Support NeoGAF

[Agent Unknown]

I'm thinking about getting a used copy of Dragon Quest V Hand of the Heavenly Bride for DS. This would be my first DQ game ever. Up until now the only turn based RPGS I've played through are Chrono Trigger and Earthbound. A few months ago I was thinking about starting a Phantasy Star title for the first time but since then have decided I would like something a bit more fantasy/medievel themed instead. I've heard a lot of praise for DQ V, the monster recruitment system sounds fun and I find the idea of befriending and growing up with a wife really charming.

Is there anything I need to know beforehand? How much grinding is needed overall? One main concern I have is I read that in DQ series you need to travel all the way back to a church just to save your progress? Going back to the hotels in EB wasn't a big deal because you could avoid most enemy encounters when needed and CT had a quick save function. Do I have to use the churches to save or do anything else important or can I just quick save whenever I want in the DS remake? Thanks in advance for any info.

 

[TI82]

If you enjoy the monster stuff check out dragon quest monsters. The ones on DS are great.

 

[Barrylocke]

The ds version does have quick save. The evac spell can warp you out of dungeons and the zoom spell/wing of chimera can warp you to towns, so the lack of save points doesnt kill as much as some may imply.

Dq5 is charming as hell and my favorite DQ game. Take advantage of the party chat feature once you get party members (press b after talking to someone or entering a new area). It adds alot of characterization to your crew. Enjoy your game and your new waifu.

 

[MissDeviling]

You can quick save. Churches are made for regular saves, curing status ailments, and reviving party members. You can warp to churches when you learn the spell Zoom (pretty early in the game, IIRC), or you can use Chimera Wings, an item, to warp as well. These you can buy from item shops. So reaching churches isn't a big deal. Usually I just leave a dungeon right before a boss to heal up and save before tackling it (they're usually visible so you'll know). Could be more convenient, but it's not so bad.

 

[Tripon]

The most important thing is to marry Bianca. Fiora is no good.

 

[Oni Link 666]

Grinding is not really necessary. You should be at the right level for where you want to go, but knowing what you're doing in a boss fight, coming prepared with good armor and recovery items, and having the right group makeup is what you really need. Grinding a lot is the brute force way to go about it.

 

[Agent Unknown]

Thanks for the info so far, everyone!

You can quick save. Churches are made for regular saves, curing status ailments, and reviving party members. You can warp to churches when you learn the spell Zoom (pretty early in the game, IIRC), or you can use Chimera Wings, an item, to warp as well. These you can buy from item shops. So reaching churches isn't a big deal. Usually I just leave a dungeon right before a boss to heal up and save before tackling it (they're usually visible so you'll know). Could be more convenient, but it's not so bad.

So basically churches are for the most optional? Can you also heal/revive if needed using certain items or characters?

 

[Hours Left]

Nera > Other ladies

 

[MissDeviling]

Thanks for the info so far, everyone!



So basically churches are for the most optional? Can you also heal/revive if needed using certain items or characters?

Churches are optional if you don't mind using quick saves only. But early on you don't have access to the revive spell, so you'll need them from time to time unless you can keep yourself alive. You can heal HP and cure ailments with spells, but you'll need to replenish MP at inns usually, since MP regen items aren't too common.

 

[Bitanator]

You do not need to grind at all in DQ, let alone V. It is my favorite rpg of all time, so good choice in picking one of the best, and to me the best one to start with.

 

[ghibli99]

5 on the DS was the first DQ I ever played through to completion, and it led to a love affair with the rest of the series. I wrote about it here several years ago:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=457602

referring to it in my DQ7 thread:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=407945

and a LTTP on DQ4:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=487665

No surprise, but I love this series, and it's easily my all-time favorite.

 

[Cheerilee]

So basically churches are for the most optional?

Basically, in DQ games, you start out in town, buy some swords and armor and healing items, then head out of town and try to reach the next town. There will be mazes and monsters standing in your way, which are designed to wear you down and prevent you from reaching your goal.

If you get wrecked by the monsters early on, and you can tell that you probably won't make it, you can turn back to town and try to recover. If you make it back to town, you will probably be stronger and richer and smarter, and better able to try again.

If your entire group gets killed, your bodies get dragged back to town and revived automatically, at a cost of 1/2 of the gold which you had at the time of defeat. This is bothersome and annoying, but if you spend all of your gold getting ready before you leave town, you still come out ahead. You can't really "lose" Dragon Quest, everything you do moves you forward, you can just waste your time.

