Dragon Quest

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Dragon Quest 11 No Shopping Part 33:  Death of a Traitor


FREEGAN still had more treasure to find in the Fortress of Fear before taking on Mordegon.  One chest had a Stardust Sword, which seemed like a good weapon for Erik until I realized it was weaker than his knives.  It decreases enemy Defence, so maybe Sylvando can use it when he doesn't need to Hustle Dance or cast Oomphle.  A Poker was the ultimate spear so far for Jade, since it increased her Attack by a bit and gave her a large Charm boost for her Allure abilities.  Unfortunately the Poker, like the Sword of Light, could not be reworked in the forge.


"Veronica" asked the party to die towards the end of the dungeon, but Serena saw through the illusion and played her harp to dispel it  This was one of Jasper's tricks, and he transformed into the demon Jasper Unbound.  I hadn't healed before this fight because I didn't know it was there, so the leading 4 characters FREEGAN, Jade, Rab, and Serena were lower on MP than they should have been.  FREEGAN and Jade immediately swapped out to Hendrik and Erik.


Jasper Unbound often hurled his "lance of pure darkness" at the team for an average of 214 damage.  Erik dodged the first of his regular attacks.  Rab tried Insulatle in case of breath attacks, while Hendrik lashed out with A Cut Above for the whole battle.  Insulatle may have been well-founded, since "pitch-black flames" singed the party for around 125 damage.  If Erik was properly set up with Divide + Critical Claim, he cut Jasper Unbound for a little over 900 damage.  Jasper once blinded him with his eyes, but Serena cured Erik with Dedazzle. 


Both Serena and Rab often cast Multiheal to keep the party alive.  Sometimes there was enough leeway for Serena to cast Oomphle on Hendrik for 500+ power A Cut Above.  Divide and Oomphle weren't infallible as Jasper Unbound knew Disruptive Wave.  Jasper Unbound occasionally summoned an axe wielding demon called a Balhib.  To deal with those, Rab cast Kacrack and Erik knocked them unconscious with Sleeper Hit.  Once Erik killed a Balhib with a Sleeper Hit + Persecutter.  Serena switched from her "heavy wand" weapon to two Wyvern Wands +3 for their superior Magical Mending bonuses.  Jasper was also an overconfident villain who wasted a few actions on "guffaws ungraciously".


When Jasper Unbound was "crashing down from above", he stunned Hendrik for a couple of turns.  Erik poisoned the boss with Cobra Strike upon learning he was an insomniac.  But one last 516 A Cut Above finished off Jasper before Erik could follow up Cobra Strike with Victimiser.  Sylvando made a brief appearance to heal the party with Hustle Dance once Rab was out of MP.


Hendrik, Serena, FREEGAN, and Jade all gained levels after killing Jasper.  Now the whole team is at 58-60.  They received the Silver Orb after the battle, which was easier than you'd expect from a major villain near the end of the main story.



Achievements


Rolling in It:  Have at least 100,000 gold on your person

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Dragon Quest 11 No Shopping Finale?:  Rahu and Ketu


Just before the final battles, two Metal King Slimes surrendered to the party's critical hit abilities.  Erik learned Ridgeraiser at Level 61, and everyone was grew to Levels 59-61.  One Greatsword I found called Wyrmfang had a bonus against dragons:  maybe Hendrik should have equipped it.


Jasper tried once more to stop the party by summoning illusions (?) of the Spectral Sentinels to bind them, but their determination killed Jasper at last.  The last save point was not a statue, but a Tockle who healed the party.


In the Palace of Malice, Mordegon drew his dark sword and attacked.  Jade used Re-Vamp and Crushed Ice, while FREEGAN used his Pep Up power for Care Prayer, increasing the team's Defence and Magical Mending.  Serena dualcast Acceleratle by chance.  Rab tried Beelzefreeze on a whim, suspecting Mordegon qualified as a demon type enemy.  It only hit for 11 damage.  Mordegon used his Orb's power to summon "evil energies" for 166-210 damage against the whole party, and his regular attack once hit FREEGAN for 230.  Another common all-target attack was the "power of darkness" for 198-275 damage.  Blade of Ultimate Power struck Jade for 330 damage, and a darkness laser zapped Hendrik for 271.  As always, Serena and Rab cast Multiheal or Fullheal when necessary, and FREEGAN attacked with Gigagash.


Mordegon sometimes created a shadow clone that cast Kabuff.  Gigagash hit them both, and sometimes Rab cast Kacrack.  Sap tried to lower the enemy's Defence, but it was useless when Rab cast it.  Mordegon could use the powers of his Spectral Sentinels as well.  Kaching Kaclang from Gyldygga turned both FREEGAN and Jade into gold, and Alizarin's "red mist" made the team take more damage.      


When Jade ran out of MP and Rab seemed redundant, Hendrik and Erik entered the front lines.  Hendrik used A Cut Above, and so did Mordegon sometimes!  Erik tried Divide + Critical Claim.  Jade's last move before taking a break was a Lightning Thrust critical for 423.  Hendrik parried an ice slash, but FREEGAN took a 252 Kafrizz.  Erik powered up with a Wild Side Pep Up move, and poisoned Mordegon with Cobra Strike.  The following Victimiser dealt 443+17.  A Cut Above killed Rab after FREEGAN switched out, and Erik and Serena perished too.  FREEGAN, Jade, and Sylvando were called from the reserves.  But it was Hendrik who saved everyone with a 472 A Cut Above.



Since no self-respecting final boss lacks a second form, Mordegon returned as a skeletal Mordegon head and a dragon Mordegon's Tail.  After the ending, I thought of the Indian mythological villain that was split into Rahu the head and Ketu the tail.  Even if in Mordegon's case it was "Ketu" doing the devouring instead of "Rahu".  FREEGAN, Jade, Hendrik, and Sylvando led the charge, though everyone was resurrected and healed between the final boss phases.


