Dragon Quest guide

Dragon Quest (A.K.A. Dragon Warrior in the old days) is a role-playing series that has been around for a while, and gained notice by many in one way or another. Regardless of its status in various circles, this page is meant to provide tips/tricks, info, and suggestions on various games of the series, most particularly when dealing with different versions, such as NES/SNES originals versus DS updates. Spinoffs and info on them are also allowed to be posted here (Such as Monsters, Slime, and Swords). (If necessary, this page may be split into a slight few more entries.)

Dragon Quest I
-Handy Items to Find-

Dragon Scale: 20G in stores, Raises defense just a tiny bit. Great early on, and who'd turn down extra Defense?

War Ring: Found in a Dungeon. Has been up for debate a while. It's generally agreed it makes you a little stronger, but it has also been noted to ward off weaker enemies and also make Critical hits easier to pull off. Whether these last two are true or not needs verification, per version and in general.

Choker and Devil Belt: Found in Dungeons. Curse you, so don't equip them. Instead, sell them for 180 (choker) and 1200 (belt) gold respectively. May respawn in the chests they were found in from time to time.

''' -Search All You Can! (Remix only)- '''

If you've ever played an RPG, you should know that there are hidden goodies all over the place. In the Remixes of 1, 2, and 3, you're now allowed to search suspicious areas for these. Some are less useful such as clothes, which are only good for selling, but some are invaluable, such as the stat-boosting seeds. In the Originals and Remixes, this is the only way to find the Loto/Erdrick gear and the Pixie Flute. Now, it's pointless to search on the overworld for stuff (The sole exception being the Loto/Erdrick token, which should be done only after getting the Lora's Love item), so only go out of your way in towns with dressers, pots, and suspiciously bare patches of grass.

-Personal Challenges-

So, you beat DQ1, eh? How about seeing if you can beat it with a challenge? Choose or mix any of the below.

1) Don't buy anything from stores except keys (otherwise, you couldn't win). Only use what you find!

2) NO SLEEPING AT INNS. There's no time to sleep on the job, that world needs rescuing! Saving your game is allowed though.

3) FISTS ONLY. FINAL DESTINATION. Beat the game using your fists and no other weapon. Can you do it? Magic is allowed, but not to deal damage.

Dragon Quest II
-Slot Bonanza-

There's 3 prizes specifically you'll want to get out of this.

The Best: Gold Card: Lowers costs of anything you buy witha 25% price cut. Very handy early on and even better later. Notes: It does not effect money you get from selling stuff and having multiple cards does NOT layer discounts.

2nd Best: Wizard Ring: You'll find some along your quest for sure, but why not have some as back up? You'll want to get these last though.

3rd Best: Wizard Wand: +27 Attack in the remix makes this a very nice weapon for Sumaltria/Cannock and Moonbrooke early on. Try and win at least 1 at the first slot machine you find. 2 if you can.

-Falcon Sword versus Iron Spear (Original only)-

If you're playing the original, Cannock's Prince has a limited weapon range. While the Iron Spear has more base power, consider that the Falcon sword has much higher attack in the long run, since you hit twice with it, which is better for 3 things: 1) Metal slimes 2) Critical hits 3) Getting a hit in general on fast monsters. If you have the spare cash, especially if you have the gold card, then go for it. If not, stick with the Iron Spear. In the Remix, it's generally agreed that the Light Sword is Cannock's best weapon. Still, if you want to hunt some Metal Slimes or Metal Babbles, the Falcon Sword is great for getting extra hits in on them (Since, unless you critical hit, you'll only do 1 damage anyway, regardless of your weapon).

''' -Gold Orc Hunting- '''

Gold Orcs leave the most cash per death, but they are among the stronger enemies in the game. Not only are they tough, but they can heal themselves and allies too. Be sure you've mastered Explodet before taking them on, since it can turn the tides. Lesser magic does do some damage, but it can usually be healed up by them, rendering their effects null.

Dragon Quest III
 -Character Building- 

Well, there's no sense in just randomly picking out allies. Let's get acquainted with them in the following notes.

