A DQ8 query on weapon choices

The Core Video Games Forum
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Right, so I just started playing DQ8 again and I picked up Angelo just now. I know he gets talent points at an obscenely slow rate, so I was wondering something. When it comes to swords, is Angelo a decent melee fighter, or is he weak to the point that it’s wiser to put his slow-earned points in staves? I’m thinking of foregoing Charisma because the spells don’t look impressive, though I may put some points into it just for Squelch and Fuddle.

Another thing - Jessica. I’m definitely going with Whips, but I need something else. Is Staves or Sex Appeal the better option for spellcasting? How many talent points do the characters get overall?

EDIT: If anyone wants to know my current build, Hero has Sword/Courage, Yangus has Scythe/Humanity, Jessica has Whips, and I just got Angelo.

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I’ve found that Sex Appeal is nowhere near as useful as I once thought it was. The skill that makes enemies sometimes lose a turn is useful, so perhaps put enough points into it to get the first one of those. Really, the only other Sex Appeal skill I ever used was Hustle Dance, and I just don’t think it’s worth 100 points if you’re not using everything ELSE. If you want to have Jessica using magic, then put points into Staffs. You may not get to keep all the bonuses if you don’t have a Staff equipped, but you will get to keep the spells she learns from it.

As for Angelo, avoid Charisma, that’s all I can really say. My first playthrough I had pumped loads of points into it, thinking all the character’s unique skillsets were useful, and found it to be absolutely useless. Bows aren’t bad, but if you’re going for offense have him go Sword, and if he’s gonna be a healer primarily, then Staff may be good too to give him some MP bonuses.

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Go staves with Angelo. All Jessica ever needs is the whip. The rest doesn’t matter. Good choice on the Hero. Yangus…is a bit difficult. Scythes suck. But so do Axes. Axes I find are more useful nevertheless. Humanity is interesting but I found I never really used it for much.

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Right now Yangus is 49 scythe, 6 axe, and 16 humanity. I’ve actually found Scythe to be fairly helpful, at least for now. Based on this advice I’ll probably just split Yangus’s remaining points between Axe and Scythe. The problem with Yangus seems to be that neither Axe nor Scythe has any definitive advantage over the other. Right now I’ve been going with Scythe for Big Banga. If I have enough points I’ll try to go up to at least +20 attack power with Axes. Thanks a bunch guys. :smiley:

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The hero needs the 59 point Spear skill if you want to level on Metal Babbles/Kings later on. Angus needs 66 point Axe skill for the same reason - the last axe skill is also really awesome, since it lowers an enemy’s defense while doing damage. Great for bosses.

Everyone’s said it - Jessica is pure whip.

Go with bows for Angelo - it’s how you keep his MP up. You might want to go with swords until you learn Metal Slash, though, 'cause mid-game that’s still your best way to get XP.

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I ran into two of the smaller Metal Slimes in the Ruined Abbey. Little bastards ran away before I could even try to Twin Dragon Lash 'em. >.<

Is there any specific number on how many skill points characters can get in total? Or by like…level 40 or something?

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Hero needs spear loving bad, although a few points in boomerang earlier didn’t hurt my quest. I dunno about Angelo, so I just smack his points into Swords and staves. Yangus kills stuff with Axes pretty good, OH THE HUMANITY… for the good stuff like early heals. Mmm.

Jessica just needs to whip it. And whip it good. (Staff; ACCELERATLE!)

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There is an FAQ on GameFAQs that addresses this. It shows how many skill points each character gets per level. Its on the bottom on the DWVIII FAQ page.

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Is there any specific number on how many skill points characters can get in total? Or by like…level 40 or something?

From what I have read all characters have 300 skill points to waste,that is if you reach level 99 which is almost near impossible(and not worth it to get),by level 40 you should have finished or be finishing one of your skills.

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How many do you get by 40? I’m contemplating starting a new file just to see how Hero does with Spears. >.>;

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IMO I think the Hero get’s better skills with the sword than with spears,I mean when you have 100 in swords or courage you get Gigaslash a very powerful sword attack,and when you have both in 100 you get the upgrade Gigagash wich I think is way better than lighting storm(spears ultimate and angelo’s sword ultimate)

I really prefer boomerangs if I had to put it in something else other than swords.

