[Xenoblade 2 Changing Weather
Amancio Mccrae
In Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition, Shulk and his band of eclectic pals embark on an epic adventure to avenge their friends and fight evil. On paper, it sounds like the premise of many quintessential anime stories, but not only does the plot deepen as it goes, but the game also features a beautiful and dynamic world that is a joy to get lost in.
There are mountains to climb and valleys to explore, and day or night, it all looks beautiful. As Shulk and his mates make their way, they'll come across many side quests to take on as well as monsters to fight. There are a lot of systems in the game, though, and some of these quests can be quite unwieldy. One quest in particular asks the player to take down a White Eduardo, which is further complicated by the fact that it's only found during thunderstorms. Finding thunder in this game is often harder than actual fights! This guide will explain how to change the weather and trigger a thunderstorm.
The weather system in Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition is actually a fairly simple one to manipulate, although there is a level of RNG (random number generation) in getting the desired weather to occur. In any given area, the weather changes every 12 hours, so in order to change the weather in the game, the player just needs to go into the Main Menu and select "Change Time." Jump the clock forward simply by selecting the time the clock is currently at (which actually pushes it forward a full 24 hours, but this is a little quicker than manually rotating the clock arms). Leave the Main Menu and Shulk and co. will find themselves in a newly generated instance of weather.
It's worth noting that changing the clock 12 hours doesn't guarantee the weather will actually be different. It's possible (and likely) the player will find that it will be just as sunny as it was 12 hours before. Besides some area-specific weather effects, clear skies seem to be the most common weather, followed by rain, and then thunderstorms.
A thunderstorm is different than rain, so always make sure you can actually see lightning occurring in the sky. Also always make sure this trick is done in the location the player actually wants to see the effect of the weather change. Each area has its own weather system, and just because there is a thunderstorm in one area doesn't mean there is one in the next. It might take some time and patience, but the player will eventually be able to trigger a thunderstorm when necessary. At least it's not as complicated as crafting gems!
There are also four other weather conditions unrelated to elements: fair, sunshine, cloudy and foggy. While these conditions usually are only used to imply a lack of elemental weather conditions, the foggy elemental condition can cause bombs and Poroggo to appear. Weather can be predicted by non-player characters with the official weather Linkshell. These NPCs are usually wearing white cloaks.
Elemental weather has approximately a 1/3 chance to add a 10% bonus to the power of corresponding elemental spells, by player or by enemy. As an example, Fire or Fireball would have a chance to be increased in power during a hot spell. Enhancement spells such as Enfire or Blaze Spikes will also have their effects have a chance to deal more damage. In addition, Skillchains with the relevant element, such as Fusion or Liquefaction, also have a chance to be increased in power.
An elemental Obi, obtainable via a quest, overrides the "chance" of the effect occurring, allowing for a constant 10% bonus during the relevant elemental effect or day of the week. Weather also has a chance to have the same effects on the element it is strong against, only in the opposite manner. Continuing the example, any ice spells or related skillchains would have a chance to take a 10% penalty towards damage.
In addition, many pieces of equipment have a Latent Effect based on the current weather. Fulfilling these weather requirements allows for their full potential to be harnessed. Most Elementals also spawn only during their related weather effect. Chocobo digging during weather effects also gives a chance of the chocobo digging up a crystal of the same element as the weather effect.
Scholars are capable of replicating the effects of any weather condition, using their Storm spells on allies to grant them weather conditions as necessary to grant benefits to the elemental spells they are casting, or to automatically trigger weather-based Latent Effects on equipment.
Depending on the current weather and terrain conditions, certain magick elements and weapons behave differently. Certain enemies are only seen during specific weather conditions. Some enemies have the Ignore Weather passive ability, which makes them immune to weather and terrain effects, and the player can achieve the same by equipping the Agate Ring. For terrain effects, the enemy needs to be standing on the certain terrain type for it to affect damage; e.g. the sand terrain in the sandseas is only present in the ground level, not on the bridges.
