Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. Guides

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Nopon Coins guide: what they do and how to farm them

By

JRPGs love to create their own terms for just about everything. Currency, spells, abilities, classes — you name it and a JRPG will rename it. In Xenoblade Chronicles 3, not only do they have all those previously mentioned mechanics to learn but also two types of currencies. Thankfully, these aren’t the types that have invaded more predatory games which have one in-game currency and another you need to spend real money on, but rather one special type that is much more difficult to come by.

Nopon Coins are not only a rare, but very useful, currency you will want to collect as much of as possible, but is even further divided into two sub-types. There’s a ton of stuff to do in Xenoblade Chronicles 3, and only certain activities will payout with these rare coins. If you want to know everything you can do with Nopon Coins and the best way to farm them in Xenoblade Chronicles 3, check out our guide.

Recommended Videos

Further reading

What are Nopon Coins for?

A character in Xenoblade Chronicles 3 looks ahead.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Before you go off searching for these special coins, you should know what you stand to gain from them. In Xenoblade Chronicles 3, there are two primary uses for Nopon Coins: exchanging them at the Nopon Coin X-Change to directly upgrade your characters, or bypassing material requirements for gem crafting.

Related

To find the Nopon Coin X-Change you will need to locate a secret merchant in the Fornis Region. You can find them by going to the east side of the area by the Raptor Perch landmark, where you will find a cave. As you explore the cave you will start a quest called “Thrill of the Hunt” and need to get through a few simple puzzles to reach the end of the cave. Once you get through to the other side, you can find and interact with the X-Change.

Using coins to upgrade your character is even easier. Go into your character menu and hit Y on the class you want to level up.

While you can do a lot with these coins, the best uses are to upgrade characters, purchase powerful items from the X-Change, and possibly to speed up gem crafting. Other uses, while not a waste exactly, aren’t the best use considering the work you need to put into get them. At the same time, don’t hoard them. You can only hold 99 of any item in the game, and if you get any more while full, they will automatically be sold for regular gold.

How to get Nopon Coins

A quest log showing rewards.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

There are a couple of ways you can get Nopon Coins in Xenoblade Chronicles 3, but all of them take some time. We already mentioned the chance to simply find them in chests, but here are the more reliable ways to gather these trinkets.

The first time you encounter a unique monster in the world, you are rewarded with some coins for going out of your way to beat them. These are typically the toughest enemies in the area, so make sure you’re leveled up appropriately before challenging them. However, this method only works the first time, so you can’t grind them this way.

If you spot a skirmish between two monsters while exploring, you will be presented with the choice of helping one side against the other. One side will always offer you Nopon Coins as a reward, which you should obviously pick every time. These are random occurrences, though, but are worth keeping an eye out for.

Finally, do any and all quests that offer Nopon Coins as completion rewards. Not every side quest will give them out, but all the ones involving Nopons do so prioritize those whenever you can. Thankfully you can see what rewards each quest is offering in your journal before actually doing them.

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Jesse Lennox
Jesse Lennox
Jesse Lennox has been a writer at Digital Trends for over four years and has no plans of stopping. He covers all things…
What the Mirror of Loss is and how to use it in Baldur’s Gate 3
A wizard talking to a big magic mirror.

In The Forgotten Realms, you can never be sure what to expect from even the most normal character or object. Baldur's Gate 3 loves to subvert your expectations, but also reward you for paying attention and experimenting. If you spot something that looks important, like the Mirror of Loss, it probably is. In this case, when you find the magical mirror, you won't be able to do anything substantial with it. However, keeping it in mind and returning to it could be just what you need to buff up your character's stats a bit more - but it will come at a cost. It's called the Mirror of Loss for a reason, so let's reflect on what it is and how to use it.
Where to find the Mirror of Loss

The massive circular mirror is something you will naturally come across if you're following Shadowheart's companion questline. Starting in Act 2, you will be able to go find it in the Underdark, more specifically the Temple of Shar's Chamber of Loss. It will cost you 1,000 gold to enter, so it's best to know what you're getting for such a steep price.
How to use the Mirror of Loss

Read more
How to read the Necromancy of Thay in Baldur’s Gate 3 and what it does
A book with an evil face in Baldur's Gate 3.

Baldur's Gate 3 is filled to the brim with mysterious and magical objects to find. Some, like scrolls, are obviously beneficial to you, while others are a little more obscure. If you've gotten far enough into the game to get the Necromancy of Thay, then you should already understand that Baldur's Gate 3 isn't afraid to give you choices that have serious and lasting consequences. At the same time, you went through a lot of trouble just to get this clearly evil-looking tome so you may have attempted to give it a little peak already, only to see that it is locked shut and requires a special item to open. We'll show you where to find the special item you need to open the Necromancy of Thay, but more importantly, what should happen if you choose to indulge your curiosity and read it?
How to open the Necromancy of Thay

The item you're after to crack this book open is called a Dark Amythyst. This gemstone is located not terribly far from where you pick up the book itself. First, go into the middle of the Blighted Village and investigate the well. Make sure you either use Investigation or toss a coin in to get the option to climb down yourself. This will bring you into the Whispering Depths. Choose to fight or bypass the Phase Spiders here by sneaking or turning invisible if that's an option for you and make your way to the northwest end. You'll know you're in the right spot if you see the Phase Spider Matriarch. Unless you're a high level, we advise avoiding this boss and finding a pile of bones on the western edge of the area. Next to them, you will see the purple Dark Amythyst.

Read more
The best RPGs for the Nintendo Switch
Unicorn Overlord large cast of characters.

Most people think of adventure games or platformers when coming up with the best Switch games, but this machine is also an RPG fan's dream console. Thanks to its portable nature, it has never been easier to do some grinding, exploring, or party management any time the mood strikes you. RPGs tend to lend themselves better to on-the-go gaming than the best multiplayer games on the Switch, too. But there are a ton of different ones out there, and the RPG genre itself is rather broad, making it hard to know which ones to go back to. And that's not even considering all the upcoming Switch games. Whether you're looking for a turn-based classic or something new with a massive open world, the portable console has it all. Here are the best role-playing games on Nintendo Switch.

If you are craving a game that lets you and a friend play together, however, you should check out our list of the best co-op games on Nintendo Switch.

Read more