Thanks to NantenJex and Hamada for helping with research, and Hamada for edits.
Many role-playing games include “superbosses,” overwhelmingly powerful, optional foes. The Xenoblade Chronicles series proudly employs this practice, hiding multiple ones in every installment. Usually, each game pulls from its own creature pool, giving a specific specimen a name and enhanced abilities. But one superboss residing within Xenoblade Chronicles X is special, hailing from the previous game’s bestiary instead.
Telethia, the Endbringer, seen in 2015’s Xenoblade Chronicles X (Image: Nintendo/Monolith Soft)
In the first Xenoblade Chronicles, Shulk and his friends encounter the Telethia, a species of cyan serpents. Because they can read others’ minds, our heroes are unable to even hit them initially. Shulk’s Monado saber, however, soon gains an ability that neutralizes their clairvoyance, letting his team retaliate. Countless battles later, the Telethia are revealed to effectively be giant antibodies, culling impure lifeforms at the behest of the amoral deity Zanza. According to one of his disciples, “Telethia” even means “that which eliminates impure life.” Surprisingly, two Telethia would then appear in Xenoblade Chronicles X, one being Telethia Plume, a “nemesis” encounter. Its twin, meanwhile, soars the skies, overseeing all beings on planet Mira – and ending those it deems unworthy.
Telethia’s History
Xenoblade Chronicles X’s sixth chapter closes by introducing Telethia, the Endbringer. After barely surviving a fight against a pack of “tainted” – beasts infected by an insanity-inducing virus, and the chapter’s boss encounter – another approaches Elma and her squad. All hope seems lost until the enigmatic entity swoops in and effortlessly eviscerates the corrupted creatures. It’s such a massacre that Lin and Tatsu cower in fear, completely unable to maintain their composure. Then, Telethia shifts its focus towards Team Elma, examining its leader before leaving as abruptly as it arrived. Lao wonders if it helped them out of a sense of altruism, while Elma ponders if it was “just toying” with them.
In its concept art, Telethia’s body is much more vibrant than how it appears in-game. (Image: Nintendo/Monolith Soft)
An overall small part of X’s narrative, two optional side missions explore the “Ultrafauna” further. “The Nopon Heir” is the first. Here, friendly Nopon Tora asks Elma’s group to collect a “guardian etherscale” from the Endbringer. During this mission, the teal terror’s behavior is altered; ordinarily, it only attacks if attacked, though now it strikes upon hearing or seeing you. However, Telethia is only testing the heroes, as it drops a scale and retreats upon losing a mere five percent of its health. “A Fateful Choice” is the other mission to delve into the deity. Orpheans are among the many aliens native to Mira, and should the avatar, Cross, accept this task, they must locate four of them. Afterwards, a choice is presented: do you fight the Telethia to salvage a deceased Orphean’s life essence, or flee? Defeating the wyvern secures the mission’s “good” ending, yielding a surprising revelation: it and the insectoid Orphean race hail from another world. However, defeating Telethia during this mission isn’t registered as a victory in terms of segment recon. If you truly want to complete X and vanquish the “Ruler of Fates,” you need a thorough understanding of the game’s combat mechanics… and a flight module.
So, what’re my thoughts on Telethia?
Xenoblade Chronicles X‘s five continents house optional areas – usually small, floating islets – you cannot access without flying there aboard a Skell. However, the dense jungle of Noctilum hides something more exotic: the Divine Roost. Accounting for a decent chunk of the region, the Roost’s somber, dark nature is so far removed from Noctilum’s bright foliage that it feels like a distinct region unto itself. Gazing from afar, the place teases a large, red root dangling from a waterfall. Upon entering, X’s chipper flight theme is overridden by the Roost’s score. It sets the mood, exuding divinity, mystery, and an altogether unsettling air. Then you follow the initial root, discovering it’s one of many protruding from a disgusting, toxic-looking plant resting at the Roost’s center. Its roots envelope the Roost, almost as if it’s strangling the life out of the place. Or perhaps the weed is marking its territory? Regardless, the Roost’s aggressive residents are equally uninviting. They’re all at least level sixty, the maximum level you and your teammates can attain. So you must tread carefully, stay alert. But it gets worse; three tyrants – exceptionally strong, hostile monsters – live here, including Telethia, the Endbringer. A level ninety-nine juggernaut everyone fears, Telethia is Mira’s self-imposed protector and strongest inhabitant. The Divine Roost is my favorite area in X, and seeing the undefeated megafauna perennially circle overhead perfects its unworldly ambiance.
