Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies - For Liquid Metal we would Slime!

I'm too far from the nearest one to get any map.

Im up to lv45 of most guys except my Sage, from Mage is at Lv 15.
Leveling up in the bottom of the Palace then its off to the The realm.

Working on getting the Lv 15 Sage quest. It will be tricky to beat Eqiunox with Bang. But Egg on should help. Also I didn't know that if you refight a Grotto boss they can drop a new map. Which is pretty sweet.

Did get some Sacred Armor with Uber Miracle Sword is awesome.

Instead of the Sage's Stone then go with the lovely Life Bracer which gives back 25Hp after every turn, reminds me of Leftovers from Pokemon.

What to make some better weapons and armour so Im hunting for better stuff and bout to teach the whole crew Half Inch so we can start a filching party.
 
[quote name='KingBroly']A line from the late game that I don't understand:
"I suppose that's how come he can have fought..."
. Engrish?[/QUOTE]

the other one i Like is after you buy something they say
'Thank you for your custom'
 
[quote name='2DMention']Interesting. It might as well be random.

Is there any incentive to replay non-legacy boss grottos? Better drops, more treasures? And does every grotto have at least 1 blue Treasure chest?

Is the post game mostly grottos?

How do the legacy boss grottos work? Can you only unlock those in the post game? Do they always drop a new legacy boss map? Can you share them through tagging?

*Goes back to his grassy knoll grotto[/QUOTE]
Each non-legacy grotto boss has two rare drops (5-10% and 2%). Once you get those I don't think there's any incentive to beat them again. Granted as you start off you won't have much choice which boss you fight and how often unless you're getting maps from tag mode. And I only got one drop from 25 bosses. So good luck!
 
[quote name='botticus']Each non-legacy grotto boss has two rare drops (5-10% and 2%). Once you get those I don't think there's any incentive to beat them again. Granted as you start off you won't have much choice which boss you fight and how often unless you're getting maps from tag mode. And I only got one drop from 25 bosses. So good luck![/QUOTE]

Yeah, the good drop is pretty tough to get. Sir Sanguinus carries a Brain Drainer (the base shield of the best shield tree in the game) at 2%, but I fought him a ton (granted not 50 times) since he was the boss of my highest level grotto for a while, and still no luck.
 
[quote name='adriley313']the other one i Like is after you buy something they say
'Thank you for your custom'[/QUOTE]

That is proper English.
 
[quote name='bvharris']Yeah, the good drop is pretty tough to get. Sir Sanguinus carries a Brain Drainer (the base shield of the best shield tree in the game) at 2%, but I fought him a ton (granted not 50 times) since he was the boss of my highest level grotto for a while, and still no luck.[/QUOTE]
well, if you're desperate...



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiDAwt7n3eA
 
Alright, I'm currently at level 33-34 for my party and I'm about to enter
Gittingtham Palace(?)
. That's the final area of the game, right? Should I do any grinding or am I good to go?
 
[quote name='adriley313']It's not the final area.
So after you clear it you still have time b4 the final boss.
Though the Palace has 3 bosses[/QUOTE]

The bosses before THE boss are all wimps and go down pretty easy. Except the
Dragon thing
, although it lets you save and rest after him (Thank God)
 
[quote name='bvharris']Yeah, the good drop is pretty tough to get. Sir Sanguinus carries a Brain Drainer (the base shield of the best shield tree in the game) at 2%, but I fought him a ton (granted not 50 times) since he was the boss of my highest level grotto for a while, and still no luck.[/QUOTE]

Well, I decided to level my gang up for a while by doing the Grotto grind. Got real lucky at the first map. Equinox dropped a set of Vesta Gauntlets (the 2% drop) after I beat him for the fifth time. Nothing but maps since, but I keep hoping...
 
[quote name='kainzero']well, if you're desperate...
[/QUOTE]

I'm definitely not, though that's interesting to say the very least.

So I read that the maps they're giving away at these upcoming events are in fact three Legacy boss maps (Zoma, Estark, and I forget the third).. I hope someone can tell me that either that's not the case or that they're going to be obtainable by some other means than either going to these events or tagging with someone who did.

It's possible I'll be able to go to the GS one, but definitely not the other two due to prior commitments for the BB one and proximity for the others. As someone who's spending a lot of time on legacy bosses, I was hoping those other ones would open up through some downloadable quest on the DQVC.

Mind you, if this is just a way to get those maps early, that's one thing, but if tag mode is the only way to get them that's pretty much crap.
 
