Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined brings the beloved 2000 PlayStation classic into the modern era with a gorgeous diorama art style, streamlined storytelling, and overhauled gameplay mechanics. Whether you’re a returning veteran curious about what’s changed or a newcomer taking your first steps into Estard, there’s plenty to wrap your head around.
From the new Moonlighting vocation system to quality-of-life features tucked away in menus, a few pointers can make your adventure significantly smoother. Here are seven essential tips to help you hit the ground running.
Simple Combos Will Destroy The Early Game
Before you have access to Vocations and the wider world of skills, you’ll be limited to your party’s basic list of skills. Thankfully, this is more than enough to get you going.
For trickier fights and boss battles, a key combo you’ll want to get used to using is the Aqua Slash (from the Hero) to Lightning Slash (from Kiefer) duo. Aqua Slash has a chance of reducing the target’s resistance to lightning effects, causing Lightning Slash to do more damage. In the early stages of the game, damage output is low enough that this little boost makes a tremendous difference, and should be used whenever you need it.
The Hero’s Oomphle is another great skill to blend into this: buffing is very important in Dragon Quest, significantly boosting damage output. Learn which buffs suit which party members early!
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What To Do If You Don’t Know Where To Go
Dragon Quest 7’s island-hopping structure can occasionally leave you wondering where to head next, especially when you’re hunting for tablet fragments to unlock new areas; Reimagined offers several tools to keep you on track.
- Opening your map will display your current objective, giving you a general sense of direction.
- For more specific guidance, press the dedicated button to consult your party members; they’ll often remind you of recent story beats or suggest where to investigate.
- Head to the Shrine of Mysteries and speak with The Caretaker. He’ll point you toward the next tablet pieces you can acquire with a hint.
How To Best Use Ruff’s Treasure Hunting Ability
Once Ruff joins your party, you’ll gain access to his invaluable Nose for Treasure ability, which highlights nearby collectables on your map. To get the most out of this skill, head into the System Menu and map it to a Shortcut button for instant access. Use it liberally as you explore – there’s no cost or cooldown, so there’s no reason to hold back.
It will tell you how many treasures are left to find in the exact screen you’re on at the moment, but also within the wider area, which will really cut down on time wasted examining places you’ve already searched fully.
The ability becomes especially powerful on the world map: activating it there will reveal collectables across the entire island you’re currently on, making it far easier to track down Mini Medals and hidden items without combing every inch of terrain on foot.
What To Do With Seeds Of Proficiency
Seeds of Proficiency are valuable consumables that grant vocation experience, and it’s tempting to use them the moment you pick them up, but it’s better to wait.
The final ranks of any vocation require significantly more proficiency points than the earlier levels, so saving your seeds for those late-stage pushes will give you the best return on investment.
Even better, wait until you’ve unlocked the Moonlighting system, which allows characters to equip two vocations simultaneously. When you use a Seed of Proficiency while Moonlighting, the experience applies to both vocations at once, effectively doubling the seed’s value. Patience here pays off enormously.
Consider Boosting Your Gold Rate
Reimagined is generally more forgiving than previous versions of Dragon Quest 7, but equipment remains expensive throughout the adventure.
If you find yourself constantly scraping together gold for the next weapon upgrade while enemies pose little threat, consider tweaking the difficulty settings. The game allows you to adjust gold earned from battles independently from other parameters like enemy strength and experience gain.
Bumping up your gold income lets you keep pace with shop prices without forcing you to grind for hours and overlevelling your party, preserving the challenge of boss encounters while removing the tedium.
Don’t Rush To Change Vocations
When you unlock Alltrades Abbey and gain access to the full vocation system, the temptation to immediately switch everyone to exciting new jobs is strong, but a character who just changed vocations will have few – if any – abilities available from their new class, leaving them far less effective in battle.
If you swap your entire party’s vocations at once, you’ll find yourself struggling through encounters with a team that can barely function. Instead, stagger your vocation changes. My advice is to let one or two characters begin training new jobs while the other maintains their current roles, ensuring you always have a functional party composition as you progress.
Keep A Dedicated Healer Around
Having a reliable healer in your party can mean the difference between victory and a game over screen. Prioritise keeping at least one character trained in healing magic – the Priest vocation is an obvious choice, though other paths can work as well.
Remember that Priests also have attacking magic, so they’re not useless while your party is healthy!
Pay particular attention to revival spells like Zing and Kazing. Items that revive fallen party members are exceptionally rare in this game, so your healer’s ability to bring allies back from the brink is often your only lifeline during tough encounters. Don’t neglect supportive spells either; buffs and status cures can be just as crucial as raw healing.
Don’t Conserve MP For Bosses
Veterans of classic JRPGs often develop a habit of hoarding MP throughout dungeons, reserving their best spells for the boss waiting at the end. In Reimagined, this caution is largely unnecessary.
The game consistently places healing statues or triggers scripted recovery events before major boss encounters, restoring your party to full health and MP. This means you can use your abilities freely while navigating dungeons without fear of arriving at the boss on empty. Clearing trash encounters efficiently with magic makes your dungeon runs smoother and faster, so don’t be afraid to cast those spells.
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