We'll be starting off today's various errands in Dundrasil, and with advance warning it's going to be raining soon. Rain in Dundrasil Act 3 is a relatively important weather condition to watch out for.
Our first stop is in the actual Ruins: We're going to pay a visit to Dad.
Veronica: I remember reading about Dundrasil in an old book. It sounded like such a beautiful place... I wish I'd had a chance to see it.
Erik: This is where Rab told you he was your grandad, right? I remember your jaw hitting the floor. Maybe you were imagining someone tall and dashing and noble-looking. Well, I hope it taught you not to judge a book by its cover.
Jade: I remember that night we fled Dundrasil. We took a secret passage that went under the castle... I wish I could remember precisely where it was, but it's all a bit of a blur.
Hendrik: I know it is too late for apologies now, but when I think back to the time I tried to capture you and Princess Jade here, I feel deeply ashamed. Well, at least some good came of it. This was where I began to doubt whether you were truly the Darkspawn. I just wish I had realised the truth sooner.
Serena: Oh dear... There's some oppressive sense of evil in the air. I didn't feel this the last time we came here. We need to be careful.
Sylvando: You came to visit your parents' grave, honey? I'm sure they're very proud to have a son like you.
Rab: When the world is at peace again, I'll have one last piece of unfinished business. I'm going to devote the rest of my life to rebuilding Dundrasil. We're going to have to get rid of that ugly great brute of a thing hanging in the sky first, though. Then a new day can dawn for all of us!
The rubble leading to the tunnels down below has already been moved by a hopeful grave robber.
He's in no hurry to hunt for treasure when there's some ominous noises coming from the basement. Which means we get first dibs!
Veronica: This place isn't exactly a lot of fun, is it? And I get the feeling there's a nasty surprise waiting for us up ahead, too. We need to be careful.
Erik: Wow... It doesn't look like anyone's been down here for a while... I mean, look at all this dust! (cough)
Jade: I remember this place. I escaped through these tunnels on the night Dundrasil was attacked...
Hendrik: Though I was here on that fateful night, I could not save your father's life... Nor could I save King Carnelian from what Mordegon did to him. Even thinking about it pains me still.
Serena: It's horrible down here. It's almost as if all the bad memories of what happened to Dundrasil are stored in this dungeon. In fact, you can almost hear the voices of all the poor people who lost their lives. I just pray they can rest in peace.
Sylvando: It's like time has stopped down here, and there's this horrible feeling of sadness that hangs in the air... Not my idea of a nice vacation spot, honey!
Rab: These tunnels were built as an escape route, in case the castle ever came under siege. They're not much use to anyone now, but still I get this funny feeling that we're not alone down here. Let's keep our wits about us, laddie.
...Lame treasure.
The Gloomnivore lies in wait again. Fortunately, this time we won't have to relive the Luminary's misery- although I doubt it's changed.
...Come to mention it, why is the Gloomnivore in front?
Now, see, this incarnation of the Gloomnivore is actually evil. Causing misery to consume is leagues different from consuming misery that already occurred.
If the Dark One returned, surely there'd be loads of people with misery on Irwin's level. Which makes me wonder if the Gloomnivore has a cap on how much misery he can consume at once. Calasmos might need a few more of these guys...
...Um, is this supposed to be new information even to Act 1 Erdward? I feel like we already knew his name by then.
I wonder what everyone else makes of that "betrayed" bit. This time, we didn't see Mordegon-as-Carnelian stab him.
...Not that I think Hendrik, Rab, Sylv and Erik saw it the first time around.
Erdward's despair is about the same, but considering this is the Act 3 party, I almost feel like our Act 2 group would be more delicious, despite being half the size. Although admittedly, Hendrik and Rab are the most miserable characters in the party outside of us, for reasons that they experienced regardless of Act.
Made more deadly by the darkness, he's now hell-bent on making all mankind as miserable as Irwin was so he can dine on its despair.
Beast family
5250 HP
999 MP
The Malicious Gloomnivore has no new tricks up its sleeve compared to the original, although it's seen two "upgrades"- Kazam is now Kazammle, and Double Up is now Oomph. The sleep attack, Malevolent Miasma and two actions per turn are unchanged.
Jade and Rab are the most fitting picks, although maybe I should've brought Hendrik instead of Serena. Considering the Pep situation, though, I can see why I brought Serena.
So long to this guy.
And making sure Erdward doesn't get put to sleep or have his stats lowered.
Although there's a pretty good mix of Dark-resists in this team.
Even Kazammle only did a respectable amount.
We'll be done before you know what hit you.
Grandpa gives his regards.
Three hundred damage?
...So guess who forgot Rab doesn't have his Claw skills handy?
I feel bad that the ultimate technique of Angri-La is "well, I guess I gotta throw something" here.
At least Rab got to land the lethal blow.
It's about damn time.
This guy was never exactly one for eulogies.
And thankfully, we don't have to fight the Restless Knight either. Which does kinda make this boss fight feel easier than the original in more ways than one.
Hi Dad. I did wind up getting away. And so did Jade!
Aw, that smile.
And off Irwin goes back to Yggdrasil's waiting arms... now that Yggdrasil has waiting arms.
...I think these are the same parting words from Act 2? Doesn't feel the same when this isn't the jolt that gives us the Luminary powers back.
Hopefully we won't have to bury them any more times. Although if you're planning on giving them a new tomb...
