10 essential Dragon Quest Builders 2 tips to know before you play

Taking some Dragon Quest Builders 2 tips on board will put you in a good position for your adventure ahead, whether you previously played the original game or are making your first trip into the cutesy world. The familiar mechanics of sandbox building and role-playing elements are present in Dragon Quest Builders 2, as you work your way through quirky quests in a bid to defeat the Children of Hargon. Although the game isn't too difficult overall, there are lots of little tricks that are easy to overlook but will make your journey a lot more manageable when you know them, so have a read through our essential Dragon Quest Builders 2 tips and pick up something new.

Looking for more help? Then make sure you also check out our complete Dragon Quest Builders 2 room recipes guide and find out how to get Dragon Quest Builders 2 Mini Medals.

1. Get a better view

One thing you may notice pretty quickly in Dragon Quest Builders 2 is that the game camera tends to move around quite a bit, and can often automatically zoom in close to your character. This gets even more awkward if you're trying to manoeuvre through caves or other confined spaces, so remember that as well as rotating the camera with the right stick you can also hold down R3 then use the left stick to zoom in and out to reset your view to a more comfortable position. New to Dragon Quest Builders 2 is first-person view, accessed by clicking R3, which can also help when moving through narrow or enclosed areas. The option should be turned on by default anyway, but make sure Show Character Outline is activated in the settings, as it will show your position even when you're behind objects, so you can always tell exactly where you are.

2. Know your surroundings

By pressing the touchpad you'll access a bird's eye view of the surrounding area in Dragon Quest Builders 2, which is useful for getting your bearings and checking the layout of your current build, as well as for spotting enemies. Hit X to switch to the map, which gives you a much wider view of your location, and has handy icons to highlight points of interest you should visit as well as any current mission markers. It also shows the locations of resources such as trees, rocks etc so if there's a particular type of material you need to harvest then this can help you find it.

3. Build your own paths and shortcuts

Make sure you harvest or craft plenty of building blocks and carry them with you, as you can use these to build new paths and steps to create shortcuts in Dragon Quest Builders 2. It's easy to construct basic steps to access higher areas by alternately placing blocks forwards then up, or if you're constructing alongside a wall or cliff then you can just attach blocks to the side without any further support required. In true Minecraft style, you can also aim downwards and jump then place a block directly beneath you, to rise up on top of a stack and gain additional height.

4. Fall damage won't kill you

If you've followed the previous tip to build upwards and explore, you may be getting worried about what will happen if you stray off the path and take a massive tumble back down to Earth. The good news is, it won't kill you no matter how far you drop, though the fall will knock you down to 1 HP so hopefully you have some consumables with you to get that topped up again. On a semi-related note, gravity doesn't affect builds so don't worry about everything collapsing around you if you smash out the foundations of a structure in Dragon Quest Builders 2. In fact, if you do this then the rest of the building will continue hovering in the air, which is a trick you can use to make some interesting constructions.

5. Take a bed when exploring

Something to sleep on, such as Straw Bedding, is an essential item to take with you when you go off exploring in Dragon Quest Builders 2. If your HP starts to get low during the day, you can simply whip it out and grab a quick snooze to replenish yourself without needing to use any consumable items. Better yet, if you're still out exploring late at night, and reach the point in the darkness where powerful monsters start chasing and attacking you, all you need to do is throw your bed on the floor and dive into a sleep. Time will move on until the morning, where you'll wake in a night monster-free world ready for another day of exploring.

6. Build quickly and accurately

By holding the Place button to put the selected item in the targeted space, then keeping that button held as you move (or strafe) in a direction, you can continue placing items or building blocks in a straight line to produce some fast construction. By default, this will place two building blocks in a stack as you move along, though if you only want to place a single block in each space then holding both L1 and L2 (default controls) will prevent the double stacks from forming as you move and place the blocks. Don't forget about using L1 to look up when building in Dragon Quest Builders 2, as it's useful for placing items on top of each other or mounting light sources higher on walls.

7. Cook food wherever possible

As well as maintaining your HP, it's essential to keep your fullness gauge topped up as if it drops down to 0% then you won't be able to dash or attack properly. Eating raw food such as kelp or cabbages will give you a small fullness increase, but cooking them on a bonfire first means the prepared food will provide a much larger boost. There are also items such as Scallywinkles or wheat, which can only be consumed once they've been cooked. When stood near the bonfire a red pot icon will appear above the items in your inventory you can cook, so highlight one then press Square to place on the fire and X to cook. Wait for it to be done then collect the finished product - don't worry about rushing back, as the food will never burn after it's cooked. It's worth setting up a row of bonfires in your Dragon Quest Builders 2 camp to cook a batch of food at once, to streamline the process.

8. Store your items and materials

As well as holding items and materials in your main inventory, there are two other ways to store them which unlock at Furrowfield Farm in Dragon Quest Builders 2. The first is your Bag, which gives you a huge amount of additional storage space to pretty much carry anything you want with you, so you don't need to worry about inventory management as you can easily move items in and out whenever you need them. The other storage option is the Community Chest, which is very useful for storing materials and food in - because as well as having these items still accessible to you for crafting, your villagers can also use them too. Keeping the Community Chest topped up with food means that everyone can remain fed and happy, so don't forget to drop supplies in there now and again.

9. Succeed in combat

When fighting new enemies in Dragon Quest Builders 2, get in a couple of quick hits then back off to see how they react. Their attack moves normally take a second or two to activate, so if you can recognise the animation then you can move away in time to avoid any damage - a quick jump away in the opposite direction normally does the trick. Keep your distance while trying not to get trapped between multiple enemies, and you can also hang back to let Malroth dish out the hits with his more powerful special weapon. Fight all the monsters you see while exploring to earn ExP and level up, which will unlock new fighting moves and plans for building better weapons to help you take on bigger enemies. Whenever you can craft a better weapon, make enough for the rest of your villagers who can be armed, then hand them over by highlighting the weapon in your inventory and following the prompt when stood next to them.

10. Remember that building isn't final

There's plenty of scope for experimentation in Dragon Quest Builders 2, so if you're not happy with how a particular construction is shaping up then don't be afraid to pull out your hammer and smash it to bits so you can start again. Most items and building blocks will simply revert to their collectible form when broken up then return to your inventory when you walk over them, so they won't actually be destroyed. You can use your Gloves to pick up and move individual items, which is handy for small adjustments, but if say you need to move an entire wall then it's undoubtedly quicker the break the entire thing down and rebuild it elsewhere than to pick it up and move it piece by piece.

Has Dragon Quest Builders 2 piqued your interest in role-playing games? Then why not check out the 25 best RPG games to play right now (and inevitably over-invest emotionally in).