Xenoblade Chronicles 2 - Switch 2 Edition is getting more than a graphical facelift. Learn more about what's in store for new and returning players here.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 - Switch 2 Edition Comes With New Features
What’s New in Xenoblade Chronicles 2 on the Switch 2?
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition launches on July 30 with new gameplay content alongside the expected visual and performance upgrades for Nintendo Switch 2. Nintendo has expanded the RPG with an original battle mode, a new Rare Blade, additional outfit designs for Pyra and Mythra, and several technical improvements.
The biggest changes come through content that was not part of the original release. Merc Missions, which previously sent Blades off to complete assignments automatically, have been expanded with a new mode called Merc Assault. Here, instead of waiting for operations to finish in the background, players can now take part in those missions themselves.
Up to six Blades can be deployed at once, and players can switch freely between them during battle. Each Blade comes with its own Special Attack, and Merc Assault encourages players to chain those Specials together in succession to create powerful combos that deal more damage and help clear missions more efficiently.
Monolith Soft has also created an original quest for Momo, who joins the game as a new Rare Blade. She is one of the main characters from Bandai Namco's Xenosaga trilogy, where she travels alongside Shion Uzuki and KOS-MOS throughout much of the story. Her arrival here reunites her with KOS-MOS, who has been obtainable as a Rare Blade in Xenoblade Chronicles 2 since the game's original release.
Momo can switch between two forms during battle, and each one changes her appearance and elemental affinity. Regardless of form, though, she uses the Bitball, a support-oriented weapon type that’s primarily used for healing or buffing.
Pyra and Mythra received new outfit designs created for the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition. Pyra's new design appears to revisit early concept art created by character designer Masatsugu Saito before Xenoblade Chronicles 2 launched. She even has the bright red hair color of her beta design. It incorporates several ideas from those original illustrations and combines them with details from the outfit players know from the final game.
Mythra, on the other hand, receives a silver-and-white outfit with dark stockings, a color scheme that closely resembles her silver alternate costume from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The costumes appear during gameplay and story cutscenes, and players can freely equip either design on both characters.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 now supports up to 4K resolution at 60fps in TV mode and 1080p at 60 frames per second in handheld mode on Nintendo Switch 2. The company says gameplay and cutscenes have both received image quality improvements. The original art direction remains unchanged.
Preparation for launch has already begun. Version 3.0.0 is now available for the original Nintendo Switch release. Players who remain on the original Nintendo Switch will not receive the newly announced gameplay content. Owners of Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna - The Golden Country can access that expansion's Nintendo Switch 2 enhancements through its corresponding Upgrade Pack.
The Nintendo Switch 2 Edition launches digitally on July 30, followed by a physical release on October 1. New players can pick up the digital edition for $69.99 or the physical version for $79.99. Existing owners of the Nintendo Switch release have the option to purchase the $9.99 Nintendo Switch 2 Edition Upgrade Pack, which adds the new content and enhancements to their copy of the game.
Source:
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition eShop Page
