The hero system in Xenoblade Chronicles 3 allows you to bring in extra companions who can turn the tide in battle. They’re obtained by completing hero quests and upgraded by completing their ascension quests once available. Heroes span three general categories; Attacker, Defender, and Healer, and you’ll want at least one of these heroes in your party to make the most of their abilities.

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Each hero also has a subclass unique to them, making it worth upgrading a character’s level even if you don’t intend to play as them. For clarification, this list will rank the recruitable heroes, not the main characters.

19 Ethel - Attacker

Ethel from Xenoblade Chronicles 3

Ethel is good against lower-tier enemies taking them out swiftly with her decently strong attacks, but then again, so are most other characters. While her past of defeating three colonies with just a mere 100 soldiers is infamous, this strength is unfortunately never seen during in-game battles. Ethel joins the party in chapter three, but you’ll never need to utilize her over others.

18 Cammuravi - Attacker

Cammuravi from Xenoblade Chronicles 3

Cammuravi is unlocked late in the game during chapter six, so it’s a shame he’s at the bottom end of the list. He’s a part of the Seraph subclass and musters up quite a lot of attack power overall. If attack were the only importance, Cammuravi would be great, but he has low-end stats in all the other areas making it risky to bring him with you.

17 Zeon - Defender

Zeon from Xenoblade Chronicles 3

Zeon is a defender making his primary focus to provide support to allies. This support crops up as using Arts to draw enemy attention away from others, giving allies some room to breathe. Zeon’s Art also grants Armor Veil to allies, allowing them to absorb some damage without all the downsides of injury. He sits on the weaker scale of defenders.

16 Monica - Defender

Monica from Xenoblade Chronicles 3

Tactical Points or TP are an essential part of combat, and Monica’s heroic chain bonus grants the character an extra 15 TP. On top of this, she’s excellent for providing support, and her high health pool ensures she’ll continue through the fight to the very end. Although Monica’s attack power, which is undoubtedly the most important, doesn’t do much to foes.

15 Juniper - Attacker

Juniper from Xenoblade Chronicles 3

Being the only stealth-based subclass, Juniper sounds like a surefire way to the top. This stealth, however, isn’t as helpful as it would seem. Their gameplay consists of firing from long-range and moving around to avoid being hit.

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When it comes down to it, though, they’re almost the same as all other lower-tier attackers. Juniper gets a bad rap, but they’re not the worst of the heroes.

14 Triton - Attacker

Triton from Xenoblade Chronicles 3

The stats for Triton are average across the board, with him not specializing in any real area. If you want to bring someone who is reliable because of this middle aspect, Triton is the way to go, but he won’t be excellent in either of these areas. You also won’t recruit him until chapter five, so there’ll be better choices at that point.

13 Segiri - Attacker

Machine Assassin Segiri Xenoblade 3

Segiri’s expertise focuses on enemy debuffs that can be used against multiple enemies at once. However, debuffs aren’t the only valuable part of Segiri’s abilities, as she also has a high attack level that can prove crucial in dire moments of battle. While it’s unlikely Segiri will be a continuous player in any party, she is valuable for HP-heavy bosses.

12 Valdi - Healer

Valdi from Xenoblade Chronicles 3

The first healer appearing on the list, Valdi, is good at what he does, but once you unlock later healers, he won’t be your initial choice. Valdi is fantastic for combat support and healing, ensuring allies stay on their feet and on the move.

However, his low stats for defense can make it dangerous to bring him out on higher-level fights, as he’ll constantly be nearing low health.

11 Riku And Manana - Attacker

Riku and Manana from Xenoblade Chronicles 3

Riku and Manana earn a few points simply for being adorable, energetic companions. They’re also helpful within their respective attacker class and subclass Yumsmith, which grants them powerful abilities over enemy weak points.

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Riku and Manana are a great choice for some extra firepower with their heavy damage and their additional morale support stemming from their ability to inflict debuffs on opponents.​​​​​​​

10 Teach - Healer

Teach from Xenoblade Chronicles 3

Teach is another member of the healer class but is handy for much more than that. While his healing capabilities are superb for the team, especially his Wheel of Rebirth and Life-Saving Fists skills, Teach is also well-versed in tactical fighting.

