Best video game ever?

(NOTE: this post includes suggestive ideas on how to play, and one cheat. Don't say I didn't warn you.)

Okay, besides Wizard101 and Zelda, I'd like to talk about my other favorite game Dragon Quest IX: sentinels  of the starry skies (aka DQIX).

I know I've mentioned it before but for a long time I've really wanted to write a post about it. Well, guess that can be now.

First off, you can only have one file at a time, so I've gone through 7+ files. Here's a little list of the file characters that's I've actually gotten somewhere on:

• Quwann
• Avanica
• Everin
• Everin #2
• Fallon
• Rayne
• Current - Lucy

Others include getting through the first boss, getting bored with the character and starting over. Total playing time = half an hour. My last most famous file is Fallon, named after Generation WizBot. With her I actually beat the game. And then lots of other stuff afterwards, playing time totaled to well over 60 hours.


:)


Why did I delete her? Well after the game there's many quests you can do, but mostly it's grottos, and for the longest time I was only defeating one grotto boss over and over and over.


So now I have Lucy (named after the main character of the manga Fairy Tail). The other files were mainly I got to a plot line boss that I couldn't defeat and got super mad and deleted the file. Yes, I was filled with regret afterwards but sometimes you must sacrifice the good for the great.

Only two times that is not true. With Everin I was fighting street monsters and kept losing (cause I was by myself) and got really mad then deleted the file. The other time is with Rayne, which is a recently deleted file. I got to the second-to-final boss, got scared because I felt unprepared and deleted the file.

>.<

But what's done is done and I can't change it none.

So, let's move on to how I interpret the game. 


This following is how I think the party should be set up (n.b. that you are alone up until you reach the kingdom of Stornway, then you can "hire" people to help you, it makes fighting much easier). The party uses the names I gave them, just to make it a little easier.

(NOTE: terms with an * are listed in a glossary thing at the bottom. Also so note that odd words such as 'Dourbridge' are names of tows and places.)

1. Lucy - main character
   Vocation: Minstrel (you are stuck with this until you reach Alltrades Abbey)
   Weapon: Sword (as you level, don't put skill points* into this category, put them into the Minstrel subcategory* of Litheness)
   Armor: generally give yourself the best armor and the best sword, since you should have no skill points in the sword category.
   Note: the reason you don't put any skill points into the sword category is because later on you will want to change you vocation (for me the e.g. is Ranger) and the sword skills will be useless.
   
2. Natsu - secondary tank
   Vocation: Thief (this can also be Warrior, but with the Thief vocation you can do a really awesome quest from the town Dourbridge that earns you a lot of gold).
   Weapon: Claws (knife or sword also)
   Armor: give them the best armor special to their class, this is easier once you reach Dourbridge, Gleeba, and Batzureg.
   Note: your Thief may not have the best defense or attack of the group, but they can learn some sly skills and know a little bit of healing. (However, if you choose Warrior I would recommend the Spear as your weapon.)
   
3. Gray - tank
   Vocation: Martial Artist
   Weapon: Staff (claws or something else)
   Armor: as the above said, try to get the armor special to this class. This is easier around Gleeba and Wormwood Creek.
   Note: Highest defense and highest hit, that's why he's your tank. Early in the game you learn a technique called 'Egg On', which raises defense/attack/agility/etc for whomever you use it on. When fighting a hard boss use this on your tank and the damage will be immense. 
4. Erza - healer
   Vocation: Priest (believe me, you REALLY WANT a Priest, otherwise your party will be dead by the second boss you fight). Later on, late in the game, you can learn the vocation of Sage, which is an even better healer's option.
   Weapon: Wand (it's the most suitable option for your priest (staff or spear also).
   Armor: though mostly anyone can equip magic armor, it should go straight you your priest. Anything that boosts magical mending* or magical might* is something your Priest wants.
   Note: You want your Priest on the back line, and you want their defense boosted first (by the spell Buff). MP* is everything for you Priest. One boss can drain MP and that's is bad (need I put it any simpler). Both times he had drained my Priests MP to zero.

