Dragon Quest VI guide



=Alltrades Vocations and You=

Sadly, the Alltrades Abbey isn't available until after you beat Demon Lord Mudo/Murdaw, the first major story boss of the game (you should know this already). HOWEVER, this game uses a new system of changing classes/vocations over DQ3's:


 * Characters keep their levels, base stats, skills+magic, and are able to equip anything they could before changing.

On the flip side: Your active stats are increased and decreased according to the specifications of your new learning experience. Example: Warriors have boosted physical prowess, but their MP and Wisdom is sharply reduced. In order to learn new skills, you must fight battles "that count".

"Battles That Count"
Let me clarify: Within each area there is a game-imposed "effort limit" of sorts. Now, this won't stop a character from leveling up, BUT, once they surpass that limit (say they just hit level 17 and the effort limit is 16), they won't be able to gain anymore skill points from battling in that area.


 * When you reach a new area with a higher limit, that character will once again gain skill points until reaching the new limit, then you find a new area once more, and so on and so forth.


 * There is NO indication of what areas have what effort limit, but you should progress well enough alongside it without worry.


 * If you are kinda worried, check HERE for a list of limit caps, though it is surprisingly lenient.


 * If you want to know how close you are to reaching your next skill level, talk to the fortune teller NPC at Alltrades. She'll tell you how many more battles you need for each character to get a new vocational promotion.

=Vocations and Best Skills to Learn=


 * Note: "SL" is used here as short-hand for "Skill Level". Skills/Spells with a "!" are some of the better, if not best, skills/spells you may learn. "?" denotes potentially great skills, but with a risk factor to them. The others are still quite useful to know though. And no, I'm not sure why some skills do the same thing and a few classes learn some of the same moves.

Special Classes and Notable Skills/Spells
Hybrid (an ally must master the two noted classes to use the noted class)

"Secret" (Special requirements to use)

=Recommended Vocation Paths and Why=

You can play however you want, but this is mostly to relieve potential stress and explanations on why it will do so.

Protagonist
Mage > Cleric > Sage > Hero


 * The Protagonist is the most often used character. However, he only learns 4 low-level spells by leveling up the entire game (Heal, Peep, Sap, and Zoom), and gets his last at Level 8. This is TERRIBLE.


 * This path allows him to excel at all situations. He will be able to clear out enemy battles with ease and provide both excellent support and damage during bosses.


 * The Protagonist will eventually become a great physical ally as a hero anyways, so just be patient. It is tempting to make him go physical, but Carver does a far better job at that, due to his high physical stats and endurance.


 * He can still be quite good at attacking normally, with either single or multiple target weapons. The Protagonist's above-average stats mean he doesn't take as severe a drop in physical combat. When he uses his support spells, especially Oomph and Buff, he can boost his physical powers further.


 * The spells and skills he learns as a hero are the among the best and most damaging in the game. The fact that he has a healthy MP pool means that he can spam them much more than your other physical fighters. They more than make up for any physical skills he misses out on in other vocations.


 * The Protagonist may not be your "go-to" support/healing-caster after he becomes a hero, but the fact remains that he gains quite a lot of MP, which is great at support and healing spells in dangerous situations.


 * Having a stronger character like the Protagonist who can use support and healing means you don't have to worry about them dying, leaving you without a support-healer. This support is invaluable during the Spiegelspire, which if you are unprepared, can be one of the hardest areas and bosses in the game.


 * Finally, the auto-healing of the hero vocation keeps him alive and well, to spam high damage skills, support, and healing without worrying much about his own HP.

Carver/Hassan
Warrior > Martial Artist > Gladiator > Dragon (/ > Priest > Dragon) (Dragon should be his "final" class (if you don't have him learn anything more))


 * Carver is your physical powerhouse. He only learns 3 skills by leveling up, but Forbearance is always great for protecting your party and Double Up is badass for dealing damage.


 * This path lets others use stat-boosting spells while he beats down enemies. Use Buff/Kabuff when he uses Forbearance and/or Double Up, use Oomph + Sap/Kasap to make foes easier to damage, and heal him when he uses Forbearance.


 * Several attack buffs can stack, allowing Carver to bring extra pain. This applies to normal attacks and several skills. This is AWESOME for normal attacks, Double-Edged Slash, Knuckle Sandwich, and Hatchet Man. For Falcon Slash, Roundhouse Kick, and Multifists, this only affects the first hit, but it still helps.


 * This path works well with Carver's below average MP pool. None of these skills even need MP and many hit multiple foes! Unless you make him a Priest, and even then, that isn't so bad.


