>RPG>MC gets a legendary sword at the start of the game>doesn't get overshadowed by "random metal sword from fantasy Walmart in the next town" because its stats are directly tied to MC's level so it continuously keeps pace with the game's demandsIs this a good way to handle plot-relevant weapons that the player gets early, that are supposed to be seen as powerful, without making them so obscenely powerful they trivialize the entire game?
Sure, if it makes sense in the story. The story requires Shulk to solely use the Monado, and the narrative demands it so you cant really have him swapping it out. A good alternative is allowing the player to improve their weapon outright.
>>720747247Looks like an oversized toy. Its not threatening at all.Besides its nothing new. FFX did that with Brotherhood.
>>720747962The sword controls life itself.
>>720747962Brotherhood just has an "unlock" point where the stats increase after you visit the Farplane and see Wakka talking with his brother. It still doesn't even increase it that much and it gets destroyed by the weapon you get in the next town.
>>720747247Blood Omen did it 30 years ago.
>>720747962the 'toy' part is the emitter for a lightsabre.
>>720747962>>720748218What? I've played FFX many times and don't remember Brotherhood canonically becoming stronger at any point. It gets stat boosts when Rikku shows Tidus weapon customization, but I don't remember any characters actually acknowledging anything about Brotherhood.
>>720748218>it gets destroyed by the weapon you get in the next town.No it doesn't.
>>720747247No because eliminating the needs for better equipment also removes one sense of progression. Loot in XC1 sucks.
>>720748538You can unlock 3 more abilities on Brotherhood by going to the Farplane with Wakka at a certain point, I don't remember exactly when. Weapons in FFX don't have attack power so it remains good unless you are making something custom and overpowered.
Is Xenoblade really such a good game?
Purely mechanically I think it is a workable solution, but it seems almost unavoidably unthematic (barring some sentient weapon shenanigans) and sounds like the game has a gear treadmill design, which I think is generally bad.I would rather look at scaling mechanics of the game: if for example weapons aren't stat sticks (level 1: 5-10 damage; +5 strength +10 health; level 100: 5000-10000 damage +5000 strength +10000 health) but rather have e.g. armor-piercing, handling and DR/immunity-bypassing properties (while raw damage values are determined mostly or exclusively by stats) then it handles better than any other weapon available and unlike any other weapon can bypass the magical shield of the antagonist and his greatest minions but the raw damage is still determined by your strength stat, say.
>>720747247I liked the idea behind Persona 2 legendary weapon. Since the game is based in a city where rumors are becoming a reality, the stats of the sword largely depends on the rumors you spread about it. Demons can also spread a rumor about your sword too, but they will only do that if they survived a battle against you. As long as anyone who fights against you dies, and you keep spreading rumors about the weapon, it keeps getting more and more powerful.
>>720748943It had my wholehearted recommendation even before the definitive edition came out- and that made it even better.
Kingdom Hearts (theoretically) does this better with the key chain system. It's the same base legendary weapon, but you can still have variety and slightly different play styles.
>>720748980That's a cool idea I've never heard of that
>>720748943Eh, it's okay. Never finished it because the pacing kind of sucks.
>>720747247>without making them so obscenely powerful they trivialize the entire gameI kind of miss feeling powerful in games. All games these days are about being just barely good enough and overcoming challenges.The hard part is making a powerful character fun to play as, since stomping content gets lame real fast.
People who never finished the game ought to refrain from sharing their pointless opinion.
>>7207489432 > 1 = X > 3
>>720747247I like it. KH3 has a forge where you can upgrade every weapon up to 10 times, and while the Lv. 10 Kingdom Key is the weakest of its level, it still does good damage.
>>7207489431 is meh and boring. 2 is great if you delocalize it with mods. 3 is censored garbo.
>>720747247>Obtain super strong sword at the beginning >It really is that strong, trivializes next few fights>Lose it after hard boss fight>Use normal weapons for a while>Obtain it again near the end of the game
>>720748943No. It's an offline WoW clone with a basic bitch shonen plot that's poorly paced and shoddily written.Then the sequels get worse.
Giving out legendary weapons at the start is dumb. They're supposed to be a reward.
