Debuffs are temporary negative effects in Xenoblade Chronicles X. They are a type of Battle Effect and are the opposite of buffs. Debuffs can be imposed by weather or by battle arts.
To recover from a debuff, a corresponding Recovery Art must be used granting a buff with an opposite effect. It is also possible to recover from a debuff by waiting a certain amount of time for it to wear off on its own.
Debuffs with higher levels have stronger effects and tend to last longer than debuffs with lower levels.
Resistance to debuffs mainly depends on the difference in level between the user and the target. An enemy/party member that is higher-leveled than the party member/enemy is more resistant to debuffs and their debuffs are more likely to successfully apply, and vice versa. Certain Soul Voices can allow players to ignore enemy debuff resistance (but not immunity), and Overdrive, the Resistance Reducer augment, and the Deep Fang and Tactical Analyst Skills increase the likelihood of successfully inflicting a debuff.
Types of Debuffs[]
Mobility Debuffs[]
These debuffs forcefully move a character or in some way affect a character's ability to move. The affected character will not be able to move until the debuff is removed or wears off on its own.
| Debuff | Effect |
|---|---|
| Stagger | Knocks the character off balance, making him or her susceptible to Topple and Bind. |
| Topple | The character topples, opening him or her up to further attack. |
| Knockback | The character is shoved backward a certain distance. |
| Launch | The character is sent flying away. |
| Flinch | The character flinches, unable to act for a certain amount of time. |
| Stun | The character faints. |
| Sleep | The character is put to sleep but will wake upon being attacked. |
| Bind | The character is pinned down by an enemy Skell. |
Status Debuffs[]
These debuffs affect a character's or enemy's stats.
| Debuff | Effect |
|---|---|
| Control | Seizes control of the target and turns it into an ally. |
| Taunt | Draws the attention of the target. |
| Blackout | Reduces accuracy, evasion, and the amount of damage dealt by ranged weapons. |
| Virus | The inflicted cannot use ranged weapons. |
| Fatigue | Decreases melee attack damage. |
| Slow Arts | Slows down Art cooldown speed. |
| Time Bomb | Inflicts a large amount of damage after a certain amount of time. |
| Debuff Res Down | Decreases resistance to all types of debuffs. |
| HP Recovery Down | Reduces the amount of HP recovered by Soul Voices and Arts. |
| Blaze | Inflicts thermal damage at regular intervals. |
| Shock | Inflicts electric damage at regular intervals. |
| Physical Res Down | Increases the amount of physical damage taken. |
| Beam Res Down | Increases the amount of beam damage taken. |
| Ether Res Down | Increases the amount of ether damage taken. |
| Thermal Res Down | Increases the amount of thermal damage taken. |
| Electric Res Down | Increases the amount of electric damage taken. |
| Gravity Res Down | Increases the amount of gravity damage taken. |
| Max TP Down | Reduces maximum TP. |
Weather Debuffs[]
These debuffs are passively inflicted during weather conditions. Some of these debuffs are not applied to characters who are in Skells. Equipping one of the "Screen" Augments will nullify the debuffs for that particular weather.
| Debuff | Effect |
|---|---|
| Melee Accuracy Down | Reduces melee attack accuracy. |
| Ranged Accuracy Down | Reduces ranged attack accuracy. |
| Melee Power Down | Reduces melee attack damage. |
| Ranged Power Down | Reduces ranged attack damage. |
| Potential Down | Decreases the amount of HP recovered by Soul Voices and Arts and the damage dealt by Tension Arts. |
| Critical Chance Down | Reduces the character's chance to score a critical hit. |
| Weather Damage: Heat | Inflicts thermal damage at regular intervals. |
| Weather Damage: Lightning | Inflicts electric damage at regular intervals. |
| Beam Attack Down | Reduces beam attack damage. |
| Thermal Attack Down | Reduces thermal attack damage. |
List of Debuff inflicting Arts[]
Several arts specifically inflict debuffs, and are indicated with violet art icons. Many melee and ranged arts also inflict debuffs as a secondary effect, alongside the damage they do.
