Choosing the best party members for *Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition* can feel daunting with the game's extensive roster of characters and seemingly similar classes. To help you navigate this complex RPG, our guide highlights the top five party members and explains why they stand out.

Elma

Elma, the first party member you can recruit, is far from the weakest. Her class, Full Metal Jaguar, is one of the best in *Xenoblade X*, and her AI excels in utilizing it across various scenarios. Key skills like Ghostwalker, which creates a decoy, and Ghost Factory, which enhances party evasion, should be prioritized for leveling. Elma also boasts a range of strong, position-based attacks. While she may experience downtime as she repositions, her role as a hybrid tank, support, and offensive unit is invaluable. With numerous self-buffs that boost her critical hit rate and the ability to instantly gain 1,000 TP for powerful skills, Elma is a crucial asset, especially since she's required for most story missions.

Irina

Irina stands out as the game's premier supporter, even surpassing other support specialists like Hope. She excels at healing, removing debuffs, and boosting party evasion, making her an essential ally if Elma's Ghost Factory is unavailable. Irina also consistently generates TP for the party, albeit at the expense of her own. Skills like Energy Source and Last Stand are pivotal for maintaining party TP. While Irina isn't suited for solo combat or taking down Tyrants, her role is to enhance the effectiveness of your main attackers, ensuring battles don't drag on.

Nagi

If you're not playing as a Duelist, Nagi is a must-have in your party. As one of the few Duelists in *Xenoblade X*, he's a formidable damage dealer capable of handling both close and ranged combat. His area-of-effect ability, Blossom Dance, is particularly potent, ignoring enemy resistances and capable of defeating even the toughest foes quickly. To maximize Nagi's potential, pair him with a supporter like Irina or use Mastermind skills to debuff enemies.

Mia

Mia, a Psycorruptor with the versatility of a Drifter, is a jack-of-all-trades. She can apply debuffs, reduce debuff resistance, and deal significant damage with attacks like Beam Barrage and Myopic Screen, the latter of which can cause blackout. Her attacks are enhanced by active auras, and she can even topple enemies. However, Mia lacks self-defense and healing capabilities, so ensure she's teamed with members who can cover these weaknesses.

H.B.

H.B. serves as an excellent substitute for Lin when you need enhanced defense. As a Shield Trooper+, he surpasses Lin in every aspect, offering superior defense and enemy attention management, which is crucial for aggressive playstyles or when paired with characters like Elma or Nagi. H.B. can generate TP with his taunt attack, increase debuff resistance, boost ranged attack power, topple enemies, and create a robust shield. If you're struggling to survive outside the main storyline, completing H.B.'s affinity mission to recruit him is highly recommended.