Stopping in Warrior's Rest, the innkeeper mentions the same dream affecting everyone that happened in Act 2. Clearly, Irwin and the Gloomnivore are still at it. Almost makes one wonder why Act 1 didn't feature this dream.
...We'll have to handle it later, we have a job to do.
And apparently, it involves learning Kaswooshle. Not really, I honestly don't know why I bothered.
At last, the second of these downstairs areas is now open to us.
...Not sure what I expected.
Veronica: Can Drustan really have built this place? It's a little... odd. Being a legendary hero doesn't necessarily mean you have any sense of style, I suppose.
Erik: Wow, this place is seriously weird. Is it just me, or is anyone else getting dizzy?
Jade: This place seems to go on forever. I've completely lost track of how far we've come.
Hendrik: I have known the name Drustan since I was a boy. To think that he constructed this place and that it still stands is truly extraordinary.
Serena: It's a bit chilly, isn't it? Let's get going before we freeze!
Sylvando: Go on, darling! Go towards the light!
Rab: This must be the place Cetacea told us about. In that case, it was built by Drustan in order to test the mettle of any who dared to come here... Well, I'm ready if you are, laddie!
No, Sylvando. Although there's Ronnie going for the neck.
This "realm between worlds" exists multiple times in Drustan's Labyrinth, and every time you find one, there's always a full-heal Goddess statue to save at. It's important to remember you can count on its presence.
Welcome to the Path to Trial Isle. Looks pretty familiar, right? Drustan's Labyrinth is filled with recycled locations from the main game. I'd be disappointed, but the game does reorganise the direction of travel enough to keep me entertained. Besides, the loot's still as high-quality as one might want.
Veronica: Drustan didn't make this simple, did he? Then again, I suppose we don't want it to be too easy. After all, we've overcome every challenge we've faced so far. Whatever's waiting for us up ahead, I know we can deal with it.
Erik: Heh heh! You know what? I can smell treasure! Anything Drustan left lying here, we'll happily claim. I mean, it'd be a shame for it to go to waste, right?
Jade: The monsters down here are a lot tougher than those on the surface. We can't afford to let our guard down. Not even for a second.
Hendrik: It seems these magic circles can transport us from one part of the labyrinth to another. Let us see where each of them takes us. It will save on boot leather, and we may find ourselves somewhere rather unexpected.
Serena: Remember, Erdward, if things get tough, we can always head back to the surface to recover our strength.
Sylvando: You just know that a legendary hero will have prepared some legendary treasure! Grab everything you can, honey- it's bound to come in useful when we face the Dark One.
Rab: Hold on a second! Weren't we meant to be underground? We'd better stay on our toes, laddie- who knows where we'll end up next?
Jade's not far off the mark- there are dangerous enemies down here- but there is a flaw in her assessment...
There are Vicious enemies down here! Considering Vicious enemies are fused with Morcant's magic, I wonder if Drustan is doing the same thing. Vicious enemies that appeared in Act 2 still have their Act 2 stats, although there are new Vicious enemies (especially of enemies that debuted in Act 2) that are scary on their own.
Our goal is the Royal Library, but there's a lot more of these ice blocks in the way now. We'll need to find a face invader to get to the end.
Sacred Armour, rather than providing resistances, provides +30 HP a turn as regen. This was better armour when resistance competition was tight and the HP regen a little more significant (+50 in a game with lower HP totals), but for us, it's not really that valuable.
Oh hey, this bed still works. It should be mentioned that time does not pass in Drustan's Labyrinth... although all areas actually do have different enemies between day and night.
Wondrous wyrms whose bodies suck in the power of starlight, giving them powers for which they've been celebrated since time out of mind.
Noble dragons come from DQ Monsters Super Light to make their main series debut here. It supplements its powerful bites with a Light-elemental breath, War Cry and... Starburst Throw? I've seen it, and the animation doesn't involve throwing a boomerang, but still...
Common drop is spectralite, rare drop is this.
The Shamshir of Light is a powerful sword (beaten only by two other non-unique swords) with a Light-elemental damage effect. It has a relatively high Charm stat, so it's a good choice for Sylv's ultimate Sword. Sylv's ultimate weapon is a Knife, but you may just be using Sylv for Ladies First anyway, so it's not like which weapon makes an impact.
All the exits out of the Snaerfelt are still present, but they'll send you to some other part of the Snaerfelt instead of outside the Labyrinth in any way. This does count as an Autosave, but it also reloads the enemies.
To make any progress through this Trial, you must jump on top of these rocks and into that teleport.
The key was behind the lock.
I told you they could use Starburst Throw!
Erdward needs high-powered AoE damage for the Wheel of Harma.
Serpent's Soul in a chest.
And that Sparkly spot seems a bit too precariously placed for me to approach on the mount. Lucky the mount will still be there after I grab it.
