Dragon Quest

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Dragon Quest 11 No Shopping BONUS 9:  Repeated Side Quests


Malicious Boreal Serpent annihilated the party with the same moves as in the "World of Ruin", and everyone may have to grow to at least the late 70s to defeat it.  Erik's Half-Inch was useful for stealing the items necessary to craft new equipment.  Serena got a Sacred Raiment +2 and Sacred Circlet +3, Sylvando got Glad Rags +2, Hendrik got Field Marshal's Finery +3 and Field Marshal's Footwear +3.  Rab inherited the Elevating Shoes +1 because he needed the Agility.


At first I thought Sellma in Quester's Rest might be exempt from No Shopping since she showed me her items, but then she remembered FREEGAN was on a Draconian Quest.  In Trodain Castle in Altar of the Cursed King, Ishmahri from Land of the Moonshadow said visitors were trapped there because a monster had caused eternal daylight.  FREEGAN found a book called Look, No Pants! for Jessica.


Dayle the wizard had cast Tick-Tock to prevent night from falling.  His Fizzle failed to silence anyone, but a critical Kafrizz hit Rab for 305.  Dayle would later cast Kacrack.  Jade powered up with Re-Vamp, Rab cast Sap, Erik Divided, and FREEGAN used Gigagash.  To take advantage of Sap, FREEGAN switched to Falcon Slash and Jade used Crushed Ice.  Erik used the Pep Up power Falcon's Fury instead of Critical Claim, but this wasn't nearly as strong. Erik died, and Jade used Whacky Sack with Rab.  FREEGAN blocked one Kafrizz with his shield, but a second 277 Kafrizz killed him.  Rab revived Erik with Kazing.  A 1348 strength Critical Claim eliminated Dayle and brought night back to Trodain Castle.  The reward was a Shamshir of Light for Sylvando.


Look, No Pants! wasn't an Allure based book like I expected.  Instead, it turned Jessica into a bad comedian:  "Hi everyone, and welcome to Jessica's Giggle-a-Minute Gag-o-Rama!  Are you ready for a real rib-tickler?  What did Alistair like to wear when he had a bad hair day?  Wait for it. . .a brotherhood, of course!  Get it!?  'Brotherhood'!  My brother--wearing a hood!  Ha ha ha!" 


(In case any of you are wondering, the original joke behind the name Herman Gigglethorpe is that he's the "straight man" instead of the comedian.)


The correct personality book was The Girl's Own Annual from Quester's Rest, which turned Jessica back into her Dragon Quest 8 self.  The reward was the Goddess Whip, which would have been good for Sylvando if any of his weapon skill trees were decent.  It's a shame that the best character in the story fares the worst in combat.  The Dragon Quest 8 hero statue appeared at the altar.


As I suspected, Irwin was still undead because FREEGAN had erased the timeline where he was saved.  Instead of having to reenact the fall of Dundrasil, the developers were kind enough to have the party fight Malicious Gloomnivore right away.  Jade followed her Re-Vamped + Crushed Ice routine, Rab was the healer, and Erik used Divide combos.  Veronica either decreased the boss's stats or cast a Channel Anger powered Kafrizzle.  Erik went to the bench when he was at critical HP, and both Jade and Rab died.  Malicious Gloomnivore cast Kasnooze, cast Kazammle, used a dark breath attack, and used Oomphle to strengthen physical attacks.


Hendrik, FREEGAN, and Serena entered the front lines.  Hendrik spent much of the fight asleep, while FREEGAN cast Kazap.  Blunt actually worked for a change when Veronica cast it to lower Malicious Gloomnivore's Attack.  Serena restored HP with Omniheal.  After a Sap, FREEGAN struck with Falcon Slash.  Hendrik woke up long enough for an Unbridled Blade.  A critical Falcon Slash for 540+451 defeated Malicious Gloomnivore and won the party the prizes of Princess's Pledge, Irwin's Helm, and Irwin's Armour.  Princess's Pledge was a key item that didn't do anything yet.  Irwin's Helm was worth equipping, but the armor was weaker than what FREEGAN already wore.


