Ranking EVERY Xenoblade Chronicles Game

[@potabump6471]

Xenoblade 2 feels like one of those games where if you really don't vibe with 1 or 2 parts of it, and aren't interested enough to invest time into really getting it, then you most likely won't enjoy it that much. In my personal playthrough of the game I was struggling with combat and exploration, but the characters and story and ESPECIALLY the soundtrack kept me engaged enough to give me the motivation to sit down and watch guides detailing what to and not to do, and halfway through the game it kinda clicked and I swept through it, and it quickly became my favorite game of all time. Of course my own experience isn't universal, but Xenoblade 2 really just hit me in the right ways. 3 was a bit of the same, except I was totally invested the whole way, and the themes and characters present really spoke to me on a personal level(Makes sense considering i'm around the same age as the main cast) and honestly the more I look back at the game the more I love it. Xenoblade 1 while I still enjoy a lot, is a bit basic for me compared to the other 2, it's still phenomenal tho and probably the most well rounded in the series. I haven't had a chance to play X yet but i'm insanely excited for the remaster next year :3

[@CrashDunning]

X is the best game and I will devote my life to spreading its good name.

[@OxygenC2]

Your loyalty has been rewarded 😂

[@caresword]

I remember playing the one for wii. It was the first and only mmorpg i have ever played. I didnt get to finish it, as my wii broke (water damage 😢)...but its holds a special place in my heart. That one world were everything is so damn gorgeous and magical. With those fluffy small animals living inside of a huge tree...is special memorable. I wanna go back to it...but my lfie circumstances dont allow me to enjoy games no more. 😢

[@starkilla7777]

Love hearing your JRPG takes! You have good quality content and I hope you keep gaining more followers

[@ErekLadd]

Thank you!

[@cassiodvieira]

XC1 has the best story, XC2 has the best OST, XC3 has the best cast of characters, and XCX has the best world (the GOAT of open worlds).

[@duncanlavalle8689]

THIS (also X has the best gameplay by far)

[@monolithsoft_guy]

Bummer you didn't like these games enough to finish them. My list would be pretty much a reversal of yours ^^ Maybe you can give Xenoblade X another change when it appears on Switch 2.

[@Anarchaicego]

the only one he didn't finish was x

[@tylerhedgeland4504]

@@Anarchaicegohe said he got 20 hours into 2 and had to put it down

[@TheUndefeatedOfTheEast]

​@@tylerhedgeland4504which is crazy. 20 hours in isn't even scratching the surface.

[@uppernimbus]

This list is my jam 😎 I still have a lot of trouble ranking the Xenoblade games, I love them all equally for different reasons, so great job on choosing a ranked order, haha. Future Redeemed is the best DLC ever too!

[@ErekLadd]

Best DLC for sure!!!!

[@OxygenC2]

I think I can differentiate the preferences of people who play these games in general: People who like 1 and 3 the most: story-focused, linear gameplay, really care about narrative pacing People who like X and 2 most: gameplay-focused, expansive gameplay, cares more about the lore and setting of the world And as for characters, it all depends on whether or not the player is familiar with anime tropes and art, and I don't mean the bog standard battle shounen stuff. Because I can objectively say that Riki has less development than Tora, but Riki is more beloved outside of Japan because most people aren't familiar with the lecherous perv but skilled trope that a lot of old anime have, which 2 is based upon for example. 😊

[@TheDetectiveEngineer]

It is because of the narrative reasons that XC3 is my least-liked game of the three. I cared very little about the core cast of the characters. They had their moments, but they were not as impressive as I would have liked them to be. The colonies felt like just side quests to get a new hero. The interpersonal relationship of the party felt very on the surface apart from a few Noah/Mio and some sequences with Sena. I actually hated how little we had for the building up to Noah's sidequest. It felt like one of those narrative devices that get introduced right before the payoff. The less I say about Joran the better. Compared to the other two I found the world-building of XC3 quite mediocre. There were few too many redemptions of the characters for any of them to feel impactful. None of the consuls felt significant, since half of them get redeemed anyway without satisfactory build-up/conclusion. All in all these redemptions felt rushed.

