Prerelease:Xenoblade Chronicles 2

This page details prerelease information and/or media for Xenoblade Chronicles 2.

To do: * Comparison images. A fair amount of concept art, some of it is even hidden inside the final game's files as placeholder art/available to view in-game! This screen on the TTGC overview trailer is an earlier version https://youtu.be/to304FiGUsA?t=309 look for other differences in the trailers One of the trailers shows the chapter 4 intro cutscene without the sepia filter on top. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xjpao-nD5YU at 2:15 (pyra falling and rex falling after) and 2:38 (tora riding poppi cart) are apparently not in the final game

Nintendo Direct 2017 Reveal

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 was first shown to the public during a Nintendo Direct stream on the 12th of January 2017. The reveal trailer consisted of Rex and Nia in Gormott, brief views of Torigoth, Argentum Bazaar, and the Old Factory, interspersed with development materials and snippets from the game's cutscenes.

• A different version of Gormott's theme can be heard during the trailer.
• Rex's model is less detailed. Most notably, he is missing the core crystal from his chest and his face is less expressive.

E3 2017 Build

A 40 minute video showcasing an early build of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 was shown during Nintendo Treehouse Live @ E3 on June 2017.

Overworld/Battle Differences

• A lot of graphical differences.
• The overworld appears to be in a primitive state, as the grass on Gormott is very sparse compared to the final.
• Instead of simply showing "(number)" when picked up, picking up coins post-battle shows "+(number) Gold".
• A fight with Dolmes is showcased near the end of the footage. This early build names him Bomber Dolmes, and his Driver Dughall is nowhere to be seen. While Bomber Dolmes is not his name in the boss battle with him in the final build, the name did end up later being used for the version of Dolmes encountered during the Challenge Mode trial DLC.
• The banners in the Titan Battleship's hangar have a different design on them in the earlier build. Oddly enough, the final design is used in the early build for the banners in the Torigoth Relay Base so it's likely that the area was being redesigned at this point in development.
• When using the third level of a Blade Combo, the button challenge appears as soon as the Blade begins performing the Art. The attack itself uses less dynamic camera angles in the earlier build, alongside having the UI overlayed during the attack.
• Several of the Blade Art Combos have different names to the final.

Element	Early Name	Final Name
Earth	Shard	Stone
	Virus	Pandemic
Fire	Flame	Heat
	Blaze	Burnout
Water	Toxin	Aqua
	Steam	Steam Bomb
	Poison	Venom Water
Wind	Gust	Wind
	Plague	Final Disaster
Ice	Chill	Ice

Menu Differences

• The menu was overhauled in the final, and so there are significant differences.
  • Opening the menu would open it to the Characters menu by default.
  • It was possible to go through the menu options with the L and R buttons.
  • An Encyclopedia function is present which was completely cut for the final release.
  • The Change Character button prompt in the menu is misspelled as Change Charactr.
  • There's a "Return to Game" prompt in the menu that isn't listed in the final game. For some reason it's listed twice. However, pressing + in any part of the menu in the final will return the player back to the game as listed in this build.

• The summary of a Blade's stats does not show the Blade's rarity.
• The Driver's class (Healer/Fighter/Tank) is not present alongside their name and level.
• Common Blades use different artwork.
• The Blade Album is not present in the Core Crystal menu. It is likely it was once part of the cut Encyclopedia menu.
• Bond Blade is simply called Crystals.
• Manage Blades is called Blades.

• In the footage, Rex uses a Core Crystal named Unsigned Core Crystal. No crystal by this name appears in the final game. Also of note is that the Unsigned Core Crystal is huge compared to the crystals in the final.

General Differences

Story

• Part of the game between Chapter 7 and 8 would have originally seen the player controlling Jin and Lora 500 years before the events of the game's story began. This idea proved too difficult to implement into the main game as the story for this part of the game was becoming too long to fit within the main story. After discussion with Nintendo on how to handle it, this idea later formed the basis for the game's prequel Torna: The Golden Country.
• The game's ending cutscene was originally going to end in an Inception-style way, with a scene of Rex's core crystal glowing. This was changed as Tetsuya Takahashi wanted the game to end on a happier note instead, with either Pyra, Mythra or Pneuma being brought back. After some deliberation on which one to bring back, he decided on bringing both Pyra and Mythra back.

Music

Four tracks from the game were posted on the official Xenoblade Chronicles 2 site sometime in June 2017 to showcase music from the game. These four tracks were Elysium, in the Blue Sky, Incoming!, Counterattack, and Spirit Crucible Elpys. The first three tracks have slightly different names on the website, being named Elysium of the Blue Sky, Action Battle, and Action Start respectively.

The versions of Incoming! and Counterattack (as mentioned above, referred to Action Battle and Action Start) posted to the site appear to be works in progress, as the instrumentation is different to that of the versions used in the final game.

Action Battle

Action Start