This article contains tips and tricks for the early game in Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince (DQM3). Read on to learn 8 tips and tricks guaranteed to make your beginner experience as smooth as possible as well as other frequently asked questions.

What Kind of Game is Dragon Quest Monsters?

Fight with a Party of Monsters

Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince's gameplay revolves around the capturing, breeding, and training Monsters to fight for you. The game centers around an RPG concept where players explore an expansive open world, capture creatures, and advance through an enchanting fantasy narrative.

Breed Powerful Monsters

In Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince, a core mechanic of the game is creating new Monsters through breeding, allowing them to inherit the stats and skills of their parents. This is known in the game as Synthesis.

Synthesis is Unlocked After Clearing Mausoleum on G-Rank

Synthesis is not unlocked at the start of the game. It is unlocked by clearing G-Rank of the Mausoleum in the basement of Rosehill Tower. The Endor Colosseum is a game mode where you continuously challenge Monsters in a tournament-style format.

Synthesis Guide and Calculator: How to Fuse Monsters

Recommended to Synthesize Monsters as You Progress

To make gameplay progression easier, we recommend you take advantage of Synthesis, the game's take on breeding Monsters.

Monsters that are Synthesized will have inherently stronger stats and a better combination of Talents and Skills compared to a scouted Monster that has been levelled up repeatedly.

Complete Story Walkthrough

① Learn the Essential Facilities

List of Essential Facilities

The Paddock	This is where Zachariach, the monster keeper, tends to the Monsters that have been previously scouted. This is where you can select Monsters to place in your party.
Rosehill Tower	Upon entering, the whole party's HP and MP are fully restored.
Altar of Amalgamation	Located in the basement of Rosehill Tower. This is where you can synthesize Monsters. ▶︎ Synthesis Guide and Calculator
Endor Colosseum / Mausoleum	A continuous tournament-style arena. The completion of this game mode is required to advance the story. The Mausoleum is a higher level version of the Endor Colosseum. ▶︎ Endor Arena Guide
Inn	A place to spend Gold to restore party HP and MP.
Item Shop	A store where items can be purchased. These can range from HP and MP recovery items, items that can cure status ailments, and Monster food used for scouting.
Bank	A place where you can deposit and withdraw your Gold coins.
Tinkerer's Toolbench	This is where you can synthesize different accessories to create more powerful ones for your Monsters. ▶︎ Accessory Synthesis Guide

DQM3 has various facilities that allow players to access core mechanics that will help them in their journey. We recommend to use these facilities often to make your gameplay experience smoother.

② Use the Main Menu

Contains Useful Commands

Change Party	This is where you can change up your active party Monsters and Reserves as well as change their position order.
Items	This is where you can use various items like HP and MP recovery. ▶︎ List of Items
Accessories	This is where you can equip Monsters with accessories to make them stronger in battle. ▶︎ List of Accessories
Tactics	This is where you can set AI strategy priority for auto-battles. Assign Monsters roles that allow them to focus on either attacking, healing, buffing, and debuffing. ▶︎ Monster Tactics and Instructions Guide
Set Instructions	In conjunction with the Tactics menu, this is where you can set how often a Monster will use a specific skill in auto-battle.
Spells & Abilities	This is where you can use applicable Monster Skills that can be cast in the overworld (i.e., healing skills etc.)
Talent Points	This is where you can allocate points to Talents to obtain additional Skills ▶︎ How to Farm Talent Points and What to Spend Them On
Handy Heal	Allows you to automatically recover HP by using Monster skills and recovery items available.

You can use each command listed above by opening the menu with the X button while exploring. There are various options such as changing Tactics for auto-battle, equipping accesories, allocating Talent points, and using recovery items.

③ Utilize Zoom to Fast Travel

Instantly Travel to Visited Checkpoints

While exploring you can use the Zoom Menu by pressing the ZL button. Zoom is a useful ability for players and allows them to instantly fast travel to previously unlocked locations. Use these points to easily traverse the overworld.