[@Duckman8213]

I’m debating whether I want to buy them so I’m watching videos on the games. I played the entire FF series, Persona and SMT series, Baldur’s Gate 3, Witcher 3, Tales of Arise, and all FromSoftware series…. Would I like the series if I like these games I listed.

[@wcmpgaming2363]

The answer is yes to all of them, you'll wanna play the new version of X so that you can enjoy all of its online features

[@feiitogaming]

Fantastic video! I haven't played XBCX yet, but my ranking of the three mainline games would be exactly the same. XBC3 is simply of the best JRPGs I've ever played because of all the things you mentioned. Should get waaaay more love!!!

[@ErekLadd]

XCX I think is worth playing! You might actually enjoy it honestly.

[@bloodless653]

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is the only one I've actually finished, so I guess it's my favorite. I loved that the combat system in 2 had an elemental affinities mechanic, so I thought that added a lot of fun and strategy for me. I've enjoyed the bits I've played of the first and third games, but other stuff came up that pulled me away from them, so hopefully I can get through them at some point, because I do really enjoy them. And I've never played X. I have it because I bought my brother's WiiU and games off him a couple years ago, but it would be so much easier to get into it if it got a Switch/Switch 2 port.

[@dhruvcv9771]

GUESS WHAT BUDDY

[@glennsperling736]

Yup, I totally agree with this list, although I haven't played through Xenoblade X at all. XC3 was an AMAZING game all around!

[@michaelgordon8491]

I haven't played X, but 3 is personally beneath 2 for me. I go back and forth between 2 and 1 being my favorite, but I definitely recognize 2's faults. I think 2 comes out on top personally for me because the story and characters, including well developed (for the most part) antagonists that really drive the journey. Idk, I just really enjoyed the adventure.

[@AJAlkaline]

3 and its story themes resonated with me more than the vast majority of games I've ever played

[@نونيم-ي4ح]

1-XC 1 While xenogears is my favorite game from the team i can safely say that XC1 is by far their most polished and had the best story(in the xenoblade series) and one of the best and creative settings i have ever seen, it all comes together in the best way possible making it one of the best jrpgs and games of all time and the definitive edition solves most of the issues i had with the base game. 2-XCX While the story is incredibly weak the exploration does a great job making up for it and the side quests are really solid as well, the combat is incredible and the best in the series and i really liked the mech aswell, but the game does have its fair share of bloated gameplay mechanics and poorly explained stuff its extremely demanding but also rewarding. 3-XC3 there were many times where this game was going to be my fav, it solves the many issues i had with 2 and i really loved what they did with the side quests and the storytelling was a big improvement over 2, but the second half was a huge let down for me and the world and setting was a huge step down compared to what these guys did in the past it was incredibly boring compared to the previous games, but i did enjoy the sea exploration in one of the areas and the expansion dlc had an incredible area that really highlighted what was missing in the base game, overall a very solid Jrpg but very flawed aswell. 4-XC2 This game is not my jam, i can understand why people enjoy it but there are many things that bogs it down for me, i really loved the setting and the combat mid game is incredibly fun and addicting, the story and characters were not for me like AT ALL but i can understand why some people enjoy it, the gacha focus of the game is what heavily damages it, you can ignore it but a lot of the game is built around it, from combat, side quests, exploration and some mini games i just hate it, i still loved the areas of the game and it had a unique charm to it and the expansion was really fun.

[@lozamuel-sn8bk]

in the first one many times I dont even understand whats happening, now imagine controlling 6 CHARACTERS with combo system

[@jamesdestefano801]

After playing all the xenoblade games, id say you definitely need to give 2 another shot. Its on par with 3. The dlc is as good as well. Worth a play!

[@KingGorrino]

2 is an anime-fest in the worst sense and has a lot of unmet potential. And the DLC... is a spit to the face. Not one, but two points in the DLC where you can't progress the main story until you do X amount of side-quests.

