Ouroboros

Ouroboros are entities in Xenoblade Chronicles 3. The term "Ouroboros" refers to two things: giant humanoid beings of impressive strength and regenerative ability, and the s who are capable of transforming into these beings. When two Ouroboros combine via an Interlink, they merge into a single form, its appearance based on one of the two users. The Ouroboros form is resistant to damage and strong enough to take on Moebius, but can only be maintained for a limited time.
==Description==
Ouroboros are created by Ouroboros Stones, which when activated, transform whatever humans may be nearby with such an aptitude into Ouroboros. An Ouroboros is freed from the Flame Clock of their Ferronis, with their Iris being altered to have the image of an eastern dragon eating its tail. They also gain the ability to change their to match other people, which copies the subject's weapon and clothing, and provides an intuitive knowledge of their techniques in battle. Only six people can be Ouroboros at any one time.
Two Ouroboros can Interlink to merge into their Ouroboros form. Each Ouroboros form is unique in appearance, based on whoever of the pair has taken charge, wielding the same sort of weapon. Kevesi Ouroboros are a dark purple with more insectoid features, while Agnian Ouroboros are white with more draconic features. While Interlinked, the two participants can see each others' memories, though in a messy and jumbled fashion.
The Ouroboros form is powerful, able to take on feats of strength beyond any human, and regenerate any missing body parts as long as the core is intact. However, these feats require energy, and the more energy is spent, the more the form begins to heat up. At high heat levels, a warning sound much like a constant beeping begins to emit from the body as it glows orange. Staying Interlinked for too long beyond this point causes a buildup of black fog, and eventually an annihilation event.
Some Ouroboros traits are genetic. While the hard limit on six "true" Ouroboros remains, offspring of Ouroboros retain the symbol in their Iris and are free to select any of their choosing. There is nothing stopping them from becoming true Ouroboros under the proper conditions.
===Future Redeemed===
In the time of Future Redeemed, long before the main game, there is much less knowledge of the Ouroboros Stones and how they operate. As a result, their usage and results differ significantly.
Anyone who is an Ouroboros has access to "Ouroboros power", which allows them to use more powerful techniques in battle. This generally manifests by glowing a color unique to the individual, unrelated to their Iris color. When sufficiently focused, an apparition of an Ouroboros form projects from the user to aid in their combat.
Due to these weaker effects, more than six people can be Ouroboros at a time, and simply becoming an Ouroboros is not enough to free a Kevesi or Agnian from their colony's Flame Clock.
==Story==
==As a gameplay element==
Each of the three Interlink pairs among the main playable characters ( & , & , & ) may independently combine into Ouroboros forms during combat. This changes the moveset made available to them. The form of the Ouroboros taken, as well as the moves made available as a result, depends upon which member of the pair takes the lead.
Controlling Ouroboros is generally made available during the fight against . Initially, only the Kevesi characters in the pairs take the lead and hence only the Kevesi Ouroboros forms may be used in battle. After the fight against Lambda Ferronis, the lead character may be swapped at will; for example, if Noah and Mio are currently in Ouroboros form, the form and moveset may be swapped between that of Noah's Ouroboros and that of Mio's Ouroboros.
In combat, Ouroboros forms are treated as separate characters to the characters they comprise. They have their own set of s ("Ouroboros Arts"), s, s, and values. They do not inherit Arts, accessories, effects, or Skills from their characters, so any Skills with party-wide effects are disabled while the character is in Ouroboros form. (They are, however, impacted by the skills of other characters; therefore, a character with e.g. Beaming Edge who is not in Ouroboros form will increase the rate of all active Ouroboros.) They do have an effective which is used to calculate their stats - this level is the mean of the levels of their two characters, rounded up. The initial Ouroboros aggro is set to the sum of the two characters' current aggro values. The characters' and aggro returns to their pre-Interlink values once the Interlink ends.
Ouroboros forms are unaffected by . However, they can still be inflicted with s and s. When two characters interlink, the Ouroboros form inherits all of the s and debuffs active on either of the characters. Canceling an Interlink results in both characters receiving all of the buffs and debuffs active on the Ouroboros. This can be exploited to share a buff from one Interlink partner to the other, by activating and immediately deactivating the Interlink. If an Ouroboros form touches the , its Interlink is cancelled.
