We start the third part of the Great Exploration in Sniflheim. Not many new places to see, but we'll have a lot of revisits to make to finish up all that miscellaneous stuff we did.
Veronica: The monsters may be causing trouble, but Krystalinda and the royal army look like they have things in hand. It's so nice to see her fighting to defend the kingdom. I always knew she wasn't really bad, deep down.
Erik: Sniflheim, huh? Actually, there's... um... There's this thing I wanted to tell you... ...No. Forget it. Now's not the time. Pretend I didn't say anything.
Jade: I'm getting used to the cold, but we still need to be careful. We don't want to end up with frostbite.
Hendrik: When this kingdom was frozen, I was dispatched from Heliodor at the request of Queen Frysabel. I entrusted the hunt for the Luminary to my deputies and rode out here to see what was happening... But of course, I could do little for the kingdom in the end. It was you who saved it, Erdward, and yet I did not know you were a force for good at the time...
Serena: It seems that the monsters in this area have been acting up since the dark star appeared... Sniflheim is a long way from Erdwin's Lantern, but there doesn't appear to be any part of the world that its evil can't reach.
Sylvando: Oh, that's right! I remember hearing that the buildings in Sniflheim all had a snowflake theme. I hadn't noticed before, but now I can see it. It's just perfect for such a fabulous frosty place!
Rab: If the beasties in the sea are acting up, it's sure to disrupt the trade routes into Sniflheim. We cannae allow the kingdom to become cut off from the world. We need to do something about that dark star, laddie, and fast!
So it was "Frysabel" who asked for Hendrik's aid? Hm... when do we tell Hendrik that was a trap message?
...Come to think of it, this feels like it should be pointing at a Quest, but I know no such objective. Maybe it's something so minor it hasn't been picked up on yet.
Sniflheim is far enough north of Gallopolis that the people do not have a good view of the Lantern, although I feel like they should be near enough south. Maybe the wrap-around effect obscures observing the south coast from the north in that direction.
This nun points you in the direction of Mia, if she wasn't on your mind already. Without Mordegon's influence, she should still be a gold statue right now.
That's a novel reason to think of the local witch. I guess she did make her start with her seductive powers.
The black dragon sealed in an ice cube has gotten out. Is this Morcant's fault? It was probably Morcant's fault. Serenica and Drustan at least sealed Calasmos in something the average person couldn't open with a pickaxe.
Meanwhile, in the castle, everyone is glad to hear that Frysabel's decisions were vindicated. She has a head on her shoulders- unlike her predecessor, who started this rumour.
Veronica: Queen Frysabel and Krystalinda are looking well, but they're obviously worried about all the monsters. We've got to rid the world of that dark star before it's too late!
Jade: Snorri was conducting research into Jörmun, it seems... If only we'd known. I feel terrible. We'll have to do something to make up for what we did, Erdward...
Hendrik: Queen Frysabel and Krystalinda have joined forces, proving once more that old foes can put the past behind them. Krystalinda may have frozen the kingdom, but in the end, she did no serious harm. It is most noble of the Queen to allow her to make amends for her actions.
Serena: You've heard, right? Krystalinda is going to help us out! She's several centuries old, so she's bound to know a lot of useful things. Come on, let's go and see her!
Sylvando: I've been thinking of giving the Salty Stallion a makeover- I'd love to add some Sniflheim-style stained glass. Can you imagine, honey? It'd look wonderful!
Rab: I'll be honest with ye, laddie. I did wonder if Queen Frysabel was tough enough to rule this kingdom. It seems she's making a decent fist of it, though, eh? Well, she isn't alone, of course. She's got Krystalinda on her side. Between them, I'm sure they'll do a great job.
Remember that this maid didn't perceive of the three months or so that Sniflheim has been frozen for in Act 1. Still quicker than the years this maid took, but Frysabel is more confident in her self-identity now.
...I'm not sure that's the right frame of mind.
Oh thank Yggdrasil, I thought I took an innocent creature away forever!
...Spoke too soon.
Moreover, the Hekswood is tucked in the corner of the Snaerfelt. What travellers are happening across him? Unless... is Jormun getting in the path?
We can go fight Jormun at any time, although if we want to do the job correctly, we will be required to defeat Jormun in a certain manner. This book will tell us what that manner is.
Both Frysabel and Krystalinda have pink dots over their heads- although Krystalinda has a much smaller job.
The serpent was a problem for our Act 2 selves, and so it shall be our Act 3 selves have to worry about it too.
