Dragon Quest

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Dragon Quest 11 No Shopping Part 4:  Time Travel Isn't Just for Dragon Quest 7


Bubble Slimes were still relatively tough even for a party that cleared the rest of the Manglegrove.  Sham Hatwitches were pigs wearing pointy wizard hats that sometimes breathed fire on the party for around 11-14 damage.


When FREEGAN arrived in Cobblestone, everything seemed normal, until Amber told him that her adopted son was only six years old!  Adult FREEGAN had to get Gemma's headscarf out of the tree.  The waterfall was blocked off with a "mysterious glowing barrier".  Whatever controlled time in Dragon Quest didn't want a Metal Gear Solid 3 time paradox.  Chalky, the old man who found FREEGAN in the river, was understanding when FREEGAN told him he was dead in the future and that King Carnelian's troops were opposed to the Luminary.  Chalky told FREEGAN to visit a "three-sided rock" to the east of Cobblestone.


Erik wondered what had happened when FREEGAN returned to the present.  It must have been a vision from the local Yggdrasil root.  In the present, Cobblestone was desolate, and Jasper the knight had destroyed all the houses.  One priest remained, as did a couple of beds.  FREEGAN's first reaction to the pillaging was to finish the job by looting all that remained in the ruins.  A recipe book in the church called O Holy Knight unlocked the Templar Uniform for Erik.  A Cypress Stick wasn't much use, but a Seed of Agility was welcome. 


Forging a Templar's Uniform +3 was worth it for Erik because it increased his Defence by 10 and his Charm by 14.  None of the tips within the game itself seem to explain what the stats do, especially unusual ones like Charm.  In the Emerald Coast, FREEGAN found a chest inside the three-sided rock containing letters explaining his heritage as a prince of Dundrasil and telling him to use the Keystone inside the box to open the Door of Departure.


The Emerald Coast had a variety of enemies.  Some were familiar to any Dragon Quest player, like Healslimes.  Leafy Lamplings "scattered a fiery powder" on the party for 10-11 damage.  Eggsoskeletons were egg-shaped robots that resisted physical attacks, but could be put to sleep. 


At Level 10, Erik learned Rubblerouser, an earth spell that activated when the targeted enemy made a move.  This was situational, but necessary to kill high Defence enemies like Crabids on the beach.  FREEGAN took a little while longer to reach Level 10, and he put his Character Builder points into a 5% increase for Pep Chance. 


The Kingsbarrow where the Red Orb looked like an ancient stone temple.  All the Heliodorian soldiers lying in front of the double-headed eagle statue were dead.  Convenient for the fugitive party.  Some monsters were reused here, such as Healslimes and Smogs.  The Smogs were easier with forged equipment than they were in the beginning of Manglegrove, but sometimes still required Sizz and Heal.  Little Devils were the Tricky Devil as regular foes, and they even looked the same.  Mecha-Mynahs were the most fearsome due to their resistance to physical attacks, and they were responsible for killing the party at least once.


Going on a detour to the outside of Kingsbarrow got Erik a Strength Ring from a chest for +5 Attack.  Another chest inside the temple had a. . .Templar's Uniform without any +.  One new feature of Dragon Quest 11 was the ability to mount some monsters after defeating them.  Killing one Eggsoskeleton allowed FREEGAN to leap to some treasure chests containing a Seed of Defence and the recipe book for Feathered Caps.


It looked like two shrill-voiced Grim Gryphons were responsible for killing the Heliodorians, and they attacked the wounded party as soon as they opened the door.  Since they didn't care about money anyway, they died and were sent back to the Emerald Coast camp.  FREEGAN crafted two Feathered Caps +3.  For Erik, it was +7 Defence, +6 Magical Might, +6 Magical Mending, and +16 Charm.  FREEGAN got +5 Defence, +2 Magical Might, +3 Magical Mending, and +16 Charm.


Dragon Quest 11 doesn't have random encounters, and Kingsbarrow was a wide dungeon, allowing FREEGAN to dash past all the monsters to return to the Grim Gryphons.  They were susceptible to 16 power Sleeper Hits, so much that sometimes both enemies were snoozing at once.  Spells were less likely to awaken them than physical moves, and that's why FREEGAN spent much of his time casting Sizz for 14-17 damage. 


When they were alert, Grim Gryphons liked to double attack for about 12 per hit, as if they were wielding a Falcon Sword.  Sometimes they only used a single hit attack.  If they wanted to lash at both characters, they cast the wind spell Whoosh.  Deceleratle was an Agility debuff to the team.  FREEGAN cast Heal to keep up Erik's HP until he could no longer, and then finished the fight alone.  FREEGAN went into Pep mode and blocked a hit with his shield.  That 5% passive boost was worth the skill points!  He had a free turn when one of the Grim Gryphons tried to cast Whoosh without having enough MP, and struck down the bird with a regular sword swing.


FREEGAN grew to Level 11 while Erik was stuck at Level 10.  Uneven character levels annoy every RPG player!  According to one tip, weapons can be changed in battle, so perhaps you're meant to spread out skill points across different skill trees instead of concentrating on one.  So far No Shopping doesn't seem too much of a change, since you can create your own equipment so early.  Money isn't even needed for resurrection any more since Dragon Quest 11 abolished the old "carry around coffins after battle" tradition.




Equipment

FREEGAN

Bronze Sword +3
Scale Shield +3
Feathered Cap +3
Scale Armour +3
Gemma's Charm
Gold Bracer


Erik

Divine Dagger +3
Feathered Cap +3
Templar's Uniform +3
Gold Chain

Strength Ring

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Dragon Quest 11 No Shopping Part 5:  Five Fingered Discount


Hendrik and the Heliodorian army were waiting for FREEGAN and Erik as they set out for the Door of Departure, and managed to shoot down both their horses with crossbow bolts.  They entered the Door of Departure just in time for the stone gate to close behind them.  Since it was a Dragon Quest 2 style teleporter, it sent them to the Hotto Steppe.  The Hotto Steppe was an arid cliffside region, not a grassland with Mongols or Huns like the word "steppe" would suggest.


At Level 11, Erik learned Half-Inch, the equivalent of Steal from Final Fantasy.  It was a waste of skill points throughout the session because it had a low success rate and only swiped common items.  Learning Half-Inch unlocked Itemized Kill, a Pep Up attack that also steals.  She-Slimes were just stronger versions of Slimes, but Bongo Drongos were much more dangerous.  These genies pounding drums that looked like jack-o-lanterns could increase their strength with Rhythm n Bruise and even enter Pep Up status.  Bongo Drongos killed the party once, and were high priority targets for Sleeper Hit when they appeared.  Garudas were standard bird enemies.


Hotto proper was the obligatory "Japanese" town in the tradition of Wutai.  Unlike Wutai, the translators put in the effort to make all its residents speak in haiku:


"She came here alone,
Fearless as a lion cub,
A girl on a quest".