One cannot enter Ouroboros form if either member of the Interlink pair is incapacitated, immobilized by or , or under the effects of Interlink Seal. Additionally, there must be sufficient space around the initiating character for the Ouroboros form to fit. The Malevolent Hollow also prevents all party members from entering Ouroboros form. The party also cannot Interlink during their stay at Li Garte Prison Camp until the completion of Third Day of Prison.
===Controls===
The player-controlled character enters their Ouroboros form with their Interlink partner by pressing D-pad left. When in Ouroboros form, the Interlink can be cancelled by pressing D-pad down. When possible, switching to the other Ouroboros form of the Interlink partner is done with D-pad up. Other controls are unchanged when in Ouroboros form (including those for using Arts, tactics, and character swapping).
By default, the controls the interlinks of non-player-controlled characters. This can be changed in the options menu to a setting which prevents the AI from interlinking automatically, but allows the player to control each Interlink individually. The setting for doing so unlocks once the Agnian Ouroboros forms may be used.
===Ouroboros Arts===
Ouroboros Arts work slightly differently to ordinary s. Only three non-Talent Arts can be equipped at once, bound to the X, Y, and B buttons; there is no equivalent of Master Arts or Fusion Arts. Initially, three non-Talent Arts and one Talent Art can be used; three other non-Talent Arts can be acquired via the Soul Tree (see below).
Ouroboros non-Talent Arts use "non-consecutive" recharge: they are each recharged fully by using a different Art, or by switching to the Interlink partner's Ouroboros form. Talent Arts are charged by using non-Talent Arts; the amount recharged by using an Art is increased when ing an or other Art, and when inflicting an reaction. Higher Interlink levels (see below) also provide a multiplier on recharge rate, which in practice only affects Talent Art recharge.
===Soul Tree===
Each Ouroboros form is upgraded via a "Soul Tree", a graph of Arts, Skills, and their upgrades accessible via the menu. Each node on the graph can be purchased with Soul Points (SP). A node can only be purchased if there is a path of purchased nodes from that node to the root node of the graph. Moreover, upgrades for Arts and Skills can only be purchased if the Arts or Skills themselves are available for the Ouroboros form to use.
On each Ouroboros form's Soul Tree, one may purchase three Arts (in addition to those which come with the form by default), the form's four special Skills, and a single upgrade for each Art and Skill. There is also a list of "generic" Skills available for purchase; these include stat increases, skills which reduce heat gauge buildup (see below), and one Skill which allows Arts to be ed into one another.
====Soul Link====
Ouroboros forms can share Soul Tree nodes with the form of their Interlink partner, thus allowing their partner's form to obtain some of their own form's abilities.
Only some Soul Tree nodes can be linked: the four special Skills, the stat-increase generic Skills, and the heat control generic Skills. Nodes which unlock Arts and those which upgrade Arts or Skills cannot be linked. Note, however, that if a form has upgraded a Skill and links it with their partner, then the partner's form will use the upgraded version of that Skill.
Soul Linking is unlocked after fighting in . Initially only one node can be linked; completing a character's Side Story allows them to receive one more node from their partner's Soul Tree.
===Heat gauge===
Ouroboros forms are limited by the "heat gauge". This is a gauge for each Ouroboros pair that steadily builds up over time while in an Interlink; when it reaches full, the Interlink is forcibly cancelled in an "overheat". The heat gauge is maintained across swapping between the two forms of an Ouroboros pair. In the following, percentages are of the heat gauge's maximum value.
The heat gauge increases by 4% per second while in an Interlink. Soul Tree skills which reduce heat gauge buildup over time ("Heat Control: Time") reduce this by 0.4% each, to 3.6%, 3.2%, and 2.8% per second with one, two, and three skills purchased respectively. When a pair is not Interlinked, their heat gauge goes down by 1.7% per second.
Besides heat increase over time, several actions increase heat during Interlink:
* Canceling an Art into an Art increases heat by 3.6%. Soul Tree skills which reduce heat gauge buildup with Arts canceling ("Heat Control: Arts Canceling") reduce this by 0.9% each, to 2.7% and 1.8% with one and two skills purchased respectively.
