We're resuming with DQ7. We'll be visiting the Roamers as they appeared in the past- with Kiefer and Lala as the major named characters to recognise.
Hendrik: The Roamers are fine dancers, there is no doubt of that. As one who has no aptitude for such things, I can only admire their prowess.
Rab: One of our tockle pals told me to try a wee dram of something called the Spirit of the Dance while I was here. It's an ancient Roamer brew, apparently, and imbued with all sorts of holiness. Let me know if ye catch a whiff of any going spare, won't ye, laddie?
Sylvando: One look at the way these people move, honey, and you can tell right away that dancing's in their blood. I wonder if they'll let me take to the stage with them sometime? The Wandering Wonder meets the Rocking Roamers- it could be the show of the century!
Jade: Always on the move, without a place to call your own... The way the Roamers live reminds me of the time I spent travelling around with Rab. Except I did have a place to call my own, of course- Heliodor. I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss it a lot, but that time on the road made me who I am today.
Erik: Wandering round with your pals, pitching up for the night wherever you feel like it- yep, these Roamers know what they're doing.
Serena: So that curious instrument that everyone's holding is called a torban, isn't it? I wonder what it sounds like!
Veronica: Imagine living in a tent, Erdward! It'd be like going on a camping trip every single day. I think it'd be a lot of fun- as long as I didn't have to share.
I feel like Lala being unable to dance is a plot point in the vanilla DQ7- twisted ankle instead of a sickness, though. I don't remember what Lala being unable to dance did, though.
Lala's dance is for the Almighty, the resident deity of the world of DQ7. He also goes by Numen, and in the original PSX version, he just casually went by God, complete with capital G and thick white beard.
There was another Guardian before him, but it turns out that he had some ancient birthmark that gave him certain responsibilities, and he was explicitly not allowed to marry Lala because he had that birthmark. He also got exiled from the tribe for hiding it, or possibly exiled himself for similar reasons.
Kiefer spent a lot of his time in the party, and even before joining, as a low-level lech- it wasn't really a character trait, but it fit in with his very "I don't know what I'm doing with my life" attitude. His attraction to Lala started life as a physical attraction in this vein.
Part of the deal with Kiefer abandoning the party to set up with the Roamers permanently is him finally deciding on his life's path.
Oh, and by the way, if any of these vague descriptions of the plot of DQ7 made you raise your eyebrow, that's not you. DQ7 is a weird game, and the PSX translation is even weirder. There's a reason that there's next to nothing referencing it in the main story of DQXI itself.
Rom Baro is the tribe leader, and apparently, his successor is also called Rom Baro. Either it's a "Rom Baro Jr" situation or this is a title as well as a name.
So how can we help deal with this problem?
Don't make a science joke, don't make a science joke Have you tried Moreheal?
The gem in question is the Green Gem from the Rainbow Mines- green gems from there have healing properties, something Kiefer observed during the Town Story of Ballymolloy, where it was used as such.
Yeah, now might be the time to start asking for help.
Rom Baro is nice enough to mention the specifics of what Kiefer is looking for.
Save her life?
...I guess there's not a lot of options for what happens to a sick person in a nomadic tribe if they're not cured.
Now that we're going through the Rainbow Mines without the place being filled with explosive rocks, it's time for Sylvando's Party Chat quote from way back when to become relevant again:
Sylvando: Hey, honey! Guess what the tockles told me? Apparently rainbow rocks smash into smithereens if you put two of the same colour together.
This is a feature of the DQ7 puzzle that reappears in 11, but I'll be honest, I'm not sure how well the game sets this up if you haven't played DQ7 before. I think I first played DQ11 first, but I had seen a friend go through Rainbow Mines before that.
That first room is impossible to get past without figuring out the gist, which is good, because this room requires actual thought to get past.
Those two red stones at the start are the obvious first move. Don't make it. Go around and break the two blue rocks, and then use the top red rock to smash this one.
It's the only way to get a rock that can break the red one blocking the ending.