Fortunately, it's fine to just hang out over in the eastern Snaerfelt, although any attempt to take it out gives us some... grim predictions on what it'll be like in Sniflheim proper.
This'll either be really easy or really hard.
...Serena had to bail us out in Act 2. I'm leaning hard.
You needn't worry about that, although it'd be nice.
...Should I be concerned? Like, try to reason with Calasmos instead of murdering him in cold blood? How much of a sense of self does Calasmos have?
Krystalinda is fully on board with the "kill Calasmos" plan, although I confess I'm less sure of myself with that endorsement.
Krystalinda has a simple service, but a powerful one. She can take Serpent's Souls and turn them into rare alchemy ingredients.
Full list of all creatures that can give out Serpent's Souls, exhaustive list:
Common (can be Half-Inched)
- Pruslas (Celestial Sands)
- Malicious Night Clubber (Zwaardsrust- Day, Insula Incognita)
- Royal Reptile (Dundrasil Ruins, North Hotto Steppe Whale Way, Battleground)
- Kleptoreptile (Royal Library)
- Malicious Boreal Serpent (Mount Pang Lai- Day, Sniflheim Whale Way)
Rare (must be Hallelujahed)
- Malicious Black Dragon (Heliodor, Sewers, Mount Pang Lai)
- Malicious Dragon Zombie (Battleground)
In terms of convenience, I'd honestly say the Malicious Night Clubbers in Zwaardsrust might be my pick for grinding out Serpent's Souls, considering proximity to Zoom points.
It should also be noted that a Serpent's Soul given to Krystalinda is indeed a Serpent's Soul lost- you can't then use it for Alchemy (which a non-zero amount of recipes demand). Serpent's Souls are enough of a bottleneck that one may want to get as many as you can where possible.
All right, let's see what we can make?
There are three materials one can make out of Serpent's Souls, all of which the game expects you to acquire the bulk of your supply from Krystalinda. Kaleidocloths, as we have discovered, can be harvested more quickly from Glacial Golems, and there is a better source of Crimsonite elsewhere in the world we don't yet have access to, but in the vanilla version, she remains the only source of Black Tears in the world.
The Definitive version adds Black Tears to a Tickington enemy as a rare drop, although I wouldn't exactly say that's a better way of acquiring your Black Tears over getting them from Krystalinda. You need eight Black Tears to make one of everything, although some of those recipes can be fairly skipped.
I make a few of them to start me off.
Oh, so you'd like a chunk of blood-red crimsonite, would you? An excellent choice! Very well- hand me the soul and I'll get started, my love!
Ah, so a piece of beautiful kaleidocloth takes your fancy, does it? Very well- hand me the soul and I'll get started, my love!
Quotes for crimsonite and kaleidocloths.
I didn't explore enough to find them, but looking through the datamine on Sniflheim quotes, apparently there are NPCs who speak highly of Krystalinda's efforts to push back monster assaults on Sniflheim directly, as well as at least one NPC who has been learning ice magic from her. She really has put her all into being helpful now that she's a) got problems to help with and b) not being accused of turning people to gold.
Oh yeah, ultimate key plinth down in the basement.
Chronocrystal is one thing, but the other is a recipe book for Sovereign Seals (blocks Ice/Darkness at 40%) and Monarchic Marks (the single best accessory for boosting MaMight and MaMend).
Oh hey, got a Rarefied enemy by accident on the way to Mia!
...Will admit, not entirely sure how the Sprite Bulbs got here, but I doubt they'll be here long.
Veronica: Have you noticed that Erik's been acting strangely since we came to Sniflheim? Well, do you have any idea what the problem is? We've got enough to be worrying about without him going all weird on us. If he's got something on his mind, he should share with the group!
Erik: .........Listen, there's no rush or anything, but there is somewhere I'd like to visit when we get the chance. It's the cave where I used to live with the Vikings. You can get there from Sniflheim by boat. There's a door there that I've been too frightened to open, but I think the time's finally come...
Jade: There's something about the wind here, isn't there? It really cuts through you, chills you to the bone... It doesn't seem to bother Erik, though. Did you notice that?
Hendrik: Something is troubling Erik, there can be no doubt about that. If there is anything we can do to help him, we should. We owe it to him.
Serena: They say that this is the home of the Vikings. They sound pretty scary, of course, but there's something I've always found really exciting about travelling the world, hunting for treasure... I mentioned that to Erik, but he told me he didn't want to talk about any ‘stupid Vikings’. I hope I didn't say the wrong thing...