[quote name='bvharris']
I'm assuming there's not going to be a DQVC update again today, so I'm not going to bother with the schlep. If anyone does get an update, let me know.[/QUOTE]

I had an update! More alchemy items, a birthday cake, and some poppers, but at least it was something. I'm looking forward to tagging up on Saturday.
 
Got through the Tower of Trades and can switch vocations!

Now what to switch to... :p

Next point in spoiler because of boss names, so...but nothing major like Dumbledore dying.
Jack of Alltrades? Master of Nu'Un? Punny. xD
 
[quote name='keithp']I had an update! More alchemy items, a birthday cake, and some poppers, but at least it was something. I'm looking forward to tagging up on Saturday.[/QUOTE]

Did you log on yesterday too? I'm pretty sure if you don't check Wednesday you'll get those items Thursday. If you did, then maybe I'll hustle out later and check. And damn, I keep getting the cake all the time but no poppers, which I need to complete that quest.
 
[quote name='bvharris']Did you log on yesterday too? I'm pretty sure if you don't check Wednesday you'll get those items Thursday. If you did, then maybe I'll hustle out later and check. And damn, I keep getting the cake all the time but no poppers, which I need to complete that quest.[/QUOTE]

Been checking every day.

[quote name='ForeStorm']
Next point in spoiler because of boss names, so...but nothing major like Dumbledore dying.
[/QUOTE]

WTF, Dumbedore dies? Way to go!



j/k
 
Woohoo, just fought my first Metal King Slimes. Managed to kill both thanks to them being stunned and getting a good Thunder Thrust on the first turn. Nice. This is the second time I've run this grotto and I didn't see any the first time. I was kind of rushing through to get to the boss and was about to run down the stairs when I was like "wait a second, I recognize that!"
 
[quote name='bvharris']So I read that the maps they're giving away at these upcoming events are in fact three Legacy boss maps (Zoma, Estark, and I forget the third).. I hope someone can tell me that either that's not the case or that they're going to be obtainable by some other means than either going to these events or tagging with someone who did.
[/QUOTE]
The press has mentioned that the maps will be available at these events "first," which is a strong indicator that they will eventually be available elsewhere. As others have said, probably via Wi-fi.
 
[quote name='pete5883']The press has mentioned that the maps will be available at these events "first," which is a strong indicator that they will eventually be available elsewhere. As others have said, probably via Wi-fi.[/QUOTE]

Sweet. Well, the fact that they have legacy boss maps makes me want to go a bit more since after I finish running Dhoulmagus I won't have any more to do for a while, I'll probably try to swing by Gamestop Saturday (one near me is offering it, and my girlfriend it out of town so she can't judge me :D).
 
Oh wow, my store actually updated today (yes it updated yesterday too). It's all shit of course as par for the course this week, but at least it updated.
 
[quote name='Dead of Knight']Oh wow, my store actually updated today (yes it updated yesterday too). It's all shit of course as par for the course this week, but at least it updated.[/QUOTE]

Starbucks, here I come. Of course I'll probably get crap too, but at least I'll get a latte out of it. :D
 
I got a mini medal from my store today helped me get the Sacred Armor.

I'm having fun fighting Grotto bosses. So far I've got 6 map with only one drop from Eqinox a dragontail whip. With be tackling more today cause I'm suddenly addicting.

Question: Does the higher level of the map mean a stronger boss?
So far I have
Lv 1- Equinox, 7, 10, 12, 13- Neaman, 16
 
[quote name='adriley313']
Question: Does the higher level of the map mean a stronger boss?
So far I have
Lv 1- Equinox, 7, 10, 12, 13- Neaman, 16[/QUOTE]

Here's a helpful guide to what the names mean as well as how new maps are calculated:

http://www.gamespot.com/ds/rpg/drag...c_id=m-1-55674123&pid=937281&tag=topics;title

What boss it is is determined by the "of _____" part, but you won't know for sure which boss from the potential list it is until you go in.
 
I just found a grotto which has two floors where MKS spawn fairly regularly and another where I got 2 Orichalcums and a Metal Slime Spear
(the former were very helpful in boosting up the latter to a Metal King Spear) on my first run through. Someone's going to be popular at Gamestop on Saturday. :D
 
So to blow off some steam from the beating I took from the stupid slime knight grotto boss (who cast Inferno 4 turns in a row and then crit me), I ran back through the first map. For fun, I decided to have my thief steal from him and got a Dragon Scale. Didn't know that could happen from a grotto boss. Then he dropped the Dragontail Whip.