In Nautica, Queen Marina said the monster Bathysfear "plies his devilry" on an island northeast of Zwaardsrust.  At first I thought she meant Insula Orientalis, but Bathysfear was near an islet that wasn't on the map.  Bathysfear was a giant humanoid foe with a double-bladed sword and a horned helmet.  He only took two actions per round rather than the three that some earlier bosses had.  At first Bathysfear was suspiciously easy.  He often did regular attacks or cast Kacrackle, which Serena could easily fix with Omniheal.  Jade fought as she always did against single targets, this time enhanced by the Pep Up power Re-Revamp. 


FREEGAN dodged one regular attack, only to be stunned by a critical 354 followup.  Inferno Slash was weaker at around 210 damage.  Veronica cast Sap and later Channel Anger + Kafrizzle.  Kafrizzle was dualcast on one lucky occasion.  The party used Brownie Boost to increase their stats, and FREEGAN opted for Falcon Slash.  Then Bathysfear started to take the fight seriously.  His "series of slashes" murdered Jade, FREEGAN, and Veronica before Serena could Omniheal them.  Never trust the Agility stat in Dragon Quest 11!  This is one of those RPGs where turn order is partially random.


Hendrik, Rab, Serena, and Erik were the backup team.  Bathysfear started to cast a wind spell called Maelstrom for around 180-204 damage to the whole party.  Hendrik dealt a feeble 7 damage with his Unbridled Blade, so he was swapped out for dead Veronica!  Rab died early to a 255 strength Kacrackle, and Hendrik was back on duty to take hits if nothing else.  Erik's Divide + Critical Claim destroyed Bathysfear and saved Nautica.


Queen Marina gave FREEGAN the Sea Queen's Conch, which would alert him about towns that still had major quests to do.  He also regained the ability to turn into a fish in Nautica, which allowed him to get the Sage's Stone item, which would restore the party's HP without consuming MP.  The old man in Gondolia who wanted to see the Sage's Stone gave FREEGAN some obsolete crafting recipes.  I have no idea why developers put inferior equipment in the postgame. 


Maybe I'll try Sylvando's quest for Puerto Valor next.  Will he finally get upgraded skill trees, or will he remain the weakest character in Dragon Quest 11?


EDIT:  Dragon Quest 11 players seem to have adopted the practices of Xenoblade 1 fans.  Mechon Fiora in Xenoblade 1 is referred to as Seven to avoid spoilers, and Hendrik's nickname is Eight.

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Dragon Quest 11 No Shopping BONUS 10:  In Which Sylvando Finally Learns Useful Abilities


FREEGAN forged a Magic Shield +3 for Sylvando, got a Pep Pop from Mistress Bev in downtown Heliodor, and then set out for Kingsbarrow.  Two metal cyclops named Tweedledoom and Tweedledeath waited in the altar room, and fought as you'd expect.  Hendrik drank the Pep Pop to kill Tweedledoom with the first Executioner, and a later Pep Up brought down Tweedledeath.  Sylvando was annoyed at the lack of treasure, but Don Rodrigo taught him and Hendrik some new skill trees.  Sylvando got Chivalry, and Hendrik got Fraternity.


Chivalry included Grand Stand for Attack and Defence boosts, Whipping Boy to take hits for other characters, Finger of Justice as a single target attack, and +20 Resilience.  The best move of them all turned out to be Ladies First, which allowed Sylvando to give his turn to any female character.  In Dragon Quest 11, women tend to be more useful than men.  Jade hits single targets with her spear or wipes out groups with Pink Tornado.  Serena heals and can increase the party's defenses or Agility.  Veronica can decrease the enemy's stats, cast Oomphle to increase someone's Attack, or act as an offensive mage.  In this context, you can think of Ladies First as the Quick spell from Final Fantasy. Fraternity's main benefit for Hendrik was Forbearance, a move that takes hits for the whole party.


In Lonalulu, the residents were sad that Kai had distracted monsters to save the town's fishermen.  He was being attacked by monstrous mermen (no relation to mermaids!) on the Strand, and Michelle was alive for no apparent reason.  She had dissolved BEFORE the party went to Arboria, so she should be dead in the new timeline!  Malicious Merking had about four Malicious Mermaniac allies, and the only way to avoid being swarmed was to use all-target moves.  Veronica cast Kaboomle, Jade whirled in a Pink Tornado, and FREEGAN jolted the monsters with Gigagash.  Jade was the replacement for Veronica since the sorceress had been Fizzled early in the fight.  Sylvando passed on his actions to Serena, who healed and cast Acceleratle. 