Accessible Early in the Game

Zoom is readily accessible early in the game when progressing through the story. Players will unlock it very early, so be sure to utilize it often!

④ Understand How Monster Stats Work

Explanation of Monster Stats

Monster Stats and Explanation
Level	Overall Strength. As you gain experience points from battling other monsters, your monsters will eventually level up. This increases its other stats as well. ▶︎ How to Level Up Fast
HP	Health Points. If it reaches zero, the monster runs out of power and becomes incapacitated.
MP	Magic Points. Monsters consume this to use a skill. If you lack enough MP, then you cannot use the skill.
Attack	Related to the damage of normal attacks and physical skills. Having higher attack lets your monster inflict more damage with those types of attacks. It also helps determine the scouting rate when comparing it with the Wisdom stat.
Defense	Related to the reduced damage taken from normal attacks and physical skills. The higher your monster's defense, the less damage it receives.
Agility	Determines the order of actions and the rate of dodging enemy attacks. Having higher agility lets you do an action faster in a round. It also lets you dodge opponent attacks easier, while also making it more difficult for them to dodge your own attacks.
Wisdom	Related to the damage of your magic spells. It can either increase the amount of damage the spell deals to enemies, or it can increase the amount of health your healing can do. It also determines your scouting rate.
Other Monster Data
Monster	Depending on the monster, it will have varying stat limits, growth rate, leveling rate, talents, traits, and skills. ▶︎ List of All Monsters
Family	A rough classification for monsters. There are eight different family types and every monster belongs to one.
Rank	Rough strength/power rating. There are 9 levels of ranks from G being the weakest and X being the strongest.
Size	Affects the stats and abilities of the monster. It also determines how many slots a monster takes up in your party.
Talent	By allocating talent points, you can learn special evolved talents with increased effects. Each talent have varying effects. ▶︎ List of All Talents
Trait	Special abilities fixed for each monster. There are more than 200 traits in the game, and some are active all the time, while others need certain conditions to take effect. ▶︎ List of All Traits
Skill	Special attacks or actions different from normal attacks. These can deal damage to enemies, buff or heal allies, or inflict a condition.
Resistances	Refers to resistance against certain types of damage or effects. It can reduce the amount of damage taken or reduce your susceptibility to status conditions.

You can generally judge a monster's strengths from its stats. Each monster also has different abilities, talents, traits, and skills, so make sure to check them when you obtain a new monster.

7 Tips to Master the Game

⑤ Monsters Can Be Obtained by Scouting or Synthesis

	Advantages and Disadvantages
Scouting		・Quickly recruit Monsters to your party ・Talents may be random
		・Some Monsters are difficult to scout ・It is difficult to scout Monsters that you already have scouted previously ・Not all Monsters are scouted in the overworld
Synthesis		・Monsters can become stronger than a scouted version ・Allows you to produce higher rank Monsters ・Synthesis-exclusive Monsters are powerful
		・The two parent Monsters are consumed in the process. ・Unavailable in the early game. └ Unlocked after clearing Endor Colosseum (G-Rank)

Most Overworld Monsters Can Be Scouted

Monsters in the overworld, excluding bosses you fight in the story, can become allies that join your party by using a mechanic called Scouting when fighting them.

Additionally there are special enemies called Strong Enemies such as Green Dragon or Cyclops. These are Large Monsters that roam the overworld.

The scouting success rate is based on the Monster's Attack or Wisdom stat (whichever is higher). If you succeed, you can recruit the Monster into your team.

Seasonal and Weather-Specific Monsters

Some Monsters only appear during certain seasons and weather conditions. Locations in DQM3 change gradually as seasons change, so new Monsters may appear in areas depending on the current season.

Check out our List of Scoutable Monsters to see if a Monster is seasonal or weather-limited.

