Xenoblade Chronicles 3: best team setup for the Archsage Gauntlet

The new Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Archsage Gauntlet is a tough endurance mode, so we've put together some great team builds

The Archsage Gauntlet is a new type of challenge battle in Xenoblade Chronicles 3, and it’s got a lot of players scratching their heads for good strategies. Unlike regular challenge battles, players can only take one member of Ouroboros into the fight, and they’ll be facing off against wave after wave of increasingly difficult opponents.

You’re not completely alone though, as you can spend the points you win to bring some of the game’s many heroes to your side, filling out your squad with a maximum of seven characters. Plus, there are emblems that can give you all sorts of boosts that will help you out.

We’ll give you some ideas for what character/class combination to go in with, and which heroes you should pick up along the way.

If you need to know where to start the new challenge battle mode or the new hero quest for Masha, check out our guide on how to start the Xenoblade 3 expansion pass content.

Noah – Capable Hands and Unlimited Sword

Given that the character you take into the battle is the only character you’ll be able to directly control, it’s generally a good idea to make them an attacker. You’ll be able to chain arts together far better than any AI-controlled attacker could, and it massively increases your damage potential.

The must-have ability for this build is Capable Hands, which comes from the Flash Fencer class. This ability will make you start every battle with your Talent Art 60% charged – if you’ve leveled this class to level 20, then it will actually be 90%. Pair this with Noah’s Unlimited Sword ability and you’ll be quite literally invincible.

It’s not a sure-fire win for the tougher fights, as the immortality won’t last for the entire battle, but it gives you an unrivaled starting advantage. Plus, if you set Noah as the Swordfighter class, you’ll be churning out tonnes of damage.

The only problem is that you’re not allowed to use Unlimited Sword – or Lucky Seven at all – in hard mode unless you grind the other modes enough to purchase the upgrade that unbans it.

Sena – Machine Assassin

Sena is the other party member with huge attacking potential if you build her right. You’ll want to spend your Nopon Coins on getting the best-attacking gems as well as accessories that reduce the charge time for Arts. If you set her up properly, you can pick pretty much any attacking class and make it work. Machine Assassin is perhaps the most reliable pick, but something like Full Metal Jaguar can be just as good.

The downside is that her defenses are pitiful, so you’ll need to back her up with strong defense and healing heroes before the enemies get too tough.

Mio – Lifesage

This is a bit of an unconventional pick, and it probably won’t suit hard mode very well, but for normal difficulty, you could try bringing this powerful healing class. The great thing about Lifesage is that not only does it heal better than any other class, but it can output a surprisingly high amount of damage.

While gems that boost healing abilities are useful, it might be worth putting one on there to increase damage, and definitely use accessories to speed up Art charging to keep everyone else in the party alive.

Best heroes to select

If you’ve started out with an attacker, then you’re going to want to get a defender on the squad at the first opportunity.

Ashera is by far the best pick for this role, as she can provide you with big buffs and is still able to go hard on DPS when the situation calls for it. Ino is another excellent choice, especially if you’ve gone through the trouble of upgrading her as part of wave 2’s DLC content.

As far as healers go, Nia is clearly the best pick, but definitely grab Fiona if she pops up. Her Signifier class can stack a ridiculous amount of buffs onto the entire party which could easily make the difference in a tough boss stage.

Once you’ve got a bit of backup in the squad, you can look to start tearing through with attackers, and you’ve got a large pool of great characters to choose from. Gray, Alexandria, and Segiri will all output insane damage if you let them, it just depends on what specifics you want. Gray can churn out quick damage, Alexandria takes a bit of time to get going but is essentially a superhero when she unleashes her power, and Segiri sits neatly between the two.

Ultimately, you want your squad of seven to be filled out with two of each type, and the final slot can vary depending on what kind of team you’ve built, and what you’re really lacking on the squad. Although, it’s unlikely you’ll ever need to give that final slot to a defender, so look for strong attackers or healers instead.