Jade charged up with Re-Vamp, while Hendrik slashed the tail with A Cut Above.  The tail cast Kafrizz on Jade for 197 power.  Sylvando's Hustle Dance healing was insufficient for the final battle, restoring only 157 to the team.  Gigagash was weak relative to its MP cost and only hit the tail for 286.  The head "guffawed ungraciously" just like Jasper.  One hit of Jade's Crushed Ice was a critical, for a total of 792 damage.  Sylvando cast Oomphle on Hendrik just before the tail's "blazing fire" singed everyone for 113-153.  The head and the tail alternated between which one the party could attack, but sometimes both took actions.  When the head was in the back, it cast Kacrack for 63-141.


Lest the party become complacent, the tail used Disruptive Wave just before the head moved to the front.  In addition to Kacrack, it burst with Kaboom for 169-273 damage or Kazam for 143.  Hendrik bore the brunt of Kaboom and died.  FREEGAN swapped out so Rab could return and revive Hendrik with Kazing.  The head used an ice breath instead of fire breath, which chilled the team for 102-162.  Serena reactivated Oomphle for Hendrik, and Rab used his spare turns to supply Jade with MP from M-Pathy.  The head knew Disruptive Wave too. 


The tail had one nasty ability when both the head and tail decided to fight at once:  chewing on a party member to make them lose several turns.  Serena was the first victim.  Another new move was an "eerie glow" that reduced the party's spell resistance.  The tail killed Hendrik again, forcing Rab to cast Kazing again.  Mordegon's Pep Up power was Black Mark, an evil version of Erik's Scorched Earth that damaged party members when their turns came up.  Rab was next to be chewed, and "bolts from the blue" hit the rest of the team for 138-218.  Lightning Thrust connected with the tail for 402. 


Erik replaced Jade for the final rounds of combat, and it was his Divides + Critical Claims that dealt the most damage.  Another evil Pep Up power they had to watch out for was Mighty Magic Burst which exploded for 323 against the whole party.  Sometimes the head restored the bosses' MP, in case the player was thinking of exhausting their magic like with some earlier foes.  When the tail was finally down, I was concerned that the head would revive it somehow.  That never happened.  Erik poisoned the head with Cobra Strike with Oomphle active.  A 929 strength Critical Claim slew Mordegon, and of course he had to give his speech about how he thought he was invincible.


Mordegon was a load-bearing boss, and the Fortress of Fear collapsed.  Yggdrasil took its place and immediately restored life and water to the land before returning to its sky island.  FREEGAN got the Sword of Shadows, and everyone went home in a series of montages after riding on Cetacea.


Although the credits have rolled, the story isn't over.  The fanfare for beating the game with Draconian Quests played, though.  There's a "to be continued" message, as well as hints of a glowing artifact near the Dundrasil ruins.  Besides, the Ultimate Key doors are still locked. . .


Achievements


Wheeler Healer:  Activate 20 skill panels for Serena

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Dragon Quest 11 No Shopping BONUS:  Time Travel


Imagine a version of Final Fantasy 6 where, after the ending, everyone decides:  "Let's go back in time and hurl Kefka and Gestahl off the Floating Continent and prevent the World of Ruin from happening!"  This is essentially the plot of the postgame of Dragon Quest 11.


The heroes held a party in Arboria in memory of Veronica, and afterwards, decided to visit the "weird light shining south of Octagonia" in the Watcher ruins.  Rab read a Watcher book and the party considered that collecting the Wheel of Time would provide a way to resurrect Veronica. 


Before proceeding with the story, FREEGAN completed a side quest that involved going to Gallopolis, then the Manglegrove cabin to find an old letter in the book for someone in Arboria.  The reward was Metal Slime recipes, which were inferior to the Liquid Metal versions.  Then they tried to kill Baramos in Tickington, with no more success than before.  The one notable occurrence was finding out that Gigagash CAN deal critical damage on rare occasions:  it hit Baramos once for 851 damage.


Everyone flew on Cetacea to the Lost Land, home of the locked tower I couldn't enter during the main story.  The Wheel of Time was the key, and the party ascended through the floating gears in the clock tower to meet a giant Tockle (?) called the Timekeeper.  Just before that, they found a book called "A Hero's Book of Basic Weapons" which contained crafting recipes for strong weapons based on earlier treasures like the Nebula Sword or Poker,


The Timekeeper explained that Veronica could be revived, but only if FREEGAN slashed Time's Sphere with the Sword of Light.  Only the Luminary would retain his experiences and memories, but equipment (except the Sword of Light) and money would be brought back with him.  FREEGAN must have regretted being silent for the whole game!


FREEGAN was sent back to Arboria just before going to the First Forest.  He was Level 61 and had the Sword of Shadows equipped, which was a Greatsword unlike the Sword of Light.  Veronica scolded FREEGAN for having a "great ugly thing strapped to your back" and leaving without telling her.  Erik was wondering about the Sword of Shadows too:  "You're supposed to be the good guy, remember?"  The other party members were Levels 33-34 without their advanced skill trees, and I had to re-equip them.


Jasper attacked the party at Yggdrasil as he did before, but FREEGAN knew to block the shadow ball in advance.  Attacking with the Sword of Shadows disabled Jasper's invincibility.  FREEGAN tried both Gigacrash and Cutting Edge, and found out the latter was better when Oomphle was active.  "Giga" moves seem to function more like weird spells compared to other physical attacks.  Veronica tried Sap, which had an unnecessary critical. 


Serena revived Veronica with Zing, but Erik died too, and it was pointless to try to resurrect more characters.  Erik at least poisoned Jasper with Cobra Strike first.  Jade and Sylvando replaced Erik and Veronica.  Jade tried Multithrust, and Sylvando cast Acceleratle.  Sylvando shouted "Fabulous!" while FREEGAN was killing Jasper with a 593 power Cutting Edge.


Rab and Jade explained to King Carnelian and Hendrik that Jasper was a traitor, and the Sword of Shadows shattered after the confrontation.  FREEGAN grabbed the Super Sword of Light from Yggdrasil and everyone went to Heliodor for a celebration banquet.  Gemma and Amber greeted them too.  "King Carnelian", still being Mordegon, tried to grab the Super Sword of Light, only for dark tentacles to block him.


