Character Recruitment & Companions

Character Recruitment & Companions

Dragon Quest VII features a dynamic party system where new allies join and leave your group as the story progresses. While some characters are central to the narrative and join automatically, others require specific actions or conditions to be met. This section details how to recruit all permanent and significant temporary companions, along with strategies for integrating them into your team.

Permanent Party Members

Kiefer

• Recruitment: Kiefer is your initial companion and remains with you for a substantial portion of the early game. He joins automatically from the very beginning of your adventure on Estard Island.
• Location: Estard Island, from the start of the game. He is your childhood friend and accompanies you on your initial explorations.
• Strategy: Kiefer is a robust physical attacker with excellent HP and Strength. He excels in front-line combat and is your primary damage dealer for the early game. Ensure he is always equipped with the best weapons and armor available. His unique skills, such as Flame Slash, are powerful single-target attacks that can make short work of early bosses and tough enemies. He departs your party permanently after the events in the past version of the Starry Shrine, specifically after the battle with the Demon Lord's lackey, leaving a significant void in your offensive capabilities. Make the most of his presence while you have him, as his raw power is unmatched in the early stages.
• Departure: Kiefer leaves the party permanently after the events at the Starry Shrine in the past, choosing to stay behind. This is a fixed story event and cannot be prevented.

Maribel

• Recruitment: Maribel is the first permanent companion to join your party. She automatically joins you at the start of the game after the initial exploration of Estard Island and the discovery of the first fragment.
• Location: Estard Castle, after the initial events in the Estard village and the discovery of the first fragment. She is the mayor's daughter and insists on joining your quest.
• Strategy: Maribel is a versatile magic-user, excelling in offensive spells early on. Focus on building her Wisdom and Magic stat to maximize her damage output. Early spells like Sizz and Woosh will be invaluable for clearing groups of enemies. She can also learn healing spells later, making her a valuable support unit. Consider assigning her a Mage vocation early to further enhance her magical prowess. Her relatively low HP means she should be protected in the back row.
• Temporary Departure: Maribel temporarily leaves your party after the events at the Starry Shrine in the past, returning to Estard due to illness. She rejoins much later in the game after you have restored the Monster Meadows and visited the present-day Estard.

Gabo

• Recruitment: Gabo joins your party after you successfully restore the first island, Ballymolloy, to its proper place in the present. He is a wild child found in the past version of Ballymolloy.
• Location: Ballymolloy, after defeating the boss (Slime Stack) in the past and returning to the present. He will be waiting in the village of Ballymolloy, having followed you from the past.
• Strategy: Gabo is a powerful physical attacker with high Strength and Agility, often displaying beastly characteristics. Equip him with strong weapons and armor. His unique abilities often involve animalistic attacks like Howl (which can stun enemies) and Claw Slash, making him excellent for single-target damage and crowd control. Consider assigning him a Warrior or Martial Artist vocation early on to further enhance his combat prowess. His high Agility also makes him a good candidate for a Thief vocation, allowing him to act first in many battles.

Aira

• Recruitment: Aira joins your party much later in the game, after you have advanced through several islands and restored a significant portion of the world. Her recruitment is tied to the events surrounding the Demon Lord's revival and the discovery of the Divine Shrine.
• Location: The Divine Shrine (present-day), after completing the events in the past version of the Great Lighthouse (Lighthouse to the Heavens) and defeating the boss there (Gracos). After these events, return to the present-day Divine Shrine, and Aira, who is revealed to be a descendant of the Divine Heroes, will join your party.
• Strategy: Aira is a powerful magic-user with a strong emphasis on healing and support spells, though she can also learn offensive magic. Her high Wisdom and MP pool make her an invaluable asset for keeping your party alive. Prioritize vocations that enhance her magical abilities, such as Priest or Mage, and eventually Sage or Luminary. Her unique skills often involve divine protection or light-based attacks, making her effective against dark-aligned enemies. She can be a vital healer and buffer, especially in challenging boss fights.

Melvin

• Recruitment: Melvin joins your party significantly later in the game, after you have restored numerous islands and begun to uncover the true nature of the Demon Lord's influence. His recruitment is central to the storyline involving the Divine Heroes.
• Location: The Divine Shrine (present-day), after you have restored the past version of the Cathedral of Blight and defeated the boss there (Dhoulmagus). Upon returning to the present-day Divine Shrine, you will find Melvin, one of the legendary Divine Heroes, awakened from his long slumber. He will then join your party.
• Strategy: Melvin is an incredibly versatile character, possessing high stats across the board, particularly in Strength, Resilience, and Wisdom. He starts with a wide array of powerful spells and abilities, including both offensive magic (e.g., Boom, Sizzle) and healing/support spells (e.g., Multiheal, Oomph). He is an excellent candidate for almost any vocation, but excels as a Paladin, Hero, or Champion due to his balanced stats. He can serve as a primary damage dealer, a robust tank, or a crucial support unit. His presence significantly boosts your party's overall power and survivability.

