Xenoblade Chronicles: Unlock the Ether Jet and racing minigame

Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition just got a big update in the form of a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of the game.

Yes, the full title is now Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition. That’s more than a mouthful, but this paid DLC upgrade does bring with it a few new things to play with throughout the main story of this JRPG.

Not only do you get a fancy new Ether Jet bike to ride around the world on, but you also get a series of race minigames to enjoy. These minigames will unlock new armor pieces for each character and act as an amazing way to farm Noponstone. This means you can trade with the Nopon Archsage and get all of the Colony 6 Reconstruction materials, and much more.

For everything you need to unlock the Ether Jet bike and the racing minigames in Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition, just read through our guide below.

How to unlock the Ether Jet bike – XCDE

Upon booting up the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of Xenoblade Chronicles for the first time, you’ll be made aware of new Extra Content, including the Ether Jet.

In order to unlock the Ether Jet, you’ll need to complete a newly added quest: World-Changing Watchama jig. A Nopon Engineer can be found near the entrance to the Refugee Camp on Bionis’ Leg.

Agree to pick up the quest, and then head to Colony 9’s Cylinder Hangar. You’ll find the ether cylinders the Nopon needs here, along with a simple enemy to defeat.

Return to the Nopon Engineer outside the Refugee Camp, and you’ll be gifted with the Ether Jet. It’s basically a hoverbike, and it’ll allow you to traverse the world much faster than usual. Just press ZL+ZR in the overworld to summon it. You can also use it in Future Connected, once unlocked in the main game.

How to play the Nopon Grand Prix racing minigame – XCDE

Once you unlock the Ether Jet, you’ll also be able to participate in the Nopon Grand Prix. The Nopon Grand Prix consists of two kinds of Ether Jet minigames, each with five different tracks to take on. Each party member can earn unique rewards for each race type and track, meaning each character essentially has ten new challenges to take on.

You can access the Nopon Grand Prix from the Main Menu by pressing Y. You can also access the tracks by visiting a Nopon at each of them, but this is much easier.

General Ether Jet bike tips

The Ether Jet is pretty self-explanatory. In general, you should aim to grab three of the same colour gems in a row – that applies to both race types – in order to get boost power and high point chains in the Battle Race and Score Attack events, respectively.

The Ether Jet is pretty easy to navigate for the most part, but you should release the accelerator and brake when taking especially hard corners. Most corners can be taken simply by releasing the accelerator.

When you run out of Boost, you will be unable to use it again until it fully recharges. Collecting gems lining the race will refill your Boost.

If you get stuck or fall off the track, don’t hesitate to hold the Minus button to reset to the track.

How to win Score Attack games

Score Attack games have you racing through a series of checkpoints while collecting gems. You get chain bonuses for collecting three of the same color gems in a row, and maintaining a chain bonus will allow you to rack up massive scores. You need to finish the race within the allotted time, of course, but it’s pretty generous. Your main concern should be collecting gems, which are plentiful.

How to win Battle Race games

Battle Races have you actually competing against other party members to get through the various checkpoints and to the final goal. The good news is that the CPU-controlled racers are pretty slow, so it should be simple for you to get ahead. As long as you collect three gems of the same color in a row while racing, you’ll consistently get bouts of unlimited boost, which will easily keep you in first place throughout.

Farming Noponstone for Colony 6 Reconstruction – XCDE

Each race you undertake and win gives you a pile of Noponstone, which is a nice reward and can be farmed repeatedly. This is the fastest way to acquire Noponstone in Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition. Remember, each party member has ten different races to undertake.

This can be traded to the Nopon Archsage for a variety of rewards, including all of the materials required for the Colony 6 Reconstruction project. This is infamously the most tedious – and most rewarding – quest in the entire game, and the ability to easily farm Noponstone to trade for the materials makes it much more bearable. You can warp to the Nopon Archsage from the Bionis’ Leg Refugee Camp.