I restarted XC2 a couple of days ago, and I've already poured 40 hours
into that new playthrough. Addictive game is addictive! As I expected
(and hoped),
that second run is infinitely more pleasant and engrossing than the first: I
get a real kick out of knowing exactly what to do and being able to anticipate
roadblocks and successfully circumvent them. Without further ado, here's a
quick rundown of the activities I decided to focus on during that second
playthrough.
Common Blade Grinding: Things are working pretty neatly on that front. I
rotate my Commons in Merc Missions and have teams dispatched at all times; as a
result, I've been able to rack up a number of Field Skills that I could only
dream off during my first playthrough. Which leads us to...
Using Field Skills: I've been able to access a variety of places locked
behind Field Skills this time around. The pay-off is not always stellar, mind
you: most of the time, I'm only granted a safe or an item for my efforts. The
pay-off doesn't matter, though, because the thrill lies in the act of exploring
the world and uncovering secrets. Which leads us to...
Exploration: I want to leave no stone unturned this time: no matter how
long it takes, I'll explore Alrest's every nook and cranny. Nothing compares to
the thrill of discovering a hidden tunnel or being able to reach a cliff that
seemed inaccessible at first — and let's not even talk about all those
"Secret Viewpoints". I have a soft spot for Mor Ardain, which literally
bristles with hidden areas and tantalizing places that challenge you to reach
them.
Side Quests: Since I've been harnessing Field Skills, I can tackle side
quests much more easily this time around. I've also been careful not to dive
into questing too fast: first I explore, progress the story and level up a bit,
and then I come back to formely explored areas to take care of quests. That
tactic works like a charm, and I have a good number of cleared side quests
under my belt as I'm writing this.
Area Development: I managed to make some good progress on the
development front, mostly through trial-and-error. (Want to develop Gormott?
Just shell out 500,000 golds for the Inherited Core Crystal at Margia's
Odds&Ends in Torigoth!) Overall, area development seems to be tied to a mix
of investing money — heaps of it — into local shops and clearing side
quests, with a couple of extra arcane requirements thrown into the mix. I'm
determined to Develop on my own and not resort to FAQs, because it's more
entertaining and rewarding that way.
Affinity Chart Grinding: I was reluctant to grind Blade Skills during my
first run, mostly because it screamed 'micromanagement' to me and I was already
quite overwhelmed by the game's many features. However, raising Blade Affinity
is actually quite fun and really not that demanding once you get the hang of
it. I just use Merc Missions to grind all the Blades that can be dispatched,
which leaves me ample amounts of time to pore over Pyra's, Dromarch's and
Poppi's charts. And talking about Poppi, I was really determined to customize
her this time around, but... I can't even beat the first stage of Tiger Tiger
on easy mode! Why does that game need to be so hard? It's just an optional
mini-game to obtain extra parts for a Blade that doesn't even really need them
in the first place, darn it! Oh, well; screw Tiger Tiger, my Poppi is doing
just fine as she is.
Miscellaneous: Remember when I said I would rewatch all cutscenes with
the english dub? Yeah, about that... I found out that I just cannot bring
myself to sit through them again. So I'll just resume where I left off, i.e. at
the end of chapter 7. On the graphical front, I cranked up the brightness to
the max in a flash of anger, as I was yet again stuck in an infuriatingly dark
building; and not only could I suddenly see much better, but I also really
liked the result. It gives the game a subtle cell-shaded look reminiscent of Breath
of the Wild; and as a gamer who laps up stylized aesthetics in games, I can
only approve of that new look.
In a nutshell, that second playthrough is infinitely more enjoyable than the
first, which confirms that this game does have indeed a lot of replay
value. I was in a bit of a rush during my first playthrough, but I finally
understood that XC2 is meant to be an epopee à la Dragon Quest IX,
in which you take all the necessary time to build up your character and fully
explore the world. That's exactly what I'm doing now, and I'm deeply enjoying
the ride; and with that said, dear fellow gamers, I'll see you soon for more XC2
tidings. Thanks for reading, and be my guest anytime!
I was wondering why you had to restart the game to do all that, but then I read your post about accidentally deleting your save. YEOWCH! You have my condolences.
Haha! Yeah, it kinda stung at first, and I was honestly not sure I could dive back into the game right away; but experience has obviously proven otherwise. ^^ With hindsight, it was actually a blessing in disguise, because I'm enjoying that second run MUCH more than the first and making the most of what the game has to offer.
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