I guess I shouldn't feel too bad after that. Well, and I did take out two Liquid Metal Slimes in the previous grotto before being decimated in the cheapest way possible.

I do have to say, though, that I'm getting the feeling that I absolutely need to have a Multiheal/Omniheal character leveled up OR I need to be entirely over-leveled to take out some of these bosses. The frequency of mass damage spells (especially when coupled with mass status removal) from many of the bosses is simply too high. That's really too bad, because it breaks the game; slanting it toward a couple specific must-have classes that, frankly, aren't really that much fun to play if you're doing nothing but Multi or Omni-healing every single turn.
 
yay i beat the game!

the last boss wasn't that hard. i don't know what you guys are talking about. -_-;

i really enjoyed the story though. i know everyone wants to knock it for not having the depth of other JRPGs but i loved the simplicity and the small lessons.

now for the post game!
 
This week seems to be summer fayre (I think is how they spelled it) week. Received a Dangerous bikini top and a bunch of the usual crappy alchemy components. However the description mentioned sharp blades, so we'll see as the week progresses I guess.
 
[quote name='Draekon']This week seems to be summer fayre (I think is how they spelled it) week. Received a Dangerous bikini top and a bunch of the usual crappy alchemy components. However the description mentioned sharp blades, so we'll see as the week progresses I guess.[/QUOTE]

Damn, I thought I would post early enough to say that ALCHEMY WEEK IS OVER BITCHES!!! :lol: Some ok stuff in mine: Mercury bandanna, the jolly roger jumper you get from the mini medal guy, and sharp shades (sunglasses). Plus there are 2 new quests, no visitors though.
 
[quote name='keithp']Looks like it's Summer Fayre week, which means a bunch of crap clothing. :([/QUOTE]

All of which I'll buy anyway. At this point anything is a welcome reprieve from alchemy week.

[quote name='SteelSD']
I do have to say, though, that I'm getting the feeling that I absolutely need to have a Multiheal/Omniheal character leveled up OR I need to be entirely over-leveled to take out some of these bosses. The frequency of mass damage spells (especially when coupled with mass status removal) from many of the bosses is simply too high. That's really too bad, because it breaks the game; slanting it toward a couple specific must-have classes that, frankly, aren't really that much fun to play if you're doing nothing but Multi or Omni-healing every single turn.[/QUOTE]

To each their own, but I don't really understand this complaint. The higher level grotto bosses and the legacy bosses are supposed to present a challenge. That's why they didn't put them in the main game, they're extra content for those who want bigger challenges with higher rewards. Seems like you've chosen not to have someone focus on healing, which is fine, but the result of that is you have a harder time keeping your health up in tough boss fights. That should be a pretty obvious cause and effect.

I think at this point I've taken on every non-legacy grotto boss as well as all the legacy bosses available, and I can say for sure that there is a strategy to not only beat every single one of them, but also to do so fairly easily. Are they occasionally going to go nuts spamming crits and kill a character or two? Yes. They're bosses. If you're having trouble with breath attacks, which many bosses use, switch someone to a ranger and get Insulatle. There's no challenge so far this game can throw at you that it doesn't also give you a potential strategy to handle, you just have to be creative sometimes.
 
Ways to help when fighting bosses is to get good shields.
Im currently using the Silver Shield that's an upgraded version of the White Knight Shield which combined with maxed out shield he blocks 12% and luckily most blocks are crit hits. And his defense is 247.

My store updated and i got, mini medal, evencloth, icicle dirk, ice crystal, seabreeze skirt, summer dress. not mad at all. I love armor so i can alchemise better stuff.

Next up is see how I far against the realm. Need to make a Dragonslayer for the dragon.
 
Opinion time:

What class do y'all prefer for your tank/damage dealer? My main damage dealer has been a Martial Artist. I was thinking about maxing out shields so I could put a shield on her as either a MA or a Gladiator. However, if I'm going to use a Paladin (just unlocked that one), then I don't need to bother maxing out shields and can put the skill points into something else.

On a related note, since abilities and traits transfer between classes, it seems like the main differetiator in what class to finally pick ultimately comes down to spells and what weapons are usable. And even weapons can be transferred if you max it out. So is there any reason to ever fully level a MA or Gladiator since they don't really use any spells?
 
Damage Dealer - Gladiator. I use mine with swords, and a maxed shield, but other combos could work. I pick swords because their skills tend to cost less MP, which Gladiators don't have much of.

Tank - Paladin. Really the only option as I see it. The combination of Knight's Watch and Forbearance is 3 guaranteed turns of 0 damage against bosses, that's tough to top.
 
