So, I bet you're wondering why this update is going to be weird. This is mainly an exploration update, and we're even going to be paying a visit to Tickington, but the real important bit is that we have actually "skipped" some content! Don't worry, I'll be showing it later, but when you leave the canal and enter the open ocean for the first time, you automatically get pulled into a cutscene in this port I'm in front of. This is an introduction to the next Town Story, and I figure it's probably better for the flow of the content if I'm not openly blowing it off to explore.
Maritime slimes perfectly suited for the beach. As they grow bigger, they upgrade their shells for increasingly roomier models.
Seaslimes come from DQs 3, 6, and 10, and they're similar to what we've seen from shell slimes, with one key difference: they know Kabuff. In case you thought they didn't have enough defence to be getting on with.
Their eyesight is unrivaled under perfect conditions, but their low-light vision is so lackluster that they're no good at all come night-time.
War gryphons hail from DQs 6, 8, and 10, and I'm fairly sure they're the basic version of the Jamirus recolour set before this game gave us grim gryphons. They have flame breath, a sharp claw attack and the Magic Barrier spell. If the monsters co-ordinated, I think this fight might go to badly very quickly.
So then... this is where the update is going to get nasty. This is an explicit sequence break, no questions asked: We're not supposed to go to Sniflheim until after three Town Stories. The option is on the table, though, and we're going to take it for half of what it's worth.
Good to know. Clearly this place will be important.
Erik: .....
Veronica: Brrr... It's absolutely flipping freezing out here! Let's get inside and warm up before our toes fall off!
Serena: Here we are in the Crystal Kingdom of Sniflheim! Its castle is said to be the most beautiful in all Erdrea, and the town is very pretty too. I know that we have a very important mission to fulfil, but now that we're here, it would be such a shame not to fit in a little sightseeing, don't you think?
Sylvando: Look, Erdward- snow! Tee hee! It's so pretty! I've travelled all over the world, but I've never seen snow before! Come on, honey- let's build a snowman!
Jade: Phew... We're finally here. I think that's the longest, choppiest boat ride I've ever been on. How are you feeling, Erdward? Did you get seasick? If you're not feeling well, we should take a rest at the inn.
Rab: I don't know if I've told ye this already, but the Blue Orb is one of the national treasures of Sniflheim. It's been passed down in the royal family for generations. King Gustaf's an auld friend of mine, though, so I'm sure he'll lend us the Orb if we ask him nicely. Come on, laddie- let's go and twist his arm!
Sylvando hasn't seen snow? Huh. I think that pales in comparison to Erik's reaction, though.
...That can only be not good.
I think you need to get somewhere else, but I know the feeling of being unable to move over.
Serena: "How would we know where to look?"
Rab: "Oh hey, I remember that Sniflheim has the Blue Orb in its vault."
From about five minutes of research, I think smaller animals lose heat faster. Veronica being smaller than she usually is must be playing with her heat tolerances. Doesn't help she's wearing a summer dress.
Unfortunately for us, we won't be visiting Sniflheim right now.
Serena makes the obvious assumption: Yeah, it's cold out, of course things are going to get frozen from time to time.
Veronica points out the obvious: the Sniflheimers would never accept that inconvenience.
So what options does that leave us?
Of course! Why didn't I think of that?
Erik: ......
Veronica: I don't understand it. Why are the gates to the city frozen solid? It might be cold around here, but it's not THAT cold...
Serena: With the gates frozen shut, how do the Sniflheimers get in or out? It must be a real nuisance... Well, standing here worrying about it won't do them any good. Let's see if we can find another way into the city.
Sylvando: The hustling, bustling city of Sniflheim should be right behind those gates, but all I can hear is silence. Surely they should be making some kind of sound- a chorus of sniffs and sneezes if nothing else. What in the world is going on in there!?
Jade: It looks like we can't get in through the main gates, but we'll freeze if we stay out here. Let's see if we can find another way into the city.
Rab: The Blue Orb is one of the national treasures of Sniflheim. It's been passed down in the royal family for generations. I'm sure King Gustaf will be willing to lend it to us, though- me and him are auld pals after all- but first things first, we need to find a way into the city.
...Oh.
You cannot complete the Sniflheim quest until you acquire this key, and you cannot acquire this key until you are supposed to have access here.
At any rate, we should rest here nonetheless for the Zoom point. I actually miss a trick here- I intend buy an item from that travelling salesman here, and if you're following along to do this sequence break too, you should buy that item before exploring. I wait until afterwards, for reasons I'm still not entirely clear about.
We're going to be sneaking into the outer Sniflheim regions. Aren't you glad we can just walk around random encounters entirely?
Erik: Remember when we were running from the guards in the caves under Heliodor? I thought things'd cool off after that, but our journey just keeps getting crazier! Sure, wandering the world alone had its plus points, but going on a proper adventure with a gang of true-blue buddies? ...Well, that isn't bad either.
Rab: Tell me, laddie- have ye found yerself a girlfriend yet? Och, it's a fine thing, love- it makes yer heart go pitter-pat! When I was your age, I had to beat the girls away with a stick! ...Literally!
Veronica: This really is a diversion too far, Erdward! I'm as eager to see the world as anyone, but haven't we got more important things to be doing right now? Michelle's waiting for us on the Strand. We said we'd go to Lonalulu, find her fiancé and bring him back to her, and I for one am not going to let her down!
Serena: Erdward, don't you find it rather exciting when you see a place that you'd like to go to, but you don't know how to get there yet? It feels like the beginning of a grand new adventure! ...Or perhaps it's just me. I always have had something of a taste for mystery, even if I could only ever find it in my storybooks.
Sylvando: Now that we know there's a kingdom full of mermaids at the bottom of the sea, nothing seems impossible. We CAN find a way up to Yggdrasil, I know we can! (gasp) Just imagine if the Salty Stallion suddenly sprouted silver wings and starting soaring through the sky! Oh darling, wouldn't it just be fabulous!?
Jade: When Rab and I were travelling together and we needed to cross the ocean, we used to beg for lifts on fishing boats or stow away on cargo ships. Either way, it was never a pleasant voyage. It's so much more enjoyable to be able to set sail whenever and wherever we please—thank goodness we met Sylvando!
OK, so Veronica and Sylvando are going to mention we're blatantly ignoring our mission objective for this. Ah well, Erik and Serena are cool. Rab, though... he's starting to show why he's kinda my least favourite party member.
Sniflheim has snow to worry about. There's a really powerful enemy that prefers to spawn in the snow, and trust me, we don't want to deal with them.
