If you're diving into the expansive world of Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition, choosing the right class can significantly enhance your gaming experience. With a plethora of classes to explore, mastering new weapon skills might seem daunting. Yet, rest assured, any class can be effective, though some stand out for their versatility and utility. If you're happy with your starting class, stick with it; it's among the most adaptable in the game.

Recommended Videos Our Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition classes guide highlights the top five classes and explains why they're worth your consideration.

Drifter

Xenoblade Chronicles X encourages you to move beyond the Drifter class once you reach rank 10, but this starting class remains incredibly versatile and useful throughout the entire game. For fans of the original Xenoblade Chronicles, think of Drifter as a version of Shulk with a more limited skill set. This class offers a mix of debuff and offensive arts, including abilities that can stagger, topple, and even regenerate your health, reducing your reliance on your party members for timely heals.

Drifter wields assault rifles for potent ranged attacks and knives for effective melee combat, ensuring you're equipped for any battle scenario. What's more, Drifter boasts the highest number of skill slots of any class in the game. Even if you experiment with other classes to master new skills, it's wise to return to Drifter to tailor it to your playstyle.

Full Metal Jaguar

Full Metal Jaguar, Elma's class, is a high-risk, high-reward choice. By keeping your HP below 50%, you gain a significant boost to your critical hit rate, thanks to one skill that consistently keeps your health low during combat. Additionally, the Ghost Factory skill helps your allies evade attacks, while Electric Surge allows you to deal ether damage, a rarity among melee classes. Even the class' basic skill, Shadowstrike, packs a punch, making Full Metal Jaguar a thrilling yet rewarding option.

Duelist

Duelists excel in close-quarters combat but are also adept at handling ranged encounters. They wield a longsword and an assault rifle, an enhanced version of the Drifter's arsenal, and have access to a broad array of skills. One notable skill, Last Stand, converts your TP into party-wide TP boosts, perfect for setting up powerful attacks from your teammates.

The Soul of the Samurai skill enhances your basic attacks with area-of-effect damage, while True Stream Edge recovers TP when your morale is high. However, Blossom Dance stands out as one of the game's best skills, staggering and toppling enemies while ignoring their resistances, making it invaluable against most foes.

Mastermind

For players who prefer manipulating enemy behavior over brute force, Mastermind is a top choice. While its arts may not match the raw power of the Duelist's, they excel at managing challenging battles. Mastermind can remove enemy buffs and, at level seven, reduces enemy debuff resistance. It also offers TP boosts and a capstone art that inflicts a virus effect. Playing Mastermind requires keen attention to the battle dynamics, but the strategic advantage it provides is well worth it.

Galactic Knight

While commonly associated with Skell users, the Galactic Knight offers much more. Beyond Skell-specific bonuses, this class can remove debuffs, heal allies, and deliver heavy, specialized damage. Galactic Knights can even shorten their own cooldowns through melee combos. For Skell users, the class enhances appendage HP recovery and boosts combat power without any prerequisites, making it a versatile and powerful choice both in and out of your giant fighting robots.