A new Dragon Quest Monsters game is right around the corner with the upcoming launch of Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince. Ahead of that, Square Enix has detailed the monster-battler’s online features.
The Dark Prince marks the return of PvP modes from past Dragon Quest Monsters games alongside some new twists. For instance, players can take part in Quickfire Contests, which use your party data to initiate automatic battles. Once your data is registered you can take part in competitions that pull the data of 30 players for lightning-fast showdowns. You can earn Quickfire Contest rewards — including stat-raising items for your monsters — once per day.
Meanwhile, those who dominate in online competitions can take their winnings to the new Online Shop. Here you can buy items that will help you further strengthen your squad. Chief among the prizes are scrolls, which will teach a new Talent to one of your monsters. Stock is updated every real-world day, so you’ll have to keep checking back if you have your heart (and gold) set on something specific.
Battle ready
Online battles will be available in the usual flavors. There are Friend Matches for low-stakes competition and Ranked Matches for those vying to be the very best. There are also Multiplayer Tournaments that let up to eight players throw down knockout style. There’s plenty of incentive for going ranked, including the promise of powerful items and rare accessories.
It’s worth noting that Fizzy, pictured below, is who you’ll need to talk to if you want to go online. Honestly, I just wanted an excuse to post this delightful apple-clutching piece of art.
If Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince sounds like your competitive cup of slime-filled tea, it hits Nintendo Switch on December 1, 2023.