Staying true to the Xeno franchise's legacy of giant mechs, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 introduces the Ouroboros. The Ouroboros is formed by the joining of two characters such as Noah and Mio who merge into a giant mech for a limited amount of time on the battlefield. The Ouroboros attacks are slow and cumbersome but they can unleash powerful attacks.
The Ouroboros becomes available in Chapter 3 of Xenoblade Chronicles 3, at which point players will have access to the majority of Xenoblade Chronicles 3's combat system. This includes regular Arts, Fusion Arts, and Chain Attacks. However, for the Ouroboros to become effective in battle, players need to perfect a specific set of actions to fully utilize the power of their mech forms.
The Interlink Level In Xenoblade Chronicles 3
There are a lot of systems at play in Xenoblade 3's combat system. It's easy to get lost under the mechanics of it all, but the system isn't as complex as it may seem when everything starts to fall into place.
After a spectacular cutscene introducing the Ouroboros, players will need to adjust to using them in combat. When activated, they are very powerful and can launch some devastating attacks. However, to fully take advantage of the mech's powers their Interlink Level needs to be raised to a maximum of 3.
Raising The Interlink Level In Combat
To raise the Interlink levels, the team needs to use Fusion Arts in battle. This means that the party in Xenoblade Chronicles 3 needs to have the Master Arts activated. In the combat screen, there are four Arts trees on the left and the right. The left side has the learned Master Arts stored and the Right side is the normal Arts.
Players need to use Fusion by holding down ZR and matching the opposing abilities when both sides are fully charged and ready to use at the same. This combines both Arts into a more powerful attack.
The above image demonstrates which Arts players will need to match to activate the Fusian Arts represented by wavey lines connecting the powers. Using these Arts in battle will raise the Ouroboros' Interlink level from zero to three. Allowing the Interlink level to reach level 3 will mean that the Ouroboros form will last longer and allow them to unleash more powerful attacks.
Using The Fusion First Command
If one wants the other members of the team to use their Ouroboros forms in Xenoblade 3's battles too then the player needs to issue the Fusion First command. The instructions to do this are as follows:
- Wait for a battle to commence
- Hold down the ZL button
- The Fusion First Command will appear on the left Arts tree.
- Press the right arrow button
- Keep this command active if one wants the other party members to change at will
That is everything players need to know about raising the Interlink Level to 3 in Xenoblade Chronicles 3. It is recommended to use the Interlink abilities on powerful enemies and bosses. It's easier to rely on basic attacks for the weaker and smaller enemies.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is available now for the Nintendo Switch