This feature includes tips for beating Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree’s Woe and the Blight Below, which released exclusively for the PlayStation 4 on October 13, 2015. If you’re familiar with Omega Force’s Dynasty Warriors franchise and Hyrule Warriors for the Wii U, then you have a good idea how this title plays. You control a lone character and explore a variety of locations while destroying an unusually large number of enemies standing in the way.
However, things are a bit different in Dragon Quest Heroes. You choose from two playable characters and guide the king on a quest to liberate the land of monsters. It won’t be an easy task – there are literally hundreds that pursue you, but with your special attacks, you’ll send creatures big and small flying into the air.
There’s more to this game than mashing buttons, so these strategies will give your monster-slaying skills a boost.
Get to know your team
When you begin, you’ll start with one of two basic characters – either Aurora or Luceus. Both are members of the Royal Guard, possess uncanny agility and you can extend their skill trees with successive victories, improving their attack methods and their tension.
Tension is an important technique. By activating this (once your meter is full), you’ll experience invulnerability for a limited amount of time, as well as the right level of Magic Power that will let you quickly decimate the opposition. This is an especially useful ability against larger characters, such as Totem Rock creatures and bosses, ranging from dragons to lions. You’ll simply need the right amount of magic power, which you can build by defeating enemies within the game – and there’s no shortage of those.
As you progress, you’ll access more characters in the game, including the King of Arba, Doric, who’s superb in combat in terms of both reach and strength; Isla, the chief engineer who can take down multiple foes with her boomerang and several others. You can take three with you in a battle party at one time, and switch between characters with a simple press of the L2 button.
This allows you to mix up combat with three different attack styles. Plus, if one of your characters runs low on health, you can send him or her off to safety (in an uninhabited part of the level) and defeat enemies with the other two heroes, then refill their energy once the coast is clear.
It helps to experiment with the different characters you unlock over the course of the game because you can see the variety of attacks available, and how they can mesh with other members of the group.
To that end, keep an eye out for healing characters. Healix is capable of helping your group recover a bit, and Jessica, despite her lack of fighting skills, can heal an entire party with her “hustle dance” technique. Make sure you keep one of them around so you can stay in the fight, no matter how out of hand the situation becomes. Remember, some abilities can cost you quite a bit of magic points, so it never hurts to have a few extra on hand.
Monsters are your friends… no really
Over the course of the game, you’ll collect monster coins from defeated enemies and then spend this virtual loot to recruit monsters to fight on your side. Summoning a few of these creatures can help turn the tide, or at the very least keep a zone covered while trying to defend it from enemies.
Monsters, unfortunately, don’t move too fast. Most of them won’t be able to follow you through a level. Instead, they’ll remain in the specific zone where you summoned them. That’s what makes them ideal for holding a defensive position, in front of a weapon or generator that attracts the horde. Be sure to stock up on coins as often as you can, then unleash your monster buddies when the situation calls for it. Also, you can only summon two at a time – so use them wisely.
By the way, those iconic Dragon Quest slimes (at least the critters you encounter early in the game) are mostly useless. However, as you collect more advanced monsters throughout the game, like golems and sabercats, they’re great all-around creatures for defense. Try and save your purchases for the ones that really matter, and you’ll see the effects soon enough.
Stick and move
While most of Dragon Quest Heroes relies on the basics we’ve come to expect from the Dynasty Warriors series, there are a few tactics to keep in mind.
First, regarding your tension abilities, don’t waste them. It may seem like your meter fills up rather quickly and you can restock it with little effort, but if you let loose with an unnecessary attack on a couple of foes, you may leave yourself wide open to attack from a boss or larger enemy (the totem rock creature). Save them for when they really count.
Additionally, rely on the dodge technique whenever you can. Most enemies won’t put up much of a fight, but it’s easy to get surrounded and overwhelmed. By using the dodge/roll technique, you can get out of harm’s way and strike from a different angle. Get used to how it works early on in the game, then use it against bosses.
Finally, don’t forget to use the lock-on technique for bigger enemies. It can get really confusing trying to fight both big and small foes without it, but lock-on usually links right onto the biggest dude on the battlefield. It’s helpful to bring this target down first, as they’re likely to do the most damage in combat. When this creature falls, take out the minions!
We’ll have more Dragon Quest Heroes tips tomorrow, including info on treasure maps and side quests!