Starting Out:

Unless you decide to attempt a solo run (NOT recommended for a first playthrough), you'll want to have some allies. In the original, your allies all start with preset stats, even when custom-made. In the remix, you can give your allies seeds to boost their starting stats. Obviously, you shouldn't give INTseeds to non-casters, but do consider giving seeds to cover some weaknesses amongst classes. For example, Soldiers are naturally strong and durable, but do not get very fast, so give them some AGLseeds. Another important factor in the remix is the personality system, which affects your stats, some personalities more than others. You will find accessories to alter personalities while worn and books which permanently change the base personalities (but can still be altered by accessories).

Class Descriptions:

In all honesty, it's best to just have three main allies to the Hero(ine) and build upon those 3. If you really want to, consider having 3 more as backup for alternate specialties, but only consider doing this after you can level them up rather easily. Before you decide on your party though, it's best to consider the strengths and weaknesses of each class:

+The Warrior is a physical powerhouse. Good strength and stamina, and can equip alot of powerful gear. It tends to stay alive longer than anyone else. However, it tends to be slow, often going last in a fight and typically is only able to hit one enemy at a time. In addition, it can be kind of hard to keep up with the expensives of keeping it well-armed, as their heavy-duty gear can cost alot.

+The Fighter is a more offense oriented Warrior. High strength and agility assures that they'll move first, get critical hits, and dodge more often than nearly anyone else. However, their equipment options are lacking, which can make it hard for low-level Fighters to survive magic attacks until they get some more HP and better gear later on. On the bright side, they don't take as much gold to keep supplied.

+The Mage is pretty much the typical caster. Physically pathetic in stats and gear options, but an ace at offensive magic, especially when many of its spells hit several enemies. On top of that, it learns some very handy buffs, such as TwinHits/Bikill, which doubles an ally's offense and Increase, which boosts the party's defense. Very handy for beginners, and never really very expensive either.

+The Cleric, unlike the Mage, is fair at combat, and being able to equip quite abit of gear helps, too. Its spell range is rather versatile as well, not only including healing and curing ailments, but also has some wind spells, buffs, and debuffs. Sadly, the Cleric becomes lessening handy at combat later on. It's still an invaluable ally though, early on, especially to avoid paying for herbs and antidotes.

+The Dealer is an oddjob. It's fairly good at combat, and can equip some decent gear. They also find extra gold in battles. Early on, this is extremely helpful to get better gear. Later, it's not as handy, but at consider class changing to or from a dealer, as they learn the very useful YellHelp at Level 17, which summons an Inn, Church, or Shop on the overworld. It really is as helpful as it sounds.

+The Thief is only in the Remix. It has fairly impressive stats all around, especially with an INT-centric Personality, which may boost their MP skyhigh. It can equip alot of handy gear and has some helpful treasure hunting skills, along with randomly stealing (often great) stuff from enemies. Consider class changing from one early and to one later on, especially if changing different units to and from.

+The Jester is a joke. Pathetically weak, and has a limited gear selection. As it levels up, it will ignore fights more often and goof off. However, it does have a huge Luck stat, which is very helpful for finding dropped loot from foes. However, it is the sole class that doesn't need a special item to become a Sage. Not recommended for beginners, though, unless you know what you're getting into.

+The Sage is perhaps the best all-around class. It learns the spells of Clerics and Mages, can equip some pretty good gear, and has above average stats and is the best at magic. Do note that you can only class change into a Sage and only with a special item unless using a Jester. There are ONLY TWO of said items (you can't even steal any, supposedly), so make sure you do not waste them.

Spell Mastery:

Depending on how you want to play, you may have very different plans in party formations than someone else. However, consider the Dharma Temple before you declare a final party. Any ally (except the Hero(ine)) can class change at minimum of Level 20. They start at level 1 with half of their stats from before, and all of their spells and skills. If you do not want to use it, that's fine too. However, it might be best to change once you reach the second world if you have not done so ahead of then. In general, if a class learns any skills/spells learn all of them before changing, that way, you keep your stats fairly high and have a better variety of spells and skills versus doing so at Level 20, especially since you would have to start BACK AGAIN at Level 20 to learn the skills you didn't get before changing. Also, note that learning is bound to a class. A Cleric that became a Fighter won't keep learning Cleric spells at 21+, etc. However, if a Warrior becomes a Mage, it will of course learn Mage spells. Lastly, Sages only learn spells they do not already know. Say if a Cleric became a Sage, it would learn Mage spells, but not its already known Cleric spells. It will learn the Cleric spells it did not know though. All of these examples are of course with regards to the respective levels of spell/skill learning of course.