Mini medal in the cabin. I don't think getting these early Mini Medals causes havoc on the reward progression?
Cute little sabrecat cubs that are left out in the creul cold of the snowfields, with the parents returning to raise only the survivors.
Silver sabrecubs were introduced in DQ11, because none of the other DQs wanted to really touch sabrecubs after what V did with them. With that said, did you have to go for the gut? I wish this was DQ5 and I could adopt one of these guys. They have a sharp claw savage and the ability to frolic freely and waste a turn.
Platinum Ore is actually supposed to come later, after the next Town Story, but going to Sniflheim lets you find some in decent numbers.
Also one of these in a corner.
The Sniflheim region isn't that significant, but it leads to the major area, the Snaerfelt. Well, that's how it's spelt on this blog. It's really called the Snærfelt, for the people who have easy access to the letter æ.
These winged wonders are perfectly adapted to cold climates, and remain wondrously wobbly even at sub-zero temperatures.
Dragon slimes come from DQs 7 and 10, and they're the chilly friends of drake slimes (well, starting in 10 they are). They're mostly good at throwing out chilly breaths.
They may look like monsters, but they're actually machines, and if you can defeat their drivers, you can take them for a spin yourself.
Face invaders come from DQ10, and I don't want to be dealing with them right now.
In addition to their ability to block attacks and breathe fire, I continue to have no business being in this area and these guys are harsh reminders of that fact. Magic really helps here.
Sylvando picks up Tingle and this Charm piece. Charm pieces are always worth it.
Owowowowowow...
Thank goodness for the MP puddle.
The sumptuous, snow-white fur of these sizeable serpents is warm enough to ward off even the most biting of blizzards.
Chihuawyrms.... well, remember spitzfires from Gallopolis? Like those, they're new to DQXI and scary enemies to bump into. These are the guys that favour showing up while it's snowing.
Let's just simplify matters and run the hell away.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, we have this helpful recipe book behind the cabin to the north.
We can now forge the Winter's Wing and Shiverstick, icy weapons contemporary to the part of the game we're supposed to be in Sniflheim. Erik and Veronica will appreciate these. Well, we need some avabranches first.
Those are here in the Sniflheim area. We're also in a new area called the Hekswood, as seen in the corner. This is a semi-dungeon of sorts, and our main destination.
It's not really for the treasures.
Although this one is nice. Ish. All it gives us are Platinum Platters and Platinum Shields- the former is good for Serena and Sylvando upgrading from gold ones, but the latter is only for Erdward. Platinum equipment is mainly good for Charm in the series, but Charm isn't a worry in this game.
FRIZZLE! Veronica is happy now.
Keen contrarians who rant and rave at their underlings for getting hurt, but can't help using Midheal to make them better.
This is our main destination. The orc king comes from DQs 2, 5, 8, and 10, and as their intro indicates, they know magic spells in addition to Multithrust- Midheal and Zing, to be specific. The thing that interests us most about the orc king, however, is his rare drop. So let's talk about how we can get that.
We'll be passing some time in this match for a little bit.
Veronica also slaps him enough to make sure he can't Zing that guy.
Jade has a new Pep Power that we're going to be getting quite familiar with. We can also see her Pep stats- Agility, Charm, and Crit chance. Notice the lack of Strength- using Pep for stats isn't a big thing, but if you have any plans that do, keep this in mind.
I'm also going to have to switch characters around to make sure everyone is still alive.
Thank you Zing Stick.
Now then... say hello to your new favourite Pep Power, Hallelujah. If there's one good reason to use a party of Erdward, Jade and Erik, it's this.
Erdward creates a floating disc of light, and throws it Jade's way.
Jade switches to her bunnygirl outfit and slams it into a wall in the void of nothingness to create...
A roulette wheel.
And Erik throws a dagger at it while it spins, landing on the metal king slime "Win" space. Despite what that implies, there is no version of Hallelujah that can fail.
Hallelujah increases your EXP and Gold by a random amount (I'm told between 1.5 and 3 times for the former, but I'm not sure if that changes for the latter). This is just great on its own, but it also forces all enemies to drop their rare item. Sure, using a three person Pep Power isn't something you can just do, but it's not something that's hard or anything.
You can also use it whenever in the fight. Although it's usually a good idea to ensure everyone is alive at the end, because EXP multipliers.
Veronica is sick of dying here.
Well, at least there was a decent milestone from that EXP.
Now then, let's talk about why I used Hallelujah on an Orc King. That's for this rare drop, the Platinum Lance.
The Platinum Lance is supposed to be an exciting drop even at the time we're supposed to be in Sniflheim, and we're not guaranteed access to it until much later. The only spear that can compete with this one is the Lightning Lance.
Hopefully this makes up for the bunnygirl guy.
This statue up here fully heals us before the boss of the Hekswood.
Who is not here. It would utterly break the Sniflheim Town Story if we actually accomplished any plot objectives while we're here, and the game has ways to prevent this from happening. This is probably the most blatant.
Erdward picked up another Flourish, and this is the most important one: Sizzly Puff increases the temperature, which increases the power of your bashes against the steel. Always start with two of these.
In addition to the buffs to numbers, you also scout out the gimmick of the Forge. If a Forge starts with "your next strike is double power!", you get intermittent double power or half power blows. I think it's consistent, but don't know the timing.
Now, I'd tell you that any items we seize early are way too high level for us to reforge reliably, but spears are also on the easier end of the forges and we managed to get a +3! Jade has gained an additional 14 Atk out of this.
Hm, elemental resistance... actually, no, that's not all that interesting. Steel Shields gave fire and ice resistance, and more of both. The Defence buff here isn't worth switching if you're using Shields on Erdward.
This is a dungeon we can Evac out of?
We can also ride face invaders in the Snaerfelt. We'll need it for a few treasures, so...
PANIC PANIC PANIC PANIC
Consider that Jade was doing 25 damage with a normal attack with the Jade's Glaive. Now she's doing more than that with the "weaker" Party Pooper!
And Sizzle keeps up the heat.
Ooh, they don't seem to like Rubblerouser much.
Erik: "Cool!". Boulderbringer is level 2 Rubblerouser, and is about what you'd expect- just a damage buff.
Yay? If I need it, this will help.
Now then, let's invade some faces.
The point of riding the face invader is to bust down some ice shards. No, we can't clear up the ice in the gates.
...There isn't an ice wall here, though. I thought there was. Huh.
Mini medal up on the top of this part of the Snaerfelt.
And these will help us deal with ice attacks, should we care to devote accessory slots to that.
This is the Royal Library, another Sniflheim dungeon. The prize for traversing this place can't be claimed, but there's some stuff lying around worth nabbing.