Superstar dancers of the monster world who take the lead in every show going, much to the grey gordons' chagrin.
Hooperman is new to 11, and has all the same tricks as Hooper Duper- Tornado, Kaboom, and the ability to mesmerise. (These guys have the higher stats, incidentally). Much like Hooper Duper, they also have a valuable treasure to steal...
Agates of Evolution. Soon we'll have great need of these in large numbers, and now is the time to amass.
A weaker Devilry Drinker. Yawn.
Right then... Let's see what Trial Isle is all about.
...It's... it's Haven's Above.
Veronica: I wonder if Drustan built this place as well? It seems strange to put a village inside a labyrinth, but I suppose he must have known what he was doing...
Erik: So let me get this straight. This isn't the same Watchers' village we visited before, is it? Or is it? Well, wherever we are, let's make sure we speak to everyone we can.
Jade: Where do you think the village's supplies of food and drink come from, Erdward? I suspect we'll just have to chalk that up as another mystery that'll probably never be solved.
Hendrik: The people of Zwaardsrust have always held Drustan in the highest esteem. After all, he is our kingdom's founder. To be able to trace our roots to one of the legendary heroes who defeated the Dark One is the greatest of honours.
Serena: Isn't it amazing? A quiet little village in the middle of a big scary labyrinth. This is a perfect spot for us to rest and recover our strength. After all, we have no idea what's waiting for us up ahead.
Sylvando: I really thought we'd made it to the end, but no such luck! Drustan really is trying to test us. Well, we'll show him- right, honey?
Rab: Look out, laddie! There's a beastie about to attack! ...Sorry! I spoke too soon! It looks like the monsters here aren't interested in picking fights. Docile monsters or not, though, it's still a strange place to choose to live. Let's have a wee chat with the locals and see what we can find out.
Multiple DQ games with a massive postgame dungeon- 4, 6, and 8 are the ones I'm thinking of- including a rest stop in the middle where the player can Zoom to. This is often so they can get back to the dungeon more conveniently than wherever the game put it. DQ11 has good reason for it- we'll be coming back here often, due to the structure of the Labyrinth.
I believe "to cut a rug" is being used to mean "dance", considering it's a dancing devil.
This statue doesn't heal, but considering the only way to walk into danger is through a Realm Between Worlds, doesn't need to.
Why thank you, Mr Poppet.
Orichalcum in a chest here. I don't actually think this one is in my guides, so it might be a Definitive addition- fair play, they took one away from us on Insula Centralis. I never found this chest until this run, though.
There's also a Tockle here.
Tantegel Castle is the place where the DQ1 Hero starts his quest. There is no location more recognisable in all of Alefgard- except maybe Charlock Castle, home of the Dragonlord. DQ1 was also a bit simpler than the modern RPG, and thus Tantegel is also the only place you can teleport to with chimaera wings or Save at. It is only with DQ2 and 3 that the games became complex enough that "multiple save points" was added.
This Watcher may just be a free Inn, as well.
The room with the Guiding Light has several Watchers. This room is jam-packed.
First off, this shop is jam-packed with goodies. Very little of this is bad, although I wouldn't say I've purchased from this shop often. The penultimate goodies, perhaps.
Serpent Bone is indeed an alchemy ingredient I have acquired none of yet. You find some later on, but much later than you'd expect for such an unassuming material.
This Watcher might be the most important of the bunch. This is an incredibly valuable gameplay clue, if you can interpret what he's talking about. With that said, it does kinda get obfuscated a little with later reveals- he's talking about the "Super Sword of Light", aka Erdwin's sword that we got from Yggdrasil.
Over here, we have a shop for Perfectionist Pearls and Rainbow's End.
This is not Eegoltap, but none of these Watchers get names.
...I don't think any Watchers other than Eegoltap got names.
We have more recycled maps to traverse to reap the rewards of Drustan's Labyrinth.
There are three trials, to be completed in a fixed order.
The three trials are named after the three non-Drustan party members, although I wouldn't say the theming fully matches up. It's just an aesthetic.
Zoom is allowed from inside a Trial. Not that I think it ever wasn't.
Welcome to the first proper Trial: the Cryptic Crypt backwards!
Veronica: We can access the three trials via those sacred seedlings, it seems. I was already amazed that they could show us those visions, but now they can even transport us to completely different places! Well, that's the power of the Luminary- but don't go getting a big head about it!
Erik: The monsters in the Trial of the Disciple sure are a lot tougher than the ones up above... The Watchers say that it's the simplest trial, but there's no way that's true. I mean, how much harder could things get?
Jade: If we let this place beat us, we don't stand a chance against the Dark One. We must persevere. Drustan is testing us so that we can grow stronger. We mustn't let this opportunity go to waste.
