Version Differences - Dragon Quest XI

Original (OG) and Definitive Edition (DE)

Overview

Versions

First, for the purpose of disambiguation- we should establish that there are actually four (4) distinct revisions of Dragon Quest XI:

Japanese-only PS4 version -- released July 29th, 2017
International-only PS4 / Steam (PC) version -- released September 4th, 2018
Worldwide (Both Japanese and International) Switch version -- released September 27th, 2019
Worldwide (Both Japanese and International) PS4 / Xbox / Gamepass / EGS / Steam (PC) version -- released December 4th, 2020

(Relatively) Minor Changes

Starting with a brief list of semi-notable changes between the 2017 and 2018 releases:

Addition of voice acting (2017 release had no voice acting whatsoever)
Changes to the UI and font
Addition of the ability to "dash" in the field (yes, the main character could only walk briskly in the original 2017 release)
Removal of "Fukkatsu No Jumon" or "Spell of Restoration"

-> This worked like a password system and could even be used to unlock a free copy of Dragon Quest 1 in the PS4 Store for beating the game.

-> See the video shown below for more

Everything Else

This is covered by the rest of this page. Most points below will refer the 2018 International release as "OG" and the 2020 Worldwide release as "DE".

The 2019 Switch release will occasionally be referenced specifically in contrast to the 2020 ("DE") release.

Presentation

Graphics

This is one of the most discussed differences between these versions. It is also grossly oversimplified by most gaming journalists and far more nuanced than many understand.

In order to go into this at the proper level of detail, we've created a dedicated page

Audio

Music: Another one of the most noted differences between versions is that Definitive Edition (DE) comes with orchestral music by default, with the option to

switch to synthesized music.

DE added "Strange World" from DQ8 as an optional overworld theme, selectable in the "Audio Settings" menu, as well as "Marching through the Fields" (also from DQ8) which will play when riding a Sabrecat (also DE-exclusive, more on this in the "Mounts" section under "Features").

DE also added exclusive retro / chiptune themes for Tickington quests.

The Original (OG) version only included synthesized music by default, but the Orchestral Overhaul Mod (OOM) became well known to fix this.

In comparison to the official tracks present in DE, OOM was extremely impressive and a close comparison.

In many cases the official tracks had slightly higher quality mixing, but OOM was more than competent and at times had better looping.

Voices: Japanese voice-acting was included for the first time. Present as an option in all worldwide releases

English voice-acting also had new additional voice clips, particularly for party member dialogue.

Cutscenes

CGI cutscenes are virtually identical with the exception that DE has additional audio streams for orchestral and synthesized music.

Under the Hood

Engine

The original version (OG) runs on a heavily customized build of Unreal Engine 4 (UE4) 4.13. This build has a number of features backported from 4.14, including Event Driven Loader which will be discussed further below.
Definitive Edition (DE) runs on a newer (also customized) build of UE4 -- 4.18. This newer engine version features a number of optimizations not present in 4.13/4.14.

DRM

The original version (OG) included Denuvo's Anti-Tamper in its 2018 release on Steam -- it remains to this day.
Definitive Edition (DE) included Denuvo on Steam for a short time before its removal in late May 2021
- - - DE on EGS does not include DRM.
    - DE on Microsoft Store includes Microsoft's DRM.

Performance

With the factors above considered, DE users typically report framerates much higher than that of OG.
Load times are also far improved with Event Driven Loader being in a much more mature state in 4.18.

-> In 4.14, EDL was an "experimental" feature that had to be manually enabled on source builds of the engine.

Features

2D Mode / Tickington

This is already discussed extensively and is one of the most marketed features of Definitive Edition (DE). Plenty of information can be found elsewhere on this.

However, lesser known aspects of these changes/additions will be noted below:

Tockles

Tockles are now spread out throughout the overworld in various nooks and crannies. If you find them, they will unlock a new quest in Tickington, allowing you to travel back to previous Dragon Quest worlds. In a few cases, Tockles are placed in the same locations that Crossbow Targets could be found in the original (OG) version.

