Archsage's Gauntlet

The Archsage's Gauntlet is a mode in Xenoblade Chronicles 3. It was added as part of wave 3 of the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Expansion Pass and can be accessed from the in the.

Overview
In this mode, the player fights through multiple waves of enemies, either until the entire party is incapacitated or until the final wave is cleared (wave 30 on Beginner, wave 50 on Normal, wave 140 on Pro). At first, the player - playing as one of the six main charcters - fights alone, but can purchase additional Heroes to aid in battle or additional effects called Emblems after each wave in exchange for points.

Since usually not more than one Hero can be in the party, they deplete the Chain Attack gauge when used in s as if they were normal party members. Heroes can access all of their arts, but only those equipped can be accessed during Chain Attacks. The player cannot control any characters other than the main character. Only Heroes already unlocked in the main story are available in this mode.

During each battle, the Nopwatch steadily depletes until it reaches zero. If it is completely empty, HP recovery, recharge speed, and revival speed are severely decreased. To counter that, the shop sometimes offers Nopwatch refills that increases in price by 400 points with every acquisision.

Interlink is unavailable in this mode. Instead, this mode introduces Launch Charge: An instant on all enemies in this wave as well as an increased score obtained for a limited time. Unlimited Sword is also unavailable when played on hard difficulty, but the Lucky Seven License can be purchased at the Price X-change Blue to unlock it again.

The first two Heroes and the first Emblem are always free, as is one Emblem or Nopwatch refill after each boss fight. Each additional Hero increases in price by 2,500 points until the seventh partyx member costs 10,000 points. Heroes are permanent and cannot be swapped later for other Heroes. The selection of Heroes and Emblems in the shop is random. It can be reshuffled by spending a Shuffle Ticket that can be obtained from defeating a boss or rare enemy. Up to three Shuffle Tickets can be held at a time, and the player starts with three Shuffle Tickets. After obtaining a Badge, it can be upgraded up to five times to further increases its strength. Such upgrades also appear in the shop at random and increase in price with each step.

During each battle, an Event may occur, such as the enemy level in- or decreasing for one wave, a strong Moebius enemy appearing, or lucky monsters that, if defeated before it can escape, unlocks an additional Shuffle Ticket. After visiting a shop, a Whimsy may occur in which the player can choose between two randomly selected outcomes, such as causing a particular event or influencing the selection in the next shop.