One of the cool new features in Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is the ability to equip the main characters (Drivers) with a number of living weapons known as Blades. A finely tuned set of Blades gives a Driver a myriad of options for performing devastating combos during battle. There are a good number of Blades that can be found throughout the game, but some serve the Drivers better than other Blades, and some serve certain Drivers better than other Drivers. This can make choosing the right Blades a little bit tricky. Fear not! For the following ten Blades and Driver pairings are some of the best in the game.

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Please Note: Characters Tora and Vandham have been omitted as they do not equip traditional Blades. Legendary Blades that first appear with the characters will be omitted. It's advisable that each character's Legendary Blade is in every three-Blade roster.

Updated on May 19, 2021, by Reyadh Rahaman: Each Blade varies from others by possessing unique stats and skills, particularly their Blade Specials, Blade Arts, Battle Skills, and Field Skills. These aspects help to determine which Blade is the right fit for a given Driver, though a player's personal preferences are also crucial factors. In addition to combat-related traits, be sure to take note of a Blade's non-combat ones, as they can be quite helpful while traveling and exploring.

10 Zenobia

Equip To: Rex

It's very lucky for a player to find this rare Blade early on in a random core. Zenobia is by far one of the best Blades that can be equipped to Rex besides his Legendary Blades Pyra or Mythra. Zenobia's an incredibly strong Attack type which suits Rex's Fighter class perfectly. Her weapon of choice is a greataxe and her wind element won't create any overlap with Rex's Legendary Blade. If her character design seems a bit familiar, that's because she was designed by Minoru Iwamoto of Tales of Vesperia.

Blade Specials

• Lv. 1: Diabolic Zephyr - Gently raise the axe overhead then bring it down crashing
• Lv. 2: Adamantine Axe - Quickly raise the axe overhead and attack quickly
• Lv. 3: Ascension Blade - Fly around cutting up the enemy with powerful slash attacks
• Lv. 4: Twixt Heaven & Hell - Strike down on the enemy from on high with a powerful weapon

Blade Arts

• Recharge Boost - Boosts Driver recharge for an auto-attack
• Arts Plus - Boosts the power of the next Driver Art
• Critical Up - Increase critical hit rate

Battle Skills

• Carnage - Increases the damage dealt when battling a boss or unique enemy
• The Indomitable - Increases the damage dealt to higher-level enemies
• Greatest Warrior - Increases the damage dealt for each enemy in the battle

Field Skills

• Lv. 5: Wind Mastery - Determines proficiency with the wind element
• Lv. 5: Superstrength - Extraordinary physical strength. Used to break things, lift them up, etc
• Lv. 5: Leaping - The power to jump. Used to reach high places

9 Agate

Equip To: Rex

It might seem a bit repetitive to go with another greataxe user, but that particular Blade weapon of choice is a good fit with Rex. If it's preferable to mix it up, by all means, do so. There aren't really any wrong choices in Xenoblade Chronicles 2, there are just some that are better than others making for a smoother experience. Agate is also a user of the Earth element, so you won't have any overlap in a Character Party with Mythra and Zenobia.

Blade Specials

• Lv. 1: Heliodor Passion - The thrown weapon spins and cuts up the enemy
• Lv. 2: Star Beryl Courage - Swing the weapon down with all your strength as if digging
• Lv. 3: Rhodochrosite Might - Attack the enemy by smashing up a crystal
• Lv. 4: Invincible Moldavite - Launch an attack while spinning the weapon around

Blade Arts

• Critical Up - Increases critical hit rate
• Accuracy Up - Increases accuracy

Battle Skills

• Razor-Sharp Iolite - Increases damage dealt by the party by 25% to 50% at max Affinity
• Tanzanite Pursuer - Increases damage dealt to toppled enemies by 50% to 150%
• Tiger's Eye Wrecker - Increases damage dealt to insects by 40% to 80%

