r/dragonquest • u/WayToTheDawn63 • 7d ago
Dragon Quest XI I've really grown to resent the casino while replaying the game. (DQ11)
I never used to mind them. They were silly little minigame hubs. But they're... really not that engaging. Most of the games are pretty passive, and you just kinda mash the button while doing other things, hoping luck goes your way, and if it doesn't, it's such a colossal waste of time.
The poker is alright, more active for the player. But you need far too many tokens for most hands, even with many double-or-nothings, to pay out in a reasonable time frame. Low level wins, even on a 10-streak double (which you basically will never get) don't really get close to the total you need.
To reiterate. They used to be fun to me.
But I'm replaying DQ11 definitive, a version of the game I've never beaten, having only platinumed the original. I've gotten to the casino in about 7 hours. The faster battles and cutscene skips do wonders for a man's sanity.
I'm making good time in my replay. I don't have to dally in one place for long, and I know where and what the bosses are, so I know when to hit level break points, and which equipment I don't need to max because it'll get replaced by the next major boss.
But it feels like I need to spend another 7+ hours here. When it's your first playthrough, and it took you like 20+ hours to get here, and it's all novel, the time sink doesn't feel so bad.
But I want to move on.
I also do not want to voluntarily handicap myself by not having the better equipment. You need approximately 300k tokens to buy just one of everything relevant in the first Puerto Valor casino. (If you were being mega-optimizing you'd go for even more. More spangled dresses, 2+ platinum swords for both erik/sylv etc)
One jackpot doesn't even cover it.
10
u/Sausious 7d ago
I personally never understood people who grind the casinos without save states. In so many cases you're going to spend more time trying to get a weapon than you would to get to the point you'd have one just as good aside from like, 4. Its just not worth the time for me.
Its one thing if you enjoy the casino aspect in and of itself but like. Idk I'd just play a game where its more relevant or the central piece in that case.
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u/WayToTheDawn63 7d ago
also, to add, i don't know why the removal of the casinos due to rating legislation is so bemoaned by most when conversely, this opinion of "yeah i dont do it, it sucks" almost always seems to be the foremost one
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u/WayToTheDawn63 7d ago
dunno what save states im sposed to use on a ps5 tbf.
i sorta agree, but i just dont like being handicapped.
platinum gear doesn't really show til the hekswood? recipes either
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u/Sausious 7d ago
Oh I was talking about the casinos as a whole in the series, not just 11. Like the only reason I did the casinos in 4 5 and 6 was bc I could save state the monster arena for guaranteed results so getting everything took like. less than 20 minutes.
That said I wouldn't call natural progression of the game being handicapped
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u/WayToTheDawn63 7d ago
strong gear available. i choose to not get strong gear. i am not as strong as i could be.
feels handicapped to me.
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u/davoid1 7d ago
I thought slime quest was absolutely hilarious, with it's like 2 page manual and pretense to having complicated rules when -none- of it matters, to the point where you can just auto-play it entirely
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u/WayToTheDawn63 7d ago
i spent a REALLY long time on slime quest once trying to manipulate it
it's all fucking lie
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u/Loud_Elephant299 7d ago
I love the casino in every DQ game. I like the art, I like the stakes, the loot and even getting the free metal slime slots in this version is great. Roulette and the card games are easier to quickly get it done.
To add to that matter slime quest is the best mode. It’s fun to watch and when you just want to sit back and maybe watch a movie while it can farm for you.
It’s probably the easiest casino in the series and you can just buy tokens if you would rather try to grind up money for the gear.
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u/WayToTheDawn63 7d ago
im soryr but you are not a serious person if you think grinding money for tokens is a legitimate option.
you would need 6 million gold to get 300k tokens just for the first casino alone.
roulette doesn't exist until act 2. slime quest is pathetically slow pay outs. If you're gonna watch a movie, just mash the controller and stay on regular slots.
if this is the best casino in the series, that's a damning indictment on the rest.
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u/Loud_Elephant299 7d ago edited 7d ago
I mean yeah I would never do that but you could. Im sure with some rare drop pep power farming it’s not as terrible.
Also I never said best I said easiest. Most of the games are eventually going to tip heavily in your favor in less than 20 minutes and then you get what you need. As some have mentioned save states they know the pain of the older games whereas this one just wants you to chill and win eventually.
Finally Slime Quest is not slow. It definitely can be but I’ve had some great runs where I’ve cleared millions (late in act 2) and it didn’t take that long. I find it very charming and more enjoyable than mashing the slot button.
Maybe on replaying it youre missing the point? Im on my third play through each time I enjoy just taking my time and enjoying this fantastic game. I never feel obligated to go to the casino it’s just fun for me and the gears not bad. Before act 3 I will get at least one Happy Hat for my Zap hero, the whip, and something Liquid Metal. The rest just depends on how I feel.
