Dragon Quest VII Reimagined: Essential tips and tricks guide

Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined is a classic RPG (although it does hold your hand a little), but it can be demanding for those new to the genre. This new edition updates an adventure with 'old school' DNA and, like any good Dragon Quest game, retains the set of mechanics, systems, and little rules that set it apart from most modern releases.

The journey of Maribel, Kiefer, Sir Mervyn, and company (our character is called Akira in homage to late Toriyama) is fraught with challenges and, moreover, is so long and labyrinthine that between exploration, comings and goings, and everything related to time jumps, it's easy to get disoriented if you're not careful. Don't expect us to give you a definitive map or take you by the hand step-by-step; what we will do is give you a collection of tips designed to help you understand how this world works... and to help you end up playing like a true adventurer.

If you want to know more about the game, don't miss our review of Dragon Quest VII Reimagined. If you're ready, wake up in Boquerón Bay and let's get started.

The controls are more important than they seem

Although this is a classic RPG and it seems that "accept, cancel, and menu" are all you need, mastering a few shortcuts and functions will save you time and prevent confusion. Take note of these controls (we're using the Nintendo Switch 2 version as a reference), because they make all the difference:

• X button: Classic Dragon Quest, this is the button to open the status or group screen. From here, you can see all the character information, change their clothes and equipment (press + to assign the Recommended Gear), consult or use skills (as magic spells are now called), review the stories in the diary, view and use items, or change the game options.


• B button: As we said, this allows you to talk to your companions instantly, without entering menus. Perfect for getting quick clues about where to go or what to do.


• L/R buttons or right analogue stick: these are used to rotate the camera in certain areas. They are key if you don't want to miss any chests, doors or passageways that are better seen from another angle. In Reimagined, you can rotate the camera 360º in large areas and 45º indoors, so you don't see too much. Press the right stick to re-centre the camera.


• Y button: a very handy shortcut. When pressed in a town or village, the screen displays a list of items, weapons, armour and other goods sold in local shops (armourers, bazaars, etc.). Ideal for seeing what's on offer without having to enter every building. In addition, in Reimagined you can press L and R to zoom in on the map and move between the local map, the regional map and finally the world map.


• ZL button: Shows or hides the character information legend (name, HP, MP, level, and portrait).


• ZR button: Now you can run around the stage!

Talk to everyone (and pet the dogs and cats)

One of the great things about Dragon Quest VII Reimagined is that chatting with NPCs isn't tedious; on the contrary, it's usually useful and often even makes you smile. Whenever you arrive in a town or village and you're not sure how to proceed, try talking to the locals. Even so, if you want to get to the point, the most effective thing to do is usually to find the mayor or the authority figure to quickly find out what's going on in the area.

If you're still unsure after that, turn to your own group: talk to your companions for guidance (press B at any time)... or let them 'read' your future. Yes, that's right. In Estard Castle, on the left as you enter, there is an old fortune teller who can give you extra clues about what lies ahead. And if you're still stuck, stop by the Mystic Shrine and ask the guard to show you the way. There's always more than one way to get help here.

Sell your obsolete equipment quickly

How many cypress clubs do you have in your inventory? Although space is no longer such a problem, and especially for your finances, it's best to get rid of any equipment (weapons, armour, clothing and accessories) that you no longer need to improve your characters. In other words, as soon as you replace that club with a decent sword, for example, don't look back: sell it before it loses too much value. And if you don't know whether any of your equipment might still be useful to a member, try activating the recommended configuration on the group screen.

Attack enemies in the world

Although DQVIIR is primarily a turn-based combat game, it now incorporates a feature that is standard in modern RPGs, which is the ability to attack enemies on the map (both local and regional maps). This feature, which we sorely missed in the Super Mario RPG remake, not only allows you to launch a surprise attack and perhaps catch your enemies off guard or stun them, but also helps you get rid of the weakest monsters with sudden strikes without having to engage in combat, earning you all the relevant experience, vocation mastery points and rewards (but beware: in smaller quantities!).

Threat of... a new accessory!

If you see tough enemies with an evil aura, don't hold back your urge to go for it with everything you've got, although we recommend that you pray and save if you haven't done so recently. These enemies are called threatening monsters, and of course they are stronger than normal. If you defeat them, you'll get a monster heart, which you can use as an amulet to improve your characters with various effects.