"She sought her sister,
One vanished like snow in spring.
I pray she finds her".


Veronica was looking for her younger sister, but since she looked like a little blonde girl wearing Anne of Green Gables style braids, she wasn't allowed to talk to the people in the bar.  She didn't tell FREEGAN or Erik that she had lost her spells, so she was a wizard who spent most fights bashing enemies with her staff for about 1 damage.  Sometimes she was useful and would restore 10 MP for FREEGAN or Erik. 


Mount Huji was off-limits except for an encounter with an Ursa Minor bear that the team defeated, so they had to march west to the Cryptic Crypt.  FREEGAN grew to Level 12 after a series of battles with enemies like Robber Rabbits, Walking Corpses, and Lump Wizards.  Walking Corpses sometimes spat out "poisonous gunk" when they wanted to annoy the party. 


Performing a side quest for Hotto let FREEGAN craft an Iron Broadsword +3, which only gave him +4 Attack over his previous weapon.  Perhaps the greatsword option would have been better, but I liked to block hits with a shield too much to go with the two-handed weapon.  Erik got nothing from the iron recipes, and his Level 12 spell was the redundant Evac.


I was incorrect in a previous post:  you can see what the stats do if you look in the right Traveller's Tips menu.  Strength and Resilience are the "raw" versions of Attack and Defense without equipment.  Agility determines turn order and evasion.  Deftness gives a chance to "catch enemies unaware" and makes it easier to run away, and I suspect it has something to do with Half-Inch's success rate.  Charm is a chance to make enemies waste a turn, so it's like Dragon Quest 9.


Drackmages were common enemies in the Cryptic Crypt, although they didn't cast elemental magic.  Their preferred spell was Kasap to lower the team's physical defense.  Mud Mannequins liked to dance, but I never saw what the effect of it was since it failed. 


One treasure chest had an Yggdrasil Leaf, the revival item of the Dragon Quest series.  Another had a useless 1000 coins.  Although I saw that an enemy set a collapsing floor trap in a flashback, it wasn't clear where exactly it was, so FREEGAN fell into the pit a couple of times.  To get out, he needed to defeat a Skullrider and steal its skeleton arachnid mount to climb a wall.  Its Drohl Drone companions liked to cast Snooze, but that was no Sleeper Hit.  Another treasure chest had the Gold Ore needed to forge an item for another side quest in Hotto.  A Silver Platter was pointless for the party when they found it because FREEGAN had a better shield and Erik couldn't hold a shield to begin with.


Perhaps to emphasize that Dragon Quest 11 was more lenient than the older games, the developers placed a healing and save statue just before the boss room.  Veronica's sister Serena was here, but she looked like an adult.  Venonica had to explain that the monsters who kidnapped her before her escape had drained her age rather than all her magic like they intended.  One more flashback told FREEGAN the password to Jarvis the boss lizard's room.


Jarvis's plan was to drain magic from as many people as he could so he could impress the Dark One when he was resurrected.  He made several jar and pot related puns in his conversations and attacked the team with 3 Jarvis's Shadow allies.  Sleeper Hit struck each Jarvis Shadow for around 21.  The Shadows hit FREEGAN for 10 and Erik for 16, and once cast Crack on the guest Veronica for 19.  Jarvis typically charged up his ice breath, then sent it out with a "Cool enough for ya?" for 41-46 damage to the party.  Jarvis's breath sent FREEGAN's temperature to absolute zero.


In any reasonable battle, I would have lost then.  There were several advantages to a solo battle against Jarvis with Erik.  Veronica and Serena functioned as invincible guests that sometimes took attacks for him.  Veronica filled up Erik's MP with items, and Serena cast Heal whenever he was wounded.  Sleeper Hit was irrelevant for Jarvis's Shadows, but did succeed against Jarvis himself!  Even a Pep Up version of the lizard failed to knock out Erik.  Rubblerouser functioned against both the minions and the boss, since it activated multiple times per cast instead of just once like I previously fought.  A final Sleeper Hit for 19 made Erik shout "Night night!", and sent Jarvis to Thanatos rather than Hypnos.   I tried to use Half-Inch on Jarvis earlier but got nothing.


Veronica and Serena formally joined the party after a conversation at the Hotto Inn.  The next step was Gallopolis to find more clues about Yggdrasil.  Serena started with Heal, Squelch, Buff, and Dazzle.  Squelch cures poison, Buff is the single target defense increasing spell, and Dazzle works like a Blind spell.  I think Dazzle was called Surround in older Dragon Quest translations.  Veronica had Frizz and Sizz like FREEGAN.  Her other spells were Crack for single target ice damage, Magic Barrier, Sap, and Decelerate.  It seemed Veronica and Serena were going to be just like Meena and Maya from Dragon Quest 4.


The Silver Platter had a use after all because Serena could equip it.  Feathered Cap +3 was mandatory for both sisters since it was better than their starting headgear in every way, and was easy to forge.  I spent Veronica's first Character Builder points on Magical Might +10 in the Vim tree.  Serena learned Hymn of Ice to reduce ice damage for the party, and the prerequisite MP Absorption When Wielding +2% for Wands.


Equipment

FREEGAN

Iron Broadsword +3
Scale Shield +3
Feathered Cap +3
Scale Armour +3
Gemma's Charm
Gold Bracer



Erik

Divine Dagger +3
Feathered Cap +3
Templar's Uniform +3
Gold Chain
Strength Ring



Veronica

Veronica's Staff (2 handed)
Feathered Cap +3
Silk Robe


Serena

Serena's Wand
Silver Platter
Feathered Cap +3
Silk Robe

 

Achievements


You Shall Not Escape Me!:  Enter the Door of Departure to warp away from Hendrik
Provoker:  Make 100 preemptive attacks
Accolades Ahoy!:  Unlock 10 achievements
Critter Hitter:  Defeat 300 enemies (NOT for critical hits, surprisingly)
Breadwinner:  Find at least 5000 coins
Yggdrasil's Chosen:  Defeat Jarvis and make Veronica and Serena agree to join you
Forging Ahead:  Craft 10 items

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Dragon Quest 11 No Shopping Part 6:  Plundering Three Dragon Quest Worlds For the Price of One


Erik leveled to 13, but despite his fast growth he was falling behind the rest of the party.  Veronica was useful for clearing out many enemies at once with her spells, FREEGAN was a supplementary mage, and Serena's Heal and Buff helped them survive.  All Erik could do was hope to get a lucky roll with Sleeper Hit, which seemed to be less effective in this region.