Haha, hope that wasn't too much to read.
:)


As far as switching vocations go there are the given ones and ones you have to earn through quests. Here's the list:

• Minetrel
• Warrior
• Martial Artist
• Thief
• Mage
• Priest
• Ranger
• Gladiator
• Armanalist
  
• Paladin
  
• Sage
• Luminary

The ones in blue are the ones you have to earn. With the ones you earn, here's what I would do:

1. Lucy - switch to Ranger - permanent
   Weapon: bow (ax or boomerang)
   Note: while as a Minstrel you hopefully put your skill points into the subcategory Litheness. Now as a Ranger you kept these abilities.
2. Natsu - switch to Paladin - temporary
   Weapon: Claws (should be an Omnivocational Clawmaster now)
   Note: do this when you reach the final boss. Train in the subcategory Virtue for usable aspects to protect party members.
   Later... (note: for me this was after I had beaten the game)
   Natsu - switch to Armanalist - temporary
   Weapon: Claws
   Note: again, train in the subcategory, learning the different Forces. These will help A LOT against grotto* bosses.
   
3. Gray - switch to Warrior - temporary (I know this isn't an earned vocation, this is help for the final boss)
   Weapon: Staff (should be an Omnivocational Staffmaster now)
   Note: like above, this should be around when you reach the final boss. Train in the subcategory to get extra health and power.
   Later...(note: for me this was after I had beaten the game)
   Gray - switch to Gladiator - temporary
   Weapon: Staff
   Note: this is to get extra general power to make your tank much more powerful.
4. Erza - switch to Sage - permanent
   Weapon: Wand (you should already have lots of skill points in this weapon)
   Note: you can't get this vocation until you are in the region of the final boss. I find this a much better vocation than Priest because you learn powerful heals at an early level and you also learn spells that effect all party members (e.g. Kabuff raises everyone's defense while Buff only raises one persons).

I split the game into four sections. Each section is particular to certain events and plot line discoveries. I don't want to give too much of the game away (yeah, yeah, forget the vocation stuff) so I'll just name each one and give a brief synopsis.


Section One - trying to get home. Bosses: 4
Section Two - major quest all around the world. Bosses: 7
Section Three - final stage. Bosses: 9 (note you fight three twice, and one has two forms).
Section Four - game over, grotto hunting time along with new story quests. Bosses: infinite (that I know of anyway, they're all in grotto's and the grotto number I got up to with Fallon was well over 50 or 60).


Okay, so in section two you eventually have a choice to go anywhere you want for the last three bosses. I vouch for going to every single place. BUT BEFORE YOU START THE QUEST LINE THERE make a log of the best armor and weapons from all three places, then SAVE UP then buy. I cannot be any more clear how important saving is.
Sure, maybe in the real world money isn't everything but believe me, in DQIX money is everything.Well, not entirely everything, but it sure helps a lot.

I've made this mistake twice and it has cost me. I've lost so much money due to the fact that I wasted it on gear that was not the best for my party.

However, if you're short on gold you can always alchemies something (kinda of like crafting). Learn powerful recipes that can help you better than store bought things (my latest goal is to make the Empress's Robe, long, long, long list of steps and regents right there).


So anyway, I've finally done it. I've finally posted about DQIX. So happy. I did leave out quite a few things, but that's for you to find out. Dragon Quest actually has lots of games before hand. I personally really want to play Dragon Quest IV: chapters of the chosen.

Oops. Hang on... I never mentioned that DQ was for the nintendoDS did I? And like, only for the nintendo? Yeah, old school right here.
:)



Anywho, I have to say that a game like DQIX with it's amazing graphics and deep story line (you cannot fathom the story line deepness until playing a few times through) is a game I would like to make someday. You know... someday.


C:

GLOSSARY

Skill Points - when you level you receive skill points (3 -> 4 -> 5 etc, it grows as you level). You can place them into available categories of your vocation to learn new abilities. Mostly this in done in your weapon-of-choice category. You can learn skills in multiple weapons, just a note.
Subcategory - each vocation has a category that is not a weapon, I call these subcategories. Skills you learn through these categories (each unique to it's vocation) will remain with you forever (as will all skills you learn, though you may not always be able to use them depending on your vocation [i.e. weapons]).
Magical Mending - healing. Extra magical mending boosts your heals. So, as I said, give this kind of armor to your Priest.

Magical Might - attack spells. Extra magical might boosts how much damage attack spells do. Minstrels and Mages casts spells so this kind of thing would go to them.
NOTE: the above explained magical mending and might kinds of armor are commonly paired together, not just one or the other. Even though your Priest may not cast many spells, your Sage will. With lots of healing and some powerful spells it's doesn't matter if their together or not.
Grotto - grotto's you find through treasure maps. After completing each grotto (aka defeating the boss at the end) you receive a new map with a new location. Grotto bosses are hard and are more easily defeated after you beat the game.
MP - stands for magic points, aka like mana, what you use to cast spells with.


Laterz!
~Emma