Beginners Quickstart Guide

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Revision as of 06:18, 11 December 2023 by Doublesoul (talk | contribs)
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Introduction

Welcome to the wonderful world of Dragon Quest X! If you’re new, you’re in the right place. Dragon Quest X is an MMORPG, or massively multiplayer online role-playing game, not unlike Final Fantasy XIV or RuneScape. However, the difference is that DQX is very much a Dragon Quest title with online components, instead of an online game that happens to be Dragon Quest. You will be navigating through the story, saving the world and unlocking greater power as you progress, just like in any other Dragon Quest title.

For MMO veterans: DQX uses a “turn-based” command system, where commands can be selected approximately every five seconds, with a higher Agility granting faster turns. There are no hotkeys for spells, so get used to memorizing where certain abilities are! You can remove unnecessary spells and skills from your battle menu, or reorganize it entirely. (Main Menu > Misc > Settings > Character > Battle Commands)

For Dragon Quest veterans: In DQX, you can move on the battlefield during combat, so positioning is important. Furthermore, you can shove enemies (and this is a genuine combat mechanic) to keep them from assaulting your backline. Larger enemies require more people or a specific Vocation to shove properly.

Below we’ve got a route to take to get you set up for success in DQX. This is not the only route, and you may do things out of order if you wish, but this route is optimized for those looking to hit all of the key points on their way through the game.

Getting Started

First and foremost, if you have not registered an account or downloaded the game, do that first. DQXAbbey has a very good, very precise guide that you need to follow to get setup. If you do not speak/read Japanese, it is highly recommended that you install DQXClarity as well for live translation.

This guide assumes that you have bought the game and are no longer a trial player. If you are a Trial player, you can still follow this guide, but be aware that you will be unable to progress or participate in certain quests or objectives.

Second, be aware that DQXClarity uses DeepL to live-translate the game, and machine translators are inherently kind of bad at translating Japanese to English. While there are some excellent hand-translated pieces courtesy of the DQXClarity team (primarily story quests, menu items, and phrases like “This quest has been transgressed with finesse!”), some parts of the game will lack the standard polish you’d find in a normal Dragon Quest release. This is not the developers fault, nor is it DQXClarity’s fault either — translation and localization are difficult and AI cannot do it at the level actual human translators can, so always keep a wiki tab open if you get lost.

Useful Links

The wiki websites you should be aware of, aside from Ethene, include:

  • Dorakue10 — A Japanese wiki. This has pretty much any and all info you could ask for…in Japanese. If you cannot read Japanese, you will need an addon for your browser that translates Japanese to English.
  • Draquex — A Dragon Quest X database. Use this for finding weapons, armor, and which monsters drop what.
  • DQJP Ten — Another Japanese wiki. This one was recommended specifically for questing, as the guides on it tend to be more precise than others.
  • DQ10 IKE — Another Japanese wiki. This one has more pictures and images if that’s more your speed, but also can be outdated.

Finally, be aware that as this is a Japanese online MMO, some things will be expected of you as an overseas player — never forget that you are a guest, as this game is not intended for overseas audiences. Do not spam local chat or party chat with English phrases — in fact, it’s probably better not to speak English in public at all. There are dedicated English “Teams” (guilds, free companies, etc.) that have no problem with English in Team Chat, but other JP players may find you annoying if you cannot communicate in Japanese.

Thankfully, there is a nifty text injection tool called “SendToChat” that you can use to cover the most basic of phrases, such as “Good luck” and “Thank you!” if you get invited to JP groups. This tool is also handy for clearing a few quests that require you to type out a phrase in-game, so it’s recommended you grab it.

If SendToChat is too much, you can also edit your common phrases using Hiroba, which is Dragon Quest X’s version of a Mogstation. Specifically, their Emote Preferences page (requires log-in.) Again, you’ll need a translation tool to navigate around, but once here you can edit things to your liking. Ask in the Discords for a list of common phrases to add.

With all of that said, let’s get into it! Your journey awaits!

Tutorial: The Hidden Village of Ethene

If you’ve never played Dragon Quest X before, we highly recommend completing the intro tutorial. It sets the stage for the rest of the game’s story, and also teaches you the basics of navigation, battle, and so on. It will run you approximately one hour to complete, and gives you an excellent feel for what the rest of the game will be like.

When you create your character, you must spell your name in Japanese. We recommend running your screen name through a Japanese tool and then selecting the appropriate kana — if you mess this up, you will have to pay 1100 yen to change your name via a paid service. If in doubt, ask in the Discords — someone may be willing to help!

Do not worry about grinding levels in this tutorial — your level will be reset at the end of it, and you will lose items you acquired (they’re all beginner items anyways, so no loss.) You only need to be around level 8 to 10 to clear the final encounter.

Version 1: Tale of the Five Awakened Races

How To Use This Guide // Basic Info

  • If a section header is in red, that means that the section is important and/or mandatory. You should read the section carefully for more information on what you should be doing.
  • If a section header is in green, that means that the section is optional at this stage of the game. It’s still recommended you read through the information and decide if it’s something you are interested in.

Race/Vocation Selection

After you complete the tutorial, you will be asked to select your chosen race from a list of five: Ogres, Weddies, Elves, Pukulipos, and Dwarves. This racial choice is final, but your choice ultimately matters little. Pick whichever race you like the most.

If you like Human the most, you will regain access to that form in short order, so don’t worry.

Once you’ve customized your race’s appearance, it will prompt you to select one of six Vocations (classes, jobs) — Warrior, Priest, Mage, Martial Artist, Thief, and Minstrel. These are the starting six Vocations, but you will eventually unlock the other 16 as you play.

You will be playing all of these Vocations at one point or another to level them up. This means that your initial selection matters little, so pick whichever one you like most — except Priest. Priests in particular have a rough time starting things off due to low offensive options — and in particular will struggle with enemies that have high Defense.

If you are looking for an easy way into the game, Thief, Minstrel or Warrior are solid first picks. Thief and Minstrel are good all-rounders, both having access to Heal, while Warrior has enough bulk to not eat dirt when fighting bosses (and also allows you to really give the shove mechanic a go.) Again, however, this matters extremely little, so pick whichever you like except Priest.

For those who are more endgame-minded, most Vocations, including the starting six, can be used in endgame content. As with most MMOs, this is not equal and some are clearly more prized than others, but generally speaking you will find a place in the party for your main Vocation (unless you are a Gadabout or Thief).

Server Selection, Tutorial Village

Once you have finalized your appearance, you will be booted back to the main menu. Select your character — the game will prompt you to select a server as well. Select either server 9 or 10, the ones marked New/Returning Players. Playing on either server 9 or 10 allows you to participate in Rookie Metal Slime Invasions, which are an excellent source of exp for alternate Vocations (more on this later.)

Upon entering the game and watching the opening cutscene, you will find yourself in your starting race’s village. Paths between the five races will converge soon enough, so for now explore your starting village at your leisure. Let’s take this time to get familiar with some core concepts of the game.

First off, NPCs with a pink name offer important information for you, while NPCs with a purple name offer a quest (these also appear on your map as an exclamation mark.) Be aware that sometimes NPCs with white names can still be important for quests. NPCs with a yellow name offer an important game mechanic, and talking with them will reward a mini medal the first time you talk to them.

Second, take a look at your map, and you should see some symbols. Get familiar with these symbols, as they highlight important shops and businesses in towns. This directory below will label them for you.

<image to come soon>

Main Story Quest and Progression

When you have had your fill of exploration, bring up your Main Menu (Square/X on controller, V on keyboard) — at the bottom of your menu, you should see a window that says “Walkthrough”:

<insert image here>

This is your primary story (Main Story Quest) and will be how you progress through the Episodes. With your Main Menu open, press the Triangle/Y button on controller, and this will show you your next destination on the map. If you are not currently on the same map as your objective, it will ask you if you wish to warp nearby — you can do this even if you haven’t visited the area yet. This will be known from now on as a Walkthrough Warp.

Be aware that as you progress further through the game, you will stop being offered warps if you haven’t been there yet and must navigate there on your own, so get used to reading the map and charting a course.

First Quest: Find a Zoomstone! (Level 1~10)

Your first quest involves recovering a Zoomstone. We’ll talk more about these later, but for now, that is your primary objective.