Hendrik: Can you feel it, Erdward? We are growing ever stronger. We are honing our fighting skills, just as Drustan intended.
Serena: Fighting all these monsters will take a heavy toll if we don't take the time to recover between bouts. If we take any damage, it's best to make sure we're fully healed before taking on the next monster. Slow and steady wins the day!
Sylvando: Phew! My feet are killing me! Is this thing never going to end!? Oh, but don't get me wrong, honey, I'm not giving up! We're going to show old Drustan what we're made of!
Rab: Ach, these monsters are no pushover... Ye know, laddie, we shouldn't have the same folks fighting every time. We'll wear ourselves out. Try choosing the best combination for each monster, and we'll have more chance of getting through this.
Hell no hell no hell no get out of here get out of here
The first of these apocalyptically powerful machines were made when an ancient king put on a special suit of armour that took on a life of its own.
A3G15 is from DQ10, and trust me when I say he has a lot of tricks up his sleeve. Two actions, defending, lasers and all sorts of attacks, so on, but he can also set up a fancy force field that gives him a bunch of bonuses. Somehow, not as much of a nightmare as the overkilling machines, though. They have spectralites on common drop and a decent sword called the Sword of Judgement on rare slot.
(If you're wondering what the name is a reference to, it's supposed to be read as "Aegis", a powerful shield.)
This statue was a full heal in the Cryptic Crypt. This is not the case in here. This place is relatively full of full heals, but there are none in the actual Trials themselves- you want to heal, you have to leave the entire map.
Got it.
Having shadowed the Lord of Shadows on his daily rounds of evil-doing, they've become indispensable assets in the armies of evil.
...These guys were around for Mordegon? I guess this is the Morcant Trial... Umbras were in DQs 3 and 10, and have Sweet Breath and Kasap. They're not that special, although you want to fight as many as possible.
Their common drop is the mini medal.
Steal from enough of these guys and some other enemies further in, and that really good prize you get for 110 Mini Medals starts to look a lot closer...
This is helping.
The pitfalls are all still in place, although the bottom floor is a different shape. There's also some weirdness involved: You will have to use a pitfall to finish this dungeon.
This is where the Yggdrasil Leaf was in the Cryptic Crypt. Catholicon Rings are the best accessory in the game and you want as many as you can get. The four ingredients of such are thus important resources to find spouts of.
You'll have to drop down on it from above, it looks.
Another Vicious Bubble Slime I swear is a Vicious Liquid Metal... at least this time I can't be blamed.
I think they legitimately do spawn in here.
...I backtracked for a Sword of Judgement?
...Not gonna lie, 8% chance of dropping enemy attack makes that decision super worth it. It is not the second-strongest Sword Erik can wield, but with that bonus effect in mind, it might just be the one you want to have on his off hand once you get the ultimate sword...
Vicious Penny Pinchers also have mini medals as drops, while we're down here. There's a few more of them around than umbras, although they're also scarier enemies.
...Not when that happens, though.
I believe you get this achievement when you get 110 Mini Medals. There is a reason to gather more, so I'm not going to stop getting mini medals, but I am going to move on rather than make sure I get one from every enemy.
Don't forget to grab this. I think you do need to have accepted the Quest to get it to spawn, but even if you have, this is an alcove you may just not get around to checking out.
Even the treasure boxes are Vicious now.
...Why is it always Jade?
Yay.
Since this is the hole you have to fall down, here is the position on the map.
I dunno why, I'm surprised I still get to keep the demonrider.
Anyway, something I don't really think about as much as I should, but Vicious Chasmonauts (those red skeleton enemies pictured here) only appear in this room during the day, and are the only enemies to drop Royal Rubies in the common slot. Royal Rubies appear in the Catholicon Ring recipe, so, you know...
Ah, that's why I could keep the mount down here.
Onward, to a save point!
The Goddess Ring is an excellent accessory that puts the effect of the Happy Hat in the accessory slot, although in this game, that power is weakened somewhat. Especially considering the materials it's asking for.
50% resistance to six status ailments, four of which are common and dangerous. I can't say the Poison/Bedazzlement is perfect, but better than the alternative. Forge four as a must, but eight matters on some late fights that can status you.
Perfect Panaceas are super cheap, go nuts with buying those.
Next up: the Eerie Eyrie.
Veronica: One minute we're under the ground, then we're in a huge great valley! What in the world is going on!? Drustan knew how to keep things unpredictable, that's for sure...
The top of the Eyrie is now the Phoenix's nest, although the Trial doesn't finish up here. This is an important place to visit, though.
Beautiful birds once worshipped as fiery deities. The sight of them raining down flames from above is certainly enough to inspire awe in observers.
