A Dragon Quest Megathread draws near! Command?

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Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

Really Pants posted:

Sylvando is mostly on support anyway. Wyrm Whip is all he needs.

Yeah, there have been times I've switched Sylvando in simply to Wyrm Whip a boss's Pep away.

# ¿ Oct 19, 2018 20:36

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# ¿ Apr 29, 2024 16:43

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

RareAcumen posted:

Dang, I wish I'd thought to do that. I ended up with 5 of those schoolgirl uniforms by doing that but didn't think to have her wearing the ribbon. Now I just swap between that and a sorceress ring+3 or just two sorceress rings if I'm doing random battles or a boss fight.

I'd had a Belle's Bow on Jade at the end of Act 1 simply because it was good, without knowing about the duplication "trick". Also, why would you need to duplicate the school uniforms? You can get enough of them for all of your female party members without duping, IIRC. One from a quest, one from Mini Medals, and one from the Thief's Key door in the Academie, all accessible before the end of Act 1, even.

# ¿ Oct 20, 2018 13:52

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

Perfectly understandable. I spent most of Persona 4 Golden with my party in the secret agent suit costumes you could buy in Okina.

# ¿ Oct 20, 2018 15:23

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

Femme Fatale, like all of Jade's damaging Allure skills except Hip Drop, scales off Charm, IIRC. Pumping Jade's Charm is the way to go if you want to utilize those skills. However, from what I can dig up on GameFAQs, it looks like the cap is 370, so you're not going to get much more out of it than what you're getting. Quadraslash scales off the Luminary's Strength, but the cap is roughly the same as Femme Fatale, it seems.

# ¿ Oct 20, 2018 15:43

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

Professor of Cats posted:

Guys, i'm in act 3 and have casino questions:
Which casino and which lady tells you that there might be a winner? Octogonianinia? And it is specifically the roulette table, yes? I'm gonna start grinding for some stuff

Yes, it's the Octagonia casino, and it's the bunny girl right next to the "pillar" that's supposed to have the jackpot tokens in it.

# ¿ Oct 20, 2018 19:07

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

Rookersh posted:

So Act 2. Just got Sylvando and am heading up to the mountain Carnelian wants me to check out.

If I want Jade and Rab whats the best way to do that? Is it just going to come from these core story beats, or do I need to go someplace specific.

Rab is up that mountain. Jade requires the ship (which you should have if you have Sylv) and is in Octagonia, but I got her last so I don't know if there are any other requirements.

# ¿ Oct 21, 2018 14:39

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

Deified Data posted:

So is everyone using guides to find the crossbow targets? I just got Rab and Jade and only completed one area so far. Some of these feel pretty mean lol, I sense no rhyme or reason to them but the rewards are too good to pass up. Maybe this is more of a postgame activity.

Honestly, I haven't been bothering so far. I got 4/5 of the targets by the Warrior's Rest on my own, so I looked up the last one and finished off that area, but the reward was just a couple of seeds or something. Neat, but not worth the effort IMO.

# ¿ Oct 22, 2018 00:59

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

LorneReams posted:

One question I had about DQ11 is was this game the one that had the tech that allowed it to go from very high fidelity and switch to 16bit+ graphics, or was that something else, because that looked pretty cool, but I hadn't heard anything since.

The 3DS version was the one that could switch between 3D and classic DQ graphics. Sadly, Squenix decided not to localize that version.

# ¿ Oct 24, 2018 15:31

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

Slayerjerman posted:

Go have to say i find the overly sexualized Jade stuff outfits and abilities awkward because it doesn't fit within her story arc or personality of being a martial artist princess, seems out of place for sure, almost like they needed a girl to play dress up with and she drew the short straw.

That said, she's my anime princess dress up waifu :3

Sylvando on the other hand can gently caress off with his forced gayness. I don't dislike him or what he represents, but it's so in your face it annoys me greatly.

They do try to justify it a little bit; it's kinda flimsy but she gets more than say Jessica, who has a lot of sexualized costumes and no real in character justification for them. If you're still early in the game you probably haven't seen it yet though.

# ¿ Oct 25, 2018 06:42

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

Rookersh posted:

I think my favorite twist of the proverbial knife so far is that Mordegon was actually right. The Luminary did bring the Dark One into this world. Mordegon was just some chump that got lucky, Calomas was the person we were born to fight. And he only got his power back because of us. Whoops.

