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For other uses, see Battle Arts.
Spoiler alert

The future doesn't belong to you!

For those who have not completed games in the Xenoblade Chronicles series, this page contains spoilers regarding the plot. Discretion is advised.

Chainattacks1 large

Battle Arts are represented with circular icons on the Battle Palette

Battle Arts are battle mechanics in Xenoblade Chronicles. They are techniques that behave differently from an Auto-Attack and must be activated manually. Usage of Battle Arts is restricted by the cooldown mechanic; once a Battle Art has been used, it cannot be used again until a certain length of time has passed or a specific condition is met.

Each Battle Art has a unique set of properties that may include dealing higher damage, granting status buffs to allies or status debuffs to enemies, healing party members, or drawing aggro. Their effects can be executed upon activation or be context sensitive (such as Arts that require specific positioning). In a Chain Attack, all normal Battle Arts are usable regardless of cooldown status.

All characters and enemies have Battle Arts. When an enemy uses an Art, a charging animation plays before activation. Even without a vision this animation can be recognised by the player, allowing them to parry or manage the imminent attack.

Battle Palette[]

Battle Arts are displayed on the bottom of the game screen on a menu known as the Battle Palette. It consists of a series of circular icons for each Battle Art available. The Battle Palette is displayed when a player targets an enemy or is in active combat. The arrangement of Battle Arts on the Battle Palette is customisable aside from the special Arts in the center slot. Characters are limited to eight normal Battle Arts on their Palette and may remove any Arts they do not wish to use. Normal Battle Arts have icons with a white background and a coloured symbol.

Five special Arts occupy the center slot, but only three are accessible at a given time. None of these special Arts utilise the standard Battle Art cooldown mechanic. The Talent Art is always present on the Battle Palette. Two other Arts are available when a player has not yet engaged in combat:

  • Attack: A red Battle Art with a white symbol. This allows the player to begin using Auto Attacks on a targeted enemy.
  • Lure: A purple Battle Art with a white symbol. This allows the player to draw enemy aggro from afar.

The other two special Arts are only available when the player is engaged in battle:

  • Chain Attack: A blue Battle Art with a white symbol. This launches the Chain Attack mechanic on an enemy.
  • Flee: A green Battle Art with a white symbol. This allows the party to disengage from combat and run from battle.

Talent Arts[]

Each character and enemy has a Talent Art, represented by a large icon with a dull grey background in the center of the Battle Palette when the Art is inaccessible. Talent Arts are more powerful than normal Battle Arts, can not be upgraded, and may only be used when the Talent Gauge is full. The Talent Gauge is typically filled by executing Auto-Attacks, but other conditions such as using specific Battle Arts increase the gauge as well. Once the Talent Gauge is full, the Talent Art's icon background will change to a white colour to signify its availability.

Not all player Talent Arts inflict damage, but all of them barring Sharla's Cool Off serve as neutral colour multipliers for Chain Attacks. Shulk's Monado Arts are accessed through his Talent Art and are able to be upgraded despite functioning like Talent Arts. Enemy Talent Arts can be completely blocked through the use of Monado Shield.

Talent Arts by character[]

Character Art
Shulk Turn Strike
Activate Monado
Reyn Mad Taunt
Fiora Butterfly Step
Dunban Blossom Dance
Sharla Cool Off
Melia Elemental Discharge
Riki Yoink!
Kino Doze Off
Nene Glad Taunt

Art Type and Colour[]

How to use Shield

The three enemy Art types

Battle Arts come in multiple types, indicated by the colour of the symbol on the Art's icon and the colour associated with enemy attack names/charge animations. Only Talent (white), Physical (red) and Ether (blue/purple) Art types are designated for enemy Arts while both these and more specific types are depicted for the party's Arts. Talent Arts can fill the role of any normal Battle Art type and can even overlap with multiple at once. Shulk's Monado Arts, for example, can fill the role of Blue, Red, Orange, Purple, and Green Arts. The following normal Battle Art types are found in the game:

