Xenoblade Chronicles 3 offers a large range of characters and classes. You can swap between them as you fight and do your best to conquer different beasts and bosses, but, naturally, you'll want to know how to create the best builds to get through the game. Whether you want to cut down enemies or take care of challenging bosses, developing the best build for the situation will help you conquer them.
Related: Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Best Gems For Each RoleSince the game has multiple points for you to consider, such as gems and accessories, you may find it overwhelming to develop the best builds. Luckily, you have plenty of resources to help you maximize each character and find the strongest options to help you beat the game and progress.
Best Primary And Secondary Roles For Each Character
Since you'll want to try out characters in different roles to unlock more skills and fusion arts, you'll want to know their ideal primary and secondary roles.
Character
Primary Role
Secondary Role
Why The Roles Work
Ideal Classes
Noah
Attacker
Healer
Noah has a solid attack and above-average healing. He works best as a damage dealer with reasonable speed or a damage-dealing healer.
Swordfighter, Full Metal Jaguar, Incursor, Tactician, Thaumaturge, and Strategos
Mio
Defender
Healer
Mio works best as a dodge tank focused on ether defense since her dodging will protect her from physical attacks. She works as a healer since she has decent healing and built-in agility to dodge and survive while providing support.
Zephyr, Guardian Commander, Lost Vanguard, Medic Gunner, War Medic, and Signifier
Eunie
Healer
Defender
Eunie excels at healing and focusing on it, so she usually wants to avoid damage and stick with buffs. She performs alright as a Defender since she doesn't have the best attack stats and pretty good agility, making her a dodge tank.
Medic Gunner, War Medic, Strategos, Zephyr, Lone Exile, and Lost Vanguard
Taion
Healer
Attacker
Taion does well with damaging healers who can attack while protecting. He has a good attack stat, making him ideal as an attacker when you need him.
Tactician, Thaumaturge, Strategos, Swordfighter, Ogre, and Soulhacker
Lanz
Defender
Attacker
Lanz is a standard defender with high blocking stats and physical and ether defense. These defenses and his decent attack stat make him great as an attacker when you need him. However, you'll need to increase his dexterity to ensure he can land attacks.
Heavy Guard, Guardian Commander, Lone Exile, Swordfighter, Flash Fencer, and Soulhacker
Sena
Attacker
Defender
Sena works as a straightforward damage-dealer focused on maxing out her damage. You'll want to utilize arts while auto-attacking as much as possible. As for a defender, she'll perform best as a traditional tank absorbing physical damage. She may need some HP boosts, but she'll do well.
Ogre, Flash Fencer, Soulhacker, Heavy Guard, Guardian Commander, and Lone Exile
Since Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is a long game with plenty of classes to unlock, the best classes vary based on your team and how far you are in the game. For example, Soulhacker might be one of the best classes on Sena, but if you aren't that far into the game, you'll want to use the Flash Fencer to maximize her damage. Because of that, you should remain flexible with the different classes and builds available based on if you're early in the game, toward the middle, or reaching the end.
Related: Xenoblade Chronicles 3: How To Raise Class Rank Beyond Level 10
Best Builds For Different Situations
While you may want to use one build throughout the game, you'll get stuck. You need to use a few solid builds you can switch between if you want to survive and make your way through the land of Aionios.
General Balance
If you want a generally solid build you can use as you progress through the story or fight enemies around your level, you'll want to keep a general balance build in mind.
