Best Equipment & Builds
Maximizing your party's potential in Tales of Xillia requires careful consideration of equipment, accessories, and character builds. This section will guide you through acquiring the best gear and optimizing your characters for various combat roles.
Early Game Essentials (Chapters 1-5)
Focus on upgrading your weapons and armor at the shops in each new town. Prioritize increasing your shop levels by selling materials found from defeated enemies and gathering points. This unlocks better gear faster.
- Weapon Upgrades: Always buy the strongest weapon available for your active party members. For Jude, prioritize weapons that boost his Attack (ATK). Milla benefits from weapons that increase her Arte Attack (A.ATK).
- Armor: Look for armor that provides the highest Physical Defense (P.DEF) and Arte Defense (A.DEF). The Leather Vest and Chain Mail are good early-game options, found in shops in areas like Nia Khera and Hamil.
- Accessories:
- Talisman: Increases A.DEF. Often found in chests or as drops from magic-using enemies.
- Warrior Symbol: Boosts ATK. Useful for physical attackers like Jude and Alvin.
- Mystic Symbol: Increases A.ATK. Essential for Milla and Elize.
- Resist Ring: Provides resistance to status effects. Obtainable from various monster drops or early-game quests.
Mid-Game Power Spikes (Chapters 6-10)
As you progress, more specialized equipment and accessories become available. Start thinking about character roles and how to enhance them.
Weapon Acquisition
Beyond shop upgrades, keep an eye out for unique weapons in dungeons or as rewards:
- Spirit Bangle (Milla): Often found in chests in areas like the Mon Highlands or Arklund Quag. Offers a significant A.ATK boost.
- Steel Edge (Jude): A strong physical weapon available in shops after upgrading them sufficiently, or sometimes found in the Featherfall Way.
- Grimoire (Elize): Look for this in chests within the Culmar Trail or Xian Du. Enhances her healing and offensive artes.
Recommended Accessories & Builds
- Physical Attackers (Jude, Alvin, Rowen - if physical)
- Accessories: Attack Ring (ATK +10%), Power Ring (ATK +5%), Critical Ring (Critical Rate Up).
- Strategy: Link with a support character like Elize for healing or Milla for elemental weaknesses. Focus on exploiting enemy weaknesses with their martial artes.
- Arte Attackers (Milla, Elize, Rowen - if arte)
- Accessories: Magic Ring (A.ATK +10%), Force Ring (A.ATK +5%), Spirit Ring (TP Cost Down).
- Strategy: Milla should focus on elemental artes and Binding. Elize is your primary healer and dark arte user. Rowen can be built as a versatile arte user, controlling the battlefield with area-of-effect spells.
- Tanks/Support (Leia, Alvin - if tanking)
- Accessories: Defense Ring (P.DEF +10%), Resist Ring (A.DEF +10%), Iron Stance (Reduces stagger).
- Strategy: Leia's staff artes can heal and buff. Alvin can draw aggro with his unique skill. Focus on keeping them alive and drawing enemy attention away from your casters.
Late Game & Post-Game Optimization
The true power of your characters emerges with the best equipment and strategic accessory combinations. This is where you'll be seeking out rare drops and completing challenging side quests.
Ultimate Weapons
These weapons often require specific materials from powerful monsters or are rewards for difficult optional bosses.
- Jude - Kaiser Knuckles: Often a reward for completing specific arena challenges or a rare drop from high-level enemies in the Fezebel Marsh (post-game).
- Milla - Grand Spirit: Can be found in the deepest parts of the Xagut Floodmeadow (post-game) or as a reward for a challenging sub-event.
- Elize - Sacred Grimoire: A powerful tome, often obtained from a post-game boss in the Tatalian Abyss.
- Alvin - Calamity Bringer: Seek this out in the Voltea Woods (post-game) or as a reward from a specific character quest.
- Leia - Holy Staff: A strong healing and offensive staff, often found in the Old Vicalle Mine (post-game) or from a difficult side quest.
- Rowen - Mystic Scepter: This powerful staff is usually a reward for completing a series of difficult optional battles or found in the Labari Hollow (post-game).
Best Accessories for End-Game
Focus on accessories that provide significant stat boosts, reduce casting times, or offer unique combat advantages.
- Faerie Ring: Halves TP consumption. Absolutely essential for arte-heavy characters like Milla, Elize, and Rowen. Often a reward for completing the "Spirit Clime" side quest or a rare drop from certain bosses.
- Blue Sephira / Red Sephira: Boosts Gald/EXP gained respectively. Crucial for grinding. Found in various hidden locations or as rewards for specific quests.
- Risky Ring: Increases all stats by 10% but also increases damage taken by 10%. For expert players who can avoid damage. A rare drop from powerful optional bosses.
- Emerald Ring: Reduces casting time by 30%. Invaluable for Milla and Elize. Often a reward for completing the "Elite Monster" hunts.
- Kronos Symbol: Increases Over Limit duration. Useful for all characters, especially those who rely on linked artes.
- Miracle Bangle: Increases maximum HP by 20%. Great for all characters, especially tanks.
Optimized Character Builds
Beyond equipment, remember to invest your Growth Points (GP) wisely in the Lilium Orb. Prioritize unlocking skills and stat boosts that complement your chosen role.
- Jude (Physical DPS/Healer):
- Lilium Orb Focus: ATK, P.ATK, Agility, then HP. Unlock skills like "Snap Pivot" and "Recovery Link" early.
- Equipment: Kaiser Knuckles, high P.DEF armor, Faerie Ring, Attack Ring.
- Milla (Elemental DPS/Binder):
- Lilium Orb Focus: A.ATK, TP, Agility, then HP. Unlock "Binding Force" and "Spell End" skills.
- Equipment: Grand Spirit, high A.DEF armor, Faerie Ring, Emerald Ring.
- Elize (Healer/Dark Arte DPS):
- Lilium Orb Focus: A.ATK, TP, HP, then P.DEF. Prioritize "Healing Factor" and "Darkness Unleashed" skills.
- Equipment: Sacred Grimoire, high A.DEF armor, Faerie Ring, Emerald Ring.
- Alvin (Burst DPS/Tank):
- Lilium Orb Focus: ATK, HP, P.DEF, then Agility. Unlock "Charge" and "Guard Breaker" skills.
- Equipment: Calamity Bringer, heavy armor, Miracle Bangle, Attack Ring.
- Leia (Support/Healer/Breaker):
- Lilium Orb Focus: HP, P.DEF, Agility, then ATK/A.ATK (depending on preference). Unlock "Item Stealer" and "Elongated Staff" skills.
- Equipment: Holy Staff, balanced armor, Faerie Ring, Miracle Bangle.
- Rowen (Arte DPS/Crowd Control):
- Lilium Orb Focus: A.ATK, TP, Agility, then HP. Prioritize "Arte Tuning" and "Time Stop" skills.
- Equipment: Mystic Scepter, high A.DEF armor, Faerie Ring, Emerald Ring.
Experiment with different combinations to find what works best for your playstyle and the challenges ahead!