Now that the epic game Dragon Quest XI has come to Switch some gamers have a chance to explore the world of Erdrea for the first time and veterans can relive one of the greatest games in the Dragon Quest series. The game is large with lots of things to explore and a rich story to experience, even if the music isn’t that great.
For those playing the first time or if it’s been a while there are some things you should keep in mind before diving in. Here are a few items worth noting that can save you a lot of headaches and give you a strong start.
10 Crafting Is King
Like many RPGs crafting weapons can often be more rewarding than buying/finding items and upgrading them. The crafting system in this game is solid and can net you many of the best items out there. In fact many consider the items you find to be fuel for the Fun-Size Forge.
It may seem daunting at first but take a few cracks at it and you’ll find the crafting system is easy enough to pick up. One thing to keep in mind is Perfectionist’s Pearls can be hard to come by so wait until you’re sure you’re ready to upgrade something before using them.
9 Save Time With Automation
In the beginning of the game you’ll find that auto fighting will actually carry you quite a ways. Typically, you’ll want to direct your own character in fights, but the others aren’t always necessary for you to control and can save you a lot of button clicking.
In fact, using the autopilot can speed up much of the grind you’ll find yourself doing for materials, better items, and on occasion levels. Towards the end of the game you’ll want manual control, but feel free to let the computer take the wheel at times.
8 Specialize With Different Weapons
You have seven characters to outfit with gear and it’s strongly encouraged you have each character specialize with different weapon types. There’s a story reason for this, but in general it’s a good practice anyway.
There are enemies weak to different weapon types so having each member with a different weapon ensures you get that bonus in battle. It’s also easier to determine who gets the new weapon you forged when only one character can use it and the others don’t have to suffer with hand-me-downs.
7 Reset Skills Whenever
If you’re worrying about breaking a character by having them train in whips or something then don’t fret because the game is very forgiving when it comes to skill assignments. Early on you’ll be able to visit a priest at the church to get your skills reset.
It does cost 20 gold per skill so if you’re resetting an entire tree you’ll need some serious coin, but it can be worth the grind if it allows you to tweak your team and create a better synergy of skills. Also keep in mind you have to reset the entire tree when you do this.
6 It Gets Harder
If you’re worried that the game seems too easy at first just give it time. The game ramps up the difficulty somewhere around midgame and again towards the end. The first half is designed to let you experiment with the skills, characters, and party configurations before dumping you into the deep end.
If you really feel like you aren’t being challenged then you can upgrade the difficulty, just don’t be surprised when it seems like everything suddenly becomes much more challenging at the aforementioned moments in the game.
5 Rotate Your Team
You can’t have all of your characters in the same party in battle so you’ll have to prioritize who you want to use. But don’t make the mistake of thinking that the team you choose is the only team you’ll play with, in fact, the game becomes almost impossible if you do this.
You’re expected to switch out teammates in different battles as each character has unique attributes and abilities that can make them ideally suited for certain situations. If you’re having too tough a time it’s probably because you need to take someone off the sidelines.
4 All Characters Level
Knowing you need to rotate your characters now and then you might be worried about the grind to keep everyone at the same level. Fortunately, the game anticipated this problem and has all characters level up at the same rate regardless of whether they were in battle or not.
Admittedly there will be some grinding involved to ensure everyone’s equipment is up to snuff, but it’s a lot less than rotating your party to keep everyone’s levels the same.
3 Ignore The Doors, For Now
In your travels, you’ll come across different colored doors that will be locked with seemingly no way to open them. Don’t worry about them for now, they really can't be opened yet. Just make a note of where you found the door and ignore it.
As you progress in the story you’ll obtain color corresponding keys to open those doors you’ve been finding. If you’ve been keeping track of where they were you’ll be able to go on a treasure-hunting spree, but until then be patient and know all good things comes to those who wait.
2 Talking Tripe
This is a fun new feature exclusive to the Switch version. There’s a setting you can toggle that causes NPCs in the game to lie to you. This may sound like a bad thing, but it can bring a refreshing bit of realism and roleplay knowing that some of the NPCs may be messing with you when they talk of lost treasure and hidden secrets.
If you want a more interesting experience then definitely turn on “Townsfolk Talk Tripe” in the Draconian Quest Settings before starting the game or at the churches. Otherwise continue on knowing that the NPCs will only ever be helpful and never seek to make a fool out of you and your team.
1 The End Is Not The End
After you’ve beaten the last boss and watched the credits roll you may think it’s over and it’s time for a second playthrough starting over from scratch with “All Enemies Are Super Strong” turned on. But not so fast, it turns out the true ending is still waiting for you.
If you reload the save file that’s created after beating the game you’ll find there’s more to do and a final boss that’s waiting for you. It’s definitely a challenge so if you had trouble beating the game then you’ll need to do some grinding and forging to be ready.