Dragon Quest XI is a 100-hour RPG that takes players all around the land of Eldrea. This guide will help players navigate through the Fortress of Fear. Dragon Quest places the player in the position of a legendary hero tasked to save the world. They will explore towns, defeat monsters, collect loot, and create bonds with likable characters who will join their party. The series pioneered what it means to be a turn-based RPG, as the franchise has existed for over 30 years. Leaping from consoles like the NES, SNES, Nintendo Switch to mobile devices with the recently released Dragon Quest Of The Stars shows the appeal and crave for this franchise. The series is a massive hit all around the world, especially resonating with Japenese players. The Fortress of Fear is the final destination for the player before facing the conclusion of the game. With it being the last, it is amongst one of the more challenging things to come across. This guide will help players make their way through the treacherous Fortress of Fear.
The Fortress of Fear follows up when the Hero successfully creates the Sword of Light. This dungeon will not be accessible without the Sword Of Light required to take down the barrier surrounding it. Within contains several boss fights to battle through, so make sure to properly stack up on equipment before entering. Although, right before entering the Fortress of Fear, a cutscene will play where Hero is about to be attacked before Hendrik pushes him out of the way. This fight is with Indignus and is the final fight before jumping into the Fortress of Fear. Defeat him and the pathway will open. If the fight itself was troublesome, go back into a town and recollect the materials used in the fight with Indignus. Now the player will enter the Fortress of Fear.'
The Fortress of Fear in Dragon Quest XI
The map in this area works differently than in previous dungeons. The map will only illuminate if the player is currently in that room. Previous in other dungeons, the map would show the players have been there before. Now in the Fortress of Fear, this disappears, leaving the players unaware to keep track of where they’ve been beforehand. The first room will have some Dark Dullahans to battle. Within the next room, the door is sealed off. Head to the right and jump on a switch to unlock the previous door. Head into the door to find the central area. This is the area players will returns to when moving through the Fortress of Fear.
Head to the door in front of the player and up the stairs. There’s a chest here but it’s a fake, actually being a Pandora’s Box. This is avoidable, but be cautious and take it out before it can take out Hero. Now that the player is on the second floor, Golden Girl enemies have powerful magic that can take down the player, battle at Hero’s own risk. Continue to explore the second floor until reaching crystals. These crystals can be broken by Hero, making it possible to return back to the bottom floor. Make way towards the exterior of the building and go up a spiral staircase to a green dot on the map. This dot teleports Hero across to the opposite side of the exterior area. When on the opposite side, make way back inside and head towards the third floor. On the third floor, there are two switches to locate to move on to the next area. This should open up a way into the Palace of Malice. It’s recommended to save at this point, as the next area contains the first boss right.
Jasper Unbound Boss in Dragon Quest XI
A cutscene will play where Veronica is trying in the center of the room. Turns out this is an illusion that gets dispelled when Serena plays her harp. Jasper taunts the team and the battle begins. Stats buff don’t last very long in this battle, as Jasper has an ability to clear them all out. Using Stick Sap is important for this battle and stay on the offensive. Jasper also has very powerful attacks, so its important to pay attention to the teams’ health. Anything under 50% health can die within one hit. Using Kacrack magic is great for dealing with Jasper’s entourage and with Jasper as well. Keep cycling between these moves and defeat Jasper once and for all. Once the battle is over, do not move forward immediately, as the next boss fight picks up. Leave the fortress and gather supplies and heal. Once ready, enter the final battle with Mordegon.
Lord of Shadows Boss Fight in Dragon Quest XI
Similarly to Jasper, Mordegon will have an ability that allows him to remove all stat buffs, so focus primarily on attacking rather than setting up. The majority of Mordegon’s move-set can hit the entire party so using Multiheal from Rab or Serena is the most ideal for this situation. If using buffs, set it to Oomphle on whichever party member has the highest attack stat to dish out damage but use it quickly. When spellcasters aren’t healing, use their strongest magic to help bring Mordegon down. Eventually, he will summon a clone. Focus attention on the clone and kill it as quickly as possible. Rinse and repeat and the first phase will be defeated.
For the second phase, the player now has to deal with Mordragon alongside the Lord of Shadows. Focus attention on the Lord of Shadows first, as this one can do more damage to the team. The strategy is the same as before. Ignore buffs, use Multihealing magic, and use strong physical attacks. Wait until the dragon heads are in range to attack and avoid the dragon’s Sweet Breath move. Sweet Breath has the ability to put teammates to sleep. Wake them up using items and continue until the final boss is defeated.
While the final main threat is over for Dragon Quest XI, the game actually has a healthy amount of postgame content to keep players pulled in. A hefty chunk is replaying old areas with new challenges to discover. Dragon Quest is all about the adventure and immersing players into becoming a hero themselves. The series has had a long reputation for its quality and has continued to be profitable for Square Enix for all these years. Especially with the success of Dragon Quest XI, the series continues to be as strong as ever.
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Dragon Quest XI is available now on PS4, Nintendo Switch, 3DS, and PC