Mordegon fought the party in his "wizard" form, because he hadn't gained the power of the Sword of Shadows in this timeline.  He summoned two staves that cast fire spells like Sizzle and Frizzle, or "assessed the situation" to waste a turn.  FREEGAN's Gigagash hit all foes and eventually banished the staves.  One of Mordegon's melee attacks was actually stronger than his magic, as Sylvando took a 205 power critical, then was finished off with an 82 power Zammle.


Mordegon's most dangerous trick was to summon a "purple mist" that reversed the effect of "healing spells and other beneficial effects".  Rab and Serena became useless, and Jade, Veronica, and Erik were FREEGAN's supporters from here on out.  Hendrik was a useful AI guest character who took hits for the team with Forbearance.  Veronica spent several rounds whacking Mordegon with her staff after being Kafuddled, but it was she who struck the final blow with a 141 damage Boom.  Before fading away, Mordegon said "So be it. . .But do not think. . .that you are the only one who has. . .defied the flow of time. . .".


  
INANOTHERPLACEANDTIMEMORDEGONDESTROYEDME.

BUTMORDEGONISNOMORE.

NOWNONESTANDINMYWAY.

NOWISMYTIME.

NOWIAMWHOLEAGAIN.

IAMREBORN.


These were the words of the dark "Tockle" who appeared during the "World of Ruin" part of the game, and stopped Mordegon from grabbing the Sword of Light with its tentacles.  It crashed Erdwin's Lantern into the Celestial Sands.  The "Tockle" probably destroyed Erdwin's Lantern in midair during the "World of Ruin" timeline just to get this far.  King Carnelian charged the party with investigating this incident from the Emerald Coast, and Hendrik joined the party again.  I checked Wyrmfang's stats versus Demonsbane +3, and the latter was the better Greatsword for Hendrik.




Achievements


Saviour of All Erdrea:  Beat the main story
Time Traveller:  Go back in time to start the postgame
Here Today, Mordegon Tomorrow:  Kill Mordegon in the past

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Dragon Quest 11 No Shopping BONUS 2:  Excessive Power Leveling is Averted


On the Emerald Coast beach, "Mordegon" appeared, but this was just a trick of the Seer's.  The Seer told the party to ride Cetacea, and Veronica pulled out the Calamus Flute.  Havens Above was now a small Watcher town because the party prevented Mordegon from destroying the other islands and buildings.  The sleepy Elder Eegoltap woke up along enough to instruct the party to look for the "seedlings" to find out how to beat Calasmos, the true Dark One.  The name "Calasmos" was a loose end in the "World of Ruin" arc, since Rab never found out what it meant after reading the runes on Erdwin's Lantern.  So this "postgame" is really the end of the story, and Dragon Quest 11's plot is incomplete without it.


Several treasure chests around the Elder had the Little Angel's Frock for Veronica, which had a chance of auto-revival, but seemed inferior to what she already wore otherwise.  The Little Devil's Dress for Serena had a critical chance for her spells, but since her Magical Might was now so low, it wasn't worth wearing.  The third chest was the most important, because it had the Ultimate Key for all those "jail doors"!


At first, I was afraid the game would be cruel enough to force me to level the party manually to match FREEGAN.  Elder Eegoltap saved me a lot of grief by giving them their upgraded skill tress and endgame levels.  Rab put many of his skill points into Agility bonuses since he was so slow throughout the game.  His new Infinite Wisdom ability promises to increase his spell effectiveness when used. 


Serena lost Veronica's powers, but gained many points of Magical Mending.  She now has many Spear panels, so she can be made into a physical attacker if I want.  Veronica's Whip tree expanded, but I'm likely to stick with Heavy Wands for her due to the Magical Might bonuses.  Kafrizzle dealt a disappointing 246 damage in a test battle in spite of being a 52 MP spell.  Enchanting Echo can dualcast like Serena's former ability.  There was also a Light and Lightning Resistance +20% panel for Veronica for some reason.


Sylvando and Hendrik got nothing out of the skill tree expansions.


I checked the Whale Way Stations throughout Erdrea to look for Ultimate Key doors.  They gave crafting recipes, 3 Mini Medals, and 3 Chronocrystals.  Underwhelming rewards for something I've anticipated for the whole story!  Other Whale Way Stations did not have locked doors, but did have a Pastword for Hidden Valley in Altar of the Chosen, a Meteorang boomerang, and useful crafting material spots that may regenerate.


When FREEGAN Zoomed to Puerto Valor to investigate its Ultimate Key door, Hendrik and Sylvando talked about Sylvando's past as Norberto.  Sylvando reluctantly agreed to talk to Don Rodrigo with FREEGAN's help.  Maybe this will give Sylvando the skill panels he needs to stay relevant?  After this scene, I saved the game and quit for the day.

 

Achievements


Skilled Sorcerer:  Activate 20 skill panels for Veronica

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Dragon Quest 11 No Shopping BONUS 3:  Redemption of a Traitor


Puerto Valor's Ultimate Key door led to the balcony of a house that had Technicolour Dreamcloth inside a treasure chest, and more importantly, the Pastword for Weaver's Peak in the Altar of Reverie.  All these Dragon Quest 6 references are lost on me.  It's strange that I never played Dragon Quest 6 considering the first Dragon Quest game I played was Dragon Warrior Monsters, its own spinoff!


Don Rodrigo's request for Sylvando in the new timeline was to kill "two golden giants" in Kingsbarrow with Executioner-a Pep Up combination with Hendrik.  This was less of a resolution to his plot than an oddly specific side quest condition of the sort you'd find in Dragon Quest 9.


When FREEGAN warped to Gondolia to look for the next Ultimate Key door and Pastword, I heard the "monsters attacking a town" music.  That always meant trouble.  The party in fact had to kill all the monsters roaming the streets of Gondolia, and they couldn't heal at the inn because it was locked.  These foes included Malicious Smogbonnets, Malicious Sootbonces, Malicious Lethal Armours, a Fouler Jowler, and a Badonis four-armed cyclops. 


