Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince - 6 Best Early Monsters To Scout

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• Dragonthorn

• Komodo

• Wing Slime

• Dracky

• Khalamari Kid

• Vegandragora

In the early going, Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Princeis as concerned with scene-setting as it is with gameplay. In other words, you'll be on somewhat of a short lease as to what you can do in this game, at least relative to the openness still to come.

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The first category at the Maulosseum can be doozy if you're not prepared but if you want to use Synthesis in DQM: The Dark Prince, you'll have to win!

This can make deciding which monsters to scout for your first team oddly difficult - there are only so many options at this point, but without the ability to synthesize them, you have to rely on them pretty much as-is. Though you won't run into anything too troublesome in the first handful of hours, you should still assemble a good little gang.

We've already covered the best starting monster in Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince, but don't worry if your choice differs from ours. After all, it would be pretty rough game design to make all the others significantly weaker. All four are perfectly viable; we just think Cruelcumber beats the competition for some specific reasons.

6 Dragonthorn

All the monsters on this list are available in the Plains, the first open area in the game. But some require a bit more legwork than others. Dragonthorn can be found around the Windburnt Bluffs, an area that's located on the top-right side of Terrestria's map. You'll need to ascend a hill that wraps around the nearby waterfall to reach this upper area, but it'll be well worth the hike. We've also spotted them in the Gradely Grasslands. You'll find them during the summer.

Dragonthorn's best bit is its Spiky Skin trait, which will cause damage to foes who come into physical contact with it. Since the majority of early-game Dragon Quest Monsters enemies do little more than smack their foes around physically, this means you're dishing out damage even when it's not your turn, so long as Dragonthorn is the chosen target. This flying green pal can use the Wind-elemental Gust Slash with just three Talent Points, too - and packs a relatively high defense stat for something so... thin? Is that the right word here?

5 Komodo

Komodo's cute, so it's got that going for it already. Then again, most of these little early-game fellows are. Anyway, we like Komodo because it blends a high attack stat with some surprising versatility. Its initial trait, Insta-Accel, causes it to cast Accelerate on itself at the beginning of a fight - so long as it triggers, which is randomized. But still, it's a nice perk when it clicks.

Komodo can also cast Heal after just ten Talent Points, and another ten gets it Attack Attacker, which damages a foe while sometimes lowering the foe's own attack for several turns. We wouldn't call Komodo truly excellent at any one task, but a well-rounded striker is never unwelcome. You can find them in the Windburnt Bluffs, as well as a handful of other little nooks around the Plains.

4 Wing Slime

Wing Slime only spawns when it's raining, but once that's happened, we've seen them all over the Gradely Grasslands - plus elsewhere - so long as it isn't wintertime. Wing Slime's your basic Slime, but flying. We know, we know. You didn't come here for some amateurish examinations. But seriously, that's not far off the mark. Its stat growth is a bit better, and it's got Ace Evader, which reduces the likelihood of being hit.

It learns Accelerate as its three-point skill, Whoosh for ten, and the excellent Sandstorm at 20. In the early going at the Endor Colosseum, Sandstorm is excellent - be sure to tilt that arrow upward on it to help increase the probability of its use.

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3 Dracky

You can't go wrong with Dracky. This adorable purple flyer learns Zam for three Talent Points, inflicting some dark-elemental damage on a single foe. 100 points nets you Zammle, which ups the damage from modest to medium-sized, though realistically, you'll not be using a Dracky by that time.

Here's a nice twist, though. Dracky's default trait, Zammeister, raises the potency of dark-elemental attacks while simultaneously lowering the amount of MP they consume. Between this and Dracky's quite-high agility stat, you've got a fast attacker here more than capable of floating claw-to-claw against some of these other jokers. Look for Dracky flocks around the Champion Cascade area of the Plains region.

2 Khalamari Kid

Khalamari Kid's surely one of your best starter buddies. It learns Splish, a Water-elemental attack, almost at once. Heal isn't long thereafter, for ten points. Khalamari Kid's got Splishmeister, the Water equivalent of Dracky's Zammle, so it's no slouch in combat, though the main reason you'll want one with you is to have a dedicated healer on standby when needed. Of the Plains creatures, this is our favorite pick for that role.

We've only found Khalamari Kids hanging out on the frozen ice in lakes during winter. But considering how rapidly the seasons shift, you'll hardly need to wait long to add one to your team.

1 Vegandragora

Our favorite starter monster, Cruelcumber, comes in close... but Vegandragora's our number one favorite for the Ranks G and F portion of your Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince journey. They're available year-round in the Gradely Grasslands, and they're in abundance here, so it should take a handful of seconds to cross paths with one.

Learning the light-elemental spell called Sizz, can help you carve a path through your foes just as reliably as anyone using Whoosh - nay, more so. It hits the entire enemy team, and its 20-point skill, Undead Doer, will help you smash through enemies of its titular family title. The Close Scraper trait can keep your Vegandragora hanging in there with one HP if it triggers, even if the attack would have instantly felled most other monsters. Dazzleflash lowers enemy accuracy. All told, you've got a hardy plant on your side here, and you should talk one into your team posthaste.

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