Ickle the Tockle was one of the many "ghosts" that could be seen on the world map.  While making clock and time puns, he told the party to come to the realm of Tickington to prevent evil from interfering with history.  Dragon Quest 11's Switch version lets you play the main game in a 2D pixel graphic mode, but I opted for 3D since this is my first playthrough.  Tickington and its side quests are always in 2D, and seem to be coded as a separate game on the cartridge.  For example, the tutorial for the Character Builder appeared as if I were using it for the first time, and I had to make the battle speed faster again for 2D.


Tickington's Echo Chamber did not contain political "debates" with only one side represented, but instead altars for previous Dragon Quest games.  If Tickington is officially part of the story, that means Dragon Quest 11 is a sequel to the rest of the series.  The first quest was in Galenholm in the Altar of Origins.  It must have been Alefgard, all right:  the encounter rate was high and the battle music from Dragon Quest 1 played as the party fought a Fromage Fray.  FREEGAN grew to Level 13 and put enough skill points into his Luminary tree to learn Zap, an 8 MP group target lightning spell usually reserved for the main character.


An old man told FREEGAN that a "foul monster hath had the effrontery to violate the tomb of our most famous son, and hath purloined his most precious possession-the Lyre of Ire".  I've never played Dragon Quest 1, so I had to look up Galenholm and the Lyre of Ire after the quest was over to understand the reference.  The Lyre of Ire was called the Silver Harp in the NES version, and Galenholm itself is the second town you visit.


Other monsters in Galenholm were reused from earlier in the game, like Drackies.  There were several treasure chests inside the building containing items like a Lamplight.  Wrongo Bongo was the boss who had stolen the Lyre of Ire, and described his followers as "alternative music fans".  Being a percussion monster doesn't mean you can play a string instrument!  Sleeper Hit forced Wrongo Bongo to snooze after he summoned a Drohl Drone and a She-Slime.  Zap struck for 39, and Serena cast Buff one by one on the party.  Erik tried Half-Inch but there was nothing to steal from Wrongo Bongo.  Veronica cast Crack for 19 to flash-freeze Wrongo Bongo.  The reward for the quest was a Gold Bracer that Veronica wore to gain +4 Defence and +6 Charm.


Skullriders appeared in groups in the desert around Gallopolis, and sometimes appeared with Chimaera birds.  Robber Rabbits were also common.  Some battles had up to 5 enemies at once, which put serious pressure on the party.  Veronica grew to Level 13 and learned the silencing spell Fizzle and the all-target Bang.  Serena learned Accelerate at Level 13.


A recipe book in Gallopolis unlocked Lamp Post, Wizard's Staff, Tricky Turban, Fizzle-Retardant Blouse, and Enchantress Glove, but this time the problem was that the party lacked the right materials for armor.  Veronica equipped a Wizard's Staff +3 and gained +17 Magical Might, +9 Magical Mending, and +10 Attack.  Serena had to settle for a Lamp Post +1 when the Perfectionist Pearls ran out, though she gained +3 Magical Mending and +5 Attack.


Cactiballs were faster than the party, could hit everyone for up to 20 damage by spinning, and took several rounds of Zap and Sizz casts to kill.  No wonder Veronica perished in one fight.  I was wrong about church resurrection being obsolete:  FREEGAN had to pay a fee to bring her back.  Maybe free revivals are only for certain characters?  Both FREEGAN and Erik gained Level 14.  Erik used a special church option to reset some of his skill points, since Half-Inch was useless when the team had to fight for their lives.  He took Persecutter, a Knife skill that does extra damage to sleeping or confused monsters.


Back in Gallopolis, Veronica found Concrete Earrings which gave her +5 Defence and +10 Charm.  FREEGAN put on a Traveller's Hood for +3 Defence.  


Prestidigitators came out at night and cast Dazzle on the party.  All other routes were blocked off, so the only way to proceed was to return to Gallopolis and impersonate the cowardly Prince Faris in a horse race to save his reputation.  Veronica said "YOU are the most pathetic excuse for a prince I've ever seen!"  She'd recant if she ever met Prince Sharm-LAY from Dragon Quest 8!  The horse race itself was easy when I held ZR to dash and held Y to drift around the turns and recover stamina on glowing spots.  No achievement for coming in first?!


Sylvando had performed for the circus with juggling, fire breathing, and knife throwing tricks while Prince Faris and the party discussed their plan.  Sylvando realized it was a trick and offered to join to capture the Slayer of the Sands.  Neither the prince nor the desert knights were up to the task.


Since I'd already unlocked another Tickington quest, I found the Altar of the Legendary Line corresponding to Dragon Quest 2.  Everyone in Moonahan was a dog except for the one person who should have been-the Princess of Moonbrooke.  Moonbrooke was once cured from the curse, only for the rest of the town to be transformed in her place.  The cure was Magic Water, an item FREEGAN already had in his inventory.  Even Moonbrooke was surprised that Magic Water was so common where he lived. 


The only way to save the town was for Moonbrooke to turn back into a dog and await the Dragon Quest 2 heroes.  The reward for this short "quest" was a Devil's Tail, which gave +2 Defence and +10 Agility to Serena and offered protection "against curses and dark attacks".    


Veronica found Concrete Earrings which gave her +5 Defence and +10 Charm.  FREEGAN put on a Traveller's Hood for +3 Defence.  


Equipment

FREEGAN

Iron Broadsword +3
Scale Shield +3
Feathered Cap +3
Scale Armour +3
Traveller's Hood
Gold Bracer



Erik

Divine Dagger +3
Feathered Cap +3
Templar's Uniform +3
Gold Chain
Strength Ring



Veronica

Wizard's Staff +3
Feathered Cap +3
Silk Robe
Gold Bracer
Concrete Earrings


Serena

Lamp Post +1
Silver Platter
Feathered Cap +3
Silk Robe

Devil's Tail
 

 
Achievements


At Home on the Range:  Camp 10 times
Prepped to Pep:  Use 10 Pep Powers
Avid Itemologist:  Collect 100 different items
Out Stand In:  Impersonate Prince Faris in the Sand National

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Dragon Quest 11 No Shopping Part 7:  Power Leveling Costs Nothing But Time


Spitzfire was a kind of flying wolf that inhabited the desert north of Gallopolis.  It slept during the day, but once awakened it could gash with its claws for up to 38 damage, or shout to try to make the party waste a turn.  Most dangerous of all was its "fierce fire" that knocked out FREEGAN for 63 damage.  Veronica gained Level 14 and learned Dedazzle to cure Dazzle.  She used the skill points to learn Spooky Aura in the Vim tree in order to lower enemy magic resistance.


Other foes in the area were physical attacking Flython snakes, Prestidigitators in the daytime, and the horribly named Crabber Dabber Doos were stronger versions of previous crab monsters.  Haystack Needlers were tougher versions of Needlers from the beginning. 


The Slayer of the Sands itself was a boss scorpion that was more than the Level 14 party could handle.  It could attack for multiple times per round and cast Kasap to lower the team's Defence.  Sometimes it confused at least one character by showing its back to the party.  The losing battle was similar to the winning battle since the tactics were the same.  Sometimes in Dragon Quest you have to grind, especially when you're doing an optional challenge like this.