* Initiating an Interlink when the heat gauge is not at 0 increases heat by 10%.
* Feather Sanctuary increases heat by 5% when unupgraded, and s increase it by 6%.
* If any character is incapacitated, Liberty Wing increases heat to maximum.
* Being inflicted with increases heat to maximum.
Receiving does not affect heat (despite it doing so in the story). There is a mechanic left in-game which would result in taking damage increasing heat, but its value is set to 0.
If an Interlink overheats, the two characters cannot Interlink again until the heat gauge has drained to 0. Otherwise, Interlinking is possible regardless of the current heat gauge level (although if it is nonzero, Interlinking will increase it by 10% automatically, as stated above).
Talent Arts prevent an Ouroboros form from overheating for the duration of the animation; the heat gauge still builds up over time during them, but the Interlink will not end until the animation is finished. This can be exploited to extend the duration of an Interlink for a few seconds, at the expense of guaranteeing that it overheats. This does not apply to non-Talent Arts, which will be interrupted if the form overheats.
===Interlink level===
Interlinks can occur at one of four levels, labelled 0 to 3. Higher-level Interlinks provide significant benefits to the Ouroboros forms.
Interlink level is built up during combat by the two members of the pair when they are not Interlinked. It is tracked using a point system: if a pair reaches 400 points, their Interlink level increases to 1; 900 points increases it to 2; and at 1500 points it increases to the maximum of 3.
Points are granted by using Fusion Arts: if an -controlled party member uses a Fusion Art, 150 points are granted to their pair's Interlink level. If the player-controlled character uses a Fusion Art, 100 points are granted. If is enabled, all Fusion Arts grant 100 points. These gains are multiplied by x1.25 on Easy , and by x0.75 on Hard. 500 points are lost if a member of the pair is incapacitated, to a minimum of 0. However, note that losing points does not itself decrease Interlink level, only increase the number of points required to increment the level further; therefore, if a pair is at (say) 1100 points (Interlink level 2) and a member becomes incapacitated, they drop to 600 points (and as such need 900 more points to get to level 3), but still remain at level 2.
Interlink level (and the points used to raise it) reset to 0 when an Interlink is cancelled, regardless of whether or not it overheated. It also resets after combat ends.
Interlinking at a certain level results in the following effects:
Effect 	Interlink level 0	Interlink level 1	Interlink level 2	Interlink level 3
damage increase against 	-20% 	+50% 	+150% 	+300%
Additive damage increase against 	±0% 	+75% 	+200% 	+350%
 	-40% 	±0% 	+30% 	+60%
 	-20% 	±0% 	+10% 	+25%
 	-50% 	±0% 	+50% 	+100%
 	-15% 	±0% 	+15% 	+35%
 	-20% 	±0% 	+10% 	+25%
Recharge rate 	-20% 	±0% 	+25% 	+50%
resistance 	+10% 	+25% 	+50% 	+75%
Enemy reaction resistance reduction	±0% 	+10% 	+25% 	+40%
Chance to avoid / via somersault 	+10% 	+20% 	+30% 	+50%
It also affects the potency of an Interlink's Role Interlink Effect (see below).
At level 3, the following discrete effects occur:
* Several Arts used by Ouroboros inflict a stage of the on all enemies.
* Initiating a while controlling a level 3 Ouroboros results in a special Chain Attack that uses the Chain Orders of the Interlinked pair (see below).
* Noah's Ouroboros' Talent Art becomes Origin Blade once the heat gauge reaches 90%. (This unlocks when Origin Blade is first available during the fight against the Queen of Agnus.)
===Role Interlink Effect===
Upon Interlinking at an Interlink Level of 1 or greater, an effect is activated that depends on the current role of the character whom the Ouroboros form belongs to. For the three eligible Interlink Levels, the possible effects are as follows:
Role 	Effect 	Interlink level 1	Interlink level 2	Interlink level 3
 	Multiplies the Ouroboros form's initial aggro. 	x2 	x3.5 	x6
Attacker	Deals a multiple of the Ouroboros form's in damage to all enemies. 	1250% 	3000% 	5000%
Healer 	Heals the entire party for a percentage of their maximum . 	25% 	50% 	100%
Healer 	Continually heals the party for a percentage of their maximum HP every three seconds until the Interlink is canceled.	2% 	3.5% 	5%
Healers have both listed Role Interlink Effects. The initial heal is uniquely repeated every time the player swaps between Ouroboros forms, regardless of whether the form swapped to is also that of a Healer.
