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Available fairly early, Phog - a DLC character in the original Japanese version ofXenoblade Chronicles Xwho was available free of charge in the West - is right there waiting for you in Definitive Edition. The Switch version of this sci-fi epic is chock-full of bells and whistles, but Phog is the same old Phog; thoughtful and forgetful in roughly equal measure.
This guide will walk you through Phog’s recruitment mission, ‘Foggy Dilemma’. You’ll learn how to get started, where to go to fulfill its objectives, and a bit more about your newfound squadmate, too. Let’s hop to it, Rook!
How To Start ‘Foggy Dilemma’
You can’t get started with’Foggy Dilemma’until you’vecompleted the Main Story Mission for Chapter 4, ‘The Ganglion Menace’. Unlike many Affinity Missions, however, there’s an odd additional wrinkle involved.
Namely,‘Backup Request’. ‘Backup Request’ is aBasic Mission, and thus,it can be found at Mission Control along the BLADE Concoursein New Los Angeles. You’ve got to go ahead andaccept this quick quest, which willlead you to Phog.
Many players have had notable issues getting ‘Backup Request’ to pop up at Mission Control. For starters,verify you don’t have the maximum of 30 Basic Missions active simultaneously, as that may prevent it. Ensure you’ve wrapped up Chapter 4, andif all else fails, simply do a few quests, return, and keep at it.
Phog is over near the Water Purification Plantin theResidential District. Initiate a conversation with him, and have fun with your dialogue responses, asthere are no narrative repercussions in this quest. It’s all for flavor!
Forget-Me-Not
Phog needs you toescort him in an investigation of some malfunctioning data probes out in Oblivia. Your first destination isright beside FN Site 309, close to the very center of Oblivia’s landmass. If you’ve already explored this part of Oblivia, you’ll be able to fast travel there.
‘Foggy Dilemma’ doesn’t have particularly tough objectives, but it does havesome powerful indigens worryingly close by. The level 27 beastie near your first destination,Lake Falsaxam, can be quite tough, even at comparable levels, so if you’re more than a handful of levels beneath it, take care tosteer clear of it.
After the scene here,follow the objective marker several hundred meters out. You’ll be atAaroy Plainby the time you arrive. Another quick scene, and thenreturn to the first spot. It appears our friend Phog has somehow, alarmingly, already forgotten we’ve been here!
We’ll venture back to thesecondspot afterward, but do as many Xenoblade Chronicles X veterans through the years have urged newcomers here -approach the objective at night. You’re in for a battle in a moment, anda level 65 Tyrant has a nasty tendency to waltz right into it during the daytime.
Finishing The Mission
The enemy Prone you’re up against are mostly simple fare, but you may have some difficulty with their mech, aQmoeva Divider.
Despite only being level 14 (and you might not be too much higher, yourself),it can withstand a fair number of regular attacks, sowhittle down its defenses with debuffsif you’re able to, andkeep an eye on your team’s HP.
When the dust settles, ‘Foggy Dilemma’ will be marked complete, andPhog will now join you!Phog’s aWinged Viper. In our humble analysis,Phog is honestly not that great a party member. Make no mistake, he’s perfectly viable; buthe’s a bit like a lesser version of Elma, and Elma has the perk of beingcool, besides.
If you do want to bring him with you sometimes, which we totally get,make the most of his Shadow Runner, Hundred Shells, Electric Surge,andPrimer Artswhile upgradingBackground Noise and Master Edgefor Skills.
Or, you know, test everything out - maybe you’ll prefer a different approach! - but Phog’s worked fairly well for us with this core setup.