Each class learns different moves and they each get extra of a stat.
Like my main damage dealer is my Martial Artist. So I switched him to Warrior and Gladitor so he can get that extra strength and HP boost. I maxed his Staff out first then did his Focus. The added strnegth and HP is helpful and Psyche Up ups his tension, which I love because with my minstrel having Egg On I can get him to 100 in 2 turns then he does like 2000 damage which is awesome for bosses.

I'm thinkin of playing around to get his max shield for the added defense boost and the chance to block they he does dodge quite often. And his agilty is high since he always hits first. When egipped with the staff his moves are usually 0. I love Party Popper as he can hit a group of enemies for hi damage. And Deliverance for the undead is a heavy hitter.

I lov my Martial artist. I named him Lee, after Rock Lee wish I could have gave him bushy brows, lol.

He's got the Ballistick, steely headband, Dragon top and trousers, she fu shoes, heavy handwear and the mighty armlet.

Good luck with urs.
 
[quote name='bvharris']To each their own, but I don't really understand this complaint. The higher level grotto bosses and the legacy bosses are supposed to present a challenge. That's why they didn't put them in the main game, they're extra content for those who want bigger challenges with higher rewards. Seems like you've chosen not to have someone focus on healing, which is fine, but the result of that is you have a harder time keeping your health up in tough boss fights. That should be a pretty obvious cause and effect.[/QUOTE]

Well, it's not that I don't have someone focused on healing. Minstrel has Midheal and Miracle Sword. Warrior is carrying the Power Shield. Mage had Caduceus and Thief has Heal. All of them carrying a ton of healing items. There's heal aplenty. The problem is the lack of Multiheal or Omniheal.

Now, I don't have a serious issue with a game telling you pretty early on that lacking those skills might be a problem. But that's not what DQ IX does. The absolute need for one (or both) of those skills doesn't become apparent until you hit that last boss. That's when you slam into a brick wall without a character who can't cast a mass healing spell at least every other turn and, potentially, multiple turns in a row.

Up until that point, you're beating everything else fairly easily. The game is whispering "You're ready!". But you are decidedly not. That's a pretty harsh realization at that point.
 
There's no denying that the difficulty ramps up in the endgame, but then I think that's a good thing.

The other thing is it's never too late to switch over and develop a full-time healer. The fact is that endgame bosses do have all-party spells, and a lot of them cast them frequently.

A couple suggestions if you don't want to take the leap to Priest/Sage:

- If it's just regular magic attacks which are killing you, Magic Mirror is a very good Shield skill which reflects offensive magic back.

- It wasn't worth it for me since I have a Sage with Multiheal, but the Sage's Stone works as a heal-all reusable item, granted not as good as spells but decent in a pinch. It takes a lot of high-end crafting stuff though.

Sounds to me like you might be best served making a Sage, who can still have offensive magic but also cast Multi when the need arises. Different party builds have different strengths and weaknesses. I don't think it's absolutely necessary to carry a Priest/Sage, but I do think not doing so makes things a bit trickier from a damage prevention standpoint.
 
I think I have decided my final post-game party:
Sage
Gladiator
Sage
Ranger

My husband says for the later legacy bosses, 2 multihealers are needed. Gladiator w/shieldmaster for offense and defense and ranger for teh mad l00tz. Though I kind of want a paladin in there somewhere for the great coup de grace...
 
[quote name='Backlash']Opinion time:

What class do y'all prefer for your tank/damage dealer? My main damage dealer has been a Martial Artist. I was thinking about maxing out shields so I could put a shield on her as either a MA or a Gladiator. However, if I'm going to use a Paladin (just unlocked that one), then I don't need to bother maxing out shields and can put the skill points into something else.

On a related note, since abilities and traits transfer between classes, it seems like the main differetiator in what class to finally pick ultimately comes down to spells and what weapons are usable. And even weapons can be transferred if you max it out. So is there any reason to ever fully level a MA or Gladiator since they don't really use any spells?[/QUOTE]
base stats are really important, you're totally ignoring that.
you can get bonuses from the class skills but ultimately you're going to add it on top of your base stats. your wizard, even though he's using a sword, will still have less strength and less resilience than a gladiator. early game it's a little bit broken (i got +100 agility from the MA tree, changed her to paladin, and she's one of the fastest on the team) but i assume that it evens out in post-game.
also don't forget about usable armor, that also makes a big difference.

imo what made the game easy for me (seriously, the last boss was cake for me) was the fact that i farmed a lot of skill points and distributed them properly. maxed out weapon skills for everyone, a smattering of class skills depending on who. i beat the game with 33 GLD/29 PLD/36 PST/31 RNG. i see people struggling even though they're level 45 or something and i'm betting that they totally ignored skill farming which seriously cuts down on the grinding a lot... i think. the main story took me 40 hours to beat though, and the story seemed unusually short.

you know who's awesome?
stella!
 
