Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Rare Blades Guide: elements, roles, field skills, and how to get every rare blade

The combat system in Xenoblade Chronicles 2 revolves around Drivers and their Blade weapons working in unison. Not all Blades are equal though, and blades impact pretty much everything about your character from your available skills to your character class and beyond. The best blades in the game are rare blades, and that's what we're here on this page to talk about.

You'll most often wind up with a bunch of generic Common Blades that get the job done decently, but the Rare Blades have a wealth of exclusive features to them. They have more elaborate Affinity Charts along with entire sidequests and Heart-to-Heart events exclusive to them! Plus, a lot of them have unique field skills needed to navigate through various environmental puzzles and obstacles throughout Alrest. Having the right rare blade to hand with the right field skill can change the way you explore, and having the right set of rare blades equipped in battle can turn you into an unstoppable powerhouse in combat terms.

If you want to know how to get every rare blade in the game, this is the page for you - we cover them all! But first - let's talk a little about how to get rare blades. Note that there will be spoilers in the Rare Blades list down below. You've been warned.  If you want to know more about how the blade system works in general, check out our Xenoblade 2 Blades Guide.

We've got even more Xenoblade Chronicles 2 guides to help you navigate the more obtuse elements of the game:

• Dual Audio: how to get Japanese Voices via download
• Battle System Guide: Combat strategy tips and tricks
• Blades Guide: the best blades, plus unlocking, upgrading and using overdrive protocol
• Classes Guide: All the roles and jobs available to party members
• Booster Guide: all about Bravery, Truth, Compassion and Justice Boosters
• Pouch Items and where to find Pouch Expansions
• Tiger Tiger Guide: how to play and upgrade Poppi
• Unlocking Vess via the Tranquility side quest
• Finding Confusion Ivy for the Concerned Carpenter Side Quest
• Snow-White Rhino Location for the Young Man's Prize Side Quest

Xenoblade 2 Rare Blades: how to get new Rare Blades from Core Crystals

Obtaining new Blade weapons in Xenoblade Chronicles 2 works differently than most other RPGs, though those who've played mobile RPGs might be familiar with this style of progression. Throughout the game, you'll be picking up Common Core Crystals, Rare Core Crystals, and Legendary Core Crystals. These crystals can be used in order to generate a new Blade for you to use, though which one you get is entirely random apart from being mildly impacted by the type of crystal you use - from common up to rare and legendary, better core crystals have a better chance at giving you one of those powerful and brilliant rare blades.

While some have specific methods of obtaining them, you'll be getting a lot of Rare Blades through the luck of the draw. Beware - not all Rare Blades can be obtained this way though! We've detailed which Rare Blades are rewarded through sidequests and other activities down below, and that makes up the bulk of this guide to the blades and rare blades in the game.

For an idea of how rare a blade is you can of course consult this guide page's rare blade list down below, but also check the name card/stats page for any given blade. There you'll find a number of crown symbols - the more crowns that are displayed there, the more rare the blade is. 

Understanding Rare Blade Roles, Drivers and Elements

One thing you'll notice about all of the blades in Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is that each blade has a set role - and this role determines what the blade is good at. The role each blade has is important, as in Xenoblade 2 your character class is determined by the roles of your equipped blades. Two attack blades will make your class an 'Elite Fighter', for instance, while a 'Cavalier' class is made up by equipping one attack blade and one healer blade. There are three roles in the game: an attacker (ATK), a healer (HLR) and a Tank (TNK) - pretty common RPG roles and classes.

In addition to roles each blade also has an Elemental Affinity denoting a type of elemental alignment for any given blade. Elements include Fire, Water, Wind, Ice, Electric, Earth, Light and Dark, and the elements are connected to Xenoblade 2's booster items, too. These elements have obvious impacts in battle and pair with the blade roles - so you can have an ice affinity healer, or a light affinity tank and so on and so forth.

One little cruel twist in Xenoblade Chronicles 2's blade system for character progression is that blades are tied to the characters that open up their core crystals - they can't be shifted around between your different driver characters easily. To do that, you need a special and rare item - the Overdrive Protocol.

No other Driver may use any given blade unless you use the Overdrive Protocol item to transfer them over. There's an extremely limited amount of these, so use them wisely. Tora is technically not a Driver, so he can only use the three highly customizable forms of his artificial Blade, Poppi. Also be aware that Rex will obtain the power to equip almost any Blade without transferring it to him permanently at some point in the game as the story progresses.

Xenoblade 2 Rare Blades List - elements, roles, field skills and how to get every rare blade

Pyra

• Fire ATK
• Acquired through the main story.
• Can only be used by Rex.
• Field Skills: Fire Mastery, Focus, Cooking

Mythra

• Light ATK
• Acquired through the main story.
• Can only be used by Rex.
• Field Skills: Light Mastery, Focus, Girls’ Talk

Dromarch

• Water HLR
• Acquired through the main story.
• Can only be used by Nia.
• Field Skills: Water Mastery, Botany, Ancient Wisdom

Poppi alpha

• Starts as Earth TNK, but can be changed
• Acquired through the main story.
• Can only be used by Tora.
• Field Skills: Leaping, Nopon Wisdom, Superstrength

Poppi QT

• Starts as Fire TNK, but can be changed
• Acquired through the main story.
• Can only be used by Tora.
• Field Skills: Lockpicking, Fortitude, Agronomy

Poppi QT Pi

• Starts as Ice ATK, but can be changed
• Complete the "Powered-Up Poppi" sidequest.
• Can only be used by Tora.
• Field Skills: Keen Eye, Anicent Wisdom, Forestry