>>720747247>weapon so good it trivializes years worth of content and morphs the build scene of the game entirely creating a wave of players building around it specifically
>>720749198Really good game but I dont think it does enough with that spreading rumor mechanic
>character progression is about becoming more proficient with legendary weapon and unlocking its power rather than becoming stronger on one's ownIt's that simple
>>720748943if you like garbage yes
>>720748948Or go the Souls route and gove each weapon its own scaling and moveset
>>720747247Legendary weapons are supposed be really fucking good, for what weapons are worth.The wrong approach is to tie hard stats to the weapon itself and not to the user. That is a game design decision and not a storytelling decision. Ideally legendary weapons like "Excalibur", "Anduril" and so on should have max crit chance, anti-race multipliers to imply they are ever sharp and evil-baning. The damage itself should come down to the user stats.Also, I think equipment shouldn't show stats in terms of numbers, you should choose your gear as a narrative choice. Game mechanics are stand ins for the limitations of roleplaying, if you want to see big number go up, play arcade games.
>>720747247the monado's especially cool because until like halfway through the game it's the only thing that lets your party hurt the main race of enemies without extraordinary effort
>>720748943yes
>>720748943It's okay, the world is pretty nice, the sense of scale is excellently done, story has peaks and valleys, cast is alright, music is great, combat is love it or hate it since its essentially WoW except the best way to win fights is by stunlocking the enemy and it has a button that invalidates any and all interaction with Chain Attacks, but at least the characters all play out very differentTo be quite frank it's my least favorite of the four but it's a solid game on its own right
>>720748943Yes. Also sex with Melia.
>>720751054>fourYou mean five.
>>720747962Brotherhood isn't the best option throughout the game
>>720751268I'm not counting DLC expansions as their own thing, even if Torna had a standalone release
>>720747247>mc starts with a unique weapon and can't equip anything else but it scales with level>decently strong the whole time>weapon upgrades as a part of the story, becomes better than anything else>final act has the mc lose the weapon and is replaced with weapons that are all weaker than the one from the start of the game
>>720748943Its mid.It is fetch quest central and pointless busywork. Normally I don’t mind this but the combat isn’t engaging enough for me to actually be okay with all that busy work. Only some hunts and boss battles actually mamage to maintain your interest.The story is quite good however in my opinion.I will say this though, the combat and skill customization in this game is way better than x which is the only other xenoblade game I’ve ever played.Looking at gameplay of 2 and 3 I am almost positive i will despise 2 and love 3, I hate games that try to be as devoid of mechanics as FFXIV.
>>720747962because it isin all game, the sword itself is a gimmick, an illusion of sort, the real power comes from within
SoM did it best.
>RPG>Your starter weapon is your long lost dad's sword>Your grandfather is a blacksmith and will periodically upgrade the sword if you return home to regularly visit>Through upgrading, your father's sword will match the power of the most powerful legendary weapons>special ending if you regularly visit grandpa and upgrade it all the way
>>720748943Yes, don't listen to /v/ contrarians, those are the same that waste their time posting in coomer threads
>>720753113You mean all those Xenoblade 2 coomer threads?
>>720747247I like this approach better than what other RPGs do. In Dragon Quest V for instance you get your dad's sword which is supposed to be a big deal, and the canon sword the MC uses in the movie based on the game. But it's basically immediately outclassed by generic shit you can buy in the next town or so.
>statsJust fucking get rid of stats. It's a shit game mechanic.
>>720758913You're a shit game mechanic
>>720748943It was so bad I stopped taking nintendies seriously after trying it.
>>720748131>this weapon looks dumb>YEAH BUT IN THE STORY UM IT'S LIKE SUPER GOD MODE AND UMOk
>>720758990take that back... NOW
>>720749958Man I forget that JRPGfags don't give a single shit about gameplay. Let me rephrase: is the gameplay fun in these games?
>>720747247King's Field did this. Its a cool concept I'd love to see in more games.
>>720747247sounds retarded, I'd prefer to upgrade and manage my gear throughout the game
>>720750141>Xenoblade is an offline WoW cloneyou ain't played Xenoblade
>>720759381Yes, but just as most JRPGs, story comes first, but it's fun to explore
>>7207593811's gameplay is pretty good. 2's gameplay is meh and bogged down by, I shit you not, gacha mechanics. 3's gameplay is my favorite.
I'll do you one worse>you get varied weapons and equipment throughout the game>pictures of the items on equip screen>none of it shows up on the character himself
>>720759606Played three of them.