Your first threatening monster will most likely be a ruthless mace-wielder on the outskirts of Ballymolloy .

Break it and search everything

In Dragon Quest VII Reimagined, concepts such as "private property" or "trespassing" practically do not exist... and that works in your favour. Enter every house, check cupboards and drawers, and bring out your Zelda side by smashing pots wherever you see them. It's very common to find items, gold, and pleasant surprises in the most unexpected corners.

<h2>Forget about your bag: expanded shared inventory

In Fragments of a Forgotten Past, each member of the group could carry up to 12 items, including equipment. This meant you had to keep track of your bag, taking care to remove items you needed to have available in combat (such as a medicinal plant), and all types of items shared the same space. In Reimagined, you'll find a very useful shared inventory, with no less than 42 slots for consumable items and as many for equipment (weapons, armour and accessories, amulets and hearts) and important items.

The bank wins

When you are defeated and the entire party falls, not only will you have to go to the church to revive (unless you have someone with resurrection spells), but you will also lose a good part of the money you were carrying when you fainted.

That's why it's a good idea to find a bank (there are some in certain cities and specific locations) and deposit most (or even all) of your coins there before entering a dungeon. There are some really dangerous bosses who can leave you penniless with a string of defeats.

Use the new shortcut commands

To avoid having to enter the menu every few minutes, take advantage of the directional pad shortcuts: you can assign several very useful commands and execute them instantly while exploring.

At first, the most obvious option is to set "Heal All" (left by default), because it saves you a lot of time between battles. But as you progress, you'll unlock more commands for quick access. One of the most practical is to have the vocation change handy: this way you can adjust vocations even in the middle of a dungeon, without having to return to a safe area or get lost in menus.

"Heal All will use MP efficiently to restore the party's health and rid them of any nasty status effects."

Automate and speed up battles

Levelling up is key to being able to face the bosses that will appear during the adventure. The process of traversing the map, searching for enemies, and repeating battles to gain strength can be tedious, but there is a way to speed it up: tactics.

It's not "the ultimate strategy" to always win, but one of the options available when starting a battle. From there, you can define the behaviour of each character with various guidelines such as the following (note that they change in Reimagined compared to Fragments):

• No mercy


• Fight cautiously


• Mix


• Do not use magic


• Healing tasks


• Do not use PM


• Follow orders

By default, "Follow orders" is usually active, which is the classic mode: you manually decide each action as in any RPG. But if you're looking to grind experience and money as quickly as possible, "No mercy" is usually the most efficient, because your companions attack at maximum intensity without you having to give instructions. And although it may not seem like it, that small time saving makes a big difference when you just want to accumulate levels and resources.

Healer vocation

Although you have a default vocation, after about 20-30 hours of play you can unlock vocation changes, and it's a good idea for the whole group to learn to heal as soon as possible. The most straightforward option is the healer vocation: it's designed to support the team, progresses quickly and, being one of the basic ones, is easy to get started with early on.

In addition, mastering a good handful of basic vocations serves as a gateway to intermediate vocations with better spells, skills and stats... and, later on, to advanced ones.

How much do I have left to advance in my vocation?

Each vocation has its own pace of progress, but they all share a cap of 8 levels of mastery. If you want to check how far you are from the next level of a vocation, go to the Abbey of Vocationis and approach the counter on the left: the old woman at the bottom will tell you what requirements you still need to fulfil to advance one more step.

It's also rumoured that there is a "heroic" class that is only revealed to those who demonstrate a broad mastery of vocations. Try completing three intermediate classes (pirate, paladin and sage, for example) or, if you prefer, two intermediate and one advanced class (pirate, paladin and summoner, for example) and you may be in for a surprise at the abbey.

As always, on the hunt for the mythical metal slimes

Slimes are an absolute classic in the Dragon Quest series and, as well as being one of its icons, they can also become your best shortcut to levelling up. Specifically, there are "metal" variants designed to boost the party's experience in a very short time.

Prioritise metal slimes and, later on, metal bubble slimes. The former grant 1,000 experience points and the latter 10,000, which is huge if you want your team to grow at full speed. But don't be fooled: they tend to flee easily and their defence is so high that normally only normal attacks or specific techniques such as Metal Lunge or Murderous Axe are effective against them.