The player may speak with Weather Eye to determine when the weather within the Giza Plains will change. The weather cycles are based on the in-game clock: 1 hour of rain followed by 2 hours of dry. The change happens at the top of the hour regardless of when the cycle was triggered. Giza's weather can begin to cycle when the player enters Jahara, but the timer will not start until the player either returns to Giza Plains or enters Eruyt Village; i.e. the player can roam an hour on the Ozmone Plain and it will remain wet at Giza, but after entering Giza Plains/Eruyt Village, the weather will change at the top of the hour.
Windy weather reduces the accuracy of bows and crossbows. Bows and crossbows will work poorly during Windy, Heavy Rain, Blizzard, and Sandstorm. Bow accuracy is reduced by 20% and crossbow accuracy is reduced by 50%.[1] The Cameo Belt accessory does not help, because the accuracy is due to the weather and not because the of the enemy's evasion.
In addition to these effects, there are also a number of field effects that occur during certain battles, such as against Ultima. In the Zodiac versions, these effects are also present during certain stages of the Trial Mode.
Climate Control Orb is a mechanism that changes weather in the Sunleth Waterscape. These orbs are strategically placed to allow the player to change the weather between parts of the area in an attempt to avoid the more difficult battles against opponents like the Wyvern or the Scalebeast.
The weather also appears to randomly change on Archylte Steppe between sunny and cloudy, although this has no effect on gameplay, apart from affecting what kind of wool the sheep give. Accepting a mission from the Cie'th Stone circle triggers a cutscene with Titan which makes dust blow across the plains, but this has no effect on gameplay either.
Other areas also have weather conditions, but their change is dictated by the storyline. It first rains sometime after the player arrives at the Bresha Ruins 5 AF and defeats Paradox Alpha, but after having defeated Atlas, the rain stops. The Bresha Ruins 300 AF and Vile Peaks 10 AF have snowfall, which also changes the characters' appearance on the field: the tops of their heads and parts of their equipment turn white from the snow. Academia 400 AF is in a continual state of rain. When it rains, rain drops appear on the player's screen, like droplets on a camera lens.
Weather in duties is generally constant, though there are certain times where the weather may change, such as when the player reaches the final boss of a dungeon. The weather can also indicate whether certain FATEs have spawned.
Skywatchers are NPCs found who provide a 24-hour forecast for all outdoor areas. Skywatchers can be found in all major cities and as well as a handful of other locations. Their forecasts do not include special weather conditions induced by FATEs.
Weather affects the characters' appearance on the field; in rain the party's hair and clothes get a damp look, and in windy weather the party's hair and clothes blow about wildly. The Hair Gel accessory bought from the market in Lestallum stops the characters' hair from changing with the weather.
Weather has a tactical impact on battle conditions, with different types of Elemancy magic having varying effects. Using fire on a clear day can ignite the surrounding area. Some magic spells also "change the weather" temporarily, such as Behemoth King's ice attack that envelops the battle area in a blizzard (using ice Elemancy spells can have the same effect). Using -ga or "limit break" tier magic (or Holy from the Ring of the Lucii or Armiger Unleashed) will cancel out any active elemental effect on the field.
Weather is random, but depends on the region. It rarely rains in Leide, being a desert (it rains only once during a main quest segment), whereas rains in the north of Cleigne, in the Vesperpool, are common. Weather never changes in the areas around Galdin Quay; should it be raining when the party drives through the tunnel that leads there, the ground will be wet when they arrive, though the rain will cease. Leide has sandstorms (especially the Three Valleys region), whereas Cape Caem is commonly windy.
Some monsters only appear during the rain, such as the Gigantoad. This also affects some hunts. The Regalia automatically puts up its hood when it starts raining. If the player sets up camp in the rain, the party will stay inside a tent instead of sitting around a campfire. The ability to fast-forward time was added in patch 1.21, and doing this can also change the weather.
The weather affects the fishing minigame, as lures work depending on whether it is clear skies, rainy or cloudy. Some special fruit that appear during chocobo races only appear during rain. The characters might complain about it being cold when it rains, and Gladiolus will advise Noctis to put on his jacket if he is not wearing one, but it will not affect gameplay.
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