Like some money.
Actually getting to this tockle requires playing with the gimmick of the Royal Library- you have to touch some glowing green plinths. Once you do, though, this guy is one of the first bits you can reach.
Alltrades Abbey is a recurring location in DQ, and appears in any game where there's a Job System as the place where you go to change your characters' jobs. The absurdity of a location entirely dedicated to changing your jobs is always commented on. In DQ6 specifically, it is sealed away to prevent Heroes from challenging the Dread Fiend, and the seal is broken when Murdaw is defeated.
I don't think the person running Alltrades is named in DQs 3 or 6, but 9 gave him the name Abbot Jack. He's the Jack of Alltrades.
Now then, we need to acquire a powerful weapon for someone else. Pretty much all of these could do us some good- that White Shield is actually a Serena/Sylvando shield with Fire Resistance!- and depending on what builds you're going for, any of these could give you some fun. For me, though, I'm only interested in one of them.
Although the game gives me one of the accolades for big spending with just one purchase.
The Broader Sword +3 gave us 54 Atk. The Razor Wing gives 93. Strangely, I don't really think there's been an upgrade to the Broader Sword yet- the Black Blade has like +5 Atk over it, but the Carbon-Steel Claymore, the next upgrade over that, is available for purchase in the town we're supposed to visit next. The Razor Wing also has a 12% chance of paralysing things, because you know, it wasn't a massive improvement already.
Now, what about the that exit to the Snaerfelt in the south-east? That leads to the Arborian Highlands, and then to the town of Arboria. Much like Sniflheim, there's nothing stopping you going there now, and there's plenty of good reasons to go there early for treasures, too- mainly, another Pastword and some cool armour in the shops. I decided not to do this because the cutscene that plays when visiting Arboria for the first time has associated Party Chat that, in my experience, has messed with the Party Chat of the main story. I'm not sure if this was just an error on my end when I tried the first time, but I'd rather not worry about that and just miss out on the early benefits.
Over next to Sniflheim is the Viking Hideout. This is a location that's... trying not to do anything. Even if you're not sequence breaking, you're not gaining anything much from visiting here.
The Vikings are weird- they like to act like they're the very pop history version of Vikings that pillages and burns, but they act more like Hägar the Horrible in the narrative.
...Honestly, though, "wanting to be more vicious than they are" is Hägar the Horrible's schtick.
They do employ slave labour, which is more than Hägar could ever claim to be.
Mini medal! This is all you really come to the Viking Hideout for.
Firewater? Fire water appears in Rocket Slime as a kind of ammunition (to be fair, all items in Rocket Slime are ammunition). I can't seem to find information on what it is across the series, but add one to the number of references it has- it's apparently an alcoholic drink.
This guy acknowledges that he doesn't own any of this treasure, but he will defend his ability to possess it. There's no stealing any Gold from that pile.
Well, at least the Vikings are open to new hires, and don't care about gender.
This guy is pretty relaxed to have us around, unlike his buddies. Viking politics interests me somewhat now, but for reasons that'll be more important later.
There's some sparkly spots back here, but we can't seem to get any further.
Also a bed down here. Because... I guess? The statue at the beginning of the hideout heals too.
Now then, let's head into Tickington and reap some of the benefits we've been... not reaping for some time. I never feel like it's the right time to go visit Tickington unless the prize on offer is super good.
One thing worth mentioning about Tickington is that, as far as I can tell, cosmetic armour isn't a thing. So if a character is using a redesign, that's because I have the required armour outright equipped.
We have five Pastwords total, and while we can't successfully complete them all, we can at least check them out.
Starting with our brand new one, Alltrades Abbey.
Erik: There are holy places like this all over Erdrea too, and I've got to say, I don't like them much. They're just kind of stuffy, you know?
Veronica: So it seems this is a place where priests can come to be turned into sages. It would be nice if we had a place like this back in Erdrea.
Serena: The sheer scale of this place sends a shiver down my spine. It's clearly somewhere very special.
Sylvando: So this is where people come when they want to change careers, huh? You know honey, that's something that's never crossed my mind. Being an entertainer's all I've ever wanted, and now that I'm living the dream, I never want it to end!
Jade: I've heard that people can come here and choose to embark on new lives as martial artists. I'm mostly self-taught when it comes to combat, so I'm not sure it's something I could ever do. But who knows, it might be interesting to take formal lessons and make it a full-time career.
Rab: According to our wee pals the tockles, folks come here when they fancy a change of career. Hm, maybe I could become a bunny girl? Aye, that wouldnae be so bad- it might give me a new lease of life!
One thing I find interesting is that, while Tickington is largely divorced from the main story, Erik has a Party Chat line clearly talking about Alltrades Abbey, but it only makes sense after a later plot point. Even if you visited this area when you were supposed to and not sooner like I am, you would not yet know that plot point. The line shown is what I got, which presumably comes if you haven't seen that line, but still... odd note.
Now, I would bonk Rab with the naughty stick, but it sounds like he's not the worst of our problems.
Now, I'm sure the would be wait times on the only place to change your careers in reality, but I imagine this is just as disruptive.
This man has a point. In all games where Alltrades Abbey exists, properly employing changes of vocation is the key to success (part of the reason I've never beaten DQ3 is because I don't know how to properly employ Alltrades in that game). If the DQ6 Hero can't change classes, he's got no hope of besting the challenges DQ6 throws at you.
DQ11 has no Job system, and this question is purely rhetorical.
Alltrades is backed up with class change requests.
The old man who wants to class change into a bunny girl is a running joke in the franchise- every incarnation of Alltrades has one of these guys as an NPC, although occasionally, the job he wants changes (I think one of them has the old man want to be a maid instead- probably DQ9).
The player cannot class change into a bunnygirl, but I imagine combat classes are not the only services Alltrades provides. Even then, the female DQ3 Gadabout looks like a bunny girl, and all the class-change games feature the return of such an entertainer class, although the association with... let's just say "certain services" varies from game to game. You've got classes that teach the Puff Puff skill, the Dancer of DQ7, and Milly has a Lucky Dip action where she puts on a mask and cracks a whip, but with all that said... DQ doesn't have gender-locked classes, but Puff Puff works differently based on gender and Lucky Dip works differently based on who the user is.
TLDR: I don't doubt this claim.
Translation: "Look, I need to do something, and this is at least something!"
Now then, what are we up to?
Well, that's not helpful at all. Galenholm was entirely self-contained, but one thing we'll learn about Tickington is that this is not the norm at all. Characters will regularly send us outside their tomes to find the objective.