Veronica contributed to the killing of many of the lesser monsters with Kafrizzle, Kaboom, and Kacrack.  Rab healed most of the time, but sometimes cast Kazam for offense.  FREEGAN struck with Gigagash until running out of MP.  Erik tried Divide + Critical Claim, and sometimes failed to use Cobra Strike + Victimiser properly.  (Erik's Knife builds are inconsistent:  either he deals more damage at once than any other character, or he's horribly weak.) 


Sylvando's main use was casting Oomphle on Jade against the Badonis so her regular attacks weren't useless.  Serena worked as the healer once Rab was out of magic.  Hendrik was a consistent fighter, often sacrificing one rank of Defence for two ranks of Attack with Double Up.  Combined with Sylvando, he paralyzed the Badonis with Stun Double.  Hendrik's Double-Edged Slash was not worth the 218 HP cost to deal 683 damage against Badonis, as Unbridled Blade dealt 639 without having to sacrifice Hendrik's health.


Once all the monsters were dead, Doge Retondo gave FREEGAN a Thunderstorm Sword.  I gave it to Sylvando as a temporary weapon because his whips were now so feeble, and it offered a Charm bonus.  Although I'd already unlocked the Ultimate Key door to claim prizes like 50,000 gold, the Tockle with the Pastword for Tenton in the Altar of the Undeciphered didn't show up until the monsters were dead.  I'd also forgotten to claim the Magic Door, and found several obsolete crafting recipes inside.  Doge Retondo told FREEGAN to meet Noah, who promised a vague favor.


The well in Gallopolis had the worst Ultimate Key prize yet:  a single Fire Ball for crafting.  Not even a token Mini Medal or a Pastword.  Prince Faris offered a side quest to gather Pep Pips from the Pepper Tree in the First Forest, which I couldn't find no matter how much I searched!


I warped to Heliodor to look for Erinn's book for a Tickington quest, but instead found the resolution to Hendrik's personal story.  A Yggdrasil root showed a vision of Jasper, and a shade drifted around Heliodor Castle until the party pursued it to the balcony.  A solo battle of Hendrik vs. Jasper's ghost ensued.  It took several attempts to win, since I had not prepared his equipment and consumable items properly.  The first time, I tried Double Up + Unbridled Blade.  That dealt an impressive 747 damage, but this was a battle that called for defensive tactics.  Jasper had most of the moves he used as a human or demon, and he sometimes spent turns transforming back and forth.  Breather turns came when he did things like "guffaw ungraciously".


The key to victory was to use the MP-efficient attack A Cut Above for around 306 damage and cast Moreheal when low on HP.  To increase his Defence from 261 to 320, he equipped the Liquid Metal Armour +3 and forged a Liquid Metal Helm +3.  Jasper's most dangerous move was a "flurry of blows" for around 353 damage, so Hendrik had to keep his HP above that threshold whenever possible.  Hendrik drank 2 Sage's Elixirs to restore 90 MP apiece.  When Jasper was weak, he writhed in agony for a turn and took several hits of damage.  Once Jasper's ghost was defeated, he reverted to his old self for a while and gave his armor to Hendrik.  This was the Twin Eagle Armour, which had slightly less Defence than Liquid Metal Armour +3, but substantially more Charm.


Jade met with King Carnelian privately and told him that she needed to protect the party rather than stay home as a princess in the castle.  She received her mother's crown, the Golden Tiara, which had "protection against all kinds of enchantments and incantations".  Hopefully it makes up for the cut in Critical Chance and Charm compared to the Warrior Princess's Headdress.


Derk's wife said that a "great, squawking bird" kidnapped Derk and took him to Cobblestone Tor.  A nearby old man wanted the team to kill Harmachus on the Hotto Steppe, a monster that only appeared when enough Bilhaws were defeated.  The reward for that is Apollo's Axe, which might be good for Hendrik.  You can't complain about the postgame lacking content!

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Dragon Quest 11 No Shopping BONUS 4:  In Which a Bird Kills Half the Party


Gemma charged FREEGAN with recruiting new residents of Cobblestone to rebuild the village.  She wanted Derk the merchant, the Octagonia fighters, a knowledgeable man from Hotto, and a "mascot" from the "frozen north".  Derk's captor was a Malicious Hades Condor.  It may have been only an upgrade of a regular enemy, but it was worthy of being a boss!  The leading team was Hendrik, Jade, Erik, and Serena.  The bird's first spell was a Kasizzle for 270-313 damage, which it immediately followed up with a 268 attack that slaughtered Jade.


Erik Divided, FREEGAN took Jade's place, and Serena restored the team with Multiheal.  When the Malicious Hades Condor cast Moreheal on itself for 221, it seemed a relief rather than a frustration.  It cast Kasizzle again for an average of 258 damage to the team.  Hendrik and FREEGAN tried out Double Dragon Slash when Hendrik was Pepped Up, which only hit for 345.  FREEGAN's Gigagash shocked the Malicious Hades Condor for 430, and Serena cast another Multiheal.  The bird healed itself again, and Hendrik swung with Unbridled Blade for 397.  Erik's Divide + Critical Claim cut for 309+325+331.  A Kasizzle + regular attack murdered Serena.


Malicious Hades Condor was agile enough to dodge an Unbridled Blade, and killed Hendrik with a 274 "grab".  The next Kasizzle scorched Erik.  Rab took Serena's place, and FREEGAN was forced to cast an emergency Omniheal.  Rab supplemented the team with Multiheal and revived Hendrik with Kazing.  Kasizzle + regular attack killed Rab just like Serena.  The final party was Hendrik, FREEGAN, Sylvando, and Veronica.  Sylvando was the surprise hero of the Malicious Hades Condor fight when he paralyzed the boss with Stun Double!  Veronica cast Kafrizzle and Hendrik swung Unbridled Blade, and Sylvando experimented with Gold Rush.  Gold Rush spent 1000 gold and rained the coins on the bird for 327.  It's not so useful as $Toss from Final Fantasy 5.  One last Kafrizzle for 252 incinerated Malicious Hades Condor, and Derk willingly joined Cobblestone.