Veronica: Don't worry, Erdward. Your mother and father are with Yggdrasil now. You may miss them, but remember they are always there, watching over you.
Erik: That must have been pretty heavy going for you, man... I think Rab's having a tough time dealing with it too. I think we should give him a little space.
Jade: Queen Eleanor continues to watch over and protect her husband... They still love each other deeply, just as they did when they were alive. Truly, they are an example to us all. I will hold them both close to my heart for as long as I live.
Hendrik: Your father was a respected king, sure enough, but he was also far more than that. He was a peerless warrior and fine leader of men on the battlefield. I always respected him deeply, and to this day I aim to emulate him in all I do.
Serena: You had wonderful parents, Erdward. They must have been overjoyed to see the man you have become. Now they have returned to Yggdrasil, where they can truly rest in peace.
Sylvando: It seems like your father battled to the bitter end to defend his kingdom. You should be very proud of him, honey. And you know what? He's passed on all his best features to you, too- his courage, his humanity, his honesty, his humility. Yep, you've got a full house there!
Rab: .........
The reward for clearing out the Gloomnivore is Irwin's helm and armour, giving 20% elemental resistance and 50% curse resistance apiece at +3. This isn't supposed to be Erdward's ultimate set, although with those bonuses, it puts up quite the fight.
Funny story about the Irwin set: In the original, both this outfit and "The Drasilian" are Irwin's silver, and it is the green colour that is the new one. Not only is saving the classic silver for the allegedly "Irwin's set" the correct move for continuity purposes, but it also helps in priming the audience for the Act 2 reveal of Irwin- seeing the Restless Knight and having Rab comment "his armour looks Drasilian" is supported by the existence of a matching green armour costume, and it makes Irwin's silver armour look more regal.
Over here, behind the two chests, is the third of the weird password items, alongside the Tombola Ticket and Choker. In the original DQ1, you acquired this item for rescuing Princess Gwaelin and returning her to Tantegel. It was a compass that helped you locate the Mark of Erdrick.
Because finding the Mark of Erdrick doesn't require the Princess's Pledge, the game is prepared for you finishing the game either without saving Gwaelin, or while bringing her with you to fight the Dragonlord. I suppose when you have a shoestring plot, you have plenty of time to write in funny side bits.
Also like those two, it has a Use function.
You can use it to hear Eleanor's voice. Bit of a shame it calls her a Princess, although that is a relic of being a classic item.
Alternate Erik/Rab quotes, when Rab "recovers":
Erik: So it sounds like Rab's got a plan to rebuild Dundrasil once this is all over... But there's something I'm curious about. I mean, you're royalty, right? You're heir to the throne. Well, are you planning on becoming king, or what? And would Gemma be your queen? I mean, I don't want to put any pressure on you, but it sounds like you've got some serious thinking to do about your future...
Rab: When the world is at peace again, I'll have one last piece of unfinished business. I'm going to devote the rest of my life to rebuilding Dundrasil. I won't be doing it alone, though. No, ye'll be by my side, laddie, and yer parents will be looking down on us and smiling. Now let's get rid of that ugly great brute of a thing hanging in the sky! Then a new day can dawn for all of us!
I'm honestly surprised there's a blatant comment about the Erdward/Gemma ship. Well, OK, maybe not surprised, but I'm sure that's going to be a hilarious comment for anyone who married someone else.
While I was forging Irwin's stuff, I also got around to distributing the Metal King stuff. Metal King Armour is still +24 Def on Irwin's Armour- it's very rare that the Metal King stuff isn't the best of its category on raw numbers.
Good, rain's still here. I probably should've done this first, but...
Bird beasts who bear a striking resemblance to the legendary Jamirus. Their deadly dark breath is perhaps their most fearsome feature.
Huh, they actually brought up Jamirus? I guess Gracos' Trident is here... the dark gryphon appeared in DQ8, in the World of Darkness, and it has retained its monochrome hue for this game, unlike the dark sabrecat. Expect to see Malevolent Miasma, Air Pollution and Dark Breath. You know, the works.
Great keepers who have morphed into a truly malevolent form under the malign influence of infinite evil.
And here's the reason you want to come out in the rain. Malicious great keepers appear only when it's raining- and even then they ambush you rather than having the dignity of making themselves targets- and they have the same drops they did in Act 2.
Sainted Soma in the common slot and Seeds of Skill in the rare slot. This was how you got all the Seeds of Skill you needed in the vanilla version. Thank Yggdrasil for Tickington.
While I was out picking up EXP, Hendrik also found his last spell, Kerplunk. Kerplunk zeroes out Hendrik's own HP and MP in exchange for fully reviving everyone else in the party. This is the main reason not to run Hendrik on the front lines- having him on backup means your main crew gets two chances.
I think the "32 MP" clause is new to this game. While it always zeroes out Hendrik's MP, this number does have a purpose: You can't cast it at all if you don't have 32 MP to spare.
...Hello, Atsuo's mother. This feels awkward...
Well, now we know where Atsuo's complete lack of fear comes from.
Right, better deal with the dragon before Ryu gets shape-locked.
Hopefully the mirror is better now. I can't say I see anything that looks improved.
So, the Mirror of Ra didn't work the first time...
But now it works! I guess the Mirror was just broken, defective, or possibly never worked at all before now.
