History YMMV / DragonQuestXI

** In this game, you can trample over enemies while riding a horse, provided that your level is high enough. Relish the joys of sending helpless monsters flying like ragdolls while you tour this beautiful world.

** Gemma is the hero's implied LoveInterest. On one hand, some feel it's nice that the game has NoHuggingNoKissing and no real ShipTease between the hero and Serena or Jade (who sees the hero as more of a little brother). While Gemma ''does'' sit back and do nothing during fights, this gives great opportunity for CharacterDevelopment since her arc could be about being more than the hero's childhood romance.

* GameBreaker: There are suprisingly a few of them, more than one would expect in most Dragon Quest games.

* DifficultySpike: The third act is tougher than the first and second acts. Side quest bosses can be harder than the second act's FinalBoss, with no indication that they are getting towards BonusBoss hardness. Be especially wary of quests which do not show up in the quest log.

* EvilIsSexy: Krystalinda [[spoiler:before her HeelFaceTurn,]] although she loses none of the sexiness afterwards.
** Jasper as well, who's as evil as he is sexy.

** One post-game sidequest requires you to battle [[BossinMookClothing a duo of tough Cyclopses]] but finish ''each'' of them with one specific Pep Power. There are many other side quests that involve having to finish off an enemy with a particular Pep Power, but this one is unique for requiring you to do it twice in one battle since the required move can only target one enemy at a time. Also the Cyclopses can hit hard with their physical attacks, even if you're at a high level and have great armor. It's pretty much required to use Pep Pips or Pep Pops, which, outside the limited number that you get as an award in several end-game side quests, are very expensive or are a rare drop. Even better, the pep move you have to use at least twice has a 10% chance of ''missing.''

** Avarith. While she isn't a ''dangerous'' boss per se, her shtick is that she repeatedly debuffs your characters while buffing herself. Thus, the difference between making the fight last a couple minutes and over ten is whether or not you have remembered this, as you ''cannot'' beat the fight by just going [[AttackAttackAttack focusing on burning her down with physical attacks]]. (Especially if you went there before Angri-La and thus not having Rab, who has access to Sap and other useful buff spells.)
** Booga comes straight on the heels of another tough boss fight, meaning you have no chance to heal up or adjust your equipment. On top of that, he absolutely spams the ever-loving hell out of beguilement and charm moves as well as a move which drains a fair amount of MP from your entire party.

** The Definitive Edition ''tries'' to help by moving the Elevating Vest, an EXP-boosting armor, out of the Octagonia Casino token exchange line up and into a DLC Pack to make it available faster, as well as the Elevating Shoes, an accessory you get for restoring the BonusDungeon based on ''VI'', which gives experience as you walk, but it is a very slow grind of a fix.
* SelfImposedChallenge: It's technically possible to defeat the TrueFinalBoss without using the specific item that weakens it, but if so its stats will be buffed to super-boss level, to the point that even a party that was overprepared for the weakened TrueFinalBoss will have great difficulty in dealing with it. Doubly so should the Stronger Monsters Draconian Difficulty be turned on. Your reward for all of this? Purely bragging rights.