First of all, the phoenixes themselves. These guys were only in the remakes of DQs 3 and 8 before this, and they have a relatively unremarkable set of Kasizz and Omniheal. Well, Omniheal kinda sucks, but they're not the sturdiest of things.
The real value of fighting phoenixes is that they have two rare alchemy ingredients: Sainted Soma can only be acquired from these and Malicious Great Keepers, which I assure you exist but are a little hard to come by.
Wow, crit Kasizz, that kinda stings...
Anyway, their rare slot is the Uber Agate of Evolution. Later on, there'll be enemies with this in the common slot, although we'll need a few before then, and we're in the area anyway...
Other important reason to come this way: This is the Lumen Essence we need to help Miko with Tatsunaga.
Hopefully this time, this panel sticks. I've lost count of how many times I've uncertified out of this one.
The Eerie Valley is so cool to explore, in my opinion, because they give you a vicious dread dragooner to mount. We'll be exploring this whole place from the air. Sometimes, I wish I could do this in more places, although this dungeon is the most fun place I can think of to use it.
These most ancient of evils rise up from deep underground, and bring a destruction so complete that not a trace of their enemies remains.
Gaia dragon, of DQ10, is pretty similar to the liege lizard in my notes- Ferocious Roar, Inferno Orb, and the magical eye can block one or the other kind of attack. For some reason, I always seem to remember hating these guys more. I dunno what's up with that.
They don't even have the dignity of dropping Serpent's Souls, by the way- they drop Skins.
3 Mini Medals up here...
Cumulonimbough sparkly spot, can't forget that.
Yes, you can bring the dragooner in these tunnels, what of it? Drustan's Helm gives the most physical defence of any helmet in the game, as well as a token amount of max HP. It can be worn only by Hendrik, and I suspect it's not one you'll wind up using in the end- other helmets give other things worth having.
...What do you mean I can't fit through this exit? I've always managed it just fine! Grumble grumble...
Yay? 30000 gold, I guess...
Now here's a prize. Another stage on the ultimate weapons is always welcome, although this doesn't necessarily bring these weapons to full prominence.
The Supernova Sword has a 12% chance to drop Defence, over the 10% of Nebula, but for pure might, we've been getting a lot of good swords thus far- the Sword of Judgement, Shamshir of Light, Sword of Light, etc have all been stronger than this even at +0. Lowering Defence is still valuable, though...
This is the strongest dagger around for now, so if you're using one, go ahead with this.
Strongest non-special Boomerang period. I guess the Lightning element balances it somewhat, depending on resistances.
Beat by a few things, but the bonus effects lean more in this one's favour than not.
Weaker than the Barbarous Pole +3, but by a good enough margin that if you hate being blocked/parried, this is fine to nab instead.
I'd probably recommend this even if it weren't the stongest.
Unless you grabbed the Frostfire Fingers from Tickington early, these aren't outclassed by anything I've shown you yet. They are outclassed pretty soon, though.
Not quite better than Apollo's Axe, but if you're not in the mood for the elemental effects, the 12% chance to lower Attack is worth it.
...I would have made everything, but it turns out I didn't have the Agates of Evolution to cover it. I'll have to make another visit to the Hoopermen later.
And that's the story of why I'm never going to need to source my own fire balls.
This is, to my recollection, the only sparkly spot that gives orichalcum other than the one in the Battleground. Not that this is a convenient alternative.
This is where the exit is for this part of the Trial.
My builds for my team. We're about to fight a boss. Well, OK, one adjustment-
Forgot this is a better staff now.
Welcome to Drustan's Treasure Vault.
Veronica: I'm not sure I can take another step...
Erik: Hah... Hah... I'm not sure I can take much more of this...
Jade: We can't give up now, Erdward. We're nearly there. The end is in sight, I just know it...
Hendrik: ...Hm? We must be careful. I sense someone's presence...
Serena: How far have we travelled since we left the village? Are we ever going to get out of this place?
Sylvando: If we ever meet Drustan, I'm going to give him a piece of my mind! What in the world was he thinking when he built this place?
Rab: Well, this is an impressive-looking spot alright. Something dramatic's bound to happen here, laddie, you mark my words...
And it turns out Drustan himself has been hanging around, waiting for our arrival.
He has such the badass baritone to fit.
Drustan, after Calasmos's defeat, led a long full life on his own: the only one of the four Heroes to do so. Although between making this labyrinth and some of his other exploits, one wonders whether he really lived his life in a way to make Erdwin and Serenica proud.
Hendrik is his legacy in more ways than one, then- beyond just being a man from Zwaardsrust with the same abilities, he's got the same personality traits and flaws. I imagine it would be easy for the two to bond, beyond just the fact Hendrik is one of the few remaining members of his people.
...He's glowing blue. I may be thinking of DQ9 here, but that was a sign the person in question was a ghost.
