DQXIS Act 2 Gallopolis: Catch a Falling Star

As we begin the Town Story in Gallopolis, I would like to state, as a general reminder, that while we couldn't acquire the Forging Hammer until now, we could have completed the Town Story for Gallopolis any time after acquiring the boat. As a result, the story is going to only remember we have Hendrik, Rab and Sylvando, although Jade, Erik and Serena have Party Chat quotes where relevant.

We, of course, knew this was happening for ages. It didn't seem in all that much of a hurry to land, and I didn't want to do this story before we needed the Forging Hammer.

After all, if Hendrik is telling the truth, it's been falling since Yggdrasil fell. It had months to land.

Erdward looks over at a black tockle. This guy was in the intro cutscene, but has stayed out of sight until now.

Rab starts expositing about the nature of Erdwin's Lantern. We know the general gist from, of all things, Gemma, but the black tockle is doing a good job of being distracting.

Incidentally, I believe Rab has been forcibly put into his default costume because the tockle crawling over him needs the flat surface of his fez to properly function- this cutscene wouldn't work the same way if he had to walk over either of his crowns.

Rab brings up the obvious note: Is Erdwin's Lantern truly benevolent now?

Erdward actually moves over so he can keep staring at the tockle.

...I'm not actually entirely sure what Rab says if we say no. Apparently he just repeats himself.

We got the basics just fine.

DQXIS Act 2 Whale Way: Forging a New Path

And now, we ride on the back of the whale Cetacea, soaring high in the skies above Erdrea! "Flying in the sky" is a Dragon Quest tradition, starting in DQ3, and somehow, each DQ game has somehow found at least a semi-unique means of traversal. Thus far in the series, we have seen:

• The Godbird Ramia
• An ordinary hot-air balloon
• The Zenithian Dragon
• Peggy Sue and the wagon
• The Almighty Skystone
• The Godbird's Soulstone
• The Starflight Express
  

Similarly to DQ11's take on sea travel, air travel has been drastically cut down in scope. While traditional DQ air travel allows you to land anywhere in the world without a roof- and without worrying about encounters at all, to boot- Cetacea can disembark only at special points, called Whale Way Stations. Luminary's Landing is the only point we can access on foot. At least Cetacea also has the no encounter thing.

(It's worth mentioning that, in 2D Mode, Cetacea plays by the normal rules of flight.)

Hendrik: The Princess has been scared of heights ever since she was a girl, and yet she seems completely unafraid when we ride Cetacea. It seems that no matter what unexpected manoeuvres the creature makes, one feels neither the wind nor the risk of falling. Very curious...
Rab: Now we've got Cetacea on our side, we can get all the way to Mordegon's gates. Once we've found a way through that magic barrier, it'll be time to face the blighter down once and for all. It's been a long road, but our journey's nearly at an end. Let's finish this- not just for us, but for Veronica.
Sylvando: As soon as we've done something about that black barrier, we'll be all set for the final showdown with the Lord of Shadows. Our adventure's about to enter its final act! Let's make sure we're all set for the big finale, darling- we don't want to fluff our lines before the curtain falls!
Jade: I can't believe we can go flying on the back of a whale whenever we want. I feel like I'm dreaming. Veronica once told me that she had a soft spot for big, friendly animals. She would have loved to have met Cetacea...
Erik: Serena really went all out with her new haircut, huh? I bet she'd been growing that hair for years. It must have been a real big decision to chop it all off. Anyway... I think her new look really suits her.
Serena: Oh, isn't it wonderful, Erdward? Flying through the sky on Cetacea's back and seeing all the places we've been from way up high! Now, I wonder where this floating island Father Benedictus told us about might be? Time to stop looking down, and start looking around!

There's a lot of Whale Way Stations to see, but I'm going to be blunt, they're basically Cetacea-locked Insulae.

DQXIS Act 2 Arboria: We of Arboria swear to protect you

This place was right next to Yggdrasil. No wonder it's gone and smashed.

