Board 8 > Got Dragon Quest 11 S today (Playthrough topic)

(+) Yeah! (+)

Thanks again, @DoomTheGyarados
I'll get started tonight.



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I'm still waiting for my copy from Chris

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home, back on main account.
food first but let's see how long this is gonna take.

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oh ya go my Luminary

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tag!

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Oh snap I forgot to check the mail today...

Empty :(

I just beat this game last month. Takes about 75 hours if you include all side quests and such. Really good game. Slightly better than DQ8.

Moonroof posted...

I just beat this game last month. Takes about 75 hours if you include all side quests and such. Really good game. Slightly better than DQ8.

I... don't think you actually finished the game. Did you play part 3? The 'post game content' actually contains quite a bit more story.

That or you speed ran it.

There's no way the game takes less then 100 hours.

alright, sorry for the wait, let's get to it. headphones on as i know there's orchestrated music and fuck yes i'm a sucker for orchestrated music.

DQ11's opening is gorgeous. i'm going into this almost completely blind, i know a few characters through FFBE but that's all. took a look at the Draconian Quest Settings and most of these sound like they're not for a first run. but one option stands out: Townsfolk Talk Tripe.

that sounds interesting. getting lied to? to what extent, how much will this impact the game? i'm kind of curious so on it goes!

3D mode.
English. normally would play subbed but let's try out the dub since i'm writing about it.

opening scene is nice, although i can't help but get usual RPG flashbacks of "this man is going to die for saving me, isn't he?"

this blond girl's accent is... off. it sounds like an American trying to a different one. and i just won 1 milli-- oh. so that's how the lies in this game work. just a nice extra bit on top of their usual speech patterns? yeah, i'll keep that. anyway, as we go around the area - with me jumping over fences because screw the beaten path - i find out my birthday has been kept hidden and matches up with this girl, probably because my foster dad is unoriginal. well alright.

she totally dropped the accent on "Monsters!"
though i'm using a sword i wonder if i should've gone Greatsword. too late now for this fight, fortunately i've a good doggo to help. he'd better not die.

found myself a Pot Lid while going around the temple thing, so that's what we're looking at; damage with greatsword or sword 'n shield. former for now. walking along, wall along the opposite side of doggo path, free herbs. slapped down a few slimes with the greatsword for a bit, leveled up, learned Frizz, switched to sword. dog couldn't always OHKO when he was doing it but i could so i figure the extra bit of strength worked. seems they need 6 damage and that's consistently the min on level up with sword, so pot lid it is. Frizz can be saved for later. level up also healed me so that's nice. ...then i run into some Needler and they need 2 hits so back to GS. going off the beaten path from doggo got me an herb and gold in random pots - which really makes me wonder who the hell came into this dungeon with pots to put by the water. tried to see if me standing under some dripping water changes anything, nothing. tried with her, doesn't. alright, moving on.

we find a kid who was obviously going to be here based on his mom and find Smog! ...Frizz it is. nice to see Gemma be able to restore MP but it seems physical attacks work fine, so fire for one, smack for two, alright. tons of EXP for that and then the game rewards my exploration habits by having me find a Pink Pine on the floor, woo. up the vine we go as the game sign tells me to watch my step? so i can fall? yes i can! alright so my attempts of suiciding off a cliff aren't completely a mistake in this game. cutscene time.

the bird tries to take my childhood farmer option and make her his waifu/dinner (depends on the fanfic you're reading) so i zap him with lightning. we then go to a cutscene where she wants to jump my bones more than ever and we admire Square Enix loving Xenoblade Chronicles. i get another Pink Pine on the floor and fortunately the game just fast travels me out the cave so i can meet up with people again.

talking to NPCs, it appears my days in this game are over. i've been found to be a murderer by the village detective but it's okay, because one of the kids said he'll take over my role of hero so i don't need to worry. that's a relief, i didn't want to deal with a megazord of slimes either!

...or all those things are lies.
i get back to the NPCs and somehow a chubby guy with pebbles for eyes and a boomerang pretending it's a mustache is this chick's grandpa. i see she takes after the other side of the family.
after the cutscene's done i'm in town and can't get out because the S&M bodyguard with the thickest accent in the game so far won't let me. an NPC tells me that home's on the path with rocks so naturally i go to the side, up a ladder, destroy a bunch of pots and barrels even if Gemma wants to stand on them, and get some items, including a seed of agility. i then jump off the cliff because i'm pretty sure fall damage isn't a thing.

an NPC who is a ghost and talks to ghosts shows that they can lie multiple times. good to know.
exploring around town finds me a red door that says it's locked tight. guess that's for later and my village isn't going to be burned down. or at least, not for the full game. as i explore, breaking everything i can, including things that are of no use like walking through pumpkin that we probably need, and then confess to it all in church. as usual, the pro-Christian message of the game stands out: you can break into people's homes, rob them, destroy your town's food supply, but if you pray you too can be God's hero.

i'd like an SMT crossover one day, just for the eventual confusion of prayer. then again the last time we tried this we got a game about idols so i mean...

anyway, i find out that in addition to ghosts, there's a shocking truth: my mother's a fairy and happens to be Gemma's grandpa. fuck, i really must've taken after my mother and this is going to be a really awkward hookup. fortunately the reincarnation of a bird i once saved is one of my fellow villagers and maybe we'll go out there finding a weapon that attacks on its own. that last one honestly didn't even catch me as a lie until the game told me.

Cypress Stick, bunch of gold, and a feather later, i completed an in-game achievement and go home. i'm half expecting my dog to go meow meow at one point. cutscene time.

...my foster mom's got a great accent. native Scot? or somewhere close to it? as she's hitting this accent really well.
and i'm apparently the reincarnation of the Luminary. okay so maybe that guy saying he was my bird wasn't lying after all. anyway, i can't sleep, raid my home as i break everything, and go out to move the plot along. ...the Luminary... too? as in there's other ones? or is this another role of mine? well, whichever way she meant, she runs off crying because she knows we ain't hooking up and settling down to raise some chicken after all.

i then put on Bebe's uniform from Pokemon Sword and am off to be a trainer. this reminds me, wasn't there a translation patch for some DQM games?
...yep, Joker 3 and the DQM remake both were just a few years ago. good to know, my collection is happy to accept them.

anyway, an NPC saying he's a horse later (and more people having apprentice at first sight vision - i see this is a typical line) i check the shop, buy nothing, get blocked by a

greengravy294 posted...

I'm still waiting for my copy from Chris

Did you PM me your address

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All praise to non-Epona

Love the write up so far :D

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Hey Chris, just wanted to let you know I received the item. I appreciate it and thank you from the bottom of my heart. I also appreciate you sharing your happiness with the world. I hope this is a good return address that you provided because I'm going to be sending you your present soon

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tcaz2 posted...

There's no way the game takes less then 100 hours.

I got the platinum trophy on PS4 in like 85-90 hours or something. Obviously less content in that version though

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tcaz2 posted...

I... don't think you actually finished the game. Did you play part 3? The 'post game content' actually contains quite a bit more story.

That or you speed ran it.

There's no way the game takes less then 100 hours.