Not only a touching reunion, but a moment where the two express their thoughts without haikus! Miko is no stranger to one-word reactions, but it's nice to see them so intimately.
...Thank goodness this kid didn't leave the nest. It also makes one wonder just how many days it's been- and how close to failure Miko was.
At least we can put this whole "Tatsunaga" business behind us.
Hi. Don't mind us.
So off we go back to Hotto to pick up two prizes here.
...I think we get spawned here? Might have to backtrack...
Veronica: I'm so happy that Miko and Ryu were reunited... But I do wonder what would have happened to the village if Ryu were still a dragon. ...Maybe it's best not to think about it.
Erik: It's pretty amazing to think that Miko still loved her son even after he turned into a dragon. I guess a mother's love isn't something I'm ever going to fully understand...
Jade: What do you think really freed Ryu from the dragon's curse? Personally, I don't think it was the Seeing Glass, or anything we did. I think it was love. If it wasn't for Miko's love for her son, I feel certain that Ryu would have been done for long before we could bring that mirror to them. Without love, all hope would have been lost.
Hendrik: I lost my whole family when Zwaardsrust was attacked by monsters, but somehow I survived and was taken in by the King of Heliodor. We were not related, but still he treated me like his own flesh and blood. I think of him as a father. Without him, I do not think I would have made it. I will never forget what he did for me. I owe him my life.
Serena: When Ryu became a dragon, Miko devoted herself to finding a way to turn him back into a human... Most people would have given up, I imagine, but she just kept trying. I suppose that's the power of a mother's love. Perhaps one day I will have children of my own, and then maybe I'll understand.
Sylvando: It must have been so hard for poor Miko. She's the leader of the village, so she had to stay strong even if what she really needed was a shoulder to cry on. Well, all's well that ends well, I suppose. Now, let's leave her to it and stay focused on what we have to do!
Rab: I know this might sound a wee bit odd, but I'm slightly envious of Miko. I mean, she managed to save her son. I never had the chance to save my daughter or her husband... Thank goodness I've still got you, eh, laddie? Life does go on, after all.
Jade's lack of faith in the mirror does highlight how little its legendary status has. It probably hasn't done anything as badass as this before.
Miko has returned to her shrine, and she's back in her kneeling pose with her dress splayed out like a flower. At least she has Ryu to do the walking around.
...Now that's a bit of an interesting point. The Forging Hammer and Rarefied Orichalcum are one thing- we got both incidentally, and with no real indication we know what or why we're going to use them. There's only one reason to be pointed at the Spirit Crucible.
Saving Ryu from Tatsunaga is necessary to acquire the Crucible Key, the "third ingredient" in making a Sword of Light, and Miko rather cheekily points you in its direction. After all, what else are we going to do with the Crucible?
Miko also tells you how to get in the Crucible, because she has no reason to know we've already been.
Ryu, meanwhile, spent at least "several days" as a dragon, and hasn't quite shaken off the new feelings that experience left him with.
But that's his business. He gives us a secondary reward for the assistance.
The thousand-fold katana, as one might expect, is a Sword- only Erik may wield it, and it has an 8% chance of dropping Defence. At +3, it is stronger than the Supernova Sword (12% chance to drop Defence), although only by 11 points. I don't really feel strongly about using this sword- it doesn't help that acquiring it requires visiting the same place that has the Supernova Sword recipe.
Sylvando got his Pep-Up Chance panel, it's over here away from everything I want him to have. If you're using Whips, maybe it's nice.
This is what I call "taking the mickey out of the Forge minigame": Since I have Hephaestus's flame on, this stroke is going to be a critical hit and move the bar forward far enough only to make the gauge gold. So why not hit it as hard as I can?
I'm done now.
...Although speaking of hitting swords as hard as one can...
Veronica: It's strange. You didn't seem at all surprised when the forge rose up from the volcano, Erdward. What's more, I get the feeling that you know exactly what you want to use the forge for, too. Well, that's fine by me! You just do what you need to do!
Erik: Man, I thought my jaw was going to drop through the floor when I saw the forge rising out of the lava. Imagine what we could forge here if we had the right materials! I mean, if there's anything you want to try making, I'm totally up for helping out!
Jade: There's something about the design of the Crucible, something that really draws you in... And you know the strangest thing? It feels familiar somehow...
Hendrik: How extraordinary... I have no idea how this place was constructed- and I suspect that questions of who built it and how shall forever remain a mystery.
Serena: Can you feel it too? There's a sacred power emanating from the centre of the forge. It feels like we could make something truly special there. Shall we give it a go, Erdward?
Sylvando: That was so dramatic! Watching the forge rise up from the fiery lava... the tension was incredible! Those ancient folks really knew what they were doing- they were proper showmen!
Rab: Did ye see how the whole Crucible reacted when ye held up the Guiding Light, laddie? However the ancients built it, they made sure that only the Luminary could trigger their contraption...
We have the Rarefied Orichalcum... we have the Forging Hammer... we're allowed in the Spirit Crucible...
Why the hell not?
We don't actually get to see everyone use the Forging Hammer again, although it is implied they did. Shame- Veronica using the Hammer would be a treat.
Erik is either wondering why we did this or how strong we're about to be.
Yggdrasil sees no problems here.
Erdward's Sword of Light has been reforged!
Veronica: We all forged the Sword of Light together. We all put our hearts and souls into it... Which means you'd better look after it, you hear!? I didn't go to all that trouble just for you to go and leave it behind at some tavern!
