It is not always wise to jump in head first in a battle in Xenoblade Chronicles 3. Every battle plays out differently in XC3 and you will have to quickly adapt to the types of enemies you are facing, the characters and classes you have on hand, and what strategy best suits your victory requirements.
In that sense, you must know when to attack and when to cancel attacks. Canceling attacks might appear to be a step back during a battle but the combat mechanic can lead to a power boost when done right.
The following guide will explain how to cancel your attacks in Xenoblade Chronicles 3.
Canceling Attacks In Xenoblade Chronicles 3
The way to cancel an attack during a battle is not that hard. However, players returning from Xenoblade 2 might find canceling attacks to be a bit more restrictive in XC3.
You can cancel an attack by using a second attack as soon as the first attack lands on an enemy. The best and rather common way to do this is to auto-attack an enemy and then follow up with an art. You need to time the second attack just right or else you will not be able to cancel your initial attack.
You need to hit the art button at the exact moment when the first attack (an auto-attack in this case) hits the enemy. You can choose whatever art you find best for the battle in question.
If you time the attack correctly, you will see a flashing circle in the middle of your screen. This prompt will confirm that you have successfully canceled your attack in the game.
Benefits Of Canceling Attacks
The combat mechanics of Xenoblade Chronicles 3 give you a small window of opportunity to get in multiple attacks. This is done by canceling the ending animation (or animation lag) of the first attack and using the extra time to follow up with a second attack.
There are a few things to note though about the attack cancellation mechanics in Xenoblade 3.
Firstly, you cannot cancel an auto-attack into another auto-attack. Secondly, you cannot cancel a normal art into another normal art.
What you can do is cancel a normal art into a talent art. You will be doing this attack cancelation a lot during the early game. When you unlock the Fusion arts in the end game, you will be then able to cancel a normal art into a Fusion art as well.
All of this might sound easy but it does take a bit of practice or getting used to. You will have to spend some time in battles to start canceling attacks as you want when you want.