Did any of the Luminary's companions enjoy themselves? I suppose Drustan is pretty cool with the whole "dedicating his afterlife to the cause of helping the Luminary", and Morcant certainly got at least some fun out of being the Lord of Shadows, but really, can Erdwin really claim to have "beaten" Calasmos if nobody really felt satisfied after the fact? I guess we do have to beat him again...
...
I don't think we're supposed to interpret Erdwin as having kids and ultimately being Erdward's ancestor, but there aren't a lot of alternative readings here. Probably something about having the same steely gaze about helping people.
After reaching Drustan at the end of his labyrinth, he has one last trial. Well, he has a few.
"Thine own fear" is definitely a theme associated with the bosses of Drustan's Labyrinth, although there is not actually an effort to connect that thought with the character flaws of the party- as cool as that would be.
The first one's pretty easy...
But we do get a chance to prepare for a boss.
Veronica: It sounds as though Drustan has prepared some kind of reward for us if we manage to get through this final trial. It's just amazing to think that he's still here, and that his spirit left his body in order to guide us...
Erik: Was that really him? Drustan? Well, he certainly looked the part, I guess. Well, whatever he's prepared for our final trial, I think it's safe to say it's not going to be easy. But we're not going to let it beat us, are we?
Jade: Whatever we face in the final trial, there's no doubt that it'll be a formidable opponent. But the tougher the foe, the more we relish the fight! I just know we'll rise to the challenge!
Hendrik: Not only is Drustan one of the first Luminary's companions, he is also the founder of my home, Zwaardsrust. To think, he has awaited us since the Age of Heroes. Truly, it is an honour to meet him.
Serena: Drustan said that foe we will have to face in the final trial is our own fear. Well, we all know that the fear which dwells in our hearts can be overpowering. We'd best steel ourselves for whatever lies ahead.
Sylvando: Drustan's always been my favourite hero of legend, you know. I wonder if he'd mind if I asked him for an autograph...
Rab: Drustan waited all this time in case the Dark One ever returned. Not even death would stand in his way. We are truly blessed to have his guidance. We cannae let him down, laddie. Now come on, it's time for the final trial!
We're fine to get going.
Superbosses of Dragon Quest history, starting all the way with Nokturnus of Dragon Quest 6, like to count how many turns you took to beat them. If a superboss does do this, expect to only get a reward if you win the fight "fast enough" in their eyes. The final trials fit this, although using the action count rather than the turn count. 25 Actions might sound like a lot, but that's like 6 turns.
The Luminary's most unpleasant animosities made flesh. Its swords, forged from pure loathing, cut cruel wounds not just into the body, but the very soul as well.
Undead family
4200 HP
180 MP
Blind Hatred, incarnation of Tyriant, may be a souped up boss fight, but we can work together with teammates for this guy. He has Sword Stance, a bunch of cleaving sword strokes, Party Pooper, Kazammle, and Violet Veil. He shouldn't be too hard to manage.
Drustan's Labyrinth bosses play the theme "Gruelling Fight", Baramos's battle theme from DQ3.
Jade opens up simple, landing some impressive damage, and wait, is that Erdward/Jade/Serena with a Pep Charge?
Brownie Boost time?
I think it's Brownie Boost time. I figured I had to show it in one fight...
Veronica doesn't really benefit from the Oomph buff, so she pulls out her own buff, Channel Anger.
And here Erdward goes with 1000 damage a hit.
Undead family
900 HP
80 MP
Oomphle, Kasap, Kazammle, Party Pooper, do you ever get the slightest inkling this guy might not be lasting long?
Frankly, I feel like Serena's wasting an action going in front of everyone else this turn.
KABOOMLE!
It says a lot when Serena finishes off with Divine Restitution. Maybe I should've done this instead of Anathematise. And look how hard it is to spot their attacks on my stats.
If you said I didn't, I'd think we need to reassess your system of counting.
And with that, we get five wishes. Multiple different potential rewards from the superbosses is a trend that started, I believe, with the remake of DQ3 and Xenlon, and continuing in DQs 7, 8, and the remake of 4. I'd say there's a bit of a problem with variety in some of those games (you had to make separate wishes for each individual piece of armour in a set for 4 and 8, and three separate wishes for three pieces of a tablet in 7), but DQ11's wishes, while at least distinct... there's some shortcomings.
- "I wish I had a super powerful weapon!" Drustan gives a recipe book for the ultimate Luminary sword, a weapon to outclass the Super Sword of Light and tie the ultimate Sword for pure power.
- "I wish I could enter a top level horse race!" Gallopolis opens the final tier of horse racing beyond the Platinum Cup, with a new set of prizes to be won. A bit of a weird one, but I think if I were redesigning the wishes, I'd keep this one.