>>720747247If only Gadolt's rifle did that too. Sharle barely gets 3 slit weapons
>>720747247>mc gets wooden sword at start of the game>next town>buys a silver sword>buys a gold sword>buys orichalcum sword>buys adamantite sword
>>720752076I liked SoM's theme, but random upgrade orbs from monster drops in the last dungeon rather than story or boss rewards made it feel they ran out of time and budget by the end.
Marriage with Melia
>>720748538I want Rikku to customize mt weapon if you know what I mean
>>720747962waterstrike killed my interest in continuing to use it
>>720748943Depends. Is your time worthless? If so then yes.
>>720750182going dexless was so lame, i really hope they address it in ms classic
Why didn't Shulk clang a Machina?
>>720763529I agree and disagree. It was such an integral part of old maplestory but at the same time it was a truly broken style of play.Easy fix is simply just having it require Luck.Other things that I'd like in Classic>keep claw punch and bow whack melees>no jump through>no exp changes for mobs>no increased drop rates>no increased spawn rates>remove HP washing>increase level cap to 300
>>720764024i mean, i like the idea of having control over stats allowing different builds, but in practice there was just one single best build for each class and everything else was just less good. dexless sin is just the most notable case. i actually appreciate how warriors wanted dex outside of equip requirements for the accuracy, and i think they could take that idea for other classes - have being second statless be the highest damage build, but have a real downside attached (that you could potentially offset with other equips.) the real problem is the jewishness of AP resets, people would be more willing to mess around and try builds if you didn't have to take out a loan to do a big stat reset.
>>720751238Built for BBC
>>720764367Dunban's huge hung brown penis...
>>720749472mad lol
https://youtu.be/OHBpmqdRg0Q?si=VObWZoB2IUuD5TQU
>>720764367>Blizzard BelgaCas
>>720747247Keyblade >>> MonadoTying the weapon to the character's level and having it always basically look the same is boring
>>720747962agreed, the monado is a goofy ass looking thing
>>720762195Eh some orbs are already in random chests, and the enemies are also there to give you orbs you have missed. You basically get the special spell animations "from enemies" as well, by grinding to 8:99
Monado REX > Monados 1, 2, or 3
>>720765301If you played the game, in 1 you go through a couple different monado forms over time (admittedly the first and second look fairly similar) and in 2 you have so many weapons to work with that slightly change (in png art in a menu only sadly) via the memory chips you attach to each blade.
>>720747247>MC accidentally finds a legendary weapon>MCs stats are far greater than the weapon's and he opts to never use it because it would nerf him
>tfw no wifeypon
>>720747247Is it ever explained why the Monado that can't harm homs is used to slice up homs throughout the whole game?
>>720747247>plot relevant legendary sword gets weaker the more you use it>game doesn't tell you this>you have to use the sword only on the final boss to get the true ending
>>720768463name 42 games
>>720748943X>2>3>1I'm tired of these 1 fags
>>720767258Yes
Where are the upgrade patches NINTENDO???
>>720770730After xenosaga ports.
>>720747247you can do that, but you also have to realize that this directly cuts into the joy of discovering new and different weapons for that character.at that point you probably need to attach alternative systems that imitate that so that the gear slot isnt entirely static forever.
>>7207489431>2>XHaven't played 3 but you can trust me, X is not bad, by the way but good fucking god, it gets grindy as SHIT to the point that it borders on MMO autism.
>>720771436Retard.
>>720747247>practically a lightsaber harboring the soul of a god>literal jesus sword that can take on the form of two women>katana that can cut anything3’s sword was lame
>>720747962>looks like an oversized flashlight. It's not threatening at all.
>>720747247I like the Suikoden approach to weapons - every character has their own weapon that they stick with throughout the entire game, but they can continually refine and improve said weapon until it reaches its maximum potential.
https://youtu.be/DlKdO2hhIP8?si=vQOr-WfppFanmemtYoko Shimomura...
>>7207489431 and maybe 2 yes. Avoid 3 like the plague it's terrible.
>>720748943xenoblade chronicles is a masterpiece
>>720772787https://youtu.be/mVZK_hUhMB0?si=MQN8IeuJ1zwMMRciIt was fun though
>>720773481How so, anon?