Erik: The way your mind works is kind of amazing. I'd never have worked out that we needed to forge the Sword of Light ourselves. You don't think the way a regular person thinks, but then I guess you're just not a regular person. I've learned a lot from you, Erdward, I really have.
Jade: The sword we forged together is surely the equal of the one Erdwin once wielded. With both Swords of Light, the Dark One doesn't stand a chance.
Hendrik: It is extraordinary to think that we were capable of forging a new Sword of Light! Truly, it feels as if we are following in the footsteps of Erdwin and the heroes of legend.
Serena: I still can't quite believe we all swung that huge hammer and forged the Sword of Light together. ...But you know the strangest thing? I have this feeling that I've done the same thing before. That can't be true, though... can it?
Sylvando: Check you out, honey! One Sword of Light isn't quite fabulous enough, so you have to have two! Nothing can stop us now, Erdward! Now let's chop the Dark One into little pieces and put a smile back on everyone's faces!
Rab: I'm proud of ye, laddie! I never imagined in a million years ye'd go and forge another Sword of Light! I mean, ye looked like ye knew exactly what we were doing. Ye haven't been training as a blacksmith in secret, have ye? Well, however ye managed it, I'm impressed. Ye're the finest grandson an auld man could have!
...Well, I guess it has been said that doing something multiple times and expecting different results is foolhardy, so I can't be surprised, but still. Erdward's Sword of Light looks exactly the same as it did in Act 2- and is roundly outclassed by any new Swords we have, especially Erdwin's Sword of Light.
Kinda weird it's not the first time we've got an ultimate Erdward-only sword that's so clearly outclassed.
Veronica is going from no revive techniques to this, so this is a sorely needed addition. Especially since my go-to "travel party" otherwise only has Erdward as the only character to know any revival magic. I have a Staff of Resurrection on Erik, but still.
Anyway, time to visit the Watchers. We have all three prizes now, and have for a bit.
I'm told this allows Blind Man's Biff to always land the more powerful strike even if Hendrik isn't blind. I instead ask why not use Parallax instead. I also feel like I didn't get it to work when I tried it.
I don't think I'll be very scared of Calasmos if he's scared of Blind Man's Biff.
Kind of a shame Hendrik's Drustan power is so lacklustre, actually. Rab and Serena get such cool bonuses from Morcant and Serenica, and while Erdward's is also weird, it makes sense. All Drustan gave his descendant is the ability to punch things without looking.
...I forget, did he mention he was going to make the strings out of the crystal? That sounds like a process that's far ahead of what we surface-dwellers really bother with.
However he does it, he's not sharing.
Serenica's gift is an additional 100 points in MaMend for Serena. Now, this is obviously a huge help... except Serena also has Fullheal and Omniheal. Sure, you can and probably still will get plenty of use out of Moreheal and Multiheal, but come to think of it, maybe this was a little overkill... it'll buff Divine Restitution, though, and I can think of no greater purpose.
Plus, the harp is also better, too.
At least we're making our mark on our predecessor's legacies.
Caught one of the platforms shifting in the background. The game usually likes to hide things like this behind bushes, but if you know the right places, some of them have no hope.
And with that, we can go get the last of the Luminary's ancestral powers.
...From the bracelets? Was Erdwin literally running on Power of Love from Serenica at some point?
Erdward's buff is a damage increase on the Splitter abilities. I'm told the damage increase is 90-230 to 230-420, although with a matching double in MP cost (16 -> 32). There is no way to downgrade.
Meanwhile, all the power of love gives Erdward is Beguile and Curse resist.
...On second thoughts, I think that's infinitely more helpful in most situations.
Honestly, considering Serenica's still alive and locked up in that tower while Erdwin's off dead in some desert, I can't exactly say I feel accomplished keeping their love for one another alive. At least Mordegon's out of the picture now.
Erik, Veronica, Jade and Sylvando receive no similar powers. A little unfair, perhaps (especially to Veronica, who is equally a scion of Serenica as Serena), but it's not like any of the ones we got are super powerful.
I can only imagine what poor Drustan and Morcant had to go through, lovebirds like them as their heroes. No wonder they turned out the way they did.
At any rate, our next port of call will be the big thing of the update: We're going to do the last two steps in restoring Cobblestone, and our third step is down here under Octagonia.
Beautiful beasts whose winsome ways and plentiful puff-puffs have lured countless starry-eyed souls to an untimely end.
Supreme succubats, new to 11, not only have the traditional Puff-Puff and Kazam, but also Hip Drop and Pink Typhoon. Still pretty plain, though.
Monarchs who made sacrifices of their people in an attempt to gain eternal life, and were punished by being cursed to suffer for all eternity.
Sounds like they got what they wanted. Wight kings come from DQ5- although there was an enemy called "wight king" in DQs 8-10 with a relatively similar design- and they've got... well, Kaswoosh, Kazing and the Lightning Staff are no small feats, but they're not exactly that much more badass than their DQ5 counterparts. They'll also call for Malicious Deadnauts and One-Man Armies.
Ah, great, the boss is back.
A very Octagonia-heavy party is going to deal with this business. Figured I was never going to legitimately use Sylvando otherwise.
Vince is here with the other missing fighters, but unlike last time, it wasn't his fault.
Something similar to Arachtagon is happening.
