Nintendo will be releasing the Version 1.3.0 update for Xenoblade Chronicles 2 on Nintendo Switch, which will add the highly anticipated Advanced New Game.

Monolith Soft has released production notes for the Version 1.3.0 update, providing more details on what to expect from it. Have a look at the summary below:

– ”Advanced New Game” is Xenoblade Chronicles 2’s equivalent of New Game+
– features various elements for players looking to play the game a second time
– resonate with the following Blades from Torna: Obrona, Sever, Perdido, Cressidus
– resonate with the following characters as Blades: Akhos, Patroka, Mikhail
– Tetsuya Takahashi specifies that you will be able to get those Blades from pretty much any type of Core Crystal (even common ones), even from the very beginning of the game
– for some of them, you will meet via quests instead
– being able to get those Blades early is definitely going to cause issues when it comes to the story, but the developers chose to prioritise fun over story coherence
– assign pretty much all Blades to Merc groups
– can disengage Blades you could not disengage until now, such as Pyra or Mythra
– Affinity Chart has been expanded
– can lower the level of the Drivers at the inn, as well as earn less bonus EXP corresponding to the lowered level
– use bonus EXP to purchase special items. Tetsuya Takahashi mentions items that can increase the number of accessory slots a Driver can have
– can use the Level 4 Special of “that” Blade
– elements that carry over to Advanced New Game:
Drivers levels
Drivers and Blades affinity levels, as well as SP, skills, etc.
Blades you’ve resonated with
Items and Gold
Develoment level of towns, as well as the Merc Group level
Cutscenes in the Event Theater, as well as your Unique Monsters kills (their ”tombstone” will still appear in the world, allowing you to battle them again at any time)
– what not will be carried over:
Quests
Heart to Hearts
Skip Travel Points
Merc missions you’ve completed
– for Advanced New Game, you will first have to beat the game once, and save your progress right after the ending
– to know if you have access to Advanced New Game, you simply have to check the title screen: it should be the one featuring Rex
– after clearing the game, do NOT start a regular playthrough after selecting the save data file with your completed playthrough, and do NOT save on that save data file
– can only start it from a “fresh” save data file, created by saving right after clearing the game
– if you’ve already cleared the game, there is special mark next to your save data file
– devs will have a little present for players with it, but it’s going to be a little while until it’s ready
– Ver. 1.3.0 update also brings other changes, that apply to the first playthrough too
– adds a system that locks synchronised Blades in the Blade list. That way, not only will you not be be able to disengage a Blade by accident, but it also increases visibility: you can see at a glance which Blade your Drivers are currently using
– adds an option to skip the Blade Resonance ”cutscene”
– on the skip travel screen, each icon can now be displayed when zooming on the mini-map
– adds an Easy Mode. The game as it is right now corresponds to Normal. You can change the difficulty level at any time from the Settings screen
– adds new sorting options to the following lists: Accessories, Assist Cores, Blades
– Ver. 1.3.0 will come with the fourth set of extra items for owners of the Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Season Pass, but we will have to wait a little bit longer before finding out what’s included this time around
– update originally planned to release sooner, but Ver. 1.3.0 was delayed due to various reasons (including debugging)