Sylvando: You know, honey, Erik's looked like he's got something on his mind ever since you got hold of that Sword of Light. Take my advice and have a word with him when you get the chance. He looks like he needs a friend.
Rab: I can sense ye're impatient to get on with saving the world, laddie, but there's no need to rush. Ye need to speak to all the folks ye can and see what ye can learn. And don't forget to chat to yer companions, too!
This door is still locked- since Mia didn't turn evil, she didn't bust it down. With that said, Erik's technically been the one with the key the whole time.
And now that Erdward has taken on several power levels, Erik feels like the time is right that he let him in on his personal demons.
Erik did not tell us this story himself in Act 2- he was amnesiac, and learning the story was part of restoring his memory. The fact Erik has taken it upon himself to explain it himself is a mark of strength indeed.
And then he bumped into Morcant, telling him that he could find forgiveness on the Luminary's path.
I think you are allowed to do this without having seen the story of Morcant's fall, which is why Erik doesn't necessarily connect the Seer with Morcant. He may also just prefer to think of the helpful Morcant as "The Seer" to distinguish him better from the Mordegon half of Morcant.
And here's Mia.
This is the main impetus of Erik expressing his backstory- he thinks that Erdward with the Super Sword of Light is at his best state to be able to do anything.
And, as it turns out, Erik is correct. One thing I always felt like was a cute detail was the fact the Sword of Light can cure statuses would connect to it clearing this curse. It wasn't until later that I realised this is the Super Sword of Light, and this one can't do that. I think the Super Sword of Light's Use effect should work on this, too, but it's not as explicit a connection as the normal Sword of Light.
...Come to think of it, I've always been meaning to find out if the Sword of Light can cure Kaching Kaclang, but never getting around to it.
The Super Sword of Light detaches the cursed necklace, freeing Mia and also making sure she's no longer able to turn things to gold.
I also notice turning Mia back to normal has also turned the snow she was standing on back to normal too. I expect this is, in part, due to the proximity, although I wonder if everything else Mia turned to gold has been restored to normal too. If so, this necklace has been passed around before reaching Mia's hands... is there a bunch of gold stuff out in the world that's about to be turned to normal too?
I'd laugh if Heliodor needed to commission new statues, that's all I'm saying.
Mia was aware while she was turned to gold- of course, she had to be, for Mordegon to tempt her before unsealing her. But it's just as horrifying when we're the ones unsealing her.
Like many characters, this is probably her seeing her Act 2 fate. Although I don't think she saw that much of the Gyldygga stuff.
What do you know, Morcant knew what he was talking about!
Wouldn't dream of anything else, partner.
Veronica: I have a feeling Mia and I would really get on. Maybe Erik and I should swap sisters for a while. It would be nice to give Serena a bit of space, and spending time with Mia would be a lot of fun!
Erik: It's so good to see Mia back to her old self: Straight-talking and taking absolutely no nonsense- I wouldn't have her any other way. I owe you one, Erdward. You've given me something more precious than any treasure. I'll repay you for this, I promise. Wherever you go, I'll be right beside you. To the end.
Jade: I always thought Erik was a bit too nice to be a thief. Now I know where he gets his caring side- from looking out for Mia as they were growing up. I always wished I could have had a brother or sister. They teach you things you can't learn as an only child...
Hendrik: Truly, the powers of the Luminary never cease to amaze me. By wielding the Sword of Light, you saved that child from a truly terrible fate. Your destiny is to give the world hope, and mine is to be your sword and your shield, and to do all that I can to protect you.
Serena: It's amazing to think that Erik and Mia grew up with a crew of Vikings. It must have been so tough for them. I pray they can put those bitter memories behind them and focus on the future.
Sylvando: Erik's been through so much, but now he and Mia have made up it looks like it's all worked out for him. She's a tough customer, but deep down I know she loves her big brother a lot. How do I know? Honey, just call it intuition.
Rab: Well, laddie, ye did well to save Mia from her fate, but I still cannae believe what happened to the poor girl! Just imagine if she'd used that power in the service of evil. Och, it doesn't bear thinking about! The whole world would be gold-plated by now!
As much of a pain in the ass as Mia is, she really isn't that different to Veronica where Erik is concerned. I can see where the Mia parallels come in with her. Although the Erik-Serena suggestion Veronica posits does interest me plenty- how does Erik treat a girl who doesn't verbally abuse him every chance she gets?
Speaking of which, talking to Mia again gets her petulant side back out.
I'm sure Erik will be happy to take you on that treasure hunt after Calasmos. Just as long as we're not making fake treasures out of real people.