It's surprising, how little puzzles factor into the gameplay of DQ7 after this. There's a few scattered here and there, but if this is the puzzle standard of the first dungeon, you'd expect the game to have as many puzzles as a Zelda game.
This room gets even more complex on top of that.
I wound up going north- the gist of both sides is the same, and involves getting a blue stone that can smash that one in the path ahead.
Fortunately, there are no puzzles on the "bottom" floor- you have to go downstairs to the "secret" floor. I think this secret floor was in the original.
Oh God Almighty, how did you get into that situation?
I think this puzzle is actually new to DQ11. I don't remember the black/purple rocks from the original DQ7.
Kiefer having explored the mine before lulled him into a false sense of security.
Also, the rainbow rocks are back. With him on the wrong side of the green one. Fortunately, I think a chipping will suffice as a curative.
Rescuing you.
It would certainly put a damper on your ability to be Guardian if you had to saw your arm off.
...Wait a second, how do we get out?
Well, through a monster, apparently.
Of course you are.
This monster is a recolour of a living statue, that's why he's pausing so much.
...Says the man with a sword on the back of his overworld sprite.
(When Kiefer leaves the DQ7 party, he is courteous enough to give the DQ7 Hero all of his inventory items. I wonder if the implication is that Kiefer hasn't actually replaced his equipment yet.)
But I wanted to fight alongside a classic DQ character...
The king of stopping people from where they want to go. Its pride and joy is the silver medal it won in a road-blocking tournament.
Humanoid family
2055 HP
168 MP
Obstructicus has the two tried and true attacks of a living statue to its name- stomping its foot for extra damage, and a shockwave attack. He also apparently has more than that, but that's not listed in my resource.
Trust me, I'm about to show you through experience.
The basics get applied.
Although Obstructicus puts up a lot more of a fight. The Roamer encampment was a Pastword we got right after getting Veronica's powers back, so it's a relatively high difficulty fight compared to our current power level.
Even Erdward is struggling!
At least Serena can revive him. Although he doesn't have Kabuff and still has HP to heal.
...OK, where did that even come from?
This is how you know things are going badly.
And this is how you know I'm pulling desperate measures.
Oh come on, at least let me revive Jade!
Signs you're really in need of taking a battle seriously: no one is attacking.
OI!
And he's Dazzled, too. Wonderful.
And now he's dead.
And now Obstructicus is dead. So much for that EXP.
Ah, that explains where the new stuff comes from.
I apparently remind Kiefer of the DQ7 Hero. Presumably. Hopefully- the other party members he knew before he left are Maribel, an exceptionally obnoxious brat whose character development is long after Kiefer's departure, and Ruff, a feral wild child I'm fairly sure started life as a dog. Not the loveliest people to be compared to.
I'm sure they will.
"Whoa, what the hell happened to your level?". Sorry about that, I missed a few enemies, and I figured "while I was supposed to be seeing them" was a better place to stick them rather than all at the end. Rest assured I have not grinded to level 99 yet.
Mean little monsters with the ability to turn back time. Whenever they happen to be in a bad spot, they just bash the rewind button until everything's better again.
Side winders appeared in DQ7, but as unique enemies that accompanied The Time Being for a boss fight. Despite being recolours of enemies that appeared in 3D Mode, they're exclusive to Tickington- and this room on top of that. They know Crackle and still have their gimmick from their boss days- they can use the Sands of Time and reset the status of the battle to the condition it started in. This was annoying as hell in the boss fight and it's annoying here, although it should be much easier to kill them before they get the chance to Sands here.
The player could acquire Sands of Time for themselves in DQs 4-7, and it's a lot more useful for the player than it is for the enemy. Not that useful, but in the right circumstances, exceptional.
Glad to hear it.
Considering this setpiece occurs after Kiefer has parted ways with the DQ7 Hero, I think the only influence solving this plays on the DQ7 Hero's quest would presumably be that, if Lala dies before having a kid, Aishe would not be born and the DQ7 Hero would be unable to count on her help when he needs it.
