Before you begin your quest as the Luminary to save the kingdom from certain dark forces, you need to be properly prepared. Dragon Quest XI S is a massive JRPG full of systems and menus and settings galore, some that need to be dealt with right out the gate otherwise you may need to restart.
It wouldn't be a real JRPG if playing the game didn't take a certain level of planning to start with. An undertaking like this can be intimidating on your own, so here are 10 pro tips for Dragon Quest XI S you should know.
10 Turn On Draconian Quests
Dragon Quest XI S has a bundle of options to make the game more difficult called "Draconian Quests." The game prompts you to select them at the start stating that they can be disabled at a church in-game at any time. The game does not clarify however that they cannot be enabled at any time. If you have any inkling that you might want a more difficult experience you should enable any of the quests that seem interesting to you and turn off the ones you don't like later. Nobody wants to have to start over 10 hours in because the game is too easy.
9 Heal The Party With MP From The Menu
Like most RPG's Dragon Quest XI S is constantly throwing health items your way but you don't need to use them outside of battle. The reason for this is because of the option to heal your party using the MP of members with healing spells under the "Misc." option. The Hero gains a healing spell fairly early on and a healer gets added to the party not soon after so being able to get everyone at max health in-between fights is available pretty much the whole game so you never have to come into a fight unprepared again.
8 Battle Speed Can Be Increased From The Menu
You are going to fight a ton of battles during your time with Dragon Quest XI S during which time you will probably grow sick of even looking at the battle animations or at least want them to go by a little faster.
The option to increase battle speed is available in "Misc." under "System Settings" with the choice for normal, fast and ultra-fast depending on personal taste. Not something that is required for playing or something you would want to put on to start with, but 30 hours in your going to be thinking about it.
7 Save Frequently
This seems like something that doesn't need to be said but it needs to be pointed out for one particular reason. If your party wipes in Dragon Quest XI S you are prompted to restart from the last major area you visited, your last save or the last auto-save. The game doesn't clarify however when exactly all of these occurred, so picking the wrong option could send you back further than you would have liked. Saving frequently lessens this issue, since you would know that your save isn't that old.
6 Pay Close Attention To The Skill Tree
While all skill trees you be closely looked at before picking out new abilities, Dragon Quest XI S not having a one-point per skill system means it's going to take a little extra brainpower to plan out. Leveling up provides a couple of points depending on how far into the game and skills can take any number of points to get, so you only get one skill per every three to four levels, so planning out exactly what you want means you know what your saving for. If you ever feel like you made a mistake, any church can refund spent points, for a price.
5 Buy/Forge New Equipment Frequently
While it feels like you can coast on equipment for a long time in Dragon Quest XI S you're doing yourself a disservice by not getting better stuff whenever possible.
Even reworking current equipment to make it slightly better makes a noticeable difference in combat and can make or break some of the tougher boss fights. Equipment can also be purchased with every new town offering something better than the last.
4 Adjust Tactics Appropriately
Dragon Quest XI S features a Tactic system for the turn-based combat, allowing the nature of each party member to be set however you please. The default for party members is "Fight Wisely" which has pretty solid combat tactics. The options to focus on different things like healing is there. This is also where you can set them to "follow orders" which lets you control the actions of every party member manually for the authentic JRPG experience.
3 Map Gives Information About Monsters And Resources
In the map menu, you have access to a bunch of information, including the types of monsters in the area and places where you have previously gathered materials. This is helpful for side quests where you need to gather certain materials or get certain mob drops. While you cannot look at areas you aren't in, it does help for massive areas you can explore.
2 Party Members Can Learn Magic For Outside Combat
In the Magic menu, party members can perform certain spells outside of combat. The majority of spells are healing spells but there are some other useful ones as well. Evac and Zoom are for traveling to the start of a dungeon and fast traveling respectively.
Another one that can be learned is Nose for Treasure, which lets you know how much treasure has been left undiscovered in an area. There are more spells to learn so keep an eye out for them in the skill tree.
1 All Party Members Get EXP
This tip doesn't require you to do anything but it's nice to know. All party members, including those not actually in your combat line-up. This is super helpful because it lets you focus on using the party members you like the most or are the strongest without worrying about the other members falling so far behind they aren't usable. It also helps for the times when some party members are unavailable or some are required to be used. You still need to make sure everyone is properly equipped.