Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Expansion Pass Wave 3 Revealed, Wave 4 Major Expansion Teased

The next wave of Xenoblade Chronicles 3’s Expansion Pass DLC has finally been revealed, alongside a small teaser for the major story expansion coming later this year. 

During today’s Nintendo Direct, we finally got our next look at Wave 3 of the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Expansion Pass. This follows from Wave 2, which gave us the new Hero Ino and access to the classic Challenge Battle mode for new outfits and rewards. 

Wave 3 is also launching with a new Hero: Masha. She is a refined, elegant woman you appear to meet in the City. Ino was a Tank and Masha is a new Healer character. Her official art showcases that she wields two large chakrams. 

Something else that Masha has in common with Ino is a special ability. Masha can craft unique accessories using a new material called Enigmatter. You seem to be able to make accessories with random effects, and you may be able to pay a higher price for fixed effects. This makes Masha a great addition to any team wanting to perfect their builds and combos. 

Masha the Lapidarist

Another new inclusion in Wave 3 is the Grandsage’s Gauntlet. This is a special rogue-lite-inspired mode that players can challenge for special gear. During this mode, you select one of the 6 Ouroboros party members to play as and must venture into battle with them alone. As you beat more foes and win more battles, you will recruit various Heroes to help you out and reach higher levels of the mode. 

The main rewards from this new mode are a suite of new outfits for your main party members. This time, unlike the swimsuit theme from Wave 2, Wave 3 is offering up a series of outfits based on characters and outfits from previous Xenoblade Chronicles games. You can earn these outfits by challenging the Archsage’s Gauntlet and achieving a certain score. 

Wave 3 of the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Expansion Pass launches on February 16th. 

That wasn’t all, though. Previously, Wave 4 was confirmed to be a larger story expansion. This is similar to the Torna: Golden Country Expansion for Xenoblade Chronicles 2. We got a brief look at that Wave 4 Expansion in this Nintendo Direct. 

We don’t get an in-depth look at the Expansion, but there’s enough here to pique the interest of long-time fans. During the short snippet, we see the previous Xenoblade Chronicles protagonists, Shulk and an older Rex. They seem to be facing down what appears to be Alvis who now wields the signature Monado, in a pose and style reminiscent of God’s long-since passed. After that, it cuts to an aerial shot of what looks like Gaur Plains from the original Xenoblade Chronicles before a new figure who looks very much like Noah begins to summon some ghostly apparition.

Why are Shulk and Rex here? Is it actually them or the Founders of the City? Does this take place before or after the main story of Xenoblade Chronicles 3? Who is that person at the end of the trailer and why does it seem like they are summoning Mio’s Ouroboros form? There are so many questions related to Wave 4 (or Volume 4 as the trailer calls it). 

We’ll learn everything there is to know when the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Expansion Pass Wave 4 Expansion launches later this year. 

Noah? Mio?

SOURCE: Nintendo Direct 08.02.23