===In Chain Attacks===
Once the Agnian Ouroboros forms are unlocked after fighting Lambda Ferronis, Ouroboros can be used in s via special "Ouroboros Orders". Each Interlink pair has two different Ouroboros Orders, one led by each of the two Ouroboros forms of the pair. Ouroboros Orders have several special properties:
* Every character is reactivated at the start of an Ouroboros Order.
* All Ouroboros Orders have a "greatly increases damage ratio" effect: the damage ratio increases by a base of 200% instead of 100%, albeit with no random round bonus. See for details.
* Ouroboros' Chain Arts have a special animation composed of four individual parts. First, the leading Ouroboros form attacks; the two cancel their Interlink and attack together; then they re-Interlink and the other Ouroboros form attacks. Both the Ouroboros forms and the non-Ouroboros forms of both of the relevant characters are considered to be "present" for the duration of the Chain Art; this means that passive Skills such as Unceasing Blessing will apply for the entire duration, even though (in this case) Eunie's Ouroboros is not visibly active for the full Eunie-Taion order.
There are two main situations in which Ouroboros Orders appear.
In ordinary Chain Attacks, if the Chain Order for each member of an Interlink pair is completed, the next round will have an Ouroboros Order of a random member of that Interlink pair. This Order will be available regardless of whether there is any Chain Attack gauge left; if there is none, the Ouroboros Order will be the only available Chain Order to choose. By this means, Chain Attacks can be extended for a round beyond what is otherwise possible.
Alternatively, if a Chain Attack is initiated while the player controls an Ouroboros form at Interlink level 3, a special Chain Attack will be performed with a maximum of two rounds. The first round will only have one Interlink partner's Ouroboros Order available, and the second round will only have the other's.
Several Chain Attacks performed during the final boss are also limited to Ouroboros Orders.
===List of Ouroboros forms===
The following pages cover the gameplay of Ouroboros forms:
* Noah/Gameplay (Ouroboros)
* Mio/Gameplay (Ouroboros)
* Eunie/Gameplay (Ouroboros)
* Taion/Gameplay (Ouroboros)
* Lanz/Gameplay (Ouroboros)
* Sena/Gameplay (Ouroboros)
===In Future Redeemed===
The concept of "Ouroboros" is mechanically very different in Future Redeemed (FR). The closest equivalent to the main game's Ouroboros forms and Interlinking is the conceptually-unrelated Unity mechanic. Instead, the power of Ouroboros in FR gameplay corresponds roughly to the Master Arts of the main game.
In FR, each character is fixed to a . The Arts performed using D-pad up/right/down (which in the main game would be Master Arts) are called "Ouroboros Powers". They are also part of the character's class, and learnt via the Affinity Growth chart. When characters use a Fusion Art, the Ouroboros Power portion is executed by a ghostly Ouroboros-like apparition which then vanishes. This grants the Ouroboros Power portion an additional beneficial effect.
The fact that the Ouroboros Power portion of Fusion Arts is executed by the Ouroboros apparition, not the character in question, has subtle additional effects:
* It is always of the Ether type.
* It is not influenced by Power Charge, Empowered Combo or Mighty Link.
* It uses the offensive s of the Ouroboros apparition and its associated , including , and .
** These stats are identical to those of Noah's Ouroboros, with the exception of Na'el, whose apparition has higher Attack.
* It will not force the character into a recoil animation if ed.
* It will not be interrupted should the character be knocked out of their own animation.
==Trivia==
* Ouroboros forms are very similar to the Gears in Xenogears.
** The Ouroboros gameplay is similar to the E.S. combat in Xenosaga Episodes II and III respectively; being two party members in control of a singular entity.
* The name 'Ouroboros' is a reference to the symbol of the same name: a dragon or snake eating its own tail, commonly interpreted as representing eternal cycles. This symbol features prominently in Ouroboros-related imagery in Xenoblade Chronicles 3, where it is called the "Ouroboros Ring": it is the shape of the Irises of Ouroboros, and is regularly used in menu icons to denote Ouroboros.
