Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies

[RedShell]

Merry Christmas fellow DQ nerds!

 

Collecting Chrimbo items on DQVC resulted in this...

Ho, Ho and Ho joined my party.

^ They weren't very good at fighting though.

 

 

 

[Grazza]

Collecting Chrimbo items on DQVC resulted in this...

 

How did I know you'd go crazy for that stuff...? Very funny the names you gave them.

 

Personally, I've been too ill to play the game recently, but before that I was making as many Agates as possible, and I've now got all the Grotto Boss Drops (didn't realise that Dragonlord's map was a 5% drop rather than 2%).

 

I've also had two "Alchefailures" (the Aeon's Robe and Eternity Trousers), but also had another Alchemiracle (another pair of Infinity Trousers). The ones guided by "base" stats like Resilience are going to be hard to get the Alchemiracles to do, as they can't be boosted by items (which Defence can).

 

Happy Christmas, chaps! To your health and your loved ones!

[killer kirby]

Gametrailers gave this game Nintendo DS Game of the year Well deserved

[darksnowman]

Gametrailers gave this game Nintendo DS Game of the year Well deserved

 

Yep, I watched that the other night. Fully deserved!

[Ike]

DQVC has updated late this week so we get a shorter period to grab items from the Handwear Fayre this week, remember you can get guest character items from this sale. We also got a new quest and guest character.

Edited December 29, 2010 by Ike

[RedShell]

I've now got all the Grotto Boss Drops (didn't realise that Dragonlord's map was a 5% drop rather than 2%).

I'm up to Psaro on the legacy boss front, just finished getting him to Lv.16 too, so hopefully the next map will appear soon.

I really do love how each legacy boss has a different environment and theme music, such great attention to detail!

You have to admire that effort from the developers, for something which is essentially just bonus content.

 

Anyway, in other DQIX news, I've discovered my first all metal monster floor in a grotto!

The grotto is Gold Maze of Hurt Lv.77, unfortunately the metal monster is LMS, but it's still nice to finally discover one of these maps.

 

It's so weird seeing nothing but LMS's running around, I noticed some funny glitches too. Like if you whistle it comes up with a message that nothing has happened (and no enemy appears) but then you can't encounter any of the LMS's! You just run right through them as if they weren't there.

You have to leave that floor and come back to be able to start battles again.

 

Another interesting thing that happened, was when I opened a treasure chest and it made that whoosh sound effect (when you encounter an enemy instead of treasure) it also came up with the message that the chest was really a mimic, but no battle started!

After that the chest disappeared, but the collision detection was still there so you couldn't walk past where the treasure chest was. And I got the same glitch with the LMS like before.

Crazy stuff.

 

I'd love to find an all MKS or GEM Slime floor.

[Grazza]

I'm up to Psaro on the legacy boss front, just finished getting him to Lv.16 too, so hopefully the next map will appear soon.

 

Thanks for reminding me. I can't actually find Psaro (looks at GameFAQs... done!), so I haven't fought him yet, but I'm looking forward to the map he drops, because unless I've got it wrong, that will be our first chance to get Blue Orbs. I'm keen to update my Sandals and Toga.

 

Personally, I've been trying to upgrade all my Legacy Boss drops into (hopefully) the Alchemiracle version. I had another Alchefailure today though, with the Shield. Despite being a level 99 Warrior, I still only had a 20% chance of getting the Alchemiracle. Any ideas on how to boost my Strength and Resilience without using Seeds? I don't want to get obsessive about it, because there are only small differences between the Alchemiracle version of something and the "booby prize". Still...

 

Other than that, I only need three more of the 1% weapons, and would like another Stardust Sword. I've got a Grotto with five Rank 10 chests, so that's cool. I also need the very top tier Grottoes (above "World"), especially the Fire and Ice ones, to complete my Monster List.

 

By the way, we ought to have a proper discussion sometime about how good the Grotto Boss drops actually are! I'm glad I've got all of them, but some of them, like the Gauntlets and Boots, I'd never use in a Legacy Boss fight.

 

Anyway, in other DQIX news, I've discovered my first all metal monster floor in a grotto!

 

I'd love to find an all MKS or GEM Slime floor.

 

If I got an all-MKS floor, I'd be tempted to Revocate 10 times in everything!

[RedShell]

Thanks for reminding me. I can't actually find Psaro (looks at GameFAQs... done!), so I haven't fought him yet, but I'm looking forward to the map he drops, because unless I've got it wrong, that will be our first chance to get Blue Orbs. I'm keen to update my Sandals and Toga.

