Horse and monster riding

The Builder being taken for a ride by a great sabrecub, Malroth and dog in pursuit.

Horse and monster riding is a feature that allows the player to ride on a monster or an animal. This mechanic is introduced to the series in the first 3D title: Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King.

Overview

Traveling via horseback or by being carried by a monster allows the player to traverse terrain much more quickly than on foot, but typically does not grant access to new areas of the world map that standard vehicles do.

Characters such as Ramia and Cetacea, while technically being animals, allow the player to reach nearly all areas in a given game and have influence on the plot's development as well.

Appearances

Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King

The Hero can ride on the back of a mighty great sabrecat on all major continents whenever he rings Baumren's bell. The chime is the reward for completing the Chateau Felix sidequest, and the only places a sabrecat cannot be summoned are Empycchu and the Dark Ruins. due to both being plot-restricted islands.

In the 3DS version, there are two versions of Baumren's bell named Darksteel bell and White gold bell that summons a variant of a Great sabrecat unique to the latter two bells that have the same effect and restrictions of Baumren's bell. The main difference is that once those two bells have been rung once, they break and disappear from the party's inventory after getting off from the special version of the Great sabrecat.

Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age

Horseback riding is unlocked near the very beginning of the game. The Luminary is gifted a grey stallion before he leaves Cobblestone for the first time and the player is able to control it shortly afterwards. This horse, being Cobblestone's finest steed, can be summoned from a ring of a horse bell found near most campsites. After the events of Gallopolis, Sylvando gifts the Luminary the horse hailer Important Item, allowing him to summon his horse whenever he sees fit (as long as it is outside a dungeon or a settlement; in other words, most of the overworld).

Not too long after the party arrives at Gallopolis, the Luminary takes Prince Faris' place in the Sand National, an annual equestrian competition. Afterwards, the Luminary is able to compete in various other optional, non-story-related competitions to win prizes.

A horse can gallop at a steady pace or sprint at full speed (when the respective trigger/key for different platforms are held down). When sprinting, the horse is able to bowl over small-to-medium-sized monsters that are weaker than the party (which can be repelled by the Holy Protection spell and vials of Holy water). During horse racing, sprinting is handicapped by a stamina bar. In the Definitive Edition version of the game, running over a monster gives the party 30% of the experience they would have gained had they defeated the monster normally. Gold coins and treasure (item drops) cannot be obtained through this method.

There are a variety of monsters that will give the party a lift once they've been defeated (normally). They can be identified outside of battle as a monster with sparkles around them and this mechanic is introduced during the events of The Kingsbarrow. Each monster has a different ability that can be used to solve puzzles or reach new areas, and each pallet swap of a monster performs the same functions.

Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 3

The Monster Wrangler is able to ride certain monsters for faster travel and to reach certain areas he cannot approach on foot. In this game the monster families share a predator and prey relationship, meaning that the prey species of the player's mount will flee when approached regardless of the level difference.

Dragon Quest Builders 2

Several tamable monsters can be used for mounts, and have additional abilities that are useful for exploration or building.