Crossbow Targets

Crossbow targets could be found and shot in the original (OG) version in exchange for small rewards such as seeds.
The crossbow targets had a decidedly mixed reception in Japan, with many noting that it offered little in terms of gameplay or rewards and some even asking for an option to disable the crossbow entirely.
Crossbow targets were removed in Definitive Edition (DE).
The crossbow itself remains in Definitive Edition (DE) as a way to lure flying enemies from afar

New Enemies / Challenges

Various new monster IDs exist in Definitive Edition. Many are essentially recolored/more difficult versions of existing enemies as bosses.

(Spoilers: click the show/hide button below. Note these do not include 2D Mode enemies/bosses)

Intermission

In DE, a new segment was added between the end of Act 1 and the beginning of Act 2, whereby the player takes control of Sylvando, Jade, Rab, and Erik (in that order) in small sequences that explore the events that occurred when the main character was missing and the party was disbanded.

Reaction on this change is mostly positive with many saying that it flushes out the story and gives the player a chance to play as someone other than the main character for a short time.

A notable minority states that it impacts the pacing and gives away some plot points that were originally a surprise in Act 2 (in the OG version).

-> This change appears clearly directed towards returning players (from OG) rather than first-time players. However, most see it as an overall benefit.

Glamour Options

In DE, players can select the cosmetic appearance of characters separately from their equipment. Allowing them to choose whatever look they want without compromising stats

Mounts

In DE, new mounts are added which provide additional ways of getting around in the overworld and dungeons.
Also added are 2 new items: the Horse Hailer and Baumren's Bell (Great Sabrecat) -- these allow you to summon a mount anywhere on the field.

Weapons / Equipment / Battle Items

New Equipment is also present in DE. These are mostly detailed elsewhere -- a few less discussed exceptions will be listed below

Golden Claws (originally from DQ3): One of the best claws in the game, however it is cursed and will make monsters very aggressive in the overworld.
Godbird Sceptre (originally from DQ8): One of the best staves in the game.
Tempest Shield (originally from DQ4): One of the best (non-heavy) shields in the game.
Tectonic Plate (originally from DQ2): Solid body armor, good mid-to-late game protection
Elevating Shoes (originally from DQ3): Accessory, good agility/charm, wearer passively gains EXP in the overworld (not much)
Rainbow Drop (originally from DQ1): Accessory, good magical might/mending/charm gain, small chance of spells/abilities consuming no MP

-> Common misconception: The "Wolf Wear" outfit for Erik is in the 2020 DE release. However, the method to obtain it is not the same as in the 2019 Switch release. The only change was that it was removed from the "in-game rewards" list

It can easily be obtained via a mod to add it back to the "in-game rewards" list (or this mod which immediately adds it to the appearance menu) or the Debug Console

New Item: Golden Reins. This item will make the horse races much easier as it gives your horse unlimited stamina. (The horse races being too hard was apparently an extremely common complaint back in the OG version). Using the Golden Reins will result in your best lap time not being recorded, but will allow some less-skilled players to beat the races (and get the rewards) on any difficulty with much less frustration.

Other Changes

Japanese-only: Voice Drama added in DE (full script available here with the artwork available here)
Photo Mode: A dedicated mode for posing playable characters and taking "selfie" shots.

---> Generally less intuitive or useful as using Ansel or even using the Debug Camera (DebugGameCamera) and taking a screenshot from that.

First-person camera (OG) was removed in Definitive Edition (DE)
Default field-of-view is wider (camera is located further behind the player) in DE
"Nose for Treasure" overworld ability by Erik: this replaced the "Noah's Archive" item and essentially does the exact same thing.
New Cutscenes and Sequences

Gameplay / Quality of Life (QoL)

General takeaway: most QoL changes added in DE are geared towards providing a more "streamlined" experience.

