Dragon Quest VII Reimagined introduces a level of flexibility never before seen in the series by offering three distinct difficulty presets: Easy Going, Happy Medium, and Tough Going. These roughly correspond to your traditional Easy, Normal, and Hard modes.
While these presets are a good starting point, the "reimagined" experience allows you to adjust every parameter individually, even during the game (Main Menu, Settings, Difficulty Level). After extensive testing, I have found that the default Happy Medium can still feel a bit too simple for both series veterans and those accustomed to RPG mechanics.
To achieve a playthrough that rewards strategy without becoming a tedious grind, I recommend a Custom Balanced setup.
Table of contents
Recommended "Balanced" Custom Settings
| Setting | Selection | Why it Works |
| Damage Dealt | Normal | Avoids making enemies feel like "damage sponges." |
| Experience Earned | Normal | Maintains the game's native progression curve. |
| Proficiency Earned | Normal | Keeps Vocation leveling steady and rewarding. |
| Gold Acquired | More | Reduces early-game poverty and increases gear options. |
| Monster Strength | Strong | Essential to keep the Vocation system relevant. |
| Monster Activity | Monsters Attack | Keeps the tension high during field exploration. |
| Restore HP after Battle | Don't Restore | Preserves the classic resource-management loop. |
Why These Settings?
Damage Dealt: Normal
Reducing the damage your party deals has one unfortunate side effect: it prolongs battles with no tangible benefit to strategy.
I tested the difference between Normal and Less damage against two early-game Vicious enemies: the Vicious Hammerhood (Ballymolly Region) and the Vicious Bodkin Archer (Emberdale Region). There was zero difference in the strategy required; I simply had to spend more turns using Healing Herbs to conserve MP. It wasn't more fun—only more tedious.
Experience & Proficiency: Normal
The game is already quite generous with EXP and Proficiency Points. During my testing, I never felt the need to grind, as the game's balance is handled differently than traditional Dragon Quest games. Keeping these at Normal ensures you stay at the intended power level for the story without inadvertently out-leveling the content.
Gold Acquired: More
This comes down to personal preference, but Dragon Quest games are notoriously stingy with gold. While I understand you aren't meant to buy out every shop immediately, having more financial freedom early on makes the game significantly more enjoyable. It allows you to experiment with different gear setups rather than being locked into a single "optimal" purchase.
Monster Strength: Strong
Because Dragon Quest VII Reimagined is balanced differently than the original PlayStation or 3DS versions, the base game is generally quite easy. Anything lower than Strong results in combat encounters becoming a "walk in the park."
If you want to actually engage with the Vocation System and avoid steamrolling bosses and Elite enemies, setting Monster Strength to Strong is the only way to ensure the game's mechanics actually matter.
Restore HP after Battle: Don't Restore
Setting this to Don't Restore is vital for maintaining the survival aspect that defines the series. When HP is automatically restored, the tension during dungeon exploration completely vanishes, as every individual battle exists in a vacuum.
By keeping this setting OFF, you preserve the classic resource-management loop of the series which forces you to make choices in regards to items and spending MPs to heal your party or save them for other skills.
Bonus Setting - Objective Marker Display: Off
The beauty of every Dragon Quest title is the sense of discovery. This is even more vital in Dragon Quest VII Reimagined, where the core of the experience is witnessing how the world’s islands have changed between the Past and the Present.
Having the marker constantly active conditions your experience, making it feell like it’s on rails. By turning the marker off (Main Menu, then System, and Screen Settings,) you are encouraged to look around the world map and villages and interact with NPCs, who not only provide the clues you need to progress but also flesh out the world with flavor text and lore. This organic exploration makes the game world feel alive, ultimately making your journey far more enjoyable than simply following an icon on a map.
The Results
By combining Strong monsters with More gold, you create a game that is tactically demanding but allows you the resources to meet those challenges. It’s the perfect "Sweet Spot" for your first journey into this beautiful world.
This concludes the guide. For more help, visit our Dragon Quest VII Reimagined Complete Walkthrough and Guides Hub.
NOTE: Guide based on a 50+ hours playthrough in the 1.0 Steam version. Screenshots captured from the same version.
About the author: Francesco De Meo has been covering video games and technology since 2012, starting his career at small outlets like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack. After joining Wccftech gaming section in 2015, he quickly expanded his video gaming coverage with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic industry figures such as Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No More Heroes creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda, Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, Team NINJA's president and Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major industry events such as Gamescom and E3. When he's not reporting or reviewing, Francesco can be found playing the genres he loves most, spending time with his six cats, reading, writing music, playing guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band.
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