How to Trigger a Thunderstorm in Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition

In Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition, Shulk and his band of eclectic pals embark on an epic adventure to avenge their friends and fight evil. On paper, it sounds like the premise of many quintessential anime stories, but not only does the plot deepen as it goes, but the game also features a beautiful and dynamic world that is a joy to get lost in.

There are mountains to climb and valleys to explore, and day or night, it all looks beautiful. As Shulk and his mates make their way, they’ll come across many side quests to take on as well as monsters to fight. There are a lot of systems in the game, though, and some of these quests can be quite unwieldy. One quest in particular asks the player to take down a White Eduardo, which is further complicated by the fact that it’s only found during thunderstorms. Finding thunder in this game is often harder than actual fights! This guide will explain how to change the weather and trigger a thunderstorm.

How to Change the Weather in Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition

The times are a-changin’

The weather system in Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition is actually a fairly simple one to manipulate, although there is a level of RNG (random number generation) in getting the desired weather to occur. In any given area, the weather changes every 12 hours, so in order to change the weather in the game, the player just needs to go into the Main Menu and select “Change Time.” Jump the clock forward simply by selecting the time the clock is currently at (which actually pushes it forward a full 24 hours, but this is a little quicker than manually rotating the clock arms). Leave the Main Menu and Shulk and co. will find themselves in a newly generated instance of weather.

Thunderstruck

It’s worth noting that changing the clock 12 hours doesn’t guarantee the weather will actually be different. It’s possible (and likely) the player will find that it will be just as sunny as it was 12 hours before. Besides some area-specific weather effects, clear skies seem to be the most common weather, followed by rain, and then thunderstorms.

A thunderstorm is different than rain, so always make sure you can actually see lightning occurring in the sky. Also always make sure this trick is done in the location the player actually wants to see the effect of the weather change. Each area has its own weather system, and just because there is a thunderstorm in one area doesn’t mean there is one in the next. It might take some time and patience, but the player will eventually be able to trigger a thunderstorm when necessary. At least it’s not as complicated as crafting gems!

Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition is available on Nintendo Switch.

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