Monster synthesis
Monster synthesis is the replacement system for monster breeding, introduced in the original Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker. True to the name, it is the combining of two monsters to create a more powerful fusion in a process that is not altogether dissimilar from alchemy. By equipping one of the component monsters with the phoenix sceptre, the synthesized monster will be of that species.
The synthesis term was adopted for the modern English localization standard set by Square Enix, with the process still being referred to as 配合 (combination) in Japanese. This change in terminology was likely to address the fact that certain monsters are humanoid and simply cannot be seen as members of the opposite sex, such as Captain Crow and Mortella.
AspectsEdit
The foundation of monster synthesis has remained fairly consistent through the 3D era of the series, with each entry tweaking the process to be more user-friendly. These changes are detailed below in each game's entry.
PolarityEdit
A monster can posses a positive, negative, or neutral polarity and these charges dictate what it can be fused with. Two neutrally charged monsters cannot be used for synthesis. The items neutral ground, positive puller, and think negative will attracts monsters of the matching polarity for a brief time. The polarity of a synthesized monster can be controlled by equipping one of the components with the plus sceptre and minus sceptre.
Monster ranksEdit
Monsters are categorized as belonging to rank F, E, D, C, B, A, S, and X. Ranks are a method to roughly gauge the strength of monsters as well as to assess how rare a monster is, with monsters ranked higher than A almost always requiring synthesis to obtain.
Synthesized statsEdit
The synthesized monster's stats are 1/4th of both component monsters, rounded down. For example, if the positive monster has a wisdom stat of 139 and the negative monster has 349, then the wisdom stat of the resulting monster will be 122.
Inherited growth ratesEdit
Monsters created through synthesis have superior growth rates compared to those found in the wild, allowing each species to reach it's stat cap much more quickly. The synthesized monster's stat growth will inherit 25% of the growth rates from each component's species. The level and stats of both components prior to the fusion does not influence the growth rates of the resulting monster, the current stats of the positive and negative monster only influence the resulting monster's initial stats as detailed in the above paragraph.
Plus potentialEdit
In the first two Joker games highest leveled monster's "+" value is increased by +1 for each synthesis, with the weaker monster's value going to waste.
Level limitationsEdit
In the first two Joker games all monsters have a natural level limit of 50. It is necessary for the positive and negative component monsters to have a level sum of 21 or higher in order for the synthesized monster's "+" value to exceed +5, thus raising the level cap to 75. To reach level 100, the synthesized monster's "+" value must be +10, and this requires the component monsters' combined levels to exceed level 40.
Skill and Talent retentionEdit
A synthesized monster can inherit three Talents, referred to Skills prior to Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince, from it's components. Half of the skill points accumulated in the Talents will be retained for the synthesized monster and 1/4th of unaccumulated skill points will be free for the player to assign for the new monster. If either component monster has mastered a Talent with a numerical rank, such as Frizz & Zap II, then it will upgrade to the next rank for the synthesized monster.
Changes per gameEdit
Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2Edit
In Joker 2 one monster representing each family could exceed their normal limitations through synthesis. They are the chimaera, conklave, goodybag, green dragon, skeleton, slime, and teeny sanguini, which can raise their rank twice over via synthesis by combining two members of the same species at levels 20 and 50 respectively. These strengthened versions are referred to as X and XY variants, and members of Rank D or lower would see their stat limitations raised by 25% while monsters that were ranks C, B, or A would have their stat limitations raised by 12.5% (1/8th).
Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2 ProfessionalEdit
Joker 2: Professional expanded the rank up system so that the 311 original monsters and the 124 additions can be strengthened to XY status, using the same method as in Joker 2.
The level sum requirements for raising a synthesized monsters' level cap were abolished and the level sum of the component monsters has no influence on how much "+" value the synthesized monster can accumulate. The "+" value to raise the level cap to 75 was lowered to +4, the value for level 100 remains +10.
The "+" value inheritance system has been expedited for the sake of player convenience. If the sum of both component monster's levels are between 21 and 40 then half of the "+" value of the weaker monster will be added to the synthesized monster's total on top of the guaranteed +1. For example, if the positively charged monster is at level 32 and the negatively charged monster is at level 7 and both have a "+" value of +20 then the synthesized monster will have a "+" value of 31. If both monsters have a total level of 41 or higher, then the entire "+" value of the weaker monster is added to the synthesized monster's total along with the default +1.
Dragon Quest Monsters: Terry's Wonderland 3DEdit
The "+" value level restriction system was totally abolished in lieu of simply using a synthesized monster's "+" value as the threshold marker to rank up. Monsters that rank D or lower with a "+" value of +25 will rise to rank C upon being synthesized, and a rank C or B monster with a "+" value of +50 will rise to rank A when synthesized. The X and XY nomenclature was discarded, and all monsters can raise their stat limitations by accumulating a high enough "+" value.
Additionally the "+" system has been simplified so that both component monster's "+" values are added together from the beginning. Furthermore if both component monsters have a level total that is 31 or higher, a +5 will be added to the synthesized monster's value in addition to the standard +1. If both components have a total level of 76 or higher, the +5 is replaced with a +10.
Dragon Quest Monsters 2: Iru and Luca's Marvelous Mysterious KeyEdit
The 3DS remake of the second game did not alter the synthesis process.
Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 3Edit
Monster polarity is abolished for player convenience, and now any monsters can be combined freely.
Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark PrinceEdit
The series' 25th anniversary game has shaken up the synthesis process considerably, doing away with the entire "+" value system altogether. In it's place is an improved version of the inherited growth rate system that allows synthesized monsters to exceed their stat limits right away, with no long-term investment necessary on the player's part beyond simply leveling the beast to 100.
The way the system works is that each monster family has a modifier that influences the growth rate of three stats. The modifiers of the synthesized monster's parents are doubled when factored in, and if that monster's grandparents all belonged to different families then that generation's modifier sum is raised by 2, meaning that the lowest modifier for any stat is 2 and the maximum is 12.
| Family | Max HP | Max MP | Attack | Defence | Agility | Wisdom |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ??? | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Beast | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Demon | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Dragon | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Material | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Nature | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Slime | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Undead | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
The calculation for this process is natural stat limit x (sum of modifiers x sum of parents' levels) + 10,000, which is then divided by 10,000 to create a fractional multiplier for the stat.
For example, a normal-sized queen slime's HP limit is 1,360. If she were to be synthesized with her grandparents belonging to the ???, dragon, slime, and undead families then the modifier would be 4, raised to 6 by the dissimilarity bonus of 2. If that queen slime's parents were all members of the slime family then the sum of the modifiers would be 12, and if her parents were both at level 100 then the calculation becomes 1,360 x (12 x 200) +10,000 divided by 10,000 and her HP limit is multiplied by 1.32 for a new zenith of 1,805.
Other changes include adding a new G rank for the weakest of monsters and altering the traditional synthesis formulas for major monsters to freshen up the experimentation process for long-time fans. These new combinations are based on the appearances of monsters and any shared themes, allowing new players to make educated guesses as to what combinations may yield. An example of this is Hargon now being created by combining Atlas, Belial, Pazuzu, and the Wrecktor instead of the old method of a wight king and metal king slime.