Retro Music Mod Installation and Usage Guide

This guide covers the Retro Music Mod, which replaces the game's music with high-quality orchestral renditions from prior entries in the series. Notably: Dragon Quest 3, 4, 5, and 8.

Description and Preview

A lot of people complain about the the music in Dragon Quest XI. Not JUST the fact that it's not orchestrated (by default), but that the soundtrack lacks variety, sounds repetitive, and has weak compositions overall. Introducing: the Retro Music Mod.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyTCP6UMTVA
For those unfamiliar, the Retro Music Mod for Dragon Quest XI offers high-quality orchestral replacements for the tracks in the base game, similar to the Orchestral Overhaul Mod. The key difference is that the tracks are completely replaced in favor of the best musical compositions of the entire Dragon Quest series.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDGl3Ndzz-Q

★ This mod is 100% compatible with the Orchestral Overhaul Mod ★

Download

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NexusMods link (RECOMMENDED): https://www.nexusmods.com/dragonquestxi/mods/89?tab=files
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-> The description tab has all the same information as this guide (& more)
-> See the posts tab for FAQs, common issues and fixes
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Alternative Mirror (if NexusMods is blocked in your country): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qM-X-lyNEcV27MPE64BZwgpLnModPdJM/view?usp=sharing

This mod requires DQXIHook, which can best be described as a mod-loading framework. It also grants access to the game's debug console (see below) https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2149039713
Included in this mod is a zipped "Sounds" folder which contains a large set of unpacked Unreal Engine 4 (UE4) asset files (~60+ tracks) -- DQXIHook allows us to load these loose files directly into the game.

Download links and installation instructions for DQXIHook is provided directly by Infogram/Havoc, one of the developers of OOM:

Steam Discussion w/ instructions
Direct Link[zenhax.com]

Installation

• Download the standalone file for DQXIHook from the link above and extract it to your installation directory: <steamapps>\common\DRAGON QUEST XI\Game\Binaries\Win64\
  
  (where <steamapps> is typically C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\ )
  

  • **Note for Special K users:

    make sure you rename "dxgi.dll" to "dinput8.dll". Then, add this section to the end of "dxgi.ini" in the same directory-
    

    [Import.DQXIHook]
    Architecture=x64
    Filename=dinput8.dll
    Role=ThirdParty
    When=Early 

  
  You can check to see that DQXIHook is working by pressing the Tilde (~) key in-game: a console should pop up at the bottom of the screen.
  
  
• Once you have DQXIHook squared away, unpack the 'Sounds' folder included with this mod to: <steamapps>\common\DRAGON QUEST XI\Game\Content\
  
  If everything is done correctly, you should have:
  
  <steamapps>\common\DRAGON QUEST XI\Game\Binaries\Win64\dxgi.dll
  <steamapps>\common\DRAGON QUEST XI\Game\Content\Sounds\BGM\(a ton of .uexp and .uasset files)

Usage, Track List, FAQs

Enjoy :)

Track List: https://www.nexusmods.com/dragonquestxi/mods/89?tab=docs

FAQs/etc:
https://www.nexusmods.com/dragonquestxi/mods/89/?tab=forum&topic_id=8550643
https://www.nexusmods.com/dragonquestxi/mods/89?tab=posts
https://www.nexusmods.com/dragonquestxi/mods/89/?tab=forum&topic_id=8659453

Testimonials

FullmetalRyuken (6/21/20):
"Wonderful enhancement for those of us who couldn't handle the original music played on loop. I started playing again and i truly enjoy the game now!"

BaxterTheFuture (5/3/20):
"I've had the game since day one but I've struggled to come back to it because the music was so grating and repetitive. I'm absolutely hooked on it now! This mod is a must have!"

Shmitterwink1 (3/28/20):
"(This) mod has honestly rekindled my interest in DQ XI. I've been hoping for something like this for over a year and am absolutely thrilled that it has finally come to fruition. The beautiful music from V and VIII bumps this game from an 8 to a 10 in my book."

Other Info

For anything not covered in this guide (changelog, documentation, troubleshooting, contact for the original author, etc), please see the main NexusMods page:

https://www.nexusmods.com/dragonquestxi/mods/89