List of Scoutable Monsters

Use Food to Increase Scouting Chance

If you give Monsters food upon their defeat, you may get the chance to recruit them.

If they are difficult to scout, you can prepare a lot of meat-based items to give them to increase your chances.

Previously Scouted Monsters Have a Lower Scouting Chance

Monsters that have been previously scouted will have a significantly lower success rate for scouting. If you want to collect duplicates of Monsters, you may wish to consider Synthesizing them instead.

Higher Rank Monsters Can Be Created Through Synthesis

Stronger Monsters with higher ranks can be created through a mechanic called Synthesis. This process is the breeding mechanic for DQM3. To access this, you must first clear G-Rank of the Mausoleum and the Altar of Amalgamation will be unlocked at the basement of Rosehill Tower.

Synthesis allows you to combine two Monsters so that they can fuse into an even stronger one. However, those two parent Monsters will be consumed in the process, so it is recommended to be absolutely sure in deciding which Monsters to synthesize. The offspring Monster will inherit the parent's stats and Talents, resulting in a Monster greater than the sum of its parts.

There are also special Synthesis combinations between Monsters (marked by a golden frame). If these Monsters are synthesized, they will result in a higher ranked Monster.

Obtain Monsters that Cannot Be Scouted

Most Monsters in the game can be obtained via Synthesis and there are even some Monsters that can only be obtained through it. Through synthesis, some boss Monsters can possibly be scouted by Synthesizing them.

Synthesis Guide and Calculator: How to Fuse Monsters

⑥ Gain Experience Points by Winning Battles and Level Up

Gain Stat Improvements and Talent Points

Similar to other Dragon Quest or RPG games, your party can earn experience by defeating Monsters. As you gain experience points, the Monsters' level and stats increase.

In addition to that, you may also earn Talent Points when you level up which will allow to allocate them into your Monster's Talents to unlock new Skills.

How to Level Up Fast

Monsters in the Monster Depot Also Receive EXP

25% of experience points gained will also be given to the Monsters that are in the Monster Depot. Their levels will increase automatically without them being present inside your current party lineup, so you won't have to worry about levelling them all individually.

Monsters in the active party gain 100% of the experience, while Monsters that are in your Reserves gain 50%.

⑦ Skills Can Be Acquired by Allocating Talent Points

Focus on Leveling Unique Talents

Skills can be acquired by allocating points into your Talents which can be obtained through levelling up. Scouted Monsters can have two types of Talents: a unique Talent and a random Talent.

Unique Talents are Talents which have extensive skill trees that allow them to learn skills that Monsters can actively use for dealing damage, healing, buffing, or debuffing (e.g. Kaboomle, Dazzle, etc.).

While the Random Talent that they learn has skills that increase their stats or give them additional passive benefits (e.g., Frizz Ward etc.).

In the early game, we recommend focusing on leveling your scouted Monster's unique Talent as the active skills that can be unlocked will mainly be used by your Monster.

How to Farm Talent Points and What to Spend Them On

Upgraded Talents Can Be Obtained Through Synthesis By Maxing Talent Trees

Some Talents such as Frizz Afficionado and Shallow Breather can be passed down to other Monsters and they can potentially evolve to become into a more powerful variant of that Talent.

For example, Frizz Afficionado can upgrade and evolve into Frizz Virtuoso, and Shallow Breather can evolve into Deep Breather.

To do this, the Talent must have maximum points allocated to it and then have the Monster be synthesized preferrably with a Monster that also has a maxed out Talent.

Talent Evolutions and How to Evolve Talents

⑧ Make Monsters Stronger Through Synthesis

Synthesis Mechanics
・The resulting Monster will gain half of its parents' stats and each parent passes down a Talent. ・Since the Monster starts at Level 1, you can increase its stats even more through levelling.
Conclusion
The more times a Monster is synthesized with other Monsters, the more stats it can gain and Talents it can learn. The result is an incredibly strong Monster!

