Skills and abilities are the core of character progression in Dragon Quest XI S, allowing you to customize your party's strengths and unlock new combat strategies. Each character possesses a unique skill tree that branches out as they level up.
Accessing the Character Builder
After certain story points, you will gain access to the Character Builder. This is done by pressing the Y button to open the menu, then navigating to 'Misc.' and selecting 'Character Builder'. Here, you can spend Skill Points earned through leveling up to unlock new abilities and passive bonuses.
Skill Point Allocation
Each character has a distinct skill tree. It's generally recommended to focus on one or two weapon types or specialization paths per character to maximize their effectiveness. For example:
- Hero: Can focus on Greatswords for raw power or Swords for a balance of offense and defense. Luminary skills are also essential.
- Erik: Excels with Knives for critical hits and debuffs, or Axes for area-of-effect damage.
- Silvia: Can specialize in Swords for balanced combat or Fans for support and debuffs.
- Jade: Focuses on Spears for reach and damage or Fans for crowd control and buffs.
- Rab: Best with Claws for rapid attacks or Wands for potent offensive magic.
- Veronica: A powerful offensive mage, best with Wands, focusing on elemental spells.
- Serena: A dedicated healer and support, excelling with Wands and Harps.
Learning New Spells and Techniques
Skill points are used to unlock active abilities (spells and techniques) and passive bonuses (stat increases, resistances). For instance, at level 5, the Hero learns the 'Heal' spell, a crucial early-game ability. As characters level up, they gain access to more powerful skills, such as elemental magic, status-inflicting abilities, and powerful physical attacks.
Pep Powers and Skills
Some skills can contribute to a character becoming 'pepped up' faster, enabling the use of powerful Pep Powers. Understanding how your chosen skills interact with the Pep system can lead to devastating combat advantages.
Respeccing Skills
If you find yourself unhappy with a character's build, you can respec their skill points later in the game. This allows for experimentation and adaptation to different challenges. This is often done through a specific NPC or a special item.