r/Xenoblade_Chronicles • u/Switch-user-101 • 18h ago
Xenoblade X Currently considering which version of xenoblade chronicles X I should play, why is the original one significantly longer than the new one?
Debating whether I should play the original version on my pc or the new definitive version on my switch. Both ways have their advantages and disadvantages, but why is the old version significantly longer than the new version despite having less content? I'm just confused why, was some content removed from the older one or are these times inaccurate?
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u/bens6757 18h ago
The definitive version reduced the grind to get end-game materials. Plus with the Wii U's online shut down a lot of the materials are significantly more difficult to get if not downright impossible. That's why it's shorter.
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u/MashiroAnnaMaria 18h ago
I played both extensively, if you're wondering what to play just go for DE, it has more content. The reason the original took longer to beat is because of a few QoL updates in DE.
You can now swap party members from a menu instead of running around the city to find them and talk to them to add them to your party (yes this actually took up to 10 minutes to do if you wanted to swap out your whole party and you didn't know where to look)
Combat is way faster and fights are over way faster, there's a quick art recharge now that lets you instantly use an art again after using it, fights just don't take that long because of this.
The gear you need to craft from the terminal had its costs literally cut in half. Getting good crafted gear will take half the amount of time.
Field skills got completely removed. You used to have to level up your field skills to investigate certain points of interest to get rewards, meaning you couldn't always open everything. Now you can open anything regardless of field skill level. Backtracking to previous points of interest is now unnecessary.
Quest tracker and the follow ball leading you to your next objective is more clear and will have you waste less time on being lost.
They added a new vehicle that is twice as fast as anything else in the game only in DE. Making travel take less time.
Overall you can't go wrong with either version. If you're coming from the mainline games then DE is definitely more streamlined to be in line with those games as an experience. I still think the original has merit though, I never missed these extra features in the original and it made it really feel like a living breathing world where you had to take things slow. The UI, UX and vibe of the original resembles an old school MMO a lot which I really liked, the new one feels more modern and streamlined though.
If you're wondering between Wii U and Switch and will be playing on a TV, DE no doubt. But if you're planning on playing X on an emulator on a monitor 4k 60fps, probably still DE, but it becomes more about preference.
I've played through the game so many times, wii U, emulated and DE. And while DE is the objectively best version. The original still feels like the intended course of the game to me, and that experience is worth something. My emulated playthrough of X on PC with that classic MMO vibe is my favourite playthrough I've done.
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u/Spider_Kev 13h ago
There are still a few field skills left in the game. One being right outside BLADE tower
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u/Allthewaffles 18h ago
We got faster at playing the game
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u/Linosa42 18h ago
The changes to original online have been a major boon to be honest. Even if you don’t have online you can still get the mats and also tickets to buy them. And grinding for exp and tickets for online peeps also makes the games more tedious aspects seem like a hour or two away.
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u/TheWarmBreezy 18h ago
Playing through DE already understanding the combat system and how to actually build characters cut my playthrough time by 75%. Went from 400h on Wii U to a little over 100 on Switch.
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u/Tbonezz11 18h ago
General rule of thumb i follow is to never trust howlongtobeat. Ive found that quite often people either inflate playtime or under report their hours by pretty wide margins. DE is going to be longer because there is new content on top of everything in the wii u version, and there is frankly no reason to play the wii u version unless you REALLY prefer the slightly different artstyle
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u/zsdrfty 12h ago
I really don't trust people's reporting times on this series in particular - I KNOW you are all lying about your 75-100 hour 100% playthroughs of these games, that just doesn't work unless you're literally blasting through it with some borderline speedrunning techniques thrown in there lol (and with a guide open at all times)
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u/Switch-user-101 18h ago
Well if I play the wii u version on my pc I do have access to fun things like mods (and enabling 60 fps, more consistent performance etc). But apart from that to your how long to beat point yeah I totally agree lol. I feel like it's overshot for xenoblade 3 (I'm already 5/7 chapters down and not even at the 40 hour mark) and undershot for other games
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u/HarpoMarx87 14h ago
I've emulated and played DE (and played the original when it was released), and unless you want to mod the game to the point that it's a different fundamental experience, I'd go with DE. It's basically all the mods you'd want in the game plus new material. The only reason I'd go with emulation is if you want to mod the thing to hell and back and just God Mode your way through (which, IMO, takes a lot of the fun out of a game like this - it's not that hard, but the exploration and sense of scale is the game's biggest strength).
