Dragon Quest XI’s New Battle Feature Lets You Go In The “Zone” For Powerful Co-op Skills

We previously saw a bit of Final Fantasy in Dragon Quest XI’s “Skill Panel” system and this time it looks like we’re getting a touch of Chrono Trigger with “Co-op Skills” and the powerful “Zone” mode.

In this week’s issue of Jump magazine, Square Enix revealed a new battle system feature in Dragon Quest XI called “Zone” that powers you up and also makes it possible to perform super powerful cooperation skills. [Thanks, Game Kana.]

In the middle of battle, we see the protagonist glowing with a blue aura, which is the sign of him activating “Zone.” While in the Zone, the protagonist’s stats temporarily increase, making it a good way to finish up enemies while in a pinch. It actually lasts for quite a while and will carry over into the next battle until it disappears. Taking big damage and such increases the chances for Zone to activate.

When the protagonist goes Zone, it makes it possible to perform “Co-op Skills.” This allows you to perform powerful attacks using the power of allies. There are plenty of skills that you can use based on their spells and abilities.

However, do keep in mind that even monsters will be able to go Zone and pull off Co-op Skills of their own.

Here’s a look at some of the Co-op Skills you’ll get to pull off:

Camus and protagonist’s Co-op Skill “Falcon Dance,” an attack that involves the two heroes dancing around the enemies with consecutive swift sword strikes.

This one is called “Rose hurricane” and it involves everything from magic to Sylvia’s love with a special pose.

This one is called “Giga burst” and it looks like it’ll be one of the most powerful attacks, as it’s a Co-op Skill that involves all party members, in order to land an ultimate attack from the protagonist’s radiant strike.

Dragon Quest XI releases in Japan on July 29 for PlayStation 4 and Nintendo 3DS. The game is also in development for Nintendo Switch.