14. 2026-03-12 / index

You…do realize DQ11 is pretty open world. Some parts of course not but majority of it is.

Not really. A lot of the places in that game are either blocked by an NPC telling you that you can’t go there because you don’t have ‘X’, or they’re blocked by transportation because you don’t have the ‘big bird.’ But I get it, this is what fans want and expect from every Dragon Quest game

And that's the way I likes it!

Good for you man.

Hi and welcome to thread. I am pirating reddit comments (just kidding, they're from here) and writing here instead of there, because I can.

It feels super clear that yeah, DQ11's Act 3 overworld is really quite open. But that's 150 or so hours into it. I'm 250 hours removed from the rest of the game, which now feels comparatively very linear. But really, how does it all hold up? Is the main game so much more linear? Is the post game so much more open?

If Act 1 isn't linear, something has gone very wrong. It is meant to feel guided and directed. You are going on a simple journey to save the world in a simple way (everything will be good when you have all the orbs). You are finding your friends and becoming close and having a good time. Eventually it starts to feel like you've been on a bona fide adventure - it's all coming together, it's all wrapping up. Probably, anyway. When everything goes to pot and oh, you're only halfway through (really more like two thirds, but shhh), and oh, it's all different now, and oh, this game has teeth - well, that's a surprise.

Heliodor region - It's a straight shot (if wobbly) from Cobblestone to Heliodor, the dungeons, the church on the foothills, back to Heliodor to check in on Derk, the Manglegrove, ruined Cobblestone, the Kingsbarrow, and then escaping Hendrik down the Emerald Coast, teleportalling off to Hotto-abouts. I think the only totally optional area is the downhill region of the Heliodorian foothills, with some pleasant terrain and ridiculously tough enemies in the sabrecubs and -cats, mostly. However, right at outset, you can cross a handful of paths taking the long, one-loading-zone journey from Cobblestone to Heliodor—this is completely open, from the start. There are a couple routes into Heliodor proper when you traipse into the downtown, undercover, and making it to Derk's is a short puzzle of its own—just one solution here (I think), but it feels open-ended, more or less "out of bounds". Then off to the Kingsbarrow, Erik says he knows most of the backroads 'round these parts, and you take them. It's a straight path, but eventually crossing back into Heliodor region, and of course stopping at Cobblestone on the way, you get a sense Erdrea might be more interconnected and interesting than first meets the eye. It's an exciting setup. But of course, on the run, you're quickly thrust from it. Lackadaisy exploration shall wait for another day.

Hotto through Gondolia - This is the part of the game that feels most sharply (or bluntly) linear. At bird's eye view, you've landed in the middle of nowhere, travel east to west, meet some friends, and get a ship. On the ground it's not too much different, although none of this is actually a detriment to the game, and it fits the pacing well. You don't really notice or care how simple this "adventure" is because the adventure itself, the details of the story, the experience of becoming familiar with mostly newfound friends (and newfound locales!) is all moving enough. There's good push to follow the path. It just makes the overworld itself somewhat incidental, a change, having been front and center all through Heliodor. All told, I think the transitions between the regions around Hotto to Gallopolis to Gondolia, are all some of the most abrupt and jarring in DQ11. They're not really "transitions" at all—they're fades to black, and each new region is almost completely distinct from the rest. But they're all warm, temperate, and for sure all interesting in their own right, so you can believe they're really near each other and have a good time going. No optional areas besides Mount Huji, which we'll certainly come back to much, much later. It's intriguing, but momentary. I expect a good amount of questing opens up at this point, but it's been ages, so I can't comment how that affects the flow; they're mainly diversions, I think especially so early on, anyway. The only letdown of sorts is that the Door of Departure only works one way, and only the one time, to boot. The Emerald Coast (unless you dock there) and the reverse route, west to east, stretching past Hotto, both become dead ends—no good reason to go the whole way back. But then they're novelties of a sort, so I can't complain.

The inland sea - I'm referring right away, bigtime, to MasterJG's guide. Sorry for rehashing! You can dock at the Emerald Coast now and visit the eastern part of it, which you probably missed earlier, but it's going obviously off the main path, and there are no other marked reasons to return to the heliodor region... unless you want to take all your new friends on a tour. It's an option. Much more marked is that Puerto Valor, plus the nearby Costa Valor region, is now accessible. Puerto Valor is great and has a casino if you want to burn ages here, and the whole area might as well be considered optional, since it only becomes relevant to story far off in Acts 2 and 3. The Costa Valor will eventually become the kernel crossroads of the "mainland" overworld, but for now it's basically cut off, only hinting that it connects toward Heliodor, via the Manglegrove. There also is a nearby area Angri-La (via Mount Pang Lai) which exists at this point as just a name, literally gated off. Like Mount Huji, we'll return much later. But an optional area nested inside an optional area is fun, and the Costa Valor is just a nice place to spend time. Two quests available in Puerto Valor both have you head out on trips - one back to Gondolia and one to nearby Insula Australis, also completely optional, with a neat one-of-a-kind battle encounter there. The island is otherwise just a place to pass by and enjoy, like all islands in this game. It's the only one accessible by the inland sea, at this point of the game. On the way to Zwaardsrust you'll probably pass the column of light which connects the to subsurface Nautica, but for now it's a total mystery, inert.