  1. Red: Physical Arts that make contact with the enemy. Some of these will have symbols with blood or an arc in them. The blood represents a Bleed Debuff, while an arc shows that the attack has a wide range. The Debuff is an extra effect that happens when a character uses the attack. For example, Dunban's Gale Slash also inflicts Bleed Debuff. When used by enemies, these Arts may be evaded by using Monado Speed and can be mitigated by Monado Armour.
  2. Blue: These Ether Arts provide healing, shielding, or stat-boosting and may apply Buffs or Auras. Although they inflict no damage, they are still very useful if used correctly. Ether Arts that affect the whole area have symbols with a flat circle, such as Sharla's Heal Round.
  3. Purple: These Ether Arts launch attacks or offensive status effects. Most have a requirements to be used. For example, Reyn's Aura Burst applies the Strength Down Debuff to all enemies in range and can only be used when an Aura is active. Enemy Ether Arts can be mitigated by Monado Armour.
  4. Pink: Arts that can inflict Break status. Sometimes, a Chain Attack should be used to get the enemy inflicted with Break. Shulk's Turn Strike, although it is a Talent Art, acts as a Pink Art and inflicts Break when used.
  5. Green: Arts that can inflict Topple status. They tend to require an enemy be inflicted with Break, with the exception of Melia's Starlight Kick (which requires Spear Break as its condition), Riki's Roly-Poly (which inflicts Topple randomly), Dunban's Demon Slayer (which inflicts Topple on nearby enemies when used as a finishing move), and Fiora's Final Cross (which requires the highest tension phase to activate).
  6. Yellow: Arts that can inflict Daze. These Arts require a toppled enemy to activate, with the exception of Dunban's Thunder, which requires him to have an aura active as its condition instead.
  7. Orange: Arts that grant auras to the character which may or may not have effects on allies or enemies.

Colour and Chain Attacks[]

The colour of Arts is not just for type identification. When Arts of the same colour are used consecutively in a chain attack, the effect or damage can be multiplied (look for the multiplier on the right of the screen). For example, if Shulk uses Back Slash, followed by Dunban's Gale Slash, the damage of Gale Slash will double. At 5x, the multiplier reaches the CHAIN MAX status and will not rise further. If a different colour Art is cast during the colour chain, the multiplier will return back to one. If a Talent Art is cast, it will act as a neutral colour and continue the chain. The next Art cast will increase the chain no matter what colour it is, with subsequent Arts needing to match its colour to raise the multiplier further unless they are also Talent Arts.

Levelling Battle Arts[]

Main article: Levelling Battle Arts

Arts can be levelled up by spending Art Points (AP). At the beginning of the game, Arts can be levelled to a maximum of four levels. Obtaining Art Books through shops, enemy drops, or story progression will increase this amount up to ten levels. Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition further raises this number to twelve. In the extra story Future Connected, all arts are known at the start of the game.

Character Arts[]

Each character starts with a limited number of Arts. As the Level increases, new Arts can be learnt.

Battle Art Level Learned
Back Slash Initial
Light Heal Initial
Slit Edge Level 3
Stream Edge Level 5
Shadow Eye Level 10
Air Slash Level 14
Shaker Edge Level 23
Battle Soul Level 32
Monado Enchant Initial (Unavailable in Future Connected)
Monado Buster Initial
Monado Shield Start of the Arachno Queen fight
Monado Speed Start of the Mechon M71 fight
Monado Purge Start of the Puera Telethia fight
Monado Cyclone After the Apocrypha Generator fight
Monado Eater Mystery of Makna Ruins 4, Initial (in Future Connected)
Monado Armour Stop the Mechon Rampage!, Initial (in Future Connected)

Battle Art Level Learned
Hammer Beat Initial
Wild Down Initial
Bone Upper Initial
Rage Level 3
Aura Burst Level 5
War Swing Level 7
Guard Shift Level 9
Engage Level 11
Sword Drive Level 16
Berserker Level 19
Last Stand Level 23
Shield Bash Level 27
Dive Sobat Level 31
Magnum Charge Level 35
Anchor Chain Level 39
Lariat Level 43

Battle Art Level Learned
Power Smash Initial
Screw Edge Initial
Hidden Thorn 5
Lacerate 8
Spoiler alert

The future doesn't belong to you!