Restless Armours appeared at night, and liked to summon Healslimes while resisting physical attacks.  Bang, Crack, and Zap dealt with them, with the occasional Rubblerouser from Erik.  The rarest fight of all was a Metal Slime encounter in a fight with a Restless Armour that gave much more experience than other battles, in the Dragon Quest tradition.  A single Metal Slime kill got the team 2155 experience points at a time when other fights gave them hundreds at best.  Too bad Serena had died to a critical hit in the same fight! 


Erik learned Cock-a-Doodle-Doo to awaken sleeping characters at Level 15.  FREEGAN learned Bang at Level 15, while Veronica only gained stats.  When Serena finally reached Level 16, she learned Fizzle and took Magical Mending +10 in the Harpistry tree. 


Round 2 with Slayer of the Sands started more auspiciously when Serena dodged the first attack.  The second hit was a 74 critical against Erik, but he had enough HP to survive that.  FREEGAN Healed him, and Erik returned the favor with a 22 Sleeper Hit.  Sleeper Hit rarely rendered the scorpion unconscious, but sometimes it did for just long enough for stupid guest Sylvando to wake it up with his regular attacks.  At least sometimes Sylvando snapped allies out of confusion.  Veronica and FREEGAN teamed up to use the Ring of Wrack and Ruin ability to increase their spell critical chance.


(Ring of Wrack and Ruin sounds like the ultimate generic fantasy title.  Notice how many published in recent years are called NOUN of NOUN and NOUN?  Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Children of Blood and Bone, A Court of Thorns and Roses, etc.)


When Serena wasn't Healing the other party members, she cast Buff to increase their Defence.  FREEGAN acted as an auxiliary Heal caster.  Veronica was at her best when she cast Sap to soften the scorpion and Decelerate to slow it down, though she would chill it with Crack for up to 43 sometimes.  Despite his mediocre performance in the rest of the battle, Erik had the best Pep Power in Scorched Earth, which lowered fire and earth resistance for FREEGAN's Flame Slash and Veronica's Frizz.  Scorched Earth also impaled Slayer of the Sands with burning stalagmites for around 52 damage when it activated like Rubblerouser.  Like Erik, FREEGAN had to take a critical hit for 74. 


The hardest attack to react to was the "cloud of dust" which hit everyone in the high 20s to low 30s.  A Care Prayer involving FREEGAN and Serena increased their Defence and Magical Mending to cope with that.  Slayer of the Sands once Pepped Up too, though it wore off eventually and a 47 power Scorched Earth defeated the boss.


Sylvando chained the Slayer of the Sands because Gallopolis wanted it alive.  FREEGAN and Veronica increased to Level 16, and FREEGAN learned Snooze, which he'll probably never use.  Prince Faris almost acknowledged the party's role when he said "Yes, I captured the beast, but I did not act alone. . .for it was your love, your adoration, that gave me the strength I so needed!  Yes!"


Of course, the Slayer of the Sands broke free and Sylvando had to encourage Faris to pick up a sword and fight.  The scorpion broke Faris's sword and Sylvando struck down the Slayer of the Sands for good.  Faris had to admit to his parents that he was a fraud, but they forgave him since they thought they expected too much of him.  However, the sultan said he could train with Hendrik. 


As for the branch of Yggdrasil, the sultan sold it to a merchant from the port town of Gondolia to pay for the Sand National horse race.  Prince Faris's reward for the party was the Crackshot Crossbow that could attract monsters from a distance. 


Sylvando officially joined the party as they were about to leave Gallopolis.  He couldn't entertain crowds if the world was doomed, after all, and he already bought a boat for the heroes.  Judging by his Character Builder screen, Sylvando seems to be a combination of Erik and Veronica, but closer to Erik.  He can use Knives (Erik), Whips (Veronica) and Swords.  His unique abilities in Litheness and Showmanship involve some large Charm upgrades.  That reminds me of the (now ironically named) Luminary in Dragon Quest 9, which was a sort of gimmick job about being a celebrity.      


No need for an equipment section because it hasn't changed for the main 4 party members, and Sylvando is on the bench until I can get some decent weapons and armor for him.

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Dragon Quest 11 No Shopping Part 8:  In Which Sylvando Gets Equipment By Stripping Off Erik's


I looked at the Line-Up screen to compare Sylvando and Erik's stats.  Sylvando had better Strength, Resilience, and Charm, while Erik had superior Agility and Deftness.  To test him out in battle, I took away all of Erik's equipment and gave it to Sylvando.  He learned Hypnowhip, which could confuse a group of monsters and attack, and Tap Dance to increase evasion.


Neither of these skills seemed worth it in the Gondolia region.  Hypnowhip could sometimes confuse, but this was inferior to sleep and wielding a whip meant not being able to hold a shield.  Sylvando was also too busy with his other more practical moves.  His spells included Acceleratle to speed up the group, and Oomph to increase someone's physical attack.  Hot Lick was in the Abilities category and breathed fire for multiple hits, and considering local monsters like Restless Armour, was usually better than a physical move anyway.


Muddy Hands liked to call for backup as their equivalents did in any Dragon Quest game.  The best way to deal with them was Bang from Veronica, Zap from FREEGAN, and Woosh from Serena.  Midnight Horknights were armored enemies riding bees, and could be used as a mount outside of combat to get around the swamp water and wooden bridges. 


One Tockle in Laguna di Gondolia gave the "pastword" to the Observatory in the Altar of the Starry Skies.  I have fond memories of Dragon Quest 9 since it was one of my first solo challenges, long before joining Realms Beyond.  (It mostly involved Minstrel for evasion, healing, and counterattacks, and Armamentalist at the end of the game.)  The Observatory with the angels was much smaller than in Dragon Quest 9, just the screen with Yggdrasil.  It was still in 2D even though Dragon Quest 9 was a 3D game.  Aquila charged FREEGAN with finding a Fygg, but the Ruby Path of Doom was inaccessible right now.


Back in Laguna di Gondolia, there were some tough monsters like Weartigers (a goblin in a tiger suit) that had strong physical attacks and ate fruit to recover most of their HP.  Splatypunks could disable Abilities and helped the Weartigers.


One book in the swamp contained the recipes for Iron Helmet and Iron Cuirass.  Gondolia itself was more friendly to pedestrians than you'd expect a stand-in for Venice to be, which was nice because then I wouldn't have to deal with gondola steering for long.  Various shopkeepers tried to sell FREEGAN a "cat suit" for 10,000 gold, not knowing he was in a No Shopping challenge.  A book in a building had the recipes for Gold Platter, Gold Bracer, and Gold Chain.  


