Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined: Battle System Guide
The combat system in Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined sticks to classic turn based rules while layering in modern mechanics that reward preparation and smart positioning. Battles are slower and more tactical early on, then open up as vocations, skills, and party options expand.
This guide explains how combat works and how to consistently gain an advantage in fights.
Turn Based Combat Overview
Battles take place in turns, with your party and enemies acting in sequence.
On your turn, each character can choose 1 action. Common actions include basic attacks, skills that consume MP, item usage, or defending to reduce incoming damage. Once all party actions are selected, the turn resolves and enemies respond.
Turn order is influenced by agility and effects applied during battle.
Core Battle Actions
Basic attacks deal physical damage and scale mostly with strength and equipped weapons.
Skills consume MP and cover magic attacks, healing, buffs, debuffs, and special vocation abilities. As you progress, skills become the main source of damage and utility.
Items allow mid battle healing, status recovery, and support without using MP.
Defending reduces damage taken for the turn and can help fragile characters survive heavy hits.
Enemy Weaknesses And Resistances
Enemies have strengths and weaknesses tied to damage types and elements.
When selecting a skill, icons appear over the enemy name. A thumbs up indicates a weakness and increased damage. A thumbs down indicates resistance and reduced damage.
Paying attention to these indicators is key for faster and safer fights, especially against tougher enemies.
Worked Up And Let Loose
Characters can become worked up during combat.
This happens naturally through attacking, taking damage, or using skills. Once worked up, a Let Loose option becomes available on that character’s turn.
Let Loose triggers a powerful effect tied to the character’s current vocation. These effects vary widely and can swing a fight when used at the right moment.
Switching Party Members Mid Battle
Once you have more than 4 party members, you can rotate characters during combat.
If a frontline character is low on HP or MP, you can swap them out through the Tactics menu. The replaced character moves to reserve, and a healthy party member takes their place.
This system prevents party wipes and allows longer battles without burning through recovery items.
Field Attacks Before Combat
Combat advantages start before the battle screen.
On the overworld, you can strike enemies directly. Landing a field attack lowers enemy HP and often grants your party the first turn.
Using field attacks consistently reduces incoming damage and speeds up encounters.
Sudden Strikes And Instant Wins
When your party significantly outlevels an enemy, field attacks change behavior.
Instead of starting a battle, striking the enemy triggers a Sudden Strike that defeats them instantly. You still receive rewards without entering combat.
This is useful for farming gold, experience, and vocation progress without slowing down exploration.
Status Effects In Battle
Enemies frequently inflict status effects to disrupt your party.
Common effects include sleep, poison, blindness, confusion, paralysis, and curses. These can prevent actions, cause damage over time, or force unpredictable behavior.
Most status effects can be cured with items or recovery skills. Managing these quickly is often more important than dealing damage.
Final Blurb
The battle system in Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined rewards preparation, awareness, and flexibility. Understanding turn flow, exploiting weaknesses, using Worked Up effects, and rotating party members properly makes even long encounters manageable. Combat becomes more strategic as vocations unlock, turning battles into controlled challenges rather than damage races.
FAQ
Is Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined fully turn based
Yes. All combat follows a turn based structure with no real time inputs during battles.
Can you switch party members during battle
Yes. Once you have more than 4 characters, party members can be swapped through the Tactics menu.
What does Let Loose do
Let Loose triggers a powerful vocation specific effect after a character becomes worked up.
Do field attacks really matter
Yes. Field attacks lower enemy HP and can grant first turn advantage or instant wins through Sudden Strikes.