| Art | Type | Class | Weapon | Users | TP | Debuff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flame Grenade | Ranged | Drifter | Assault Rifle | Cross | 0 | Blaze on a chosen target, as a secondary effect |
| Assault Hammer | Melee | Drifter | Assault Rifle | Cross, Irina, Alexa | 0 | Topple on a chosen target, as a secondary effect |
| Infuriate | Debuff | Drifter | Assault Rifle | Cross | 0 | Taunt on a chosen target, and causes Flinch |
| Magnum Edge | Debuff | Striker | Longsword | Cross, Gwin, Frye, Nagi | 0 | Physical Res Down on enemies ahead, and causes Knockback on smaller enemies |
| Burst Grenade | Ranged | Samurai Gunner | Assault Rifle | Cross, Gwin, Irina, Alexa, H.B. | 1000 | Blaze on a chosen target, and any nearby enemies, as a secondary effect |
| Decoy Round | Debuff | Samurai Gunner | Assault Rifle | Cross, Gwin, Alexa, H.B. | 0 | Taunt on a chosen target, and causes Flinch. |
| Flash Grenade | Debuff | Samurai Gunner | Assault Rifle | Cross, Gwin, Irina, Alexa, H.B. | 0 | Blackout on a chosen target, and any nearby enemies |
| Assault Breaker | Melee | Samurai Gunner | Assault Rifle | Cross | 0 | Stun on a chosen target, if attacking from behind, as a secondary effect |
| Burning Slash | Debuff | Samurai Gunner | Longsword | Cross, Frye, Nagi | 0 | Thermal Res Down on enemies ahead |
| Grenade Blitz | Ranged | Signature Art: Gwin | Assault Rifle | Cross, Gwin | 0 | Launch on certain types on enemies, as a secondary effect |
| Takedown Shot | Ranged | Duelist | Assault Rifle | Cross, Gwin, H.B. | 0 | Topple on a chosen Mechanoid target, as a secondary effect |
| True Stream Edge | Melee | Signature Art: Nagi | Longsword | Cross, Nagi | 0 | Launch on any nearby enemies, as a secondary effect, only on smaller enemies. |
| Blossom Dance | Melee | Signature Art: Nagi | Longsword | Cross, Nagi | 1000 | Stagger on the final hit, on a chosen target, as a secondary effect |
| Wild Down | Melee | Shield Trooper | Shield | Cross, Lin, L, H.B. | 1000 | Topple on a chosen target, as secondary effect |
| Missile Volley | Ranged | Shield Trooper | Gatling Gun | Cross, Lin, Frye, Nagi | 0 | Thermal Res Down on on enemies ahead, as a secondary effect |
| Trash Talk | Debuff | Shield Trooper | Shield | Cross, Lin, L, H.B. | 0 | Taunt on all nearby enemies, and causes Flinch. |
| Bullet Storm | Ranged | Shield Trooper | Gatling Gun | Cross, Lin, Frye, Nagi | 0 | Flinch on Humanoid enemies ahead, as a secondary effect |
| Drum Roll | Melee | Signature Art: Lin | Shield | Cross, Lin | 1000 | Physical Res Down as a secondary effect, and causes Knockback on smaller enemies with each hit. |
| Atomic Hit | Melee | Signature Art: H.B. | Shield | Cross, H.B. | 0 | Launch as a secondary effect, on smaller enemies |
| Reality Rift | Debuff | Bastion Warrior | Shield | Cross, Lin, L | 0 | Slow Arts on enemies ahead, and causes Knockback on smaller enemies |
| Bombardier | Melee | Bastion Warrior | Shield | Cross, Lin, L, H.B. | 0 | Blaze on a chosen target and enemies nearby, as a secondary effect |
| Side Slash | Debuff | Winged Viper | Dual Blades | Cross, Elma, Phog, Murderess | 0 | Fatigue on a chosen target |
| Sky High | Ranged | Signature Art: Phog | Dual Guns | Cross, Phog | 0 | Stun as a secondary effect, and causes Launch on smaller enemies with each hit |