Sylvando wasn't allowed in the docks because the Signor Universo challenge was about to begin, so of course the party would have to visit Doge Retondo and participate.  A refugee from Zwaardsrust was living in Gondolia because his home kingdom was destroyed, so Dundrasil wasn't the only victim.  Delivering Hakim's letter to Akia unlocked the recipe for Broader Sword, Battle Fork, and Rosewhip.


I saved in the church and forged and reworked many, many items until the Perfectionist Pearls ran out.  The minigame is good enough that it isn't tedious yet, and there is a bit of tactical skill required.  You have a limited amount of Focus points for swinging your hammer.  Using the double hit ability is generally more efficient than the single hit, but sometimes you need to swing with a light touch to avoid going over the perfect spot.  To skip most of the boring details, look at the equipment list to see what the changes are.  You can rework items that you haven't created, including special default items like Sylvando's Sword.


As for party lineup, Erik may return to the team when he gains the ability to dual wield knives within a level or two.  Sylvando's support spells are nice, but he's noticeably slow to act on this team.  Besides, Erik has a much better Pep Up power in Scorched Earth.


Equipment


FREEGAN

Iron Broadsword +3
Gold Platter +1
Feathered Cap +3
Iron Armour +2
Traveller's Hood
Gold Bracer


Sylvando

Sylvando's Sword
Gold Platter +3
Feathered Cap +3
Templar's Uniform +3
Strength Ring
Gold Chain


Veronica

Wizard's Staff +3
Feathered Cap +3
Silk Robe +3
Gold Bracer
Concrete Earrings


Serena

Lamp Post +3
Gold Platter +3
Feathered Cap +3
Silk Robe
Devil's Tail

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Dragon Quest 11 No Shopping Part 9:  In Which Erik Gets Equipment By Stripping Off Sylvando's





Akia in Gondolia wanted to send another letter to Puerto Valor across the sea, but the party couldn't do that if they weren't allowed in the docks.  Doge Retondo (I keep thinking of him as "Re-tonto", an insulting nickname in Spanish.) took one look at the Luminary and slammed the door.





A boy named Benigno stole Veronica's wand in an attempt to cure his friend Placido, the Doge's son.  A curse had muted Placido, and the only way to cure him was to get Birdsong Nectar from Grotta della Fonte, a damp cave system to the west. 





Muddy Hands returned as common enemies.  Shell Slimes sometimes hid in their shells to waste a few turns blocking the party's attacks, but usually they could be killed with spells.  Toxic Toads poisoned characters, hit hard with physical attacks, and increased the Defence of their allies.  Dragon Quest 11 poison is weak compared to other RPGs, particularly Etrian Odyssey.  Each round, you lose less than 10 points of HP.  It's an annoyance to be cured with Squelch after combat, not something that can kill characters in a few turns.  Splatypunks could also dance to make characters waste their turns dancing.





FREEGAN and Veronica grew to Level 17, and the latter learned Deceleratle.  Veronica took Maximum MP +10 in the Vim tree.  When Serena grew to Level 16, she learned something much more important:  Midheal. 





Succubats were common enemies in Grotta della Fonte.  The bats were a significant threat with their Zam spell, which could deal as much as 83 damage with a critical.  Man o'War was a variation of the Healslime that paralyzed characters for a few rounds with their regular attack.  One potential use for Sylvando later in the game is The Fight Fantastic combination Pep Power with the Luminary, since it increases physical attack power.  I tried that once in a fight, but with this spell focused party it wasn't worth the trouble.





Morphean Mushrooms put characters to sleep with either their attack or breath.  When Erik ascended to Level 18, he finally learned dual wielding. . .only to find it was useless!  He tried Sleeper Hit on a Toxic Toad with two Divine Daggers +3, and the main hand dealt 14 damage, and the off-hand only 3.  Wizened Wizards liked to cast Sizz on the party, which was annoying but not fatal.  Sizz in general was a weak spell by now for players and enemies, and Veronica cast Bang instead as her default multi-target spell.





It was back to Sylvando and his Rosewhip +2.  The Broader Sword +3 for FREEGAN was there so he could actually attack without MP if he needed to.  He reset the Sword skill points at the camp's save statue and put them into Greatsword Guard (evasion stance in battle) and Attack Power When Wielding +5 for greatswords.  Serena found a Pixie Pole in a treasure chest and equipped it to recover some MP each round.  At last I remembered to put on the Enchantress's Gloves that I forged for Veronica and Serena after forgetting for a while.





Equipment





FREEGAN



Broader Sword +3

Feathered Cap +3

Iron Armour +2

Traveller's Hood

Gold Bracer





Sylvando



Rosewhip +2

Feathered Cap +3

Iron Cuirass +3

Strength Ring

Gold Chain





Veronica



Wizard's Staff +3

Feathered Cap +3

Silk Robe +3

Enchantress's Gloves +3

Concrete Earrings





Serena



Pixie Pole

Gold Platter +3

Feathered Cap +3

Silk Robe

Devil's Tail

Enchantress's Gloves +3


EDIT


Achievements

Guest Who!:  Stay at an inn 10 times
If At First You Don't Succeed:  Rework 10 items with the forge

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Dragon Quest 11 No Shopping Part 10:  Jasper Should Be the Entire Heliodorian Army


The Broader Sword was a disappointment and only struck a Wizened Wizard for 37.  Afterwards, he switched back to the sword and Gold Platter combo for the boss fight of two Coralossuses.  Serena cast Buff on Veronica to start the battle.  Veronica usually cast Bang.  Sylvando used the Pep Power of Shooting Stars to give the whole team a "speed and evasion boost".  Coralossus A tried Forbearance to "intercept all incoming attacks", which meant taking the second hit of a Zap in place of Coralossus B.  Sometimes the bosses slammed someone for 51-63 damage, or summoning water pillars for 28-32 against the whole team.


Both Coralossuses ganged up on Sylvando at once, killing him from 119 HP.  FREEGAN killed one of them with a Zap.  The other Coralossus clobbered Veronica while Pepped Up and struck her down.  Serena spent most of the battle casting Heal or Midheal, but a desperation tactic of Woosh paid off when it dealt 54 damage and finished the battle.  Maybe they were weak to wind?  FREEGAN grew to Level 18.


When the party returned to Gondolia, Jasper and his Heliodorian troops accosted them.  FREEGAN and Erik were forced to fight a group of 5 Heliodorian Guards as a duo, since Sylvando, Veronica, and Serena were occupied elsewhere.  Erik wasn't wearing any armor at all after Sylvando swiped his clothes.  Against all odds, both heroes managed to survive!  Erik tried Rubblerouser before I realized that they were susceptible to Sleeper Hit.  FREEGAN often had to Heal after taking so many attacks, but he also Zapped the guards.  What really won the fight was eruptions from Scorched Earth.  I respected Erik much more after that fight.


