Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World Shows Quick Scouting, Joint Battles, and New Monsters

Square Enix shared new screenshots and gameplay details for Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World, highlighting three major features heading to the monster-catching RPG ahead of its December 3 release.

Quick Scouting streamlines monster recruitment by letting players throw meat at wild monsters without entering battle first. Successfully landing the throw triggers an automatic Show of Force from your party and recruits the monster on the spot. Rarer cuts of meat make recruitment more likely, and some monsters prefer unusual types. Once the Scout Run unlocks at the Witherwood paddock, players can encounter exclusive rare monsters only recruitible through Quick Scouting, with new creatures appearing as the story progresses.

Joint Battles introduce cooperative combat against massive monsters too powerful for a single party. When protagonists Bianca and Nera encounter such foes, they fight together using shared HP and MP pools. Each player commands one party while issuing tactics to reserves. Massive monsters have Pet Hates, specific actions that fill their Rage Gauge and trigger stronger attacks. Once their anger subsides and they become exhausted, players can push for victory. Joint Battles are available in the battle arena after unlocking them through story progress, and online for up to four players cooperatively.

The story introduces Almira, a priestess who served as guardian of Witherwood and keeper of the two Archeagles until both she and the creatures vanished after the Evil Eye descended from the heavens. Her current whereabouts remain unknown. Almira is voiced by Grace Saif.

New monsters shown include Hammerhood honcho, a beast-family monster wielding a massive mallet; See slug, a nature-family creature with a golden eye that teaches water spells; and Panda pilgrim, a beast-family monster in traditional garb armed with a walking stick.

A demo is available now across all platforms, featuring story content through the initial Witherwood events and introducing Quick Scouting and Synthesis. Players who keep demo saves receive bonus items in the full version: Ring of Impulse, Bonus Ball, and Smoked Sirloin. Rank G and F monsters from the demo transfer to the full game starting at level 1 with default abilities.

Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World releases December 3 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC via Steam.