Wielding the correct weapon is absolutely critical in Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition. Not only do these massive hunks of metal increase your auto attack damage whilst looking good, but their damage is key in calculating the power of everything, physical and ether Arts alike. We’re constantly surprised just how many players are unaware of this, though we will admit that the game itself does little to indicate this. Not only this, but the calculation for damage takes into account the average damage within the max and min range of the weapon. Again this is key because your new shiny toy might look like the best of the best thanks to it’s maximum damage, but it might be outdone by something with a better range. Things don’t end there of course, because there are also slots which can be filled with gems that may produce effects even more desirable than a higher damage range! It’s quite the minefield of information to be honest, so we’ve tried to simplify things by recommending the absolute best weapons that each character can find, alongside a Unique alternative.
It’s worth bearing in mind that most of these weapons can be dropped from various high level enemies in the game, so you’ll likely pick up quite a few of these during your normal progress through the story. Others will be a little harder to find, specifically the non-unique types, so we’ve included their most likely drop location where we have successfully farmed them.
Shulk
Monado Rudra
- Location: Replica Monado I – Quest.
- Slots: 3 Open Slots.
- Features: High damage range, small defensive bonuses (25 Physical and Ether).
First up on our list is the protagonist of the game: Shulk. As you might imagine his entire goal during battle is to deal as much damage as possible, and to facilitate this the main lad has yet another calculation involved: His base weapon damage is multiplied by his level. In theory this makes things tremendously complicated, but in practice it can be completely ignored, simply meaning that he will never fall behind thanks to his weapon limitations. That being the case and ignoring small spoilers, you’ll be forced to take on some quests in the late game if you want to get him some godlike gear, and the Replica Monado I quest will give you the Monado Rudra, which has by far the best damage range for Shulk. Do not be fooled by the Monado Abyss – it may have a higher max damage, but the range of Rudra will beat it every time.
Monado Saga (Alternative)
- Location: Replica Monado V – Quest.
- Slots: 2 Open Slots.
- Features: Very high defensive bonuses (150 to both Physical and Ether, 15% Block).
Whilst it’s unlikely that you’re going to need Shulk to do anything but deal the most damage possible, we do accept that some players will prefer taking a more defensive route. For those, the Monado Saga will be the ideal weapon. Whilst it’s damage is nowhere near that of the Rudra and it only has two slots, bringing 150 bonus defence to both Physical and Ether is not to be sniffed at.
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Reyn
Atomic Driver
- Location: Galdi & Zeldi Kromar – Eryth Sea, Kromar Coast.
- Slots: 3 Open Slots.
- Features: High damage range, good bonuses to defensive stats (75 Physical, 50 Ether, 20% Block).
Our first non-Shulk character is Reyn, and it’s probably worth noting that outside of the red sword toting lad, characters are able to find both normal and Unique weapons. The latter come with a specific set of gems that cannot be removed and generally speaking they will perform very well throughout the game. Whilst not a rule, these Unique weapons fall off in the late game when faced by some normal models that have gem slots. In the case of Reyn, his very best normal weapon, the Atomic Driver, is far better than the Unique option detailed below. Not only does this thing have an excellent damage range, but those defensive bonuses are truly fantastic and three slots will let you get creative with some gem crafting.
Rigel Hand (Unique)
- Location: ‘Selua’ enemies – Bionis Interior.
- Slots: 3 Filled Slots – Aggro Up VI, Double Attack V, Topple Plus IV.
- Features: Good damage range, high bonus critical rate (16%), small defensive bonuses (25 Physical, 15 Ether).
Generally speaking the Unique weapons will do the main job of the character well, and if you’re not doing any gem crafting at all then it will probably be your best option. The Rigel Hand is the best Unique option for Reyn because it leans into his strengths; he wants to aggro things, attack as much as possible and is an ideal character to use when toppling opponents. It’s damage range is pretty good too, bonus!
Sharla
Endless Rifle
- Location: Arel Telethia – Eryth Sea, Alcamoth.
- Slots: 1-3 Open Slots.
- Features: High damage range, 15% critical rate, 50 Ether Defence.
Some characters will find that their best weapons perform rather similarly to each other, mainly thanks to their close average damage ratings. Sharla, on the other hand, has one clear best weapon possible: Endless Rifle. The huge damage range of this thing, combined with the three available slots (should you be lucky enough to farm one), make it by far her best available weapon. The high critical rate is also very good for her, since her damage abilities do not have a damage over time function like some of the other members.
Agape (Unique)
- Location: ‘Selua’ enemies – Bionis Interior.
- Slots: 3 Filled Slots – HP Up V, Heat Sink III, Unbeatable IV.
- Features: Good damage range, bonus physical defences (40 Physical, 15% Block), 10% Critical Rate.
The Unique option for Sharla, the Agape, might be significantly worse than the Endless Rifle in terms of overall damage, it’s also massively easier to obtain. In our experience the Endless Rifle is one of the lowest drop rate items in the game, especially given that it can appear with a different amount of slots. WE’re not necessarily a huge fan of the gems that come with the Agape, but they’re certainly good enough to ensure Sharla can contribute to any party build you have going on.
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Dunban
Wyvern Cutlass
- Location: Trava Kromar – Eryth Sea, Kromar Coast.
- Slots: 3 Open Slots.
- Features: High damage range, 15% Critical Rate, 50 Physical defence and 10% Block.
