Alrest

Alrest is a fictional setting introduced in Xenoblade Chronicles 2, a role-playing game developed by Monolith Soft and released by Nintendo in 2017. The world is structured around the backs of gigantic, living beings known as Titans, which drift across a vast sea sometimes referred to as the World Sea. Most humans live their entire lives on the Titans, making their cultures, economies, and politics closely tied to the Titans they inhabit.

Geography and society. The Titans host a variety of climates and ecosystems, with settlements placed on their shoulders, necks, and other surfaces. Each Titan can be associated with distinct regional cultures, crafts, and resources, leading to a patchwork of city-states and tribes that trade and interact along routes that traverse the Titan landscape. Interaction with the space beneath the Titans is limited in everyday life, reinforcing the sense of a world defined by the living carriers on which people reside.

Technology, magic, and the bond system. Alrest features a blend of traditional craftsmanship and advanced apparatus for its scale, including forging and weaponry adapted to the Titan environment. A central concept is the bond between a human driver and a Blade, a sentient being bound to a weapon. Blades grant elemental abilities and combat support, and their relationships with drivers drive much of the narrative and world dynamics. A notable Blade pairing in the story is the Aegis, a legendary bond with unique significance.

Culture and politics. Governance and social organization vary among Titan communities, ranging from monarchies to republic-like systems, often shaped by Titan allegiance and resource access. The fragile balance among city-states, titanic hosts, and the people who live on them underpins much of Alrest’s conflict and storytelling.

Legacy. Alrest serves as the primary setting for Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and its related media, providing a self-contained world with themes of mobility, belonging, and the search for a new future beyond the Titans.