- "I wish I had a copy of the Ogler's Digest!" Erdward, you know you really can ask grandpa these things, right? This is a reference to the fact that Guns 'n' Buns is also a wish reward from Xenlon- and in that case, it's a somewhat fitting prize (since it gives the only personality to buff all stat growths at the same time), although what you're using it on is harder to determine. In this game, it's just a more potent version of the Mystic that only Erdward and Rab can equip. You can't even stick it on Hendrik.
- "I wish I could change Serena's hairstyle!" Again, Serena's, like, right there? Drustan gives you an accessory called the Ring of Changes that allows Serena to use her Act 2 hairstyle. Annoyingly, although the Definitive Edition counts it as a costume, you can't make this a cosmetic armour- you have to equip the Ring if you want the short hair.
- "I wish I could pick someone to stay with me forever and ever!" Anyone else kinda feel like this one stands out a bit in terms of text length? This wish got changed in the Definitive Edition- in the original, the wish read "I wish Gemma and I were married!" (pedant's note, it was also listed fourth) and allowed you to marry Gemma. The Definitive Edition expands the options to include all seven party members, although only Gemma gets married. There's no mechanical reason to pick this option (and I kinda suspect the game doesn't want you to pick it until Cobblestone is restored, although I haven't tried), but it's still not the worst wish by a long shot. Glares pointedly at the above two. DQ3 also had a non-mechanical wish for narrative closure, and I'm glad this reference got to stay.
...
Now why the hell have I picked the horse races? Trust me, these things have more rewards than it appears at first glance, and if you've picked up a nice Greatsword like the Berserker's Blade, the ultimate Sword can wait.
There really is something charming about the horse race wish narratively. It feels like a legitimate wish on all accounts, and it even includes something that makes it more worthwhile than just a reward dispenser.
I love the fact that Drustan casually has the power to do this. He's a weird ghost thing, and he can just go over to Gallopolis and whisper in the Sultan's ear "here's the ultimate horse race idea".
All clears of a Drustan's Labyrinth boss are also met with a random Seed as a prize. Even if you do not make a wish, you get this.
To get all five wishes, you must, at least, fight each one of the five challenges Drustan has prepared once.
We'll need some more preparations before we're ready to match the later ones.
And that'll be just the way to do it. You must do the Trial of the Sage to get the second wish, and the Trial of the Luminary to get the third wish. After that, Drustan doesn't care.
Quick look in here, it seems.
...Duly noted.
Fortunately, Erdward and Jade can now handle the squids.
Pandoramonium is a fight against Pandora's Big Bad Box, an enemy that is virtually a boss on its own. It can try and put you to sleep, amongst other tricks, although it's surprisingly not quite as scary in the Wheel as it is when we have to fight one legit.
Erik's going to need this to win.
I was hoping to apply Oomphle.
Pang will summon, as backup, Clockwyrm, Platinum Poppet, Fortune Filcher. We could've met Platinum Poppet and Clockwyrm already, I think, but Fortune Filcher comes later. Ideally, they all die in one action.
...I need Oomphle.
Right, let's do this correctly.
Thank you.
Once Sylv has Oomphled Erik, Finger of Justice is his main recourse.
...I need sleep-resistant gear.
...I get the damn hint. Looks like it'll be a little longer before we're past this Trial.
Erik, we don't get EXP for this.
Erik had to use Fatal Flash on the Clangoustine, not a good sign.
17 Actions coming in to the Red Giant, though, that's doable...
Apparently not. Damn blocks. We'll see this later, then.
You say this now...
Let's get this cup prepared.
The Black Cup is the most complicated race of the bunch, and with a strict completion time to beat. Just clearing this thing is an ordeal in and of itself.
And somehow, the lights have been turned off. "No horse races at night", my foot. Then again, this isn't exactly what night looks like in Gallopolis.
Now here's a reward in and of itself. Our opponents in this race, instead of three Gallopolitan lackeys, are Sylvando on Margarita, Hendrik on Obsidian, and over in the far corner, Faiz. This really does feel like a reward in concept. Even if it does raise the question of why Erdward doesn't get the prizes if Sylv or Hendrik wins (which they usually do if you don't).
This is about how well I do.
Heavenly Helms protect against Confusion, which the Metal King Helm doesn't, although Catholicon Rings kinda make the argument a little moot. The Legendary Armour is good against Fire and Ice, although the absence of the other elements and non-Defence stats does kind of rankle.
The participation prize for the Black Cup is a mini medal. If you're trying and failing to get records or victories, you'll grind your way to 110 in no time here.
Now is the time to buy the Golden Reins, though.
...I don't think it does do anything other than the infinite dash? Huh.
The Difficult version of the Black Cup is free to play. The game knows you might be playing this a lot.