You can't save in the monster-filled wasteland between towns, because that would undermine the game. You can quicksave if you need to take a break.

Can you also heal/revive if needed using certain items or characters?

Yes, revival abilities (and more) become available later in the game.

 

[Agent Unknown]

OP updated with some spiffy pics. Thanks for all of the info and clarification so far guys!

5 on the DS was the first DQ I ever played through to completion, and it led to a love affair with the rest of the series. I wrote about it here several years ago:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=457602

referring to it in my DQ7 thread:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=407945

and a LTTP on DQ4:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=487665

No surprise, but I love this series, and it's easily my all-time favorite.

Thanks, I'll read up on these when I have a chance.

 

[sublimit]

I finished DQIV (DS) some months ago and i loved it.I was going to start DQV right away but got distracted by other games.I intent to get back to it sooner rather than later though while i still have the events of IV fresh in my mind.

Btw i've heard that DQV's story is very related to DQIV so you might want to play IV first.

 

[SporeCrawler]

The most important thing is to marry Bianca. Fiora is no good.

Indeed. Bianca is superior.

 

[ReyVGM]

Why not start with DQ4? It is very good too, and storywise it is part of the same trilogy as DQ5.

 

[Agent Unknown]

Why not start with DQ4? It is very good too, and storywise it is part of the same trilogy as DQ5.

Thanks but I think I'm going to stick with DQ V for now unless I find a copy of DQ IV sooner than later.

 

[Luigi87]

This thread reminded me that I bought this years ago. My copy is still sealed, and I have never played a Dragon Quest game before...
I should get around to this.

 

[BasilZero]

This was my first DQ game (I played the SNES version though).

I need to play the remake - havent played it yet!

I did choose Bianca during my SNES playthrough years ago !

 

[Escalario]

Deborah>all. You know it to be the truth.

 

[Beartruck]

I'm only a few hours into the game(Just finished exploring the haunted mansion as a kid), but I can already tell it's going to something special even for a DQ game.

 

[Superblatt]

Crazy coincidence that I ordered a copy of Dragon Quest V that just arrived in the mail today. I plan on finishing up Wolfenstein tonight and then making this my vacation game for the next week. Only Dragon Quest I've really played is 8, and everything I read was that this was the next best one. Can't wait!

 

[Blues1990]

Is there anything I need to know beforehand? How much grinding is needed overall? One main concern I have is I read that in DQ series you need to travel all the way back to a church just to save your progress? Going back to the hotels in EB wasn't a big deal because you could avoid most enemy encounters when needed and CT had a quick save function. Do I have to use the churches to save or do anything else important or can I just quick save whenever I want in the DS remake? Thanks in advance for any info.

-If you see a new town, then fight all the monsters that surround it until you can afford the best equipment for your party. It's also a great way to gain experience & level up. Once you learn the Zoom spell, make sure to travel to places where there are monsters that reward high experience points, such as fighting Metal Slimes & King Slimes. (However, be warned that those type of slimes can only be damaged by physical attacks, as spells are useless against them.) You will later obtain a special sword that does a lot of damage to them, so use it to power-level your characters.

-During your adventures, you will find seeds that can buff a characters stats, such as increased HP and MP. My advice is to save those seeds & use them for the main hero, as he will always be in your party at all times during your adventure.

-As far as bosses are concerned, have your fighters do as much damage to the enemy, while your healers focus on curing status ailments & restore HP/MP. For mages & wizard-type characters, use them to cast buffs on your party and debuff spells on the enemy.

-EXPLORE! If I find a new dungeon/cavern/temple/tower, I usually end up trying to venture in as far as I can, to explore each new passage that I come across. If I do feel like it's overwhelming, then I will evacuate immediately. You will keep your experience & items that you have found, and you will know which areas you have explored. It also helps saving a trip to your local church to resurrect your fallen party members.

Spoiler

-Later on, you will be given a choice between marrying one of three brides, Bianca (the most balanced between physical attacks & magic), Deborah (highest physical attack but sucks at spell casting), & Nera (excels at being a heavy magic user, but has the weakest attack power). A few years in-game, your wife will give birth to two children, who will later join your party. Their hair colour will match that of the chosen wife, but it otherwise doesn't affect the gameplay.