Roc

• Wind ATK
• Acquired through the main story.
• Can only be used by Vandham and Rex.
• Field Skills: Wind Mastery, Miasma Dispersal, Lockpicking

Brighid

• Fire TNK
• Acquired through the main story.
• Can only be used by Morag.
• Field Skills: Fire Mastery, Keen Eye, Mineralogy

Pandoria

• Electric ATK
• Acquired through the main story.
• Can only be used by Zeke.
• Field Skills: Electric Mastery, Lockpicking, Icthyology

Nia

• Water HLR
• Acquired through the main story.
• Can only be used by Rex.
• Field Skills: Water Mastery, Forestry, Fortitude

Aegaeon

• Water TNK
• Acquired through the main story.
• Can only be used by Morag.
• Field Skills: Water Mastery, Ancient Wisdom, Leaping

Godfrey

• Ice TNK
• Acquire from a Common, Rare, or Legendary Core Crystal.
• Field Skills: Passionate Soul, Justice-Loving Soul, Kind Soul

Wulfric

• Earth ATK
• Open the Beastly Core Crystal acquired from the main story.
• Field Skills: Superstrength, Earth Mastery, Focus

Perceval

• Dark TNK
• Acquire from a Common, Rare, or Legendary Core Crystal.
• Field Skills: Dark Mastery, Leaping, Assassination

Vale

• Dark ATK
• Acquire from a Common, Rare, or Legendary Core Crystal.
• Field Skills: Dark Mastery, Girls’ Talk

Agate

• Earth ATK
• Acquire from a Common, Rare, or Legendary Core Crystal.
• Field Skills: Mineralogy, Keen Eye

Gorg

• Water ATK
• Acquire from a Common, Rare, or Legendary Core Crystal.
• Field Skills: Keen Eye, Fortitude

Boreas

• Wind HLR
• Acquire from a Common, Rare, or Legendary Core Crystal.
• Field Skills: Nopon Wisdom, Salvaging Mastery, Fleet of Foot

Dagas

• Fire ATK
• Acquire from a Common, Rare, or Legendary Core Crystal.
• Field Skills: Cavalier Attitude

Kasandra

• Dark TNK
• Purchase the Greedy Monster report from an Informant. Go to the Near Chansagh Wastes salvage point in the Empire of Mor Ardain just above Anangham #2 Dock. Keep salvaging until the Gluttonous Marrin monster appears. Defeat it and obtain her Lucky Core Crystal.
• Field Skills: Nopon Wisdom, Agronomy, One Lucky Gal

Praxis

• Water ATK
• Complete the “Crystal Clear” sidequest.
• Field Skills: Girls’ Talk, Water Mastery, Salvaging Mastery

Theory

• Ice TNK
• Complete the "Blade-Sharp Memory" sidequest.
• Field Skills: Ice Mastery, Focus, Nopon Wisdom

Perun

• Ice ATK
• Acquire from a Common, Rare, or Legendary Core Crystal.
• Field Skills: Ice Mastery, Ancient Wisdom, Chivalry

Kora

• Electric HLR
• Acquire from a Common, Rare, or Legendary Core Crystal.
• Field Skills: Girls’ Talk, Electric Mastery, Lockpicking

Azami

• Dark ATK
• Acquire from a Common, Rare, or Legendary Core Crystal.
• Field Skills: Dark Mastery, Botany, Clairvoyant Eye

Ursula

• Ice HLR
• Acquire from a Common, Rare, or Legendary Core Crystal.
• Field Skills: Harmony, Ichthyology, Fortitude

Newt

• Fire TNK
• Acquire from a Common, Rare, or Legendary Core Crystal.
• Field Skills: Superstrength, Salvaging Mastery, Titan Weapon Wisdom

Nim

• Earth HLR
• Acquire from a Common, Rare, or Legendary Core Crystal.
• Field Skills: Earth Mastery, Ichthyology, Phonex Linguistics

Sheba

• Water ATK
• Purchase the Inherited Core Crystal from Torigoth located in Gormott Province.
• Field Skills: Girls’ Talk, Lockpicking, Eye for Beauty

Vess

• Electric HLR
• Complete the “Tranquility” sidequest. We've got a separate guide on how to get Vess via the tranquility side quest, if you need it.
• Field Skills: Forestry, Fortitude, Dumpling Pro

Adenine

• Wind HLR
• Acquire from a Common, Rare, or Legendary Core Crystal.
• Field Skills: Wind Mastery, Keen Eye, Extra-Ancient Wisdom

Electra

• Electric TNK
• Acquire from a Common, Rare, or Legendary Core Crystal.
• Field Skills: Electric Mastery, Focus, Master of Thunder

Zenobia

• Wind ATK
• Acquire from a Common, Rare, or Legendary Core Crystal.
• Field Skills: Wind Mastery, Superstrength, Leaping

Finch

• Wind TNK
• Acquire from a Common, Rare, or Legendary Core Crystal.
• Field Skills: Entomology, Leaping, Birdbrain

Floren

• Earth HLR
• Acquire from a Common, Rare, or Legendary Core Crystal.
• Field Skills: Botany, Earth Mastery, Beguiling Charm

KOS-MOS

• Light ATK
• Acquire from a Common, Rare, or Legendary Core Crystal.
• Field Skills: Light Mastery, Lockpicking, Mental Arithmetic

Herald

• Electric ATK
• Fulfill the offerings at the Shrine of Sealing in Theosoir located in the Kingdom of Tantal to obtain her Sealed Core Crystal.
• Field Skills: Electric Mastery, Superstrength, Rampage

Dahlia

• Ice HLR
• Acquire from a Common, Rare, or Legendary Core Crystal.
• Field Skills: Forestry, Ice Mastery