I got that map off Psaro yesterday, and yeah the boss does indeed drop Blue Orbs.

I think that's all orb types available now then. Unless there's a secret gold one?

 

Looks like the end of the road for Legacy Bosses though, from what I've read online it seems like the rest are obtained via special events/DLC quests.

 

By the way, we ought to have a proper discussion sometime about how good the Grotto Boss drops actually are! I'm glad I've got all of them, but some of them, like the Gauntlets and Boots, I'd never use in a Legacy Boss fight.

I think my favourite items from boss drops are the Victorious Armour and the Hero's Boots. Being able to restore HP/MP just by walking around is awesome, completely removes the need to visit Inns too.

 

Still got a lot of boss drop items to collect though, so not sure if I'll come across anything I like better that those yet.

 

If I got an all-MKS floor, I'd be tempted to Revocate 10 times in everything!

Hehehe! I wonder if anyone has actually been mental enough to do that?

I reckon some gamers in Japan might have.

[Grazza]

Looks like the end of the road for Legacy Bosses though, from what I've read online it seems like the rest are obtained via special events/DLC quests.

 

Oh, that's a shame. I've probably asked before, but can you not get the DLC Quests?

 

I think my favourite items from boss drops are the Victorious Armour and the Hero's Boots. Being able to restore HP/MP just by walking around is awesome, completely removes the need to visit Inns too.

 

Still got a lot of boss drop items to collect though, so not sure if I'll come across anything I like better that those yet.

 

Alright, fair enough! Here's a run-down of what I think of the 2% drops:

 

Vesta Gauntlets

With no Deftness or magical/elemental defence, these are the worst items. There are no circumstances in which I'd wear them, apart from to complete the "outfit".

 

Invincible Trousers

Superb anti-status trousers. My three males are kitted out in them. They are not useful against elements, but you'd cast Insulate or a "Fource" skill to counter that.

 

Apprentice's Gloves

As the most "Deft" gloves in the game, these are great for stealing missions. One drawback is that not many classes can wear them, and the Ethereal Gauntlets are preferable against spells.

 

Hero's Boots

Great for Grottoes as they replenish HP but, with no evasion at all, I wouldn't use them against Legacy Bosses.

 

Sensible Sandals

Not many classes can wear them but, fully upgraded, these are the most evasive shoes in the game.

 

Brain Drainer

Fully upgraded, this is the shield with the best block chance (important), but Erdrick's and Metal King certainly give it a run for its money. Two of these might be nice, but I'll keep my Hero with Erdrick's and my No.2 with Metal King.

 

Tropotoga

Very good way to protect a caster from elements, but the Robe generally edges it unless you are particularly trying to protect against Paralysis.

 

Hallowed Helm

Generally not as good as Erdrick's, unless you get the Alchemiracle version or are particularly trying to defend against Fuddle. Metal King gives it a run for its money.

 

Spring Breeze Hat

Takes one Agate to change "season". Good protection against one specific status effect each, but generally not worth using.

 

Victorious Armour

Good for Grottoes, as it replenishes HP and MP. However, the Metal King Armour protects against more types of element, so the upgraded version of this is only better against fire and ice.

 

Angel's Robe

Superb. The best multi-purpose torso-wear for a caster.

 

My general findings were that, whilst I once thought I'd want four of each, I'm now happy to keep my Hero in "Erdrick's" and my No.2 in Metal King. In fact, none of the "armour" is essential at all. My picks are the Apprentice's Gloves, Sensible Sandals, Invincible Trousers, Brain Drainer, Tropotoga and Angel's Robe, ie. the Grotto Boss drops are better for the magic users rather than the more traditional fighters.

[RedShell]

Oh, that's a shame. I've probably asked before, but can you not get the DLC Quests?

Yeah, I can get the DLC quests.

When I said end of the road for legacy bosses I just meant for a while, until the next DLC quest that unlocks one is made available.

 

Alright, fair enough! Here's a run-down of what I think of the 2% drops:

 

Vesta Gauntlets

With no Deftness or magical/elemental defence, these are the worst items. There are no circumstances in which I'd wear them, apart from to complete the "outfit".

 

Invincible Trousers

Superb anti-status trousers. My three males are kitted out in them. They are not useful against elements, but you'd cast Insulate or a "Fource" skill to counter that.

 

Apprentice's Gloves

As the most "Deft" gloves in the game, these are great for stealing missions. One drawback is that not many classes can wear them, and the Ethereal Gauntlets are preferable against spells.

