Do You Need to Play Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Before Torna – The Golden Age?
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 was the first big traditional JRPG on Nintendo Switch and it certainly made an impression, selling over one million copies to date. It’s enjoyed a good amount of popularity since then, due in no small part to diligent updates and add-ons from Monolith Soft. Its biggest update yet is finally here however, with the new story expansion Torna – The Golden Age. Seeing as Torna is releasing as a standalone game, many Switch owners are probably wondering if you need to play the entirety of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 before jumping in. We’ll give you an answer to that question.
Torna is actually a prequel to Xenoblade Chronicles 2, taking place 500 years before the main game. The story focuses on a major piece of lore and background story from Xenoblade Chronicles 2, however, you don’t necessarily need to have played the original game in order to jump into Torna. The expansion is a self-contained story that you can understand entirely on its own, and the game has a ton of tutorials and explanations on its various systems and mechanics.
That being said, you’ll certainly have much more of an attachment to the story of Torna if you play Xenoblade Chronicles 2 first. The expansion features quite a few major characters from the main game, and knowing those characters going in makes the emotion of the story hit even more. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is a hefty experience, of course, taking at least 60-70 hours to beat. Because of that, it might actually be easier to pick up Torna first, see if you like it, then jump into the base game if you do. Either way is your choice, but there’s no right or wrong decision.
That’s all you need to know about Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and its expansion, Torna – The Golden Age. For even more tips, tricks, and guides on the game, make sure to search Twinfinite.
