XCDE: Future Connected Casual Any% Notes Info from the Xenoblade speedrunning community Compiled by ClassicRagu Google Doc: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qbxWReff9l4wriCc_8NeDhNB3TzO2A8ASbcxhn39xyI/edit?usp=sharing

Notes The Google Doc will always be the newest version. Use that if possible. Make sure to change text speed to fast. This can be done before starting a run and only has to be done once.

Full Route Menu: SWITCH TO CASUAL DIFFICULTY IN THE + MENU UNDER OPTIONS (You can press X to quickly leave the menu) Fight the 3 Volff enemies: Do the following menu at the beginning of the fight Menu: Melia Arts Replace Mind Blast with Burst End Replace Hypnotise with Spear Break Replace Healing Gift with Starlight Kick Replace Summon Aqua with Summon Ice (you can keep aqua for safety) Switch Kino for Nene Switch Melia for Shulk Get Companions Cape STL and progress story ST to Junks Walk to Cragmaw Caverns Get your first Ponsepctor, Tentoo, for viewing a cutscene Talk to ||Evelen|| (to your left after walking through the cave) Fight 3 Sardi Talk to ||Evelen|| Get Zephyr’s Counsel STL Collect morrow cobs Get your second Ponspector, ||Evelen|| Get Xen’s Thoroughfare STL (Walk north from Evelen until you see a giant stone gate) Do Scapular Lance Skip: Get Quarry Colonnade STL ST to Zephyr’s Counsel Get Barouh Plaza STL (Just walk east and you will reach it) Get Pillar Knoll STL (Ignore Dekadeka and go up) Get Soltnar Seal Island STL (Follow the bridges) Take the transporter Talk to Drydry Gather the 5 feathers If you keep going to the left after talking to Drydry you will find them ST to Main Entrance Get your third Ponspector, Drydry Kill the Fog Beast Don’t Union Strike, it loses time in this fight. ST to Xen’s Thoroughfare Get Skybridge STL (walk straight, you will find it) Progress story ST to Pillar Knoll Get Thulles Way STL (Drop down and continue east) Get Gran Dell Ramparts STL (Further east) Progress Story Get Gran Dell Approach STL Progress Story ST to Soltnar Seal Island Fight the Krabble Ponio Do not battle soul from this fight forward (you may regret if you do) Do not union strike. ST to Grand Arch Fight the Armu Do not union strike. ST to Skybridge Fight Gael’gar Union strike as soon as possible on Gael’gar Don’t union strike more than once, it loses time ST to Grand Dell Approach (This is faster) Talk to Gran Dell Militia ST to Gran Dell Ramparts Talk to Gran Dell Militia ST to Gran Dell Approach Walk to Heroes Rest to the south and talk to Sarja Ignore Radzam, the flag for getting the ether is set by Sarja ST to Quarry Colonnade Run through Quarry, avoiding enemies, and get Marga’s Weeping STL at the back, die Collect High Ether ST to Grand Arch Progress Story Menu: Shulk Arts Monado Armor: 7 (There is a proposal to make this optional) Back Slash: 7 Slit Edge: 7 Optional due to disagreements: Light Heal: 6 and Shadow Eye: 6 or Stream Edge: 7 Melia Arts Summon Bolt: 7 Summon Flare: 7 Spear Break: 6 Starlight Kick: 7 Nene Arts Sword Drive: 7 Last Stand: 5 (REPLACE LARIAT) Upgrade any other aggro/gauge boosting art You will now do 3 fights in a row. As there is conflict on the best way to fight these enemies, there will be no set way to fight them but just general suggestions. There will be options laid out for you, the option you choose for the first fight applies to future fights in the sequence. IE: Option 1 can only do Option 1. ST to Gran Dell Ramparts Fight #1 Option 1: Fight this enemy with only arts and save your union strike for the next fight. Use Monado Speed to counteract Weakening Howl. Option 2: Union strike the moment you get it ST to Companions Cape Fight #2 Option 1: Immediately Union Strike, everything will die pretty much immediately with a perfect Option 2: Union strike the moment you get it, focus on the big spider Alternate Option 1: Fail union strike inputs, kill the small ants to rebuild gauge. If you are lucky you can build enough union strike gauge for the next fight. ST to Gran Dell Ramparts Fight #3 Option 1 & 2: Fight the deinos till you get Union Strike. Union strike the deinos and use arts for the rest Alternate Option 1: Union strike the moment you get it, focus on the saurus. Arts the remaining health away Alternate Option 1&2: Shadow Eye then Stream Edge as many vangs as you possibly can. Once the vangs are broken use Monado Cyclone to topple them. Union strike the deinos the moment you can. ST to Main Entrance (Alcamoth) Walk to the final fight (save in front of teleporter if you want for safety, most don’t do this anymore) New Options, same thing as before Additional Fog King Notes: Erasing Mist removes all your buffs (excluding Melia’s elements), including Monado arts such as armor Mist Charge gives a 50% attack bonus to Fog King’s next attack. This can be negated by using Monado Eater. Fog King PT1 “Safe” method: Fight knights for union strike. Union strike Fog King and arts the rest. Less “Safe” method: Only attack Fog King, union strike Fog King and arts the rest Risky method: Only attack Fog King, union strike Fog King as much as possible Fog King PT2 “Safe” and less “safe” methods: Union strike once the knights come out. Union strike whenever possible. Bait mist press away from your allies if possible, stand around fog king’s arms when it does this attack so you get pushed back to your allies. Risky method: You have no union strike at the beginning, good luck. Union strike whenever possible. Monado Speed: This strat has not been heavily tested and is not suggested at this time. Union strike once the knights come out. Use Monado Speed on whatever character is about to be hit with mist press by Fog King. Union strike whenever possible. Changes 6/12/2020 Added more options in the final 4 fights Added optional note on Monado Armour Added Monado Speed to Mammut fight Added sources Removed optional early Ramparts Replace Barouh Plaza -> Thulles Way with Pillar Knoll -> Thulles Way 6/15/2020 Added note for text speed Added note to ignore Radzam during the ether quest 6/17/2020 Add X to setting difficulty to casual