I did everything you could do in the game except for max out everyones grids (didnt want to farm for seeds) and create all items. I got all the ultimates and beat post game entirely. I did all the quests too. Took well under 100 hours.

before i go into the next part, made a twitter account for the switch. will slow me down a bit but hopefully makes the adventure more exciting. let's recap the more exciting parts of the intro that i mentioned:

my crime spree is over.
https://twitter.com/KingliSwitch/status/1232624754319740929

my adventure is over:
https://twitter.com/KingliSwitch/status/1232625230616518658

apparently i got laid off screen or something.
https://twitter.com/KingliSwitch/status/1232625742061551617

surprise genre change! i'd be alright with this tbh.
https://twitter.com/KingliSwitch/status/1232626991137865728

the rest of the town lore, and a man pleading to God for his existence.
https://twitter.com/KingliSwitch/status/1232630512717418497

alright, back to the playthrough.
i actually head back to town to check out what's changed. a few different things in dialogue and i can go to the Tor. cool. once i'm out of town i get used to riding my horsey by running into enemies and enjoying how that avoids fights. walking is just fine, which i do until i'm LV4. i'm also headed off by a random NPC telling me to go to town so alright, guess i'm not bumrushing a fallen tree.

after crossing the bridge, punking out a bird with a horse and a cucumbur with a spear, i steadily try to fight every enemy at least once as i find a seed of life and herb.

NPC introduces me to camping. will i get to pet my horse there? play with a rubber ball? after he finishes telling me that his teeth and ambitions are bared i get into his cabin to break shit, get a small scale, and realize i probably should equip Gemma's charm. i spot a nearby well and... yep, thought so. inside i go where i find myself a strong medicine. figuring i might as well see what happens i camp and see that i can use it to change time of day/night. different enemies i assume, with possible different effects of what happens in town.

well, i spend a night and ride around, dishing out a driveby to any monsters in the way. they were askin' for it. the game agrees with me as it gives me an achievement, proving i'm right. as i explore i get myself some fresh water, a flintstone, and a cottontop. i then find out that the two halves i can run around are connected and proceed to beat everything one time then gallop through them like the worthless creatures they are. i go down to the coast, find an NPC blocking my way, so i take out my anger by going into his tent and breaking his pots, promptly rewarding me with a chimera wing.

this game really does not teach good life lessons but that's fine, i'm a hero!

once i get to level 5 i unlock skills and learn heal. that'll be useful, i guess. horder's mentality is going to leave me with the max number of medicinal herbs, isn't it?

going through the skills, i'm seeing...

Swords: the game really pushes you to this i see. gets you a skill immediately upon entry and then there's the Dragon/Metal Slash moves, aka, grinding for levels.

Greatsword: can cheat with defensive abilities with that parry, early AOE and early DPS.

Swordmastery: clearly meant for people who know the game already, after a skill reset occurs, or end game.

Luminary: magic AOE, a cheap but probably mostly ineffective black hole, stats, and repel. not bad.

i pick... none of the above, i'm gonna hang onto these 3 points until i figure out who else is in my party. or at least, get someone else. i don't think i'm in desperate need for Flame Slash so i'll be fine whacking things with a greatsword.

after beating everything in the day i rest at camp to night time and beat the shit out of everything then too. stomping through a bunch of sleeping bunnicorns is strangely satisfying. first drakky i face flees but that's no concern, i just smack then next one down and... go super saiyan? oh, pep. alright, well i'm feeling really peppy as i kill some flying fire things too before getting into town. still was in pep mode when i finished fighting on the world map, let's see if it sticks in between story points like this too.


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i get into town and start talking to people. the restaurant/bar is apparently super chill with me going behind the bar and into the kitchen, how nice. item shop guy isn't as kind, he gives me shit for breaking into his place and walking behind the counter, so i break his pot and take his chimera wing. that's whatcha get, bitch.

but i came here for a more heroic purpose! to save a cat, i assume. and... yep, it's a cat. but before i do that i jump to another roof and get a mini medal, woo. anyway i help the cat, go find the girl, get some... kitty litter... and get told to be santa. got it. as i walk around town raiding i find a bandana in a closet. somehow knew that was going to be a thing.

as i walk around town i see an NPC point out a random ladder and go for it, then down a chimney to another NPC clearly telling me to do it, at which point i read a note of a guy who loves having a treasure taunt people. so it's okay if i rob this guy blind, right?

the man's rich, gotta admit. plenty of gold everywhere, seed of deftness, a bunch of other items, and a gold bracelet, which is a pretty nice accessory. i immediately put it on, of course. as i unlock the door and go down the stairs to meet him he points out the basic truth i've been saying: it ain't normal for some stranger to go into your house.

so i break the pot right in front of him and his face is shocked with a matching speech bubble. shame i missed to screenshot this exchange. anyway i leave and explore some more, get a feather in a pot, and then it's nighttime! explore, explore, explore. the rich people's houses get raided, a treasure chest of 100 gold is nice. and eventually it turns to morning, at which point i find another section by these rich people and behind some grass is yet another treasure chest, a seed of sorcery. there's some other stuff here and there - gold, plain clothes, random items - but those were the things in chests. i'm also really not getting the glowy things that appear. i thought they were monsters at first but when i couldn't fight them i just moved on. but now they're in towns too? wonder if that'll clear up later.

one thing i've determined already:
i'm going to prison.
the amount of books and NPCs that talk about the prisons makes it obvious that at some point, that's where i'm going, or maybe finding out someone in it. a thief was mentioned, is that my soon to be buddy? would've come from those slums that are blocked off for now too.

well, let's go on with the story. guards block me, i show pendant, they talk to king, whisper, and suspiciously let me in. i am so going to prison. well, might as well raid the place while i'm at it. get myself new armor, a new hat, try to steal another treasure chest but the NPC won't let me, the bastard. soon, you buggy eyed dwarf. soon. i hope this ain't one of those games that strips me of everything immediately after going to jail with no chance of getting the good stuff back. i mean i'd totally deserve it but still. i continue delaying the inevitable as i'm told the king's daughter is dead. is she though? or is she in prison/hiding in the slums? as i make my way to the roof a shiny thing in a chandelier is pointed out, i guess i'm gonna get in this place later anyway. on the roof, where 'nothing important' exists, i find myself a MP recovering potion and a mini medal.

hey, if the game's gonna lie to me like that can they do that lying jingle thing too? well, to the king, with me being called the "darksp-" at one point. man they ain't being very subtle, are they?

Apparently Doctor Gero managed to cross universes first and become the king in this one, where there are no saiyans to worry about... just really peppy people.

uh oh.
nono, don't tell the king yo-- oh you poor sap.
RIP village.
and... as expected, i'm arrested. you know, if my coming here is a symbol of the dark one being ressurected, it's not exactly useful to throw me in jail, is it? oh well.

i also seriously can't get over just how much this man looks like Doctor Gero. it doesn't help that i've been thinking for a while that i kind of look like one of the androids so this is getting weird.

anyway, that's quite a bit on the next section so letting this sit for a while as i figure out how i want to upload the new screenshots too. the true story continues to become even more confusing: i have a kid in this town and he's one of the guards. it's riddled with ghosts too, and i won a million bucks coming into town. still is a step down from my home village though, that place is fucking nuts and i guess it's a good thing i'm running cover for the true hero, he won't have to deal with this nonsense when he's off.