Field Skills

• Lv. 3: Prospecting - Discover never-before-seen precious stones (exclusive to Agate)
• Lv. 3: Mineralogy - Possesses knowledge related to minerals
• Lv. 3: Keen Eye - The power to see things clearly. Used to notice small changes, etc

8 Roc

Equip To: Rex (or Zeke)

If a playstyle calls for a little more variety for Team Rex than three scantily clad females, look no further than Roc. Roc will not be found right away or in a random core. This Legendary Blade only becomes available at a certain spoiler-heavy portion of the main story. Since he uses the element of Wind, it's best to sub him for Zenobia's spot to keep your elements varied. If Roc is someone a player would like on the roster, but not with Rex, he's a good option for Zeke as well.

Blade Specials

• Lv. 1: Death Wing - Combine the Dual Scythes and throw them at the enemy
• Lv. 2: Crushing Twister - Take the enemy by surprise with acrobatic movements
• Lv. 3: Feather Typhoon - Create a giant vortex to suck up the enemy in one go
• Lv. 4: Crimson Storm - Roc follows up a Driver attack with an assault from the air

Blade Arts

• Back Attack Up - Increases backstab damage and halves aggro
• Arts Plus - Boosts the power of the next Driver Art

Battle Skills

• Sickle - Reduces aggro build-up from attacks by 20% to 40%
• Storm and Stress - Increases damage dealt by 60% to 100% for 30 seconds after the start of a battle
• Swoop - Increases damage dealt from the back by 20% to 100%

Field Skills

• Lv. 3: Wind Mastery - Determines proficiency with the wind element
• Lv. 1: Miasma Dispersal - Disperse poison gas emitted by Titans (exclusive to Roc)
• Lv. 3: Lockpicking - The power to open various things. Works on doors, treasure troves, etc

7 Nim

Equip To: Nia

Nia has a lot of great Blade options here because all of her best Blades look so unique. Keep in mind that Nia is the main Healer and if you want to max her to Master Healer, it's going to be imperative to make sure she's using three Healer type Blades. Nim fills that Healer role and also brings the Earth element to the party.

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Notice that Earth hasn't shown up in Rex's Blade roster. This is most definitely by design; it's best to keep the element types as varied as possible.

Blade Specials

• Lv. 1: Fierce Healer - Shoot out your own ether as a shockwave
• Lv. 2: Wild Grappler - Rush in wielding a weapon of concentrated ether
• Lv. 3: Organic Automata - Kit and Sunny emit a laser beam
• Lv. 4: Earth Priestess - After a series of attacks, hit the enemy with a high-power laser shot

Blade Arts

• Accuracy Up - Increases Accuracy
• Back Attack Up - Increases backstab damage and halves aggro

Battle Skills

• Restorative Fusion - Restores party's HP on starting Fusion Combo with the effect improving on higher difficulty
• Synthesis Lore - Boosts Fusion Combo effect by 50%
• Wild Familiars - Increase the damage dealt to beasts by 80%

Field Skills

• Lv. 3: Earth Mastery - Determines proficiency with the earth element
• Lv. 3: Ichthyology - Possesses knowledge related to fish
• Lv. 3: Phonex Linguistics - The power to speak with Phonexes (exclusive to Nim)

6 Ursula

Equip To: Nia

As stated, it's best to keep Elemental types as varied as possible, so equipping Nia with this Ice-type Healer is a great idea. Earlier it was mentioned that Nia will have a pretty unique-looking party. Nim looks like a human and deer hybrid, and Ursula comes to the party with her very own polar bear familiar that will make a seasoned JRPG player think back to Ni No Kuni, but more importantly, it makes for a rather dynamic Character Menu screen!

