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Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age Definitive Edition

Eight

By
Jarrod Garripoli

The eighth character to join your party, which is the final one, is a massive spoiler, so rather than unveil his identity, he shall just be called Eight. With that out of the way, you will find that Eight is a pretty versatile character, although he can be a pretty good tank. Eight has six different skill trees, although one is locked behind a side story in the final part of the game. He also has the choice of three different weapons, which are Swords, Greatswords, and Axes. Swords are the least useful of the three and Axes are great, because all of the abilities in that tree are useful. Towards the end of the game, you will have to make a choice between Axe/Shield and Greatswords.

A mysterious character will join your party

Categories Total Skills Total SP Needed
Axes 8 91
Swords 9 84
Greatswords 8 87
Shields 9 105
Heroism 9 151
Fraternity 9 151

Spells

Eight doesn’t have many spells, but the ones he has are good and pretty much on the support side. His healing spells are good in a pinch, although he only has single-target ones and only learns up to Moreheal. Outside of that, he has both Buff and Kabuff, meaning he can help in certain situations to increase everyone’s defenses. Magic Barrier will help raise the spell resistance of all allies in battle. The last spell on his list is Kerplunk, which is more of a last resort than anything, since it kills him while reviving the rest of the party. As you can see, pretty much all of Eight’s spells are support related, which makes him a nice backup in some circumstances.

Name Effect MP Acquisition
Buff Increases defense for single ally 3 Default
Midheal Restores medium HP to single ally 6 Default
Kabuff Increases defense for all allies 6 Default
Magic Barrier Raises spell resistance for all allies 4 Default
Moreheal Restores large HP to single ally 12 Level 37
Kerplunk Kills Eight, uses all MP, reviving/restoring all allies to full health Minimum of 32 Level 65

Axes

Axes are the better one-handed weapon for Eight, as the skills are useful for all battles and he can still use a shield. Helm Splitter/Scrap Mettle will allow him to not only deal damage, but potentially decrease the enemy’s defense, too. The latter of the two abilities will decrease the defense more than the former. Hatchet Man is basically the same as the spear’s Thunder Thrust, as it has a chance (around 50% or so) to deal a critical hit. If it doesn’t connect, then the skill does no damage at all. You should only be using this on Metal Slime enemies, but it’s good to have against potentially highly defensive ones, as well.

Parallax is the highlight of the axe tree, as it is a single target skill that is kind of similar to Unbridled Blade from the greatsword tree. However, there is a small chance it can also inflict paralysis, and it does have a slightly higher damage modifier. Axes of Evil is one of two reliable ways for Eight to attack enemies in a group (he doesn’t really have anything for all enemies) and while it is definitely powerful, his low MP pool and the move’s high MP cost makes it a problem in the longer run.

Name SP Notes
Attack Power When Wielding +5 4 -
Helm Splitter 6 -
Attack Power When Wielding +10 7 -
Hatchet Man 16 -
Scrap Mettle 16 -
Attack Power When Wielding +20 13 -
Parallax 9 -
Axes of Evil 20 Secret Panel [?]

Greatswords

The greatsword tree is one that you probably don’t want to send Eight down right away, as axe/shield is a much better option. However, once you gain access to the better greatswords in the final part of the game, then it is something to think over, since it gives him more damage overall. You will see the majority of the same skills here, as with the Hero, since they are the same. Cutting Edge and Unbridled Blade are the two single-target damage dealers, while Helichopter is for use when facing enemy groups. The only problem with greatswords, though, is that Eight doesn’t get much in the way of passives with the tree.

Name SP Notes
Greatsword Guard 3 -
Attack Power When Wielding +5 4 -
Parry Chance When Wielding +4% 6 -
Helichopter 7 -
Frost Fangs 16 -
Attack Power When Wielding +20 16 -
Cutting Edge 10 -
Unbridled Blade 25 Secret Panel [?]

Swords

The sword trees have been largely underwhelming and Eight’s tree is no different. There is really no point in even glancing at it, as all of the moves are the same and he doesn’t learn anything exclusive to him. The abilities are pretty much situational, since they either require a specific type of enemy or they are elemental. Eight does learn Dual-Wielding, which isn’t all too good on him, considering he is better with a one-handed weapon and shield, or using a greatsword.

Name SP Notes
Flame Slash 3 -
Attack Power When Wielding +3 4 -
Dragon Slash 10 -
Attack Power When Wielding +6 10 -
Metal Slash 12 -
Sword Stance 7 -
Critical Chance When Wielding +2% 6 -
Miracle Slash 16 Secret Panel [?]
Dual-Wielding 16 Secret Panel [?]

Shields

The Shields tree by itself is a bit odd, as some of the skills are great, but it requires an ability that you won’t get until later, from another tree. Immense Defence is a great skill, since it stacks with other shield-blocking boosts, and makes him shine as a tank. Desperate Measures only blocks critical attacks, both physical and magical, which is a bit situational, as while they appear they don’t happen all too often to make the skill worth it. Holy Impregnable is probably the other good skill in this tree, since it gives Eight near-perfect immunity to pretty much every ailment. Equip Eight with a Catholicon Ring +3, then trigger this skill and he should be immune to most of the ailments.