Malicious Merking often cast Kacrack, summoned pillars of water to hit the party, or used regular attacks.  Pink Tornado killed the first wave of Malicious Mermaniacs, but Malicious Merking was not defenseless without them.  He cast Kazing to revive one ally each turn.  A later Pink Tornado destroyed every foe.  Lonalulu's Kahuna gave the Pirate King's Cap as a reward for saving Kai, which gave significant increases for Erik's Agility, Charm, and Defence.


In Arboria, FREEGAN received the Rusty Sceptre, originally Serenica's wand the Sceptre of Time.  The only way to repair it was to look through the books of Drustan scattered throughout Erdrea.  I'd seen some of them before, but I'll look up their locations online since I am NOT going to search every bookshelf in the game manually.


The Yggdrasil seedling in Angri-La showed a montage of Erdwin forging a sword at Mt. Huji.  The problem was that FREEGAN already did this before!  Erdwin looked a lot like Dragon Quest 3's hero.  Finding the three volumes of Ye Wizard's Canticle in the Royal Library increased Rab's Magical Might and Magical Mending by 50!


Grand Master Pang was alive in the new timeline, and spanked Rab with the Naughty Stick when his copy of Ogler's Digest fell out of his clothes.  The new Angri-La trial was the Wheel of Harma, a gauntlet of enemies that granted more item and recipe rewards if cleared within a certain number of turns.  The full party couldn't be used for every round:  some were solo fights, while others used two or three characters.  I got through the first three trials, but the attempt at the fourth was a failure.  Wheel of Harma 4 is badly designed.  One of the rounds has all metal monsters, and metal killing moves other than Critical Claim have low accuracy.  So turn count depends on luck even if you have a good team.


Malicious Auroral Serpent obliterated the party in the next attempt, and another leveling session at Mt Huji was required.  There are some ways to deal with this boss, like equipping paralysis-resistant accessories or using Serena's elemental hymns to guard against Kasizzle, but Malicious Auroral Serpent hits so hard that even tactics may not be enough.  During this failed attempt I found out Pearly Gates was a physical attack, since it had a regular critical chance.


Seeds of Skill would do no good sitting there in my inventory, so I gave a few to FREEGAN and Rab.  FREEGAN learned Blade of Ultimate Power, a single target attack for 48 MP in the Swordmastery tree.  Rab learned Kacrackle in the Enlightenment tree.  Kacrackle was quite useful for clearing out the non-metal enemies in Mt. Huji.  By the end of the power leveling for today, the team was at Level 73-79.  Veronica and Erik were highest and Serena was lowest. 


One thing I'll say in Dragon Quest 11's favor over other installments is that attack magic is effective!  Veronica routinely kills parties of enemies.  Borya and Maya's offensive magic is weak in Dragon Quest 4 DS from what I remember, and Jessica in Dragon Quest 8 PS2 is better off buffing others' Attack with Oomph than casting spells at foes.


Achievements


Silver Medalist:  Find 50 Mini Medals

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Dragon Quest 11 No Shopping BONUS 11:  Dungeon Recycling


FREEGAN forged a Sun Crown +3 and a Pallium Regale +3, which finally allowed Rab to look like the king he was.  Rab also learned Kazammle from the Enlightenment skill tree, but has not yet cast it.  FREEGAN forged a Full Moon Ring +3 so Serena could resist paralysis, and reworked Irwin's Helm to +3 for himself.  Erik's Pirate King Cap only went up to +1.


Learning Big Banga was a waste of skill points, as FREEGAN's new Ability only hit Malicious Lava Lamplings for 145-161.  Big Banga may have be a fire move that enemies in Mt. Huji resisted, but it could have been better than that!  Even with the team in the high 70s-80s, they stood no chance against Malicious Auroral Serpent.  According to some comments online, even players with level 99 parties have trouble with this optional boss.