In DQ7, you could buy Yggdrasil Dew for 1000 gold coins, but were only allowed to carry one copy at a time. Well, were only allowed to be caught carrying that much. Give all your Dew to a party member, have them sit out of your party, and the sellers were none the wiser.
At this point, we are introduced to something I don't particularly appreciate about Tickington.
Three of the Pastwords you can find are within Tickington itself, and point to the same location in a new setting. Although it appears that only DQ10 has two representative settings, three more of the altars have the same issue. It affects each one differently, at least.
Kiefer is madly in love with this woman.
Perhaps erring dangerously close to insane.
Lala seems pretty appreciative, at least. Considering some of the stuff Kiefer pulls, I don't blame her.
Now then, the Roamer Encampment Part II. Of the three unfortunate double-Pastwords, DQ7 is by far the most obvious one to do. Not only is DQ7 content the hardest to sell to audiences who haven't played DQ7 (and even some of the people who have), but the main gimmick of DQ7 involves time travelling between the past and the present, solving Town Stories in the past to help the people in the present. Kiefer and Lala live in the past, so of course the second Roamer encounter will focus on Aishe, right?
(By the way, Party Chat is identical between both versions.)
This is a problem that's hugely relevant to Aishe. Practically the whole reason she joins us is because she needs to find the right person to play the torban in the present.
...
There are a number of reasons why the developers might've chosen to recycle Kiefer and Lala instead of focusing the second go on Aishe. I'm not really on board with any of them? DQ7 has a bit of a reputation of having a brutally hard section right before you get jobs- which makes the fact that all three Pastwords are set entirely before that point feel intentional.
Poor Aishe, doomed to never get any sort of characterisation.
Rom Baro is taking things in stride, of a sort.
Rom Baro is literally hoping "air torban" will work as a substitute.
The old man playing air torban being a huge improvement.
I don't really know for sure how the Roamers fit into the story of Numen versus Orgodemir, but I'm sure it's vital.
The Almighty uses the Underpants Dance as an attack. If he doesn't forgive you for this, he deserves to be a boss fight.
This exchange kinda feels like it's super supposed to be about Aishe and her plight rather than Lala.
We can do that, at least.
So, we need to go visit the Pillar of Pegasus. We've got that.
Lala has no faith in us to have heard of such a place.
Kiefer was the star of his own spinoff, so I can let him have this "I've seen a fair bit of the world" quote.
All right, the Pillar of Pegasus... We got this in Havens Above, so it's a pretty late dungeon for our party level. It's also an endgame dungeon in DQ6, too!
Hendrik: The horse motif is a recurring theme in the design of this tower. It reminds me of my own loyal steed, Obsidian. Speaking of which, it has been far too long since I last paid him a visit. I must remember to do so upon our return.
Rab: Aye, it's a fine auld tower, right enough. The tockles told me a bit about it. It was built in honour of a sacred flying horse- the mighty Pegasus. I'd be keen to see that creature with my own eyes. They're clearly a very big deal round these parts.
Sylvando: Just imagine, honey! Imagine living in the same world as Pegasus! She's must be the most elegant creature that ever lived! I wonder if I could persuade her to come with us to Erdrea for a special guest appearance at the circus...
Jade: I've always liked towers. There's nothing like running up and down stairs to keep you in peak condition!
Erik: I'll admit it, when they asked us to save all these other worlds on top of our own, it sounded far too much like hard work... I'm glad we didn't refuse though! Our adventures in other worlds have been some of the most fun we've had!
Serena: I remember seeing a picture of Pegasus in one of my old story books. She had enormous, white wings, like an angel... Imagine flying through the sky on her back! Oh, it would be so wonderful, wouldn't it?
Veronica: I wonder what made these monsters decide to infest this tower? Well, I suppose we're going to find out...
...Come to think of it, I don't know how Peggy Sue got separated from her heart. I always assumed it was the same incident that separated the Hero, Carver and Milly from their selves, but come to think of it, Peggy Sue wasn't in the party at the time. Huh.