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Wanglicious posted...

also seriously can't get over just how much this man looks like Doctor Gero. it doesn't help that i've been thinking for a while that i kind of look like one of the androids so this is getting weird.

This is literally what happens when you let Akira Toriyama be your character designer lol

Wanglicious posted...

this game really does not teach good life lessons but that's fine, i'm a hero!

Welcome to Dragon Quest, lol!

Wanglicious posted...

i pick... none of the above, i'm gonna hang onto these 3 points until i figure out who else is in my party. or at least, get someone else.

You can reset your allocated skill points for a small fee at any church or goddess statue, for what it's worth.

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oh, respecing is a normal thing? cool, then i won't worry about it. but i'm responding to that after i finished the intro so yeah.

in prison there's two pots so i smash 'em as someone tells me to stop. as we talk he gets some delicious gruel, does an anime HEH and jab to the gut. ...a standing jab behind a bar instantly KO'ing a fully armored guard? bro, they should be able to get whacked by a hammer with full rotation before that happens. it's a body shot on a fully armored dude, even the best boxers ain't doing that.

well, whatever, the guy gets me out of jail so i'll take it. he then doesn't kill but totally killed a guard and finds my stuff. woo, i still got it all. ...why'd he give me a sword too? like, there's no new sword in my inventory, i call false advertisement. as i check out my stats... wait, hang on.

how did i not recover HP at all in this?
as i look around the dungeon i try to get some chests but the gate is locked. c'mon man. if these guards are incompetent enough to leave my stuff around, just how good do you think the loot in here is? well, i go talk to him and he tells me to get in the hole. c'mon man, seriously, ya couldn't open gates? and wait why are you making me lead, i don't even know what a sewer is! well, he keeps talking about a seer so i guess we're just gonna mosey along with this.

and we're caught. time to run! for a little anyway, i then just beat the crap out of them. alas, that used up all my pep. and after that they just instantly respawned so uh... i see. running it is, then. and now begins the stealth mission. so i do... for a bit. i try going the other way, doesn't work. and i dodge the first two before deciding fuck it, it's still stealth if they're KO'd right? and honestly, for a guy who says he's invincible he's scared of what, 8 guards? fortunately we don't need to question the logic of it all as the bridge collapses. i'm not sure how this is a "luck's about to change" moment considering i've been pretty fucking lucky to get all this working out so far. fortunately i can hear the voice of the goddess down here and she tells me that i, a person at LV6, need... 170 EXP?

...god, those guards are shit.
well, i heal myself and move forward into an area that's visibly open and between the save point before it, is obviously time for a boss. and it's a dragon! uh... we sure about that being a boss fight...? okay no, it's time for an infinite runner, gotcha.

we run!
cutscene.
and run more!
cutscene.
fucking rock in the middle got me so i fled, tried again, and out we go! all the monsters inside i almost feel bad for since they're all just dead along the way. whoops. we make it to the end and then we're out the cave with a waterfall nearby. "looks like our luck's ran out," what? we ain't in the castle, we got out of prison, below us is water, and we both apparently have superhuman strength already. i'd say we're good! he removes the hood and reveals that he's SSB Gogeta but wearing the potaro earrings because it's cooler, i guess.

roll intro, real game begins now.

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i repay this nun by breaking some pots, getting some stuff out of 'em, and onwards to the cutscene. after it's done she tells me that i've munched on a pep pip, interesting place for that boilerplate line but alright. i can't pinpoint this guy's accent. it's like a New York accent crossed with something else. also if we're looking for a disguise wouldn't it be easier to just cut his hair or something? well, he joins the team so here we are together! okay let's see...

Swords: same as my swords but with a smaller immediate grid and a longer darkened one? uh... okay, moving on then.

Knives: status effects, super damage based on status effects, and dual wield. also his starting weapon, as if it wasn't painfully clear the game is telling you to use this.

Boomerangs: AOE, the weapon. i do like this conceptually, especially as it offers the first way to kill metals. but AOE weapons do tend to suck so... we'll see.

Guile: steal, evasion, stats. simple enough.

i'll do a few fights and try things out. main things i'm figuring out are expected, knife is solid for DPS but against groups you want boomerang. fortunately you can just switch in the middle of combat so it's not a big deal. when those kobloid archers call for backup it's boomerang time. anything else, knife. start with knife for extra deftness.

(here's where i got the info on respec'ing in topic)

so... let's see.
either way, i know i want to go Knife for dual wield. that's just an obvious thing and doesn't appear to restrict on weapon type at a glance. even if it did, the DPS would be dramatic with status effect stuff. and i do love me status effects - i'm an EO fanboy. between that and Pokemon, status effects controlling a fight is something i've grown used to and when DPS is affected by them directly, well... yeah. poison? i like poison and it's continuous. sleep? i like not dying. doesn't seem like this game is following a sleep -> 100% crit chance system but it keeps you safe. or lets you do 6x damage with the right skill. i expect bosses to hold some resistance to it and gradual resistance after initial application but i can wait for that horse. speaking of which, i'll get mine eventually i assume, once i'm done going back to town and stuff seeing how i can't go south anyway. for now, Erik gets a +5 damage to daggers, the first skill and something that makes it even more obvious the game wants you to do this. i am curious on Half Inch though, it's Steal. i like Steal. now that i've got a little more attack outta him, maybe i'll do that next, depends on what my party looks like when i get 6P or 8P.

...taking a better look at my grid (on a level up) i realize that swordmastery ain't even a thing i can do anyway for a long time. in order to get there i need to unlock quite a bit: either greatswords hitting harder, including single target damage, or dragon slash.

dragon, totally. dragon is needed for metal too. that unfortunately is all in the sword tree and it won't take much to hit a little harder with a greatsword. which i'm still doing fine with. nonetheless, i figure i'll get that first sword skill after all, Flame Slash. if i ever need to switch in battle, i will. i test out that skill and it ain't too bad in combat, 25-33% more than my usual hits. which is to say i already hit significantly harder anyway and when i'm pepped up, i do OHKO enemies. back to exploring and i swear to fucking god these tree stumps keep getting me.

hey wait, why is Erik carrying the Soldier Sword. gimme that shit, you ain't using it. that'll actually close the gap even more between these two weapons. also these little blue transparent things are really weird. i seriously hope the game addresses them sooner than later. i find a treasure chest with a Red Eye near one so woo. maybe that's what they are, markers for treasure? well, i continue exploring the map and find myself to the end of it with a rope, picking up random items along the way. at the top of it there's a shiny flower, i chop it, get more items. i then go down to the other side, find a chest with a seed of strength, cross yet another bridge, find myself a mine thing, get more items, and beat up enemies. i learn Sizz, hang onto my skill points, and mosey along, eventually going from facing cubs who i one shot as a super saiyan to facing Great Sabercats, who hurt but give decent EXP and gold. before going to those i finally use my skill points to go with the parry bonus and +5 extra damage so i can whack things harder. i know i just said i was going sword for dragon slash but that can be prioritized after this bit and besides, it'll be helpful for swordmastery later. for group damage i've now got Sizz, off what i assume is my weaker stat, so yay, i can ignore that greatsword move. the strong hit though, i dunno. nice boss killer.