If you have the Golden Reins, you must answer this question every time. He is correct: A time earned with the Golden Reins will not earn you the Accolade for beating the Champion's Challenge time. If you just want mechanical prizes, though, this will be invaluable.
Without the Golden Reins, Sylvando will beat you if you don't play perfectly. He rockets out of nowhere and everything. The Golden Reins allow you to make tighter turns because you're not gunning for stamina all the time to keep your speed.
We also got the Wings of Serendipity, allowing us to call Rarefied Monsters even more easily than just with the Circle we got from the Mini Medal exchange- although we're using both, of course.
Now here's the real prize for picking the Black Cup Horse Race wish. Combine this with the Golden Reins for easy wins, and you'll be just fine on Crimsonite without relying on Krystalinda.
12 pieces is what I go with, although you could wind up needing more or less. Not like it's much of a problem to get more.
...What do you mean, I'm out of Royal Rubies? I guess the Catholicon Rings took a number.
With the Crimsonite now sourced, I can now make Sylvando's Stunner outfit. I didn't like the Superstar one, and while this one does look a little more aesthetically pleasing, I also kinda feel the dulled colours kinda... misses the point a bit? I think, although I might personally prefer this colour as an aesthetic, I think the original Superstar colours are more Sylv's style.
For 100 Mini Medals, we acquire Erdwin's Shield! I think one of the diaries (Tetsu's or Chalky's, probably Chalky's) vaguely foreshadowed this prize- or at least a powerful armament- but now it is ours. +25% resistance to Fire/Ice/Dark and +10 MP a turn, if you're using a Shield on Erdward, this is the shield to pick. Considering the elemental resistance slot is +10% on the alternative... I don't think blocking Light/Lightning/Wind is worth it. Now, is it worth it to be using a Shield? ...The +10 MP, for free Sword Dance? That's a good argument right there. Now if only I hadn't turned down the ultimate Sword...
The design of this shield first appeared in Dragon Quest 2, as "Erdrick's Shield", and also appeared in 3 and 9.
The prize at 110 is the recipe book for the Metal King gear. It's not as full as the Metal Slime and Liquid Metal gears (you can't make the Helmet or Armour), but the rest of it, you can go ahead on.
The Mini Medal album is complete!
The "so minimal a time" thing does help make it sound like we're the first to achieve this, although it helps we kinda time travelled backwards and undid a few months while keeping the Medals we earned in that time.
When Mini Medals were first introduced in DQ4, they were a currency, and despite later games and the remakes switching to the sequential system seen today, DQ5 continues to use currencies. DQ9, however, introduced grindable mini medals, and thus made it so, once the sequence of Mini Medal prizes was exhausted, you could use the mini medals as currency once more. DQ11, since it also has grindable mini medals, follows suit.
Similarly to the Trial Isle Shop, I don't think I've ever actually bought anything here, although if I were to make recommendations, Elfin Elixirs (for Magic Burst spamming) and Uber Agate of Evolutions would be my picks. 10 Mini Medals for a single Pep Pip? Bit too steep...
Funny how the Heavenly Helm/Legendary Armour are on this screen. The Metal King Sword uses Serpent Bone, so we'll have to source that later, but it is otherwise the third most powerful sword, and if you're going for raw numbers, is going to be in one of Erik's hands. The Sword of Judgement's bonus effect makes a strong argument, considering the margin of attack power is 12 points.
The Metal King Gooreatsword is the second most powerful Greatsword in the game, but with +9 Atk on the Berserker's Blade, I wouldn't really say it won the race well.
The Metal King Goomerang beats the Stellarang by a significant amount, and if you're using Erik's Boomerangs, you should definitely make this one.
The second-most powerful Spear, although unlike the Goomerang, it has tough competition from the Barbarous Pole. Like the Goomerang, some of the endgame spears aren't quite as powerful, but have bonus effects that make them more tempting.
The Metal King Shield is the ultimate lightshield, with the highest raw defence and 10% elemental resistance. Make at least two- and if you play your cards right, you probably won't need a third.
...Ah great, I'll need another Gold Nuglet somewhere...
...That doesn't look good for Erik's back.
Only 1560 Gold? Huh. Doesn't look so bad.
Curious creatures that eat ore, and refine it in their enormous insides into amethysts which are said to possess wondrous properties.
Dragon family
4800 HP
90 MP
Huh, if my sources are to be believed, this guy is statistically more dangerous than Blind Hatred. I figured it was time to take on the crystalotl to buff Serena, and I'll be honest, I probably should've considered the fact it would be a Dragon monster. It has Snub, a tornado attack, a rain of spikes, and three attacks a turn.
It drops artful amethysts in the common slot and uber agates of evolution in the rare slot, both of which fit the description.
Nothing says "I'm fighting a boss" quite like opening with Serena, Kabuff and Revamp. Would you believe this is a normal enemy? (Even if it is the only one of its kind...)
