What does raising colony affinity do in Xenoblade Chronicles 3? Answered

There are multiple side quests and missions for you to do in Xenoblade Chronicles 3. Raising colony affinity is one of these side activities you can accomplish after you’ve liberated a colony from the Flame Clock, giving them a chance to define a future that is not entirely reliant on killing other beings. There are multiple benefits to increasing your relationship with a colony. This guide covers what you get for raising colony affinity in Xenoblade Chronicles 3.

Why you should increase a colony’s affinity in Xenoblade Chronicles 3

There are two screens you want to review to learn more about increasing a colony’s affinity. The first is under the Party Skills screen. You can find this option in the main menu. Here, you can see the Affinity Bonuses and what you receive for having those bonuses. You can only review those bonuses and receive them after liberating a colony, which will require you to complete a mission and progress the story.

These are all bonuses you receive as you increase Affinity with the multiple colonies you encounter.

• Caravan Call: Causes Nopon Caravans to visit the colonies.
• Item Retriever: Increase item collection range.
• Shiny-Hunter: Increase chances of encountering rare monsters in the wild.
• Silent Steps: Reduces monster detection range.
• Slow Digestion: Increase meal effect duration.
• Speed Jogger: Increases running speed.
• Swift Swimmer: Increases swimming speed.

These are all passive buffs your party receives as you work through the game. When you level up a colony’s affinity score, they grant you one of these bonuses. You can review those bonuses by visiting the Affinity Screen on the main menu.

Not every colony has the same order of bonuses. When you click on any colony on this map, you can review the quests they want you to complete, giving you multiple ways to increase affinity with that colony. We recommend working your way through the story and keeping an eye on these bonuses to benefit you throughout your adventure in Xenoblade Chronicles 3.