Xenoblade Chronicles 3: How To Beat Silvercoat Ethel

Ethel, your beloved colony hero, is one of the bosses in "Xenoblade Chronicles 3." In fact, she's one of the first in the lengthy adventure across Aionios. Unfortunately, she's as tough as she's made out to seem. Players might not be able to wing it through this one without equipping at least half-decent gear and planning their line of attack. 

Noah and gang have to take on Ethel and her squad of four Keves soldiers in this fight. At this point, players have the option to switch classes between the six main characters. Keep the teams balanced with two Healers, two Defenders, and two Attackers. Some players find that a balanced team comp helps to keep a group from wiping out early. Healers are especially important because it will be difficult to avoid damage. Players may even want to take up a Defender or Healer position themself, if the AI isn't trusted. Alternatively, players can quickly switch to one whenever there's a need to activate a defense or healing skill.

Here's the equipment you should consider and how to best manage your resources during the fight with Ethel.

Accessories and gems should maximize Attackers' damage, Defenders' sturdiness, and Healers' longevity. For example, gaming YouTuber Release-Fire suggests giving an Attacker (in his case, Mio) a Garnet Ring. It boosts damage by 10 percent for every enemy in the fight. There are four Keves attackers plus Ethel, so that's 50 percent. According to Release-Fire, this lasts throughout the fight, even after you defeat the Keves soldiers. 

Meanwhile, the best Defender accessories differ between the Heavy Guard and Zephyr roles. Zephyr doesn't require as much of a Block Rate because it blends aggro with evasion tactics, so give the strongest Block Rate-boosting accessory to whoever's the Heavy Guard. Players can equip an Agility or Evasion accessory for Zephyr. Then for Healers, equip accessories that lessen Healer aggro, like a Friendship Ring. Accessories that boost or quicken healing also work, as you really want them to stay alive for the duration of the fight. 

If players don't have any of the recommended accessories, just go for the Bronze Temple Guard to boost HP, or whatever else can be scraped together. If better equipment is needed, check Collectopaedia Cards to see if any quests can be completed for an accessory reward. Gems, the other part of the accessory kit, don't have as many options. If you want to raise HP, which will be very important because of Ethel's high Attack, craft and equip the Ironclad gem to all party members.

First, defeat Ethel's grunts to stop them from chipping away at your health. Thankfully, they're much easier to take down because they have less attack power and HP than Ethel. Use your Tactics button (ZL) and choose the "follow the leader" command to direct everyone's attacks toward one Keves soldier at a time. Then, team up on Ethel once she's the only one left. 

Take advantage of the Break, Topple, and Daze statuses. The Swordfighter's Sword Strike art should be used first to Break, followed by the Heavy Guard's Bull Rush for Topple and then the Medic Gunner's Myopic Screen for Daze. It's difficult to line these up at once, but players should be able to control the Swordfighter to initiate the Break. Hopefully, Topple and Daze follow suit. Lining these statuses up can temporarily stun Ethel and cause her to take more damage.

Release-Fire suggests holding onto your Chain Attacks until Ethel enters her "Enraged" mode. Understandably, players want to endure as little damage as possible from her in this stage. Activate Chain Attack once she passes the threshold. Remember: Start with an Attacker for the First Blood bonus. Healers can't surpass the 99 percent TP limit, but they'll heal the team during a Chain Attack. Defenders work great for bookending combos while the same formula is used as many times as possible. From there, keep healing, and push on until the end.