** The same symbol is used in the logo of the U.M.N. in Xenosaga.
** While the snake-eating-tail imagery does not appear, the concept of the Urobolus Ring in Xenogears is deliberately evocative of this symbol.
* In versions of the game prior to 1.2.0, the first Soul Link can be used after the fight with Lambda Ferronis as opposed to after Consul J in Chapter 3. However, the UI still displays the available slot as being locked until after J is defeated.
==In other languages==
==Gallery==
===Artwork===
Ouroboros_Noah.png|Noah's Ouroboros form
Ouroboros_Mio.png|Mio's Ouroboros form
Ouroboros_Eunie.png|Eunie's Ouroboros form
Ouroboros_Taion.png|Taion's Ouroboros form
Ouroboros_Lanz.png|Lanz's Ouroboros form
Ouroboros_Sena.png|Sena's Ouroboros form
===Screenshots===
Ouroboros ring.png|The Ouroboros ring in Noah's Iris
Noah Ouroboros.png|Noah in his Ouroboros form
Mio Ouroboros.png|Mio in her Ouroboros form
Eunie Ouroboros.png|Eunie in her Ouroboros form
Taion Ouroboros.png|Taion in his Ouroboros form
Lanz Ouroboros.png|Lanz in his Ouroboros form
Sena Ouroboros.png|Sena in her Ouroboros form
Founders Ouroboros.png|The Founders in their Ouroboros form
====Pre-release====
Three_Ouroboros_promo.png|The party in their Ouroboros form (using the forms of the Keves characters)
===Gameplay===
Ouroboros manual menu.jpg|The menu for Interlinking while manual mode is activated
Ouroboros in battle.jpg|Ouroboros in battle
Ouroboros transformation (static) 1.jpg|Ouroboros transformation
Ouroboros transformation (static) 2.jpg|Ouroboros transformation
Ouroboros transformation (dynamic).gif|Ouroboros transformation (animated)
Ouroboros switching.gif|Switching between Ouroboros forms
Ouroboros deactivates (dynamic).gif|Deactivating Ouroboros
Ouroboros Art menu.jpg|Menu for Ouroboros Arts
Ouroboros Skill menu.jpg|Menu for Ouroboros skills
Ouroboros Soul Tree (Noah).jpg|Soul tree for Ouroboros Noah
Ouroboros Soul Tree (Mio).jpg|Soul tree for Ouroboros Mio
Ouroboros Soul Tree (Eunie).jpg|Soul tree for Ouroboros Eunie
Ouroboros Soul Tree (Taion).jpg|Soul tree for Ouroboros Taion
Ouroboros Soul Tree (Lanz).jpg|Soul tree for Ouroboros Lanz
Ouroboros Soul Tree (Sena).jpg|Soul tree for Ouroboros Sena
Chain Attack (XC3) Ouroboros Order hint.jpg|Graphic effect hinting that an Ouroboros order will be available
Chain Attack (XC3) Ouroboros Order selection 5.jpg|An Ouroboros order is one of the choices in the middle of the Chain Attack
Chain Attack (XC3) Ouroboros Order selection 1.jpg|An Ouroboros order is the only choice at the end of a Chain Attack
Chain Attack (XC3) Ouroboros Order selection 2.jpg|An Ouroboros order is selected
Chain Attack (XC3) Ouroboros Order reactivates everyone.jpg|The Ouroboros order reactivates everyone, with the exception of special effects like Ashera's
Chain Attack (XC3) Ouroboros Order splashscreen.jpg|Splashscreen at the beginning of an Ouroboros order
Chain Attack (XC3) Ouroboros Order selection 3.jpg|Starting a Chain Attack as a level 3 Interlink makes the player go through both Ouroboros orders back to back
Chain Attack (XC3) Ouroboros Order selection 4.jpg|Starting a Chain Attack as a level 3 Interlink makes the player go through both Ouroboros orders back to back
Chain Attack (XC3) Result screen Ouroboros only.jpg|Result of such a Chain Attack
Ouroboros apparition (static).jpg|The Ouroboros apparition that happens after using a Fusion Art in Future Redeemed
*Category:Lore (XC3)