Chapter 782: Player Discussions

“Mr. Chen, your malice is simply overflowing! How did my poor Nia become the loser?!”

Inside Nebula Games, Yang Xin couldn't help but sigh as she read the online comments.

She actually quite liked the character Nia.

Especially her role as the team's designated commentator throughout, which made the character incredibly popular.

When Rex was defeated by Malos and feeling down, she punched him awake. And finally, seeing Mythra and Pyra in front of them, she actively nudged Rex forward, making many players fall in love with Nia.

Precisely because of this, Yang Xin, as one of Nia's fans, felt quite distressed seeing so much content “persecuting” Nia in the game.

“How can this be called overflowing with malice? This is called 'fate's choice',” Chen Xu coughed lightly.

“Indeed, no matter how long the acquaintance, it can't rival the heaven-sent!” Yang Xin exclaimed.

“That's an arbitrary statement. And while Nia is new, she hasn't known Rex for that long. If she were truly a childhood sweetheart, she might not necessarily lose to a heaven-sent,” Chen Xu said with a chuckle.

Who said childhood sweethearts can't beat heaven-sent?

In the Mechonis and Bionis World, where Klaus’s other half resides, Loser Queen Melia, known for the fan-given 'buffs' like 'Hopeful Melia,' 'Fiora's Best Efforts,' and 'Shulk's Loss,' is the most typical example.

However, Chen Xu wasn't prepared to offer players the story of Mechonis and Bionis so soon; he wanted to give players a transitional period first.

Therefore, in the game's Challenge Arena, Chen Xu didn't include Shulk and Fiora from the first game, or Elma from X, as Easter egg characters, unlike the original Xenoblade Chronicles.

But while they weren't added, Chen Xu did retain some of the 'hooks' from the original game.

For example, when Rex, his Aegis, and his companions ultimately defeated Aion, in another timespace, Shulk and his companions also vanquished a god with their own power, forging a new future.

However, for current players, there's no rush for that story. The story of the Aegis War 500 years ago, however, could be offered to players as DLC content.

At the same time, Chen Xu also made some changes. For instance, the 'Humanity' element in the original DLC's main storyline was meant to allow players to empathize with Torna and clearly feel the events on its land.

And the sense of helplessness when the Aegis of the Sky went rampant, causing Torna's demise.

But due to budget and development timeline constraints, this point could only serve as a side quest, merely a tool to increase player playtime.

Such a design didn't present much of a problem emotionally, but from a structural arrangement perspective, it created a sense of disconnect for players.

After all, one moment Malos had just stolen the energy core that could determine Torna's fate, and the next, players controlling Addam were helping residents across the lands of Torna and Gormott.

This sense of disconnect was quite severe, ultimately leading to a situation where the Torna storyline, in its entirety, resonated most with players through the pair of Lora and Malos.

For Chen Xu, naturally, more content could be added in between.

Content related to the Kingdom of Gold, Torna, was actually under development, though players weren't aware of this.

However, what truly happened in the Aegis War 500 years ago, as well as the ending and world-building of Xenoblade Chronicles after completion, all became hot topics among players.

‘So, the monsters in Morytha were humans, right? The Alien King seemed to drop something like an ID badge or a work pass. Could it be that female scientist?’

‘Possibly. But what I'm more curious about is the story of Malos and Lora in the past.’

‘+1. Also, when Malos took Pyra away near Genbu, he seemed quite disappointed with Rex, didn't he?’

‘Why does everyone seem to look forward to Malos's story? Am I the only one who hates him? He's absolutely heinous! Think of how many people died because of him!’

‘Uh... don't get too excited, bro upstairs. Don't you think Malos is cool? And wasn't it only the Praetorium's Blade who died because of Malos? Moreover, looking at Morytha and Mythra's memories, and later plot developments, that Blade seemed to be controlled by the Praetorium, originally a Blade of Malos's former Driver. Perhaps it was also a way to free her?’

‘Vandham, my Uncle Vandham, have you forgotten?’

‘Vandham was killed by Malos, alright? And speaking of which, you're all talking about 'persecuting' Nia, but don't you think Malos is the most tragic one? From beginning to end, as the Aegis of the Sky, Malos created a 'legend of invincibility' (ironically), always falling within Rex's BGM.’

‘Shh, didn't Malos win that fight at Genbu? He even stole the Aegis of the Sky.’

‘Bro, rewind that cutscene and watch it again. Did Malos ever make a move? He spent the whole time just trash-talking and showing off. At least, it completely looked like he won by clinging to Malos's coattails. It's like playing DOTA: your mid-laner is 10-0, you're 0-10, and you win. Can you shamelessly claim all the credit for that game?’

‘Sigh, I'm really curious about the story that happened back then. And if Malos had originally bonded with Mythra and Pyra, I wonder what the plot would have been like?’

‘So the boy met a tough guy? And Mythra became the big villain?’

‘Kid, I'll give you half my life. Can you take me to Elysium?’

‘Mythra: Oh, by the way, your memories have been erased. Malos is really innocent, saying not to take away my memories and those of that kid.’

‘Malos: Malos, Malos, all you ever do is Malos. Can't you ever just look at me properly?’

‘Holy crap, you guys are seriously too much! What the hell is this 'boy meets tough guy'?!’

Online, players were joyfully discussing everything about Xenoblade Chronicles, from its story to its gameplay content.

Even though many players had already completed their first playthrough of Xenoblade Chronicles and understood the relevant content.

In reality, the game could still consume a huge amount of players' time, especially for 'African' (unlucky) players.

Grinding for Core Crystals, opening them, and then seeing a pile of dark-skinned Blades—this seemed to have become their daily routine.

As for the 'Lucky Kings' who had already collected most of the Blades, developing their Affinity Chart became their main task.

Furthermore, once players delved into Xenoblade Chronicles' combat system, they immediately recognized its charm.

Attaching Orbs and bursting them, then unleashing 9,999,999 damage through Chain Attacks—this was what many players initially thought was the primary damage method.

But as Blade levels increased, core chips and auxiliary equipment were acquired, and characters like Zeke could even unlock the 'Eye of the Tyrant' skill in New Game+.

Players discovered that the damage dealt by Blade Combos, while relying on Blades, wasn't even as effective as the crowd control provided by regular Driver Combos.

Especially when equipment and Blades were optimally paired, utilizing the properties granted by Arts Recharge and Special Arts could keep monsters airborne and continuously take damage.

Combined with the Challenge Arena, players could easily immerse themselves in this game for hundreds, even thousands, of hours.

Of course, such a wide range largely depended on the player's 'bloodline'—whether they were an 'African' (unlucky) or a 'Lucky King'.

If they couldn't pull desired SSRs early on, after understanding the game's combat mechanics later, they'd realize that even dark-skinned Blades could become powerful 'attachments,' like a Level 5 Orb Generator or a 24% attribute modifier.

But this was another huge test for the 'African' (unlucky) players: don't think that just because you're unlucky, you can pull an SSR from our dark-skinned Blade faction. Look at yourself in the mirror in the bathroom; do you really deserve that luck?

(End of Chapter) <>