Pretty impressive. Although Erdward will need to land 5 or 6 of those to win- which is a lot for an enemy not playing the boss theme.
Ow.
Veronica wanted to play too.
At least Jade can match Erdward's power. That'll get me done in half the time.
And if Veronica can't fight, she can buff Erdward.
I presume this was the spike volley, since now Veronica is paralysed.
...I think it says a lot about Mordegon managing to kill her that this guy doesn't when she can't do anything to return fire.
Yay, extra MaMend!
...Although we're just about done now.
Another amethyst-like gem, but this one we turn in for a different kind of reward.
Unsettling entities that look like nothing more than the great gouts of gore that fly up around them everywhere they go on the battlefield.
Red mists are new to DQ11, unlike their smog cousins, and they are the other main source of Red Wood other than Fowler Jowlers. You can find them here and the Hekswood, and the fact they can spawn in numbers means they're better for that, although these guys aren't exactly pushovers.
They have Scorch and this trick, where everyone's Atk goes up 2 stages in exchange for 1 stage of Def. Honestly, since they don't have any physical skills, this might not be the greatest asset for them, but if you're going into a drawn-out fight, Atk buffs are terrifying.
And then you get fights like this. Yes, that crimson mist does buff the uberkilling machine.
Veronica decided to Kafuddle. It turns out that uberkilling machine has a Bounce up, which makes Veronica bad at dealing with it. It's time for the nuclear option.
...
...I'm still slapping myself for this one. How on earth did I make this mistake? I suspect I compartmentalised "bounce status effects" and "bounce offensive magic", but still.
It says a lot about how this fight is going that I have Hendrik out.
And he's using Forbearance.
Braving the Battleground gets the lump of Rarefied Orichalcum back. Only used for the Sword of Light, huh? We do have a Forging Hammer lying around...
Drustan's Labyrinth, all other facts being equal, is what one can expect from the average bonus dungeon in Dragon Quest. The recycling of other areas, not so much (although a few games lean on it), but you can expect to see powerful recolours across the spectrum of enemies you find, culminating in a dramatic boss fight against something relevant to the lore (with this game being the least effective as such). Drustan running the place means all of Erdwin's companions have a role to play in the big story, although that does bring up the point Drustan had the least to gain from giving up his afterlife for this. Knowing him, though, odds are his afterlife would just be more of this.
The lore of the superbosses- the manifestations of the Luminary's darkness within- is an interesting idea on its own, but I find the expression lacking. It's rather clear the idea is that the bosses are going to reuse the Spectral Sentinel designs- this makes the only reappearance of the models for Tyriant and Gyldygga, along with Jasper in the original release. I don't mind this, but perhaps there'd be a good chance they could just get away with "there are ghosts in your past that want a rematch"- showing up Booga, Gyldygga and Jasper directly is almost more interesting than what we got. Even without that plot point, just seeing their faces again is despicable enough- although getting to see us overcome once-devasating Orb powers is neat enough. The third trial and on also present actually tricky opponents.
The wishes are... well, considering some of the other games have some bad wishes too, I can't say it's a huge problem, but it says a lot that I'm only really taking the haircut and magazine for completion (getting all five prizes is required). Maybe it's a good thing all five prizes aren't great- so you can decide not to get the worse prizes if you can't handle the harder bosses.
Wishes in older DQ games:
- Xenlon (DQ3)
- Revive your dead father.
- Open a new Treasures 'n' Trapdoors board. (bonus game- like horse races, but a board game. Not in mobile)
- Guns 'n' Buns (changes personality)
- Monster Medals (GBC only)
- Open Ice Cave (GBC only, bonus dungeon)
- Chow Mein & Foo Yung (DQ4)
- Yggdrasil Flower (first clear)
- Pandemonic Shield
- Pandemonic Sword
- Pandemonic Armour
- Pandemonic Helmet (unique ultimate equipment for Psaro)
- Almighty (DQ7)
- ? Shard
- ? Shard
- ? Shard (opens the path to the second bonus dungeon)
- Prime cuts (makes monsters easier to lure into your monster park)
- Skimpy nightie (gives monsters a 1/16 chance to be distracted by Maribel and not attack)
- Hero Heart (to turn into the Hero class)
- Lord of the Dragovians
- Dragovian Sword
- Dragovian Shield
- Dragovian Helmet
- Dragovian Armour (unique ultimate equipment for Hero)
- Recruit Metal King Slime for your monster team.
- Enhanced alchemy pot (PS2- alchemy is done instantly. Later ports made this default as a QoL feature)
- Memories Lane (3DS- a boss rush more than a bonus dungeon)
- 10 Super Seeds of Skill (Mobile)
No comments:
Post a Comment