The Time Being
The Time Being is a boss in Dragon Quest VII. With the help of the Sands of time, it placed the town of El Ciclo into an endless time loop and attempted to control the flow of time itself. It has gone on to make regular appearances in spinoff games in the series.
| Dragon Quest monster | |
|---|---|
| The Time Being | |
 Art by Akira Toriyama | |
| Japanese | タイムマスター |
| Romaji | Taimumasutā |
| First appearance | Dragon Quest VII |
| Old localisation | TimeSage |
"How can you be roaming around freely despite the curse placed on this land? Do my eyes deceive me?
Bah! I can see that you do not have the slightest intention of telling me how you came to be here. Well, no matter. You will not make it out alive. You should have stayed where you were safe—in my eternal time loop! Well, it's too late for regrets now..."
Characteristics
The Time Being is a large, imposing humanoid dressed in elaborate green and grey robes carrying a silver glaive-like staff. It wears golden shoes, a small grey bolero jacket on its upper body with a grey and gold cape attached, and a large grey and gold belt around its waist. Its "face" appears to be a singular eye which is mostly covered by its robes and a golden headpiece with two spikes. The Time Being attacks by hurling its staff like a boomerang at enemies, which then teleports instantly back into its hand afterwards. When it first appeared in the Monsters series of games, The Time Being was originally part of the Material family, but later became part of the Demon family.
Boss Encounter
Strategy
The Time Being is accompanied by two Side winders. They are lined up like this:
- Side winder
- The Time Being
- Side winder
At the beginning of the battle, the Time Being will cast Magic Barrier to protect itself and the side winders from the party's spells. As such, it is best not to rely on magic against this boss. If the barrier wears off, it will recast it. If possible, the player should try to cast Sap early in the battle before it has the chance. Tongue Bashing can prove invaluable as it will stun the Time Being for a single turn and lower its defences.
To make matters more frustrating, the side winders use the Sands of Time at various times during the battle, resetting the fight back to the beginning. The side winders must be defeated first before focusing on The Time Being itself. Group-hitting techniques such as Lightning and breath attacks are ideal to damage all three at once. The Time Being will bombard the party with both Frizzle and Boom, so the player should prepare beforehand by equipping the party with magic-resistant armour such as Platinum mail, Magic vestment, and Magic shields. It can also use Dazzleflash to lower the accuracy of your party.
First, deal with the side winders and then pound away using the party's most powerful attacks. As always, Maribel should have the Staff of salvation in her inventory to heal the party due to her naturally high Agility. Oomph should be cast on both the Hero and Ruff to deal heavy physical damage. Once the side winders are defeated, the battle becomes much easier.
Other Appearances
Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2 Professional
| The Time Being | |
|---|---|
| Family | Material family |
| Rank | S |
| Size | S |
| Weapons | Spears, Hammers, Claws, Staves |
| Traits | List of Traits in Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker |
| Resistances | Vulnerable to Woosh, Confusion, and Sap Resistant to Donk, Sleep, and Sag Immune to Crack, Whack, and Fizzle |
| Skill | Frizz & Zam |
| Location | - |
| Breeding chart | Fallen priest x Fallen priest x Tortured soul x Tortured soul |
Dragon Quest Walk
Although The Time Being did not participate in the game's Dragon Quest VII event, it appeared alongside the Togrus Maximus during the game's 2.5 year anniversary event. It appears as a boss in Chapter 1, Episode 3 of the event quests and can be challenged afterwards as a powerful monster. As it is no longer accompanied by its Side winders, The Time Being will be able to reverse time on its own to restart the battle and can cast Boom, Kaboom, and Kafrizz.
Etymology
The Time Being's name is a pun based on the English phrase, "for the time being," a phrase of time which means for the present, or until some other arrangement has been made.
Gallery
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Appearance in Super Light. -
Appearance in Stars. -
With Side winders. -
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The Time Being in Walk. -
The Time Being and Togrus Maximus in Walk
