Ino is the latest Hero to join Xenoblade Chronicles 3, but she’s a little bit different from the other optional party members. For starters, Ino has lived around Nopon all her life, so she speaks with their odd cadence. She’s also made entirely of mechanical parts, which has profound story implications and affects Ino’s progression system.
How To Upgrade Ino
Most Hero characters in Xenoblade Chronicles 3 have static equipment, skills, and stats that go up whenever they gain a level. They’re like permanent guest characters that you don’t have much control over in terms of progression. Ino, however, is a little bit different.
Related: How to Recruit Ino in Xenoblade Chronicles 3
She has a unique menu called Inoswap, a skill-tree-like system that allows players to upgrade Ino’s various Skills, Abilities, and stats. To do so, players will need High Ether Cylinders, a new consumable contained within Ether Spheres scattered throughout the world. You’ll need to defeat enemies guarding the Spheres before claiming the High Ether for yourself.
Each Ether Sphere rewards a different amount of High Ether, and each Inoswap icon requires different amounts depending on the upgrade. On the plus side, the Ether Spheres do regenerate over time, though they’ll never give out as much High Ether as they did on the first harvest.
Upgrading the High Ether Cylinder+
The team stores all their High Ether in the High Ether Cylinder+, which Ino gives you during her initial quest. The Cylinder doesn’t hold much High Ether at first, but you can upgrade its storage capacity to hold even more. After unlocking Ino as a party member, you’ll unlock the related quest Going Full HD. To begin the quest, head to the Namba Mound Camp in the Fornis Region and speak to Sunny and Cheerio.
The Nopon merchants will tell you that Totoma is the only one skilled enough to upgrade the Cylinder. Before you leave to talk to Totoma, they’ll give you a unique item that unlocks the first Cylinder upgrade. Totoma is also at the Namba Mound Camp, just past the campfire. After Totoma unlocks the first storage upgrade, you’ll need to donate resources to unlock subsequent enhancements. Different items contribute different percentages, and each upgrade tier requires a different set of resource items.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 and Waves 1 and 2 of the Expansion Pass are available now for the Nintendo Switch.
Related: All Swimsuits and How to Unlock in Xenoblade Chronicles 3