I think he was set to descend soon either way, but Mordegon knew what Erdwin's Lantern contained and could one-shot Calasmos with the Sword of Shadows (a corrupted Sword of Light, which is the one weapon that can kill Calasmos) while he was still sealed and his spirit separated from his body (or whatever was going on with the Spirit of Lost Time that seemed to be housing Calasmos' consciousness). Whereas by the time that the heroes found out about it in Act 2 there was nobody left in the world who knew enough about Erdwin's Lantern to say what it contained, and there wasn't enough time in Act 3 to get the information between the defeat of Mordegon and the descent of the Lantern.

Also, by and large, Calasmos has caused a lot less destruction than Mordegon, although we don't know how much time passed in between the end of Act 1 and the beginning of Act 2.

# ¿ Oct 25, 2018 22:48

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

Rookersh posted:

So I hosed up the upgraded Poker crafting, and only got it as a base level x-Poker.

I went to reforge it, and uh, it won't let me? Says it wouldn't be wise to attempt to reforge that.

Am I basically just boned here, or is there a way to eventually reforge this/make it better. Jade is a major source of damage and that seems like the major weapon for her at this point and time.

ALSO I JUST LEARNED/REALIZED IF YOU + THE SIDE EQUIPMENT, IT GETS BETTER BUFFS. THIS IS HUGE. WHY DID NOBODY SAY ANYTHING.

Poker only has one level, IIRC. Even if you'd gotten a perfect craft off on upgrading it, you'd still have gotten only the baseline version.

What do you mean about "side equipment"? Is it that accessories generally enhance their special properties (like elemental/status effect resistances or MP recovery) when created at higher plus values? You do know you can press Square when a piece of equipment is selected to see its stats when upgraded, right?

# ¿ Oct 26, 2018 02:49

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

Himuro posted:

How many hours does it take to get to act 2?

Obviously that will vary from person to person, but it took me about 50 hours or so to get to Act 2. Then I got to Act 3 at roughly the 100-hour mark. I tend to play games a bit slowly, though, so maybe subtract 10 or so hours from the act 2 time and 15-20 from my act 3 time for more regular play times.

Over on the gamefaqs board for DQ11, there was a guy who clocked 120+ hours on Act 1 alone.

# ¿ Oct 26, 2018 04:59

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

Maybe halfway through or a little more. You still have a ways to go before you hit Act 2. Don't worry, it will be pretty obvious when you do.

# ¿ Oct 26, 2018 05:09

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

Dr.Smasher posted:

How? I got my platinum at like 137ish. Did this person grind metal slimes around Gallopolis to level 99?

I saw the thread title and didn't inquire further. Besides, I've spent over 200 hours playing Skyrim and haven't beaten the main plot yet, so I can't really cast any stones.

# ¿ Oct 26, 2018 13:24

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

Ramadu posted:

so like. did they patch out the ability to win a jackpot?

I haven't done any casino-ing on the newest patch, but I've won twice on roulette; once with the 12-14 method, and once just betting on all three rows. Also, you can take screenshots on a PS4; it's built into the operating system.

# ¿ Oct 30, 2018 23:23

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

Expect My Mom posted:

Sorry to ask the three millionth DQ 11 casino question but I'm guessing the Get a Jackpot quest isnt quite available yet? I have it in my log but the bunny girl next to the tower isnt giving me forecasts and I'm still told the casino isnt open in general when I tried to go in

Other than that, I'm almost done with the big Act 2 plot stuff, once I get this constantly teased airship Ill go check in with like Gallopolis which it's weird no one has directed me there considering uhhhhh what's going on there

The problem is that you're going too early in the day. Find a campsite (I use the one outside Heliodor because it's first on the Zoom list) and just rest until noon. Whenever you rest to try to get the jackpot prediction, always rest until noon. You could just wander around for a couple of in-game hours and wait for them to open, but the game doesn't have a clear way of marking the exact time so I'd just rest.

If you stop in Gondolia, the NPCs there mention the situation in Gallopolis. Which makes sense, considering that it's the closest port town to Gallopolis.

corn in the bible posted:

The airship in DQ11 is very disappointing, imho

like it's cool to look at but you still have to use the boat a lot and that's lame

Yeah, I wish they did something more like 9's Starflight Express.

# ¿ Nov 10, 2018 22:39

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

Last Celebration posted:

Different strokes, bro. The DQXI Act 3 overworld theme owns super hard but after 10+ hours I could just, you know, be happy catching up to my podcast backlog too.

