7 Secrets You Likely Missed in Xenoblade Chronicles 3

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 has an absolutely massive world full of wonders and secrets for you to explore. Some of these secrets are actual Secret Areas, which unlock a new area on the map and play a unique music track when you reach them. Others are callbacks and little ‘A-Ha!’ moments for people who have stuck with the series for a while.

As the culmination of the Xenoblade Chronicles trilogy, Aionios has a ton of references to the previous two titles. Some are a part of the main story or are very in-your-face such as the Urayan Titan and Mechonis Sword, whereas others are a lot more muted. You may even miss them if you’re not paying attention. These secret areas and references to the older games in the Xenoblade Chronicles trilogy are a great way of building out the world, as well as helping fans understand what has happened to the worlds that they fell in love with.

Here are 7 secrets and references that you likely missed in Xenoblade Chronicles 3.

This will contain spoilers for Xenoblade Chronicles 3, including post-game content.

Want more Xenoblade Chronicles content? You can find more here on KeenGamer:

1. The Importance of Accents in Xenoblade Chronicles
2. The Brilliance of Accents in Xenoblade Chronicles 3
3. What Comes Next After Xenoblade Chronicles 3? Expansion and Future Games Speculation
4. Xenoblade Chronicles 3: How To Unlock All Heroes
5. Xenoblade Chronicles 3: All Ferronis Hulk Locations

The Titans Remains

Part of what makes Xenoblade Chronicle’s worlds so unique is that they all feature some variant of a creature called Titans. These are massive beings upon which the people and monsters of the world make their homes. In Xenoblade Chronicles 1, there are 2 Titans in the Bionis and the Mechonis. In Xenoblade Chronicles 2, there are a great many Titans who all roam around the Cloud Sea of Alrest, each housing a unique set of people. 

For Xenoblade Chronicles 3, there aren’t any specific Titans that the people of Aionios live upon due to the merged nature of the world. Instead, there are many different areas and locations from the previous games that have made their way to Aionios, usually in strange and different ways. This includes the Titans.

Some are far more obvious than others. The Fallen Arm of the Mechonis is pretty easy to spot, as its palm is one of the first major locations that you will find on your trip to the Fornis Region. Exploring this area later in the game even reveals that the Distant Fingertip Secret Location has even made a return to near perfection. You will find other Titan remnants and areas like the head of the Bionis in the Erythia sea.

These areas are pretty in your face and are very recognisable. But what about more hidden Titans in the world? Well, there are a few.

The Gormott Titan

To start there is a strange Titan-like structure in the starting Aetia Region which can be seen from the very start of the game. Making it out fully is pretty difficult, however, and it is so beaten up by Annihilation Events that you may just assume it to be nothing. In reality, this is the Gormotti Titan, where the village of Torigoth once stood in Xenoblade Chronicles 2. The most obvious place to start with this is the long neck-like area and the branch-like horns which sprout from Upper Aetia, both of which feature on the Gormotti Titan.

Perhaps the best piece of evidence, however, is the distinctive back plating found on the Titan. You can find this near the Gamma Camp and while it may be a bit hidden, it is certainly there. This area is joined with the Gaur Plains from Xenoblade Chronicles 1 which is now sprinkled with the Titan’s fins and appendages, making it somewhat confusing to piece it all together. 

The Mor Ardain Titan

Another mysterious Titan can be seen in the Keves Castle Region… well, maybe two Titans. If you look towards the Keves Castle Region from Pentelas, you should be able to see the massive looming hand that is rising from the earth. This is very likely either the hand of the Bionis or it is the Mor Ardain Titan.

In the case of the Bionis, a similar hand can be seen in the flashback scene of the old world in Chapter 6. However, looking at the map and the overall shape, some parts align with the Mor Ardainian Titan from Xenoblade Chronicles 2. The key thing to note here is the distinct metal plating that can be seen on the map: it aligns pretty nicely with the same plates on the Titan’s shoulder. I suspect that this is far more likely to be the Mor Ardain Titan as the shape, colour and distinctive metal marks on the shoulder line up far more than what we see with the Bionis (which has a very different hand shape).

Some of the other Titans may also be hidden around the map somewhere, but so far these are the most obvious ones.

The Old Steps

The Urayan Titan is from Xenoblade Chronicles 2, which isn’t a massive shock. It featured heavily in that game, as well as for the promotional material for Xenoblade Chronicles 3. Seeing the Titan’s massive form imbed in the mountainside is an awe-inspiring moment when you get to the Fornis Region for the first time. The secret here, however, is deep inside the Titan.

During the story, your party must enter an area known as the Urayan Tunnels and the Ether Mines. On your first visit, you can explore a few buildings and collect a few items, but you can’t traverse the space properly. Come back here after you have recruited Juniper and after they have taught you how to rope slide, and you can find a little bit more.

From the tallest structure near the Ruins of Seebu camp, you can take a rope over to a cliff in the distance. You’ll find 2 very powerful Agnian guards stationed here (around level 85) but what we are looking for is the structure itself. Where you now stand is at the top of the massive staircase in Fonsa Myma, the capital city of Uraya in Xenoblade Chronicles 2.

Everything from the distinctive metal arch to the buildings off in the distance to where the water used to fall down the sides remains. If you look behind you, too, you’ll see the blocked-off location where Rex and his allies raced up during chapter 3 of Xenoblade Chronicles 2. 

Seeing this area so run down and desolate when it was a pretty major area in the second game is an odd sight and the slow sense of nostalgia that dawns on you as you wander through here is quite profound. Fonsa Myma may have fallen, but the Urayan Titan remains.

An Old Resting Place

Another location that you will likely recognise from Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is this one. In the Cadensia Region at the Erythia Sea, there are several large islands. This entire place may seem familiar in more than one way – the first is the familiar-sounding name and set-up to that of Xenoblade Chronicles 1’s Eryth Sea. The other way is a bit more obscure, but it becomes clearer the more you explore.