His weapon, the Martial Linkstaff, allows for quick movements that’ll aid in beating enemies to the punch.​​​​​​​

9 Isurd - Healer

Isurd from Xenoblade Chronicles 3

Isurd sits under the Strategos subclass, meaning he’s adept at weakening enemies for others to swoop in and finish them off. But with the added benefit of a healer that’s also a capable fighter, there comes the unfortunate downside of pretty terrible defense, meaning you’ll have to keep an eye on his health at all times.

Isurd is a decent choice of healer as he has some of the most exciting and unique arts and is especially useful for healing in bulk.

8 Miyabi - Healer

Miyabi from Xenoblade Chronicles 3

Miyabi’s defining skill lets her speed up the Art recharge speed for allies, a vital task since this is what characters use to contribute to the battle. It’s why Miyabi is one of the essentials to bring along with you during battles with numerous foes or quick-attacking ones.

She’s one of the best in the supporting category and has the Arts to prove this. So while other healers may be a better choice over Miyabi, she’s still a fantastic choice for any loadout.​​​​​​​

7 Fiona - Healer

Fiona from Xenoblade Chronicles 3

Fiona’s convenience is no joke. She’s one of the best healers in the game and has the beneficial tendency to apply buffs to allies and herself. These buffs can be make-or-break later down the line as battles get more challenging and enemies switch up their tactics, which is when you want to bring Fiona along consistently.

Her attack power and defensive means may not be anything to write home about, but this is easily combated. ​​​​​​​

6 Melia - Attacker

Xenoblade Chronicles Melia cutscene from the quest "From Atop Her Throne."

Under the subclass of Royal Summoner and only recruitable after completing the main story, Melia is one of the best companions you can recruit to your party. Overall her stats are pretty balanced, with the only downside being her lack of defense, though it’s unlikely she’ll be knocked down too often.

Melia’s style of play does mean you’ll have to wait a short while before feeling the benefits, but this wait is worth it. Her status among the mass also allows for some interesting interactions between peers.

5 Alexandria - Attacker

Alexandria from Xenoblade Chronicles 3

Alexandria works best amid battle rather than during the very beginning since every time she makes a critical hit, the power of her hits is increased. Unfortunately, this makes much of Alexandria’s usefulness a waiting game and can make her a little of a liability near the start because you’ll need to make sure her health doesn’t whittle down too much.​​​​​​​

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Get past this point, though, and Alexandria is one of the most beneficial attackers for your party, and she’s also a prime choice when you want to rack up those combos.​​​​​​​

4 Gray - Attacker

Gray from Xenoblade Chronicles 3

Gray begins his time in Xenoblade Chronicles under the allure of the Full Metal Jaguar attacker subclass. His attack style involves using dual guns to damage opponents and drones to add to his offensive power.

Just like Alexandria, Gray becomes more potent as the battle wears on, so you’ll also have to wait a bit to see the scope of his power. Gray is arguably one of the best attackers and is increasingly accurate with his attacks.​​​​​​​

3 Ghondor - Attacker

Ghondor from Xenoblade Chronicles 3

While being the daughter of Monica, Ghondor proves herself a better fighter and the overall best choice of an attacker for your team. She uses her fists while fighting, allowing her to move fast, act fast, and hit fast, which becomes more critical as you progress.

Ghondor is the best for enemies you can’t quite pin down, AKA the annoying ones that move way too fast, and is an essential character to level up as soon as you’re given a chance.

2 Nia - Healer

Nia from Xenoblade Chronicles 3

With so much talk about the healers in Xenoblade Chronicles, one of them had to be close to the top. Nia, a healer under the Lifesage subclass, is bound to give you the upper hand in a fight no matter what you might be fighting.

Her Arts allow Nia to heal allies speedily, especially when using her Redeeming Bloom Art, which covers a medium-sized area. If you know you’ll be getting hit heavily and often, you must bring Nia along for the ride.​​​​​​​

1 Ashera - Defender

Ashera in Xenoblade Chronicles 3

Ashera has captured the community’s hearts and is often cited as one of the game’s best characters. Her love for battle and hope to die a worthy death amplifies her powers in combat, which is great for us since it takes much of the work off of our protagonist’s shoulders.

Ashera is not just a skilled defender but an excellent combatant who uses a double-edged sword to slice down her enemies. Her quick, successive attacks and prior experience make for the best hero in Xenoblade Chronicles and the one you should bring along the most.

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