[@grahfkarate1799]

I’m personally swapping 1 with 3 but great list. I like the pacing of 1 better than 3. 3 fell flat half way story wise for me .

[@AncientWare]

Does Xenoblade have something to do with xenosaga and xenogears lorewise??

[@OxygenC2]

Xenosaga yes.

[@femtrooper]

This is a very respectable ranking! I need to give X a chance someday!

[@ErekLadd]

I think it's fun if you're willing to focus more on gameplay than story. There's lots to like but if you need story to get you through then maybe not!

[@chrisrose4920]

I can't play 3, as badly as I want to. The burnt orange color they decided to use for...everything... gives me migraines after just a few minutes. Wish I could switch the color or something.

[@ErekLadd]

I 100% understand that. Some games just have a filter over them that we could do without honestly.

[@moomanchu608]

Optometrist here, you can probably try different lens filters to help relax your eyes for the screen. Every person feels better with a different color so you might need to test a few out

[@chrisrose4920]

@@moomanchu608 The switch has an option to do that? I'm not sure my tv does

[@Chronomaster2005]

Nice to see my favorite JRPG series get some love also I completely agree with the placement of 3 the game is a beautiful masterpiece it was my first ever JRPG and the story had me crying it was beautifully crafted that ending still gets me it was a game that defined my love for the genre

[@henriqueribeiro4954]

After this vídeo I Will try The 3 game. Voice acting in english or japonês you say is good?

[@ErekLadd]

English VA is all I've played for Xenoblade and it's really great. Voice acting for these game has always been top notch.

[@mistressminerva3382]

2:10 "No Party Gauge .... No way to revive fallen Team Mates" "More Streamlined" - Uh ... the way you said that sounded completely wrong , ofc there is a way to revive fallen Team Mates , but it uses 3000 TP not a Party Gauge ... And the Game has a Moral System in form of a Gauge but it just dosnt work the way the Party Gauge works in XC123 ... there are Arts that benefit from a high Moral tho. You also have no Healers instead Soul Voices and Secondary Cooldowns which didnt exists in XC1/DE , i have no idea how you can call this more streamlined at all. There is a reason why a lot of poeple dropped this game , they are called "No Tutorials" and "external eManual" , so simply because the people didnt understand the Combat System at all and probably couldnt even beat and got stuck at the first Challenging Boss (Goethia Chapter 4) . And Overdrive and Skell combat complexity just adds on top of that. So yeah you should have probably worded that differently. More like : There is no Party Gauge but a Moral Gauge that works completely different , the way to revive fallen Party Members costs the most valuable ressource in Combat called TP which is primarily needed for Overdrive and the sheer complexity of this combat system is borderline insane because the game explains nothing of it in the non existing tutorials and has the infos outsourced into an external eManual only the most hardcore and dedicated fans ever (like myself) bothered to read when this game came out. So most poeple get stuck at the Chapter 4 Boss and get frustrated without ever being able to finish the game. LOL 3:40 "There is no Pop-In" - There is a lot of Pop-Ins ... especially if you didnt download the Data pack while it was available in the Online eShop ... Playing XCX without the Data Pack is a nightmare in terms of Pop-Ins , Graphics and Load Times for Story Missions (especially chapter 8). I just had to clarify that , but otherwise good video. My personal List is : 1. XCX for the Gameplay , Exploration and Side / Affinity Quests 2. XC3 + FR for the Gameplay and Story + Side / Affinity Quests 3. XCDE for the Story 4. XC2 Torna for the Gameplay and Story 5. XCDEFR for giving me Closure 6. XC2 .... Combat Narration with Nagi's Voice actor was good , gameplay was OK and i like the main Characters , and also KOS-MOS and T-Elos ... but i really dont like much else in this game. I really dislike most of the gacha characters. And the Story except for some moments was just boring and predictable , the humor in this game was more frustrating to me than good , not really Xeno style imo.