I wonder if maybe Erik shouldn't have mentioned the Seer's prophecy about getting forgiveness from Mia out of helping the Luminary in front of Mia.
I'm sure the "eternal friendship with Erdward instead of sibling bond" thing wasn't the tactful thing either.
The reason to visit Mia- other than it being the right thing to do, of course- is because that pendant is now curse-free and available to us as an accessory.
Only Erik can use it (and I suspect Erik doesn't want anyone else other than him risking it), but it's a Bunny Tail with a chance of curse resistance- 80% at +3. I think the item drop rate is better than a Bunny Tail, but I don't know the odds.
Right, Royal Library time.
We'll need to read all three of these books as we go. And also find the Drustaniad, too.
Veronica: This library is amazing. Whether it's ancient history or magic spells, it'll have the book for you! Imagine all the things you could find out about Erdrea if you spent a bit of time in here!
Erik: You know, last time we were here I decided to flick through this big dusty tome about astronomy... I thought it was going to go way over my head, but in the end, I read it all the way through. I never thought books were my thing, but it turns out learning is kind of fun. Now, what will I read next...?
Jade: When you flick through a book, it's easy to forget how much effort has gone into writing it. It's amazing to think that someone has put their heart and soul into every single book in this library!
Hendrik: It seems that countless ancient tomes are stored in the library's vaults. Perhaps they could shed light on some of the mysteries of our world. I will recommend that the King dispatches Heliodor's finest scholars to investigate further.
Serena: Do you like reading, Erdward? When I was a child, I used to read storybooks all day long. My favourite was a book called ‘A Ripple on the Sea of Love’. I used to know it by heart! It was about the love between a human and his mermaid sweetheart. It was a real tear-jerker. If you ever get the chance, I highly recommend it!
Sylvando: I've got to be honest, honey, that wizard's study just gives me a headache! All those books and spells...it's enough to make your head spin. If you're planning on going there again, I'm going to have to leave my brain at the door!
Rab: They say that in ancient times, some mighty genius created the first gentleman's periodical, the archetype for all that came after, including my beloved Ogler's Digest. Legend has it that Erdwin himself took the first copy of that organ with him on his epic journey, but that it hasn't been seen since. Ah, I'd give anything to have a wee peek at it! I wonder who's on the cover!?
Rab's Party Chat line was responsible for me making a bit of an erroneous assumption: I had read the line as the Ogler's Digest being the periodical that existed in Erdwin's time, but on closer inspection, it seems to be a different magazine that the Ogler's Digest is a spiritual successor to. In my defence, we later find a copy of the Ogler's Digest that is vaguely implied to have once belonged to Drustan, so perhaps my brain was linking the two thoughts to come to that conclusion.
Also, I appreciate Erik finding a passion for reading.
Charismatic characters of the dragon world with many faithful followers and fans among their fellow wyrms.
Kleptoreptiles are new to 11, and in addition to Kasizzle, Kaswoosh and Kathwack, they also have the ability to seal Abilities and a roar to induce knockdown. They're probably the Royal Library's biggest new enemy, both for the Serpent's Souls...
And their rare drop.
Yeah, uh, she doesn't care. What Abilities does she have?
They drop Dragon Robes, good for 15% elemental resist and having a stronger bonus to Def and MaMight than the Angel's Robe... although I've gotta admit I think the Angel's Robe might be the superior armour.
Canticle II.
...So what got in the way of this shot? I imagine it wasn't too disruptive, but still. How did something get in the way?
Canticle III.
Well, that was incredibly rude.
Veronica got really upset.
And the last Drustaniad.
We can turn this one in whenever.
Now, see, I thought the clue for Jormun would be in here, because it seems like the game's style to make you revisit the library, and also Snorri read a book from this shelf about Jormun. But no, the book being referred to is on the ground floor, in the east cavity.
Ancient legends tell of a mighty and mysterious beast that lives deep within the heart of the Hekswood, a frozen forest on the Snærfelt steppe.
Many generations ago, the people of Sniflheim worshipped this creature as their guardian spirit, and would offer up their thanks for the bounteous blessings they believed it bestowed upon them.
The beast’s name, it is said, was Jörmun, and after many painstaking years of research, we can at last hypothesise as to its origins.
All signs seem to point to its being a creature born originally of purely evil energies. Let us call this form Malicious Jörmun.
Malicious Jörmun is all but impossible to slay permanently by conventional means, be they physical or magical. It merely absorbs the power of its attacker, and is soon restored to life.