Blade Specials

• Lv. 1: Beary Strong - Beary swipes his ice claws and mows down the enemy
• Lv. 2: Beary Helpful - Beary attacks the enemy with an ice shockwave
• Lv. 3: Beary-Go-Round - Beary spins round and overwhelms all enemies in range
• Lv. 4: Ursine Phantasm - Attack with an uppercut while Beary rushes the enemy

Blade Arts

• Debuff Cancel - Cancels debuffs on allies

Battle Skills

• Snow Charm - When Affinity reaches max, grants the party a damage barrier
• Beary Healing - Heals party's HP upon performing a Blade Switch
• Hide and Seek - Reduces aggro drawn from Specials and Driver Arts

Field Skills

• Lv. 5: Harmony - Have fun playing beautiful music (exclusive to Ursula)
• Lv. 3: Ichthyology - Possesses knowledge related to fish
• Lv. 3: Fortitude - The power to endure hardships. It even helps with boring jobs

5 Boreas

Equip To: Nia

Nim, Ursula, and Dromarch are Nia's ideal roster. Unfortunately, most Blades are found randomly in Xenoblade Chronicles 2 by opening cores. There's never a guarantee any of these Blades will actually be found unless what might amount to hundreds of hours are sunk into the game. Boreas, a gigantic ball with the head of a rabbit, is a Wind type.

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It might require some moving around with other characters if you decide to put him on your roster and keep elemental abilities varied.

Blade Specials

• Lv. 1: Open Wide! - Cover your whole body with wind ether and charge
• Lv. 2: Snack On This! - Chew a Bitball and shoot out balls of energy
• Lv. 3: Gobble 'em Up! - Shoot out a laser while in the air and eradicate your enemies
• Lv. 4: Gobble Gobble! - Jump after a spinning attack to fire a hail of bullets

Blade Arts

• Accuracy Up - Increases Accuracy
• Recharge Boost - Boosts Driver recharge for an auto-attack

Battle Skills

• Tasty Snack - Heals party for 40% to 60% of max HP when defeating an enemy
• Look Out! - Increases evasion rate by 13% to 45% when Affinity is at max
• Twang! - Adds a 30% to 50% chance of Knockback when attacked by an enemy

Field Skills

• Lv. 3: Nopon Wisdom - Knowledge related to Nopon. Decode writing, speak Nopon, etc
• Lv. 3: Salvaging Mastery - Possesses knowledge related to salvaging
• Lv. 3: Fleet of Foot - Move faster than the eye can see (exclusive to Boreas)

4 Electra

Equip To: Morag

Morag is the second option for the team's Defender. It's best to stick with Tora and Poppi for that role but it's a bad idea to totally neglect any character. Part of the strategy involved with Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is swapping Drivers and Blades in and out of the party line-up for certain battles. Electra only has one Aux Core, but her Electricity element is unused at this point and she's a very powerful Tank type Blade.

Blade Specials

• Lv. 1: Bang-Bang Bound - Hit the ground while cheerfully jumping and bounding
• Lv. 2: Shocking Assault - Charge forward after charging up electric ether
• Lv. 3: Rolling Thunder - Create thunder clouds and attack enemies in range with lightning strikes
• Lv. 4: Electrifying Show - Electra hits her weapon like a drum to trigger a shockwave

Blade Arts

• Absorb Damage - Erects a barrier that absorbs a fixed amount of damage
• Draw Aggro - Draw aggro from enemies in battle

Battle Skills

• Sparky Girl - Counters attacks with ether damage
• Zappy Girl - Increases aggro every second
• Clangy Girl - Increases block rate

Field Skills

• Lv. 5: Electric Mastery - Determines proficiency with the electricity element
• Lv. 3: Focus - The power to focus on one thing. Also used to control one's power
• Lv. 5: Mastery of Thunder - The power to control electricity (exclusive to Electra)

3 Kasandra

Equip To: Morag

Since regular Blades can't be equipped to the go-to Defender (Tora), there's no reason not to stick this tremendously powerful Tank type Blade with Morag. Kasandra has a superhero-like alter-ego that comes forth when performing specials, adding a bit of fun to any battle she's a part of.

