Xenoblade Chronicles Guide- Walkthrough Part 2: Scene 1

The actual gameplay opens with a simple Event- Shulk scavenging for machine parts to use for crafting purposes.  He is out on his own in a field, digging through scrap- when one of the pieces of machinery starts moving and tries to attack him!  Initially fearful that the Mechon is not actually destroyed, he calls for help, causing his friend Reyn to leap to his defence.  As it turns out, the offending piece of scrap is actually just being worn by a Krabble, a hermit-crab sort of a creature the size of a large dog.

This first battle also serves as an introduction to the MMORPG-like tactics of the game.  Where Shulk is a slightly fragile fighter who deals out heavy damage- a DPS (Damage Per Second) character- Reyn hits much lighter, but is very durable and good at drawing attention off of his more frail teammates- making him a Tank.  This first fight is fairly simple- let Reyn distract the Krabble and use your Back Slash Art to deal heavy damage.  If you find a red ring appearing around Shulk, then it’s time to back off and give Reyn a chance to ‘grab Aggro’- to get the monster’s attention- before you go back to handing out the damage.

Immediately after the Krabble, you find yourself fighting a Caterpile as well- a creature like a very large caterpillar.  Again, let Reyn grab all the attention, and then lay into the thing from behind.

Once the battle is over, Shulk thanks Reyn- who chastises him for wandering off alone.  The heftier fighter is well aware of the local dangers, and wants to be sure that Shulk is aware also.  Shulk agrees that things outside the Colony can be threatening, but points out that coming out this far yields a lot of useful parts to make more weapons and gear out of- pointing out his own position as a crafter of said gear.

Though he stays concerned, Reyn agrees, admitting that he gets a lot of use out of the weapon Shulk crafted for him- a statement that will shortly become ironic, though the characters will never note it aloud.  He praises Shulk’s crafting skills, but the technician demures, resulting in the two of them contemplating the Monado, a nearly-legendary weapon kept in their Colony.  After a few moments, though, Reyn points out that it’s time to return to the Colony, mentioning that his superior (someone tagged with the awkward moniker of ‘square-tache’) is likely to be annoyed.

Apologizing to Reyn for dragging him way out from the colony during his break, Shulk agrees to head back home- and then you’re set on the path to Colony 9.

This area is very small initially, consisting of a single narrow path that passes through a tunnel on its way back to the Colony.  There are only a few enemies here, and with the exception of one or two Caterpile, none of them should give you any difficulty- Bunnit and Skeeter are pretty nonthreatening at this level.