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Dragon Quest IX List of Accolades | DQIX Hints & Tips

Joe Majewski — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 03:57:33 +0000

In Dragon Quest IX, Accolades are awarded upon meeting certain criterion, such as playing the game for a certain amount of time, unlocking certain abilities, or defeating a certain number of monsters. They are more or less used for bragging rights, and a way for you to see how much you have progressed through the game. There is an extensive list of accolades available in DQIX; see how many you can get!

Grotto Accolades

Celestial Sentry – Awarded to the hero on the occasion of his/her victory over various renowned denizens of the depths. I assume that this accolade requires that you defeat each of the 12 grotto bosses at least once.
Heralded Hero / Heralded Heroine – Defeat a grotto boss of level 25 or above.
Superhero / Superheroine – Defeat a grotto boss of level 50 or above.
Heavenly Hero / Heavenly Heroine – Defeat a boss of level 75 or above.
Legendary Hero / Legendary Heroine – Defeat a grotto boss of level 99.
Spelunker – Clear a grotto of level 25 or above.
Spunky Spelunker – Clear a grotto of level 50 or above.
Spelunking Specialist – Clear a grotto of level 75 or above.
Supreme Spelunker – Clear a grotto of level 99 or above.
Cave Dweller – Complete your 10th grotto.
Cave Craver – Complete your 50th grotto.
From Cradle to Cave – Complete your 100th grotto.
Stalag Mighty – Complete your 500th grotto.
Caving Lunatic – Complete your 1,000th grotto.

Quest Completion

Service Provider – Complete 20 quests.
Helping Hand – Complete 50 quests.
Selfless Soul – Complete 100 quests.
Fairy Godfather / Fairy Godmother – Complete 150 quests.
Father Questmas / Mother Questmas – Complete the final quest.

Party Tricks

Expressionist – Learn and use all party tricks at least once.

Alchenomicon

Commis Chef – Create 10% of all recipes.
Chef De Partie – Create 25% of all recipes.
Sous Chef – Create 50% of all recipes.
Chef D’Alchimie – Create 75% of all recipes.
Creme De La Creme – Create all Alchemy recipes.
Amateur Alchemist – Create 50 recipes.
Enthusiastic Alchemist – Create 100 recipes.
Avid Alchemist – Create 250 recipes.
Alchemaniac – Create 500 recipes.
Alcheholic – Create 1,000 recipes.
Krak Pot Crackpot – Create 2,000 recipes.

Hours of Gameplay

Seasoned Traveller – Play for 100 hours.
Sightseer – Play for 250 hours.
Wayfarer – Play for 500 hours.
Globetrotter – Play for 750 hours.
Wanderluster – Play for 1,000 hours.
Constant Companions – Play 100 hours in multiplayer.
Firm Friends – Play 250 hours in multiplayer.
Best Buddies – Play 500 hours in multiplayer.
Oldest and Goldest – Play 750 hours in multiplayer.
Friends to the End – Play 1,000 hours in multiplayer.

Battle Victories

Victor / Victoria – Clear 100 battles.
On-Fire Fighter – Clear 500 battles.
Winning Streaker – Clear 1,000 battles.
Win-A-Lot Prime – Clear 5,000 battles.
Winvincible – Clear 10,000 battles.

Accolades Earned

Name Dropper – Earn 10 Accolades.
Glory Hunter – Earn 50 Accolades.
Man of Many Names / Woman of Many Names – Earn 100 Accolades.
Titled Peer – Earn 200 Accolades.
Titan of Titles – Earn 300 Accolades.

Holiday Packages

Cold Caller – Successful sale of 50 holiday packages.
Deal Closer – Successful sale of 100 holiday packages.
Salesperson of the Week – Successful sale of 300 holiday packages.
Top Seller – Successful sale of 500 holiday packages.
Celestial Salesperson – Successful sale of 1,000 holiday packages.

Bestiary Completion

Huntsman / Huntswoman – Defeat 10% of all enemies.
Hunter Gatherer – Defeat 25% of all enemies.
Top Tracker – Defeat 50% of all enemies.
Head Hunter – Defeat 75% of all enemies.
Big Game Hunter – Defeat 100% of all enemies.

