Choosing the best party members for *Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition* can feel daunting with so many characters and classes to consider. This guide highlights the top five party members and explains why they stand out in your team.
Elma
Elma is not only the first party member you can recruit, but she's also incredibly powerful. Her class, Full Metal Jaguar, excels in versatility, making her an excellent tank, support, and offensive player. Elma's standout skills include Ghostwalker, which creates a decoy, and Ghost Factory, which boosts the party's evasion. Prioritize leveling these skills. While her position-based attacks may cause some downtime, her self-buffs and critical hit enhancements make her invaluable. Plus, her ability to instantly gain 1,000 TP helps power her stronger abilities, making her a crucial asset for most story missions.
Irina
Irina stands out as the game's premier supporter. She excels at healing, removing debuffs, and boosting evasion, making her a vital component of any team. Skills like Energy Source and Last Stand generate TP for the party at the cost of her own, ensuring your team stays in the fight. While Irina isn't suited for solo combat or taking down Tyrants, her support capabilities shine when paired with strong attackers, helping to keep battles swift and manageable.
Nagi
If you're not playing as a Duelist, Nagi is the perfect addition to your team. As one of the few Duelists in *Xenoblade X*, he excels in dealing damage and can handle enemies at close and long range. His area-of-effect ability, Blossom Dance, is particularly potent, ignoring enemy resistances and capable of taking down tough foes in a few hits. To maximize Nagi's effectiveness, pair him with a supporter like Irina or use Mastermind skills to debuff enemies.
Mia
Mia, a Psycorruptor with the versatility of a Drifter, is a jack-of-all-trades. She can debuff enemies, reduce debuff resistance, and deliver powerful attacks like Beam Barrage and Myopic Screen, the latter of which may cause blackout. Mia's attacks gain strength with an active aura, and she can even topple enemies. While she lacks in self-defense and healing, pairing her with characters who can cover these weaknesses makes her a formidable ally.
H.B.
H.B. is an enhanced version of Lin, offering superior defense with his Shield Trooper+ class. His ability to attract enemy attention makes him a perfect fit for teams with aggressive members like Elma or Nagi. Beyond defense, H.B. can generate TP with his taunt attack, raise debuff resistance, increase ranged attack power, topple enemies, and create a sturdy shield. If you struggle with survivability outside the main storyline, completing H.B.'s affinity mission and adding him to your team is a must.