Before you leave your starting village, locate the Hat Clerk and Vehicle Clerk NPCs!
  • The Hat Clerk grants you the Angel Slime Cap, which gives triple exp up to level 99 so long as you wear it. Put it on and get used to it, you won’t be unequipping it for a while. The more recent Vocations (in terms of release date) are unable to benefit from this, so be aware!
  • The Vehicle Clerk gives you a Dolboard, which is DQX’s version of mounts. This is a rental, but you will eventually unlock one of your own. Dolboards can be summoned by holding the L1 button while in a field or dungeon, but not in cities or towns. You can engage or be engaged by monsters while riding a Dolboard, and upon exiting combat, you will immediately remount.

While you’re heading towards your quest objective, take out a few Slimes and gain some levels. You don’t need to go wild here, but try to get level 5. Now is a good time to talk about the Rookie Metal Slime Invasions.

Rookie Metal Slime Invasions

Every five hours, Rookie Metal Slimes will join all random encounters on servers 9 and 10. This event lasts 30 minutes. These Rookie Metal Slimes function like any other Metal Slime, in that they take zero spell damage, have 3 HP, and have high defense and evasion. They can run away, so focus them down immediately. They give approximately 1850 EXP per kill (with the Angel Slime Hat on), and is primarily how you will level alternate Vocations up to level 30.

If the Rookie Metal Slime Invasion is going on at any point during your playthrough, immediately drop what you are doing and go kill some Metal Slimes until your Vocation is level 30. You will receive a 10-minute warning prior to the event starting, and you can sign up for a reminder alert via the Dragon Quest X Worldwide Discord Server. If you do not wish to use Discord to track the timer, Hiroba has a schedule (scroll to the bottom.)

Treasure Chests and Items

While you murder Slimes with reckless abandon, or go off exploring the land, you may discover a Treasure Chest. If you are in a party, each party member will see their own Treasure Chest and can open it themselves, so there is no fighting over Chests.

There are several types of Treasure Chests, so familiarize yourself with their benefits below:

  • Brown Treasure Chests drop from monsters periodically upon defeat. They often contain crafting materials, but these do not often sell for much Gold. Considered the “Common Drop” chest.
  • Silver Treasure Chests drop from monsters periodically upon defeat. They contain upgraded gear — however, this gear cannot be sold or dismantled. You can, however, pick up the gear to add it to your Armor Encyclopedia, which can ultimately grant you a pose for filling it in. If you have the book icon for a piece of gear already, however, leave it or delete it from your inventory.
  • Blue Treasure Chests appear randomly on the map in fields and dungeons, and will spawn and de-spawn over time in different locations. These often hold Mini Medals, Gold, useful items, or even can contain a Cannibox!
  • Purple Treasure Chests drop from boss encounters. These are one-time drops and become sort of a weekly or daily reset reward from content like the Magic Maze or Book of Bosses.
  • Red Treasure Chests are found in the environment in set places. These are opened once for loot.
  • Jade Treasure Chests are found in the environment in set places. These require a Jade Key to open, and there are 25 Jade Keys total. Jade Keys can be found in a number of locations, such as the Mini Medal King, the Fish Trader, and the Casino. This is absolutely worth doing in your spare time, as finding all of the green chests will grant you a Zoomstone (more on this later.) Bear in mind that, in order to find all of the Jade Keys, you will need the Thief’s Key. You cannot meaningfully clear Jade Treasure Chests without clearing Version 2.
  • Black Treasure Chests are found in the environment in set places. These require the Thief’s Key to open. (obtainable at level 40+ from completing Quest 37: The Keymaker’s Box.)
    • You can check the total Red, Green and Black Treasure Chests discovered via Main Menu > Records > Treasure List.

Your Item Bag can only hold 30 items to start, and your Equipment Bag can only hold 25 items to start. You can expand these later, but for now be aware that inventory space is at a premium. In general, sell materials or equipment you no longer need.

Skill Points

As you level up, you will gain Skill Points. These can be put into any skill for your Vocation to become more proficient in that skill — those who invest in Swords, for example, will find their attack power greatly increased while wielding a Sword.

For all Vocations, place your points into the bottom skill on the list. For example, Thieves’ bottom skill is “Acquisitiveness”, Warriors have “Courage”. The reason is that some passives in this tree (labeled like “Natural Agility”) grant bonuses to your entire character, not just your Vocation! This means that if you level this bottom skill up in every Vocation, whatever your main Vocation is will have greatly increased stats — enough to put you on par with a Version 3 character!

To stress how important this is, the extra stats you get from putting all skill points for all Vocations into the bottom skill are:

  • 200 HP | 160 MP
  • 140 Magical Might | 90 Magical Mending
  • 80 Strength | 110 Resilience
  • 230 Agility | 190 Deftness | 150 Charm

Starting out, your Skills will cap at 100 points per skill. Eventually, you will complete quests that will grant you baseline skill points, and you can invest your earned points into something else, up to 200. Until then, focus on that bottom skill!

Continue on your quest to find and acquire your first Zoomstone. Once you have obtained it, head to the Church and bind the Zoomstone to your starting village.

Zoomstones

Zoomstones function similar to a Hearthstone or Home Point from other MMOs, except there is no cooldown for teleporting using them. As such, it's very important to keep your Zoomstones bound to locations you visit often. Be aware that you cannot use Zoomstones in interior spaces, such as shops or dungeons — basically anywhere with a ceiling. It is funny to see you hit your head though!

Since you do not need to manually save your game like in other Dragon Quests, Churches serve primarily as home points to bind Zoomstones. You can also bind Zoomstones to Crystals in the wilds, and sometimes Priests will camp out near a field or dungeon, so if you know you’re going to be around an area for a while, bind your Zoomstone! You will eventually unlock multiple Zoomstones, but for now, keep your single one bound to the starting village.

The Intercontinental Train Pass, Mark of Adulthood, and Support Companions

Continue following the main quest until you reach the boss (you may wish to grind to around level 8 on the monsters just outside the boss fight.) Set the boss fight to “easy” when prompted (you will lose some experience but for these early levels, it doesn’t matter.) You have 20 Medicinal Herbs in your inventory, so don’t be afraid to heal when you need to.

Upon completion of the fight and cutscene, you will find yourself at or around level 10. Use your Zoomstone or Walkthrough Warp to head back to your village, and turn in the quest. You should end up with a new key item, the Intercontinental Train Pass! This is your primary way of traveling around the five islands, but you first have to reach a town that has a Train Station.

You will also receive the Mark of Adulthood, a key item that allows you to talk to “important people”, and three Support Companions.

Support Companions are computer-controlled allies that fight according to your orders, such as “Fight Wisely.” The ones you receive from completing your starting village are fine for now, but eventually you will want to replace them — in fact, almost immediately upon reaching your first city. Follow the in-game Adventure Guide to do so — when you arrive at your starting city (Orphea, Julet, Mount Gatara, Wind Town Azlan, or Glen Castle), get ready to do some serious side-quests.

Travel Instructions to First Major Cities

Remember, to progress the main quest, open your Main Menu, hit the Triangle or Y button, and accept the Walkthrough Warp if offered. If not, you will have to manually find your way — your starting city is not more than a few maps away from your starting village, however, so you shouldn’t get lost!

Once you reach one of these major cities, you will be able to travel by train to the other four.

  • Ogres — To reach Glen Castle from Langao Village:
    • Langao Mountains > Lion Gate > Glen East > Glen Castle Town
  • Weddies — To reach Julet Town from Lane Village:
    • Colt Region > Lenam Fields > Lower Jule Island > Muse Coast > Julet Town
  • Dwarves — To reach Mount Gatara from Agrania Town:
    • Raniakka Fault Zone > Mogarim Highway > Gatara Fields > Mount Gatara
  • Elves — To reach Wind Town Azlan from Tsusukul Village:
    • Tsusukul Plains > Kirika Steppe > Azlan Region > Wind Town Azlan
  • Pukulipos — To reach Orphea from Pukulet Village:
    • Pukulet Region > Popola Region > Orphea Region East > Orphea

Checkpoint #1

This guide will utilize Checkpoints for you to verify your progress. Optional items will be marked in green text and labeled as optional, however, everything else listed is mandatory, and marked in red.