Everyone learned information about Erdwin's adventures from the Yggdrasil seedlings in Laguna di Gondolia-Whale Way Station and Zwaardsrust-Whale Way Station.  In one vision, the Seer briefly turned Veronica back into her adult self, though she kept her braids and red outfit to distinguish herself from Serena.  Both Serena and Veronica turned into a tree, which showed a vision of Erdwin's companion Morcant literally stabbing him in the back.  In a plot twist that everyone saw coming due to the "mor" syllable in their names, it was revealed that Morcant was Mordegon.  What I hadn't figured out was that Morcant's "good side" was the Seer.  Apparently Calasmos's temptation of power was too much for Morcant, and in that moment all hopes of destroying the Dark One were gone.  Serenica imprisoned Calasmos in Erdwin's Lantern, stored the Sword of Light in Yggdrasil's heart, and eventually became the Timekeeper after failing to go back in time.


The party received the Wheel of Time needed to enter the Tower of Lost Time from Eegoltap the Watcher elder.  Serena and Veronica played the "flight music" from Dragon Quest 8 on the Cetacea summoning flute and gave the flying whale the armor she needed to reach Calasmos.  Cetacea thought the party wasn't ready for the final fight yet and suggested that they visit Drustan's Labyrinth in the ruins of Zwaardsrust to prepare.


Drustan's Labyrinth itself was just a remix of old areas with Vicious tier enemies, darker skies, and new treasure chests.  To get to Trial Isle, the party had to revisit a version of Snaerfelt.  Trial Isle itself was a remake of Havens Above, and instead of the Guiding Light temple, there were three seedlings that led to different trials.  The Disciple's Trial was the first, and it took place in Cruel Crypt (Cryptic Crypt) and Eerie Valley (Eerie Eyrie).  By now the party was officially overleveled, and enemies would flee from FREEGAN on the map.  The only significant monster battle was a Vicious Mimic that dropped a Seed of Skill, and even that was weak compared to the Mega Mimic in Other Side.


I suspect the reason for the Vicious rather than Malicious enemies is to allow the player to get crafting ingredients that they missed in the "World of Ruin" timeline.  Eerie Valley had several significant treasure chests, like a Devilry Drinker shield for FREEGAN, 3 Mini Medals, and recipes for weapon upgrades.  The only one I had the ingredients for was the Stud Poker for Jade that increased her Attack from 518 to 550.  Supernova Sword for Erik will be possible later when I get Evencloth.  Drustan's Helm for Hendrik was in Eerie Valley's cave for no reason, and that gave him +20 Defence, +15 HP, and +42 Charm.  Drustan knew Hendrik was from Zwaardsrust as soon as he looked at him.


The trial itself was a two sword boss called Blind Hatred that the party had to kill within 25 actions.  Since everyone had to deal a lot of damage quickly, FREEGAN, Jade, Erik, and Serena formed the front line.  FREEGAN used Blade of Ultimate Power for 688+ damage, Erik tried his Divide + Critical Claim combo, Serena kept everyone healthy with Multiheal, and Jade powered up with Re-Vamp.  Jade attacked with a new 7 hit move called Multifeet from the Fisticuffs tree that kicked for 733.  Multifeet is supposed to be spread over a group of enemies, but if you can concentrate on a single target. . .


Blind Hatred cast Kazammle on a single character for 288 or "lashed out" against the team for around 305.  It also summoned a shadow clone like the Spectral Sentinel in Heliodor Castle that cast Oomphle.  Critical Claim destroyed the real Blind Hatred and Blade of Ultimate Power smote the shadow.


Drustan congratulated FREEGAN with a "Thou didst!" and said he conquered the trial with only 15 actions.  He was given a list of choices under "I wish I. . ."


-had a super powerful weapon!
-could enter a top-level horse race!
-had a copy of the Ogler's Digest!
-could change Serena's hairstyle!
-could pick someone to stay with me forever and ever!


The last option was "I don't want anything", but this was too trite a moral for my tastes.  I wanted the weapon and I wanted it now!  Drustan cheated FREEGAN out of that by giving him a recipe book for the Supreme Sword of Light that required ingredients he didn't have.  As a consolation prize, Drustan also surrendered a Seed of Sorcery.  Maybe FREEGAN would have been better off giving Serena a haircut, which would somehow boost all her stats to the maximum. 