 * Hatchet Man is the easiest way to kill Metal King Slimes. This is invaluable late- and post- game for easy level-ups.


 * Leg Sweep works on many enemies and even some bosses. This is great to avoid damage and having all other allies slam down on the competition.


 * Carver should be the first character you change to a Dragon. This lets him use elemental attacks (for 0 MP!) and boosts his natural physical strength even further.


 * Changing to a Priest lets him provide back-up support in a pinch. However, he doesn't have much MP until later, so you should only bother late- or post- game.

Milly/Muriel
Gadabout > Dancer > Luminary (then, if you have the time, Mage > Priest > Sage)


 *  Milly is best as an all-around support. She learns 10 spells by leveling up (Heal, Squelch, Buff, Dazzle, Evac, Crack, Snooze, Midheal, Bang, Kabuff). Buff and Kabuff are essential for the entire game.


 * Milly is both fast and stylish. She will often act first, evade damage, and potentially make enemies miss a turn admiring her.


 * Gadabout is shit. However, it goes by fast and teaches her Whistle and Nap, which helps your round up those last few battles for a Skill Level up and lets you wander around refilling her lost HP and MP (at the small expense of her sleeping). Follow Suit counters an enemy assault with the exact same attack, which is great if she survives a strong attack. Hocus Pocus is risky, but can be good if you're lucky.


 * As a Dancer, she has increased evasion. She's already good at dodging, but gets better with the vocational boost and further more with Dodgy dance.


 * Death Dance can kill all normal enemies at no cost, provided they have no or little resistance and that the attack itself works (it's about 50/50 for each non-resistant foe), but you still get gold and experience! Ban Dance lets you stop enemies from doing their annoying dances. Cop Out can be useful, but you also risk hurting an ally, which is bad.


 * As a Luminary, she can make enemies lose a turn. There's no way to up this chance other than stylish equipment, but it's handy nonetheless.


 * Her Luminary skills are great for healing and physical and magical damage. Hustle Dance is a slightly weaker, but free version of Multiheal and Song of Salvation casts Zing on all allies. Lightning is a free version of Boom, which is twice as strong as Bang. Harvest Moon does three times as much damage as a normal attack, and while it normally divides the damage amongst all enemies, it can be quite strong against single foes and some bosses.


 * If you take her further, make her a sage to take advantage of her physical skills and agility along with her healthy MP pool. It isn't necessary, but it helps.

Ashlynn/Barbara
Mage > Priest > Sage (then, if you have the time, Warrior > Armamentalist > Sage)

Alternatively: Mage > Warrior > Armamentalist (then, if you have the time, Priest > Sage) Be sure to have someone else who can take over healing duty though!


 * Ashlynn is THE BEST human magic-caster your party will get. She learns 11 spells by leveling up (Frizz, Sap, Snooze, Dazzle, Sizz, Zoom, Evac, Kasap, Drain Magic, Sizzle, Fuddle).


 * Unfortunately, she is the physically weakest of your human allies. This makes some people just disregard using her, but I think she makes up for this later on with the largest natural MP pool.


 * She works great for random battles. This lets you save the MP of the Protagonist and other allies for dungeons and bosses.


 * As a mage, Frizzle, Boom, and Kasizzle clean up random battles with ease. Priestly powers like Squelch, Tingle, Midheal/Fullheal, and Zing keep your party healthy and remove the need to buy lots of items.


 * As a sage, she'll perform both roles better, both in and out of battles. Multiheal provides cheaper, more efficient party healing. Kazing is a 100% healing and 100% effective Zing, removing the need for multiple castings. Kaboom and Kathwack tear apart random battles. Her stat-boosting spells are great for boss-battles that allow your wagon to let her cast, then safely switch out.


 * She can become better physically as an Armamentalist. She also learns Kafrizzle, the strongest inexpensive single target magic in the game (10 MP). This also takes advantage of her Gringham Whip, which ties with the Sword of Ramias for strongest base attack in the game (145!). Like any whip, it also hits groups of foes!


 * She can DESTROY enemies and bosses alike with the Duplic Hat. She should be the first one to give it to if you find one. Her high MP already makes he good for spamming, and the Duplic Hat's extra free casting of a spell (let's say, Kaboom or Kafrizzle) lets her easily do near or over 300 damage in a single turn, something most allies can't even pull off without stat-boosting spells. In addition, using it with Multiheal means you will never have need for Omniheal.