 -Parties and Planning Ahead:- 

With regards to a Final Party, if you decide to class change, you may want to start with different classes than those you want to end with. For example, perhaps start with a Warrior or Fighter, then later clas change them into a Mage or Cleric, that way, it is easier for said caster to survive in combat, while still having the benefits of spell learning. The Sage example aside, you can class change an infinite number of times, but remember to be aware of what your stats will look like from doing so, especially if you often class change at Level 20. Here are some general recommendations for changing to and from classes, along with some suggestions for specialty parties, if not your final parties.

Class Change Paths:

One final note before listing some class suggestions, I personally DO NOT recommend trying to make some sort of "Super-Badass" catch-all class that can do everything of every class. It takes WAY too long to do, even at Level 20, unless you're really patient and really good at hunting Metababbles. Here's some class change recommendations, along with some nicknames, given their specialties:

+"Battle Master": Warrior -> Fighter (or Vice Versa); This is perhaps the simplest and most purely physically powerful options you can consider. Not only do you balance the weaknesses of one class with the strength of the other, the longer you wait to change, the better the effect it will have. Just be sure to make a final choice between the two eventually, if you change multiple times.

+"Combat Medic": Cleric -> Warrior, Fighter, or Thief; While the you may be lacking in MP and INT unless you class change much later on, as long as you learn HealUs and Revive, you can have a very handy force on your hands. If you go Warrior, you won't usually end up dying before anyone else. If you go Fighter or Thief, you'll often go first and heal early, which is great after a harsh attack.

+"Ninja": Mage -> Thief (or) Thief -> Mage -> Thief (NES: Replace Thief with Fighter); While Mages lack physical power, their buffs and skills can go a long way in faster, stronger hands. While the end result will not be as magically-strong as a Mage or Sage, the versatility makes up for it. Especially if using a weapon that strikes many foes. Buff up with Bikill, and you can see where this is headed.

+"Lucky Charm": Jester -> Dealer -> Thief (-> ?) (NES: Just remove Thief); Not be an easy choice for beginners, but if you're confident enough, you can get a character with good Luck, have some excess cash mid-game (along with YellHelp), and some nice stuff from stealing. If you choose to go beyond Thief, the best option might be going Sage (preferably with an item instead of re-Jestering)

+"Super Sage": Mage -> Cleric -> Sage; While trying to raise all of your stats to be high up is ridiculously time-eating, making a balanced Sage is far less so, but still takes a while. Essentially, learn all as Mage before going Cleric, and Cleric before going Sage. The Mage adds a nice inital boost to MP and INT and the Cleric has faitly good stats all around, which gives the Sage an extra edge all-around.

+Wouldbe Hero(ine)": Mage -> Cleric -> Warrior or Thief; Like "Super Sage", but more balanced and less magical. If you're playing NES, go Warrior, if only for the great gear. If you're playing the Remix, by all means go Thief. You can still gain MP, be a great combatant, cover the magic bases better, AND steal some nice stuff. You won't have every skill or stat mastered, but you'll still be great

Starting Party Recommendations:

When it comes to choosing parties, pairing up allies from some of the paths mentioned above is a fairly good idea. However, let's get a little more detailed than that. Assuming you don't double up:

Warrior+Mage+Cleric: The party you're "given" to start with. Pretty good, just don't use those allies, and instead seed up some custom ones instead (in the Remix, of course). A good beginner party, but can be a bit pricey at times. At the very least, you shouldn't end up getting wiped out too often.

Fighter+Mage+Cleric: This is my personal recommendation for a beginner party. The Fighter is much more inexpensive than a Warrior, and generally better when it comes to speed and critical hits. The sole negative versus using a Warrior is that he might take damage more often and can't utilize various "magical" equipment that can be used as items, but you won't notice until roughly mid-game.

Fighter+Thief+Cleric: This is what one could consider an "Intermediate" party. It's generally a little bit of everything. The weaknesses are obvious, especially without a Mage or defense-friendly ally. However, it's good enough to get through to Dharma temple if you are careful. Best used if you have a good feeling on what you'll be class changing into. Consider a Dealer or Jester for the NES.