 

Hero's Boots

Great for Grottoes as they replenish HP but, with no evasion at all, I wouldn't use them against Legacy Bosses.

 

Sensible Sandals

Not many classes can wear them but, fully upgraded, these are the most evasive shoes in the game.

 

Brain Drainer

Fully upgraded, this is the shield with the best block chance (important), but Erdrick's and Metal King certainly give it a run for its money. Two of these might be nice, but I'll keep my Hero with Erdrick's and my No.2 with Metal King.

 

Tropotoga

Very good way to protect a caster from elements, but the Robe generally edges it unless you are particularly trying to protect against Paralysis.

 

Hallowed Helm

Generally not as good as Erdrick's, unless you get the Alchemiracle version or are particularly trying to defend against Fuddle. Metal King gives it a run for its money.

 

Spring Breeze Hat

Takes one Agate to change "season". Good protection against one specific status effect each, but generally not worth using.

 

Victorious Armour

Good for Grottoes, as it replenishes HP and MP. However, the Metal King Armour protects against more types of element, so the upgraded version of this is only better against fire and ice.

 

Angel's Robe

Superb. The best multi-purpose torso-wear for a caster.

 

My general findings were that, whilst I once thought I'd want four of each, I'm now happy to keep my Hero in "Erdrick's" and my No.2 in Metal King. In fact, none of the "armour" is essential at all. My picks are the Apprentice's Gloves, Sensible Sandals, Invincible Trousers, Brain Drainer, Tropotoga and Angel's Robe, ie. the Grotto Boss drops are better for the magic users rather than the more traditional fighters.

Whoa, I've not got much of that stuff.

Did get a couple of pairs of Apprentice's Gloves on DQVC recently though and have just upgraded one of those into Master's Gloves, which are now on my main character. :awesome:

 

Still need to find some Sensible Sandals. Think I'll try and get some of them next, as there's not much point in equipping both the Victorious Armour and Hero's Boots.

[Grazza]

Over the last week or so, I've made the "3 Orb" Toga (the Alchemiracle failed, as it only gave me a 10% chance). However, I did achieve the Alchemiracle for the Sandals (50% chance) and the awesome Hypernova Sword (20% chance).

 

I also beat Baramos at level 99. This is what you get:

 

[RedShell]

I also beat Baramos at level 99. This is what you get:

Nice.

How much EXP does Lv99 Baramos give? Must be quite a bit.

 

Anyway, looks like we didn't have to wait too long for that next legacy boss. The new DLC quest (#158) rewards you with the map for...

 

Very cool boss!

Love how he's in 3 different parts that you can attack/kill individually. :awesome: Seriously mean looking creature too, didn't expect to see something quite as evil as that in this game.

 

As for quest 158, that was hilarious. Having to defeat Trauminator while not equipped with anything, or in the buff as the game describes it.

 

[Grazza]

Nice.

How much EXP does Lv99 Baramos give? Must be quite a bit.

 

I fought him again just for you:

 

 

So, that's 39,508 each, which I assume is 158,032 overall. Trust me, it wouldn't be a good strategy for grinding, as you really all need to be level 99 to fight him at that level! Stick to MKS and PKJ.

[Ganepark32]

Bought this on Boxing Day as I just didn't have the time to play it when it came out last year. But so far, I've sunk 20 hours into the game. It's so damn good. Really enjoying it. Haven't really played a DQ title before now (DQ Monster Joker or whatever it was called doesn't count) but I wish I had now going off of this.

 

So, for the 20 hours I've played, I've got my Minstrel main at lvl 26 (deciding to keep it Minstrel because of the decent attack and magic capabilities available to it), a priest at lvl 24, a mage at lvl 24 and a thief at lvl 24. I didn't figure out how to add other characters until I was lvl 13, just after the Wight Knight.

 

Still, got up to speed very quickly as it seems my days of playing WoW have left some long term memories for organising groups of characters to give a well rounded team (One all out attack = thief with claws, one elemental/spell caster = mage, one healer/moderate attack = priest, one heavy on defense with well rounded magic and standard attacks = minstrel).

 

Collected 5 fyggs already and haven't done much in the way of side quests but I've stopped and picked up a few instead of heading off to continue the main storyline, seeing as I'm short on gold to upgrade the armour for my team.

 

So yeh, really enjoying it. Much more than Golden Sun: Dark Dawn, which I bought at the same time and played an hour and a half before stopping because I wasn't enjoying it (never played GS before).

[darksnowman]

Welcome to the gang GP! Glad you are enjoying DQ 9. Look forward to reading more of your progress.

