There are some gameplay mechanics that Dragon Quest Treasures won’t immediately explain to you. It’s a strange decision in terms of design, as you have access to these almost immediately. One of these mechanics is the Dagger Gauge. You’ll undoubtedly stumble across it before the game even mentions it. The problem is, you likely won’t fully grasp how to use it properly.
How to Use the Dagger Gauge in Dragon Quest Treasures
The Dragon Gauge is a special ability that Erik and Mia can activate during combat. It’s extremely useful and can really save you during tough boss battles, or if you’ve aggroed a high-leveled enemy.
The Dragon Daggers play a big role in the game’s story, and that extends to gameplay as well. As Erik and Mia fight, they’ll slowly fill up a dagger-shaped gauge right below their character portrait. Once it’s been filled completely, you can Unleash the Dragon.
While Fortes can be used by holding down the L button, Unleashing the Dragon can be done by holding down R. Every member of your party will be assigned to a face button. If you Unleash the Dragon with Erik or Mia, they’ll enter a temporary form known as Wild Side. Once their Wild Side has been activated, they’ll have a boost to all of their base stats and increased movement speed.
Meanwhile, Unleashing the Dragon with a monster will trigger special abilities. These flashy, cinematic attacks vary from monster to monster. Orcs, for example, will Call the Calvary and attack with some backup support. Slimes will grow to gigantic proportions and slam down into the air with Meteoric Rise. That attack in particular is great, as it causes a lot of area-of-effect damage to a group of enemies.
The Dagger Gauge can be charged in combat for a total of three times. Whenever you activate a special attack with a monster or enter the Wild Side state, you’ll expend a charge. It takes quite a bit of time to refill the Dragon Gauge, so make sure you only activate it when you absolutely need to.
