The Xeno series started with mechs being a large part of the combat system. This was true for Xenogears and the Xenosaga trilogy. The various Xenoblade Chronicles games still featured mechs and robots, but they were no longer a big part of battles aside from the now-forgotten Xenoblade Chronicles X. To get those mechs took almost the entire game too.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 marks the return of mechs in battle in a big way. The six core party members can pair up and combine into mech-like entities which are referred to by many names but Ouroboros is a common one. There are guest members as well, but they can’t transform. Of the six in the game, how do they all rank up? There will be no major story spoilers ahead.
6 Noah
Noah is the first character to awaken to the power of Ouroboros. Both Noah and Mio see their friends in danger when the monstrous form of Consul D appears. Their transformation looks like a standard mech design that has appeared in this series before.
Noah’s lead form wields a giant sword just like Noah’s standard class in the game. It ranges on the slower side of some of the other mechs but is a nice bonus attack to have when these forms start appearing. There are some cool weapons with this form later in Xenoblade Chronicles 3 but no more story spoilers will be said here.
5 Lanz
Lanz’s whole character revolves around protecting his friends. He may look like a berserker-type class like in some other RPGs but that giant sword of his is more like a shield. His Ouroboros form has two giant shield-like plates that can absorb a lot of damage while inflicting some wounds of his own on enemies.
He unlocks this form along with Eunie during the encounter with Ethel. He guards his friends long enough to open up an opportunity for Mio to throw Noah at the Flame Clock thus allowing him to split it in half. It is a wild cutscene but Lanz’s form gets better in some later cutscenes. This event unlocks the ability for the party to use these forms at will during battle which is a huge benefit for the player.
4 Sena
Sena and Lanz are perfect opposites of one another. She looks tiny as if her character will be a support class in the game. However, this small body is nothing but muscle as she is the enforcer of the group. Lanz looks like the brute, because of his size, but is the protector instead.
That is how they are opposites from one another but are also equals. These two forms combine into both an offensive and defensive Ouroboros form that can destroy enemies in an instant. When Sena takes the lead and transforms for the first time, she is able to flip an entire colony on its back with one shove. Now that is some girl power right there.
3 Eunie
Eunie unlocks her form with Taion during the confrontation with Ethel. Similar to her starting class, this Ouroboros form has a giant sniper rifle that can take enemies out from afar. There is also a healing side to it, again, much like her medic class in Xenoblade Chronicles 3.
Eunice’s form also has blade-like wings which look great and help steady her aim with this enormous rifle. The best scene she uses this form in is when she gets to fight Consul D for the second time. The tables are turned this time and the loudmouth Consul D never saw it coming. This might be Eunie’s best moment in Xenoblade Chronicles 3 but the full details will not be spoiled here.
2 Taion
Taion gets his form upon fighting Isurd, his former commander. It looks like Isurd but in the end, it turns out to be a copy. Still, fighting against his former ally pushes Taion to the edge enough wherein his new form appears. Talon’s starting class is a support medic but he also attacks with a bunch of robots that look like a swarm of origami cards and birds.
He is also the strategist of the group, constantly thinking of new ways to better fight their enemies. These robotic weapons also make up a part of this new form, allowing Taion to be more stealthy. He can appear as visions, using these weapons to create alternate forms of himself like some of the best video game ninjas and tricksters out there.
1 Mio
At first, it seems like there are only three Ouroboros forms in the game since there are six main characters and the transformations happen in pairs of two. It is then revealed that the character who initiates the transformation will make that form look different. In the fight against the mud version of Isurd and his base, Mio and her fellow Ouroboros teammates discover they can alter their forms.
Mio’s new form looks like she is an armored-up version of Bayonetta since her heels look like they have her guns on them. She is much faster than Noah although her attack power is lower. It would be cool if Mio gets a nod in the upcoming sequel for the Bayonetta series.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 was released on July 29, 2022 and is available on Switch.