  • Achieved ~Level 10
  • One Zoomstone
  • Mark of Adulthood and Train Pass
  • Arrived at first major city

The First Key Emblem (Level 10-25)

Reminder: if Rookie Metal Slime Invasions are active, drop whatever you are doing, head to the nearest field, and start killing things!

Upon entering your starting city (Glen Castle, Julet Town, Wind City Azlan, Mount Gatara or Orphea), you will get a cutscene with a fairy who grants you the Yellow Diary. From now on, you will see NPCs with yellow names — talk to them for a free Mini Medal and, more important, one free Zoomstone!

Join a Team, No Seriously, Do It Now

There are a ton of things for you to take care of, but first and foremost is joining a Team. If you’re reading this, you are likely unable to read Japanese, so you should pick one of the fantastic English communities listed on DQXAbbey and ask for a Team invite. They’ll need your ID and Player Name, which you can find via Main Menu > Stats. Be aware that your “translated” Player Name will not work — they need the kana specifically.

While waiting for a Team invite, head to the Post Office, indicated by a letter icon on your map. If you bought the All-In-One edition and input the code during registration, you should have received a welcome package in your mail. Retrieve it. There should be 10 Golden Petals in your inventory now. Head to the nearest item shop and sell these for a whopping 100,000 Gold a piece. You now have enough Gold to get you through the majority of the story.

  • If you are not on a Vocation that has Evac innately, buy some Evac-U-Bells from your nearest Item Shop. I recommend around 50, since you never know how many you will eventually need, and they’re cheap. If a quest takes you deep into a dungeon, you’ll be glad you had these instead of having to backtrack!
  • We also recommend buying a full stack of 99 Treasure Land Eye items, if you are interested in checking off every Treasure Chest as you play, so you don’t have to backtrack later.

Head to the Church and bind one of your Zoomstones to the city. You can hit up the Weapons and Armor shop to update your gear if you wish, but this is not necessary.

Important Side Quests

  • First, head to any Material Shop in your city. These are denoted by a “gem” icon on the map. Accept Quest 129 - Sweat, Tears and a Material Store’s Hat. This is the one time you will (temporarily) swap out your Angel Slime Hat, as it requires you to equip the Hat and kill 10 enemies near your level.
  • Before you head out of town, accept Quest 30 - The Love and Trust Depository! to unlock the ability to bank items in your Storage! Bubble Slimes are found in each of the regions connected to your starting city, but it may take some hunting/roaming until you find where they spawn. The maps they spawn on are Glen East, Azlan Region, Mogarim Highway, Lenam Fields and Orphea Region East. Remember to keep your Material Hat on until you’ve defeated 10 enemies near your level.
  • Turn both quests in once completed. Re-equip your Angel Slime Hat!
    • Consider putting most of your Gold into Storage, just in case. Death without being resurrected by a party member will result in a 50% loss of your Gold. We highly recommend putting 90% of your Gold into Storage. Accidents happen, and you’ll be glad you did!
    • While not important now, Sweat and Tears Gems are used in Crafting. If you obtain some of these, you can either shove them in storage or sell them on the Traveller’s Bazaar.

It’s time to get your first Key Emblem. Follow the main story quest, which should run you about 15~30 minutes. Do not forget that you can Walkthrough Warp near each objective by opening your Main Menu and hitting the Walkthrough Warp button (Triangle / Y on controller // map key on keyboard). Your Support Companions should be able to carry you through the entire adventure.

Checkpoint #2

  • Achieved ~Level 15 - 20
  • Two Zoomstones
    • One bound to your starting city (Glen Castle, Julet Town, Mount Gatara, Orphea, or Wind Town Azlan)
  • Joined a Team
  • Registration gift claimed from Post Office, Gold Leaves sold for 100k Gold a piece
  • Some Evac-U-Bells purchased (recommended: 50)
  • Some Treasure Land Eye items purchased (recommended: 99)
  • Quests 129 and 030 completed.
    • This unlocks your Storage and Sweat and Tears Gems
    • Put 90% of your Gold into Storage
  • Completed Main Story up to earning your first Key Emblem

Once you have your first Key Emblem, you may be tempted to continue to follow the main story — and you totally can — but since you are around level 15~20, there are some things you should do first.

Mandatory Side Quests

  • Head to the nearest Tavern. You will need to clear Quest 31: Welcome to the Tavern, Adventurer! to unlock the ability to recruit Support Companions. Upon completion, talk to the Tavernkeeper and remove your Support Companions that arrived with you from the starting village. Let’s find some good party members, shall we?
    • Select Party Search. At the bottom, where it says “Target”, switch this to “From Team”. Hit “Begin Search.” It’s important to recruit from your Team as much as possible, as the gold cost is halved. If you add Team Members as friends, you can recruit “From Friends” and reduce the gold cost even further — to zero!
      • You will see a number of members from the Team you are currently in. Their levels will vary quite a bit, but generally, anyone level 100 or higher is plenty strong enough to carry you through Version 1 and 2. You do not need to necessarily worry about gear — if they have a weapon and a couple of pieces of armor, they’re fine.
      • Recruit three members. Generally, you want a healer/hybrid support (Priest, Druid, Minstrel), a frontline fighter (Warrior, Paladin, Guardian, Demon Swordsman), and whatever other high-level character you can find that isn’t a Priest or Minstrel. When you recruit a member, make sure you set the time for the longest, which is 168 hours. This ensures that you have plenty of time to get what you need done.
  • Next, visit the nearest Inn and complete Quest 32 - A Concierge to Accompany You On Your Journey. This one is super simple, just step outside your city and kill a She-Slime until it drops Astolnium.
    • This unlocks the Concierge, which unlocks a lot of nice benefits. First off, you will start banking “Charge Hours”, which you can spend on EXP Items. It is generally advised to spend your Charge Hours on Metal Maze Express Tickets.
    • You will receive a weekly set of tickets for the Casino, which we will cover later on in the guide. Make sure to grab these before Friday every week!
    • You also unlock the ability to get free rewards based on your Fame Level every Friday (Japan time). Speaking of…
      • Fame is your level of renown, which you earn from completing quests, defeating monsters, and more. The higher the Fame level, the more weekly “support gold” you get from the Concierge, the more titles you can earn, and you gain access to certain quests as well. You can only level Fame up when you rest at an Inn.
  • Next, head to your nearest Train Station, locate a Slime NPC named Adventurer Seminar. Accept and complete Quest 443 - The Rosy Life of an Adventurer Begins! This does not have a wiki page on Ethene (yet), but essentially this quest has the Slime NPC teleport you to a quiz room, where they ask basic questions about the game. Completion of this quest grants you a hat you will never wear and some Gold.
    • You can talk to this NPC after this quest and go through four additional categories for further rewards, including the real reason you’re doing this quest — a new Zoomstone!
  • Next, hop on the train towards Luckland Island to accept and complete Quest 33 - The Medal Owner’s Regret. This takes a bit of walking to get done, but it’s worth it — for a measly 3 Mini Medals you can get another Zoomstone! Do not leave without it! You should now have four Zoomstones.
  • Find an NPC near the gates of your city named something like Strike Force <name>. These NPCs will offer you a daily quest to go kill things for a nice EXP and Gold reward, with yellow options offering better rewards for their difficulty. With your three Team members, you should have no problem accepting the option worth the most EXP, but if you haven’t yet, I’d still put the majority of your Gold into Storage just in case you die.
  • Finally, if you are at least level 20, head to the Tavern and unlock the ability to change Vocations by completing Quest 34 - Abbey Trials. This will require you to visit Glen West, which is accessed via Glen Castle Town. If you didn’t start as an Ogre, you can reach this by going to the Train Station and selecting Glen Castle Town as a destination.
    • From this point forward, you should isolate a “main” Vocation from the ones you have unlocked. Even if it’s not the one you want to play long-term, pick one to focus on for clearing the story. If you are undecided, Warrior is perfectly serviceable.
      • During Rookie Metal Slime Invasion, if your “main Vocation” is level 30 or higher, you should swap to a level 1 Vocation and start gaining levels in it. Remember to dump all skill points into the bottom skill! Don’t worry, your high-level teammates will carry you and revive you if you die.
    • Death is a big deal when you’re starting out. If none of your party members have the ability to Zing you back to life, you will lose gold upon warping back to town — a whopping 50% of Gold you’re currently carrying on you! If you wish to protect your Gold, hit up the Storage facility and deposit however much Gold you want to save.
      • There is an item that you can earn (much later on) that will negate Gold loss on death permanently, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.
    • It’s entirely possible to level two Vocations to 30 during one round of Rookie Metal Slime Invasion (Angel Slime Hat + Bonus Orb) if you can find a few Rookie Liquid Metal Slimes.
    • Once RMSI is over, swap back to your “main” Vocation and continue with the guide.