The only way to defeat it and have it stay defeated is to deal the finishing blow with a powerful lightning spell- Zap, Zapple and Kazap being the most well-known examples.
A great hero with the necessary assistance might even attempt to lay mighty Jörmun low with the devastating technique known as Kazapple.
Our theory is that this powerful electrical surge might jolt the creature out of its black funk, causing it to be reborn as Holy Jörmun, Great Guardian of the Hekswood.
The clue is obvious: We must finish off Jormun with Erdward's Zap, Zapple, or Kazap. "Kazapple", on the other hand, is a bit more confusing. Dragon Quest has traditionally included an ultimate spell called Kazapple (although this spell last appeared in DQ7, sitting out of the series for 17 years) where all participants donate MP and their turn to one massive attack. DQXI does have a similar attack- one of the four-person Pep Powers is a powerful lightning attack- which apparently legitimately does sum the MaMight of all participants.
The weird bit? In the English version, this spell is known as Kazapstrophe (it is correctly called "Minadein" in JP). Not horrible on its own, but a different, unrelated Pep Power got given the name Kazapple- an Erdward/Jade/Rab power combining Erdward's Zapple and Jade's Lightning Storm. I would highly recommend not bothering with any lightning-element Pep Powers and just use Kazap, although I suspect it's Kazapstrophe the game will allow to work. Apparently, the new Kazapple is a recurring spell with its own translation issues (it's been called Hellzapple elsewhere) that is both dark- and lightning-adjacent.
Visiting Arboria doesn't have much other than visiting Benedictus.
He gives us something that he suspects might help.
...
He has a point.
Benedictus is correct on this matter. There is a Recipe book out there that will allow us to turn the Rusty Sceptre into Serenica's trusted wand of old. You can equip it now, but it will be +1 Atk and literally nothing else.
This is your hint that Drustan probably has the recipe you need somewhere in his stuff.
Veronica: According to the Elder, the flute we used to summon Cetacea was left here by Serenica after she did battle with the Dark One. Maybe she knew that one day the evil creature might return, and that the flute would be needed once again...
Erik: Hey, remember that time when we were talking to the Elder here and you just decided to disappear without saying a word? It's weird, but when you came back, it felt like there was something different about you. It's hard to explain- it was almost like you'd done a lot of growing up. But it's not like you were gone for that long. I still can't work it out...
Jade: The four pictures in the main hall depict the battle between the heroes of legend and the Dark One. You know, there's something about those images that really gets my pulse racing. To think that we're following in their footsteps. It really is an honour.
Hendrik: Arboria has a deep connection to Erdwin and the heroes of legend- the ones who first did battle with the Dark One. Let us speak to the people here and see if they can aid us in our quest to rid the world of the dark star.
Serena: Our homeland has always been famed for its music, and that's because of Serenica's influence, or so the story goes. She loved to sing and play, and they say that a lot of our traditional tunes were written by her. I sometimes feel like she's still with us in spirit, actually.
Sylvando: Looks like prayer's a big part of everyday life here in Arboria. Well, the place was founded by Serenica, I suppose. It makes sense that everyone would be on the spiritual side.
Rab: Aye, Arboria's a pretty special place, alright. Its people have always known that their destiny is to guide the Luminary. Just as Serenica once did, Veronica and Serena set off to find you and guide you on your way. Och, they're a fine pair of lassies, they really are.
The Divine Dew is just north of the summit campsite, that's easy to grab.
While I'm here, Malicious fruity succubats have been upgraded from spellbound bough steals to cumulonimboughs. I'm going to want a few of these soon, and this is one of the better places to nab them...
Anyway, we've now largely completed the actual Great Exploration. There's still stuff to do- including actually doing the Quests we accepted- but for now, we can focus less on looking for stuff to do as choosing one.
Although, this Watcher has the last Quest in the Quest Log, and I suspect the only one I haven't accepted yet.
He's particularly touched by the romance of Erdwin and Serenica, and wants to honour it by allowing their statues to have the symbolic power denied to their living selves. At least Serenica is alive enough, but I'm not sure she'd appreciate the effort all the same.
Erdwin's exchanged bracelet, however, has gone missing.
Similarly to the other two Watcher Quests, this one powers up one of the Erdwin parallel characters- in this case, Erdward.
That seems like the first place to check- is it in the last place we saw it? Or, well, would it be in the last place it should have been?
The thing about this Quest is that it sends you to Drustan's place, and thus you can't actually accept the quest until going through the Act 3 plot and opening it up by powering Cetacea's armour.