Item Collection

Itemiser – Find 50% of all known items.
King of Cellectors / Queen of Collectors – Find all known items.

Wardrobe

Follower of Fashion – Find 10% of all equipment.
Clothes Horse – Find 25% of all equipment.
Trendspotter – Find 50% of all equipment.
Trendsetter – Find 75% of all equipment.
Fashionista – Find all equipment items.

Resurrection

Regular Churchgoer – Get revived 10 times.
Coffin Dodger – Get revived 50 times.
Dauntless Deadbeat – Get revived 100 times.

Bank Deposit

White Sticker Saver – Save 100,000 Gold in the bank.
Blue Sticker Saver – Save 500,000 Gold in the bank.
Red Sticker Saver – Save 1,000,000 Gold in the bank.
Silver Sticker Saver – Save 5,000,000 Gold in the bank.
Gold Sticker Saver – Save 10,000,000 Gold in the bank.

Random Titles

Herbalist – Purchase 100 medicinal herbs.
Happy-Go-Lucky – View Battle Records while your battle count is 222/333/444, etc…
Birthday Boy / Birthday Girl – Play the game on your birthday.

Level Up

Field Marshal – Get level 99 warrior.
Archdeacon – Get level 99 priest.
Grand Wizard – Get level 99 mage.
Grandmaster – Get level 99 martial artist.
Bandit King / Bandit Queen – Get level 99 thief.
Bard of High Regard – Get level 99 minstrel.
Gladius Maximus – Get level 99 gladiator.
Caster Blaster – Get level 99 armamentalist.
Knight Banneret – Get level 99 paladin.
Eco Warrior – Get level 99 ranger.
Mahatma – Get level 99 sage.
Superstar – Get level 99 luminary.

Revocate

- Each class has it’s own accolade for revocating ten times, which is the act of converting a level 99 character back to level 1, maintaining all abilities learned. This is useful because it allows you to gather even more skill points, and is necessary if you want the best stats possible. These are very time-consuming accolades to earn, and even receiving one of them is a true testament of your commitment to Dragon Quest IX.

Skills

- If you haven’t noticed, you receive an accolade every time your main character learns a new ability or trait by spending skill points. There are hundreds of accolades you can earn this way and it would be pointless for me to list them all.

Saving the World

- There’s a multitude of accolades that can be earned upon completing the game. The exact requirements for each of them are unknown, as the descriptions are vague. Additionally, it is impossible to receive all of the accolades in this category, as many of them contradict each other. For example, one such accolade is awarded for completing the game “rather quickly”, while another for beating the game “rather slowly”. Once you beat the game, see which accolades you earn, and that will be all you will get unless you want to play the game through a second time.

Fashion & Dress-Up

- There are dozens of accolades that can be earned by equiping certain gear. It would take me a lot of time to list these additional accolades, so I will hold off on that for now. If this article receives a lot of views and / or feedback, I may change my mind and update the list. I imagine that many players will earn them without even trying, which is always the most rewarding of all.

Special thanks to the Brady Games strategy guide, which provided me with a lot of the information here. I was very surprised when I found out how many accolades there actually are. When I earned the accolade for 100 hours of playtime, I never imagined that that was just the first in that category. I am slowly approaching the 250 hour milestone, which will place one more accolade under my belt.

I hope this guide was helpful to the many completionists. I also recommend the Brady Games strategy guide which provides in-depth bestiary information, quest information, equipment lists without spoiling anything too major.

How to Find the Lost Pet Lizard “Drak” in the Mirage Mahal in Dragon Quest IX | DQIX Hints & Tips

Joe Majewski — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 18:32:59 +0000

Warning: This post contains minor spoilers!

Once you reach the town of Gleeba in Dragon Quest IX, located in the Djust Desert, you will find a large mansion known as the Mirage Mahal. By now you should be quite familiar with the process of obtaining fyggs: (1) Find the next town, (2) talk to an NPC that triggers a cutscene, (3) discover the problem that needs attention, and then (4) go through the dungeon and defeat the boss to make things better. It’s no different in the wonderful town of Gleeba, which is home to fygg number five.