whatever, dragon slashing is cool so i'll get on that soon enough.

oh yeah, boomerangs are totally shit right now.
like they're really just useful when it's 3+ enemies, otherwise please no. even then they miss too much.

it also appears this guy's got a skill to finding treasure on a map. well alright, tells me there's one more. hmm. i get to the end and still don't see anything in a treasure - i do pick up a butterfly wing and some buzzleberries - so... the church? i double back and see a chick in a weird outfit telling me to go pep up and use Real Decoy. i see, so pep powers are extra skills. as i look around..a aha, a well! and inside... a treasure! and after taking it he tells me there's only one treasure in the area. ...ah so i'm reading the skill the wrong way, he just tells you all the treasure on the map, not all the available treasure. and it changes depending on region, so the well was one because there was one in it. still useful but now i gotta keep track too. either way it got me some freebies and a Pointy Hat, which means my next party member is probably a mage. for now i'm wearing it through.

...not sure what's the fastest way to pep up so i continue fighting to make it.
and continue fighting.
fighting.
fuck it where's the sabertooth, i pick up another beast bone along the way. after two of those i finally get pepped up and get to use it. the fact that it needed both of us worried me a bit but whew. Real Decoy does really nice damage for this point of the game but uses up all your pep. i go back to the "soldier" and basically get told that dual and triple techs get unlocked depending on my party. i then get a gold chain which raises my HP, which is great considering i'm way behind Erik on that. Gemma's charm out, gold in, let's move to town.

but first...
one fight, Erik hits LV9.
Half Inch first. DPS skills can wait.
new pep skill, itemized kill.
i try it a few times, it fails a lot i see. stat dependen

Half Inch is life, yes.

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that's good to hear.
alright, so left off with just getting to the downtown area:

as i check the shops... hey. Erik, you're from this place. why is your dagger shittier than the dagger sold in this store? you literally live here and you're a thief! there's an option to getting a better greatsword too but ehh... the only purpose this has is to count in my item list really. fuck it, why not, i've got 1600 gold anyway. as i break some barrels i also find myself some horse manure! hell yeah, literal shit.

what else we got? slave labor working in a bar, a drunk who's obsessed with Roxy, and kids playing hide and go seek. as i continue exploring i realize i'm probably doing this again because the hide and seek kid totally took it and he's in that chimney area that i can't get to. well, whatever, for now i get the treasure that's a little hidden and out the way, a Drasilian Guinea. as i skip over the trash i pay a guy for some good advice, which is apparently grocery shopping in real life as i really do need to get some bananas and orange. thanks, i guess? it's literally juicy info. as i look at the armor shop i see i can get some boxer shorts that are better than the armor i'm wearing and almost as good as leather armor.

man, those are some seriously good boxers.
i buy it for Erik. you're welcome, rogue.
i also see a random sorceress walking. yep, mage next.
alternative spot i'm finding that kid: the other area has a staircase.

no seriously Erik's accent is killing me. it's a twisted New York accent. anyway i've basically explored everything i can, i think. so i just go along.

he's looking for only redhead in town?
you've got my interest.

...i am no longer interested.
down the ladder we go. as i move along i see a red door, i take it these are a continuous thing.

Erik's a tea leaf?
this girl's accent is crazy good too. crazy as well but i'm okay with that. and it seems we're going back to town anyway, cool. we just need to get past a guard who the game already told us how to: get a hot chick and a dog, good to go. so we're off to steal a dog, woo. unfortunately i guess we're good people because we're going to listen to a loli with a thick as fuck accent who goes BOSH in a random sentence as she demands a berry and holy water. you know, i don't think holy water is the most drinkable item but what do i know.

...aww, that's sweet. she fed the dog and gave him some holy water to protect him. okay this kid's good, i like her. we scare the guard and i tell the girl, i'm a nice guy like that. soon as we're in NPC by the stairs tells me that there's a rooftop i can get to and it's by a purple dot. well that's obvious. i check by the main part of town anyway and yeah, worthless, so up we go. i also check a treasure count, Erik found 11. interesting.

i find Derk's house and there we go, cutscene.
this guy was always helping us? well okay. still doesn't mean i forgive him so i go around and bust the few pots he has, getting myself a mini medal along the way. bastard holdin' out on me. i also talk to his... wife? and she compliments Erik's fingering skills? uhh...

Derk, i ain't sure about this one.
anyway, i leave, we talk, plot happens, i'm going to the forest that i wanted to earlier. i leave through the main staircase because fuck the police, get stopped from leaving through the main gate because plot, and as i make my way downtown i be sure i look around a bit first - which helped since i found myself a pot with a seed of strength.

as i go back to the slum i talk to the girl and she cursed me with a night of farting. yeah, that got capped.
also the dog is still bugging that guard.
i buy myself a leather armor anyway since 4 points is a notable enough difference and leave town. there's plenty more to do but can't be done just yet. i save at the church and run on down. traveling salesman is at the front, he's... selling me everything from the last town, actually. taking a better look at the boomerang being sold, credit where it's due, that's a significant upgrade. the knife is just 2 points but that thing's 7. it's also unfortunately the most expensive thing in the shop.

but that's fine.
i buy, it means boomerang or dagger the strength is the same to begin with. dagger goes a little more due to the +5 bonus but still. between this and my spell i should be able to clear crowds well enough and considering how much i focus on exploration, i'm probably gonna get higher levels anyway. we're going back to Cobbletown, aka, home, so i fully expect to see the place burned down before i get my 3rd party member.

---

anyway, this dungeon/woodland area has 9 treasures.
...man, boxers was a waste, dancing devil dropped it immediately.
first treasure: mini medal!
as i go to a direction clearly with a treasure at the end, i spot a monster cow. ...okay no it's just a cow. that gives the weather. you know all those NPCs saying they were something else? yeah, this is literally that but played straight.

second treasure: empty. "oh."
we get to a camp and a cutscene plays, at which point he somehow whips out an item at least half his size from nowhere. dude, where was that thing. did you have that thing with you when you were in prison? this thing lets me craft just about anything, why didn't you use it then? and again, where were you hiding this tool?!

i make myself a new dagger for him, confused as to why he just didn't do it this entire time. i then make a new sword because why not. with these perfectionist pearls i decide to rework the most important equip i've got: boxers. yeah baby.

i look down from the campsite and see a gigantic fucking troll. ...so that's why this is 9 treasures. a bridge was busted earlier too. multiple troll cyclops are roaming around down there so uh... "I see." i go to the woodcutter's hut, find treasure #3: recipe book for scale stuff. as i do this, i'm reminded that the game really loves swords because between the free sword and shield here... yeah, it's a very notable gap. at +2 the sword is the same power as my greatsword and i get to keep an extra 9 defense with 5 evade? yeah, that's worth losing the extra 5 points at the moment, especially since i can use my sword skill that does far more damage than that. i'm sure greatsword will get something later but damn man. i feel bad for Erik and give him the gold bracer as i don't need all that extra defense right now, i can wear heavy armor, he can't, and i just forged myself some. anyway, back to the story.