So then... "somewhere where young ladies gather". That's a bit of a tricky hint.
Once the quest is formally accepted, though, the description updates to give you a clearer idea of your destination. Perhaps it's a little rude to make the challenge of figuring out what the NPCs mean when they direct you places, but it is highly appreciated by everyone who's not playing this game to play detective across DQ history.
And with that said, with our current information, that extra hint isn't exactly telling us what to do. What they mean is:
- "place in Erdrea": They want you to visit a DQXI location, not anywhere in Tickington.
- "young mademoiselles gather": This hint is really blatant if you accept this quest when you're supposed to get access to it, but we haven't visited the area we need to go to yet. Let's just say there's more than one kind of young lady.
Yes, you can talk to the old men to see what forms their fancies take.
...No one else seems to be on your side, it looks.
Ugh, yeah, I know that feeling. Hopefully it goes away once this problem is resolved.
Over here is someone that looks like a bunnygirl. This is Patty, owner of Patty's Party Planning Place, as she appears in DQs 3, 5, and 6. DQ9 gave her a custom design as part of her being a plot-relevant character, although I'm not sure why the generic they used before that is of a bunny girl other than the fact she normally operates in taverns.
The bookshelves don't have anything on them.
I, uh... don't know what's supposed to be over here? I even booted up a copy of DQ6, and the only things on the west wing of Alltrades are the Inn/Rainbow's End stuff- and they're more on the south-west?
At any rate, time to check in on Moonahan. I always like checking Tickington in release order, but this isn't necessarily the best course of action. This time, though, you have worse options.
The town of Moonahan is... full of dogs. Also locked doors, because we're keeping explorable rooms to a minimum.
Midenhall, Cannock and Moonbrooke are the homes of the three Luminaries of the Legendary Line in the title of DQ2. Each is a descendend of the DQ1 Hero and Princess Gwaelin, and each inherited his heroism.Erik: This place means nothing to me, but if some hero from the olden days came here, it must've been important. I mean, we wouldn't be here otherwise, right? Guess we'd better try and get to the bottom of it...
Veronica: One of the tockles said that Moonahan is a place where people meet each other... I wonder who we're going to meet here. Well, I guess we're about to find out!
Serena: Ahhh! That forest air is just wonderful! It seems that no matter which world you go to, nature will be a constant pleasure.
Sylvando: You know darling, I'm so grateful I could burst! Just think of all the amazing people I'd never have met if I hadn't decided to join you on your adventure! And now it sounds as though I'm about to meet some more! This place is famous for new encounters, apparently. Well, I for one can't wait!
Jade: Moonbrooke, Cannock, Midenhall... ...Hmm? Oh, I'm sorry. I was just trying to remember the names of some of the places in this world. I overheard the tockles talking about them, you see.
Rab: I suppose we'll be passing through plenty more of those teleportals on our travels to the past, won't we? They're not exactly my cup of tea, I have to say. Aye, if it were up to me, we'd find a way of travelling that was a wee bit more... pleasant, ye know? Like... Flying, or something...
This is the Princess of Moonbrooke, one of the party members that can be found in DQII. She's a mage, and specialises in healing magic, debuffs, utility magic... and for some reason, knows Kaboom.
What's her name? Her name was randomly selected from a preset list of eight names in the original, and modern ports of the game just abandon the pretense and let you make up your own name. In spinoff material in which she is to cameo, the favoured names are Princessa and Pudding.
And indeed, when you first found her, she's been turned into a dog and you have to figure out how to undo that to get her to join your cause.
And now some inconsiderate villain has completely inverted the curse, turning the people into dogs and herself normal. I don't know if he intended for this to suck for Princessa, but he's certainly managed it.
Sheen can lift curses from the whole party. It appears in DQs 3, 5, and is apparently a legendary spell of some kind in 10. Rab's Benediction is all we get.
Magic water, and MP restoration in general, was a lot rarer in the older games. Magic water, the consumable item, wasn't even in DQ2- the only means to restore your MP in that game was through the use of a prayer ring (that item that randomly breaks on use).
Princessa asks if we can give her some MP to let her cast Sheen. All in all, one of the weirder quests when described aloud.
Princessa barely knows what magic water is, and considering there's very little of it in her world, not unfair.
I'm sure we are.
Oh, quiet, you.
Once we finally rummage through our bags and realise we have around a dozen bottles of the stuff kicking around from all those boss encounter freebies, we can hand it over.
And Princessa is suddenly wondering what else is rare in her world but paving the streets of ours.
Fortunately, she doesn't decide now is the time to extoll us for our aluminium and flowing dresses.
Princessa prepares the spell, and...
Let's go.
Well, we are here to see the status quo resumed...
And the status quo is that the princes of Midenhall and Cannock have to find Princessa in dog form. It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if they could skip this quest (I don't think the Mirror of Ra you need to do the job does anything else in the game), but it would still strip Princess of like half her personality in Fortune Street.
And that's how we get rewarded in the end. The Devil's Tail is good for blocking Dark elemental damage and curses- it used to be a Cursed item, but when that mechanic got removed, all the legacy Cursed items became... Curse-proof. I'm not sure how that works, but it's good for us.
Oh come on, dog hair isn't that bad.
Arf arf arf.
Fleas, thy do believe.
What I'm more amazed at is how.
...There was one heroic guard who escaped the attack on Moonbrooke with his life. I do think he died getting the message out, which would mean this isn't that guy, but somehow I don't doubt the possibility.
Next up on the list, "Erdrick's future home". This is the starting house in DQIII, where the Hero was born and raised.
This is the entirety of the explorable space.
To make it clear, Ortega is Erdrick's father. Heroism runs strong in bloodlines in the world of DQ.Erik: I don't mean to state the obvious, but just because we're adventuring in other worlds doesn't mean we can afford to forget all about our own. I mean, we've still got plenty of unfinished business there, you know.
Veronica: The tockles told me that this was the childhood home of one of this world's greatest heroes! It's not the fanciest house in the world, but I guess that doesn't really matter. Heroes can come from very humble beginnings... can't they, Erdward?
Serena: Mmm! Something smells delicious! I wonder what's for dinner? Maybe it's a stew... (rumble) Gosh! Was that my tummy!?
Sylvando: You ever heard of a knight called Ortega, honey? No? Well, my sources tell me he's a big deal in this world. Everyone knows him! Apparently, he goes around helping those in need. Yep, he sounds like a hero to me! I'd love to get the chance to meet him.
Jade: I remember when Rab and I were travelling around together. An old couple who lived in a house just like this were kind enough to take us in for a while. I had a cold and they made me a big bowl of piping hot porridge- I felt better in no time! I wonder how they're doing these days...