That's because it's from DQ3, IIRC. I've found the original compositions in DQ11 to be eminently super forgettable. As in, I literally can't remember a second of them the instant I'm not playing the game anymore. There's some stuff that was rehashed from other DQ games (the ship music is from 4, some of the towns had music from other DQ games, and the Act 3 overworld is obviously from 3) that I can recall when I'm not playing the game, but all of the new stuff, nope.

# ¿ Nov 13, 2018 03:18

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

Hyper Inferno posted:

Is there any way to reduce or remove the motion blur on PS4 pro? I'm getting some pretty bad motion sickness from it which is really making the whole thing super disappointing.

I don't own a Pro, but some cursory Googling seems to indicate that the motion blur is related to the upscaling algorithm the console uses to fake 4k resolution. Try seeing if there's a setting in the console to use 1080p resolution, and if that fails, try manually setting your TV resolution down to 1080p.

credburn posted:

So, I guess, did all this casino stuff get patched out, maybe? Am I having absurdly bad luck? Or am I doing something entirely wrong?

AFAIK, none of the casino stuff has been changed in patches or anything, although I haven't played in a while and didn't do much casino stuff in the last few times I've played. It does require a lot of patience and some savescumming no matter what method you use, there's no "get-rich-quick" method in this game like there is in some other DQs. If you're jackpot farming, you do need to keep resting until the bunny girl tells you someone's likely to win. I just Zoom to the campsite outside Heliodor, rest until noon, then Zoom back. It's free, and Heliodor is the first place on the Zoom list. I personally prefer the "bet on everything" method as opposed to the 12-14 method because you always break even on the former.

# ¿ Nov 24, 2018 09:52

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

I think 3 is the only DQ game to use random stat gains at level up. The others use fixed stat gains IIRC.

# ¿ Nov 28, 2018 07:28

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

DQ1 is definitely a relic of NES game design and you should only play it if you're into that and/or specifically want the historical value. I hear the same about 2 but more so (due largely to one specific endgame segment), and it's put me off playing the game. DQ3 is the first DQ game with a job system and is overall much better to actually play than the first two. 4 is divided into chapters (its subtitle is actually Chapters of the Chosen) and if you can stomach a virtual d-pad, should definitely be played on mobile, because that's the definitive version. DQ5 introduced monster catching to the series a full year or two before Pokemon, and is generally acknowledged as one of the best plot-wise. DQ6 uses a different job system from DQ3, and is a bit more like FF5. DQ7 reuses DQ6's job system and is one of the longest DQ games by volume of main plot. DQ8 has a very strong plot and charismatic characters, and introduces the skill point system that has been in use since (although with some modifications in 11). DQ9 was the first mainline entry designed and released on a handheld first. It has a weak plot, but the job and skill point systems used in the game combine to make a game of surprising mechanical depth. DQ11 is the most recent, and is somewhat reminiscent of 8 in overall feel, while still being its own entity.

1-3 form a loose trilogy, with 3 being the chronologically first game, and 2 occurring last. 4-6 also comprise an even looser trilogy, with no explicit canonical order AFAIK (although fans, being fans, have their own theories). None of the other games are officially connected in any way, although 11 makes a lot of references to 3.

# ¿ Nov 28, 2018 15:23

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

The Ninth Layer posted:

The mobile ports of 1-6 are all very good, especially as phone games if you're someone who commutes. Buying them is also a nice direct way to support the franchise. I've beaten 3 and 4 and found the mobile controls worked great once I got used to them.

The SFC versions of 1-3 look better and the SFC/GBC versions of 3 have a bit more side content, I think the mobile version of 3 has some quality of life improvements. 4-6 are basically the same as their DS remakes, DQ4 on mobile has extra content in the form of party chat. 7 and 8 are best played on 3DS.

I'm going to present the dissenting opinion here, mostly because I can't stand software d-pads. I tried DQ1 mobile a year or two ago, and uninstalled and refunded it before I even got out of the first castle because I felt the controls were so bad. I honestly have no clue how people play action game ports like Megaman on mobile, because even turn-based RPGs are unplayable with a software d-pad. I suggest playing the console/handheld ports over the mobile ports, unless you have no other way of playing them. I've heard that the controls are better for 4-6, though, so I've been tempted to pick up 4 (for the party chat they didn't bother to localize in my DS copy) and maybe 5 (because it's the one in that trilogy I don't own and haven't played that much of).