there's a bridge we can't cross and a doggo following me around. i'm fine with that. we get to a part on the map with a plant for my hand to touch so i do and a cutscene reveals the current plot: an old man loving the woodcutter life and a wild tricky devil appears. i want to strangle this thing with its own tail. it then uses tricky beam and makes him into a dog, which honestly is an improvement in many ways but i dig-- he's why there was an empty treasure chest?

fuck this guy, he's dead. i will fill that treasure with his beating heart. meanwhile Erik tells me to go back to find it, in case we missed it. dude, we didn't miss shit, where were you just 5 minutes ago? so apparently we have to lose the dog to get across the bridge. an unfortunate route here but it's the only way i'm staying out of jail. as i get to the treasure chest i see the cow again. the fact that he's giving me weather makes me think this is going to be relevant at some point, maybe some treasures that are accessible without the rain or some areas needing water. but whatever, i've got a purple ass to beat. cutscene, he's lame as fuck, Erik mentions it, he gets mad and the Saibaman cosplaying as an imp attacks.

Half Inch first.
...he doesn't have anything worth stealing? god, how worthless is this guy?
attack, flame slash
repeat, occasionally heal, SSB Gogeta gets unlocked, then i do, then Itemized Kill. he's gotta be with something right?
no, no he was not.
well that's the end of that miniboss. guy turns back to a human, he fixes the bridge real quick, and tells me about the world tree and how i'm one of the chosen few. he also points out the most important part: my great hair. this man understands the importance of hair.

after crossing the bridge the first enemy i run into are boars with witch hats. okay, these things are adorable. Sham Hatwitches? hell yeah, excellent design. i explore, fight, and eventually find another hard ore to mine and a nearby treasure chest, that's #4, assuming the blank one counted. it's raining and it doesn't appear there's anything left so that's all for now, i'm out.

in this next open area, 4 treasure chests. that's more reasonable.
oh hey i remember this place, right at the start when i was blocked due to those trees. cool. as i run home i wonder: if i ring the bell, does the horse come? yes she does. he? i don't remember if they gave it anything. meanwhile i wonder where Erik went while i was on this. is he canonically running at full speed to try to keep up with the horse so that, if i decide to fight, he can fight too? how nice of him!

i make my way back home and it's surprisingly not on fire.
first NPC i talk to and... they've all forgotten me instead for now huh? didn't know this was a surprise Men in Black game. can't save yet, priest is busy, old lady says she's taking over too the journey, well that's nice. and then i talk to her and she wants me to strip, that's not so nice. their memories regressed? hell of an MIB flash. well, i go home first and... there's a loli crying. uhhh okay, so they're all just YOUNGER now instead? even the dog is younger! and the horse giving birth, that's the one i've got, isn't it? i am intrigued. so much so i'm ignoring roof shiny objects to follow this girl.

so uh... time bubble?
the fuck, he disappeared. hm... so a world correction? upon realizing that this existence is artificial, his awareness doesn't allow him to exist in it anymore/forces the world to push him out of it. or along the latter's theory, there's only so much time this bubble is allowed to exist before the world corrects it. basically reality will crumble on anything artificial inside of it once it's aware. yes, i'm basically using the logic of a reality marble on this.

i get back to the square and... now they fade off too as my hand glows. hm...
oh hey we're back to the present. oh hey my hometown DID burn down. so okay yeah, time bubble by the world tree. i like it, i like it a lot. i also regret not checking other areas out - like was the Tor even available? well, too late now. i go to the church and save with a traveling priest who explains the obvious. inside the church there's a treasure chest with a recipe and a blue glowing thing on a desk. okay so this is totally related to the time travel ability somehow, this thing exists for SOMETHING but no clue what. i go back to my old home and what the hell, my old bed still looks comfortable? IT'S SURROUNDED BY RUBBLE.

"hey, everyone i've known for my whole life is dead or imprisoned, including my mother and childhood friend who i absolutely would've married if not for this adventure, but my old bed is still in great condition, guess i'll take a nap!"

motherfucker is a psychopath.

---

More tonight. Yesterday went out.

---

back to my hometown:
there are 2 treasures.

...hm. i did find one in the cathedral, is there another i should know about that i didn't get to earlier? i see an open chest behing Gemma's house and assume "yes" as i move along. i do take a quick check towards the Tor to see if anything is around and no, nothing. treasure count in Tor was 1 and i remember getting 1 so alright. i summon my horse and am off to the emerald coast, 3 treasures. before going forward i forge a Templar's Uniform +2 and give it to Erik, just in case he'll need the extra defense.

i investigate the rock, find a box with letters, where my mom tells me i'm a prince, am the Luminary, and they probably got backstabbed by the king from another kingdom that they trusted. "whoops."

i don't get why she's asking for forgiveness considering she literally saved my life by running but alright. and... oh interesting, this time bubble affected this timeline directly. that can change things drastically, could easily see some plot points where it's "this place is in ruins" and it changes to "not anymore~"

i get a keystone to open the door of departure, whatever that means. testing the game, it does let me get through to the Heliodor region, the guard blocking this way is gone. but i'm just gonna move along. while fighting, Erik gets to LV10 and learns Rubblerouser which gets us a new pep: Scorched Earth. this pep, i find out in the next fight, just needs Erik. cool, single tech learned.

i also run into goblins and my inner Goblin Slayer tells me to burn them alive. i do it to the first, don't the second, and he counters me. yeah, Goblin Slayer is always right, i burn the next. i then fail at stealing from a Leafy Lampling for so long i just give up and kill it. before going to the Kingsbarrow i explore for a bit, spot a fisherman's place, kill a couple new enemies, and notice that there's a dock with a ladder and water i can't reach. so i'm getting a boat off of this land to go into the next one, got it. i kill a crab that is featured in the crab rave and get a better idea of Scorched Earth: it's a debuff that can lead to a notable amount of damage after. i don't know if the trigger is enemy movement or if it's me using a fire/earth skill, just know it busted out 30 damage on a crab after being cast, which at this point is quite a bit. moving on.