For those who have not completed games in the Xenoblade Chronicles series, this page contains spoilers regarding the plot. Discretion is advised.

Chapter 12
Battle Art Level Learned
Double Blade Initial
Air Fang Initial
Healing Energy Initial
Spear Blade Initial
Cross Impact Initial
Zero Gravity Initial
Ether Drain Initial
Double Wind Level 42
Second Gear Level 43
Lock-On Level 46
Mag Storm Level 49
Shutdown Level 52
Guard Shift Level 55
Power Drain Level 58
Speed Shift Level 61
Final Cross After Gadolt fight in Agniratha

Battle Art Level Learned
Heal Bullet Initial
Thunder Bullet Initial
Shield Bullet Initial
Cure Bullet Initial
Tranquilliser Level 12
Heal Blast Level 14
Metal Blast Level 16
Heal Round Level 18
Heat Bullet Level 22
Covert Stance Level 26
Head Shaker Level 30
Aura Bullet Level 34
Heal Counter Level 38
Head Shot Level 42
Cure Round Level 46
Drive Boost Level 50

Battle Art Level Learned
Gale Slash Initial
Electric Gutbuster Initial
Peerless Initial
Worldly Slash Initial
Battle Eye Initial
Steel Strike Initial
Spirit Breath Level 22
Blinding Blossom Level 24
Serene Heart Level 28
Tempest Kick Level 32
Heat Haze Level 36
Thunder Level 40
Soaring Tempest Level 44
Jaws of Death Level 48
Final Flicker Level 52
Demon Slayer Level 56

Battle Art Level Learned
Summon Bolt Initial
Summon Flare Initial
Hypnotise Initial
Spear Break Initial
Burst End Initial
Shadow Stitch Level 29
Summon Aqua Level 32
Healing Gift Level 35
Summon Copy Level 38
Summon Wind Level 41
Starlight Kick Level 44
Summon Earth Level 47
Reflection Level 50
Power Effect Level 53
Summon Ice Level 56
Mind Blast Start of Leone Telethia fight

Battle Art Level Learned
Happy Happy Initial
Bitey Bitey Initial
Sneaky Initial
Play Dead Initial
Lurgy Initial
Hero Time Initial
Roly-Poly Initial
Behave Initial
You Can Do It Level 27
Freezinate Level 31
Bedtime Level 35
Tantrum Level 40
Burninate Level 43
Riki is Angry Level 47
Peekaboo Level 51
Say Sorry Level 55

Battle Art Level Learned
Healy Bullet Initial
Crackle Bullet Initial
Shield Kaclang Initial
Cure Thingamie Initial
Tranquilsnooze Initial
Heal Kaboom Initial
'Ittle Blast Initial
Heal Round-a-Round Initial
Toasty-Hot Bullet Initial
Yoghurt Stance Initial
Egg Shaker Initial
Aurorora Bullet Initial
Healy Counter Initial
Noggin Shot Initial
Curedy-Pure Round Initial
B-B-B-Boost Initial

Battle Art Level Learned
Hammer Beat Initial
Mild Down Initial
Bone Upper Initial
Hangry Initial
Aura Toast Initial
Feather Swing Initial
Guard Sift Initial
Engage Initial
Sword Drive Initial
Berserker Initial
Last Stand Initial
Shield Kersmash Initial
Chive Sobat Initial
Magnum Starch Initial
Anchor Chain Initial
Lariat Initial

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