Unlike Sharla above, Dunban’s best weapon isn’t quite as cut and dry. It’s perfectly reasonable to get plenty of usage out of his Darkness Sickle for example, but the raw damage and bonus statistics do pull the Wyvern Cutlass ahead slightly. Whether that’s worth the amount of time it might take for farm or not is up to you – we spent a good 3 hours at the Kromar coast before one dropped, then took ourselves up to Prison Island only for two more to drop! Still, it is the best weapon for Dunban and we do like to complete collections of things, so it was worth it in the end.
Chosen One (Unique)
- Location: ‘Selua’ enemies – Bionis Interior.
- Slots: 3 Filled Slots – Arts Stealth VI, Back Atk Plus V, First Atk Plus V.
- Features: Good damage range, small defensive bonuses (30 Physical, 15% Block).
Compared directly against the Wyvern Cutlass, the Chosen One weapon really doesn’t stack up too well. It’s defensive stat bonuses clash somewhat with it’s pre-slotted gems and if we’re honest we would probably have given space to the Darkness Sickle instead, but we though we should really highlight a unique that flies in the face of tradition by actually improving an alternative spec. Dunban is built to tank of course, but his Arts will allow him to take up a damage role should you decide you want to, and the Chosen One is a cheap and easy option for trying it out.
Riki
Meteor Nibbler
- Location: Arel Telethia – Eryth Sea, Alcamoth.
- Slots: 1-3 Open Slots.
- Features: High damage range, 10% Critical Rate.
At first glance characters such as Riki and Melia – the Ether damage type – may seem like they need to focus on things other than weapon damage. As noted in our intro however, the damage of your weapon makes all the difference, so prioritising it here will also be a benefit. In the true late game however, this decision can become a little more complex. What if you’ve found a Meteor Nibbler – itself undoubtedly the best weapon for Riki – but it only has one or two slots? Technically speaking, with a good enough gem of sorts, you could deal more damage with a weaker, three slotted weapon…. Or just keep farming until you get a 3 slot Meteor Nibbler. Actually yes just do that – it has little to no bonuses, but Riki is all about damage over time which cannot crit, so just load it up with element increasing gems and watch the numbers fly!
Banquet Biter (Unique)
- Location: ‘Selua’ enemies – Bionis Interior.
- Slots: 3 Filled Slots – Blaze Plus V, Chill Plus V, Poison Plus V.
- Features: Good damage range, small defensive bonuses (30 Physical, 20 Ether, 15% Block).
Should you be struggling to get your hands on some gems for your normal weapon of choice, then we’d recommend you stick with the Banquet Biter for quite a while. Yes, it has a lower overall raw damage than quite a few of Riki’s high end models, but those 50% elemental damage increasing gems will easily make up the difference. Fair warning however: A Meteor Nibbler with maxed out gems of exactly the same type will massively out-damage the Banquet Biter.
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Melia
Meteor Staff
- Location: Flamii – Colony 9.
- Slots: 1-3 Open Slots.
- Features: Great damage rage, 15% Critical Rate.
If we’re honest this is probably the toughest choice that we had to make for an ultimate weapon. Outside of the fantastic Unique option, the Sun Staff also runs the Meteor Staff close, mainly thanks to the additional bonuses to defence and critical rate, but in the end the slightly increased damage of the latter makes it win out for us. Once this thing is loaded up with the right gems (highest possible elemental damage increase) it will do more damage than any other staff available, even the Alcor Staff below, despite it’s hugely superior raw damage.
Alcor Staff (Unique)
- Location: Lograt Kromar – Eryth Sea, Kromar Coast.
- Slots: 3 Filled Slots – Electric Plus V, Blaze Plus V, Arts Stealth VI.
- Features: High damage range, 50 Ether defence, 15% Critical Rate.
It’s probably worth noting here that the Alcor Staff is a perfectly reasonable weapon for Melia to use throughout the entirety of XBC’s late game. It’s raw damage combined with those gems will ensure that Melia does more than enough damage to deal with everything. As such, the Alcor Staff is for those that want to see big damage but aren’t the kind of crazy people willing to grind out max level 6 gems.
Fiora
Dystopia
- Location: Arel Telethia – Eryth Sea, Alcamoth.
- Slots: 3 Open Slots.
- Features: High damage range, 10% Critical Rate.
Finally we end on Fiora, the one character to whom weapon damage is probably the most important, thematically at least. As you might imagine we’re going to want the maximum damage possible here, and as such we must detail something that has changed between the original game and the Definitive Edition: Weapons used to have their upper limit secretly capped at 99 points higher than their minimum, which would have made our current choice of Dystopia actually only have a max damage of 379. Thanks to the update fixing this, the max damage is now at it’s full 480, which brings the average up to 380. This is key because it now promotes them above the Conviction Blades, which do have some fantastic additional bonuses themselves, but invariably lose out the Dystopia in damage terms now.
Infinity (Unique)
- Location: Arel Telethia – Eryth Sea, Alcamoth.
- Slots: 3 Filled Slots – Double Attack V, Initial Tension V, Arts Heal V.
- Features: High damage range, 10% Critical Rate.
Meh. We must admit that Fiora’s Unique options aren’t exactly the best. It’s not the raw damage, after all Infinity does do some have some pretty good numbers, but rather the gems are always so terrible. Double Attack is fantastic for Fiora of course, and we can see some usage for Initial Tension thanks to certain skills, but Arts Heal is a woeful gem and a complete waste of a slot. Still, of all the Unique versions on offer these will do the most damage, so if you don’t like farming for end game equipment and gems, or you’re just plain lazy, these will do just fine!
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