[@zentember]

if you were under 10 hours in XCX you might have missed a reveal that was supposed to hook you in. 10 hours is a generous amount of time to give a game though

[@XionYetora]

It’s so hard for me to place any true rankings on this series for me. It’s very fluid based on my mood to be honest, but it mainly is 1 or 3 at the top spot each time. I loved the list and it has reminded me that I need to still play 3’s dlc. 😅

[@ErekLadd]

Definitely play the DLC for 3 - it's mind blowing!

[@nishquikpops]

Nice list! Mine is basically the same except 1 and 2 are tied for me. I feel like 1 has a more cohesive and approachable game with an awesome story, but 2 had a more profound and personal impact on me with a still amazing combat system. 3 is my favorite of course. X's gameplay is tied for my favorite in the series. It would be my favorite if it had a better story though lol

[@ErekLadd]

X does have really great gameplay, I mean, it has to since that's all it has going for it 🤣

[@naberiusbuster3489]

Going from worst to best sucks. Yous hould have gone from least awesome to most awesome. From Most awesome to least awesome: 1. Xenoblade 1/Definitive Edition (played many times, my favorite gameplay and the Definitive Edition removed the overleveling issue). 2. Xenoblade X (Played twice, falls short because the main story falters. Gameplay, exploration, and sigequests absolutely rock!) 3. Xenoblade 3 (played once, but it only falls short gameplay wise compared to the above entries) 4. Xenoblade 2 (played twice, but is held back a bit by it's flaws)

[@jaydenmoon1165]

I wish 2 resonated with players more I loved that game - I think I cried in each game 😂 - and I know what part you are talking about 😊❤ great vid

[@Julia-1188]

1. XC 1 (gameplay, story, open world, characters) 2. XC 2 (gameplay, open world, antagonists) 3. xc 3 I haven't played X. Extra Story 1.Torna (gameplay, characters, open world) 2. FR (story, characters, gameplay) 3. FC (open world)

[@haroldnecmann7040]

X gonna be your second fave😂

[@rafaelkhan]

For me it is: Xenoblade 2 Xenoblade 3 Xenoblade x Xenoblade

[@irvyne6111]

Even though I think XC2 has the worst combat - just so opaque - I liked its story and cast of characters way more than the others. And it's by far and away got the best soundtrack. OMG, it's incredible.

[@alpakafantasy5134]

For me it's impossible to rank the series. I didn't play X yet and from what I've seen online I am not 100% sure if I will get the reamake but for the other 3 games it's 2 and 3 tied on top and Definitive Edition on close second place. My favourite series of alltime kicked the Final Fantasy series from the throne when I played them. I left the Final Fantasy Series after playing the remake of 7.

[@marcrics]

I mean, if you only enjoyed/finished 2 of the games is there a point in ranking the whole series? Each to their own.

[@OnyxSkiesXIX]

My ranking would be: X, 1, 3, 2. I loved that X was a return to the more explicit sci-fi of Xenosaga, it had my favorite combat in the series, and while the story was minimal, what was there really intrigued me. I hate XC2 though. I hate how horny the game is, I hate how cheesy some of the characters are, I hate the gacha system for the blades, I hate the field skills. There is pretty much nothing about the game that I like.

[@Ryio5]

I'm sad to hear you didn't like X, it (tied with 1) has to be my favorite game of all time.

[@danielmunoz1275]