When you’ve knocked these out, you should be approximately level 25. A little higher is fine, a little lower means you need to go murder some more things or do some side quests.

Checkpoint #3

  • Achieved ~Level 25 in at least one Vocation
  • Completed Quest 034 to unlock Vocation Change
    • Settled on a "main" Vocation to take through the story (this does not mean you will only play this Vocation forever.)
  • Completed Quests 032, 443 and 033
    • This unlocks the Concierge and more Zoomstones.
  • Four Zoomstones
    • Bind these however you see fit for now, but we recommend keeping one bound near a Train Station somewhere. Consider binding one at Mount Gatara for some upcoming side quests.
  • Completed Quest 031 and recruited three high-level Team members

Key Emblem Roundup, Additional Sidequests, Vocation Quests (Level 25-50)

At this point, all of the five races should have converged in the story. From here, you will be traveling to each of the race’s islands and completing the “story” of their starting city to earn more Key Emblems. The Walkthrough Warp (again, Main Menu > Triangle/Y or map key) will guide you through this part. Each story will take about 15-30 minutes, so you can expect to spend around 2 hours to finish gathering your first five Key Emblems.

  • With your party members composed of level 100+ murder machines, you should set the boss difficulty to Strong for all of these boss fights and get some extra EXP.

There are technically another five Key Emblems, and you will eventually need to get them all for a total of 10, but for now, it’s quickest if you head to Megistris City (located on Pukulipo’s Island) and complete that storyline for your sixth Key Emblem. However, if you wish to travel to other major cities, instructions are provided below:

  • To reach Megistris City:
    • Train to Orphea > Orphea Region West > Windmill Way > Megistris Territory > Megistris City
  • To reach Gartland Castle:
    • Train to Glen Castle > Glen East > Gert Strait > Landonfoot > Zama Pass > Gartlant Territory > Gartland City
  • To reach Verinard City:
    • Train to Julet Town > Upper Jule Island > Kyuarana Coast > Verinard South > Verinard Castle Town
  • To reach Royal Capital Kamiharmui:
    • Train to Wind Town Azlan > Azlan Region > Inamino Highway > Kamiharmui South > Royal City Kamiharmui
  • To reach Dolworm Kingdom:
    • Train to Mount Gatara > Gatara Fields > Chaldea Mountain Road > Goble Desert East > Dolworm Kingdom

Regardless of which city you choose, we recommend binding one of your Zoomstones there. Upon riding the next train you will be given your mission of defeating the Dark Lord who blanketed your home in evil mist. But first...time for another side-quest bonanza!

  • First, take the train to Port Town Lendor. Head to the Northern section of the city and locate Majirik (C-5). If he does not have a quest for you, ensure you are on a Vocation that is at least level 24.
  • Head to Mount Gatara — you are looking for an NPC by the name of Menme (D-4). Accept and complete Quest 199 - Ride On, Dolboard! This will unlock your personal Dolboard forever.
    • If you are at least level 30, also accept and complete Quest 219 - Dolboard Tuning! Bind one of your Zoomstones to Dolworm City when you arrive to save time, as future quests will require you to visit here a lot. This quest doubles your Dolboard’s timer capacity.
  • Head to any Storage facility on a Level 28+ Vocation. Accept and complete Quest 216 - A Plan For My Dream Warehouse!.
    • With your wealth, you should have no problem buying these items — the Strong Medicines can be bought via the Traveler’s Bazaar. You now have an additional 50 Storage slots.

By this point you should have achieved level 30 in at least one Vocation. It’s time to talk about Vocational Quests (or Class Quests).

Vocational Quests

Vocational Quests are quests that unlock for a certain Vocation upon reaching a specific level. The starting six Vocational Quests unlock at level 30. Not only do these quests give decent gear for your level, they give an absolutely bananas amount of experience and experience scrolls — enough to get you most of the way to Level 50.

You also earn up to 100 free points in all of your Skills by completing the questline — freeing up Skill Points to advance beyond 100 (once you unlock the feature, at least.) Furthermore, you will unlock your “coup-de-grace”, which is a special skill that has a random chance to be selectable on your turn. These are often powerful skills — Warrior gets Critical Claim, which guarantees a critical hit on all enemies within a cone in front of them, for example.

Upon completion of the final quest in the series, you will unlock a “Proof”, which is an accessory that provides substantial power at this stage in the game. For example, the Warrior Proof will allow you to occasionally repeat an attack for free — including Skills.

Needless to say, this is worth the time spent to complete, on as many Vocations as possible.

Follow each questline to their conclusion (five quests total per Vocation), spend all of your Experience Scrolls, and you should be approximately level 50, or at the least level 45.

  • Your Equipment inventory is probably getting a little tight with all this gear coming in, so it’s time to fix that. Head to Luckland Island and go up to the second floor. Talk to Sasalana and accept and complete Quest 93 - Bag Organization Techniques. Your Equipment Bag can now hold 50 items.

Just in time too, because guess what? It’s time to unlock some more Vocations!

Unlocking More Vocations

There are a number of additional Vocations, and as mentioned earlier, most of them are feasible all the way through to the endgame. All of them, however, are worth unlocking and leveling, so you might as well get started on that now. You can do as many or as few as you wish, but the time spent unlocking and leveling these Vocations will pay dividends later, so it is highly recommended you put a pause on things to get this done.

  • Battle Master can be unlocked via Quest 177 - Hop to it, Battle Master!
    • This will require you to set your party members to “Leave it to me!” so they don’t kill your target. (Main Menu > Misc > Support Party)
  • Paladin can be unlocked via Quest 098 - Paladin Tips
    • You will need “Whipping Boy” from the Warrior’s “Courage” skill tree.
  • Armamentalist can be unlocked via Quest 144 - The Royal Palace Magic Warriors
    • You will need “Magic Ward” from the Mage’s “Spellcraft” skill tree.
  • Ranger can be unlocked via Quest 099 - The Ranger Association.
    • You will need “Half-Inch” from the Thief’s “Acquisitiveness” skill tree.
  • Sage can be unlocked via Quest 178 - Gate to the Sage.
  • Superstar can be unlocked via Quest 145 - Welcome, Rising Star!
    • This will require some way of increasing your Tension to maximum. The easiest way is to do this on Martial Artist and use Psyche Up.
  • Monster Master can be unlocked via Quest 273 - How About A Monster User?
    • You need at least 30 different species of monsters slain.
    • Ensure that the book you purchase is for Monster Masters and not Item Masters. You can purchase this ahead of time if you wish.
  • Item Master can be unlocked via Quest 303 - Birth of an Item User.
    • This quest requires you to have Version 2 purchased. If you bought the All-In-One during the Installation guide, you are good to go.
    • Ensure that the book you purchase is for Item Masters and not Monster Masters. You can purchase this ahead of time if you wish.
  • Dancer can be unlocked via Quest 393 - Dancing Conditions.
    • This will require you to set your party members to “Leave it to me!” so they don’t kill your target. (Main Menu > Misc > Support Party)
  • Fortune Teller can be unlocked via Quest 431 - Urgent Recruitment for an Apprentice Fortune Teller!
    • This quest requires you to have Version 3 purchased and installed. If you bought the All-In-One during the Installation guide, you are good to go.
    • This Vocation requires a lot of time, effort, money and planning to get stable, so be warned.

There are a few other Vocations, but they are not obtainable quite yet — you must be at least Level 50 in one other Vocation and for Demon Swordsman, must have started Version 2, which we’re not quite there yet.