It'll happen, but it won't be me doing it.
Just a nagging feeling?
...I also don't exactly remember the old man looking after the place, but considering how late in the story this is, I don't remember much about the Pillar.
Yeah, someone should check that out.
...Interesting choice of problems.
I'm not sure I get the joke behind "total mare". Perhaps based on "nightmare"?
This is another dungeon we're just borrowing straight from DQ6, this time.
Yes, the tower honouring a horse is not at all horse-friendly. The irony.
Now then... this will be simple.
These devilish dogs are said to be born from lava and to feast on flames. They frazzle their foes with fire while barreling round the battleground.
There's a limit to how seriously I can take an enemy called "hot dog". They come from DQs 4 and 10, and they can belch out a scalding gas for fire damage.
These are also the things you need to kill for the Roamers. But while I'm here...
The orange stuff will damage you if you step on it. This game doesn't have the Safe Passage spell, so we're going to have to tank it.
Seed of sorcery in this chest over here (it was a mini medal in 6), and wait-
I forgot to check this room!
Just an inn. At least, I think you can use this bed.
Depraved demons that can dominate many a monster merely with their presence. They use their scythes to skillfully slice enemies to pieces.
Beleth (yes, he is named after the same thing as Byleth) is a tricky blighter from DQs 4 and 10. They can throw out Sizzle and Bounce, and that latter one is always worse than you think it is.
Yay!
Born in the coldest of climes, these birds have some serious spells in their repertoire. Their icy breath is enough to cause foes to drop dead on the spot.
The snowbird is recruitable in 5 as well as appearing in 10, but it stands out more for me because of that second bit: It knows Whack in this game, Thwack back in 5. It also has Chilly Breath and Crackle for normal ice damage.
There's a bit of the Tower you can walk along the side here. Doing so lets you access a secret room.
The slime crown was a mini medal in 6.
Bosses of the biggest clans in the bamboo forests, they surround themselves with swarms of subordinates who will willingly sacrifice themselves at a second's notice.
Bamboogiemen are from 10, and in addition to Multithrust, they can call for more of themselves. I'm not entirely sure what that "willingly sacrifice" bit is referring to if it's a mechanical enemy.
The stairs in this room that go up all go to the same room, but these stairs are closer to the exit.
Fire Claw in the original. Also, the Mimic was in the other chest, apparently.
(Not entirely sure why this chest couldn't have been a Fire Claw in this game, this game does have them and this Pastword is contemporary to being able to buy them in shops.)
This chest isn't actually labelled on the map I was using. It's a seed of strength in the original, too, just in a weird place.
This is actually the setup to the reunion of soul and body in Dragon Quest 6- although in all three cases we see on-screen there, the two things combining looked the same.
This is not a good situation.
Poor guy...
The old man who was absorbed into the statue of Pegasus after years of praying to get a glimpse of that noble being. They're right when they say you should be careful what you wish for!
Bird family
2367 HP
489 MP
The grampogriff is a relatively easy boss. A few claws, venom mist, the ferocious war cry, and the Bounce spell to be a pain.
Not actually sure what the Sage's Staff is doing, but maybe there's an additional attack that hits Insulatle in his skillset I was preparing for. Either that or that was a mistake caused by lack of information.
Of course you do.
Roaring Tirade kinda sucks for a two-person Pep Power between Erdward and Jade.
...I think you were.
Probably because there's some serious monster hijinks at work. There are monsters guarding this statue in the original, but I don't think they ever tried anything like this.
Good plan.
...Bad plan.
...Now that is probably going to end badly.
Though a gentle gee-gee by nature, this creature combined with the statue of Pegasus to become a seething steed of petrifying proportions.
Beast family
2029 HP
169 MP
Nagasus is a dangerous opponent you should be more prepared to face than I was. His attacks include the Whinny, the Gloomnivore's Malevolent Miasma, Dark Breath, and Lightning Storm. Build for paralysis and turn skip protection.
This is going to happen a lot.
