There’s so much you need to know in Dragon Quest Builders 2, we couldn’t contain it all in the beginner’s guide. This isn’t meant to be an all-inclusive, and we’re not about to explain the in-depth ins-and-outs of the entire game here. This is a quick overview full of things you might not yet know — mini tips and tricks that help you build, explore, and fight. And it’s all stuff the game doesn’t really explain.
For example, there are a few tricks you can use to stop marauding monsters from breaking into your village. There are hidden optional recipes you can unlock with powerful weapons and armor. You can equip your villagers with weapons — and that includes random farmers. You can readjust the camera’s zoom level, and perform special attacks while gliding.
We’ve compiled a full list of 10 tips in the guide below. I’m sure there’s more, so we might have to return to the subject later with even more advanced features.
More Dragon Quest Builders 2 guides:
- Dragon Quest Builders 2: 10 Tips & Tricks To Help You Become A Master Builder | Beginner’s Guide
- Dragon Quest Builders 2: Everything You Need To Know About Farming | Special Seeds, Faster Growing & More
#1. In First Person Mode, You Can Place Rows Of Blocks
You can instantly swap between 1st Person and 3rd Person by pressing [R3]. While in 1st Person, your block placing rules are slightly different — there’s a pointer. Instead of stacking blocks in 3rd Person, you can place a line of blocks. Just hold down [Square] and you’ll continue to place blocks, even when you can’t see them.
#2. Stop Monster Attacks With Water & Flagstone
You can build extra defenses outside your town to defend against random monster attacks. They always attack your front gate, so I recommend building a row of fences to mark the boundary of your town. Outside of that, dig a ditch that’s two blocks wide and two blocks deep and fill it with water. Place flagstone on the edges of the ditch, and monsters will struggle to reach your town.
#3. Ring The Bell To Automatically Collect All Hearts In Town
Remember the town bell? The one you ring to level up your village? It has a secondary use — ring the bell at any time, and you’ll automatically collect any of the gratitude points (hearts) that your villagers have strewn about. You can earn lots of gratitude by building nice rooms for everyone, providing food for them to eat, table sets for them to sit at, and farming work opportunities.
#4. Press And Hold [R3] To Zoom In / Out
You can reset the camera by swapping between 1st and 3rd person view, but you can also readjust the 3rd person view camera whenever you want. Hold down [R3] and you can zoom far out, or zoom in close. Very handy — especially zooming out to get a good view of your surroundings.
#5. You Can Tell Which Villagers Fight Based On Their Animation
At certain points in the story, your town will be under siege by monsters. You’ll gather your villagers, and then talk to Malroth to begin a battle. Before the battle begins, you can equip your villagers with weapons — at least, some of them. Look for villagers that are stretching vigorously — you can give those villagers weapons! The cowering villagers won’t accept weapons and will not help you fight.
#6. While Gliding, Press Attack To Perform A Drill Smash
When you unlock the glider movement upgrade, you’ll also gain a special drill attack. Jump, unfurl the glider, then press attack while gliding to ground pound. This special attack launches you up into the air quite a bit, so you can also use it to cut through mountains or ceilings.
#7. The Deadly Monster Optional Bosses Drop Powerful Recipes
There are deadly monster optional bosses all over the islands — these big brutes might look tough, but they’re not impossible. The first island, Furrowfield, you’ll encounter a giant crab and a giant caterpillar. Defeat them both to get a unique weapon and armor piece recipe. The weapon is actually one of the best in the game for a simple reason, which I’ll explain below.
#8. Poison Needle Is One Of The Best Weapons In The Game
The Poison Needle is a special sword recipe you can gain by defeating the giant caterpillar optional boss in Furrowfield. This early weapon is also one of the best in the entire game for a simple reason — there is a small chance any attack will automatically defeat your enemy. Use it enough, and the RNG will reward you with an insta-kill on even the toughest bosses. It might not be as strong as certain weapons in the future, but you’ll want to keep the Poison Needle in your inventory forever.
#9. Planting Grass Fields Will Randomly Generate Medicinal Shrubs
Grass Seeds, dropping by Archers and Muddy Hands, are a handy way to improve your base and craft Worm Food. What you might not realize is that planting these grassy fields will also reward you with valuable Medicinal Shrubs. Randomly, Medicinal Shrubs will appear on fresh grassland — you can harvest the shrub for a leaf to create medicine, or dig out a Shrub Seed and replant somewhere else.
#10. You Can Pick Up And Place The Same Scarecrow To Purify Your Town
If you want to quickly transform a huge area into purified, healthy soil — all you need is a Scarecrow. Just craft and place it, then pick it up and move it somewhere new. Wrigley will continue to purify the area you marked, and you can mark a new area for his work. You can also use fields to quickly and easily mark the edges of your town.