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The spear with the hero is violent for a while and is useful in some instances; metal monsters however, aren’t really taken down by spears. I tried. Its not that much better than swords, and even then I’d argue its probably not. Don’t restart a game for spears. Swords + courage is better. Gigagash is the best technique in the game and at that point, swords don’t compare.

Also, getting to level 99 is stupid and useless as you can finish the bonus boss by level 45, and most earlier forms by level 41-42. What matters are getting good items like 2 tambourines for the tension.

Boomeranges are especially useful earlier in the game to deal with groups of monsters but swords win out long term.

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Plus if you want the best boomerang you have to sacrifice the best spear although its not as bad as sacrificing the best axe for the best club/hammer.

I would start with Courage because most of those skills are useful especially at the end. The only advantage the spear provides is the all or nothing attacks of the thunder and lightning thrusts and maybe the garanteed first strike attack of the mercuial thrust. Everything else can be done better with other skills.

As for Angelo, if you’re looking for a third skill to dump extra points in. I would put them in swords. Even though number wise Odin’s Bow is Angelo’s most powerful weapon. His best weapon is actually the Uber Falcon Blade when you pair it up with falcon slash. His four hits will cause more damage than his best sword (55+254=320 vs. 110+252=270) Just know that if you’re using oomph on him you should switch back to the bow since oomph only affects the first attack. (Otherwise Uber Falcon Blade would be by far the most powerful weapon to use on a single enemy. Although I’m not too sure about Tension.)

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I actually sacrificed the best axe for the best club on my fist playthrough, since I kept Yangus on Clubs. It didn’t really gimp him in any way, but on my next playthrough I’m putting him on either Axes or Scythes.

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You should put about 12 points into Angelos staves for the spells, than put the rest into swords or bows. Bows are nice for MP, and he gets some decent damage with swords, so it’s really up to you.

For Jessica, I never put any points into whips as I had her cast spells the whole game. Yay for Staves. Sex Appeal is fun, though probably not extremely useful. I may put some points into knives at some point, just so I can see how she wields a sword :slight_smile:

For Yangus, I got a lot of use out of Axe skills, but Schythes are nice if you want to steal stuff, though stuff still has abysmal drop rates :frowning: I’d put some points in Humanity to make him a back-up healer, but after that is debatable.

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I never liked Hero on Swords. You’ll only need to get four or five spears throughout the game, and when you do they work like dynamite on a stick. I’ll use a Boomerang as a secondary weapon, even if I don’t put skill points into the boomerang trait. Can’t go wrong with Courage.

I always thought the Axes were pretty good. Helms Splitter works wonders in some instances. Axes of Evil is semi-useful. I never tried clubs, though…

As for Angelo, the only thing I liked for his bows my first few playthroughs was Tension-ing the Cherub Arrow to replinish a healthy amount of MP, Multishot, and Shining Shot. However, I found cranking everything you have into Swords makes him a offensive contender when he’s not spellcasting.

As for Tit’s McGee, raise whips until you get the +25 offense, making sure you crank 3 into Magic to get Accellerate. Afterwards, the world is your poof poof.

Anyone tried Barehanded questing? It’s ALL about some fucking Thin Air and Oomphed Multifists.

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revives a dying thread

I was hardcore into DQ VIII analysis for awhile. Behold my findings:

The Hero - Always max out Courage. Reduced spell/ability costs, Kazing, Kazap, and Gigagash make it his best skill option. For reliable damage, Swords are by far his best weapon option - Falcon Slash replaces the normal attack, his Dragon and Fire attacks help a lot, and his final skill is half of Gigagash. Spears and Boomerangs are good third options, Spears because of Multithrust and Lightning Thrust, and Boomerangs for Super/Power Throwing large groups of enemies. Even if you focus on Swords and Courage (which is the best idea), at least learn Lightning Thrust so you can reliably take down MKSes. I don’t recommend going into Fisticuffs, even though the Hero is good with them.