As with all of your previous Vocations, if a Rookie Metal Slime Invasion occurs, stop what you are doing, switch to a low-level Vocation, and get them leveled to 30, putting those points into the bottom skill category. Once you have unlocked all of these Vocations and got them to level 30, start completing their Vocation Quests.

You should be at least level 46 in one Vocation if you completed your Vocational Quests and have used your Experience Scrolls. You’re approaching your limit, and it’s time to break through them.

Limit Break

Once you hit 46+, this is a priority. You should do this prior to hitting level 50 for those sweet EXP rewards, but ultimately it matters little, as you can retrieve quest EXP rewards from the Concierge.

  • Head to Sunset Meadow (B8) and speak to Chamimi. Accept and complete Quest 097 - Those Who Aim High. Congratulations, your Level Cap is now 55.
  • From now on, when you are within four levels to your Level Cap, you should continue the Goddess’ Will & Liberation Limit Break questline. That means your next quests will be at level 51+, then 56+, 61+, 66+, 71+, and 76+.
  • Your Level 100+ Team Party Members can carry you through these no problem.

If you are level 50+, there are some more Vocations for you to unlock...

  • Gadabout can be unlocked via Quest 544 - The Trendy Gadabout.
    • This quest requires you to have Version 4 registered to your account. If you bought the All-In-One during the Installation guide, you are good to go.
    • Gadabouts are notoriously difficult to play properly due to their eccentric skills. You will likely not find endgame groups on this Vocation unless you have friends who are very cool, funny, and good-looking too.
  • Druid can be unlocked via Quest 485: Thunder Rolls In The Sky
    • This quest requires you to have Version 4 registered to your account. If you bought the All-In-One during the Installation guide, you are good to go.
  • Death Master can be unlocked via Quest 603: Twilight Death Master.
    • This quest requires you to have Version 5 registered to your account. If you bought the All-In-One during the Installation guide, you are good to go.
  • Pirate can technically be unlocked via Quest 694 - Pirates Wanted!, but only if you complete the Gartland story and obtain the Gartland Key Emblem. This is something you will eventually have to do, so might as well, right?
    • Additionally, you also need Version 6 registered on your account. If you bought the All-In-One during the Installation guide, you are good to go.

Checkpoint #4

  • Achieved ~Level 46-50 in at least one Vocation
    • Completed your “main Vocation” Vocational Quests for big EXP and decent gear for your level.
    • You should do this on as many Vocations as you can, but it’s not mandatory.
  • Completed Limit Break Quest, increasing your level limit to 55.
  • Five Zoomstones
    • Completed Quest 035 for your fifth Zoomstone
    • One bound to Dolworm City, one bound to Megistris City
  • Complete Quest 199 for your own Dolboard
  • Complete Quest 036 and 216 for expanded Inventory and Storage.
  • Unlocked additional Vocations
    • It must be stressed that every Vocation you unlock and level adds to your character’s power. This is extremely worth doing, but it is not mandatory at this point in the game.

Crafting Professions and Fishing

Now that you are approximately level 50 and have broken past your limits, we need to double back and unlock some more things. We assure you this is worth it, but if you’re feeling a bit burnt out on traipsing around the world doing sub-quests, now would be a good time to relax and pick up Fishing or a Crafting Profession!

  • Fishing can be unlocked by heading to Port Town Lendor (South) and speaking to Old Fish Master Harmors. Accept and complete Quest 286 - The Master of Fishing.
  • Once you hit Fishing level 19, you may progress his quest chain with Quest 351 - The Fisherman’s Gateway to Success. There are additional unlock quests all the way up to Fishing level 50.
  • While this is listed as optional, the unlocking quest is extremely easy, and Fishing does play a part in the main quest later on. Might as well unlock it now.

Crafting is a very lengthy topic to cover, so this guide will only touch on the basics. If you played Dragon Quest XI, most of these Crafting Professions use a variation of the Fun-Sized Forge minigame to create items. Each tradeskill can level up to 70, but be warned — once you hit 30+ it becomes a heavy gold and time sink to level.

Here are the Crafting Professions, what they make, and where you can join their ranks:

  • Weaponsmiths make One-Handed Swords, Two-Handed Swords, Daggers, Axes, Spears, Claws, Whips, Hammers and Boomerangs.
    • You can become a Weaponsmith at Glen Castle.
  • Armorsmiths make metal armor, typically worn by Vocations like Warriors or Paladins, as well as Shields.
    • You can become an Armorsmith at Dolworm Kingdom.
  • Toolsmiths make tools, such as metalworking hammers, sewing needles, woodworking knifes, and so on, as well as making metallic furniture.
    • You can become a Toolsmith at Port Town Lendor.
  • Woodworkers make Wands, Staves, Battlestaves, Fans and Bows, as well as wooden furniture.
    • You can become a Woodworker at Royal Capital Kamiharumui.
  • Tailors make cloth armor for casters, as well as cloth furniture.
    • You can become a Tailor at Julet Town.
  • Lamp Alchemists and Pot Alchemists add additional effects to already existing gear.
    • Lamp tends to focus on MP or Magical Effects (Magical Might/Mending, for example). You can become a Lamp Alchemist in Luckland Island.
    • Pot tends to focus on HP or Physical Effects (attack/resilience up, for example). You can become a Pot Alchemist in Port Town Lendor.
  • Chefs make food. Good food. Food that boosts your stats extra good.
    • You can become a Chef in Orphea.

You can try any or all of these Crafting Professions up to level 9 with no penalty, but at level 9 you must commit to one of them by completing a quest that locks you into your chosen Crafting Profession.

  • You can swap professions...at the cost of 100 Mini Medals. Don’t do this unless you know what you’re doing.
  • You can train Crafting Professions for free using the Training Area located in each of the guild halls...but you cannot quick-craft in the Training Area and must manually craft each item.

Casino and Sugoroku

Even though the Casino is traditionally optional content, it is highly recommended that you make at least one trip.

Head to Luckland and find the Casino on your map. Upon entering, talk to all Yellow Names, buy 1000 Casino Tokens, and immediately head to the North Hall. You should have some Casino Play Tickets from talking to the Concierge and retrieving your weekly rewards. It’s time to play some Sugoroku!

  • Sugoroku is a board-game that you play with three other players, and functions as a multiplayer mini-version of the original Dragon Quest games. If you played Pachisi/Treasures n' Trapdoors in Dragon Quest 3 or 5, this is extremely similar!
  • We recommend waiting for another player to sit down first, as whoever sits first, chooses the map. The snowy map is the one that most people play on.
  • You do not need to be on a specific Vocation to play, the game automatically makes your Sugoroku character a Minstrel at the start of play.
  • It’s recommended that you say “よろしくお願いします” at the start of play, and “ありがとう！” at the end of play or when a player heals you. Hold the B Button on controller, these are both on the first macro page. Just a nice thing to do, you know?
  • Minstrel is powerful for…most of the game, since players are trying to land on Metal and Gold Slime tiles, and they get a multi-hit ability called Have a Ball! They also get Hustle Dance, which is the only AoE heal in the game aside from Sage’s Multiheal.
  • Generally, Minstrel can hold it down all game, but if you land on a Super Alltrades Abbey space, consider making the change to Sage (SGE). Kazammle and Kazing are powerful!

The reason the Casino is mandatory is because after one round of Sugoroku, you should have enough Casino Tokens to buy two things: a shiny new Zoomstone and the VIP Ticket. These are your first two priorities, after that generally you want to buy the other “blue-named” items, like Jade Keys.

You may continue to play at the Casino if you wish, but after acquiring the Zoomstone, it is not mandatory. If you are out of Casino Play Tickets, you may play Bingo, Slots, Poker or Roulette. Bingo has more consistent payouts, but you can play whatever you like.

Dolboard, Skill Reset, Expanded Inventory, Thief's Key

If you’re feeling nice and chill from Fishing and Crafting, it’s time to get back at it. You are now level 50+, so let’s unlock some more things.