Rab: This wee house may not look like much to you or me, laddie, but for the hero who grew up here it must have been the most important place in the world.
...That's an opening and a half.
Well, this will definitely complicate the matter of how Erdrick is going to go about saving the world- he can't very well do that if he's not born!
No, seriously, imagine looking at Ortega and going "actually, he's not marriageable material".
Well, either that or Ortega has done something spectacularly embarassing last night that you slept through.
...That's terrifying.
Defuddle drops cure confoundedness, makes sense.
That, I can handle.
Hopefully without the dying.
...Oh, right, spoilers. Your husband will be just fine. Just remind him to watch out for hydras.
All right, angels. Do I know any DQ angels?
Oh yeah, those assholes from DQ9. I'll have no trouble getting something helpful out of them, at least.
...That's the best argument you have?
Well, that is at least an argument.
Just because he doesn't do it in your face...
This old man is Ortega's father. He makes no appearance in DQ3, and is honestly probably dead by then. I vaguely remember confusing myself into thinking this was Ortega, but cursed into looking like an old man, but I don't remember what gave me that impression.
Oi!
...Way to make me feel bad about Gemma.
So, since we need to pay a visit this way, let's head to the Observatory of DQ9. This is the home of the Celestrians, an angelic race dedicated to the cause of helping humanity. They perform good deeds for people and harvest benevolessence- the crystalline form of their gratitude- to tend to their world's Yggdrasil.
Learning this plot point- and that there was a substance called benevolessence- was what got me into DQ9 and DQ as a whole.
The Observatory is also floating in the sky. Then again, considering it's staffed by angels, I think you knew that already.
Erik: So this is where the angels live, huh? Hm, I'm still kind of young to be in heaven...
Veronica: Look, Erdward! We're above the clouds! Come on, reach out and grab one! I'd do it myself, but my arms aren't long enough.
Serena: I can sense a curious power emanating from the tree in the middle of the observatory. It reminds me a little of Yggdrasil...
Sylvando: I wonder why anyone would want to live all the way up here in the clouds. Perhaps it's so they can look down on everything that's going on below—you can't deny that the view's great.
Jade: Ugggh... (gulp) I, I'll be alright in a minute, I promise. I just... struggle a little with heights, that's all.
Rab: It seems that this is the world of the angels, laddie. That's what our wee tockle pals told us, anyhow. I've got to tell ye, I never thought I'd get the chance to see an angel in the flesh. Life's never dull, is it, laddie? Ye never know what's round the next corner.
Say hello to the angels that DQXI shows off- Aquila and Pavo. Aquila was the DQ9 Hero's mentor (the DQ9 Hero was a Celestrian), and Pavo was responsible for organising the game's multiplayer- you talked to him and you could go into someone else's world or invite people into your own.
And we've got a not-bad Slime here, too. I don't think there was one on staff in DQ9 itself, but I don't doubt it.
He exposits about the nature of the Observatory, Celestrians and Yggdrasil. To an extent. The main thing he does is showcase how high this tree goes, since we won't be able to get the camera that high on our own.
Mortals cannot see Celestrians. You might think this causes a problem for gathering benevolessence, but not really, honestly.
Aquila is the one with the Observatory's Quest.
But Pavo is the one with the Defuddle drops.
He's happy to hand them over. As alluded to, a good Celestrian is happy to have an excuse to help out humans. And while there is a smouldering of resentment for this (especially, as I am informed, in the English version), Celestrians are also bound to obey all orders from a superior. That's right- Celestrians have "But Thou Must" enshrined in their nature.
...Wait, I'm not their superior. I... I didn't think that far ahead.
...Oh dear. Fyggs are a particularly unique fruit of Yggdrasil. For one to go missing is... ominous.
Aquila is just as confused as Pavo about us being able to see his kind.
They switched up the "accept the Quest" dialogue for this. Cute.
Aquila has his pride, but he also knows his limits.
He also has a surprisingly helpful clue as to where to look to get the fygg back.
Not that he understands how helpful this is compared to some of the other clues.
Unfortunately for us, though, while it may be a helpful clue, there is bad news. We cannot actually complete this quest for a long time- the Fygg has gone off to a place literally called "Ruby Path of Doom", and that place must be found by finding its Pastword. We won't be acquiring that Pastword for a good long while. This is the third Tickington quest, and I'm sure the nature of it has proven quite discouraging.
Let's solve this problem quickly before we head off to the last new area.
...No.
Oh, you were the actual monster? Could've fooled me.
"You'd have got over it" about breaking a woman up with her awesome husband?
Well, OK, this goes several steps beyond "rude".
Sent by Baramos to prevent the birth of Erdrick by interfering with Ortega's marriage in Aliahan.
Humanoid family
712 HP
250 MP
...Well, if that isn't a disappointment after all the hype. He barely looks like he'll be any threat! He can put us to sleep with his Lullab-Eye, and knows the spells Dazzle, Frizzle and Woosh. More of a threat than he looks, less of a threat than he claims.
We're opening by trying a Fizzle with Serena. You never know, and I'm not sure what I'd rather her do.
At least Sap works.
...Dang, no Fizzle.
Let's just go all out. No need for any trickery.
Look at that damage fly!
Anathematise didn't work out either.
...So wait, did Serena actually contribute anything to that battle?
Yeah, well, tough. Erdrick is needed to bring a new golden age to the world of RPGs the world.
This woman has suddenly been informed that her son (or daughter) is going to save the world.
...And, yeah, cursed all her neighbours, too.
I just love the understatement.
Now then, you might want to make your baby next time he's home-
I mean... I wouldn't complain about starting in some other town? Oh yeah, Aliahan has Patty's place. Never mind, Erdrick needs to start here.
Now you talk about that revelation. I guess priorities are in order.
(These are separate passages of dialogue, hence the repetition of "I'll need to toughen up")
This is certainly a pretty good lesson Erdrick's mum took. Sadly, Erdrick's Mum is not a potential party member, as cool as that would be.
Neither. I'm not used to the in-universe characters acknowledging the latter possibility, though.
...These are the best reasons to support the marriage.
Now then, the Rainbow Mines. As an opening dungeon, it didn't contain much in the way of danger, and because Dragon Quest 7, it's actually more of a puzzle dungeon. Sadly, puzzles aren't common in DQ7, but the first few areas have plenty.
And we start with monsters! No grace period in this dungeon! Metal Slime, too- because this is 2D Mode, you can attempt to attack those and they'll run before you can even attempt the swing. Crit-or-miss stuff is more precarious in here, if you're serious about getting Metal Slime kills. I wouldn't bother, honestly, getting metals in 3D is more reliable.