Next up is the Sage's Trial.
    


Achievements


Salutary Luminary:  Activate 40 skill panels for Luminary
Star of the Stage:  Activate 40 skill panels for Sylvando
Career Criminal:  Activate 40 skill panels for Erik
Grand Commander:  Activate 40 skill panels for Hendrik
Champ-Trampler:  Activate 40 skill panels for Jade
Superstar Spellcaster:  Activate 40 skill panels for Veronica
Still Going Strong:  Activate 40 skill panels for Rab
Master of the Skies:  Give Cetacea her armor

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Dragon Quest 11 No Shopping BONUS 12:  Million Dollar Sword


Sage's Trial had maze remix areas called Fierce Forest (First Forest) and Hoarder's Keep (Gyldenhal).  Fierce Forest's gimmick was that the teleporter to the next area was just below the start.  "Tis said that the things closest to us are oft those quickest overlooked.  The path to the exit may lie far from the exit itself".  Besides treasure, there was one reason to stick around in Fierce Forest:  it was the best leveling location in the game!  Fierce Forest was home to Vicious Hardy Hands.  The reward for killing several of them in one fight was 365,361 experience, when normal types usually gave well under 10,000.  This was enough to boost Hendrik and Erik by 3 levels, and they weren't lagging behind the rest of the party.


Hoarder's Keep was an annoying area where FREEGAN had to walk the long way around pits blocking the exit.  One recipe there gave a Crown of Eternity +3 to Veronica.  She also got a Shining Staff, which was immediately remade into a Brilliant Staff.  Papillon Mask was an old recipe, but I made a couple for a later battle.  An encounter with a Vicious Metal Dragon and Mechan-o'-wyrm nearly killed the party when they combined their powers with a Back Fire blast.  One chest had Drustan's Shield for Hendrik. Sage's Trial's challenge was to kill Unfathomable Anger within 30 actions, an excuse to fight a renamed Alizarin.  Even its red mist defensive debuff failed to stop the party, and Multifeet kicked it for 1069 on the 21st action.  This time, the wish was for the horse race to be unlocked.



Luminary's Trial took place in Citadel of Spire, a mirrored version of Fortress of Fear where FREEGAN had to descend rather than ascend.  Citadel of Spire had one of the last Pastwords, this one for Cave Leading to Rendarak in Altar of the Legendary Line.  Rendarak is actually the new translation for Rhone of Dragon Quest 2, one of the most feared locations in any Japanese RPG. 


Citadel of Fear had Metal King Slimes, but they all ran away before Erik could Critical Claim them.  Jade received a Sacred Spear +3 from a crafting recipe, upgrading her Attack from 567 to 600.  Erdwin's Coronet was a new helmet for FREEGAN in a treasure chest.  Pandora's Big Bad Box was not as threatening as its cousin from Other Side, and a 1519 Divide + Critical Claim forced it to cough up a Mini Medal and Pep Pop bottle.  Another chest had Drustan's Sword, a single-handed blade for Hendrik.  Erik got a Hell Sabre for his left hand.


Citadel of Fear's boss was Sheer Decadence and All-Consuming Greed.  The party was effectively fighting against Booga and Gyldygga at the same time.  FREEGAN, Rab, Serena, and Veronica took the lead.  Veronica powered up with Channel Anger then cast Kaboomle, FREEGAN aimed Gigagash at the ground, and Rab cast Kacrackle.  Serena spent a few turns dancing, and Sheer Decadence's "swirling cyclone" killed Rab.  Jade took Rab's place, and Kaboomle exploded on Serena since she was beguiled. 


All-Consuming Greed summoned a Vicious Gyldenbritches knight as backup and cast Kabuff on the enemy team.  Pink Tornado beguiled the Vicious Gyldenbritches just before Kaboomle caused it to burst.  All-Consuming Greed attacked FREEGAN and killed him, then turned Jade and Veronica into gold.  Kaboomle killed all of the bosses at once on the 16th action, proving you should never doubt Veronica.  This time the prize was the Ring of Changes to alter Serena's hairstyle.  I picked this as a joke since none of the prizes were necessary.