Here's hoping Arboria's Blessing helps.
That is not going to help. I'm not even sure what blocks Lightning Storm.
Welcome to hell.
Oh, don't you start.
There are times when you really know you're in for it.
Like that.
This just gets funnier and funnier.
Yeah, maybe I should've left Obstructicus and Nagasus until after a bit more EXP.
Well, OK, I didn't stop you turning into monsters, I undid the transformation.
Hopefully it will still try and steal the real Peggy Sue's heart, though, else the DQ6 Hero can't get to Desparia.
I'm sure it'll be my concern in due time.
Walk? That wasn't part of the deal!
The number of horse jokes they managed to squeeze in here.
I was expecting one in here!
That's another Mighty Armlet to add to the collection.
And we even fixed up the torban for Kiefer and Aishe!
The Elevating Shoes are a gimmick accessory in DQs 3-4 and 7-9, although they were apparently much better in 9. In every other game, including this one, they give you EXP for taking a step. It takes a lot of steps to make a meaningful dent in your requirements. DQ9 made it a raw multiplier.
That baby is going to one day lead to a Roamer who will get to rejoin the DQ7 Hero. She won't actually do anything, but he'll be glad for the extra sword arm.
You can take Aishe to Kiefer's relatives in Estard, King Donald and Princess Lisette. They have no idea why, but they recognise Aishe and treat her as welcome. I'm told the 3DS version has something more concrete for this relationship, but I'm not clear on what.
And possibly have some backup torbans in case this happens again?
He'll come when he comes. Granted, I think he is intentionally resting on his laurels.
Aishe is an expert dancer, although she would like to retrain as a warrior. Ironically, in the PSX version, Dancer -> Warrior is an amazing combo because that's how you get the Sword Dance ability... and Aishe taking that exact class path doesn't actually give her Sword Dance because stupid reasons. The 3DS version got rid of combo abilities and all the better for it.
Since we have completed all three Pastwords in the Altar of the Forgotten Past, the book has been repaired to a brilliant blue shade and a statue of the DQ7 Hero has been erected. All the books turn blue- it's just a coincidence that the DQ7 Hero has a strong association with water.
Any link to a Hero of another story is completely coincidental. Reminder that DQ7 was the first DQ released on a non-Nintendo console.
I set this up back in Briscoletti's Mansion, and apparently I did everything else first. That's nice and not-flowing of me.
This place is very sabrecat positive, although a feral one shows up and Tom's all terrified. I'm sure it's got nothing to do with the cages.
It's just a little puddy-tat.
This sabrecat has 1080 HP and a handful of expected new attacks, but no new entry in the beastiary.
You do have to win, but there's a little more to it.
Apparently, Tom can make great sabrecats docile, but this one marches to a different drumbeat.
So Tom asks us to find something that'll calm it down.
"Bianca". That instantly rings bells- this sabrecat is almost certainly Saber, the sabrecat from DQV that single-handedly brought the great sabrecat to great recognition and adoration within the DQ fanbase.
So we're going to need Bianca's help to tame him.
To get Saber to show up at all, you need to have already talked to Bianca. From Act 1 Lonalulu to Act 2 Octagonia, Chateau Felix doesn't do anything (there isn't even inconsequential loot to nab), and it also has the annoying side effect of adding another layer of backtracking to the whole affair.
The DQ5 Hero and Bianca saved Saber from some kids tormenting it when they were six, and Saber acted as a party member for the rest of the Hero's childhood. When the time came for the timeskip, Saber was thoughtlessly set loose, and became feral. Ten years later, though, the DQ5 Hero was able to find Saber, tempt him with Bianca's scent, and allow him to resume his role as a party member.
Bianca suggests the best way to calm Saber down would be to try the same trick. And this time the ribbon is fresh!
It's a key item, rather than an inventory item. In DQ5, it was an equippable accessory- it had the helpful effect of granting 20 Wisdom to whatever monster wore it. (In DQ5, monsters with less than 20 Wisdom have disobedience issues.)