...Aren't you supposed to be bad at fighting? Whatever, they have five guys, might as well even up the numbers.
Even at Vince's darkest, he never went malicious, lower-case m, like these guys are.
Even the girls are surprisingly non-flirtatious in their pre-taunt banter. Not entirely, but you have to really try and ferret out the flirt.
Golden Boy kinda brings up Sylv out of nowhere- it's not connected to me bringing him out for the battle. Sylvando was a huge influence on Golden Boy after the Octagonia story, but we have seen precious little of that in either Acts 1 or 2.
Having been hoodwinked by the new and improved Arachtagon, he now fights for this malevolent master. His critical hits are as crushing as those of a stout troll.
Having been hoodwinked by the new and improved Arachtagon, he now fights for this malevolent master. When hunkering down to perform Forbearance, he makes for an impressive if somewhat unsettling sight.
Having been hoodwinked by the new and improved Arachtagon, she now fights for this malevolent master. She may seem soft and dainty, but her spells are anything but.
Having been hoodwinked by the new and improved Arachtagon, she now fights for this malevolent master. She's an expert in wielding not just her sword, but her womanly wiles as well.
Having been hoodwinked by the new and improved Arachtagon, he now fights for this malevolent master, whom he seems to like even more than Sylv.
??? family
Underdigger: 1840/10
Showman: 2400/50
Sinderella: 1240/150
Whambelina: 1240/22
Golden Boy: 1500/33
The Malicious MMA Fighters are a rowdy bunch, and the fact there's five of them is enough to give you pause before you make restoring Cobblestone your first port of call. Some of these characters are more complex than others.
- Underdigger just has his crits.
- The Abominable Showman has abandoned his dupe trick in favour of Forbearance. The two techniques are incompatible.
- Sinderella knows Moreheal, Kafrizz, Kasizz and Kasap.
- Whambelina can block and knows Flame Slash and Blow Kiss.
- Golden Boy knows Twomerang and Starburst Throw, while apparently his 2D self also has HP Hoover and the Cobra Strike/Victimiser combo at the ready. Wow, he really is Erik.
They can all still get Pepped Up, and you can see Bums Away and Smokin' Hot Slash here if the right pairs Pep Up. Golden Boy has Pep, although no one will let him perform Precious Mettle. Sinderella, obviously, is the first target of choice, although after that, I can't point at any one annoying opponent. Probably the Showman, but Forbearance will help knock him down every time it's annoying.
...Uh...
No thanks. Also, Vince is here.
...That was a good idea. And also good to know we can focus on Golden Boy later.
Benevolessence, and...
...Dangit, Sindy.
...You know, now I think on it, I'm sure using Jinxed Jade on the MMA fighters is dramatically inappropriate for both Jade and the MMA fighters, although neither of them remember why.
Although when I say it like that, I wonder what Jade thinks about the fact she even has Re-Vamp without the context of where it came from. I sure wouldn't like to be the poor sap who has to tell her where it came from.
Quadraslash, as "fixed damage", is always better than the alternative options or worse. With Greatswords, usually better.
And there's the Showman doing his thing.
..."Critical Hit, 96 damage". Uh huh, I'm sure that's the case.
At least Blind Man's Biff worked here. I think this might be me experimenting with it. Hendrik doesn't have a damage buff yet, but I feel like I like Parallax's numbers better.
Of course he does.
Jade, using Pink Tornado outside the Wheel of Harma. Not only that, but in a boss fight.
Looks like the Showman's out.
This was probably Parallax, since I wanted to aim it at Sinderella. That's another downside of Biff- you can't aim it, although most bosses present only one target.
It's a good idea to be healed up at the end of this fight, incidentally.
...As hard as the Underdigger is making it.
That's the first part out of the way.
Everyone is back to normal now- although I think the only character who's "looking" at the camera is the Showman. Maybe the Underdigger, too.
...Arachtagon's back? I guess he did miraculously survive Hendrik to return in Act 1, another miraculous return in Act 3 is just business as usual.
The Dark One and the Lord of Shadows alike put a lot of faith in you- and to be fair, you've been good at hoodwinking humans to do your bidding.
Unfortunately, we did a pretty good job of redeeming Vince, and Arachtagon won't be undoing that. Well, unfortunately for him. It's fortunate for us, too, since none of us seem likely to go Malicious.
Booga tried that. It didn't work out well for him. You, on the other hand? What's your plan on getting out of this cave?
I love Vince calling Arachtagon a creepy-crawly: first of all, character development, second of all, Arachtagon is huge, I'd hesitate to call it a creepy-crawly.
So then, let's see an Act 1 boss fight us now.
Improved in every way since being brought back by the powers of blackness, this sinister spider is now a more fearsome foe than ever.
Nature family
5600 HP
999 MP
Now here's a surprise: Malicious Arachtagon has no new tricks over the original. Over four times the HP, Atk and Def, yeah, but his attack list is exactly the same: Poison, Black Widow's Kiss, spinning a sticky web and Kafuddle. It says a lot about his Act 1 performance that he's still scary here in Act 3.
Plus, back in Act 1, Rab was our Guest, not Vince. Vince, while actually meaningfully contributing to the fight, is no Rab. Rab had Defuddle and Zing.
On the other hand, Serena isn't our only way to get rid of status ailments.
Looks over at Vince Is he OK? That's a lot of extra damage over us.
Re-Vamp coming in handy.
