Part of what makes Dragon Quest Wars brilliant is its simplicity. There are only has six kinds of units and you can’t level them up. The game is more like chess than a strategy RPG. Before battle you get to pick four monsters for battle. Let’s take a look at them.
Slime / 2 HP / 1 Move
These gooey guys are the standard all of the other units are compared to. Slimes in Dragon Quest Wars are more versatile than the average Dragon Quest slime. They can goo tackle, cast a fire spell, and shield themselves from a physical attack. Since slimes are simple they only deal one damage with each attack and they must stand next to an opponent to hit them.
Brownie / 2 HP / 1 Move
Brownies carry hammers and have the widest reach out of any unit. One attack hits three horizontal squares for 1 HP each. Before you strike you need to make sure none of your units are standing in a Brownie’s attack zone. Their hammer doesn’t know friends from foes. Brownies can also set themselves to counter mode which cancels an attack and retaliates with a 1HP bonk on the noggin. Their third move recovers 1 HP when an ally gets hit.
Dracky / 1 HP / 2 Move
These winged creatures can move further than any other unit in the game. Theoretically, they’re good for invading bases, but since they only have 1 HP these guys are also weak. Drackys have an ice spell that hits enemies one diagonal square away. Their physical attack hits enemies in front of them. Unlike other units Drackys have no defense move so you’ll need to use a Golem or a Healslime to protect them. To compensate, Drackys have an attack boosting skill. Use this in combination with a Brownie’s horizontal hammer sweep to deal two points of damage on up to three enemies. This is one of my favorite combinations so if you see someone online doing this it might be me!
Golem / 3 HP / 1 Move
A rock hard Golem punch deals two points of damage, which eliminates most units. However, when a Golem strikes it also takes a point of damage. You can lose a Golem this way so you need a Healslime to keep a Golem around during long games. Golems can defend themselves and protect an ally unit by pushing it out of the way. Since you have to choose a unit to cover ahead of time this command I only found this command useful when I want to push a Dracky in range to steal a base.
Chimera / 2 HP / 1 Move
Chimeras are masters of magic. Their fire attack hits two squares vertically, which means you can retreat and attack in one turn. Chimeras can also reflect spells, a useful move against other Chimeras and evade a physical attack by flying.
Healslime / 2 HP / 1 Move
While Healslimes can’t attack they make fantastic support units. Healslimes can recover HP and protect a group of units with defense magic. Their shield spell affects all units, friends and foes, around the Healslime and negates one point of damage. Contrary to how tacticians play online this spell doesn’t stack if a character like a slime is already blocking. Healslimes can also silence magic from afar which makes them particularly useful against Chimeras and Drackys.
I usually play with a varied party, but I’ve seen many players go for a party of heavy hitters made of Golems and Brownies. One clever player tried to steal my base with a party of four Healslimes. One slime kept using shield magic to prevent damage, another slime silenced any magic, and the other slimes healed any damage. I’ve yet to see someone show up with four regular slimes. I imagine winning a match with four slimes would be difficult since slimes aren’t masters of anything.
Published: Jun 26, 2009 05:36 pm