Dragon Quest IX

[sephir]

So how is the story so far? I know DQ games are not really known for great stories, but I'm kind of curious.


I've played IV and V and thought the story was rather bland. But the gameplay seemed very solid.

[Atreides]

having 3 party members you essentially make yourself combined with DQ's trademarked silent protagonist kinda makes for a main party that's pretty much forgettable, especially when compared to how strong some of the individual character stories were in previous games. I hope the main story picks up as time goes on but I've been having trouble getting into it

[arus2001]

So how is the story so far? I know DQ games are not really known for great stories, but I'm kind of curious.


I've played IV and V and thought the story was rather bland. But the gameplay seemed very solid.

Haven't gotten too far, myself.

Of things I went through so far...

Spoiler: show

- Get a bit of a crash course on being a Celestian/Guardian. Their haughtiness and "goal" is pretty big set up that things will backfire on them.
- Head back to your protectorate, do a few more good deeds for benevolessence, then go back home for shit to hit the fan as you offer them to Yggdrasil.
- You come to looking like a human, most think your name just coincidentally matches that of their guardian, but one girl thinks you are her.
- Events at the tree caused a landslide that you go to investigate with a villager.
- You see part of the Celestial Express (a train) crashed there that the villager literally can't see. Fairy driver sees you, but doubts you're Celestian and starts stalking you for a bit.
- Get to the landslide, find some soldiers from the neighboring kingdom are working to clear the path, but some woman who had been heading to your town went missing.
- Go back to town and report, the missing woman apparently being someone the girl who trusts you knows. So, you set out alone to save her.
- Find the woman, beat a boss, go to back to town. Woman tries to convince the girl to come back to her city to run an inn her dead father left behind.
- You see the ghost of her father, find a trophy at his hinting (The Inny), and show it to the girl to prove the woman's story. Girl decides to go while the fairy stalking you decides that maybe there is some truth to who you seem to be and starts following you out in the open.
- Head to the next city and find that after the earthquake (when tree went batshit) something called the Wight Knight started attacking the city. Some soldiers suggest he's undead. (With a name like that, duh...)
- You find out he wants the princess, but you make a deal to go in her place (this may be different if you're a male hero, dunno) to meet him. Fight ensues.
- After beating him, you learn he recently woke up after a long slumber and confused the princess for his fiancee from kingdom far away and forgotten. He agrees to leave the kingdom alone and heads off.
- Report back to the King, who doesn't believe the knight's story, but the princess pulls you aside later to say she heard of the kingdom the knight spoke of. She then sends you off to gather more info on it...

Which is about all I've done up until now. I also just made my party, which I'm unsure I could've done before fighting the knight or not (was a modestly rough fight solo at level 11 or 12). Obviously, not much "main story" looks to have taken place yet, but I can kinda see little pieces wiggling together already.

[Charismatic]

Yes, you can make your party before fighting the Knight.
I can hardly imagine trying to solo that guy, that definitely DOES sound rough.

[arus2001]

Had like 67 HP, so it was usually 2 rounds of attacking then curing depending on what he did. His multithrust is obviously the damaging move, and at one point I was in low single digits HP, but somehow I did it. The Coup de Grace about halfway through upping evasion certainly helped squeak in a bit more damage. He used a few multis during that time where I completely dodged one while the other landed 2-3 hits out of the 5.

[Arcien]

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=XC23BNCU

Thats where I got mine. Worked fine so far for me.

Need password for this please and thanks!

[Tyrath]

Oh woops, forgot it had a password. Its 'luelinks'

[Fistandantilus]

I really loved VIII, that's the only one I have played. I did all the extra content including the Dragovian Trials. Only thing I didn't do was get every single mini-medal, but I did get almost all of them. Definitely going to grab a rom for this, need something to fill my DS now that I'm done with FFIV

[arus2001]

omnommetalslimesinquarantomb.

They don't seem as prone to running like in past games, but I might've just been lucky. Spent about an hour just chasing them around the area and got everyone to 20 before I left.

Kinda hating how EXP gets scaled down for lower level folks, but I guess leveling second+ classes will at least have the benefit of better gear.

[Rokku]

Metal Slimes never run if they're in groups with other monsters unless they're the last ones alive (at least not that I've ever seen from when they started showing up - DQIX), other than that they seem about as prone to running as ever when they're alone. Metal Slimes might run a little less, but everything from Metal Medleys on up will almost always run on the first turn if they're alone.

On the topic of metal slimes though, is it just me or does hunting them seem a lot less lucrative in IX than it has been in any other game? Random battles made finding them much less of a pain overall, and generally speaking they really don't give a whole lot more than regular enemies in an area anymore. Unless you're getting really lucky it takes more time just to find one than you'd spend killing other shit for the same amount of EXP.

[Charismatic]

Metal Slimes never run if they're in groups with other monsters unless they're the last ones alive

I can tell you for certain that this is not true! Also, the best way I've found to hunt metals is to go to an area where you the most enemies will spawn on your screen (they have set spawn points) and just stand there. Don't move. The enemies will not 'aggro' you if you aren't moving. Once again, just stand there... until a metal slime pops, that is!

[MisterBob]

Metal Slimes are just as likely to run when in groups, it's just luck.

And there's no way it's less lucrative.

In the Quarantomb, it would take 10-15 battles to equal one Metal Slime kill. Given that it only takes 2 minutes or so on average to find one, and if you have Thunder Thrust + Metal Slash it's almost always going to die, there's no way regular killing is even close.

[chazzyphizzle]

They all pale in comparison to the Metal King Slime or whatever, that guy was boss.

[Rokku]

I can tell you for certain that this is not true!

Like I said, was just based on personal experience, but I'm pretty certain that it lowers the chances of them running by quite a bit.

Also, for the Quarantomb yeah, maybe that's a bit better, but by the time you're around Swinedimples, running back to hunt Metal Medleys for like 200 more EXP than a regular kill just doesn't pay off. It'd be great if Metal slimes gave EXP regardless of level differences, but when you're going back to level lower level vocations, the gimped EXP just doesn't seem as worth it.

I haven't come across Liquid Metal or Metal Kings yet, they've always been the two most worthwhile ones to farm though.

[Charismatic]

I think Metal Kings are post-game only... or at least that's what I've heard.

[Lebzile]

Like I said, was just based on personal experience, but I'm pretty certain that it lowers the chances of them running by quite a bit.

I've had more run when in groups then when they are solo.

[Charismatic]

Pretty sure it is just randumb (though I would swear level has something to do with it 'cause when I'm low they always seem to bolt on the first turn... immediately, yet when I'm a higher they will stay a turn or two)

[MisterBob]

If anything, it would be the opposite. Enemies have increased chances to flee once you are a certain number of levels higher than them.

[Charismatic]

I'm not saying way higher... I really don't grind hardcore like some of you guys.
Basically somewhere within their general level range.

Honestly, anytime I encountered a metal slime at Lv1 it would run... I tried this about 30 times (huge waste of my time, and trust me... I was pissed off) then I leveled my guys to about 10 and came back and most of the time they'd stay 1 or 2 turns. I don't think you're quite right on this one Bob.

[Yuri-G]

I love all the random little shit in this game. I finished the Wight Knight quest and meant to continue on to the next town. a half-hour later, I'm still in Stornway, messing with alchemy and completing as many quests as I can, and I haven't even explored the upper floors of the castle yet to raid their barrels and boudoirs. you never know where people are gonna hide their herb... or their gold.