...Look, just because it's an Act 1 boss doesn't mean this is entirely the right idea...
I guess Erdward was a little weak...
I don't think Serena had Kabuff yet. Kabuff is so good for Arachtagon and Black Widow's Kiss.
Ow, that's a lot of damage on a counter.
Let's keep it up.
Yep, Erdward has come a long way since Arachtagon 1.
Hendrik is even using Moreheal. I guess that's a testament to the beating he's taken thus far.
No Kafuddle for you.
Please stop embarassing him, Erdward.
You too, Sylv.
At least you could've buffed Blind Man's Biff.
...Is it just me, or is he not even bothering with Jade?
Here's Jade trying out Lightning Storm.
And here's Sylv killing Arachtagon with his mighty Finger of Justice.
That's us done in here, and we don't have to leave on our own this time either!
I mean, I popped in, saw you guys were all missing, and then went off to level grind for a few missions. You were holding your own just fine.
"Not much", he says, giving one of the best Claws in the game. In fairness, money can't buy these, at least not in any shop we can visit.
In addition to the crystal claws, there are also rewards from the Beaty Queens and Golden Boy to add to our collection. Underdigger and the Showman have their own prize, too...
Jade: I still can't quite believe Arachtagon returned and was controlling the fighters. He really was a nasty piece of work. Still, at least we've taken care of him for good now. Let's get back to what we were doing.
Jade's the only one whose Party Chat changes after saving the Fighters.
Crystal Claws are probably the best non-ultimate Claws around, with the proviso that there are three ultimate Claw candidates and I'm counting them behind all three. In addition to the high Might- at +0, these beat out the best +3 Claws weaker than it, including those added to Act 3 before now- they also allow Rab to heal HP, and also increase the HP Jade heals. It's clear this is a bonus effect that can be cheaply replaced, but it'll be helpful while it's around.
The Showman doesn't give us anything himself. If you want him to reward you, the game wants you to talk to the Underdigger. These guys are two separate characters.
The Underdigger doesn't have the money to reward us with treasure either (not that this stopped Vince getting us something nice), but it does point us in the right direction.
These two are glad to take up guard duty over in Cobblestone. It's actually kinda neat, how the "village guards" are the hardest characters to recruit because of the difficulty of the battles.
Of course, Sindy. I wonder which of Jade, Veronica and Serena she thinks she can annoy by flirting with Erdward, and which of the three she does annoy. Gemma isn't much of a factor when she's quite a ways away- well, on Sinderella's end, at least.
This is a helmet for Veronica. The Beaty Queens give their prize in pieces.
...Is this an alcohol joke? They seem to have toned down the implications of Fighting Juice since we saw actual toxic substances traded around Octagonia, like Arachtagon venom and Love Potion.
Whambelina being her usual shy self and going right for the reward.
Whambelina's got something to prove.
Whambelina: Sinderella really does seem to have developed a taste for the Fighting Juice. I just hope she doesn't make me pay her tab again today...
Goddammit, Sinderella, you've got a cute girl crushing on you, don't blow it.
The Stella equips are good for some Evasion on Veronica, as well as 50% Fizzle protection on the Suit. That Evasion goes up to 5% for the Suit, although that still depends on Evasion being something Veronica might be expected to count on- something most bosses around now are eschewing.
It's a costume set that turns Veronica into a reference to Stella from DQ9, complete with a fake tan to match. Stella somehow went unrepresented in the Altar of the Starry Skies- which isn't that weird, I guess, she's being the DQ9 Hero's helper fairy- but she's one of my least favourite characters in the whole series. While DQ9 has some solid Town Stories, Stella is the only consistent character to comment on them (owing to the lack of Party Chat) and she couldn't care less about the people of the Protectorate- if she wasn't invisible to everyone but you, she'd be telling them to their face she only cares about them because it's her job to collect the physical manifestation of their gratitude. It would probably be a lot more tolerable if she wasn't the only character reacting the events of the story- since the DQ9 Hero can deal with ghosts, many of DQ9's Town Stories are also tragedies, exaggerating the issue.
As a comedic note to end this tangent on, Stella went on to cameo in the 3DS port of DQ8 and became the game's most annoying sidequest for some reason- she only appears in the postgame, she randomly spawns in one of five locations on the world map several minutes after booting a file, she spawns in one of five dresses completely randomly, and you have to take a photo of all the dresses to complete the photo codex. She's also in DQ10, and I can only imagine how that game manages to make her the most irritating character in the game when DQs 8 and 9 have already given it their best shot.
Golden Boy has made his way to the stage, performing Erik's dance animation.
He's found his true calling. Perhaps in another life, he'd be a Soldier of Smile.
This is a Sylvando costume, just in recipe form. As if Golden Boy would give anything for anyone else. Maybe Erik.
This set is an improvement to Sylvando's Suave set- which we also got from a recipe in Octagonia. Serpent Skin and Spectralite, but not that bad overall...
We have our first character's costume sets complete. And... of all people, it's Sylvando. Dragon Quest has always been better about giving women new designs than men, but you'd think Sylvando would be the most fashionable character on cast, and it'd be Erik we'd finish up first.
The Doublet is good for 25% Dark resistance, the Scarf 4% Evasion.
And I've gotta say, I think the yellow and bright navy works better for Sylv than the teal of the original design.
Worshipped as gods of war in the monster world, with their chargers foaming at the mouth and their morning stars making mincemeat of enemies left and right, they're truly a terrifying sight.