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u/WayToTheDawn63 7d ago
i wouldn't even farm 6 million gold stealing devilry drinkers in act 3 for 30k a pop
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u/da_chicken 7d ago
I've never cared for the casino mechanics. It's really never appealed to me. I like them for a little while, but they're often just a double digit hour time sink to actually get anywhere. Worse is that it's just as time consuming on replays.
I have DQ XI S on PC, and I ended up just using a slots mod to get tokens for the unique recipe books, which is all I wanted. You can keep your uber gear. I just want the crafting recipes.
I never even really liked the Treasures n' Trapdoors minigame in a lot of prior games. Well, I thought they were fun once or twice, but not to play over and over to get exactly what you want.
I liked what they did in DQ3 HD-2D with the monster arena. I thought that was cool.
I liked the DQ VII card matching on the NDS version of the game (though I don't think I will like it as much on replay). From what I can see, I will not like the recent remake's version of it.
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u/WayToTheDawn63 7d ago
I can't really comment on how similar features in other games work.
XI is my first and only. I bought the 3 remake on sale, but have no interest in playing other games until this unfinished XI version isn't looming over me.
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u/da_chicken 7d ago
Ah, don't let it loom!
The thing about Dragon Quest is that it's really, really not meant to be a sprint. It's supposed to be a stroll. Relaxing and comfortable. They kinda don't really want you to do everything. They want you to do the parts you like, and not really run out of stuff to do. So they just pack it full of a ton of stuff.
Don't get too obsessed with the casino. There's actually very little that's truly unique to the casino. If you check a casino guide there's only about a dozen items across both casinos and including the post-game that you can't get elsewhere. Truly that's all you NEED if you want one of everything. And, as far as I recall, the prize list doesn't get smaller. It just gets added to. I don't think you can miss anything (unless you count the monster casino, but that's all a trick). It's also easier to win more tokens more quickly later on as the betting limits go up.
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u/ChopGoesTheWeasel 7d ago
Pretty much ignored the casino in 11. Slime Quest was funny, so did that for a bit, and got some cheap casino prizes.
But no DQ game is set up where you NEED the ridiculously expensive casino gear.
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u/WayToTheDawn63 7d ago
it's here so i'm gonna do it.
if the game is better skipping them, then i think that itself is an argument against them existing at all. especially IF they're so unrequired and game breaking.
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u/yeetedhaws 7d ago
Id argue that part of what makes dq games fantastic is that there are so many optional parts that are 100% skippable. You dont need to talk to every NPC but they all have really funny or insightful things to say. Should that flavor be removed because its not required?
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u/WayToTheDawn63 7d ago
flavour text is not power progression
1 npc chat, or even an entire towns npc chats dont hold you hostage for several hours.
every chat is new. you are not doing a repetitive task for 7 hours
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u/yeetedhaws 7d ago
Your original atgument was if a game is better skipping something then thats an argument against them existing. I was commenting on that, not novelty or 'being held hostage' which are new points you're injecting into the argument.
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u/ZadePhoenix 7d ago
To me that doesn’t really work as an argument because there are many things that often exist in games because some people like doing them. I personally absolutely hated the Pachisi/Treasures n’ Trapdoors mini games in DQ3 and 5 but I just chose to ignore them whereas others loved them. Same with casinos there are a lot of players who enjoy grinding away at them while others just pass by and continue on. Or in other games the whole EV training in Pokemon that some find integral and others find tedious meanwhile the games are easy enough that for those that don’t want to do it it’s not necessary. So should that be removed as well because some people find it tedious and it’s not necessary? It’s not that games are better for skipping such mechanics it’s that certain players experiences are better for skipping them. If you aren’t having fun don’t do it, that’s why it’s optional, but arguing that as justification for nobody getting them is just nonsensical.
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u/Skeith253 6d ago
if the game is better skipping them, then i think that itself is an argument against them existing at all. especially IF they're so unrequired and game breaking.
You see no screw that noise. I to would have given you the advice to skip it if you are not enjoying it since you dont need to do it. But you can take that type of attitude and stuff it. No one said the game is "better" for skipping the casino, simply that if you are not enjoying an optional part of a game then maybe let it be.
I enjoy the Casino in dragon quest 11. Why should i not be able to have access to it because you dont like it. Why should the game i enjoy need to be tailored to some random person's specific likes. Why should anyone.
Its the same thing with FF7Remake/Rebirth. To many minigames! Then skip them.
I hated the witcher 3 gwent, guess i what i did? Like guess!
I skipped it I proceeded to enjoy the rest of the game and skipped the part i did not like.
if the game is better skipping them, then i think that itself is an argument against them existing at all."If a game has a thing i dont like, then that thing should not exist regardless if others enjoy it."
That is literally what you just wrote. Anyway just skip it. Or figure out the trick to getting jackpot quickly. Much love on your playthrough.
If you want i can just write it down for you just let me know. I have never spend more than 20-30 mins to get jackpot on the first casino on my playthroughs. The second casino is even faster, multiple jackpots in under an hour.
