Launch (XC2)
- For other articles titled "Launch", see Launch (disambiguation).
| Launch | |
|---|---|
| |
| Combo stage | 3 |
| Follows from | Topple |
| Damage bonus | 50% |
| Base duration | 5s |
| Special Gauge gain | 10 |
Launch is a reaction in Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and Torna ~ The Golden Country. A character inflicted with Launch cannot attack, evade, or move, and they take 50% additional damage which stacks additively with extra damage from Fusion Combos. Launched enemies will not fall under gravity, even if there is no ground beneath them. Launching an enemy causes a medium HP Potion to spawn.
Launch is the third stage of the Driver Combo; all Launch-inducing player attacks require Topple to be inflicted first, and all Smash-inducing player attacks require Launch to be inflicted first. This does not always apply to enemies, as many enemy arts can "force" a later combo stage without needing the previous one. Enemies may also have arts that apply a durationless Launch to themselves for the art's duration, which may be the only way to Smash a foe that is otherwise immune to another stage.
Unlike Break and Topple, the duration of a Launch inflicted on an enemy is somewhat fixed once it is applied. It cannot be paused or extended by a level IV Special or Chain Attack. It can be extended by a stage 3 Blade Combo, but only if the Blade Combo is initiated while the enemy is still spinning, not once the enemy starts slowing down. In these non-extendable situations, the onscreen timing bar will still behave as if it can be extended, so under these conditions the effect will end seemingly abruptly before the meter runs out. This odd behavior is changed in Torna to be more consistent, and Launch can be extended as expected in all situations. When it is inflicted on party members, button mashing can be used to reduce its duration, though AI-controlled party members will not try.
Launch, like the other reactions, is not guaranteed to be inflicted. The chance of a Launch occurring is given by the reaction infliction formula.
List of arts that can inflict Launch[edit]
By party members[edit]
Xenoblade Chronicles 2[edit]
| Art | User | Weapon | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 Upper Edge
|
 Rex
|
 Big Bang Edge
|
Launch |
| Power Swipe
|
Rex
|
 Greataxe
|
Launch |
| Rising Crescent
|
Rex
|
 Calamity Scythe
|
Launch |
 Comet Punch
|
 Nia
|
 Knuckle Claws
|
AOE / Launch |
| Meteor Punch
|
Nia
|
 Rockrending Gauntlets
|
AOE / Launch |
| Updraft
|
Nia
|
 Sword Tonfa
|
AOE / Launch |
| Stratospheric Thunder
|
 Zeke
|
Big Bang Edge
|
Launch |
| Behemoth Uppercut
|
Zeke
|
 Shield Hammer
|
Launch |
| Ragnarok Slash
|
Zeke
|
 Monado
|
Launch |
| Swooshing Slash
|
 Tora
|
 Variable Saber
|
Launch |
| Muscle Uppercut
|
 Vandham
|
 Dual Scythes
|
Launch |
 Heavenly Disrupt
|
 Jin
|
 Nodachi
|
Topple / Launch / Smash |
 Heavenly Disrupt
|
Jin
|
Nodachi
|
Driver Combo |
Torna ~ The Golden Country[edit]
| Art | User | Weapon | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 Touch-Me-Not
|
 Lora
|
 Battle Braid
|
Launch |
| Rising Arc
|
 Addam
|
 Greatsword
|
Launch |
| Rushing Tide
|
 Aegaeon
|
 Chroma Katana
|
Launch / Evasion |
By enemies[edit]
Enemy arts that launch the target[edit]
| Art | Target | Property | Debuff | Reaction(s) | Status | Enemies |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (auto-attack) | Opponent, line 12m long by 2m wide | none | none | Launch | none | |
| (auto-attack) | Opponent, single target up to 8m away | none | none | Launch | none | |
| (auto-attack) | Opponent, single target up to 8m away | none | none | Launch | none | |
| (auto-attack) | Opponent, line 6m long by 2m wide | none | none | Launch | none | |
| (auto-attack) | Opponent, line 6m long by 2m wide | none | none | Launch | none | |
| (auto-attack) | Opponent, single target up to 8m away | none | none | Topple, Launch | none | |
| (It's Launch!) | Opponent, single target up to 8m away | none | none | Launch | none | |
| (auto-attack) | Opponent, single target up to 8m away | none | Shackle Blade | Launch | none | |
| Beast Crash | Opponent, circle around user of 15m radius | none | none | Break, Topple, Launch | none | |
| Bison Charge | Opponent, line 12m long by 2m wide | none | none | Launch | none |
|
| Bison Charge | Opponent, line 12m long by 2m wide | none | none | Launch | none | |
| Cavalry | Opponent, line 8m long by 1m wide | none | none | Launch (forced) | none | |
| Crow Beat | Opponent, circle around user of 10m radius | none | none | Launch | none | |
| Crow Feather | Opponent, single target up to 20m away | none | none | Launch | none | |