I actually feel the COMPLETE opposite in regard to Xenoblade Chronicles 1 and 2. The battle system of 1 feels somehow limited imo. The most interesting mechanic for sure is Shulk's foresight, but one single great mechanic isn't enough for me. Specially comparing it to 2, where essentially I can choose which weapons will my characters use, what elements, and I can manipulate which passive abilities I want with the blades system. One thing I will say 1 does WAY better than 2 is teaching its gameplay mechanics. XC2 has by far one of worst tutorials and accessibility features I've ever seen in a game. That's also why I thing many people have issues with XC2's gameplay, it's mostly due to a lack of understanding (and it's not their fault, it's the game's and developer's fault). I can also understand how frustrating it is to have areas blocked due to not having enough level from Blade's abilities; however, from personal experience this gave the game a LOT of replay value and it gave some weight to various side-quests that used elements from the world maps that seemed to just be there but had relevance in side-quests. Lastly I have to say. Yes, XC1 has a ton of twists and turns and I see the heart in the story. Yet, XC1 characters kind of bore me overall. Shulk, Dunban, and Mumkhar are great I'll admit. Fiora, Melia, Rikki, and Dickson are fine (with Dickson I recognize his worth as a character, but personally I never developed a significant attachment to his character. His betrayal and twist didn't hit me that hard out of feeling bad for Shulk, because that's the actual character I cared about). The rest are very meh, nothing that impressed me or made me feel strong emotions. Even the villains (and that's a problem). Talking about villains... yeah, I'm sorry but imo XC1 villains (except Metal Face/Mumkhar) do not hold a candle against XC2's villains. Lore-wise the fight against Zanza was the most epic since they're fighting God, but the fight against Malos felt way more cathartic, also Malos has more depth as a villain. Continuing with the main casts. I felt way more in love with XC2's cast and felt they had way more interesting things going for than XC1's. Nia being sassy but good natured and having troubles with self-acceptance, also what a F-up past. Morag carrying the burdens to uphold her nation's values and pride, the responsibility to look for ways to save her country, her distant but strong relationship with her brother the emperor, and the role she plays as one of the many mentors Rex has. Zeke's goofy attitude is funny asf, despite his goofy exterior he's actually wise and experienced, he's usually the one who sees through people's intentions, Zeke also is a rebel that opposes his nation's ideals. Overall, a free spirit. Rex at first seems like the typical anime protagonist, and in many ways he is, but he differentiates from being a protagonist who fails a lot of times to get what he wants. His idealism is what pushes him and his team, but it's precisely his team that keeps him in check and mentors him into becoming a hero. on this point I put XC 1 and 2 protagonists objectively on the same level, I just prefer Rex on the fact that I usually relate more to "coming of age" stories. Finally, both games have amazing world-building. I just LOVE XC2's world-building way more because it is so much varied and thought out. The variety of cultures between nations, the different races, the politics of being on the edge of wars, the fact that there are a lot of mercenary organizations, the lore of the blades and titans, the conflict of being immortal but loosing your memories, the lack of morals and ethics to conduct experimentation, the loss of hope from many individuals around the world. I just ate it all. And that's without mentioning how it connected the story and world to that of XC1. Basically a final touch that ties everything together. I just want t mention one last thing. I do not agree with the criticism of the gacha system. I mean, I agree that is annoying to skip cutscenes and that is not more streamlined, but that's only a small nuisance. The game is perfectly playable only with the given non-gacha blades, and unless you want to complete the game 100% you won't actually suffer from not getting rare blades. From a casual gameplay I assure anyone that they'll get half of the blade collection completed. For reference this is a list of the non-gacha blades without counting DLC: two Poppi forms, Pyra, Mythra, Dromarch, Brighid, Pandoria, Roc, Wulfuric, Aegeon, and a SPOILER character as main story progression. From side-quests: Sheba, Vess, Kassandra, Praxis, Theory, Herald, and a third Poppi form. So there are 17 non-gacha characters. Each main playable character can use 3 of these at a time, since Tora can only use the Poppi forms let's leave it as 4 characters that can equip 3 blades, meaning the player requires at least 12 blades. Taking out the Poppi forms there are 14 non-gacha blades to use. That is if for some reason anyone refuses to do the gacha at all, but as I just explained, even on a casual playthrough, anyone will get plenty of blades with the gacha system. I mean, the gacha does not work with real money, and it doesn't even charge you any type of game currency. Yes, you must collect Core Crystals for it, but the game BOMBARDS you with these, they're rewards for completing side-quests, the salvaging minigame also gives the player Core Crystals, defeating enemies drops Core Crystals, many chests around the explorable areas give Core Crystals. I really don't see the issue with the gacha outside of being completely stubborn at doing an optional thing that could be done later and obviously getting frustrating for not getting the specific blade or element/skill desired at the moment.