# ¿ Nov 29, 2018 00:02

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

The Ninth Layer posted:

Idk dude I struggled a bit with DQ3 in the first couple hours and fell off a one tile bridge in the second dungeon a couple of times, but eventually I got used to it and I don't think I thought about the controls at all afterward. It's a turn based game too so you're always at your leisure to take time making moves.

It's frustrating to miss inputs but believe me it doesn't take that long to get used to it. And there are a lot of advantages to playing on mobile too, like suspended saving and a legal way of owning most of these titles for less than $30.

It's turn-based in battle, but the menus are all touch-based IIRC and are thus the least frustrating part of the experience. Chasing down NPCs to talk to them was a goddamn chore, and I shudder to think of having to maneuver around said one-tile gaps and damage tiles. If anything, I'd buy the mobile versions just to own a legal copy of the game, and then just play the SNES versions, but I don't want to give Squenix my money for a mobile port that controls like rear end. I can't see myself ever "getting used to" the d-pad from DQ1 mobile. Maybe 3's is better, but once burned, twice shy.

And "suspend saves" aren't really a draw, because that's a standard feature in any modern emulator. They're called save states. I do admit that I'd like to own a legal copy, but as I said before, I'd prefer to enjoy the game I'm playing.

Ironically, they seem to absolutely loving refuse to do a mobile port of the one DQ game that was actually designed for a console with a touchscreen and would thus work really well on mobile.

# ¿ Nov 29, 2018 00:42

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

Shugojin posted:

7 is my favorite but it's the absolute worst one to jump in on I think. except maybe 2 with its sudden spikes in difficulty.

Guess which was my first DQ game? In its original PSX incarnation, no less. :shepface:

# ¿ Nov 29, 2018 02:32

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

Head Hit Keyboard posted:

_{Also gently caress pure RNG minigames. Seriously I will never understand how anyone can enjoy Pachisi/TnT/Suguroku or the casinos.}

The Ninth Layer posted:

(As a side hot take, pachisi is a gambling game and having its rewards moved elsewhere saves you from hours of tedious if novel grinding.)

JustJeff88 posted:

I'm going to catch heat for this, but as adorable and well-conceived as Pachisi was on DQ3SFC, the fact that it's essentially purely random (like most board games, granted) grated on me quickly.

I do absolutely agree with these, though. I have DQ3 for GBC, and TnT or whatever Enix called it is super tedious. And since DQ9 was released in Nintendo's "no gambling" phase, it had no casino. I did not miss it. DQ8's casino was fine, but only because it was super easy to cheese.

# ¿ Nov 29, 2018 02:49

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

HellOnEarth posted:

Is the 3DS version of DQ8 worth getting? I already have it on the PS2 and on IOS so I'm not sure I want to spend another $50 on a game I own twice.

The 3DS version has two new party members, as well as a new postgame dungeon and an alternate ending. AFAIK, none of those things are present in the iOS port. I think there are also a couple more costumes, including ones for party members other than Jessica (and that one for Hero)! Whether that justifies a third purchase or not is your own call. Considering I don't own any Apple devices and can only play my PS2 copy through (imperfect) emulation at this time, the decision was pretty obvious to me, though.

# ¿ Nov 29, 2018 08:18

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

Demtor posted:

DQ5... killed 30 King Cureslimes now... still no recruit. *Whew* The struggle is real.

Ask me about grinding Monster Hearts in DQ7. I found more in one Traveler's Tablet dungeon in the 3DS remake than in 15 years of owning the PSX original.

# ¿ Nov 29, 2018 23:34

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

Demtor posted:

Great, can't wait for that. I found that if I double tap my switch window button on my S9 and switch back to the game right away, I get x2 speed on the program for about 10 seconds. Managed to kill 88 kingslimes with boosts of speed like that... and still no recruit. Doubt I get to speedhack anything on a 3DS. Ugh.

It's a lot easier on 3DS, due to an optional feature that most people I've talked to wholeheartedly believe multiplies the drop rate of Monster Hearts. Like I said, I got more in the 3DS remake than I ever did owning the original.

Also, you don't need all the Monster Hearts to unlock all of the monster classes. If you get enough of all the 1st-tier Hearts for everyone, you can unlock the 2nd- and 3rd-tier classes just by grinding. IIRC, it's still the most efficient way to master monster classes, even with the better drop rates.