Characters
Class Type
Skills
Gems
Accessories
Noah
Attacker
Cypher Edge, Fighting Prowess, Critical Strike, or Natural Selection
Doublestrike, Disperse Bloodlust, and Accurate Grace
Attack Belts, Dexterity Gloves, and Critical Rate Headbands
Mio
Defender
Split-Second Counter, Defensive Soul, Protector's Pride, or Ultimate Qigong
Tailwind, Brimming Spirit, and Perilous Presence
Agility Supports, Physical Defense Armor Vests, and Ether Defense Lining
Eunie
Healer
Ninja Healer, Healing License, Strengthening Gambit, or Natural Selection
Lifebearer, Soothing Breath, and Disperse Bloodlust
Healing Circlets, Aggro Reduction Chokers, and Healing Boost Necklaces
Taion
Healer
Ethereal Ability, Ninja Healer, Healing License, or Ultimate Qigong
Swelling Blessing, Refined Blessing, and Tailwind
Healing Circlets, Aggro Reduction Chokers, and Healing Boost Necklaces
Lanz
Defender
Defensive Soul, Split-Second Counter, Protector's Pride, or Natural Selection
Steel Protection, Ultimate Counter, and Brimming Spirit
Maximum HP Guards, Ether Defense Lining, and Block Rate Guards
Sena
Attacker
Fighting Prowess, Cypher Edge, Critical Strike, or Vigilance
Steady Striker, Accurate Grace, and Disperse Bloodlust
Attack Belts, Dexterity Gloves, and Damage with High HP Armrings
You'll want to go with this one since all the bonuses and classes offer a good balance of damage, defense, and healing. You should be able to take on most enemies with this setup, so give it a try if you don't know what else to use. However, it takes a jack-of-all-trades approach, so you'll cover most situations, but you may need different ones based on your plan. You should add an attacker as a Hero for additional damage.
Exploration
You may want to explore the world and eliminate enemies as quickly as possible, making this build ideal for cutting through weaker enemies.
Characters
Class Type
Skills
Gems
Accessories
Noah
Attacker
Cypher Edge, Critical Strike, Evasion Expertise, or Positioning Pro
Steelcleaver, Analyze Weakness, and Steady Striker
Auto Attack Stones, Attack Belts, and Critical Rate Headbands.
Mio
Defender
Split-Second Counter, Cypher Edge, Fighting Prowess, or Protector's Pride
Tailwind, Ultimate Counter, and Perilous Presence
Agility Support, Physical Defense Armor Vests, and Ether Defense Shell Lining
Eunie
Healer
Ethereal Ability, Strengthening Gambit, Healing License, or Ultimate Qigong
Lifebearer, Swelling Blessing, and Refined Blessing
Aggro Reduction Ring, Healing Circlet, and Healing Increase Necklace
Taion
Attacker
Fighting Prowess, Critical Strike, Evasion Expertise, or Positioning Pro
Steelcleaver, Accurate Grace, and Doublestrike
Attack Belt, Dexterity Gloves, and Critical Boost Headband
Lanz
Attacker
Cypher Edge, Split-Second Counter Fighting Prowess, or Critical Strike
Steelcleaver, Accurate Grace, and Analyze Weakness
Dexterity Gloves, Critical Boost Headband, and Damage increase with high HP Armring
Sena
Attacker
Fighting Prowess, Cypher Edge, Critical Strike, and Vigilance
Steelcleaver, Accurate Grace, and Steady Striker
Attack Belt, Dexterity Gloves, and Critical Boost Headband
This build focuses on the damage. You'll have plenty of attackers to make the fight as fast as possible, but you'll still need a healer and defender to provide support so you don't get burst down. As for your hero, choose either a defender or healer to provide a bit more support to your team.
Boss Fights And Unique Monsters
As boss fights approach, you'll need to focus on survivability and keeping your characters safe, so you'll want to use a build to reflect those ideas.
