There is variety on side quests. some of them lead you to secret areas and optional bosses. they are few but do exist.

You don't understand. you can only use so many crystals untill their total value is above 100, right? using characters with low affinity, you can use low value crystals and make sure you don't get a gem, only a crystal with high value. if you use two 90 value crystals (or a bunch of crystals with combined 90 + a 90 value crystal), the total is 180 from the go, making it super easy to achieve 200 after the forging. And if you get 300, you end up with a top gem of a higher level than the crystals. example: Using two level V crystals valued 90 each, if the result is 200+ after the forging, I get a level VI gem but if the result is 300+, I get a maximized level VI gem instead.

You got it completely wrong.

"If I use crystals with the values 15, 14, 13, 12, 20 and 21"

I corrected my post regarding this. Sure, you can use lower value crystals + a high value one (it's what I did). But high value crystals are hard to find, so you can mass produce then with low affinity forging.

Besides, forging only needs TWO characters. I only left the affinity low for two of my characters, so I could keep doing this trick. I used shulk and reyn when I wanted to forge the maxed gems.

I don't consider that variety, the core of all quest are basically the same:

Kill x number of monsters

Collect x number of this item

Kill x strong monster

Talk with x character to deliver x item

And that's pretty much it, it's impossible to not get bored after doing the same thing over and over again, just with different names for monsters or items.

There are two types of quests, basically. Story side-quests and non-story side quests. A lot of side-quests create affinities between characters in the areas you are doing them in, and it builds up a repetoire for the people who live there. I don't think I ever played an MMO that has done this well. Furthermore, many story side-quest lines merge together into a very sweet story. For example, there is a side-quest line where you find out that a Nopon you helped out was a drug dealer supplying drugs to High Entia. This quest line was the merger of three seemingly unrelated lines. Furthermore, a lot of side-quests hint at the lore of the extinct giants. 

How exactly would a side-quest be done where you don't kill monsters, don't run errands, or don't collect items. What exactly would you do? 

You just described what defines the concept of side quests in any game. the problem with xenoblade is the high number of repetitive side quests (although you don't have to go pack to the npc that requested it, wich is a time saver). But there was a good amount of more interesting sidequests, where you unlocked secret areas in previously visited areas and fight optional bosses.

The repetitive side-quests aren't a problem either. They're meant to itemize and reward you more for the grinding you would do in any other game. Plus usually you can do them while you do the more interesting side-quests or the main-quest.

I agree there a few side quests that have interesting stories, but for a game that has like what, 500 quests, it's really not enough, and besides, some side quest require some ridiculous pre-requisites, so unless you are going for 100%, you will most likely never see those somewhat good side quests. 

But my complain isn't in the story, or affinity or anything like that, it the core of the quests, meaning no matter which quest you accept, you will ALWAYS have to do the things I mention in my previous post. 

What would have been better? well you can add some escort quests, why not make some side quest regarding gems or crafting, why not make like a race in those ice gliding parts in Valak Mountain, why not make something with the monster other than killing them, like, idk, use them as a temporary allies for a certain quest objective. I'm pretty sure the developers can think of better ideas than me.

Simple adding some substance would have been much much better, instead we are left with the same things over and over again. The problem for the sidequest was simple, the developers went over quantity over quality in his particular regard.

There are plenty of other games that have more variety in side quest, but like I said in the other post, the developers went quantity over quality, it would have been better, in my opinion, to have fewer but solid side quests.

I personally think that Xenoblade is too big for it's own good sometimes, some areas are unnecessarily large (like Alcamoth for example).

Skullwaker said: Hey, we're at the same point in the game! I'm really enjoying myself too. I thought it was a bit overwhelming at first with all of the tutorial text but now that I'm past that, it's so much fun to just go in and explore and battle enemies. Really looking forward to playing more of it (and hopefully beating it before XCX comes out).

It took me a little over 200 hours to 100 percent the game, if that helps (I tend to play much slower and more thorough than most though).