Name SP Notes
Immense Defence 6 -
Block Chance When Wielding +2% 6 -
Blockenspiel 8 -
Block Chance When Wielding +4% 12 -
Defence When Wielding +30 16 -
Holy Impregnable 14 -
Defence When Wielding +10 7 -
Desperate Measures 20 Secret Panel [?]
Back Atcha 16 Secret Panel [?]

Heroism

The Heroism tree is one of two non-equipment related trees for Eight. It has some great abilities for him, like Blind Man’s Buff, which is normally not that good when you first have access to it. This move only does the full damage whenever Eight is afflicted with Dazzle, but once you do Quest 48, then the skill will be upgraded where it will do full damage no matter if he has the ailment on him. Double Up is basically Oomphle, as it increases his attack by the same amount, but his defense is lowered at the same time. However, due to Eight having typically high defense, this can be used without much of a problem.

Gyrfalcon Slash makes it so that Eight will do four normal attacks on a single enemy, with no damage degradation at all. The only probably is that it requires a sword, but this is clearly a superb skill in terms of damage. A Cut Above is another great skill, not only because it can be used with any weapon, but because it hits five times. The critical chance is lower than normal, as is the damage modifier, but the hits will all connect.

Name SP Notes
Strength +20 14 -
Resilience +20 12 -
Blind Man’s Biff 12 -
Double Up 16 -
Double-Edged Slash 20 -
Falcon Slash 16 -
A Cut Above 25 Secret Panel [?]
Gyrfalcon Slash 20 Secret Panel [?]
Pep-Up Power-Up 16 Secret Panel [?]

Fraternity

You will unlock the Fraternity tree upon finishing a side story during the final part of the game, which is the same one involved in unlocking Sylvando’s Chivalry tree. If you plan on using shields at all, then you will immediately make a beeling to Forbearance. This skill makes almost all (there are a few that don’t) attacks go straight to Eight, including those that hit the entire party. Make sure you get Steadfast Forbearance, as well, to lessen the damage done to him. In this tree, you also have Kazing, which is always nice to have, in case of emergencies. Defending Champion seems nice, until you realize it only lasts a single turn and cannot be combined with Forbearance (also only lasts a single turn).

Note that in the original version of the game, H-Pathy will give you the free 10SP bonus for purchasing it. However, in the Definitive Edition, that bonus panel is instead moved to the Magical Mending +20 panel to the right of it.

Name SP Notes
Resilience +20 12 -
Defending Champion 16 -
Pep Chance +10% 16 Secret Panel [?]
Kazing 20 -
Forbearance 16 -
Magical Mending +20 12 Grants 10SP for unlocking it (Definitive Edition only)
H-Pathy 14 Grants 10SP for unlocking it (original version only)
Steadfast Forbearance 25 Secret Panel [?]
Hurt Converter 20 Secret Panel [?]

Character Build

When you first gain Eight as a party member, you will want to focus on the Axe skill tree, as that is where his usefulness will lay. This also allows him to use shields, meaning he can function as both a tank and a damage dealer. Of course, he has a low MP pool, so he can’t go spamming some of his skills in combat, so they should be used a little bit sparingly. In fact, all of the skills in the Axe tree are good, since they all have a function. Parallax is equivalent to the Greatsword’s Unbridled Blade, although it has a higher damage modifier. Despite the high MP cost, Axes of Evil is one of a few skills that can hit more than one enemy. Helm Splitter/Scrap Mettle are nice to deal some damage and potentially decrease an enemy’s defense in the same move.

It should be mentioned that Eight has access to the majority of his skill trees as soon as he joins, so there is a lot of potential there. Once you unlock his final skill tree in the final part, though, he can be considered as a tank. Forbearance is a great skill and when coupled with some others, it allows Eight to direct all incoming attacks to him, making him virtually untouchable or negating a lot of damage. When you get far enough in the final part of the game, you will have a choice to either stick with shields (axes are better than swords for Eight when using a shield), or go with greatswords. You will get more damage out of greatswords, but more utility and usefulness most likely with a shield and axe.

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Guide Information
  • Publisher
    Square Enix
  • Platforms,
    3DS, PC, PS4, Switch
  • Genre
    RPG
  • Guide Release
    4 September 2018
  • Last Updated
    7 October 2021
    Version History
  • Guide Author
    Ben Chard

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An epic battle between Light and Darkness is about to begin as the Luminary awakens on his 16th birthday. Join a diverse cast of characters as you traverse the world of Erdrea on a quest to discover why you’ve been branded the Darkspawn and the many mysteries of the Luminary.

The most complete guide for Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age features all there is to do and see in the world of Erdrea. A step-by-step walkthrough featuring every item, quest and side activity illustrated with gorgeous screenshots.

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