Hendrik changed his build to accommodate Drustan's Sword, and if he attacked at all, he would strike with the 4 hit Gryfalcon Slash from here on out.  Trial Isle had the final Pastword for Tantegel Castle in the Altar of Origins.


Why is this post called Million Dollar Sword?  I was one Agate of Evolution short for creating the Supernova Sword as a sidearm for Erik, and I didn't feel like revisiting areas to get another one.  In Puerto Valor, Agates of Evolution cost 50,000 casino tokens, or 1,000,000 gold.  (Not exactly, since I had had 267 tokens left over from the slot machines in dungeons.)  It wasn't like I was going to spend it anywhere else.  There is no achievement for being a millionaire in Dragon Quest 11.  Was the Supernova Sword worth a million coins?  No.



Achievements


Expert Itemologist:  Collect 500 different items throughout the game
Pathfinder General:  Go everywhere in Erdrea
High End Healer:  Activate 40 skill panels for Serena

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Dragon Quest 11 No Shopping FINALE:  The Best Things In Life Are Free, Like Murdering Malicious Auroral Serpent


Malicious Auroral Serpent's final insult to FREEGAN and friends was killing Sylvando with a 325 regular attack on a failed attempt.  Erik and Serena equipped Papillon Masks +3 for Take 2, Serena put on a Meteorite Bracer to increase her Agility by 110, and FREEGAN inherited her old Full Moon Ring +3.  Except for the Meteorite Bracer, these items were meant to resist paralysis from the dragon's "burning breath".


Hendrik, Erik, Serena, and Veronica formed the front line.  Veronica Channeled Anger and tried Kafrizzle, only to realize that Kaboomle was better (1122 damage when boosted!) in spite of being an all-target spell.  Hendrik tried to defend the party with Forbearance, but this did nothing against the "black breath".  Hendrik was paralyzed early on, and both Erik and Veronica were too shocked to act for a bit.  Hendrik's Gyrfalcon Slash cut for 734 damage, impressive without any boosts from Oomphle or critical hits.  A Pepped Up Kasizzle charred Erik for 284 and killed him.  FREEGAN dragged his body to the back lines and entered the fray.  Serena cured Veronica and FREEGAN's paralysis with Tingle, and FREEGAN returned the favor with Omniheal.


If FREEGAN wasn't casting Omniheal, Serena was.  The advantage of having party members in the mid 80s to low 90s was that they could survive three actions if they were healthy enough.  FREEGAN's Blade of Ultimate Power jumped for 695.  But it was Veronica who slayed Malicious Auroral Serpent with a 770 Kaboomle!  Killing the dragon leveled up Veronica, Jade, and Sylvando.  The High-Born Blade from Frysabel was NOT worth the trouble, as it was a knife inferior to Erik's swords.


Cave Leading to Rendarak wasn't as bad as the real Cave to Rhone, but it had some reminders of NES dungeon design.  Most of the identical-looking tunnels led back to start, and there were many pits that FREEGAN had to climb out of.  FREEGAN had one trick that Midenhall, Cannock, and Moonbrooke didn't:  infallible Holy Protection.  The first few fights proved that combat was not worth the time and MP, especially since they didn't give much experience.  Erdrick's Restless Armour fell victim to Sap early in the battle.  FREEGAN used Blade of Ultimate Power and Jade kicked with Multifeet.  Rab's Kazammle only dimmed the fore for 115.  Erdrick's Restless Armour killed Veronica with a regular attack and Rab by brandishing his sword against the party.  Hendrik defended the survivors with Forbearance, and Serena tried Kabuff.  Kazap jolted Hendrik, and a Blade of Ultimate Power smote Erdrick's Restless Armour for 720. 


FREEGAN's level grew to 91 as a bonus, and the hero statue from Dragon Quest 2 appeared.  Tantegel Castle's quest was to bring Spectrum Nectar to Princess Gwaelin to allow the king to speak again, but it was implied that I'd have to beat the game to get it.  The quest was never completed.  (Notice how old names and titles for people like Erdrick, Midenhall, and Gwaelin are used, but place names are different?)