Kingsbarrow: 2 treasures
...well then.
is this where i meet my next ally or is this going to be a boss, i wonder.
one of the corpses does have a sign telling me to the alter, the orb, making me believe boss battle, then. but there's some monsters in here which i assume is to help pep you up. as i explore, find nothing but a shiny object on the first outside section, i eventually have a devil use that skill Erik learned. so it's continuous damage at the start of turn, got it. also this rate for Half Inch is pitiful, i haven't stolen once since i last wrote i did.

fortunately enemies ARE dropping items and a little jingle tells me that i just found myself a rare one on the devil: wing of bat. so normal drop, no new sound, rare drop, jingle. game is throwing MP healing items at me with these drops too so i'm getting pretty loose with Sizz, Flame Slash, and Heal. the second Exterior finally gets me what i'm looking for: treasure chest! Strength Ring in this one, which... hm. yeah, Erik.

simple reason: Boomerang still can kill things well and he's probably getting to LV11 soon, where he'll put things to sleep. before going downstairs i check the end of the corridor and find another treasure chest, Templar Uniform. useless for me since i made one but hey, nice to have a spare i guess. i get to the Lower Level, 0 treasures. so boss fight soon. Erik is pepped, i should be soon, good position. but in the lower-lower level, 3 treasures. alright, let's see, the map does look kinda empty though.

oh hey, Monster Mounts. i can ride it/its mount if i beat it? i can ride a tiny robot? sold!

and there we go.
Seed of Defiance, recepie for feather caps. there's a door at the end so that's probably the Orb, which is #3. as i go to forge i see i leveled up in it too, got extra focus which i still don't know what it does, and learned double edged bash. i make a +1 feathered cap and put it on for myself, giving Erik the Pointy Hat. and... nope orb has nothing to do with that, treasure was by the door, 2 phials of magic water. "spam Flame Slash," understood game.

y'know Erik, for a rogue you're making a mistake talking to them first. you're supposed to just shank 'em from behind, don't give them an opportunity to get their wits about 'em while clipping wings.

whatever.
Scorched Earth.
Flame Slash.
put one Grim Gryphon to sleep, neat tha the tick damage of Scorched Earth doesn't wake it up. don't know if hitting does either because i pep up and yeah this fight's over.

Half Inch also revealed neither had anything worth stealing. c'mon man, ya killed everyone and failed to do that? Scorched Earth does fade away after i think 5 turns but by then he was one Flame Slash from death. easy fight thanks to that move, continuous 24-30 damage just wrecked 'em hard. despite getting 330 EXP nobody leveled up but that's fine.

Erik gets the orb which is basically the size of his head, tells me everything's going to be OK while being a bit cryptic on "everything," which continues the game's breadcrumbing mystery. like how these monsters went "oh yeah we'll get in HIS favor" or whatever.

as i leave the place in my robot, enemies avoid me entirely. cool. with that, and a few fights along the way, it's time to go. i leave my robot behind and check for treasures again, which comes back as zero.

...wait a sec.
i do not understand how that skill works at all anymore. so it DOES go down based on treasures you find? but the range isn't particularly clear too? well, whatever. i go to camp to settle in for the night and save. as i do i also wonder where the fuck this new guy came from, just standing by a table. that's kind of creepy, he didn't exist anywhere else but exists here? rest until dawn and we're off again.

---

Wanglicious posted...

Scorched Earth does fade away after i think 5 turns but by then he was one Flame Slash from death. easy fight thanks to that move, continuous 24-30 damage just wrecked 'em hard.

Yeah, Scorched Earth is wonderful at this point in the game, and stays good pretty much the whole way through. Also, physical attacks such as Flame Slash will wake up a sleeping target, but magical attacks such as Rubblerouser/Scorched Earth won't.

Wanglicious posted...

as i do i also wonder where the fuck this new guy came from, just standing by a table. that's kind of creepy, he didn't exist anywhere else but exists here?

He's a merchant. I believe there's a merchant at pretty much every camp once you choose to use it, but maybe the first camp doesn't have one until later on?

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Don't get too caught up on treasures. There are some you can't open for a very long time but they're still included in the count I believe.

---

got it, i won't focus obsessively on treasures then. still will check though!

i get on my horse, talk to the fisherman since he's pink, and mosey along until a cutscene happens. Hendrik, one of the two king's right hand men, comes at us. there's random horses in the wild that we get on, confusing as to why or how they got there but whatever, it's needed for the plot. my horse gets shot in the ass, Erik saves me, glow stone glows, his horse gets shot in the ass, we enter teleporting chamber and are officially in a new land.

3 treasures.
a priest is standing outside for reasons neither of us can know and a merchant is selling similar items, also for reasons unknown. new monsters, woo!

She Slimes, making me look at the boomerang intensely as i know its first skill is slime killing. fortunately these things are weak and i can boomerang + Sizz 'em to death so whatever. as i continue moving i spot a volcano i can't help but wonder if i'm going to explore inside. i also make sure i kill the random bongo drongo on screen who i just keep reading as "Bongo Dongo" which is far more amusing.

there's also a spot that's clearly meant for something in the future, looks like a small sound mount spewing water so possible hot spring i guess? and there's another one. hmm. they are surrounded by monsters though so maybe a side quest. first town we get to, we're told we smell like ass and need to take a shower. well damn.

oh god are they all speaking in haikus?
5-7-5.
fucking hell.
okay maybe just the guy trying to get me in the shower and definitely the guy telling me what this city is. also the shopkeeps. yeah no, residents are haiku speakers. this is horrible.

well, it's a new town so you know what has to be done: explore and rob people blind. mini medal, 100 gold, recipe, other random items, hell yeah. i do the recipe immediately and manage to forge myself a +3 Bronze Armor. Perfection flashes on the screen as the jingle plays, woo. it gives me an extra 10 defense, goddamn.

i go up one of the ladders and cutscene involving a loli. hey wait i think i know this one from FFBE. Veronica? good mage in there. as i look around, lore of a dragon in a mountain that was defeated.

...dragon slash soon it is, got it.
even as i check the armor shop, it's clear that the girl is getting recruited soon since there's a dress in the shop neither me nor Erik can wear. there's also a greatsword that's +10 my attack but eh. maybe. i check with the Miko, nothing new, and finally done exploring with most stuff i check the bar out and get a new quest from a guy in the back: making a gold ring. he then gives me a recipe for 'em, that's pretty nice. i lack the gold ore but can somehow purchase it. ...from where? who's the merchant? how is this magic happening? fortunately there's a chest next to him with the ore so i guess i'll do that, wants a +1. he gets it, i get extra pearls and Erik gets a new boomerang. an NPC warns me of a ghost in the bath house, i don't care. blue for men, red for women, to the re-- damn. i change, how 'bout now? nope. Erik also talks about the loli a bit, says she's too young. between that and her cryptic talk, i'm half convinced she's at least 100 years old. we hear a voice and he's thinking it's a ghost. dude, why do you think that's a ghost, we just were talking about the loli missing her little sister. also among the monsters we face one is literally Smog. after he realizes he was dumb and that's the plot point, he says he'll do what he can to help.

back in control i find a Holy Water in a shiny thing in the corner and am really, really worried about what goes for holy water these days. a sauna for sweaty dudes should not be capable of producing that. very worried.

for some reason an S&M guy can be here, fully dressed no problem. yo wtf is this. i then find a chick who says if i pay her $20 she'll give me some puff puff. ...there's no punchline here. uh... sure?

and so we fade to black, puff puff happens, and she says the customer is appreciated. i'll bet. if there's one thing two guys who leave the sauna with a little girl can use, it's some puff puff.

i enter the ladies bath and the one chick inside is shocked. so i continue this pathway to the exit, the lady in the front is shocked, calling me a bold, ugly cuckoo and tells me to leave.

the game then gives me an achievement for that. see, i knew we understood each other. clearly the game was just being transphobic, yeah that's it. by the way, is anybody going to have a problem with the fact that i'm with a random little girl who i didn't enter this bathhouse with? anybody? okay guess not. also despite being told to leave it's not like i can't go back in so uh... some seriously strange hospitality in this joint.

