Having already determined the best character builds in Dragon Quest 8, we’re now turning our attention to their Accessories. These are singular pieces of equipment that are designed to compliment the capabilities of each character, and they’re often used to simply build upon the strengths already inherent in each. This being a JRPG however, things aren’t entirely that simple, so we’ve put together three choices for each party member, including the 3DS additions, to help illuminate your journey through this fantastic game.
Hero
- Meteorite Bracer – (Agility +50)
- Life Bracer – (Defence +5, Max HP +30)
- Ruby Of Protection – (Defence +15)
During our initial playthrough of DQ8, we initially suspected that the Hero should play the part of a hybrid damage dealer, and whilst this is technically a possibility, he’s far and away the best healer in the entire game, and should be used as such. That being the case, you’re going to want to ensure that he can keep both himself and the team alive. At times this will mean increasing the speed with which he acts, to ensure that he heals the team before more incoming damage is done, which makes the Meteorite Bracer in particular very valuable. Should act speed not be an issue, which is certainly the case in some boss battles, then it’s best to prioritise Defence. It’s not exactly sensational, but there are plenty of options for flashy damaging abilities with the rest of your party members, so look after what must be said is probably the best healing hero in the entirety of Dragon Quest.
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Yangus
- Mighty Armlet – (Attack +15)
- Titan Belt – (Attack +10)
As you might imagine, in spite of some early supportive elements, Yangus is primarily a damage dealer in the party. His role will be to use his powerful assortment of weapons to inflict the largest numbers possible, and he excels at this in almost all situations. Blessed with excellent Strength and Defence, you’ll mainly want to boost his attack power as much as possible, through the usage of either the Titan Belt or the Mighty Armlet. He’s never going to sit around casting a load of spells, nor is any amount of agility going to make him go before tough opponents, so you’re best off simply leaning into his attacking nature.
Jessica
- Goddess Ring – (Wisdom +20, Gain MP Whilst Walking)
- Scholar’s Specs – (Wisdom +15)
- Sorcerer’s Ring – (Wisdom +10, Max MP +30)
Technically speaking, it’s absolutely viable to build Jessica in a way that prioritises physical damage, mainly thanks to her excellent Whips tree. However, even pushing her down this route will often find her casting various offensive spells or buffs and at the very least using MP, so it’s worth directing her accessories towards this. Plus, even with a good selection of models, she’s hardly going to approach some of the heavy physical hitters in the team for pure numbers. That said, we like to load her up with as much Wisdom as possible, to push her spell damage as far as we can. The Goddess Ring is a particular highlight, because the combination of this with her own MP restoration skills can keep her casting through the longest and most arduous dungeons.
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Angelo
- Goddess Ring – (Wisdom +20, Gain MP Whilst Walking)
- Sorcerer’s Ring – (Wisdom +10, Max MP +30)
- Catholicon Ring – (Defence +15, More Resistant To Ailments)
- Meteorite Bracer – (Agility +50)
You will note that, generally speaking, our accessory choices for Angelo trend in the same direction as those for Jessica. This is because his general goals are quite similar; primarily cast spells, conserve MP and profit. However, his role within the team is slightly different, because he leans more towards a healing direction of spell casting, thanks to the excellent Multiheal spell. This being the case, it’s possible to have him function as the main healer of the team, and whilst we’d argue that he will likely struggle in such a role in the post game, he’ll function just fine for a normal story run. To protect him, and by association the entire team, you may want to consider giving him a defensive accessory, of which the Catholicon Ring is by far the best, thanks to its huge chunk of Defence and the increased resistance to almost all status ailments. For those using him as a hybrid support and damage dealer, you’ll still find the most benefit in stacking Wisdom as much as possible.
Morrie
- Mighty Armlet – (Attack +15)
- Life Bracer – (Defence +5, Max HP +30)
- Ruby Of Protection – (Defence +15)
Despite all of his bravado, Morrie is unfortunately a rather frail old man, and this is reflected in his statistics by a very low HP and MP total. His Agility does make up for this somewhat, but you’re essentially looking at a hard hitting glass cannon in battle. Two options occur then; go all out and boost his attack as much as possible, using other members to cover up his weaknesses, or give him some assistance in staying alive on his own. Mighty Armlet, and indeed any other attacking accessories, will best serve the first option, but if you’re going for defence then we really like the Life Bracer. Often Morrie will end up serving other members with his Tension skills, functioning more like a support than a full damage dealer, in which case it’s much better to prioritise the extra Defence and HP.
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Red
- Life Bracer – (Defence +5, Max HP +30)
- Ruby Of Protection – (Defence +15)
- Mighty Armlet – (Attack +15)
With Red, we find ourselves in quite a difficult situation for accessories. She’s very fast, so needs no additional Agility, but much like Morrie finds herself suffering from a defensive perspective. Naturally you may consider the same approach, which would be to prioritise attack or defence depending on the expected encounters, but her absolute best damaging skill is Dosh Toss, which cares little for your attack rating because it scales with the amount of money thrown. You could just grab as much defence as possible then, for which we would absolutely opt for the Life Bracer or Ruby Of Protection, but for the times during which your wallet runs dry, it’s worth having an attacking backup for her. She might make you a great deal more passive gold just by being in the party, but that doesn’t mean you’ll have an infinite supply, and besides it’s worth taking advantage of some of her excellent weapon skills from time to time.
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Categories: Dragon Quest VIII