Too bad Erik wasn't available for the rest of this part, when he was needed most.  Jasper cast a darkness spell at FREEGAN, but Erik took the hit and was captured.  Sylvando came up with a plan of sneaking past the guards in the streets, though I fought many of them.  The streets were narrow and the minimap didn't represent a 3D space well.  What I was actually supposed to do was to rush to the inn, climb to the roof, and walk on tightropes to the destination, which I had earlier done while searching for treasure. 


While sending the Heliodorians home in body bags, Serena grew to Level 17 and learned Acceleratle, and Veronica learned Kasap at Level 18.  Sylvando didn't gain anything from Level 17 other than stats, but I put some of his points into Whips since there weren't any better ideas.


Jasper fought alone, but he was worth more than all the other troops combined.  He was a dual sword wielder, and once slashed Serena for 59+27.  Some debuffs from the party like Decelerate were useless, but he was vulnerable to Spooky Aura.  Jasper had the ultimate counter for spells with a high accuracy Fizzle.  Veronica and Serena spent so much time silenced that they were dead weight.  Sylvando was the most valiant hero here when he lashed with Hypnowhip.  But a magic heavy team was no match for Fizzle, and even a physically competent one would have had to deal with Jasper's parry stance.  Back to power leveling!


One option may be to equip Serena with a spear, but I'm missing one of the ingredients in a recipe, so I'll have to rework a basic spear for that to work.

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Dragon Quest 11 No Shopping Part 11:  Casino Tokens Can Evade Variant Laws Too?


One loading screen tip told me that Sylvando's Charm affects his Hustle Dance, an Ability that heals the whole party.  I'll have to keep that in mind once he gets enough skill points much later in the game.


The best place to level up was the desert north of Gallopolis.  Even the regular enemies gave favorable experience yields, and there was the chance of a Metal Slime.  FREEGAN learned Midheal at Level 19, but his version wasn't as strong as Serena's.  He took no chances when he spotted a Metal Slime and pulverized it with an 82 critical hit. Sylvando grew to Level 18, Veronica learned Fuddle at Level 19, and Serena learned the revival spell Zing at Level 18.  Sylvando used his skill points to buy Attack Power When Wielding +10 for Whips, Starstrike, and Lashings of Love to attack "humanoid family" enemies. 


FREEGAN whipped out his Broader Sword +3 and charged at Jasper.  Serena started the fight with an Acceleratle, while FREEGAN prepared to parry with Greatsword Guard.  Veronica's Cracks chilled Jasper for 39 under normal circumstances.  Jasper set up his own parries with Sword Stance.  His dual swords once gashed FREEGAN for 49+24.  Zam cast darkness at FREEGAN for 77. 


Apparently actual humans don't count as humanoid monsters, and so Lashings of Love only hit Jasper for 30.  Zap struck for 43.  Healing can critical as well, and Serena's Midheal once restored 121 HP for FREEGAN.  Care Prayer increased Defence and Magical Mending for the whole team once FREEGAN and Serena were Pepped Up.


The worst part of the fight was when everyone but Veronica was silenced by Fizzle.  Veronica was at low HP and quickly died to a 59+30 slash with no Serena to Midheal her.  Serena had to waste her turns defending.  FREEGAN's regular attack was a respectable 34 damage, at least until a critical sent Jasper flying for 117 to end the battle!  He earned his Level 20 and Cutting Edge move after that.


Sylvando jumped into the sea and summoned his ship the Salty Stallion to save everyone from the Heliodorians.  To save the ship from a giant squid, the Gondolian merchant ships led by Doge Retondo fired their cannons as a reward for curing his son.  Dave the pilot told Sylvando that the person who bought the Rainbough branch was moving in the direction of Zwaardsrust.


The first stop in the Inland Sea in the southeastern part of the world was Insula Australis, a small island with only 3 monster types.  Grublins called for backup and get angry to increase their Attack and Agility.  The other two foes, Weartiger and Wizened Wizard, were recycled from the areas I'd already been to on the southeastern continent.  Serena learned Anathematise at Level 19, which lowers magical resistance when cast.  I'd never seen this spell in any other Dragon Quest.  Sylvando learned Deceleratle at Level 19, and Erik gained enough passive experience to grow to Level 19 too.  Insula Australis had a recipe book for Strength Ring, Agility Ring, and Prayer Ring.  The environment was a good source of Royal Soil for crafting, and there was a locked door which I'll have to return to later.


Costa Valor around Puerto Valor had many enemies.  Bodkin Fletchers poisoned with their arrows, and Drake Slimes breathed fire.  A freak encounter with a Snooty Slime Knight was the toughest battle in the playthrough so far.  It had what seemed like infinite HP, since it could endure even FREEGAN's Cutting Edge.  Oomphle helped out its ally, a regular Slime Knight.  Repeated Zing failures meant FREEGAN was only revived when it was too later to win.  Erik jumped into the ring once everyone else was dead, and he succumbed quickly as well.


Regular Slime Knights were not nearly as difficult, and even served as a mount once.  The slime was still smiling as FREEGAN bounced on its back, and the knight was hanging off the edge.  The only purpose riding the Slime Knight served was for novelty and a stronger preemptive attack, since there were no places to jump or fly to.  Squid Kids were easily Zapped.  Coralossus was a regular enemy in this place after being a boss of Grotto della Fonte.  Brollyminators were menacing umbrellas that were too easy to be worth mentioning.  Miasmas were just a recolor of Smogs.  Mermen had high HP but were also simple.  Gnawchids were flowers that liked to make the party dance, and their rewards weren't worth the trouble of battling them.  Veronica grew to Level 20 after some of these fights.


Puerto Valor was allegedly a Spanish town judging by the silly accent, but the architecture looked more Greek to me.  A recipe list unlocked Cute Cap, Bonny Band, Pretty Pinnie, and Dainty Dress.  One rumor about a "strange column of light" in the sea said that it led to a "hidden underwater kingdom" when "the power of the sea deity cannot be contained".  Puerto Valor had the Mini Medal reward desk.  Instead of a kingdom, it was connected to a faraway girl's school.  The prize for 5 stamps was the Shield Bearer, which Veronica equipped to gain some Defence and a tiny block chance.


Servante the servant in Don Rodrigo's Villa said the buyer of the Rainbough was sailing to Octagonia, which was close to Zwaardsrust in the east.  Another conversation revealed that Hendrik was originally a Zwaardsrust refugee before becoming a knight of Heliodor. 


One of the loopholes in this playthrough may be the casino.  The Draconian Quest forbids regular shops, but doesn't seem to object to buying tokens.  This is funny to me, because at least in the US, tokens are a common way for establishments to get around anti-gambling laws.  I have bad memories of trying to get casino equipment in my Human Only run of Dragon Quest 5, so hopefully it will be less painful in Dragon Quest 11.  Getting Floral Coral from a Coralossus for a husband of a materialistic woman got FREEGAN the recipe for Beastly Bullwhip.  The problem with getting so many recipes right now was that I didn't have the materials for any of them.