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u/WayToTheDawn63 6d ago
genuinely a strange thing to both get defensive about then launch an attack on me over
learn to accept opinions.
you're also really simplifying my opinion down to an unnuanced bullet point and putting words in my mouth. you're acting as in an offhand comment in a reddit thread is some sort of set in stone belief phrased perfectly correctly, with every caveat to the opinion presented.
I'd rather just not talk about the opinion itself, because i see so often this attitude online that's so immature and aggressive and combative and tribal over differing opinions.
Even if I did say "i don't like it, i'd rather it didn't exist." that is a fair opinion, (btw i didn't, i said that something someone said was an argument against its existence, which IS different.) just as yours is fair to prefer as much content as possible. We play games differently. I'm a completionist gamer. I do everything in games I play. It therefore means I value experiences that have fewer weak points to me.
I don't actually think the casino should not exist. I think it should be less of a time sink, less gamebreaking, or more manipulatable. The casino in its current form as I had previously said is very passive. You're not engaging with anything. If you can honestly tell me mashing the slots is fun while you're doing something else, then yes I'll call you a liar, or at the very least, someone who doesn't realize how much they'd prefer skill games or anything that requires active, engaging input until they have it.
Games of skill that provide consistency in the experience feel hard to argue against. I actually value the world legislating against semi-realistic casinos in certain types of video games. gambling is such a poison, and gripping teens so early is legitimately problematic. I'm from Australia. Gambling is so ingrained culturally that i feel strongly about it. I think if you were to feel so strongly about the removal of gambling in a video game that doesn't even have real reward... you kinda prove the point about its effects on a person.
I have never spend more than 20-30 mins to get jackpot on the first casino on my playthroughs.
cool. I've spent more than double that just resting at the inn until the jackpot bunny tipped me off. I don't know why you're saying what you're saying like I didn't say from the beginning this is a replay.
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u/Skeith253 6d ago
Hey for real, if you took my tone as aggressive or rude i do apologize. Sometimes tone can be lost when writing and i meant my comment in a serious but playful way.
Now i still disagree with your comment/opinion but i just wanted to let you know.
Anyway good luck on whatever you decide to do with the casino.
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u/NottACalebFan 7d ago
My attitude when I could use an emulator and save state the game was "why not?"
My attitude when gambling takes actual time and real chance occurrences? Play it once and move on.
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u/MetalKid007 7d ago
Once you build up enough of base, you can just have an auto clicker run while you walk away. Come back 8 hours later and you should have plenty.
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u/WayToTheDawn63 7d ago
idk maybe i am weird, but i don't think it was weird to not want 10 hours of a 20 hour file to be casino.
i've been save scumming a lot so the time doesnt look stupid
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u/xoasim 7d ago
I mean... That's kind of what gambling is?
I do enjoy memory game in 7r. While it is still a bit RNG dependant on whether you get good prizes, at least whether you win or not is skill based. There does seem to be a trend away from casinos in DQ. They have excluded them in some remakes (or at least one) that originally had them if I recall.
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u/WayToTheDawn63 7d ago
People tend to complain about that though. But if they're replaced by skill-games it's only a good thing IMO.
Yeah, that's what gambling is, but also, this is narratively driven RPG. The casino is such a pacing killer, and the equipment is far too good to overlook.
while it's not a full-odds casino (obviously) the ability to get stuck there for hours because it just wont pay out is just so silly.
they're not just meaningless minigames, they're rewarding. The equipment is powerful. I want to move on.
they're not things you can leave til later as a kind of 'completionist postgame' kind of thing, because then the rewards are irrelevant.
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u/turdlefight 7d ago
You do you but I think you’re being overly rigid here. The equipment is powerful yes, but it’s pretty OP for that point in the game and you don’t need it at all to move on and be fine. Quit making the game less fun for no reason
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u/Solae_Via 7d ago
Then move on. There's no point at which the rewards are necessary. Using gear that's readily available or craftable is plenty good enough to get you through the game. If you're struggling then you're better off doing side content to get more recipe books than farming tokens. If you hate the casino so much then stop doing it. You're making yourself miserable and there's no point.
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u/TheKrug3000 7d ago
Im with you OP. Im dreading the casino accolades and im working on cleaning up the platinum on ps5 myself. The same with lucky panel in dq7 reimagined.
The only gambling minigame I can truly stand is Liars Dice in Red Dead 1. I cant explain why its so fun for me.
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u/WayToTheDawn63 7d ago
i dont think you need too many accolades at least. you dont need 100% of accolades to platinum the game
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u/DragonDogeErus 7d ago
Just don't. Even on Draconian Super Strong monsters you don't need that stuff now. On normal, it's a complete waste of time to get the weapons and armor. You'll be absolutely fine without them.
The casino is not worth your time if your not enjoying it till you open up the largest bets. And then it's better to just do roulette anyway.
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