Erik: Rainbow rocks, huh? I've never heard of them before, but I bet they'd fetch a pretty penny. I'll have to take Derk here some day. If there's one man who'd know how to turn a profit from a place like this, it's him.
Veronica: These rainbow rocks remind me of the pretty pebbles Serena and I used to collect when we were little. Poor Serena. When I first gave her one she thought it was a piece of candy and tried to chew on it...
Serena: (sniff) Well, as you'd expect, this place smells of dust and rocks. That's not all, though. There's a damp mouldy odour mixed in there too. To be honest, I rather like it!
Sylvando: Hey, honey! Guess what the tockles told me? Apparently rainbow rocks smash into smithereens if you put two of the same colour together. I guess that means you shouldn't use them for wedding rings- imagine if a couple wearing rainbow rock rings held hands? It doesn't bear thinking about...
Jade: This place is truly enormous. The miners must get a good workout, lugging the rainbow rocks to the surface.
Rab: There were lots of mines back in Dundrasil when I was a bairn. Back then, we used to trade all sorts of precious minerals and metals with other kingdoms. The jewel in that pendant of yours comes from the Drasilian mines, too- another nice wee reminder of home. Aye, my Eleanor loved that pendant. Seeing these sparkly green stones really reminds me of her.
Sylvando's Party Chat line is important, bear it in mind.
A bouncy bag that just can't stop cackling. Takes great pleasure in the pain of others.
The bag o' laughs appears in DQs 3, 5, 7, 8, 9 and 10, and the only real thing it can do in this game other than summon Healslimes is Dazzle you. They're one of those enemies where the iconic incarnation is a later one on. Also, they're a lot scarier in some of the other games. 5 has bags with Fuddle, Fizzle and Snooze.
Battles in the Altar of the Forgotten Past use this theme: Fighting Spirit
Dazzle is...
...OK, when it's all of them, they stink.
At least we have Bang.
Hello, chubby guy! He's not named, but I think this is an NPC you're supposed to recognise if you played DQ7. His name is Hanlon.
That sounds horrible. And also vague.
Whatever it is, I can do that.
...Do you know anything relevant?
Hanlon actually helps you solve the Ballymolloy story in DQ7. Clearly he's lost interest if there's no CatMages to give to his kid.
This Quest is just a "go into the dungeon and beat the boss", like Galenholm.
While we're going down, the whole "no HP gauges" thing is stinging really bad- which HP stats am I worried about? You can't tell until it's too late.
So, about the rainbow rocks... I doubt these guys are it.
Strong, silent types who sit stony-faced until such time as things look grim, then sacrifice themselves to bring their buddies back.
Bomboulders are the final stage of a famous enemy type we haven't even met the first stage of yet. I'm fairly sure these guys are weaker variants, but still. Bomboulders first appeared in DQ5 and have a perfect attendance record since.
They're famous for knowing the spell Kerplunk, and this makes them quite annoying.
Kerplunk zeroes out the HP and MP of the user, but fully revives all your allies. That "zeroes MP' clause is mostly for the player's inconvenience: You can't just Kazing the Kerplunker and get another go.
Bomboulders do not normally drop Single Phials. The ones in the Rainbow Mines, though, drop them at ridiculously high rates.
All of these rocks used to be boulders you could push like Strength boulders, but now they're monsters to fight.
These unsettling stones size their opponents up, smirking all the while, then explode into action with unstoppable force.
Grinades are the weakest incarnation of these bouldery enemies, and in contrast to thier brethren, they are famous for not exploding. They can muster their strength and deal powerful attacks, but they don't explode. They first appeared in DQ7, and skipped 8 to miss out on a perfect attendance record.
They mostly just sit stoically still, but they'll cast Kamikazee if they're attacked enough, so be sure to clobber them quickly.
Rockbombs are the middle and most famous stage of this family. They first appeared in DQ3 and kept their perfect record and sit around, occasionally attacking, and also wastes turns grinning maliciously (all rockbombs like to do this). They will wind up casting the Kamikazee spell- it kills the user, but it also kills everything else (or leaves it on 1 HP sometimes). Kamikazee is one spell you do not want to get hit by. Kill all Rockbombs as fast as you can.
I don't take 2D Mode as seriously as 3D Mode, because I feel less in control of the gameplay system, so one decent thing to do is use up your Pep Powers. Do note that Pep resets between 2D Mode and 3D Mode, so if you've got Pep charged for something, you're going to lose it in Tickington, and if you get Pep in Tickington and don't have plans for it, you might as well fire it for fun.
...This one, though, I think is non-damaging? I remember an Erdward/Jade Pep Power that only deals knockdown, but I forget which one. Probably this one?
I was not expecting this one. I did not know Grinades could explode. Because 2D Mode, I don't know what this did- probably just "some" damage.
From the sounds of it, only Rainbow Mines Grinades can explode. Lore-wise, they're not supposed to.
...All those Single Phials...
How do you think we feel? (I think this is after Roaring Tirade).
Finally! I thought Serena already had this. Kabuff gives one stage of Defence to everybody, and Serena is going to be using this often in boss fights.
This, on the other hand, only gets used if I have nothing better for Serena to do.
There's a side path under here- and you can get to it in this game. Just... not now.
Devious demons who know exactly when to deploy a Boulderbringer in order to hit you where it hurts.
The very devil comes from DQ7 (almost impressive considering how little Tickington cares for game of origin), and alongside its Boulderbringer, it also knows Crackle. They're enemies in 3D Mode, too, and ones we won't find for a little bit, but they're not that scary to bump into now. Especially since there's only one of them.
Not the accent I expected out of a monster.
Maeve? Maeve is a pivotal character in the story of Ballymolloy, being the sister of Molloy (yes, the same one the town is named after) and not entirely enthused about how her brother was treated.
Well, I mean, everything is better with explosions! Just not, you know... Kamikazees.
You may want to replenish your rocks. And I also kinda wonder what the Bomboulders are doing here for that purpose. They don't explode dangerously.
Having lost her brother because of a betrayal by his fellow villagers, this formidable female fighter became a marauding monster on a mission for revenge.
Ballymolly is the first of the towns in DQ7, but yeah, this is a great big description of everything that happened there. Ah well. Maeve is a skeletal soldier now- in DQ7, she was a recolour of a monster called a Fright Knight, but that kind of monster is not in this game, so now she looks like this. Offensively, she can attack twice and has some nasty slashes- Thunder Slash and a vicious slash that can hit multiple targets. She can also summon Rockbombs and use the Heal spell- when it's her healing, the spell always "goes haywire" (crits).