[quote name='kainzero']base stats are really important, you're totally ignoring that.
you can get bonuses from the class skills but ultimately you're going to add it on top of your base stats. your wizard, even though he's using a sword, will still have less strength and less resilience than a gladiator. early game it's a little bit broken (i got +100 agility from the MA tree, changed her to paladin, and she's one of the fastest on the team) but i assume that it evens out in post-game.
also don't forget about usable armor, that also makes a big difference.

imo what made the game easy for me (seriously, the last boss was cake for me) was the fact that i farmed a lot of skill points and distributed them properly. maxed out weapon skills for everyone, a smattering of class skills depending on who. i beat the game with 33 GLD/29 PLD/36 PST/31 RNG. i see people struggling even though they're level 45 or something and i'm betting that they totally ignored skill farming which seriously cuts down on the grinding a lot... i think. the main story took me 40 hours to beat though, and the story seemed unusually short.

you know who's awesome?
stella![/QUOTE]

Probably why I'm having such a hard time on the last boss. I didn't power-level skills and traits - I distributed them equally. Although now I'm training in classes for the stat boosts, like paladin for my priest so she has extra resilience.
 
[quote name='kainzero']base stats are really important, you're totally ignoring that.
you can get bonuses from the class skills but ultimately you're going to add it on top of your base stats. your wizard, even though he's using a sword, will still have less strength and less resilience than a gladiator.[/QUOTE]

Excellent point.
 
Yes, i agree Stella is awesome. So is the opening cut scene.

Heres my team and I'm about to hit the Realm after I do some treasure hunting and max my shield on my Martial Artist.

Minstrel- Lv 45 Maxed shield and Sword- Has Uber Miracle Sword and Sacred Armor.

Martial Artist- Lv 48 Maxed out Staff- Has Ballistick and Mighty Armlet

Mage- Lv 46 Maxed out wand- Has Mega Magical Mace and Life Bracer. Will upgrade to Sage post game.

Priest- Lv 47 Maxed out staff- Has Ballistick- will max shield next.

My team is pretty good and sweeping bosses. They all have their good points and back each other and all can do heavy damage.
 
This is the second time I saw someone say they maxed staffs with a martial artist. What's the logic behind that move? I started my Martial artist down the claws path.
 
"Wi-Fi Shop" to download a new quest everyday.
Click to expand...

OK, where the hell do you do this? I'm about 8 hours in and well past that part where I could use tag mode, but I don't see an option to download quests anywhere.

By the way, I tried tag mode at the very crowded Washington National airport last night where tons of people were delayed by thunderstorms and didn't pick up anything...
 
[quote name='KingBroly']I hate Criticals. I hate Criticals. I hate Criticals. I fuckING HATE CRITICALS![/QUOTE]

I think Broly hates criticals. I'm not sure why.
 
To DL quest go to Stronway and talk to the lady in green right of the alchemy pot.
She's ask you and tell you all about it.

The reason I go with Staff for my Martial Artist is cause one it looks cool and 2 I love the moves that come with it.

Deliverance- hits the undead for max damage
Party Popper- hits a group of enemies for added damage.

I saw that the staff looked cool and decided to go with that.
It pays off. With a regular attack and he's full tension( super saiyan mode) He can do 2000 damage. Im not even done with him yet. He's my power hitter on the team. Also besides Crushed Ice all his attacks cost no MP which he has very lil off.

Im maxing out his shield now for added defense and block chance.
He's a beast not, but I wonder if I teach him Swords how strong his Gigaslash would be.
 
[quote name='io']OK, where the hell do you do this? I'm about 8 hours in and well past that part where I could use tag mode, but I don't see an option to download quests anywhere.[/QUOTE]

The green chick behind the counter right of Erinn and the Alchemy Pot connects you to the wi-fi store and downloads any online guests, quests, and new daily stores. However quests only seem to come every friday.

[quote name='io']By the way, I tried tag mode at the very crowded Washington National airport last night where tons of people were delayed by thunderstorms and didn't pick up anything...[/QUOTE]

Can't say I'm too surprised.
 
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