 * Summon lets you call forth one of 4 creatures that don't take up a wagon spot. Tatron is the earliest and weakest, but still helpful, able to cast Lightning and use Midheal and Selflessness. At level 30, Deago can be summoned. It is a bit stronger, but his only great skill is Oomph magic.  At level 35, there's Samshin. Its only spell is Kasap, but it is fairly tough and can use Hatchet Man, and a few Armamentalist and Gladiator skills. Bazhoul can only be summoned at level 40 onward, but has great stats, and covers all bases with Disruptive Wave, Kaboom, Lightning Storm, and Omniheal.

Nevan/Chamoro
Priest > Martial Artist > Paladin > Liquid Metal Slime

Alternatively: Mage > Priest > Sage > Liquid Metal Slime


 * Nevan does surprisingly well as a support-type and secondary "all-around". He's about equal in fighting and any magic. He learns 11 spells by leveling up (Heal, Midheal, Squelch, Woosh, Poof, Fizzle, Zing, Swoosh, Tingle, Fullheal, and Whack). These give him a solid place in any party.


 * He never excels in either area, but he does have a naturally high Resilience stat, which makes him suited for "combat medic" and/or "red mage" roles.


 * It seems pointless to put him as a priest, but he will learn Buff and Kabuff, which as mentioned above, are invaluable.


 * Martial Artist lets him deal critical hits more often to make up for his average strength. It also teaches skills that hit multiple enemies for 0 MP.


 * Paladin lets him provide extra support to allies and extra damage to foes. Selflessness, Magic Barrier, and Forbearance provide extra protection. Double Up lets him deal extra damage with his normal attacks and martial arts. Thin Air and Pearly Gates both do great wind damage to all foes. Kerplunk is best used in desperate situations, as it costs all his HP and MP, but fully revives and heals the party. If you want him to heal multiple allies at once on this path, give him the Sage's Stone.


 * Maxed out Liquid Metal Slime characters are extremely hard to kill. This means he can deal healing, support, and damage with little worry for his own self. This vocation also gets the best attack magic attacks in the game.


 * Nevan also does well as a Sage. If you want him to concentrate on magical damage and healing, then just note Ashlynn and Protagonist's sage-ish benefits above. He'll perform almost as well as Ashlynn with the Duplic Hat if he has one of his own. He may not have as much MP as her, but he still has a pretty good amount.


 * The Staff of Ghent is great for MP-free healing. You will use it even in post-game, just because a free Midheal really is that helpful. Always have it in your active party!

Amos
Recommended: Monster Master > Merchant > Thief > Ranger > Martial Artist (then, if you have the time, Priest > Paladin)

Alternatively: Martial Artist > Priest > Paladin

Common: Martial Artist > Warrior > Gladiator (> Dragon with second scroll found)


 * Amos is a great physical fighter and good at tanking. He's strong and has the best Resilience of all humans. He only has 1 spell (Heal) and 1 crappy skill, Megamorphosis, without changing vocations. Megamorphosis can be "okay" early on, but is unpredictable. Amos becomes uncontrollable and among some decent skills he can use, he may use Body Slam, which is HORRIBLE, as it hurts him for 80% of his HP and won't work on bosses. That's why I don't recommend that skill.


 * Putting Amos in the Ranger path assures you have nearly all vocations near mastery close to end-game. Not a bad idea, getting all vocations to Skill Level 5 nets you the Gospel Ring, which when worn, prevents ALL random battles, which saves you a ton of trouble for the bonus dungeon.


 * Monster Master is tied with Gadabout for shit vocations, so get it over with first. Mastering Monster Master has Amox learn "Puff!", which changes him into a badass dragon, which is way better than Megamorphosis. He also learns Tongue Bashing, which can be useful versus enemies and a few bosses to lower defense and can sometimes make them lose a turn. He learns some weak breath attacks as well, but some cause status ailments, and they are all MP-free, which can be helpful against swarms of foes.


 * Merchant lets Amos provide support in and out of battles. Muster Strength lets him deal extra damage with normal attacks and War Cry gives a chance to stun all enemies into inaction for a turn or two. Service Call can summon random shops on the map, including an Inn and a non-saving church. This can be quite handy if you need a quick refill. Call to Arms can be a powerful attack against enemies and weaker bosses, but be careful with your wallet as it costs gold instead of MP.


 * By the time Amos is a Thief, you should have most, if not all, the magical keys. If you missed some treasure before, now is the time to get it. The Thief skills Amos gets are great for finding missed treasures and also some new ones. Padfoot is a cheaper alternative to Holy Water, Nose for Treasure tallies up how many things you missed in an immediate area, and Snoop locates hidden treasures (i.e. those not in chests). You can also steal great items late-, end-, and post-game.