At this point I realized that if a generic boss was this strong, then the team would need to gain many levels to stand a chance.  FREEGAN learned Kazing at Level 62 after this fight.  I looked up where the Metal King Slime now lived, and the two locations were Battleground and Altar of the Cursed King.  Hendrik's Twin Eagle Armour apparently protects against curses and beguilement.


The party sailed around all the directional islands to look for Pastwords and Ultimate Key doors.  One of the best prizes was Metal King Armour, which increased FREEGAN's Defence from 269 to 322 and protected against all elements.  Erdrea's ocean was one of the safest places in the game because its monsters weren't as powerful as those on land.  Insula Incognita's Ultimate Key reward was crafting recipes.  The Sacred Raiment looks promising for Serena, but there are still a few materials I need to find to make it.


Someone in Sniflheim said there was a "plaintive voice" coming from a "young girl".  It can only be Mia, who must be trapped in gold because Mordegon had never turned her into Gyldygga in this timeline.  Snorri said Jörmun was attacking travelers in the Hekswood, and the only way to cure Jörmun was to look at a book in the Royal Library.  One Ultimate Key lock was in the basement of Sniflheim CAstle, and it had crafting recipes for accessories and a Chronocrystal.


On Insula Centralis, FREEGAN crafted a Crimson Robe +1 for Veronica.  Flying on this island's dragon rider enemy got the party some much-needed crafting materials, and an Assassin's Attire for Erik.  This suit increased his Critical Rate and Charm, and gave +50 to his Agility.  Sylvando inherited the Platinum Mail +3 for its Charm value.  Insula Orientalis had more crafting recipes.


Insula Algarum's bridge was never to be repaired, but there was another dragon rider enemy to fly on.  I probably should have figured it out earlier in the game, since the Pastword here is for the Ruby Path of Doom in the Altar of the Starry Skies, which is necessary to fulfill the Observatory's quest.


FREEGAN and friends killed several Metal King Slimes in the Battleground.  They were merciful enough to stay and attack the party long enough for Erik to butcher them with Critical Claim.  Everyone's now at Levels 62-65.  Veronica learned Kasizzle at Level 64, and learned Kaboomle from a Vim skill panel.  Jade gained Lightning Storm, a Spear type group attack.  Serena gained Divine Restitution in the Wands tree, which attacks an enemy group with "radiant rays" and regenerates HP.


Trying to fight a Crystalotl in the sandy room behind the Ultimate Key door in the Battleground was a mistake.  It could swirl a "terrifying tornado" for 115-205 damage, defend itself from spells with Snub, shoot a spike barrage for 148-166 damage, and lash out with a regular attack for 369.  Crystalotl had so much HP that its name never changed colors past the initial white, and it took 3 actions per round.  At least the party could flee!


I'll stay in the Battleground for a bit to hunt more Metal King Slimes.  Once the party stops gaining levels quickly, I'll pursue various side quests in Tickington and Erdrea.


Achievements


Incomparable Conqueror:  Win 1000 battles
Ordinary Luminary:  Activate 30 skill panels for the Luminary
Master at Arms:  Activate 30 skill panels for Hendrik
Space Invader:  Make 500 preemptive attacks
Scrap Merchant:  Kill 30 metal enemies
Accolade Laden:  Earn 100 achievements

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Dragon Quest 11 No Shopping BONUS 5:  Success in Tickington, Failure in Erdrea


The party had little success finding Metal King Slimes in Battleground, but they did stumble upon the Pastword for Damdara in the Altar of Origins.  Serena's Divine Restitution dealt 339-349 damage to a group of Malicious Dragon Zombies, proving it was a viable attack.  Überkilling Machines once wiped out the party because they could take multiple actions per round.


FREEGAN warped to Phnom Nonh and saw everyone was dancing to the tune of Sylvando's music in the "World of Ruin" version of Puerto Valor.  Its Ultimate Key door had only a Gold Bar.  The culprit for the dancing curse was a monster in the Other Side of the mural.  For once, vandalizing ancient ruins would be justified considering how many mural-related disasters have happened to Phnom Nonh!


Everyone fought a Mega Mimic, and its Kafuddle caused many woes.  FREEGAN, Sylvando, Erik, and Serena were all confused at once!  Jade managed to kill it with a Crushed Ice, but over half the team was dead.  Those Mini Medals weren't worth the trouble.  The item that was worth visiting Other Side for was Evencloth, the last ingredient needed to forge the Nebula Sword.  Erik switched from a knife build to a sword build, and his new Dually Deadly bonus in the Swords tree let his secondary weapon have its full Attack value.


The boss of the new timeline's Other Side was a Malicious Grey Gordon, who looked like a Wizened Wizard.  His Kaswoosh wasn't too dangerous at an average of 70 damage, but he could summon backup like Calasmonauts and Abyssal Octopots.  Testing a Divide + Critical Claim with the Nebula Sword dealt 1257 damage to the boss, much better than the 900+ he was dealing with knives!  Malicious Grey Gordon's Kafrizzle burned FREEGAN for 294 damage, but his "sultry dance" was the real threat when it could force multiple characters to waste turns dancing.  His backup monster Hooper Duper's "simply irresistible moves" beguiled FREEGAN and Serena, and it was obvious the fight was over.


At this point, it was clear that Dragon Quest 11's developers wanted the party to gain levels to stand a chance in this harsh postgame.  The team decided to test their luck in the Ruby Path of Doom in the Altar of the Starry Skies.  It was an inside joke for the Japanese fans, as I found out later when I looked it up.  Ruby Path of Doom was originally a random "grotto" dungeon in Dragon Quest 9 that was sent online to other players, and it was popular because of its high Metal King Slime encounter rate. 


The plot of Dragon Quest 11's version of Ruby Path of Doom was that the Metal King Slimes were tired of being killed for experience points, and they wanted revenge.  In party chat, the characters complained about all the passages looking the same, which was true of Dragon Quest 9 grottos.  The first boss here, Doomsday Dragon, was actually part of the Observatory quest.  Its Doomsday Gaze was frustrating during the first couple of turns since it blocked all physical attacks, and the starting party was Hendrik, Erik, Sylvando, and Serena.  Serena prepared better with Kabuff. 


