are not designed for use withany unauthorized device or unlicensedaccessory. Such use may be illegal,voids any warranty, and is a breach ofyour obligations under the UserAgreement. Further, such use maylead to injury to yourself or others andmay cause performance issues and/ordamage to your Nintendo 3DS systemand related services. Nintendo (as wellas any Nintendo licensee or distributor)is not responsible for any damage orloss caused by the use of such deviceor unlicensed accessory. Except asauthorized, copying of any Nintendosoftware is illegal and is strictlyprohibited by domestic andinternational intellectual property laws."Back-up" or "archival" copies are notauthorized.

Nintendo respects the intellectualproperty of others, and we askNintendo 3DS software ContentProviders to do the same. Inaccordance with the Digital MillenniumCopyright Act in the US, the ElectronicCommerce Directive in the EU, andother applicable law, we have adopteda policy of removing, in appropriatecircumstances and at our solediscretion, any Nintendo 3DS softwarethat appears to infringe anyone else'sintellectual property. If you believeyour intellectual property rights arebeing infringed, please visitwww.nintendo.com/ippolicy to view thefull policy and understand your rights.

Important Information

© 2010-2015 Nintendo /MONOLITHSOFT

Trademarks are property of theirrespective owners. Nintendo 3DS isa trademark of Nintendo.

KTR-P-CAFE-00

2 amiibo

This software supports .You can use compatible amiibo™accessories by touching them to thelower screen of your New Nintendo3DS or New Nintendo 3DS XLsystem.

◆ An amiibo can be read by multiplecompatible software titles.

◆ If you cannot restore corrupteddata for the amiibo, open onthe HOME Menu and then resetthe data under "amiibo Settings."

Using near-field communication(NFC), amiibo can connect tocompatible software to open brandnew ways to interact with yourfavorite Nintendo games. For moreinformation, please visit Nintendo'sofficial website at http://www.nintendo.com/amiibo.

Precaution about amiibo

● Just a light touch on the lowerscreen is enough for the systemto detect your amiibo. Do notpress the amiibo into the screenor forcefully drag it across thescreen.

3 Note to Parents and Guardians

You can restrict use of the followingfeatures by adjusting the options inParental Controls.

◆ Access to this game (as well as othergames) can also be restricted throughthe Software Rating item in ParentalControls.

◆ Refer to your Operations Manual forinformation on how to set up ParentalControls.

• StreetPassRestricts the earning of tokens(p. 18) via StreetPass™.

4 Prologue

This is a story from another dimension,from another time – from one of amultitude of other universes. In thisworld, all that existed was a boundlesstranquil sea, and a sky without end.One day, this world changed.

The Bionis and the Mechonis, the twogreat titans, appeared in this world assuddenly as a bubble bursting, lockedin single combat with their veryexistence at stake.The clash of their monumental bladesechoed wide across the waters, untilthe very air shook...Eventually, both titans poured their allinto one strike and – in that moment,everything fell silent.

Eons passed.

A race of humans called the Homs,who call the Bionis' remains theirhome, found themselves fighting forsurvival.The sudden invasion came from theMechonis.Their enemy was the Mechon – anunstoppable force of warrior machinesclad in armour of gleaming steel. Theunflinching Mechon gave no quarter intheir relentless campaign, as if hell-bent on claiming the lives of every lastHoms man, woman and child.

But the Homs would not die on theirknees.

For in their hands was the Monado – alegendary sword that had broughtabout the Mechonis' end ages before.The Homs hero Dunban raced acrossthe battlefield, the Monado firmly inhand, single-handedly laying waste toentire swathes of Mechon troops.Yet even Dunban himself did notescape unscathed, as the boundlessenergy overflowing the Monadognawed at his flesh.Feeling his body failing, Dunbanspurred himself on to one last effort.The Monado struck and, with a torrent

of light rushing from the blade,obliterated all Mechon caught in theblast.

A year has now passed since the Homsstood victorious at their last stand. Awhole new creation myth is about tounfold.

5 Characters

ShulkA handsomeboy with anobviouspenchant forlearning. Setsout with Reynto find theMechon whoraided hishometown andget revenge.Age:18Height:171 cm

ReynA soldier of theColony 9Defence Force,and Shulk'soldest friend.He's optimisticandaffectionate, ifsometimes atad rash.Listens to hisheart more thanhis head.Age:18Height:190 cm

FioraA well-liked girl,always eager tohelp. Friendswith Shulksince they werechildren, shenurses a littlecrush.Dunban'syounger sister.Age:18Height:160 cm

DunbanThe celebratedHoms hero whoslayedcountlessMechon whilewielding theMonado.Criticallywounded in thedecisive battleone year ago,and stillrecovering.Age:30Height:180 cm

RikiA Nopon fromthe forest thatcovers theBionis' back, heis his tribe'sHero...pon?Unusually child-like in bothspeech andmovement, butin reality...Age:UnknownHeight:60 cm

SharlaA combat medicserving in theColony 6Defence Force.Has a lot ofbackbone andtends to be quitestrict.Marksmanship isher forte.Age:21Height:168 cm

MeliaA young womanfrom High Entia,a greatcivilisation thatreigns fromatop the Bionis'head.Exceptionallyskilled in ether-based combat.Age:UnknownHeight:156 cm

6 Beginning the Game

◆ To change the settings for a game

already in progress, select (System) from the in-game MenuPalette.

