Summary
There are quite a few aspects ofXenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Editionthat help it stand out among the other entries in the series, from the seamless open world to the copious alien races. One of the biggest parts of X, and the piece the game makes quite a big deal out of, are the Skell, superpowered and super fast mechs.
Unlike your own character with their two weapons, Skell comes with a total of ten slots for you to equip weapons to, each of them giving you a new art. There are quite a few options to choose from, so let’s dive into all of them below. Many of these are designed to work in tandem with one another, so few are inherently better than the other, and should be used in conjunction.
10Cracker-BM
Spare
There aren’t a massive number of Spare weapons that are universally useful. V-Knuckles can hit hard but rely on an enemy being Bound to get their full effect, while Beamsabers can be great as a quick cooldown attack. However, the Cracker-BM stands above them all.
Thermal damage is universally helpful, and the Cracker-BM can hit multiple enemies at once. On top of a quick cooldown, it has decently high damage and casts Blaze on enemies so they take extra damage over time.
9Minigun
Arm
Arm weapons are more restrictive than other categories, focusing almost exclusively on buffs and debuffs. There are Shields can be helpful to buff other weapons and stats, and some that can restore Appendage HP. These are great in certain builds, but the Minigun tends to be more useful in a wider variety of scenarios.
Its damage isn’t massive, but it has a very quick cooldown by default. Plus it also grabs the enemies attention, which can help activate the special effects of many other weapons. With the right Battle Traits and Augments, it can be turned into something of a powerhouse of its own.
8Chaingun
Shoulder
Coming to Shoulder weapons, you are spoiled for choices, which makes it even harder to narrow down exactly which to choose. One great choice that only takes up a single Shoulder slot would be the Chaingun. While it does only deal Physical damage, it has plenty of other traits to help it excel.
The Chaingun isn’t meant to be relied on for raw damage. Instead, it deals massive amounts of Appendage damage, making it incredibly helpful for material farming. Pairing it with Crush Augments will also have youbuilding up GP incredibly quickly, and the quick cooldown should make it easier to activate Cockpit Time in Overdrive.
Destroying Appendages often gives you much rarer materials, with some only gained by destroying certain Appendages.
7Phoenix
Back
Back weapons are some of the most powerful in the game, and the majority of the most powerful take up both Back slots. The Phoenix is one such weapon, but it is genuinely quite powerful. Even the default types you may buy from the Shop terminal are well worth picking up until you get a stronger one.
On top of dealing a massive amount of Thermal Damage and taunting hit enemies, it hits multiple at once. Paired with the Battle Traits of the Cracker-BM, Phoenix will deal even more Thermal Damage.Stack this even higher with more Augmentsand you have a hellfire ready to go at a moment’s notice.
6G Buster
Another incredibly powerful Back weapon, the G-Buster is just obscene. Not only does it come equipped to some Skells by default, the versions you can buy in the shop, even the level 30 versions, are so hilariously powerful that they can carry you through much of the game. They really are that strong, and are worth the two Back slots they take up.
The G-Buster has a long wind-up and slow cooldown, but the damage dealt is obscene. It will taunt any enemy that survives the hit, and can deal even more damage when used on a Toppled target. Pair this with the fact that it’s almost guaranteed to stagger the enemy, it’s effectiv eat cancelling enemy Arts if you may time it right, too.
5Diskbomb
Sidearms
Sidearms are the only weapons that don’t provide new Arts to your Skell. They are your auto-attack weapons, though you can equip two melee or ranged weapons at the same time if you’d prefer. But before you consider any of that, it’s worth getting your hands on a Diskbomb weapon. They soar above any other options.
Diskbombs deal a massive amount of Thermal Damage across multiple hits and come with a pretty good GP Gain Rating as well. Mind you, it’s the random drops from Milsaadi that you want to get as the shop variants pale in comparison to random ones.
4Zenith Cannon
The Zenith Cannon is a frankly hilarious weapon because with the right build, it can easily surpass the damage value of anything else in the entire game, even the Ares 90. It’s genuinely that good. The only caveat is that when using the Zenith Cannon, you have to build your entire Skell around buffing it.
You see, the Zenith Cannon has a cooldown of two whole minutes, so you want to ensure that one hit lands for obscene damage. This is where the Shields that increase ranged damage come in handy, as well as plenty of augments that increase the damage of physical weapons. But if you build it right, you can take down plenty of enemies in a single strike.
3Megaflame-B
Another of the Skell Superweapons, the Megaflame-B is another comedically powerful weapon. Taking up both Shoulder slots, the Megaflame-B deals a massive amount of Thermal Damage to every enemies around you for multiple hits, and makes them even weaker to follow-up Thermal attacks.
Like the Zenith Cannon though, the Megaflame-B has a two minute cooldown. It does, however, pair great with the Cracker-Bm both for the passive Thermal damage increase it gives, but also to take advantage of the lowered Thermal resistance caused by the Megaflame. it pays to build a synergetic Skell.
2G-Piledriver
The G-Pildriver is a more situation weapon, but one that can end plenty of battles before they even become a situation.Another Superweapon, the G-Piledriver is designed to be used from behind to deal a massive amount of damage to a single enemy. However, it also has a two minute cooldown.
So what makes it so good? The G-Piledriver is meant to be used from behind, which makes it an effective weapon to use before a fight begins. So if you stock this and the rest of your Skell up with Opening Art Augments, then the G-Piledriver can annihilate the enemy before they have a chance to react.
1Zweihand-Q
Another Skell Superweapon that takes up both Back slots, the Zweihand-Q is another wonderfully powerful weapon. While it doesn’t strictly have as much damage potential against many enemies, it requires less building for it to already be an effective weapon from the offset. And it can do some immense damage.
The Zweihand does a three-hit combo, dealing both Gravity and Physical damage despite claiming it is only Gravity damage. That means its damage can be boosted even further through augments of both attributes.