These guys are a bit of a weird one. They're called headless norsemen- which I presume is a joke on how they're found only in Sniflheim. They have the Whinny, Air Pollution, and blocking that the other horse-riding dullhans had, also being introduced in DQ11 itself. Oh, and you can also filch these guys for Agates of Evolution, if you need one.
Jade having Lightning Storm really helps out with the machines.
Fabulously ferocious creatures that carved their name into legend with their own razor-sharp fangs. The mystical light they breathe can obliterate any and all that stand before it.
Labradrakes are the strongest of this kind of dragon in random encounters, coming in new to 11. They get three attacks, and have the Infernorb, Ferocious Roar and the light-elemental breath attack.
They, uh, hurt.
This is when I found the book we need for Jormun.
Now to put it into practice.
Veronica: Apparently, the snow in this forest never melts. It's frozen all year round. It really is beautiful here, but I couldn't live in a place where spring never came.
Erik: Ah, this place brings back some memories. Remember when the witch tricked us into thinking she was the Queen? And when we ran into Hendrik out here in the forest? Who would have thought we'd all end up on the same side one day? I guess you never know how things are going to pan out.
Jade: What's that? You're wondering if I'm feeling the cold? Oh, don't worry about me! Rab and I have done a lot of training in extreme conditions over the years. A little nip in the air doesn't bother me!
Hendrik: The beast we vanquished had defended the kingdom against the witch for centuries... We made a most terrible mistake. We were outsmarted by the witch and did her dirty work for her. The shame shall forever be seared into my soul.
Serena: I still feel awful about all that business with Jörmun. I'm going to pray that he rests in peace. It's the least I can do...
Sylvando: It took a while to find my footing, but now I just love sliding across the ice. Come on, honey, won't you join me in a little frosty fandango?
Rab: Apparently the Hekswood is a haven for all sorts of plants and mushrooms. We cannae see them, though- they're all hidden under a thick blanket of snow. It just shows ye that life goes on, even in the harshest of climates. It's rather inspiring, if ye ask me!
What a time to pick this up!
Hello, what did I just find? This is one of the spears that out-damages the Barbarous Pole, and is supposed to be in one of the ultimate recipe books, although Orc Chieftains inhabiting this forest had one. 20% chance of spawning with Alma Mater is a bit of a limp effect for me, though, so we'll throw this in the bag.
When it comes to helping Jormun, you want a party that can support Erdward.
At the very least, I feel immensely relieved he was OK in the end.
The Horror of the Hekswood, made even more monstrous by the Dark One's malign influence. His once holy heart had been lost utterly to evil.
Beast family
2800 HP
999 MP
Malicious Jormun is fought as a proper boss this time, although they surprisingly managed to keep to how we fought him originally by basing success on Erdward. He gets three actions, which can include flinging a snowball to remove buffs and decrease cold resistance, a good kicking, Oomphle and Kasnooze. The latter two are new moves, replacing his Double Up from the original fight.
...I don't really want Veronica's MaMight to go skyrocketing, especially since I need him weak to magic.
Oh hey, a Holy Hymn! ...Does Jormun even have ice attacks?
Erdward is going to be throwing down Kazaps.
...Little scary, but Erdward should be fine.
Hendrik helps out with a Parallax.
And Serena's Doleful Dirge misses.
...Should probably make sure Erdward doesn't get that.
Divine Restitution was a choice. At least Serena's got HP recovery now.
And that's him bested here. You shouldn't have too much trouble, although it's certainly a little annoying.
After three acts and a misunderstanding, all is right with the jolly Jormun.
Aw, look at that little smile.
Off to help Gemma with you.
...It occurs to me that, considering Derk, Gondolia and Vince reward you with tangible prizes as well as a new hand to Cobblestone, that there should logically be something more for helping Jormun than just him. I checked the datamine, and Snorri doesn't seem to give you something if you go back. Huh. I guess restoring Cobblestone is more than reward enough.
Speaking of... we actually have found all four necessary guests, and now Cobblestone is back on its feet!
Veronica: It's amazing that Jörmun has come all the way to Cobblestone to help guard the village. I can't help but cringe when I think about what we did to him when we first met, though... We need to be extra nice to him to make up for it.
Erik: Derk's shop's going to be stocked with exotic stuff imported from all over the world, by the sounds of it. The people of Cobblestone are going to love it! He's going to be a big success here, I'm sure of it. Good on him for doing his bit to help the village. I'm kind of proud of him, man.
Jade: So Gemma was the girl next door when you were growing up, was she? Hmph. How sweet...
Hendrik: The manner in which Cobblestone has recovered is impressive indeed. The villagers and those who have come to join them have worked hard. They deserve this. The next time we visit, I shall endeavour to bring some delicacies from Heliodor. A celebration is most certainly in order.
Serena: It seems that Noah is still the man to go to for juicy gossip. Why don't we go and have a word with him, Erdward? He may know something that will prove useful.
Sylvando: No monsters are going to come anywhere near the village with those two beastly brutes guarding the gate! I wonder how the villagers feel about having such terrifying guards, though. I think it's going to take everyone a while to get used to them...
Rab: Aye, it's nice to see so many familiar faces making their way to Cobblestone. The place is certainly looking a lot livelier than it did when I first came here. Who knows, one day it might be a city to rival Heliodor! Hyeh heh heh!