Instead of giving a step by step walkthrough on how to proceed with the storyline for this town, I am just going to inform you about one particular event that I believe many people may have problems with.

After talking to a few NPCs, you will soon learn that Queen Voluptua’s pet lizard, which goes by the name of Drak, is missing. You also learn that clapping will alert the lizard to come out of hiding, so make sure you assign the Clap action to one of your party tricks. For some reason, I was led to believe that the lizard was inside the Mirage Mahal mansion. I can’t recall exactly what the NPCs told me, but I was certain that it would be in the castle. Either I misunderstood their request, or they do in fact tell you to look in the mansion. Whatever the case, the lizard is NOT in the mansion.

Exit the Mirage Mahal, and walk around to the west side of the building. The camera will pan out, giving you an aerial view of the area, which is a good indicator that something may be hiding nearby. Once you clap, the lizard will come out of hiding and starting running around frantically. Grab the lizard, curse at it a few times if it took you more than 15 minutes to find, and return it to the Queen. Voila!

I hope this article was of assistance, as I clapped in every room of the mansion before checking outside and realizing where it was.

Happy leveling! (Isn’t this game great?)

Dragon Quest IX Quest #23 “Research Assistant” | DQIX Hints & Tips

Joe Majewski — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 22:24:14 +0000

Upon giving Earnan (the historian in Stornway Castle) some magic water for the “Don’t Cry Over Spilt Ink” quest, he will award you with a seed of magic. He will not give you his next quest until you leave the room and re-enter.

Quest number 23, Research Assistant, is Earnan’s next quest. He humbly requests that you bring him an ancient manuscript that he believes is hidden somewhere in the castle. When I took on this quest, I was led to believe that it was in one of the bookshelves, but that is not the case at all.

In order to find the item required for this quest, you’ve gotta be either (a) lucky or (b) very observant. Nonetheless, I’m here to tell you where it can be found.

Remember the treasure room that you gained access to upon dealing with the Wight Night. That’s your destination. In case you’ve forgotten where it’s located, here’s how to get there. Once inside Stornway Castle, head straight ahead and up the staircase that is guarded by two NPCs. From there, you will be in the room with Princess Simona, the King and his wife. Head north all the way to the top of the room where you will see two staircases, both of which lead to the same place. Head up either one of them, and then go through the door leading outside. Head east to the northeastern tower, and alas, you have arrived.

Once inside the treasure room, go to the chest in the far back and examine it. Voila, you have now found a “crumpled piece of paper”, which is required in order to proceed with the quest.

You know what you gotta do; head back downstairs to Earnan and speak with him. Unfortunately, you aren’t finished yet. The paper was apparently so crumpled that Earnan couldn’t read it. He requests that you bring him three more magic waters to help decipher the writing.

Do what you gotta do to retrieve three more magic waters, and Earnan will award you with three seeds of sorcery. Good deal, I suppose. That’s one less quest left to complete, so give yourself a pat on the back before continuing on with your massive adventure in Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies.

How to Change Vocations in Dragon Quest IX | DQIX Hints & Tips

Joe Majewski — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 05:51:15 +0000

In Dragon Quest IX, a vocation is basically your character’s class. There are around a dozen vocations in all, many of which need to be unlocked much later in the game. The six basic vocations that are immediately available are minstrel, warrior, priest, mage, thief, and martial artist. You will begin your journey as a minstrel, which is a well-rounded vocation very suitable for starters.

Each vocation has five proficiency skills. For example, as a minstrel you will be able to learn skills in swords, whips, fans, shields, and litheness. Let’s say you change classes to be a warrior; all of your sword skills will transfer over since warriors also use the sword proficiency skill.

This applies to all class changes that use the same skill sets.

Keep in mind that your character’s level only applies to a given class. You might be a level 20 minstrel before obtaining the ability to change vocations; if you switch to warrior, then you will be back at level 1 again. Upon changing back to a minstrel, you will retain all skills previously learned and be at level 20 again; thus, you’ve got nothing to lose by changing vocations.