Fortunately, Saber obediently comes back to receive the ribbon.
I wonder what Tom thinks about being told a little girl's hair ribbon is going to save the day.
You had to use Bianca's Ribbon as a battle item in DQ5. That's part of why I pointed out it was a Key Item here- we're skipping that bit. Probably because DQ11 players who haven't played 5 probably wouldn't guess that.
And off Saber goes, possibly back to Hay to terrorise the town waiting for the DQ5 Hero. Or, on the other hand, to return to being in the DQ5 Hero's hands. Depends what time in the timeline this Saber came from.
Or even the possibility of the Briscolettis getting a visitor.
Tom proceeds to give us a pair of claws super-effective on Beast family monsters like Sabrecats.
Good going, Tom.
Oh, and yeah, Chateau Felix is the second (well, first) Pastword with a Part 2. Of the three Altars with doubles, DQ8 is the weirdest one- it's a big game, very popular, and full of potential areas, and this one got a double-up? DQ6 also has multi-world exploration, DQ1 has like five towns total...
And that's this Quest finally done.
Onto Round 2. Since it's been a while, the Party Chat for Chateau Felix:
Hendrik: Ah-ah-aaah-CHOO! I must apologise for my constant bouts of sneezing ever since we got here.
Rab: So it turns out that even monsters have feelings, laddie. Treat them with a bit of respect and, who knows, ye might find ye have more in common than ye think. ...Of course, most of them are still going to be nasty wee so-and-sos. Ye wouldnae want to get too friendly with them.
Sylvando: I've tamed my share of lions during my time with the circus, but great sabrecats are uncharted territory for me. The crowd would go wild if I could persuade one to perform with us, though. Oh honey, imagine if I made my entrance astride one of those magnificent beasts!
Jade: Did I ever tell you about the time I had to fight off four sabrecats singlehandedly as part of my training? I knew I didn't have a hope of beating them for speed or agility, so I held back and waited till they got tired before whacking them on the nose, one after the other! Ah, those were the days...! Anyway, now you know what to do if a sabrecat ever turns on you, Erdward!
Erik: The tockles mentioned something about people giving weird names to great sabrecats- things like Leo, Mohicat, Purrcy... Pretty crazy names, right? I don't know who came up with them, but I kind of like them...
Serena: A sabrecat who loves humans- isn't that adorable? I wonder if we could be friends- I mean, I don't speak sabrecat. But I could try... 'Meow are you?' 'Purretty good, thanks!' Tee hee! I think I might be a natural!
Veronica: I've heard a rumour that in this world it's possible to ride around on the backs of sabrecats, like they were horses or something! I wish I could do that back home. Then I might be able to keep up with you lot when you go racing off, leaving me and my little legs behind...
The weird thing about this being a double-up Pastword is that, for all intents and purposes, there is no reason that this Quest needs to occur in Chateau Felix. It has nothing to do with the Sabrecats. I presume "cost-cutting measure" factored into the decision to make this a two-part Pastword rather than making a new area for this plot to occur on.
At some indeterminate point over the adventure, Jessica has been overcome with a fit of cold feet and the DQ8 Hero dropped her off here. Presumably, in complete confusion, because Jessica doesn't know the meaning of the phrase "back down".
This is related to how you get access to Chateau Felix in the original DQ8.
You get asked three questions in both games, all of which blatantly lead you towards saying the sabrecat-friendly answers to be considered "correct". I can see why they might want people who'd honestly answer those options, but it's really easy to fake. At least in DQ8, the questions were three multiple choice answers and each one was a full sentence.
It doesn't seem to have a reward at all here.
Jessica's sudden change of personality is absolutely mental and highly suspicious, but that's the norm for Pastword influences.
I don't even feel like you need to have seen the real Jessica to be absolutely mortified by this Jessica's model daughterhood.
Rosalind is a tried and true socialite with the utmost of expectations for her daughter, complete with an arranged fiance to the second most complete and utter fop on the continent. Somewhat strange she'd marry into the Albert family (if she is the one to marry in), since a large destiny rests in that bloodline.