Supposedly, one Pastword for Tickington is in Gondolia.  It's close to the end of the list, so maybe it's behind the locked door?  The last stop before ending the session was The Emerald Coast, at the campsite north of Kingsbarrow.  Wonder if I could sneak back into Heliodor?


No need for an equipment section, since not much has changed from before.


Achievements

Anchors Aweigh!:  Board the Salty Stallion for the 1st time
Practised Pummeller:  Win 250 battles
Something for a Rainy Day:  Put 10,000 gold in the bank

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Dragon Quest 11 No Shopping Part 12:  Horse Racing for Crafting Materials


A gate blocked the way to the open ocean, so the only destination left was Zwaardsrust.  The sea has true random encounters, unlike the visible monsters found in the rest of Dragon Quest 11.  FREEGAN grew to Level 21 after one of these fights.  The endgame move for Whips is Wyrm Whip, probably the successor to Dragon Quest 8's Twin Dragon Lash.  Sylvando didn't have enough skill points to take it.  The best Abilities have to be acquired by taking several panels around them as well.


Zwaardrust's countryside is probably inspired by the Netherlands with its windmills.  Instead of a town, it had the Warrior's Rest Inn where I could heal and save the game.  There was also a Pastword for Tickington, specifically Erdrick's Future Home in the Altar of Salvation.  A bard sang about the Purple Orb, which was probably located in the Zwaardsrust ruins to the northeast.  Zwaardsrust itself was inaccessible without the Magic Key.  A recipe book in the Warrior's Rest Inn unlocked Steel Broadsword, Soarin' Steel, Steel Shield, Steel Helmet, and Full Plate Armour.  Silver Ore was the missing ingredient for most recipes here.  "Steel" in Dragon Quest must be a different kind of alloy than on Earth.


Grim Gryphons reappeared as an easy regular enemy in Zwaardsrust's fields, and Great Sabrecats were another anticlmactic encounter after they killed Erik and FREEGAN earlier in the game.  Erik and Serena to 20, and Serena learned Tingle. 


Octagonia the next city was located in the rocky region of Dundrasil to the north of Zwaardsrust.  Defeating some Grublins and a Jargon (palette swap of Jarvis) rose Sylvando to Level 20 and taught him Woosh.  This should not have been as relevant as it would later become.  His version of Woosh could combine with FREEGAN's Frizz to form the Pep Power attack Frizzwhizz, a fire tornado.  Fandangow was a stronger cactus enemy, and FREEGAN's Cutting Edge could deal with the axe-wielding Hoods.  Horknight was an upgrade to the "bee-rider" type, and could be used as a mount to cross water.


Veronica learned Sizzle at Level 20, which was nice since she was due for a second tier attack spell.  She took Fire and Earth Resistance +20% with skill points and learned that the supreme skill of the Vim tree was Channel Anger, a buff to magic power similar to Oomph for physical attackers.


Octagonia's architecture was an octagon-shaped fortress tower.  Inside the tower were many characters promoting a "mixed martial arts" tournament.  Mixed martial arts in Dragon Quest probably means "fireballs and swords are legal".  Erik hated Octagonia from the start since they had a statue of Hendrik.  For some reason, there was a save statue instead of a church.


I had enough materials to forge a Dainty Dress +1 for Serena, giving her a dramatic improvement in Defence.  I took a detour to Erdrick's Future Home in this short prequel to Dragon Quest 3, and found out that everyone said Ortega was "uncouth", a "boor", or "as poor as a church mouse".  "And that sword-well it was the cheapest model I had, and that was years ago".  The residents of Aliahan were under a curse, and only Defuddle Drops from "the heavens where the angels live" could cure them.  This was an obvious clue to visit the Observatory from Dragon Quest 9 and talk to Pavo.  (What kind of angel is named after the Spanish word for "turkey"?)


Archfiend's Acolyte had disguised itself as one of the residents, and turned into its true form once its plan was foiled.  Archfiend's Acolyte wanted to be annoying rather than dangerous, so it spent a lot of time casting Dazzle to blind the party and put them to sleep with its eyes.  Veronica tried Sap and Spooky Aura at first, then settled for Sizzle.  Serena was the main offense for a while with Woosh when everyone else was asleep.  Sylvando tried Hypnowhip at first then gave up and cast Woosh when Dazzled.  FREEGAN wanted to try Cutting Edge, but Zap was the only reliable move when Dazzled. 


Due to the separate 2D coding, the tutorial explained Pep Up for a second time.  Sylvando cast Frizzwhizz for damage like high roll Zap when he had his chance, but it was Zap that sent Archfiend's Acolyte back to hell.  


FREEGAN spent the rest of the session horse racing in Gallopolis to collect Silver Ore, and then forging a Steel Broadsword +3 and a Steel Shield +2.  His new weapon was weaker than his best Greatsword, but it was nice to have extra Defence from the shield.  FREEGAN purchased Resilience +10 and Agility +10 in the Luminary skill tree since there was no Sword Ability that was really worth the cost right now. 


If Erik will have a niche later in the game, it will probably involve Boomerangs since no one else has them.  They attack all enemies at once, useful in an RPG like this where enemies in the field tend to attack in swarms.  Boomerang also has a move for killing metal enemies if I'm correct. 


Equipment


FREEGAN

Steel Broadsword +3
Steel Shield +2
Feathered Cap +3
Iron Armour +2
Traveller's Hood
Gold Bracer


Sylvando

Rosewhip +2
Feathered Cap +3
Iron Cuirass +3
Gold Chain
Strength Ring


Veronica

Wizard's Staff +3
Feathered Cap +3
Silk Robe +3
Enchantress's Gloves +3
Shield Bearer


Serena

Pixie Pole
Gold Platter +3
Feathered Cap +3
Dainty Dress +1
Devil's Tail
Enchantress's Gloves +3



Achievements

Monster Masher:  Kill 700 monsters

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Dragon Quest 11 No Shopping Part 13:  Spider Steroids


The first prize for the MMA (Masked, not Mixed!) tournament was the Rainbough, while second prize was the Yellow Orb.  Would they hand both of them over to the party like the prizes in the Gallopolis horse race?  As of the end of this part, I still don't know.


Each team in the Masked Martial Arts tournament was a pair.  FREEGAN's team was the In-Vince-ibles since he had Vince the previous champion on his side as an invincible AI guest.  The first opponents were the Underdigger and the Abominable Showman.  The latter was always sticking out his tongue.  Vince fought with claws that functioned like a dual wield weapon:  he once hit the Underdigger for 14+8.  Propeller Blade was the special move that hit a little harder.  Abominable Showman seemed more dangerous, so FREEGAN targeted him first.