Adjust the settings of your newgame.

Options

Continue from a previously-savedgame.

Continue

Earn tokens and collect charactermodels and music tracks through araffle. (p. 18)

Collection

Open this electronic manual.

Manual

Start a new game.

New Game

Use to select a menu item, thenpress to confirm.

7 Save Data Management

Select (Save) in the (System)section of the Menu Palette to saveyour progress.

Saving your game

◆ You can keep up to three separatesave game files.

◆ You may not be able to save incertain in-game locations.

Select (Load) in the (System)section of the Menu Palette to loada previously-saved game.

Loading save data

◆ Take care when erasing save data, asdata cannot be recovered onceerased.

You can press while selectingdata to erase the selected data.Alternatively, you can hold down+++ while the game loads(after the Nintendo 3DS logodisappears, until the title screen isshown) to erase all save data.

Erasing save data

Data can be lost due to useraction, such as repeatedlypowering off and on the systemor removing a Game Card or SDCard while saving. Data loss mayalso be caused by poorconnectivity due to dirt or dust inthe system's ports. Please beaware that in these cases datacannot be restored.

8 Controls

¹ Press +/ to target the monsternearest to you instead.

Basic Controls

Select

Move party leader

Pause during eventscene

Confirm

Back/Cancel

Move camera

Zoom camera out +

Zoom camera in +

Reset camera +

Field Controls

Talk/Examine

Jump

Trade

Target /

Open Menu Palette

Open area map

Battle Controls

Party command: Focusattacks! +

Switch targets /¹

Party command:Engage at will! +

Party command: Cometo me! +

◆ As you progress through thestory, new tutorials will continueto be added.

You can always select (Tutorials) in the (Other)section of the Menu Palette formore information on the controlsand other aspects of the game.

9 Exploring the Field

2. Monster

3. Party Leader

Displayed on the lower screen, itshows your current position andimmediate surroundings.

Mini-map

2

1

3

The destination is inanother area. Trychecking the storymemo if you're lost!

You're in the middle ofa story quest.

◆ Sometimes the below icons may beshown instead.

If your destination is located inthe current area, this marker willshow you its direction anddistance.

1. Arrow

Field Screen

2

1

3

As time passes, day turns intonight, and back again.

2. Day/Night

You can manually change the in-game time by going to (Change Time) in the (Other)section of the Menu Palette.

3. Time

1. Mini-map Icons

Current position and bearing

Destination

Monster

Camera direction

10 Selecting Targets

This shows the monster's leveland sense type, if any. Thewindow's colour corresponds tothe monster's danger level.

1. Target Window

Sense Types

Sound

Attacks yourparty when ithears yourfootstepsclose by.

Visual Attacks yourparty on sight.

SpeciesLoyalty

Attacks if amember of itsspecies(kindredmonster) is incombat withyour party.

Ether

Attacks yourparty whenether is usednear it.

GroupLoyalty

Attacks if amember of itsgroup is incombat withyour party.

Pressing / will automaticallytarget the nearest monster, anddisplay various information about it.Pressing / again lets you changewhich monster is targeted.

2

1

◆ Monsters considered "easy" willnot attack you unless they areunique monsters. Unique monstersare adversaries powerful enough tohave their own name.

◆ During battle, the Flee and ChainAttack options become available.

Use to switch the icon, thenpress to activate.

2. Fight/Lure

Danger Level

Equal

Easy

Weak

Strong

Danger

11 Menus

The lower screen shows a list ofyour items, while the top screencontains detailed information aboutthe selected item. You can use thetabs to switch between differentcategories of items. Press tochange how the items are sorted.Select an item and press to useor discard it.

You can use the various gamemenus to access information usefulwhen roaming the field, or adjustsettings relevant to battles.

Menu Palette

Press whilein the field tobring it up.Select menuitems with ,then press toconfirm.

1. Categories

1

2

Items

Access this menu to check yourinventory or craft ether gems fromether crystals.

Inventory

2. Items

Item with slots for ethergems

Equipped item

Unique item with fixed ethergems

"Ether" is a special type ofenergy that exists in this world.One of the ways the Ether statcan be raised is by adding ethergems to equipment.

