Here’s How To Get A Mech In Xenoblade Chronicles X As Soon As Humanly Possible
Skell issue.
As the last remaining humans in the universe, it’s up to you to explore the alien planet of Mira and secure the survival of our species — but boy, a mech would sure make that a lot easier.
Xenoblade Chronicles X is a massive open world game quite different from the rest of the franchise, as the entire experience revolves around exploration and side quests. While one of the game’s giant mechs, called Skells, is plastered on the cover, you’ll actually need to play through quite a bit of the game before getting one. In fact, if you aren’t paying attention you can miss getting a Skell completely, so here’s how to ensure you get one as quickly as possible.
How to Get a Skell in Xenoblade Chronicles X
Skells open up a wealth of new combat options, letting you take on bigger enemies that might have given you trouble before.
Unfortunately, you won’t get your hands on a Skell until you’re roughly 15 to 20 hours into the game, or even more if you’re doing a lot of side quests. But once you finally do get one, it opens up a wealth of opportunities.
If you’re looking to get a Skell ASAP, you’ll want to mainline the story quests until Chapter 6. After completing the Chapter 6 quest, you’ll unlock a new quest called “The Skell License.” This is a side quest marked in green, not a main or affinity quest.
If you want a Skell as soon as possible, focus on the main story until Chapter 6.
You can find the quest right inside the Blade Barracks, where Vandham gives it. But Xenoblade X isn’t content to make things easy for you, as taking this quest will give you a whopping eight other quests in the form of proficiency exams for each Blade faction. You’ll need to complete them all, but luckily, most are pretty easy. Let’s walk through each one.
- Proficiency Exam 1 - All you need to do here is activate FN Sit 117 in Primordia. You might have done this already; if not, just use the Follow Ball to find the site and activate it. You can run past any enemies.
- Proficiency Exam 2 - Eliminate 12 Blitz Battas in Noctilum. These are fairly weak enemies, and if you activate the quest you’ll see their location tracked on your minimap, making them easy to find.
- Proficiency Exam 3 - For this one you need to eliminate a level 25 Tyrant named Shatskikh, the Flash. You’ll want your party to be at level 25 as well, or you might have a hard time. Shatskikh is weak to Ether and Gravity attacks, so prioritize party members with those.
- Proficiency Exam 4 - This is another quest that’s easy if you use the Follow Ball. Teleport to Humdrum Peaks in Noctilum if you’ve unlocked fast travel to it, and if not, get as close as you can. You need to pick up an item called the Starship Map, and the Follow Ball will lead you right to it.
- Proficiency Exam 5 - This one’s a bit more complicated. You need resources — specifically eight Rock Armadillos, three Beagflea Squashes, and six Multi-Speckled Ladybugs. The quest markers will show you the general area where you can find them. Rock Armadillos are in Upper Hushflood and Shark’s Jaws in Noctilum. Beagflea Squashes are in Northeast Oblivia on Lake Basel, and Multi-Speckled Ladybugs are in Primordia, specifically the Sickly Rock Rise area. You’ll see a green marker over the items you need.
- Proficiency Exam 6 - For this exam, you need to make over 15K in profits from a single FrontierNav deposit, which is actually quite easy to do. Research Probes boost your profits, and they can be placed on FN Site nodes on the FrontierNav screen. Linking multiple Research Probes together will give you a chain boost that increases their output even more. You’ll likely also have one or two Booster Probes, which boost the effects of any nodes they’re linked to. Simply place enough Research Probes and you’ll have this in no time.
- Proficiency Exam 7 - Here you’ll need to equip three different weapons and eliminate the specified enemies for each. You can equip the weapons on any of your party members as long as it fits their class, and you can also equip all the weapons at once, making this one pretty straightforward.
- Proficiency Exam 8 - For this last exam you get to choose between three different quests, and “The Pip-Squeak” is by far the easiest. First, grab a Noka Mirrorstone in Noctilum by following the quest marker. Then follow the objectives to the Ma-Non ship and talk to multiple characters. Eventually, you’ll be asked to buy human food, so you’ll need 2300 credits for a hamburger, hot dog, and frozen pizza. Congrats! You’ve given the Ma-Non a lasting pizza obsession.
Once you’ve completed that laundry list, head back to Vandham in New Los Angeles, then follow one more objective and you’ve finally done it.
Skells require fuel, but they can be refilled anytime by using the Blade Barracks console and spending Miranium. Each Skell also has its own armor and weapons, which dictate a unique set of abilities.
How to Buy New Skells in Xenoblade Chronicles X
Skells can be purchased in the same place as new weapons, but need to be assigned to a character.
The first Skell you get is only level 20, and is actually quite weak in combat. You’ll want to upgrade as soon as possible. You can purchase new Skells from the Shop Terminal in Armory Alley, but they can be a bit pricey. You also need to be the proper level to pilot them — either level 30 or level 50. The Definitive Edition also adds a few new Skells to purchase that come with pre-set equipment you won’t be able to change.
Make sure to assign and customize your Skells at the Blade Barracks, if you really want to make the most of them.
Once you’ve purchased a Skell you can either auto-equip it on the spot, or head to the Blade Barracks console to customize it and assign it to another character. Skells are assigned to specific characters, so yes, if you want one for every single party member then you’ll need to buy 22.
How to Get a Flying Skell in Xenoblade Chronicles X
Flying means nothing is out of bounds in Mira anymore.
You’ll soon notice that your Skell can’t fly, and unfortunately, you’ll need to wait a few more hours to get that ability. You first need to complete the Chapter 9 story quest, which will unlock an Affinity Mission called “A Girl’s Wings” in the New LA hangar. You’ll need to be at least level 33 to take on the mission.
A Girl’s Wings is an Affinity Quest for Lin, and will unlock as soon as you complete Chapter 9.
The actual objectives are very straightforward, so simply complete the mission and your Skell will automatically have the Flight Module equipped. To take flight, press the jump button while in your Skell, and press it again to go into flight mode. The only catch is that your fuel will constantly deplete, but keep yourself topped up and all of Mira will finally be yours to see.