Abominable Showman created clones of himself, but Zap was able to dispel them.  His Pep Up combination with the Underdigger was Bums Away, which made them jump back to back, them slam their butts on Vince and FREEGAN for 62-65 damage.  It was probably Vince that killed Abominable Showman.  Underdigger himself was a simple physical attacker, though FREEGAN was lucky that Vince took a 79 critical hit for him.  The Luminary's healing spells allowed FREEGAN to outlast and kill Underdigger with a regular 30 hit when Pepped Up.


A woman named Jade easily defeated Erik with her kicks in a cutscene and knocked the thief out of the tournament.  Veronica put her hands on her hips and accused him of being "love-struck" and "weak at the knees".  Jade warned the party to keep an eye on Vince, since many fighters had mysteriously disappeared in Octagonia.


Vince was an "uncle" in the Japanese RPG sense to an orphanage, which he supported with his prize money.  After a rest, Vince and FREEGAN had to confront Sinderella and Whambelina the Beaty Queens.  I knew Sinderella had to die first since she wielded a wand.  Wizards are always more troublesome than swords and shields.  The first attempt was lost when Sinderella cast a 73 damage Frizzle at FREEGAN.  The way the story justified my defeat was that Vince was so good that he could fight both opponents to a draw, forcing a rematch.  It seemed I had to level up. . .


. . .But why power level when you can try some silly tactics involving the guest character?  Vince was invincible, and Dragon Quest enemies could run out of MP.  FREEGAN spent most of the fight casting healing spells, and sometimes attacking if his HP was high enough.  He had equipped the Gold Rosary for extra Magical Might and Magical Mending at the expense of a few Defence points.  Besides Frizzle, Sinderella liked to cast Sizzle.  Her Pep Up combination with Whambelina was Smokin' Hot Slash that singed FREEGAN for 50.  Whambelina sometimes blew kisses at FREEGAN and Vince to try to make them waste turns while "enthralled".  As predicted, Sinderella ran out of MP before the Luminary.  A default 28 power Attack from FREEGAN struck down Whambelina and won the battle.


The 3rd match was the surprise team of Sylvando Sterling Silva and the boomerang wielding Golden Boy.  Sylvando blew kisses as well, but unlike Whambelina's, they dealt around 44 damage and inflicted poison.  Sylvando was durable and restored about 28 HP whenever he attacked with Miracle Slash.  Sylvando's fire breath didn't happen often, but once scorched FREEGAN for 10+12+16.  Golden Boy struck with moves like Twomerang that only hit FREEGAN for 11+7 even with Pep Up.  


Golden Boy was the first target since he couldn't drag out the fight with Miracle Slash.  A Propeller Blade flip from Vince defeated the boomerang slinger, and Vince's normal attack caused Sylvando to faint.  Poison didn't affect the battle much at all since it only drained single digits of HP per round.


Jade and her Scottish accented partner Rab were the final rival team in the tournament.  I targeted Jade at first due to her prowess in cutscenes, but Rab was the real danger.  Jade's Vacuum Smash flip kicked FREEGAN for around 45, and Harvest Moon was another flip for 46.  Rab could cast the common darkness spell Zam, or worse, Midheal.  Sometimes he would try Crackle as well to give FREEGAN 56 damage hypothermia. 


Rab and Jade's Pep Up combo was Black Boot where he enchanted her kick with darkness, but most of its hits went to Vince rather than the Luminary.  Jade's "leg sweep" tripped FREEGAN and made him lose a couple of turns.  Jade was the first to fall when Rab lost most of his MP.  He had to resort to whacking FREEGAN with his club (?) for 11.  Since Rab was easy now, FREEGAN cast Zap until he won the tournament.


Rab joined the party as a guest after Jade vanished from Octagonia.  Vince had passed out after drinking one too many vials in his "pre-fight ritual".  The orphanage was inconveniently built on top of Caverns Under Octagonia, infested with the undead and spider webs.  Dracolytes were merely upgraded Drackies, and Toxic Zombies were stronger Walking Corpses.  Clockwork Cuckoos were a variation of Mecha-Mynahs that died to one Zap.  


There were some monsters who made their debut in Caverns Under Octagonia.  Trolls had high HP, and one killed Serena with a single smash with its spiked club.  Veronica's Sap lowered its Defence and Sylvando's Hypnowhip made it waste multiple turns while confused.  Trolls weren't worth fighting, and Dragon Quest 11 dungeons were so wide that the party could easily dash around monsters when they wanted to conserve HP and MP.  I wonder if random encounters are used in the 2D version of the game like in the Tickington quests.  That change alone would make the game more challenging if it's true.


The most important monster was the Deadnaut, but not because it was dangerous.  Rather, it was because they dropped Big Bones needed to craft the Soarin' Steel boomerang.  Sometimes they fought alongside Toxic Zombies, or Shadow Ministers who tried to silence party members.  The Big Bones were easy enough to acquire, and the Soarin' Steel +3 increased Erik's Attack to a viable 94.  He reset his skill points and put them all into the Boomerang tree.  He purchased Attack Power When Wielding +5, as well as several moves.  Ooze Bruiser was a prerequisite that had an attack bonus against Slime family monsters.  Metalicker could be used against Metal Slimes.  Twomerang was the move I had Erik use for the rest of this session.  Power Throw could avoid the diminishing returns per enemy hit.


One treasure chest was a Cannibox, the first mimic of the game.  It killed Erik with a 133 strength critical, and the rest of the team had to avenge him with Sap and physical attacks.  The reward was a Seed of Skill for a bonus skill point.


Vince's vial was actually a liquid produced by an evil talking spider called Arachtagon.  Vince would deliver fighters to Arachtagon so he could wrap them up in his web, and give Vince some of their essence in a potion.  Vince rationalized his actions by saying he was doing it for the orphans, but this convinced neither the party, Jade, nor Rab.  Hendrik had once wounded Arachtagon in a fight long ago, making him the hero of Octagonia.


Arachtagon was superior to the party in every way.  His default attack could hit for up to 64 plus the stronger version of poison called "envenomated".  Other moves had him disable multiple party members for a few turns with his webs, and a "ferocious volley of stings" that hit the entire team for up to 62 damage and decrease their Defence.  Kafuddle usually failed to confuse the team.  Even with Rab's assistance via spells like Midheal and Zing, there was no way the heroes could win with levels 20-22.  Sylvando didn't last long when he "took the stage" once everyone else died.


Time to look for some more Metal Slimes, or at least train in Caverns Under Octagonia for a while.  Erik performed well in the failed Arachtagon battle with 56+50 Twomerangs while Sap was active, so he'll remain in the active party.


Achievements


Amateur Monsterologist:  Kill 100 different kinds of monster.  (Palette swaps are cheating, Square Enix!)
Moneymaker:  Earn a total of 25,000 gold