Concluding the story portion of DQIX is just the beginning, it’s fair to say. In fact, we’d argue that there’s just as much, if not more content available to the player after the conclusion comes and goes. This is all thanks to the grotto system, which is essentially a system of random dungeons that the player can use to level up, gather loot, alchemise incredible equipment and challenge themselves against a large selection of powerful bosses. That malleable and seemingly endless vocation system starts to make a bit more sense now, doesn’t it? Speaking of which, how should you go about building a team for such mighty challenges?
Balanced Power
- Priest
- Sage
- Armamentalist
- Gladiator
No, it’s not exactly glamorous, and you’re not going to break any records for damage done in a single round, but this team is all about sustained power. In fact, we’d go so far as to say that this group is ideally suited for your first jaunt into higher level grottos. It has plenty of heals through the Priest backed by a Sage, magic damage is covered by the same duo, and physical damage is provided by an Armamentalist-assisted Gladiator.
In tougher battles you will use the Armamentalist to throw Oomph and Fource buffs onto the Gladiator, who will buff themselves and deal tremendous amounts of damage, ideally through mastered Sword or Axe skills. Even Harder fights will also see the team shine thanks to all of the defensive buffs available, and it’s even pretty good at taking down random battles, thanks to the group spells available to the Priest and Sage. The only real weakness is in the very toughest of battles, where you may find that you lack the damage to end the attrition before you run out of resources.
Team Benefits
- Two Sage classes will be able to cover the team healing requirements, whilst also assisting with some significant magic damage.
- The Paladin will bring excellent defensive options, which suits the more balanced approach to grotto exploration.
- Gladiators are, as ever, the best damage option going, and they’ll do the heavy lifting in this regard within the team.
- Whilst not having the highest output, or indeed the quickest victories in battle, this team is likely to keep going for a long time, thanks to the sustain and damage reduction.
- We’d recommend that every single class in this list is levelled up as a Paladin or Warrior once, for the huge increases in Resilience and HP.
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Farming Party
- Paladin
- Sage
- Ranger
- Ranger
It’s both a blessing and a curse that modern Dragon Quest games have massive Alchemy lists. In one sense, it’s great to be able to make use of the items you find littered around the place, however it’s also a constant reminder that there’s something better available. Countless hours may be spent crafting equipment over and over again, gradually climbing the ladder of progression, eventually even attempting to bring forth the Alchemiracles that provide the best of the best. Love it or hate it, Alchemy is the way to go when high level grottos are concerned.
That said, you may want a team that’s all about maximising loot, and for this you’ll want to get yourself a couple of Ranger vocations. They lead the line by having a massive Deftness stat, which in turn lets them use the Half-Inch skill to nab various bits of valuable loot from opponents, thus fueling your Alchemy obsession. We’re not about to call this a world beating team, far from it, but they’ll fill your pockets quicker than others and they can still access the Axe weapon, allowing them to take down any slimes that might appear, with the Paladin and Sage backing them up with heals, buffs and group spells whilst they do so.
Team Benefits
- Excellent choice for a late game ‘stealing’ team, ideal for filling your pockets with valuable Alchemy ingredients.
- The weapon choices can still work well. Axes and Bows can be used, with the former helping to take down metal enemies with Hatchet Man, and the latter being used for some relatively powerful group attacks.
- The addition of a Paladin and Sage is mainly to cover the defensive aspects of the team, however the former can also help out with a Spear, and the latter can contribute some serious magic damage when required.
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All Out Attack
- Priest
- Armamentalist / Gladiator
- Gladiator
- Gladiator
At first glance, having such a team active is likely to seem like a bit of a joke, after all how could a team function with such an unbalanced line up? Well trust us, it’s actually much more effective than you might think, and once a certain level of statistical power is attained, there aren’t many bosses that can stand up to it.
There are a few key bits of information that you must know first however. Firstly, the Priest absolutely must have access to Omniheal, and you’ll want Shields and the Paladin skills maxed out at the very least. This will ensure that your healer, your only healer we might add, can stand up to some abuse and keep that health coming. Secondly, your Gladiators need to be seriously powerful, with weapons fully levelled up, very high level equipment onboard and preferably with the same defensive concessions as the Priest, being Shields and Paladin levels.
As you can see, it’s also possible to sub in an Armamentalist, though this is almost entirely for the Oomph spell and the occasional buff. Alternatively, just let three Gladiators go hog wild whilst the Priest uses Multi or Omniheal every single round. In most cases such a ‘blunt object’ party build does not work, but once a certain level of power is achieved by your damaging classes, nothing can really stand up to them.
Team Benefits
- Probably the most damaging team you can create, albeit with one concession for health restoration.
- The Priest is necessary, because despite the Gladiators doing tremendous amounts of damage, some bosses will still take numerous rounds to take down.
- Subbing in an Armamentalist will help with buffing your Gladiators, and occasionally throw a buff or debuff around.
- Technically, exchanging the second Gladiator for a Sage or Paladin will balance the team out fairly well, but you may find yourself unable to take down some of the hardest bosses before they ‘out-attrition’ you.
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Categories: Dragon Quest IX