 

[inner-G]

DS is the best system ever for DQ if you're a westerner.

IV, V, VI, IX, Monsters: Joker 1 + 2, Rocket Slime...

 

[HK-47]

Tied with 8 for my favorite. It certainly has the most enjoyable story and characters.

 

[GTABlueKid]

DQV was my first DQ game too. I played it a couple years ago now and it was truly an amazing experience. I hadn't finished an RPG in years and this game somehow brought me back to my old self. Still have not played another DQ game because I fear it will not live up to this one.

 

[GreenMonkey]

-If you see a new town, then fight all the monsters that surround it until you can afford the best equipment for your party. It's also a great way to gain experience & level up.

As a long time DQ fan / veteran I disagree vehemently with this part.

Grinding is *NOT* required for any DQ games (except for DQ1) and will make the game too easy. If you die you get revived at your last save with half gold...no big loss, and you've naturally leveled up without boring grinding. I hate grinding for levels.

I would say instead, don't treat DQ like Final Fantasy. Spells like sleep, buffs, debuffs, etc are actually useful. Use them. Often the folks I see struggling and grinding are doing it because they failed to use useful spells, thinking they are pointless like they are in most FF games. Like Fendspell in DQ4 (very useful for a certain boss fight in a castle) or defense-boosting buffs.

 

[Salsa]

well let me tell you they're all gonna be not-as-good if you're starting with V

 

[Blues1990]

As a long time DQ fan / veteran I disagree vehemently with this part.

Grinding is *NOT* required for any DQ games (except for DQ1) and will make the game too easy. If you die you get revived at your last save with half gold...no big loss, and you've naturally leveled up without boring grinding. I hate grinding for levels.

I would say instead, don't treat DQ like Final Fantasy. Spells like sleep, buffs, debuffs, etc are actually useful. Use them. Often the folks I see struggling and grinding are doing it because they failed to use useful spells, thinking they are pointless like they are in most FF games. Like Fendspell in DQ4 (very useful for a certain boss fight in a castle) or defense-boosting buffs.

I respectfully disagree. For those who are new to the series, I will always recommend balancing the grinding sessions & utilizing your abilities, along with getting the best equipment for every new town you come across & then move on. However, I will add that you should take your time with the game and have fun, as it's a pretty engaging when it needs to be but is pretty laid-back when you are traveling.

 

[F0rneus]

Deborah>all. You know it to be the truth.

Yup. Deborah all day.

 

[Just take it with you.]

Deborah>all. You know it to be the truth.

She was a great troll option for a second playthrough.

 

[Kazerei]

When you become able to recruit monsters, I recommend recruiting a Healslime or Slime Knight ASAP. Both very useful mid-game, though you'll probably replace them later on.

 

[Blues1990]

She was a great troll option for a second playthrough.

I love it that you are given three chances for changing your mind, rather than the two times you are given for marrying Bianca &/or Flora.

 

[Barrylocke]

Yup. Deborah all day.

I still need to do a Deboeah playthrough. I here shes an interesting wife. Plus, dont some of the partychats with the kids change dependong on who you married?

 

[Aeana]

-If you see a new town, then fight all the monsters that surround it until you can afford the best equipment for your party. It's also a great way to gain experience & level up. Once you learn the Zoom spell, make sure to travel to places where there are monsters that reward high experience points, such as fighting Metal Slimes & King Slimes. (However, be warned that those type of slimes can only be damaged by physical attacks, as spells are useless against them.) You will later obtain a special sword that does a lot of damage to them, so use it to power-level your characters.

I recommend against this. People thinking they have to have the best equipment at all times is the #1 reason for people thinking Dragon Quest games require grinding. The fact is that you can get by by only lazily updating your equipment, and most importantly, paying close attention to secondary effects of armor. For example, magic shields reduce magic damage, and are thus inherently more valuable than many shields with higher defense power for the majority of the game.

 

[djSyndrome]

The most important thing is to marry Bianca. Fiora is no good.

But your children end up ugly as hell.

 

[ReyVGM]

As a long time DQ fan / veteran I disagree vehemently with this part.

Grinding is *NOT* required for any DQ games (except for DQ1) and will make the game too easy. If you die you get revived at your last save with half gold...no big loss, and you've naturally leveled up without boring grinding. I hate grinding for levels.
.

Grinding is pretty much required for DQ2. Your party is horrible and the monsters are way too strong. Thankfully, the GBC version is more balanced.