| Gravity Lunge | Melee | Signature Art: Murderess | Psycho Launchers | Cross, Murderess | 1000 | Topple on the final hit, as a secondary effect |
| Shadowstrike | Melee | Signature Art: Elma | Dual Blades | Cross, Elma | 0 | Stagger on a chosen target, as a secondary effect |
| Arcing Horn | Melee | Partisan Eagle | Javelin | Cross, Lao, Alexa, Bozé | 0 | Electric Res Down on a chosen target, as a secondary effect, and causes Launch on smaller enemies |
| First Down | Ranged | Partisan Eagle | Sniper Rifle | Cross, Lao, Bozé | 0 | Topple on a chosen Humanoid enemy, as a secondary effect |
| Spiral Horn | Melee | Partisan Eagle | Javelin | Cross, Lao, Alexa, Bozé | 0 | Physical Res Down on enemies ahead, as a secondary effect |
| Intercept | Debuff | Partisan Eagle | Sniper Rifle | Cross, Lao, Bozé | 0 | Stun on a chosen target |
| Balance Breaker | Melee | Signature Art: Lao | Javelin | Cross, Lao | 0 | Stagger on a chosen target, as a secondary effect if the art is part of a melee combo |
| Afterburner | Ranged | Signature Art: Lao | Sniper Rifle | Cross, Lao | 1000 | Knockback on a chosen target and any enemies around it, as a secondary effect |
| Vortex | Melee | Signature Art: Bozé | Javelin | Cross, Bozé | 0 | Stun on a chosen target, and any enemies around it, as a secondary effect if the art is part of a melee combo |
| Overwhelm | Debuff | Astral Crusader | Javelin | Cross, Lao, Alexa, Bozé | 0 | Fatigue on a chosen target |
| Sidewinder | Ranged | Astral Crusader | Sniper Rifle | Cross, Lao, Bozé | 0 | Debuff Res Down on a chosen target, as a secondary effect |
| Trident Buster | Melee | Astral Crusader | Javelin | Cross, Lao, Alexa, Bozé | 1000 | Shock on enemies ahead, as a secondary effect |
| Myopic Screen | Debuff | Enforcer | Raygun | Cross, Doug, Mia, Yelv | 0 | Blackout on enemies ahead |
| Screamer | Debuff | Psycorruptor | Knife | Cross, Irina, Celica | 0 | Sleep on a chosen target |
| Subterfuge | Debuff | Psycorruptor | Raygun | Cross, Doug, Mia, Yelv | 0 | Debuff Res Down on enemies ahead |
| Brainjack | Debuff | Psycorruptor | Knife | Cross, Irina, Hope | 1000 | Control of a chosen target (Does not work on Tyrants) |
| Tacit Censure | Debuff | Signature Art: Hope | Psycho Launchers | Cross, Hope | 0 | Virus on enemies ahead, and causes Flinch |
| Gravity Blast | Ranged | Mastermind | Raygun | Cross, Doug, Mia | 0 | Topple on a chosen target, as a secondary effect |
| Servant Sacrifice | Debuff | Mastermind | Knife | Cross, Irina, Hope | 0 | Targets an enemy with the Control debuff, to yield HP and TP. Can sometimes instant-kill the controlled target. |
| Black Butterfly | Melee | Mastermind | Knife | Cross, Hope, Celica | 0 | Ether Res Down on a chosen target, as a secondary effect. |
| Pathogen Blast | Debuff | Mastermind | Raygun | Cross, Doug, Mia | 0 | Virus on enemies ahead |
| Stellar Ray | Ranged | Blast Fencer | Psycho Launchers | Cross, L, Hope, Murderess | 0 | Beam Res Down on nearby enemies, as a secondary effect |
| Jetstream | Debuff | Blast Fencer | Psycho Launchers | Cross, Murderess | 0 | Stun on enemies ahead |