Dealer+Thief+Jester: BIG MONEY, BIG PRIZES, I LOVE IT. Or I would if this party wasn't so vulnerable. Not an easy party to start with, and NOT for beginners. Still, you might use this party to comb through some safer areas for easy money from selling often-dropped loot. Or just grind a bit until they can survive going from place to place. Definitely consider Class Chaning later though. Remix only.

Or your own choice, of course. Definitely have a plan though, assuming you class change, which, again, you really should after entering second world if you haven't done so already.

-Beware the Pachisi Glitch!-

Only available in the remix. A glitch exists while playing the Pachisi board mini-game. Occaissionally you'll find a character's level to glitch and drastically shoot up, sometimes to level 99. HOWEVER, their final stats will actually be much lower than if they got their by naturally leveling up. With any other character, it's no big deal, as they can just class change and start anew, however, if your Hero(ine) was playing, THERE IS NO WAY to return them to normal without external modifications (cheating devices, etc.). This is very bad post game, so if you do decide to play Pachisi with a Hero(ine), save first, or you'll find out the hard way just how bad this glitch can be for him or her.

''' -Metal Babble Beatdown- '''

While Metal Slimes give some nice Experience Points, their Babble-based cousins give around TEN TIMES as much. However, they are also a bit craftier and tend to run more often. They show up before the second world around the town of Sioux (or that town with the Tribal dressed people), but in limited quantities, and you'll need a boat to get to it. In the second world, they show up more abundantly, specificially around the Rimuldar town area (town surrounded on all sides by water). By then, you should have learned the BeDragon spell. This is a real must-have when fighting these critters. Now, the attack doesn't always work on them, but if it does, you can take out a good chunk more than one in a single breath blast if you're lucky. This makes it easy to rake up experience mighty fast. Utilize this area and the Dharma temple to really boost up your party members.

Dragon Quest IV
''' -"Which final party to make?" Original versus Remake- '''

Original:

In the original Chapter 5, the AI of your allies can be rather unreliable at times. As such, unless you feel like taking a chance, it's best to stick with this set up: Hero(ine), Ragnar, Taloon, and Alena. Why use Taloon? Alot of reasons, mostly those that have to do with his random actions. The most valuable of these is his ability to steal items. He won't always do it, but if he nabs something handy, then who's complaining? This is the only legit way to get more than one Metal Babble Helmet, unless you're really lucky when you beat them. Another handy skill is calling merchant fighters. This does a triple hit to enemies, AND if Taloon is equipped with the Sword of Miracles, he gets the HP healing from all 3 of those hits! Very nice. Among others, he's quite helpful when he isn't slacking.

If you want to have a secondary caster outside of the Hero(ine), though, consider replacing Taloon with Nara to use healing and offense and later Cristo once he learns HealAll and Revive. Just be warned, unless you have your tactics as more defensive, Nara's wind attacks don't always work on stronger enemies and Cristo likes to cast Beat and Defeat, which tend to miss. Otherwise, they'll get the job done. Brey is a third option, but you might not want to use him until you can get him some good defensive gear and some of his better spells.

Remake:

Now that you have full control of your allies, you can really utilize their talents. In general though, it might be easier to use this setup: Hero(ine), Kiryl, Borya, and Alena or Ragnar. Ragnar can use the Sword of Miracles to stay alive longer than Alena might, and his extra armor and HP also keep him sturdy. Alena on the other hand, is much faster, stronger, and can critical hit much easier. Equipping the Falcon Knife Earrings is less of a boon here than it is in the original game, but it's still quite handy considering she'll usually get a critical hit with at least one strike of two quite often. Using Borya may also turn some heads, but buffs and debuffs are much handier in this series than most. Sleep can also work well too, depending on what you're fighting. In general, the women allies (Heroine excluded) are far better for offensive parties, which is best utilized when traveling around, tearing through a dungeon, or trying to rush a physiclaly weak boss.

-Alena: Fire Claw versus Falcon Knife Earrings-

Once again this problem arises. Oddly enough though, it's a real no contest situation. Alena has such a huge strength stat and high rates for critical hits, there's pretty much no reason to want to use the Fire Claw unless you just want raw damage boosted, and even then, it isn't that notable versus the earrings. Still, you may consider the Fire Claw for random battles, then switch for tougher foes and bosses.