| Cursed Cuisine | Opponent, line 20m long by 3m wide | none | none | Launch (forced) | none | |
| Dancing Abyss | Opponent, single target up to 8m away | none | undefined [18] | Break, Topple, Launch | none | |
| Destructo Beam | Opponent, line 20m long by 6m wide | none | none | Launch | none | |
| Dragon Storm | Opponent, circle around user of 30m radius | none | none | Launch | none | |
| Dragon Wave | Opponent, circle around user of 30m radius | none | none | Launch (forced) | none |
|
| Dragon Wave | Opponent, circle around user of 30m radius | none | none | Launch (forced) | none |
|
| Dyna Cannon | Opponent, line 30m long by 4m wide | none | none | Launch (forced) | none | |
| Elemental Beam | Opponent, line 30m long by 2m wide | none | none | Launch | none | |
| Final Crow | Opponent, circle around target of 5m radius | none | undefined [18] | Launch (forced) | none | |
| God Rage | Opponent, circle around user of 30m radius | Invincible | none | Launch (forced) | none | |
| Heavenly Disrupt | Opponent, single target up to 10m away | none | none | Knockback (level 3), Self-knockback, Topple, Launch, Smash (forced) | none | |
| Heavenly Disrupt | Opponent, single target up to 10m away | none | none | Knockback (level 3), Self-knockback, Topple, Launch, Smash (forced) | none | |
| Heavenly Disrupt | Opponent, single target up to 10m away | none | none | Knockback (level 3), Self-knockback, Topple, Launch, Smash (forced) | none | |
| Hundred Shells | Opponent, line 12m long by 2m wide | none | none | Topple, Launch | none | |
| King Crawler | Opponent, single target up to 8m away | Block | none | Launch (forced) | none |
|
| Master Art | Opponent, single target up to 8m away | none | none | Break, Topple, Launch, Smash | none |
|
| Master Art | Opponent, single target up to 8m away | Evade | none | Break, Topple, Launch, Smash | Drains 25% of one Party Gauge block. | |
| Muscle Uppercut | Opponent, single target up to 10m away | none | none | Launch | none | |
| Peerless | Opponent, single target up to 10m away | none | none | Break, Self-knockback, Topple, Self-knockback, Launch | none | |
| Polling Sensor | Opponent, circle around user of 30m radius | none | none | Launch (forced) | none | |
| Polling Sensor | Opponent, circle around user of 30m radius | none | none | Launch (forced) | none | |
| Polling Sensor | Opponent, circle around user of 30m radius | none | none | Launch (forced) | none |
|
| Power Rays | Opponent, single target up to 8m away | none | none | Launch | none |
|
| Rampage Train | Opponent, line 25m long by 6m wide | Block | none | Launch, Launch, Launch, Launch (forced) | none | |
| Rampage Train | Opponent, line 25m long by 6m wide | Block | none | Launch, Launch, Launch, Launch (forced) | none | |
| Rising Spear | Opponent, single target up to 8m away | none | none | Launch | Increases damage dealt from the back by 100%. | |
| Serpentine Blow | Opponent, circle around user of 12m radius | Self-Launch | none | Launch (forced) | none | |
| Somersault Kick | Opponent, single target up to 8m away | none | none | Launch | Increases damage dealt from the side by 100%. | |
| Stock Beat | Opponent, single target up to 5m away | none | none | Launch | none | |
| Stratospheric Thunder | Opponent, single target up to 8m away | none | none | Launch | none | |
| Tank March | Opponent, line 10m long by 3m wide | Block | none | Launch | none | |
| Thunder Kick | Opponent, circle around user of 3m radius | none | none | Launch (forced) | none |
Enemy arts that launch the user[edit]
| Art | Target | Property | Debuff | Reaction(s) | Status | Enemies |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ice Dunk | Opponent, circle around user of 15m radius | Self-Launch | none | none | none | |
| Killer Mine | Opponent, circle around user of 8m radius | Self-Launch | none | Blowdown (level 3), Suicide | none | |
| Rock Dunk | Opponent, circle around user of 15m radius | Self-Launch | none | none | none | |
| Rock Dunk | Opponent, circle around user of 15m radius | Self-Launch | none | Knockback (level 2) | none |
|
| Serpentine Blow | Opponent, circle around user of 12m radius | Self-Launch | none | Knockback (level 2) | none | |
| Serpentine Blow | Opponent, circle around user of 12m radius | Self-Launch | none | Launch (forced) | none | |
| Serpentine Blow | Opponent, circle around user of 8m radius | Self-Launch | none | Knockback (level 2) | none |
Strategy[edit]
Launch, despite how it may initially appear, is not merely a stronger form of Topple. The inability to pause or slow its timer is a major weakness and makes it very difficult to stack Fusion Combos upon, or use in Chain Attacks.
