Dragon Quest XI

[ghostdog]

So, what's the word? Will these fuckers release the enhanced version on pc?

 

[e-mailio estevez]

2D mode in this game looks so good it almost makes me buy a Switch

It leaves a bit to be desired IMO. Outside of the visual changes, a lot of the nice UI amenities like lifebars or status ailment indicators are stripped out of 2d mode. There are a fair number of abilities that only work if an enemy is inflicted with something, too, so there are gameplay ramifications to this.

Playing in 2d mode is the only way to have random encounters, though, and the game feels really unbalanced without them.

 

[Falksi]

What it does do is give you a massive classic RPG adventure with a sense of a journey and progression that you don't really get anymore.

That's such a massive thing in gaming which is a rare find now. For all these open world "adventures", most actually feel like day-jobs full of busy work, few feel like some epic journey.

Got DQXI at Xmas and will be playing it sometime over the next few months. Looking forward to it even more now with this in mind.

 

[Goratg]

Just finished my PS4 playthrough on Stronger Monsters started at release.

Might be the best JRPG ever made. Rare to see such broad scope and tight mechanics in one package, and can't think of another game with such a constant sense of progression throughout.

 

[Sentinel]

Chrono Trigger.

 

[Sentinel]

 

[Modron]

Just finished my PS4 playthrough on Stronger Monsters started at release.

Might be the best JRPG ever made. Rare to see such broad scope and tight mechanics in one package, and can't think of another game with such a constant sense of progression throughout.

Dragon Quest 3, 7, and 6 all had better progression and more depth due to the class/job system. I forget did 5 and 8 have that as well?

 

[Sentinel]

DQ5 didn't have a job system, but it had monster recruiting (predated pokemon btw). 8 had a more linear version of DQXI's skill system.

 

[zwanzig_zwoelf]

DQ5 didn't have a job system, but it had monster recruiting (predated pokemon btw).

Monster recruiting was in DDS: Megami Tensei and Wizardry IV before DQ5 came out.

 

[zwanzig_zwoelf]

DQ5 didn't have a job system, but it had monster recruiting (predated pokemon btw).

Monster recruiting was in DDS: Megami Tensei and Wizardry IV before DQ5 came out.

Actually, I forgot something.

In the Psychic City from 1984 allowed you to recruit enemies by brainwashing them (and IIRC The Black Onyx allowed you to recruit wandering characters as well).

 

[InD_ImaginE]

If I want to play this should I get the Steam one?

How well do DQXI run in Switch Emulator? I am kinda annoyed that SE decided that the extra contents are Switch exclusive.

 

[HoboForEternity]

just get steam one but i never really look up what the extra content are

 

[Sentinel]

Never heard of DQXI running on an emulator.

DQXI on Switch vs PS4/PC, has:

Ultra-Fast battle speed
A third battle speed option, Ultra-Fast, lets you speed through battles even faster. In previous versions, the only options were Normal and Fast.

Cutscene changes
You can now skip cutscenes at any time. In previous versions, cutscenes could only be skipped if you’d seen them before. This change should allow those who already played the game on PS4 or PC to have a smoother trip through the story sections they find boring. There’s also a new option to have cutscenes autoplay, meaning you won’t have to press the “A” button every time a character is done saying a line of dialogue.

Portable Fun-Size Forge
The Fun-Size Forge, Dragon Quest 11’s item crafting station, could previously only be used at campsites. In the definitive edition, the Fun-Size Forge can be used pretty much anywhere, activated as an item in the menu.

Cosmetic-only outfits
In previous versions of Dragon Quest 11 (and in previous Dragon Quest games, such as Dragon Quest 8), changing the appearance of party members required equipping particular items with their own stat values. For example, if you wanted companion character Erik to look like a pirate, you’d have to equip either the Corsairs Coat and Cap or the Pirate King’s Coat and Cap. If you found better equipment, you were out of luck, since changing Erik’s armor would change his appearance. In the Dragon Quest 11 Switch version, there’s a new tab in the equipment menu called “Outfit,” which allows you to choose your character’s cosmetic appearance (once you’ve acquired the necessary items to obtain that appearance the old way) without sacrificing their stats.

Horse Hailer
Rather than requiring you to summon your horse at one of the bell posts near towns and other safe zones, Dragon Quest 11 S introduces the Horse Hailer item, which allows you to call your horse to you at any time (assuming you’re in an area that allows for it).

Quick Commands menu
A new Quick Commands menu can be easily pulled up, allowing you to rapidly select from certain helpful items and abilities without digging into several menu screens. These include items like the Horse Hailer and Fun-Size Forge, features like the new Photo Mode, and abilities like Erik’s Nose for Treasure (a new ability in Dragon Quest 11 on Switch that allows Erik to tell the player how many treasure chests are in the area).

Additional quality-of-life changes*

• Ore and other materials that previously dropped items on the ground when harvested now drop directly into your inventory
• There will be the option to turn off grunt and exhale sounds from the protagonist
• Killing monsters in the overworld using a mount (monsters or the horse) will grant experience points
• You can switch between the classic battle camera and free movement mid-battle
• Menus can be navigated with joysticks in addition to the D-pad
• Purchased materials are automatically deposited in the Bag
• In-battle party member dialogue now appears in a speech bubble in the top right of the screen, complete with an illustrated portrait of the character, in addition to the character’s spoken voice lines
• You can now instantly talk with your party members by pressing the minus (“-”) button, rather than selecting the option in the menu.

There's no guarantee the Switch enhancements won't come to other platforms. I played it on PC and don't really miss any of the switch stuff, although I plan on grabbing the switch version if the content doesn't come to PC by October 2020 (September +1 month, in case Nintendo had a 1 year exclusivity deal with Square Enix).