Committed cavorters who dedicate their lives to dance, and can be heard to say 'C'mon everybody, let's hustle!' about a hundred times a day.
Grey gordon is a new monster to DQ11, found on the open sea. He has Kafrizz, Kasizz, Kazing, Bounce, and, of course, Hustle Dance, Hustle Hustle!
Revisiting Puerto Valor, here is Don Rodrigo standing before the portrait of his wife. Considering the Side Story characterised her as a woman of entertainment, it is even more clear how Don Rodrigo found and admired the elements of Sylvando's character he prized while accepting those he did not- that's basically how he admires his mother.
Sylv will be back good as new.
And to make sure, I did wind up getting this on the revisit.
This is a Sylvando costume piece more than a real armour piece.
It's his father's wedding outfit? I guess if he wore it plenty before then...
Agility and Maximum HP, although he loses a lot of Charm for it.
But still, I rather like the aesthetic.
Nabbed this...
Huh, it seems I've bumped into a turf war on Insula Australis. I don't think I've seen this before- this isn't an island with anything on it in Act 3.
Annoyingly, the game doesn't respect the formations when assembling enemy formations to fight you.
Insula Incognita has some actual prizes.
So unruly that they're rumoured to have caused a cataclysm in ancient times, they're known even among their kind for being unbeatable.
Dragon Quest's ultimate troll is usually the great troll (DQs 3, 8-10), but DQ11 instead uses the stout troll, as appearing in DQ6. Both trolls are similar shades, I'm not entirely sure what the difference is between one and the other. The Stout Troll can crit you, and I'm also told he can Shove a party member out of the fight- I've never seen this, so maybe it's a 2D thing.
This Ultimate Key door gives us the recolour of Serena's Saint set.
Next up, Insula Occidentalis.
As orcs age, their fur gradually gains a golden hue. When their whole coat has turned, they are given purple tunics to commemorate the occasion.
Orc chieftains, of DQs 2 and 10, bear Multithrust and Multiheal. You can also steal gold nuglets from them, for some reason.
Veritable forces of nature whose roars can summon storms or call forth flames, and whose claws can cause almighty earthquakes.
The franticore comes from DQ3, and has a malevolent miasma breath, Kaswooshle, Kafrizzle, Bounce, and can even go twice. Not quite as scary as the description makes it out, but not far off.
The only freebie Metal King Armour in the game, this one is one of the tougher armours for Erdward, Hendrik and Sylvando, with 20% elemental resist and a high Defence score. If you want more, you can get them through drops.
Over in Orientalis, on the other hand, we get the Circles of Life! Rather than a key item that unlocks the way to Nadiria, these give the Life Ring (an accessory that gives HP regen on the go), and finally the ability to craft Skull Rings ourselves. Apparently these use Extra Murals in addition to Night Sticks (also a Serpent's Soul and Mythril Ore).
Next up, the Sky.
Unlike dullahans, these devilish dead knights willingly sell their souls, shedding both head and humanity wholesale.
Hell's gatekeepers come from DQs 8 and 10. They call for help from Malicious Elysium Birds, and swing their weapon around as well as let out air pollution.
Those things on the left are Malicious Muddy Hands. They do kinda look like Hardy Hands, though...
Chronocrystals in this one. I'm almost wondering if we're getting close to oversupply...
Their names reflect their regal bearing, and while they're possessed of plentiful power, they prefer to rule with wisdom than with fear.
Royal reptiles come from DQ10, and they're certainly good enough to rule by fear. Two attacks a turn, a Ferocious Roar, a single-target infernal fire breath, and the ability to just say no to magic or physical attacks at will.
Powerful fire-element Sword, Knife, Boomerang, Claws and Robe. The Robe is only good for Ice resistance, while the weapons, while decent, probably aren't worth focusing on.
Champs Sauvage...
Utterly unfeeling entities who unleash catastrophic curses and ferocious fatal spells without so much as blinking - in other words, death on legs.
We saw hyperanemons as early as Booga's Octagonia- I think even in the Side Story, these guys were around. This is legit the first time I'm fighting them, though. They're from DQs 5 and 10 and try to curse the entire party- having Kaswoosh if that doesn't work out for them.
These wicked warriors are every bit as awful as their name suggests, and they serve their dark master by slicing foe's souls from their bodies.
Knights abhorrent, of DQs 1 and 10 fame, are super frustrating- not only can they block, but they can increase their block rate, too. When they're not tackling you, they also know the spells Kaboom and Moreheal.
This fight with three of them was probably not fun.
3 Mini Medals. At least they're there.
Right, now we turn things in.