 

Grazza: you are my DQ hero still!

[Grazza]

So, for the 20 hours I've played, I've got my Minstrel main at lvl 26 (deciding to keep it Minstrel because of the decent attack and magic capabilities available to it), a priest at lvl 24, a mage at lvl 24 and a thief at lvl 24. I didn't figure out how to add other characters until I was lvl 13, just after the Wight Knight.

 

Well done for that. The Wight Knight forced me to make a party.

 

The Minstrel is a brilliant all-rounder, and a good choice to stick with for the main game. Importantly, he can equip most clothes so, for example, he can have the armour that warriors can wear, but also the gloves and sandals of magic users.

 

Be aware that Seeds (of Strength, etc) don't carry over into different classes. I regretted giving my Minstrel some, as his Coup de Grace isn't really good enough to use him against Legacy Bosses.

 

Still, got up to speed very quickly as it seems my days of playing WoW have left some long term memories for organising groups of characters to give a well rounded team (One all out attack = thief with claws, one elemental/spell caster = mage, one healer/moderate attack = priest, one heavy on defense with well rounded magic and standard attacks = minstrel).

 

That's my sort of team as well. I like the leader to be a sort of paladin - that is to say, tough, but doesn't have the very highest attack. This character is defensive and can protect/heal somewhat.

 

No.2 is an all-out attacker. Mine (Dave) started out as a Warrior, then upgraded to the most appropriate vocation (not sure if you want to know the other classes), and has only been the other classes for levelling-up/stealing purposes. No.3 is a Mage, which is fun for the main game. No.4 is a healer. I started Nigel off as a Priest, made him (another class) for general play, but put him back as a Priest for the toughest post-game challenges.

 

I do believe the "better" classes you can unlock are actually blends, rather than undisputed upgrades.

 

Collected 5 fyggs already and haven't done much in the way of side quests but I've stopped and picked up a few instead of heading off to continue the main storyline, seeing as I'm short on gold to upgrade the armour for my team.

 

Some of the armour sets are better than others. I recommend the ones with good elemental defence, such as Silver (upgrade to Gold and Platinum) and Magic (upgrade to Enchanted and Ethereal - that one's awesome).

 

Grazza: you are my DQ hero still!

 

Your posts always make my day.

 

(Prepares to fight the other Legacy Bosses...)

[RedShell]

Trust me, it wouldn't be a good strategy for grinding, as you really all need to be level 99 to fight him at that level! Stick to MKS and PKJ.

Yeah, I never planned on doing that, was just curious.

 

I've been stocking up on the rare items big-style recently, using the Co-op de grâce move; Haulellujah.

It can guarantee that you get the rare item drop from any boss! :awesome: And it's actually not that difficult to do, with the right setup...

 

You need to have a Thief in your party, so I changed my Sage back to a Thief and kitted out my entire team with Critical Fans (well everyone bar my main character as I've only got 3, he's got the Combat Action Medal instead) this gives 'em increased coup de grâce chance.

Then all you've got to do is continually defend until everyone is on a coup de grâce. It takes a bit of patience and sometimes it can go wrong as there's a time limit for each character's move, but it definitely beats having to go through an entire grotto over and over just to face the boss again.

Edited January 12, 2011 by RedShell

[Grazza]

I've been stocking up on the rare items big-style recently, using the Co-op de grâce move; Haulellujah.

It can guarantee that you get the rare item drop from any boss! :awesome: And it's actually not that difficult to do, with the right setup...

 

Whoah, that sounds useful. I've still not seen a Co-op de Grace, but I'll try to activate this one. Thankfully, I do have 2 or 3 Critical Fans (plus the relevant medal, of course).

 

I certainly think I'm going to want 4 Brain Drainers, if nothing else.

[darksnowman]

Be aware that Seeds (of Strength, etc) don't carry over into different classes. I regretted giving my Minstrel some, as his Coup de Grace isn't really good enough to use him against Legacy Bosses.

 

Atleast stat gains from seeds carry over when you revocate, afaik - maybe you can confirm or deny? Hadn't noticed that they don't carry between jobs though... or I wouldn't have pumped my Minstrel with them.

 

Your posts always make my day.

 

[RedShell]

Whoah, that sounds useful. I've still not seen a Co-op de Grace, but I'll try to activate this one. Thankfully, I do have 2 or 3 Critical Fans (plus the relevant medal, of course).

 

I certainly think I'm going to want 4 Brain Drainers, if nothing else.