The team was at Level 86-93 when they finished the story.  Rab and Serena were lowest, and Erik and Veronica were highest.  Calasmos destroyed the party on the first attempt because I hadn't yet figured out what to do to beat him.  You're supposed to use the Super Sword of Light as an item, similarly to fighting Zoma in Dragon Quest 3, but I thought at first FREEGAN would have to hit him with an attack, like against Jasper.  The weird part was that this wasn't like a typical scripted loss.  The stats seemed legitimate, if meant for something like a Level 120 party.  For example, Divide + Critical Claim hit for 841.


After using Super Sword of Light, Calasmos's dark armor disappeared.  Calasmos himself had three parts:  the body called Calasmos, Calasmos's Claw, and Calasmos's Cannon.  FREEGAN tried Blade of Ultimate Power at first before I realized Gigagash was better.  A similar situation happened when Jade used Re-Vamp + Multifeet and later switched to Pink Tornado.  Serena was the designated healer, and Veronica used Channel Anger + Kaboomle.


Calasmos had a variety of attacks to injure the party.  One was a "great sweep with his enormous arm" for about 143 to the party, breathe ice for 138, and breathe fire for 120.  Sometimes Calasmos wasted one of his three actions on "guffaws ungraciously", like other Dragon Quest 11 villains.  A regular attack could hit for 282, and Kaswooshle blew for an average of 168 damage.  Calasmos's eye once gleamed and put Serena to sleep while FREEGAN was dead.  Darklings, the "dark Tockles", sometimes were summoned, and they attempted to pray to their boss.  Serena revived FREEGAN with Kazing, and all-target attacks killed the Darklings before they could finish their ritual.


When a Kaboomle blew off Calasmos's mask, Jade switched to Multifeet.  Serena fell asleep again and FREEGAN had to act as a substitute Omniheal caster.  Now Calasmos was starting to cast Kaboomle for an average of 286, and "pitch-black flames" breath singed the party for 168.  Disruptive Wave eliminated Acceleratle.  Once, Calasmos stopped time for everyone save Serena and summoned Darklings.  Serena tried Divine Restitution until the team went back to normal.  "Ferocious assaults" shot for 227, and a "murky mist" envenomated them. 


Calasmos tried to clinch his victory with a "final flame from the great beyond" that would hit the party within several turns.  The Super Sword of Light did nothing to stop it, but Kaboomle sent the fireball crashing back into Calasmos for a bonus 418 damage!  Jade asked "Fancy a whirlwind romance?" and swirled in a Pink Tornado for 392 damage, saving the world when Erdwin had failed.


FREEGAN moved back to Cobblestone in the ending and later revisited Yggdrasil with Serena and Veronica.  The true form of Yggdrasil, the Yggdragon, congratulated the three, giving FREEGAN the title of Erdrick.  Calasmos had once defeated Yggdragon in the past, and the Watchers and Tockles had to heal her.  Darkness would one day return, and even the Yggdragon feared she would one day become evil. 


The last scene was of a woman reading a book about the events of Dragon Quest 11, just before going to her son's room to wake her up.  It was implied that the son was Erdrick of Dragon Quest 3.  Whether the book was meant to be history (i.e. a prequel) or just a novel within Dragon Quest 3's world, the ending refused to mention.


Final Time:  92:41.  Not as massive as Xenoblade 3, but still long enough that I probably won't replay Dragon Quest 11 for a long time.


I expected No Shopping to be like the "Live Off the Land" challenges people sometimes play in Final Fantasy, but the two challenges aren't as similar as they seem.  Live Off the Land usually occurs in games where equipment is rare outside of shops.  Dragon Quest 11, while a conservative RPG by today's standards, is much more generous with weapons and armor.  The game emphasizes forging new equipment, and most ingredients can be found in combat or on the field.  Treasure chests with new items are also common.  Although I can't say for sure because most stores don't even let you see their inventory in No Shopping, the restriction doesn't feel like much of a loss even in the "harder monsters" version.  Even the casino (which is permitted) is unimportant compared to earlier installments like Dragon Quest 5 and 8.


EDIT:  It took me 64 hours or so to defeat Mordegon and end the "World of Ruin" arc.  So the postgame is almost 30 hours, enough for a shorter RPG on its own!