>>720773545 (Me)https://youtu.be/bL8TjFxCOkk?si=smlrpLoSHJhNAlefMeant this one sorry. Point stands
>>720772787Katana that's a fragment of the machine based on the architecture of one of the trinity, constructed simultaneously in two parallel dimensions that's keeping the universe in stasis and housing the collective unconscious of humanity.
Yakuza 7: the Heros weapon is good, but newer weapons quickly outpace it, but if you keep upgrading it and taking care of it, it can be upgraded past what other weapons can be and reclaim the title of strongest weapon for the hero
I need Shion in smellovision
>>720747247>The Monado is this mystical sword from before the world's creation that can disrupt the fabric of reality by manipulating the energy source of all creation >Shulk loses it 3/4th through the game>Some fat guy manages to make a Monado replica with all the same powers as the original off-screen while Shulk's sleeping
Did Melia... you know... while Shulk slept?
>>720774119She didn't fart on his balls while he slept, anon.
I like how the Monado was handled, because it was this mysterious thing that Shulk had to understand more as the game went along.Meanwhile in 2 you have planet-nuking sentient beings who job just because the MC sucks. Makes no sense.And in 3 the Lucky 7 was really odd. It was crucial to their cause and yet had hardly any mention in the base game.Anyway, to answer the OP, yes. It's stupid when the MC gets a legendary sword that gets outclassed by generic weapons part-way through the game.
>>720774034None of monado replica get close to real deal, specially if you know how gems work.
>>720774492Also in lore, wasn't the red monado ALVIS's until the very end and Shulk creates his own Monado?Realistically in that pocket universe I guess anyone can create a Monado if they are enlightened enough.It's just a physical representation of the Will to Power anyways, exerting your will on the universe in all its forms.
>>720774471>it was this mysterious thing that Shulk had to understand more as the game went alongMore like it got the usual cliche arbitrary power ups.
>>720747962>using brotherhood past the thunder plains>especially when you realize it isn't a unique weapon
Fiora has lesbian sex with Melia
>>720777091You say that about every character, anon.
>MC loses sword 95% into the gamefucking why
>>720764367who, fucking Otharon? also kill yourself
>>720748943Fantastic series if you like meaty rpgs.
>>720777612Not every character can have lesbian sex though
>>720778148They can if they're in love, anon.
https://youtu.be/FZE7-y43liA?si=SatU6kTWqafy4DbL
>>720767258it can't harm homs (or high entia and I think nopon), which is a pretty big plot point that is resolved later on.you rarely do get into a fight with people before then, but one memorable battle was one against assassins. it wasn't a hard fight, but the fact that Shulk kept doing 1 damage while everyone else was doing thousands was pretty funny.
>>720748701Yes, it does. The stuff you can buy in Thunder Plains has 3 empty slots. Brotherhood might have 20% str at that point, but it gets waterstrike. Half of the enemies in Thunderplains aren't even weak to it and you deal shit damage to any of the armored enemies. You want to get armor pierce and 15% str on a custom weapon. This will make Tidus more valuable in the next three areas of the game, because almost everything will have armor or resist some element.
>>720747247Nope, unless the MC has to keep upgrading the weapon at every new blacksmith. Otherwise, the MC basically becomes a monk with a sword instead of fists, since he doesn't need to spend money on weapons.
They could do it like the vampire killer in portrait of ruin.You have it right off the bat but can't draw out its power till later.
>>720751958>i will despise 2 and love 3, I hate games that try to be as devoid of mechanics as FFXIV2 has a shitload of mechanics. Your auto-melee builds up meter for your arts, which in turn build up meter for your specials, which can be filled up 3 levels. The level and element of these specials lead into blade combos, with whatever element you end on getting an orb circling the enemy, and then you can burst these orbs using chain attack to impose a seal that prevents the enemy from doing something, including exploding which needs to be used against certain enemies that explode for lethal damage when you get them to a certain percentage.Combine this with the break>topple>launch>smash cycle from xb1 and you've got combat complexity out the yazoo.
>>720759381Half the gameplay in JRPGs is leveling and gearing your party. Another 25% is exploring efficiently so you don't run out of mp from random encounters.
>>720778478>uh actually if you do a bunch of other shit including wasting valuable resources THEN it's betterNot only did you move those goalposts, you did so with a completely retarded suggestion.
>>720774119Meds
>>720747962Oh yeah, tough guy? Post a threatning sword then.
