Xenoblade Chronicles Series Play-Order

Hello everyone!

This guide has been put together for new players who are looking to get into the Xenoblade series, as well as returning players who are looking for what entries to play next!

It is very important to make it clear that The Xenoblade Chronicles series does not have a strict play order, the series can technically be played entirely out of order and still make perfect sense. This post is here to present the most widely accepted & recommended order for someone interested in playing through the series.

The order that the majority of the sub recommends is the release order, and it goes as follows:

1st - Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition
2nd - Xenoblade Chronicles 2
3rd - Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna
Xenoblade Chronicles X can be played anywhere (preferably after Xenoblade 1)

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Here's the breakdown:

Xenoblade 1 before Xenoblade 2

Again, it's important to stress that these two games could technically be played either way, but most users here will agree that Xenoblade 1 is the best starting point for a couple of reasons:

• The gameplay is the most approachable in the series. The combat across the rest of the series has evolved off of Xenoblade 1's combat for better in some ways and for worse in others, all depending on your own personal tastes. With the knowledge of the 1st game's combat under your belt, it is far easier to grasp the combat across the rest of the series. Xenoblade X basically has no tutorials and forces the player to dive into the WiiU digital game manual to find out how to play the game without checking online, and Xenoblade 2 takes quite a while to set all of its combat systems in place. Likewise, the likes of Overdrive and 2's simultaneous combo system can seem daunting to new players, and while far from impossible to understand on one's first go, having the background knowledge from the first game helps significantly. On the topic of approachability, many people have suggested that the presentation, story, and hook of the first game may be more appealing to a wider audience which is also a fair point.

• The Tie in between the two games. Most fans here know that Xenoblade 1 and Xenoblade 2 share a minor but really cool and somewhat substantial connection despite their stories being 95% self-contained. The main connection is only really realized once you've seen the end of one game after completing the other beforehand. While this connection does work both ways, most users here agree that the way the connection is implemented in Xenoblade 2 is much more thrilling if you've already played the first game. This connection also includes smaller references across the story's duration, and includes but is not limited to (Heavy Xenoblade 2 | Xenoblade 1 spoilers) >!Mythra's foresight, Rex's "vision" of Earth in Chapter 7, Malos having a Monado, the entirety of chapter 10, etc.!<

• There is the argument to be made that Xenoblade 2 pseudo-spoils (Heavy Xenoblade 1 spoilers) >!The Alvis twist, thanks to the redesign of his necklace. This is more of a minor thing, as a XC2 player will never be certain if it isn't just a reference until the end, but the spoiler will always be lingering. For example, a blind player may be wondering how there is a second person who can wield the Monado, but a Xenoblade 2 player might already be guessing that he is the Monado; A foreign concept and big twist considering that blades do not exist in the world of Xenoblade 1.!<

Torna After Xenoblade 2

• Torna is a direct prequel to Xenoblade 2 and was designed in a way that technically lets someone pick it up before 2, but it’s function as a prequel works best if you already know what happens in the main game beforehand. Torna never explains the world, the titans, the cloud sea, the blades, the artifices, and various other lore things covered in the base game. Additionally Torna spoils (Xenoblade 2 | Torna Spoilers) >!The twists in Jin's, Mythra's, Malo's and Amalthus' characters, the fact that blades turn into titans, and a few other minor details.!<
  After Torna’s release the series director has also proposed an alternative recommendation that involves stopping to play Torna part way through a playthrough of Xenoblade 2

Xenoblade X being played anywhere

• A considerably large portion of the Switch's player base likely don't own a Wii U. That alone makes playing Xenoblade X hard to recommend in any specific play order, as the Wii U is the only means to play it legally for the foreseeable future. It's difficult to recommend for a first game too because as previously mentioned, its combat is the worst explained and difficult to fully grasp without background knowledge of the other games. However, when one does decide to get into it, it can basically be played at any time. It is entirely unrelated to the stories of the rest of the other games, with only very very minor references to the first game. Interested players should be forewarned that it’s entire game structure is different in the sense that X is not a story-heavy title like the rest of the series. It is exploration and gameplay focused, with lots of meaty in-depth sidequests. Given all of these factors, it's safe to recommend playing Xenoblade X anytime after Xenoblade 1.

Concerning Xenoblade Chronicles: Future Connected

• Future Connected is an extra character driven epilogue to Xenoblade 1 which comes included with Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition. When announced, it was speculated that Future Connected may include spoilers for the other games in the series, but this is not the case. Future connected does not spoil any other entry in the series, so it can be played immediately after completing the main game. Future connected is also strictly an epilogue and should only be played after the main game as it fundamentally spoils the ending in a handful of ways.

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Credits for this breakdown goes to u/MilkToastKing. Minor edits made with their permission.