Character Stats

StrengthAffects the powerof auto-attacks andPhysical Arts.

Auto-AttackDamage

The attack powerof auto-attacks.

AgilityAffects attackaccuracy and abilityto evade attacks.

Ether Affects the powerof Ether Arts.

Select a party member and press to be able to change theirequipment. You can add ether gemsto equipment with (slots).

◆ When an item is selected, the statsshown in blue will be raised byequipping the item, while stats shownin red will be lowered.

Party

12 Combat Basics

This represents the party's teamspirit. It will appear as youprogress through the game.

1. Party Gauge

If a character's HP is reduced to0, they will become Incapacitated.

2. HP Gauge

Select an Art with , then press to use it.

3. Battle Palette

Displayed on the lower screen, itprovides various information aboutyour party members.

Status Window

1. Current Buffs and Debuffs

All characters will attack regularly(auto-attack) without beinginstructed to, but you can alsounleash Arts to fight even moreeffectively.

Battle Screen

24

1

3

5

6

1

2

3

When outside of battle, theparty's HP will slowly replenish.Incapacitated characters will alsorecover.

2. Current HP/Max HP

3. Level

A new skill will be learnt eachtime this is filled.

5. SP Bar

When this fills up, the characterwill level up.

6. EXP Bar

Each character has five levels ofTension (very low→low→normal→high→very high), which representstheir individual morale. If acharacter's Tension is high, theyhave a higher chance of scoringcritical hits and less chance ofmissing with attacks.

4. Character's Tension

13 Party Affinity

Affinity Cries

During battle,you can helpout partymembers whoare sufferingfrom lowTension or certain debuffs (p. 16),or have been Incapacitated. To doso, rush to their side and press when prompted.

Affinity Actions

Carry out theseactions whenthe battlebegins andduring battle bypressing when prompted. Try to press thebutton exactly when the red andblue circles are aligned.

◆ The five affinity levels, from

weakest to strongest, are: ,

, , and . You cancheck the affinity between yourparty characters by selecting

(Affinity Chart) in the (Journal)submenu.

Party members with strongaffinity can perform extra attacksin battle, help their friends snapout of a Daze, and much more.You can increase the affinitybetween party members byperforming Affinity Cries andAffinity Actions, or by makingthem gifts by selectingcollectable items from the (Collectables) tab of theinventory (p. 11).

Affinity

AP Use these points to levelup character Arts.

EXP ◆ You may also earn AffinityCoins or learn new Artswhen levelling up.

Earn EXP to level up acharacter.

SP Earn these to learn newskills.

The party will receive EXP, AP andSP for defeating a monster. If atreasure chest appears, open it topick up items.

Winning a Battle

14 Art Icons

◆ In addition to the color of an Art'sicon, its background also containsinformation about its effects. Forexample, note the horizontal bar in

the background of – this indicatesit's an Ether Art.

Art that inflictsToppleGreen

Art that heals orgrants buffsBlue

Physical ArtRed

Art that inflicts BreakPink

Art that inflicts DazeYellow

Aura ArtOrange

Art that inflictsdebuffs on a monsterPurple

◆ Using Arts of the same color byconsecutive party members willincrease the length of the chain andimprove the damage dealt or healthrecovered.

Select whenyour partymembers arelinked by a blueline to initiate achain attack,enabling the party to attackcontinuously with Arts until the chainattack is complete.

Each character's Talent Art,found in the middle of theirBattle Palette, is unique to thatcharacter, and can be chainedwith Arts of any colour.

Talent Arts

15 Buffs

◆ If you set "Buff/Debuff Info" to "Every

Time" in (Options), you will beable to press during battleto display an explanation of the givenstatus.

Some of your party members' Artsor enemy attacks have a chance ofimparting effects that affect thatcharacter's stats. These effectsdisappear with the end of the battle,or after some time has passed.

PhysicalProtect

Reduces physicaldamage taken bya certainpercentage.

Strength Up Raises theStrength stat.

Ether Up Raises the Etherstat.

EtherProtect

Reduces etherdamage taken bya certainpercentage.

Agility Up Raises the Agilitystat.

Regen-erate

Restores HPover time.

DamageHeal

Restores HPwhen takingdamage.

DamageImmunity

Nullifies a certainamount ofdamage taken.

DebuffImmunity

Makes itimpossible toafflict characterwith debuffs.

PhysicalArts Plus

Increasesdamage dealtwith PhysicalArts.

ReflectionReflects allattacks apartfrom Talent Arts.

Aura

Surroundscharacter with anaura that grantsvarious buffs.

Shield

Deflectsmonsters' TalentArts.

◆ If monster Artlevel is nohigher thanShield level.

HasteShortens timebetween auto-attacks.