Veronica's in the front gate, tells me that's not her sister, the kid (Connie) tells us she lost her dad. we're assuming she still, by the way, no clue if that's true either. anyway Veronica was indeed her name and she joins so we can go to the bar. and probably the party soon after this. cutscene happens, more haikus, she talks to bartender, looking for one Serena, who left this place listening to voices. uh, i dunno barkeep, i think that's a sign of "she drank too much." but apparently it's true and she went off to save Veronica, who was kidnapped by monsters.

Souka.
surprise Goblin Slayer storyline, let's do this. shit gettin' dark real quick all of a sudden.

for reference, i'm gonna assume Serene is a tall, big boobed blond bombshell and is this girl's little sister. that gonna sum this up?

fuck off Connie, you ain't coming along anywhere. i get that you're sad that daddy always leaves you alone and doesn't love you but don't latch onto me instead please. i leave town, get into a fight and see she's in full NPC mode while joining battle. as i find myself some sparkly iron ore i go back to town, maybe i'll get that greatsword after all.

...but there's no need because the iron ore was a test to get a new recipe which lets me make it. cool. i can make it or a weapon as strong as the sword i'm using right now, meaning once it's +2 or +3 it's stronger by a few points. i don't bother doing anything for now as i explore. i fight a bear, an Ursa Minor, who also knows how to pep up by focusing. somehow there's a bell thing and i ring it to see what happens and... yes! somehow my not-epona horse also traveled through the gate or just can travel through space and time to find me! seriously this is one loyal steed right here. other horses get shot in the ass and collapse but my girl right here? she'll run over any monster and not give a fuck about things like logic. shame she cares about gravity though but that'd be cool. what if instead of a boat on water i just rode he

i enjoy this thread
it reminds of my first time
this game is so good

---

glad to hear.

boomerang and sizz combo is handling these Drackymages for now just fine, no need to learn anything or make anything. ditto for the drohl drones, and that's before we pep up. ooh, there's a random trea-- ah, of course it's pitfalls.

okay so that's why this dungeon looks so easy of a layout.
treasure #1: Yggdrasil Leaf
once i make my way up there's a plot point plant that i touch. it shows me a room with a pillar that has a trap in front and the guy goes around the long way. well okay. i then walk forward into a trap, whoops.

but okay, here's the deal: i'm in the other section of this underground dungeon thing, where i find treasure #2: feathered cap. so like... this isn't really that bad. i also find a shiny Skullrider and get to ride on it, which is creepy as all hell as it's basically a spider but i'll take it! treasure #3: Gold Ore.

spider bones walk up the wall and i'm off to a centered area!
and fall.
and back up!
and fall again. y'know, the good thing about mounts is that when they run they just boink everything out the way so no more fights that i don't wanna have. i finally make my way up to another section and find treasure #4: Mini Medal. quickly get to the next part. treasure #5: Silver Platter, a shield that's worse than my Scale Shield. i go to the next part with a clear church symbol and here we are, cutscene.

not quite a blond bombshell but close enough, that'll do. she's dressed rather conservatively, i guess the lewd one would've been Veronica, who i just realized is basically a loli version of Velvet from Odin Sphere, with a staff instead of chains.

Serena looks familiar from FFBE too. healer type i believe? as the cutscene continues i sadly do not screenshot her going "I'M NOT A KID SO STOP TREATING ME LIKE ONE" which is a perfect picture before "FBI OPEN UP!" but i'm sure it's out there. and yeah, healer. not that i need her right now because this save point is also a healing point. apparently we're going with the idea that somehow monsters sucked the age out of her which made her look like an 8 year old but she's really totally and completely legal. uh huh. taking that "these characters are REALLY over 18" disclaimer to heart, ain'tcha?

root cutscene time, door needs a password and this guy says a password to open the door. his password is corny as fuck, UMBRAKADUMBRA or something, so i approve. it's very clearly setting up for a boss fight so... alright.

ARE YOU POTTY?
imma have to steal that one.
as the toad monster continues i can't help but think there are so many doujins based off of this part of the game alone. this dude is seriously being creepy as he gives us the plot exposition, the "him" from earlier or whatever is the lord of shadows, ooh, mysterious, yadda yadda. Serena is also strangely calm enough to realize that she's face to face with a ghost and Veronica screaming at it made it kinda cute, poor thing.

Shadow A: nothing worth stealing.
B: same.
C: same.
Jarvis himself, the big bad toad monster: same.

is this how it's always gonna be? bosses suck.
also after putting him to sleep i did use Rubblerouser and the damage did wake him up. so that's an odd difference. i'm also not worried about anything in this fight because Serena's healing all the time and Veronica uses those MP healing items all the time so really, i can't lose. Jarvis enters pep mode with an I FEEL SMASHING and then i do and then Erik does and woo it's over.

the big baddy mentions the Lord of Shadows before dying and we ask what that is. i can answer that one: it's a a Kojima Productions Castlevania and ain't half bad, though Hand of Fate on the 3DS was a mistake. never played the PC version of that, or its sequel, despite owning both i think. alas, Dracula will have to wait. speaking of which, i do have to claim false advertisement on this Divine Dagger. it says it does well against the undead but unless none of the monsters here count that's a flat out lie. for shame, for shame!

Veronica uncaps the pot and gets her magic back as it swirls around her. but she's still a loli, which the plot handwaves by going "guess it can't be fixed that easily!" naturally not a single human being is surprised. the two then swear loyalty to me and once Erik goes off to steal something it'll be time for some puff puff. or something. scene ends, we've gotta go find more people they had locked somewhere, and i'm back on my spider bone mount. i check for shiny objects and barrels, get 'em, and on we go through the doors. we find a guy locked in a cell and he's apparently the dad. this guy's named Noah, Erik's familiar, oh cool so he's a crook too.

game fast travels us back to Hotto, aka, the Haiku Village, and we all sleep in the inn. there's two rooms. there's four of us. how'd that go? Erik is all LET'S MOSEY TO FLYING ISLANDS and Veronica rejects the idea, apparently she hates moseying. and there we have it, Noah's an information broker, we gotta go to the bar.

---

Huh, I was about to play this game myself
Guess I can follow along a little
---

i mean you'll find a bunch of little playthroughs pop up over the next month most likely, that's the deal that was made. i wouldn't want to spoil too much for someone new either.

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Off the top of my head I don't think bosses have anything worth stealing but I could be wrong. There's absolutely no missable items in this game so anything you COULD steal from a boss you can just get later.

Also every monster only holds 1 item per fight so if you successfully steal something then don't bother trying to keep stealing. Not sure if the game says that or not, it might give a message like "There's nothing left to steal" but I can't remember.

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Wanglicious posted...

Also after putting him to sleep i did use Rubblerouser and the damage did wake him up. so that's an odd difference.

Huh, guess it's been long enough (only a few months) since I played DQ11 to make me misremember this, my bad.

Also, this is probably the one Japanese game that actually treats the premise of "looks like a child, is actually an adult" reasonably - at least, if there's any others, I haven't heard of them!