 

[felipepepe]

That's not the full list of changes. The switch version also has orchestral soundtrack, the option to switch to 16-bit 2D mode and new optional quests that are references to previous DQ games.

Still, if this is your first DQ, just get the Steam version and use the orchestral soundtrack mod. The rest is pretty much just cosmetics or very small quality of life changes. Like, is it good to craft anywhere? Yeah, but you can just fast travel to a campfire to craft too, so no big deal.

Besides, on PC you can run it on 4K, and it looks REALLY FUCKING GOOD.

 

[HoboForEternity]

imo orchestral soundtrack mod is a MUST to fully enjoy the game. the original arrangement sounds so flat.

 

[Invictus]

imo orchestral soundtrack mod is a MUST to fully enjoy the game. the original arrangement sounds so flat.

I was kind of thinking the whole problem with the music was some senseless deal... but boy does it make a huge difference, makes the game feel epic and having it on Switch makes this the perfect portable experience

 

[ghostdog]

That's not the full list of changes. The switch version also has orchestral soundtrack, the option to switch to 16-bit 2D mode and new optional quests that are references to previous DQ games.

Still, if this is your first DQ, just get the Steam version and use the orchestral soundtrack mod. The rest is pretty much just cosmetics or very small quality of life changes. Like, is it good to craft anywhere? Yeah, but you can just fast travel to a campfire to craft too, so no big deal.

Besides, on PC you can run it on 4K, and it looks REALLY FUCKING GOOD.

Not only this. From what I read at least, the switch version has new party member quests that flesh them out much more.

Also it seems to have included a gay marriage bromance option for the protagonist:

• Dragon Quest 11 S has alternative marriage options, allowing you to “choose the partner you live with” instead of getting married to a character the Luminary can normally marry in the story
  • This includes male characters like Erik, though Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii specified that “it isn’t marriage”

 

[abnaxus]

• Dragon Quest 11 S has alternative marriage options, allowing you to “choose the partner you live with” instead of getting married to a character the Luminary can normally marry in the story
  • This includes male characters like Erik, though Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii specified that “it isn’t marriage”

some great trolling there

i watned marry Jade

 

[TheImplodingVoice]

imo orchestral soundtrack mod is a MUST to fully enjoy the game. the original arrangement sounds so flat.

I was kind of thinking the whole problem with the music was some senseless deal... but boy does it make a huge difference, makes the game feel epic and having it on Switch makes this the perfect portable experience

Same here. Got it and finished it on PS4. But the soundtrack was just shit. But got a good deal on it for Switch at my local game store and got it. And the orchestral soundtrack made a massive difference. Don't use my Switch much and it always stays in it's dock. But the changes are well worth it as well. But as I said, the orchestral soundtracks sounds fantastic. Especially the track for Hotto. Sounds amazing orchestral.

 

[Vorark]

There's no guarantee the Switch enhancements won't come to other platforms. I played it on PC and don't really miss any of the switch stuff, although I plan on grabbing the switch version if the content doesn't come to PC by October 2020 (September +1 month, in case Nintendo had a 1 year exclusivity deal with Square Enix).

Word on the street is that Nintendo helped with the new content, hence DQXI S being an exclusive. However, if Octopath made the jump, then it's reasonable to expect DQ to show up too.

 

[Puukko]

Just started this on a whim after largely ignoring it and the rest of DQ until now and I am really liking it, actually. The presentation is great and it is actually sufficiently challenging early on with some of the draconian options enabled.

 

[680x0]

I bought both versions and the PC version does look substantially nicer on the same screen. Most people here probably don't do handheld gaming, but the Switch version is almost a different game in 2D.

If you all like the orchestral soundtrack you should try Torneko: The Last Hope on PSX, it is a remake of the 1st (IIRC) Mystery Dungeon roguelike game but with some juicy red book audio tracks. Sounds very nice coming out of PSX hardware.

 

[cruel]

So... I'm trying to play this, but to be honest playing on Draconian mode (strong monsters) pisses me off. I'm level 8 or 9, enter Kingsbarrow, and basically 4 or 5 fights into the dungeon I'm out of mana, and need to heal using items. For some reasons the authors thought that giving all trashy mobs 'Heal' ability will be fun - it's not. At this point it's really tedious and boring for me.

Should I assume that Draconian Mode forces you to grind a lot? It's only protagonist and Eric at this point, not many tactics possible on such low levels. Should I suffer some more and it will get better? I'm not 13 years old any more, so would like to avoid grinding for hours if possible. At the same time, normal mode was too easy

 

[Puukko]

I did that bit recently and just skipped the trash and went straight to the boss. I grinded on the squids on the beach.

 

[Hyperion]

If you play with limited XP (which I did for my first playthru until I killed 3 liquid metal slimes and got 0 xp lol) Kingsbarrow caps you at either level 8 or 9. It's no joke on Draconian Mode, but about on par with Dragon Warrior 3 in terms of difficulty. You get fully healed on gaining a level, so use that to your advantage as well.

Going Greatswords with The Luminary instead of Sword and Board is immense and will help you one shot most enemies. Don't neglect using your Fun-Size Forge to upgrade either. The extra 8-10 attack or Defense makes a big difference in the beginning.

4 defense = 1 less damage from physical attacks, so 12 defense reducing 3 damage adds up very quickly. Later on it means shit, so you'll eventually want to prioritize Elemental Damage Reduction on gear.

The game is going to get harder after you get party members 3 and 4, and is probably the only spot in the game where you'll wanna grind 2 or 3 levels to make some bosses require a little less RNG. Most bosses can be overcome with a 3 man Pep Power anyway.

Tl;dr - Use Greatswords on the Hero, use the Sleep Dagger skill with Erik, make judicious use of the Forge for upgrades, and utilize Pep Powers.