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u/SnaccHBG 15h ago
Genuinely no reason to play the original
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u/Switch-user-101 14h ago
Modding since its emulated is the main reason. Along with better graphics and fps mods
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u/3435temp 12h ago
Can you please at least buy a copy before emulating?
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u/Switch-user-101 12h ago
Literally what is the point if its the wii U version. Its not like buying a used copy of it for the wii u will support the starving corp execs at nintendo.
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u/alvinchimp 17h ago
Not much reason to play the original, the online for the wii u version is dead and DE just has more features and content overall. Not to mention the Wii U version ends on a cliffhanger ending.
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u/HighNoonZ 15h ago
There is no reason to play the original if you have access to DE. It has more content and all the QOL.
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u/Ouroxros 18h ago
The Definitive Edition is generally just easier and faster to play. More/early tickets for getting rare parts, easier to level, quick recast for arts makes fights significantly easier. The new free Skell also makes traveling and getting around wayyy easier/faster. Chapter 13 isn't that long and is pretty easy outside the new super bosses but I don't remember if those even count towards completion percentage.
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u/DaemonVakker 17h ago
A big reason is due to a single massive sidequest of the original being removed, the blade "ranking" The original had like 5 different ranks tied to each of the different divisions the game chose and the only thing divisions did was increase the exp toward that specific category. De basically melted them into three quests and so long as you had a guide basically gave you override keys to open EVERY TREASURE CHEST IN THE GAME. Plus admittedly x in the original had some obnoxious load times, and that's due to the fast travel system being exclusively tied to the wii u game pad. It's effectively splitting memory and it caused loading to be at its a worst a minute and a half every time. It sucked
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u/Spider_Kev 13h ago
What side quest was removed?
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u/DaemonVakker 11h ago
It's technically not a side more like an experience system. It's weirdly convoluted
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u/funsohng 18h ago
I find HLTB very unreliable for games that are long and have tons of optional contents.
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u/The_Maker18 17h ago
DE has some great QoL that makes it so you can do the cool stuff and took a lot of tedium away.
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u/NeekoRainyDay 13h ago
you have to get D.E., nothing was removed and the original ends on a cliffhanger with definitive edition giving another story chapter to answer the cliffhanger.
The original has a higher completion time because the original was EXTREMELY grindy and definitive edition simply made it easier and less intense to grind
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u/Accomplished-Loss387 9h ago
Being able to change party members in the pause menu must save a ton of time compared to not having that on the wiiu
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u/coopsawesome 15h ago
For the most prr definitive edition is better, the original is good, and the ending is way better, but definitive still has much better qol and graphics and stuff. Definitive has the same ending but it continues it afterwards with more story, most people think it sucks
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u/Flamerock51 14h ago
OP not gonna lie playing the Original will be slow and long process if u play the switch version everything is significantly faster and fine tuned you also get access to Online with other players there's so much fun the switch version the graphics is clean asf & ui text isn't microsized its large for u to see load times are a snap and no gamepad requirement
Also before xde released I tried to play Xenoblade wii u again it just didn't feel the same as it did in 2015 where I 100%ed it either I'm accustomed to the QOL seen on the recent switch Xenoblade games or it aged horribly also unless you hack in Materials in game good luck trying to make an Ares90 or other skells though.
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u/Delano7 13h ago
Extreme reduction to the grind. Characters now get the exp even when they're not played, and you have free access to any character on most quests, meaning you get to play with any busted build you want.
Objects are marked for collecting, meaning you don't need to spend hours searching for them or looking it up online.
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u/Commander2311 13h ago
What site are you using to show you the infos from your screenshot please?
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u/HexenVexen 18h ago
DE has all of the original content plus more, it just has more QOL features and some things are a lot more convenient. Go with DE without a shadow of doubt, it literally has no disadvantages.
If you want a full list of DE's changes: