Choosing the best party members for *Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition* can feel daunting with the game's extensive roster of characters, each offering unique abilities within seemingly similar classes. To help you navigate this complexity, here's a guide to the five best party members you should consider for your team, along with insights into what makes them stand out.
Elma
Elma is the first party member you can recruit, and she's far from the weakest. Her class, Full Metal Jaguar, is one of the most versatile in *Xenoblade Chronicles X*, excelling in nearly every combat situation. Elma's key skills, Ghostwalker and Ghost Factory, are particularly valuable; the former creates a decoy to distract enemies, while the latter boosts the party's evasion. Prioritize leveling these skills up. Additionally, Elma's arsenal includes strong positional attacks, though they may require some downtime for positioning. As a hybrid tank, support, and offensive unit, Elma comes equipped with self-buffs that enhance her critical hit potential and a method to instantly gain 1,000 TP for her powerful abilities. Her presence is crucial, especially since she's mandatory for most story missions.
Irina
Irina stands out as the game's premier supporter, eclipsing even dedicated support characters like Hope. Her ability to heal, remove debuffs, and boost evasion makes her an invaluable asset, especially when Elma's Ghost Factory is unavailable. Irina also generates TP for the party, though at the expense of her own, through skills like Energy Source and Last Stand. While she isn't suited for solo combat or taking down powerful enemies like Tyrants, Irina's role is to enhance the effectiveness of your damage dealers, ensuring fights don't drag on. Pair her with at least one, preferably two, strong attackers for optimal performance.
Nagi
If you're not playing as a Duelist, Nagi is an essential addition to your team. As one of the few Duelists available, he delivers exceptional damage and can handle himself well in combat. Duelists are versatile, capable of dealing with enemies at close and long range, and Nagi's area-of-effect ability, Blossom Dance, is particularly potent. It not only deals high damage but also ignores enemy resistances, making it a game-changer against tough foes. To maximize Nagi's effectiveness, pair him with a supporter or someone who can debuff enemies, such as Irina or a Mastermind.
Mia
Despite being a Psycorruptor, Mia's skill set aligns more with a Drifter, making her a versatile asset to any party. She excels at debuffing enemies and reducing their debuff resistance, while her Beam Barrage and Myopic Screen attacks inflict heavy damage and potentially cause blackout. Mia's abilities are further enhanced when an aura is active, and she can even topple enemies. However, she lacks defensive and healing capabilities, so it's crucial to team her with members who can cover these roles.
H.B.
H.B. serves as an excellent substitute for Lin when you need enhanced defense, allowing you to swap Lin out for another character. His Shield Trooper+ class makes him a superior version of Lin, offering improved defense, better enemy aggro management, and the ability to generate TP through taunts. Beyond defense, H.B. can increase debuff resistance, boost ranged attack power, topple enemies, inflict debuffs, and create a sturdy shield. If you're struggling to survive outside the main storyline, H.B. is a must-recruit, easily accessible through his affinity mission.