[@BigBossCQCLegend]

I 100% Agreed with your list; XenoBlade Chronicles 3 with Future Redeemed DLC and XenoBlade Chronicles Definitive Edition are both in My Top 5 VideoGames of All Time.

[@nickt194]

Hard to rank the games when you haven't even finished half of them...

[@21minute]

1. XC3 2. XCDE 3. XC2

[@Terron29]

Xenoblade 1 takes the top spot for me with X a very close second. 2 and 3 I enjoyed for sure but way less than those first 2.

[@rudidellama3718]

Havent tried 3 and I'm only about 20 hours in 2. For now 1 is my least favorite while the plot get alot more interesting in the second half and the setting being two giant being is pretty neat, but I didnt enjoy alot of the characters(apart from Melia) and the combat felt very repetitive, like every battle comes down to chain attacks. For now X and 2 are in the same plain. X sold me in the big open world that alone is the reason that I liked so much, because if I look to the rest all I can see is problems, from a battle system over dependent of equipaments, lack of a good story (the setting does help at least, specially since is a reuse of Xenogears Ep.2 concepts in some ways). Elma alone does save a bit the lackluster cast. And 2 so far I really enjoying everything, the characters, the story, the setting, even the combat this time around and I cant even do some of the more crazy stuff yet

[@kaetce]

1. Xc3 2. XC2 3. XC1 (haven’t played X)

[@whereswarren3719]

1.) XBC1 2.) XBCX + XBC3 3.) XBC2

[@DavidAmarante]

Totally agree with your list. I mean, they are all great games, but for me, none of them (maybe the first one) had me hooked up from the beginning to the end storywise. Even the sidequests were interesting and had me wanting to do them before fisinhing the game. I have yet to play the DLC, but I'm pretty sure it will make me love the third game even more. And... what about 3's chapter 5? It had me OMG OMG OMG through the entire cutscene, and the feeling I got, since I loved the characters, still lasts... much like that part in Tears of the Kingdom... anyways... great list. 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

[@ErekLadd]

Yeah THAT moment in chapter 5.. Insanely emotional

[@qur1578]

My ranking is 1.) XB2 2.) XB3 3.) XBDE 4.) XBX I do want to go back and play them all a second time so this ranking could easily change in the future

[@starfox5647]

1+2 > X > 3.

[@firenze6478]

This is almost my list, but x is my second favorite. Everything else is on point. I like 2 but couldn’t connect with most of the characters

[@ErekLadd]

Same here. Most of the characters fell flat for me.

[@firenze6478]

@@ErekLadd the side stories had much better characterization than the plot which I agree fell flat. The side quests are amazing though

[@alexjimenez4462]

​@@ErekLaddGive the characters a chance dude. Out of all the tree protagonist of each Xenoblade, Rex comes on top despite me being a Shulk lover. The Aegis's sisters are some of the most well deep-written characters within their depression and "lost for hope" feeling.

[@xechs88]

X is my personal fav then xc1 which is a masterpiece. Xc2 was good. But xc3 is definotely the worst in series, couldnt finish it.

[@kira516]

FINALLY. someone get it

[@nickcliche]

Too much since in the first sentence

[@overzen69]

Subscribed because you put XC3 as #1! Gosh it was such a marvelous game. And the DLC was the best kind of fan service I've ever experienced from a video game. So good!

[@ErekLadd]

Yes - fan service is a great way to describe it! Thanks for tuning in!!

[@keblin86]

My ranking is very close to this, only difference would be your rank 1 and 2. I'd switch them. I would do: 1. XC1. 2. XC3 3. XC2 4. XCX I have always been blown away by 1 and loved it so much and nothings beat it for me.

[@kraftypk7283]

I've played every xenoblade game and have finished none of them, battle system makes no sense to me (Ive played jrpgs since the 80s, I'm not inexperienced) and the huge difficulty spikes I've encountered are like no other RPG I've played. I love the visual style and premises of all of them but yeah, none have grabbed me, the first xenoblade is the one I got the furthest in.