 * Ranger lets Amos deal with annoying areas and enemies. Safe Passage nullifies damage to the party from harmful surfaces. Defending Champion reduces damage he takes by 90%, and can block certain attacks and effects. Backdraft lets him avoid damage from breath attacks while reflecting the damage back to the enemy who mouthed off. Most breath attacks get very strong, so this can be quite handy. Pyre o' Fire is very strong, doing around 180 damage for 0 MP, but sometimes decides to not work, which sucks.


 * Martial Artist is a good final vocation for the Ranger path or the starting choice for the Paladin path. Whichever you have Amos follow, he gets some handy skills here that help round out his offense. Should he become a Paladin, he can use Forbearance to better effect than Carver or Nevan, since Carver is offense-focused, while Nevan is healing-focused. Sadly, Amos lacks the MP for reliable healing. Either way, it's always helpful to have one ally with a naturally high critical hit rate.


 * The "common" path makes him into a second Carver. This is pretty good, but it's rather unnecessary, especially since you can get Terry and Lizzie not too long after getting Amos, both of whom concentrate on this path. It's not a bad idea to have 4 brawlers, but it's not as handy as it sounds.

Terry
Recommended: Gladiator > Dragon with second scroll found

Alternative A: Mage > Armamentalist

Alternative B: Priest > Paladin

Alternative C: Monster Master > Thief > Merchant > Ranger > Martial Artist


 * Terry is an odd case. He joins late in the game, but starts as a Gladiator with both Warrior and Martial Artist mastered. He learns no new skills or spells by leveling up, but he has all of the skills from Warrior and Martial Artist.


 * This may imply that he is a physical fighter, but really: He is near the middle of every stat ranking. He's open to any path you may choose, but it's best to consider the paths your other allies are on first.


 * The best option is to leave him as Gladiator. The boost to his physical power and the small chance of him evading damage is helpful. Change him to a Dragon as soon as you can. This further boosts his strength and the elemental attacks he learns will earn him a proper place in your crew, even as a back up.


 * If you prefer to leave Ashlynn as a Sage, then have Terry become an Armamentalist. He's not great with attack magic, but elemental slashes are MP-free, can exploit enemy weaknesses, and can be powered up for extra pain, making him a cheap, effective caster. His support spells will further the damage dealt.


 * If you make Nevan as a Sage, make Terry a Paladin. This path makes Terry well-rounded and he can heal, support, and deal magic damage all pretty well. He won't be your main at any of those, but is a good back-up to all of them. Selflessness and Forbearance can be risky for Terry, but he should be okay for one or two uses.


 * If you had Amos become a Paladin, put Terry on the Ranger path. To avoid tedious grinding, it is best to get all of the jobs done in one go. In addition, you can steal amazing items from end-game monsters, such as the Duplic Hat, Happy Hat, and Metal King Helm.


 * Do note though, that by the time you get Terry, he'll be at a disadvantage at Level 28. Feel free to consider making him a martial artist for a while at the last dungeon to hunt Metal King Slimes. Once he is around Level 32-34, change him back to whatever path you chose.


 * Always keep his Sunderbolt Sword in your active party. Even if he doesn't use it, whoever uses it casts Zap on all enemies for free. This is a cheap and easy way to end fights faster, since very few foes are resistant to Zap magic and it always does about 80 damage. It helps an active Terry give extra support as well.

Lizzie/Drango
Dragon > Priest > Martial Artist > Paladin (at least until Skill Level 6 to learn Forbearance) > Dragon


 * Lizzie is a monster, but plays like a human. She starts under-leveled, but quickly catches up and becomes THE STRONGEST physical fighter in your party. By leveling up, she only learns 6 skills (Falcon Slash, Flame Breath, Hatchet Man, Inferno, Metal Slash, and Scorch) and 1 spell (Kazing), but they all make her an amazing ally.


 * Clearing her Dragon vocation can wait. She learns the second best skill, Scorch, at Level 30 naturally. Making her a Priest lets her provide valuable support, thanks to her large MP pool. Like Nevan, she can act as a "combat medic", but with more emphasis on the actual combat part.


 * If another ally is a Paladin, just let her learn Forbearance and change back to Dragon. It provides less MP, but the Dragon vocation lets her better protect allies due to extra HP and Resilience. Unlike humans, monsters like Lizzie have resistances to spells! Also, Lizzie can even nullify some status ailments.