Yangus - Yangus’s three best skill options are Axes, Axes, and Axes. You will be using Helm Splitter and Parallax the entire game, and Axes of Evil and his final Axe attack (the name escapes me at the moment…) are no slouches either. it’s too bad that the best axe is pretty weak for a final weapon and there isn’t a +25 Attack level, though. Scythes are his second-best option, with the Heavy Hatchet (a scythe) being his strongest weapon other than the Flail of Destruction; the lategame skills are useful as well, but not as universally useful as Parallax or Helm Splitter. Humanity is useful for healing and auxilliary purposes, but I’d recommend Scythes before Humanity. Avoid Clubs. Weak attacks, lame skills, and you have to synth your best axe to get the best hammer, which blows goats. Also avoid Fisticuffs.

Jessica - Avoid Daggers; they suck compared to what Whips, Staves, and Sex Appeal have to offer. Sex Appeal’s trait of charming enemies, quick healing (late in the game), and status-affecting attacks are nice, but Whips and Staves are ultimately more useful, especially for Twin Dragon Lash (whips), MP +100, and Kazing (Staves). It really depends if you want to focus on a physical end or a magical end, but I recommend putting an emphasis on those two first and foremost. Jessica is okay with Fisticuffs, but her strongest spell in the game (Magic Burst) is learned at 100 Fisticuffs, so it might be worthwhile to try them out (I only maxed it on my Fisticuffs-only game, but was awesome when I got it).

Angelo: this guy has the least clear-cut decisions for skill options. Charisma isn’t very useful, but tension-reduction has its situational uses, everyone loves more spells and status attacks, and Pearly Gates is Angelo’s strongest magic attack. Bows are nice for Seraph Shot, Multishot, and Shining Shot, and Angelo’s strongest weapon is a bow (Odin’s Bow). Swords let you use the excellent Falcon Slash and a variety of other great attacks, and unless you do some clever Alchemy Pot use swords will almost always be stronger than your available bows. Staves are great on Angelo, teaching him his nifty death spells, some stat spells, and giving the usual MP boosts that Angelo always needs. My favorite Angelo setup focuses on Bows, Staves, and Charisma (with emphasis in that order from most to least), but you really can’t go wrong with him. Again, avoid Fisticuffs.

I hope this helps any interested parties. And for the record, each character gets 350 skill points at level 99. I had everything finished at level 68 or so, but it’s definitely possible to finish everything at levels as low as 40, because I sure as hell did a lot of dicking around in this game.

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Very bad idea, and you’re about a month late. >.>;

Ninja edit: I’m saying it anyway though, boomerangs are Hero’s worst weapon choice.

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Boomerangs are great at the beginning, though! Just don’t put any skill points in them. Just get up to the Razor Wind, and you won’t have to worry about it afterwards.

Is it just me, or was Yangus just a tool towards endgame? I slapped a Meteorite Bracer on him so he could use the Timberel of Tension every round or so and besides the necessary Helm Cleaver here and there, that’s all I ever used him for.

Spears on their own aren’t too good unless you do some planning. There’s less than ten spears in the game, and if you play your cards right, you’re only going to go through half or less of them. An oomphed multithrust makes for a very nice group attack, and buffing it up (tension/oomph) on a single enemy equals goodtimes. Also, the lvl 100 trait is far by one of his better abilities.

I used to stick Angelo strickly to bows in all my playthroughs (I get a good kick out of replaying the game, I love it that much) but the only thing I found it usefull for at the start and mid-game is the Cherub Shot. Tense it up once, attack, and get some more MP for healing and whatnot. But the loading time it takes for him to cock an arrow really scrapped my taint after a while. And there are better things than Heavenly Arrow (or whatever it’s called). I have to say swords, swords, Angelo LOVES swords. He’ll be one of your better attackers at parts in the game when he’s not stuck to healing and shielding. Also, he gets Lightening Storm at 100. Damn good bonus.

As for Jessica, there’s no way you can fuck up with her unless you go for a dagger/sword build. My prefference is to get 3 points in Staves so you can get accellerate when she’s leveld about six or seven times when you get here. Afterwards, pump up her Whips until you get the +25, because Queen’s Thong and Serpents Bite don’t provide enough bite with it’s bark. After those, go for maxing out Sex Appeal, or do barefisted so you can get Thin Air, one of the most broken abilities in the game until late-game. I like making Jessica builds because she has a lot to offer.

This makes me want to get off work and start a new game right the hell now!