Unbridled Blade finally connected for 789 damage once Doomday Gaze was inactive.  Doomsday Blaze singed Sylvando for 204, and Doomsday Dragon's regular attack hit Erik for 143.  Sylvando decreased the boss's Agility with Decelerate, Serena restored HP with Multiheal, and Divide + Critical Claim struck for 1282.  Doomsday Dragon smiled "in an ever so slightly self-satisfied way" just before the fatal Unbridled Blade turned it back into an ordinary Slime.  The Slime had eaten the Fygg because it wanted to become a fearsome monster, though it lost its self-control after the transformation.


The last boss of Ruby Path of Doom was the King of Metal King Slimes, and Hendrik switched to an axe for the occasion.  Erik Divided just before "bolts from the blue" struck the party for 179-265 damage, and dodged the regular attack.  Jade's Lightning Thrust jolted King of Metal King Slimes for 425, and Hendrik's Hatchet Man sliced for 381.  Serena set up Kabuff just in case.  Erik's Critical Claim pulverized King of Metal King Slimes for 1330, only for the boss to give 30,010 experience.  That's less than a regular Metal King Slime!  King of Metal King Slimes split up into three Metal King Slimes, and all of them ran away.  Supposedly this grotto is good for leveling up, but I hadn't found any Metal King Slimes there.


FREEGAN turned in the quests for Ruby Path of Doom and the Observatory, and received Molten Globules and Benevolessence.  Next, they thought they could kill Baramos.  The starting party was Hendrik, Jade, Sylvando, and Serena.  Sylvando cast Oomphle on Jade, and Baramos wounded Serena with a Kaboom + regular attack combo.  Jade spent the rest of her time on Crushed Ice, while Hendrik tried to increase his strength with Double Up.  Sylvando cast Acceleratle, but this didn't save Hendrik and Serena from "blazing fire" and a critical Kafrizz.


FREEGAN, Jade, Rab, and Erik formed the next party against Baramos.  Bazoom blew Rab away for a few turns to prevent him from healing the team, and a critical hit sent FREEGAN to red HP.  FREEGAN tried Gigagash.  Erik was confused at one point, and Jade unleashed one last Crushed Ice before Kaboom + Kafrizz charred her.  Sylvando took Jade's place and cast Oomphle on FREEGAN's Falcon Slashes.  A regular attack + "blazing fire" sent Sylvando to his coffin, and Veronica entered the front lines.  Veronica cast Magic Barrier to ward against Baramos's spells and Decelerated him.  Bazoom sent Rab flying, and a critical attack murdered Veronica.  Erik scored a lucky critical Falcon Slash for 418 and bisected Baramos.  The reward for this quest was the Golden Claws, which may be useful for Jade.  A statue of the male Erdrick appeared at the altar to commemorate the completion of all Dragon Quest 3 related missions.


Damdara in Altar of Origins was a desert town with poison swamp tiles.  The inhabitants were ghosts who were trapped there by a Knight Aberrant.  Knight Aberrant was invisible at first, and could only be found by clicking on a spot by a tree to the southeast of the weapon and armor shop.  FREEGAN, Rab, Erik, and Serena led the charge.  FREEGAN used 0 Zone on Erik for free Divide + Critical Claims.  Knight Aberrant failed to put anyone to sleep with Kasnooze.  FREEGAN stumbled after a 250 power tackle and lost a turn.  Erik Critical Claimed for 1322 damage and also decreased Knight Aberrant's Defence due to a property of the Nebula Sword.  Knight Aberrant wasted a turn Buffing its Defence back to normal, while FREEGAN and Rab cast Gigagash and Kazam.  A Gigagash was the killing blow.  The reward for saving Damdara's ghosts was 5 chunks of Densinium, a crafting ingredient.

     
So far, the party's doing much better in Tickington than in Erdrea.  I'll have to complete some more nostalgia quests before proceeding with the rest of the postgame.


Achievements


Born Board-Treader:  Activate 30 skill panels for Sylvando
Monsterology Major:  Kill 400 different monster types

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Dragon Quest 11 No Shopping BONUS 6:  Tickington Statue Collection


In Tenton in Altar of the Undeciphered, the Galapagod turtle had been kidnapped.  He was taken to the "castle of the Necrogond", or the first iteration of Baramos's lair.  The boss fight here was against an unusually strong lineup of Wrecktor, Heedoovoodoo, and Leger-de-Man.  The leading party was FREEGAN, Rab, Serena, and Veronica.  Veronica cast Kaboomle, FREEGAN used Gigagash, and Rab cast Kacrack.  Heedoovoodoo cast Buff on itself and the other monsters, while Leger-De-Man used Drain Magic and Wrecktor was a physical attacker who killed Serena.  Leger-De-Man was the first to die, and fell to a Gigagash.


Rab took 287 damage from a Co-Kafrizz Pep Up power, only for FREEGAN to restore everyone to full HP with Omniheal.  A curse on Rab ended up killing him.  Hendrik and Sylvando took the place of Rab and Serena.  Kaboomle caused Wrecktor to explode, and Unbridled Blade immediately after Sylvando's Oomphle hit Heedoovoodoo for 429 damage to end the battle.  A critical Gigagash shortly before that helped too.  Veronica used the skill points from a level up to learn Zing Stick, so she could now revive an ally if necessary.


In Weaver's Peak in Altar of Reverie, Tania's "brother" was an impostor obsessed with fashion, and someone at the Quester's Rest knew about the item needed to expose him.  The Bodura Grass was on the third floor of Ruby Path of Doom.  The impostor was really a Dud Dude, a club-wielding ogre.  Despite its goofy appearance and low intelligence, Dud Dude was a difficult boss fight.  FREEGAN, Hendrik, Sylvando, and Serena took the lead.  FREEGAN usually used Falcon Slash when Oomphle was in effect, and later switched to Gigagash.  Hendrik attacked with Unbridled Blade.  Sylvando was the Oomphle and Acceleratle supporter, though he sometimes cast That's Amore when he had the spare time to attack.  Serena cast Multiheal or Kabuff, since Dud Dude was an obvious physical threat.


