Moebius Battle

Moebius Battle
Original Title	Moebius Battle
Composer(s)	ACE (TOMOri Kudo)
Vocals	Barzz
Length	8:31
Used in	Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Future Redeemed

Moebius Battle is Disc 2, Track 9 on the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Original Soundtrack and Disc 13, Track 9 on the Xenoblade Chronicles Original Soundtrack Trinity Box. Moebius Battle/M is a version of this track with added flute.

The track is composed of multiple individual pieces:

• 0:00 to 2:57 is often referred to as some variation on Moebius Battle 1, or simply Moebius Battle.
• 2:57 to 4:18 is referred to as Unused Moebius Theme or Moebius Area Theme.
• 4:18 to 7:09 is referred to as a variation of Moebius Battle 2 or Moebius Interlink.
• 7:09 to 8:15 is Moebius Battle (Climax).
• 8:15 to 8:31 is Moebius Battle (End).

Moebius Battle 1

This is the battle theme for most Moebius bosses, often including the immediately prior cutscenes:

Xenoblade Chronicles 3

Main story

• The Moebius in Chapter 1.
• Consul K in Chapter 2.
• Consul J in Chapter 3.
• Moebius N in Chapter 5.
• Moebius Y during Side Story: Mio.
• Moebius D and Moebius J in Chapter 6.
• Consul Crys during Side Story: Noah (for the first phase of the battle).

Sidequests

• Moebius B during Where The Heart Is.
• Moebius G during Going Beyond Power.
• Moebius E during Her Reasons.
• R's Executioners during The Wrath of Ashera.
• Moebius I during Transparent Dreams.
• Consul X and Moebius L during Side Story: Eunie.
• Moebius H during Side Story: Lanz.
• Moebius V during Side Story: Taion.
• Moebius U during Survivors.
• Moebius Q's Outfit during Inescapable Past.
• Moebius R and Moebius W during A Deep-Seated Scar.
• The Stage of Destiny Challenge Battle, for all but the final wave.
• The Archsage's Gauntlet during waves of Moebius Interference as well as certain boss waves.

Future Redeemed

• Moebius Q and Moebius R in Chapter 1.
• Colony Eta Ferronis in Chapter 2 (during the first phase of the battle).

This section is substantially similar to Moebius Battle 2 in style, and the two sections share significant parts of their melody. It also has a pattern at 1:58 identical to the ostinato of Moebius at 0:25, although it is unclear whether or not this was an intentional reference.

Unused Moebius Theme

This section was kept within the game's files but went unused. It is similar in style to Moebius Battle 2 and shares sections of its melody with that piece, although it is significantly less bombastic. Its alternate unofficial name, "Moebius Area Theme", is because the section is conjectured to have been intended as part of a joint area-battle theme duo with Moebius Battle 2, in the same style as Tactical Action, Hostile Colony, and Keves Castle.

Moebius Battle 2

This section is the battle theme for the following Moebius bosses, often including the immediately prior cutscenes:

• Moebius K in Chapter 2.
• Moebius O & P in Chapter 4.
• Moebius D & J in Chapter 4.
• Moebius D & J in Chapter 6.
• Moebius X in Chapter 7.
• Moebius Y in Chapter 7.
• The final wave of the Stage of Destiny Challenge Battle.
• Stage 70 and Stage 140 of Archsage's Gauntlet: Pro.
• Moebius W and his Ferronises in Chapter 3 of Future Redeemed.

Moebius Battle (Climax)

This section does not play in-game (although the section from 7:09 to 8:04 is a fluteless version of Moebius Battle/M's climax section, which does play in-game). However, a release date trailer for Xenoblade Chronicles 3 featured this track.

Moebius Battle (End)

This section is the ending jingle for when a boss which uses Moebius Battle 2 has an action climax section (see below).

Dynamic nature and unreleased sections

Several tracks which are associated with Moebius Battle were not released, either as part of this track or elsewhere on any official release of this game's music. Specifically, Moebius Battle 2 uses climax sections (without a pre-end section) in several of its instances, which are similar to Moebius Battle (Climax) but not identical and which were not released. It is notable for being the only boss theme to use two different climax sections in different scenarios:

• One, unofficially referred to as the 'Action Climax' (after the track's naming scheme in the game's files), plays for the Moebius K, Moebius X, Moebius Y, and Stage of Destiny instances.
• The other, unofficially referred to as the 'Sad Climax' for the same reason, plays during the chapter 6 Moebius D & J fight. This section has the same intro as Moebius Battle (Climax), but is otherwise different.

In all cases, the climax threshold is 30%.

When a climax section is used, the track also has an ending section: Moebius Battle (End) in the case of the action climax, and the unreleased 'sad ending' in the case of the sad climax. A third ending, the 'action ending', was kept within the game's files but went unused and unreleased.

Album notes

Album notes written by TOMOri Kudo. No official translation exists.

メビウスという今までに存在していなかったような敵との戦闘曲でしたので、 音楽としても今までになかったよ うなチャレンジングな曲にしたいな、というところから始めました。 コーラスで狂人たちの狂宴のような雰囲気 に、そしてシンセサイザーでメビウスのグロさや能力を演出してみました。 自分は無敵なんだ! と思いたい時に これを聴いてアッパーになって頂けると嬉しいです (笑)。

This section needs to be translated. This quote has not officially been translated into English. You can help translate it.

Trivia

• The drummer, Maoki Yamamoto, broke his drumsticks playing the introduction to this piece.
• Unlike other ending sections, the "sad ending" section does not carry over into a loading screen. This results in a much longer-than-average amount of time between when Moebius D & J (Cloudkeep)'s HP is reduced to 0 and when the subsequent cutscene loads, as the entirety of the ending section plays out in the meantime.

External links

• Manabe Strings recording the piece