Best Skills to Get in Dragon Quest XI
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Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age is a huge new entry in the prolific JRPG series, and the first mainline title we’ve had in the west since 2010. It’s massive 100-hour plus game with tons to see and do, various different party members, and a lot of skills to invest in. If Dragon Quest XI is your first game in the series, or even your first JRPG for that matter, it can be a bit daunting to look at the skill system and figure out where to spend points.
Every time a character levels up in Dragon Quest XI they get a number of skill points that you can then use in Character Builder to purchase skills. There’s a wide variety of skills, and multiple routes you can use to build each character, so we’ll help give you a few points on where you should put those points.
Please note, there is another party member that joins later on in Dragon Quest XI, but for the purpose of spoilers we’ll only list that character as spoiler for now, and give a few skills. Also, we should note that we’re going to be focusing on skills you can get relatively early in the game, so nothing after the first ending of Dragon Quest XI.
Hero – Best Skills to Get in Dragon Quest XI
- Gigaslash/Gigasmash – These moves can be bought a bit later in the game, and they’re at the top of the swords/greatswords section respectively. Gigaslash lets you hit all enemies with a lightning blade, while Gigasmash pounds a group of enemies with lighting. Each move is incredibly powerful, and Gigaslash especially can be super useful when going up against multiple enemy types in a battle.
- Helichopter – If you go the way of the greatsword, this should be one of the very first skills you get, as it’ll let you hit a group of enemies for moderate damage. Hitting groups can be very important early on.
- Miracle Slash – If you go with a sword and shield this move can be helpful for the hero. It hits the enemy for moderate damage, and also restores his health, making it a good way to supplement your party’s healer.
- Zap – There are three different Zap skills you can get as you progress through the game, and they’re by far the most powerful spells the hero has access to. Zap can be especially helpful early on as it hits a group of enemies and can cause big damage to metal or aquatic foes.
Erik – Best Skills to Get in Dragon Quest XI
- Dual-Wield – A few different characters can get the dual-wield skill, but it’s particularly valuable for Erik due to his proficiency with knives. Dual-wielding can bump up his damage, and give you a second chance to inflict a status like poison on an enemy with a skill like Cobra Strike. It’s also especially useful with his other moves we’ll go over. It’s found at the bottom of the Knives section.
- Cobra Strike and Victimiser – Erik is great at chipping away on enemies with statuses. His spells cause damage to the enemy every turn, and you can add onto that damage by using Cobra Strike. Dual-wielding bumps up the chance of poisoning. After that invest in Victimiser, as it allows Erik to do five times damage to any poisoned enemy. Both are found quickly on the Knives section.
- Divide – Divide makes Erik one of the best damage dealers in the entire game, as he creates two doubles that add two more attacks to his next move, four if you have dual-wield. Setting up an enemy with poison and then victimizer means one blow can do ridiculous damage, but keep in mind Divide only applies for the next turn. It’s the middle tile in his Guile category.
Veronica – Best Skills to Get in Dragon Quest XI
- Spooky Aura – Veronica is entirely focused on causing big damage with magic, and most of her skills play into that. Spooky Aura lowers an enemy’s resistance to all offensive spells and generally has a better chance to work than the actual spell that has the same effect.
- Channel Anger – Tying into Spooky Aura, Channel Anger significantly increases the damage Veronica can do with offensive spells. The two skills combined together can make for a deadly combination, especially against bosses. Both skills are in the Vim section.
- Antimagic – While bosses with magic are generally easier to take down with physical attacks, Antimagic can go a long way to help as it seals the enemy’s ability to use magic. It’s not guaranteed to work, but if your party is getting ravaged by spells it can be a critical help. Antimagic is on the Heavy wands category.
- Zing Stick – Yggdrasil Leaves, the items that revive dead party members, are exceedingly rare to come by in Dragon Quest XI. Because of that, you’ll want as many characters as possible with a revive ability, and at the top of Veronica’s Heavy Wands section is Zing Stick which is guaranteed to revive a fallen party member.
Serena – Best Skills to Get in Dragon Quest XI
- Grace of the Goddess – Grace of the Goddess is a skill you’ll get in the latter half of the game on Serena’s Wands section. It has a chance of bringing her back to life if she dies in battle, which can be invaluable.
- Hymns – Basically all of Serena’s Harpistry section is made up of various Hymns, skills that lower elemental damage for the whole party. These are especially useful during boss battles that use specific spells.
- Divine Restitution – Found at the bottom of the Wands section, this powerful skill damages a group of enemies with powerful rays, while also giving Serena HP regeneration.
Sylvando – Best Skills to Get in Dragon Quest XI
- Hustle Dance – At the bottom of the Showmanship section you can find this skill, which heals the entire party for a moderate amount. This skill is invaluable for having Sylvando function as a secondary healer/buffer.
- Dual-Wield – Just like Erik, Dual-Wield is incredibly useful for Sylvando as he can also use it for both knives and swords, with many of the same skills.
- That’s Amore – Right near Hustle Dance on Showmanship is That’s Amore, a powerful skill that has Sylvando launching a love attack at an enemy. This can cause big damage and is one of his most powerful abilities.
- Wyrm Whip – Another powerful ability just a bit into the Whips section. This lets Sylvando hit an enemy with three dragon strikes, causing huge damage. It can also be useful for taking down Metal Slimes.
Rab – Best Skills to Get in Dragon Quest XI
- Right as Rain – Rab might not be quite as good as Serena at healing, but he’s certainly no slouch. One of the first skills on Enlightenment, Right as Rain gives you entire party health regeneration of 20 per turn. Super useful for hard battles and bosses.
- Caster Sugar – Right in the center of Enlightenment is Caster Sugar, an ability that increases the effectiveness of Rab’s spells. This will boost both offensive and healing spells.
- M-Pathy – Also on Enlightenment, M-Pathy lets Rab pass MP to another ally. He, by far, has the highest MP of any character, so it’s a good skill to have with Rab’s huge pool of mana.
- Rake and Break – On the left side of the Claws section is this skill, which damages enemies while also blowing away any positive effects on them.
Jade – Best Skills to Get in Dragon Quest XI
- Crushed Ice – In the spears section. A powerful attack that causes serious damage to one enemy with five icy strikes. Also very useful against Metal Slimes.
- Multithrust – In the spears section. Another multiple hit attack, only this one can hit a group of enemies. Hits four times.
- Miracle Moon – At the top of the Fisticuffs section. One of Jade’s very best abilities, as it strikes five enemies, at random, with kicks that’ll also restore her HP. Good damage and healing, so it’s a very useful skill.
- Hawkeye Claw – In the claws section. This is an unblockable attack that can slice through any enemy’s guard and causes a ton of damage.
Spoiler Character – Best Skills to Get in Dragon Quest XI
- A Cut Above – In the middle of the Heroism section. This skill unleashes six blows on one enemy, causing massive damage. It’s also basically one of the most effective moves for taking down Metal Slimes.
- Unbridled Blade – In the middle of the Greatswords section. This skill basically functions as a better version of Cutting Edge and can cause huge damage to a single enemy.
- Helm Splitter – One of the very first skills in the Axe section. This skill causes decent damage while also being able to sap the enemy’s defense.
- Double Up – At the top of Heroism section. As this character is hugely focused on attacking, Double Up is very useful as it significantly increases their attack while dropping their defense. Combined with powerful skills, it can be deadly.
For even more tips and guides on Dragon Quest XI, make sure to check out our extensive wiki.
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