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I believe that damaging a sleeping opponent CAN wake them up but it's not 100% guaranteed to wake them up. I could be wrong about that though, it's been a few months since I played!

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I'm like 95% sure that physical attacks are guaranteed to wake while magic attacks are not guaranteed but still can.

don't bosses just not gave items to steal?

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Snrkiko posted...

don't bosses just not gave items to steal?

This is also accurate.

have*

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tag for DQ11 thoughts

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it sure feels that way so far, so i'm probably gonna just stop trying to steal from bosses. will make fights even easier at that point.

---

continuing!

good lord, Noah is a gigantic piece of shit, isn't he? that haiku on him summed it up perfectly.

as the cutscene continues and he tells me a story, he lets me know about a trip where he randomly wandered the desert with his daughter. there are fewer dads worse than him in my head right now. cutscene continues and-

WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU CALLING ME THE LUMINARY IN FRONT OF HIM. YOU'RE THE SMART ONE. BE SMART.

goddamn are these two stupid.
"hey so a lot of people think you're going to bring the end of the world, you literally ran from an entire country to get here, but we're going to tell this guy who we just established is a career drunk and rumor hoarder exactly who you are and the next place you're going to be at."

does this guy know what a Luminary is? probably.
does he know we ran away from another country? not yet probably but should soon.
why would you want to do this?

well the aftermath of this stupidity is the two girls join. expectations have been subverted, i thought i'd get a third party member but nope, i get a third and fourth. so let's get into what they can do.

Veronica:
Staff, Whips, 2H/2H
Hairband, inferior to Feather Cap
Silk Robe, dunno how it matches to the dress in shop.

Serena:
Wand, Lance, 1H/2H. Can use shields with a Wand.
Hairband, inferior to Feather Cap
Silk Robe, dunno how it matches to the dress in shop.

equipment's simple enough, quick upgrade with the caps will do. what about skills? as for stats, Veronica's a glass cannon so i also give her the Gold Chain to get some more HP on her. Serena's got similar defense as Erik but less HP than me, though since she's got the benefits of shields i expect her to be a little tankier down the road. anyway, skills. new tutorial thing opens up telling me how to pick this thing from a list, cool. also talks about Recitification, which is basically skill point reset. nice.

Veronica:
3 trees to work with, none connected. already knows the first Vim spell, her unique tree, which protects me from offensive magic. stat buffs, res, lowering res, MP regen. whips are... status effects and smacking humanoids. they hit groups. reminds me of a shittier boomerang but considering status effects can be a big deal and the first skill Erik learns is 6x damage if sleep or confused, i guess that's the incentive. lastly, heavy wands. staffs for short. second skill is heavy damage to demons and paralysis, later one is antimagic, aka, Silence. there's also some MP recovery going on at least so this is obviously a strong line and there's even some HP healing. so let's see...

Hypnowhip - first whip skill, costs 3 points, can cause confusion. good for Erik and team synergy when those occasions are necessary.

MP Absorption, Beelzefreeze - staff skills. got one good one for demons with it.

also this skill tree so looks like it's incomplete here, like a lot needs to be learned later, but whatever. i do also check to see what spells she's got already, debuffs, fire ST, fire MT, ice ST, and magic barrier, which is similar to her skill. hm. her pep powers are all dual and triple techs right now, so moving along, then.

Serena:
attrib check first.
spell list: heal, squelch (antidote), buff, dazzle (illusion). simple enough.
abilities: barrier for fire.
pep: dual and triple techs but immediately more useful than Veronica. a defenses buff, shared one with Veronica for healing + HP/MP regen, Erik gets to do 2 moves per turn as his attributes go up - so stealing - and repeating spells for Veronica. on to skills.

Wands, spears, harpistry. last one's easy: elemental res. looking at spears... beasts, undead, and group attack. this is notable because wands get their first offensive skill 3 deep, one good against demons and can "beguile" them, whatever that means. a skill to have a party member avoid instant death, a status ailment skill for a party member, got it. mostly support with one offensive move that i cannot even learn yet so if i want her to deal damage, well, spears for now. eventually i assume there's a holy spell of some kind but for now...

Cattle Prod - first spear skill, good for beasts.
MP absorb, mending +10 - necessary to get to either MP Regen or the only offensive skill on this chain.

it appears they join you based on your level so maybe it would've been wiser to level up since me and Erik are soon done and these girls just got to LV12. whoops. anyway, it's off to leave town to the next area now that the girls have given me the pass. as we leave Veronica stops us to somehow make me learn Zoom. can i Zoom back home...? no, no i can't. so it's only going forward. alright, off to Gallopolis. Mount Huji isn't a place i can get through yet i figure, fortunately it's a quick teleport back.

as i get almost the next town a blue thing's talks to me. tick tock something something? FINALLY.
blue things are relevant.
they're called tockles and all speak like the mad hatter. nobody else can see these things but i can. and suddenly the game is in 2D mode.

so these things' mission is to make sure time flows as it should. they're time guardians, got it. i am to go to the echo chamber, where all my political views will be reinforced by-- wrong echo chamber, this isn't twitter. but i am jumping into other people's save files, basically. i'm cool with this. there was also one of these things along the way to my next location so i'll gladly talk to another one of 'em.

also i must say, this is my first time trying out the 2D so far. it's really cute. breaking pots that are my size is amusing. anyway, while we're sidequesting here i guess i'll go to the first book/save file, we're in Galenholm. no treasures around, game still stuck in 2D. got it, so everything about this place is only 2D. the music in this book is also very different than the rest of the game, we're in chiptune land now. the enemies are incredibly weak so i don't need to worry about anything and the battle system is notably different. instead of whatever it was using before, agility stat or something maybe, it's classic turnbased.

tutorials that were done in 3D mode exist still in 2D mode, as if you've never done them. also no more enemies on screen means wild encounters are gonna be random again, oh boy.

holy fuck this encounter rate.
i wish i had holy water.
also tried using the Fun Sized Forge, it doesn't work here. so when i leave i'll try it, my thing is orange so let's find out why later. anyway, there's a quest for an old man here wanting me to slay a monster for a harp thing. can do! and the enemy we meet to get the Lyre back is a Wrongo Bongo. i fully approve. i beat hi

You'll never be able to talk to the Tockles that fade when you get close fyi. They're just there.

Difference between whips and boomerangs is that whips do the same damage to everyone in the group but boomerang damage goes down every time it hits someone. I still wouldn't really recommend whips but there's a better character to use them later.

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skullbone posted...

whips do the same damage to everyone in the group

This is not accurate.

Whips target a group. Boomerangs target everything. Both have the damage fall off per target.

Yuck then whips are completely useless. I never used whips in my playthrough so I just assumed they did consistent damage.

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Oh i totally figured whips suck for her especially. Just a few cheap points for one skill that i can lose later. Thinking of confusing, triple pep for Erik doubling up attacks, buffed 6x damage attack x2.

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playing more tonight.

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HOw far am I into the game?

*SPOILERS*

Just done all the seperate character gameplay after being broken up. Around 35 Hours in.

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