Blade Specials

• Lv. 1: Sentimental Burst - Condense dark ether until it explodes
• Lv. 2: Hidden Emotion - Hit the shield while in the air, and emit a large amount of healing
• Lv. 3: Secret Desire - Enter unconscious state with the mask and draw out your true power
• Lv. 4: Melancholic Break - Offer prayers to your shield, then release a large number of bandages

Blade Arts

• Draw Aggro - Draw aggro from enemies in battle
• Arts Plus - Boosts the power of the next Driver Art

Battle Skills

• Calamity - Slightly raises aggro every second and increases all attack aggro
• Fortune - Absorbs critical damage dealt as HP
• Stability - Increases damage dealt from the front

Field Skills

• Lv. 3: Nopon Wisdom - Knowledge related to Nopon. Decode writing, speak Nopon, etc
• Lv. 3: Agronomy - Possesses knowledge related to vegetables
• Lv. 3: One Lucky Gal - Chase luck, but find only misfortune (exclusive to Kasandra)

2 Vale

Equip To: Zeke

It's unlikely that Zeke is going to see much use. He doesn't become playable until late game and fills the Fighter role that it's best to keep Rex in. Since it's still advisable to make sure Zeke is useful in a pinch, definitely give him Vale if she's found in a core. She's a powerful Attack type that uses the rather uncommon element of Darkness.

Blade Specials

• Lv. 1: Blood Altar - Slap the enemy with the side of your weapon, then go on the attack
• Lv. 2: Tainted Palace - Seal enemy movements and pierce with the lance as far as possible
• Lv. 3: Accursed Prison - Throw your weapon twice, then hit the enemy with a drop attack
• Lv. 4: Dark Drama - Lose control completely and batter the enemy with the lance

Blade Arts

• Back Attack Up - Increases backstab damage and halves aggro
• Critical Up - Increase critical hit rate
• Arts Plus - Boosts the power of the next Driver Art

Battle Skills

• Violence Machine - Increases damage dealt each time a Special is used
• Void Lance - Increases damage dealt from the side
• Overture of Blood - Increases damage dealt to launched enemies

Field Skills

• Lv. 3: Dark Mastery - Determines proficiency with the darkness element
• Lv. 3: Weaving - Use looms to weave gorgeous fabrics (exclusive to Vale)
• Lv. 3: Girl's Talk - Talk openly, girl-to-girl

1 KOS-MOS

Equip To: Zeke

KOS-MOS is very powerful and it might be tempting to stick her with Rex. It may also be tempting to experiment with other Drivers whose class she doesn't directly compliment. Keep in mind there are other Blades already well-suited for Rex, but KOS-MOS is so powerful. Get her into the roster by equipping her to Zeke. Having her Light element available to round out the party's elements is a good boon.

Blade Specials

• Lvl. 1: R-Blade - Charges energy inside the cannon and unleashes it by cutting the enemy down
• Lvl. 2: H-Effect R - Develops the Hilbert Effect and changes the course of battle
• Lvl. 3: F-G-Shot - After charging energy, shoots out scattered laser beams
• Lvl. 4: X-Buster - Fires powerful concentrated laser beams, but only when energy reserves are full

Blade Arts

• Recharge Boost - Boosts Driver recharge for an auto-attack
• Arts Plus - Boosts the power of the next Driver Art
• Critical Up - Increases critical hit rate

Battle Skills

• Phase Transition Tech - Annuls enemy defense and increases Special damage dealt by 60% to 100%
• Hyperclock - Deal 60% to 100% more damage and takes 10% to 30% less damage at max Affinity
• Encephalon - Reduces aggro build-up from attacks by 20% to 40%

Field Skills

• Lv. 3: Light - Determines proficiency with the light element
• Lv. 3: Lockpicking - The power to open various things. Works on doors, treasure troves, etc
• Lv. 3: Mental Arithmetic - Perform complex calculations at speed (exclusive to KOS-MOS)

All of these options are not set in stone. It's possible these Blades won't be found on a first play-through. Like any good JRPG, the system is rather intricate and will take some experimenting.

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