Although Rosalind disowns Jessica when she leaves the house, she really does treasure Jessica deep down, and asks for us to get the real Jessica back, even if she'd personally prefer this model.
"That's horrifying!" That's actually a mechanic of DQ3- aside from class, the main way to influence stat growth is through what personality your characters have, and there are one-use books that can change what personality you have scattered throughout the world. Rosalind reasons we can take books out of that context and place them into a narrative one.
The book you need for this Quest has a hint in its title, which is why Rosalind describes her daughter's personality as if it were a clue.
The game also points you to Aliahan- Ortega's shack, as a DQ3 Pastword, has a Book you can use to change Jessica's personality. It is not, however, the correct one.
Let's grab it anyway. You actually have to grab it from Ortega's father- I always forget this house doesn't have a bookshelf.
It's... probably a little weird for an old man to have a personality-changing book that turns one into a strong-willed independent woman.
That's why this doesn't turn people into such girls.
Imagine that. The DQ3 Hero's heroism comes from reading a book.
Don't worry, you handled it just fine.
Rosalind is so much more likable here than she ever was in DQ8, and it's not like she was a horrible character there- she's just so funny as well as having a strong sidequest role.
I imagine, if you say No, Rosalind will sort through any books you have on you.
Rosalind: "Sounds close enough, but I have my doubts."
Incidentally, this actually came as a bit of a surprise to me, since I haven't played an officially-translated release of DQ3 yet, but these books are all actual personality changing books from 3. "The Champion's Code" changes your personality to "Paragon", which gives high Strength in exchange for low Agility, Luck and Wisdom.
So what does that turn her into narratively?
Yangus.
By which I mean, not horrible, but the DQ8 Hero doesn't need two female Yanguses in the party, Red is quite enough.
Whatever it is, I have other books!?
There are three other books you can try, but none of them are in DQ3. I don't think they give you any suggestions on where to go, although I imagine the player is fairly sure it's a) in Tickington and b) on a bookshelf.
Ah, we have to skip past the books we've already tried?
...No?
"Guns 'n' Buns" is a significant title- this book is particularly rare in DQ3, because the personality it gives is very powerful. For women, at least- their personality increases all stat growths by some amount- most personalities lower at least one stat. Men have a similar personality that lowers Agility/Luck, but it gives some decent bonuses to the other three stats.
And what personality is that?
"Vamp". The male personality is called "Lothario", which I'm told is a legitimate descriptor of the male flirt. As books go, Jessica was DQ8's resident Allure skill tree user (or, as Jessica calls it, "sex appeal"), but the personality she started this quest in was more accurate to her than this one.
Yeah, I'm throwing that away before Rab finds it.
"The Girl's Own Annual" is almost obviously the correct answer, and indeed it is.
The Girl's Own Annual can change the user's personality to "Tomboy", giving bonuses to Strength/Agility in exchange for maluses in Resilience and Wisdom/Luck. I'm not sure what happens if you try and get a male to read this book- the wiki is quite clear that Tomboy is female-only, but unlike Vamp/Lothario, no counterpart personality is listed for men. Personalities are actually female-weighted, with men having two exclusives to women's four.
So what's Jessica like normally?
Spirited and strong-minded. The comparisons to Jade are obvious, but Jessica is actually more closely related to Veronica for DQ parallels. She might have Jade's Allure tree, but she's a mage first and foremost- well, that and the whips. Jessica is the whip-user of DQ history, and she invented Twin Dragon Lash for Veronica to half-heartedly pretend she can steal. On the other hand, Jessica wishes her Kacrackle and Kaboom had the power of Veronica's.
DQ8 is not afraid to suggest Jessica's stubbornness is inherited from her mother, even if the two are stubborn about different causes.
And DQ11 has fun acknowleding that.