Launch has four major use cases. The first is advancing to Smash, which has its own host of benefits. When using Launch for the purpose of Smashing, be aware that Smash's slam damage scales with the remaining duration of Launch; as such, it is usually beneficial both to Smash as soon as possible and to extend Launch's duration as long as possible with accessories, Fusion Combos, and Fusion Combo-boosting effects. The second use case is in extending the benefits of Topple, providing an extra HP potion and preventing the enemy from attacking and dodging for a solid additional duration.
The third is in inflicting quick Fusion Combos under time pressure: it is often easier technically to inflict a single Blade Combo stage on a Launch than two Blade Combo stages on the same Topple. This provides only a +125-150% damage bonus (75-100% from the Fusion Combo plus 50% from the Launch) as opposed to a Topple double-stack's +175%, but it is generally more realistic for less skilled players to perform than Fusion Combo stacking, and the benefits of finishing a Blade Combo on a Launch over a Topple (and especially over no Driver Combo) are still great, assuming the damage cap is not being reached.
The fourth, which applies primarily to optimised postgame play, is that several strong damage over time-based setups perform best on a Launch due to Crossette's Pyrotechnics and/or Adenine's Battle Wisdom. When speedrunning Challenge Battle Mode, Fusion Combo stacking is often too slow for its worth, especially because using a single Blade Combo stage is enough to near-damage cap anyway; depending upon the specific setup, doing this single stage on a Launch may be the most powerful option.
Like Topple, it is unnecessary to have many sources of Launch in the party even if it is an integral part of one's strategy. Launch is not as easy to come across as Topple in many cases; Zeke's Stratospheric Thunder and Ragnarok Slash stand out for being both consistent on the AI and fast enough for most purposes. Comet Punch is available earlier and very fast (and can be used with Nim for the Fusion Combo bonus to Launch duration, or with Adenine for additional elemental weakness damage), but beware that Nia's AI will not switch to a Blade if she can continue a Blade Combo and the other Blade would not; as such, Nia's Blades' elements must be chosen and the combo route planned carefully for the AI to use this option consistently. Setups focused on Launching are most consistent when Tora is controlled, as his Swooshing Slash is fast and he also has easy access to Speedy Sword for Breaking, but he is inconsistent on the AI.
Trivia[edit]
- Enemies cannot deaggro while they are launched, unless a party member climbs a ladder or similar surface to instantly deaggro all enemies.
In other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
 English
|
Launch | — |
 Japanese
|
ライジング | |
 French
|
Éjection | |
 German
|
Schleudern | |
 Spanish
|
Lanzamiento | |
 Italian
|
Lancio | |
 Chinese (simplified)
|
浮空 | |
 Chinese (traditional)
|
浮空 | |
 Korean
|
라이징 |
Gallery[edit]
A Feris is launched
.jpg)
|
Statuses in Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and Torna ~ The Golden Country
| |
|---|---|
| Reactions | Break • Topple • Launch • Smash • Knockback • Blowdown |
| Blade Arts | Absorb Damage • Accuracy Up • Arts Plus • Back Attack Up • Critical Up • Debuff Cancel • Draw Aggro • Nullify Reaction • Recharge Boost |
| Debuffs | Doom • Nullify Heal • Shackle Blade • Shackle Driver • Stench • Taunt |
| Other | Affinity Down • Awakening • Damage barrier • Enraged • Monado Armor • Rage Strike • Super Strength |