Dud Dude's Crackerwhack hit the party for 50s-70s damage, and more importantly made characters like FREEGAN and Serena lose turns sometimes.  His regular attack hit for 265.  Hendrik used Double Up so Sylvando wouldn't need to Oomphle him.  It was a relief whenever Dud Dude tried to cast Kazap, since he didn't actually know the spell.  Inferno breath hit for 70s-80s.  FREEGAN had to be revived by Serena's Kazing.  Stun Double paralyzed Dud Dude for a few actions, and Care Prayer increased Defence and Magical Mending for the team.  A 501 critical murdered Sylvando, though Serena revived him.  Dud Dude's triple actions per round were too much for Sylvando and Serena to handle in the long term.  Rab and Erik replaced Sylvando and Serena, but Erik didn't get to do anything useful.  FREEGAN revived Erik, though Hendrik won the fight with a 902 power Double-Edged Slash, since he ran out of MP for other moves.


The last mission for Hidden Valley in Altar of the Chosen was to forge a Supreme Sage's Staff to change Eliza back into a human, since a curse involving a Morph transformation had turned her into a Slime.  Fortunately I didn't have to give up the weapon, and the Supreme Sage's Staff +2 gave a significant upgrade to Rab's Magical Mending. 


Erinn's mission at Quester's Rest was one of the worst-written side quests in the game.  The clue was about finding a book in a place known for "chivalry" in Erdrea.  The problem is that there are several cities obsessed with knighthood, and the obvious candidate is Heliodor.  What I had to do was look up the solution in GameFAQs, as the book was actually on the floor in the sultan's bedroom in Gallopolis!  There's no way I would ever have found that on my own.


Six out of ten hero statues in Tickington have appeared.  The remaining quests are for Dragon Quest 1-2, 5, and 8.  One Pastword will appear in Cobblestone once it's rebuilt, and another is in Cryptic Crypt.  For now, I'll have to level up some more to take on Erdrea.


Achievements

Altar Boy:  Complete three Tickington altars
Altaruist:  Complete six Tickington altars

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Dragon Quest 11 No Shopping BONUS 7:  Death of the Dancers


My next idea was to forge a Straight Poker for Jade, which would give her +37 Attack over her regular Poker.  Searching the Hotto Steppe-Northern Whale Way Station came up with nothing, so Erik Half-Inched the Dragon Horn ingredient from a Malicious Dragooneer in Battleground.  This was probably the only time in the game where stealing was useful.  The problem with creating ultimate weapons is that even when you get Perfection! in the minigame, it doesn't get any +3.


It was much easier to defeat the Mega Mimic in Other Side the second time.  I didn't open the small chest it left behind the first time, so I corrected that mistake and got an Elfin Charm.  This gave +10 Defence to Serena and promised to block "all manner of ill effects".


Malicious Grey Gordon beat the party a second time by overwhelming them with backup monsters.  His version of Hustle Dance both healed and Pepped Up his partners.  His Electric Needlers even knew a Pep Up attack called Electric Boogaloo.    A critical Kaswoosh was the fatal spell against the last two characters standing, Jade and Hendrik.


The only way to win seemed to be to kill Malicious Grey Gordon quickly before he could set up, instead of defensive tactics that worked in other fights.  Veronica enhanced her spells with Channel Anger for the first time since before her death at Yggdrasil, then cast 819 strength Kaboomle as much as possible.  FREEGAN shocked his foes with Gigagash.  Erik managed to get in one Divide + Critical Claim before it became too risky to set up Divide any more.  He used regular Critical Claims at 459 power when he wasn't practicing his dance moves, and Serena had to revive him with Kazing.  An 819 power Kaboomle killed all enemies except for an Electric Needler, which Erik sliced with a Falcon Slash. 


FREEGAN warped to the medal academy and received a spare Falcon Blade, and turned in a couple of minor sidequests to receive obsolete equipment.  The people of Hotto said that Miko had gone to Mt. Huji, but I didn't see her anywhere.  It was very much worth the trip, since if anything Mount Huji-Secret Entrance was a better power leveling spot than before!  The Hardy Hands were still there, had a higher encounter rate than Metal King Slimes, and didn't run away nearly as often.  Other encounters with Malicious tier enemies gave more experience for regular fights.  By the end of these training sessions, everyone was Level 68-73.


Serena learned Omniheal at Level 66, and will probably put it to better use than FREEGAN, since she has more MP.  Veronica learned Magic Burst at Level 70, though she stuck with Kaboomle.  Jade tried out her Allure ability Pink Tornado against the non-metal enemies, which dealt an impressive 390-406 damage.  Perhaps she should have used it against Malicious Grey Gordon.  FREEGAN turned in some minor side quests in Hotto, and received 3 Über Agates of Evolution for crafting.


The man in Hotto that Gemma was looking for was actually Noah, who was now in Gondolia.  Since FREEGAN had already saved Gondolia, all he had to do was talk to Noah at the entrance again to convince him to move to Cobblestone.


Achievements


Full of Beans:  Activate 30 skill panels for Rab (But it appeared when I was in FREEGAN's menu!)
Fully-Fledged Footpad:  Activate 30 skill panels for Erik
Pep Star:  Use Pep Up powers 100 times
World Class Wizard:  Activate 30 skill panels for Veronica
Professional Pummeller:  Activate 30 skill panels for Jade

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Dragon Quest 11 No Shopping BONUS 8:  Many Side Quests in One Post


Hotto Steppe had a Magic Key door that I missed, and its Banishing Blade would have been useful for FREEGAN many hours ago.  The Cryptic Crypt had no new bosses, though the Überkilling Machine enemy resisted attack spells and killed Rab with a 436 power critical hit.  Cryptic Crypt's "jail" had four Ultimate Key doors, each with a different prize.  One was a Metal King Jacket, one had a Malicious Pandora's Box that dropped a skill point seed, one had armor recipes for Hendrik, and the last had the Pastword for Whealbrook in Altar of the Heavenly Bride.


