Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age Walkthrough and Guide

Initially released on the Nintendo 3DS and PS4 game consoles Dragon Quest XI is now available on Switch where it is titled Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition. The game tells the tale of a young man, about to participate in his village's coming of age ceremony who after a series of unexpected events discovers he is the reincarnation of a legendary hero from a forgotten age. Upon revealing his identity to the King the hero is branded the 'The Dark spawn' and is hunted by a relentless army. Fleeing from his pursuers, the hero assembles a band of adventurers who embark on a quest that will take them across continents and over vast oceans as they learn of an ominous threat facing the world. Check out our Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age Walkthrough and Guide to get help in this quest.

Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age Walkthrough and Guide

Unlocking Skills

Don't worry about unlocking the 'wrong skill' at the start of the game as you will eventually be allowed to re-assign skill points for a small fee which will allow you to change it. What is advised though is that you choose skills that enable you to stick to a specific path because unlocking a single skill from each tree for a character early on will almost certainly guarantee you will not get far. It is not until later that you will be able to branch out and be proficient at everything.

Complete Side Quests

In each new area of Dragon Quest XI S you visit you will be offered side quests, although tedious the rewards you gain make them worthwhile doing. Make sure you do the side quest in the opening portion of the game as this will teach you how to use Pep Powers.

Sparkly Spots

As you progress through the world of Dragon Quest XI S you will notice the occassional shining spots on the ground. It's always worthwhile stopping to investigate them as doing so will reward you with an item which can vary from money, healing items, to crafting materials. The easiest way to find these sparkly spots is to open the map and press A, this will bring up an option that says 'Sparkly Spots', which if you select will enable you to see every sparkly spot that is hidden in the area.

Talk To People

In Dragon Quest XI S it is always worthwhile talking to the townsfolk as they can provide quests and useful tips. You will be able to tell what they have to offer by the colour of the exclamation bubble that appears above their heads. There are three important colours to look for:

• Purple:

This character has a side quest they’d like to give you. These could be anything from saving a cat, hunting down an item, or taking out some enemies. Completing side quests will reward you with rare materials and recipes to craft stronger items.

• Pink:

This character has something important to tell you about the main quest. Guards at the front of towns will have pink bubbles to remind you where to go next if it has been a while since you have played. If you are not sure what to do next keep an eye out for a character that has a pink bubble above their head.

• Blue:

This character just has something trivial to say which will be no help to you whatsoever. Talk to these characters if you want to learn about their personal troubles, or something fun and inconsequential about Erdrea.

Finding Recipes, Equipment, and Materials in Towns

In Dragon Quest XI S you can enter the homes of the townsfolk with no regard for their privacy. Some of the best equipment in the game comes from recipes that are up to you to find. When enter a home there are three important things to look for:

• Pots and Barrels:

Picking up pots and barrels and then throwing them on the ground will enable you to find items, money, and materials. A yellow arrow will appear above anything you can interact with if you stand close enough to it.

• Cabinets:

Opening cabinets will enable you to find items, armour, and equipment. At the start of the game when you do not have much money it is a free way to find new armour for your party members.

• Bookshelves With Red Books:

Keep an eye out for bright red books that stick out from the middle of bookshelves. Reading these books will reward you with new recipes you can craft from or can enable you to make significant progress in quests through the information you learn through them.

Preparing For Battle

In Dragon Quest XI S there are no random encounters so you need to choose your battles wisely. If you hit X you will be able to access the 'Tactics' option where you can either tell each character how you want them to fight based on the situation or set all characters to 'Follow Orders' where you manually select each character's move every turn. To swap weapons during battle go to the 'Equipment' option and make sure the weapon you want to swap to is in your character's inventory before the battle begins, not in the generic item bag.

Greyed Out Abilities

Some skills are tied to specific weapon types, and can’t be used unless a weapon from that skill tree is equipped. This means whenever you see your characters abilities greyed out during combat you need to swap your weapon out for one that is tied to the skill you want to use.

Forge New And Existing Equipment

Once the ability to forge better equipment becomes available you will be able to use it anytime unlike the PS4 and PC version of this game where it could only be used at camp. Make sure you check it often to see when this option is available. For every forge, you get perfectionist pearls which are used to improve existing equipment at the forge.

Battle Encounters

When a large ring appears around the fighers during battle it is to indicate whether they can flee the encounter or must remain until its conclusion. A clear ring indicates you can flee while a red ring means you have to stay.

Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age Walkthrough and Guide