While fighting either of X’s Telethia, the second section of the “raTEoREkiSImeAra” theme plays. (Image: Nintendo/Monolith Soft)
Visually, the Endbringer channels its species’ aesthetic while still feeling distinct. The wave-like patterns adorning its body are lifted straight from Zanza’s pets. Likewise, its palette is inherited from earlier Telethia, sporting a teal torso and ethereal yellow accents. The Endbringer’s anatomy, however, is more complex than most of its kin, suggesting a higher place within the Telethia hierarchy – think how NiGHTS and Reala compare to other Nightmaren (the Endbringer does, nevertheless, retain its predecessors’ fondness for healing and ether-based attacks). It’s also overwhelmingly massive, adding to its imposing image. Plus, the starry-eyed kid in me appreciates this Telethia because, hey, kaijus and dragons are just cool.
Speaking as someone who also harbors an appreciation for continuity, Telethia’s presence is fascinating. Although near entirely self-contained, X is part of the boarder Xenoblade canon; franchise brainchild Tetsuya Takahashi confirmed the whole series is interconnected. But plopping a Telethia on Mira isn’t a cute Easter egg like Lin’s Monado hair clip; it’s an aberration. Is this cyan creature somehow a refugee of the original Xenoblade? Considering its otherworldly origins, this could be the case. Or was X simply paying homage to its predecessor, maintaining a sense of continuity across the series? This isn’t unprecedented; the Nopon species also returns in X, and creatures like the Chocobo exist across the Final Fantasy multiverse. Within X’s fiction, however, this Telethia’s exact connection to those of yore doesn’t actually matter. It’s a goddamn Telethia, one grossly eclipsing Zanza’s servants in size, one whose affinity for purifying rose to a planetary scale, and one whose abilities our heroes are inadequately equipped to counter.
A preexisting knowledge of Telethia isn’t required to respect the Endbringer. But it does leverage Xenoblade veterans’ familiarity with the species, using that to enhance its mysterious, minacious aura. (Image: Nintendo/Monolith Soft)
I will never slay the Endbringer. I struck it twice on whims, and was swiftly demolished both times. Not that I expected another outcome; Telethia may only have a scant few appearances, but they all effectively convey its strength. But if you do best this giant, nigh omnipotent monster? Congratulations, that’s the victory proving you took X to its farthest reach, its greatest heights. Mira has more stories to tell – X’s ending makes that abundantly clear – and exploring the Xenoblade multiverse further could shed more light on this Telethia’s backstory. Who knows if we’ll get another opportunity to face the flyer, but one thing’s for sure: the Endbringer will leave a lasting impression on everyone who plays Xenoblade Chronicles X.
Congratulations, Telethia! We understand each other.
“Chaos Emperor Dragon – Envoy of the End” was indisputably among Yu-Gi-Oh!‘s best cards in my heyday. Visceral feelings of dread overcame me when my opponents summoned it, and seeing Telethia invokes a similar sensation. (Image: Nintendo/Monolith Soft)
- Beat the Backlog: Crazy Taxi - September 9, 2024
- Beat the Backlog: Space Channel 5: Part 2 - July 28, 2024
- Character Chronicle: Tiptup - June 29, 2024
?file=186.jpg){kind=link}
?file=187.jpg){kind=link}