Editing Encounter (section)

==Mechanics==
[[File:Enemy Encounter.png|right|thumb|Artwork of the [[party]] of {{Dragon Quest IV}} facing an encounter.|250px]]
The enemies a player can meet varies both on where they are in the game and the terrain they are on. For example, the forest may contain enemies not found in the plains. For games that include travel by [[ship]], enemies encountered while at sea are from an entirely separate set. Some enemies have a very low encounter rate and thus are almost impossible to find; these usually give out large amounts of [[Experience Points]] or some other significant reward, the most obvious example being the [[Metal slime]].

===Random Encounters===
In the {{NES}} Versions of the first four games, as well as the original version of {{DQ5}}, encountering an enemy is a totally random chance independent of the number of steps taken. Instead, each type of tile on the over world is assigned an encounter chance, which is then influenced by whether it is day or night, and if [[Holy water]] or [[Holy Protection]] have been used. For the original game, the encounter rates per tile type are:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Terrain !! Encounter Rate
|-
| Bridges || {{fraction|1|48}}
|-
| Meadows || {{fraction|1|24}}
|-
| Swamps || {{fraction|1|16}}
|-
| Forests || {{fraction|1|16}}
|-
| Hills || {{fraction|1|8}}
|-
| Desert || {{fraction|1|8}}
|-
|}

Though very unlikely, it is theoretically possible to walk for as many as 100 steps without encountering a single battle.

===Pedometer-based Encounters=== 
In keeping with the subtle alterations to the series' mechanics in the post-[[Chunsoft]] titles, ''VI''~''VIII'' (as well as the remakes of the [[Zenithia trilogy]]) utilize an encounter rate based on the number of steps taken. Each step taken contributes to a hidden sum, and once the assigned threshold is reached a battle will begin. For example, the units for ''III's'' remakes are:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Terrain !! Pedometer Total
|-
| Sea || 0.4
|-
| Meadows || 1.0
|-
| Forests || 1.5
|-
| Desert || 1.5
|-
| Swamps || 1.8
|-
| Hills || 2.5
|-
|}

===Visible Encounters===
Beginning with {{Dragon Quest IX}} and remaining consistent for all 3D remakes and sequels, {{MFamilies}}s now appear on the over world much the same as the party and {{NPC}}s do. The one exception to all this is ship travel, which uses the same mechanics as the {{NES}} games.

===Business encounters===
As a rare gimmick in {{DQ4 Chapter 3}} of {{Dragon Quest IV}}, {{Torneko}} will sometimes encounter an [[Inn]]keeper or [[Item shop]] [[merchant]] to do business with in addition to the usual {{MFamilies}} encounters (See gallery below).