Xenoblade Chronicles X: Everything New In Definitive Edition On Switch

Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition brings a Wii U favourite up-to-date on Switch in many different ways, not just the graphical.

This beloved entry in the Xenoblade series makes tons of useful quality-of-life updates and expands on the story of the original 2015 game. We'll be covering all of those changes here in this guide, from the small to the big.

There's a lot to cover, so if we've missed anything significant, make sure you let us know.

All New Additions and Changes in Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition

Even if you've extensively played Xenoblade Chronicles X on Wii U, there are lots of new things both under the hood and in plain sight for you. We're listing as many as we can find, biggest and best ones to those tiny little tweaks that make everything come together.

New Story Content

Here's the big draw — just like with Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition, Xenoblade Chronicles X has added some brand new story content to the game.

We won't be spoiling anything here, but we'll have details on what this new story content entails soon, just in case you really want to know.

New Characters

Along with the new story content, we've also got a handful of new characters to meet. Four, to be exact.

We'll only talk about the two characters who were revealed in the pre-release trailers for now, those being the pink-haired test pilot Liesel and the Qlurian Neilnail. The latter of these two was originally intended to appear in the Wii U version, but was cut, while Liesel is an entirely new character. Along with the other two new characters, there are now 22 playable party members.

To find out how to recruit each character, you can highlight their portrait in the Party Members screen and it'll tell you what you need to do. As long as there isn't a padlock sign present, anyway. Have a loot at our guide on All Playable Characters if you want a rundown of everyone who can join you.

New Skells

Oh yes, you read that right: there are some brand new Skells to suit up in in Definitive Edition. Not many, mind you! Just the two.

Hraesvelg is one of the newcomers here, and it's Liesel's own Skell. It looks extremely cool, too, so we can't wait to pilot this one.

Our guide on All Skells, as well as How To Get A Skell, are the perfect starting places for everything you need to know about these mechs.

No More BLADE Levels

Remember BLADE Levels from the Wii U version? BLADE Levels were essentially a secondary type of experience that you increased by doing Division-related tasks. If you wanted to do all Basic Missions and progress through the game, you had to ensure this was kept up.

In Definitive Edition, this has been entirely removed, meaning there are fewer restrictions on progression. Missions now appear relative to story progress, and you no longer need to worry about your Division choice as a result. Field Skills are still in-game, but they're simply acquired through doing quests and have nothing to do with BLADE Levels.

Swap Party Members in the Menu

Here's what might be our favourite tweak to Definitive Edition. Now you can choose your party from the menu, no matter where you are in Mira.

Back on Wii U, you originally had to find the characters you wanted to use in New Los Angeles. Now, that place is pretty big, so it could get a little annoying. Luckily, you don't need to run and jump around the metropolis anymore. Just head to your menu and pick and choose as you like.

Speaking of party enhancements...

Shared Experience Points

Party members no longer need to be in the group in order to gain experience. So not only is it more convenient to pick and choose your party, you now don't need to worry about any single character being left behind.

Thank goodness.

Quests and Materials are Easier to Track

Mira is absolutely huge. Not only that, there are so many quests and items you'll need to track down if you want to be thorough that things can get very overwhelming fast.

Luckily, Definitive Edition has improved quest navigation and the Follow Ball significantly. Now, if you need to kill specific enemies or find specific materials, the quest marker will actually indicate exactly where to find these things. You don't have to use it, of course, but it'll save so much time.

Easy Affinity

Affinity Points are a staple of the Xenoblade series; these allow you to build relationships with characters and, in X's case, embark on Affinity Quests.

In the Switch version, Affinity Points are a lot easier to obtain, meaning you won't need to do as much fussing over making your party love you to unlock them. These missions are worth doing because they give out fantastic rewards.

Surveying is rewarding

Exploring the five different biomes of Mira is easily the best thing about Xenoblade Chronicles X, but in case you were worried about a lack of tangible rewards (besides your own satisfaction), fear not.

Originally, surveying Mira was only about unlocking the main story. Some Main Quests require you to have reached a certain percentage level. That's all well and good, but what about the good stuff, like armor and money?

On Switch, you'll now get extra rewards for every 5% of the planet you survey. And these rewards are really good, ranging from credits, tickets, and Energy Clips — a brand new item in Definitive Edition (more on those later).

Accessing FrontierNav

One of the most unique things about XCX on Wii U was how it used the Game Pad. Using this bulky controller's screen, you could navigate the map and plant probes. This was the only way to use FrontierNav, even.

On Switch, that's not possible, so it's all been moved to the main menu now. It's still easy to find — just use the Map and the R button to swap to it, and you can track all of your probes and data.

If FrontierNav is a little confusing, have a look at our Optimisation Guide so you can make the most out of mining Mira/

Changing the time

In a change that was also present in the first game's Definitive Edition, Xenoblade Chronicles X on Switch now allows you to change the time of day wherever you are.

This option is in the System section of the menu, and it makes hunting for particular monsters and Tyrants much easier. No longer do you need to find a trailer to swap the time of day (or pray for a thunderstorm).

Autosave is a lifesaver

Xenoblade Chronicles X finally has autosave! And that's a good thing, because if you're like us, you'll probably run into extremely powerful monsters and die a lot.

The autosave is pretty frequent, too, indicated by a little marker in the top right of the screen. Not only that, you've also now got three save slots in addition to an autosave slot. Just in case you want to preserve certain sections of the game.

Quick Cooldown is superb

Ever wanted to use an Art, but its on cooldown? Happens a lot, especially as characters shout commands and need a response. Well, Quick Cooldown is here to help.

Underneath your Arts Bar, you'll see a green-ish, yellow-ish bar (on the right side). Pressing the Y button while highlighting your Art on cooldown will consume some of that gauge and allow you to use the Art. Perfect for taking down Tyrants much easier and responding to Soul Voices.

The Quick Cooldown Gauge can be replenished through auto-attacks during a fight, but it's refilled automatically after every single battle. And you can increase the Gauge by using those shiny new Energy Clips, too.

Battle Points can be reset

Sticking with combat and Arts, you can now respec your battle points at any time.

Battle Points (BP) allow you to upgrade your Arts, meaning they'll do more damage, have quicker cooldowns, and more powerful effects. The higher level your Art, the more BP it will cost.

If you're not happy with how you've distributed you or your team's BP, then you can reset them all and redistribute them to your liking. Just highlight the skill you want to remove BP from and press ZL.

You can actually read the UI now!

We're joking here, a little, but the UI in XCX on Wii U was pretty tiny. It doesn't help that it's a pretty busy game with many, many systems to keep track of.

Definitive Edition has cleaned up the UI a ton, from the battle interface to the in-game menus, and even FrontierNav. Everything looks bigger and cleaner, and you won't need to squint to read anything anymore.

The game is even more gorgeous

As a remaster, Definitive Edition isn't a complete visual overhaul, but Monolith Soft has done a ton to make everything look brighter and cleaner.

Improved character models, bigger draw distance, better lighting and environmental textures — it's a beautiful game made to look even prettier. Why wouldn't you want to take a screenshot of every single location?

Need more Definitive Edition tips? Head on over to our Xenoblade Chronicles X walkthrough hub for all of the guides you'll need.