  • Head back to Mount Gatara and talk to Menme again. Accept and complete Quest 219 - Dolboard Tuning! (if you didn’t do it earlier) AND follow that up by accepting and completing Quest 446 - Dolboard Boost!
    • Your Dolboard can now hold up to 60 minutes of fuel and also boost for a few seconds.
    • In order to activate the boost, hit autorun (L1 on controller or the R key on keyboard), and then press and hold forward on your left analog stick (controller) or W key (keyboard). You speed up considerably, but your turning capability is non-existent, so be careful!
  • Head to Gartlant Castle and find Jiuba (located in the back area called “The Flame”. Accept and complete Quest 094 - War God Rahda Gart’s Oath.
    • You may now purchase stones to reset your skill points. Keep in mind that the base 100 skill points from your Vocational Quests are automatic and cannot be reassigned.
  • Head to Castle Megistris in Megistris City (specifically, the third floor.) Head to D-7 and speak with Nejiro. Accept and complete Quest 37 - The Keymaker’s Box.
    • You now have the Thief’s Key, and if you are so inclined, may go traipsing around the world unlocking Black Treasure Chests. This can be advantageous...if you can stomach putting the story on hold for a bit longer.
  • While you’re here, head to G-4 in Megistris City proper. Speak to the Black Hat Pukulipo. Accept and complete Quest 128 - Mom and I’s Magical Tailoring!
    • You may now participate in the true endgame of any MMO — Fashion.
  • Head to Wind Town Azlan and locate the Inn. Seek out the NPC Manju, and accept and complete Quest 173 - The Heart-Pounding Hot Spring Incident!
    • You can now enter the Hot Springs and gain a minor regen effect which heals 1HP per 10 seconds for 30 minutes. This results in 180 HP healed over the entire 30 minute timespan.
    • You can do this quest much earlier, but with a Priest party member from your Team, you do not need this minor buff.

Checkpoint #5

  • Achieved ~Level 55.
  • Unlocked Fishing and chose a Crafting Profession.
    • This is optional, of course, but we recommend unlocking Fishing at the least, due to how short the quest is.
  • Completed one round of Sugoroku and purchased the Zoomstone with your Casino Tokens, bringing your Zoomstone total to six.
  • Completed Quests 219 and 446 to buff up your Dolboard.
  • Completed Quest 094 to alter your Skill Points.
  • Completed Quest 174 to expand your bag further.
  • Completed Quest 037 to obtain the Thief’s Key.
  • Completed Quest 128 and Quest 173 to unlock Fashion Quest X and the Hot Springs.

Hey champ. Guess what? You have now, officially, unlocked just about everything you could possibly unlock at this stage in the game. Pat yourself on the back because you are as feasibly prepared for the game as you can possibly be. It’s time to put Version 1 (and Version 2, to be honest) to rest.

Wrapping Up Version 1

Completing Version 1 will take you a fair amount of time — at least an hour or two — due to how story dense it is. In order to continue with the story, you need to head to the nearest Church and race change to Human, then head to the nearest Train Station and select the ??? option on the map.

However...

Gathering up the rest of your Key Emblems is a good idea at this stage of the game. You will eventually need all 10, so there is no reason not to do them now. If you followed this guide, you should have Megistris City’s Key Emblem already. It should be noted that the Walkthrough auto-warp will not work, as gathering Key Emblems is no longer your “main quest”, so you will have to ride your Dolboard everywhere.

It truly does not matter which city you do in which order from this point forward — with your team of level 100+ party members, none of the bosses will stand a chance. Remember to set each Boss difficulty to Strong for that extra EXP!

  • If at any point you get lost in the sauce, Main Menu > Records > The Story So Far, and then select the city that isn’t marked as “Complete” for information on where to go!

Now that you have all ten Key Emblems, we can wrap up Version 1. Head to the past by selecting ??? at any Train Station as a human. The next half hour is nothing but cutscenes and walking around, with the occasional mandatory kill quest. Eventually you will make your way to a new type of dungeon that has a time limit of two hours. With your squad of elite adventurers, it should not take you even half as long, so don’t worry.

Defeating the boss and returning to your own time will lead you through more story and eventually to Nergal’s dungeon. Again, nothing in this dungeon is truly dangerous with your team, but it is worth noting that Nergal does have the capability to kill your character in a single hit, even if you were wearing the best gear possible, so ensure you have someone on your team that can Zing you back to life.

Upon completing the boss fight, watching the (gorgeous) cutscenes, and ending up in town, there’s a few things to grab before we head off towards Version 2.

Master Orb

First, head to any Inn and speak with the Concierge — you’ll receive a lot of items for clearing Version 1, and a quest which you should accept, but the most important of them is a new Zoomstone and the Master Orb. You should now have seven Zoomstones.

The Master Orb is an additional way to increase your character’s power. Even though you aren’t at level cap yet (not even close, to be honest) you already have an alternate way to progress your character!

  • Note: trial players do not have access to this item.

In order to activate the Master Orb, you need to find a Master NPC, which can be found in most cities. The closest one to a Train would be in Luckland Station, just through the doors after you arrive — he’s wearing black robes, you can’t miss him.

In short, you can have up to 12 jewels set to a specific element, and each jewel can only be ranked up to rank 6. There is no reason to keep a jewel you have equipped at Rank 1. These jewels confer specific bonuses — Fire, Water and Wind offer general stat boosts, Light offers Vocation-specific bonuses, and Dark offers weapon-specific bonuses. You will need to research your primary Vocation’s strengths and weaknesses, as this would fall outside this guide’s capacity to teach.

You can, if you wish, start to grind out Jewels to add to your Master Orb collection — this wiki page has a pretty solid writeup of where to find which Jewel — but most locations are not available to you quite yet, so this is not recommended. Instead, you should accept and complete the weekly Master Quest, which grants a random allotment of Jewels — some of which can only be obtained from said quest. The quest is the same for all players, so ask for help in the Discord if you get confused.

Level Difference

It’s worth noting that, depending on how many Vocations you’ve unlocked and leveled, how many dailies you’ve been doing, and if you’ve settled on a primary Vocation or not, that your level may be wildly different than what is in the guide.

You should be around level 60 at this point if you’ve stuck to a single Vocation outside of Rookie Metal Slime Invasions, but if you’ve swapped around, you may be lower-leveled. This is fine — your party will still be able to carry you through the rest of the content — but at this point it is worth noting that you should really be focusing on a single Vocation moving forward.

Free Items

By this point, you have likely decided if Dragon Quest X is for you or not. We hope you’re enjoying yourself, and if you are, recommend that you take some time to collect some freebies. Log into your account on Hiroba by clicking this link and open up this webpage in a different tab/window. Start copy/pasting the codes under the プレゼントのじゅもん heading into the item code redemption box on Hiroba.

There are a lot of codes, but you are getting a ton of Bonus Orbs, Lottery Tickets, and so on that can be beneficial to you! Some prizes include Metal Coins and other Magic Maze rewards as well.

Afterwards, hit up any Inn in a starting city (Glen Castle, Orphea, Wind Town Azlan, Mount Gatara or Julet Town) and find the Guide NPC. Play the Lottery and spend those tickets! You can typically find useful stuff, but the majority of it will be stuff that you will sell to NPCs, like Magic Water.

Magic Maze and Metal Maze

Head to Port Town Lender and look for a yellow-named NPC in the North Section (B-6) named Ronde, he has the model of a green fluffball monster. He will introduce you to the Magic Maze, and offer you the opportunity to join a “trial” run of it. Take the offer, you will be matched with someone (or level-appropriate NPCs). Once you defeat the boss, exit the Magic Maze and speak with Ronde to fully unlock the Mokomoko House, which you should enter immediately.

Set a bind point at the crystal here, and keep it permanently bound.

The Mokomoko House is one of the best bind spots in the game, as you have instant and immediate access to nearly every facility you could want, including a Vocation Change NPC, a Monster Master, Storage, an Introducer, and even some exchange shops!

The Magic Maze will become more important later on, as it serves primarily as a way to farm Accessories. To do so, you need Boss Coins, Boss Cards, and Boss Tags, which you may have found a few of already.

We will not cover the Magic Maze completely in-depth, but the general gist is that several accessories that are important for endgame builds can be found here by entering the Magic Maze and offering Coins, Cards or Tags to the statue at the beginning of each run.