It sounds like these guys are happy to hang around a nice, serene village like Cobblestone.
I've always got time for Cobblestone, don't you worry.
Although we'll certainly also do that in the meantime.
It's kinda funny- Gemma's hanging around inside the house, since we showed up at night time. Kinda makes this scene feel like it's taking place in the wrong place.
And, obstensibly, our reward for restoring Cobblestone is Gemma's Eternal Charm. There's actually plenty of other prizes scattered around the place, some of which are more than worth it, although this much is a cute moment. Do kinda wish we got some actual Gemma presence in the party, even if just for a Pep Power or something.
Sooner, if Drustan has anything to say about it.
Gemma's Eternal Charm is a buffed Gemma's Charm, blocking Beguile and Curse by 70%. Similarly to the original Charm, you can't reforge this.
There's also a Tockle on the bed. This is not the last Tockle we've found, although it would not be a surprise if it were.
Trodain Castle is the "home town" of the DQ8 Hero- he wasn't born there, but turned up at some point as a child, and he grew up training to be a guard as well as Princess Medea's friend. Before the game starts, a travelling jester named Dhoulmagus seizes an ancient, cursed treasure sealed within the castle, and curses it to be overgrown with thorns, turning all the minor characters into plants. The DQ8 Hero, who is immune to curses for unimportant reasons, sets out with Trode and Medea (who, while still cursed into the forms of a troll and horse respectively, escaped the plant curse) to find a fix for the problem.
DQ8 takes a novel approach to the "RPG openings are boring" problem by completely skipping this part of the story and covering it in flashbacks every now and then throughout the first act. Trodain's main story role as an explorable space turns out to be scavenging the library for a book on how to get a boat to be seaworthy.
The last single Mini Medal.
Good to see the jokebook is back.
Ah, of course Mum would get us to have some rest.
There's also this in one of the dressers up here. The Cobblestone clobber, at +3, gives 5 Def/Cha. Total. It's a pretty terrible armour all told.
It's an excuse to get Erdward into the clothes he was wearing for his coming-of-age ceremony at the very start of the game.
Seed of Skill over here, too.
Gemma's hanging out in front of the church, rather than by the tree, in the daytime. Kinda weird, now I think on it, but I guess she's had enough losing her headscarf to that thing for now.
Noah's over here, and in the vanilla version, he actually has a reward for the player: an item called Noah's Archive, that told you how many treasures were remaining in an area.
Definitive added Erik's Nose For Treasure skill, which is literally the same thing. I was hoping Noah's Archive was decent too.
You know, maybe Connie's going to be Cole's friend in this timeline. Or maybe she's found some generic villagers to play with instead- I don't think the two ever interact.
Derk has indeed taken up shop in the item shop, and if there's one prize that's really good around here, it's him.
The best dang shop in the game.
- Berserker's Blade is good, we all know this: We already have one.
- Knife of Strife is tied for the best knife in the game behind the ultimate when it comes to damage, and has a 12% chance to Dazzle as opposed to the competition having a 10% chance to Stop.
- The Cane of Compassion gives Serena a 50% chance to spawn with Caster Sugar and a 4% chance to not consume MP when casting a spell. And yet somehow it's not automatically one of Serena's best wands.
- The Rod of Paradise does what I thought the Rod of Rapidity did, giving Acceleratle. Not really worth it.
- Anchor of Rancour gives 4% crit and a 10% chance of Oomph on spawn- pretty good, except I wouldn't exactly say either Veronica or Sylvando are gunning for those things. If you want to try them in that way, though...
- The Aristocrat's Axe gives 10% bonus damage to Demons and gives Hendrik an 8% chance not to use up MP. It's also the third-most-powerful axe, too.
The Metal King stuff and the Pep Pops are always good, really, although one thing you're going to want to make sure to buy is the Pirate King's Coat. You can only get that here.
...Why is this chest here? Did I not get it the first time?
JOOOOORGH! (How did you get up here? Are you a mountain-climbing mascot? Can I have a ride?)
Prickly Pirate King costume. We'll have to source the hat elsewhere to get this to count as having acquired this costume.
Surprisingly, I don't really think there's much of a comparison to be drawn about Cobblestone across the series. There's Hank Hoffman Jr's town in DQ4's DS remake and the Quester's Rest in DQ9 (both of which were implementations of DS Wireless interactions- with the latter being exclusively a DS Wireless feature), but especially when it comes to the ruined hometowns other DQ Heroes get to suffer, they moreso grin and bear it until the plot rebuilds them- either over a timeskip (DQ5, Rocket Slime) or in a "everything is back to normal!" in the ending sequence (DQ8). DQ4 and DQ9 got no such luck, though.
One thing that's kind of interesting about DQ's interpretation of rebuilding a village is that, rather than the Xenoblade approach of demanding resources, they demand that you find people to help the reconstruction effort. This sounds like a less effective way to rebuild a village- although some games that demand resources get rather esoteric on how useful they might be, looks at Juju meaningfully- but once the job has been done (video games that aren't builder sims will almost always skim past this part), we now have a colourful cast of characters who can populate our newly reconstructed village, talk with the former locals, and present an eternal reminder of how our efforts have contributed. We may not hang around Cobblestone all the time, but you can't deny the fact that running past the Underdigger and the Showman reminds the player of the time they went on the quest to get them to lend a hand.
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