This kid resolves to take on the lesson Xero taught him before he learns it the hard way.
He'll still put in his all, but at the end of the day, he'll come out of hiding and he'll be appreciated.
10 Mini Medals, also known as a free prize, just for a fetch errand sidequest. Annoyingly, involving visiting L'Academie, but you can't get them all.
How rude.
The spirits took notice of how incredibly rude this scam is.
...OK, that might've been a little far. Wonders vaguely which party member set this up.
At least she's not one to argue with fate.
Mistress Bev states the substance we found was literal pep pop. We didn't even have to prepare it or anything, it's Pep Pop. Almost makes one wonder why we can't just pick up some more...
Always business with you, isn't it?
I don't know for sure, but without the free content thing I got from the start of the game, this might be legitimately the first bottle of Pep Pop you're supposed to get. It's helpful for sidequests, I'll give it that, but as a legitimate strategy... you can get a lot of value from it, but it is annoyingly hard to replace...
I practically go on winter holiday up there.
Dude, I think I might be biasing your observations. By, you know, being the Luminary.
Perhaps try asking the people whose job isn't "helping people."
...In towns other than this one.
More Slime Crowns are just fine with me, though.
Our first two prizes for Mini Medals are "Styles for All Seasons", and the costume recolour for Sylvando's Superstar outfit.
The Seasonal gear is really weird- these hats give 25% resistance to Dazzle/Whack/Fuddle/Snooze, respectively, and also have slightly different MaMight and MaMend values. I'm not really entirely sure about them, but you know, in a pinch...
Sacred set materials.
And the Megastar set. No Crimsonite yet- I could get one from a Serpent's Soul, but I don't really want it that badly. But still, these are some steep materials. 2 Gold Bars, a Spectralite and a Crimsonite?
That buff might just be worth it over his current armour, though.
The Sacred Set is a raw buff for Serena, though. I think she still might've been using the Saint set this is explicitly outclassing anyway?
Sacred Serena. Since the Definitive Edition was originally Switch-exclusive, I almost wonder if the choice in colour schemes to make Serena resemble Princess Zelda's iconic design was intentional.
I also scored Field Marshal Hendrik. Despite being a "Field Marshal" (and thus having no business wearing white), I think Hendrik looks far better in this than the General.
Speaking of, finally got around to giving Hendrik his 12 Seeds.
We're going to be giving the Wheel of Harma a turn. The Fourth and Fifth Trials require a party of eight- so even if Pang didn't control them, they wouldn't be an option for our Act 2 party- and thus you need to have a plan for everyone, even Sylvando, Serena and Hendrik.
Starting off with Slime after slime, including bite bulb, cureslime, slick slime, slime, slimecicle, drake slime, slime knight and king slime. This is a very frustrating battle, since some of these slimes know abilities or spells that will ruin you.
Our plan is to smash them all to pieces.
Snub. Hope you weren't using magic exclusively! Also on the list of Bad Things: Bounce, Slimecicle Defending, Cureslime's Right as Rain, and just plain healing out of Bite Bulb, Slime Knight or Cureslime.
That's an ugly amount. We're probably not getting Shine On, Xenlon yet. I just want to try and get Fifth Trial.
Death metal is a real tricky battle: Three hardy hands and a clangoustine. 192 Erik MP is an essential benchmark because that gives you three Critical Claims to take out the Hardy Hands. You better hope his teammate can take out a clangoustine, something with high defence and blocking power, in three turns.
Dazzle isn't actually a problem for Critical Claim, since it ignores dodging. They have Whack, though.
You could also use Lightning Thrust or Hatchet Man, but do you really want to gamble on those hit odds?
Serena is rolling for Thwack. Kathwack has better odds, but Serena doesn't really have any better fights to be in.
Oh hey, something with Earth magic.
Gotcha. Ideally, you can kill the clangoustine in two turns, and Thwack might just be your best bet at that. Divine Restitution might not be horrible if you don't want to push luck.
Grubble trouble features gleeful, grubby, gloomy, grumpy grublins. And oh boy, does this match hate you.
These Grublins know Bounce and Kazing. And they all have wildly different resistance to most elemental attacks.
Shame Jade and Sylv are matching.
It's also hard to pick a team when half the elements are magical. I usually bring Erdward here and leave Sylv to deal with the Slimes, not sure why he stayed here.
Finger of JUSTICE!
Yeah, we're not finishing this fight under 20 turns.