| Shooting Star | Ranged | Blast Fencer | Psycho Launchers | Cross, L, Hope, Murderess | 0 | Shock on enemies ahead, as a secondary effect, and causes Launch on smaller enemies |
| Phenomenon | Debuff | Signature Art: Doug | Photon Saber | Cross, Doug | 0 | Ether Res Down on enemies ahead |
| Starlight Duster | Melee | Signature Art: Doug | Photon Saber | Cross, Doug | 1000 | Gravity Res Down on a chosen target, as a secondary effect |
| Starlight Kick | Melee | Galactic Knight | Psycho Launchers | Cross, L, Hope | 1000 | Topple on a chosen target, as a secondary effect |
| Galactic Cataclysm | Melee | Galactic Knight | Photon Saber | Cross, Doug, Yelv | 1000 | Launch on smaller enemies ahead, as a secondary effect |
| Missile Barrel | Ranged | - | Multigun | Cross | 0 | Shock on enemies ahead, as a secondary effect |
| Sniper Barrel | Ranged | - | Multigun | Cross | 0 | Stun on enemies ahead, as a secondary effect, if enemies already have the Shock debuff |
| Cannon Barrel | Ranged | - | Multigun | Cross | 1000 | Topple on nearby enemies, as a secondary effect |
List of Debuff inflicting Soul Voices[]
Activating certain soul voices can add a debuff effect to battle arts, or raise the tier of existing debuff arts.
| Soul Voice | Trigger | Art | Users | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Draw Melee B | Melee weapon is drawn at the start of a battle |  |
Cross, Elma, Murderess, Celica, H.B. | Stagger I inflicted as an additional effect |
| Draw Ranged C | Ranged weapon is drawn at the start of a battle |  |
Cross, Lin, Doug, L, Phog, Murderess, Bozé | Debuff art has a +1 Tier increase, and enemy resistances are ignored |
| Heavy Hitter C | Critical hit is landed on an enemy | |
Cross, Irina, Doug, L, Phog, Murderess | Debuff art has a +1 Tier increase, and enemy resistances are ignored |
| Dismemberer B | Enemy appendage is destroyed |   |
Cross, Irina, Lao, Hope, Celica, Mia, H.B., Bozé | Topple I inflicted as an additional effect |
| Dismemberer C | Enemy appendage is destroyed |  |
Cross, Lin, Doug, L, Phog, Murderess | Debuff art has a +2 Tier increase, and enemy resistances are ignored |
| Artful Execution C | Additional effect of an art is utilized | |
Cross, Irina, L, Phog, Hope, Murderess | Debuff art has a +1 Tier increase, and enemy resistances are ignored |
| Untouchable C | Character evades three consecutive attacks | |
Cross, L | Shock I inflicted as an additional effect |
| Wayward Weather C | Weather changes during combat | |
Cross, Phog | Debuff art has a +3 Tier increase, and enemy resistances are ignored |
| Medicine Man A | A male ally heals/buffs the character |  |
Cross, Frye | Fatigue I inflicted as an additional effect |
| Medicine Man B | A male ally heals/buffs the character | |
Cross, Gwin, Phog | Physical Res Down I inflicted as an additional effect |
| Toppler C | Character topples an enemy | |
Cross, L, Murderess | Debuff art has a +2 Tier increase, and enemy resistances are ignored |
| Stunner C | Character stuns an enemy | |
Cross | Debuff art has a +1 Tier increase, and enemy resistances are ignored |
| Sandman C | Character inflicts sleep on an enemy | |
Cross, Celica | Blaze I inflicted as an additional effect |
| Binder C | Character binds an enemy with their skell | |
Cross | +1 second to duration of binding per hit |