Battle speed can be adjusted in DE, with 3 settings: Normal (same as OG), Fast, and Super Fast
Camera control options added in battle: free-roam or classic camera can be swapped at any time
Party chat is a bit faster
Party members now appear and follow the main character in the overworld and can be talked to at any time (will speak the same party chat dialogue when this happens)

-> note that some are divided on this feature, with a few lamenting that the additional party members on the overworld sometimes "get in the way"

Materials are automatically picked up when an action is performed at gathering points (i.e. mining minerals or shaking trees)
Required materials can be bought at the forge provided that the player has gathered the same material type before (reduced farming/backtracking)
Addition of a 'Quick Commands' menu
Faster level-ups (level-up menu no longer 'waits' for level-up melody to finish playing before allowing players to resume)
Players can obtain (a small amount of) EXP from monsters that are run over with the horse
Cutscenes can be skipped anytime in DE (in OG, cutscenes could only be skipped when viewed in the cutscene viewer in L'Acadamie)
Save point added right before the last boss of Act 2 (deaths frequently occur on this boss -> this greatly reduces backtracking)

Miscellaneous

Enemy Stats

Certain enemies, such as Dora-in-Grey and Rab are noted to have had some rebalancing/adjustments in DE. Ranging from a different turn count, to HP, etc.

(most of this is still relatively undocumented, however)

Quest Changes

A couple quests have had substantial changes (not exhaustively listed here):

"Mr. Vista"- in OG, you meet Mr. Vista at Cobblestone Tor, who suggests you go to Insula Centralis.

---> In DE, you meet them at the Mt. Pang Lai Summit, and they suggest you go to Cobblestone Tor.

NPC Appearance

A few NPCs have had their appearance altered from a "generic" counterpart to a more unique design (new model added in Definitive Edition)

---> Madame Cherie (innkeeper at L'Acadamie), for example, was changed from a generic "bunny girl" NPC to a new design from the 3DS version.

Phnom Nonh NPC (OG)

Madame Cherie (DE)

Phnom Nonh NPC (DE)

Cosmetics

Certain outfit sets in OG were effectively a higher-stat version of an earlier outfit with the same appearance. This became unnecessary with the new "Glamour Options" (noted under "Features" above) in DE.

Instead, these (formerly) identical outfits received new recolors

(Project Rebuild explanation further below)

Drasilian and Irwin's Armor (OG), Irwin's Armor (DE)

Drasilian Armor (DE)

Swindler's Stole & Swindler King's Stole (OG), Swindler's Stole (DE)

Swindler King's Stole (DE)

Swindler King's Stole (PR)

Corsair & Pirate King's Coat (OG), Corsair's Coat (DE)

Pirate King's Coat (DE)

Pirate King's Coat (PR)

Saintess Dress & Sacred Raiment (OG), Saintess Dress (DE)

Sacred Raiment (DE)

Sacred Raiment (PR)

Dapper Doublet & Dashing Doublet (OG), Dapper Doublet (DE)

Dashing Doublet (DE)

Dashing Doublet (PR)

Glad Rags & Gladder Rags (OG), Glad Rags (DE)

Gladder Rags (DE)

Drasilian Dress Coat & Yggdrasil Dress Coat (OG), Drasilian Dress Coat (DE)

Yggdrasil Dress Coat (DE)

Yggdrasil Dress Coat (PR)

Pallium Regale & Potentate's Pallium (OG), Pallium Regale (DE)

Potentate's Pallium (DE)

Potentate's Pallium (PR)

Warrior Princess's Dress & Minerva's Raiment (OG), Warrior Princess's Dress (DE)

Minerva's Raiment (DE)

Scandalous Swimsuit & Hot Bikini (OG), Scandalous Swimsuit (DE)

Hot Bikini (DE)

General's Jacket & Field Marshall's Finery (OG), General's Jacket (DE)

Field Marshall's Finery (DE)

Field Marshall's Finery (PR)

Project Rebuild (PR)

These new recolors and exclusive costumes were backported from the Switch (S) version to the original (OG) version by modders near the end of the original release's lifespan.

This backport redid these new textures and recolors using the original higher-poly models and higher-quality UV maps -- in many cases this meant some combination of remapping and rescaling parts of the Switch texture to match the original (OG) version's layering or recoloring the original assets to match the Switch version for the highest quality.

After Definitive Edition's assets were re-released on PC, modders discovered that the resolution of the character textures was 2-4x that of the Switch version -- this allowed for numerous improvements to the quality of the textures not possible prior to the December 4th, 2020 re-release.

When Project Rebuild released in April 2021, the assets of this basic backport were initially used, but were eventually updated in 0.0.6 with a number of improvements (not shown in the images above) -> this included adjustments to a number of these character textures to more accurately reflect Definitive Edition and even higher quality.