Auto-attack (XC2)

Auto-attacks are the most basic and weakest form of attack in the of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and Torna ~ The Golden Country. A Driver will perform auto-attacks without player input when their weapon is drawn, they are not moving, and an enemy is in range. Auto-attacks are used to recharge Driver Arts.
==Overview==
Each Driver has a set of three auto-attacks for each . These three are always performed in a specific order when the Driver stands still. Moving, performing a different attack, being inflicted with a , or having an attack ed results in the Driver starting over from the first auto-attack.
Auto-attacks can be ed into Driver Arts and s. Canceling auto-attacks into Driver Arts results in more Special gauge buildup than the ordinary 1/4 with no canceling: canceling the first auto-attack builds up the gauge by 3/8, canceling the second results in 1/2, and the third results in 5/8. Auto-attack animations can also be interrupted at any time by movement or using a different attack, not only during their cancel window.
Whether an auto-attack is physical or ether depends upon the weapon used, and its element is the same as that of the active . Each party-member auto-attack is single-target. In almost all cases, party auto-attacks have an effective damage ratio of 50 for the first, 80 for the second, and 120 for the third.
Enemies have auto-attacks of their own. Unlike party member auto-attacks, these may have special effects such as having an area of effect or inflicting s.
===In Torna ~ The Golden Country===
Auto-attacks are functionally identical in Torna ~ The Golden Country's combat, although they are performed by the characters in the , as opposed to by Drivers. Each character has their own set of auto-attack animations.
==Strategy==
Auto-attacking is a slow process which, beyond the very start of the game, is negligible in comparison to almost any other source of damage. As such, much of the relevant strategy entails simply minimising the time spent auto-attacking. This is primarily done using Arts recharge Pouch items and , but there are ways to execute auto-attacks which benefit this process before Arts Chain can be acquired.
===Canceling===
Before Arts Chain is acquired, the only way to build up the Special gauge faster than the default 1/4-per-Driver-Art is by canceling auto-attacks into Driver Arts. The gauge is built up the most per Driver Art by waiting until the third auto-attack in the cycle to cancel. However, this is not the most efficient way of building the gauge, because the extra time spent waiting for the third Driver Art in the cycle outweighs the benefit of the additional 1/8 gauge buildup.
Instead, the best way to build up Special gauge sans Arts Chain is to always cancel the second auto-attack into a Driver Art. This builds up to level Specials in two Driver Arts, level Specials in four, and level and in six.
===Stutter-stepping===
Auto-attacking to recharge Driver Arts is generally less efficient than other sources of recharge (primarily dessert pouch items) after the earlygame. But until then, it is necessary. The best way to speed this process up is via stutter-stepping, an unintentional mechanic.
Performing a stutter-step involves making a small movement soon after the first auto-attack connects. Moving interrupts the rest of the auto-attack, while going back to standing still begins the first one again. Ideally, the movement is as small as possible (such as by flicking the left stick), done as soon after the auto-attack's hit as possible. This is then repeated constantly for the next auto-attack, resulting in several quick uses of the first auto-attack.
The main benefit of stutter-stepping is that, for most weapon-Driver combinations, it results in far more auto-attacks per second than simply standing still and letting the three-hit combo play out. This not only charges driver arts faster, but puts out more damage per second. Aegis Sword is the classic example of being able to use stutter-stepping very effectively to quickly charge arts.
The main downside of stutter-stepping is that the increase in damage has a corresponding increase in aggro, which can be troublesome in the earlygame before a full functional party is available. It also does poorly for weapons where the first auto-attack has multiple hits, as the full arts charge is divided between them. Stutter-stepping with such an auto-attack means either doing so after the first hit, which means gaining less than one "segment" of arts charge, or doing so after the last hit, which will generally be slower than other weapons.
===Auto-attack-oriented strategies===
As the damage of auto-attacks is so low in comparison to other sources (especially Blade Combos, Fusion Combos, and s), it is difficult to construct strategies which primarily use auto-attacks that perform anywhere near as well as those that don't.
The best to use for auto-attack damage is , whose and Stay True Battle Skills increase auto-attack damage substantially, and whose auto-attacks uniquely have a higher damage ratio than normal (60, 96, and 144 respectively). The Break Stone or can be used to further increase auto-attack damage. Nevertheless, even the most heavily-optimised auto-attack-oriented strategies benefit greatly from using Specials and Blade Combos as usual.
==List of auto-attacks==
===By party members===
====Xenoblade Chronicles 2====
	Driver	Weapon	Auto-attack	Type	Damage ratio	Target	Aggro	Hitframes
====Torna ~ The Golden Country====
	Driver	Weapon	Auto-attack	Type	Damage ratio	Target	Aggro	Hitframes
===By enemies===
==Gallery==
Auto-attack Tutorial (TTGC).jpg|Auto-attack tutorial in Torna ~ The Golden Country
Category:Battle mechanics (XC2)Category:Battle mechanics (TTGC)