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The Colony’s Affinity can be tracked in Xenoblade Chronicles 3 by using the game’s Affinity Chart. The Affinity Chart displays the colonist’s relationships along with a small profile for each NPC. There are several ways to increase the party’s affinity with a Colony. Raising affinity requires the player to unlock quests and participate in tasks. This guideline will outline all the ways that affinity can be gained and explain the mechanics of affinity charts.

Unlocking Colonies

Before the party can unlock a colony in Xenoblade 3, they must first kill the colony’s Consul. The Consuls are the main antagonists in the game and will trigger a boss fight.

There are usually Hero Quests associated with colony liberation, and the majority are unlocked by following the game’s story. After defeating a Consul, Noah and Mio will destroy the Flame Clock to free the colonists, recruit the Hero and use their class in combat. Some colonies aren’t unlocked through the story mode and will need to be discovered.

The Affinity Chart

Speaking to NPCs will register their name and profile on the Affinity Chart in Xenoblade Chronicles 3. The chart shows the links and relationships between each NPC, which can change when completing quests and conversations associated with the Colony. These quests can be found throughout Xenoblade Chronicles 3’s world.

The Affinity Chart will also show how many Colonies have been liberated from the Flame Clock, Colony Status, NPC and Hero relationships, and Colony Warning Levels. It pays to keep track of the Affinity Chart as much as possible when it comes to quests and enemy threat levels.

Affinity Level Rewards

The main reason to care about Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is the rewards. The party earns bonuses that affect their performance on the field. Here is a list of some of the best rewards associated with Colony Affinity:

Item Retriever Caravan Call Slow Digestion Shiny-Hunter Silent Steps Speed Jogger

Talk To NPCs

Talking to NPCs in Colonies with the Star above their speech bubble. In addition to gaining extra EXP in Xenoblade Chronicles 3, this will register the character on the Affinity Chart and open up quests associated with their home colony.

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It’s worth noting that several NPCs and their associated quest can only be completed depending on the in-game time of day. Players can use the Time Skip mechanic in Xenoblade 3 to reach the desired time.

Listen To NPC Consversations

In addition to conversing with several colonists and completing their quests, the party can also listen in on some of their conversations. These conversations are represented with a yellow marker above their heads.

After listening to these conversations, the party will need to discuss the matter at a rest point. This will trigger a quest associated with their colony leading to more Affinity points.

Send Off Husks

Sending off Husks in Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is a mechanic that highlights Noah’s empathy and humanity in what can be a very cruel world motivated by war. Husks are fallen soldiers in battle from both sides and are represented by glowing red mist on the field and a flute icon on the mini-map.

Noah and Mio are known as off-seers in the world of Xenoblade 3. To send these fallen soldiers into the next life, the player simply needs to press the A button to trigger a short cutscene showing the characters playing a melody on their flute. Sending off husks will increase the party’s affinity with the colonies that they called home.

Collectopaedia Cards

In addition to side quests, some NPCs on the colonies will ask the party to collect several items. This will appear as a checklist on the Collectopaedia Cards in Xenoblade 3.

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Most of these items are easily collected by grabbing the random collectibles found on the ground throughout the party’s travels. Completing a Collectopaedia set will improve the team’s affinity with the NPC’s colony.

Colony Quests

Some colonies have large-scale quests in Xenoblade 3 that can take more time to complete. The side quests are represented by using a blue exclamation mark. Many of these quests will require the player to find them on the field in several places on the map.

Press X to pause the game and access the menu. Select the Map tab. Select the desired region. Place a marker on the side quest icon to easily find the quest on the map. These quests offer the most rewards in terms of EXP and affinity points.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is available now for the Nintendo Switch

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