Sooooo 56 hours in or so I finally get my Skell. Not because the game obstructed me, just been doing a lot of sidequesting and affinity questing in between chapters. So far, really really enjoying the game. Also, taking my time and exploring made those Skell License Exam quests pretty easy which was nice.  And the Skells are pretty freaking awesome. The whole size matters thing suddenly goes both ways, with you now not only having things roughly your size and everything bigger than you but things bigger than you and things smaller than you. So you can take on a significantly higher level Grex tyrant and completely curb stomp him but get two or three Skells wrecked by by that gigantic Ent-thing tyrant that's only one or two levels higher in Noctilum that used to not even pay you any mind. The twist to combat mechanics - especially the way Overdrive works - is cool and refreshing. And of course it's great to be able to travel far faster.

I've enjoyed the story so far. The characters are likeable for the most part and you get interesting glimpses into their pasts as well as the crap show that was the days leading up to the launch of Project Exodus. I actually don't mind the slower pacing and sprawling aspect of the narrative (that is the chapters + the affinity quests) but full disclosure: not only am I Tolkien fan but one of my favorite books is The Silmarillion so slow pacing clearly doesn't bother me much at all. :P

I will say I understand the frustration; this is a game built with a specific pace in mind.  This is the only game I will say you really should take a bit of time and plan out an approach before diving in to maximize your enjoyment.  I will say that trying to rocket through the 12 chapters at max efficiency is probably the worst experience you can pick since 1) that will have you likely doing some of the worst quests and such to grind the needed requirements and 2) you are, frankly, missing 2/3 of the game's narrative.

Finished the game , now I'm in that empty zone , you know the feeling that comes about after a lengthy game becomes incorporated into your day to day routine and now it's over.

I'm not sure what to play next I have downloaded Arc the lad twilight and Rogue Galaxy for the PS4 and have thought about replaying xenoblade chronicles since I didn't get all that far into it , but i feel i need a little rest from Monolith before I return to it.

did you 100% the game? or just finished the story?

First, get yourself an Ares 90, that will required alot of things to do

Slay all tyrants in Mira, get all Skell Super Weapon, all greatest ground gears, all best augment

so you could solo a tyrant like this guy did

By the way the game already sold 700kpcs. More then what I thought. So congrats.

Finished the story and played on for a couple of days , don't really feel like playing just to get 100 % , I really enjoyed the game but it started to feel  repetitive towards the end ,mostly because the game doesn't give you much to do outside quests , while this is fine while your exploring the world ,expanding the story and learning about the different people and races , towards the end found myself wishing for some more variety.

Anyone else having problems with the game randomly de-registering your skells?

This is the second time I've gone into a boss (Chapter 10) fight only to find "Syke! You're the only one on your team with a skell!"

Wow, honestly no. I beat the game and never encountered this once. 

I can't think what else could have happened. I started the battle against Zu Pharg only to realize I was the only one in a Skell and was getting ganked by endlessly spawning support ships while my companions stood around uselessly on the ground below. Very annoying.

Very strange, and sucks being beating Zu Pharg is one of the tougher battles of the game. Have you got a lvl 50 skell yet? Makes the level much easier, or have you unlocked L's shop augments? One or the other is almost a must this far in the game.