Zwardsrust, Octagonia, and Dundrasil - You're mainly after the Rainbough at this point (remember that? I kind of don't...) and the Warrior's Rest Inn is strictly an optional small settlement to stop by on the way west to Octagonia. It's an understated spot on the map. There used to be a great kingdom in this region, but you can only read about it now. The poison-marsh rubble hardly harkens what once was. (But don't worry, you'll be back here, too. Much, much, much later. That's code for Act 3.) I'm skipping Octagonia, which is a completely self-contained story (insofar as you don't even leave the great building housing that town and arena). I thought you might be able to actually skip house and travel down toward Dundrasil early, but this guide suggests no ("You only have access to a small part of the Dundrasil Region for now…"), and of course now that you're off toward the Rainbough, you'll be following the story in order, anyway. When it's time, it's a straight shot down to the ruins of Dundrasil, and much story there. Eventually (after these events?) a second route opens from the south of the Dundrasil region back to Zwaardsrust, but it's initially inaccessible, so this is a simple route. That said, both areas have loads of optional sights if you take it slow and step just off the main path. I've always really liked the movement between Zwaardsrust and Dundrasil, and even though it's just two big zones, not attaching anywhere else, they feel like a great part of Erdrea all on their own. You get to experience pretty much all of that on your first visit here.

OK, technically you do go to Costa Valor and there's some story there before you get access to the open sea. But it's almost all setup for later and you get to go abroad without great incident.

The open sea - A scene set on the Strand, just as you embark, sets your next main goal. It's south and way east, Lonalulu. The story will only properly progress that way, but the oceans are open and you can now travel almost everywhere. Apart from many new islands, new major stops lay far north - Sniflheim City and the Viking Hideout. The Viking Hideout is totally optional and almost empty until Act 2, but the name alone makes you wonder, and unlike Mount Pang Lai and most of Mount Huji, you can actually poke your head in here. But the longer stop is at Sniflheim. You can't get in, and the pier is dead—some serious snow desolation. But you can explore east, into Sniflheim region for sure, and probably the Snærfelt too. I can't imagine you can access the Hekswood yet, nor the Royal Library, but both these places will be notable on your map. You shouldn't come to Sniflheim yet, because you can't make progress, but the snowy atmosphere fits that mood. Just what mysteries await? You'll come back before too long. (Edit, after writing the next couple paragraphs: Actually, you can make it all the way up to Arboria already. Crazy. This is actually a pretty fascinating find being waaaay off the main path; you don't belong here until you've picked up all the orbs, but the game handles it—mostly—just fine. I don't think it'll give you any major new leads finding the rest of the orbs, but you can visit Veronica and Serena's home all this early, if you like.)

Lonalulu, and the even more open sea - After wrapping up story events at Lonalulu (seafaring, a fair excuse to stop by optional areas above), you acquire Lorelei's Harp, permitting travel by particular underwater corridors. (You have to imagine this for yourself. The actual "travel" is a pleasant and corny camera interpolation across the worldmap, while your ship is occluded below the land and waves.) You can access Nautica right away, and this is the next official destination. You don't need to, but should go here first, if only to wrap up the mermaid storyline, and get a freebie orb you'll otherwise just pick up anytime. Two other columns of light are noteworthy, both taking you to inland water. One puts you near Insula Centralis, optional seafaring adventure like the rest of the islands. The other leads the story on. Of course, you can still visit Sniflheim (still fruitless) if you haven't yet.

The Champs Sauvage - FINALLY back on solid land, I get to have opinions and perspective again! (I love the ocean, but what's there really to say?) This area in particular stands out because from Act 2 on, its place in the world becomes quite different. Back in Act 1 it really is on its own. Since you come out by the bridge in the middle, you can go either way first, and it really is your choice. L'Académie de Notre Maître des Médailles is probably the only completely optional settlement over the course of the whole game, which keeps with Dragon Quest tradition—it's the mini medal exchange. But it's also a lot more, one of my favorite stops. A single book here points you in the proper direction of the Silver Orb, but you can probably skip it and just follow your map straight to the Eerie Eyrie, existing at the moment as the north capstone. It's an open-air dungeon and a cool area, basically an extension of the overworld like some places besides. South on the other hand makes for a more focused theme. It's very wet here, with ancient ruins again, just part of the terrain. It sort of brings to mind the Manglegrove, but it's its own place. (DQ11 just has a lot of water, doesn't it?) Phnom Nonh is the main stop with a lengthy and challenging self-contained story of its own; just past it is an optional and completely empty stop, the Promontory Cave. That's a fascinating name, but the spot itself is just a small, nicely lit cave. It won't play until Act 2, but for a change, you can see the entire place right away, even if it's small. Maybe the loose ends are starting to hook themselves a little tighter.

Sniflheim, for real this time - Story progress here actually feels organically open if you happen to have stopped by and sniffed around, prior to completing events at Phnom Nonh. For the latter you'll now have the Magic Key, which lets you into the city by conspicuous side-door. The story events here are... VERY COOL. I remember it being one of my favorite parts of Act 1 and I think part of that owes to recalling the door as soon as I spotted the Magic Key on Dora-in-Grey's person (person? puppet? person?). For what it's worth, I don't think I went to Arboria early, maybe just got roughed around in the highlands and figured "nah, it's not time"—so story momentum carried me right into the end of Act 1. There's not a lot to say except that the Snærfelt and Sniflheim are twice-attached in a neat way, and the whole place feels a bit larger and more interesting than it necessarily is. Credit to the inaccessible northern area on the map. This becomes a minor motif in the area around Arboria too, but if you're on time with the story, you'll access all parts of that region before long. You don't come back to Sniflheim til far into Act 2. As for the First Forest—I never feel it's so imposing nowadays, but my first time up, it really was a trek. The campfire before the end hit hard—I can't forget that. The end of Act 1 is linear, and you have to get the feeling it's about to fake you out... but you're here with all your friends, so all you can do is believe.

Ok, no conclusion. The cool thing about posting on your own site is you can just chop the post where it ends, and that is here.