 * Gladiator, Sage, and Armamentalist are pointless for her. Dragon is a better power vocation, she learns Kazing without going Sage, and her breath attacks out-power anything in the Sage and Armamentalist selection and FOR FREE. If you want Lizzie to provide party-healing, give her the Sage's Stone.


 * Luminary is too weak and underpowered for her to use. However, temporarily making her a Gadabout until she learns Nap is not a bad idea. Be careful though, since some of the late-game enemies are powerful and may easily hurt her under this vocation. However, the HP and MP regeneration is worth it once she learns it.


 * Ranger is also a bad choice for her. She's already a dragon with better resistances than the spell, her breath attacks hit harder than any skills from this path, and there's not much loot left to locate. However, temporarily making her a Merchant to learn Muster Strength will make Falcon Slash and Hatchet Man hit harder.


 * By the time you get Lizzie, if nobody else has mastered Ranger, recruit a Slime buddy and have it master the vocation post-game. The path of the Ranger requires vocations that are just too weak at end-game to re-start off with. End-game foes are that strong, and there's no point prolonging your path to beat the final boss.


 * Remember! Lizzie and all other monsters you recruit can use and wear equipment, too. That said, because of how strong she is (and to a lesser extent, monsters), give monsters good equipment but never your best. Humans have no natural resistances, so to the humans' benefit to wear your strongest and resistant armor (unless your party is mostly monsters).

=Monster Buddies=

Both DS and SFC
Here's a few notes that apply to both:


 * Lizzie/Drango the Hacksaurus/Battle-Rex is a special monster that can only be recruited by revisiting Arkbolt prison with Terry in your active, on-screen party. As long as you have Terry with you, just talk to her and she'll join.


 * If you missed her section above, she gets really good skills, has really good resistances, is able to equip a variety of gear, and has great stats.


 * Above all that, though, is that she starts out pre-equipped with the Dragon Vocation and can change vocations as well. Definitely have her in your wagon, if not your main party. She also has party chat, which is cool.


 * All Monster Buddies besides Lizzie and Slime Knight sadly have somewhat restrictive equipment sets. However, like her, they also have some natural resistances to spells and elements. Their stats aren't too shabby either!


 * Like humans, monsters also learn a few spells and skills naturally, regardless of class. So don't waste effort, for example, making Heal Slime into a Priest and leveling up his skill points (unless you make him a Sage, then by all means.).


 * All this makes them pretty good substitutes for your human allies, although that's entirely up to you. I wouldn't personally replace members until beating the game once, just because they don't party chat and only repeat a few lines.


 * After winning A Rank at Slimopolis/Slime Arena, you can recruit Goober/Rookie, a normal blue slime, by talking to Sledge/Sludge, the owner. Goober hardly has any resistances, but he gets pretty strong, levels up VERY quickly, and starts with some decent spells.


 * When he reaches Level 45, bring Goober back to talk with Sledge and he will learn C-C-C-Cold Breath/Crystal Breath, which is better than his final skill, Scorch/Scorching Breath at level 90.

DS

 * Since you could only recruit 18 other monsters anyways, the recruitment by Beastmasters has been ditched (and despite previous rumors, they are NOT a FF-style Blue Mage class either).


 * To make up for this, "Slime Friends" have been introduced. Each one has their own little story and side-quest to recruit them. The ones that have appeared before in SFC have the same stats and skills as before.


 * Here they are and here's how to recruit them:

SFC

 * If you want to recruit monsters, you must have a character in your active party be a Beastmaster class. You must also have the wagon available (on-screen), and it must have an empty slot in it.


 * There's only 18 "non-special" monsters to recruit and they have widely varying recruit chances (Metal Babbles have a 0.4% chance of joining. 1/256 for fuck's sake!). Unlike DQ5 or DQ5DS, they don't get easier to recruit each battle either.


 * Outside of Dragon's and Metal Babble's unique skills, you can learn anything monsters learn naturally or through Dharma Temple (and later special books for Dragon and Metal Babble).


 * Anyways, here are the other monsters:

=Skill/Spell Names and Explanations=

Curious about what some of those strangely named skills and spells do? Here's the best that were listed here that are not monster-specific.

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=Websites of Interest= RPG Shrines' DQ6 Page - Will become a bit outdated when the DS version gets translated, but still totally great as a base support. Not quite as cool as the DQ7 one, but still damn good.

DQ6DSJPCM (extended) - An extended version of the GODTIER commercials of the for the DS game. FUCK YEAH. Translation. Parodies: 1 2