  • Coins are permanent items and do not expire, Cards have a set time-limit that you must use them within or they vanish, and Tags are for practice purposes (they drop no loot.)
    • You can sacrifice up to 4 of the same Coin or Card. This does not increase the boss difficulty or power, but does give you one extra loot (up to 4.)
  • You will need multiple copies of the same accessory in order to upgrade them to their end-game state. This can be done at the Accessory Shop in Verinard Castle Town (see Accessory Fusion for more info.)
  • Anything around level 100+ you may wish to ask your Team to assist you with. Ultimate Aamon, for example, is actually threatening to end-game players.

The real reason you’re here is the Metal Maze. Before you do anything, check to see how far away you are from level cap. If you can do the next quest to limit break, do that first, then come back.

Check your inventory — you might have a Metal Maze or Metal Maze Express ticket already. If so, talk to Dorothy, select the appropriate ticket, and get ready for a boatload of experience. The Metal Maze is a special dungeon that has only Metal Slimes in it — and the best part, all of your attacks automatically crit!

It’s recommended to bring a Vocation that can use an AoE skill such as Gigaslash, as you can one-turn all Metal Slimes with ease. Be aware that if you do not, they can still run away! Each run, including the boss, will net you approximately 800,000 experience (with a Bonus Orb)!

If you have enough Metal Maze Tickets, you may wish to grind out your main Vocation here, which is absolutely what you should do, but this guide assumes you have little access to Metal Maze. If you did overlevel, you can still follow the guide, just ignore the minimum level requirements.

With that done, onward to Version 2!

When you obtained your Master Orb, you also should have received Quest 264: Titus Compass.] This serves as the gate to Version 2 and all of its content. With your wealth, you can buy the Magic Waters and Chronocrystal (Mount Gatara Material Shop), but the third item requires you to travel to the Ragi Snowfield (near the Ogre starting village, Langao Village) and hunt Killer Machines. Head back to any Inn, turn in the quest, head to the port at Lendor, enjoy the intro cutscene and you’re off to Version 2!

Final Checkpoint

  • Approximately Level 60.
  • All 10 Key Emblems obtained.
  • Version 1 completed.
  • Seven Zoomstones.
    • One bound to Mokomoko House for instant access to important facilities.
    • You may wish to keep one or two bound to Version 1 towns. Luckland and Lendor are good choices for one, as they have a Train Station, and your Crafting guild is a good choice for the other.
    • If you are playing Fortune Teller, consider keeping a bind at the Divine House in Orphea. This is not necessary if you are using the phone app to manage your Tarot fusions/deck.
  • Master Orb unlocked by speaking with a Master NPC.
  • Unlocked the Magic Maze and Metal Maze.
  • Quest 264 completed to unlock Version 2.
  • Collected your many, many free items via Hiroba and Item Codes.

Version 2: The Sleeping Hero and the Guided Allies

Getting Started

As a reminder — keep an eye on your level, and whenever you approach your level limit, go complete the appropriate limit break quest!

Welcome to Lendersia! While Version 2 is not that much different from Version 1, there are a few things to take note of:

Starting with Version 2, each “Version” (expansion) has major patches that add significant story content. From this point forward, these patches will be referred to as .1, .2, .3 and so on.

  • Version 2.0 is titled “The Sleeping Hero and the Guided Allies”
  • Version 2.1 is titled “The Land of Overlapping Fates”
  • Version 2.2 is titled “Spinning the Bonds of Courage”
  • Version 2.3 is titled “Twin Wings of Hope Flying in the Sky”
  • Version 2.4 is titled “Decisive Battle at the End of Eternity”

Altogether these form the entirety of Version 2.

Version 2 features some expanded level design — the vast, wide plains-style of the Version 1 maps are not nearly as prevalent. Version 2 maps are much more condensed, focused and complex — many dungeons feature teleporters, ramps and drop-down points, and so on. You will often find very compact tunnels guarded by very large monsters, forcing you into an encounter in order to progress.

The bosses in Version 2 are, unsurprisingly, more complex and quite a bit stronger. It is not uncommon for squishier Vocations to take massive damage, especially if you’re still wearing level 30 Vocation Quest gear. It is not important nor mandatory to update your gear at all, but be aware that you will get chunked for a large amount of your life fairly often — one of your teammates must have Zing or some form of resurrection. If your teammates are all level 100+ (preferably level 120+), you can still set all bosses to “Strong” and get double exp benefits. At this point, it is worth reiterating that if you have not unlocked all Vocations yet, now is definitely a good time to double back and do so!

Moving forward, if you wish to level any alternate Vocations up to 30+, you will do so in Version 2 areas. Not only do these enemies offer greater experience in addition to the Rookie Metal Slimes, but Version 2 encounters have increased chances to spawn Rookie Metal Liquid Slimes as well!

Story-wise, Version 2 knocks Version 1 clean out of the park, if that’s your jam. Look forward to it...and also to the incredible EXP rewards as well!

Version 2.0 Walkthrough

Your first task will be to clear through Version 2.0 in its entirety — this will take you a few hours, if you watch all cutscenes. You will periodically lose the ability to warp to story-relevant maps if you’ve never been there before, so prepare for a lot of Dolboard usage.

  • It’s recommended that you buy plenty of Dosoline (Dolboard Fuel) — at least 30, probably closer to 50 — as you will be traversing very long paths through maps. Also, restock on Evac-U-Bells if you’ve dipped below 20 and are not on a main Vocation with Evac.

After going through the Version 2 intro sequence on-board the Grand Titus and making landfall in Cocolata, you will be tasked with making your own way to Gran Zedora.

Even if you can’t “warp” using the Walkthrough Guide, hitting the map button (Triangle / Y or the M Key) will guide you towards the next zone you need to go to, so don’t forget to use it as a tool for charting a course.

Upon arrival at the Three-Way Gate, you will be tasked with gathering “three butterflies” by the mysterious Claws. Again, keep track of your progress via Main Menu > Records > The Story So Far.

First Butterfly

  • From Three Way Gate, head to Wald Headwaters > Melsandy Granary Belt > Melsandy Village. Watch the cutscenes, talk to the Mayor, and accept his request to check on his Granny.
    • Before leaving, bind a Zoomstone to the village!
  • Head out of the village and towards the North exit, labeled Melun Watermill. Complete Granny’s requests until she agrees to travel back to Melsandy Village.
  • Return to the Village and watch the cutscenes. You will be told to travel to Sunbeam Square. Do so, enter the well, and travel through the Underground Waterway.
  • Upon clearing the dungeon, you will encounter your first real boss of Version 2. Nothing your teammates can’t handle, but take note that bosses are getting stronger. After winning, return to the village via Evac-U-Bell + Zoomstone to save time. Watch the ending cutscenes.
  • First Butterfly acquired.

Second Butterfly

  • Exit the village and head south through Rhone Forest Belt > Celedot Mountain Pass and enter the Town of Celed.
    • Upon exiting the cutscenes, bind a Zoomstone to the Town entrance and head up to Alltrades Abbey to bind a Zoomstone at the crystal there.
      • This will save you a monumental amount of time later on. You can exchange the bind at Melsandy Village if you need, as you do not need to return there.
      • You can explore Alltrades Abbey if you wish, but there is nothing there at the moment.
  • Continue with the story. You will be tasked with acquiring a Hackasaurus Tail. These giant axe-wielding dinos are found just outside Celed.
  • Return to the High Church, turn in the tail, and go through the cutscenes. You will be tasked eventually with climbing the Linja Tower, accessible via exiting the city, and heading northwest towards Linjahar Coast.
  • There is a boss in the Tower, but it is not terribly difficult. Once you have seen the cutscene with the Queen at the top of the tower, Evac-U-Bell and Zoomstone back to Celed.
  • It’s recommended you heal at the Inn since it’s on the way, because once you enter the High Church you will fight the boss of this story. Watch the ending cutscenes.
  • Second Butterfly acquired.