Synthesize Often When Reaching Level 10

In order to create strong Monsters, it is recommended to dive very early into Synthesis. Instead of grinding EXP for a scouted Monster, Synthesized Monsters have greater potential and can become more powerful than regularly scouted ones.

As soon as you unlock Synthesis, it is recommended to experiment and craft new Monsters!

Monsters Can Inherit More Talent Points at Level 12 or 14

The levels at which you earn Talent Points are fixed for each Monster. Talent Points can be earned at level 12, 14, 17, 20, and so on. Due to this, it's best to level up monsters before using them for synthesis.

Other Frequently Asked Questions

This is a summary of the frequently asked questions and answers new players may be concerned about.

1. About Exploration
2. About Combat and Scouting
3. About Monsters
4. About the Game

Questions About Exploration

Q. What are the strong and large monsters in the area or field? A. Let's ignore them. Each area has a ''strong enemy,'' although it does not affect your story progression so you can ignore it for now. However, some strong enemies can drop rare items, so you can challenge them once you get stronger.

Q. What is the glitter floating around the area? A. Seasonal Gimmicks They are various gimmicks, such as monsters, items, and locations that can only be visited during a specific season.

Q. It's too troublesome to change seasons... A. Get the Seasoning Item. Seasons typically change every 5 minutes. However, you can forcefully change the season by using the Seasoning item.

Q. It's hard when the weather does not change at all. A. Wait for time to pass. Unfortunately, there is no way to forcefully change the weather in the game. You will have to wait for some time to pass to get the weather to change.

Questions About Combat and Scouting

Q. I can't beat the boss A. Let's synthesize your monsters and level up. In most cases, you can beat the boss if you synthesize your monsters and level them up. You can also learn the boss' talents, skills and get items to counter them. ▶︎ List of Bosses and Guides

Q. It's a hassle to level up. A. Do metal hunting towards the mid game. During the early game, you have no choice but to farm monsters to earn experience points. Although, during the mid game, you can start metal hunting which lets you level up monsters more efficiently. ▶︎ Metal Slime Farming Guide

Q. I can't deal with the enemy's attacks. A. Rely on the ''Armor Seco Essence'' item. It is difficult to learn enough healing talents and skills early to mid game. Due to this, you can rely on this item instead to heal your party. However, try to get healer monsters when you encounter them. ▶︎ Best Healer Monsters

Q. What is the check on the side of the monster during battle? A. Sign if it registered in the Monsterpedia.

Q. Suddenly, it became difficult to increase my scouting rate. A. Defeat the Boss of the area. You can increase the scouting rate in the area by defeating the boss there first. It is also possible the monster you want to scout is already in your Monsterpedia, or that your party's monsters have low Attack or Wisdom stats after synthesizing. ▶︎ Best Scouting Monsters

Questions About Monsters

Q: How many monsters are there? A: There are a total of 526 monsters. ▶︎ List of All Monsters

Q: Will there be more monsters in the future? A: No announcements as of December 8, 2023. During the official post-launch celebration stream, the devs mentioned that there is nothing they can say at the time. ▶︎ Official Post-Launch Celebration Stream

Q: What are small and large sized monsters? A: Monster sizes changes stats and party slots. The same monster in small or large sizes will have different stats, and the large one will also take up two party slots.

Q: Is there a meaningful difference in the size of small monsters? A: Yes, tinier monsters will have more agility, while bigger monsters will have more defense. Monsters in the same Large or Size category can still vary slightly in size, thus affecting their stats.

Q: What are shiny monsters? A: Shiny monsters have higher stats than its usual counterpart. The chance of getting one is very low, at aroung 5-7%, and it can only be obtained from synthesizing monsters.

