Free Trial

This game offers a free trial mode for anyone who wants to try the game out before buying it and paying the sub. There is no time limit for how much you can play, however there are some restrictions.

'''IMPORTANT: Anyone living outside of the United States, Japan, or China will need to use a VPN to be able to access the DQX servers. A guide to setting up a VPN can be found here.'''

=How to play the Free Trial=

Downloading the Game
You have two options for downloading Dragon Quest X:
 * Download the game from the official site. This download will be slow if you don't reside in Japan (patching can take 3-4+ hours), but is the official method to installing the game.
 * Download the full, zipped up version of the game hosted on Google Drive. This consists of versions 1-5 and will allow you to get started much faster as you aren't going to be throttled when updating through the launcher.

If you chose the the Google Drive route, here's how to install it once it's completed downloading:
 * The download is compressed with 7-Zip, a compression tool. If you can't unzip it, you will need to grab 7-Zip from their site (or use any other tool that can extract compressed 7-Zip files)
 * Un-zip "DRAGON QUEST X_FULL.7z", which has a folder called "DRAGON QUEST X" inside
 * Create a new folder in "C:\Program Files (x86)" called "SquareEnix" and copy the "DRAGON QUEST X" folder inside. Do not copy the folder inside the folder into here, but instead, make sure "DRAGON QUEST X" exists inside of "C:\Program Files (x86)\SquareEnix"
 * Go inside the "DRAGON QUEST X" folder you just copied and navigate inside the "Boot" folder
 * Right-click "DQXBoot.exe" and go to "Send To", then "Desktop (Create Shortcut)"
 * Close out of the folder and go to your desktop, then double click on the "DQXBoot" icon on your desktop
 * That's it!

Accounts
There are a few different ways that you can play the game:

> Create a Japanese Square Enix account and then go here and select the top option to login to your Japanese account, or the bottom option to make one. Afterwards, the free trial will be registered on the account and you can then login on the launcher to play.

> Play using the "Easy Play"(かんたんプレイ) option. This will allow you to play without the need to create an account, with an option allowing you to link to an account at a later date. The save data is kept on your computer though, so if you lose those files in your Documents folder, that character is gone.

If you decide to register for an account after creating a character with "Easy Play", click the blue button in the above screenshot (スクウェア · エニックス アカウント 新規 登録). This will open up your browser with a single "OK" button. Click it and fill out your new account details.



You will be asked to verify your email. Get the code from your e-mail and paste it into this screen.



Click OK and your account has been registered!



Switch
1. First, create a Japanese Nintendo account by going here. When creating it, make sure to set the country of residence to "Japan".

2. Next, create a new user on your Switch and link the Japanese Nintendo account to it. This will give you access to the Japanese eShop.

3. Open the eShop and select your Japanese profile. When in the eShop, select the top-most option on the left bar with the magnifying glass. Select the search box and search for 'X'.

4. Scroll down a bit, and you'll see ドラゴンクエストX　オンライン. Select it, and on the right side of the screen is a button you can press to begin the download.

5. Once the download finishes, open the game and the launcher will appear.

6. You can play the game with a Square Enix account that you create, or with "Easy Play". With Easy Play, you can play without an account. However, if you delete the save data from your Switch, you will lose your character data. You can link Easy Play data to a Square Enix account later, and you will need to if you decide later you want to play the game on multiple platforms. For the purpose of this guide, we won't be using the Easy Play option.

7. To create a new account with a Square Enix account, select the large yellow button on the left side of the launcher.

8. You will see two blue buttons. The left button is if you already have a Square Enix account. The right button is if you do not have one. If you somehow already have a Japanese Square Enix account, click the left button, otherwise click the right button.

(to be continued later)

The Restrictions

 * Everything up to version 2.3 is playable
 * Player Level is capped at 80
 * Crafting Level is capped at 9
 * Classes that were added past version 2 cannot be unlocked (Dancer, Fortune Teller, Druid, Gadabout, Death Master, Demon Swordsman)
 * Special Training Points cannot be obtained
 * Master Orb is unavailable
 * Certain Quests cannot be cleared and/or accepted
 * Player Shop (Traveler Bazaar) is unavailable
 * Sending mail is unavailable (you're still able to receive mail from other players/NPCs)
 * Trading with other players is unavailable
 * In the Casino, Sugoroku, Slime Race, and the 3rd floor VIP room are unavailable
 * Can only purchase Small sized housing land once it's at the minimum price
 * Purchasing a My Town is unavailable
 * Cannot exchange Genki Charge for specific items: Super Genki Orb, Special Training Genki Orb, Metal Labyrinth Ticket, or Zelmere Crest
 * Changing a Monster Companion's name is unavailable
 * General Chat (White Chat) is unavailable
 * Registering or editing new lines in the quick chat menu is unavailable
 * Yellow Diary rewards only go up to 19