Board 8 > So Dragon Quest XI S Act 2 *spoilers*

(+) Yeah! (+)

So I just finished Act 1 (pretty sure I'm very overleveled at 45) and it appears that we're gonna see how all your comrades ended up the way they did. Which, on a second playthrough is pretty cool. But part of the fun of Act 2 was finding your old buddies and seeing what happened to them. I don't think seeing Sylvando would have as much punch if I knew what was coming.

Then again I haven't even finished the first side story so I'll see how it plays out.

I actually changed things up a little bit and kept Sylv in the party much more often. Also kept Veronica in the party more often knowing she isn't playable in Act 2.
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oh honey
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THE GREAT SYLVANDO still the best party member
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He annoyed the piss out of me the first time.

That being said he's a good balanced character that slots into your roster pretty well.
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Yeah this stuff should have been placed after you reunite
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Sylvando featured heavily in my party because of his whip and later because of the Hustle ability.

I'm glad that I didn't have to play this little side stories for every character.

The beginning of Act 2 might be my favorite part of the game, to be honest. And Hendrik is pretty fucking awesome.
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HUSTLE HUSTLE!

Hendrick is still my favourite tough


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I'm so over-leveled I actually went and did the Hotto mission after getting Jade back. Like every time a character rejoins they're 10+ levels below me.
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Also ranking the side stories:

Jade > Rab > Sylvando > Erik

Erik's is just the dirt worst to be honest.
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So I might have gone a little overboard with the grinding.

Recommended level for the final bosses of act 2 is 49-50.

I am level 80.
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Also, I didn't realize Nautica was accessible in Act 2. I kinda assumed it was, you know, destroyed and everyone killed by the way to presented cutscene. But it seems more like they were... mildly inconvenienced.
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TheRock1525 posted...

Also, I didn't realize Nautica was accessible in Act 2. I kinda assumed it was, you know, destroyed and everyone killed by the way to presented cutscene. But it seems more like they were... mildly inconvenienced.

Pretty sure it doesn't open until the kill the boss outside it but could be wrong. Also level 80 is going to make some Act 3 bosses challenging imo so you might still have a little more leveling!
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Why, do they scale with your level?
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TheRock1525 posted...

Why, do they scale with your level?

No, I phrased that poorly, some of them are just pretty tough.
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Ugh. I was worried about going into the post-game which is basically a "proper" conclusion, it seems.

But what sucks is that it undoes the entirety of act 2 which is where the game carried most of it's narrative heft. Hendrik is not a loyal companion that grew alongside you, he's just a guy that Carnelian said "yo, go hang with that guy now."
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TheRock1525 posted...

But what sucks is that it undoes the entirety of act 2 which is where the game carried most of it's narrative heft. Hendrik is not a loyal companion that grew alongside you, he's just a guy that Carnelian said "yo, go hang with that guy now."

Post game actively damaged the game for me for this exact reason. Straight up ruins many of the game's best characters IMO. If I ever replay the game I'll be pretending that entire act doesn't exist.
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From my view Act 3 does not ruin Act 2 at all. The heft of act 2 is when your friends give their blessing to go to the past and change it. The heft is seeing Veronica again for the first time and she's asking you if you've seen a ghost. Their growth is different now, but the memories of Act 2 stay with the Luminary as well as you and I find that quite powerful. We know who Hendrick truly is.
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Act 3 best act

Act 3 best act
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tcaz2 posted...

Act 3 best act

ninkendo posted...

Act 3 best act

Holy cannoli that's certainly a take
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I mean I'm not that far into Act 3 to comment on its overall quality, I'm just saying I don't like a plot device that nullifies all the sacrifices made.

Then again I didn't realize that Queen Marina didn't die either so that's kinda lame, too.
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I spent the entire game thinking that the Erdwin flashbacks were from a different DQ game I never played. Act 3 leans hard into all of that stuff so I remember thinking "well I don't appreciate all of these references very much but I'm sure this is great for people who played this game when they were younger". Turns out all of those characters were created for this game so yeah Act 3 soured me a little bit after all of the character development during Act 2.
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Xiahou Shake posted...

tcaz2 posted...

Act 3 best act

ninkendo posted...

Act 3 best act

Holy cannoli that's certainly a take

Spaghetti ravioli!
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