Dragon Quest X Wish List (by Carl B.)

September 5, 2011, by Carl B. - Dragon Quest X was just recently revealed by Square Enix to be an MMO, completely surprising everyone who was hoping for at least a Dragon Quest VIII style game exclusive to Wii. An MMO is far more exciting, and there are a few features that really need to make their way into the game.

A Full MMO Experience
If you're going to make an MMO, go all out. For Dragon Quest X to succeed, Square Enix needs to make the game a full, seamless world where players can interact with each other on all maps. It would be unfortunate if Square Enix made DQX a Guild Wars type game, where it's only an MMO in cities and other similar areas. Considering the Dragon Quest series is a party based RPG, however, it's not out of the realm of possibility that Square Enix will take this route. That would mean that the various cities and outposts in the game would be filled with players online, but players have to team up with others in those cities if they want companions in cities and dungeons.


Off-screen image from the Dragon Quest X trailer.

DLC Expansions
An MMO is only fun for so long. Square Enix needs to plan out large DLC expansions for the title in order to appease the core fanbase, and ultimately to keep their game's playability up. It's already been confirmed that Dragon Quest IX style DLC quests will make their way into the game via periodic update, but those quests are too shallow to really get players excited. Storage isn't an issue – Square Enix already announced that the game will support USB devices on the Wii version for downloadable content.


Off-screen image from the Dragon Quest X trailer.

Open Beta Testing
It's essential for an MMO to undergo a beta testing phase, something Square Enix has acknowledged since a beta for the Wii version of Dragon Quest X has already been announced. Will this beta be open to everyone, though? Dragon Quest is insanely popular in Japan, so it makes sense for that region to get the beta first. The issue with a beta, however, is how it would be distributed. Retailers in Japan could hand out Dragon Quest X beta discs to customers, but that doesn't sound very convenient. A better option would be to make part of the game available on the Wii Shop Channel, and when players run that game it has them download the rest of it to an external USB device.


Off-screen image from the Dragon Quest X trailer.

Dynamic Weapon and Armor Creation
One of the biggest appeal factors to any MMO is making your character look cooler than everyone else's. Square Enix could really increase the replay value and depth of Dragon Quest X by adding a dynamic weapon and armor creation system. This would allow players to collect various types of resources and craft unique items; similar to a game like Borderlands, which has over one million different types of guns. We already know the game features an all-new sewing mechanic that will allow players to make unique clothing, so weapons shouldn't be too hard to incorporate.

Dragon Quest X won't be the best MMO, but Square Enix has an opportunity to dominate the console MMO landscape in a way that hasn't been done since Phantasy Star Online. What features do you want to see in DQX?