# ¿ Nov 30, 2018 20:07

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

Head Hit Keyboard posted:

As much as I want this I feel like Torneko would be both more recognizable and more interesting.

If we get a playable character rep that isn't just a Slime or something like that yeah it's definitely going to be from 3 or 4 because Japan loves those two from what I can tell and any Smash rep is gonna cater to the series' huge Japanese fanbase.

# ¿ Dec 13, 2018 19:47

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

Light Gun Man posted:

Rocket Slime. With Tank.

The Shleimann is his Final Smash. Duh.

# ¿ Dec 14, 2018 00:41

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

RareAcumen posted:

Well for one I hope this means the other versions also get updates and it won't be a case of the Switch having the most content.

It will absolutely be a case of the Switch version having the most content. At best the PS4/PC versions will get the Switch extra content as paid DLC. How else will they encourage fans to double-dip?

RareAcumen posted:

And on the other, I hope it doesn't just mean only your party members but surprise options too like Miko or Serenica.

I'm all for some dark-horse options, but Miko has a son older than Hero. That would make things a little weird. At least with Serenica, you could argue that there's a sort of Inuyasha situation going on, where Hero is the reincarnation of her original beloved. And I'm not really sure how many other plot-relevant characters are realistic options.

# ¿ Dec 22, 2018 19:33

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

pmchem posted:

Played the game a lot since my last post, it's going well. M+KB is perfectly fine, easy to play. Thanks!

Question: I've got this supplicant card which I forged up to +3; it's some kind of dlc/pre-order bonus and it restores 3 MP/turn in combat. Is that crazy overpowered all game, or does it just seem that way now because of how early I still am in the game? edit: the healer +2 card is pretty good too. Haven't went through Kingsbarrow yet.

Like any item that provides a fixed stat bonus, it's a lot stronger the lower your stats are. It's a useful accessory that I had on my healer for a good section of the game, but it's not game-breaking, and I did eventually replace it. There is other gear in the base game that can restore MP like that.

# ¿ Dec 24, 2018 19:49

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

Elderbean posted:

I didn't know about stronger monsters but apparently it requires a new game? I'm already 24 hours deep.

Yeah, once you choose not to enable a Draconian option (or disable one mid-game), there's no in-game way to enable it. Apparently, PC users can use Cheat Engine to enable Draconian options mid-game.

# ¿ Dec 28, 2018 19:15

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

Wyvernil posted:

The edition of the game I got came with free skill seeds - is it better to use them to boost the hero right away, or is there another character who can benefit from them more later on? For instance, IIRC, Angelo from DQ8 seemed to have pretty slow skill growth early on, so he was a good candidate for skill seeds.

Also, it seems like the Greatsword path is the way to go for the hero - from what I can tell, the one-handed sword skills don't really start to shine until late game. Though, is it worth it to go for the Zap skill early on, or should I wait on that for a bit?

I've personally just been using Seeds of Skill to boost anyone on those times when the character is just shy of a skill I really want; there will be times that happens, unless you have a guide open and pre-plan your skill allocations (which is something the game goes out of its way to make sure you have no reason to do; respecing is dirt-cheap and available pretty much anywhere you can save your game). All of the characters seem to have relatively even skill growth, and unlike DQ8 where Jessica and Angelo came with no skill points despite joining above level 1, everyone in 11 has their proper number of skill points for their level when they join.

Greatsword definitely is better DPS in the early game. I went down the one-handed sword tree from the beginning, with no points put into greatswords until I needed them for a skill, and there were still times where a greatsword was the highest-attack weapon I could use.

As for how you split up your skill points, again, respecing is dirt-cheap and you're never locked out of doing it for long. Experiment. Buy skills just to see what they do. You are never locked into a build in this game, and it's great. It gives you a lot of freedom to explore and play around.

# ¿ Dec 28, 2018 23:17

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

Wyvernil posted:

Sleep does have the advantage of locking down an enemy; a sleeping enemy is not attacking you. Plus it gets to Dual Wield quicker than the poison route; poison has to go through one more tile, plus the skills are more expensive.

By the by, once you've unlocked a hidden panel, it remains unlocked, am I correct? So you could respec your skills and beeline to the hidden skill without having to unlock the prereqs first?

Finally, now that I have a full party, is unlocking spear skills with Serena viable (at least, early in the game before the damage falls off)? I'm hearing mixed things about the viability of that build. At least Veronica seems designed to be a pure mage so whips aren't a good option for her (unlike Jessica in DQ8 where you could get Twin Dragon Lash relatively early and get good damage out of it).

