Editing Encounter

[[File:DQ2-NES-RANDOM-ENCOUNTER.jpg|thumb|An encounter taking place in {{Dragon Quest II}}.|250px]]

A fixture in role-playing games since the genre's birth, '''Encounters''' are enemy encounters that occur suddenly when traveling on foot or in  vehicles, and are a recurring element of the {{DQSeries}}. Encounters can occur randomly at any time when walking on the over world or in a dungeon, or at fixed points when a certain number of steps have been taken. As of {{Dragon Quest IX}}, these two methods have since been replaced by visible encounters.

The enemies a player can meet varies both on where they are in the game and the terrain they are on. For example, the forest may contain enemies not found in the plains. For games that include travel by [[ship]], enemies encountered while at sea are from an entirely separate set. Some enemies have a very low encounter rate and thus are almost impossible to find; these usually give out large amounts of [[Experience Points]] or some other significant reward, the most obvious example being the [[Metal slime]].

In the {{NES}} Versions of the first four games, as well as the original version of {{DQ5}}, encountering an enemy is a totally random chance independent of the number of steps taken. Instead, each type of tile on the over world is assigned an encounter chance, which is then influenced by whether it is day or night, and if [[Holy water]] or [[Holy Protection]] have been used. For the original game, the encounter rates per tile type are:

| Bridges || {{fraction|1|48}}

| Meadows || {{fraction|1|24}}

| Swamps || {{fraction|1|16}}

| Forests || {{fraction|1|16}}

| Hills || {{fraction|1|8}}

| Desert || {{fraction|1|8}}

Though very unlikely, it is theoretically possible to walk for as many as 100 steps without encountering a single battle.

In keeping with the subtle alterations to the series' mechanics in the post-[[Chunsoft]] titles, ''VI''~''VIII'' (as well as the remakes of the [[Zenithia trilogy]]) utilize an encounter rate based on the number of steps taken. Each step taken contributes to a hidden sum, and once the assigned threshold is reached a battle will begin. For example, the units for ''III's'' remakes are:

Beginning with {{Dragon Quest IX}} and remaining consistent for all 3D remakes and sequels, {{MFamilies}}s now appear on the over world much the same as the party and {{NPC}}s do. The one exception to all this is ship travel, which uses the same mechanics as the {{NES}} games.

 

As a rare gimmick in {{DQ4 Chapter 3}} of {{Dragon Quest IV}}, {{Torneko}} will sometimes encounter an [[Inn]]keeper or [[Item shop]] [[merchant]] to do business with in addition to the usual {{MFamilies}} encounters (See gallery below).

Abilities such as [[Torneko Taloon]]'s [[Padfoot]] enable players to avoid or reduce the probability of Random Encounters if the player does not wish to fight in order to save time or {{HP}}. Both Random and Pedometer encounters can be prevented all together for a short time through use of the [[Holy water]] item or the spell [[Holy Protection]], provided the lead character's level is higher than the region's benchmark.  In the games that it's available in, the [[Gospel ring]] when equipped by a currently active character will remove random encounters altogether.

Similarly, if one wishes to battle more (perhaps for {{Exp}}), he or she might use other abilities increase the probability of having a Random Encounter, or, such as in the case of [[Whistle]] or the [[Lyre of Ire]], cause one immediately.  As an opposite of Holy water, use of [[Musk]] or [[Monster munchies]] will increase the encounter rate.

In {{Dragon Quest IX}}, the mechanics had a significant change: encounters are now initiated by interacting with monsters on the field. Some enemies will always charge at the [[party]] or give chase upon spotting them regardless of how much higher the lead character's level is, making [[Vanish]] useful for avoiding detection in all circumstances. Initiating an encounter when the monster's back is turned increases the chances of getting the first strike (and vice versa, if the party is chased).

 

 

In the original version of {{DQ4}} the player has a 50% chance of successfully fleeing on their first two attempts. The third attempt has a 75% chance, and the fourth will never fail. Statistically this means that there is 6.25% chance that all three contingent chances will fail.

DQII Random Encounter.png|{{Dragon Quest II}}.

Back Into The Fray.png|{{Dragon Quest III}}.

DQIV_Random_Encounter.png|{{Dragon Quest IV}}.

DQV_Random_Encounter.png|{{Dragon Quest V}}.

Random Encounter.png|{{Dragon Quest IX}}.

DQ IV Android Overworld Inn Encounter.jpg|Encounter with [[Inn]]keeper during {{DQ4 Chapter 3}} in {{IV}}. ([[Cell phone]])