You’ll find a place of such interest on the Eastern edge of the Levi Sandbar. Around an area populated by Kevesi troops and monsters, you can climb up a slope to find a wrecked stone monument. On the wall, you can find a symbol, one that will be distinct and familiar to any who peers upon it. 

This is the resting place of the Spirit Crucible Elpys, specifically the Vault of Heroes where Rex and friends confront the ghosts of the past. The room is near perfectly reconstructed, including the gap under the stairs where a treasure chest once lay. A powerful Unique Monster has taken over the area, defending it and one of the Legacies of the Seven accessories. Knowing that this place was once of such importance to the Xenoblade Chronicles 2 storyline and that you likely once traversed these same steps as different people is a strange feeling.

It’s a feeling that begins to make you question if there is anything else here that you have missed.

Fused Islands

The Spirit Crucible was located in the Leftherian Archipelago in Xenoblade Chronicles 2, the home region of the central protagonist Rex. So if the Crucible is here, what about the other areas of the Archipelago? 

Several of the islands in Xenoblade Chronicles 3 contain references to both the Leftherian Archipelago and to the place where it gets its namesake, the Eryth Sea of Xenoblade Chronicles 1. 

The formations found on the Isle of Sleeping Remains, the Daram Isle and the Godsford Isle from Xenoblade Chronicles 2 make an understated return on the Daedal Isle, with the great plant-like growth bursting from its centre. This is also only a few hundred metres over from the great teleport bay that took Shulk and his party to Alcamoth in Xenoblade Chronicles 1. These two places have fused, they have been built on top of one another.

Some of the islands also share the same kind of walled barriers as seen in Leftheria. Now, they are covered in plants and foliage as they are no longer part of the Titan Archipelago. The key place where you can see these familiar protective barriers is at the Atoll Ferronis Hulk, which is now locked in the middle of one of these beached areas. The most overt reference is that there are several landmarks called Pillars that are peppered throughout the Erythia Sea, remnants from the age of the High Entia. 

A Lucky Heirloom

One question you may be asking yourself as you finally unravel the story of Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is what happened to the other characters of Xenoblade Chronicles 1? We get a bit more closure for the cast of 2 and we have bits and pieces that hint at the fate of characters like Rex and Shulk, but what of the others? 

Well, there’s a bit of closure for at least one of these members, at least. In the lower portion of the Maktha Wildwood, you can find a series of caves which house some very tough late-game enemies (level 95 and above). When you reach the final area you’ll be met by another one of the Nopon Sage’s Trick Doors. Open it and instead of treasure, you will find one of the final games Super Bosses.

Inside sits Dreadwyrm Nizoont, a level 105 dragon who will be quite a struggle for you to overcome, even if you reach max level. The secret you are looking for is just past Niznoot in the back of the room, so it is possible to sneak by the dragon if you are careful enough. If you want some advice on how to overcome this Super Boss, check out our guide on where to find it and all the other members of Aionios’ Strongest.

Once you have gotten past Nizoont, you can climb up the wall at the back to Riki’s Biter weapon from Xenoblade Chronicles 1. The Biter is his first weapon and is a staple of his character.

The Biter actual becomes a pretty useful item when picked up called the Legendary Biter, which accrues Aggro every second in battle which makes it perfect for Defender characters. A nice gift left behind by our little Nopon friend. 

A Lucky Little Biter

The Watchful Protector

Nia is the Queen of Agnus, a far cry from her position in Xenoblade Chronicles 2. The ending also reveals that she and the other members of 2 managed to all have a happy ending, but just like above, it begs the question of where they are during the events of Xenoblade Chronicles 3. 

Specifically for Nia, what happened to Dromarch? The tiger Blade was her loyal companion, ever watching over her and making sure she was well cared for and protected. Non-humanoid Blades seem to have disappeared in the world of Aionios, with only Blades that resemble humans remaining. So where has Dromarch gone?

Well, the answer is not far. In the Cloudkeep as you go to enter the room where Nia has been sleeping, look above the door frame to find a familiar face. In one way or another, he is always here, watching over Nia and making sure she is okay. 

Another cute detail is that if you bring Nia back here after recruiting her as a Hero and enter the Cloudkeep with her, she will give out a small little message. The other party members specifically comment on not knowing who she is speaking to, but everyone already knows who this message is directed at – the little artificial Blade waiting out her time in the capsule in the back of the room. Maybe one day we will get to do something with her, but for now, we just have to be content with this small gesture of love from Nia to Poppi.

A Quiet Place

The final location is an actual Secret Location in-game, one that is very hard to find and can only be found in the post-game. You’ll find it in Keves Castle, which is just Alcamoth reborn. 

With Queen Melia as your party Hero, make your way to the throne room. Behind where you do battle with N and the fake Queen, you will see a walkway that leads to another room. Follow this walkway and you will come before an elevator that you must take up. This elevator takes you to another elevator, which when ridden takes you to the Grand Tower Skygarden on the fifth floor, a Secret Area.

This isn’t what we are here for, however. After taking the first elevator continue down the hall until you find a strange sigil on the right wall. This symbol will look a bit familiar as it is the High Entia symbol emblazoned on areas like the High Entia Tomb. Once Melia is in your party, the sigil will respond in kind and open a secret entrance to another elevator. Taking this one leads you to the final secret on this list, which is Melia’s private quarters which are only briefly seen in the final cutscene.

You can see the old painting of Alcamoth as it once was here and the compartment it hides, and Melia will even give a brief comment about keeping your hands to yourself. It’s a lovely bit of post-game exploration that also allows you to see a really beautiful view of all of Aionios.

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