>>720771749>at that point you probably need to attach alternative systems that imitate that so that the gear slot isnt entirely static forever.So Kingdom Hearts.
King's Field did it well
>>720747962>Has an absolutely awesome final form>Shulk never gets to use it as the sword NTRs him for ZazaDammit MonolithSoft! Fiora gets that new cool Meyneth Monado but you shit on poor Shulk even more! Why?!
>>720781136The Excellector from KF III. Looks like a rock with a handle when you first get it but becomes cooler the longer you handhold with it.Final form is really nice.
High Entia women lay eggs
>>720783674High Entia women can shoot people in the face while flying.
>>720749592Gotta add than even if 3 is the worst, is still like a 7.5 overall
>>720760918As much as I love Sharla, she really only exists to be the third party member untill you get Dunban
>>720781758The devs love to lock random shit to New Game +
>>720781758Looks like shit, Fiora monado looks better but you never had chance to use.
https://youtu.be/i8X2I1u7QSc?si=GBqpI9phT_XJ3GoQ
>>720775005Nah, it goes through same bullshit as weltall.
>>720764367True!!
>no crazy Shulk BF
>>720786609Cliche arbitrary power ups?
Sharla huffs Reyn's pits
>>720747562Late game you can make different versions that prioritize different stats.
>>720789390Max level monado have maxed out atk without stabilizers and fuckhuge crit, just slap double attack and haste gems. You don't need anything else outside of doing some kind of challenge.
>>720747962>>720759251most guns look like dumb toys, it doesn't stop them from being by far the most effective mass produced weapon in human history
>>720771749>but you also have to realize that this directly cuts into the joy of discovering new and different weapons for that character.I dunno, I think it works as long as the weapon gets an upgrade later on. Getting the Monado II at Prison Island was cool as fuck when I first played Xenoblade. It was even cooler when Shulk loses the Monado in the end game and you can create several Replica Monados to replace it
>>720751958>the combat and skill customization in this game is way better than x Elaborate because unless you didnt go full autismo on X I dont see how you can come to this conclusion
>>720781758>that>awesomeWeeaboos are brain damaged.
>>720790969I'd bet money that he got to Skells and proceeded to ignore ground combat as much as possible, never touched Overdrive and never switched classes. There's no way anyone who actually explored X's systems would say 1 has better combat and customization
>>720747962Brotherhood only scales because you make it better later on. It’s an alright weapon but there’s lots of better ones
>>720779680Why are you playing an RPG if you’re not gonna do RPG things?
>>720791402Because it sucks. FFX's equipment customization only becomes worthwhile to mess with in the endgame/postgame stuff, and most of that sucks too.
>>720747247>>720747962>Best weapon can be found near the start.
>>720747247yeah theres only another game in the world that does that and its PS2 Tales of Destiny Remake.https://youtu.be/HQtGy7lOw8g?si=Dei1OsnaTcRuRM74You get your hands on Dymlos and the other Swords and party members they remain relevant for the entire game. the ones that dont have a swordian are the ones you still have to buy weapons for.
>>720747247>>720747562Honestly, after XB2, I find everything about Shulk and XB3 utterly frustrating when the blade and driver system was a far more unique system that allowed for other powerful weapons with their own unique stories to thrive. That throwing it out basically killed whatever unique features xenoblade 1 accidentally had and expanded upon in xenoblade 2. Completely killing any potential identity this series could’ve and should’ve had.The monado being the best sword in xenoblade 1, that’s the only one of its kind, and no one can possibly challenge it, was so utterly lame since it made everyone else in the story utterly useless. With no unique features to make the other characters contribute to the story besides empowering Shulk with friendship lasers. Which is utterly frustrating when 2 actually made a power system based on relationships that isn’t overly restrictive to a particular and highly limited weapon type.Everyone is super focused on a very special sword that doesn’t even think or breathe. King David killed the big and imposing giant with a stone to his head, under his connection with God, not some special set of armor or some special sword that can’t even see what it’s hitting.
>>720794643Gameplay wise, the Monado is pretty well balanced as a support/jack-of-all-trades weapon, unlike crit heal Mythra which trivializes everything in the game except super bosses.Story wise, the Monado isn't any less broken than the Aegis.
>>720791935Isn’t the Black Knight Sword better (in DS3)?