Hidden panels reset if you respec. My Hero would have no points in Greatswords if I didn't need a few skills in order to keep Sword Dance.

I'd suggest against Spears for Serena. She's never going to be a terrific fighter no matter what you do, and the boost to Magical Mending from her Wands could give you a bit of an edge. Unless you have her going all-in on Claws, Jade is always going to be a better Spear wielder than Serena, and it's better to not have the competition for the good ones. And if you want a combat Whip-wielder, go with Sylvando.

# ¿ Dec 30, 2018 12:22

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

pmchem posted:

I did not realize this and unspec'd all her fisticuff stuff on acquiring her as a party member. How broadly does this apply? Any skill on any character that does not specify a particular weapon type?

Most of the time, you can't use skills from a weapon tree if you don't have the weapon equipped. Jade's Fisticuffs tree is pretty much the only exception.

Stuff from character trees does take into account stat boosts from equipment, but that's to be expected.

# ¿ Dec 31, 2018 03:44

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

corn in the bible posted:

The numbers don't matter dude bet on whatever number

I bet on 12/14 for my first jackpot, and then switched to just betting on all three rows (so I never had to reset; you always break even betting on rows or odds and evens/red and black). So yeah, just bet on whatever.

# ¿ Jan 4, 2019 02:52

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

victrix posted:

How long is act 3 roughly?

I play games fairly slowly, so take this with a grain of salt, but I'm finishing up sidequests and gearing up for the final final boss, and I've spent roughly 30 hours from my end of Act 2 save.

# ¿ Jan 4, 2019 03:44

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

Microcline posted:

I found each act to be shorter than the last, with my fairly thorough act 3 playthrough taking 10 hours. I'd estimate a split around 30/20/10 overall, with act three taking up to 20 hours depending on how fast and how thorough you're being.

This is kind of why I don't really like "how long is X" and think there should be a better way to express the amount of content in X. I spent more like 40-50 hours in Act 1, and a similar amount of time in Act 2. My save at the end of Act 2 is at 92 hours and change. And at the extreme end of the scale, you have a guy on the Gamefaqs boards who reported 120 hours for Act 1 alone.

# ¿ Jan 4, 2019 04:17

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

Wyvernil posted:

Yeah, I'm 50 hours into the game, and I just got the full party at what I assume is the midpoint of Act 1.

Not sure how to build the new arrivals, though. Spears seem like the best bet for Jade; I'm guessing I can just beeline to Multithrust in the spear tree and pick up Thunder Thrust along the way. Any other good skills to shoot for? From what I hear, Allure doesn't really pick up until you expand the skill trees later in the game.

Not sure about Rab, though. Is going for claws with him worthwhile, or is he better off as a pure caster (like Veronica/Serena)?

Spears are strong for Jade, but you can also send her down the Fisticuffs tree, because unlike the other "weapon" trees in this game (and previous DQ games' Fisticuffs trees) the attacks learned from it can all be used when equipped with a weapon, and use the weapon's base attack power. You just don't gain any special effects from the weapons.

Rab can go down either tree. If you're expecting him to be a spellcaster in place of Serena and/or Veronica, you might want to focus on his Heavy Wands and Enlightenment trees, and he'll hold up in that regard for a while. Claws make him a bit more of an offensive fighter, and while he won't ever be a heavy hitter, he can do well enough, IMO. He also has an early skill that makes claws restore MP, and unlike Heavy Wands, Claws have some attack power to them, so you get more back when you hit. And Claw attack skills are cheap, which coupled with the MP restoration makes them pretty spammable.

But I'd say just try things out. Respecing costs a pittance. You are never locked into a single build in this game. I've spent less on respecing all of my characters over the course of the game (and I've done it a few times) than I have on upgrading one or two characters' equipment in the last hour or so. I wish I'd personally realized this earlier; don't agonize over how you spend each skill point. Put it wherever the hell you want. If you see a skill that looks fun, take it. If it doesn't work out, it'll cost you almost nothing to get those skill points back.

# ¿ Jan 4, 2019 09:03

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# ¿ Apr 29, 2024 16:43

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

RVWinkle posted:

Everything can be completed later in act 2 or 3.

There is one quest I can think of that you can't complete in Act 2; I had to finish it in Act 3.

# ¿ Jan 5, 2019 23:17

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > A Dragon Quest Megathread draws near! Command?

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