The disembodied arms of dead monsters come to life. The creatures they summon are said to be old friends from when they were alive.

Bloody hands come from DQs 2, 6, 7, 8, 10 and the remake of 4, and the only thing they can do other than attack is call for help. Unlike their muddy brethren, a cureslime or stone guardian might answer the call instead of another bloody hand, although you'll find plenty of those.

Incidentally, every game with them (except DQ6, for some reason) that has an ESRB comment references it when determining the rating they give- they're not all too fond of a monster that's a literal blood-coated disembodied hand. PEGI doesn't, and I imagine it's not a deal-breaker when these games have casinos and Jessica/Jade, but it's worth mentioning, because the poor thing gets singled out.

Rab picked up Fullheal! Fullheal first appeared in DQ2 as the ultimate single-target heal, and cost 8 MP, before dropping to 7 and then 6... but with Moreheal and the increased effect of scaling thanks to MaMend, Fullheal got sent back up to 24 MP. Keep in mind that, before Moreheal and MaMend, Fullheal was the only upgrade over Midheal... and Midheal only healed ~75 HP at a time. It's not like we got up to 400 HP until the end of the game back then, though...

Anyway, there's Wild Animaul. I thought it an upgrade, but at any rate, it's not like we'll be making much use of it.

Monsters made in the image of a certain great statue. Rumour has it that they were originally tasked with protecting people.

Stone guardians, incidentally, are powerful statues that can send the ground a-shuddering and also Oomph. They were in DQs 3, 6, 8-10, and were actually (mini) bosses in the final citadel of DQ3. So, not exactly "protecting people".

+50 Magical Might! Erdward is still no Veronica. It'll help Zap, though.

Arboria has... well, it's seen better days, but it's still mostly in place.

DQXIS Act 2 Erdrea: Quests. Quests EVERYWHERE.

While this update is going to mostly be a lot of sidequesting, we are going to get one plot beat started now. I'm not going to make it out of the Snaerfelt, though.

Also, here's the effects of Baumren's Bell. Much like a horse hailer, your mount appears underneath you. Unlike in DQ8, if you dismount Baumren, he's a physical element of the map you can remount without playing the bell again.

This jaunty tune will play while riding Baumren overriding the overworld theme, as it did in DQ8.

It's said that their sweat stains their coats this distinctive colour, marking them out as ideal mates for other jowlers.

Ew. Prowler jowlers appeared in DQ5, and they're basically just here for kicking you hard in the face. Sometimes they kick harder.

Finally, it's time to get into the Snaerfelt!

Cold-hearted creatures said to be the offspring of snowmen and snowladies. This would definitely explain their innate affinity for all things icy.

Blizzybodies were in DQs 4, 5 and 10, and they're basically ice-type flamethrowers: Blizzard breath and Crackle. They also have Whack and Kasnooze at hand, to be extra annoying for a new area.

They can also drop this as their rare drop. The sovereign seal is equivalent in value to the lucky dragon's wing, giving 25-40% resistance to Ice and Dark alike. It's actually pretty good.

Once these single-minded slayers have set their sights on a target, nothing but a confirmed kill will cause them to cease and desist.

The hood family just gets more and more violent with every recolour. Heavy hood was in DQs 3, 8, 10, and the remake of 7, and despite the reputation, all they really have are normal attacks, their pecs, and the ability to call for backup. They also have the ability to flex their muscles for stats, but I'm not exactly clear on how much.

DQXIS Act 2 Gyldenhal: A Heart of Gold

This door was previously locked back in Act 1, but at some point since the last time we were here, it has been opened.

Erik is currently standing over a pile of gold, and I don't mean in the treasure way. I don't think this puddle was ever usable as treasure.

Whatever it is that happened in this room, it's clearly the focal point of Erik's repressed memories.

...I think it's about time we used Yggdrasil's Guidance again.

