Dragon Quest Smash/Grow: Beginner's guide and six tips for becoming a true hero

As you might expect, movement is actually an important factor in Smash/Grow. While many of the 'blessings' or upgrades you acquire go off automatically, to attack normally, you'll need to halt and let your adventurer go through their combo. For warriors, this involves slashing them with your sword, while mages throw spells at a distance, and so on and so forth.

However, you'll need to not only outpace the pack, but also watch out for monsters with ranged spells or wind-up attacks. These will be telegraphed by red icons on the map, such as lines for ranged attacks or circles for melee attacks. Each monster also has a 'tell' or signal they're about to attack, and until that point, they're easy enough to push past.

Luckily, one of the key differences between Smash/Grow and something like Vampire Survivors is that you don't automatically take damage from most enemies. Instead, they need to actually attack you first. So don't fret if you get cornered and simply shove through the pack! Most enemies, such as Slimes, take a while to latch onto you.

Speaking of which, you'll want to choose your upgrades carefully. Because crowd control is key, but certain enemies require all your attention. So you can't simply stand by and let your blessings do all the work; eventually, you'll have to focus on them.

One of the most important things to do is to actually pick which line of blessings you're going with and stick with it. Unlike Vampire Survivors, their levels aren't nearly as long (at least at the start), and different classes in your party can play in drastically differing ways. So, for example, a line of blessings that increase the power of your normal attacks is good for a warrior, but much less so for a mage, although not necessarily useless either.

That's not to say you'll be at a total disadvantage, only that you'll be throwing away an effective boon when you're missing out on them. Especially if you only mix and match, as blessings will be a major benefit to you. So pick one type and choose wisely, especially if they have later upgrades that synergise further with them.

One of my major gripes with Smash/Grow, which I mentioned in my review, is the upgrade system. It is tedium personified, but there are a few ways to lessen the impact. For example, that '+5' for adding more materials is not the limit, and you can add as many to each item as you see fit before upgrading, meaning you won't need to continuously tap buttons.

Although the auto-battling button may take away from the fun of engaging with Smash/Grow's battle system, it's undoubtedly useful. I found it particularly helpful for grinding through the stages to get a clear picture of the game myself. But it's also very helpful for jumping into previous stages in order to gain that coveted three-star rating and the goodies that come with it. This is usually only feasible with those you outclass already, and helps you get a few extra gems without needing to spend more time than necessary.

If you need to gather rewards or EXP, then grinding is made...relatively simple in Smash/Grow. You have the Training tab for that, featuring everything from Metal Slimes to grind up EXP to the Gauntlet and its junior cousin, the Gauntlette, which offer a variety of growth materials. These are where auto-battling can shine, too, since they're usually much less visually striking and require a lot less input.

And with that, these are the top tips I found when playing Dragon Quest Smash/Grow. So, if you're a fan of idle RPGs but want a bit more action, and adore the classic franchise, then this is definitely for you!

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