When Pancraz returned to the village of Whealbrook, everyone in town caught a cold so bad that they were lying on the ground.  Sancho told FREEGAN to get special medicine from Quester's Rest.  He had the Yggdrasil Dew necessary to make the Stone Cold Cold Killer, but he still had to pay 2500 to reimburse Sellma for the cost.  This doesn't count as shopping according to the game.    The hero statue from Dragon Quest 5 appeared after this quest.  (Even if his son Parry is the official "hero" of DQ5 due to having the necessary bloodlines and powers.)


Prince of Cannock wasn't in Whealbrook anymore.  FREEGAN had to track him down in the Neverglade and use his Luminary power to warp him back to Cannock Castle.  Prince of Cannock wondered if Luminary abilities were "devilry" at first, but was relieved to be home after the fact.  Sylvando equipped the Tectonic Plate armor reward. 


In Chateau Felix in Altar of the Cursed King, the party defeated an easy Great Sabrecat miniboss.  To tame the Great Sabrecat, FREEGAN got Bianca's Ribbon from Briscoletti's Mansion and gave it to Tom.  Chateau Felix-Dusk was automatically unlocked without a Pastword.  I couldn't complete this version of Chateau Felix, but the dialogue alone was worth the effort.  Jessica's personality had become tame:  "Tee hee hee!  You really are a marvel, Mother!  I promise I'll never wander off on any silly old adventures again!  I couldn't bear to be away from you for even a second!". Rosalind was alarmed.  She said the book needed to change her back was probably in Aliahan.


But The Champion's Code was not the correct book.  It turned Jessica into a female Yangus:  "Cor blimey!  Mum!  Wotchoo doin' 'ere, eh?  If yer worried about me avengin' Alistair, don't be-I'm all set to chop 'ooever got 'im clean in two wiv me axe!  'Oo's this bloke you've brought wiv you, anyway?  'E don't look like much.  An' wot's 'e got 'is 'air parted like Angelo's for?  Don't 'e know not to take fashion tips off that lemon?".  No one in Tickington had any idea where to get the right personality book, but I'll be happy to leave Jessica as a Cockney speaker!


Curing Erik's sister Mia in the new timeline was easy.  Erik told FREEGAN to use his Luminary powers because they were "maxed out".  It worked, and Erik got the Pirate King's Pendant as a reward to increase his Defence and Charm.


FREEGAN didn't have to go far into the Royal Library to find out how to beat Malicious Jörmun.  The trick was to cast a Zap family spell as the final blow.  The leading team was FREEGAN, Jade, Erik, and Serena.  Jade set up Re-Vamp and summoned Lightning Storm, and Erik used Divide + Critical Claim for 1369.  Malicious Jörmun took 3 actions per round.  These were usually Kasnooze, Oomphle, physical attacks, or snowball throwing.  Erik managed to dodge both a snowball and a regular attack.  Erik died and Jade was low on HP, so the next party was FREEGAN, Rab, Sylvando, and Serena. 


FREEGAN and Rab fell quickly to powered up attacks, but FREEGAN was not allowed to stay dead so long as Serena could cast Kazing.  Rab and Sylvando were revived as well, and FREEGAN froze to death from a snowball.  Fortunately, another snowball woke up FREEGAN from Kasnooze later in the battle, and Veronica slowed the boss down with Decelerate.  A 607 Kazap turned Malicious Jörmun into Holy Jörmun, and Holy Jörmun happily moved to Cobblestone.


The last major combat quest in this session was Octagonia.  The casino had come back to town, even though Booga didn't exist to establish it in the first place.  This was good for me since I cashed in tokens for a few Love Potions needed to craft better armor for Sylvando.  He started wearing a Tiara Tremenda +1.  Caverns Under Octagonia was an annoying dungeon to traverse because it was so long.  Several Octagonia fighters had glowing eyes, and were possessed by Arachtagon's powers.  This time Vince was on the party's side.


The Monsters of MMA slaughtered the party the first time around.  This was mainly because Golden Boy could throw his boomerang twice per turn, and I failed to cast Omniheal when I had the chance since I thought Serena's turn was next.  The fighters were Malicious Abominable Showman, Malicious Underdigger, Malicious Sinderella, Malicious Whambelina, and Malicious Golden Boy, and all used the same techniques as in the original Octagonia arena.  On the second try, I came up with new tactics.  Veronica cast Magic Burst using 542 MP, dealing 1626 to everyone!  Malicious Whambelina once beguiled Rab. 


Serena and Rab cast Multiheal whenever possible. Jade whirled in a Pink Tornado for 188-211 damage, knocking out Sinderella.  When everyone was at high HP, Serena cast Kabuff.  Blunt failed against Golden Boy.  Gigagash shocked Whambelina, and the next Pink Tornado felled Golden Boy and Underdigger.  Jade tested out Miracle Moon kicks against Abominable Showman, and got lucky criticals for over 600.  A Gigagash ended the fight.


The party had to fight Malicious Arachtagon immediately after making the MMA fighters come to their senses.  He fought as he did before, with powerful all-target stings, web stuns, and Kafuddle confusion.  What Arachtagon lacked in innovation, he made up for with raw power.  By the end of the fight, Hendrik, FREEGAN, Rab, Erik, and Serena were dead.  It was actually Vince that dealt the final blow with a 53+35 regular attack.  Sylvando was confused, and Veronica used up her MP in the previous battle.  The fraudulent fighter saved Octagonia! 


Underdigger and Abominable Showman moved to Cobblestone, and the village was now magically rebuilt.  FREEGAN rummaged around the pots and chests to find Mini Medals, and found the Pastword for Trodain Castle in Altar of the Cursed King on a bed.   Gemma gave FREEGAN an Eternal Charm which he equipped for +9 Defence over his previous accessory.  FREEGAN turned in his medals and got an Agility Gilet, a coat which was now obsolete.


There was still one more task in the Sniflheim region.  Queen Frysabel said that the Auroral Serpent was back.  Calasmos had probably revived it instead of Mordegon in this timeline, so it'll have Malicious tier stats.  FREEGAN forged an Asterang for Erik in case he ever wanted to use boomerangs again, and that was the end of the session.



Achievements

The Heal Deal:  Activate 30 skill panels for Serena
Prefect de Médailles:  Fill the 2nd page of the medal album