DQXIS Act 2 Sniflheim: Their Weight In Gold

While I was in Gondolia at the end of the last update, I went looking for the kids and found them up here.

Yeah, now that we have the Harp... Alizarin is actually our next concern. He's still out there.

Placido, on the other hand, is taking cues from his father.

He's putting the mermen first.

Alizarin appears once we play Lorelei's Harp here. Or at least... that's just how I've always played the game. Now I think on it, though, why is Alizarin here? We found him last time in the Inner Ocean, and Nautica's right there... is it possible that the Alizarin boss is intended to be fought outside Nautica, and I've just been doing it wrong this whole time? I'll have to try that out sometime.

Hendrik: Both the monster who had Princess Jade under his spell and the beast who attacked the Last Bastion referred to themselves as Spectral Sentinels... I have a feeling those are not the only ones. We must find any who remain and slay them without mercy.
Rab: That Lorelei's harp thing Jade gave ye should let us travel to places we've not been before. But before we seek out pastures new, perhaps we should investigate this giant lump of gold that's blocking the way to Sniflheim... It cannae be easy for them up there, being cut off from the world. Let's head north to see what we can find!
Sylvando: You know, the thought of hopping aboard the Stallion for adventures on the high seas used to fill me with excitement. But now things are getting serious. We need to bring peace back to the world so we can all start letting our hair down and enjoying life again!
Jade: Being aboard this ship reminds me of the night I fled from Dundrasil. After Rab found me, we travelled to Zwaardsrust before setting sail for Heliodor. I was just a helpless child back then, but things are different now. This time I will not flee- I will stand and fight!
Erik: You know what, man? Staring out at the sea like this makes me wonder if it really matters who I used to be. Maybe I should just start a new life, from scratch... Whoa, relax! Relax! I was just kidding!

Everyone has some standard gear to prepare for the fight with the demon of the deep. All-Weather Earrings, as a reminder, are good for Ice and Wind. Could I have done better? Probably. But it worked.

DQXIS Act 2 Octagonia: The Wheel Spins and Lands on Green

Former rottontails whose study of the dark arts has stained their bodies black. They are utterly without mercy, and widely feared for their ferocity.

Bad hares aren't actually masters of dark magic. Hailing from DQ10, these guys have Multifists for a barrage of strikes and a much stronger drop kick, and... not much else.

Succubats who've dedicated themselves so single-mindedly to sultry sauciness that their physical forms have changed. 

Vampire succubats, new to DQ11, actually have a look that can mesmirise you, as well as the traditional Puff Puff, Hip Drop and Zammle.

We're going to start off looking around outside Octagonia, and where else to start than by riding a demonrider skeleton?

There's a few of these to run around and find for sparkly spots and treasures.

Like these. The Titan Belt is a new advancement along the lines of the Atk Up accessories. Not quite the strongest of the bunch yet, though.

South of Octagonia, in the big lake that was there before,there's now a bunch of rubble from... something, clearly.

Hendrik, despite not having been in our party when "last we visited", points out that it's definitely new. Although how "ruins" can be new is another matter.

Hendrik: There is much to be done. The Spectral Sentinels must be defeated, and your lost friends must be found. Now that the powers of the Luminary have been restored to you, I feel certain we can succeed in our quest and bring peace to the world once more.
Rab: Let's not start moping, laddie, else we'll never get anything done. We need to keep moving. Now, I reckon Octagonia'd be a good place to visit next. It's not too far from Dundrasil, and there's plenty of folks there for us to have a wee chat with.
Sylvando: Honey, I've got to say- that little encounter down in the dungeon brought a tear to my eye. Your mami and papi must have been so happy to see how you turned out. But we don't have time to dwell on it. We've got things to do, so let's get moving!
Erik: I guess it must be because you've got your Luminary powers back- you're looking a lot sharper than you were. I won't pretend to know exactly what those powers are, but I've already got a good feeling about them.

I thought there'd be Party Chat about it, but no, we just have some new Chat after getting the power of the Luminary back.