Erik's here for a Scorched Earth. You can only use one Pep Power per turn in 2D Mode, but that Pep Power will always be the first action in the turn.
This is what Veronica and Serena will really be up to.
Scorched Earth, and Earth magic in general, goes off once at the start of the turn rather than as soon as the enemy acts. Basically the same thing, but it can throw you off.
Oh same to you.
...Some Pep Powers just aren't really worth using up your Pep. Either wait for a better chance or just use the Pep for stats.
Getting some real hard hits in.
No, 2D Mode doesn't tell us how much by.
And we're done.
That's convenient.
And Maeve turns back to normal! I... I don't think this happens to her in DQ7.
The timeline on this relative to the events of DQ7 is actually starting to confuse me. I think all this happened before the Hero gets here?
Maeve figures she'll walk it off.
...No one tell her this doesn't stick.
Oh, and this is what we can do with Rainbow Rocks now that they're normal again. I don't know what this means for their value to the miners, but it's quirky. Sylvando's Party Chat line reminds you of this, because it does come up in this game.
Clockwork monsters modelled on killing machines. Their bodies are made of bamboo in an attempt to keep down production costs.
...Bambooligans are mechanical? Interesting. They come from DQ10, and are masters of Multithrust. They also have one other gimmick...
Pep! Not only can they Pep themselves up for some Pep Powers, but they can also use Egg On to Pep Up other enemies. And yes, they started the battle Pepped, that's a thing that can happen in 2D Mode.
"Divil". Just because we're in the throwback section doesn't mean you have to go back to the accent overdrive.
And that gets us a Cautery Sword. This is a one-handed sword that can cast Sizz when Used as an item, and will be available to us more freely in the town we're supposed to be in. We didn't get this Pastword that long ago, this reward is just kinda a dud.
The green rainbow rocks can cure sicknesses. That's actually why the DQ7 Hero comes to visit the Mines: The rock will be used to cure Hanlon's sickness so he can help out fighting.
You won't mention any of this to the DQ7 Heroes.
Well... we did three of them. That's kinda how Tickington feels at times.
Back in the real world, the villa here has now been sold- it was sold after Octagonia, but I forgot about this detail and forgot to come back here.
There's stuff in here to acquire.
...I disagree with his perception of the sale, but I'm also not discounting the possibility this is true. Poor Sultan.
This gets you the Jolly Brolly, Coral Hairpin and Utility Belt. Bit of a weird set, but OK.
This is good for Erik Deftness, I guess.
Jade picks up our Bunny Tail. I think it's time we considered how many of these we have.
Just north of the canal's mouth is the first of the Insulae we will be visiting: Occidentalis. Keeping track of these can get annoying.
These brilliant bunnies are able to cast the Snooze spell in addition to employing the charging attacks their kind are fond of.
Spiked hares are the upgraded form of bunicorns, appearing in DQs 3, 5, 8, 10 and the remake of 7. In 3, they reappeared so quickly that you were still fighting bunicorns. And yeah, all they have are the bunicorn's tricks and Snooze.
Snooze is a little annoying for my purposes, but we can make do.
We're firing off a Hallelujah!
Three new Bunny Tails. These things increasing drop rate stacks. You can use a mix of Hallelujah and Bunny Tails to get 8 (2 for each active slot), and then watch the items roll in.
Mini medal back behind this cabin.
The cabin is inhabited by this surly man.
I think the strange thing is, there is a Quest that includes this man, but I don't think he's the missing famous individual in question, just watching over his stuff.
Don't make the mistake of overlooking these lumbering, lantern-jawed beasts just because they're cute- they'll clobber you good.
Jowlers are from DQ5 (I never remember encountering these guys there, but I do sorta recognise their DQ5 sprite) and they are to be taken seriously. When we encounter Jowler in the main story, he's an enemy meant to be battled in the mid-late 30s. He has 456 HP, so he's not the worst thing in the world, especially for our overpowered equipment, but still. Treat him with respect.
OK, this one got paralysed. Look at that face. Also look at Erik's HP. (They can also call for help from an enemy we haven't seen yet, but this one failed to do so.)
Veronica got a Pep Power from learning Sage's Breath. Angel's Breath is basically the same thing, but it can be applied to someone else.
Costumed creatures who have adapted to life at sea. Well, up to a point- they still can't get used to the taste of clams. Bleurgh!
Ugh, these guys. Otter shambles are new to DQXI, and they are really annoying. They're surprisingly sturdy and can summon tidal waves, but the real killer is their attempts to eat clams. If they don't like the taste, they'll throw it at you as an attack. If they do? It heals and gives them an Oomph stage. Otter shambles might just be my least favourite enemy to deal with.
Insula Algarum's over in this crevice between Puerto Valor and Sniflheim. This is an important island to remember for later.
When these powerful predators aren't prowling the skies in search of prey, they're training their talons by lifting huge stones high into the air.
Finally, we're ready to face Hades condors. Well, a little later, at least, but we can fight them now. They appeared in DQs 3 and 8, and mostly pack Midheal. They're not that scary now that we're significantly stronger.
Primordial predators that are said to have been around since before time began. They've got teeth, and they're not afraid to use them!
Teeth? Pteranodons come from DQs 4 and 10, and surprisingly, their teeth don't play into how scary they are (although beaked enemies with teeth would probably be pretty scary... and weird). Pteranodons know the spells Sizzle and Whack. And they always know exactly when that last one is going to be annoying.
For now, this island is mostly here for one of these. These used to be accessories, but now they're just alchemy ingredients. They weren't great accessories.
This isn't going to be as awesome on Erdward as Veronica.
If you're wondering what happens if you sail to the "edge of the map", you go to the other side of the map. It takes a while sailing through this fog, though- I feel like there's more to each edge than the pictures indicate.
These clam shells do a lot of damage.
And that's a surprising chunk of HP compared to our offenses.
That's enough of you.
...This is going to suck.
Well, ignoring them completely.
Welcome to the opposite of Insula Occidentalis, Insula Orientalis. These two are the big ones I confuse, despite knowing the Latin roots helping to distinguish them. (Occident means west, Orient means east, and yes, I mostly remember it because "Oriental = Asian".)
The other name for Orientalis is "Slime Island", because everything you can find here is a Slime! There's hordes of Metals on this "side".
...These Slimes are also calling for help.
Groups of slimes who, aware of how exposed they are alone, gather together to create something altogether more monarchical.