Q: Only low rank monsters are hatching from the egg. A: Gold and Rainbow eggs can be unlocked from story progression. Better eggs can be discovered once you have reached the middle echelon. Before that, only white and silver eggs can be found. ▶︎ How to Farm Eggs and List of Locations

Q: I don't know what monsters to synthesize. A: Please refer to Game8's recommended monsters. There is an article written about this topic. Although, if you don't care about monster's battling capabilities, then you can try getting any monster you like! ▶︎ Best Early Game Monsters

Questions About the Game

Q: Is there a connection to Dragon Quest 4? A: Yes, the main characters of Dragon Quest 4 are in Dragon Quest Monsters The Dark Prince. Although, the game is an alternate world that tells a different story from Dragon Quest 4.

Q: Is there multiplayer or online gameplay? A: There is no cooperative play, but there is competitive play. Unfortunately, there is no coop gameplay, and you will need Nintendo Online to use the competitive features.

Q: Is there no monster trading or online matchmaking? A: No, those features are not available. While there is no direct online features, you can still pair your monsters with NPCs for synthesis. ▶︎ Matchmaking Guide and Monster Wrangler Locations

Q: My game keeps crashing. A: Restart the game or your Switch. There is currently no direct solution to this problem, but restarting your game or your Switch may help reduce this issue.

Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince Related Guides

► Back to Wiki TOP

Story Walkthrough	Monsters
Skills	Talents
Traits	Bosses
Items	Maps & Locations

Popular Articles

Popular Articles
Synthesis Guide & Calculator	Best Team	Best Early Game Monsters
Egg Farming and Locations	Best Monsters Tier List	Metal Slime Farming Guide
Popular Story Articles
Best Scouting Monsters	Strong Monsters & Locations	Mini Medal Locations
How to Level Up Fast	Best Talents for Story and PVP	Post-Game and 100% Guide
Popular Battle Articles
9 Quick Tips to Master	Ranked Guide: How to Win in Ranked PVP	Best Healer Monsters
Endor Arena Guide: How to Win	Monster Tactics and Instructions	Quickfire Contest: Best Teams and Rewards

Metal Slime Guides

Metal Slime Guides
How to Beat Metal Slime and Locations	How to Beat Liquid Metal Slime and Locations	How to Beat Metal King Slime and Locations

Beginner and Early Game Guides

Beginner and Early Game Guides
Best Starting Monster	Best Protagonist Name	How to Farm Talent Points
8 Beginner Tips and Tricks for Early Game	How to Make a B-Rank Monster Easily	How to Synthesize Large Monsters
Best Way to Get Material Monsters	Best Talents Tier List By Family	Money Farming Guide: How to Earn Gold Fast
How to Unlock Synthesis	How to Release Monsters and Rewards	How to Scout and Catch Monsters Easily
Monster Size: Differences and Benefits of Monster Sizes	Experience Points System Guide	How to Increase Chance to Scout After Battle
Costume List: How to Change Costumes	Matchmaking Guide	-

Mid to Late Game Guides

Mid to Late Game Guides
Accessory Synthesis Guide	Best Accessories	How to Increase Monster Stats
Elven Utopia: How to Unlock Scrolls	List of Rare Monsters	Best S-Rank Monsters
Master Dragon Choice: Rose or Toilen?	How to Get Shiny Monsters	How to Increase Resistance
Secret Boss: How to Beat Ludo	How to Farm Seeds Fast	Online Gateway Shop Schedule and Item List
Text Prompts Meaning: "Particularly Powerful" and "Sparkling Brightly"	-	-

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is DQM3 Available on PC?	Are There Multiple Endings?	Demo Guide: How to Carry Over Save
Best Monsters To Transfer From the Demo	Are There Secrets and Easter Eggs	Game Length: How Long To Beat?
Is there a DLC?	Is There a Connection Between DQM3 and Dragon Quest 4?	Are There Grimoires in This Game?
Are There Plus Variants?	Missable and Unchangeable Features	-

Updates and Patches

Updates and Patches
Updates and Patch Notes	McDonald's Promo: How to Get Exclusives Outside of Japan
List of Gift Codes (December 2023)	How to Fix Errors