Aishe

• Recruitment: Aishe is the final permanent party member to join your group, appearing very late in the game as you approach the climax of the main story. Her recruitment is tied to the events in the past version of the Demon Lord's Castle.
• Location: The Demon Lord's Castle (past), after you have navigated through its treacherous halls and confronted the Demon Lord Orgodemir for the first time. Following this confrontation, Aishe, a warrior from the past and another descendant of the Divine Heroes, will join your party to aid in the final battle.
• Strategy: Aishe is a formidable physical attacker with exceptional Strength, Agility, and Resilience. She comes equipped with powerful weapon skills and unique abilities that make her a force to be reckoned with. She is an ideal candidate for vocations like Warrior, Martial Artist, Gladiator, or Champion. Her high Agility often allows her to act first, and her strong single-target and area-of-effect physical attacks are invaluable for clearing tough enemy groups and dealing massive damage to bosses. Ensure she has the best available weapons and armor to maximize her offensive potential.

Temporary Companions & Special Recruits

Throughout your journey, various characters will temporarily join your party for specific quests or dungeons. While they don't stay permanently, understanding their strengths and weaknesses can be crucial for success. These characters often have unique abilities or provide plot-critical assistance.

Sir Mervyn (Temporary)

• Recruitment: Sir Mervyn, a knight from the past, temporarily joins your party during the events in the past version of the Cathedral of Blight.
• Location: Cathedral of Blight (past), after you discover him and he agrees to help you confront the evil within.
• Strategy: Sir Mervyn is a capable physical attacker and a decent healer. He comes with a good set of equipment and some useful spells like Heal and Midheal, along with offensive skills. He can serve as a reliable secondary healer or an additional damage dealer during this challenging dungeon. Protect him, as his departure is fixed, and you'll want him to contribute as much as possible to clear the area.
• Departure: Sir Mervyn departs your party after the events in the Cathedral of Blight, specifically after the boss battle. He will then join your party permanently much later as Melvin.

Pamela (Temporary)

• Recruitment: Pamela, a young girl with unique abilities, temporarily joins your party during the events in the past version of the Roamers' Encampment and the subsequent exploration of the Roamers' Cave.
• Location: Roamers' Encampment (past), after you help her and her family. She will accompany you into the Roamers' Cave.
• Strategy: Pamela is not a combat-focused character. Her primary utility lies in her ability to communicate with animals and solve puzzles related to the Roamers' Cave. In battle, she is quite weak and should be protected. Her role is more about advancing the plot and providing unique interactions rather than direct combat contributions.
• Departure: Pamela leaves your party after you complete the events in the Roamers' Cave and resolve the situation there.

Monster Companions (Monster Meadows)

• Recruitment: While not traditional party members that fight alongside you in your main adventuring party, monster companions can be recruited to inhabit your Monster Meadows. To begin recruiting monsters, you must first unlock the Monster Meadows.
• Location: The Monster Meadows is unlocked after completing the events in the past version of the present-day Grondal, specifically after you have helped the monster caretaker, Bartholomew, and restored the area.
• Strategy: To recruit monsters, you need to defeat them in battle. There's a chance a defeated monster will offer to join your Monster Meadows. This chance is often increased by using specific items like the Monster Munchies (found in various treasure chests, dropped by certain enemies, and purchased from certain shops later in the game). Once recruited, monsters can be sent on expeditions to gather items, participate in the Monster Park's battles (a separate mini-game), or even be used in the Monster Mashes. Focus on recruiting monsters with useful item drops (e.g., rare crafting materials), unique skills for the Monster Park, or those that can unlock special events or items within the Monster Meadows.
• Common Pitfalls:
  • Low Recruitment Rate: The chance of a monster joining is often very low, requiring repeated battles. Be patient!
  • Monster Munchies: Always try to use Monster Munchies on monsters you wish to recruit, as they significantly boost the recruitment chance.
  • Limited Space: Initially, your Monster Meadows has limited space. You'll need to expand it by completing quests or progressing the story to house more monsters.

Recruitment Overview Table

This table provides a quick reference for all permanent party members and their general recruitment timing.