Third Butterfly

  • Keep one of your Zoomstones bound to Alltrades Abbey.
  • From Celed, exit the city, and head north-east towards Lyana Desolate Area > Al-Agahiro Region > Kingdom of Al-Agahiro.
  • Bind one of your Zoomstones here.
    • You can replace the Zoomstone bind for Celed, as you will not need to return there for the story.
  • Head up to the third floor of the palace to begin this section proper. Follow the Walkthrough Guide in-game and go through all of the cutscenes until you are tasked with traveling to Murudo Mountain.
  • Leave the city and make your way northwest towards Murudo Mountain.
  • After the cutscene, leave Murudo Mountain and head north past Al-Agahiro towards Defel Desert > Jyra Jungle > Big Tree Root.
  • During your exploration of Jyra Jungle there is a boss fight at a Magic Door, but it’s nothing your team can’t handle.
  • After the cutscene in Big Tree Root, Evac-U-Bell and Zoomstone back to Al-Agahiro. Keep progressing by following the Walkthrough Guide in-game. Eventually you will be tasked with entering the Monster Arena via the entrance in the Al-Agahiro Region map.
  • This is the boss of this story. After defeating him, make your way to Murudo Mountain for the final cutscene.
  • Third Butterfly acquired.

Gran Zedora

After acquiring all three butterflies, you will be given a free warp back to Three-Way Gate. Take it now, submit the items, and enjoy the cutscenes.

Progress through the maps as such:

  • Reviewle Highway South > Reviewle Highway North > Gran Zedora Territory > Gran Zedora Kingdom

Welcome to Gran Zedora! Immediately bind one of your Zoomstones here. You should now have a Zoomstone bound at Alltrades Abbey and a Zoomstone bound at Gran Zedora.

Prior to progressing past this point, now would be a good time to check your gear and items. While you are not required to have gear beyond your Vocational Quest gear, it may be a good idea to at least grab a new level-appropriate weapon from the Traveler’s Bazaar, as a one-on-one fight is in your immediate future. Also, stockpile up on HP and MP healing items.

Gear Upgrading

You cannot purchase useful new gear from NPCs like in other Dragon Quest games. The only way to upgrade your gear is to craft it or find it as a drop from monsters in Silver Chests. Using Draquex, locate items that you would equip and wear for your Vocation. Many, if not all, of your upgrades can be bought on the Traveller’s Bazaar, but be prepared to pay a high price.

Some weapon replacements are provided for you below, but if your desired gear isn’t listed, you’ll have to find the items on your own. The items listed below are around Level 60 ~ 65, which is the minimum you should be at this point in the guide.

  • Sword — Stardust Sword: Hawkman (Coniwara Plains // C-6)
  • Shield — Metal Slime Shield: Metal Slime Knight (Sea Melting Cave // First two caverns // To reach here, Julet Town > Upper Jule Island > Kyuarana Coast > Sea Melting Cave.)
  • Broadsword — Force Blade: Priest Knight (Al-Alaghiro Region > Underground Cave)
  • Spear — Poker: Imp (Celedot Mountain Pass // Right outside Celed)

You should also find armor sets on Draquex and consider farming or buying a few upgrades as well. Keep your Angel Slime Hat on, as you’re not 99 yet. It is not necessary to build out a level 65 best-in-slot set, just get a few pieces and get ready to move on.

Return to Ethene

Progress through the story until you infiltrate the Castle and enter Anlucia’s Dreams. This is a story-heavy section that prevents you from bringing your teammates in — therefore, the boss of this area is a one-on-one fight. He doesn’t hit particularly hard, even against cloth-wearers, but better to be safe than sorry.

Afterwards, you will attempt to escape with Anlucia, only to run into opposition. They will beckon you to Alltrades Abbey to finish things, so exit the castle and Zoomstone there. Make your way through Alltrades Abbey down into the basement and take the portal there.

You will find yourself back in Ethene, for the first time since the tutorial. Make your way back to the cave you visited in the north and you will find a previously locked door has now been opened. The Cave of Creation has a lot of winding paths and teleporters, so constantly refer to your map as you progress. There are several mandatory mini-bosses that you must fight, but they aren’t terribly difficult for your level 100+ teammates.

Finally, at the Creatorium, you will face off with the boss of Version 2.0 — and this one has three forms. These fights are not difficult for your teammates, but the third form does have a damage cap for the first few seconds of the fight, giving the boss ample time to land a critical blow on you if you’re not careful.

Watch the ending cutscenes, enjoy the small cliffhanger, and give yourself a round of applause — Version 2.0 is in the books!

You should be approximately level ~70 at this point, or a little below that. If you are lower than level 65, you should consider doing some side-quests. Also, don’t forget about limit breaking if you get close to level cap!

Intermission

While you will be running some side-quests, you should absolutely start 2.1 while you're in the castle.

2.1 begins in Anlucia’s room in the Gran Zedora Castle. After some short cutscenes, you will be tasked with clearing quests and helping out around Lendersia. Before leaving the Throne Room, accept and complete Quest 309 — The King’s Present. This unlocks Quest Stamp Cards, which offer rewards including a new Zoomstone.

The Stamp Card asks that you go back to the Version 1 areas and clear the quests listed on the cards. Some of these quests will become mandatory in the future, but completing all five cards plus Lendersia's cards will take you several hours. It is not mandatory to do this at this time, but the rewards are extremely nice if you can stomach it.

Head upstairs to the East Tower to meet with Anlucia. After the cutscene, you will receive two key items — the Brave Stone and Hero Princesses Zoomstone:

  • The Hero Princesses Zoomstone is a free Zoomstone that warps you to Anlucia directly. It cannot be overwritten.
  • The Brave Stone is used at specific obelisks in Version 2 maps to travel between True and False Lendersia.
    • Yup, if you’re following along with the story, there are two Lendersias — a True and a False. The True maps are prefixed with a T. and the False maps are prefixed with a F.
    • These True and False maps have different monster spawns, item drops, and treasure chests, so as a reminder, you should browse Draquex for a database of items and monsters that drop them.

It's now time to take care of some important side-quests to unlock more stuff. Leave True Gran Zedora and take the carriage to True Celed. Make your way through the city to True Alltrades Abbey.

Skill Point Uncapping

You’re probably tired of leveling up but having nothing to spend Skill Points on due to the cap of 100, right? Let’s fix that. In True Alltrades Abbey, head to D/E-3 and speak with the Skill Master. He will first offer you Master Skills, which you should go through the dialogue for, but afterwards he will offer you quests to finally uncap your skills!

Ensure your teammates are level 100+, preferably 120+, before continuing, and that you have someone who can heal/Zing.

Accept and complete as many of his quests as you are able to:

  • Quest 284: Master’s Special Lesson, pits you against two Dragon monsters, who are not particularly scary but can survive against your Level 100+ team better than most bosses you’ve fought so far.
  • Quest 285: Master’s Source of Worry features the first boss you may have come across that is not only able to tank your Level 100+ teammates, but also is able to heal back to full with Fullheal!
    • Volcanic Dragon casts Fullheal when it is angry, so you need a method to knock it down or silence it when it gets angry — or, extinguish its anger somehow and pile on the damage afterwards.
    • It also has the capability to use a conal knockdown effect, so try to spread out away from your teammates.
    • It’s possible you may need to set this boss to Normal instead of Strong. Dorakue10 estimates that this boss has the following stats:
      • 35,000 HP // 585 Attack // 236 Defense
  • Quest 330: Master’s Top Disciple has two rounds of boss to go through, but compared to the Fullhealing boss of the last quest, these guys aren’t that scary.
    • The second form of this boss has the capacity to do multiple AoE attacks in a row, so stay spread out from your teammates if possible.
  • Quest 352: Master’s Final Trial is also a two-rounder, but this one is definitely the scariest. Not only are you fighting a truly horrifying monster summoned courtesy of the Skill Master, but after you defeat it, you will have to fight not only that, but also one of each of the previous three trial fights — all at once!
  • We recommend setting this second fight to Normal or lower — the Volcanic Dragon might be able to outheal your damage unless you have some way to stop them from casting or time your burst to align with your teammates before he can get angry.
  • It is genuinely best to try and nuke down the Volcanic Dragon right away, but if you’re on Normal mode, your allies can burst down any one target before the Volcanic Dragon gets upset.

You should now have the ability to invest 50 skill points into any skill for a total of 150. We recommend that you fully invest into your Vocation-specific skill / “bottom-skill”! After that, points can go towards whichever weapon you’re wielding.

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