Bloodbath and Beyond pits us against a red giant, an enemy we haven't met yet. You can get the gist of his abilities from his design, but the important ones are that he can block you- just in case it wasn't bad enough- and also knock you down. Being knocked down counts as a turn.
I figured I might as well Double Up, if I'm not making it under par normally.
That got us our very own Naughty Stick! This is a Wand for Serena, although a very gimmicky one.
23 actions, that gets us the Dragonskin Jacket and recipes for... the Lucky Dragon's Wing (-40% Fire/Light, good) and the Earthwyrm's Eye (-50% Earth damage, terrible, boo hiss).
So here's the Naughty Stick. At +3, this is basically Thunder Thrust in the Wand slot, except far less damaging. All you're really going to use it on is metals anyway, so go nuts.
...Fire/Ice resistance isn't quite as good as elemental resistance, but to be fair, the other elements aren't common concerns. You may be able to get away with this.
All right, Fifth Trial. I'm not finishing this one, I just want to show it off and see how I'm doing.
The Madness of Clouds is a smog, shadeshifter and red mist. The Shadeshifter has much more HP than his friends, and if you do not defeat all three monsters on the same turn, Pang gets angry and summons reinforcements. I'm not sure how you get out of this situation, but I'd recommend resetting if you do.
Hallucination is of no concern here.
Yes, even though the Shadeshifter is taking more damage from Kacrackle, attacking the Shadeshifter with a single target spell is necessary.
5 Actions... not bad, not bad...
Attack of the Octopummeler is just one abyssal octopot. For now.
It's a good idea to prepare, because...
Pang summons in an octopot, khalamari kid and squid kid every turn.
If you can't kill all three in two moves, you lose. There's no real polite way to put it.
You can't control the numbers. Although the Abyssal Octopot has decided to Kerplunk Dance all the reinforcements to life. If you can control their numbers, this is purely beneficial.
Let's come back later, when Erdward and Jade are a little tougher.
I feel encouraged.
And I learned one phrase from each! Clearly, I am the best reader.
Hear me, O spirits of the great realm of Erdrea- realm of boundless skies, of bottomless seas, of endless plains- heed my call... Grant unto me thy power, that I might protect this beauteous world and thy children, its peoples, from the foul machinations of that most vile and villainous of beasts- the Dark One... Lend me thy might- fleeting and ephemeral, sublime and blinding. Rain down upon me thy glorious luminance...
Imagine a spell that can unleash magical potential, but only if you already had it. Rich get richer...
+50 MaMight and MaMend for Rab, excellent! I'm not 100% sure how this compares to his normal numbers or exactly how much damage this translates to, but more numbers > less numbers.
...YMMV. I'm not entirely sure I want Morcant's magic passing down to future generations. On the other hand, he was good at his heroism job...
Yeah, you can go on believing that. Mordegon's too dead for that to be an issue.
This won't help us much in the Wheel of Harma- in fact, since Serena and Rab need reliability to finish off their fight, it might not even necessarily be helpful- but it is a boon to Rab nonetheless and will come in handy somewhen.
The Great Exploration is a phase of the game that isn't common to Dragon Quest, or indeed, many RPGs. The common interpretation of a postgame is to concentrate all the content into new, isolated areas, with maybe the occasional scene in a location relevant to the main characters. Dragon Quest XI has combined "postgame" with "main story" in such a way where it feels not only feasible, but right for there to be practically a new Town Story in every town. It's not this involved in practice- they're all sidequests with better hair at best- but it's more than many games that even let you run around the world in the aftermath of rolling the credits.
Part of this is in the distinction of Act 3 and Act 2. Act 2 changed the situations of many towns, and while the game has been willing to undo them, some towns had an Act 2 story so fundamental to the town's DNA that the mere act of undoing it is a story unto itself, and the game knows it needs to explain the alternative outcome. Everyone's fates have been fundamentally changed by the shattering of Time's Sphere, and while it hasn't always been for the best, it is always for the better, and making sure everything's in tip-top shape is our job as Hero.
This might be the part where I say it's easy to lose track of what you have and haven't done. And it can be. But when it comes to the important stuff, there is a way to solve this problem we haven't seen yet- it does require you to know it's there, though. The reward for beating Bathysfear and helping Queen Marina is the ability to track down pink dots across the world map. This misses some of the littler things like Ultimate Key Doors, but if you're only in it for the narrative, this'll work just fine. It's even on Quick Access, so you don't forget it once you have it- although again, helping Queen Marina isn't necessarily something the player is going to do immediately, and might be just as likely a quest they forget in the end. Being stationed in Nautica doesn't help.
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