Enchant

Makes attackseffective againstMechon andincreasesdamage dealt.

Armour

Increasesphysical andether defenceand reducesdamage taken bya certainpercentage.

Speed Greatly increasesevasion rate.

16 Debuffs

Topple

Evasion drops tozero, and criticaldamage taken isincreased. Artscan be used toinflict Daze.

Break Arts can be usedto inflict Topple.

Daze

Critical damagetaken isincreased, andAwakening andany other Aurasare removed.While a monsteris Dazed, itsaggro will notincrease.

Sleep

Disables auto-attacks and Arts,and all damagetaken becomescritical.

Confuse

Makes targetstop fighting andrun aroundaimlesslyinstead.

Bleed Deals damageover time.

Poison Deals damageover time.

Blaze Deals damageover time.

Chill Deals damageover time.

Slow

Lengthens timebetween auto-attacks andreducesmovementspeed.

Spike

Arts SealPrevents use ofany Arts, apartfrom Talent Arts.

Paralysis

Confers a certainpercentagechance thatauto-attacks willfail. Disablesdouble attacksand counter-attacks.

Bind

Preventsmovement (buttargets withinrange can still beattacked).

Lock-On

Makes itimpossible toswitch to adifferent target.

HP Down Reducesmaximum HP.

StrengthDown

Lowers theStrength stat.

Physical DefDown

Increasesphysical damagetaken.

Ether Down Lowers the Etherstat.

Ether DefDown

Increases etherdamage taken.

AgilityDown

Lowers theAgility stat.

Pierce

Physical andether defencebecomeineffective.

Aura Seal

Prevents anyAura-relatedeffects fromactivating.

Getting too close to, orattacking, monsters with theSpike ability may causecharacters to take damage orsuffer various debuff effects.

17 What Do I Do...? (FAQ)

You can use the (Enchant)Monado Art to let your partymembers damage Mechon enemies.

How can I make my alliesattack the Mechon?

◆ The effects of Enchant are onlytemporary and will expire after awhile.

When your party members areconnected with a blue line, select

to initiate a chain attack (p. 14).You may need to inflict Break, andthen Topple, on certain enemies inorder to attack them effectively.

What do I do when theMonado's attacks don'twork?

◆ The higher the affinity between yourparty members, the easier it becomesto perform chain attacks.

You could try equipping items thatraise auto-attack damage or theStrength stat (p. 11), or levelling upyour Arts by going to the (Artsand Skills) section of the MenuPalette and selecting (Arts).Going back and trying to level upyour party members is also a goodway. Once you're three levelshigher than your opponents, youshould find the fights a lot easier.

Why do I keep losingfights...?

First things first. Open the MenuPalette, then go to (Arts andSkills), followed by (Skill Trees).From there, you can select the SkillBranch (trait) whose skills you wouldlike each character to learn.Additionally, you can use AffinityCoins (p. 13) to let party membersuse other party members' skillsthrough Skill Links.

How do I set up skills again?

◆ For example, learning Reyn's "BattleCharacter" skill will increase theattack power of his equipped weapon,while Shulk's "Healing Wisdom" willimprove the healing power of hisHealing Arts.

The Party Gauge will increase a lotquicker if you try to trigger thebonus effects of your characters'Arts, for example by using Shulk's"Back Slash" to attack monstersfrom behind and deal extra damage.

My Party Gauge isn't reallygoing up... What gives?

◆ The conditions for triggering an Art'sbonus effect are written in red in theArt's description on the BattlePalette.

◆ Another way to increase the PartyGauge is by successfully achievingBurst Affinity.

18 Collection Mode

Earning Tokens

If you have activated StreetPass forXenoblade Chronicles 3D, you willreceive 2 tokens every time youmeet another player via StreetPass.

Earning tokens throughStreetPass

You can exchange 5 Play Coins for 1token. Play Coins are earned bywalking around with yourNew Nintendo 3DS system.

Earning tokens for Play Coins

If you have a Shulk amiibo, you canuse it once per day to receive 3tokens.

Earning tokens using amiibo

You can expand your collection bytaking part in the Model Raffle andthe Music Raffle. To do this, you willneed to use tokens.

Raffles

◆ StreetPass functionality for thisgame can be deactivated in thesame way.

You can activate StreetPass byselecting "Manage StreetPass"from the Collection menu.

Activating StreetPass

Collectionmode lets youcollect 3Dmodels ofvarious in-gamecharacters aswell as music tracks from the game.

◆ If you have headphones plugged in,you will be able to listen to the musictracks even with the system closed.

19 Support Information

Nintendo Customer ServiceSUPPORT.NINTENDO.COM

USA/Canada:1-800-255-3700

Latin America/Caribbean:(001) 425-558-7078