So how do you change vocations? About 20 hours into the main story of the game, you will reach a place known as Alltrades Abbey. This is the point in which you can finally change your vocation. It actually took me 28 hours to reach this point in the game, but I tend to spend a lot of extra time grinding enemies and completing all quests that I possibly can before proceeding. In a word, I’m what they call a completionist.

Dragonica | What are Hidden Scrolls and Chaos Maps?

Joe Majewski — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 18:57:00 +0000

Hidden scrolls allow you to warp to a special map. Within these maps, the monsters give more experience points than usual, and they also have an extremely high drop rate for items and equipment. Best of all, Armor Enchantment Powders drop constantly in these maps. What’s not to like?

Not only can you grind enemies quickly in these maps due to the high experience yield, but you will also find dozens of equipment pieces. Doing a rough estimate, I would say that each enemy has a 5% chance to drop an equipment piece. Prior to entering these maps, make sure your equipment inventory is empty, unless you intend on disassembling them for souls, which is usually what I decide to do.

Hidden maps also house boss monsters, which respawn about every two to three hours. It’s a good idea to move to a low population channel before going to a hidden map just so that the bosses are more likely to be there. They spawn in random locations within the map, and they have good experience and drops. The bosses that I’m referring to are the bosses of mission maps that you’ve previously beaten; Captain Hookah, Atoo, Alvida, Night Lord, Sungka, Kungka, etcetera.

Another unique item that can only be found within these hidden maps are called Devil’s Soul Stones. Roughly ten percent of monsters will drop a Devil’s Soul Stone, and they are the most important thing for you to farm in the hidden map. Since you are able to spend as much time as you like within these maps, it’s best to make sure to get at least 30 or 40 of them before deciding to leave. Be aware that if you die in these maps, you will have to use another hidden scroll to get back.

By now you are probably wondering where you can find these hidden scrolls. They are not all that difficult to get, actually. Upon defeating the boss of a mission map with an F3 or F4 difficulty level, the boss will always drop a single hidden scroll, so if you are in a party of four, only one person will be able to grab it.

Now that you know how to get hidden scrolls, and the benefits of grinding enemies within these maps, it’s time to discuss what those mysterious Devil’s Soul Stones can be used for. Each town has a portal with a dragon-looking being hovering above it. I’m sure you know exactly what I’m talking about. Enter one of the dens and talk to the dragon on the right, who goes by the name of Elga. Elga will give you Chaos scrolls in exchange for the Devil’s Soul Stones that you collected. Before you can use a Chaos scroll, you need to purchase a Shield of the Void, which is an item that allows you to damage enemies in Chaos maps. It has a two-hour duration, and they cost 20 Devil’s Soul Stones a pop.

Upon using a Chaos Scroll, make sure you immediately use the Shield of the Void, or you will be doing just one damage point to enemies per attack. Chaos maps are similar to the areas in Dragonica that you’ve already been to, such as Hero’s Pass, Canyon of Oblivion, Traitor’s Ridge, etcetera, but the difference is that it is now dark outside, and the monsters are about 10 levels higher than usual, so make sure you take that into account when choosing the map you wish to explore. Much like the hidden maps, the experience and drop rates are much higher. One difference is that rather than getting Armor Enchantment Powders, you will get Weapon Enchantment Powders instead, which is even better.

Chaos maps also have Mission Maps within them, which are much like the ones found in their respective non-chaos maps, but the enemies are ten levels higher, so they are TOUGH. Be prepared to take a beating. The items you get for beating the Chaos Mission Maps are fantastic, but keep in mind that you only have two hours before your buff wears off and you stop dealing damage to enemies, so you’re on the clock.

If you farm enough Devil’s Soul Stones in the hidden maps, it would be a good idea to purchase two Shield’s of the Void, prolonging the time that you can spend farming experience, gear, and Weapon Enchantment Powders.

Any questions? Anything you’d like to contribute? Leave a comment below; I would really appreciate it!