These Slimes are not actually Slimes, they're "Slimes (Analgoomated)". They have 86 HP, well more than normal slimes, and they call for help often. These guys appeared in DQ4 on, but apparently they're not in 10? I can see why not.
Jade scores a Lightning Thrust. Metal Slimes aren't good EXP anymore, but no reason not to play with them.
Erik also takes the chance to steal some molten globules. There are reasonable ways to get these when they're actually relevant for recipes, but it's always nice to steal some.
Veronica's been keeping an eye on those guys.
They didn't amalgoomate, so we just get the chance for some EXP. Sylvando gets some Charm.
Mini medal in these ruins. You can kinda see on the mini map that this map is split in two- on the other side of the bridge are the interesting enemies.
Great big lumps of goo whose crowns and courtly demeanour mark them out as monarchs among monsters.
Say hello to the analgoomation of Slimes, King Slime! These guys have a whopping 512 HP and take forever to kill. They first appeared in DQ4 and have a perfect record since, including in 10. If you didn't find them amalgoomated (like this one isn't), you can find them in groups with stuff, and that makes them scarier.
They can attack twice, do an AoE physical attack, Midheal themselves, and worst of all, Snub. Snub makes it so all magic fails. Veronica's not only lost her value, but there are so many spells I could be using to make this fight go easy.
These guys have a good rare drop, I guess, and no way I'm keeping it out of this fight, so might as well.
Veronica decides to heal up some MP while everyone else fights the guy.
Please don't do that.
...That's even worse. Now how am I going to heal that?
Thanks, Rab. I think this one actually took a while, because of all the weak people that were going to drop along the way to getting everyone back up. Slime Crowns are another rare alchemy ingreident that we're going to want in greater numbers when it's more common, but it's always good to stock up.
Also Veronica making Rab's job less helpful by the spell. Why Veronica knows the same Crack family as Rab is one question. It really doesn't help Rab join the party when the AoE spell is the one he wants for himself to help there. Zam is nice, but it's not that great.
...Well, I've got plenty of these for earlygame now.
Their claws are so incredibly strong, they can slice straight through the keel of a ship, causing no end of distress for sailors and fishermen.
Handsome crabs come from DQ3, 9, and 10, and are mostly here for their crits. By this point, though, their kinda-bulkiness isn't much threat- Jade can pop them easily when Veronica's too busy to cook them.
...Well, there's more of these, clearly we're going to get something to manipulate them.
Oh, to hell with this...
Insula Borealis is up at the top edge of the map, and the main association you'd make to put it there is from "Aurora Borealis"- I'm not sure why that is called Borealis, but the southern lights are called "Aurora Australis" and the "southern" Insula is also called that, so it's a theme the game is keeping in mind.
These storm-lovers live in their very own swirling whirlpools, and know so much about the sea that they can summon up waves at will.
...Apparently it had nothing interesting if I'm back on the ocean. Spinchillas can throw powerful AoE spells like Thin Air, Maelstrom and Crackle at you from inside their whirlies, but they're easy to bash down.
Insula Incognita is the last island, and it's all the way down in the south-west. You bump into this one on the dotted plot line, and it's correspondingly probably the most interesting one to land on.
Including this Yggdrasil Leaf glowing spot. It should also be noted that brownies and trolls, both of which appear in this area, drop Seeds of Strength in the rare spot- if you're into that sort of thing.
There's also a recipe book for new Robes of Serenity. They're good to have, really.
Oh boy, here are some big boys.
The golden rule when fighting these terrifying one-eyed titans is not to if you can- sometimes discretion really can be the better part of valour.
Cyclopes first appeared in DQ2, and had a leave of absence until DQ8... at which point they suddenly started showing up in everything, even the remake of 7. They're trolls, but they don't miss. ...Intentionally. In fact, we're not supposed to be fighting them until after we start fighting jowlers!
They also pack the terrifying attack Crackerwhack- you might think it's ice-elemental in some way, but nope, it's a physical AoE that can has a chance of knockdown. There's a reason the beastiary recommended discretion as the better part of valour. I, on the other hand, want honour, glory, and Blue Eyes as a drop.
I also decide now is the time to forge these up.
...Honestly, I'm not entirely sold on this suit.
Also one of these for Serena...
One of these for Veronica...
...And not gonna try on the Drasilian armour, past me? Just to annoy me, I assume.
At least we picked up this for our trouble.
Particularly venomous and vicious sea snakes that use the fin-like protrusions on the side of their bodies to waft potent poison all over the place.
Diethons can poison you and use a sweeping AoE attack. They appeared in DQs 6 and 9, and also... kinda in 7. Diethons in 7 are a recolour of an entirely different kind of enemy and have a different JP name.
The heavyweight champions of the ocean, these enormous creatures are named for their supreme strength rather than for any claim to royalty, and their mere existence makes the seas a scarier place.
King squid is... definitely looking like him or one of his brothers should be a boss. They have 509 HP and a lot of AoE attacks to throw at you. They can also poison you, just because. They appeared in DQs 3, 8, and 10, but they were considerably less boss-y there- not entirely sure why DQ11 decided to blow them up to the size of castles.
Those tentacles are also their own targets, and have their own attacks in addition to those of the King Squid. Traditional king squids have been, you know, only one enemy. And could appear in groups.
These fishy fighters constitute the soldier caste of the strictly hierarchical society of the mermen, and are always on the front line in times of war.
Mermaniacs are the next stage up from mermen, and appeared in DQ3. They also appeared in DQ5, but under the name "merking", which is kind of confusing but I assume makes sense- especially since DQ5 merkings have this colour. They know Crackle and Fizzle.
At any rate, next time, we're going back to the adventure here at Lonalulu.
Sequence breaking is so weird, especially when it's intentional like this. DQ likes rewarding players who make it to later towns by enjoying their treasures for the stretch of game before you're supposed to acquire them, and yet sometimes, it's simply as easy as not knowing what ports you're supposed to be visiting. I'm not too familiar with the game design philosophies governing such explicitly allowed sequence breaks- most sequence breaks are using glitchy logic rather than just "...there's nothing stopping you walking there". They really reward players who either explore or know where they're supposed to go- and thus where they're not.
As for the rest of the open ocean... there's a lot of new islands, with a lot of new sparkly spots, but there's surprisingly little treasure. Part of this is simply because DQ doesn't usually stick treasure chests everywhere on the overworld- they started with DQ8, but they're still kinda sparing with them- but the explicit nature of porting DQ11 introduces kinda makes the Insulas seem kinda... barren? There are sidequest and late-game reasons to revisit the Insulas, but still. At least they have names now.
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