Yeah, Co-op de grâce is super rare under normal circumstances. I only ever got 1 before starting this Critical Fan technique a few days ago, since then though I've had probably over 100! Multiple ones per battle too, something like 7 or 8 was my most before getting Rare Loot Confirmed and finally killing the enemy.

 

That's the only downside to it, that there are 3 possible outcomes:

1. EXP & Gold x a varying amount (you get this one every time, highest multiplier I've seen so far is x3.0)
   
2. EXP & Gold + Loot Confirmed (gets you the middle drop, the 5% one on regular grottos)
   
3. EXP & Gold + Rare Loot Confirmed (The 2% drop on regular grottos, or an Orb from a legacy boss!)
   

So yeah, most of the time you need to trigger more than 1 Haulellujah per battle to guarantee the rare drop. Like I said before though, it's better than replaying a grotto over and over.

 

Haulellujah is also a pretty good way to collect the various stat enhancing seeds, got a few more strength ones last night. Now when I equip my main character (Minstrel) with the Hypernova Sword and the Soldier's Medal I get an attack stat of 999!

 

 

I've also upgraded 2 of my Critical Fans to Overcritical Fans, that will increase the chances of coup de grâce a little bit more.

Here's a list of how each item effects it:

• Combat Action Medal +3%
  
• Critical fan +6%
  
• Overcritical fan +7%
  
• Hypercritical fan +8%
  
• Dire critical fan +10%
  

Having the Dire critical fan and the Combat Action Medal on a single character must be ridiculous! Can't wait to try it.

 

Atleast stat gains from seeds carry over when you revocate, afaik - maybe you can confirm or deny?

Yeah they do.

[darksnowman]

Know the way in Pokémon (the older ones atleast) you could set an item to the select button? Is there an equivalent in DQ IX? I've been meaning to ask this for AGES!

 

Is killing Gold Golems still the best way to get cash?

[RedShell]

Know the way in Pokémon (the older ones atleast) you could set an item to the select button? Is there an equivalent in DQ IX? I've been meaning to ask this for AGES!

I don't think so, pretty sure select is always used to bring up Battle Records.

What item do you want on the select button? I'm going to take a guess and say Sterling's Whistle. 'Cos that would indeed be handy.

 

Is killing Gold Golems still the best way to get cash?

It is...

 

 

 

 

... until you find Gem slimes that is.

10080 Gold coins each!!

[darksnowman]

Yup, Sterling's Whistle. What else! Having to constantly scroll through the menu's for it is a bit of an annoyance so I wondered if I'd missed something. :p

 

Haven't even encountered any Gem Slimes... the DQ VC is taking its toll on my banked cash.

[RedShell]

Yup, Sterling's Whistle. What else! Having to constantly scroll through the menu's for it is a bit of an annoyance so I wondered if I'd missed something. :p

Here's a tip...

 

Set Sterling's Whistle as the top item on your main character, then all you need to do is repeatedly hit the X button and you'll be on the Starflight Express before you know it!

[Ganepark32]

Have pretty much been playing this solidly for the last few days. Still enjoying it a lot. Have progressed the story up to Gortress, and it's getting interesting. The events just before you get to the Gortress were great, even if you were only the Dragon Warrior for a short period of time. The cutscene was nicely done (as are all of the anime cutscenes in the game which is great considering some developers seem to have real trouble not making them look poorly compressed) and I was a bit saddened by how it turned out.

 

Kind of finding it a little easy though and I haven't really been grinding, just going along as normal between places and battling whenever I feel like it. Not really been troubled at any point since the Tower of Trades Boss/Lleviathan, when I couldn't beat either of them and had to grind a couple of levels. All of the bosses and enemies just seem to be a bit of a push over really, as none of them have made me sit back and have to figure out a suitable strategy to put them down.

 

I mean, yes there'll be a bit of healing thanks to my priest but I've never had a full party die at a boss since those mentioned (only my Mage dies no matter what I gear her with Any suggestions for another spell/magic heavy class that would fair better than Mage?) and my characters have such a high crit hit rating, that I get a critical hit on one of my three physical attack characters at least once in every battle.

 

Still, if I could sort out my Mage to stop dying in battles (and she has a decent defence rating as well as always having healing items) then it'd be perfect. Thinking of doing some grinding anyway. Got so little money it's unbelievable. I geared everybody up, although there are still areas where all 4 need new gear, when I got to Upover and I have 7000 gold left at most. I guess I'll be stuck grinding Gold Golems in Gleeba for a while to get the money I need.