Rosalind is happy to have Jessica "back"- even if she's going to go right back into the DQ8 Hero's party. I don't think it is necessary for Jessica to be in the party at any point, although she does use her fire magic to open Trodain Castle and she has a key role to play after the defeat of Dhoulmagus. I suspect this Pastword chronologically takes place before the battle with Dhoulmagus- that "key role" actually triggers a bit of character development in Jessica that lets her see more eye-to-eye with Rosalind, which would make the personality shift less stark and alarming.
Despite the strong association with whips Jessica has, this whip was introduced in DQ9 and thus has nothing to do with her. It has bonus damage on Humanoid monsters.
Apparently not.
...Perhaps you should, though.
Once was enough. Looks at Erik.
It still says "your best bet is in Aliahan."
Jessica is surprisingly perturbed by her mother's shift in personality. I wonder if this would impact her character change in DQ8.
I'm sure.
Now then, did I not say there were three books in addition to the Champion's Code? You won't find the fourth book in many guides, with admittedly good reason. For whatever reason, the fourth book you can grab for this Quest is located in the third Pastword in the Altar of the Cursed King- this will actually be one of the last Pastwords we find. I don't imagine Rosalind allows you to change Jessica's personality after getting the good one, but to show that content would be to skip doing this quest until then- and that's if I knew the book was there before finding it in the course of playing the game for the blog.
Fortunately, the datamine actually has the relevant dialogue:
Rosalind: Hmm... you really think a book entitled "Look, No Pants!" will bring back the old Jessica?
Rosalind: Hmm... She may not be a born joker, but Jessica is not without her humorous side... Perhaps it might be worth a try...
Jessica: Hi everyone, and welcome to Jessica's Giggle-a-Minute Gag-o-Rama! Are you ready for a real rib-tickler? What did Alistair like to wear when he had a bad hair day? Wait for it...
...A brotherhood, of course! ...Get it!? "Brotherhood"! My brother- wearing a hood! Ha ha ha!
Rosalind: ...What manner of twisted creature makes jokes about her dear, departed brother? This isn't the Jessica I know! Hurry up and find the book that will actually restore her to her true self, will you!?
"Look, No Pants!" gives the reader the Clown personality, for good bonuses in Agility/Wisdom/Luck and only a small malus in Resilience. Not... horrible, I guess?
This is what benevolessence looks like. It's only a small picture and it somehow looks better than it does in DQ9 itself.
That is a lot of extra SP. Erdward probably uses his, and Rab will wind up using his for Claws in the main update, but everyone else would rather save up for a nebulous later.
That was a lot of Tickington. Part of the problem with Tickington as a gameplay mechanic is that you really don't necessarily know when the best times to put down what you're doing and go check on it are, which can leave you doing a bulk job like this even unintentionally. In hindsight, the Roamer Encampment and Pillar of Pegasus were beyond my power level at this stage of the game- which is part of the reason I just haven't done Baramos's Castle outright, that would slaughter me if Obstructicus and Nagasus were any indication- but they're not the worst if you did them before leaving Act 2. The Ruby Path of Doom isn't a horrible place to train if you're worried about Mordegon-in-Heliodor, which I was- but not doing it in Act 2 means going without the Benevolessence, which is honestly a good prize to have on hand for Mordragon.
Chronological fitting of the Pastwords:
- Briscoletti's Mansion- Octagonia, can be done immediately.
- Chateau Felix- can be finished now.
- Chateau Felix (Dusk)- must wait.
- Ruby Path of Doom- Insula Algarum, can be done immediately.
- Observatory- can be finished now.
- Rose's Room- Gyldenhal, can be done immediately.
- Roamer Encampment- Luminary's Landing, can be done immediately.
- Roamer Encampment (Night)- must wait.
- Pillar of Pegasus- Haven's Above, can be done immediately.
- Roamer Encampment (Night)- can be finished now.
- Quester's Rest- Whale Way Zwaardsrust, can be done immediately.
- Chateau Felix (Dusk)- can be finished now.
- Damdara- Battleground, can be done immediately.
- Cannock Castle- Mount Huji, must wait.
- Baramos' Castle- Crucible, can be done immediately.
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