 

[Barrylocke]

But your children end up ugly as hell.

Are you trying to suggest that a super sayain makes for a bad son? I hope not.

 

[Aeana]

Grinding is pretty much required for DQ2. Your party is horrible and the monsters are way too strong. Thankfully, the GBC version is more balanced.

The original DQ2 is not well-balanced, but the remakes have been.

 

[ReyVGM]

The original DQ2 is not well-balanced, but the remakes have been.

Yeah, that what I said.

 

[Cheerilee]

Grinding to buy all of the best equipment as soon as it becomes available is wrong. While crossing the dungeon from one town to the next, you will often find some weapon or piece of armor. Is it exactly what you needed? Did you just waste a bunch of your hard-earned money buying one just like it? Nobody knows (not even the developers, because they didn't tell you what to buy), it's a surprise, but if you already have all the best weapons and armor available, there's no surprise, and odds are you just found a useless piece of junk to sell.

As a beginner, if you start out and try to reach the next town without grinding first, you will most likely fail. You'll either die or have to turn back. But that's the appropriate way to "grind" in Dragon Quest. You're never in any real danger (if you die you'll just be sent back to town), so you might as well take a risk, step out away from the town, and see what's out there. Half of Dragon Quest is your EXP and levels, and the other half is your own mental experience points. You need to understand the terrain and the monsters, and you can't get that by marching into the dungeon with an over-leveled, over-armored tank. You get that by getting your butt kicked a few times.

But even though I know it's wrong, I personally like to grind a little, to get the weapons and armor that I want. Once I see that Chain Sickle on the shelf, it becomes my new goal. I know I won't be able to leave town until that baby is mine.

 

[True Fire]

DS is the best system ever for DQ if you're a westerner.

IV, V, VI, IX, Monsters: Joker 1 + 2, Rocket Slime...

And 3DS is the worst system ever for DQ if you're a westerner.

It's funny how fast things change.

 

[Drkirby]

DS is the best system ever for DQ if you're a westerner.

IV, V, VI, IX, Monsters: Joker 1 + 2, Rocket Slime...

Mobile is starting to get pretty impressive if you can get over some of the issues (Forced portrait, touch screen controlls, stretched 2D art). Currently got 1-4 and 8, and likely will get 5 and 6 soon, and maybe SE will even port 7.

 

[GreenMonkey]

The original DQ2 is not well-balanced, but the remakes have been.

I'll defer to you folks on that.

I only played a hunk of DQ2 on the NES, most of my experience was on the GBC version. Always meant to revisit it.

OK, we agree, no grinding needed besides DQ1 & NES DQ2, right?

 

[HK-47]

well let me tell you they're all gonna be not-as-good if you're starting with V

We arent talking about 8 here, where he'll be spoiled by the awesome overworld we will never see again.

 

[Choppasmith]

I've played I, II, IV, VIII, and IX and this thread serves as a great reminder I need to find and play DQV asap.

 

[Reveirg]

Mobile is starting to get pretty impressive if you can get over some of the issues (Forced portrait, touch screen controlls, stretched 2D art). Currently got 1-4 and 8, and likely will get 5 and 6 soon, and maybe SE will even port 7.

How is 3 on iOS?

I hate playing lengthy RPGs on my iPhone, but DQ1 and 2 have been fun because they're really simple and short. I'm wondering if I should give 3 a try, of if I should wait for a hypothetical console/handheld release... sometimes in the next ten years or so.

 

[Jashobeam]

Im also just getting into DQ series, I recently bought IV, V, and IX for the DS. I want to get more familiar with the series and lore before Dragon Quest Heroes comes out.

 

[IdreamofHIME]

Deborah for life. No one wants a boring yes man wife.

 

[entremet]

I recommend against this. People thinking they have to have the best equipment at all times is the #1 reason for people thinking Dragon Quest games require grinding. The fact is that you can get by by only lazily updating your equipment, and most importantly, paying close attention to secondary effects of armor. For example, magic shields reduce magic damage, and are thus inherently more valuable than many shields with higher defense power for the majority of the game.

Is that why the series has always had ridiculously priced armor and weapons?

Coming to DQ from the FF series was jarring in that regard. My habit in FF was to always upgrade equipment at new towns. Could'n't afford to that in DQV so I just used my money wisely and depended on random drops and dungeon spoils.