Characters
Class Type
Skills
Gems
Accessories
Noah
Healer
Ethereal Ability, Healing License, Strengthening Gambit, or Natural Selection
Lifebearer, Soothing Breath, and Lifesaving Expertise
Healing Circlet, Healing Necklace, and Aggro Reduction Ring
Mio
Healer
Ethereal Ability, Healing License, Defensive Soul, or Natural Selection
Soothing Breath, Lifesaving Expertise, and Disperse Bloodlust
Healing Circlet, Healing Necklace, and Aggro Reduction Ring
Eunie
Healer
Ethereal Ability, Healing License, Strengthening Gambit, or Defensive Soul
Lifebearer, Lifesaving Expertise, and Disperse Bloodlust
Aggro Reduction Ring, Aggro Reduction Choker, and Healing Necklace
Taion
Attacker
Fighting Prowess, Cypher Edge, Evasion Expertise, or Natural Selection
Accurate Grace, Disperse Bloodlust, and Steady Striker
Damage against higher-level enemies Vambraces, Dexterity Gloves, and Aggro Reduction Necklace
Lanz
Defender
Protector's Pride, Defensive Soul, Cypher Edge, or Natural Selection
Perilous Presence, Brimming Spirit, and Steel Protection
Ether Defense Lining, Block Rate Weak Guard, and Aggro Retention Nopon Doll
Sena
Defender
Protector's Pride, Defensive Soul, Split-Second Counter, or Natural Selection
Tailwind, Brimming Spirit, and Perilous Presence
Agility Support, Aggro Increase Feather, and Recharge Increase Badge
Most of your damage will come from chain attacks, so you must focus on surviving and picking classes to help you live. Three healers will keep everyone alive, while the two defenders can hold the aggro. Taion works well as a damage dealer with this build, so he can maximize your chain attack damage. As for your hero, you'll want to choose an attacker to provide additional damage during the battle.
Related: Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Complete Guide To Fusion Arts
Suggested Heroes
Since you can't customize heroes, you'll want to know which ones you should use in combat to cover your needs. If you want a general guide, keep the following heroes in mind while building your team.
Hero Name
Recommended Arts
When To Choose Them
Riku and Manana
Wok-a-Block, Final Say, Ready-Steady
They do a great job of dealing damage while staying alive. You'll want to use them against bosses and unique monsters when you need more damage, but you also don't want someone too squishy.
Gray
Demolition, Dead Set, Showdown
A character with great dexterity and damage. You'll want to use him to provide additional firepower during a problematic boss or standard enemies.
Alexandria
Sidewinder, Etched Deep, Luminous Illusion
An overall strong choice with solid dexterity. She works great for most fights, though you may want a more specialized option for other situations.
Valdi
Heal Bullet, Trickshot, Hyper Reload
He does one thing well: healing. You'll want him during brutal battles where your defenders run out of health too quickly.
Teach
Divine Protection, Rank Splitter, Profound Strength
He offers a balance of damage and healing. Bring him into standard battles where the enemies deal too much damage for your comfort, but you still need to out-damage them throughout the fight.
Fiona
Resonant Flag, Max Effort, Lightning Passion
She does a great job of providing buffs throughout the battle. She works well against large groups of enemies or bosses with assistants.
Zeon
Shield Bash, Noble Taunt, Victory Shift
Does a great job of defending against physical attacks while providing reasonable crowd control. Bring him into battles where you need to knock down bosses and prevent them from attacking.
Ashera
Demon Slayer, Inferno Wheel, Ascension Blade
A solid tank with good ether defense. Use her against bosses that tend to focus on arts or ether damage, so you'll stay alive.
Monica
Geo Breaker, Taunt Pulse, Lightning Strike
A decent tank overall who constantly draws aggro. Bring her into battles where your tanks struggle to maintain the aggro, so you can protect your attackers and supports. However, she'll need healers to support her.
Generally speaking, heroes play less of an important role than your main cast. Since you can swap classes anytime, you'll want to use heroes to round out your team. Generally speaking, they do best as attackers and healers since they'll add to your DPS or help you survive. However, you may want to grab a defender if you're fighting multiple enemies and struggling with your aggro control.
Since Xenoblade Chronicles 3 offers a fantastic range of characters, classes, and equipment, you can easily adjust your party and create powerful groups. Use the best builds available if you ever struggle with your party or find the game's systems confusing. Doing so will help you overcome different bosses, tackle unique monsters, and survive the world of Aionios.
Next: Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Boss Battle Guide
